emailtombuchanan Reviews

Downhill (I) (2020)

Awful Remake of a Terrific Original

[1/10 · 25 February 2020]

I spent eight bucks to see the movie "Downhill" last night. Don't do that!

"Downhill" is an American remake of a 2014 multi-lingual film called "Force Majeure" about a Swedish family vacationing in the French Alps when an avalanche comes a bit too close and disrupts an already fragile marriage dynamic.

"Force Majeure" is a strong film told in a quiet way with superb acting and tight storytelling. It's a small but engaging film with English subtitles over a few scenes when the dialogue naturally shifts to other languages. Apparently American film producers thought it could be redone without the need for those pesky subtitles, or tight storytelling. Or decent casting, acting, photography, sound, or any of the other basics of professional filmmaking. The resulting mess is "Downhill" starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell. The characters have been remade into boring cliché's and the story has been puffed up with digressions that stray far from the core narrative and add nothing but distraction. It's awful.

I loved "Force Majeure" and had high hopes for "Downhill." I was badly disappointed, but I can give it a one star in this review because I recognize value in the new version if it's shared in film schools alongside the original, with lessons contrasting the good with the bad (and the really bad).

Apollo 11 (I) (2019)

America Needed Apollo 11, And We Need A Film Like This!

[9/10 · 28 May 2019]

If you have a chance please go see "Apollo 11" in a theater, preferably on a really big screen. It's a captivating production that blends restored multi-sourced archival footage and audio into a gripping documentary that brings the viewer back to the first moon landing in 1969. The film draws heavily on never before seen 70mm film that's been in a NASA vault for 50 years, and mixes that with still images, previously released NASA film and video footage shot for public consumption, mission specific cameras used to bring technical feeds back to controllers, network news material, and privately held films. The producers blend all that content with extraordinary care so the on screen presentation is well layered fully engrossing. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins are necessarily at the center of the film, but cameras spend lots of time in the various control rooms and out on the street to provide technical and social context, and to give the project a strong human grounding. Music and sounds effects add to the story, and it's told compellingly without the need for conventional narration.

America wasn't a perfect nation in 1969. "Apollo 11" touches ever-so-briefly on a few social conflicts of the time, and images from the control room and official viewing stands make it apparent how glaringly white and male the space industry was. But the film transcends those historical wrongs and shines most brightly when it tells the heroic tale of government and private industry joining forces to achieve an almost impossible goal. In doing so, the first lunar landing momentarily drew America and the world closer together, and forced us to recognize our fragile humanity and boundless opportunity.

The story of the Apollo 11 mission has been presented a zillion times, most recently in 2018's sleep inducing "First Man," but I doubt any film has brought the viewer closer to the moment than "Apollo 11." The world needed a successful moon landing in 1969, and America needs a film like "Apollo 11" today.

Amazing Grace (2018)

Skip The Theater, See It On A Small Screen For Free

[3/10 · 28 May 2019]

Here's a quick money saving tip: Don't buy a ticket to see "Amazing Grace" in a theater. See it, sure, but don't pay for it.

Aretha Franklin was an amazing performer and her music is always worth exploring, but "Amazing Grace" is a fifth rate theatrical release of her January 1972 gospel concert, and stands as little more than an offensively opportunistic attempt to capitalize on the current market for historical documentaries. "Amazing Grace" diminishes the genre, and it even diminishes Aretha Franklin. Save your money and watch this film for free when it gets to the streaming services, where its gross flaws will be softened on a smaller screen.

"Amazing Grace" was shot as Aretha Franklin was recording a live gospel album in an intimate Los Angeles church almost 50 years ago. Back then an inept movie director rounded up an equally inept group of filmers to shoot the two night concert, but the production lacked storytelling and the 16mm camera work was a hodge-podge of randomness. Oh, and the audio quality was terrible too. There was apparently a multi-month effort by Warner Brothers to pull some sort of usable movie out of the raw film so it could be released along with the album, but try as they might there just wasn't a movie to be made and the project was abandoned in late 1972.

Spin the clock forward several decades when an expansive list of credited producers dragged the original pile of film out of the vault and slapped it together, then pitched the resulting mess to distribution company NEON, all in an apparent effort to suck ten-dollar bills from the pockets of unsuspecting theater goers. The producers barely managed to match color from each of the cameras, but didn't even bother to remove obvious film scratches or lint on the film gates, which is really the most basic level of restoration imaginable. The whole thing is cheapening. And that's especially sad given the quality that can be wrung out of historical film, as evidenced by powerful contemporary releases such as "They Shall Not Grow Old" and "Apollo Eleven." Aretha Franklin deserved better.

The modern day profiteers of "Amazing Grace" did manage to produce an enticing theatrical trailer, but couldn't come up with a feature film to match. They got my money, don't let them get yours.

Free Solo (2018)

An Adventure Film Eleveated beyond the Genre

[10/10 · 3 March 2019]

"Free Solo" is an absolute must see theatrical documentary about mountaineering superstar Alex Honnold, who in 2017 free climbed the 3,000 foot El Capitan in Yosemite National. But Free Solo is more than just an epic climbing film. It's even more than the story of Mr. Honnold and his compulsive need to climb giant slabs of rock without ropes or protection, and how that tightly focused idiosyncrasy drives everything else in his life. Free Solo stands above all else as a wonderful story about the committed people who follow their dreams, and who ultimately take the rest of humanity along while they crush "the impossible" deep into the past tense.

The team behind this stunning National Geographic film began the feature with a few tantalizing shots of what would become the successful free-climb, then broke away to introduce the audience to the enormously likable Alex Honnold. We first really meet him in a small custom van he uses as a home, and come to know him as a joyfully but private soul who almost certainly registers someplace along 'the spectrum.' As the film progresses we see Mr. Honnold become attached to his first ever real girlfriend, and we see him struggle with the conflict between settling down with her in a newly purchased home, and satisfying his need to free climb El Capitan. To Mr. Honnold the climb is a dream, while to his girlfriend it has all the makings of a forever nightmare.

The camera crew captures the emotions of the budding relationship while simultaneously tracking the intense preparations for the climb, which include multiple fixed rope assents to scope out every tiny handhold and foot placement. A typical climbing film bogs down in minutia at this point, but Free Solo uses the technical detail to help the audience understand how difficult the feat will be, and Mr. Honnold's quietly charismatic personality makes us care deeply about those micro-chips of rock.

By the time the final climb is attempted the audience has become emotionally attached to Mr. Honnold, and like the camera crew recording the event live, we hold our collective breath and struggle not to look away as he navigates the sheer face of El Cap. It's not a spoiler to reveal that he succeeded; first because that success was reported on the front pages of newspapers and magazines the world over, but second because in this film the summit plays second fiddle to the character of Mr. Honnold, which itself becomes a window into the psyche of high risk adventurers of every stripe. And it is that story of the human connection to adventure that elevates Free Solo above most climbing films and earned it the 2019 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

I saw Free Solo at a special showing in Hanover, New Hampshire. It's playing elsewhere too, but in a limited run. This is a spectacular film that benefits from projection on a big screen, and it should be seen in a quality theater before it settles in the streaming services. And with that said, Free Solo is on Netflix right now, but if a guy like Alex Honnold can free climb El Cap, then a guy (or gal) like you can get yourself to an honest-to-God theater and see this film in all its big screen glory!

Capernaum (2018)

An Amazing Two Hours

[10/10 · 26 February 2019]

I saw "Capernaum" at a small theater in Manchester, Vermont and was captivated by the film making, and by the story. Capernaum is a Lebanese film (English subtitles) about a ~12 year old boy barely getting by in the slums, who runs away from his large disjointed family, and finds marginal shelter with an undocumented Ethiopian woman and her infant. The boy is later jailed for attacking an older man who forcibly wed the boys sister. The Ethiopian woman is likewise jailed pending deportation, while her infant son is sold off into a baby trafficking ring. It's a sad story about life and hope in extraordinary poverty, and it's told with brilliantly raw cinematography and invisible acting by a solid cast of non-actors. Capernaum is a mostly bleak film that takes a small positive turn at the end, which left the entire audience in stunned silence, and several theatergoers crying in the lobby. It's also an important film about global culture, human trafficking, poverty, and hope. Capernaum is an important film every First-World American should experience.

Beautiful Boy (I) (2018)

A wonderful film about a loving family, and the scourge of drug addition

[10/10 · 9 January 2019]

I'm blown away by this film about a father and his 18 year old son who is dealing with a crippling drug addiction. Beautiful Boy stars Steve Carell as the father and Timothée Chalamet as the troubled teen. Both give extraordinary performances in a perfectly crafted film that generates surprising empathy for families and addicts trapped in this kind of brutal nightmare. Beautiful Boy tells the story of a middleclass family that finds itself helplessly struggling when the oldest of three children stumbles into addiction, and then tries to free himself. Just when it looks like he'll succeed, he relapses and crashes even harder in a spiraling oscillation. There is conflict, for sure, but always within the context of a loving family trying to save their son. Mr. Carell and Mr. Chalamet deliver amazing performances supported by a strong cast that enhances the conflict and defines the underlying love, without ever getting in the way. The entire production is solid, with an outstanding musical score that perfectly fits the story. The film is based on the memoirs of David Sheff (father) and Nic Sheff (son), and is blended to reflect their different perspectives. Beautiful Boy was produced through Amazon Studios and received high praise at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival, then launched with a limited U.S. release in October 2018. It is now available on Amazon Prime as an included free selection.

The Tribes of Palos Verdes (2017)

A solid Film About American Wealth

[8/10 · 1 January 2019]

A wealthy family moves to Palos Verdes along the California coast when the father, a prominent heart surgeon, takes a new job to help the family start over after apparent infidelity issues. But he soon takes up with another woman, leaving his wife and twin 17 year old son and daughter in the lurch. The mother struggles with depression and mental illness, and the son falls into abusive drug use. The daughter narrates the film as the sole sane member of the disintegrating family. Surfing plays a minor role in this beautifully told and photographed film. It probably pairs nicely with Force Majeure (subtitles) simply because both films have a similar texture and deal with failed marriages.

Measure of a Man (2018)

Review Based on the First (painful) 30 Minutes

[1/10 · 1 January 2019]

A bullied fat city kid summers in the country and takes a part time job cleaning a rich persons house and yard. Stuff happens, I guess. I watched about 30 minutes and couldn't go on.

Welcome to Marwen (2018)

Booooring

[3/10 · 1 January 2019]

Steve Carell as an emotionally damaged artist/photographer who creates photos of dolls in World War two combat settings to deal with his troubles. It's a badly disjointed film based on a true story, and was heavily promoted. I was looking forward to this film and saw it on opening day, but am confident that word of mouth will not treat it kindly.

Roma (2018)

See it on Netflix, Not in a Theater

[7/10 · 1 January 2019]

Black and white Spanish language drama with English subtitles. It's a story about a middleclass family in which the father leaves the mother and four kids, and the housekeepers who work for them. The film follows the characters for about a year that starts with the happy family, bounces through the husbands departure, and adds an out of wedlock stillborn baby by the one (of two) housekeepers. It's a super high-end artsy film with great lighting and sound, but it plods for more than two hours. All that attention really demanded a more compelling story. The film was produced by Netflix and released in theaters for a single week before streaming, apparently so it would get Oscar votes. I spent $8 to see at a proper theater (where I was the only person in the room), rather than $7.95 to see it at home with a month long Netflix subscription. I'm glad I made the effort, but the film was a disappointment.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (2017)

Watch the Original, Skip the Sequel

[4/10 · 1 January 2019]

Sequel to the ground breaking original. It's mostly a ra-ra for believers, and a fanzine about Al Gore. The original was original, this one is fully derivative and doesn't say anything new.

Flower (I) (2017)

Amazing Film - - - If You Are In The Right Mood

[9/10 · 1 January 2019]

The most positively awesomely screwed up movie ever in the history of ever. A twisted teen girl and her two girlfriends entrap men into oral sex and then extort them for money and fun. The key girl is a wild cookie from a messed up home. Her mother's fiancée has a fat not-cool teen boy who gets out of rehab. Together they attempt to avenge-extort the school teacher the boy says abused him years earlier, but they accidentally killed the guy. From there they split town and road trip to Mexico to bail the girls dad out of prison. The girl puts on airs as a wonderfully happy-go-lucky sex fiend and she's fantastic. The boy is a dope, but falls for the girl and they hook up (weirdly). The first ½ of the film is fun and funny and a crazy good time. Then it shifts to sad and scary and morose for about a third, then recovers to an unbelievably fun ending. This movie is one of a kind!

Wildlife (2018)

A Wonderfully Told Family Drama

[8/10 · 1 January 2019]

A coming of age film set in 1960's Montana with a 14 year old boy who watches his family fall apart. It begins as a nice nuclear family with father, mother, and 14 year old boy who recently moved to rural Montana. The father loses his new job and becomes despondent, then decides to leave the family home for a short while to join a firefighting crew. The mom is lonely and quickly strikes up a relationship with an older man. The boy watches it all happen and gets a glimpse of the ugly side of adulthood. Eventually the father returns and learns what happened, the mom leaves home, the father and son live happily ever after. It's a slow but deeply rich film directed by Paul Dano in his directorial debut. It's a strong film with wonderful imagery and well-drawn characters.

The Price of Everything (2018)

Good Subject for a Short Feature

[6/10 · 1 January 2019]

HBO documentary about the art world and how auctions and investment buying have changed the art culture. It's a good film, but it takes way to many minutes to tell a simple story. It felt like a PBS NewsHour piece stretched to forever-long.

The Hate U Give (2018)

A Story of Struggle Told Well

[8/10 · 1 January 2019]

Black high school girl from 'the hood' attends private school in affluent white neighborhood and carefully walks the two worlds. One night while she is in a car with a lifelong friend they get stopped by a police officer and the cop kills her friend thinking he has a gun. That sets up the tension. It's a good film that defines the problem mostly from the 'black' perspective, but we also see it play out on the white side of town. It's believable until near the end when too many things slip into perfect alignment. It's based on the book by the same name, and synchronizes well with "Dear Martin," a crappy YA novel that now has no cause to be made into a film.

Far From the Tree (V) (2017)

Watch It on TV, Not in a Theater

[7/10 · 1 January 2019]

Documentary about families with kids that are 'different,' based on the book by the same name. Issues include autism, down's syndrome, a dwarf, and a child killer. The author is gay, and used that issue and his family reaction as the springboard to examine other families with 'different' children. I saw this at a proper theater and it was pretty good, but in a PBS documentary kind of way, and did not stand up as a feature.

Icebox (2018)

A Topical Masterpiece

[10/10 · 9 December 2018]

Icebox is a compelling topical masterpiece that tells the story of a young boy in Honduras who is attacked by a vicious street gang and flees to the United States, where he is captured by immigration authorities and held in a cage-camp. It's an amazing drama about life inside the chaotic immigration system, and the subjective destruction of young lives. The story is well told in Spanish with English subtitles, and is a must see for every American in whose name children are held in cages.

Loudon Wainwright III: Surviving Twin (2018)

It's The Story of Life, and Maybe More

[9/10 · 14 November 2018]

I have blessedly enjoyed the music of Loudon Wainwright III for as long as I can remember, and his father's writing in Life Magazine long before that. The younger Loudon spins stories and song in this Netflix concert film, weaving the two together in a remarkable way on a solo theater stage. It's ninety minutes of poetry, really, in which the singing Loudon shares his fathers "The View From Here" columns from Life magazine, and then sings his own songs about fatherhood, and shared and broken lives. It's beautiful theater, and a wonderful concert, and a must watch for anybody who still remembers the elder Loudon, or enjoys the music of his son.

Force Majeure (2014)

A Quiet And Engaging Film

[10/10 · 10 November 2018]

"Force Majeure" is a quietly engaging film that explores what we expect of each other, and what we expect of ourselves. The film follows a Swedish family on a ski holiday at an elite resort in the French Alps. All is well until an avalanche races toward the family as they begin a leisurely lunch on a sunlit patio. The mother grabs her two children and ducks for cover, while the father clings to his cell phone and instinctively runs away. The avalanche passes without doing any physical harm, but the decision each parent made in the face of danger will challenge their marriage to its core. This film takes us inside the crumbling relationship over the next several days of the ski holiday, and captures the dynamic well. It's not a ski film in the traditional sense, but the mountain environment becomes a private world in which we begin to understand how individuals and relationships are shaped by decisions made deep in the subconscious.

"Force Majeure" is a multi-lingual Swedish film with English subtitles that spends most of its time quietly observing the family after the devastation of the avalanche. The production, photography, and audio are strong, and the acting is solid, but the film is burdened with a few distractions that pull away from the main story. "Force Majeure" is a small 2014 independent film that has already been optioned for a remake by Fox Searchlight. I can imagine the story could be told a bit more efficiently, but I doubt a major studio will be able to preserve the subtlety and intentional awkwardness of the original.

Ten Thousand Saints (2015)

A Coming of Age Period Film Worth Watching

[8/10 · 10 November 2018]

"Ten Thousand Saints," is an enjoyable coming of age film about complicated and dysfunctional families and characters in the late 1980's. The film, based on the novel by Eleanor Henderson, begins in rural Vermont where we meet two best-friend stoner teens from broken hippy families. One boy dies of a drug overdose, the other bolts for New York City where he moves in with his stoner father. A pregnant girl enters his life and his rage turns to confusion, and then eases as he begins to grow-up. The film is mostly set in New York's East Village, with hard-core and straight-edge music giving the story contrasting anti-establishment and clean living structures, as well as a rough edge and soft core. The narrative culminates at the 1988 Tompkins Square Park Riots, which becomes an explosive coming of age moment for the young couple, as well as the city. All the characters are deeply flawed but likeable, and the New York period setting (complete with CBGB's) drips with authenticity. It was a fun time to be growing up, but also a dangerous time. This low budget independent film captures that dynamic well. The first 20 minutes start out slow, but if you lived through that period and don't mind course language and a background of 1980's drug culture, it's well worth two hours of screen time.

Gueros (2014)

A Quiet Coming Of Age Film

[8/10 · 10 November 2018]

"Gueros," is a really fine artsy-farsty coming of age story. It's a quiet Spanish film with English subtitles about a troubled teenage boy in the Mexican countryside, sent to live with his slacker college age brother in Mexico City. The film takes place while the nearby urban university is occupied by student protesters, who often spill into the streets where their anger over economic issues meshes with the poverty of daily life. The older boy is politically apathetic, but his love interest is a leader of the protests, so the energy of the occupation looms large. Along the way the films four main characters travel through the city searching for an elusive almost-rock star whose music played an outsized role in the lives of the boys and their deceased father. The film captures the chaos on the streets as the young boy begins to see the world through new eyes, and as his older brother embraces the cultural upheaval.

"Gueros" is set squarely in Mexico, but it could as easily have been adapted to an American city, and structured around the Black Lives Matter protests. While it's uniquely a Mexican film, the portability of the story gives it wider appeal, and the characters feel like neighbors. It's a rich story told beautifully, and well shot on black and white film. If you are in the mood for a quiet coming of age film set in another culture, "Gueros" will make you smile.

All the Time in the World (2014)

A Quiet Film That Exposes Real Life In The Best Way

[9/10 · 10 November 2018]

"All The Time in the World" is a wonderful documentary film about a Canadian family (mother, father and three kids, ages 4, 8, and 10) who left their comfortable Dawson City home to spend a winter in a small cabin deep in the Yukon backcountry. I saw this film at a festival in Cooperstown, New York, at which the filmmaker/mother (Suzanne Crocker) did a q+a after the screening. It's a fascinating story about a family reconnecting and learning to live simply in a wild and unforgiving environment. It's a wonderful story and is exceptionally well told through this moving documentary.

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Way Too Long

[2/10 · 10 November 2018]

I just spent 137 minutes watching the critically acclaimed "Manchester by the Sea." My review: every single person who was involved in the structure of this film should be required to multiply 137 minutes by 60 seconds, and then in legible long-hand write "Manchester by the Sea is stupidly and pointlessly long" 8,200 times. This film had far too many shots, and far too many shots that went on far too long. I'm sure there is a meaningful story someplace in that massive pile of wasted electrons, but the production lacked a sharp enough editor to pull it up.

Beatriz at Dinner (2017)

A Small Film With a Big Punch

[9/10 · 10 November 2018]

"Beatriz at Dinner," is a wonderfully uncomfortable film about the clash of culture and class in America. While the battle of class is front and center, "Beatriz at Dinner" broadens its approach to expose a modern culture that selfishly destroys without regard for all that has come before, or that which will follow.

Beatriz is a middle aged holistic healer from Mexico, living a work-a-day existence in Southern California. After treating an affluent client in a gated community, her car breaks down and she is invited to stay in the family mansion for an intimate dinner celebration honoring a real estate mogul and his new development deal. That sets up a squirm-inducing connection between a working class caretaker of the human condition, and an arrogant financial predator who views the planet as his to exploit. The contrast between caretaker and planet-taker builds through an increasingly uncomfortable evening until it explodes, settles, and then explodes again.

There is a dark line in present-day America between the working class and predatory wealth that everybody can see, but that most of us try to ignore. This film rests on that mean line, but offers enough humor to keep the bite of its social commentary feeling welcomed. The story develops naturally, and the acting, especially the work of stars Salma Hayek and John Lithgow, is superb. "Beatriz at Dinner" is a small film that packs a punch. I've seen it referred to as "the first film of the Trump Era," and that seems a perfect description of its big mission.

Lost in Space (2018–2021)

A Watchable Failure, But Just Barely

[5/10 · 10 November 2018]

I grew up with the original "Lost in Space" series that aired between 1965 and 1968, and like most 8-12 year old boys I easily identified with the Will Robinson character, played by child star Billy Mummy. And like most boys of that generation, I desperately wanted to be Will. The reboot takes a lot of liberties and doesn't hold together as well, but once again the stand out character is Will Robinson, this time played by the very talented 12 year old Maxwell Jenkins. I still identify with the Will Robinson character, and I'd still like to be that kid, but now I kinda dig his mom too.

The Robinson family has been updated for modern era with a military dad who has been away on too many long deployments, and a strong mom who is recognized as one of the top aerospace engineers of her time. Of course that breeds parental conflict and the kids worry about divorce, but the challenges of being 'lost in space' force them to work as a team, which ultimately brings the parents back together. The buffoonery of the original Dr. Smith character has been dropped in favor of a purely evil woman who has secretly stowed away and is masquerading under the name Dr. Smith. The robot character, which was originally a helpful tag-a-long friend to Will is now big and vicious, and alternates between friendly and monstrously evil with the jarring abruptness of an old-school WWE wrestler shifting from babyface to heel.

Each of the ten episodes has multiple storylines that either conclude or cliff hang at the end of the hour, so character development is rushed to build the micro-stories, but it feels random and forced which hurts the season-long narrative. Lost in Space might have worked as a traditional television series, but the rushed storylines and haphazard character development fail in the Netflix environment where multiple episodes are consumed binge style.

I suppose I enjoyed the show enough to watch all ten episodes, but there are too many points where a viewer gets pulled in multiple directions to satisfy minor plot points at the expense of the grand narrative, which drags my overall rating of the series reboot to just below mediocre.

Oh, and the one thing I can't understand about Lost in Space and other fictional space-centric programs, is why the imagined typography of the future is so damn boring. It seems that in every futuristic film or TV series the designers ban the serif. I simply can't imagine a more wretched life than living in a world sans serif. Typography matters, damn it.