Tina's January 2019 Movies

Happy Movie Year!  We start off the new year with 14 movies, including mostly new ones and a few excellent documentaries.  Movies are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 being the best.  Those entries marked with an asterisk are movies I had not seen previously.  Thanks for checking in and enjoy the latest list.

1.  The Blind Side (2009) – Sandra Bullock plays LeeAnn Tuohy, a determined and fierce woman whose family in Memphis takes in homeless high school student Michael Ohrer (Quinton Aaron) and changes his life.  “Big Mike” has grown up in poverty and has witnessed addiction and crime, but has tried to stay away from bad influences.  With the love and support of the Tuohys, he develops into an excellent football player who attends college and eventually plays in the NFL.  Bullock is terrific.  To me, this movie is her “Erin Brockovich.”  3½ cans.
2.  On the Basis of Sex* (2018) – Who would have predicted that there would be not just one movie but two movies made about the diminutive Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg?  The documentary that debuted earlier in 2018 fills in her background and career.  Always academically accomplished, Ruth was top of her class at Harvard and at Columbia Law School, where she completed her studies.  She nursed her husband back to health after a bout of cancer and she completed law school while helping him graduate and raising their young daughter.  That documentary gives just a glimpse into the cases she handled on discrimination of women, but this one focuses a bit less on her background and more on a case where a man is discriminated against, and that case is the perfect way to proclaim that all people must be treated the same under Constitutional law, regardless of gender.  Ginsburg is like the rest of women, dealing with not only societal prejudice on a high level, but the everyday variety that comes in the form of demeaning language and treatment.  Felicity Jones portrays the determined jurist and impossibly handsome Armie Hammer plays her smart and supportive husband.  It is hard to imagine that a case of tax fraud could make an interesting movie, but it does.  Long live Justice Ginsburg, role model to women everywhere.  PS – She did a stint as a professor at Rutgers Law School in the 1970s, too.  3½ cans.
3.  Roma* (2018) – This acclaimed movie by Alfonso Cuaron is getting all kinds of adoration from critics.  The first subtitled movie I have seen in years, the film is one of the most visually stunning films I have ever watched.  The long shots are full of rich detail.  Shot in black and white, the movie holds your attention not because the scenes are beautiful – no rich sunsets or meandering streams here – but because they look as authentic as I can imagine Mexico being around 1970.  Yalitza Aparicio is Cleo, dedicated young maid to an adoring family, led by Marina de Tavira as Senora Sofia.  Cleo works with other housekeepers for the family, and they do all of the routine things that need to be done – making beds, doing dishes, and washing the driveway where the dogs poop.  There’s not a lot of action here, but the focus is on family.  Cleo gets pregnant at the same time her employer’s family is falling apart as the husband leaves them.  The direction of the children is especially outstanding.  They seem much more like kids in real life than in a scripted movie.  Cuaron will certainly be recognized with awards for his cinematography and direction.  But if you crave action or reject films with subtitles, this one is not for you.  4 cans.
4.  The Upside* (2019) – Kevin Hart is Dell, an ex-con desperate for a job (or at least to prove he’s looking for one), and Bryan Cranston is Philip, is a wealthy quadriplegic author living in a stunning NYC penthouse who requires extensive care.  Dell takes on the assignment despite his discomfort with some of the responsibilities (inserting a catheter tops the list) so he can pay his child support and reestablish ties with his son.  As can be predicted, the two men from very different backgrounds forge a bond.  Dell becomes less of a wise ass and Philip, who is ready to die, becomes better at living.  The secret sauce here is the chemistry between Hart and Cranston, which could bring a smile to anyone’s face.  Life is not easy for either man and they both have their own handicaps.  This movie may not be the best of the year, but I found it “hart”-warming.  3½ cans.
5.  If Beale Street Could Talk* (2018) – This love story between 22-year old Fonny and 19-year old Tish is set against the background of racial injustice in the early 1970s.  The young couple have grown up together and have just reached the point of making a commitment to each other as young adults, when Fonny (Stephan James) is accused of rape and put in jail.  That is where he is when Tish (KiKi Layne) informs him they are going to have a baby, assuring him that he will be out of jail long before the birth.  Her family is loving and supportive; his family blames Tish, a responsible young woman with a job.  The rest of the languorous movie moves forward and back in time as Tish tells the viewer their story and her family and his father try to help him prove his innocence.  All through the movie we see black people suffering from an unjust system stacked against them.  But their love and commitment are the heart of this story of two gentle souls suffering wounds inflicted on them by unfair rules and economic pressures.  Regina King is Tish’s mother, a pillar of strength and determination as she works diligently to prove Fonny’s innocence.  I liked the movie, but it is paced ever so slowly.  The characters speak slowly, drink slowly and even smoke slowly.  You can relate the pace to the way society adamantly refuses to change, to treat everyone with equal fairness and to protect the innocent.  3½ cans.
6.  About Time* (2013) – This sweet romantic comedy hinges around time travel, an ability that young Tim Lane (Domhnall Gleeson) inherits from all of the men in his quirky family.  His father (Bill Nighy) informs him of this gift as he turns 21, and he uses it whenever he wants to improve a situation – a bad date, a bad first impression.  He simply goes into a closet, clenches his fists and makes everything better with a do-over.  When he meets American Mary (Rachel McAdam), his special skill comes in handy, but he can’t use it for anyone but himself.  Who among us wouldn’t occasionally like to take back something we have said or done?  Part of the charm of this movie is the Lane family, a close group of eccentrics that includes Tim’s purple-loving, scruffy-looking sister, Kit Kat.  This film did not focus so much on science fiction that it violated my disdain for the medium, and the romance between Tim and Mary was adorable to watch.  This movie doesn’t rate at the level of director Richard Curtis’ other movies that I have seen – “Love Actually” being on the top of that list – but it is worth taking some time to see.  3 cans.
7.  Philadelphia (1993) – It is hard to believe it has been more than a quarter of a century since this ground-breaking drama brought the realities of AIDS to the attention of this country.  Tom Hanks’ Oscar-winning performance as lawyer Andrew Beckett put a face on the disease as he plays an AIDS patient who is fired from his job.  Did the firm fire him for his job performance – which had always been considered outstanding – or because he contracted the disease and didn’t inform the partners?  Andrew recruits personal injury lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) to represent him in the landmark case.  Everything about this movie is superlative, from the story to the direction to the performances by the leads and all of the cast.  It is heart wrenching but important, especially 25 years ago, when some people were terrified of coming into contact with anyone even suspected of having this disease.  4 cans.
8.  The Commuter* (2018) – Never, never, get on a train with Liam Neeson.  Here he is Michael, an ordinary family man, trying to pay his bills, who is approached by a mysterious stranger (Vera Farmiga) with a proposition: Find a certain passenger on the train and plant a tracking device on him or her and you get $100,000.  Since he has just lost his job selling insurance, and even though he knows it is wrong, the former cop ends up being trapped into cooperation when his family is threatened.  If you like lots of action, people rolling off tracks under a train, and 60-year-olds who can fight in confined spaces, this movie is for you.  I didn’t exactly follow the plot, but I wouldn’t count Neeson out, not after “Taken,” “Taken Again and again…” 3 cans and a whole lot of action.
9.  Vice* (2018) – Please don’t let the current president see this movie, because he will immediately seize on the tactics former Vice President Dick Cheney used to expand the powers of the president.  Except in this case, Cheney, working with the less-than-sharp President George W. Bush, used them not only to run over any Constitutional checks and balances in his way, but also to assume the powers for himself.  Christian Bale does an amazing job at portraying the tough, taciturn Cheney and how he rose through positions in Washington from an innocent intern to the VP job – which he agreed to take only if he could restructure it to hold most of the power of the President.  His story sets the stage for the election of the current POTUS.  It is hard to overlook some of the things in Cheney’s agenda, such as voting against climate change and for the use of torture of prisoners in the Middle East.  All the important players are here, and when Steve Carrell as Donald Rumsfeld laughs at the young Cheney’s question, “What do we believe in?” it is clear that this is all about politics and power.  And it is an eviscerating, as well as comedic, look at the American political system and who grabs and holds power.  4 cans and a probable Oscar for Bale.
10.  Quincy* (2018) – Quincy Jones, man.  Nobody says no to Quincy Jones.  He can call Colin Powell and Oprah and they show up for him.  Today’s talents, like Kendrick Lamar, pay homage to him, along with the legends with whom he worked over his 70 years in show business.  It takes a long lifetime to accomplish all he has accomplished.  Musician, arranger, composer, orchestrator, TV and movie producer, magazine publisher, winner of an Oscar, Emmy, Grammys galore and a Tony – Quincy has crammed more into his 80-plus years than it seems possible to do.  He worked with everyone from Dinah Washington to Lionel Hampton to Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson.  He produced the best-selling album of all time (“Thriller,” by Michael Jackson) and the best-selling single (“We Are the World”).  He changed music in this country.  This loving documentary, put together by his daughter Rashida, tells his life story, which includes a remarkable assemblage of artists and achievements that will last forever.  I loved it.  4 cans.
11.  The Tree* (2017) – Driving alone from Kansas to Indiana would be a fairly arduous trip for many of us, but 88-year-old Dorothy Thorp is determined to take her 1999 Pontiac and head to Terre Haute to see her oldest friend.  Flashbacks show her doing all the usual childhood things with her BFF, but she primarily remembers their special meeting place, at the base of a huge tree.  So, despite the misgivings of her well-meaning neighbors – who agree NOT to tell Dorothy’s daughter in Iowa about her travel plans – Dorothy hits the highways.  She’s pulled over for driving too slowly on the interstate and takes to the tree-lined back roads, sightseeing along the way and encountering people with whom she shares parts of her life story.  This poignant tale is corny and saccharine – but I loved it. Actress Joicie Appell, a doppelganger for Barbara Bush (complete with large pearl earrings), has an easy charm and gentle way about her as she portrays this elderly woman staying true to herself to make one last trip.  The opposite of “The Commuter,” this movie could be seen as a little too perfect, where the sun always shines and everyone Dorothy meets treats her with respect and kindness.  Don’t we all wish that were always the case?  So, don’t look for action and adventure here – some car trouble and a slow leak in her tire is about as exciting as it gets – but if you like heartwarming stories that leave you with a lump in your throat, find this one on Amazon Prime and relish it.  I did.  3½ cans.
12.  Notting Hill (1999) – This movie pairs a British travel book store owner (Hugh Grant) with an American movie superstar (Julia Roberts) who happens into his bookstore one day and changes his life.  Grant’s perfect timing and penchant for self-deprecation are just right, as he falls for the actress Anna, whose life is making movies and dodging the paparazzi.  Roberts’ smile dazzles as usual, and Grant is smitten even while recognizing he doesn’t belong in her world.  Great cast, lovably played.  4 cans.
13.  Half the Picture* (2018) – The name of this documentary doesn’t tell half the story.  Of the 442 people nominated for awards as a director of a motion picture, five have been women.  One has won the Oscar.  Getting a chance to direct a movie, getting the money to finance it, getting to work with the people you choose, and getting a second chance even if the first movie is a success is a huge challenge for women in an extremely male-oriented industry.  This documentary – made by women about women directors – interviews the women who have had chances, often after protracted negotiations and more experience than men have been required to have to get the job.  They have made notable films, from “Love and Basketball” to “Selma” to “Wonder Woman,” but they have to do more than just serve as director.  Many feel obligated – if allowed – to hire female directors of photography or editors, or any of the other positions that normally go to men.  If you have a dream and the talent, shouldn’t you be given a chance?  Thanks to the effort of some of these women and the ACLU, the EEOC filed charges against the major studios and negotiations are ongoing.  Maybe someday the number will actually BE half, but there is a very long way to go.  3½ cans.
14.  Breslin & Hamill: Deadline Artists* (2019) – We live in a time where the power of newspapers has been economically compromised.  The Daily News, once employed 450 writers and editors, now has 45.  It is an era of online news and TV news and its veracity is slandered with the term “fake news.”  This is not the era of famed tough-guy journalists like Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill, both powerful voices whose columns covered stories from the Assassination of President John Kennedy and his brother Bobby to the Son of Sam to the World Trade Center.  Both brilliant writers with the ability to capture the best and worst of society, of the common man, both feisty, connected, sought after and brave.  Hard-drinking Breslin hung out with a cast of characters right out of Damon Runyon, and when he wrote about Murray the Torch, it was because there actually was such a guy.  You don’t have to have shared the political views of these writers to admire their work.  Hamill’s articles on 9/11 bring you right to the gray, ash-covered streets.  And while dignitaries and other journalists were covering President Kennedy’s funeral, Breslin was telling the story of the man making $3 an hour who dug his grave that morning.  These two newspapermen could tell a story with the best of them. 4 cans.