Drew

The rain doesn’t fall in New Orleans.  It materializes out of the summer humidity.  It is one of the most humid places in the world, so much so that when someone has lived it the heaviness never leaves them.  We just laugh when visiting a northern city and we hear the declaration that “it’s humid today” at 40%. We would kill for 40%.

How many cities in the world sit below sea level?  Well, there’s Atlantis.  And there’s New Orleans, a city where the levees rise in the hopes that they can hold the surrounding waters at bay while the antiquated pumping stations struggle to expel.  Yearly there’s a massive rain event that gets memorialized.  The May 3^rd flood.  The April 13^th flood.  Betsy.  Katrina.  According to reports, there have been 42 flood events in the last 20 years, turning New Orleans into Venice.  The Cajun Navy deploys to rescue people who should have known better by now.  When you average 62 inches of rain a year and you are below sea level, you will have to deal with it.

New Orleans has given us great music and food and corruption.  Bourbon Street is a singular tourist destination that just got the street dug up and paved properly so that a well lubricated tourist can now walk it without fear of breaking an ankle.  It only took 300 years.  The well-worn phrase “let the good times roll” is only the beginning.  The populace takes Mardi Gras and Lent seriously, with a lot of confessions in between. 

Then there’s this 54 year old professional football team that New Orleans has.  The New Orleans Saints were often associated with ineptitude and irrelevance.  But that’s not really fair.  The first 20 years were indeed terrible.  Then around 1986 Jim Mora and Rickey Jackson came to town and they were competitive for 10 years, as they were later for the 5 Jim Haslett years (although they were divided by a disastrous Ditka interim.)  Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, and they had to play out of a moving van for a year while their scarred home, the Superdome, underwent repairs.  And it was one ugly, disheartening year that ended the Haslett era.  Saints management took a chance on a very young coach Sean Payton, and he took a chance on an injured quarterback named Drew Brees.  We had no way to know how things were about to change as rebuilding took center stage.

With their arrival began a 15-year run of upper-echelon football.  The Saints had always been important to the region, but their consistency ushered in an era of ever-increasing enthusiasm for the team.  Many cities are bitterly divided.  New Orleans is not.  Yes crime is an issue, but the love for their football team is so universal that the greatest defusal phrase in the world may just be “who dat.”

All this can be traced to Drew Brees.  He came to play.  His moving van was packed with heart, dedication, work ethic, smarts, talent, and a willingness to get involved in the suffering community.   

It wasn’t just that he wanted to win.  He hated to lose.  I have an enduring image of him.  It was the glare.  When he threw an interception he would come to the sidelines.  He would stand there, often keeping his helmet on, not talking to anyone, making no excuses, like he had just committed an unpardonable sin.  He lead so many clutch drives in the fourth quarter, that we were spoiled.  I remember in particular one game where the Saints were down to the Redskins 31-16 with 4 minutes to play.  Redskins fans were whooping and hollering all around us, and I just had this feeling.  You don’t know Drew Brees.  The Saints had been flat all day, but suddenly it was like Brees was Zeus and lightening went through the team.  They tied it and won in overtime. 

That was the thing.  We were in every game.  We always had a chance.  Brees walked up to the line of scrimmage and began directing traffic as only a great student could, less flamboyantly than Peyton Manning, but just as effectively.  I have a theory that the great ones like Brees, Brady, and Manning win pre-snap by reading the defenses, which only comes with hours of preparation.  It was fun to watch.  Every time we walked from our car to the dome, we knew we were going to get our money’s worth.

I know that Brees will now go on to be successful in his business ventures and his broadcasting career, but I had always hoped he would run for public office in Louisiana and apply that same preparation and decision-making skills to running a city or a state.  That too would be fun to watch.

I’ve had a few favorite athletes in my life.  First there was Bill Mazeroski, a magician at 2^nd base.  Then Roberto Clemente.  You can watch his highlights but here’s what you probably won’t see.  He hit in each of the 14 World Series games he played in, and yet there was a key play in each series where he beat out balls he hit back to the pitcher.  He ran hard on every play.

Drew Brees was like that.  He never took a play or a game off.  He had two serious injuries in his last two years, and he almost certainly came back too early from them.  But he couldn’t stand to watch any more than he could stand to lose.  You can’t win them all.  Not when there’s another team on the field, not to mention officiaIs, weather, and momentum to contend with.  I know of only one athlete that retired undefeated and that’s Rocky Marciano, but he wasn’t playing a team sport.  Team sports are different.  They are more rewarding, and more devastating. The Saints losses in recent years were way more devastating than the days that the crowd wore bags over their heads and the conclusion was forgone.

Drew Brees came to New Orleans about the time that I was able to utilize the season tickets my family has had since 1982. I saw him play in person close to 100 times.  I started writing this game-by-game blog on every single game for the last 15 years.  I gave an often uninformed but emotional reaction to every game.  Now I’m hoping I can print each page out and somehow bind it and get it into his hands.  If he ever chooses to read it, he will get a reactionary Who Dat view of each game.  I grew up wanting to be a sportswriter, changed course in my career, but reverted to it as a hobby in this blog.  I really don’t know if I will be as committed going forward. 

So not only did Drew Brees bring out the sports fan in me, he reinvigorated my writing, albeit it just-for-fun, and for a miniscule audience.  Anyone who watched him for the last 15 years has to admire those traits in him that he brought to New Orleans.  He will probably move away now, but he will be leaving with a bigger family, as well as a slew of former teammates that revere him, and a fan base that considers him a legend.

In coming centuries there may come a time when New Orleans joins Atlantis.  It seems inevitable. But, the story of Drew Brees will be passed down from generation to generation.  A statue will go up, and a pilgrimage will be made to Canton in 5 years.  I hope I get to go.  Look, sports is just entertainment.  It generates huge revenues and as a result athletes are paid a lot of money.  The Drew Brees effect on New Orleans transcended sports and money.  They say luck is where preparation meets opportunity.  True, but Drew Brees is where preparation met opportunity and thrived when a region needed it most. 

We needed a Drew Brees and we got him.  We will never let him go. 

 

 

At the Cinema - February 2021

I Care a Lot – 9 (Netflix)

Rosamund Pike torches the screen as the villainous con artist Marla Grayson in this sort-of horror movie.  Her grift is to assume court-ordered guardianship of elderly people.  She socks them away in nursing homes and liquidates their assets.  This is by no means a great movie, but its relevance to the viewer is probably in direct proportion to one’s closeness to “going into a home.”  So, a twenty something might be bored.  Someone like me, who is a little closer to assisted living than I would like to admit, could be quite traumatized.  You’re locked in a nursing home.  You can’t get out.  You aren’t allowed your cell phone.  You can't get near anyone. No one can visit.  Wait, sounds like a covid lockdown.

Marla locks away the wrong person in Jennifer Peterson, played ferociously by Diane Wiest (whom we saw once in a park in New York City just sitting alone and thinking about her two Oscars.)  Jennifer is not who Marla thinks she is, and efforts to get her out are about to commence into a violent cat and mouse game.  There isn’t a dead moment in this movie, and Rosamund Pike is even more evil than her role in Gone Girl.  She’s so good in this role she won a Golden Globe about an hour before I started writing this. You may like this movie, if you stay “committed.”

Nomadland – 9 (Hulu)

This is the story of Fern.  Her husband has died, as has her Nevada hometown because the gypsum plant closed.  She became houseless, and travels about, living in a very old van as she drifts from one seasonal job to another.  She has become part of a sub-culture of nomadic people roaming around our country.  Francis McDormand is the odds-on favorite to win her third Best Actress Oscar.  In Fern, she has created one of those totally unique characters that the movies only rarely deliver.   She is crotchety at times, but kind, and having been liberated from the doldrums of living alone in a sparse house, seems happy.

I always find it fascinating that foreign directors, in this case Chloe Zhao, are able to capture America so well.  Here she chooses to use non-actors to weave throughout Fern’s odyssey.  That’s a great choice, to the point that the other actor in the movie, David Strathairn seems out of place.  As with any road trip movie, the scenery is critical to establish the mood, and Zhoe chooses to shoot in a very low key manner, not glamorizing, or using the usual landmarks.  It’s almost bland, but it’s perfect.  This seems to be most the likely Best Picture when Oscar time comes.

 

 

Greyhound – 9 (Apple+)

Tom Hanks wrote and starred in this World War II drama, and it is pretty entertaining, especially if you like war movies.   It is short, simple, and intense, with no wasted motion.  The Greyhound is a US Battleship escorting an Allied convoy of ships across the ocean.  Commander Ernest Krause (Hanks) has his first command, and all he has to do is fight off the German Uboats in what will come to be known as the Battle of the Atlantic.  The action is non-stop, and borrows from Hanks efforts like Saving Private Ryan and Captain Phillips.  If you liked those, you will probably like this one.

The Wife – 10

Easily the best movie I saw this month, The Wife is the story of Joe and Joan Castleman and their grown son going off to Stockholm to pick up Joe’s Nobel Prize for Literature.  That would seem to be simple, right?  Not so fast.  Things are complicated by a pesky journalist, played by Christian Slater, who has some suspicions about their relationship and Joe’s wandering eye.  Glenn Close plays the long supportive wife, and there is drama ahead.  Close is terrific in the role, as they peel back the stinky onion of their long relationship.  And that’s just some of the drama.  This may be Close’s best performance.  It’s one of those roles where much of the movie is a closeup of her face as she reacts to information and her visage speaks volumes. A great performance in a nifty script.

Incendies – 10 (PPV)

Sicario was good and Arrival was great, so I thought I’d go back into director Dennis Villeneuve’s earlier works.  As I was expecting, this French film has a terrific story.  A mother has died and before her twins can settle the estate they must heed her final instructions to go find a brother they didn’t know they had and a father they’ve never met.  They trek through Arab countries trying to put their family history together.  Expect surprises?  You’d be right.  This is a terrific film.  Nothing better than a great story well told.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday – 8 (Hulu )

Singer Andra Day is the reincarnation of Billie Holiday in this Lee Daniel’s film.  The music is spectacular, but the drama is painful in this brutal depiction of a legendary singer.  It’s hard to watch in many parts. 

One doesn’t have to be a liberal, libetard, left-leaning, tree-hugging snowflake to be horrified by the treatment Billie Holiday received during her lifetime, as outlined in this movie.  No one should be treated this way.  Not by her husbands, her boyfriends, the government, or herself. I have no idea if this movie is historically accurate, but it appears that Holiday was a serious drug addict, a selfish narcissist, and an extraordinary singer.  She certainly earned some punishment for her drug abuse.  But what she didn’t deserve is the vendetta launched by J Edgar Hoover.  Her song Strange Fruit, which was selected as the song of the century, was about the lynching of black people, and was viewed as subversive by “the establishment.”  To say her constitutional rights are constantly trampled would be an understatement.  The bouncing in this movie is hard to take.  Billie is bounced around by her men, she bounces between them, they bounce each other around, and prosecutors bounce her into jail a couple of times.  It’s a different time, and I don’t know how, but it is hard to watch, and enthralling at the same time.

Documentary Corner

Soul of America – 10 (HBO)

Jon Meachum is an author/historian who pops up as a talking head on many channels obsessed with political opinion.  I have many questions about these people.  Do they get paid?  Are they under contract?  How do I get this gig?

Back to the subject at hand, Meachum puts together a great history lesson.  He takes us through the ups and downs of the 20^th century and brings us to where we are.  It’s one of those movies that I wish everyone would watch.  But, they won’t.

Allen v Farrow – incomplete (HBO)

We have watched 2 of the 4 episodes chronicling the sordid relationships and allegations flying between Mia Farrow and Woody Allen.  Another graphic story that is very hard to watch.  Despite the obvious bias toward Farrow, it still doesn’t look good for Woody.  It’s pretty devastating.  Let’s just say he’s not going to work on this continent again.  Move over Roman.  And don't expect any lifetime achievement awards.

Framing Britney Spears – 8 (Hulu)

Britney Spears was a superstar with B+ talent, A+ charisma, and C- judgement who thrived in the tabloids when they were still being read in checkout lanes.  As this New York Times documentary spells out in vivid detail, the paparazzi were her constant companion.  I don’t care who you are, this is no way to live.  Even if you thirst for fame, it has to get old.

The main focus of this doc is the ongoing conservatorship that courts have put in place to care for her person, and her money.  Judges who will not say why, have kept this in place for over 20 years.  Britney’s father, who doesn’t come off too well, is in charge, over Britney’s objections.  It would appear there are mental health and stability issues, but they rightfully haven’t been made public.  What a mess.

 

David Crosby Remember My Name - 9 (Starz)

Whatever issues Britany has below the surface they can’t compare to what is all out there for the world to see in David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and at times Young.  Crosby has experienced every rock star addiction you can name, and has even served time for them.  He pulls no punches as he describes his life, loves, and problems, including how he has chased every friend and partner out of his life, except for his wife.  Every so often we get a reminder that being rich and famous and super talented comes with a price.  In the case of these two superstars, it’s a steep, steep price. 

Jiro Dreams of Sushi – 9 (PPV)

Why in the world would I watch a movie about sushi?  Well, as the Super Bowl approached I saw Colin Cowherd mention this movie.  He claimed that Tom Brady loved it and it fueled his “one day at a time, don’t take time off” mentality.   So I watched it.  It was excellent.  Almost made me want to try sushi again.  Almost.

Classic Movie Watch

Aguirre Wrath of God – 10

For most of my movie-loving life I’ve been hearing about the great German director Werner Herzog.  First I watched Roger Ebert rave about his movies many times.   Ebert and his tv partner Gene Siskel converted me from a movie lover to a movie fanatic back in their heyday.  I’m even watching some of their old shows on you tube.  Ebert just loved Herzog, but where was I supposed to go see these movies in Hattiesburg, MS or Kenner, LA?   Lately I came to appreciate Herzog as an actor oddly enough for his stellar role as a Hans Gruber type villain in “Jack Reacher” a movie that I really enjoyed. 

So it was time, and armed with 2 friends recommendation I plunged in on the 1972 Aguirre Wrath of God. 

This story begins after the Incas have been conquered in Mexico, and Gonzalo Pizzaro moves south with his Spanish Conquistadors into Peru.  They want to find El Dorado the city of Gold.  Don’t we all?  After a treacherous trip beside the Amazon in footage unlike anything I have ever seen on film, Pizzaro decides to send 4 rafts down the river on an exploratory mission.  Second in command is one of the great madmen of film - Aguirre, played by Klaus Kinski in one of the most unique body language performances of all time.  The movie plays like an Agatha Christie novel as the rafts and people begin to get whittled down as they travel south.  How mad is Aguirre?  It’s a great question that his crew has to be thinking as they float in vain, deeper and deeper into what they think is enemy territory.

Movies are a visual medium, and I haven’t seen many movies that are a better example.  Words are few, images and expressions tell the story. 

 
Wild Strawberries – 9 (HBO Max)

In keeping with the theme of exploring famous directors that I’ve never seen, we tried our first Ingar Bergman Movie.  Rated #63 in Sight and Sounds’ all time top 100 movies, this is a character study aa day in the life of Professor Isak Borg, who is traveling to accept a lifetime achievement award for his work as a professor.  A Day on the Road – what a great way to be-bop down memory lane and confront your past.  Using a variety of techniques life flashbacks and reenactments, Bergman picks apart the good doctor’s life and loves.  It is not a pleasant day, but certainly an enlightening one.  The movie is much better than the puny summary I’ve written here.

Lawrence of Arabia – 10

It has been a long-standing family joke that “tonight we’re going to watch Lawrence of Arabia.”

I bought a DVD.  We never watched it.  I bought a Blu Ray.  We’ve had it for years.  Finally, we put it in the Blu Ray player and began the nearly 4 hour odyssey.  I had recently read someone who said there are epics, and then there is Lawrence of Arabia.

We committed.  It was worth it. Sprawling myth-making at its best, this is extraordinary film-making by the great David Lean.  With the widescreens now available in the home, it can be fully appreciated.  British Lieutenant T. E. Lawrence becomes a huge help to the Arabs in their war against the Turks.  He is said to have blown up 79 Bridges as worked his way across the deserts.  It is a haunting movie, made more so by an epic score that you will hum for days  Worth the wait, worth the time.

L’Atalante – 8 (PPV)

She’s just a small town girl, living on a lonely boat.  After marriage Juliette and barge captain Jean set up house on a river barge.  This is a 1934 French silent movie that is charming and claustrophobic at the same time.  It’s number 12 on the Sight and Sound 250, and is beloved among filmmakers from all over the world.  Better than many silent movies, it’s a love story with jealousy, betrayal, and ultimately redemption. 

New Orleans – 9 (You Tube)

After watching the US vs. Billie Holiday, I thought it would be a good idea to check out her only movie appearance.  The story centers around the closing of New Orleans famed red light district, Storyville.  Jazz is transplanted to Chicago and takes off.  She’s not the headliner here, but along with Louis Armstrong, she breaks through with some great music.  There’s not a lot of footage of this great singer, so I’m officially adding her to my “time machine list” of people and things I’d to go back and see, like Camelot on stage, and the Grassy Knoll.  You can just check this legend out on this flick.

 
Sunrise:  A Tale of Two Humans – 9 (PPV)

A farmer’s marriage is on the rocks in this 1927 silent movie, currently #5 in the Sight and Sound poll as one of the greatest movies of all time.  The farmer and his wife slowly reconcile on what is planned to be a fatal trip.  It’s a great story and the expressiveness of a silent movie probably work better for it.