We knew we'd like this story of a political consultant emerging from retirement to help a Bolivian candidate and possibly win against her nemesis. Sandra Bullock's (last blogged for Gravity) performance as the heroine suggests manic depression, with the emphasis on the latter, and we thought she was great. Billy Bob Thornton (profiled in Entourage) is suitably oily as the nemesis, and Anthony Mackie (most recently Captain America: The Winter Soldier) is but one of the supportive supporting cast.
There was a 2005 documentary of the same name about James Carville's firm working the 2002 Bolivian election, and Peter Straughan (covered in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) adapted that into this script for director David Gordon Green (profiled in Prince Avalanche). Together they gave us plenty of laughs and harmed no llamas (it's Jack's favorite part of the trailer). George Clooney and his producing partner Grant Heslov (last blogged for producing The Monuments Men) are behind this project and it's their kind of humor. The movie was shot in La Paz, other parts of Bolivia, Puerto Rico, and Tulane University in New Orleans, among other locations.
David Wingo's (scored Prince Avalanche) music is good but not at all available online. I can't be sure if the movie's averaging 32% critics and 45% audiences on Rotten Tomatoes has anything to do with that unavailability. It's still running on big screens locally, but if you want to wait until the DVD release, it's scheduled for February 2016, as are several of my last movies.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Steve Jobs (2015)
Jack and I think this is good, despite it not being true to its subject--they get the prickly part, but leave out the ex-hippie/charismatic guy who helped change our world. Michael Fassbender (last blogged in X-Men: Days of Future Past) is very good as the total jerk title character denying paternity of his daughter and bullying everyone in his path, Kate Winslet (most recently in Labor Day) wonderful as his long-suffering "work wife" Joanna Hoffman, and Seth Rogen (last in This Is the End) terrific as beleaguered Steve Wozniak. There's a short piece in The New Yorker (it has a few mild spoilers of good lines) about Rogen meeting Wozniak which I found interesting. And a longer one in the L.A. Times, with fewer spoilers, about how they got it wrong.
Also featured are Jeff Daniels (most recently in The Martian) as John Sculley and Katherine Waterston (first blogged in Inherent Vice) as Jobs' baby mama.
Full disclosure--when we saw it two weeks ago we were late, which we seldom are, by two minutes or ten, and the number 1984 was superimposed on the screen when we walked in. But we didn't feel lost. What I learned tonight is that the first act, 1984, was shot in 16mm film, the second, 1988, in 35mm, and the last, 1988, in digital, to reflect changing technology.
Danny Boyle (last blogged for Trance) directs from a typically wordy script by Aaron Sorkin (most recently in these pages for Moneyball).
I loved the score by Daniel Pemberton (plenty of movie and TV credits but new to me), which can be streamed from this link.
Rotten Tomatoes' folks (85% critics/78% audiences) agree with us that it's entertaining, which is way better than they liked the Ashton Kutcher-starring 2013 movie Jobs. This one is still playing locally, and the DVD release is estimated for February 2016.
Also featured are Jeff Daniels (most recently in The Martian) as John Sculley and Katherine Waterston (first blogged in Inherent Vice) as Jobs' baby mama.
Full disclosure--when we saw it two weeks ago we were late, which we seldom are, by two minutes or ten, and the number 1984 was superimposed on the screen when we walked in. But we didn't feel lost. What I learned tonight is that the first act, 1984, was shot in 16mm film, the second, 1988, in 35mm, and the last, 1988, in digital, to reflect changing technology.
Danny Boyle (last blogged for Trance) directs from a typically wordy script by Aaron Sorkin (most recently in these pages for Moneyball).
I loved the score by Daniel Pemberton (plenty of movie and TV credits but new to me), which can be streamed from this link.
Rotten Tomatoes' folks (85% critics/78% audiences) agree with us that it's entertaining, which is way better than they liked the Ashton Kutcher-starring 2013 movie Jobs. This one is still playing locally, and the DVD release is estimated for February 2016.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Rule #18 for movies and television
Someone says a name and the other person immediately knows how to spell it. Today in the movie the other person wrote down "Conn," when to my ear it could just as easily have been Kahan, Kahn, Khan, Cahn, etc.
For the complete list click here.
For the complete list click here.
Bridge of Spies (2015)
The trailers for this looked bleak but after my aunt Mary recommended it highly, Jack and I saw and loved the true story of a 1950s insurance lawyer defending a Russian spy and more. Of course, with Steven Spielberg at the helm, the production values are sky-high, and the art direction, picture cars, props, and Amy Ryan's hair and wardrobe are practically worth the price of admission. The reliable Tom Hanks (last blogged for another real-life person, Walt Disney, in Saving Mr. Banks) keeps us rooting for our hero, and Mark Rylance (new to me but winner of three Tonys and star of numerous productions in his native England) is marvelous as the commie. Ryan (most recently in Birdman) brings her character of the lawyer's wife a lovely June Cleaver attitude and the aforementioned period costumes and hairdos. Oh, this is one example where Rule #1 is broken--he gets a cold.
Spielberg (last directing gig was Lincoln) lends gravitas and the script by Matt Charman (new to me after two mini-series and one feature) and Joel & Ethan Coen (Inside Llewyn Davis) has more laughs than we expected. Production Designer Adam Stockhausen may have a shot at another Oscar after winning earlier this year for The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Thomas Newman's (most recently in these pages for The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) score is another reliable component of the overall experience and may be streamed from this link.
I have to also recommend a seven minute bit Hanks did with Jimmy Fallon on the latter's show, reading scripts by elementary school kids who were told to write something called Bridge of Spies. Very funny. Watch it here.
Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are in agreement with Mary and us, averaging 92/90. This should be playing for a while longer in your neighborhood until its estimated February release on DVD.
Spielberg (last directing gig was Lincoln) lends gravitas and the script by Matt Charman (new to me after two mini-series and one feature) and Joel & Ethan Coen (Inside Llewyn Davis) has more laughs than we expected. Production Designer Adam Stockhausen may have a shot at another Oscar after winning earlier this year for The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Thomas Newman's (most recently in these pages for The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) score is another reliable component of the overall experience and may be streamed from this link.
I have to also recommend a seven minute bit Hanks did with Jimmy Fallon on the latter's show, reading scripts by elementary school kids who were told to write something called Bridge of Spies. Very funny. Watch it here.
Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are in agreement with Mary and us, averaging 92/90. This should be playing for a while longer in your neighborhood until its estimated February release on DVD.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Truth (2015)
Jack and I liked a lot this story of 60 Minutes producer Mary Mapes and the scandal when she, her team, and Dan Rather uncovered in 2004 George W. Bush's failure to fulfill his requirements in the Texas Air National Guard in the 70s. Cate Blanchett (last blogged for Cinderella) will get the Palm Springs International Film Festival Desert Palm Achievement Award for this and the movie Carol (coming later this year) and here puts in a terrific performance as the brilliant, dogged journalist. The real Mapes, on whose memoir the movie is based, is not unattractive, but Blanchett is positively luminous wearing an Armani wardrobe designed especially for the movie.
Probably my only quibble is that the filmmakers didn't even try to make Robert Redford (most recently in Captain America: The Winter Soldier) look anything like Rather. But we appreciated the avuncular chemistry between him and Blanchett. Topher Grace (I watched and loved all 179 episodes of That 70s Show, and also liked him in Traffic (2000), P.S. (2004), In Good Company (2004) (co-starring with Dennis Quaid), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Valentine's Day, and Interstellar, though I didn't mention him in the last two) brings some passion and righteous indignation to this role. Dennis Quaid (some of his best work before this was Breaking Away (1979), The Right Stuff (1983), Suspect (1987), The Big Easy (1986), Great Balls of Fire (1989), Postcards from the Edge (1990), Flesh and Bone (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), Something to Talk About (1995), Any Given Sunday (1999), Frequency (2000), Far From Heaven (2002), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), and the aforementioned In Good Company), Elisabeth Moss (last blogged for Top of the Lake), and John Benjamin Hickey (profiled in Get On Up) all contribute.
Screenwriter James Vanderbilt (co-wrote The Amazing Spider-Man), who makes his directing debut with high production values, agreed to shoot in Blanchett's home country of Australia so she could be near her family on the job. The soundtrack is by Brian Tyler (most recently in the pages for composing Avengers: Age of Ultron) and can be previewed on iTunes and other retailers.
One scene in the movie inspired me to write Rule #18. And many times Rule #6 is obeyed.
Rotten Tomatoes' critics are lukewarm at 58% and its audiences are averaging 61. Haters gotta hate. We enjoyed it.
Probably my only quibble is that the filmmakers didn't even try to make Robert Redford (most recently in Captain America: The Winter Soldier) look anything like Rather. But we appreciated the avuncular chemistry between him and Blanchett. Topher Grace (I watched and loved all 179 episodes of That 70s Show, and also liked him in Traffic (2000), P.S. (2004), In Good Company (2004) (co-starring with Dennis Quaid), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Valentine's Day, and Interstellar, though I didn't mention him in the last two) brings some passion and righteous indignation to this role. Dennis Quaid (some of his best work before this was Breaking Away (1979), The Right Stuff (1983), Suspect (1987), The Big Easy (1986), Great Balls of Fire (1989), Postcards from the Edge (1990), Flesh and Bone (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), Something to Talk About (1995), Any Given Sunday (1999), Frequency (2000), Far From Heaven (2002), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), and the aforementioned In Good Company), Elisabeth Moss (last blogged for Top of the Lake), and John Benjamin Hickey (profiled in Get On Up) all contribute.
Screenwriter James Vanderbilt (co-wrote The Amazing Spider-Man), who makes his directing debut with high production values, agreed to shoot in Blanchett's home country of Australia so she could be near her family on the job. The soundtrack is by Brian Tyler (most recently in the pages for composing Avengers: Age of Ultron) and can be previewed on iTunes and other retailers.
One scene in the movie inspired me to write Rule #18. And many times Rule #6 is obeyed.
Rotten Tomatoes' critics are lukewarm at 58% and its audiences are averaging 61. Haters gotta hate. We enjoyed it.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Burnt (2015)
Jack and I enjoyed this story of a hot-headed American chef trying to make a clean and sober comeback in London after many fiascos in Paris. The food stylings and music are just great. Maybe the plot's a bit pat (could be butter, er, better) but this is going on the food movie list as soon as I finish the post.
Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller (who were both last blogged in American Sniper) once again co-star as the chef and sous-chef with layered performances (and she has an interesting haircut). Daniel Brühl (most recently in The Woman in Gold), Matthew Rhys (I know him better for 109 episodes of Brothers & Sisters than for 40 episodes of The Americans--I quit watching the latter because it was so bleak), and Omar Sy (last in Jurassic World) all do well as some of Cooper's cohorts, plus I appreciated cameos by Emma Thompson (most recently in Saving Mr. Banks), Uma Thurman (I liked The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Henry & June (1990), Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), Pulp Fiction (1994), The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996), Kill Bill 1 and 2 ((2003 and 04), Prime (2005), The Producers (2005), and five episodes of Smash in 2012), Alicia Vikander (last in Ex Machina), and Lily James (first blogged in Cinderella).
"Poor John Wells," I wrote about the director in my post for August: Osage County, since it rated low, as did this (28% critics, 60 audiences on Rotten Tomatoes). The script is by Steven Knight (The Hundred Foot Journey) and the story by Michael Kalesniko (wrote Private Parts (1997)).
Jack, who is a big fan of blues music, particularly loved the opening sequence with It Serves You Right to Suffer by John Lee Hooker remixed or something by "The Avener" (stream it here or listen to JLH's original in a much slower tempo). The rest of the music, by Rob Simonsen (last blogged for Foxcatcher), should be released in an album, but hasn't.
The haters have no taste. Savor the experience and sample this movie while you can.
Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller (who were both last blogged in American Sniper) once again co-star as the chef and sous-chef with layered performances (and she has an interesting haircut). Daniel Brühl (most recently in The Woman in Gold), Matthew Rhys (I know him better for 109 episodes of Brothers & Sisters than for 40 episodes of The Americans--I quit watching the latter because it was so bleak), and Omar Sy (last in Jurassic World) all do well as some of Cooper's cohorts, plus I appreciated cameos by Emma Thompson (most recently in Saving Mr. Banks), Uma Thurman (I liked The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Henry & June (1990), Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), Pulp Fiction (1994), The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996), Kill Bill 1 and 2 ((2003 and 04), Prime (2005), The Producers (2005), and five episodes of Smash in 2012), Alicia Vikander (last in Ex Machina), and Lily James (first blogged in Cinderella).
"Poor John Wells," I wrote about the director in my post for August: Osage County, since it rated low, as did this (28% critics, 60 audiences on Rotten Tomatoes). The script is by Steven Knight (The Hundred Foot Journey) and the story by Michael Kalesniko (wrote Private Parts (1997)).
Jack, who is a big fan of blues music, particularly loved the opening sequence with It Serves You Right to Suffer by John Lee Hooker remixed or something by "The Avener" (stream it here or listen to JLH's original in a much slower tempo). The rest of the music, by Rob Simonsen (last blogged for Foxcatcher), should be released in an album, but hasn't.
The haters have no taste. Savor the experience and sample this movie while you can.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
The Martian (2015)
Jack and I really enjoyed this long (2:14), special-effects laden story of an astronaut stranded on Mars in the near future. There are no lulls, as the action flashes back and forth between the red planet, our planet, and the crew of the spaceship. Matt Damon (last blogged in The Monuments Men) is as charming as ever as our hero, who keeps a video diary so he doesn't have to talk to a volleyball to let the audience know what he's feeling.
On the spaceship we have Jessica Chastain (most recently in A Most Violent Year), Michael Peña (last in Gangster Squad), Kate Mara (last in 127 Hours), and Sebastian Stan (not blogged but had a small part in Rachel Getting Married, played Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and was one of the sons in Ricki and the Flash), and they alternately banter and work. In the serious NASA crew on earth the heavy hitters are Chiwetel Ejiofor (Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave), Jeff Daniels (last in Looper), and Kristen Wiig (most recently in The Diary of a Teenage Girl). Notable cameos come from Donald Glover (after his 89 episodes of Community he played one of the MCs in Magic Mike XXL) and Mackenzie Davis (20 episodes starring as a computer geek in the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire) as computer geeks.
Ridley Scott (last blogged for Prometheus) directs from Drew Goddard's (wrote some things I haven't seen and nine episodes of Lost) adaptation of Andy Weir's book. Many of the best lines are taken straight from those pages, e.g. "I'm going to science the s*** out of it." That line, which is in the trailer, is why I was eager to see the movie. On another note, it's a really good ad for duct tape.
Harry Gregson-Williams' (last in the blog for Monkey Kingdom) score can be streamed in its entirety from this link (which has some stopping and starting at the beginning, and is supplemented by a fun selection of disco music, some of which is listed here.
Despite the mother who brought into our small theatre a toddler who alternately whined, cried, or sang with joy until removed after an hour's time (I stormed out and hissed at an employee, to whom I later apologized--Jack said he was "caught in the crossfire"--and someone from management asked them to leave), we had a great time. It has been playing for four weeks now but is still available in 3D, though we didn't spring for it. Rotten Tomatoes critics and audiences are loving it as we did, averaging 93% all.
On the spaceship we have Jessica Chastain (most recently in A Most Violent Year), Michael Peña (last in Gangster Squad), Kate Mara (last in 127 Hours), and Sebastian Stan (not blogged but had a small part in Rachel Getting Married, played Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and was one of the sons in Ricki and the Flash), and they alternately banter and work. In the serious NASA crew on earth the heavy hitters are Chiwetel Ejiofor (Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave), Jeff Daniels (last in Looper), and Kristen Wiig (most recently in The Diary of a Teenage Girl). Notable cameos come from Donald Glover (after his 89 episodes of Community he played one of the MCs in Magic Mike XXL) and Mackenzie Davis (20 episodes starring as a computer geek in the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire) as computer geeks.
Ridley Scott (last blogged for Prometheus) directs from Drew Goddard's (wrote some things I haven't seen and nine episodes of Lost) adaptation of Andy Weir's book. Many of the best lines are taken straight from those pages, e.g. "I'm going to science the s*** out of it." That line, which is in the trailer, is why I was eager to see the movie. On another note, it's a really good ad for duct tape.
Harry Gregson-Williams' (last in the blog for Monkey Kingdom) score can be streamed in its entirety from this link (which has some stopping and starting at the beginning, and is supplemented by a fun selection of disco music, some of which is listed here.
Despite the mother who brought into our small theatre a toddler who alternately whined, cried, or sang with joy until removed after an hour's time (I stormed out and hissed at an employee, to whom I later apologized--Jack said he was "caught in the crossfire"--and someone from management asked them to leave), we had a great time. It has been playing for four weeks now but is still available in 3D, though we didn't spring for it. Rotten Tomatoes critics and audiences are loving it as we did, averaging 93% all.
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