According to Sandy

“This Is It” is the documentary released in DVD that captured the final days of the “King of Pop” as he prepared for a concert tour in 2009. I’ll be honest, I began to watch with some hesitation – Is this going to be a sad, tragic documentary about a frail former super star? (I didn’t really want to see that.) But happily, no worries.

“This Is It” is a joyous celebration of the pop entertainer’s talent and hard work.  This compilation of rehearsal footage includes a lot of the songs and dance moves we all know and love and as the show is rehearsed and shaped, we also get to see the attention to detail, the professionalism that was Michael Jackson. He was totally present and engaged. Nothing was too small to go over until it was right. He loved it all.

It becomes obvious why MJ was not “famous” just for wearing gem encrusted gloves –  his fans loved him because he so obviously cared about them. He wanted his audience to be entertained. He wanted them to say “Wow” and they did.

Michael Jackson, R.I.P. (Still hard to believe)

Last year, the 20 year anniversary of Spike Lee’s terrific film, “Do The Right Thing”, was celebrated with a special 2 disc DVD package containing extra footage, interviews, and new commentary by the director. 

Director Lee has made so many films since 1989, but, “Do” is his most celebrated film so far – it came in # 96 in the 2007 American Film Institute list of the 100 best movies of all time. The movie tells the story of a hot day in Brooklyn’s Bed’Stuy, when pent up anger, and resentment combust into violence in a matter of minutes.

The stellar cast includes Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, Rosie Perez, Martin Lawrence (film debuts for both Rosie and Martin).

“Do the Right Thing” (20th Anniversary Edition)

“Dirty Pretty Things” (2004 DVD) is a movie that explores how “invisibles” get over/get by in a hostile environment. Illegal immigrants often perform work that nobody else wants to do, but are not really seen. Jobs are done without creating attention or much notice being paid – which works well for those who live in a foreign country without “papers”.

Directed by Stephen Frears, the film, with the help of a great cast- Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, and Sofie Okendo – tells a story of men and women so desperate to find a better life far away from their home, that poverty and humiliation is endured day after day. Everyone has at least 2 jobs if they’re lucky and manage without sleep. Their situations are precarious and they can be easily exploited. But, this is not a PBS documentary. There is humor, charm and suspense. The 2 likable lead characters, a Nigerian Taxi driver and a Turkish hotel maid, cleverly interrupt a black market scheme to harvest body parts for profit.

I found myself rooting for them to get over/get by – so that all their trials and tribulations were worth it. “Dirty Pretty Things” – I enjoyed the movie!

Read an excerpt from the LeBron James book called “Shooting Stars” in the October 2009 issue of Vanity Fair Magazine. In the article, “LeBron’s Band of Brothers”, he discusses his High School basketball team and their coach and how much they contributed to his success. There is also a DVD that covers the same story –“More Than a Game”. It too focuses on LeBron’s beginnings as a basketball super phenom, but I think it is so much more than an uplifting tale about “having game” on a court. Dreams are wonderful to have, it makes for Technicolor nights and days, but they’re not always enough.

It reminded me so much of a terrific documentary about inner city kids with basketball skills – “Hoop Dreams”, 1994. The film followed two Chicago High School kids as they were recruited by a predominantly white school with an ambitious basketball program. They both struggled, one more than the other- but neither one was really prepared academically and emotionally for the experience. They seemed so alone. It not only takes a lot of support to get as far as the NBA, but it also helps if you have some cheerleaders around to get you thru High School and College.

In the book “Shooting Stars” and the DVD “More Than a Game”, James introduces us to a different set of inner city basketball kids from Akron, Ohio. Both highlights the work of their coach, Dru Joyce, as the engine that drove them to achieve in a Catholic H.S. There were also several family members that gave the kids a way to take advantage of the opportunities available. They all had hoop dreams, but the intensity varied. Basket ball was everyone’s love, but some of the guys just wanted to hang with their friends and meet girls. When the NBA didn’t work out for them as it did for their buddy LeBron, , they were able to use their education and other skills to make a life for themselves. (One of the “brothers” is LeBron’s financial advisor – he majored in business)

The folks who surrounded these young men wanted them to be complete adults, not just ball players. To “have game” in life is a good thing.

I love the AMC series, “Mad Men”. Its 3^rd season has just been released on a 4 disk DVD set and we hardcore fans are hoping for an early 4^th season, but will probably have to wait until August to get the next intravenous direct line.

With a great cast led by Jon Hamm and January Jones, the show includes super work by John Slattery, Christina Hendricks, Robert Morse, and Elizabeth Moss.  Everyone is just so present and “there”.   Good actors, but also a good writer, the show’s creator, Matthew Weiner.

“Mad Men” has developed such a cult following that there are watching parties around the country and water cooler catch up is the thing to do on Monday mornings.  The mid 20^th century attitudes, clothing and behavior (3 martini lunches, smoking everywhere, personal secretaries that give benefits and “politically incorrect” remarks) are highlighted in the intrigues and escapades of the men and women of Madison Avenue advertising agency “Sterling Cooper”.

The “good old days” weren’t that good for everyone, but, watching “Mad Men” work its way thru the 60’s reminds me of all the options – good and bad- that are available to us now and I realize that “multiple choice” can make the present so much more challenging than the past with its stereotypes.  The old days weren’t that terrific, (although I really liked wearing “summer” gloves to work) but, those times were simpler and perhaps that simplicity, with its mask of family values, is really what nostalgia is all about.

I love this show, the characters have dimensions and layers, the main man, Korean War vet Don Draper, is a philanderer with skills, has tons of secrets and can change personalities at the drop of his fedora. Who will he be next? Will he be radicalized by the 60’s revolution and grow his hair long or will he try to hold on to the traditional, rarified atmosphere of Sterling Cooper?  Can’t wait for the next season of “Mad Men”.

FYI: Seasons 1, 2 and 3 are now all on DVD if you want to catch up = Netflix works too.

“I Bring What I Love” – is a documentary film about Youssou N’Dour, the pop music superstar from Senegal, West Africa.

N’ Dour is revered all across Africa for his “remarkable range and poise and for his prodigious musical intelligence as a writer, bandleader and producer. He absorbs the entire Senegalese musical spectrum in his work, often filtering it through the lens of genre-defying rock or pop music from outside his culture. N’Dour has made “mbalax”—a blend of Senegal’s traditional griot percussion and praise-singing with Afro-Cuban music—famous throughout the world during more than 20 years of recording and touring outside of Senegal with his band, The Super Étoile”.

The director of  “I Bring What I Love”,  Elizabeth Chai Vasahelyi, followed the singer for 2 years through Africa, Europe and the U.S. to bring us a picture of this super talented and complex man that spread  the music and rhythms of his homeland worldwide.

“Collateral” is a 2004 thriller that is worth a look (btw, it really is a  “thriller”, especially during a train ride).

Tom Cruise, as “Vincent” the deadly mystery man, jumps into a cab driven by “Max”, Jamie Foxx and the 2 of them are off on a fast night of cat & mouse games.

Foxx is excellent. He was nominated for Academy Awards for “Collateral” and the Ray Charles movie – he won for his portrayal of the legendary singer – but, I think he should also have won for his work in this film. His turn as the confused, terrorized, Los Angeles cabbie is terrific – the viewer becomes invested in the suspense and the action and wants the good guy to win. (In this case, “winning” means staying alive.)

Well directed by Michael Mann, (“Heat”, “Inside Man” “Miami Vice”),besides the great work of Cruise and Foxx, the super cast includes Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Barry Shabaka Henley, and Irma P. Hall.

“Collateral” – good movie!

I cannot think of Shrove Tuesday (today 2/16), Mardi Gras or Carnival without thinking of that terrific movie “Black Orpheus”.  The costumes, the music of Rio de Janeiro, the dancing, and all those pretty people being chased by a man in a skeleton body suit – fabulous. 

“Black Orpheus”, 1959, was made in Brazil by French director Marcel Camus. It is the classic Greek romantic tragedy of Orpheus (Breno Mello) and Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) set against the back drop of a high energy samba troupe.

Even if you haven’t seen this film, you are probably familiar with its great music by Antonio Carlos Jobim, including “Manhã de Carnaval” (written by Luiz Bonfá).

Rent the DVD,  put on some feathers, add a couple of sequins and Samba!

Per WikiPedia: “Black Orpheus” won the Palme d’Or prize at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival as well as the 1960 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the 1960 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film.”

Are you still lucky enough to live in a 2 + newspaper town?  Local papers are folding, pun intended, all over the country. My S.F. Chronicle is supposed to be on its last legs (but, true, this is being reported by T.V. news anchors). Many papers are choosing other options to daily publishing, like becoming internet only or like the New York Times, charging for internet access.

This sad scenario is being repeated everywhere. Has the daily become obsolete due to technology?  Is it because of short attention spans, due to video games, to all day cable news talking heads, to just plain lack of interest?

Well, if newspapers go the way of the 8 track, we still have movies that show “newspapering” as not only necessary and vital, but sometimes a very noble profession. I’m sure there are tons more, but I’ve seen and liked the films below (Thank goodness for DVDs).

”His Girl Friday”, 1940 – Editor tries to keep ace reporter from leaving (film adaptation of 1930’s comedy by MacArthur & Hecht)

”The Front Page”, 1974 – same plot, but this time with Jack Lemmon & Walter Mathau, directed by  Billy Wilder

”Call Northside 777”, 1948 – .James Stewart and Richard Conte in a true story, told in documentary style, about a newsman racing to save an innocent man on death row.

“Deadline – USA”, 1952 – Humprey Bogart as a crusading editor, of a closing newspaper, on a mission to expose a local gangster

“All The President’s Men”, 1976 – Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman (Watergate and the Washington Post reporters Woodward & Bernstein)

Progress is terrific, but, I still like newspapers – I like turning pages and getting ink smudges on the tips of my fingers.

“The Save Darfur Coalition” is an alliance of over 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organizations whose mission is to raise public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and to mobilize a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of more than two million people in the Darfur region.”

There are 2 informational DVDs about the situation in the Sudan:

“The Devil Came on Horseback”, 2007  and  “Darfur Now”, 2007 directed by Ted Braun.   The documentaries capture, thru images and interviews, the seemingly endless horror escalating among the Sudanese.  These films are calls for intervention, both moral and diplomatic.