Memorial Day weekend

I saw two pretty good movies this weekend - Money Monster and The Nice Guys.  Here's the thumbnail reviews:

Money Monster, starring George Clooney as Lee Gates, a version of Jim Cramer, hosting a show about money.  Julia Roberts is his trusty right hand producer.  When a maniac crashes the show and makes Lee put on a bomb vest, we have a hostage,  a ticker and a hunt for an answer all at the same time.  Directed by Jodie Foster,   * * * * of 5

The Nice Guys, starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling about 2 competing private eyes, both searching for the same person, Amelia.  Set in the 1970s only to give legitimacy to the porno movie angle and the smoking.  Does anyone actually have real sex in the mainstream movies anymore?  Bring back Michelle Pfeiffer!  A relatively lame plot but it accelerates at the end.  With a small plot by Kim Basinger, it reminded me of L.A. Confidential, another movie with a plot that never quite completes the circle. And of course a nod to Boogie Nights, also a film about sex but afraid of sex itself.   * * * of 5

Upcoming movies in August

  Three that look like they are worth waiting for in August


War Dogs - based on this Rolling Stone story - The Stoner Arms Dealers - August 19

Suicide Squad - DC Comic's version of getting to the level B villains - starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto (as the Joker) - August 5

The Founder - Michael Keaton is back as Ray Kroc kicking the McDonald brothers (Nick Offerman and John Carrol) to the curb.  Behind every great fortune is a great crime - Balzac - August 5

Southside with You

Sundance loved this story of Barack and Michelle's first date - August 26 - in Austin of course (but highly unlikely in McAllen, TX)

Everybody Wants Some

When they said this was a "spiritual sequel" to Dazed and Confused, I should have stopped at "sequel".  Don't mess with a classic is the moral of this story.

It really has nothing to do with Dazed and Confused except that it is set in 1980 to D&C's mid 70s feel.  Our hero arrives at Southeast Texas State to play baseball and in the first 3 days is introduced to beer, weed, women and brotherhood in that time.  When the 3 days is up and school starts, he promptly falls asleep.  So much for a college movie.

While the director Richard Linklater tries to spotlight a few interesting aspects e.g. the types of music coming together, the competitiveness of the players, he ruins it by having the characters notice - "Can you believe that we went to 4 different types of parties?"  Nothing left to the imagination here.

* * of 5

I recommend you watch the original instead, the To Kill a Mockingbird to this Go Set A Watchman

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

If you can believe it, this won all 5 major Academy awards, Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.  And it deserved them all.

Strong female lead - check.  Strong villian - best ever!  Suspenseful.  Uncertain mystery.  Fine direction - Jonathan Demme.  Just the right amount of gore.  Even 20 years later when a lot of the movie scenes have become iconic, it still has a lot of power.

Excellent  * * * * *

I plan to read the book.  Be sure to watch Manhunter and Red Dragon which were prequels but basically tell a very similar story.

Stop Making Sense (1984)

As I listen to Pandora radio, I find myself rocking more and more to the Talking Heads, which had a strong but relatively short run in the 70s and 80s.

So I turned to their iconic concert movie Stop Making Sense directed by Jonathan Demme.

It's interesting in that it unfolds as if the band is setting up for a show.  First there is David Byrne solo doing an acoustic Psycho Killer version.  On the next song, he is joined by Tina Weymouth, as the second band member.  The third song, the drummer, Chris Frantz appears.   During the time, the roadies are setting up the show.  As it goes on the scene is set and everyone is there.

And I mean everyone.  I didn't realize what a funk band that the Talking Heads were just listening to them.  But watching... its a real experience, high energy.  The show culminates is a long version of Take Me to the River and Girlfriend is Better.

* * * * *

The Cannes Film Festival Roundup 2016

The Festival de Cannes, who showcases and celebrates cinema on an international stage has an intriguing lineup for 2016. Of special interest to us Texans is Austin native, director Jeff Nichols showcasing his latest work, “Loving”, which interprets ahttp://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/loving civil rights case held in 1958 where an interracial couple were arrested for getting married. “Loving” follows their case proceeding and stars Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga and Michael Shannon.

Woody Allen’s highly anticipated “Café Society” will be the opening show outside of competition and stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart.

Steven Spielberg’s “The BFG” is an adaptation of Ronald Dahl’s Big Friendly Giant and will star Rebecca Hall, Mark Rylance and Bill Hader.

“Money Monster” a screening by Jodie Foster, features George Clooney and Julia Roberts in a suspenseful, financial disaster meltdown tale.

Jim Jarmusch will feature two films, “Paterson” about a bus driver played by Adam Driver and “Gimme Danger,” an Iggy Pop documentary.

Shane Black, an Austin Film Festival regular will feature “The Nice Guys” starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, investigators in a porn star’s apparent suicide. In the demise of a relationship, Asghar Farhadi’s screening of “The Salesman” follows a couple acting out Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”.

“The Neon Demon” a horror movie by Nicolas Winding Refn stars Elle Fanning while Sean Penn’s “The Last Face” features Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem in a love story set in Liberia.

Andrea Arnold’s “American Honey” will include Shia Labeouf, Sasha Lane and Riley Keogh in a tale about wandering magazine salespeople while actress Sonia Braga wanders through time in Kleber Mendonca Filho’s upcoming time travel tale, “Aquarius”.

Jonathon Littell’s Cannes debut “Wrong Elements” a documentary timed in the late 1980’s Ugandan turmoil will have a special screening out of competition.

A special tribute in the official selection will include “Hands of Stone” starring Robert De Niro and is to be released state side in August.

Captain America: Civil War

With 12 movies in 8 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe can feel a bit crowded sometimes.  Here we have the existential crisis of the Superhero - should he exist at all?  It was part of the trial  in the Dark Knight Rises, the Congressional hearing in Batman v. Superman:  Dawn of Justice and now the U.S. military sees our heroes as a threat.  Of course they are!

What do they do?  Choose sides, 6 apiece, for a winner-take-all battle.  The crashing Iron Mans can get a little slow after (how many?) movies but at least you know what to expect.  The most unexpected comes in the smallest package of Ant-Man.  Cheers to bringing a few new characters such as Black Panther into the fold.   And a recycled Spider-Man.  Maybe the next 12 movies will be OK after all.

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Bad Moms - out *July 29*

Purple Rain (1984)

Prince's untimely death this last week at age 57 prompted this rerelease of his signature movie and original soundtrack Purple Rain.  A thinly veiled biopic, it is the story of an androgynous performer called "The Kid" who is paying his dues at a club in Minneapolis while seeking to be understood and find his place in the world.



At the same time, he finds competition from a new girl in town Apollonia as well as his chief rival Morris E. Day and his band The Time.  The Kid is smitten by the lovely Apollonia but he has commitment issues based on his poor relation with his explosive and abusive father.  It's all about the father in the biopic.

He struggles with finding just the right song.  No one really understand him or his music, not even the band.  When Lisa and Wendy try to get him to play a song they wrote, he dismisses it out of hand.  But when he sees the light, he turns their song into the iconic power ballad Purple Rain.  The movie ends with the awesome back to back  I Would Die 4 U/ Baby I'm a Star.  A strong musical finish, like Dirty Dancing.

A very 80s movie, with perhaps the best soundtrack of all time.  Some of the cinematography reminded me of another 1984 movie The Terminator (the cars, the alleys).  Costuming was great as well.  The acting is a bit thin, but the soundtrack makes this a classic.

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