Beasts of the Southern Wild
2012 93 minutes Hushpuppy, a girl of about 8 or 9, and her
father live in a Cajun community in the Mississippi delta called “The Bathtub.” The beasts of the title are aurochs that she
sees when things are going wrong. In her community it’s primitive, almost
subsistence living in a black and white community where no one seems to notice
race. Instead they all struggle together
to feed themselves and to maintain their autonomy from the modern world on the
other side of the levee. Hushpuppy’s
mama is dead or gone and her father is ill.
Then the hurricane comes. Many
flee but many of those who stay survive the storm and try to recover. The land is ruined by salt water and
everything begins to die. The
authorities come and forcibly relocate the community. Hushpuppy’s father is hospitalized and his
prognosis is not good. They all escape
and return to the delta. Hushpuppy’s
father comes too to die in his home among his friends. This is a movie about a lot of things but
mainly about what’s going on in Hushpuppy’s head. It is an amazing performance for a child
actor as she comes to terms with loss of her parents, her home and her whole
way of life.
.
Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
2010 122 minutes This is a biopic. Here’s the first paragraph of the Wiki
article on his life: “ Serge Gainsbourg
(born Lucien Ginsburg), 2 April
1928 – 2 March 1991, was a French singer, songwriter, poet, composer, artist,
actor and director. Regarded as one of
the most important figures in French popular music, he was renowned for his often provocative and
scandalous releases, as well as his diverse artistic output, which embodied
genres ranging from Jazz, mambo, world, chanson, pop and ye-ye to rock and roll, progressive rock, reggae, disco and electronic.
Gainsbourg's varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to
categorize although his legacy has been firmly established and he is often
regarded as one of the world's most influential popular musicians.” The film starts with Lucien and his parents
living in Nazi occupied Paris. He is a
difficult but talented boy who draws and learns the piano under the guidance of
his father who supports the family by playing in bars. That segment is soon over. They survive, and we next meet Lucien as he
begins his career as a painter, singer and songwriter. He is often seen with an imaginary alter ego
who is a caricature of himself with huge ears, long fingers and an even longer
nose. He calls him his “mug,” and the
relationship is difficult. The film
follows Lucien through a career which brings great success, an interlude with Juliette
Greco, an affair with Bridget Bardot, marriage and divorce and so many cigarettes
that you wonder how he lived as long as he did.
.
Movie 43 2013
94 minutes This is a series of
sketches, most of them with well known stars like Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet,
Richard Gere, Dennis Quaid, and almost everyone you never heard of. It was sort of funny at times. In the first sketch, Hugh Jackman meets Kate
Winslet for a blind date. He has testicles
growing out of his neck, but no one notices this except Winslet. From there things go from bad to worse. The movie is a monument to bad taste, and if
I hadn’t seen a few roasts on the Comedy Channel, I would be surprised that the
actors agreed to be part of it.
.
Scatter My Ashes at
Bergdorf’s 2013 93 minutes
I had a only vague idea of what Bergdorf’s is, but skipping through this
film made it pretty clear. It seems to
be a haven for the very rich and somewhat famous and a good place to launch a
career as a designer. I didn’t spend a
lot of time with it.
.
White House Down 2013
137 minutes It took a few
minutes to get all the players in position, but once a paramilitary group began
its takeover of the White House with help from a Secret Service officer, this
was all action. John Cale, an Iraqi vet
and Capitol policeman, is in the White house with his daughter for a job
interview when all hell breaks loose.
They get separated, and both play major roles in foiling the attack and
protecting the President. This is as
complicated a shoot‘em up as you are ever likely to see.
No comments:
Post a Comment