Tina's October 2018 Movies

This month's eclectic collection includes a ballyhooed musical, documentaries on two transcendent stars, the Queen, a bunch of Dames and student-athletes, and a look at Tovah Feldshuh movies I love.  Movies are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 being the top rating.  Numbering picks up from previous months and movies I had not seen previously are marked with an asterisk.
116.  Student-Athlete* (2018) – The term “student-athlete” was coined by NCAA President Walter Byers in 1964 to define collegiate athletes as a category different from employees of the college or university – but are they?  Things have changed and student-athletes now can get modest stipends, but they still cannot cash in on their autographs or get paid for the use of their pictures.  Yet the NCAA is rolling in money and many of the college coaches are paid millionaires. This documentary, from LeBron James (who, ironically, skipped college to play professional basketball right out of high school), focuses on four young men at various stages of their athletic careers.  There is the high school basketball player who is being courted by a legion of top name colleges and another who played in college but whose injuries have prevented him from pursuing his professional career.  Two football players, including Shamar Graves of Rutgers, are included.  Graves’ story is about his trying to make it professionally after college.  The other football player went to Baylor not on a scholarship, and he gets into trouble for accepting housing and expense money from the parents of a friend who claim they were helping him only as a student, not because he was an athlete.  Even the most minor of benefits are not permitted, despite the fact that many of these kids come from families below the poverty line.  After college has ended (with or without a degree), they have slim chances of making the pros because of the competition, and chasing their dreams is costly financially, mentally and physically.  This film is an indictment of the system and chock full of statistics that tell the story of the money and fate of the student-athlete.  4 cans.
117.  A Star Is Born* (2018) – Yes, in fact, a new movie star emerges in this retelling of the ASIB tale, and her name is Lady Gaga.  Here she delivers an earthy portrayal of Ally, a powerhouse singer performing in a drag club that Major Rock Star Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper, who also directed, sings and plays guitar and piano) stumbles into one night (literally, and not the last time you will see him in this state) just to get a drink.  He’s a star, she’s an unknown, but their fortunes will change once they team up.  The songs are meaningful and performed with skill and gusto by both Gaga and Cooper.  And as her star ascends, his declines, weighed down by booze, drugs and hearing problems.  Maybe because I know the story from having seen the Barbra Streisand-Kris Kristofferson version many times (I have also seen Judy Garland and James Mason in these roles), I kept wanting this version to be even better.  And as outstanding as Bradley Cooper was, he looked a little too robust than a man with a drug problem should look (he was not emaciated, as was Kris Kristofferson).  But forget “Bette Davis Eyes” – I could gaze into Bradley Cooper’s eyes all day!  Outstanding performances, excellent music with just a little pacing problem at times, but really a must-see.  4 cans and Oscars in the air for the star who was born on screen in this movie, Lady Gaga.
118.  The Paper Chase (1973) – If you can survive contract law class with Professor Kingsfield as a first-year law student at Harvard, the rest of your life should be easy.  Timothy Bottoms, hair flying in every direction, is eager-to-please 1L James Hart, determined to survive and thrive the harshness of Kingsfield’s Socratic teaching approach.  He complicates his life by entering a relationship with Susan (Lindsay Wagner), who turns out to be the professor’s married (but separated) daughter.  John Houseman imbues Kingsfield with unquestioned authority as he motivates his students to think and not turn their minds to mush.  I give the movie an A and put it on the Dean’s List.  3½ cans.
119.  Queen* (2018) – This PBS documentary uses formerly unseen footage to review the life of Queen Elizabeth and the extended Royal Family.  It includes a lengthy segment on new Duchess Megan Markle, recent bride of Prince Harry, as she looks at her wedding gown for the first time after the ceremony, pointing out how a flower from each of the 51 countries that make up the British Commonwealth was included.  There is footage of the young Queen and husband Prince Philip on their long trip to visit the Commonwealth Countries when her own children were very young.  Having watched “The Crown,” I have a better understanding of the responsibilities the young Queen faced as she entered a role she never expected to assume.  Fascinating footage.  3 cans.
120.  First Man* (2018) – Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) was a quiet, intense engineer who became an astronaut and was the first man to set foot on the Moon.  But the story here is how NASA managed to make that happen, despite numerous technical problems that cost the lives of some of the astronauts.  The drama is overstated for movie purposes, since we all know that Armstrong makes it to the moon and back.  The flight sequences show the difficult conditions in which these heroes worked, with space capsules and planes shaking wildly and appearing ready to burst at any moment.  I can’t be disappointed in the portrayal of Armstrong if he truly was a bland, dull guy, but at least we know that part of the reason for his taciturn personality was the loss of his young daughter.  Clare Foy plays his wife with more fire in her than in Armstrong himself.  I would like to have seen fewer shots of my man Ryan through his helmet, but he does a fine job in a limiting role.  3½ cans.
121.  Gaga, Five Foot Two* (2018) – This Netflix documentary gives viewers a real behind-the-scenes look at the immensely talented Lady Gaga, a dynamic singer and performer.  We see her perform in concert, culminating with her performance at halftime at the Super Bowl, a lifetime achievement for most entertainers.  But what I found most appealing was the unsparing look at the realities of her life, the physical pain she endures, the recounting of her successes that were followed by heartbreaks, her love for her friends and family, and her admission of loneliness.  This woman is not just someone who wore outrageous outfits, but a real human being trying to manage her life along with her obligations while rocketing to the top of show business.  4 cans.
122.  Creed* (2015) – The “Rocky” saga lives on through young Adonis (Donnie) Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of former champion boxer and Rocky’s stellar opponent, the late Apollo Creed.  Donnie wants to fight but needs to step out of the shadow of the father he never met, so who better to turn to than old family friend Rocky Balboa himself.  Sylvester Stallone resurrects Rocky once again, this time lonely, aging and ultimately, sick, still pining for his beloved Adrienne and his late friend/foe Apollo.  At first reluctant, Rocky takes on his young charge, having him chase chickens and race down the streets of Philadelphia.  This franchise has always been somewhat predictable, a tad overly-dramatic, but always full of heart and warmth, and this outing is no exception.  At the end of the Big Fight, you know there will be a Creed II, and I just saw the previews in the theater this week.  I’ll be seeing that one, too.  3½ cans.
123.  Tea with the Dames* (2018) – You feel like an eavesdropper watching this delightful session among English All-Star actresses Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Joan Plowright and Dame Eileen Atkins.  Old friends (and they would emphasize the word “old”), they all know each other from co-starring on stage or screen, they have worked together or with each other’s husbands and have tales to tell as they sip their tea – which eventually switches to champagne.  Each is well-known for a major role – although Maggie Smith claims never to have watched her most recent triumph, in the renowned PBS series “Downton Abbey.”  Here they sit around outside a charming English home, eventually retreating inside because of rain, and swap their stories.  It was fun listening to these masters and friends.  There is nothing like a dame.  3 cans.
124. First Monday in October* (1981) – Since the Supreme Court has been in the news a lot lately, I thought it was appropriate to give this old movie a viewing.  Jill Clayburgh (a wonderful actress) is conservative judge Ruth Loomis, selected by the President to fill a sudden vacancy in the Supreme Court (and her Congressional hearing was not nearly as acrimonious as was the recent hearing), making her the first woman to serve on the highest court of the land.  The other justices treat her fairly, but irascible Daniel Snow (Walter Matthau, who plays irascible like he was born to do it), a liberal, clashes with Loomis on key cases coming before the court.  Will they ever agree?  Will they become an unlikely romantic pairing?  I found this movie very preachy in its examination of big business (he hates it, she accepts it) and on defining pornography (she wants to view the entire movie in question to see if it represents actual art or has any redeeming qualities, while he has made up his mind without seeing it).  Any relationship they develop seems forced to me, yet the timing of this topic was right to view, so I’ll give it 3 cans.
125. Taking Woodstock* (2009) – I should have devoted my time to watching the “Woodstock” documentary rather than this behind-the scenes dramatized account of how the biggest music festival of its generation came to Max Yasgur’s farm in upstate New York.  Here, Elliot Tiber (Dimitri Martin, who could hardly be more bland), a nice young man who helps his aging parents at their run-down upstate NY motel, connects with his former pal Michael Lang (Jonathan Groff) to help secure the space from farmer Yasgur for the festival.  Elliot, the head of the local Chamber of Commerce, already conducts a music festival of sorts and is always looking for a way to attract customers for the dumpy motel, so he has a permit but lacks the vision of Lang.  Woodstock turned into a cultural phenomenon, with three days of rain, blocked roads, mud and music (like Elliot, we viewers don’t get to experience it) for the ages.  Watch the documentary and skip this one.  2 cans.
126.  Love, Gilda* (2018) – It is hard not to love Gilda Radner, a phenomenal comedic talent who burst into prominence as an original cast member of “Saturday Night Live” in the 1970s.  Her indelible characters (Emily Littella, Roseanne Rosanadana and Baba Wawa) and her fearless approach to making everything funny set her apart from the other women on the program.  Her story of fame and her death from ovarian cancer are not news, and this loving documentary sheds little new light on her life.  Nonetheless, it is heartwarming and heartbreaking to relive her moments of glory knowing that the story will not have a happy ending.  3 cans.
127. & 128.  Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and A Walk on the Moon (1999) – I’m combining these two movies, which I have reviewed before, under the category of “Tovah Feldshuh Movies I Love.”  Though the veteran actress doesn’t get all that much screen time, she plays a pivotal role in the most warm and believable way in both films.  In “Stein,” she plays the mother of Jessica, a young Jewish woman who is looking for love and pushed by her mother to find happiness.  When Jessica seems to find it with another woman but doesn’t want to disappoint her mother, Feldshuh displays a remarkable tenderness and acceptance in one key scene.  In “Moon,” she is Bubbie, grandmother to her son Marty’s children with his wife Pearl (Liev Schreiber and Diane Lane).  As Pearl’s mother-in-law, she is both shocked and pragmatic about the younger woman’s affair with the “blouse man” (Viggo Mortensen) at the Catskills camp where they spend the summer in a modest bungalow.  This is during Woodstock, and Pearl finds herself reawakening as a woman who married and had a child at a very young age.  And yes, Neil Armstrong lands on the moon, but that is a different sort of exploration.  My recommendation is to see Feldshuh’s work in both of these movies and admire how she effortlessly moves the action, serves up commentary and enables the other actors to shine.