At the Cinema - September 2019

Ad Astra – 7

My overwhelming impression of this movie is that it was a Brad Pitt vanity project.  I’m a huge fan of Brad Pitt and think he’s terribly underrated.  He’s as natural as they come.  This film has gotten great reviews and almost universal acclaim.  I often say you buy it or you don't.  Well..this movie is so “all about Brad” that it becomes tiring.  The story is that Brad is astronaut Roy McBride, and his legendary father, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who has long been assumed dead somewhere around Neptune.  But now, since Earth is under attack from Neptune, maybe it’s Pops and maybe Brad needs to get to the bottom of this.  So off he goes, first to the moon, then to Mars, where he can communicate with Dad, and a ship can be sent from Mars to Neptune if necessary.

Much like Gravity, 2001:  A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, etc. etc., the film is visually stunning.  There are a couple of great action pieces, although yes they are ludicrous.  The problem is that not only do we get to watch Brad speak 90% of the dialogue, he’s also narrates in voice over what he’s thinking.  I get bored quickly with narration.  I go to the movies to get a visual fix, not read a book.  So, while visually sumptuous, the movie drones on like a talk show, albeit one with a high production budget.

Linda Ronstadt:  The Sound of My Voice – 10

This documentary is a traditional straight forward life story of the great Linda Ronstadt, who was the premier rock n roll female vocalist of my youth.  She may be largely forgotten now, as many today have no idea who she is.  (I asked around.)  She didn’t write her own music, she interpreted others.  There really never has been a voice like hers, backing up her insatiable taste for new music.  She went from rock to traditional Mexican folk music, to Broadway, to the classics backed by Nelson Riddle.  Her trilogy of big band albums from the mid-80’s of the songs made famous by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra are as good an education of that era of music as you can get.  I remember seeing her at the 1984 World’s Fair when she was in the midst of this phase of her career.   She had a strong tie to New Orleans, recording duets with Aaron Neville that were her last big hits.  She even made some Cajun music.  She trio’d with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton, and had several hits written by Karla Bonoff, one of my favorite song-writers who thankfully gets some screen time in the movie.

There’s nothing new or ground breaking in this movie.  No need to embellish her greatness.  The music is breathtaking, but the story is heartbreaking as today Linda Ronstadt suffers from Parkinson’s that has stolen her singing voice.  She’s had a series of high profile romances, but never married, as her unrelenting focus was music, not herself.  I have been to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame many times and love it, but it is unforgivable that they didn’t vote her in until 2014.  By then she couldn’t even travel to the ceremony, although an all star group of female singers paid a stunning tribute to her.  Don’t believe me?  Check it out on youtube.

Unfortunately we had to drive to New Orleans to see this movie.  It probably won’t show in Mississippi, but it was produced by CNN, so maybe in 6 months or so you can catch it on your HD TV and hope your sound system can crank up to 11 and do her music justice.  It will be a great trip down memory lane, or a wonderful introduction to someone you should hear.

Scanning the Satellite

Unbelievable – 10
Netflix’s dramatization of a true story of a serial rapist and how he was caught leads off with a searing, depressing episode of a young victim whose story doesn’t satisfy investigating detectives.  She recants and is charged with filing a false police report.  It will take 8 episodes for her to get justice because of an investigation by two detectives in another state. 

Kaitlyn Dever plays the young victim and becomes a star right in front of our eyes.  Merritt Weaver and Toni Collette are spectacular as well and this is as engrossing as they come.  Don’t miss it.

Mindhunter Season 2 – 9
I’m beginning to believe I should just stay home and watch Netflix.  Seems like they can take 8 hours and tell an in-depth story that fully develops characters.  This series about profiling of serial killers seems headed in one direction, then veers off suddenly to address the Atlanta child murders. One could watch Netflix just to research serial offenders.