Rita Reviews Milk

Rita has seen Milk. So what’s the verdict? Did Sean Penn deserve the Oscar? He certainly lends a delightful humanity to Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay city supervisor for the city of San Francisco. Tragically, he assassinated while in office by Dan White, his former colleague and nemesis. The biopic charts Milk’s migration from New York to San Francisco with his lover, Cleve Jones (played by Emile Hirsch). They open a camera store in the Castro district that blossoms into a close-knit community and drop-in center for the wayward. Milk rallies the nascent gay community take back the streets from the bigots. In the process of his grass-roots organizing, he becomes politicized and decides to run for public office several times.

The film explores some of Milk’s closest relationships and how they suffered as a result of his political ambitions.

Although the setting and realism of the film was spot-on, it lacked a strong dramatic arc. It reminded me of a made-for-tv movie. The documentary, The Life and Time of Harvey Milk still wins hands-down for its gritty and unsentimental portrayal of a remarkable man. And yes, Sean Penn certainly deserved the Oscar. He is in almost every scene and he captures the magnetism and sensitivity of Milk. Josh Brolin is also very compelling as the cowardly assassin, Dan White.

Milk is an important film that introduces a new generation to a gay icon and hero.

Rita heartily recommends….The Visitor

The Visitor

(Directed and written by Thomas McCarthy, starring Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Jekesai Gurira, and Hiam Abbass)

Rita saw a heartwarming movie that might have slipped under the radar. It stars Richard Jenkins, best known as the father character from “Six Feet Under.” Jenkins plays a shut-down man; a professor going through the motions at his dead-end job at an undisclosed university. He life is irrevocably changed when he stumbles across two “visitors” living in his rent-stabilized apartment in Manhattan. Tarek and Zainab are a couple—she hails from Sengal and he’s from Syria—living illegally under his roof. The girlfriend sells jewelry around NYU and Tarek plays the African drums at a bar downtown and in Central Park. This picture is a love letter to New York City and to all the immigrants that make up her dazzling mosaic.

The human connection is simply magnificent. The story builds subtly…it creeps up on you and by the time the plot turns, you may find yourself very heavily invested in the lives of these characters. Tarek, the musician and Walter, the professor, establish a great rapport. It is amazing to watch how one person can bring life back to another human being. The movie emphasizes the importance of human connection above and beyond the indifference of bureaucracy in immigration policy. And let me just add that the very lovely actress, Hiam Abbass, was a wonder to watch as a gorgeous, midlife woman. Her eyes alone spoke volumes. You must see this sleeper to truly appreciate it.
Rita rather not spoil the rest of the story for you so do yourself a favor and queue it up on Netflix and be prepared to be thoroughly moved. See link below to listen to Terry Gross of WNYC’s “Fresh Air” interview with Jenkins.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98261650&ft=1&f=13

Rita tepidly recommends…Across the Universe

You may recall Julie Taymor’s work from Frida and The Lion King. Ms. Taymor, known for her lavish set designs and innovative special effects is a visual wunderkind. Two of Rita’s favorite sequences in Frida, involves the horrific bus accident recreated by creepy puppet skeletons dancing across the screen and the operating table. There is also the first visit to America sequence where Diego and Frida become animated stop motion characters aboard an ocean liner. Diego Rivera even becomes a King Kong-like animated character scaling the skyscrapers. Julie Taymor excels at stylistic flourishes.

The same stunning visual images can also be seen in Across the Universe, a paean to the 60s and Beatles music sung by the main characters throughout the film. However, the narrative is very weak. The film is like a pot of mixed vegetables that well, just don’t taste very good after it’s done cooking. There’s Jude from London searching for his father at Princeton University who befriends college drop-out Max, and then becomes the boyfriend of Max’s sister, Lucy. The three take up housing with the colorful Janis Joplin clone Sadie, and her Jimi Hendrix doppelgänger boyfriend. Against this backdrop of 60s counter-culture, the Vietnam War, and the civil rights riots comes along the sing-a-long numbers of the Fab Four.

There is something a bit incongruous about the main song numbers and they tend to slow down the pace of the movie rather than advance the storyline. That said, Rita’s favorite number in the film was “I Want You So Baaaad.” This show stopping sequence brings an Uncle Sam recruitment poster to life as helpless Max is being shuffled through the draft board. This stunning number is highly creative, inventive, and really showcases Taymor’s expertise with film as a visual and special effects medium.
If you love singing along to the Beatles’ music catalogue, you might enjoy Across the Universe—just don’t expect much from the tepid plot.

Rita highly recommends…Auntie Mame.

Auntie Mame

Auntie Mame directed by Morton DaCosta. Starring: Rosalind Russell as Mame Dennis, Forrest Tucker as Beauregard Burnside, Coral Browne as Vera Charles, Jan Handzlik as the young Patrick Dennis, Joanna Barnes as Gloria Upson, Fred Clark as Dwight Babcock, and Roger Smith as the grown Patrick Dennis.
“Live! Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!” Auntie Mame (Superbly portrayed by Rosalind Russell, reprises her successful Broadway role.) delivers this piece of advice with much aplomb to her mousy secretary, Agnes Gooch.(Marvelously played by Peggy Cass) Mame glides through the movie with permanent smile on her face, gesticulating fancifully whenever given the chance. She lives larger than life and encourages everyone around her to do the same.

The film opens with 10-year-old Patrick Denis, a recently orphaned boy being unceremoniously dumped into his Auntie Mame’s lavish lifestyle during a swinging party. Even though little Patrick is a bit of a prig, his Auntie Mame takes an instantly liking to him and assumes parenting with the gusto that she brings to all that crosses her path.

In the opening partying scene done in one long take, Auntie Mame flits about the party, introducing her young nephew to indifferent artists, socialites, pretentious academic bores, and the unconventional riff-raff. There is even a gaggle of masculine bulldaggers gathered together on the balcony in the background!

The plot revolves around Auntie Mame’s trying to give her nephew a broad and unconventional upbringing while her nemesis, Mr. Babcock, Patrick’s trustee, tries to do the opposite, and almost succeeds.

Auntie Mame is one of the last of the great witty and urbane liberal New Yorkers. Although it is never fully explained how a former actress can afford a posh Manhattan duplex on Beekman Place (during the start of the Great Depression no less) the movie spans nine years and follows Mame around the world on her wacky escapades. The cleverly written zingers and amusing pratfalls that befall Auntie Mame make her character appealing and touching. Rosalind Russell was truly a versatile female comedienne, able to deliver tongue-tripping dialogue rapidly while being able to execute physical comedy expertly.

The movie runs long, but the sharp dialogue and slapstick scenes should keep the viewer’s interest. If you enjoy an upbeat film, Auntie Mame is a great rental choice.

Rita Recommends…You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008)

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008) starring Adam Sandler, Rob Schnedier, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, John Turturro, Mariah Carey, John McEnroe and Lanie Kazan.

Adam Sandler plays a uber-studly Israeli commando who just wants to go to Ameri-ca and make hair “silky smooth” like his idol, Paul Mitchell. This over-the-top, campy satire on Israeli-Palenstinian conflict does thread on thin ice at times, with its ultra-crude, tasteless, and adolescent boy humor – but what did you expect from Sandler, Judd Apatow and Robert Smigel?

Sandler’s buff appearance seems digitally enhanced in the film while someone in wardrobe must have stuffed his crotch with extra large tube socks!

Zohan, in the opening scenes, is shown dancing with Isareli beauties on the beaches of Tel Aviv as well as displaying mighty feats of strength. But alas, poor Zohan becomes weary of his day job as a top-gun commando so he fakes his own death against his arch-nemesis, The Phantom (John Turturro) and stows away with two dogs on a plane to New York. He takes their names, Coco and Scrappy, and begins a new life for himself in what looks like Atlantic Avenue in downtown Brooklyn. After a humiliating interview at the Paul Mitchell hair salon on Fifth Avenue, Zohan finds his first job in Brooklyn as a floor sweeper for the sexy Dalia, a Palestinian owner of Rafaela’s beauty salon. (Emmanuelle Chriqui)

Many crude jokes abound about Zohan’s sexual prowress—he starts by servicing the mother of the cyclist he defended on the street, and then he shags the little old Jewish ladies who start popping up at Rafaela’s beauty salon for his 80s inspired cuts and the biss-boom-bah in the back office. Soon, there is a line down the block for Zohan’s unique (ahem) skills, until a Palestinian cab driver (Rob Schneider) recognizes him, then the jig is up. Zohan must face his past when a trio of Palestinians led by the irate cabbie try to bomb the salon with Neosporin. Uh, huh.

This hilarious, over-the-top comedy will surely offend some movie-goers of more delicate sensibilities but this reviewer, found it so silly and daring to take on such an unfunny subject as the on-going Middle Eastern conflict. I had to admit, it made me laugh out loud in more than one occasion although some of the more ethnic-poking jokes did go over my head. LOVED the parade of celebrity cameos, especially that of Mariah Carey and John McEnroe.
Don’t Mess with the Zohan is a silly, escapist fare for the summer.
Click on http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/youdontmesswiththezohan/site/index.html for more zaniness from the filmmakers.

More on Memphis

Rita and partner, started at Sun Studios, the legendary recording studio that launched Elvis, Johnny Cash, Slim Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis. But did you also know that Rufus Thomas (who sang the Funky Chicken) recorded a song called “Bear Cat” that sounds suspiciously similar in melody to a much more famous Sun hit called “Hound Dog?” Well, these are just some of the fascinating trivia one will learn on the Sun Studio Tour – the best bang for your buck. Our tour guide was a tall and lanky fellow named Slim Wallace. (He was indeed slim.) He led us through a multi-media tour of Sun Studios replete with display cases of a young Elvis meeting Sun Record producer and guru, Sam Phillips. However, we also learned of many lesser known, influential musicians such as a young Ike Turner and his band called “Kings of Rhythm” who actually had the first rock-and-roll record called “Rocket 88″ and also a great guitarist called Howling Wolf. One thing becomes abundantly clear when moving through Memphis’s rich musical history is how profoundly African American artists influenced and made great American music and also how much interchange there was between the Blues from Beale Street and country music heard on the radio that gave birth to good old Rock-and-Roll.

“My Happyness” and “That’s Alright Mama” were the first recordings done by Elvis when he was 18. Even though I am not a big Elvis fan, it was hard not to be impressed by learning how all this wonderful music came to be. During the tour, one enters the very same studio as all these legendary artists used and there’s even time alloted to handle the famous microphone that all the famous crooners from Elvis to Johnny Cash to Slim Perkins used to make legendary hits. Sun Studios is an absolute must-see on the music from Memphis tour.

Rita recommends….Memphis, TN

Gentle readers, Rita is departing from her usual film review format to bring you some highly recommended sightseeing tours in the heart of the South in Memphis, Tennessee. It has been a long-time dream of Rita’s to see the deep South (Miami and the Florida Keys just never seemed to really count) and Rita has finally realized that dream in a big way by delving into the crossroads of the Blues/Rock and Roll/Soul/Gospel/Rhythm and Blues and the civil rights movement. Exploring Memphis’ museums is to look at the fascinating history of American music and how it developed in the deep South. If you are even remotely interested in great music, (which I’m sure you are) you owe it to yourself to find out something more about American music and its rich legacy. Believe me, you’ll find something to get excited about it. Besides, the people here are friendly and laid-back and more than willing to help a tourist find his or her way.

Rita recommends Elizabeth but not, Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) are both directed by Shekhar Kapur. I had seen Elizabeth almost 10 years ago and remembered liking it and Cate Blanchett, who is absolutely luminous as Queen Elizabeth, the so-called Virgin Queen. To refresh my memory, I watched it again and also saw its sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I prefer Elizabeth to the one made last year. Both films are a feast for the eyes, the set design—stunning, the costumes—stellar, and the acting by Blanchett—riveting. That said, something was sorely lacking in Golden Age. Visually, it is as captivating as the first Elizabeth, but something is missing. Perhaps the intrigue
wasn’t as compelling as the first. Some of the lines in Golden Age are just plain silly. Whereas, in the first Elizabeth, the queen-to-be is unsure of herself and has to navigate a battlefield of political assassins in her path to ascend the throne. In part 2, Spain, as her primary enemy, just does not seem so much a threat as a nuisance. The plot meanders and after awhile, her love interest, Sir Walter Raleigh, played by Clive Owens, was annoying and burdensome. The scenes between Queen Elizabeth and her main lady-in-waiting (Samantha Morton) were much more playful and sensual but I may be a bit biased in that department! Go see for yourself.

Rita Recommends… three by George Clooney

If you are one of the many fans who swoon at the sight of George Clooney, there are plenty of flicks to get your just delights such as Michael Clayton (2007) and Oh Brother, Where Are Thou? (2000) You can also see his smart side in his directorial debut, Goodnight and Good Luck. (2005) Let’s start with Michael Clayton, George is looking a little grizzled and haggard here. That’s because he’s burnt out from being the “fixer” for his law firm while coming to the assistance of his colleague, Arthur who has a nervous breakdown. Plus, he needs to keep the loan sharks are bay to pay off his brother’s debt. The film also stars academy award winner, Tilda Swinton, as the corrupt corporate counsel, Karen Crower. This is a solid, entertaining escapade that will keep you guessing until the ending credits.

Oh Brother, Where Are Thou? is a zany, steeped in sepia film by the Coen Brothers, one of the few movies of theirs that I can look out without averting my eyes. As usual, their film has spectacular visuals and catchy, folkloric southern songs that punctuate the film. Ever so loosely based on the Odyssey, (I should know, I had to read it in college.) our beloved George plays Everett Ulysses McGil. He is part of a chain-gang in 1930s Mississippi. He and his fellow inmates, Delmar and Pete (John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson) escape incarceration and among other things, face a series of eccentric characters and a KKK lynch mob. (one of the more spectacular scenes in the film) This is a wonderfully quirky movie, especially notable for its music, its historical setting, and George is funny and handsome, looking very much like a classical Hollywood actor from the golden years of film.

Last but not least, there is the stark black and white film Good Night, and Good Luck in which George directed. In it, he pays tribute to Edward R. Murrow, considered to be one of the best TV journalists. Murrow (David Strathairn) faces down Senator McCarthy, a powerful and bullying man who engaged in a witch hunt of American citizens accused of being Communists. Murrow and his CBS team expose the lies of McCarthy and bring about an end to his fear tactics.

Rita Recommends…In Treatment

Just heard about this highly original HBO series from an interview with the star, Gabriel Byrne, on the Leonard Lopate show on WNYC this week. Well, Rita just had to see what all the fuss was about, watching therapy sessions with psychoanalyst Paul, who runs his practice out of a home office in the suburbs. Adapted from a popular Israeli series called “Be Tipul,” the show follows Paul Weston throughout his week as he sees different clients, Laura, Alex, Sophie, married couple Jake and Amy and finally Paul himself in session with his old mentor, Gina. (played by Dianne Wiest) The drama is absolutely riveting. I watched one free episode off the HBO website on Wednesday and by Thursday, I had viewed about 9 half-hour episodes in one sitting! The intensity of the acting and the writing is extremely compelling. Check it out.

http://www.hbo.com/intreatment/about/
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2008/03