At the Cinema - April 2015

Frank Sinatra:  All or Nothing at All – 10

This HBO Documentary is more than just a portrait of the pre-eminent performer of the 20^th Century.  It’s quite simply a history lesson.  Alex Gibney does it again with a fabulous documentary using the plot device of Sinatra’s 1971 retirement concert as the backdrop.  The evolution of society is painted against the evolution of music.  I grew up in a home where his records were played constantly, and my mother the bobby soxer never wavered in her love for Sinatra.  I got to see him in concert, and I understood his importance.  If you do, or do not understand his importance, see this.  The talent, the flaws, the romances, the Mafia, the Kennedys, the influence, are all here.  To say Sinatra lived a full life would be the understatement of that century.

What I remember about listening to Sinatra was the respect he had for each song.  He would give credit to the composer, the arranger, and his band.  He didn’t have the greatest voice, but he had a gift for nuance and inflection, and most importantly he delivered the song like he meant it.  Vocal lessons should start with his catalog, which by the way I still have, although the Sirously Sinatra station on satellite radio has rendered that less necessary.

Gibney shows us why Sinatra was a presence.  In my mother’s last few moments I put my ipod on her pillow and let her leave to Sinatra, because he once said “may the last voice you hear be mine,” and that seemed like a fine idea.

Ex Machina – 8

It was the last day of the month and I realized the improbable had happened.  I hadn’t seen a movie in a theater all month, mostly because I found none interesting.  But this movie looked up my alley – bizarre – so I took a flier.

Oscar Isaac, the guy who played Llewyen Davis, couldn’t be more different here.  He plays tech genius Nathan Bateman who has invented google (although the names have been changed to protect the dominant) and he lives in a secluded compound where he’s programming life-like robots with artificial intelligence.  He brings one of his employees, Caleb Smith (Domhall Gleeson) to his secluded compound to introduce him to his latest creation, Ava.  He wants Caleb to conduct a Turing test – find out how realistic she is.  Well she’s real enough for Caleb to fall for her, and the results are as awkward as well, real romance. 

The setting and the special effects are pretty magical.  It’s a cool movie, although not groundbreaking.  However, the reference to Turing made me think of Alan Turing, whom I assumed the test is named after.  His story is told in The Imitation Game, which was my pick for best movie of 2014.  So, when I left the theater I stopped at Best Buy and bought the newly released blu ray of that movie and watched it again.  Even better the second time.  I also hit the Wikipedia page of “Turing test” and found out why they named the movie “The Imitation Game” which was never explained.  I digress and ramble but there’s a lot to think about here.  In summary, I’ve learned a lot, including don’t fall in love with a robot.