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I Heard the Bells (2022)
Good Story; Kind of Corny
I'm glad I know the story. I found it inspiring and faith-building. But it struggled throughout to come across convincingly. The start of it, in particular, was rough. The scenes, their life, the dialogue, the glances, etc. Were too "perfect." The writing and acting was kind of awkward and slightly cringeworthy. But movies often have trouble at the beginning when there is no conflict stated yet, so I wanted to give it a chance. It did improve once the conflict began, and the actors had something more meaningful to act about. But the "conflict phase," if you will, was also fraught with a lot of movie-making cliches, with characters going from very HAPPY... to...very SAD. My overall impression was of a group of writers, a director, make-up artist, and a cinemaphotographer who had experience and training, but were nonetheless still at the imitation level of their craft, relying on Hollywood tricks of the trade that they'd learned. I hate to say it, but it also had hints of modern evangelical aesthetics, a vibe that's hard to put one's finger on. But this segment of the church isn't exactly known for high art (and, yes, this is coming from a Christian). And then...the sugary sweet song at the end had that "contemporary Christiany" sound that many people find a little embarrassing, the one clear exception being the robust minority of fans who still like that tired style of music. But I'm giving it a 5 for making a movie on a worthy subject and for doing at least a half-way decent job.
What About Bob? (1991)
In My Book, a Classic
I'm very surprised to discover that "What About Bob?" only has a 7. My guess is that because it is what I would call a "painful comedy," it's just a little too unpleasant for some people. Is it at times unpleasant? You better believe it. But as your grimacing inside you're laughing your head off. Or at least I do. One of the marks of a whether or not I consider a movie particularly good is if my mind keeps going back to it, and if I also go back and see it. I've probably seen this film about 7 or 8 times, and I appreciate it more with each new viewing, and probably laugh a little harder than I did the previous viewing. The concept of the movie is brilliant. Murray is brilliant and Dreyfuss is brilliant. "What About Bob" ranks as one of my all time favorites in the comedy genre, and probably makes it into one of my top 20 movies of all time.
The Son (2022)
Powerful
It's rare that a movie actually has a physical effect on me, but The Son actually took my breath way. I sat for a good 10 seconds with my mouth gaping open, possibly not breathing, I'm not sure. By the end I was pretty much in a kind of stunned immobility for a few minutes.
I'm mystified by the negative reviews it received by critics. Did we see the same movie? It just goes to show, go into a movie without reading any critic's reviews to prejudice your own judgement. I would love to do a survey of who read critic's reviews of The Son and in advance and who didn't and compare their scoring. The Son had the misfortune of being followed by the critically acclaimed The Father, which invites comparisons, and comparisons are always harsher when one is placed against something that was better. The Father may have been superior to The Son (so they say, I haven't seen it), but The Son is nonetheless powerful on its own. Predictable? I don't know what they're talking about. I hate predictable movies, and I found nothing predictable about this one.
The performances were strong for the most part: Dern and Hopkins I felt were particularly strong, and Jackman was solid. Zen McGrath I felt was the weak link, but not enough to spoil scenes. At times he was strong. At other times, I found myself wondering if they had made the wrong casting choice.
The message rang painfully true -- a theme that has been largely dropped since probably the 80s -- namely, the long-term devastation left by divorce. While books and movies may have moved on to other more interesting societal ills, the child victims of divorce don't have such a luxury.
I'm a parent (still happily married thankfully), with most of our children having passed through the teen years, and perhaps this movie is something that is more meaningful to people who've been through that, I don't know. But in my humble opinion, The Son is a wonderful, yet painful, film.
Love & Death (2023)
Very Sympathetic View of Candy Montgomery
While I gave Hulu's "Candy" a 10, I'm giving the "Love and Death" a lower score. First off, I really like HBO's version. I look forward to watching it (one episode left!). It's very well made with great acting. I really like both Olsen and Plemons, and I probably like Fugit's portrayal of Pat Montgomery more than "Candy's" Pat. But unfortunately for "Love and Death," I've seen "Candy," and it's a tough act to follow.
Much of the public criticizes HBO for making the story of the Betty Gore murder after it had been done by Hulu a mere year earlier. But in HBO's defense, neither HBO nor Hulu knew the other was doing the same story. HBO didn't learn of Hulu's "Candy" until two months into filming! So no criticism there.
But the two take a very different approach which became very apparent early on when I could see that "Love and Death" was taking Candy's witness stand defense as History. Montgomery may have been telling the truth, but she had kind of a conflict of interest, like wanting to avoid life in prison, and can't exactly be trusted as a historian. The whole movie is very sympathetic toward Candy Montgomery, giving her way, way more time than Betty Gore. The amount of screen time and depth you give a character will lead an audience toward sympathy. Betty's character, played by Lily Rabe, was mostly uninteresting, and we were given almost no reason to like her. She was unpleasant, difficult, and brooding. We see a brighter side of her after the Marriage Encounter weekend, but that's it. Candy's character was very likeable. You see her plot out the affair, but aside from that, if you hadn't known she'd chopped somebody 41 times with an axe, you'd think she'd make a great friend (as long as you didn't have a husband, that is). HBO additionally skips a very damning fact about Candy which I won't mention here. You watch her pain through the entire trial, and you almost want to hug her. "Love and Death" almost seems to be on a strange mission to clear Montgomery's name.
But the fact is, we simply don't know what happened, and we likely never will, which is what makes the story especially interesting, and Hulu's "Candy" gets that. It's a darker, more realistic retelling, that leaves the audience wondering what on earth did actually happen. Jessica Biel's Candy Montgomery, was brilliantly done. She's more complex, and Hulu isn't afraid to show her less flattering side, like what it takes to initiate and carry on an affair with your friend's husband. Hulu gives way more time to Betty Gore, again brilliantly played by Melanie Lynsky, enough to make you sympathetic with her, but it also shows her less appealing side as well. Life is complicated, as are people.
Olsen is excellent as Candy. Biel, however, is nothing short of amazing. Rabe is fine as Betty, but the actress isn't given much time and range for much discussion. Lynsky was given plenty of time and range of character, and like Biel, she was breathtaking. "Candy" also makes a greater attempt at giving a feel of daily life for these women, while "Love and Death" is content to just get to the "sizzling stuff." "Love and Death" comes off as a greater effort toward commercial success, while, "Candy" takes more risks for the sake of authenticity.
The acting, the writing, direction of HBO's "Love and Death" is quite good. Just not nearly as good as Hulu's "Candy."
Hillbilly (2018)
In Seeking to Dispel Stereotypes, "Hillbilly" Cements Them.
This is what I learned from Hillbilly:
- Appalachia is an ugly, depressing, rundown place. And we're talking about a stretch encompassing well over a hundred thousand square miles, as the movie's map showed us.
- The only conservative-leaning people who are loveable belong to the filmaker's family.
- There are a minority of smart, educated people in this backward place called Appalachia, but they are all left-leaning. (Of course, I mean, what would you expect?)
- People all across this huge God-forsaken expanse refer to themselves as "hillbillies."
- There is absolutely no reason to visit this unseemly, tasteless place unless your curious for a cultural experience, namely to study these odd folks so you can talk about them when you get back to civilization.
Oops. I almost! I grew up in small town Appalachia! And "Hillbilly" is a mere charicature of the richness and diversity of the people and places I knew. But darn it! I understand that to make a movie like that would been a bit too challenging and uncomfortable for the elites. Mea culpa for my criticisms. I should have know better.
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005)
Mystefied by IMDB score
This is a Steve Martin movie that I really enjoyed. Cheaper by the Dozen the original for me was ho-hum, *yawn.* But the sequel, unlike most sequels, outdid the original signicantly in my mind when I saw it. I loved the situations Martin's character found himself in. He was obseessed with a sense of competition with his old friend who had become wildly successful. I can tell what movies make an impression on me after the fact. Some movies go in one ear and out the other. I never think of it again. But my mind kept going back to the delighful scenes of Martin visiting Levy's mansion for a party, trying his hardest to look like he can measure up; the scene where each family is singing out on their porch; Martin trying hard to convince himself that Levy's seemingly perfect son wasn't so great by as he tries uncover whatever imperfections he can find, but fails miserably. Cheaper by the Dozen pokes fun at the darker side of our human nature. We all know what it's like to feel envious, and to hope that the person you fear is superior to you will somehow fail (at least a little bit?), and to try hard not give them any reason to think that you're inferior.
I'd say the weaknesses were the lenghy movie theater scene, which was not funny in my view, and the ending, which was perhaps a little corny. But I don't watch comedies for brilliant conflict resolutions.
In any case, when I saw this, I decided it was one of Martin's stronger movies. It wasn't until years later that I was shocked to discover that others tend to hold it in low regard among his films. I'm still somewhat mystefied.
Candy (2022)
A Superb Work. It Won't Let You Go.
I debated in my mind whether to give this a 9 or a 10. 10 is greatness. Perhaps I'm over-enthusiastic, but I've decided to to give it the ultimate.
I stumbled on this film. Hulu did it's trick of just starting a movie on you, without your express consent once you've finished another, and I'm sure glad they did. From the opening scene, I was hooked, and I still can't get this freaking movie out of my head, even though I finished it 2 days ago. Across the board, the acting and directing was outstanding. And I'm suddenly a fan of Jessica Biel, who was nothing short of brilliant. Costar Melanie Lynskey and Pablo Schreiber were both outstanding.
I always pick out the weaknesses in a movie, and out of over 4 hours, it would be difficult to not find something, so here goes:
- the scene outside the church where one couple shares with Betty Gore their experience with Marriage Encounter. The writing and dialogue came off as a little amaturish. I was glad when it was over.
- The scenes involving the first pastor, Candy's close friend, were highly unlikely, and tinged with anachronisms. Make sure to study traditions and cultures that you're not familiar with before launching into what seems like useful scenes to move a plot forward. Consult with people who lived in those circles in that time.
- What's with that silly jump suit Candy's husband was wearing at the cookout? I lived through the 70s and 80s and never witnessed any dude wearing such a thing.
But that's it!
This movie is a 10 in my book. Amazing. This was the closest I ever came to binge-watching. If you don't want to become obsessed with a movie, stay away from this one.
The Devil and Father Amorth (2017)
The Exorcist Documentary Version
Why is it that anytime a movie made up of religious content (especially the Christian kind) does one suddenly see an onslaught of 1s and 10s? Clearly people are reviewing with their emotions and their beliefs, rather than rationally weighing the merits and faults of a film.
I confess I have read a number of books on possession, as well as found every raw footage of authentic cases I can find on Youtube. So I was eager to see this when I heard of it. What I like about it is that it's a real case rather than actors. The behavior of the demonic possessed woman was very consistent with everything I've read. Especially the sudden on and off quality of her states. After screaming bloody murder for 10 minutes we would suddenly see sweet and normal Cristina again. Likewise, contrary to the Excorcist, the demonically possessed try their best to live normal lives trying to go to school and hold down jobs, and can appear perfectly normal much of the time. Additionally, some take years with many more than 9 exorcism before they are completely delivered, so 9 exorcisms didn't surprise me. Nor would it Fr. Amorth.
I also liked having the chance to see the famed Fr. Amorth actually in action.
I also largely liked the interviews following the exorcism, as well as the scenes of Fr. Amorth spontaneously relating to the faithful.
My great disappointment was the obvious effects added to Cristina's voice when she screamed. WHY? Mr. Friedkin, this is supposed to be authentic. Editing in Hollywood effects only gave ammunition to doubters to attack it, and cast doubt in the minds on the fence. This is a documentary, not The Exorcist. Forgive the irony, but I believe you succumbed to temptation. That element did nothing but cheapen the movie.
All in all, however, I think Friedkin did a nice job, and I would recommend it.
Nightmare in Badham County (1976)
Forgetten Dark Gem
I saw Chuck Connors in an episode of Rifle Man last night, and it reminded me of a movie I saw him in as an evil sherriff roughly around 40 years ago and which struck me as a child. Certain scenes never left me. I had no idea what the title was. After searching through all of Connors' movies on imdb I found it, and immediately watched it on youtube.
In the opening minutes, the start was rough. The casual dialogue between the two leads, Raffin and Moody came off as awkward and amateurish and made me wonder if perhaps my childhood judgement was left wanting! Even my wife sitting next to me overhearing it commented that it sounded like a corny movie. Many movies fall victim to this. With no drama, the actors have trouble being convincing, especially since all their preparation was placed in the meatier, more dramatic parts. In any case I persevered, and was glad I did. Once Raffin and Moody were given the chance to do what they auditioned for, they became quite convincing. Gradually a kind of realism began to emerge, and honestly, I found myself shaking at times! And I'm usually pretty unfazed at my age by "scary movie" stuff. What was scary was that it was conceivable that this could actually happen.
I saw the TV version all those years ago, so I was surprised by the nudity in the fuller version. Nudity is almost always (maybe always?) unnecessary to a story, but at least in this film, there was nothing terribly "sexy" about the scenes.The lighting, context, and demeanor of the actresses were very stark, plain and disturbing, and two of the scenes genuinely inspired more sympathy for the vulnerable women than prurient interest. Two scenes were completely gratuitous with one silly scene of a brawl on a farm which was nothing but an excuse to show some nudity. Completely gratuitous, but the female body in both scenes was still cast in a rather un-glorified light).
I was curious to know if the movie was somehow loosely based on true stories of the scary circumstances the women found themselves in small town justice. I couldn't find anything, but my wondering at least spoke well of the movie's impact. It should also be mentioned that two of the villians were Robert Reed, dad in the Brady Bunch, and Tina Louise, Ginger from Gilligan's Island. Both were realistic as villains, particularly Louise. (There is no way anyone would be able recognize Ginger without the credits!)
For me, one mark of a good movie is how much I think about it afterwards, and my mind keeps replaying the scenes, and going through a kind of critical analysis of the characters.