At the Cinema - May 2020

American Destiny - 10

When I heard that Robert Redford was coming out of retirement to direct and star in a new movie, I was surprised.  When I heard that he was pulling together all his industry contacts to produce an “instantaneous” production with several directors and numerous actors, all working simultaneously on multiple sets, I was curious to say the least.   

Then I saw this epic production.  It may be the greatest piece of cinema ever produced.  How they wrote, filmed, and edited this in less than 30 days is probably going to set a new standard in digital production.  It’s immediacy and timeliness are simply stunning.  The movie is set in every American election year for the next 20 years.  Each Election year has a different director.  Buckle your seat belt.  It is a very bumpy ride.

2020 – The Cleansing

In the first chapter, Redford directs himself as President Donald Trump.  As the election nears, the world is squarely in the bulls-eye of a second great depression, as the lingering effects of the coronavirus scare have ensured that much of the business world is ping-ponging between good and bad.  Other countries cannot duplicate the US Fed actions that goosed the stock market and the rebound of the virus following world-wide protests was inevitable.  The unrest was fueled equally by a policeman’s choke hold on George Floyd, and the availability of a lot of out of work protestors.  Public pressure mounts on the administration and the response never meets the clamor.

Oddly, the most devastating scenes in this section take place in football stadiums, as election day approaches.  The NBA and MLB had already struggled through abbreviated seasons, and football was supposed to be a return to normalcy.  Roger Goodell, played by Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson delays the start of the season, cancelling the first two weeks, but the President and Goodell square off.  Trump, never a fan of the NFL since their rejection of him as an owner, feels that it is his last chance to restore normalcy before the election.  Goodell starts the season, but the stadiums are eerily quiet as the crowds are masked, small, and socially distanced.  The quarterbacks are calling audibles that can be heard in the upper deck.  The fans are passive observers.  College football is no better.  Bands are not allowed, and while the student section has some enthusiasm, others stay home.  The rattle of pom poms is barely audible  After 4 games, the NCAA cancels the season, but the Power Five conferences refuse, and play continues until a National Champion is crowned (Mississippi State.)  Redford’s choice to focus on football as a metaphor for the economic doldrums is perfect.

On election night, Redford portrays Trump as surprisingly calm, resigned to his fate as the results from Broward County make it apparent that the tide has turned.  He seems almost eager to return to his business interests.  Joe Biden (Christopher Plummer) is elected President in a landslide, as the virus fatalities in the US near 200,000 and the economy continues to bounce wildly. 

               Robert Redford as Donald Trump

             Christopher Plummer as Joe Biden

               Dwayne Johnson as Roger Goodell

2024 - The Comeback

As the 2024 election nears, in the segment directed by Steven Spielberg, Biden has decided not to run for reelection.  He has failed to slow the erosion of confidence, and has spent much of his term reversing the policies of the Trump administration.  Unable to get his nomination of Barack Obama as a Supreme Court Justice to replace a retiring Ginsburg through Congress, he faces backlash from all sides and it is obvious his health is failing.  The social media clamor about the Supreme Court dwarfs any other that has been seen previously, with an aging Mitch McConnell right in the middle of it.  While Vice President Val Demmings (Gina Torres) has teamed with Attorney General Kamala Harris to rebuild confidence in law enforcement, little else has gone right.  The Senate is stale-mated at 50/50, and the mid-term elections deadlocked the House as well.  The stock market hovers at half of its previous highs as many businesses never re-opened.  Losses of the Olive Garden and Applebees were not disastrous, but many local businesses also were never able to re-staff, much less refinance.  Controversial legislation like the “Reserve Assets Act of 2022” have become wildly unpopular.  After the bank’s had to beef up their reserves following numerous bank crises, the public clamored that businesses should all be required to have more cash reserves.  Advocates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, played with gusto by Marisa Tomei, pointed out that in the crisis, companies were calling for “socialist” bailouts, and payroll assistance after just two weeks of shutdown.  As the national debt soared to $25 trillion, the public was angry about the lack of accountability as numerous instances of abuse were revealed.  In a wide-open primary, Harris (Rosalie Dawson) takes up the Democratic mantle but fails to capitalize on the momentum of the Facebook replacement for minorities called “Blackbook” that was formed when minorities revolted against Facebook.  She wins the popular vote, but is narrowly defeated by the Republican nominee – Donald Trump who is drafted to run again with the promise “that only he can fix this.”  Redford is back as Trump.  Trump has spent 4 years defending himself in court against various charges, tweeting almost hourly a criticism of someone.  But it is Broward County that carries him over the top, as he recaptures Florida.  Vice President Nikki Haley, here played wonderfully by Anne Hathaway, has no idea how quickly she will be making major decisions.

               Gina Torres as Val Demings

              Rosario Dawson as Kamela Harris

              Anne Hathaway as Nikki Haley

2028 - The Upset

In the chapter directed by Spike Lee, it is Democrat Pete Buttigieg who defeats Republican Nikki Haley, who while serving as Trump’s Vice President had been elevated in 2026 after Trump was impeached for a second time. This time he was convicted by a Senate controlled by the Democrats and majority leader AOC.  This was all precipitated by what would be known as “The Great Secession” that occurred when California, Oregon, and Washington banded together to secede from the US and become “Western America.”  The states were angered by their lack of representation in the Electoral College as California resident Kamala Harris had won the popular vote by over 7 million votes in 2024 but still fell short in the Electoral College.  Unexpectedly, Alaska joined the new country and the financial power of the new entity was staggering, instantly becoming the third biggest economy in the world.  When the Canadian province of Vancouver joined, Western America became a world power and began to build a military. In addition, their drain off of tax revenue for the US made the US insolvent in the eyes of the markets.  Trump famously said “Let them go” as his, and other Republicans disdain for the “west coast elites” was front and center.  “Let them go” became his rallying cry, but the US Credit rating plummeted and Trump declared the government bankrupt.  The underfunding of government caused by decades of “cutting taxes” was now fatal, and the 2026 tidal wave of Democrats into office, resulted in Trump’s impeachment when a whistleblower in the IRS illegally released his tax returns.  His indebtedness to Russian banks and mob figures were the last straw.  Director Lee captures the Senate trial in flashbacks, and it is now-Indiana Governor Pete who emerges as a unifier.  Zac Efron is Buttigieg and has perfectly captured an older and wiser Buttigieg.  With equally charismatic Mikie Sherrell (Amanda Seyfield) as his running mate, they win Broward County and upset Haley and Marco Rubio (Carlo Mendez) in the general election. 

                  Zac Effron as Pete Buttigieg

            Amanda Seyfried as Mikie Sherrill

2032 - The Moon

Buttigieg is believed to trail substantially in the polls when he pulls off a huge upset, winning a second term with a narrow victory over Republican Adam Kinzinger (Chris Pine) who mounted a strong campaign.  Somehow Republicans cannot capitalize on their Electoral College Advantage and chaos erupts in Broward County, invalidating all ballots cast there.  President Pete’s progress from his first term on health care is stymied by Congress and his second term is destined to be marred by a military defeat of epic proportions when the US Space Force loses the battle for the moon to the Chinese force in 2034.  The US had several encampments there that were critical as stairsteps to Mars, but the Chinese force wiped them out with sonic nuclear waves.  Vice President Sherrill is the head of the Space Force and her promising career is torpedoed.

Director Alfonso Cuaron returns to his “Gravity” roots with stunning battle footage.  Soon after the Chinese capture the moon, they begin a run on the US banks trying to redeem bonds.  The US is on the brink of war with China for a year, but the US Military has been depleted by the reduced funding and the US is in a quandry as Allies of both sides line up with World War III seeming to be inevitable as the 2036 election nears.

                 Chris Pine as Adam Kinzinger

2036 - Electoral Shock

Quentin Tarantino directs this segment.  The battle royal of all elections explodes in ways that no one could have predicted, making Reservoir Dogs look tame by comparison.  For the first time since Teddy Roosevelt, a viable third party candidate emerges in the form of 84 year old Mark Cuban, played almost digitally by Jake Gyllenhall.  The two-time mayor of Dallas has impeccable credentials as a do-er – not a politician – who just outworks everyone else.  He also has an unlimited war chest after 30 years of successful Shark Tank ventures, which have made him the richest person in the world.    He is also rumoured to be the recipient of a youth serum, as he still looks and acts 20 years younger.  He’s been a long-time activist for protecting both the environment and social security, both of which are in dire shape.  Meanwhile fellow Texan Dan Crenshaw (played by Pete Davidson, of all people) is the Republican nominee, while Ocasio-Cortez finally gets her Democratic party’s vote of confidence as their nominee, largely as a reward for shepherding sweeping health care legislation through Congress.  While Cuban falls short, his prior assumed-Republican leanings take votes from Crenshaw.  None of the three get a majority in the Electoral College, and in a stunning move, Congress elects Cuban.  It’s ground-breaking and in his first term with Vice President Justin Amash they begin to try to pull together a coalition to address the 40 trillion dollar deficit that has been in “reorganization” for a decade.  Despite Cuban’s charisma, the US economy has been overtaken by China and Russia.

Tarantino pulls no punches about how far the US has fallen, and it would appear Cuban has his work cut out for him.

              Jake Gyllenhall as Mark Cuban

       Marisa Tomei as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

              Pete Davidson as Dan Crenshaw

2040 - Broward

M. Night Shyamalan directs the final chapter, as long-time Senators Corey Booker (LL Cool J) and Marco Rubio (Carlo Mendez) square off in their bid to unseat Cuban.  The movie concludes with the kind of shocking ending you would suspect of this director, and I’m not going to give it away in this review, other than to say it happens in Broward County.

The ending is the cherry on top of an incredible movie, probably the most revolutionary in motion picture history. It will stand with such epics as Gone with the Wind, and Lawrence of Arabia.  Don't miss it.  

             Carlo Mendez as Marco Rubio

           LL Cool J as Corey Booker

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.