Tina's January 2017 Movies

Well, a month is in the books and between binge-watching Netflix and catching tributes to and reruns of Mary Tyler Moore, I only managed to squeeze in 8 movies in January.  Movies not previously seen (and that applies to all of the movies in January) are marked with an asterisk, and movies are rated on a scale of 1-5 tuna cans, the more the merrier.  Note that I have expanded my definition of "movies" to include notable mini-series, since they are much longer and frequently more interesting than some of the movies I see. 

1.  Hidden Figures* (2016) – Who knew a movie about math could be so engrossing?  Not since “A Beautiful Mind” and “Apollo 13” has Hollywood paid this much attention to mathematics or to the US Space Program.  Here, NASA is preparing for the launch of the first manned spacecraft, and all those white men in white shirts are in charge of the important, smart stuff.  Except there is a separate building that houses a bunch of really smart Black women who do the behind-the-scenes calculations that will ultimately enable John Glenn to orbit the earth.  Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) is the de facto supervisor; she runs the unit but without the official title of supervisor, and she can figure out how to get a computer running without a manual.  Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) is the math genius who is asked to join the white male math nerds, and she can put those men to shame.  That is when she isn’t literally running a half mile back to her old building so she can use the bathroom designated for “colored women.”  Their friend and co-worker Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) has the temerity to dream of being an engineer.  There are lots of examples of the routine discrimination exercised by her white cohorts, both men and women.  This movie is based on the true story of these brilliant, unsung heroes, without whom the race to space would have been lost.  The outrage is why this story went untold for decades!  4 cans.
2.  Bright Lights* (2016) – HBO’s portrait of Hollywood mainstay Debbie Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher went from interesting to poignant with the December deaths – within 24 hours – of first Carrie and then her mother.  Debbie was Hollywood royalty, co-starring with the legendary Gene Kelly in “Singing in the Rain” at age 19, and continuing to perform until just before her death at 84.  Her brilliant, witty daughter Carrie, best known for her star turn as iconic Princess Leia in “Star Wars, her sardonic wit and her battle with mental illness, lived next door in Beverly Hills and maintained a close relationship with her mother after many rocky years.  But this documentary doesn’t reexamine their careers as much as it presents their lives, each worried about and caring for the other.  Carrie tended to her mother’s frailties, but after her many years of substance abuse, the younger Carrie wasn’t in great shape herself.  Older here, cigarette in one hand, Coca Cola in the other, she spends a lot of time caring for her mother, and even manages a visit to her father, renowned crooner Eddie Fisher.  Just the Debbie Reynolds-Eddie Fisher-Elizabeth Taylor conundrum could occupy a documentary, but this one is broader than that.  There’s no people like show people.  They smile when they are low, and all of these folks have their rock bottom moments.  Nevertheless, the show must go on, so Debbie dons the sparkles, spangles and beads and hits the stage while Carrie makes sure there is a place for her mother to rest.  The fact that they died within 24 hours of each other is testament to their bond.  This is a moving program and very revealing about show business and a special mother-daughter relationship.  4 cans.
3.  The Founder* (2016) – I’ve never been much of a McDonald’s fan, and, after seeing this movie, my disdain for the fast food franchise remains intact.  The McDonald Brothers started a fast food business – not a chain, at least not yet – with a few “restaurants” (their term) in the San Bernardino, California, area in the 1950s.  Traveling salesman Ray Croc finds out about them when they order an unprecedented 8 milkshake machines from him, and, after a tour of their restaurant by the brothers, he is hooked, both on the food itself and the potential for this business as a franchise.  The food is fast but it is good under the McDonalds, who insist on high standards, cleanliness and real milk in the milk shakes.  Where they stress quality, Croc is more interested in the growth potential of the modest enterprise.  They strike a deal with Croc, who proceeds to find more and more franchisees to expand the business, but whose money issues slow down his efforts to conquer the hamburger world.  Michael Keaton dominates the movie as the persistent, indefatigable and scheming Kroc.  Soon he realizes that the profits are in the real estate, and he flips the franchise model, angering the original owners and consigning them to non-founder status.  I’m not going to tell you how it ends, but Keaton portrays Kroc as a shyster with little integrity, lots of brashness and considerable smarts.  I’ll give this one  3½  burgers and a side of fries.
4.  Gleason* (2016) -- You may never have heard of Steve Gleason, a former NFL football player who was stricken with ALS.  This documentary on his life as an athlete with a big heart and an undersized frame starts before he gets his diagnosis.  He is a free spirit, in love with his wife, and retired from football when he starts to exhibit signs of a neurological problem that leads to his ALS diagnosis.  Most successful sports movies contain a heavy dose of tragedy, but in many of them, it is overcome by our hero.  Not here.  Team Gleason was his charity, set up to fund equipment – such as voice systems activated by eye movement – for ALS patients, who, like Gleason, eventually lose their ability to speak.  But the heart of this movie rests with Gleason’s attempts to build a lasting relationship with his baby son before he is just a memory.  He works diligently at communicating with his son via a series of video journals recorded while he can still speak, and, after that ability is gone, he plays with his son and makes memories he hopes will be lasting.  This movie is painful and powerful.  There is still so much to be done to combat this dreaded disease, and Gleason will be remembered for fighting the good fight when his time is done.  3½ cans.
5.  Beaches* (2017) – When Bette Midler stomped through the part of CC Bloom in the original version of his chick flick about two long-time friends, you probably felt she was born to play the part and that no one else should ever attempt to tackle that role.  And you would be right.  This new Lifetime version, starring Idina Menzel as CC and Nia Long as Hillary (the part originated by Barbara Hershey) has a tall order and comes up short.  Menzel can sing – she can belt out “Wind Beneath My Wings” with conviction – but Bette is one-of-a-kind.  This remake isn’t as bad as I feared it would be, but it made me think about the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  Go watch the original.  3 boxes of tissues.
6.  Is OJ Innocent?* (2016) – I have now completed the OJ Simpson trifecta, having previously watched the documentary series about him and the American Crime dramatization (as if it had to be dramatized) that aired last year.  This investigative miniseries speculates that OJ may be innocent of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman and that his son Jason is the actual killer.  Several investigators examine evidence that was not included in the criminal case and use footage from the civil case brought by the families where OJ was convicted.  There’s plenty of blood evidence, a knife, a purported eyewitness, a time card and numerous other items to once again stir the pot.  The producers urge the viewers to come to their own conclusions all while offering some credible and some not-so-credible facts and theories.  In the end, you either believe he did it or you don’t.  I believe he did it.  Two bloody gloves.
7.  Patriots’ Day* (2017) – It is always a challenge to make a movie that is suspenseful when everyone is familiar with the real-life story on which it is based.  Director Peter Berg takes on the 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon and makes it engrossing.  The footage tends to be graphic at times, which lends to the authenticity of the tragic event.  There is plenty of blood, two determined but not so smart bombers and the tough as nails police department and residents of the greater Boston area, who are justifiably proud of their community for its support.  Mark Wahlberg is Tommy, a cop with an attitude about authority but a man devoted to his work.  Kevin Bacon plays the FBI agent assigned to the case and John Goodman is the police commissioner.  There are lots of bombs and gunfire and plenty of help from the people whose city has been attacked.  A little too much violence to suit me, but considering the topic, it is to be expected.  3½ cans.
8.  20th Century Women* (2016) – When you go to a movie with a friend and you stop at ShopRite to pick up a few things afterwards and the shopping is the highlight of your trip, that doesn’t speak well for the movie.  Annette Benning plays an eccentric single mother in her 50s who doesn’t mind writing creative notes to excuse her 15-year old son from school.  A child of the Depression, she isn’t sure she can teach Jamie everything she thinks he needs to know in the feminist 70s, so she enlists the aid of a punk artist (Greta Gerwig) and Jamie’s 17-year old best girlfriend (Elle Fanning) to teach him all about women – as if these two flaky women have cornered the market on wisdom.  There are uncomfortable scenes where a dinner party is interrupted with a discussion on menstruation, where Jamie gets beaten up by a friend while discussing the female anatomy, and more too numerous to mention.  The movie is based on the real life of screenwriter/director Mike Mills.  I wish we had stayed strangers.  While it is good to see another perspective on parenthood and feminism, all I could think about was when this movie would finally end.  Can you tell I didn’t like it?  1 can.