Monday, November 2, 2015

Tina's October 2015 Movies

Sorry to disappoint, but October was another skimpy movie month, mainly due to the many chores associated with my move to my new home. At least every movie I saw this month was new to me.  I hope to increase the number in November.  As always, movies are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 being the top rating.  Movies marked with an asterisk are ones not seen previously, and numbering picks up from the previous months.

116.  The Wrecking Crew* (2008) – This documentary is Denny Tedesco’s tribute to his father, a guitarist who, along with a talented group of session musicians in Southern California, provided the beat and the rhythms of most of the popular music of the 1960s and 70s.  Their respective genius enabled them to understand almost immediately the complexities of a Brian Wilson song and to largely supplant the rest of the band members.  But they didn’t just play the music as written, they contributed their own special chops and some riffs that define the songs themselves.  Session musicians don’t travel; these guys would go to multiple recording sessions in a day, while the actual band members learned the music well enough to fool the public into thinking they were the force behind the sound.  From the Mamas and Papas and the Beach Boys (whose members did play on actual records but were supplemented by the Wrecking Crew) to the Monkees, who understood their limitations, to Sonny and Cher to the legendary Phil Spector, these musicians appeared on nearly every major record of the time.  Spector used them to create his iconic “Wall of Sound,” and most of the producers and artists would only record if the Crew could be part of the session.   If you liked “Standing in the Shadows of Motown” or “20 Feet from Stardom,” this is the kind of movie that will appeal to you.  I loved it.  4 cans.
117.  And the Oscar Goes to…* (2014) – How could I pass up a documentary on the history of the Oscars, filled with interviews from famous winners and losers and capturing those magic moments when the Oscar is awarded?  Douglass Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were responsible for Hollywood’s annual awards, which, oddly enough, have bypassed such exceptional performers as Kirk Douglas, Charles Chaplin and others (who later were awarded honorary statues to make up for the glaring omissions).  Jane Fonda picks up her father’s Oscar, Ron Howard says his mother predicted he would win (which, he reveals, she did with each movie he made) and Sacheen Littlefeather gets greeted with a barrage of boos when accepting Marlon Brando’s award for “The Godfather.”  In between, we learn about sound effects, editing, screenwriting and the blacklisting of writers, directors, actors and others who were called out by the House Un-American Committee (Joseph McCarthy) and banned from receiving awards.  Hosts from Hope to Carson to Crystal are highlighted in this fun (if somewhat disjointed) look at everything Oscar.  And the Oscar goes to:  3½ cans.
118.  The Armstrong Lie* (2014) – Filmmaker Alex Gibney started out making a documentary on the extraordinary comeback of renowned cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, who, having won seven times in the Tour de France, decided to give it one more go in 2009.  The ending of the movie was not what Gibney expected, however, as Armstrong, long accused of using performance enhancing drugs to improve his incredible results on the road, finally finds himself forced to own up to the truth.  He reveals to Oprah that he used all kinds of substances to improve his performance, that he repeatedly lied about it when confronted with rumors or facts, and that his adamant defense injured not only his reputation but those of his accusers, a number of whom he took to court and won.  If you say something enough times and make the statement vehemently enough, maybe you start to believe it yourself.  Gibney, caught in the midst of trying to finish the documentary, insists that Armstrong answer his questions directly, taking the final film in an entirely different direction than he expected.  Armstrong’s fall from grace was shattering.  His cancer foundation was devastated, his sponsors abandoned him and he was banned from competing in any sport governed by the US Anti-Doping Agency.  His friends and foes are on hand as Gibney traces the story through Armstrong’s early success through his battle with life-threatening testicular cancer that had spread to his brain.  He covers Armstrong’s remarkable comeback in cycling and the rumors that dogged him until his final admission.  I had been trying to find this movie since it was first released and found it to be a compelling look at a man whose athletic prowess and hubris are on par with each other.  4 cans.
119.  The Intern* (2015) – Let’s step away from the documentaries for a moment to enjoy this Robert DeNiro comedy about a widower who gets a position as a “senior intern” for a rising on-line clothing company.  Anne Hathaway is Jules, the driven head of About the Fit, a company she conceived and runs, and although she doesn’t feel she needs help, her partner does.  So, enter DeNiro as Ben Whittaker, long-retired with a successful business background but also with the gentility to not force his opinions and will on the young executive.  He graciously stands in the background and assists as needed.  Before long, Jules and her family become dependent on him.  Ben is old school, wearing a suit to work every day, carrying a classic briefcase, and mentoring the young people in the office – including Jules.  The movie has its amusing moments and overall is quite charming, but I question its look at Jules as dependent on other people for success when she is a highly capable woman (as Ben points out to her).  Her vulnerability becomes a bone of contention with me because it depicts women not as decisive, successful people, but as being influenced by culture and emotional fragility.  Hathaway goes from steely resolve and scary smart to leaning on Ben in too many ways.  3½ cans.
120.  The Walk* (2015) – Before the iconic Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were even open to the public in 1974, French wire walker Philippe Petit pulled of one of the most athletic, artistic and audacious stunts ever conceived and executed when he and a team of cohorts strung a wire between the buildings that Petit crossed – several times.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a masterful job playing the daredevil Petit, masterminding a complex “coup” to figure out not just the walk itself, but how to get the wire strung between the two buildings without the interference of authorities.  Very detailed planning was required to provide him the thrill of a lifetime – which, as we now know, can never be duplicated.  When Petit lies down on the wire between the two towers, I was glad I wasn’t watching this movie in 3D, or I might have freaked out.  Gordon-Levitt is competent as a Frenchman and as a wire walker, encouraged by mentor Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley as a veteran high wire artist).  I had already seen the documentary “Man on a Wire” about this feat.  Now I’d like to see a documentary on the making of “The Walk.”  Seriously, how did director Robert Zemekis do that?  3½ cans.
121.   Freeheld* (2015) – Laurel Hester is a tough-as-nails, dedicated police officer in Ocean County, NJ.  She plays by the book, and she keeps her private life private because she is sure that being a lesbian will hold her back in a male-dominated environment.  Laurel (Juliane Moore) doesn’t even share that part of her life with her trusted partner Dale (Michael Shannon).  But when she finds out she has terminal cancer, all she wants to do is leave her pension benefits to her domestic partner, Stacie (Ellen Page), so she can stay in the house they lovingly renovated and shared.  The Ocean County Freeholders don’t want to defy the state ban on gay marriage, even though they could easily choose to vote in her favor.  Spurred by the head of Garden State Equality (played by Steve Carell) and supported by Dale, fellow officers and friends rally to force the politicians to grant Laurel her dying wish.  Moore, coming off an Oscar win for “Still Alice,” plays the role with an understated dignity, refusing to become the poster child for gay marriage.  Page looks pained throughout most of the movie, but Shannon, who is typically intense, and Carell, who brings levity, are superb.  True story, and thanks a bunch, New Jersey, for making it difficult for people to live their lives.  3½ cans.


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