Amy (Asif Kapadia,
2015, UK, 128 min.)
Viewed
Theatrically First Viewing
Amy
Winehouse’s talent was exceptional, but her life story is (sadly) hard to
distinguish from that of other famous musicians who died before their time.
Director Asif Kapadia smartly sidesteps certain documentary clichés by
eschewing generic talking heads interviews and building the film around the
copious amounts of video footage available, but this is still scarcely more
revelatory than the average Behind the
Music episode. C+
Force Majeure (Ruben Ostlund,
2014, Sweden/Denmark, 120 min.)
Viewed on Netflix First Viewing
A
family ski trip turns tense when the father (Johannes Kuhnke) and mother (Lisa
Loven Kongsli) have radically different instinctual reactions to a sudden
avalanche. This is basically the comedic version of Julia Loktev’s The Loneliest Planet (2012), and the
different tone makes Force Majeure
far less ponderous and more entertaining. Writer-director Ruben Ostlund pokes a
lot of entertainingly uncomfortable fun at his central couple but never loses
sight of their humanity in the process, and he allows the film to go in a more
serious direction when the story demands it. B
Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes
(Howard Hawks, 1953, USA, 91 min.)
Viewed on DVD Latest of Many Viewings
Master
genre hopper Howard Hawks is primarily known for his films celebrating male
camaraderie, but his sole musical is a landmark tribute to the fairer sex.
Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell are sensational as a deceptively smart gold
digger and her lusty friend, who confidently reduce the male audience
surrogates – including a dirty old man (Charles Coburn), a wimpy nerd (Tommy
Noonan), and a deep voiced little boy (George Winslow) – to voyeuristic mush.
The dazzling musical numbers (including all-time classic “Diamonds Are a Girls
Best Friend”) find Hawks making masterfully expansive use of the Academy ratio,
as if he was trying to will Cinemascope (which debuted later in the same year
that this film came out) into existence. A
Goldeneye (Martin Campbell,
1995, UK, 130 min.)
Viewed on DVD Second Viewing
The
first and most focused of the Pierce Brosnan era James Bond films is a solidly
entertaining but somewhat bland entry in the series. There are worse things to
watch than “James Bond 101,” as the series’ basic framework is reasonably
solid, but Goldeneye never diverts
enough from 007’s greatest hits to feel distinctive or memorable. C+
Guys and Dolls (Joseph L.
Mankiewicz, 1955, USA, 150 min.)
Viewed on DVD Fourth Viewing
Joseph
L. Mankiewicz’ film adaptation of one of Broadway’s most popular shows has been
criticized for prominently featuring the un-dubbed vocals of non-singers Marlon
Brando and Jean Simmons, but the raw tenderness of their performances brings a
welcome layer of grit to this endearingly goofy MGM super-production. It doesn’t
hurt that Brando and Simmons are joined by Frank Sinatra at his most charming,
and that they are all assisted by the justly famous songs of Frank Loesser. The
entire musical genre reaches its ecstatic height during the insane climactic
sequence where Brando sings “Luck Be a Lady” while rolling dice in an
inexplicably glitzy sewer. A
Jurassic World (Colin Trevorrow,
2015, USA, 124 min.)
Viewed Theatrically First Viewing
The
latest film in the Jurassic Park
series is less a sequel than an extended, jokey homage to the beloved 1993
original. Director Colin Trevorrow keeps the proceedings at an agreeably
frantic pace, but while his action scenes are often impressively energetic they
are also completely lacking in the synthesis of danger and awe that is the
series’ raison d’etre. C+
Spy (Paul Feig, 2015,
USA, 120 min.)
Viewed
Theatrically First Viewing
Not
a parody of the superspy genre so much as a surprisingly credible action film
told from a funny perspective. Melissa McCarthy is a CIA analyst who is
enlisted for field work after the cover of her more glamorous co-workers is
blown. As expected, much of the humor revolves around McCarthy being an
unlikely stand-in for James Bond, but the film refreshingly makes it clear that
she is ultimately far more resourceful and intelligent than the generic action heroes who surround her. While McCarthy is in fine form throughout, Jason Statham steals the
show with a hilarious parody of the type of role he usually plays. The sequence
where he lists off his credentials as a bad ass (including seeing his wife get
thrown from a plane only to get hit by another plane mid-air) may stand as the
funniest scene of the year. B
Terminator Genisys (Alan Taylor,
2015, USA, 126 min.)
Viewed Theatrically First Viewing
Yet
another tedious action franchise sequel/reboot. The decision to use the Terminator series’ time-travelling
elements to literally re-stage sequences from the vastly superior James Cameron
originals really highlights how bland this dreary new film is. Even the special
effects (a seriously vital component of the series) seem to have regressed from
what the Terminator movies offered
decades ago. D
Vivre sa vie (Jean-Luc Godard,
1962, France, 85 min.)
Viewed on Hulu Second Viewing
Jean-Luc
Godard’s tribute to his (then-)love/muse Anna Karina is simultaneously charming
(thanks to her charisma) and a little creepy (as he seems to view her more as
an art object than a human being). Though the film ostensibly chronicles a
young woman’s descent into prostitution, the thin strand of plot is really an
excuse for Godard to experiment with different methods of filming his
girlfriend. Thankfully this is not as tedious as it sounds, as she is truly a
fascinating camera subject. Vivre sa vie
is far from Godard’s best film of the ‘60s – it lacks the mind-blowing
self-critique of Contempt (1963), the
verve of Band of Outsiders (1964),
the brilliant genre deconstruction of Alphaville
(1965), or the socio-political curiosity of La
chinoise (1967) – but it’s still an enjoyable minor work. B-
Where is My
Friend’s House?
(Abbas Kiarostami, 1987, Iran, 83 min.)
Viewed on Hulu First Viewing
This
simple but rich tale of a child (Babek Ahmed Poor) attempting to return a
classmate’s notebook that he took by mistake isn’t as innovative as director
Abbas Kiarostami’s ‘90s masterpieces (1990’s Close-up, 1997’s Touch of
Cherry, 1999’s The Wind Will Carry Us),
but it has an elemental charm of its own. At times Kiarostami’s ponderous
approach to storytelling detracts from the fable-like simplicity of his story,
but his interest in documenting rural Iranian culture gives the film an extra
dimension that the average children’s film lacks. B
