MOVIES
American Fiction – 10
On the night of the Oscars, as I watched the bloated Oppenheimer (I dissented
on its greatness) steam through the awards, I was briefly encouraged when it
lost one – Best Adapted Screenplay.
American Fiction surprisingly took the prize and it was one of the few
nominees that night that I hadn’t seen, so I filed it away and then took months
to get to it. That was stupid on my
part.
American Fiction is a brilliantly written and acted story that despite the accolades, still surprised me. Jeffrey Wright, who I’ve been a fan of since he played Muddy Waters in Cadillac Records, plays Monk, a very serious black writer who wants to be taken seriously, but can’t. He toils along writing stuff that doesn’t sell, and in a fit of desperation he writes what his agent tells him everyone wants – a story of the black experience, complete with slang and a backstory of him, using a pseudonym, on the run from police. It just gets more complicated from there and the movie has a great ending. Literate and funny thoughout, a high recommendation from me.
The Idea of You – 9
A 40 year old divorced mother art gallery owner falls for a 24 year old singer in an immensely popular boy band. The most unbelievable part of that sentence to me is the fact that any boy band is immensely popular, because I’ve never really understood said popularity as they gyrate and bounce around a stage with no instruments except their looks, and I could go on and on. But the reason the first part of the sentence is not that unbelievable is that the 40 year old mother is played by Anne Hathaway, and the young guy is played by I really don’t know who. You see, yes I’m a fan of hers and with a lesser actress this movie would be a nothing burger, but she is so luminous in the role that it’s like she’s a 100 watt light bulb in a 40-watt world and it's no wonder boy meets girl/woman.
The movie is not great, and it’s the same ole formula for romances, it drags a little at the end, but it’s still satisfying for the romantics. And did I mention Anne Hathaway?
Dreamin’ Wild – 7
A melancholy true story of a couple of teen-age brothers who cut an album and then get on with their lives. Donnie Emerson (played not very convincingly as an adult by Casey Affleck) manages to eek out a musical career running a small recording studio, his dreams having died a long time ago. Joe Emerson (Walter Coggins) was the not very good drummer when they were young, and Beau Bridges has been resurrected to play their too-supportive father. When a record producer, played by the always irritating Chris Messina comes along with a desire to remaster their only long lost record as it becomes popular, dreams and problems are revisited.
It's a pretty interesting story but told in such a melancholy and dreary way that makes it a struggle to get through. Having said all that, the ending is quite cool, so I listened to the real Emerson’s music the next day, and it was pleasant. I’ve always believed there are many talented people out there, and its just about getting a break. The Emerson brothers never got theirs.
Atlas – 6
I guess when you’re Jennifer Lopez and you want to get out of the house because your latest marriage is on the rocks, a vanity project of your own is ok. JLo probably thinks this review is about her. It is. If you’re going to produce an action thriller with gobs of AI special effects in a story about AI, you might want to include some action where you leave the cockpit of some Godzilla like robot, instead of just sitting there throwing off pithy one liners to a computer while you try to catch the really bad guy. The story’s not that bad, but JLo and I both had claustrophobia by the end.
DOCUMENTARIES
Stax: Soulsville USA – 9
This documentary is 4 episodes of approximately an hour each and its educational in parts, thrilling in others. It starts when white brother and sister Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton decided to open a studio in Memphis to record their beloved country music. Little did they know they were actually starting what would be become a legendary R&B label. There are great stories here about the music I grew up with. How a B side (that’s on a little 45 RPM record folks) called “Groove Me” by Booker T and the MG’s (the house band) unexpectedly launched them. How Otis Redding became a star, and how his biggest hit was recorded just days before his death in a plane crash. Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave, and many others are discussed in loving detail. And then there’s the ill-fated partnership with Atlantic Records. Business rise and fall stories are always interesting, but when music is involved, it’s even better.
Beach Boys – 7
All these movies about the Beach Boys are fun, fun, fun, but this ground has now been covered so many times in so many different formats, there’s just nothing more to say. I’ve seen it all by now, even if its still fun to sing along.
Procession – Inc
The latest documentary on the atrocities of the Catholic Church and their priests was so heartbreaking and gruesome, I just couldn’t watch it all. That’s rare for me. But I’ve sat through Spotlight, Mea Maxima Culpa, and Deliver Us From Evil, and I’d love to say they should be required viewing, but I just can’t. Maybe I’ll go back and finish this one day, but I’m not sure I can. It’s a rough one.
