Tag: review

Movie review: Lion – A Long Way Home

The director of LION, Garth Davis, in his feature debut, used the animated film WALL-E as part of his template.

The story in the 2016 movie Lion, based on the non-fiction book A Long Way Home, with a screenplay by Luke Davies, is harrowing, even before the event that catapults the plot. Saroo (the amazing young Sunny Pawar) and his older brother Guddu (Abhisek Bharate) sneak onto trains, steal coal, then jump off the moving transport to exchange it for milk. Their mother Kamla, (Priyanka Bose) does menial tasks as well.

The boys arrive at a train station to look for recoverable items. Saroo loses track of his brother, and boards a train which departs the station. Saroo cannot get off until he arrives in Calcutta, hundreds of miles away, where almost everyone speaks Bengali, but he does not. Saroo somehow survives on the streets until he ends up in an orphanage.

He gets adopted by an Australian couple, Sue (Nicole Kidman) and John (David Wenham), who lives in Tasmania, and a year later they adopt another boy, Mantosh (Keshav Jadhav).

Twenty years later, Saroo (Dev Patel) heads to Melbourne and meets some new friends – Saroo Lucy (Rooney Mara), Prama (Pallavi Sharda), Bharat (Sachin Joab), Sami (Arka Das), and Annika (Emilie Cocquerel). “As they dine on Indian food, Saroo heads into the kitchen and observes things that cause him to reminisce about his childhood. He confides in his friends that he was adopted and Prama advises Saroo to use Google Earth to search for his hometown.”

All of this is rather well documented in the trailer, or in the description of the book, so it is in the TELLING of the story that makes the movie work. And it does. It’s a feel-good story about a most improbable journey of Saroo Brierley’s real life.

Yet I was far more engaged in the first, harrowing, half of the tale, than the somewhat overwrought second act. Maybe it’s that it’s inherently more interesting. There’s a lot less dialogue early on, and that works in the film’s favor. The director, Garth Davis in his feature debut, used the animated film WALL-E as part of his template.

Still, the last pictures on the screen are real tearjerkers, well earned, and I’m glad to have seen it. Incidentally, the title of the film does not show up in the opening credits, only at the end, when it is explained.

Of course, the Wife and I saw Lion at the Spectrum in Albany, because that’s just what we do in January.

Movie musical review: La La Land

The La La Land cast watched the MGM film Singin’ in the Rain every day for inspiration.

I really liked the movie La La Land, which the Wife, the Daughter and I saw in late December 2016 at the Spectrum in ALB. The opening credits promised CinemaScope! – I didn’t adequately explain to the Daughter why that made me laugh.

The opening number during a Los Angeles freeway traffic jam I enjoyed – I thought it was a hoot – and it was the most standard musical piece in the bunch. A smattering of the audience applauded. The choreographer was Mandy Moore, not the singer.

In the traffic snarl, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), nightclub keyboardist who aspires to play good jazz, and Mia (Emma Stone), a barista/would-be actress, meet not so cute, but they keep showing up in each other’s orbit. They eventually get together, but they both have dreams that might tear them apart.

One of the complaints – Ken Levine makes it, e.g., – is that Gosling and Stone can’t sing. I’ll grant you they don’t have traditionally big musical theater voices, but they are, at worst, serviceable, and are absolutely correct for this story. Gosling, who has a singing background, learned to play piano for the role, and he and Stone both learned dancing.

The tension in the third act is required to avoid a pat conclusion. There’s a song near the end – I think it’s called Audition – and I was surprised to discover a tear running from my eye. The ending is a satisfying payoff.

La La Land looked fabulous. The art direction and the cinematography were spectacular. The film was written and directed by Damien Chazelle, who did the same on 2014’s Whiplash; that movie’s Oscar winner, J.K. Simmons, plays a bit part here.

John Legend also stars as a musician from Sebastian’s past is in the film, and HE learned how to play guitar for the role. There is some fine jazz in this film as it veers away from the traditional musical. It would be easy to predict a number of Oscar nominations for this wonderful picture.

One of the snarkier reviews suggested that it was “a well-intended tribute to the fabulous MGM musicals of the great Vincente Minnelli, made by people who have never seen one. I don’t know about the Minnelli pics, but Gosling claimed the cast watched the MGM film Singin’ in the Rain every day for inspiration, and he spoke fondly of the late Debbie Reynolds.

One last thing – I swear La La Land received a PG-13 rating, rather than PG, for the use of a single f-bomb.

Disney movie review: Moana

I could have just used Ken Levine’s review and edited it down.

The family attended a Sunday matinee of the new Disney movie Moana.  It was showing several places, but we will always opt for our favored venue, the Spectrum 8 in Albany.

I noted that it reviewed well. After I saw it, I was struggling with my feelings about it. I’ve pushed back against the reductivist that all the Disney princesses are, ethnicity aside, largely clones of each other.

The good:
This movie, fortunately, avoided even a hint of romance
Use of an original tale from Polynesian mythology
The opening, which I found fascinating
A very specific bit of girl power/rebellion that I rather enjoyed
Some funny coconut villains, although they reminded me of certain little characters in a Star Wars movie
A couple of good songs, including one by a villain, called Shiny – I LOVE the Disney villain songs – and You’re Welcome sung by The Rock Dwayne Johnson as the demigod Maui, who is not bad in the role
Maui’s tattoos, which may be my favorite character
The post-credit scene was funny

The not-so-good:
Why do the two main characters, both have names that start with M, Moana, and Maui? Maybe it’s authentic, but it was confusing to some
Someone has studied just how alike almost all of the Disney princesses are, the girl in Brave excepted, with the same large eyes
The character that dies (doesn’t that ALWAYS happen?) reminds me of that wise tree in Pocahontas
A stupid animal that specifically reminded me of the none-too-bright creature in Finding Dory
Most of the other songs, co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame, were OK, but I don’t much remember them – here they are
The story resolution reminded me of another Disney short

Actually, I could have just used Ken Levine’s review and edited it down.

Auli’i Cravalho is quite good as Moana, and the other voice actors were fine. It looks good like a decent Disney movie should, and maybe I shouldn’t state that as a given. In fact, the water scenes look GREAT.

But this is the most damning bit: The Daughter asked The Wife to check the time. I told The Wife that I thought the movie was nice but inessential, and she agreed.

If you’ve never seen a Disney film, you will be in awe of this. If you have seen several, and I have, you’ll likely enjoy it well enough, even as you may have a sense of deja vu. Or maybe, like SamuraiFrog, you’ll really enjoy it.

The preceding seven-minute short, Inner Workings, addresses how the body parts – the heart, the stomach – rebel against the responsible man’s brain. Man just wants to have fun v. do the responsible thing.

It reminded me a little of Inside Out with its internal struggle. It was pleasant, but I wasn’t drawn in as much as other Disney shorts. I liked it well enough, especially the ending, which actually happens in the closing credits. Here’s the Inner Workings trailer.

2016 in review

The progenitor of much of it, Agent Orange

2016-happy-new-year
This is that thing that Jaquandor does on December 31, but I do on January 1.

Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Not only did I not keep them – to do less -I did more until a point in the last quarter, when I lost most any desire to do anything but to cocoon. Circumstances didn’t really allow for that, though.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Anna, the daughter of friends of mine, who is partially named for me, had a baby on November 13.

Did you attend any weddings?

Don’t think so. But I was pleased that my online friend Melanie got hitched.

Did anyone close to you die?

Well, yes. My cousin Donald Yates, whose brother Robert was on the list LAST year. Margaret Hannay, a woman from church who I was mighty fond of. And my good friend Norm Nissen, who I think to call now and then before I realize, yet again, that I cannot.

What countries did you visit?

None, but my passport is in order, just in case.

What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?

I guess, at this point, I’d settle for civility in the world.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Helping the Daughter survive the transition to middle school.

What was your biggest failure?

Not going to a shrink.

What was the best thing you bought?

House of Blues: Essential Women in Blues. But it was the circumstances. A friend of mine had to go into physical rehab, and her clumsy caretaker knocked over her portable CD player, smashing the CD therein. I found it used, burned me a copy, then gave it to my friend.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Anyone who faced bigotry with grace. Anyone who stood up to bigotry directed against others.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Kellyanne Conway, Steve Bannon, Eric Trump, Paul Ryan. The bigots who threaten people because their side “won.” And, of course, the progenitor of much of it, Agent Orange.

Where did most of your money go?

The house, though we had no big projects.

What did you get really excited about?

I think I could get excited about contributing to Quora, if I had TIME to actually do it.

Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

Sadder by a very large degree.

Thinner or fatter?

Yo-yo much of the year, heavier of late.

Richer or poorer?

Richer, marginally.

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Reading books; I’ve started several. Donate blood. Maybe drinking (Nah…although…)
setthealarmfor2020
What do you wish you’d done less of?

Reading Facebook.

How did you spend Christmas?

Christmas Eve means singing at church, so that. Eventually, we go to the in-laws.

Did you fall in love in 2016?

Absolutely.

How many one-night stands?

Jaquandor: “Now, that’s not the kind of question a gentleman answers! (Another stock answer!)”

What was your favorite TV program?

CBS Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley, JEOPARDY!

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I’m on the precipice…

What was the best book you read?

That I FINISHED? Apocrypha Now.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

See below. Also, I do like the rediscovery of some of the items Jaquandor has posted.

What did you want and get?

A different place to sit in my office.

What did you want and not get?

Sanity.

What were your favorite films of this year?

Spotlight; La La Land; Zootopia; Sully; Hail, Caesar!; Cafe Society

What did you do on your birthday?

I took off the day from work and…oh, who knows?

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?

“We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town, Beep-beep”

What kept you sane?

May I argue the premise of the question? That said, my dads’ group in church, especially with Norm gone. My best male friend is out of town; I should call him more often.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Bernie Sanders, George Takei.

What political issue stirred you the most?

The sheer terror a lot of Americans already feel in the age of Trump.

Who did you miss?

Norm. My old friend Tom Hoffman, who died in 2004 – I wonder what he would have made of this political year?

Who was the best new person you met?

Some new choir members.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016:

The trouble with normal is it always gets worse.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I looked at the Billboard singles charts in the middle of the year, and the only song I could identify by both song and artist, AND knew audibly for sure, was The Sound of Silence by Disturbed, which you can listen to HERE

And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening

 

Movie review: Moonlight, from Barry Jenkins

The adult THINKS he’s figured out his path.

I didn’t notice until after The Wife and I saw the movie Moonlight at the Spectrum. The poster for the film is a triptych, as was the movie itself. Moonlight is billed as a “coming-of-age story,” with three distinct, but related, tales.

In the first portion, Little, the black youth (Alex Hibbert) is living in a down-and-out section of Miami. He’s constantly running from the bullies, who pick on him, though he really doesn’t understand why. Little is living with his single mom, Paula (Naomie Harris), a drug addict. He has but one friend, Kevin (Jaden Piner), and falls under the influence of a neighborhood drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali) and Juan’s girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monáe).

The second segment is Chiron, where the 16-year-old (Ashton Sanders) continues to deal with his difficult life. The third part is Black, the adult (Trevante Rhodes) who thinks he’s figured out his path. The movie also stars Duan Sanderson, Jharrel Jerome, and André Holland in these segments. Despite the three lead actors over time, the narrative does NOT feel episodic.

The movie is adapted from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by screenwriter and director Barry Jenkins. It was filmed in the Liberty City section of Miami, where Jenkins grew up.

As Steven Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes, “‘Moonlight’ is and isn’t a story of Jenkins’ life. Like Chiron’s mother in the film, Jenkins’ mother was an addict. Like Chiron’s father in the film, Jenkins’ father was nowhere to be seen. But it is McCraney, the Miami-born and -raised playwright, whose sexuality is reflected in Chiron.”

Moonlight is a well-regarded film. Brian Tallerico writes in rogerebert.com, “‘Moonlight’ is a film that is both lyrical and deeply grounded in its character work, a balancing act that’s breathtaking to behold.” While you may have seen elements of this story in other films, in its totality, it’s unlike any movie I’ve seen.

Ramblin' with Roger
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