Tina's September 2017 Movies

This was not a stellar month for movies. I watched 11 of them, and the ones I had not seen previously are marked with an asterisk*.  All movies are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 being the top.  Numbering picks up from previous months.  
98.  Nightcrawler* (2014) – An emaciated Jake Gyllenhaal plays Lou, a man living by his wits, not averse to theft or any other means to survive.  When he witnesses an accident, he notices a phalanx of the news people who descend on the scene to shoot video and he is fascinated by their ability to get up close to the blood and gore and sell their footage.  A fast talker (who sounds like he has attended one too many business seminars), he gets himself some video equipment and starts listening to a police scanner so he can arrive early on the scene of grisly accidents and crimes and capture footage worthy of the ratings-starved local news, a lucrative way to make money.  But that’s not enough.  Instead of merely recording what he sees, he ventures out at night, even initiating action to make a grittier piece to sell at a higher price, ignoring the opportunity to make a 911 call to help the victims in favor of recording them in their dying moments.  Gyllenhaal plays Lou as fast and loose, desperate, slimy and a true opportunist, in an excellent performance.  Rene Russo is the woman who buys his news footage – and more.  The only lighthearted part of this movie is Lou’s relationship with the “intern” he hires, Rick (Riz Ahmed), whom he promises to pay once he completes the “internship” that gets Lou his services for free.  There is plenty of tension and suspense to go with shootings, blood and gore.  3½ cans.
99.  Miracles from Heaven* (2016) – Jennifer Garner plays Christy Beam, the mother of a terminally ill 10-year old, Anna (Kylie Rogers) with a rare intestinal illness that at first defies the doctors.  She can’t get an appointment with the specialist in Boston but flies there from Texas anyway, hoping to get him to diagnose and treat her daughter.  Of course, this movie being about miracles, he does.  Queen Latifah got a day’s work on the set playing a waitress who befriends the mother-daughter and shows them around her hometown (my favorite line in the movie is when she shows them tony Beacon Hill and says that’s where her boyfriend, Tom Brady, lives).  Garner’s part requires constant consternation, the family is going broke, the father (Martin Henderson) is left to care for Anna’s two sisters, and despite the family’s being active in the local church, there is nary a fundraiser or contribution provided for them.  And then comes the miracle, which I won’t spoil.  This treacly tale is actually true, so if you believe in miracles, feel free to watch for yourself.  The real miracle here is that I watched this movie to the end – despite falling asleep three times and having to rewind it to see where I left off!  2 cans.
100.  Mean Girls (2004) – Before Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried hit it big with other projects, they teamed to torture each other in this movie about the bullying ways of teenaged girls.  Lohan is Cady, a former homeschooled student entering high school after living in South Africa, and what she doesn’t know about her classmates is dangerous.  McAdams is Regina, the ringleader of “The Plastics,” the popular, unapproachable girl who thinks nothing of randomly having sex with guys while dating Aaron, the BMOC (Jonathan Bennett).  Quickly, good girl and mathlete Cady is caught up in the power struggle, going after Mr. Popularity while dumbing down her math prowess.  This movie, adapted by the clever and acerbic Tina Fey from a book, is a primer for all things teenagers do that you wish they wouldn’t.  It is an indictment of white privilege, of spoiling your kids (see Amy Pohler’s part) and how NOT to behave – in school and life.  If you can stand being part of this world for 90 minutes or so, it is a good lesson, but definitely not within everyone’s tolerance level.  It just isn’t so fetch.  3 cans.
101.  Staying Alive (1993) – Tony Manero (John Travolta, who never looked better) still has that strut, that swagger, years after leaving Brooklyn to hit Manhattan and seek a life as a dancer on Broadway (in what looks like a show sure to close on opening night).  Tony vacillates between his steady girl friend Jackie (Cynthia Rhodes) and the lead in the show, Laura (Fionula Hughes), a haughty, rich star who toys with his emotions and psyche.  Tony works hard for the money and displays much more charm here than when he was hanging with the boys from Brooklyn in “Saturday Night Fever,” where he ruled the disco dance floor.  Again, his determination to make it is admirable, even if he looks a little lost among real dancers.  Will he get the part, the lead, the girl?  Well, he’s still staying alive.  It amazes me that this movie was directed by Sylvester Stallone, who knows more about the underdog coming out on top than hoofing in a Broadway musical.   3 cans.
102.  Top Gun (186) – Once upon a time, watching Tom Cruise zoom around on a motorcycle and fly jet fighters thrilled me.  Now, after jumping on Oprah’s couch and espousing Scientology, he just doesn’t have the same effect on me.  Still, watching him as “Maverick,” a naval pilot at Top Gun School, flying missions with his buddy Goose (Anthony Edwards, married to Meg Ryan in a bit part), playing volleyball on the beach and romancing instructor Charlie (Kelly McGillis) for the first time in a very long time managed to put a smile on my face.  These pilots are highly trained, but apart from their skills, they have to have a boatload of braggadocio, enough to make each one feel like he is the alpha male in a competitive squad.  The plot here is simple – Maverick is sure he is the Top Gun and is out to show up anyone else vying for the top dog status.  In between chomping on gum and going after McGillis, he flies dangerous missions where people get killed.  This movie is a cross between John Wayne and a recruitment film for the Navy, with a little romance thrown in.  I liked it – and Cruise – much more 30 years ago.  3 cans. 
103.  The Disappearance of Natalie Holloway* (2017) – Teenager Natalie Holloway famously disappeared on the island of Aruba in 2008, making international headlines.  Last seen in the company of local playboy Joran van der Sloot, Natalie was celebrating her high school graduation with friends when she vanished.  Although all signs pointed to van der Sloot as the culprit, the authorities could never find the body or pin him directly to the crime.  Enter Dave Holloway, Natalie’s father, with a team of investigators, now primarily focused on what happened to the body, according to a local man who may have been in on the cover-up.  At the time of the incident, Dave stayed largely in the background as Natalie’s mother Beth, his ex-wife, made the on-camera pleas for information about her daughter.  But here Dave is the man behind this excruciating look into John and a friend, Gabriel, who claims he can tie John to the exhumation of Natalie’s remains.  This documentary, airing on the Oxygen Channel – which is now reestablishing itself as a law and order outlet -- is repetitive, detailed, and, frankly, boring.  I think we all want to know what happened and feel sorry for Dave, but this story, full of false leads and sketchy characters, could have been told in 2 hours instead of multiple episodes.  Natalie deserved better.  2 cans.
104.  The Sinner* (2017) – This multipart drama is one of those compelling stories that, once you start watching, you are hooked.  Jessica Beil plays Cora, a young wife and mother who one day seemingly snaps for no reason, viciously attacking and killing a man on a beach in broad daylight and with a plethora of witnesses.  She immediately admits her culpability and is ready to plead guilty.  But this is an 8-part series, so you know it can’t be wrapped up in episode one.  Bill Pullman plays a seasoned, dubious cop who wants to understand why Cora committed the crime, and he works on her behalf to investigate.  There is plenty of strange, even kinky stuff in his background as well as Cora’s, but it is tough to outguess the writers of this drama.  Beil is commanding in her role as Cora, a woman lost in her own past and unsure of what she did and why.  It only takes 8 episodes to understand the truth.  As this series continued, I liked it less and less, but I stuck with it.  I already knew whodunit, but I wanted to know why.  3½ cans. 
105.  American Experience – Walt Disney* (2017) – I realize this is the third consecutive non-theatrical program I am reviewing, but each is longer than a movie and as worthy of the attention as any film.  PBS takes a long and detailed look at the rise of ambitious Walt Disney, from his earliest days as a creator of cartoons to his establishment of the mighty Walt Disney empire.  What impressed me here was the inventiveness of this man.  If you have grown up with Disney – watching “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights, going to Disney movies yourself or with your kids, or taking family vacations at Disneyland or Disney World – you can take for granted the man’s incredible gift of creativity.  He was the first person to meld animation with music, to create long-form, animated movies like “Snow White,” “Pinocchio” and “Fantasia” – complete with famed conductor Leopold Stokowski leading the orchestra.  He and his brother Roy practically invented licensing of merchandise, which today often earns more than the movies themselves.  Disney was clever, and despite early business setbacks that threatened to put him out of business, once he and his team of talented artists created Mickey Mouse, they were on the road to iconic stature.  In part one we get through the early part of his career and through “Snow White.”  Part two is all about expansion, including the creation of his Disney parks, TV programs and non-animated movies.  I found it fascinating, even though I personally think we have “disneyfied” our world a bit too much.  4 cans.
106.  The Heart of the Game (2005) – Every now and then, I just have to watch this documentary about Bill Ressler, the girls’ basketball coach at Washington High School in Seattle.  Whether he is exhorting his charges to rip out the opponents’ hearts or look into their eyes, Ressler cajoles, supports and teaches these young woman life lessons that go far beyond the court.  Filmed over seven years by Ward Serrill, the film focuses particularly on the immensely talented Darnelia Russell, who comes into the gym ready to take on Ressler and the world, which is good, because she has to.  This movie has everything good and bad about sports, and to me, it is the equivalent of the landmark “Hoop Dreams.”  4½ cans.
107.  Welcome to Kutsher’s* (2012) – Hot town, summer in the city, and for years people who were crowded into the confines of NYC traveled 90 miles upstate to get some country air.  But Jews were frequently banned from the resorts and country clubs, so enterprising Jewish hoteliers established places like Kutsher’s, Grossingers and the Concord to cater to them.  And cater, they did, with an abundance of activities, food, entertainment and sports.  The hotel you saw in “Dirty Dancing” exemplified Kutsher’s Resort and Country Club, which stuck around for 100 years.  This documentary is a loving look at that era and this resort, which ended this century as it couldn’t compete with the casinos of Atlantic City and Las Vegas, the Poconos and cruise ships – which essentially built on the Borscht Belt model established by Kutsher’s and others.  My parents used to go to what we referred to as “the Jewish Alps,” once a year when I was a teenager and in my 20s, and my father had but one complaint:  Too much food.  Ah, those were the days.  3 cans and a heaping helping of chopped liver.
108.   The Edge of 17* (2016) – This stage of life is certainly not the edge of glory for awkward high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld).  Nadine lives with her widowed mother (Kyra Sedgwick) and her perfect brother Darian (Blake Jenner) as she muddles through her angst-ridden teenage years. She is smart and attractive but she doesn’t fit in.  She gets by thanks to her devoted childhood best friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) – until, that is, Krista starts dating Darian.  Feeling betrayed, angry and lost, Nadine begins sparring with teacher Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson) – a relationship that thankfully does not go down the path I feared it might.  The sardonic Mr. Bruner has just the right amount of cynicism to deal effectively with Nadine.  She also strikes up a friendship with low-key classmate Erwin (Hayden Szeto), who clearly has a crush on the otherwise miserable teen.  This being a contemporary movie, there is a predictable social media gaffe that almost sends Nadine in the wrong direction.  Steinfeld has just the right approach to her character, who you can love/like one minute and can’t stand the next.  3½ cans.