Category: Uncategorized

Bill I’s Rating – 3.5 out of 5

Disaster flicks have both come a long way, and stayed the same, from back in the day, such as 1972’s Poseidon Adventure. Similarities: A huge structure, which encounters a problem that quickly escalates into total destruction, while our characters take heroic, mostly, actions to rescue others, and try to escape with their lives. Come a long way in that the super HD reality of the structure is incredible, with the feeling that you are inside the oil rig (yes, that’s the name of it, Deepwater Horizon, true story), with things popping, dials rising into the red, water blowing gaskets (or whatever they blow), and fire and explosions go off while people get blown away, injured, jump into the fiery water, helicopters rescue, etc. I knew the story going in (oil rig blew up after it’s corporate owner, BP, cut corners in safety measures), but the suspense is high and overall great action throughout.

Bill I’s Rating – 4 out of 5

I resisted seeing this film due to the recently made public story of the director and actor, Nate Parker, being accused of rape years ago. It’s the Woody Allen, Roman Polanski issue, where I refuse to patronize these “artists” who have abused women/girls, whether or not they have been convicted. But, spurred on by a tweet from actor Hal Holbrook, along with Gabrielle Union’s online encouragement, I decided to see the film, and I’m glad I did. It’s very well done, incredible portrayal of slavery life on southern plantations in 1809.  Beyond what are now cliche characters (vicious plantation manager, maternal slave owner, incredibly cruel plantation owners, house slave, cotton pickers, etc.) it showed how religion was used to give hope of a rewarding after-life to those toiling this life’s hell, as well as to strike fear of a demanding God to obey their masters. Nat Turner does his duty, including being carted around to nearby plantations as the preacher who will keep the slaves obedient and in line, while their labor is extracted in the way one would ride one’s horse as long as possible while spending as little money and food as possible, no personal love or care necessary. Until a line is crossed, which in this case is rape and beating of his wife. Articles have been written protesting this subservient role of the black women, who in this film are powerless and serve as a reason, an affront to the men’s egos, who passively nod their heads while they see their men go off to act on violent, and certainly suicidal, rebellion. It becomes a revenge film at the end, portraying some graphic violence, and not in the Tarantino “fun violence” sense. The final scenes of “strange fruit” hanging from the trees are haunting, as is the crowd’s animal like lashing out as Nat is brought to the hangman. It made me think, has it really been only 200 hundred years since Americans acted this way? Slavery continued until 150 years ago. Lynchings and the KKK continued to occur until when, only 60 years ago? Civil rights violence with Bull Connor and the March in Selma was in the 60s. Haven’t we progress so far since then? Are we really such a progressive society? That’s a different film. In fact, such a film was made; I reviewed Fruitvale Station only 3 years ago.

 

Below are the hilights from the final few days of SXSW

Movies

The American Epic Sessions – This will be on PBS at some point and is the 4th episode in the series.  20 musical acts were brought into record using original recording equipment from the 1920s that allowed 3 minute recordings.  Interesting with excellent music

Morris from America – Morris has to move to Germany and live with his father.  It is interesting to see how he adjusts to both his new environs and full time life with dad.

And Punching the Cloud – A good comedy (I assume) based on real life experience of struggling comedian Henry Phillips.  He has to decide whether to sell out and go for the big bucks or stay true to himself.

Bang! The Bert Berns Story – A good documentary about 1960s song writer/music producer Bert Berns.  His hits include Hang on Sloopy and he had mob ties which adds to the interest.

My Blind Brother – A good full length romantic comedy based on a short that first debuted at SXSW in 2003.  Two brothers (Nick Kroll and Adam Scott) both fall in love with the same girl (Jenny Slate who was great in Obvious Child).

Music

I saw about 20 bands and here are my top few (not in order)

• Jake Bugg
• Avett Brothers
• Lucius
• Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
• Leon Russell
• Iggy Pop

 

Bill I’s Review – 4.5 out of 5

A true artistic film, which I enjoyed much better than the director’s previous (award winner!), Birdman. An incredible nature film combined with revenge plot and survival movie, with an unforgettable scene of a grizzly bear mauling Leo Dicaprio’s character. Very little film trickery and special effects, with a group of trappers trying to get back to their fort (circa 1850?) in the west somewhere, in the middle of winter and intense snow, wind and rain. Native Americans show no mercy in their attacks, but the true savages are the white men (no women in sight besides a raunchy bar scene in the fort) who take what they can from who they can, and true compassion is as rare as a mild day. The plot is as simple as this: Leo needs to make it back to the fort in his wretched bear-mauled state, to get revenge on the dude (great Tom Hardy) who abandoned him and (spoiler alert) killed his kin.

Bill C’s Review – 4 out of 5

A couple of day’s ago I was bitching and moaning about how cold it was when the high barely made 50.  That evening I saw the Revenant.  I don’t think I would have survived very long in the 1820’s (especially after being mauled by a bear).

This is really great film making with great scenery and a brutal story (if you don’t like violence skip this one).  The opening scene reminded me of the opening battle scene in Saving Private Ryan showing the chaos of battle.

Leo DiCaprio deserves kudos but I’m not sure if it’s for his acting or just for persevering in those conditions.  Tom Hardy was also excellent (I think between Mad Max, Legend, this is the year of Tom Hardy).

IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes

Bill I’s Review – 4.5 out of 5

By now all of you have already seen this film so you don’t need to read how good it is, how JJ Abrams (and my old friend Maryann Brandon as outstanding editor!) has invigorated this franchise with excitement, thrilling action, cool characters (both old and new), while retaining the spirit and continuity of Star Wars, advancing the plot in interesting areas and shocking outcomes. Instead of continuing to extol the great aspects, I’ll bring up one pet peeve which is the fact that action unfolds in one area of remote space (the HQ of the Empire, aka the First Order) while the Resistance (the good guys) monitor them from I can only assume light years away. I can choose to believe that they’ve figured out how to use worm holes to travel such vast distances in space, but how would they get communications on essentially a real-time basis (e.g. “their weapon will be fully charged in 15 minutes!”)? Oh well, fun time anyway!

Bill I’s Rating – 4 out of 5

Michael B. Jordan plays (no spoiler) Apollo Creed’s son, who is intent on following in his champion dad’s boxing gloves, and in fact seeks out who else to be his trainer and mentor, but Rocky, the one and only. Sly Stallone is perfect and actually great in reprising his character gone mellow and a little fatalistic. Young Creed serves to bring life back into the old man, while of course helping his nascent career rocket from nowhere to a championship fight. Does it matter if he wins? This film is appropriate for all ages, at least from 12 years old and up I think. Some of the plot is a little contrived (is there a supportive mother, a young beautiful love interest with some drama, a life or death moment? yeah, so what!). This franchise ain’t done yet!

Bill C’s Review – 3.5 out of 5

I’d like to see Jake Gyllenhaal from Southpaw and Michael B. Jordan fight in Creed 2 (I’m also curious to see if they can maintain their buff’ness for 2 movies).  Creed edges out Southpaw as best fight movie of the year.

The fight  scenes were terrific (although as in all fight movies if this were a real fight it would have been stopped by the second round).  The film was pretty predictable (except they didn’t figure out  a way for Rocky to yell ‘Yo, Adrian’) and the filmmaker was able to get you rooting for Creed the whole way.  Michael B. Jordan was excellent .  He and the director also made Fruitvale Station together (which is also worth checking out) . Stallone was also excellent.  My only complaints were the predictability and how depressing it is watching Stallone get old since I started rooting for him while he was a young contender!  If you like fight films check this out.

IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes

Bill I’s Rating – 3 out of 5

I would say this is a good movie to see on TV except that the music scenes are best experienced on a big screen. Meryl Streep can rock it out! And I’m sure it helps that her lead guitarist is an actual rock star, Rick Springfield. His role as her long-time adorer and FWB friend was not as believable. She plays a middle aged leader of a bar band who abandoned her young family years ago, and now her ex husband asks her to come back to help her daughter get over a painful marriage breakup. The best part for me was to see the perfect interactions with the resentful daughter, played by Meryl’s real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer. Again, not so believable to me was to envision that Meryl’s younger character somehow found a soul-mate in Kevin Kline’s formal, upper class cliche father. And the film relies heavily on ugly over-done eye shadow and weird braided hair to show how much Meryl is out of the mainstream. But, overall a pleasant movie.