Category Archives: Biography

Ford v. Ferrari

Ford v Ferrari     5 stars

Ford v Ferrari tells the story of two individuals who joined forces with Ford Motor Company to build a race car that could challenge the dominating Ferrari in the 24 hours of Lemans in 1966. The superb cast is led by Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby, American car designer and Christian Bale as Ken Miles, British born fearless race car driver. Both display a passion for the craft of racing in convincing fashion. The two have to battle the corporate meddling of the executives at Ford Motor Company who are more concerned with appearances and marketing than understanding what it takes to win a race. Of course the real show are the racing scenes with cars reaching speeds of 240 miles per hour and performing daring maneuvers that could end in disaster or blow a piston at a critical moment. This is all done with the amazing stunts and effective film editing and some great sound effects. It is apparent that CGI has come a long way as the entire movie looks like the real thing. I am not a gear head so I am sure some things got past me, but it looks like the best auto racing movie I have seen. The disadvantage is that since it is a true story, you have a pretty good idea how it is going to turn out in the end. The story does get a little ironic when you stop to consider that Ford is the Goliath here as they take on the much smaller auto company, Ferrari using virtually unlimited financial resources. The film is worthy of its Best Picture Academy Award nomination and its wins in both Film Editing and Sound Editing.

Bad Education

Bad Education                   4 ½ stars

I heard some good things about the HBO TV movie Bad Education so decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed by the Hugh Jackman starring vehicle about a huge school embezzlement case in Long Island, New York based on actual events. The movie follows Frank Tassone (Jackman), superintendent of one of the nation’s wealthiest school systems and Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), his second in command as they raise the Roslyn school system’s profile getting a record number of student acceptances to top colleges and ever increasing local property values. Unfortunately, things start to come apart when one enterprising student on the high school student newspaper starts looking at the spending of the school system at local businesses and non-existent companies at the same time that Gluckin’s idiot son gets caught charging home improvement supplies on a school credit card. What follows are coverups and the shifting of blame until the source of the lavish lifestyles of the two school administrators eventually becomes apparent. (Imagine an administrator with a collection of suits, a BMW who takes first class airline seats on trips to Europe!) The story is told as a comedy/drama with some funny moments that is aided by outstanding performances from Jackman and Janney as well as the young actors portraying the students. This TV movie has received widespread praise and a couple of Emmy nominations that is well deserved. I am glad that I took the time to see it and you should look for it too.

Richard Jewell

Richard Jewell                   4 stars

The based on a true story film, Richard Jewell is a very professional telling of the wrongful treatment of the security guard that discovered the bomb that exploded in Centennial Park at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Jewell, played by Paul Walter Hauser was hailed as a hero for saving many lives for a few days, but then was identified as a suspect by the FBI and was vilified by the news media, all with no real evidence linking him to the crime. Hauser, very convincing as the slowwitted wanna be cop, previously played the bodyguard of Tanya Harding in I, Tanya, a similar role. Excellent performances are also given by Sam Rockwell as the private attorney representing Jewell who never gives up on his client, Kathy Bates as Jewell’s suffering mother (for which she received an Academy Award nomination) and Jon Hamm, the sleazy lead FBI investigator who would never admit he was wrong. The story is a well told cautionary tale about how a rush to judgment can ruin a person’s life and reputation all in the quest of scoring big headlines. Even now many people remember the sensational nature of the story instead of the final result that Jewell really was the hero at Centennial Park. The events happened well before the arrival of social media, but the warnings of misleading stories are even more relevant today with Twitter and Facebook. Even with all that, it’s impossible not to notice the political nature of a story that attacks the reputation of the FBI and the news media. The movie arrives 23 years after the event and 12 years after Richard Jewell’s death. So, why release it now when the current administration constantly tries to discredit the FBI and the news media? The agenda is unmistakable. Even so, the movie is well done and serves to clear the reputation of a good man.

A Hidden Life

A Hidden Life     4 stars

We set aside the deadly other worldly creatures this time for a feature about the human kind of deadly creature. Last year’s A Hidden Life is based on the true story of Franz Jagerstatter, a poor Austrian farmer in the 1940’s who faced the threat of death and destruction brought on by a totalitarian ruler, Adolf Hitler. I didn’t know anything beyond that when I started the movie, but soon noticed that this looked a lot like a Terrence Malick movie, which of course it is. Among the Malick directed movies I have seen are To the Wonder, The Tree of Life, The New World and The Thin Red Line. Malick has a style all his own that includes hand held cameras following characters, wide angle lenses and quick editing cuts. The dialogue is kept short and there is plenty of narration from characters showing what they are feeling. His movies are usually long and convey a spiritual message you don’t often see in this business. In this movie there is also historical footage present to show the rise of Hitler. Franz refuses to serve in the Nazi German army as it goes against his religious beliefs. Why can’t he just serve as a medic like we saw in the movie Hacksaw Ridge about an American GI in the Pacific? That would require Franz to sign an oath of loyalty to the Fuhrer, something that his faith will not allow him to do. And it is something I pray never becomes a reality in the United States. His decision comes at great cost as he is placed in prison facing the threat of execution, leaving his wife and children to fend for themselves operating their farm in the Alps of Austria. His fellow villagers shun them for his “traitorous” acts. I, for one am amazed that considering all the horrible things that happened during World War II, this story has not been forgotten. The dialogue alternates between English and German without any subtitles, but there is enough there for the viewer to get the idea of what is going on. The movie moves rather slowly with about half of it taking place in prisons with Franz suffering the abuse of guards and isolation from his family and at nearly three hours running length it may be a bit much for many moviegoers. For the story and fans of Terrence Malick, A Hidden Life should be seen.

The Two Popes

The Two Popes 4 ½ stars

In The Two Popes two master filmmakers team up with A list actors to create a thoughtful what-if vision of a meeting between two widely different individuals who have held the lofty position of the Papacy in the Catholic Church. Screenwriter Anthony McCarten (Darkest Hour, The Theory of Everything) imagines what might have happened if the previous Pope, Joseph Ratzinger and the present Pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio met at the pivotal time when Pope Benedict decided to step down from his leadership position for the sake of the church. Director Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener) directs the meetings between Ratzinger (Anthony Hopkins) and Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) in convincing fashion that makes us believe the two could be friends trying to support one another through difficult times in their lives. The film opens and closes in typical documentary style. At the beginning we see scenes of the Cardinals gathering in Rome in 2005 to choose the successor to Pope John Paul II who had just passed away. The choice was Cardinal Ratzinger from Germany who became Pope Benedict. The end of the film occurs in 2013 when the Cardinals came together again following the shocking resignation of Benedict amid the scandal of child abuse that rocked the church. Here the new choice was Bergoglio of Argentina who took the name of Pope Francis. The interesting part of the movie comes in between in 2012 when the two popes meet and converse about the church, their faith and their respective roles in the church. We also get a picture of what it was like for Bergoglio as a young priest in Argentina in the seventies when a military dictatorship carried out a reign of terror against those that resisted including the priesthood. It’s clear that the two men have very different visions about the future of the church, but at the same time they are very supportive of each other. Even though the meeting between the two is considered fictional, it’s a very interesting take on what these two leaders must be like on a personal level. The film earned Academy Award nominations for both Hopkins and Pryce as well as screenwriter McCarten. Surprisingly, it was left out of the Best Picture category.

Argentina, 1985

Argentina, 1985                 4 ½ stars

I went back a few years to watch Argentina, 1985 which is being shown on Amazon Prime Video. The film was released in 2022 and was directed by Santiago Mitre who also directed The Summit. This is a dramatic representation of the civil trial that took place in Argentina in 1985 when the leaders of the former dictatorial government were put on trial by the new government for their crimes against humanity. During this dark period of history thousands of Argentinians were “disappeared” for their opposition to the regime. Some had committed crimes, while others were innocent, but all were systematically executed without due process. The federal prosecutor, Julio Strassera (Ricardo Darin) is reluctant to take the case hoping that the new government won’t charge the former regime. He knows that it will be very challenging as there are many people who are still loyal to the old military government, and it will be tough to find witnesses willing to testify. He would have to not only prove the crimes but also show that the leaders knew they were happening. He is aided by the young deputy, Luis Ocampo (Peter Lanzani) whose own mother still believes in the innocence of the military leaders. Together, they must recruit a team of young lawyers and students to do the research since none of the older lawyers will take on the job. Together this team finds the evidence and witnesses needed to hold the trial. They do this despite the threats of violence leveled against them through telephone, the mail and mysterious men in cars. Most of the film focuses on the trial itself showing the dramatic testimony given by the survivors. We already know the outcome going in since this is a historical event, but it is a testament to the courage of these men and their team in standing up to powerful men. It is more inspiring than even the Nuremburg trials. I only hope that others facing evil authoritarian governments can learn from the examples of these events. My only complaint is that the movie was only available with English dubbing and not in the original Spanish, which I think would have made it more powerful.

Burden

Burden                 3 stars

I Missed Burden at Sundance 2018 as it was a hard ticket to get and was an award winner at the festival. Then somehow it wasn’t released to theaters until 2020. Burden is a true story about a poor white man, Mike Burden (Garrett Hedlund), raised on the hatred toward blacks so prevalent in the South. Mike serves the KKK in the small town of Laurens, South Carolina and works as a repo man for a small rent to own company. In both roles he works for Tom Griffin (Tom Wilkinson) who is the Grand Dragon of the local KKK chapter and to whom he regards as a father. Griffin, who preaches white supremacy and violence, has acquired the local dilapidated movie theater in town and turned it into his dream, a museum to the KKK called The Redneck Museum, where the exploits of the Klan such as lynching and cross burnings are glorified. The town has a substantial black population so the museum soon catches the attention of Rev. David Kennedy (Forest Whitaker) who leads protests against the racist museum but in a peaceful manner, in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.  Kennedy still honors his uncle who was lynched by the Klan decades earlier. Then we follow the challenges that Mike faces when he starts seeing Judy (Andrea Riseborough from 2018’s Nancy and 2020’s gorefest, Possessor), a dirt poor single mother who does not approve of Mike’s involvement with the KKK. The movie gives us a picture of the hatred and violence that blacks continue to receive, but this has been done so often in movies before. (See Blackkklansman) The movie is set in the 1990’s so what I don’t see is a representation of the much more subtle forms of racism that are common today. Think of Charlottesville, 2017 and the treatment blacks get from some white police officers. The acting is very good. Hedlund was made for this kind of role, a head strong uneducated white southerner redneck (see also On the Road and Mudbound). I thought the movie didn’t give us enough reason to believe his transformation that led to him leaving the Klan. Though the movie is based on a true story, it has a predictable feel to it. Burden is worth seeing but I wouldn’t call it an award winner.

True History of the Kelly Gang

True History of the Kelly Gang                    4 stars

Although violent in the extreme, I recommend seeing this modern telling of the story of Ned Kelly, the Irish Catholic outlaw who terrorized Australia in the late 1800’s. George Mackay of 1917 plays the violent adult Ned to perfection as we follow his very troubled life running afoul of authorities (all British) in the Australian outback. The filming of a desolate landscape contributes to the bleak outlook that director Justin Kurzel wants to convey. The varied score that includes punk rock pieces gives the movie a surrealistic feeling. This is a violent, brutal and bloody film that will put many viewers off, but it is necessary to tell what life was like for the Irish lower class under British rule. The first part of the movie shows Ned Kelly as a young boy growing up dirt poor with a drunk Irish father and a foul mouthed mother (Essie Davis of Babadook). The young Ned has encounters with cruel individuals that will form his character including Sgt. O’Neil (Charlie Hunnan) and the thief Harry Power (Russell Crowe). Crowe’s time on screen is short so it is almost criminal that he gets top casting credit while the boy playing Kelly, who is on screen much longer is barely mentioned. Other notable actors playing scoundrels are Nicolas Hoult as a British cop who teasingly alternates between being Kelly’s friend and trying to bring him down, and Marlon Williams as George King, an American who seeks to take advantage of the poor Kelly family. Thomasin McKenzie of Lost Girls and Jojo Rabbit portrays Kelly’s love and mother of his daughter. Besides the violence, there is a theme of cross dressing as the Kelly gang wears flowing dresses while committing their crimes, a practice meant to instill fear in their victims apparently originating in Ireland. None of the characters have any redeeming features, all contributing to the lawless environment they find themselves in. The film has a very violent shootout scene to end on featuring strobe lighting and a seemingly endless supply of blood. This film is not for everyone, but a good one for lovers of Westerns. I strongly advise that you see the movie with closed captions as I find much of the Australian dialect is difficult to understand.

Mank

Mank                    4 ½ stars

Mank, now available on Netflix, is a rarity as it portrays 1930’s Hollywood while also being filmed in the style of the thirties. Directed by David Fincher (of The Social Network and Gone Girl), it stars Gary Oldman as Hollywood screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz who is best known for writing the screenplay of Orson Welles’ masterpiece Citizen Kane. The film is in black and white and looks much like the movies of the thirties, not only by the tones and shots on the screen, but also by the quick paced dialogue of that era. At the beginning we learn that in 1940 the young 24 year old phenomenon Orson Welles has been given free reign to make whatever movie he wants with whatever resources he needs. Welles has chosen Mankiewicz to write a screenplay about a corrupt media mogul who has even greater ambitions. Throughout the movie we see Mank confined to a bed following a car accident as he dictates to a secretary and receives visits from associates and occasional phone calls from Welles. The rest of the story is done in flash backs to Mankiewicz activities in the thirties where we really get a view of what old Hollywood was like, featuring such figures as Louis B. Mayer of MGM and an aging William Randolph Hearst, the ultrarich media mogul. Amanda Seyfried portrays Marion Davies, Hearst’s mistress and confidant of Mankiewicz. There is a good deal of social commentary on the politics of the age, so it helps to have some historical background. It is set in the midst of the depression at the beginning of the Roosevelt administration with labor strikes going on and with Hitler creating a stir in Europe. There is a socialist movement going on in California with writer Upton Sinclair challenging incumbent Republican Frank Merriam for the Governor’s office. The scene featuring a gathering of big wigs and socialites at Hearst castle engaged in a political discussion is fascinating as the socialist leaning Mankiewicz goes toe to toe with the Republican backers in the room. Much like Welles film, Mank can be viewed as an indictment of the superrich who live off the backs of the workers that keep their enterprise going. It is really Oldman who makes the film work though he is much older than Mankiewicz was at the time. Mank leads the Academy Award nominations with a total of ten, including Beast Actor for Oldman, Best Supporting Actress for Amanda Seyfried, Best Picture and Best Director for David Fincher. The screenplay was written by David Fincher’s father Jack who died in 2003 so never got to see it become reality.

The Alto Knights

The Alto Knights               2 ½ stars

The latest movie about the mob wars of the 1950’s is The Alto Knights by director Barry Levinson which is out now in theaters. Levinson is probably best known for the movies Rain Man, Good Morning, Vietnam and Bugsy. This time he applies his creative skills to a gangster movie that pits one high level mob boss against an aging underling bent on expanding his realm on the streets of New York. Now, if you are going to make a gangster movie about the Italian mafia, you can’t do any better than casting the eternal gangster, Robert DeNiro in the lead role. And if you want to do even better why not cast DeNiro in two roles in the same movie? That’s what Levinson has done here with DeNiro playing Frank Costello, the boss of the gang in New York, who is in his later years and wants desperately to retire. The only thing is that his childhood friend from the streets, Vito Genovese (also played by guess who? DeNiro) has returned from Italy where he was exiled for many years and now wants a bigger piece of the action, like it was during prohibition. For him this means getting into the narcotics business, something that has a much larger profile with the authorities than alcohol ever did. Frank is all about keeping things calm and steady, while Vito is a real hothead who wants to be feared and will not take No for an answer. Thus, the conflict is set up leading to an attempted hit on Frank. DeNiro is the expert at talking like an Italian gangster, speaking in the coded language we know from such films. He shows us his other side as Vito, whose temper flares at the slightest provocation, much like the roles we have seen Joe Pesci play. But as I was watching I could not help but think I was looking at the Robert DeNiro tribute show. Sure, the two characters look different with the help of some astounding makeup, and Vito is always seen in glasses, but I still wonder how hard could it be to find another grade A actor to play one of the roles? There has to be many such suitable men who could do a great job with it. It was entertaining to listen to the dialogue used by crime bosses, the type we have seen in such classics as Once Upon a Time in America, Good Fellas and Casino, but it eventually gets tiresome. And there is a lot of narration from the aged Frank telling how things used to be. The focus was more on the tension between the two characters than on any of the actual crimes or hits they carried out. In fact, there was surprisingly little violence in the movie. I can only think of three hits in the two-hour movie. I do have to credit Debra Messing in her role as Bobbie, Frank’s wife. It was a great departure from her comedic characters like Grace from Will and Grace. I almost didn’t recognize her at first. Anyway, if you want to see the great Robert DeNiro in a memorable gangster film, go back and see The Irishman from 2019. And if that isn’t enough there will always be The Godfather. Otherwise, forget about it.