Senna

Deb 10 Me 10

This is a movie about auto racing’s Formula One champion Ayrton Senna. The movie is largely compiled from ESPN television footage, some professional film and some home movies. The movie follows the career of charismatic Senna from his early days in kart racing to his rise to world champion. It is a great look at the men and the politics of the world’s richest and most technically advanced motor sport.

I am an avid F1 fan and have been for a long time. I remember this period of racing in the late 80s through 90s with clarity. Deb knows little to nothing about it and Senna is a new name to her. We both loved the movie. That says enough for me, but I’ll add a little more anyway. The only place I felt it lacked was in some F1 101. Some introduction to the basics of the sport, what F1 is, a bit of history, that there are team owners who hire drivers, this is stuff I thought it could use. But apparently I’m not right on target here because without any of that background Deb really liked the movie. For her it wasn’t a story driven movie but a character driven movie. The film’s success was carried more on the personalities involved than what they were up to. Senna is a good looking guy and we see him evolve from a kid with broken English to a fully conversant champion. It's as good a human interest story as you're likely to find.
And the theater was packed! A buddy went to see it on a Thursday afternoon and he said there 50 people in there! I definitely think you ought to see this one.

Crazy Stupid Love

Deb 7 Me 7

So this was a movie on convenience, the time worked into our schedule. This was my first Steve Carrell movie, I’ve avoided them thinking they would all be silly (and perhaps they are). I usually avoid movies with TV stars in them, the crossover is seldom rewarding. Travolta, Hanks and Depp have all gained credibility on the big screen, and maybe Steve will too, and this might help. I do watch The Office due in large part to his character, which is pretty much the same guy as in this movie. What surprised me was this was an actual movie, I expected a list of running gags and simple minded one liners. My own prejudice shows again.

But I gotta tell you, this was a pretty nice movie and explored a part of puppy love and teen angst and it’s aftermath in a way I don’t remember seeing before. I actually like the movie and hesitated to rate it all, having to admit I saw it being the central issue. I saw it, liked it and don’t think you’d go too far wrong seeing it either. As long as it fits in your schedule.

Magic Trip Movie Review

Deb 10 Me 10

So now I’ve seen this thing three times. I really like it. I’m sure there were some incredible obstacles for the filmmakers; if it comes out on DVD I hope they explore some of that. There are a few very well done recreations, which aren’t true to a documentarian’s spirit, but for entertainment value, they were welcome.

Everyone I’ve talked to who has seen the movie has really liked it too; even those who weren’t around in the 50s and 60s and know nothing about the scene or its role in modern history. For a lot of viewers it’s an interesting period travelogue. It offers human interest, some drama, some comedy and a bit of education all in a colorful entertaining package.

I just love seeing the footage. It’s something I’ve felt vicariously “part of” for decades and cherished every frame in this thing like it was my own history being relived. I’ve been told that people learn a lot more about me than movies by reading these “reviews” and this is a good example. There’s not a lot I can say about the movie without talking about myself or my experiences or lessons from my own explorations. I will say the film pretty much limits itself to the buttered side of the toast, there are a few gaffs presented here, but everybody smelled to high heaven and Neal had to drive you crazy after a while. This sort of romanticizes the expedition and that's fine with me. Magellan’s crew stank and had a few misfits too, but it doesn't diminish their accomplishments. Look for it. Watch it. Get on the bus.

The Future

Deb 7, Me 7

Lately I’ve been taken with the thought that we’re all just a house of cards and the slightest ill wind or shock can send us tumbling. Sometimes we try to improve our odds by adding tape or glue to the equation in an attempt to shore things up. Usually trying to strengthen it disturbs the balance and it all comes down anyway. That’s the feeling I got from this odd little movie. Fragile people trying to enhance a fragile relationship. There’s also a talking cat, and it’s just as obnoxious as it sounds, but is a valid part of the story. Seemingly filled with symbols and metaphors its quirks are redeeming but not totally rewarding. We both liked it and it initiated a lot of conversation.

Tabloid

Deb 7 Me 8

I knew nothing about this movie going in and that’s a good thing. That meant the director had to guide me through the experience, and with no expectations, he could provide turns and dead ends and new horizons as he saw fit. This is a pretty straight-forward documentary, mostly talking heads on film. But then the editor got creative and some art director got involved and punched it up with totally cool graphics. Now it’s fun to watch the story unfold.

A word about the editing. I did a video interview with a guy in the 80s who was brilliant in his thinking, but unorganized in his speech. A typical sentence might go like “So we went to the store, it’s on 3^rd and Elm, a big blue building where there was a helicopter crash way back when, and we drove in an old truck so we could carry the keg back and I don’t know who was working there when those kids set the fire.” So in editing I had to stick to the point and eventually ended up with “So we went to the store in an old truck so we could carry the keg.” It looked pretty chopped up on the screen so I did cutaways where I could so it looked cohesive. I wasn’t trying to change what he was saying, just make it on-point. They did a lot of this in the movie, maybe why the graphics guy got to contribute so much, but I felt like the integrity of the story remained in-tact even though the on screen interviews were severely cut up.

Back to the movie, I liked it! It was a crack up, stretched credibility at points, but constantly reassured us that this is the real thing. It was creative, compelling and a real roller coaster of a ride.

Terri

Deb 8 Me 7

Another quiet coming of age kind ‘o movie, this one was endearing. The movie pushes you to accept the situations they provide no resolutions or explanations of their origin or results and I liked that aspect of it. It’s just a bunch of people trying to get along and, for the most part, doing the best they can. John C. Reilly is a bit of a caricature and the guyitar player from the Grass Roots is a capable addition, but the star is a big kid named Jacob Wysocki who really was engaging. There’s a bunch of young actors who are pretty phenomenal these days, I’m curious to see where he goes from here. But the movie was just pleasant to watch, not too deep, not too trite.

Page One: Inside the New York Times

Deb 4 Me 4

This is a look at a few folks and some of the things they face getting the New York Times out. I was struck by how movie star-ish the publisher and war correspondent were. The other main guy was very caricature-ish. The Times faces pressure from new media and they didn’t do a very good job of describing those new media or the pressures they apply to me. I get how the internet can make cutting trees down obsolete and how credibility is diminishing, but they didn’t talk about that a lot. They did talk about how print ads are falling off and how things like Twitter are a threat, but I don’t see how from what was provided in the movie.

I heard them talk about the news delivery system (web v. print) changing, but I didn’t hear them say anything about the news gathering (finding and checking sources) structure changes or remains. They did mention some of their huge guffaws, the guy who made up Pulitzer Prize winning stories and the gal who basically started the war by publishing unsubstantiated stories about enemy weapons build up. Sure these people got fired, and the boss too, but the fact that thousands of people have lost their lives and billions of domestic dollars have been spent on the basis of lies was pretty well shrugged off. Everybody makes mistakes, but they’re still the model for all newspapers.

The movie was lacking, and it got a low score. The Times, and most all news organization fail miserably. Maybe some documentaries that aren’t as self serving as this one might expose some of the inherent problems with the process and bring about some meaningful change.