Straight Outta Compton

First Hit:  Loved watching these young men fight through police repression to make a name for themselves.

I’ll deal with the downsides of this film first:  It needed about 30 minutes trimmed from its running time. And two, I would have liked a little more about what connected Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), Dr. Dre (Cory Hawkins) and Easy-E (Jason Mitchell) to each other.

The film had the relationships at a slight arms distance, and it may have been how they were, but it just seemed to me that there may have been more to the depth of their connection (especially Dre and Cube). The most powerful parts of the film were how situations with Police drove Ice Cube to write amazing powerful lyrics and then, of course, the concert scenes.

The climatic concert scene was the Detroit concert where the cops told them to not sing “Fuck Tha Police”. Of course they did, using their amendment driven rights of free speech to tell their story. This was was followed by a riot and arrest. The sadness of Easy-E and Jerry Heller's (Paul Giamatti)  greed was hard to watch, especially when the others trusted them. They were getting theirs while the rest of the group wasn’t.

Then in comes Suge Knight (R. Marcus Taylor) bullying himself into saving the day, but really only for his benefit. The film also gives glimpses of Snoop Dogg and Tupac. We get to see Ice figure out he needs to leave NWA and go out successfully on his own. Then we see Dre figure out he needs to control his own destiny as well. He leaves Death Row Records and starts Aftermath through Interscope Records and Jimmy Iovine. Anyone who knows anything about music knows that Aftermath has a stable of amazing rappers, including 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem.

This films gives a great lesson and view of the West Coast rap scene.

Jackson Jr. was incredibly strong as Ice and playing his dad must have been interesting and amazing. Hawkins was wonderful as Dre. My favorite scene was when his blew up at Death Row Records office which was followed by his telling Suge, “I’m out”. Mitchell was sublime as the wheeler-dealer E. His first scene of him learning to rap was fantastic, along his finding out that he had AIDs were spot on. Giamatti was very good as NWA’s first manager. My favorite scene was when he was pleading with E to not leave – but always stating that he took care of his end. Taylor was incredibly sublime as Suge. He had the cigar smoking attitude down pat. Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff wrote a very strong, intelligent, and pointed script. Outside that I think the film was too long, F. Gary Gray’s direction was very good.

Overall:  This was a very strong film about West Coast rap scene and I liked it.

Love & Mercy

First Hit:  Acting and story was extremely heartfelt while riding the ups and downs of Brian Wilson’s life.

I fondly recall The Beach Boys because I was a beach oriented guy myself in the 1960's.

In 1964 when the Beatles came into the musical consciousness of my life, there was a conflict of who was better. By the Beatles "Revolver", I knew the Beatles had risen to the top. This was partially because of the type of music, but also because of the struggles The Beach Boys were having internally as a group. The focus of those struggles, Brian Wilson, the genius behind the music. He wanted to take the group in a different direction than what they had done in the past.

This film documents Brian of the early years (Paul Dano) and the Brian of the mid 1990’s (John Cusack). Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson (Brett Davern and Kenny Wormald respectively) where brought up by a very mean, aggressive and extremely abusive father, Murry (Bill Camp). It effected Brian the most because he was the songwriter and leader of the group.

In his later years after spending an infamous 2 years in bed, Brian he was then controlled and manipulated by a psychiatrist named Dr. Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti). The visual likeness of Landy and Murray was amazing and was telling how Brian fell into Landy’s fold. Then there was Melinda (Elizabeth Banks) a Cadillac selling girl who sees Brian as a sensitive honest human being. Her relationship helps Brian to free himself from Landy and his life begins again.

Paul Dano was absolutely amazing at being the young Wilson by giving us a Brian who was always on the edge of sanity. He even looked a lot like a young Brian. Cusack was very strong as the older Brian attempting to find his way back into usefulness. Camp was good as the oppressive and abusive father. Giamatti was almost over the top at the unhinged psychiatrist who controlled Brian for his own purposes. Banks was inspiring and really good as the woman who could see Brian for more than what Dr. Landy was presenting. Michael A. Lerner wrote a fantastic script. Oren Moverman did an amazing job of creating a biography film that was both interesting and compelling to watch.

The music was fantastic; the story even better.

San Andreas (3-D)

First Hit:  Some of the visual effects were awesome even if improbable, the rest was mediocre.

To be frank, the storyline was extremely implausible. As pointed out by the experts, the San Andreas fault would not create the type of crevasses as depicted in this film. Neither would the tsunami that picks up a large cruise ship and tosses it against, and breaks, the Golden Gate Bridge.

Despite the unreal depictions, the way they were presented was fun in 3-D. I loved the rolling ground during the earthquake. However the helicopter scenes where they fly between the falling buildings of LA were not believable.

As for the characters, they were subsets to the whole film. Although Ray (Dwayne Johnson) with his huge physic did what he could, he and the rest of the characters couldn’t compete with the visual graphics. I was also highly suspect of Ray’s ability to fly the helicopter and borrowed airplane, with his wife Emma (Carla Gugino) from LA to SF during this type of catastrophe to save their daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario).

Johnson did his best to be as big and dynamic as the visual effects of the earthquakes. It just wasn’t a possible task. Paul Giamatti (Lawrence) as the scientist who figures out how to predict the huge quake came off as odd. At one point he seems unhinged and at other times clearly in-charge. Gugino as Johnson’s wife was good, but competing with the effects was just not possible. The best acting was done by Daddario because many of her scenes are more human oriented and not based solely against special effects. She showed both vulnerability and strength that worked with the two English boys she was helping. Carlton Cuse wrote an unbelievable screen play which was not based on actual science. Brad Payton did a wonderful job of putting in lots of effects, but as far as directing a believable film – it didn’t work.

Overall:  Go to watch the effects, just don’t expect much in the way of realism from the story or actors.

Saving Mr. Banks

First Hit:  A well told story based on an interesting personality.

I’ve never read any of the Mary Poppins series of books nor have I seen the Disney film based on the books and I found that it isn’t necessary to enjoy the film. That is a very good thing.

Here we have T.L. Travers (played by Emma Thompson) living in England and running out of money. She doesn’t care about money because of things her father said, but she loves her home. Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) has made a promise to his daughters that he would bring Mary to the big screen. He spent 20 years trying to convince Travers to let him do this.

With her money issues she comes to the US and stubbornly tells Walt, give me the contract, record on audio tape all the development sessions and I’ll let you know at the end of two weeks whether I'll sign the rights away or not. 

The working sessions with Robert and Richard Sherman (played by B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman respectively) were testy and frustrating for all of them with Travers saying “no, no, no” more than any other set of words. Don DaGradi (played by Bradley Whitford) the producer was in the mix all the time and tried his best to soothe the oil and water mix of creative people.

Disney would continue to intercede, talk with Travers and even took her to Disneyland (the happiest place on earth). When she refuses to sign the rights over, heads back home, Walt follows here there and with a bearing of his soul about his own childhood she sees he’s out to make good and that he gets her protective angst of her stories.

The audience is treated to her past story with segues of her life growing up in Australia. If you see this film, stay through the credits long enough to hear part of one of the recording tapes from which the film is based – true to form.

Thompson plays her somewhat unsavory character excellently. Her actions come from the fear of exposing her childhood experience and family. Colin Farrell plays Travers Goff T.L.’s father and he is very good at bringing the angst of alcohol abuse and fighting Tuberculosis. Paul Giamatti as Ralph, T.L.’s driver while in Los Angeles, was priceless. He slowly massages T.L. into understanding herself in a different way. Tom Hanks was very good as Walt Disney and the signature wave Walt used is mimicked perfectly. Novak and Schwartzman were amazing and perfect as the Disney song writing team. Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith wrote an outstanding script which appears to have come, in part, from the recorded tapes. John Lee Hancock directed segments, Travers past childhood and the work with Disney, with wonderful touches of brilliance.

Overall:  Almost made me want to see the film Mary Poppins.

12 Years a Slave

First Hit:  A very powerful film about a man’s abduction into slavery.

Despite serving active time in a war, it is hard for me to believe man’s inhumanity to man, as expressed in this film.

In this film, we are witness to a true story of how Solomon Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a “free black man”, was abducted in Washington DC, shipped to Louisiana and sold to a southern slave owner. Northup is intelligent, talented and strong in spirit, and to stifle himself while submitting to slavery so that he doesn’t get beat to death is difficult. The story follows Northrup as he is transferred from owner to owner while being beat, ostracized by fellow slaves and then admired by his fellow slaves because of his ingenuity. All the while he keeps wondering how he can escape and get back to his family in upstate New York.

The acting of slave owner Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) and his wife (Sarah Paulson) is outstanding. Tibeats (Paul Dano) and Freeman (Paul Giamatti) are also impactful in their roles as managers and traders of slaves.  Then there is transcendent acting in the roles of Patsy (Lupita Nyong’o) and Ejiofor. That is not to say anything less of the acting by the rest of the crew – it was brilliant.

Letting the story settle within me over the last 18 hours, I realize how profound the story reflects how far we’ve come as a country and how much farther we must go.

The taglines of the film stating that the people who abducted and held him illegally escaped punishment were profoundly disappointing.

Ejiofor embodied the character so fully and completely that when he finally comes home his tears were his and all of ours for the injustice we do to each other. Fassbender, in an unenviable role, was amazing at being the selfish, arrogant, and self-centered slave owner. Paulson as Fassbender’s wife carried her frustration and meanness towards her husband’s fondness to Patsy perfectly. Dano in a brief but important role was perfect. Giamatti was amazingly cruel as the seller of slaves. Nyong’o was sublime as Epps’ slave love interest. All the acting in this film was amazing. John Ridley wrote a profoundly detailed script from the real Solomon Northup’s book. Steve McQueen expertly directed this film. My only criticism of the film was its length but I couldn’t name a scene that I’d remove.

Overall:  This is an Oscar caliber film and it will be honored so at the Academy Awards.