The Company You Keep (2012)

This riveting thriller about a former Weather Underground radical and the reporter who figures out his story is chock full of stars, with the high production values we expect from a Robert Redford joint. We knew of all the top billed actors except the kid (more on her in a moment) of which four (Redford, Julie Christie, Chris Cooper, and Susan Sarandon) have won Oscars and five (Terrence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Nick Nolte, and Stanley Tucci) have been nominated. 

Redford (favorites of his directing: I often say that his Ordinary People (1980) which earned him his Oscar is one of the few movies I liked better than the book; I also loved Quiz Show (1994) and The Horse Whisperer (1998) and liked The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) and A River Runs Through It (1992); of his 67 acting roles I pick Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) which is one of Jack's all-time favorites, The Candidate (1972), The Sting (1973), All the President's Men (1976), The Electric Horseman (1979), The Natural (1984), Out of Africa (1985), Legal Eagles (1986), Indecent Proposal (1993), Up Close & Personal (1996), and The Horse Whisperer) is the activist. Redford is not afraid of looking his 76 years though I don't know how most of his hair could be that color without a bottle. Shia LaBeouf is 50 years younger and way less annoying here than he was in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. In fact, he's pretty good as the dogged Ben. This being about former 1960s activists, there are quite a few of un certain age. 

We should all look as good as Christie (covered in New York I Love You) at 72 as another activist. Or Sarandon (most recently in Arbitrage), for that matter, at 66. Nolte (profiled in Warrior), who often makes us laugh just to see him, and Jenkins (last in Liberal Arts) round out the W.U. group. Cooper (61, blogged in The Muppets) has a small part as Redford's brother, Irishman Brendan Gleeson (Albert Nobbs) uses a believable American accent as a former judge, and Sam Elliott is in a couple of scenes sporting his trademark bushy gray hair and mustache. Kendrick (End of Watch), Brit Marling (also blogged in Arbitrage), Tucci (last seen by me in Margin Call), and Howard (my favorites include Hustle & Flow (2005) which is the first movie Jack and I saw together--fixed up on that date by Mary Ellen, Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), Crash (2004), Four Brothers (2005), The Brave One (2007), and the first Iron Man (2008)) are also good, despite being under 60 years old. 13 year old Jackie Evancho (apparently she was runner up in America's Got Talent three years ago--watch this clip and wonder, as I did, how anyone could have been better) plays Redford's 11-year-old kid.

Lem Dobbs (Haywire) adapted the 2003 novel by Neil Gordon. A few minutes into the movie today Jack whispered, "I read this!"

Beautiful British Columbia locations are captured with cinematography by Adriano Goldman (Sin Nombre) and the moody, tense music is by Cliff Martinez (last scored Arbitrage), who is becoming one of my favorites. There are two songs listed onscreen for the soundtrack, and you can hear one long cue on Martinez' own website and clips from the album on amazon.

This is good. We recommend it.

The Sapphires (2012)

Practically perfect, this musical about an Aboriginal girl group in 1968 Australia entertaining troops in Vietnam lives up to its fabulous trailer. We danced in our seats, tapped our toes, laughed, and cried (well, I did). In this day of growing awareness of civil rights for LGBT folks, I get particularly emotional about the earlier struggles of "blackfellas," as they're called in this movie. Chris O'Dowd (last blogged in This is 40) is terrifically entertaining as the dissolute Irish manager Dave. Eldest sister Gail, played by Deborah Mailman (was in the wonderful Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) and Bran Nue Dae, the first of which also dealt with injustice to Aborigines by whites. She has won a number of awards and can pass for 20-something even though she's 40!) takes no prisoners. Middle sister Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell, new to me) is cute, like a dark-hued Kristen Chenoweth. Cousin Kay (Shari Sebbens, also new to me) is an adorable ingenue. Youngest sister Julie, played by Jessica Mauboy (her claim to fame is that she was the runner-up in 2009's Australian Idol, but she was also in Bran Nue Dae and sang three songs in it) definitely has the pipes for the part. In fact Mauboy is the only one of the four who actually sings her own parts in the movie.

Inspired by a true story, the movie's script was co-written by Tony Briggs, the son of one of the real singers, Laurel Robinson. Briggs (also an actor in Bran Nue Dae and other movies) adapted his stage play (his first play and his first movie script) with Keith Thompson (plenty of TV scripts and some script consultant gigs on movies). Wayne Blair, also of Aboriginal descent, makes his feature directing debut after a few dozen TV episodes. It was shot in Sydney, other locations in New South Wales, Australia, and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

The soundtrack is by Cezary Skubiszewski (Bran Nue Dae and a bunch of others I don't know) but you will remember only the songs. A list of them, with the people who sang them, is below and the links I provide are mostly clips from the movie, but there are a few spoilers in there and I strongly urge you to see the whole movie as soon as you can.

Songs on the soundtrack album:

•Land of a Thousand Dances - Jessica Mauboy, backup: Jade MacRae, Juanita Tippins, Mahalia Barnes 

•I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Jessica Mauboy, backup: Jade MacRae, Juanita Tippins, Mahalia Barnes 

•What A Man - Jessica Mauboy, backup: Jade MacRae, Juanita Tippins, Mahalia Barnes
•I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) - Jessica Mauboy & Chris O'Dowd, backup: Jade MacRae, Juanita Tippins, Mahalia Barnes, Rob Edwards, Jonah Lafukelu
•Who's Loving You? - Jessica Mauboy, backup: Jade MacRae, Juanita Tippins, Mahalia Barnes

•I'll Take You There - Jessica Mauboy

•Gotcha - Jessica Mauboy 

•Soul Man - Sam & Dave

•Hold On! I'm Comin' - Sam & Dave

•Run Through The Jungle - Creedence Clearwater Revival 

•Today I Started Loving You Again - Jessica Mauboy, Juanita Tippens & Jade MacRae

•People Make The World A Better Place - Juanita Tippens , backup: Jessica Mauboy, Jade MacRae, Mahalia Barnes

•Yellow Bird - Jessica Mauboy & Lou Bennett

•Ngarra Burra Ferra - Jessica Mauboy, Lou Bennett, Juanita Tippens & Jade MacRae 

•Shouting Out Love - The Emotions

•In the Sweet Bye and Bye - Darren Percival

Songs in the movie but not included on the album:

•Morningtown Ride - The Seekers

•Sadie the Cleaning Lady

•Burnt Biscuits - The Triumphs

•Soul Sister, Brown Sugar - Rob Edwards, Jonah Latukefu

•Lonely Teardrops - Jackie Wilson

•Hush (South)

•Saigon '68

•If You Need Me - Prinnie Stevens, backup: Jessica Mauboy, Jade MacRae, Juanita Tippins

•The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) - Miah Madden, Tjanara Bell, Mi-Kaisha Masella, Lou Bennett

•These Arms of Mine - Rob Edwards

•Nha Trang Vamp - Bry Jones

•Get Used to Me - Jessica Mauboy

The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)

This fascinating story of a motorcycle driver reconnecting with an old girlfriend takes a left turn after the first hour. We didn't see it coming at all. Outstanding performances by Ryan Gosling (last blogged in Gangster Squad, he's the stunt cyclist, as he was a stunt car driver in Drive), Eva Mendes (most recently in Holy Motors), Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Rose Byrne (X-Men: First Class), Ray Liotta (my favorites include Something Wild (1986), Field of Dreams (1989), Goodfellas (1990), Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), Blow (2001), and a cameo in Youth in Revolt), Bruce Greenwood (last in Meek's Cutoff), and especially Emory Cohen (Debra Messing's son Leo in Smash) and Dane DeHaan (new to me, he had a series arc as Jesse in In Treatment in 2010) as high schoolers.

Director Derek Cianfrance (covered in Blue Valentine) keeps us guessing from the script he co-wrote with Ben Coccio (I haven't seen his previous two features) and Darius Marder (his first).

Shot in Schenectady (which is a Mohawk word for "beyond the pine plains" ... this and other trivia can be found here), New York, and environs by Sean Bobbitt (Hysteria), certain parts may induce Motion Picture Motion Sickness but it evens out after a while. I remembered how bad Blue Valentine was on that score so we sat in the back, I looked around the room during the motorcycle chases, and I was fine.

Mike Patton wrote the original music, some of which is listed here, and the album is available on amazon.

Go see this at your neighborhood art house.

Trance (2013)

Jack and I loved this roller coaster ride of a crime thriller about an auction house employee, some thugs, and a hypnotherapist, showing us yet another genre at which director Danny Boyle can excel. Boyle (covered in 127 Hours) calls on the talents of baby-faced fellow Scotsman James McAvoy (last blogged in X-Men: First Class), Vincent Cassel (most recently in Black Swan as the mean director), and Rosario Dawson (profiled in Unstoppable). Co-written by frequent Boyle collaborator John Hodge (Oscar-nominated for Trainspotting (1996), wrote Shallow Grave (1994), more) and Joe Ahearne (this is his first screenplay; he wrote and directed a number of TV shows), it keeps you guessing up to and after the end.

Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (also covered in 127 Hours) gives us shot after shot of gorgeous images, not to mention cool locations and occasional aerial shots of highway cloverleafs at night.

I knew I loved the music, too, as we watched yesterday. A second listen today on youtube (sorry about the ads) confirms it. Rick Smith hasn't composed original music for a movie before this one, though he's been credited with a number of songs on other movies, as Rick, R., and Richard Smith, as well as part of the band Underworld. The few additional songs are listed on imdb.

See it now, see it later, but do be prepared to look away, as I did, during a few gory sequences.

Ginger & Rosa (2012)

Elle Fanning is spectacular as Ginger in this wonderful coming of age story about two inseparable teens in 1962 London with the Cold War looming in the background. Fanning (last blogged in We Bought a Zoo) just turned 15 but this was shot at least a year ago. Alice Englert (the daughter of Australian director Jane Campion, Alice is new to me and is four years older than Fanning) is also quite good as brunette Rosa. Fanning's hair is expertly colored auburn for the picture to match that of Christina Hendricks (mentioned in Drive but best known as Joan on Mad Men), who plays her mother Natalie. Alessandro Nivola (mentioned in Coco Before Chanel and Howl, he is every bit as attractive here as he was in Laurel Canyon (2002) and Junebug (2005)) is Ginger's smoldering father Roland. All of the above fake their English accents and I found them fine. Timothy Spall (covered in Alice in Wonderland) gets to use his native British accent as kindly godfather Mark. Annette Bening (last in Ruby Sparks) and Oliver Platt (most recently in Love and Other Drugs) add color as visiting Yanks Bella and "Mark Two."

British director/writer Sally Potter has been around for a while but I never got around to seeing any of her other work.

The gorgeous camera work is by Robbie Ryan (Fish Tank) and, luckily for me, he uses a tripod most of the time, so no motion sickness. In fact, someone put a link on imdb of "sights and sounds" from this movie. It shows some stunning stills and a few of the following tracks from the glorious jazz tunes heard on the screen. When you go to that link, be sure to study the album cover for Thelonious Monk's Underground (or look at it here), which I happen to own on vinyl, and notice that the video for Take the A Train is set on a locomotive, because the filmmakers had no clue the song was about a NYC subway line from downtown to Harlem.

Soundtrack list:

L'il Darlin-written by Neal Hefti; performed by Count Basie

Pony Time-John Berry and Don Covay; Chubby Checker

Bird Gets the Worm, Take 1-Charlie Parker; Charlie Parker's All Stars

Fantasie, Franz Schubert; Vronsky & Babin

Tutti Frutti-Dorothy Labostrie, Joe Lubin, and Richard Penniman; Little Richard

Petite Fleur-Sidney Bechet; Sidney Bechet

Take the A Train-Billy Strayhorn; Duke Ellington and his Orchestra

I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You-Ned Washington, Bing Crosby and Victor Popular Young; Thelonious Monk

I'm Getting Sentimental Over You- Ned Washington and George Massman; Thelonious Monk

Take Five-Paul Desmond; Dave Brubeck Quartet

Apache-Jerry Lordan; The Shadows

Blue in Green-Miles Davis; Miles Davis

Body and Soul-John Green, Edward Heyman, Robert B. Sour and Frank Eyton; Django Reinhardt

All of Me-Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons; Les Paul

The Man I Love-George and Ira Gershwin; Christina Hendricks (she is apparently playing an accordion!)

The Man I Love-George and Ira Gershwin; Thelonious Monk

Rottentomatoes averages 80% from critics but a surprising 45 from audiences. I don't know what disappointed them, because I loved it, and Jack would have, too, had he been able to join me.

On the Road (2012)

We liked this bro-mance between a writer and his adrenaline-addicted (among other substances) pal, based on the Jack Kerouac classic of traveling hipsters. Intense sexy young folks, wonderful music (songs and soundtrack), beautiful cinematography, magnificent picture cars, and high production values all around (to be expected when Francis Coppola is an executive producer) are among its virtues. Garrett Hedlund (last in these pages in Country Strong) is compelling as the over-the-top Dean Moriarty, who was inspired by Kerouac's friend Neal Cassady. Sam Riley (much lauded for Control (2007) but he's new to me) simmers as the writer Sal Paradise, the Kerouac character who does the voice-over. Tom Sturridge (the young man in Pirate Radio) broods as their gay poet friend Carlo Marx, based on Allen Ginsberg (Ginsberg probably would've been happy to see pretty, slim Sturridge in the role). On the feminine side we have Kristen Stewart (most recently blogged in The Runaways) as Dean's teenage wife Marylou, Kirsten Dunst (last in Melancholia) as his second wife Camille, Alice Braga (daughter of Sonia, Alice was great in City of God (2002), I Am Legend (2007), and Blindness, among others) as Sal's girlfriend in one sequence, and Amy Adams (most recently mentioned in Trouble with the Curve and Oscar-nominated for The Master) as the wife of a friend in another part that happens to be funny. Elisabeth Moss (Darling Companion) and Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method) have cameos, the latter representing William Burroughs. Since it's a road trip in dozens of locations, there are too many other cast members to name here.

Brazilian Director Walter Salles (best known for Central Station (1998) and Motorcycle Diaries (2004)) keeps the tone fast and loose from the screenplay adaptation by Jose Rivera, who also adapted Che Guevara's autobiography and another writer's book for Motorcycle Diaries.

The soundtrack (listed here with clips) flips back and forth between fine jazz of the period (late 1940s and early 1950s) and lovely moody music (compilation available here) by Gustavo Santaolalla (last mentioned in Biutiful).

One of the National Board of Review's Top Ten Independent Films of 2012, this has somehow been misunderstood (44% average critics/40 audiences on rottentomatoes) but my Jack and I had a good time and recommend it to iconoclasts of drinking age.