Movie Review: The League (2023)

Title: The League
Release Date: June 12, 2023
Director: Sam Pollard
Production Company: Play/Action Pictures RadicalMedia Two One Five Entertainment YABBA Biri Productions
Summary/Review:

The Negro Baseball Leagues allowed the best Black American baseball players to play in a highly-competitive and entertaining professional sport from the 1920s to 1940s.  The leagues were Black-owned businesses who employed not only Black coaching staff and other Black employees on down to the vendors, becoming a major economic force in the Eastern and Midwestern cities where they played.  As such, Sam Pollard’s documentary focuses a lot on the executives behind some of the most successful ballclubs such as Rube Foster of the Chicago American Giants, Cum Posey of the Homestead Grays, and Effa Manley of the Newark Eagles (who was also a notable woman’s voice in a man’s world).

The documentary also sets the Negro Leagues in the context of the Civil Rights Movements of the 20th centuries as it relates to Black soldiers fighting in the World Wars having to fight a second battle for equality, the Great Migration from the South, and the Harlem Renaissance.  What the movie doesn’t focus on all too much is accomplishments on the playing field, which I found a little disappointing, although it does touch on many of the best players. Since almost everyone involved in the Negro Leagues has passed on, direct interviews were not possible, but the film does well incorporating historical interviews with figures like Satchel Paige. Passages from the memoir of a less well-known figure, Negro League umpire Bob Motley (voiced by Pollard), are used throughout the film as a connective thread.

While Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 is celebrated as a moral victory, it comes at a cost.  Major League executives like the Dodgers’ Branch Rickey openly scoffed at providing compensation to Negro League teams for signing away their contracted players.  Soon the Negro Leagues were picked clean of their best players and folded, or continued in a reduced fashion until the final league disbanded in 1962.  The economic effect on the Black community was devastating as well as the pride in being able to make something successful on their own.  One of the great “what ifs?” of American history is the possibility that Negro Leagues could’ve merged into Major League Baseball (much like the later NFL/AFL and NBA/ABA mergers), something that Rube Foster envisioned back in the 1920s!

This is an excellent, well-constructed documentary that should appeal to a wide audience, not just sports fans.  I learned a lot from it although I still feel in the time allotted it only skims the surface, leaving me wanting to know more.

Rating: ***1/2

Movie Review: The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)

Title: The Greatest Night in Pop
Release Date: January 29, 2024
Director: Bao Nguyen
Production Company: Republic Pictures | Dorothy Street Pictures | MRC | MakeMake Entertainment
Summary/Review:

This documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the charity megasingle “We Are the World” by USA for Africa.  Of the key players behind the song’s origin, Harry Belafonte and Michael Jackson have passed on, and Quincy Jones is of an advanced age, so the key interviewee is Lionel Richie.  This make sense as Richie is seen throughout the archival footage essentially coaching all the talent to bring the song together.  It was a busy day for Richie as the recording session took place in Los Angeles after the American Music Awards, a show that Richie hosted (really, when did he sleep?).

Other artists interviewed for the film include Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Cyndi Lauper, and Sheila E (who felt like she was being used to lure Prince to the recording session).  I particularly enjoyed that the film takes time to interview behind-the-scenes players such as the recording engineer and a camera operator shooting the video simultaneously with the recording session.  There’s a strange sense of awareness that many of the most talented American music artists are in the room together, which brings out a sense of vulnerability and humility in them.

Other highlights of the film include:

• the group spontaneously singing “Day-O” as a tribute to USA for Africa mastermind Belfonte
• Al Jarreau drinking too much and struggling with his solo
• Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, and Kim Carnes creating a harmony on the spot
• the reason Bob Dylan looks so befuddled in the video is that he is anxious about having to sing among so many great vocalists
• Diana Ross cried at the end of the night because she didn’t want it to end
• Richie is interviewed in the very same A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood, which he calls “home”

Rating:

Movie Review: Hundreds of Beavers (2024)

Title: Hundreds of Beavers
Release Date: January 26, 2024
Director: Mike Cheslik
Production Company: SRH
Summary/Review:

Jean Kayak (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) is an applejack salesman in the north woods of Wisconsin in the 19th century.  After his farm is destroyed, he has to find a way to support himself.  He begins furtrapping beavers and trading them to the Merchant (Doug Mancheski), hoping to win the love of his daughter The Furrier (Olivia Graves).  That’s the plot in a nutshell for this movie that’s made in the style of silent movies, and while it’s not actually silent it is dialogue free.

Live action footage, animation, and puppetry bring to life this imaginative tale.  It’s like if Charlie Chaplin/Buster Keaton movies were mixed with the slapstick animation of Looney Tunes and Aardman Animations with a touch of Guy Maddin style absurdism.  Oh, and all the animals are played by people in furry suits.  It’s a hilarious gag-a-second movie with a lot of great running gags. I think at 108 minutes it could be trimmed down, especially some of the repetitive bits in the middle section, but nonetheless it is terrific fun!

Note: No animals were the making of the film but people in animal suits are gruesomely killed in cartoonish ways, so be warned if that might trouble you.

Rating:

Movie Reviews: The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Title: The Boy and the Heron
Release Date: July 14, 2023
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Production Company: Studio Ghibli
Summary/Review:

During the Second World War, teenager Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) loses his mother in a hospital fire. He moves with his father (Takuya Kimura) to the countryside to live with his mother’s sister Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), who marries his father.  Upon arriving he is frequently harassed by a Grey Heron (Masaki Suda) who leads him to a derelict tower that proves to be a portal to a fantastic alternate universe.

This is (allegedly) writer and director Hayao Miyazaki’s final film and if so serves as a capstone on his storied career.  The film builds on ideas and imagery from Miyazaki’s earlier career imaginatively creating a film that is strange, visually spectacular, and often very funny.  It’s a coming of age story that deals with generational trauma and grief, and it’s conclusion could very well symbolize Miyazaki’s farewell message as he passes the baton on to other creators.

I’m happy I got to see this wonderful film on the big screen in a full theater at Coolidge Corner Theatre.

Rating: ****1/2

Movie Review: Shirley (2024)

Title: Shirley
Release Date: March 21, 2024
Director: John Ridley
Production Company: Participant | Royal Ties Productions
Summary/Review:

Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress, representing a district in Brooklyn from 1969 to 1983.  In 1972, she ran for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.  This film focuses on the campaign’s behind-the-scenes dealings and the emotional effects on Chisholm and her family and friends.  The highlights of this movie are Regina King’s performance in the lead role and bringing awareness to Chisholm’s historical role.  Scenes that stand out include Chisholm’s visit to segregationist candidate George Wallace (W. Earl Brown) after an assassination attempt and a meeting with Black Panther Party leader Huey Newton (Brad James) mediated by actor Diahann Caroll (Amirah Vann).  The rest of the cast includes Michael Cherie as Chisholm’s patient husband Conrad, Lance Reddick, Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges, and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Chisholm’s campaign advisors, and Christina Jackson as a young Barbara Lee.  Unfortunately, this movie is highly formulaic like a lot of biopics, and a much of the dialogue sounds unnatural as if the characters are narrating from a history book.

Rating: ***

Movie Reviews: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Title: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Release Date: November 15, 1977
Director: Steven Spielberg
Production Company: Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips Productions | Columbia Pictures |  EMI Films
Summary/Review:

Strange incidents around the world, including the appearance of airplanes and ships that went missing long ago, and French scientist Claude Lacombe (French New Wave director François Truffaut in bizarre but inspired casting) and his American interpreter David Laughlin (Bob Balaban) investigate.  Meanwhile in Indiana, after widespread power outages, electrical lineman  Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is sent out to make repairs and he has an encounter with an alien spacecraft.  Roy’s life is transformed by the experience and he tries to recreate a vision of a mysterious mountain.  His mania leads to his wife Ronnie (Teri Garr) leaving with their children.  But he finds a common interest with Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon), a single mother whose young child Barry Guiler (Cary Guffey) was abducted by the aliens.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind stands out from the blockbuster films of the 70s & 80s for it’s slower pace, big scientific ideas, and willingness to embrace ambiguity.  It feels a lot more like 2001: A Space Odyssey than Star Wars.  But it also has many Spielberg-ian touches, especially in the depiction of the Roy’s suburban family.  The scene when the family falls apart with Roy, Ronnie, and the children all shouting their own fears and anger simultaneously is particularly effective.  The special effects look a little bit dated, even compared to Spielberg’s later works, but are still impressive.  I found the sound design particularly effective as one could hear murmurs of conversation, atmospheric sounds, and the ever present TV and radio advertisements behind many scenes.  And of course there’s John Williams’ score with the unforgettable 5-note musical phrase.

The movie strikes an interesting balance between fear and wonder.  There are some terrifying scenes in this movie, and first contact with aliens causes even some of the scientists to run while others stare in awe.  And while science is at the heart of the movie, art is equally important, from Roy’s sculpture to the music used to communicate with the aliens.  Communication is a key theme of the movie with the breakdown of communication within Roy’s family contrasted with the hopefully more successful attempt to “talk” with the aliens.  I watched this movie when I was young – probably in an “edited for TV” version – but it was great to revisit it with the perspectives of an adult.

Here are some parts of the movie that stand out to me [SPOILERS]:

• Roy’s close encounter in his truck is an amazing scene from the effects to Dreyfuss’ performance.  And when the lights in the rear window rise UP, I always laugh.
• The scene with Barry’s abduction is also fantastically done and quite terrifying in a movie that never quite settles on being horror or optimistic until the very end.
• When the crowd of people in India all point UP at once, what a shot!
• A scientist very seriously and urgently declares “”We’ll need a geodetic survey map of Wyoming.”
• The arrival of the massive mother ship from behind Devil’s Tower is the piece-de-resistance!

Rating: ****

 

 

Movie Review: Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Title: Dog Day Afternoon
Release Date: September 21, 1975
Director: Sidney Lumet
Production Company: Artists Entertainment Complex | Warner Bros. Pictures
Summary/Review:

It’s closing time at a Brooklyn bank when Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) and his quiet colleague Sal Naturile (John Cazale) enter with rifles and declare a robbery is in progress.  Turns out that most of the cash was already picked up that day, and before they can make off with the small amount of money on hand, the cops arrive.  And so the poorly planned bank robbery turns into a completely improvised hostage situation.  Sonny agonizes over negotiating with the New York police and FBI for a jet out of the country while also trying to meet the needs of the hostages. A large crowd gathers to watch and the incident turns into a media circus (not unlike Ace in the Hole) that Sonny, some of the hostages, and even the guy who delivers the pizza all embrace.

Over the course of the movie we learn that Sonny is married to a transgender woman Leon (Christopher Sarandon) and Sonny is robbing the bank to get the money to pay for Leon’s gender-affirming surgery, something Leon never asked for.  In fact, it looks like Sonny and Leon’s relationship is on the skids.  The movie is surprisingly sensitive to LGBTQ issues for the 1970s.  Even the cops seem mostly matter-of-fact to this revelation about Sonny and shoot dirty looks at the one cop who chuckles during Leon’s story.

For much of the film, Sonny faces off with NYPD detective Eugene Moretti (Charles Durning) who seems to be a sensible but unable to keep control over the sprawling multi-agency action outside the bank.  He spends a lot of time just yelling at the more trigger-happy cops to back off.  Sonny is able to play up the anti-police sentiment of the era with his famous “Attica” chant hyping up the gathered crowds. Late in the film FBI Agent Sheldon (James Broderick, whose resemblance to George W. Bush I couldn’t get over) takes a less compassionate approach to dealing with Sonny that leads to the film’s ultimate tragedy.

Apart from great acting across the board by the leads and the ensemble, this movie is well-scripted.  It’s often funny but carries the gravitas of the more serious issues as well.  There are also some great cinematic elements such as the montage of everyday life in New York that begins the film, or a sequence of quick cuts showing people reacting to the one time a gun is fired within the bank. This is one of those movies that was on TV a lot when I was young, and I don’t recall if I ever watched it all the way through.  I’m glad I’ve watched it now because I can’t emphasize enough how good a movie it is.  Dog Day Afternoon would also make a good companion to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three for a double feature of ensemble crime dramas in 1970s New York.

Rating: ****1/2

Movie Reviews: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Title: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
Release Date: October 2, 1974
Director: Joseph Sargent
Production Company: Palomar Pictures  | Palladium Productions
Summary/Review:

How the hell can you run a goddamn railroad without swearing?

Four men with machine guns hijack and New York City subway train and hold 18 passengers hostage.  They are lead by Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw), a ruthless former mercenary soldier.  Mr. Green (Martin Balsam) is a former subway motorman with a bad cold.  The trigger-happy Mr. Grey (Héctor Elizondo) and the conscientious Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman) round out the gang. Transit police Lieutenant Zachary “Z” Garber (Walter Matthau) is forced to deal with Mr. Blue’s unreasonably short deadline for delivering the $1 million ransom, and try to figure out how the gang plans to escape the subway tunnel. For added New York-ness, the cast also includes Jerry Stiller as another police lieutenant and Tony Roberts as the deputy mayor.

The crew working with Garber to resolve the crisis are layered with every “Noo Yawk” stereotype imaginable with their conversations peppered with racist and sexist statements and plentiful profanity.  I’m not sure if the filmmakers deliberately decided to make the acting over-the-top or if they really thought everyone in New York City is like Archie Bunker, but the end result is a movie that’s very funny as well as thrilling.  It’s a cynical story with the mayor (Lee Wallace) depicted as worse than useless, while the passengers and other civilians generally seem clueless.  Granted, before the internet and personal devices people did not have ready access to breaking news, but I still don’t think everyone would be so blase.

There are also some evident flaws in Mr. Blue’s plan, but ultimately the story, the action, and the dialogue are just to entertaining for that to matter.  This is a movie in a heightened reality of New York at its grittiest, but in no manner is it realistic.

Rating: ***1/2

Boston Movie Festival: Sound of Metal (2019)

In honor of Patriots Day Weekend, I’m watching and reviewing movies set and/or filmed in my hometown, Boston, Massachusetts. 

Title: Sound of Metal
Release Date: September 6, 2019
Director: Darius Marder
Production Company: Flat 7 | Ward Four | Caviar
Summary/Review:

In Sound of Metal  we follow the journey of Ruben Stone, played by Riz Ahmed, a drummer in a heavy metal band who suddenly loses his hearing. The film delicately navigates through Ruben’s struggle to come to terms with his new reality, exploring themes of identity, acceptance, and the human experience of adapting to unexpected change. The story begins with Ruben , touring with his girlfriend and bandmate, Lou (Olivia Cooke) . However, his world is abruptly disrupted when he experiences sudden hearing loss. Desperate to regain what he’s lost, Ruben embarks on a journey to find a solution, leading him to a deaf community where he learns sign language and discovers a new way of life.

Riz Ahmed delivers a compelling performance as Ruben, capturing the emotional turmoil and vulnerability of his character with subtlety and depth. His portrayal allows viewers to empathize with Ruben’s journey of self-discovery and acceptance, as he grapples with the loss of his sense of hearing and confronts his own identity beyond his music career. Ruben’s denial of his suddenly and irrevocably changed circumstances represents a near universal experience that audiences can empathize with.

One of the most striking aspects of Sound of Metal is its innovative use of sound design to immerse audiences in Ruben’s experience of hearing loss. The film utilizes sound editing techniques to simulate the muffled and distorted sounds that Ruben perceives as his hearing deteriorates. This auditory perspective provides a visceral insight into the challenges and frustrations faced by those experiencing hearing impairment, enhancing the film’s emotional resonance. Another noteworthy aspect of the film is its authentic portrayal of the deaf community and the importance of connection and acceptance within it.

Sound of Metal was filmed on locations in the Greater Boston area, both urban and rural.  This is not a straight-forward Boston movie as the settings are unspecific enough to represent a generic American landscape.  In fact, early on Ruben and Lou are supposed to be touring the country even if they don’t actually go out of the route 128 belt.

Ultimately, Sound of Metal is more than just a film about hearing loss; it’s a universal exploration of resilience, adaptation, and the human capacity for growth in the face of unexpected change.

Rating: ***1/2

Boston Movie Festival: The Verdict (1982)

In honor of Patriots Day Weekend, I’m watching and reviewing movies set and/or filmed in my hometown, Boston, Massachusetts. 

Title: The Verdict
Release Date: December 7, 1982
Director: Sidney Lumet
Production Company: 20th Century Fox | Zanuck/Brown Productions
Summary/Review:

Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) is a down-on-his-luck, alcoholic lawyer reduced to attending funerals of accident victims to try to find clients. Frank’s friend and mentor Mickey Morrissey (Jack Warden) tries to get him on his feet by giving him a case that should lead to an easy settlement. It involves a young woman who has been in a brain-dead state ever since she went into labor and the doctors at the Catholic hospital used the wrong type of anesthetic.  The woman’s family wants to settle, the doctors want to settle, and a bishop representing the Archdiocese offers Frank a generous settlement (by coincidence, this is the the third straight movie I’ve watched in which the Archdiocese of Boston plays an antagonistic role).

But seeing the comatose women stirs something in Frank where he wants to take the case to trial to find justice for the victim and consequences for the doctors who injured her.  The problem is that Frank isn’t that great a lawyer.  Even when he uncovers evidence of the doctors’ malfeasance he’s unable to introduce it in court. The Archdiocese has employed Ed  Concannon (played with the utmost sliminess by James Mason) as their council, while the case is tried by Judge Hoyle (Milo O’Shea, the Irish actor who starred in Ulysses) is openly hostile to Frank.

Newman’s acting makes this film as he portrays a man motivated by something that even he doesn’t understand.  He also performs the fine balance of making the character unlikable, but still a protagonist the audience wants to succeed. Ultimately this movie is less of a courtroom drama, but a story of a man’s redemption as he struggles for a hopeless cause.  The script by David Mamet features crisp dialogue, and the subtle direction from Sidney Lumet makes this film a good counterpart to his earlier work on 12 Angry Men. Boston is both the setting and a character in the film, and the film uses some interesting locations, such as having the interiors of the Massachusetts State House represent a hospital and a courthouse.

Rating: ****