The Irishman (2019)

Tags

Drama, History, Netflix

Some people rebel for as long as they can;
They buck every trend and defy every plan.
But others are quiet and willing and pleased
To do as they’re told, keep the masters appeased,
And these are the ones you must watch and beware,
The don’t-rock-the-boat-ers, who heed but don’t care,
For with the right orders behind such as they,
The renegades pale next to those who obey.
_____________________

MPAA rating: R

After over a week of delay, I’m finally getting to the last of 2019’s Best Picture nominees, which just so happens to be the last one I saw and the least good, in my opinion. I’ll freely admit that I have little love for the gangster genre or for Martin Scorsese’s films (honestly, Hugo is the only one I’ve cared to see), and The Irishman did nothing to remedy that opinion. There’s a fine film somewhere in it, but you’ll likely fall asleep before you get to it.

The three-and-a-half-hour plot plays out as a mob epic, spanning decades and following the life of ex-GI Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), an Irish meat delivery driver, who happens to meet Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and from there becomes gradually introduced to the shady but profitable world of organized crime. Settling into a job of “painting houses” or murder for hire, Frank proves to be a talented hitman and eventually becomes the body guard and right-hand man of Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). Yet, as Hoffa’s interests begin to stray from those of the mob families, Frank feels his loyalties torn and must figure out how to live with his decision.

Based on the nonfiction book I Heard You Paint Houses, The Irishman feels detailed and comprehensive in its depiction of the Philadelphia underworld and certainly believable in showing how a nobody like Frank could rise through the ranks. The Oscar-nominated effects used to de-age the three main characters are also highly convincing, an illusion broken only by the knowledge of what they actually look like right now. And of course, it certainly has star power, further aided by the presence of Ray Romano, Harvey Keitel, and Bobby Cannavale, who all fit their unscrupulous characters to a T. It’s not quite as violent as I feared from Scorsese, but it feels like he’s definitely in his comfort zone.

Yet, for all of its seemingly lofty ambition, The Irishman, put simply, drags. Even watching on Netflix from home, you’d have to be truly fascinated by the gangster genre (or just feel obligated to get through it, in my case) to watch the whole thing in one sitting, and I can’t help but think it would have been better served as a miniseries. Just like with Peter Jackson and The Hobbit trilogy, there comes a time when a director becomes so enamored with his subject matter that he can’t bear to edit it properly. It’s a quality production from beginning to end; there’s just too much in between them.

In addition, while the acting was good overall and both Pacino and Pesci snagged Supporting Actor nominations, I can see why De Niro was not similarly honored. Beyond the oddness of an Italian actor playing an Irishman surrounded by Italians, the role of Frank Sheeran is fairly one-note until the very end, always doing what’s expected of him and letting himself be controlled by his bosses and his temper. De Niro gives a solid performance but doesn’t give Frank enough depth, just as The Irishman is a decent gangster movie but fails to distinguish itself among the rest of the genre. I liked aspects of the production, such as Frank’s narration and the labels thrown up to introduce certain characters and the usually violent ways they died, which strengthened the theme of the gangster life being ultimately hollow, but there’s little reason that I would watch The Irishman again, at least not all at once.

Best line: (Whispers DiTullio) “To tell you the truth, I’m a little concerned.”
(Frank Sheeran, narrating) “Whenever anybody says they’re a little concerned, they’re very concerned.”
(Whispers) “As a matter of fact, I’m really more than a little concerned. “
(Frank, narrating) “And when they say they’re more than a little concerned, they’re desperate.”

 

Rank: Dishonorable Mention

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
669 Followers and Counting

 

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Tags

Drama, History, Sports

The engines start,
The motors roar;
They tear apart
Their brief rapport.
Upon their tails
And on all sides,
The cause of fails
In patience rides.
The bends are aced,
And straightaways
See dust and haste
And sing their praise.
And time slows down
While speed ticks up,
The goal no crown,
Award, or cup.
Instead, the flag,
The finish line,
The right to brag,
The chance to shine,
And here it comes
The dream ahead,
As straight now as an arrowhead,
The end of a road of adrenaline dread,
To which all the hopes of a lifetime have led,
Victory, the alpha’s zed!
___________________________________-

MPA ranking: PG-13 (for language)

I have a confession to make: I have very close to zero interest in cars and racing, which seems like it would be a prerequisite to enjoy a movie about said topics. Yet Ford v Ferrari comes closer than I’d expected in making such subjects interesting to someone like me, who never even knew Ford and Ferrari had a rivalry.

The story focuses on the efforts of two racing legends working toward creating a Ford that can compete with Ferrari and win the 24-hour race of Le Mans. (Another name for the film in Europe is Le Mans ’66.) Matt Damon plays Carroll Shelby, the first American to win Le Mans, whose racing days are behind him but who is recruited by Ford’s Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) to redesign the GT40. His first choice for a driver is Ken Miles (Christian Bale), whose volatile passion and lack of tact put him at odds with the Ford Motor Company’s executives.

Ford v Ferrari is an easy movie to like and has been called a destined favorite for many Father’s Days to come. Luckily, while racing itself is the climax, there’s a lot more going on than just racing. In particular, the engineering efforts by Shelby’s crew recall the problem-solving tone of Hidden Figures, and Shelby’s conflicts with Ford executives make a case for trusting the doers over the corporate meddlers. Then there’s the illuminating of a lesser-known slice of history regarding Ford’s attempted buyout of Ferrari, as well as the heartwarming bond between Miles and his son (Noah Jupe of A Quiet Place). All in all, it comes together quite nicely, and even non-racing fans like me had plenty to cheer for during the big race.

I liked Ford v Ferrari more than I expected, but it’s still a film for which I don’t feel much passion. Its 2½-hour length could have benefited from editing, and the ultimate ending is more downbeat than the rest. It strikes me as a good film that probably wouldn’t have gotten a Best Picture nomination if the Academy had the old rules keeping it to five nominees, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Damon and especially Bale (getting to use his British accent) deliver excellent performances and standout scenes, especially when Shelby explains to Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) why he should let him continue on the project after an initial failure. The plot offers dream-chasing uplift and an easygoing sense of fun that made me forget I don’t care for racing movies. That, to me, makes it the best kind of racing movie.

Best line: (Shelby) “When I was 10 years old, my Pops said, ‘Son, it’s a truly lucky man who knows what he wants to do in this world. ‘Cause that man will never work a day in his life.’”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
661 Followers and Counting

 

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

Tags

Comedy, Drama, History, Thriller

A fairy tale, as you’re aware,
Can happen almost anywhere,
In magic kingdoms, foreign strands,
Or city streets in local lands.

It may be grim and end in tears,
To make more prudent those with ears,
But too much dark and dire can be
Too kindred to reality.

Imagination is the rule
For fairy tales, carefree or cruel,
And I, for one, prefer the kind
That plants a smile in my mind.
_____________________

MPA rating: R

I’ve never had much interest in Quentin Tarantino’s films. When a director is known for violence and cursing, I tend to steer clear, and if it weren’t for Regal Theatres’ deal for all the Best Picture nominees, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with Once upon a Time in Hollywood. In the case of Pulp Fiction, the only other Tarantino film I’ve seen, I came to the conclusion that I liked how he presented the content but not the content itself, and his latest film fits that description, though to a lesser degree. Pulp Fiction at least felt daring and inventive; Once upon a Time in Hollywood buries its lack of substance under charisma and polish, which just isn’t enough.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Rick Dalton, a washed-up TV actor whose big Western role in the show Bounty Law is behind him, leaving him in fear of a lackluster future of guest spots and Spaghetti Westerns. Brad Pitt is Cliff Booth, his easygoing friend/driver/stunt double who may or may not have killed his wife. (He’s the most likable character, so I guess we’re not supposed to care about the answer?) In 1969, Dalton lives next door to successful director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) and his wife Sharon Tate (a radiant Margot Robbie), while the Manson Family cult bides its time at nearby Spahn Ranch.

All of that information is simply the set-up, but the bulk of the film is made up of rambling vignettes that could have been episodes in a mini-series. Dalton puts his full effort into an important guest role, Booth makes an unnerving visit to Spahn Ranch, Tate enjoys her success as an actress, and much of it is good-natured and entertaining. I especially liked a few scenes between Dalton and a precocious young co-star who gives him the encouragement he needs, and the Oscar-winning production design certainly looks great, capturing the hippie presence and Hollywood glamour of L.A. in the 1960s. All the actors seem to comfortably fit their characters to a T, particularly Pitt, though I’m not sure what was so worthy of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Yet for all its attention to capturing the period, the plot is annoyingly hollow. Tarantino rarely holds back on the profanity, but his trademark violence is thankfully restrained for most of the film. However, the “grand” finale, offering a what-if scenario of the Manson murders, is so over-the-top (flamethrower, anyone?) that I lost respect for much of what came before. By the end, nothing is resolved with Rick and Cliff’s relationship and the “What now?” feeling that preceded the climax, and the “happy” ending just felt weird, making me wonder what the point of all this was, except for an indulgent walk down memory lane.

As I said, I’m no Tarantino expert, but his historically based films seem to thrive on redirected violence. In the case of this film, the Manson Family were such horrible human beings that we’re supposed to get satisfaction at their own violence being perpetrated back at them, which is a morally repugnant idea. Glorifying others’ suffering, however deserved it may be, isn’t something to enjoy, and the film’s climax is a jarring set piece that ruined its entertainment value for me. I suspect that Tarantino is simply not for me, even if I can recognize the cinematic skill on display, though even his famed talent for dialogue seems uninspired for the most part. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the kind of film that has a few great scenes but is far from a great whole.

Best line: (Narrator) “When you come to the end of the line, with a buddy who is more than a brother and a little less than a wife, getting blind drunk together is really the only way to say farewell.”

 

Rank: Dishonorable Mention

 

© 2020 S.G. Liput
660 Followers and Counting

Tolkien (2019)

Tags

Biopic, Drama, History, War

A story’s source is not alone
The man who put his pen to page,
But every seed his life had sown
Within that man at every age,
His greatest fear, his cruelest pain,
His deepest love, his darkest stain:
These seeds were sown into his brain,
His heart and soul until they bore
A fruit we’d never seen before.
And so, in turn, that story’s sown
More seeds that yet remain unknown.
______________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

As a devoted fan of The Lord of the Rings, I was eagerly awaiting this biopic of J.R.R. Tolkien (played earnestly by Nicholas Hoult), hoping that it would provide some insight into the source of one of fiction’s greatest stories (and my favorite movie of all time). The acting is on point, the period setting is splendidly polished, the emotions are effectively conveyed, and yet Tolkien doesn’t do more than the minimum of what I expected.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with how Tolkien’s early life is recounted, and it actually enlightened me to quite a bit of his history. It covers his courtship of Edith Bratt (Lily Collins), his long-standing love of languages, and his friendships with three other boys who together formed the T.C.B.S., or Tea Club and Barrovian Society, a creative fraternity that clearly echoes the “Seize the day” mentality of Dead Poets Society. The film goes back and forth between these early years and his horrific time during the Battle of the Somme, where he suffers from trench fever and hallucinates fantasy figures on the battlefield.

It’s all a solid, respectable attempt at providing background for Tolkien the great author, but it also feels manufactured in how it tries to provide context for Tolkien’s works. Early scenes of his youth in bucolic Birmingham do well to remind viewers of the Shire without making it overly clear, but other references aren’t as subtle. (Though I agree with the statement from one of his friends about Wagner’s Ring Cycle that it shouldn’t take six hours to tell a story about a magic ring; it actually takes 9+ hours.) It’s only a matter of time before the T.C.B.S. is referred to as a “fellowship,” and the surreal hallucinations Tolkien has amidst the horrors of World War I serve no discernible purpose but as references to his fantasy and excuses to include some special effects. It also stumbles at times in the presentation of events, such as when Tolkien’s mother suddenly dies with no explanation at all.

I also would have liked more references to Tolkien’s Catholic faith and how it shaped his work, something which director Dome Karukoski supposedly filmed but removed due to test audience feedback. There are welcome touches, such as the inclusion of a crucifix in Tolkien’s battlefield visions, but the film definitely prefers its romantic side, as when Tolkien is told by his friend and guardian Father Francis (Colm Meaney) to stop seeing Edith until he was 21. This is true, but the film’s Tolkien later insists it was a mistake, while the real-life Tolkien said he didn’t regret the decision.

In its elegant presentation and clear fondness for its subject, Tolkien is a respectable, well-acted biopic that does most of what it sets out to do. Considering the exceptional man and story of its inspiration, though, one would hope it could have been a little more than that.

Best line: (Edith, on Tolkien’s regard for languages) “Things aren’t beautiful because of how they sound. They’re beautiful because of what they mean.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
644 Followers and Counting

 

2019 Blindspot Pick #6: Amadeus (1984)

Tags

Biopic, Drama, History, Musical

How must it be to be a genius,
Masterpieces to be mined
In the mind,
Unrefined,
And so gradually defined
In an act of new creation
Not unlike how God designed?

Oh, to birth such instant classics,
Such a rare, eternal prize!
Oh, what highs
In human eyes,
We crave as we mythologize,
And what despair we suffer when
Our limits cut us down to size.

Comparisons are no avail
If we’re defined by how we fail.
______________________

MPAA rating: PG for the original, R for the Director’s Cut, due to brief language and nudity

For me, Amadeus is the perfect candidate for a Blindspot pick. I’ve been putting it off for far too long, even getting it from the library a while ago and letting it sit around until I had to return it. On top of that, I kept being reminded of it; the recent anime Steins;Gate 0 had an AI called Amadeus and explicitly referenced the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri, and I also just rediscovered the classic ‘80s tune “Rock Me Amadeus” by Falco, inspired by this film. I even got a recent Final Jeopardy question wrong because I didn’t realize Amadeus was based on a play, making it perfect for MovieRob’s Genre Grandeur this month as well. Thus, at long last, it seemed only right to watch the Best Picture of 1984, since I was clearly being pointed toward it.

Winner of eight Oscars, Amadeus is a powerhouse for both acting and music. For his role of Salieri, F. Murray Abraham deservingly won the Oscar for Best Actor, ironically defeating Tom Hulce as his unwitting rival Mozart. Salieri is a tortured soul, deranged and aged far past his prime when the film opens in 1823, and tells a priest of how his classical musical career was overshadowed by the flippant but undeniable talent of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Hulce portrays Mozart as a frivolous man-child, a “creature” as Salieri refers to him, whose high-pitched laugh grows increasingly annoying, yet the elder composer recognizes Mozart’s gift and blames God for leaving Salieri so comparatively untalented. Both performances are brilliantly nuanced, especially by the tragic end, but the Academy chose right that year.

Yet the music is just as much a character as the dueling composers. As Salieri points out early on, everyone recognizes Mozart’s best work, and his best work is put on full display, with even extended stage performances from opera like The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni. (I watched Milos Forman’s Director’s Cut.) Lovers of classical music will revel in the score, but even non-fans will likely appreciate watching the inception of masterpieces that have stood the test of time.

While I recognize the film as a magnum opus for everyone involved, there’s something that bugs me and keeps it from ranking among my favorites. It may seem shallow or unsympathetic, but as I watched Salieri spiral into a tortured wretch of envy, cursing God for giving Mozart the talent he craved for himself, I just wanted to slap him and say “Get over it!” It’s drama, and I know such unbridled jealousy does happen, but I hate when people compare themselves to others because no matter how good you are at anything, there will always be someone better. Salieri had a high-profile position, money, and respect, and instead of viewing Mozart as a colleague, however vulgar he may have been, he made him the source of an inferiority complex, ultimately contributing to his ruin, for which Salieri received nothing but guilt. He may have blamed God, but the fault was his own. It’s a marvelously complicated portrayal of destructive envy that nonetheless frustrated me almost as much as Mozart’s laugh.

Looking back, 1984 was undoubtedly one of the big movie years in history, and it says a lot that Amadeus was able to sweep the Oscars that year, winning Best Picture, Actor, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup, and Sound. Impeccably mounted in its 18^th/19^th-century setting, it’s an overly long but outstanding period piece conveying a historic rivalry that, while fictionalized, still resonates.

Best line: (Salieri) “All I wanted was to sing to God. He gave me that longing… and then made me mute. Why? Tell me that. If He didn’t want me to praise Him with music, why implant the desire, like a lust in my body, and then deny me the talent?”

 

Rank:  List Runner-Up

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
642 Followers and Counting

 

Apollo 11 (2019) / For All Mankind (1989)

Tags

Documentary, History

 

A lonely halo is the moon,
A muse for which romantics croon,
And nobody is quite immune
From such a storied, distant sphere.

Upon its face, mankind has walked,
From which the moon no doubt was shocked,
For how could men have flown and docked
Upon this pioneering pier?

And now, alone again, the moon
Has only space for its commune
And wonders if we’ll come back soon
To face and further its frontier.
_____________________

MPAA rating for Apollo 11:  G
MPAA rating for For All Mankind:  Not Rated (G is fine)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 50 years to the day since man first landed on the moon. Those familiar with this blog probably already know that my family has a personal connection to the space program, my grandfather having worked for NASA from 1955 to 1973 and my mother working for NASA contractors during the space shuttle program. That personal connection heightens even more my appreciation for the spectacular feat of engineering and cooperation that was the Apollo 11 mission, a mission depicted in several documentaries, two of which seemed perfect to review today.

Both documentaries were released as anniversary retrospectives, 1989’s For All Mankind on the 20^th anniversary of the first moon landing, and this year’s Apollo 11 for the 50^th anniversary. Both films are entirely archival, made up of actual footage from the Apollo program, though For All Mankind also features voiceovers from interviews with the astronauts. While they both follow the same structure and even share a few of the same shots, both are exceptional in different ways.

Apollo 11 has been making the rounds on TV and theaters, raking in acclaim along the way. It’s an excellent account of the mission, from the monumental launch of the Saturn V rocket as crowds of onlookers marveled from a distance to the tense landing sequence plagued by false alarms. Its best aspect is the visual restoration of the footage, which now lacks any trace of the age inherent to film from 50 years ago. As with Peter Jackson’s They Will Not Grow Old, the footage looks fresh and recent, making every moment feel immediate and much more real than some ancient faded images.

The only drawback for me was how strictly archival the film was, without any narration or sound other than what was filmed. This made several extended scenes of space borderline boring; while the spacecraft’s staggering speeds and dwindling fuel gauge were added for the sake of context and danger (with far-too-small captions), interest definitely depends on how mentally engaged the viewer is, since there isn’t always much happening visually.

Interestingly, after taking 10 years for its assembly and release, For All Mankind had the same issue, originally compiled from old NASA footage without voiceover, only for director Al Reinert to add in interviews based on audience feedback. I thought these interviews added a lot to the film, providing insight directly from those who lived these missions, including Jim Lovell, Michael Collins, and Jack Swigert. You might have noticed that not all of them were on the Apollo 11 mission; that’s because For All Mankind, despite being edited to look like one mission from start to finish, is actually a compilation of all the Apollo moon missions, with a little Gemini thrown in.

The footage may not have the crispness of Apollo 11, but I found that For All Mankind offered far more unique and memorable scenes that I had never seen before: an astronaut making a sandwich in zero gravity, a montage of astronauts playing and repeatedly falling over on the moon, David Scott of Apollo 15 dropping a feather and a hammer to prove Galileo’s theory of gravity correct. I only wish there were some captions or on-screen notes saying which mission each clip was from and which interviewee was speaking during the voiceovers. For All Mankind may not be as detailed as Apollo 11 (the Apollo 13 disaster is glossed over in a matter of minutes), but I thought it offered a more engaging history lesson than the more recent film, ending with a touching tribute to the space program’s casualties, both American and Russian. It’s up there with the best documentaries I’ve seen.

Now fifty from that historic day, it’s equally hard to believe that we haven’t been back to the moon in over 46 years since then. I realize some may view space exploration as an impractical pursuit, but Apollo 11 was an amazing moment in human history, and I sincerely hope that the spirit of dreaming and daring that made it possible will again yield fruit and prove what mankind is capable of accomplishing. In the meantime, we at least have some great documentaries (which I recommend far more than last year’s First Man) to remind us of our past achievements and perhaps renew that same spirit.

Best line, not counting the really famous quotes: (from For All Mankind, summing up how all this was possible) “We are all in this together as a team effort. We’re gonna make it work, and I don’t know how to make it work; I don’t know how to do most of this mission, but I do know that I can assure you that my piece of it is gonna work, and it won’t fail because of me.”

Rank (using thumbs for documentaries):

Apollo 11 – One thumb up, one thumb down
For All Mankind – Two thumbs up

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
636 Followers and Counting

 

Green Book (2018)

Tags

Biopic, Comedy, Drama, History

Road trips are an odd affair,
The constant movement far from home,
A different bed come every night,
The landscape shifting out of sight
As cars continuously roam
On quests their occupants must share.

Friends may think they have rapport,
Until the road bares every irk
In ways that cannot be ignored,
And likewise those with no accord
May find that under quarrels lurk
A bond they never knew before.
_________________

MPAA rating:  PG-13

Who doesn’t love a movie about unlikely friendships? From Lethal Weapon to Driving Miss Daisy, there’s something universally appealing about two very different people overcoming those differences in favor of mutual respect, and, as with those two examples and this film, race is often one of those separators. Green Book is the latest crowd-pleasing member of the genre that also dives into that racial divide, and while some have accused it of not diving deeply enough, it hit an amusing and poignant balance that I enjoyed enormously.

It’s hard to believe that Viggo Mortenson is Danish, much less that he once played Aragorn in Lord of the Rings, considering how perfectly he inhabits the role of an overweight Italian-American bouncer named Tony Vallelonga, a.k.a. Tony Lip. Despite some latent racism, he grudgingly accepts a job as a driver for famed black pianist Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), who needs transportation and protection during a two-month concert tour of the South in 1962. Even beyond race, they couldn’t be more different, Tony crude and confrontational, Dr. Shirley sophisticated and haughty; hence, the unlikely friendship. It’s a role reversal of expected stereotypes of the era, and the two actors embrace the dichotomy while forming unexpected bonds through food, music, language, and the recognition of right and wrong.

Many have called Green Book a reversal of Driving Miss Daisy, and while the point is not unfounded, Green Book has a more socially conscious goal in mind. It may not dive as deeply as some people may have wanted, but its view of race relations still feels honest and ultimately hopeful. (Incidentally, “some people” also say that Driving Miss Daisy and this film were unworthy Best Picture winners, but, in my opinion, “some people” are wrong.)

I really don’t get a lot of the backlash toward this movie, like the supposedly tone-deaf scene where Tony teaches Dr. Shirley how to eat fried chicken. It’s like critics are trying to filter it through every potential-racism, social justice lens they have at their disposal, while I don’t see it as anything but an example of the different worlds to which these two characters have been exposed. They each share pieces of those worlds with each other during their journey, whether it be Shirley’s eloquence in composing Tony’s letters home for him or Tony’s unwillingness to accept any insult. And while there are shades of the dreaded “white savior” tropes that critics make far too much of, I’d argue that Tony gets more from Dr. Shirley than the other way around, particularly a changed perspective on his former prejudice.

Contrary to the assertions of writer/producer (and Tony’s son) Nick Vallelonga, some of Dr. Shirley’s family have denounced Green Book as untruthful, claiming that his and Tony’s relationship was nothing more than that of employer and employee, while other sources have come out with evidence that they were in fact friends. Either way, Green Book takes its historical inspiration and creates a wholly satisfying road-trip movie, especially for those who don’t try to psychoanalyze its themes too deeply.

Though it could have focused more on The Negro Motorist Green Book of its title, I, for one, am glad for its Oscar success, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Ali. The performances and script are full of charm, humor, and empathy, and Green Book fits comfortably among the great unlikely friendship road movies, with an ending that even directly recalls the last scene of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Race is a touchy subject these days, and while many may disagree, this movie serves as a welcome reminder that mutual understanding can seem unlikely but is always within reach.

Best lines:  (Tony Lip) “The world’s full of lonely people afraid to make the first move.”

and

(Dr. Shirley, channeling MLK) “You never win with violence. You only win when you maintain your dignity.”

 

Rank:  List-Worthy

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
636 Followers and Counting

 

First Man (2018)

Tags

Biopic, Drama, History

Space is a place where dreams are sent,
And there they wait for man’s ascent.
They wait and know that man was meant
To problem-solve, defy, invent,
And once the atmosphere is rent,
They’ll welcome us and our event
And say our effort was well-spent.

Space is a place of ill intent
That never gave man its consent
To test and dare and circumvent
The earth’s frontiers which won’t relent.
It waits to challenge and prevent
Man’s mystifying discontent,
So resolute and heaven-bent.

Space can hold wonders and laments,
Our certain death or will to thrive.
All these things it represents;
We’ll know for sure when we arrive.
_______________________

MPAA rating:  PG-13

Having loved La La Land, I was eagerly awaiting director Damien Chazelle’s next feature, especially when I learned it would be about Neil Armstrong and the moon landing. Both my mom and I have a special tie to the space program, since my grandfather worked for NASA and worked on the Apollo missions. When we heard some mixed reviews, we assumed that those naysayers just weren’t very interested in the space program, but our personal connection would be enough to overcome any faults. I wish that were true, because, as much as we wanted to love First Man, it was a bitter disappointment for my family.

I’ve always enjoyed movies about space, whether it’s Gravity, The Right Stuff, or Apollo 13, not to mention any number of sci-fi films, yet I haven’t been so bored by one since Marooned. First Man had a tough job in detailing the life and work of a man who was famously laconic and understated, and while Ryan Gosling’s portrayal of Neil Armstrong is both of those things, he doesn’t add enough to the blank face and muted reactions to keep Armstrong from seeming just dull. The same goes for Claire Foy as his long-suffering wife Janet; she outshines Gosling with a few emotional fireworks, but their final scene together is a weird conclusion of emotional constipation, which also doesn’t mention their eventual divorce.

As for its portrayal of the space program, First Man does feature some riveting moments that showcase Armstrong’s levelheadedness and which haven’t been put to film before, such as a close call during one of his experimental test flights or the near disaster of Gemini 8. (I don’t recall the Apollo 1 fire being re-created before now in as much detail either.) The problem is that Chazelle chooses to focus on the claustrophobia of these moments by giving most of them a first-person, shaky-cam view that stays inside the cockpit, rarely letting us see what’s happening outside the spacecraft. It’s a clear artistic choice that gets old fast, and while I heard the moon landing itself makes it all worth it, there was nothing particularly special about that scene either. I appreciated its silent poignancy, but I was also distracted by the bizarre absence of stars. What makes it more bizarre is that I looked back at actual Apollo 11 photos, and there were no stars visible there either! Did I just never notice the black emptiness of space? Why wouldn’t there be stars? I realize that gripe is no longer the movie’s fault, but it still puzzles me on an astrophysical level.

The subject may be historic, the casting may be full of recognizable faces, and the filmmaking pedigree may be impressive, but First Man was an unfortunate misfire for me. Compared with La La Land, it’s certainly a testament to Chazelle’s range as a director, but all those pluses just couldn’t overcome a weak script that didn’t spark enough interest in its potentially prosaic subject. And considering the visual extravaganzas that took place in Avengers: Infinity War and Ready Player One, it makes no sense to me that this would win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. I wanted to like it, and I still think a great movie could be made about Armstrong and Apollo 11, but sadly First Man is not it.

Best line:  (Armstrong) “I don’t know what space exploration will uncover, but I don’t think it’ll be exploration just for the sake of exploration. I think it’ll be more the fact that it allows us to see things. That maybe we should have seen a long time ago. But just haven’t been able to until now.”

 

Rank:  Dishonorable Mention

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
635 Followers and Counting

 

2019 Blindspot Pick #4: The Longest Day (1962)

Tags

Action, Classics, Drama, History, War

 

“Damn the torpedoes.” “Remember the Maine!”
“Remember the Alamo!” was the refrain
Of the boys and the men
Who fought time and again,
Who offered their country their blood and their pain.

And on June the sixth of 1944,
Such men charged the beaches of Normandy’s shore.
They leaped from the sky
Knowing well they could die,
And waded through carnage that had been their corps.

The weather unfriendly, the Germans less so,
The struggle brought many a foe and friend low.
The Allies that day
Put their grit on display,
And paid a debt we who are living still owe.
_____________________

MPAA rating: G (should be at least PG)

About two years ago, I reviewed Saving Private Ryan, one of that year’s Blindspots, so it seemed only fitting to review another Blindspot pick about D-Day on June 6, the day the world was saved by the Allied forces. The Longest Day may be an older film, but its re-creation of the struggle on the beaches of Normandy is more expansive than Spielberg’s and well worthy of being ranked among the great war movies of all time.

While Saving Private Ryan had a focused plot with developed characters, The Longest Day is much more concerned with the broader history of the D-Day landings: the cautious planning, the German belief that no invasion would come that June, the watching of weather reports, the confusion of battle, and the plethora of individual stories, most of which have a basis in truth. At nearly three hours long, it might have been called The Longest Movie, yet it’s rarely boring. It may take two thirds of its runtime to reach the point that Saving Private Ryan begins, but it offers much more insight into the strategy and planning that went into the assault and the various efforts of the Americans, British, French, paratroopers, and French civilians, as well as the German side, all presented realistically with dialogue in their native tongue.

Saving Private Ryan may be known for its battle scenes, but The Longest Day is no slouch either, depicting the invasion on an impressively epic scale. After the ships hit the beaches, there are a number of jaw-dropping aerial tracking shots that offer an incredible view of the battlefield, and without CGI, I can only imagine the work that went into creating such carefully orchestrated scenes. The fact that many of the cast and crew actually saw action on D-Day and contributed their first-hand accounts, along with many of those who are actually depicted in the film, only adds to the authenticity of the production, something no film in the future could hope to match.

The one thing The Longest Day doesn’t have is clearly defined characters, despite a cast jam-packed with stars of the day. It may have won deserving Oscars for its cinematography and special effects, but there’s a reason it didn’t get any acting nominations, simply because there’s not enough for any one actor to do.  John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Robert Mitchum are probably the biggest stars, but you’ll likely recognize the names or faces of Red Buttons, Jeffrey Hunter, Roddy McDowall, Rod Steiger, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, and Peter Lawford, to name only a few. With such a who’s who of talent, it was just a tad disappointing that we spend so little time with any of them, sometimes only a single scene, and don’t always find out what became of them. Yet this is a film about the events rather than the people (the name and rank labels are more for context than for actually keeping track of the characters), and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially with so many triumphant, sad, or ironic episodes throughout that are worth telling but don’t necessarily warrant a movie of their own.

My own grandfather was among the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy, and films like Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day really help me as a detached viewer to appreciate the sacrifices of what was truly the Greatest Generation. As for which film is better, I’m torn. Saving Private Ryan held much more visceral emotion but largely through extreme violence I usually steer clear of; for normal viewing, I think I prefer The Longest Day’s presentation of bloodless action that still denotes the grand and hellish reality of war. Both have their place, one raw and poignant, the other detailed and comprehensive, and I’m grateful to have finally seen both through this Blindspot series. One ship commander tells his men, “You remember it. Remember every bit of it, ’cause we are on the eve of a day that people are going to talk about long after we are dead and gone.” Thanks in part to films like this, he’s absolutely right.

Best line: (said by both an American and a German, an insightful contrast) “Sometimes I wonder which side God is on.”

 

Rank: List-Worthy (tied with Saving Private Ryan)

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
633 Followers and Counting

 

VC Pick: Patton (1970)

Tags

Biopic, Classics, Drama, History, VC Pick, War

What wins wars?
It’s a question hard to answer
That no army can refuse.
For if every side could answer it,
No side would ever lose.

What wins wars?
Some would say that it’s commitment
Or resolve to reach the goal.
But commitment breeds fanaticism
If it lacks control.

What wins wars?
Some would point to their resources,
Which are squandered easily.
Some would point to perseverance
Or to strength or bravery.

What wins wars?
All of these are necessary,
But they’re not the final trade.
There’s a risk to every battle;
There’s a price that must be paid.

What wins wars?
‘Tis the soldiers wielding courage
And the strength to persevere,
Those committed to their country,
Without whom we’d not be here.
__________________

MPAA rating:  GP/PG (more of a PG-13 for language)

My VC has been urging me to review Patton for some time now, and I figured Memorial Day was the perfect time for this World War II biopic. Patton benefits from an Oscar-winning performance from George C. Scott and the Oscar-winning screenplay from none other than Francis Ford Coppola, who interestingly credits this film’s success with his being allowed to direct The Godfather.

While other actors are good, including Karl Malden as General Omar Bradley, this movie lives and dies by the effectiveness of Scott in the title role, and from the first iconic speech he delivers in the film’s opening, speaking to the troops in front of an enormous American flag, he embodies General George S. Patton’s patriotic resolve and uncompromising will. The score is similarly iconic, providing perfect accompaniment to Patton’s military ambitions, and certain scenes are distinctly memorable, like Patton’s slapping of a shell-shocked soldier or his shoot-off with a swooping enemy plane.

All that said, war movies from the ‘70s aren’t what they are today. While I’m grateful for the lack of extreme content, there’s not much action, with the focus instead on Patton as a character. That’s hardly a bad thing, but at nearly three hours, the plot loses steam at times and didn’t need to be that long. I also found it odd that the film stopped short of Patton’s unexpected death in a car accident, not even mentioning it in an ending footnote.

As a fan of history, though, I found Patton a great character study of one of America’s greatest generals, providing insight into his lesser known activities as well, such as his passive role in the D-Day invasion and his many difficulties with censoring himself in interviews. He was a monstrous warmonger to some and a nationalist hero to others, a dichotomy of characterizations that the film embraces in equal measure. Considering its balanced treatment and biographical importance, I can see why it won Best Picture that year, in addition to Best Director, Original Screenplay, Film Editing, Sound, Art Direction, and Actor (which Scott famously refused). It also reminded me that Patton himself was a poet, so I ought to add this film to my list of poems used in movies. It’s a bit too long and slow to watch often, but it definitely ranks among the greatest war biopics.

Best line: (Patton) “Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2019 S.G. Liput
632 Followers and Counting