Quartet

Critics raved about this movie.  Everyone told me to run out and see it.  I finally got to it on pay-per-view, and sorry, folks, it was just not my cup of tea.

Of course, I've never really enjoyed films that go into nursing homes and try to charm us.  Is there anything truly charming about these places?  Someday there, perhaps, go I.  Yeah, folks, it's the truth.  We might all be there.  Do you want to ponder that?

Don't get me wrong.  The elderly can be affable and interesting.  But if I am going to visit a home, I'll go see a family member, thank you.

No spoiler, because it's fairly clear from the cover and the hype what the movie is about: a special home exists for the formerly musically talented.  Is there such a place in reality?  I doubt it.  But go figure.  Hollywood wants a bit of suspension of disbelief.

I'm okay with the premise.  I'm not okay with the story.  All these talented folks must re-kindle their fire and get back in touch with their musical selves.  After all, they were once so great.  So, will they succeed?

Who cares?

The big issue is that these poor folks are old.  There's no getting around that.  And getting old is sad.  Sure, it takes a positive attitude in those twilight years to keep on truckin'.  As the saying goes, getting old is not for sissies.

The good points?  Great actors:  Maggie Smith and Geoff Rush.  Great music: Wonderful arias and choruses.

But watching the elderly struggle with their issues of senility and loneliness does not strike me as a solid evening of entertainment.

The moral of the story:  Simple.  Don't get old!  If you do, don't look back.  Well, do look back if you're trying to discover your old self.  Wait!  Shouldn't we strive to discover a new self as we age?

Bottom line:  Skip this one.  Ignore the rave reviews.  Unless you enjoy watching older folks suffer.

Gangster Squad

Filmdom offers us a nice array of gangster grit, including The Godfather and Scarface.  If you liked the shootouts in those classics, with lots of blood and gore, you'll love Gangster Squad!

The film opens with Sean Penn, who plays the somewhat mad, utterly power hungry Micky Cohen, standing over a dude with chains tied to his upper and lower torso.  In a few seconds, we see that the chains are attached to cars facing in opposite directions.  Yes, readers, you get to see a man torn apart at the waist!  Hahaha!

How's that for getting the full "flavor" of the flick right at the outset?

When it comes to gangster flicks, there's not much to the story.  It's really about bad guy vs. good guy.  Sean Penn is masterful, as usual, at his role: he's corruption, egotism, and violence incarnate!  Josh Brolin is the cop who must bring the bad guy to his knees.

So why am I not going on and on about these two fine actors?

Simple.

They're upstaged by the dazzling new starlet Emma Stone.  You might remember Emma from The Help, where she was outstanding as the young girl brave enough to stand up to racism.  I also recall Easy A, where she played the "slut" with grace and comic wit.  She was even great in Zombieland, where she wandered with fellow survivors and played the empowered young woman.

Emma, however, steals the show in Gangster Squad.  There's something about her mannerisms and style that elevates her from stereotypical gangster moll to a sympathetic character.  Check out the starlet in the picture above.  Doesn't she look like a gangster's girlfriend?

So, overall?

Tough to really say.  Yes, the film was entertaining.  Yes, it offered top action.  Yes, the characters were fairly well drawn.  Yes, the flick had talented, well-known actors.

But it lacked a certain something.

For you to determine, I hope.

42

42 tells tells the amazing story of Jackie Robinson, the first person "of color" to be admitted to major league baseball.

Impossible for me to be a spoiler here: most of us know the shameful chapter in American sports history.  Jackie Robinson came to the majors in 1947, and when he arrived, he was greeted with hate mail, boos from the crowd, racial slurs, threats against him and family, and a variety of other sundry treats typical of bigots of the time.

Most folks also know that Robinson stood tall, never reacting to the terrible racism, simply doing what he did best: baseball.  By excelling at the sport, he showed fans he was a quality ball player.  But that did not stop many idiots from harassing him, denouncing him, and showing the lowest, basest behavior that was all-too-common in an era when, in the south, African Americans sat in the back of the bus and used separate facilities.

The fun of the movie is in the details.  How many of us know the people who facilitated Robinson's rise to the majors?  How many of us know his history prior to breaking the color barrier?

I learned so much from this film about the real Jackie Robinson, up to the year 1947.  I checked a lot of sources online after viewing the flick, and indeed, every detail is true.

My only complaint is that the movie ended in 1947.  That was Robinson's rookie year with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  What about after that first year?  There is so much to the man after he started in baseball.

Did you know he was a Conservative Republican who supported the war in Viet Nam?  Did you know he was a compulsive eater in his later years and succumbed to diabetes at age 53?

This film is a must-see.  Very painful, of course.  You will watch the bigots in action and wonder how, in this country, more than a century after the Civil War, we allowed so much injustice.

The picture I chose was a defining moment in baseball.  That's the famous shortstop Pee Wee Reese with his arm around Jackie in front of thousands of fans.  Reese was from the south and raised with prejudice.  But he overcame his upbringing to show the world that it was time to end the racism.

See the film and weep.  See the film and be uplifted.  See the film and learn.

Grade: A

The Marine

Some movies have the worst scripts, the worst actors, the worst plot-lines, and the most stupidity....but strangely, sometimes these awful movies grip us!

OK, dare I say I enjoyed this ridiculous piece of nonsense?  Yes indeed!  Never the spoiler, I'll say just a bit: the story presents a muscle-bound ex-marine (yeah, that's the hunk in the picture....ladies can stop staring!) who struggles with civilian life.

His problem:  BOREDOM!  Yes, hard to believe, but Mr Muscles just can't seem find a job that keeps his interest.  Even beating up bad guys and throwing them through windows does not pique the interest of our "hero!"  After all, he used to carry a machine gun and run through enemy territory on a killing tear!

Worry not, dear viewers.  Muscles is about meet his match: very, very evil dudes who kidnap his wife.  Now that's a real no-no!

Marine to the rescue!

Well, I admitted the film was stupid, didn't I?  So why do I like it?  Simply for the over-the-top, mindless action.  You'll see cars being blown up like never before!  You'll see chases through alligator-infested swamps!  You'll see fast cars and big guns!  You'll see the Marine doing what he does best, fighting evil and standing strong and proud!

Fun!

John Cena, a well-known wrestler, plays the lead role.  He obviously wanted to break into the movies and "break" he did:  he broke the bones of endless villains!

I won't assign a grade to this film, or I'd have to give it an F.  However, it could also get an A-..... for those who are willing to park their minds and escape to the world of one very angry marine out for revenge.

Enjoy.

Savages

I got inspired to see this film by reading the book.  Before departing on a ten hour flight overseas, I picked up what looked like an easy read.  I was gripped by the story for almost the entire flight!

Before turning to the film, I must say that the style of the novel was one of the most original I have ever encountered: a staccato, fast-paced, hip, cool, narrative that simply got me caught up in a story that blew me away!  (Valerie, my English-teacher buddy, the book is a must!)

On to the film:  If you want different, bizarre, engaging, and mostly gritty, Savages is for you.  No spoiler ever, but I can tell you the basics. Two guys, old chums, are as different as night and day. One is a peacenik, a hippie love-your-neighbor type, who travels the world trying to save the poor. The other is a former marine, tough as nails, prone-to-violence type, who figures that might makes right.

They both love a very attractive young lady, and she loves them both back.  Yeah, it's a menage-a-trois, but with a twist:  The threesome make their living by growing the classiest dope this side of the Mississippi!

All is well in quirky dopeland in Laguna Beach, where they live, until the bad boys, a Mexican drug cartel, try to move in on their territory.

Then all hell breaks loose!

OK, enough on the plot. Check out the amazing actors: Benicio del Toro, John Travolta, Salma Hayek, and the budding starlet Blake Lively.  Oh, and the film is directed by Oliver stone.

I would not be surprised if Del Toro picks up an Oscar Supporting Role nod for his stupendous, creepy, over-the-top portrayal of a nasty drug lord.  Benicio does bad like few guys I've seen.

This film is not for the weak of heart. Expect a lot of blood and gore, and violence that makes shoot-em-up movies seem tame.

Grade of A+  

I could not stop watching this flick, which captured all the emotion and allure of the book.

BOOO... (another Oscar complaint!)

Here are today's headlines:

Oscars producers defend Seth MacFarlane's 'irreverent' stint as host

For those who might have forgotten, the Oscars hit an all-time low in bad taste with jokes about women's breasts, gays, and Jews.

And now the producers are closing ranks.

How shameful....

History Channel: The Bible (TV)

Hey readers, there's a FANTASTIC series on the HISTORY CHANNEL.

It's a ten part production on The Bible.

No, you won't see Charlton Heston or others playing cheesy roles!   Instead, you'll see a well-done, intriguing, informative story that will keep you watching and remembering what you know about the great book.

The first episode premiered March 3.  It's not too late to catch up on that one and then tape the rest.

In the opener, the story covers the period of Creation through Moses' exodus from Egypt and the trek to the Promised Land.  Meet your old friends:  Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Pharaoh, Lot, and many more!

You'll enjoy the characterizations and narrative.  It's gripping, to nerds like me who go for all forms of history!

As a person of Jewish faith, I'm familiar so far with the Old Testament.  My real fun will be learning the New Testament once and for all.  Can't wait!

Hope the other nine segments are as powerful as the first.