Here are the movies I watched in May. Numbering picks up from the rest of the year. Movies marked with an * are ones I had not seen previously. All films rated on a scale of 1 (not so good) to 5 (really great) tuna cans.
53. Venus* (2006) – Peter O’Toole plays Maurice Evans, an aging English actor who is so frail that he willingly plays corpses. He enjoys trading sardonic barbs with fellow thespian Ian (Leslie Philips), his equally old and persnickety pal. Maurice and his friends are content to sit around in the local diner, swapping stories and insults while reading the paper. Ian’s niece’s teenage daughter, Jessie (Jodie Whittaker), arrives to care for him, injecting brashness and energy into the sodden atmosphere, and Maurice is smitten with the girl, whom he calls Venus. He is kind to her, takes her shopping and drinking, and doesn’t mind her manipulating tendencies and occasional cruelty. Venus rekindles feelings in Maurice that he thought had ebbed, and that no longer exist with his wife (Vanessa Redgrave), with whom he no longer lives. O’Toole, who closely resembles Henry Fonda in “On Golden Pond” here, was nominated for an Oscar for this understated performance. Whittaker plays Venus with the typical sullenness of a teenager, impatient yet drawn to the old actor. 3½ cans.
54. Larry Crowne* (2011) – Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) is an average middle-aged guy, a nine-time employee of the month at the local discount store, when he is suddenly fired in a downsizing – supposedly because his lack of a college degree makes him ineligible for advancement to management. When his neighbor advises him to get a degree and make himself “fireproof,” he enrolls in the local community college, where he enthusiastically tackles his economics and communications courses. Lack of enthusiasm is among the things that plagues his speech teacher, Mrs. Tainot (Julie Roberts), who has a lazy, porn-addicted husband and who only hopes that not enough students show up in her classroom so she can cancel the course. Maybe Larry’s luck will turn on what the dean of student services calls Tainot’s “life-changing class.” Larry swaps his gas guzzler for a small motorbike and meets a fellow student who spiffs up his image and appeal. Tom Hanks produced, directed and co-wrote this somewhat predictable story, which you know will end in romance. If not for the appeal of its stars – Julia Roberts, when she finally smiles, still lights up the screen – it might have ended sooner in my house. Nice try, Tom. 3½ cans.
55. State of Play* (2009) – Russell Crowe is a reporter for the fictional Washington Globe who becomes immersed in a story when his good friend, a Congressman played by Ben Affleck, makes the news for having an affair with a young staffer. When the woman commits suicide, Crowe turns up evidence of murder that points to the company Affleck’s powerful committee is investigating, but he needs to tie it all together without compromising the friendship. His newspaper boss (Helen Mirren) wants corroboration on the record, and his young colleague from the on-line side of the paper, played by Rachel McAdams, is ready to rip into the story to prove her worth. So Crowe has a lot of things to handle, not counting the military-trained bad guy who is killing people connected to the case. This is an intriguing drama, with an unkempt Crowe playing both sides but wanting to be the good journalist. There are serious “All the President’s Men” overtones here – the Washington paper, the scruffy journalist and partner who could be replaced by a more senior writer, doors being slammed in reporters’ faces and even a scene in a parking garage (only it’s not Deep Throat, it is the bad guy on the loose there). I am glad I listened to Janie P., who recommended this film, and I will do the same. 4 cans.
56. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – Is there anyone, anyone, who has not seen this John Hughes classic about a high school student (Matthew Broderick in the title role) who just wants a day off from school? Anyone, anyone? The doubting principal (Jeffrey Jones) is determined to blow Ferris’ cover, but he is one cool kid. He and pal Cameron (the droll Alan Ruck) and girlfriend (Mia Sara) take off in Cam’s father’s Ferrari for a day of adventure around Chicago as the rest of the adult world tries to reel him back in. Ben Stein, playing a teacher with as much enthusiasm as wallpaper, is the hidden gem in this movie, and I love Edie McClurg as the secretary to the evil principal. John Hughes made a bunch of movies in the 1980s centered around teenagers before he went even younger with “Home Alone.” I think this one is among his best. Broderick is utterly charming as Ferris. 4 cans.
57. The Best Most Exotic Marigold Hotel* (2012) – For a bunch of Brits whose financial futures are dim, living life in retirement at the Best, Most Exotic Marigold Hotel in India seems like a good move. The hotel promises to cater to an older crowd, almost like a hostel for the elderly. But when the various characters arrive, the hotel turns out to be better in concept than in actuality. Its manager/owner Sonny (Dev Patel) is full of optimism and good intentions, but the rooms don’t have doors and the place looks all but abandoned. However, this group of characters is played by the royalty of English actors (Dame Judith Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, among others (I don’t know how they missed Helen Mirren), so you know that the movie will work, at least on some level. One woman hates everything about India as she worries about eating a “bacteria, lettuce and tomato sandwich.” Maggie Smith’s character (who gets the best lines) takes the trip only to have a hip replaced since she can’t wait for the expensive operation in England. Each character has his or her own story, and they all play out against the new world that they have entered, some adapting much better than others. The Marigold may not be a four-star resort, but it gets 4 cans in my book.
58. Invincible (2006) – This drama is the improbable real-life story of super fan Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), too old and too small to be a football player, who gets a try-out with his hometown Philadelphia Eagles in the late 1970s and, incredibly, makes the team. A substitute teacher and part-time bartender, Vince is just a neighborhood guy, whose girlfriend leaves him and who is going nowhere (as the ex-girlfriend tells him in a note). When the Eagles’ new coach, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear), announces try-outs, Vince shows up, convinced he won’t make it. Imagine being in the stands one year, cheering for your team, and the next year being down on the field, facing the Dallas Cowboys, with your friends looking on. This isn’t exactly Rudy, but Papale’s story is almost as compelling. When it comes to sports, you gotta have heart, and Papale has about 180 pounds of it. 3½ cans.
59. Glory Road (2006) – Only in the movies could a first-year, former high school girls’ basketball coach take a Division 1 men’s team to the National Championship – except that this drama is based on a real story. In 1966, Texas Western Coach Don Haskins (played by Josh Lucas) took his team to the title in what became a milestone in sports. Haskins recruited the first black players to the El Paso, Texas, school, and they led the team to a season with only one loss. In the National Championship game, Haskins played only his black players against Kentucky, a 5-time National Champion team led by legendary Coach Adolph Rupp (Jon Voight) – who refused to recruit black players. Haskins quite literally changed the complexion of basketball for all time. Set against the Civil Rights movement, the movie shows the indignities and prejudice faced by the black players and how Haskins molded them and their white teammates into a championship squad. I knew the outcome of the game and the backstory, but still found the drama here thrilling. 4 cans.
60. Fame (1980) – This drama depicts the angst and exhilaration of the young musicians, singers, dancers and drama students – from auditions through graduation – at the New York School of the Performing Arts. Standout performers include dancer Gene Anthony Ray and Irene Cara, who sings the title song along with ”Out Here on My Own.” The plot is not nearly as important as the message, that it is a tough world for performers and you have to dedicate your life to your craft in order to succeed – and that still might not be enough. It gets glum in parts, but when the singers sing, the dancers dance and the musicians play, this movie is an exuberant salute to the performing arts. 3½ cans.
61. No Way Out (1987) – Can it be 25 years since Kevin Costner made his first big splash on the screen in this intriguing drama? Here he stars as Naval Commander Tom Farrell, a self-assured and oh-so-cute guy who takes a job at the Pentagon, working for the Secretary of Defense (Gene Hackman) and reporting to his college friend, the Secretary’s Chief of Staff, played by Will Patton. He hooks up with an attractive woman (Sean Young) at an event (check out the memorable limo scene), unaware that she is involved with the Secretary. She’s not about to break off her rewarding arrangement, so she sends Farrell packing when Hackman’s character drops by one evening. They get into a fight, complications ensue, and suddenly, Farrell is in charge of an investigation that has him as its target. There are spy themes here, a little action, but mostly the viewer has to wonder if Farrell really has no way out. 4 cans.
62. For the Love of the Game (1999) – Kevin Costner’s third baseball movie (“Field of Dreams” and “Bull Durham” are the others) is not only about the national pastime but also a love story. Costner is Billy Chapel, aging right-handed pitcher for the about-to-be-sold Detroit Tigers, who has to make up his mind, something he doesn’t do very well. Arm woes aside, he’s been seeing Jane (Kelly Preston) on and off for five years, and he can’t fully commit to the relationship because he is wedded to baseball. At 40, he knows the end is near, but he still has the love of the game. This story is languorously told, with plenty of baseball scenes, and both of Billy’s loves are fully explored. The end? Let’s just say “perfect.” 4 cans.
63. Bullitt (1968) – Steve McQueen plays Frank Bullitt, one cool cop, in this drama set in San Francisco. He’s put in charge of guarding a federal witness who ends up shot. Bullitt is determined to find the shooter and the motive, chasing him down in one of the most exciting car chases in movie history. Robert Vaughan is the power broker who needs the witness alive and is none too happy when he vanishes from the hospital. McQueen’s total dialog here probably took less time than the nine-minute car chase, but his cool, taciturn manner plays well for the character. Interesting story, and you cannot beat that car scene – except maybe by Gene Hackman in “The French Connection.” 3½ cans.
64. House of Steinbrenner* (2010) – This documentary is part of ESPN’s outstanding series, “30 for 30.” This movie focuses on the ups and downs of George Steinbrenner in his reign as owner of the New York Yankees, with special emphasis on the building of the new Yankee Stadium. Diehard Yankee fans first hated George, then, as the Yankees began to win in the 1990s, embraced “The Boss.” They also loved the old Yankee Stadium, that cathedral of a ballpark, and were skeptical about the shiny new “House That George Built.” While I, too, can shed tears over my first Yankee game (Yogi Berra Night, 1959), I won’t miss the odor of urine in the hallways, the paucity of powder rooms and the lack of monitors when you left your seat to go to the hotdog concession. Maybe I’m a homer, but I just can’t see any other sports franchise – in any sport – conjuring up such passion and vitriol over either an owner or a ballpark. But then, I never went to Ebbetts Field before Walter O’Malley transplanted the Dodgers from Brooklyn to LA. I almost shed a few tears over the Yankee memories this film evoked. 4 cans.
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