NEW REVIEW: Chef

This movie is the Jon Favreau-fest: he not only stars in it, but he also wrote it and directed it. We've all seen him around a lot over the years, but, really, I did not fully grasp how prolific Jon Favreau's career has been. He's done everything from guest appearances on tv's Friends to executive producer of the blockbuster Ironman series. He must have made a lot of friends over the years, and several of them appear in this film : Dustin Hoffman, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, and Robert Downey, Jr.

It's a very simple story of losing and finding joy in your work and the impact it has on your life. This really hits home for me when I recall the times where I, for practical reasons, stuck with a job I'd grown to hate, only to find that once it was over, the door was open for me to begin to work in a joyful way again. I've got a feeling there are a lot of people who can relate to this experience.

It's also a story about family, fatherhood, friendship and food. My favorite parts, in no particular order: Jon (great job being a 'real' person), Emjay Anthony as his son (cute, smart, believable), John Leguizamo (funny), the fun music, the beautiful food (the sizzle that makes you think you can smell it), and last, but never least, a quick trip to New Orleans.

It is one of those slice-of-life films where nothing overly dramatic happens, but real-life happens and the ups and downs of a genuine life are enough sometimes. Undoubtedly, some critics may find it too simplistic, too predictable, too happy in the ending.  I find it's great, on occasion, to just smile and relax and think, "life is good", and a movie that can do that for you is rarer than you might expect.

It's sweet and straightforward---good qualities in a person and in a movie.

QUICK REVIEWS: The Fighter, Looper, Adaptation, Lonesome Dove

Lazy holiday weekend. Caught some movies on DVD. I'll be brief...and probably sarcastic.

The Fighter  (2010)  Starring Marky-Mark and Christian Bale

Well, the acting was very good. I'm not quite sure how this story merited making a movie, though. A very obnoxious, dysfunctional family results in one son being a drug-addled boxer and the other son being a non-drug-addled boxer. Did I mention the acting was really good? It wasn't a bad movie; it just wasn't as great as I was expecting it to be.

Looper  (2012)  Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis

Interesting premise. JGL trying to act like Bruce Willis was briefly entertaining. The weird whatever-the-hell thing they did to JGL's face (was that CGI?) to make him more BruceWillisy was also freaky enough to be entertaining. Unfortunately, this was a bad script coupled with some really bad direction. I got so bored that I went to bed, which is actually unusual for me. I don't often bail on a movie.

Adaptation (2002)  Starring Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep

I am not a big fan of Cage, but he was pretty impressive in this movie. He plays an oddball screenwriter trying (and failing) to adapt a book about an orchid hunter/thief. He also plays the screenwriter's equally oddball, but less neurotic, brother. Additionally, Chris Cooper won an Academy Award for supporting actor, and he was also great. This is one of those quirky movies that is, at various points, anxiety provoking, funny, not funny, poignant, touching, and disturbing. Unlike Looper, it was not at all boring. It was pretty strange, but really, really well directed and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Lonesome Dove (1989)  Starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones

I like Westerns. That's the caveat. And, really, who better to play a couple of craggy old, leather-skinned, former Texas rangers than Duvall and Jones? No one. 

This is a tv mini-series, so it's several hours long, but quite enjoyable. Life was tough in the Old West. I wouldn't last ten seconds. Sometimes, I don't love the writing for the female characters, but that's okay. There was quite a cast to enjoy---Chris Cooper (twice in one blog!), for example. Ricky Schroder, Steve Buscemi and Danny Glover were young. Diane Lane and Anjelica Houston were young and beautiful.  

Lot's of people die, but it is a western, so that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. You'll just have to watch it to see who survives.

NEW REVIEW: The Galapagos Affair

****SPOILER ALERT****

(sort of...if you are seeing the film, you probably have some knowledge of the story)

Of the six adults living on the remote island of Floreana in the early 1930s, only three survived and only two remained on the island for the rest of their lives.

Truth can indeed be stranger than fiction.

I spent the morning with rumblings in my head, trying to resolve for myself what really happened to the peculiar inhabitants of Floreana. 

In 1929, Dr. Friedrich Ritter, a follower of Nietzsche, abandoned his life (and wife) in Germany and traveled with one of his patients, Dora, to the Galapagos, with the intention of leaving civilization behind and living a solitary, self-sufficient existence. (Oddly, it was not clear what their relationship was exactly, only that Dora thought him a genius and was apparently sucked-in to the doctor's belief system.)

Much to the pair's annoyance, two years later, Heinz Wittmer decided to move with his pregnant wife, Margaret, and son to the island. Later still, to the great chagrin of both parties, a third and most unusual trio moved in: The (supposed) Viennese Baroness and her two lovers, Robert Philippson and Rudolph Lorenz.

No one got along well on the island, and the flamboyant and entitled Baroness was apparently particularly disliked, but things seemed to take a turn for the worse when in 1934 a drought left the islanders with limited water and food supplies.

Mysteriously, Baroness and Philippson disappeared, Lorenz desperately caught the next boat off the island and was later found dead on another island, and Dr. Ritter died the same year of supposed food poisoning.

Mick LaSalle of the SF Chronicle loved this documentary. However, Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News wrote:

How anyone could make such an uninvolving movie out of such a fascinating subject remains its own inexplicable mystery.

I do think the documentary came across as surprisingly pedestrian given the bizarre, and even titillating, subject matter. That said, the film was still quite intriguing. I anticipated photos and interviews, but the fact that they actually had small film clips of these people made it fascinating. At one point, the Baroness and a visiting sea captain made a silly little silent film with her starring as the island Piratess. That the film is preserved strikes me as remarkable. 

Although a bit confusing as the documentary wove in interviews and stories of people who grew-up on nearby Santa Cruz, it was genuinely quite interesting to hear about their lives. But the bottom line, of course, is what really happened?

My brain rumblings have led me to the conclusion that Margaret, Heinz, and Lorenz were all involved in the disappearance of the Baroness and Philippson:

1. Margaret's story that the couple took off for Tahiti with friends made no sense whatsoever. The Baroness did not seem the type to leave all her belongings, and no one was aware of any boat coming to the island. Why would Margaret make up a tale like that except to cover her (and her husband's) tracks?

2. I think Lorenz was so anxious to get off the island because he was afraid and distraught.

3. The Wittmers stayed on the island, raised their children and built a hotel. Their daughter still runs the hotel.

     Very strange. They weren't afraid at all. Sounds mighty suspicious.

4. Margaret wrote a book about her experiences during that time, but subsequently refused to speak another word about it though she lived to her nineties. I think they justified their actions to themselves at the time and later just wanted to bury it and forget.

Who knows, maybe the Wittmers even sabotaged the boat that Lorenz was leaving on, thinking that he, who seemed mentally unstable by this time, would spill the beans and send the authorities?

And Dr. Ritter? I'm perplexed. Maybe it was truly accidental food poisoning, but maybe Dora became afraid that they would be next to disappear, argued with Dr Ritter, who wouldn't agree to leave, and decided to ensure that he got sick, perhaps thinking that would change his mind.

One thing I know for sure: Dead men tell no tales.

TV REVIEW: Breaking Bad

           
*************  SPOILERS AHEAD****************

As you know, I hate the synopsis as part of the review format.  When I read a review, I want to know if the piece in question was good. I don't need or want you to Cliff Notes the story for me.

In the case of this review, it is more of a sharing of opinion with those who have seen the show. If you haven't seen it, besides suffering spoilers, you will also not understand who or what I am talking about for the most part. Check back in once you've watched the show from start to finish. I recommend you do this in a few consecutive sittings for maximum effect.

Well, here it is: my foray into breaking down Breaking Bad.


Is the show really that great?

For me, and I can only speak for myself, it is.  My reasoning for this is very simple. A great television show is one that is maximally compelling and entertaining. Breaking Bad rates a 10/10 on both fronts. The story reels you in, dangles you around for a while, but never lets you go. There are some plot holes, but the script is remarkable, the characters so well-drawn, the dialogue so honest. And the actors? They are gonna have a hard time topping these performances.

What really drove me, though, was the relationship between Jesse and Walt. They are teacher and student, father and son, criminal and accomplice, master manipulator and prey. Infuriating, tragic, touching, and terrible, this relationship is one you can't easily forget. It is hard to imagine that the Jesse character was actually supposed to be killed off early in the series. I don't think Breaking Bad would have meant much of anything to me without the unsettling symbiosis that was Jesse and Walt. However, there were many memorable characters and performances.

The Characters

Walter White

Bryan Cranston has plenty of awards and an email from Anthony Hopkins calling his performance "the best acting I have seen--ever." So, there you go.

One of the big questions for anyone watching the show is: when did you stop rooting for Walt? He pretty much lost me when he let Jesse's girlfriend drown in her own vomit, but I would continue to occasionally like or appreciate something he did. The 'liking' usually had to do with his somehow protecting Jesse, and the 'appreciation' usually had to do with his smartypants MacGyvering or his killing of characters that I really hated. But even though I might have liked this or appreciated that, I was not rooting for Walt. Thanks, Walt, for getting Jesse to rehab, thanks for killing those assholes you killed, but I still hope you get your ass caught in a big way. That was my feeling toward Walt.

I can sympathize with his being a very smart man and never truly being valued or respected for that. I can also sympathize with Walt for feeling that he'd been dealt a pretty crappy hand in life. But when Heisenberg comes out---he is (as Jesse says) The Devil.  He enjoys the role of kingpin and does not seem to feel any genuine remorse.  His every move is self-serving. He lies and manipulates and betrays the trust of every single person in his life.

I do feel he redeemed himself a tiny bit in the end, again by killing some other monsters (I know bloodlust and redemption don't really go together), also by saving Jesse, by turning down a deal for the money, and by finally speaking the truth to Skyler: he did what he did because he liked it.

Jesse Pinkman

Jesse is that lovable kid who sat behind you in Bio---when he actually showed up to class. You know the one. He was most often out under the bleachers getting high. He was also kind of dumb (or maybe that was just the dope), but he was funny and nice and if someone was picking on one of the disabled kids at school he would speak up and say, "Hey---that's not cool man. Chill out." And you would smile to yourself and think, "He's pretty much a loser, but he's awfully sweet."

While Walt was busy making a career of manipulating Jesse, Jesse seemed to be making a career of letting him. It drove me crazy and I was practically euphoric when he finally exploded and showed that he understood  exactly what Walt had been doing to him.

As Walt's true character leaks and out and shows you that he is evil, Jesse's leaks out and shows you that he is not only smarter than you gave him credit for, he's also remarkably loyal (and not in the self-serving Walt kind of way). But the biggest thing about Jesse? He has his own moral code. He is deeply remorseful when he breaks it, and he has a solid line that he will not cross, even under threat of death. And he proves this more than once. He's more than just "awfully sweet", he is convicted.

I loved Jesse. He was absolutely the heart of the show for me. He was always the one I was rooting for, and he was also the one I cried for. Aaron Paul's emotional breakdown scenes were just heartbreaking.

Hank Schrader

Dean Norris. How did he not get nominated for an Emmy? That's insane. Right from the get-go, I thought his performance was remarkable. He NAILED his character.

Hank is the man. He never wavers. He is the guy who still has passion for his work, loves his wife through her issues, embraces her sister, and her sister's husband, and their children. He is just a good man.

Walt is a monster for contributing to Hank's death, but I do believe he would have done anything to save Hank in the end. How could he not?

And Everyone Else

Gus is a good time. You just can't help but enjoy his calm, cool, collected, demeanor. Part of you wants to believe that he is the guy who is somehow able to run a criminal empire in a professional and ethical manner. But the rest of you knows that is not possible, and that somewhere, sometime, a ruthless killer is going to emerge. And boy, that happens in a big, big way with Victor.

Tuco. What a maniac. Couldn't wait to see him get his due. And the same for his cousins, Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Good riddance.

Mike. Well, you gotta love him on some level. He's very good at his job.

Todd is scary. And so is his uncle.

Saul provides comic relief.

Lydia is so annoying that I wanted to poison her myself.

Hector Salamanca is another example of really great acting: ding, ding, ding.

And last, but far from least, Anna Gunn does a great job as Skyler. She's never your favorite, but her character is so well-written and her performance is so nuanced and shows such depth and deftness and range.

The End

Well, it certainly wasn't the outcome I was hoping for (Hank's death was a big blow, and Jesse's captivity was beyond disturbing), but everything did seem fitting and right in the end. In no way did I feel that there was a better ending. I believed that this was the ending. And that means they did a good job.

NEW REVIEW: Gravity

In order to explain my review of Gravity, I have to talk a little bit about Avatar. 

Long, long ago, in 2009, James Cameron's Avatar was touted to be 1) the pinnacle of 3D films and  2) an amazing film experience not to be missed. Somehow, I didn't exactly get the point that statement #2 was inextricably linked to statement #1. Inextricably. Well, I saw the non-3D version of Avatar.  I really don't have any particular interest in 3D, so my clearly poor decision made sense to me at the time.

 As it turns out, Avatar suffered from a plot and script which I am pretty sure came from an 8th grader that James Cameron secretly had on staff.  So, for those of us who made the dumb-dumb-dumb decision to see it without the 3D, the experience was less than amazing. A lot less. And that brings me to Gravity.

I was not going to make the same mistake again, particularly when I read a few reviews that also indicated that Gravity lacked a decent script. Some people took issue with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as actors, others more pointedly disliked the characterizations. I got the point this time: see it for the 3D. So, I did.

From that perspective, Gravity is really enjoyable. I can't say it suffers from a bad plot. It's a very simple plot, and that's really all that it needs to be. The film is quite beautiful. I don't know (or care) about 3D technology, but I am going to take a stab here and say that a possible measure of success is when a viewer becomes completely unaware of the 3D, and is, rather, just immersed in the experience. Gravity was very successful for me in this respect. I was, for the most part, blissfully unaware of the 3D. I was, instead, very much 'inside' the space experience. And being in space is both nerve-wracking and cool, so that makes for a fun movie-going adventure.

As for the script, it could have been much better. George Clooney's character was tired and cliche, but possibly befitting a super-cool-astronaut-guy. I was fine with Sandra Bullock. Again, the script didn't do her any favors, but her acting was reasonably good. Her body, on the other hand, was quite impressive.

Overall, it was a good time at the show. The immediate response is pretty "WOW", but it doesn't last. I'll forget about it by next month, but I'm glad I saw it.

NEW REVIEW: The Attack

I thought that this movie was going to be more of a thriller. But it was really more of a glimpse into a world that I will never in a million years begin to understand.

Dr. Amin Jaafari kisses his wife of 15 years goodbye, sends her on a bus to go visit a relative, then goes off to receive his big medical award for being Surgeon-of-the-Year (or something like that). During his acceptance speech he speaks about being the first Arab to receive this award. Dr. Jaafari lives and works in Tel Aviv.

Next day, lunchtime--BOOM--explosion somewhere in town---bloody bodies coming into the hospital for care. Children crying. One man refuses treatment from Dr. Jaafari (presumably because he is an Arab). Reports surface of a suicide bomber at a local restaurant.  And guess who the authorities suspect is responsible? Siham Jaafari, the doctor's wife.

The doctor is outraged and 100% sure his wife had nothing to do with this. I was 100% sure she had nothing to do with this. But this is a movie that is going to try to explain, just a little bit, how someone who seems pretty normal can become a suicide bomber.

What I liked:

1. I learned a bit more about life in The Territories. (I really can't even read about the conflicts because I get confused and don't know what to think. I hate that feeling of never being able to distinguish right from wrong and truth from lies).
2. I saw the spectrum of people from those who seemed like crazed fanatics to those who completely avoided involvement (like Amin). And then there are all those in the middle ranging from people who simply sympathize with the resistance to those that are actively engaged in resistance, yet don't actually seem crazy.

In truth, this was a depressing film. I just felt hopeless for the people there. I just don't see any way out.

That doesn't mean it wasn't an interesting movie. You should just be prepared for the feeling you will be left with. Still, it's always a good thing to be reminded of other people's realities.

NEW MOVIE REVIEW: Blackfish

I am not a 'Save the Whales' person, nor am I any kind of activist for animals, much less anything else. I'm sure I should be, but I'm not. I tell you this just so you don't feel that you have to have this area of interest in order to enjoy this film.

By 'enjoy', of course, I don't mean 'have a jolly time.' I mean 'have a worthwhile experience that makes you feel your time and money were well-spent.' Maybe 'appreciate' would have been a better choice of word. Anyhow, the film is a good one. Very thought-provoking.

For one thing, I never really gave SeaWorld much thought. I think I saw one of those dolphin/whale shows many years ago, but, frankly, it was never really of great interest to me, so I didn't think about it much. I don't really like the circus at all, and I think carting animals all across the country in cages to do shows is a bad idea, but I never gave a second thought to the marine-life shows.

Blackfish does a very good job of capturing your interest regardless of whether or not the subject interested you before. It moves compellingly along weaving historical information with recent events and the stories of the lives of whales as told by their human trainers and researchers. I quite enjoyed learning about the natural tendencies of the orcas in the wild. Did you know they travel with their moms for life? You couldn't help but feel the love for these intelligent, social, community-oriented beings.

And speaking of love, there are several truly poignant interviews with trainers. You can see how deeply bonded they become to these whales. It is heartbreaking to hear some of the stories of how a young person comes so enthusiastically into the training system yet learns over time that it just doesn't feel right. The film presents its case clearly, simply, and engagingly.

After seeing Blackfish, despite the arguments presented by SeaWorld, I can now say, unequivocally, the whale shows are a bad idea. I gather that SeaWorld does a lot of work to raise awareness of marine mammals and to raise money for rescue and research. Those are great things, and donations can be made specifically to the sub-division in SeaWorld that focuses on those things, but I can no longer see supporting the entertainment division, ever, at all. They can get into the whale-watching business or some other program whereby you can observe the orcas in their natural habitat, but Seaworld needs to be pressured into stopping the breeding of whales into captivity for the purpose of these shows. It's really disturbing.

I feel like this documentary is an eye-opener that pretty much anyone will find compelling. I'd like you to check it out.

TV-DVD REVIEW: The Wire (Season 1)

The Wire is considered by more than a few critics to be the best drama ever produced for television. I sincerely apologize for having watched this show a decade late. For that, I offer the lame excuse that I haven't had HBO at home in forever. If you want to see a truly affecting bit of television, I encourage you to check out The Wire. AND---this is important---do not be put off by the first episode. It is very hard to become involved in the story at the outset, but pushing through will make it all worthwhile in the end. Unlike your usual police procedural where cases are solved in one hour, The Wire takes the entire season to semi-resolve one case in the Baltimore drug-trade.

Forbes listed Baltimore as the seventh most dangerous city in the country. I grew-up in Oakland, which is listed at number three. On 99th avenue, our neighborhood boasted, at the very least, a pedophile, 2 drug dealers, a teenage thief, and a couple of women who tried to shoot and kill their men. I'm sure there was more going on that I didn't even know about. And yet, as far as Oakland goes, my family did not live in the really bad neighborhood. That distinction probably belonged to 'The Projects', which is equivalent to the area featured in The Wire.

During the first episode, I was mostly just confused. Quite honestly, I couldn't even understand half of what was being said. The drug dealers were speaking a language of their own and I couldn't really get a handle on all of the characters. I can easily understand why this show, while critically acclaimed, was not a popular success. It is so much better to watch the episodes in rapid succession. By the fourth or fifth episode I was very interested, and by the end I was fully vested. The show forgoes the quick pay-off, and in so doing, ensures the immensity of the pay-off as a whole.

If I had to state the two primary reasons why The Wire is so affecting, they would be 1) the detail afforded in focusing on a single case over a whole season and 2) a brilliant (and large) cast to whom you become very attached.  Days later, I still think of D'Angelo and Wallace, Bubbles, Omar, Lester, and Lt. Daniels. I think about Oakland and Baltimore and Detroit and all the cities where the cultural result of being both poor and black is entrenched and seemingly endless. And I think about the fact that like most people, I am afraid to live anywhere near there. So, we all just move away.

I think about the police who have an impossible job. I think about the parents and teachers who have an impossible job. I think about the kids who might be saved from this disaster. I think about the media, the politics, the hopelessness. And all that thinking, I suppose, is what is so great about a show like The Wire. It at least forces you to remember what you are running from. It reminds you that hell is a relatively short drive away from your house, and it reminds you that real-live people live and work there.

Boy, that all sounds depressing. So, is this really television entertainment? It is. It's not the shocking and amusing microcosm of, for example, The Sopranos, but it is equally engaging. It is a police procedural of sorts, and we know how beloved those are. It's just also quite a bit more than that.

NEW REVIEW: The Great Gatsby

At the risk of sounding like an illiterate boob, I somehow managed to miss reading the novel. Yes, I did complete high school. I just somehow managed to avoid Fitzgerald completely. I think during those years, when I came to despise Hemingway, I lumped Fitzgerald in with him. Now that I'm a grown-up, I should probably re-think that.

Anyway, as you may be aware, the most well-known film adaptation was made in the 1970's and starred Robert Redford. The movie got a lot of flack at the time, but actually there has been some backpeddling since then. People now seem to give it a little more credit. Not really knowing the story, when I saw this version, I enjoyed it. Mia Farrow makes you want to stab your eye with a fork just a little bit, but I enjoyed Robert Redford. Cut to Baz Lurhmann and a LOT of flack, once again.

I have come to the conclusion that, when it comes to movie-making, no one is going to be able to please a majority of people where this book is concerned. There have been a lot of negative reviews. Maybe it is just one of those books that doesn't translate to film. However, there have also been some very positive reviews.
One thing that seems to be agreed upon by most is that Leonardo DiCaprio does a great job in the leading role. I'd very much agree with that. I found his characterization much more nuanced and complex than the Robert Redford version. I also really thought Tobey Maguire was great as Nick Carraway.

The big polarizer here is, of course, director Baz Luhrmann. Although this film is not a musical, it is very Moulin Rogue-y in spots. Whereas I truly love Moulin Rouge, some people find it garish and sappy and all kinds of unpleasant things. Bottomline: If you like Luhrmann, you'll probably enjoy The Great Gatsby.

I loved the Baz-touch. I think the film is stunning...another sparkling jewel. The 3D took a little getting used to, but once I adjusted, it was actually really cool. The Jay-Z music was apparently a real problem for some critics and viewers, but, honestly, they must be very sensitive. It was barely noticeable to me. And despite all the Baz-y goings-on, the very tragic story remained intact. And I do love the story.

I give this two big Roger Ebert thumbs-up. I'm definitely planning to see it one more time.

SURPRISE RENTAL RECOMMENDATIONS: The Crow and Dark City

Both of these films were directed by Alex Proyas---so, apparently he knows how to catch my interest. The thing is, I would never have independently chosen to watch either of these films. Yet, I certainly enjoyed them.

The Crow always struck me as sort of a "B" movie that garnered most of its attention from the fact that its star, Brandon Lee (Bruce's son), was tragically killed on set in a terrible accident. However, in watching it---which I truly did not want to do---I was completely (and quite surprisingly) taken with it. It is by no means perfect. It's corny in spots. The acting, overall, is not great. The story is kind of hokey, if I have to be really honest. But Brandon Lee's performance is truly engaging and endearing, and the directing is....awesome.  I was just completely taken with the look of the film and the way scenes were shot.  I also really enjoyed the look of the characters, especially some of the 'bad guys'. In some ways it's like an extended music video from the golden age of MTV. It's just way better.

I haven't seen the film recently, so I'm not sure how well it holds up to the test of time, but I'd recommend checking it out. Dark City, on the other hand, probably holds up well over time.

I definitely would not have chosen to see this film on my own volition. I owe this one to the late, great Roger Ebert. He ranked it as numero uno on his list of the top ten films of 1998. He piqued my curiosity with this uncommon choice.

This is a dark movie, both literally and figuratively. During some scenes I actually felt I was struggling to see. The movie is sci-fi, but has a period piece feel. I sometimes go for the latter genre, but rarely go for the former, hence my surprise at how much I liked this movie. Acting-wise, the leads do a good job. Kieffer Sutherland gives a weird, almost goofy performance, but he's quite enjoyable. Again, the direction makes the film quite engrossing. It's a very interesting looking film. Also in common with The Crow, the look of the 'bad guys' was kind of enchanting in that dark sort of way. I love the end of the movie. It has a Planet of the Apes-ish pay-off.

So, you may want to give these two films a shot, though I suspect they may fall into in the 'love 'em or hate 'em' category. But I think that mostly applies to your tolerance for 'dark', if ya get my meaning.

Let me know what you think!