Elvis - 9
Packed away in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis is a great movie trying
to get out. There are some truly remarkable
and wonderful musical moments, almost all of which feature Austin Butler as
Elvis. There have been a lot of movies
about Elvis over the years, with some good-to-bad impersonations of Elvis. None compare.
Butler so perfectly captures Presley’s on-stage persona that he will
probably replace the real Elvis in my mind’s eye when I think of Elvis. It’s the same way I now picture Gary Busey
when I hear Buddy Holly. It should
easily be the best performance of the year.
Anytime you have to condense a life down to a movie, there are going to be gaps and misses, and complaints, not to mention exaggerations for effect. Baz’s comic-book style of frenetic pacing and music video type production can be a little over the top, but when he slows it down and lets the music breathe a little, it’s pretty special. I liked this movie way more than I thought I would, and in fact, way more than I liked Elvis himself. Pleasantly surprised. Viva!
Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story (PPV)– 9
The Patron Saint of Jazz Fest (Vimeo)– 9
Finally, a good documentary about my favorite event. I’ve been going to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival since the early 80’s and as a result have seen more great musical acts than I can count, and believe me, I’ve tried. By highlighting the 50th anniversary festival of 2019, the producers capture some great pieces of the experience, but it’s almost impossible to capture its unique appeal. Those of us who are “die-hards” know there’s a spiritual aspect to it that can’t be put into words. Stars like Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Springsteen, and Irma Thomas try their best, and that’s going to have to do.
The Patron Saint is just a little 17-minute film on the on-line streaming service Vimeo, which is an app that can be downloaded. It may capture the joy and soul of Jazz Fest just as well as the 2-hour documentary. It chronicles a lawyer who hasn’t missed a single day of Jazz Fest for many years. I have to admit, he’s really got me thinking. Could I go every day? Could I see 100 different bands in the the two weekends? This is such a wonderful little feature, I’d watch it first, an appetizer to the longer film.
Train to Busan – 10
This is a 2016 thriller from South Korea that can be found in a couple of different streaming services. One has it dubbed, the other uses sub-titles. I watched the sub-tilted one, and now I know why this has become somewhat of a classic. The storyline is basically “zombies on a train.” Much like World War Z in its intensity, the strong suit of this movie is giving you some characters that you care about as they try to get from Seoul to Busan on a high-speed train to escape the apocalypse. If you’re a Walking Dead fan, this is your movie.
Hustle (Netflix) – 8
Rising (Disney) – 9
Two basketball movies dot the streaming landscape after an entertaining NBA playoff.
In Hustle, Adam Sandler plays a Boston Celtics scout who scours the earth
looking for the next great prospect. The
organization is a mess, and all Stanley Sugarman wants is a chance at coaching,
which is finally offered to him by the owner. But, the owner (Robert Duvall)
dies leaving his son, played by Ben Foster, as the heir-incompetent, and soon
Sugarman is back in hotel rooms searching, searching.
He soon finds a prospect, played realistically by Juancho
Hernangomez (since he is an actual NBA player) and Sugarman brings him to the
US. Soon after, you will be treated to
the longest training montage in movie history.
Real NBA Players and former players play themselves, and some play
fictional players. It’s odd, but it’s as
about as good as a movie with Sandler in it can get.
Rising, on the Disney channel, is the life story of Giannis
Antetokounmpo and his brothers. It actually
deemphasizes the basketball and concentrates on the family story of being
illegal and desperate immigrants in Greece.
Incredibly gifted athletes that tower over their playmates, the family
falls in love with basketball, and realizes it could be a ticket out of
poverty. It’s a pretty amazing story and
well worth watching.
Cha Cha Real Smooth (Apple TV)– 8
Even the beautiful and understated charm of Dakota Johnson wears thin in this
tale of a young man who is trying to find his way in life by being a “party-starter”
through a series of bar mitzvahs. The
director and star of the movie is Cooper Raiff, who shows a lot of promise and
should be commended for telling a gentle and empathetic story, especially when
it comes to the autistic daughter of Dakota’s character, whom he baby
sits. The camera loves the stars. A better script would have helped, but I would
never discourage anyone from watching this.
It’s the kind of movie that might be somebody’s favorite of all
time.
The Card Counter (HBO) – 2
I saw no point. Imagine
a movie that cuts away from the big poker game and never goes back to it so
there’s no big payoff. Imagine a movie
that has no payoff.
Documentaries
Brian Wilson: Long Promised
Road (PBS) – 8
Part of the American Masters Series on PBS, this is an
examination of one of the most talented and troubled musicians of the 20th
century. In reptrospect the genius
behind the Beach Boys wasn’t particularly prolific, but his catalog is pretty
spectacular for it’s harmonies. There’s
no doubt he elevated rock and roll, but fought through mental health
demons.
A Crime on the Bayou (PPV)– 10
Growing up in South Mississippi in the 60’s we often heard
the name of Judge Leander Perez, a politician in Plaquemines Parish
Louisiana. I didn’t really know where that
was, but I knew a parish was the equivalent of a county in every other state. This movie exposes the corruption and racism
in the parish through a single case that goes on to change the laws of the
land. It became major case law, and that’s
the surprise gravity of this documentary.
Binge Report
The Blacklist (Netflix) – 10
I’ve never watched an original NBC airing of this, but
started it on Netflix and couldn’t stop through all 177 episodes available
there. (The 10th season on
NBC I’ll have to wait on it to hit Netflix.)
I haven’t watched a whole series start to finish on the networks since
The Good Wife, and this one caught me by surprise. It’s terrific, or I wouldn’t have spent 5
full days of my life on it.
It starts when the most wanted man in the world turns
himself into the FBI and in exchange for immunity agrees to help the FBI capture
criminals on his Blacklist. His name is
Red Reddington and there are two caveats.
He will always have an ulterior motive, and he will only work with one
person, Elizabeth Keen, a young FBI profiler.
Great writing and great acting as there are enough twists and turns to float
down a river. This is good stuff. One season to go.
Justified (FX)– 9
We finished binging the 78 episodes of this FX series. The chemistry of the cast and the witty
writing elevated this beyond its somewhat repetitive story line. US Deputy Marshall
Raylinn Givens, played with gusto by Timothy Olyphant and villain Boyd Crowder,
(Walter Coggins) match wits and witticism throughout. Great Characters that get a chance to develop
and there’s no wonder there’s a sequel movie on the way.
The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix) – 6
We slogged through this Neflix hit in 2 nights, but it should have taken only
one, as it’s 5 episodes worth of story spread out over 10. Actually, it’s 3 stories, which is part of
the problem, as two of them aren’t worth the attention. They feel like filler, and every time there is a pivot away from the main story of a high-profile murder, the story drags.
I’ve always been a fan of David E. Kelley’s law shows like The Practice, Boston
Legal, and Ally McBeal, but when challenged with the longer form, (see Goliath,
which is better than this one) he seems to have to stretch his story out. That’s fine when you’ve got great acting (see
Billy Bob Thornton) building a compelling character, but here there’s a lack of
charisma. In other words, Matthew McConaughey
ain’t walking through those courtroom doors.
Slow, plodding, and deliberate. and just not paced for my taste.
