At the Cinema - July 2016

Star Trek:  Beyond – 9

Since 1966 Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and the crew of the USS Enterprise have been a presence in my life, intermittently popping in and out, much like the moles that seem to show up in the backyard every couple of years, just much more welcome.  I can’t think of anyone else with that staying power.  That’s 50 of my 63 years, 80% of my life.  No other group approaches that.   It’s only when you have that type of investment – that you watched the show with your dad when you were 13 – that you want it to all fit together like a good jigsaw puzzle.  Be careful with the details and Star Trek will live long and prosper.

We’ve seen classics (Khan), several spin-offs (including an upcoming TV series,) alternative realities that cheapened the past, terrific recasting of parts, and now 13 films.

So, when a new movie comes out, I’m there.  For better (2009) or worse (2013).  What’s the verdict on the 2016 release?  Better.

Here, with a minimum of spoilers, is what you need to know about Star Trek:  Beyond. 

1. Forget about the Enterprise’s vaunted shields.  It’s time to talk about the shields around the main crew.  Despite all the incredible battles, they maintain their perfect half century record of not being so much as grazed by a phaser, laser, or bullet.  It must be said that Spock suffers an injury, and Kirk is again a punching bag, but personal shields are up, as usual.
2. If you were looking forward to the romance between Kirk and Dr. Carol Marcus, it either happened between movies and you’re never going to see it, or you’re going to have to wait.  The five-year mission is a definite inhibitor of love lives….
3. Unless you are Sulu who is either gay, or he’s got a family on every space station.  Even Gene Roddenberry couldn’t have seen this coming.
4. The action is almost non-stop in the hands of Fast and Furious director Justin Lin, who has taken the controls from JJ Abrams.  Character development is at a minimum, but let’s face it.  If we don’t know these people by now…..
5. As you would expect in a Justin Lin movie, there is so much going on that’s it’s a CGI visual overload.  Between the sometime too-up-close blurry action and the immense size of the ships and space stations, it’s sometimes more than the eye can process, especially if you’re a non-video-gamer.
6. Nevertheless, see it in 3D.  This may be the best 3D movie yet.  Nobody even moved when the credits rolled because even they are eye-popping.  I sprung the extra bucks for the IMAX 3D and it was worth it.
7. The classics are timeless.  Shakespeare, Mozart, and apparently The Beastie Boys.
8. The villain is played by Idris Elba, who while he’ll always be Stringer Bell to me, is poised for superstardom.  He’s terrific, especially when they finally let him, well, “emerge.”
9. There’s another new character, named Jayla, and she’s a welcome addition.
10. This installment was co-written by Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty and had the good sense to include a beautifully poignant scene towards the end.  Wait for it.
11. If there's ever been better casting of a movie series, I don't know what it would be.
12. All in all, and despite the over-adrenalinized action, if that’s a word, it’s worthy.  That’s all us Trekkie’s want.

The Free State of Jones – 8

Living in Mississippi and knowing a little bit about the fanatically conservative Jones County makes this movie all the more shocking in its revelations.  Turns out there was a band of Confederate deserters who didn’t like the way the war was going.  Led by Newton Knight, who had deserted first when he decided to take a dead relative home to his mother, they holed up in a swamp and eventually played very effective swamp foxes, controlling a nice swatch of southern Mississippi.  It’s all news to me.  The wonderful girl I once went out with from Ellisville (prominent location in the movie) never mentioned it.  The awesome girl from Laurel I once went out with never mentioned it.  Maybe they would have eventually told me had they not dumped me, joining a long list of dumpers.  Hey ladies – look at me now – I’m blogging.

Back to the movie.  Matthew McConaghey plays Knight with the proper intensity.  He has a couple of families along the way, and the movie goes on too long.  There is a flash forward sub plot that takes place in a courtroom that lengthens the movie.  At first I didn’t like it, but by the end of the movie it had grown on me.  They were trying for an epic, and some of the action fits the bill.  The director eventually has to start overlaying explanations because he’s trying to cover so much historical ground (voting, reconstruction) but somehow he gets the whole story told.

Here’s a note to Hollywood – if you really want to make close to 3 hour epics – give us an intermission.  Gone With The Wind, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady – they all had intermissions.  I had to make a quick trip in the middle of this one and I came back and the war had abruptly ended.  I’ll never know how.  But Newt was off to Soso, Mississippi to settle down after the war, and I actually know someone from Soso, so it was all very interesting.  So, while the movie may have been more fascinating to us Mississippi residents, I would think anyone who likes history is going to find this compelling.  Good stuff.  Well worth seeing.

Jason Bourne – 5

Oops they did it again.  They just had to do another one.  Four in the series, three with Matt Damon, and enough box office money printed to buy one of those countries they inevitably begin in. 

In this one, Jason Bourne is fighting (literally) for money when his old compadre Nicki Parsons (Julia Stiles) comes calling with some totally unnecessary information to hang a movie on, but there are chases to be filmed, carnage to be carned and a body count in the hundreds ahead. 

Paul Greengrass, who is one of my favorite action directors, just overdoes the action.  Yes, all movie action is ridiculous, but the wreckage they make of the Las Vegas strip in the last of three superchases, while not entirely a bad idea, is so ludicrous that its cartoonish.  The hand to hand combat is filmed too closely to see exactly what is going on, but that’s standard in these movies.  The plot centers around privacy, hacking, and social media, but some of the acting, especially by Tommy Lee Jones, is corny with a Capital C.  Here’s hoping Jason can retire soon, but it’s not a spoiler to tell you he probably won’t.  As I was watching, I just couldn’t help but think how much water Matt Damon could have distributed to one of those third world countries with the budget used on this movie.

Scanning the Satellite

The Night of – 10 (after 4 parts)

HBO throws us a summer bone with this limited series which so far has been a riveting murder mystery that goes where mysteries don’t usually go – deep into the jailhouse.

If you haven’t been watching, make like a bottle and ketchup. 

Roadies – 10

But my favorite show of the summer comes from Showtime and the rock n roll creativity of Cameron Crowe.  It focuses on the Roadies who set up the tour of a fictional rock band.  The story is great, and the music’s terrific, especially the Song of the Day, which is pretty much the way some of us roll through life – one day at a time, one song at a time.

Cyberwars – 9

Viceland is a channel that has been added to my Directv.  It’s almost all documentary reports and so far, so good.  Cyberwars focuses on hackers, and it’s way scarier than Jason Bourne.

Lastly there are the two political party conventions and the Olympics which share the fact that they are now largely made-for-tv events.  A great time to have a remote, but that’s just me.

At the Cinema - June 2016

Independence Day:  Resurgence – 2

The original Independence Day in 1996 was a crowd pleaser and has held up as a guilty pleasure.

Unfortunately, the sequel is just plain guilty.

As the movie starts, it’s a completely different 2016, as the world has successfully used the alien technology from the previous invasion to great benefit, making for a peaceful and efficient world.  And that is easily the most interesting part of the movie.  After that it is downhill so fast and so far that the movie is often laughable. 

You see, the Aliens are coming back, and they’re not happy, and that’s before they read the script. 

Apparently the alternate version of 2016 is also totally cliché-ridden, with the female President, played by Sela Ward as the Offender in Chief.  She will probably want to leave this role off her IMDB database, although I'm sure she's cashed the check.

In television it’s known as “jumping the shark” and I don’t know what that moment is called when a movie series goes completely off the rails, but in this one it’s the moment when former President Whitmore, played by Bill Pullman has to fire up a motivational speech to rival his one in the first movie, but this time he barely has an audience, and I could barely contain myself.  Once again the odds are long as the heroes must try their one-in-a-million-chance to defeat the aliens.  Let’s hope the odds are as long for a third installment. 

Scanning the Satellite

TV was much better than the movies this month, so let's take a look:

O J Simpson – Made in America – 10

ESPN, under it’s 30 for 30 documentary banner, commissioned this massive five-parter from director Ezra Edelman.  How good is it?  It’s riveting and enthralling for every single minute.

It changes the documentary landscape and it will be taught in film schools for years to come.  It’s a stunning work.  I've been saying we are in a golden age of documentaries and this is exhibit A.

I remember being mildly bewildered by the O J Simpson trial, the television spectacle, the outcome, and the reaction to the verdict.  Starting with O J’s childhood this documentary takes a look at his stardom on the field, his family relationships, his friendships, his post-football career, and his rejection of his own heritage.

Then there’s the trial which is reviewed in detail.  Almost all the major players consented to an interview.  This includes two of the jurors who basically explain that the Dream team successfully put the LAPD on trial and this was a payback for Rodney King.  Then it goes into the aftermath, including OJ’s ostracization and descent until he ends up in jail, with a little payback sentence for armed robbery.

The documentary may pass itself off as an examination of a single crime, but in doing so it examines a multitude of offenses and race in America in a unique and comprehensive way.  It pries open each layer and it’s not any prettier than I am

I am no longer bewildered, but I remain mesmerized.  

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel – 10

I rarely mention this show because it’s been on HBO  for over 20 years.  But, it has won Emmys and Peabodys for a reason.  It’s in-depth reporting is impeccable.  Just in the last two months there have been extraordinary reports on the AR -15 rifle right before it was used in the Orlando nightclub massacre, an amazing horse program in the inner city of Philadelphia called Work to Ride, and terrific profiles of Arizona Head coach Bruce Arians and Golf Commentator David Feherty,  But the climax of 2 terrific months of shows is the re-visited profile of an amazing gymnast name Jennifer Bricker – who had the unfortunate obstacle of being born with no legs.  She didn’t let that stop her, and her story is one of the most fascinating things you’ll ever see.  If you have the chance to watch this, don't look her up before hand.  Just let it happen.

At the Cinema - May 2016

Money Monster – 8

Glossy, glitzy, glamourous, slick and fast moving, this modern hostage drama hits the standard buttons with some up-to-date zip.  George Clooney and Julia Roberts star, and although they are rarely in the frame together, their chemistry still shines through.

Clooney’s character is a fast talking Jim Cramer knockoff who is taken hostage on live TV by a fan who has gone broke following his advice on a certain company.  That company is passing it off as a computer glitch, and Clooney and Roberts must keep their bomber at bay long enough to unravel their rather simple mystery in ridiculously quick fashion – the length of a movie.  But that’s kind of the best news.  Director Jodie Foster keeps the movie tight and efficient, and it works as a thriller, and a little bit of a commentary on our money obsession.

Scanning the Satellite

All The Way – 10

I know I must sound like a shill for HBO at times, but this may be the best movie I’ll see all year.  I’ve already watched it twice.  Bryan Cranston is destined to win an Emmy for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson.  He’s already played him on Broadway, and this is adaptation of that Tony-winning play.  It is the story of Johnson’s early days in office as he tries to pilot Civil Rights legislation through Congress after the assassination of President Kennedy.

We are brought behind the scenes as the tug of war begins and progresses.  My home state of Mississippi is strongly relevant throughout as the arguments rage, much as they still do today.  The manipulations are riveting, and the strategies are fascinating as the lines are drawn

LBJ was vulgar, shrewd, and persistent.  Cranston inhabits him so totally that you believe you are there.

But he’s not the only one.  In recent movies I have been amazed at some of the casting choices, and this is no exception as there are a great variety of Congressmen and historical figures in the civil rights fight that are portrayed beautifully.  This is like a pumped up history channel lesson.  It also reminded my how much fun political conventions used to be when there was some suspense going in.  I've got a feeling it won't be the last time I get reminded this year.

It left me with one other thought.  HBO has done a terrific miniseries on John Adams, and now a great movie on LBJ.  It would be OK with me if they did a movie on each and every President.  We already have some pretty good movies on Lincoln, George Bush, and Richard Nixon, but the rest could easily be just as important.  We have forgotten so much about the causes each of them championed.

Confirmation – 8

Red-hot Kerry Washington stars as Anita Hill and Wendell Pierce plays Clarence Thomas in another HBO historical dramatization, this one about Thomas’s confirmation hearings that held a nation in its grip.  This is a paint by the numbers account of the events.  Educational and interesting, here’s another look at race in America.  It’s like a companion piece to the OJ Simpson drama, in that it kept America glued to the TV, just in a more compact time frame.

Ricki & the Flash (2015) - 7

Finally caught this movie which I missed in the theaters.  No big loss, other than one fantastic 5 minute stretch which is the only reason that I’m even mentioning it.  Directed by Jonathan Demme, who I’m guessing peaked with Philadelphia and Silence of the Lambs, this is a run of the mill rock n roll movie that stars Meryl Streep as the rock singer (Ricki) who gave up her family to move to California, dreaming – dreaming of being a rock star.  Rick Springfield plays her pining Lindsay Buckinham-like partner in rock, and when they return to a wedding of one of her estranged children, she gets to show off her rock licks (yes, Meryl Streep can do anything).  They perform a Bruce Springsteen song called My Love Will Not Let You Down, which I had never heard before because it’s a concert favorite that he didn’t put on any of his albums.  I’ve now played this song about 20 times, and you should too, and it is the reason I’m really glad I saw this movie.

Series Finales

I’ve been addicted to enough TV series in my lifetime to know that what WILL probably let you down is the finale of a series you’ve hung with throughout its run.

I’m going to say that I’ve seen only two great, totally satisfying series finales in my lifetime – Newhart, and Six Feet Under. 

The recent run of series finales was underwhelming to say the least.

Nashville, which my wife was a fan of, had a cliffhanger because they might be back on another network.  The spousal reaction was not good.

The Good Wife didn’t seem to know what to do after 6 enthralling seasons.  They left a few openings for a spinoff, thus there was no real resolution for a whole bunch of characters in which the audience had built up a lot of equity. 

Easily one of the worst I’ve ever seen was Castle.  Now this was never a great show, just a guilty pleasure that we enjoyed largely because of the chemistry between the two leads, Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic as Rick Castle and Kate Becket.  When ABC, showing that they had no understanding of the word chemistry, decided that Becket would be written out, the fans erupted through the protest medium of today – social media.  So, ABC decided to kill the whole show.  The producers had shot two alternative endings and then made the bizarre decision to use both of them and tack them together with voiceovers and no explanation of how they meshed.   Fortunately, nobody took the show as seriously as let’s say The Sopranos, so TV will go on, usually not knowing how to wrap things up.

Here's Cranston as LBJ:

At the Cinema - March/April 2016

This is that time of the year when I’m distracted by festivals, disillusioned by politics, and dependent on television for screen entertainment.  Thus, you get two months of movie going and TV blog for the price of one.

Midnight Special – 9

There’s nothing wrong with a little genuine science fiction film making, and this one’s pretty cool.  It involves a religious cult trying to recapture a very gifted young boy who may or not be of this world.  This movie works as a thriller, a chase movie, and most importantly as a supernatural ride with a nifty final explanation. 

The chase takes place across Louisiana, so you know it’s going to be strange.

10 Cloverfield Lane – 8

There’s nothing wrong with a little end of the world science fiction, and this one’s very good too. 

John Goodman has built himself a neat little end of the world bunker, where else but in Louisiana, and he saves a young girl (or does he?) after she wrecks her car while fleeing the “war.”  It feels like a post apocalyptic "Room" and I just wish I hadn't spent most of the movie trying to figure out who the other actor in the bunker was.  (I knew him from The Newsroom.)

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot – 7

Tina Fey plays a war correspondent in Afghanistan in this not-much-comedy story.  She exerts her unusual charisma, and the main thing I got out of this movie was a burning desire to spend an hour with Tina Fey someday.  Her star power carries a less that nifty movie, although the presence of Margot Robbie doesn't hurt.  

Scanning the Satellite

Nothing Left Unsaid – 10

If I’ve ever seen a more engrossing documentary than this HBO story of Gloria Vanderbilt and her son Anderson Cooper, I can’t remember it.  I couldn’t have even told you a thing about Gloria Vanderbilt before I watched this, but talk about a full life - Her ups and downs are such pinnacles and devastations that it made me feel like I’ve been sleep walking through life.  What a story.  I never intended to watch this, but it caught me by surprise, and by the throat.

Vinyl – 9

This HBO miniseries is hard to watch because of the constant drug use, but a lot of fun because of the amazing actors they got to play a plethora of rock stars.  Whoever did the casting is the star of this show.  The music is fun.  The performances are wild.  

American Idol - 8

Gone for now, but just for fun I'd thought I'd do an approximate ranking of some of my all-time favorite contestants,  Feel free to give me yours:

Kelly Clarkson, whom I missed in that first season.   Having now watched all of her performances I wander if AI would have been as big without her.  What if there had been a lesser winner in season one?  

Jordan Sparks, the only winner I picked right out of the gate.

Haley Reinhardt

David Cook

Allison Iraheta, unfairly maligned by Simon Cowell.

Katherine McPhee

Casey Abrams

Pia Toscano

Chris Daughtery

Siobhan Magnus

Angie Miller

Joshua Ledet

Melinda Doolittle

The Good Wife - 10, 10, 10

Next Sunday is the final episode of another series I never expected to like.  Somehow we got caught up in this amazing drama.  Fantastic weekly scripts were the hallmark of this story of a law firm, Chicago politics, families, and love affairs.  This has been a masterpiece of story telling.

It now ranks, not that anyone cares, as my second favorite network drama of all time, behind the legendary Hill Street Blues. 

Billions – 10

This Showtime series is magical for one reason.  You’ve got the great Paul Giamatti as the Federal Prosecutor trying to pin crime and punishment on a flashy hedge fund manager played by Damian Lewis (Homeland) a Showtime Golden Boy.  Malin Ackerman is also terrific as Lewis’ equally gutsy wife.  But the magic here is in the performance of Maggie Siff who absolutely blows them off the screen as the wife/psychiatrist caught between the battling testosterone of the two male leads.  She is riveting and amazing and I don’t pick the Emmys, but if I did, the race would be over already.  She’s that good.  Just as Carrie Coon blew me away on The Leftovers, and has been justly rewarded, watch for Maggie to be.  

A Gamble Like No Other

About once a year I stir things up with a controversial blog, in the misguided belief that I can change a single mind.  It’s that time again.

Do you watch old movies?

How does all that smoking look now?

I always despised smoking, and I’ve lost numerous friends to lung disease caused by it. 

My parents were heavy smokers that lived into their 80’s before their lungs gave out, so their lives may not have been shortened that much.  I can remember the discussions we had.  They always used to say that when they started smoking they didn’t know it was bad for them.  I used to counter that yes, but you had been smoking for 20 years when the Surgeon General gave you the bad news, and you continued for 40 more years.  I lost those arguments.  They never quit.  On his deathbed, the last thing my Dad asked me was, “Did you bring me a cigarette?”

I find it pretty cool that we have by and large eradicated smoking in the U.S.  It is also kind of interesting that the change was brought about more by lawyers than lawmakers.  I won’t be around to see it, but I can’t help but wonder what the ultimate outcome will be as lawyers set their sights on football, guns, and even education.  It’s going to be an interesting century.

I have a little more sympathy now in my 60’s.  I wouldn’t recommend my eating habits to anyone and even though I try from time to time, it’s damn hard to change them.  I sure do enjoy good food.  And bad food.  Regardless, I’ve always said that, in the rearview mirror we often look pretty stupid.  As time rolls on, people will say, “What made you think it was a good idea to suck smoke into your lungs?”  Well, it seemed cool at the time.  What else can you say?  “Rick, what made you think it was a good idea to never eat a vegetable?” 

Which brings me to global warning, or climate change. 

I’m not a scientist (a favorite line) but I kind of trust them.  I like my cell phone.  I even got rid of my land line.  I like my car.  I like my HD TV.  I like my doctor.  I like the fact that I’ve made it to 62 when I wouldn’t have made it to 50 if I’d been born a century earlier.  When I was growing up I read Dick Tracy and watched Star Trek, and look where we are today.  It was science fiction.  It’s not fiction anymore.  We’ve done pretty well by science.

No, I’m not a scientist.  What is a scientist?  A person who is dedicated to a single subject.  They spend years in school.  They spend countless hours in labs.  They do experiments.  They analyze the data.  They think about their field of study most of their waking hours and that is their passion.  What is your passion?  Books?  Wine?  Television?  Your business?

Well a scientist earns our trust as they study disease, and medicine, and the earth, and space, and yes the weather.  

And it goes without saying that they are human, so they make mistakes too.  Our country, more than any other, is responsible for so much science, to borrow a phrase from Mark Watney, “we’ve scienced the shit out of it.”  Life that is.  Imagine a day, just 50 years ago, when we had to walk all the way to the TV to change the channels.  The three channels.  The 3 black and white channels.

Scientists study, develop, innovate, and we advance.  So, before I go refuting scientists I’d need a whole lot of reason, especially looking down the barrel of an overwhelming scientific consensus.

But for some reason, there’s one science that one political party in one country rejects, and it happens to be my country, the greatest country there has ever been.  

Why would a party deny this one thing – that some things we are doing are accelerating climate change?  Well, two reasons it appears to me.  First, if it is a truth, it is an inconvenient one that, if addressed as advocated, could radically interfere with corporate profits.  Exxon, and others, have  waged a 20 year disinformation campaign to protect their profits that would make the tobacco lobby green with envy.  

Secondly, it may conflict with the faith aspect, that only a God controls the climate, not man. 

There is recent precedent however to refute those points.  Excessive aerosol spray put a hole in the ozone layer, and we banned aerosol spray and closed the hole.  Great work scientists.  Great work America.  Crisis averted.  Glad we did it.  The economic impact of less aerosol spray has long since been diluted into the larger economy.  Anybody remember smog?  It’s not as prevalent, despite the unpopularity of catalytic converters.  We all hate them.  Addressing global warming as advocated would be significantly more costly.  Would it be worth it, to again disrupt our economy?  It’s certainly a worthwhile argument.

Let’s have it.

In one of the recent debates, candidate John Kasich broke with the Republican establishment (he’s doomed) and said that he believed that humans were affecting climate change, and then he hinted that maybe, just maybe there was another great opportunity for America in wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas, and even coal burned cleanly.  Lead the world in innovation?  Us?  The crowd that had just cheered candidate Marco Rubio's answer to the same question, was silent.  Rubio had said that he was all for mitigating the effects of climate change and rising seas.  

Address the symptoms, not the cause.  Glad scientists don't take that approach.

And the leading candidate, Donald Trump, thinks its a Chinese plot.  (He's wrong about that, although he is right about currency manipulation.)

I haven't watched the debates much, but I doubt that the environment has come up much.  

It's a hot potato.  Better to not talk about it.

Here’s my bottom line on climate change.

Why gamble with our planet?

Is this where we really want to stake our ideological claim, when THE PLANET is at stake?

Is this where we really want to gamble?

Do we really want future generations to look back at us and say, “You knew, and you did nothing?”

(another movie quote)

Is this the time and place for this pissing match? 

Wouldn’t it be safer to assume that we are changing the climate and take steps to address it?

What happens if we’re wrong and climate change is inevitable??

What’s the cost?

Money? 

When you’re dead, money won’t matter, but your legacy will.  And your grandchildren, and great grandchildren will be living on the planet you left for them.

Do you want them to be proud of you, or laughing at you?

Your call.

Here’s one last example of how we can change.  I heard the stories growing up in Pittsburgh, so these are pictures that have always fascinated me. 

The first one was taken at 9 am on a winter morning in 1945. 

The second was at 11 am on November 5, 1945.

The steel city was so clouded in smoke from the steel mills that the sun was rarely seen.

The city had no choice but to enact smog control measures.  Then they began to clean up, which is what the third picture shows.  Ultimately the city continued as a steel center for 50 more years.  Now it is a vibrant city with new economic engines. 

Man affects the climate.

The degree to which he does can be argued about. 

Gamble all you want. 

Gamble with the economy. 

Gamble with the taxes in Kansas. 

Gamble with a ridiculous budget deficit. 

Gamble with your lungs.

Gamble with email servers. 

Gamble with immigration. 

I really don’t care. 

If it doesn’t go your way, you can even gamble and move to another country, as so many are threatening to do now.

But you can’t move to another planet. 

If we’re wrong all it will cost is some money.

And here’s some news. 

You ARE going to die. 

Having shitloads of money won’t change that. 

Leaving a ton of money to your next of kin may be good for them, it may not.

Leaving a planet to them – definitely good.   

If you think I’m just a mouthy liberal let me enlighten you as to why I’m an independent:

I am often socially liberal, but fiscally conservative.

Yes, money is important.

I take the extremely conservative position that to save this country we need to stop spending more money than we take in as revenue, or we run the risk of financial collapse.

To me a Democrat will spend one third more than they take in.

A Republican will spend 33% more than they take in.

They both wield the Great American Credit Card with criminal impunity.

They both are fiscally irresponsible, and those chickens are going to come home to roost as well.

We need a Balanced Budget Amendment more than anything I can think of, and it’s the one issue I haven’t heard anything about during the campaign.

There is absolutely no respect for the American Tax Payer. 

I don’t mind taxes – I mind how they’re spent (wasted.)

Our government is putting our beloved country at great risk the way they spend money we don’t have.

But, putting our planet at great risk is something else. 

Yes, earth is going to change over the centuries.

We don’t need to accelerate it.

Let’s not gamble with the planet.

We’ve only got one.

At the Cinema - February 2016

Deadpool – 8
I haven’t been particularly enamored by the onslaught of movies coming from Marvel studios.  The fact that they have big plans for 5000 or so movies over the next 20 years doesn’t excite me.  I didn't know there were that many comic books.  So far the productions have ranged from terrible to mildly entertaining.  But with their latest release, Deadpool, they may have actually hit on a decent formula. 

The formula?  R-rated, by virtue of a lot of suggestive banter, a few racy scenes, and a whole lot of raw humor.  If that approach works about 90% of the time, like it does in this movie, you’ve got a crowd-pleaser.  Marvel certainly has shown the ability to bring in a crowd with savy marketing.  Actually delivering on the entertainment promise is a whole new level for them.

This one starts off with a complicated action sequence during which Ryan Reynolds slows down the action to tell the backstory of how he fell in love, how he got his superpowers, and how that messed up his love life.   There’s about a 20-minute scene during which Reynolds acquires those superpowers, and it is great film-making.  Add in a redemptive third act and you’ve got the makings of a solid box office hit.  A starring role for Firefly's Morena Baccharin is another big plus.  This one exceeds the “mildly entertaining” level and bumps right up against “very.”

Hail, Caesar – 5

The Coen Brothers latest is a hodgepodge, mess of a movie.  I have no idea what their point was.  There are a lot of stars splitting a few good moments.  It may be a tribute to Hollywood.  It may be a showcase for George Clooney to act against type.  It may be a payday.  Whatever it is, it didn’t work for me. 

Scanning the Satelite

Becoming Mike Nichols – 8

This is a really nice HBO documentary consisting of a lengthy interview of the late Mike Nichols, who spills the beans on many of his productions, including Barefoot in the Park, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf, and most interestingly, The Graduate.

THE ACADEMY AWARDS

I usually enjoy watching the Oscars, which will air tonight.  I am usually in disagreement with the Best Picture, but my taste is weird, and I expect this year to be no different.  I’ve heard of some people who want to skip the first half hour because of Chris Rock.  I’ve always thought he was a great comedian, but his first time doing the Oscars fell flat, and the fact that he’s hosting in such a controversial year, will only lend to the audience gasps.  In my case it would be more appropriate for me to skip the last half hour.  I expect Mad Max:  Fury Road to dominate the technical awards, winning 5 or 6 but getting shut out during the last 30 minutes when the big awards roll out.

There were some great 2015 movies, but the movie that’s probably going to take the big prize was not one of them for me at least, which is par for my course.

So here are my predictions:

Best Picture

Will Win:  The Revenant.  It will join the list of infamous wrong picks that had late momentum.  It’s a grandstanding movie that will have little long term impact, other than a certain actor’s gratification. Move over Crash, take a seat Shakespeare.

Should Win:  Mad Max:  Fury Road, which history will treat as an epic, amazing cinematic achievement, one of the best action movies of all time, and certainly the greatest chase movie ever. 

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant, and I’ll be happy for him.

Should Win:  Matt Damon for the Martian, the movie we'll watch way more than Leo's. 

Best Actress: 

Will Win:  Brie Larson is easily the best of the nominees anchoring a great movie with a great performance.

Should Win:  Charlize Theron in Mad Max.  Wait, she wasn’t even nominated

Best Director: 

Will Win:  George Miller, Mad Max.  I’m hoping for an upset over the heavily favored Inarritu, who is poised to win his 2^nd consecutive Oscar for Director, for The Revenant..

Should Win:  George Miller for bringing home his 20-year vision and re-creating a totally unique world.

Best Supporting Actor:

Will Win:  Sylvester Stallone for Creed

Should Win:  Sylvester Stallone for a lifetime achievement Award as Rocky Balboa

Best Supporting Actress

Will Win:  Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl (a combo award for her star-making work in Ex Machina)

Should Win:  Rooney Mara for Carol, although neither of these were really supporting roles.

And the rest of my predictions, with an occasional dissent:

Best Original Screenplay – Spotlight

Best Adapted Screenplay – The Big Short

Best Cinematography – The Revenant (although I’ll be rooting for Mad Max)

Best Costume Design – Mad Max:  Fury Road

Best Film Editing – Mad Max:  Fury Road

Best Makeup & Hair – Mad Max:  Fury Road

Best Production Design – Mad Max:  Fury Road

Best Score – The Hateful Eight

Best Song – Til it Happens to You, from The Hunting Ground

Best Sound Editing – Mad Max:  Fury Road

Best Sound Mixing –  Mad Max:  Fury Road

Best Visual Effects – Star Wars:  The Force Awakens (although I’ll be rooting for Mad Max)

Best Animated Feature – Inside Out

Best Documentary Feature – Amy

Best Foreign Language Film – Son of Saul

Best Animated Short – Sanjays Super Team

Best Documentary Short – Body Team 12

Best Live Action Short – Shok

No matter what happens, the show will be an endurance contest, and I’ll be expressing my sentiments throughout.  Enjoy.

At the Cinema - January 2016

More 2015 Movies (that I’ve added to my rankings post of last month)

Room – 9

Depressing but hauntingly beautiful, this movie is a tale of a mother and son and their inhabitance of two environments.  First, there’s the claustrophobic room where Joy Emerson has been imprisoned for 7 years by a rapist she calls Old Nick.  She has had a son named Jack and has no choice but to act as a sex slave for Nick in exchange for safety and supplies.  Later on, when her environment changes to another location, she must adapt to an equally difficult situation.  At the center of her life is her son, and his protection is paramount.  She must guide his intellectual and emotional development with few tools at her disposal.  She can never let her motherly instincts diminish in either location.

Brie Larson Is expected to coast to an Oscar for her performance as Joy.  The camera is in tight, make-up-less close-up for most of the movie and Larson conveys her anguish and anxiety.  The most successful movies transport you not just to a specific time and place, but they transplant your emotions right into the center of the story, so you feel those anxieties so much that you squirm in your seat. 

This is such a movie.

The Revenant – 8

In different parts:  Brutal, harrowing, disturbing, graphic, difficult, well-acted, chilling, absorbing, off-putting, hard to watch, masterful, dark, manipulative, conceited, cold, overwhelming, amazing, lengthy, distant, flawed, well directed, astonishing, jarring, stirring, memorable, well photographed, raw, extravagant, relentless, bloody, seductive, impressive, gruesome, grisly, grueling, groundbreaking, and ultimately – exhausting.  This is the story of a man seeking revenge after being left for dead.

Some Questions and Answers:

Will it win an Oscar for Best Picture?

Probably

Should it?

Probably Not.  Every year there’s a late comer whose buzz dominates the time right around voting season, and The Revenant has played its hand perfectly.  But, I can’t see it as a treasured classic, and there are a couple of films that deserve that status above this one

Will Leonardo DiCaprio win the Oscar for Best Actor?

Yes

Should he?

Yes, as a make-up call for Wolf of Wall Street, and as an award for surviving the filming of this movie.  In the end, he is the reason to see The Revenant, where he answers the question “how far will you go to get what you want, whether it’s revenge, or an award?”

The Hateful Eight – 8

No, this is not a televised debate.

It is Quentin Tarantino’s eighth movie, or so he states right up front.  He has said that he will make 10 movies. 

That’s important because his movies have gotten progressively, or regressively depending on your point of view, more bloody, gruesome, and outrageous.

He writes these stories from scratch, then begins to stockpile the blood it will need.

This is kind of a Reservoir Dogs in the snowy, wild, wild west, as he claustrophobically throws 7 or so bad men and one bad woman, played with great gusto and tolerance by Jennifer Jason Leigh, into a blizzard enveloped cabin. 

They snarl and bicker and in the least surprising part of a Tarantino movie ever, commence to shooting each other’s heads off.

It’s pretty entertaining because of his knack for storytelling, backstories, and dialogue, but in the end it’s all about the bloodshed.  All of which makes me wonder if he gets to his 10^th movie and it will just be flying body parts.

Carol -7

This movie provided me with my biggest laugh of the month when after viewing, I saw a commercial advertising this is a “thriller.”  This movie is to thriller as I am to heavyweight champion of the world. 

Thriller is not the way I would describe it.  Let me think.  I’ve got it – un-thrilling.

This is the much acclaimed story of two 1950’s era women who fall into a forbidden lesbian relationship.  Carol as icily played by Cate Blanchet, has the most to lose.  She’s about to divorce her husband (Kyle Chandler) and their young daughter is about to be the subject of their tug of war.   Threzz (Rooney Mara) will slowly, and I mean really slowly, fall in love with Carol. 

The problem with all this is that it takes place in the 50’s and moves at the pace of a 1950’s movie.  It’s languid and leisurely, and while I like a character study as much as the next heavyweight, this movie is about 50 years too late and 50 minutes too slow in getting to the point. 

SCANNING THE SATELLITE

Making a Murderer – 8

I succumbed to the publicity and gave up 42% of a full day to watch the 10 episodes of this Netflix documentary.  It follows the case of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin resident who was wrongfully convicted of a rape, served 18 years, and then was released.  He celebrated his freedom by murdering a female photographer.  Or so his embarrassed county police force claims.  Or they framed him.   It’s all pretty confusing, and the story is filled with red herrings and abandoned information.  You keep expecting them to come back to points, but they disappear.  To say there are lingering questions that never get answered is an understatement, and a real puzzle as they have over 10 hours to cover everything.  You would think….

Two young film students shot this over the course of 10 years, and it takes a pretty firm stance that there’s been a miscarriage of justice.  By the end I had two feelings. I felt like I had been dragged through the court system, and I wanted to see the rest of the story.  But this is compelling story telling and I’m sure there’s a million similar stories out there. 

The problem with the documentary, as well as the trial outcomes, well with just about everything from politics to the judicial system is that there is an expectation of “fairness” and a search for “truth.”  Neither is the case.  America is about “adversarial” processes that lead to “winning.”  Ask any politician.  Ask any attorney.  Ask Bill Belichick.  It’s the end that counts, not the means.  And that’s a shame.  

2015 Year End Rankings

Every year I write about the movies I see, and give a purely personal ranking, including how I scored the movie on a scale of 1 to 10.

Here’s my 2015 list

Mad Max:  Fury Road                                        10
Spotlight                                                              10
The Gift                                                                10
The Martian                                                        10
Inside Out                                                            10
Creed                                                                    10
Bridge of Spies                                                    10
Concussion                                                          10
McFarland USA                                                    9
Black Mass                                                            9

  

The Big Short                                                      9
Brooklyn                                                              9
Room                                                                   9
Star Wars:  The Force Awakens                       9
Mission Impossible:  Rogue Nation                9
Trainwreck                                                          9
Love and Mercy                                                 9
Pitch Perfect 2                                                    9
Spectre                                                                8
The Revenant                                                     8
Truth                                                                    8
Ex Machina                                                         8
Jurassic World                                                    8
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl                       8
The Hateful Eight                                               8
The Visit                                                              8
Kingman:  The Secret Service                          8
The Intern                                                           8
Ted 2                                                                    8
Spy                                                                       7
San Andreas                                                       7
Steve Jobs                                                           7
Carol                                                                    7
Run All Night                                                      7
Terminator:  Genysis                                        6
Sicario                                                                 6
Crimson Peak                                                     5
The Man from Uncle                                        5
The Boy Next Door                                           5
Focus                                                                   5
The Avengers:  Age of Ultron                          4
The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay Pt 2            3
A Million Ways to Die in the West                  2
The Age of Adaline                                            2
Entourage                                                           1

Documentaries
Requiem for the Dead:  American Spring 2014                    10

Going Clear:  Scientology and the Prison of Belief               10
Frank Sinatra:  All or Nothing at All                                         10

Jinx – The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst                            10

The Seven Five                                                                            10

Amy                                                                                                 9

I’ll Be Me – Glen Campbell                                                          9

Compared to What – the Journey of Barney Frank                9
Citizenfour                                                                                     8

And the OZZIES go to:

Best Picture – Mad Max:  Fury Road

Best Actor – Matt Damon in The Martian

Best Actress – Charlize Theron in Mad Max

Best Supporting Actor – David Morse in Concussion

Best Supporting Actress – Rebecca Ferguson in Mission Impossible

Best Director:  George Miller, Mad Max

Best Screenplay – Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

I’m adding a TV Show ranking and awards, since we are in a golden age (and I spent an inordinate amount of time recovering from knee surgery):

Rectify
Fargo
The Good Wife
Last Week Tonight:  John Oliver
Real Time with Bill Maher
Silicon Valley
You’re the Worst
The Leftovers
The Profit
Seth Myers

And the LIZZIES go to

Best Show:  Rectify

Best Actor:  Aden Young in Rectify

Best Actress:  Aya Cash in You’re the Worst

Best Supporting Actor:  Clayne Crawford in Rectify

Best Supporting Actress:  Abigail Spencer in Rectify

Best Director:  Ray McKinnon for Rectify

Saints Last Report - January 3, 2016

Now we know.

Carly Simon has revealed who she wrote that song about.

Not “You’re so Vain.”

No.

"Anticipation"

And no it’s not about ketchup.

It’s about the plight of the New Orleans Saints fans.

Because now is the best part of the year.

The Anticipation of next year, because we are fully gullible, and the season is too stressful.

49 times we’ve fallen for it, and only once been rewarded.

So, here’s how it will go.

We’ll wait at least a day to see if Payton will remain the coach.

We’ll spend 116 days looking forward to the draft.

We’ll talk about Drew Brees and the salary cap.

Then, we’ll get excited about our 49^th straight outstanding draft

We’ll wait 150 days until the mini camps

We’ll wait 210 days until training camps opened.

We’ll believe the hype – the team looks great.

We’ll forget they’re playing against each other.

We’ll get excited about the 4 pre-season games.

They look pretty good.

Anticipation will be at a fever pitch.

Sometime in September, the balloon will burst.

We’ll realize that we’ve improved, but so has everybody else.

Will next year, our 50^th season, yield our 13^th winning season? 

Anticipation

Well, one thing that makes the 119 days of actual season bearable is when you can sweep the season series from the equally inept and fanatically hated Atlanta Falcons.  With a last second field goal, following one of the rarest events of the season, a big-play interception from the Saints defense, the Saints vanquished those dirtiest of birds 20 – 17.  It was another great game for Brees, who continued his hot streak and won his 100th game as a Saint.  That's right.  He is the starting pitcher for 100 of the Saints lifetime 331 wins.  That's 30% of the franchise wins by playing in 20% of their games.  Amazing.  Brees regained his discipline this year and only threw 11 interceptions.  Another positive sign was the play of Brandon Coleman, who despite a huge drop at the end of the game, continued an upward trend at year-end.  Maybe he is the Colston replacement he was touted to be.  Maybe Tim Hightower will stick around.  We’ve got plenty of time to talk about it.

Thus the Saints finish 7 – 9, their 37^th season of .500 or below. 

Anticipation misplaced.  

But the wait til next year has officially begun.