According to Sandy

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!

“Now Playing: Hand Painted Poster Art from the 1910s Through the 1950s”

At the beginning of the last century, posters that hung in the lobby of the old neighborhood movie palace were simple black and white drawings.  Very quickly, theater owners realized that the cardboard advertisements brought in customers.

The posters then became more artful and sophisticated – pretty, or dramatic (Valentino), or scary (“King Kong”, 1932), or, just high style (Gloria Swanson rendered in Art Deco), to the lurid “Noir” films of the 50’s.

These examples of movie art have been collected into a nice coffee table book:

“Now Playing: Hand Painted Poster Art from the 1910s Through the 1950s”
(Academy of Motion Pictures/Angel City Press – hardcover, 14″ x 11″, 160 pages)

“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 movie, “Children of Men”,  is set 20 years into the future.  Women are no longer able to bring a fetus to full term and a 17 year old, the youngest person in the world, dies suddenly which brings universal mourning.

Perhaps as a result of air and earth toxins new life stopped being created and supported by the universe. Based on results, mankind is on a slippery slope.

Enter the “miracle” –  a sole pregnant woman is discovered in England and she must be saved if the human race is to go on.

A reluctant savior, Clive Owen, at his craggy faced/ 2 day stubble best, is enrolled by his ex-wife in taking the young woman to safety. Thru bullets, treachery and strange, fierce characters, he must get the mother-to-be to an outlawed group called the” Human Project”. They search for doctors that can keep her and the baby alive – and so the adventure begins.

The movie is both dark in atmosphere and premise, the film’s city scenes are mostly sepia and gray contrasting greatly with the few lighter, green country locations. The director, Alfonso Cuaron, wrote the screen play based upon a 1992 novel by P. D. James, famous for the Inspector Adam Dalgliesh mysteries. Her vision of a barren future was translated by Cuaron into a cramped, desperate city filled with angry, lonely people.

While on the run, the fugitives do get a chance to experience the lush greenness of the countryside, but, the pastoral is slowly being encroached by the urban insanity. Huge betrayal and huge amounts violence is encountered while trying to escape those who wish to use the baby for propaganda and gain. In the midst off all this dreck, there is a possibility of “future”.

The baby represents “hope” and many are enlisted to assist in preserving the miracle, keeping it alive and getting it to a haven, even at great risk to themselves.

A totally engrossing film. The actors are all terrific, regardless of the length of their scenes or dialogue. Owen is wonderful, and so is Michael Caine. (He makes an appearance as a kind eccentric.) The actress who plays the mom to be, Claire-Hope Ashitey, makes you believe that she would be a great mother – even though her character only remembers seeing children on television. The ending is both triumphant and tragic.

“Children of Men”– this is a good movie!

“The Godfather” films by Francis Ford Coppola based on the books by Mario Puzo lives on. Parts 1, (1972) and 2, (1974), re explode every 6, 12 months on some TV channel.  If you don’t have 8 hours to devote to this great American story, you could plug in whenever – meal times, in between telephone calls or text messages – and remember dialogue and revisit scenes that have soaked into our collective bones without even knowing it:

“It was never personal Michael, it was just business”

“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

“I know it was you Fredo, your broke my heart!”

“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”

“They shot Sonny on the causeway”

“The Godfather” is #2 with a bullet on the American Film Institute list of 100 best. If not on TV,  there is always DVD and it just came out on Blu-Ray.