At the Cinema - October 2018

A Star is Born – 9

The much-hyped musical remake arrives resting squarely on the shoulders of already-stars Bradley Cooper (who also directs) and Lady Gaga.  They’re all in with their performances and the movie follows the basic road map of the previous 3 versions of this rather tired story. 

Let’s review.  The original Star is Born hit the screens in 1937 with Janet Gaynor, and was followed in 1954 with Judy Garland, and then in 1976 with Barbara Streisand.  Each played the discovered “star.”    The doomed male who finds and develops the star only to see his own career tank in a fog of some substance abuse, has been played by Frederic March, James Mason, and Kris Kristofferson.  Yes, I’ve seen them all.

But, since it’s been 40 years since the stellar Streisand version. I’m guessing that not many of today’s ticket buyers have seen a previous version, nor knew what to expect, and that’s the crux of the matter.  If you’ve seen any of the previous iterations, you certainly know what the story is, and you’re not going to be surprised.  You’ll probably admire the music, the performances, and the close-ups of the stars, but beyond the gloss of the modern production, I was kind of hoping for some deviation from the previous storyline.  But if you never saw one of those you’ll probably be pleased.

Ironically, this version was most effective as a commentary on today’s music business.  Lady Gaga’s character is Ally (because today only one name is needed) and her vocal talents are extraordinary.  The best scene in the movie is her first song on stage with Cooper, and she begins her ascent toward stardom.  Enter a manager who makes her gyrate with backup dancers doing excessive choreography in overdone costumes (a generational comment by me to be sure).  But this kind of resembles Lady Gaga's stardom - gimicky at first, now well-respected.  The result is a long way from Streisand, less far from Garland, who could hoof a little.  Cooper’s hand as a director is steady.  He knows exactly what he wants to deliver, and it’s a crowd pleaser.

So, we now have a 4^th Star, and someday we’ll surely have a 5^th.  It will be even glossier, longer and brighter.  But I probably won’t be around to see it.  Please stop by the urn and tell me about it.

First Man – 6

 

Director Damian Chazielle has done the impossible as a director.  He took a short film about drumming, turned it into a feature-length movie called Whiplash, and it was a surprise hit.   This got him a big budget from which he crafted La La Land, a terrific modern-day musical. 

So now he does something I wouldn’t have thought possible.  He takes the great American trek to land on the moon, and the story of the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, and he makes it boring.  How could this be boring?

Maybe it’s the First Man, Neil Armstrong.  As portrayed by Ryan Gosling he is the most stoic, bland, unemotional and humble person ever born.  The movie begins with the death of his daughter, which would devastate anyone.  But his businesslike professionalism allows him to stay the course in his career.  There is no doubt that the movie has concentrated on authenticity, and it’s evident everywhere.  The attention to detail is phenomenal, and it will rival A Space Odyssey and Gravity as space eye candy.  Chazielle’s reverential treatment of the subject matter is admirable. It just moves too slowly, and my dad was involved in the Saturn V rocket that they used to test 30 miles from our home in Mississippi, so I am not dis-interested.  For some reason, the space program was such an important part of the 60’s, but it seems like an afterthought now, mostly forgotten.  Our enthusiasm for the potential of space travel has waned and is rarely discussed.  We’re too busy with our iphones and the problems of today.

Maybe the film will be a classic some day.  It's certainly a great summation of the race to the moon.

This movie has received rapturous critical praise, but little box office attention.  I pondered that as I tried to stay awake.

The Old Man and the Gun – 5

Robert Redford rides off into his career sunset with a lightweight story about an elder bank robber who is known for his politeness and his geezer gang of thieves.  Redford plays Forrest Tucker, a real life career criminal who escaped prison several times. The Tucker story is actually pretty interesting, but since Redford is 82, the amount of flashbacking that can be done to all his old bank robberies and subsequent escapes is limited.  Redford is still charming, and his love interest Sissie Spacek can hold her own.  The problem here is that they’re in the wrong movie.  I’m sure there will be a lot of sentiment to hand Redford an acting Oscar, and he certainly deserves it as a lifetime achievement award, but the silliness of this movie and its cutesy winks at old Redford movies didn't do much for me.

Scanning the Satellite

Jack Ryan – 9

This is my second wading into the Amazon Prime binge-watching waters and it was another quality trip.  John Krasinski plays Tom Clancy’s famous CIA analyst as he begins his career.  His boss is played by the great Wendell Pierce and their partnership as they chase a Syrian terrorist is entertaining.  Krasinski is effective in this famous role.  There are some scenes of Syrian refugees that are heartbreaking.  Much like “Homeland” Jack Ryan takes us to foreign lands of intrigue that we never get to see.  Gives you a little perspective and insight into part of the world we don't see.