Camelot is nevermore: The Front Runner chronicles the decay of the era of the gentlemen's agreement between DC government and journalists when journalists discovered that 1988 Democratic presidential front runner Gary Hart might be having an affair.
In sum, we watch white male entitlement get it's commupence.
Chock-full of A-listers from Hugh Jackman, Alex Karpovsky, JK Simmons, Vera Farmiga to Al Morina, it also includes TV sisters from Last Man Standing, Kaitlyn Dever and Molly Ephraim.
The film takes a new spin on the trend of chronicling journalistic history, this time watching "serious" journalism begin to question its approach on how they handle political gossip.
This movie addresses issues that are still relevant: abuse of power, journalistic integrity, a public figure's right to privacy and, of course, gender inequality.
The saddest parts of this movie are:
- watching a young, idealistic African-American journalist getting schooled in cynicism
- listening to a smart, savvy female campaigner ask for emotional support from a jaded strategist after she witnesses the fall of Donna Rice, who simply tells her to "buck up"
The Front Runner perfectly captures Gary Hart's Achilles heel of paternalistic and intellectual arrogance destroy his career, his family and his life.
S.B. The film failed to note what became of Donna Rice. She is president of a company that advocates for internet safety for children. She is married to Jack Hughes and has six grandchildren. And she is a staunch and outspoken Republican.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Vanishing on 7th Street (2010) - Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, Brad Anderson
This film leads us into the horror of 7th Street—a place where the phrase “let there be light” is turned on its head (Never mind the nod to the biblical seven days).
Attacking the philosophy of rapture and creationism, Director Brad Anderson takes these concepts to their logical conclusion, tying the state of being with the existence of light.
The ending, I imagine, was put upon him; otherwise the conclusion would be too bleak for most viewers.
Watched Oct 27, 2019
Thursday, September 19, 2019
A Pleasurable Duty - Downton Abbey (2019) - Julian Fellowes, writer
Moving along at a fast clip, Downton Abbey, the movie, hits all the high points: the monarchy, the peerage, the advent of industrialism and the cognizance of homosexuality.
A fairytale of manners and silver, a sealed, handwritten letter leads us back in time, sending us to the Downton Abbey morning room.
We watch the letter pass from castle, to train, to jiggedy, gilded mail truck, to cyclist until the letter is passed from the young butler, Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), into the hands of the Earl of Grantham, Robert Crowley (Hugh Bonneville). As is true with so many dutiful domestics, the servants know of the letter well before their masters.
The letter deftly brings the familiar Crowley family and their servants into frame and sets the stage for the impending arrival of King George V and Queen Mary in a fortnight.
The Downton Abbey series, which thrilled, yet baffled, American audiences with its foreign manners and affectations, rises to even greater heights of pomp and circumstance with the impending monarchical visitation.
The movie again pits the familiar foils of Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), against Lady Merton, Isobel Crawley Grey (Penelope Wilton); and Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier) against Mr. Carson (Jim Carter).
But before the arrival of the King and Queen, a feud erupts between the Downton servants and the royal staff. Americans may be astonished by the seeming pettiness of British class and manners, property and duty. But, remember, England is a small, island country--no bigger than Alabama--where honor and duty create invisible walls that define one's personal space, and manners are the social language of class.
Taking place in a period between WWI and WWII, we witness to the fraying edges of the British class system. This is most apparent in the storyline between Cora Crawley's widower Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and the Queen's lady's maid's maid, Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton).
The ending, neatly wrapped up in a perfect bow, pairs all off like the parade into Noah's ark. And like Noah, there will likely be a dawn to a new day and, perhaps, another sequel.
A pleasure to watch, with lovely settings, pastoral views and a rousing soundtrack, the movie is comforting in its predictability. And like all good fairytales, it is a story deftly grounded in hopeful morality.
Sunday, August 11, 2019
A fond "Farewell" - The Farewell (2019) - Lulu Wang, Awkwafina
It is the story of a family's decision to protect their grandmother from the knowledge of her cancer diagnosis.
What emerges is the coalescing of American independence with Chinese interdependence.
And the surprise is Awkwafina: a talented actress with great range. It was interesting to learn that she actually filmed this prior to her two subsequent films, Crazy Rich Asians and Oceans Eight.
Links related to The Farewell
This American Life podcast on What You Don't Know by Lulu Wang
Lulu Wang's open letter on A24 on how the movie got developed
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Long Day’s Journey into Night (Di qiu zui hou de ye wan) - 2018, directed and written by Bi Gan
A movie worth experiencing again to better remember the memories Gan presents.
Capturing this film is like recalling a dream: lacking transitions and sequences, it is difficult to explain.
It plays a bit like an Odyssey, with pivotal, broken characters. I couldn't help but think of The Wizard of Oz, particularly with it's spinning house and secondary presentation of an alternate reality.
But it also reminded me of Blue Velvet, with it's Lynch-like color palette, but with more muted tones.
And there was an element of Hitchcock, with it's juxtaposition of ordinary elements to create a sense of dread. Watching the light bulb get screwed into the light fixture was agonizing--i could barely stand it (gave a whole new meaning to how many does it take to screw in a light bulb?). There were several scenes like that, which caused me to feel that horrible dread that can arise in dreams.
Don't go into this film expecting a plot line or resolution. This film is a meditation. And be prepared: you won't find inner peace.
It is beautiful and extraordinary and I am glad I saw it. In the end, you may be thinking, "there's no place like home."
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