Reel Popcorn Junkie

The Bourne Identity (2002)

2021-02-14T14:27:00.003-08:00

Strap yourselves in. The Bourne Identity is an edge-of-your-seat thriller. This riveting Univeral release from director Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) is based on a novel by American writer Robert Ludlum. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has amnesia after a fishing trawler picks him up. "I don't know who I am," he tells Marie (Franka Potente), a woman who agrees to help him. Hint - he's a hitman tied in with the American government. Others want him dead, including Conkin (Chris Cooper), after his failed assassination attempt of a former African government leader. Bourne slowly starts to put the pieces together of his past while dodging the efforts of others to take him out - permanently. Great popcorn movie with a solid cast. RATING: 8/10 FUN FACTS: Franka Potente starred in Run Lola Run.

Patton (1970)

2021-02-01T17:02:00.003-08:00

Watch, Patton. That's an order. Career-defining performance by George C. Scott as the brilliant American general who was a genius on the battlefield, but kept stepping on landmines with his superiors when he opened his mouth. Watch for fine support work from Karl Malden as General Omar Bradley, Patton's mostly-patient peer. Patton scooped up seven Oscars, including best picture, actor (Scott) and director (Franklin J. Schaffner). Francis Ford Coppola co-wrote the screenplay shortly before his masterpiece, The Godfather, came out in 1972. Schaffner helmed this very fine film after directing Wow, the early 1970s boasted some very fine films. RATING: 8/10 FUN FACTS: Bill Hickman is Patton's driver. Audiences might not recognize his face, but Hickman as behind the wheel for two of cinema's most famous car chases - Bullett and The French Connection. Michael Strong appears as Brigadier General Hobart Carver. The native of the Big Apple did a lot of television work, including multiple appearances on Hawaii Five-O and The Streets of San Francisco.

Pork Chop Hill (1959)

2019-05-28T11:49:00.002-07:00

Finding a used copy of this Korean War drama on Amazon took a lot of time.

I should have saved myself the effort and money.

Pork Chop Hill is a massive disappointment.

This black-and-white effort from 1959 boasted lots of potential. Gregory Peck held the leading role. A slew of up-and-coming actors are featured in the cast including Norman Fell and Gavin Macleod. Pork Chop Hill is based on a true story from the Korean War. Director Lewis Milestone helmed the original All Quiet on the Western Front.

Too bad it's hard for the viewer to connect with the characters, who come and go. There's little tension in the battle scenes. What looks to be studio filming takes away from the story's realism. Finally, what's supposed to be the climatic battle isn't even shown. Yikes, what a letdown. Most of the movie's attempted humour falls flat.

Peace talks are underway to end the Korean War. Both the American and Chinese leaders want to capture Pork Chop Hill as a sign of strength over the other nation. Peck and his men are assigned to capture the objective, but are given minimal assistance.

Take a pass on Pork Chop Hill. There must be a better Korean War drama out there, right?

RATING: 4/10

Peck does shine in a Second World War drama, Twelve O'Clock High. That film is highly recommended by this film fan.

Angel Eyes (2001)

2019-02-12T12:02:00.002-08:00

Jennifer Lopez, you disappoint me.

Out of Sight, with co-star George Clooney, was such an awesome film with great chemistry with George Clooney.

Angel Eyes is OK, but is far from a heavenly treat.

Female police officer saves man in collision that kills his wife and young son. He saves her from potentially being gunned down on the job.

They meet. She doesn't remember him from the crash. Romantic sparks fly. She's curious about his mysterious past.

Domestic violence gets serious treatment here. That would be Toronto standing in for Chicago where film is supposed to be set. Was that the CN Tower I saw early on in this 2001 release? Now-closed discount emporium Honest Ed's is definitely seen in the background of another scene.

Lopez diehards may want to see Angel Eyes, but the rest of us can give this drama a gentle pass.

RATING: 6/10

First Man (2018)

2018-10-17T10:54:00.002-07:00

First Man is tops for a moving experience at the movies. Be prepared to feel a little queasy too. Flights are shown from Armstrong's perspective. It's really a bumpy ride.

Ryan Gosling stars as Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut who was the first man to walk on the moon.

Gosling is stellar in his portrayal of the unflappable engineer who endures several near-death experiences during his nearly decade of work to prepare for the moon landing.

Claire Foy (The Crown) is solid as Armstrong's wife, Janet, who balances caring for the couple's children and knowing death is always near for members of the American space program.

That's Lukas Haas, from Lady in White, as Mike Collins.

Look for Gosling, a native of London, Ont., to be an Oscar contender come 2019.

First Man is directed by Damien Chazelle (La-La Land).

RATING: 9/10

Hyena Road - currently watching

2018-06-26T12:03:00.001-07:00

Director Paul Gross explores Canada's involvement in Afghanistan.

Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster

2018-03-16T07:46:00.001-07:00

Currently watching Citizen Gangster (2011)

Canadian film is based on true events, but doesn't make a real emotional connection with the viewer.

Odd to see International Bridge, connecting Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., in film set in Toronto.

Bridge opened in 1962, after the bank-robbing exploits of Edwin Boyd and his gang.

RATING: 6/10

FUN FACTS: Kelly Reilly starred in Sherlock Holmes and Pride and Prejudice.

Brian Cox had the lead role in Winston Churchill.

William Mapother appeared as Dr. Ethan Rom in television's Lost.

Citizen Gangster was nominated for five Genie Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Academy Awards, including best lead actor and best supporting actor.

Director Nathan Morlando returned to the Sault Ste. Marie area to shoot his second feature, Mean Dreams, starring Bill Paxton in one of his last roles.

Harry Houston, a veteran of community theatre in Sault Ste. Marie, appears as a bank customer who witnesses Boyd rob one of his first banks.

Top Secret! (1984)

2018-03-13T11:50:00.001-07:00

Lots of laughs here from the creative team behind Airplane!

Val Kilmer, in his film debut, is American rock singer Nick Rivers. He gets mixed up with the French resistance during a visit to East Germany.

Top Secret! spoofs war and rock 'n' roll movies.

Will need to update this comedy at a later date.

Watch for horror icon Peter Cushing in one of his last screen roles.

RATING: 7.5/10

The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

2018-03-13T11:34:00.001-07:00

What a surprise to find a copy of Year Of Living Dangerously, The at a used record shop in my hometown. The copies I've found on Amazon are pretty pricey.

I caught Peter Weir's drama at the theatre when it was released in 1982.

Thirty-six years would pass until I saw this movie a second time.

Linda Hunt is the main reason to watch this film. She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for this role.

She's Billy Kwan, the connected photographer who works with Australian journalist Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) in Indonesia in 1965.

The job is Hamilton's first foreign posting. He has no connections. Kwan knows people and opens doors Hamilton couldn't hope to find on his own.

Times are tense with a dictator, President Sukarno, ruling with an iron fist. A Communist uprising is brewing.

Hamilton falls for Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver), a British diplomat. There's good chemistry between the two.

But enjoy Hunt's work as Kwan, the photographer who is disillusioned with how Indonesians are treated by their government and what Hamilton will do for a story.

RATING: 8/10

Back to Bataan (1945)

2018-03-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

back to bataan is a disappointing Second World War film that's best left alone.

John Wayne stars as Col. Joseph Madden, an American soldier working with Filipino resistance fighters against occupying Japanese forces.

Anthony Quinn is Capt. Adres Bonifacio, a resistance leader who's freed from captivity.

His girlfriend, Dalisay Delgado (Fely Franquell) broadcasts propaganda for the Japanese. Not good.

That's Beulah Bondi from It's a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as a teacher of Filipino children.

RATING: 5/10

FUN FACTS: Lawrence Tierney appears as Lt. Cmdr. Waite. He was in The Naked Gun: Files from Police Squad more than 40 years later.

El Dorado

2017-11-01T06:15:00.003-07:00

El Dorado

Disappointing western with Robert Mitchum, John Wayne and a young James Caan.

Great chance for lots of tension here, but little to be found.

Take a pass.

5/10

Valkyrie (2008)

2017-06-17T07:29:00.001-07:00

The real-life plot to kill Adolf Hitler makes for a so-so story on the big screen.
Valkyrie, from director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men), boasts an all-star cast.
The roster of talent includes Tom Cruise (A Few Good Men), Kenneth Branagh (Henry V), Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton) and Terence Stamp (Superman II).
Cruise is Col. Claus von Stauffenberg. He's convinced Germany is better without the Nazi leader and agrees to head a plot to kill Hitler.
"Change must be made," von Stauffenberg declares early on in this 2008 release.
Some scenes drip with tension, but overall Valkyrie doesn't grip the viewer with its tale of the most well-known attempt to strike Hitler down.
Valkyrie is a disappointment.
RATING: 7/10

City Slickers (1991)

2017-05-08T07:29:00.002-07:00

Yee-haw, for the most part.

City Slickers gets a bit schmaltzy at time, but this western comedy starring Billy Crystal and, Shane!, Jack Palance is well worth a look.

Three friends, Mitch Robbins (Crystal), Phil Berquist (Daniel Stern) and Ed Furillo (Bruno Kirby), spend two weeks taking part in a cattle drive.

Robbins is in a funk. His sales job at a radio station ("What is my job? I sell air.") is losing its lustre.

His buddies have their own problems too. Phil is in an unhappy marriage and manages a grocery store for his father-in-law. Furillo is afraid of settling down with his young wife. She wants children. Furillo fears becoming a dad means his days of playing the field are done.

Curly (Palance) is the bonafide cowboy who'll take the trio, and the rest of the would-be cowboys including Bonnie Rayburn (Helen Slater) on the trek.

City Slickers is fun mostly for its one-liners. Most are delivered by Crystal.

Mitch to Ed on trying on western wear: "I think you look like one of the Village People."

Mitch about Curly: "Did you see how leathery he was. He's like a saddlebag with eyes."

Mitch to Curly about his lack of finesse when roping cattle: "I have a roping disability."

In-between the banter, and driving the cattle, Mitch, Phil and Ed find time to talk about their respective problems back home. I'm all for men sharing their feelings. Here, it occasionally gets to be a bit much.

That's a small quibble. City Slickers is worth a whoop, or two.

RATING: 8/10

FUN FACTS: That's Jake Gyllenhaal as Mitch's son. I didn't recognize him. Thanks, Internet Movie Database.

Veteran actress Jayne Meadows (Song of the Thin Man) is the voice of Mitch's mom.

Jack Palance won a best supporting actor Oscar for City Slickers. His last nomination was for Shane in 1954.

Helen Slater's first film role was as Supergirl.

Dark Passage (1947)

2017-04-18T07:46:00.002-07:00

The cast is great. The story is good in Dark Passage.

Be warned, viewers. You won't get a look at Humphrey Bogart until about this film noir from American director Delmer Daves (3:10 to Yuma) is about a third over.

There's a good reason why Bogart's face time is reduced.

He's Vincent Parry, a San Francisco man sent to San Quentin for the murder of his wife. Parry escapes and sets out to find out the real killer. With a mug that's reproduced in the newspapers, Parry gets a new face - literally - from disgraced doc Dr. Walter Coley (Houseley Stevenson, in one of many very strong support roles).

Parry finds a second key ally too. Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall) followed Parry's trial and also believed he was innocent of his wife's death. She gives him shelter in her apartment. They fall in love.

A string of dead bodies follows Parry. Some of these fatalities strain belief, specifically two involving Parry.

There's good tension through much of Dark Passage, but this film definitely falls short of being great.

Agnes Moorehead is especially great here. Douglas Kennedy gets a nice cameo as a police detective who quickly gets on Bogie's nerves.

Dark Passage also boasts some wonderful dialogue.

Bob (Bruce Bennett) to Madge: "I'm annoyed whenever I see you."

Bob to Irene regarding Madge: "Just pick up the sofa and throw it at her."

Vincent to small-time hood Baker (Clifton Young): "It's wonderful when guys like you lose out. It makes guys like me think we got a chance in this world."

Watch for the version of Dark Passage that includes a 10-minute short on its production. It's well worth the view.

RATING: 8/10

FILM FACTS: Too bad for Clifton Young. He died smoking in bed in 1951 at age 33. Young was Bonedust in several Little Rascals shorts. His last credit? Zombies of the Stratosphere in 1952.

Agnes Moorehad later appeared as Endena in television's Bewitched. Moorehad also voiced The Goose in 1973's Charlotte's Web.

Bruce Bennett teamed up with Bogart in 1948's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Lauren Bacall did voice work for Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King in 2008.

The Great Escape: Secrets Revealed

2017-02-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

This history fan is fascinated by The Great Escape.
The Allied prisoner of war escape during the Second World War was made into a star-studded film starring Steve McQueen and James Garner.
The Great Escape: Secrets Revealed is a bare-bones documentary returning to the POW camp in Poland some 70 years later.
If you're interested in seeing what Stalag Luft III looks like now, consider watching this film.
Just know this.
Secrets Revealed is edited to appear on television. There are no extras.
RATING: 6/10

A Late Quartet (2012)

2017-01-31T11:19:00.001-08:00

Rest in pace, Philip Seymour Hoffman.
The American actor died in 2014. He was 46.
A Late Quartet is one of his last films, released in 2012. This movie, the only feature credit to date from director Yaron Ziberman, is definitely worth seeing.
An esteemed classical quartet is about to fall apart after 25 years together.
Cellist Peter Mitchell (Christopher Walken) learns he has Parkinson's disease. He knows he won't be able to play much longer. Mitchell wants the group to continue without him. He's even selected a young talent to take his place.
His imminent departure sparks all kind of troubles with the remaining three members.
Second violinist Robert Gelbart (Hoffman) sees Mitchell's demise as the time for him to assert himself. He no longer wants to be second fiddle, so to speak, behind Daniel Lerner (Mark Ivanir). His wife, violist Juliette Gelbart (Catherine Keener) isn't impressed with her husband's poor sense of timing. She's also not keen for her hubby to take the first violin chair. The group isn't the only thing that appears in danger of being wiped out.
Meanwhile, Daniel is taking more than a teacher's interest in Alexandra, the daughter of Juliette and Robert. Yikes.
Mitchell finds the prospect of leaving the group tough enough. Even worse is seeing the quartet implode.
There's much to enjoy here.
The inner workings of a classical group isn't often explored. There's plenty of drama here. Personal relationships fray. Egos must be managed. Just how much control should one person have with the group? "I miss being excited," laments Robert. He also delivers this broadside to Juliette: "Do you really love me or am I just convenient?"
The cast is great. Walken takes a lot of heat for being a bit odd, but he's very good here.
Hoffman is solid. Keener gets ample time to display her acting chops. Juliette is getting rocked from all sides - a straying husband, an ungrateful daughter and a mentor who's experiencing a serious health issue.
A cameo by Wallace Shawn (Toy Story, the princess bride) is a treat. Hey, is it just a coincidence his scene with Walken is a restaurant? Could that be a nod to one of his most famous roles in My Dinner with Andre?
And, finally, there's much to savour about a soundtrack filled with classical music. Play on and see this film.
RATING: 8/10
FUN FACTS; Daniel Lerner has come a long way. His first film credit is Iron Eagle II. Delta Force 3: The Killing Game followed a few years later. Then, he appeared in schindler's list. Much better.

Supertramp: The Story So Far (2002)

2017-01-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

What a disappointment.

This is more concert video than a documentary of the great British group with a stable of hits including The Logical Song, Fool's Overture, Give a Little Bit and Dreamer.

Only a portion of Supertramp: The Story So Far is dedicated to telling Supertramp's story. The band goes from forming to Rodger Hodgson leaving in 1983 in 12 minutes. Things get more interesting when, after a slew of musical performances from concert dates that year, Rick Davies talks about two post-Hodgson albums, Brother, Where You Bound and Free as a Bird.

We learn very little about albums such as Crime of the Century and Crisis, What Crisis. We hear no stories of how their hits came to be. Again, this changes when Davies talks about songs such as Free as a Bird after Hodgson leaves the group.

Live takes of songs such as From Now On, Goodbye Stranger and Crazy are fine to hear. Don't expect to hear much different from the studio versions.

The disc also features four music videos, including I'm Beggin' You from Free As A Bird (Remastered). Davies shakes his head at the memory of the song being a dance hit. Go figure.

The Story so Far carries a 1990 copyright. Then, Davies suggests the band will get back together. They did - for 1997's Some Things Never Change by EMI International.

Supertramp deserves as a better documentary than this. Will we ever get to see one?

RATING: 6/10

UPDATED: Concert CD, It was the Best of Times, came out in 1999 featuring material from Some Things Never Change. Mark Hart, vocalist recruited following Rodger Hodgson's departure, gets more attention singing new songs and material once done by Hodgson.

UPDATED: This Supertramp fan enjoys listening to Some Things Never Change, but keeps hoping Supertramp will reunite for one last tour with Davies and Hodgson.

The History Boys (2006)

2017-01-24T06:47:00.001-08:00

This film went from OK to lousy in the last 15 minutes.

Its depiction of a teacher, Hector (Richard Griffiths) who sexually assaults his students, is treated as a joke. Why?

To make things worse, a student suggests a sexual encounter with a teacher as a way of saying thank you. Why?

Take a pass on The History Boys.

SAD FACT: Griffiths was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for best lead actor.

RATING: 3/10

Don Cherry Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Volume VI

2016-12-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

My curiosity is now satisfied.

This is one of a long-running annual series by Canadian commentary Don Cherry. Think of him as the Donald Trump of professional hockey.

I found Rock' Em Sock' Em 6 [VHS] in the used bookstore operated at a public library in my Northern Ontario city. The price - a very reasonable dime.

A few things stand out from watching this hour-long video.

1. The production values are cheap. Great gobs of money were definitely not spent constructing the set where Cherry introduces the different chapters of his video. They include not very funny bloopers, some very entertaining excerpts from his Coaches Cornere segments from CBC Television's Hockey Night in Canada and great saves by goalies.

2. There's no context for what audiences are watching. I didn't know until the end credits that this video came out in the mid-19990s. I could have guessed that based on some of the players I saw - such as Sault Ste. Marie native Paul DiPietro playing for the Montreal Canadiens. But why doesn't Cherry talk about the season and show how teams fared to set up what audiences are going to watch.

3. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em didn't feature many fights. Cherry loves when players drop the gloves. I expected more fights to be featured. I'm not complaining about the lack of fisticuffs, but I was surprised at how few bouts were showcased.

4. Cherry does offer some tips to young players at the end of the video. Thanks, Coach. Good idea.

5. The constant throbbing instrumental music accompanying mostly slo-mo images gets old fast. How about hearing sounds from the actual games?

6. Players featured in Rock' Em Sock' Em 6 [VHS] include Curtis Joseph, Kirk McLean, Andy Moog, Jeremy Roenick, Claude Lemieux, Adam Graves and the still active Jaromir Jagr.

7. Cherry's commentary is often tiresome. "He's a beauty." Blecch. "I tell ya." Please. Cherry does work in a "left wing pinkos" reference. Oh, Don. Such the card.

RATING: 6/10

24 - Season Eight (2010)

2016-09-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

Currently watching final season of 24.

I'm not hopeful after viewing the first three episodes.

Watching 24 typically involves a lot of eye rolling at some of the crazier plot twists.

But, boy, are there some outlandish plot developments early in this Fox Television program's final season.

RATING, TO BE UPDATED: 4/10

UPDATE: Glad to see enjoyment value picked up considerably now that I'm at episode 20.

Give credit to the writers for a plot that keeps surprising, albeit in some pretty unbelievable ways.

Jack Bauer just did something pretty reprehensible in the last episode I watched. That's marred my feelings about this final season.

UPDATE: I'm sure it's not a coincidence 24's final season is set in New York City - site of terrorist attack on World Trade Center in 2001. Good to see Sutherland's character out on the streets. So much of 24 is set in closed sets where passersby are seldom seen.

UPDATE: Two more episodes to watch. There's plenty of tension and mind games going on - much like past seasons of 24. But Bauer's actions in recent episodes are concerning. 24 has included some gruesome scenes in past seasons, but there's several examples of ramped-up brutality that are very unsettling. I can't recommend this year's episodes to children, nor can I in good faith suggest adults tune in either.

RATING: 6/10

The Thin Red Line (1998)

2016-07-19T07:01:00.003-07:00

Fear is what stands out in my mind watching The Thin Red Line

American soldiers fighting the Japanese during the Second World War are scared of what's going to happen. Death is a real possibility.

There's a lot of voiceover prattle in this movie - most of which this movie fan doesn't get.

Fast forward through those parts if needed and settle in with a war film that drew far less movie-goers than Saving Private Ryan.

RATING: 8/10

FUN FACTS: Jim Caviezel was Jesus in The Passion of the Christ and the title character in Wyatt Earp in 1994.

The Thin Red Line was director Terrence Malik's first feature film in 20 years. Days of Heaven was released in 1978. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including best picture, director and cinematography, but won none.

That's John Savage as Sgt. McCron.

I Want to Live! (1958)

2016-05-17T06:57:00.001-07:00

Stap yourselves in, folks.

Susan Hayward gives a tour-de-force performance in this crackling 1958 drama from director Robert Wise (West Side Story, The Sound of Music).

I Want To Live, based on true events, was nominated for six Academy Awards, but only Hayward brought home a trophy for her performance as Barbara Graham. The honour is very well deserved. Her Graham is a fiery character, determined and explosive when she's been wronged.

Graham is a petty criminal - passing plenty of bad cheques, prostitution, perjury to cover for her friends. But her brushes with the law take a dire turn when she's accused of murdering an elderly woman.

Here's one crime she didn't commit, but she's found guilty and sentenced to death. She has a young boy from a third marriage that went sour. Graham has somebody to live for. She's seen another party girl, Peg (Virginia Vincent), turn her life around and becoming a self-confessed "square."

Graham does have a few friends in her corner, including newspaper reporter Ed Montgomery (Simon Oakland) who wrote sensational stories about her court experience, but now wonders if Graham is innocent.

Watch this film. I Want To Live is a keeper.

RATING: 8/10

FUN FACTS: That's Gavin MacLeod, from The Love Boat and Mary Tyler Moore, as a police lieutenant. I didn't recognize him. Glad I watched the end credits.

Prison chaplain Rev. Devers is played by John Marley. He was Jack Woltz in The Godfather.

Wow. Simon Oakland, who I remember from my childhood as Brig. Gen. Thomas Moore in television's Black Sheep Squadron, as reporter Ed Montgomery.

Page One: Inside the New York Times (2011)

2016-04-05T07:04:00.001-07:00

David Carr gets the best moment in Page One: Inside the New York Times.
The media reporter for The New York Times is attending a conference. He holds up a printout of articles featured on a news aggregator's website. Next, Carr presents the same printout with all the newspaper stories cut out. The page is littered with holes.
Message: newspapers create content that people read online. Fewer newspapers, less content.
I'm a print journalist so this film is tailor made for a film film like myself.
Declining readership, and the move of advertising dollars from print to online, have prompted plenty of job cuts in the newspaper industry. My newspaper employed five editors when I started. Now, there's one. Five reporters now try to cover what eight did before. Papers have stopped operating too. In Canada, the Guelph Mercury in Ontario no longer publishes. The Mercury was a daily paper in a city with a population topping 100,000. Not anymore.
Director Andrew Rossi (Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven, Ivory Tower) spent a year covering the media beat at The New York Times. The 12-month stretch saw some major stories break in the industry including the bankruptcy of the Tribune media company and Julian Assange and WikiLeaks' release of classified diplomatic cables.
We see Times' staff consider edited video released by Assange and their probing television footage suggesting American military involvement in Iraq is over. What gets covered? What is news?
Page One does point to missteps done by major players in the newspaper industry that have contributed to its woes. Carl Bernstein, who broke Watergate for The Washington Post, points the finger at Gannett Media for cutting jobs and hobbling papers that were strong in their markets. Classified and employment advertising - lost to upstarts such as Craigslist. Carr points the finger at "decades of organizational hubris."
But, a hobbled media hurts democratic societies, various NYT staff warn because government and business is not being held accountable for their actions. Could Watergate happen today with decimated editorial departments? Bernstein himself notes the Post is "a lesser paper" because of job cuts.
To have strong media "to really gather information," says NYT executive editor Bill Keller, is "essential to a functioning democracy."
"It just doesn't work if people don't know," he says.
What this reporter would like to see is another documentary follow a newspaper in a smaller town. What happens when school board meetings don't get covered when there's no newspaper staff to attend? How is municipal government watched for its actions?
Another neat thing about Page One is an accompanying book (Page One: Inside The New York Times) with a series of essays bout the newspaper business. These pieces are short - less than 10 minutes to read per contributing writer. I'd suggest reading the book before or after viewing Page One.
Strong media - newspaper, radio, television, online - offer more coverage in the communities they serve. Competition keeps reporters on their toes so they don't get complacent. Politicians, police, school board officials and businesses know their actions will be watched.
Page One offers a look at what if that coverage no longer exists.
RATING: 8/10

Classic Albums: U2 The Joshua Tree

2016-03-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

U2 The Joshua Tree is an album that's taken root since its 1987 release.
The band's fifth album has sold an impressive 25 million copies. (For fun, Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water and Phil Collins' No Jacket Required also sold the same number of copies.)
The Joshua Tree earned U2 two Grammy Awards, album of the year and best rock performance by a duo or group.
Two singles from the album, With or Without You and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, hit No. 1 in the United States.
2017 marks the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree's release.
Beat the rush and watch Classic Albums - U2: The Joshua Tree now.
This film fan is also a huge lover of music. The Classic Albums series has explored how more than 40 albums, including Peter Gabriel's So, Steely Dan's Aja and The Doors' self-titled 1967 album were created.
The approach is the same with each album. Give some background about the band before said album came out. Interview the musicians and producers associated with the album. Include snippets of a contemporary performance of some of the album's songs, cut in music video and live concert footage. Voila, an hour-long episode of Classic Albums.
Too bad my DVD copy of Classic Albums - U2: The Joshua Tree included no bonus footage.
But you do get to see Daniel Lanois and Bono sitting side-by-side at a mixing board talking about the album's songs (Bono on I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For: "It's a very odd sounding song."), The Edge sharing his favorite guitar solo from The Joshua Tree. Hint - it's "the most chilled non-dramatic guitar part," who came up with the drum loop to start Mothers of the Disappeared and how many versions of Bullet the Blue Sky were brought together.
Adam Clayton gets one of the doc's best lines when he describes The Edge's demo of Where the Streets Have No Name: "It just seemed like a way of f------ the band up."
Co-producer Brian Eno makes a neat observation about "the creative collision" that helped create The Joshua Tree near the episode's end.
Don't recall previous Classic Albums' episodes delving into B sides, but Sweetest Thing gets some love here. A good chunk of the video for the flip side of Where the Streets Have No Name rounds out this doc.
RATING: 8/10
FUN FACTS: U2 became the third rock band to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine following the release of Where the Streets Have No Name. The Beatles and The Who were first and second.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

2016-03-07T06:54:00.001-08:00

Wow.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a great film.

Seeing movie ads with American critic's Joel Siegel's tagline, "You'll want to stand up and cheer," really irritated me as a younger film fan. But, the late Siegel's line works well here. I can't remember being this wrapped up, and excited, about a movie since the original Spider-Man hit the screen in 2002.

Please appreciate I went to a lot of movies in the 1980s. Teen sex comedies, Private School, Private Lessons, etc. etc. dominated the big screen's depiction of young adults. Fortunately better efforts occasionally appeared, including Pretty In Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful.

Here, director Stephen Chbosky brings his own book to the big screen in a 2012 release.

Charlie is having a tough time with life before he even starts Grade 9. A friend committed suicide. His much-loved aunt died in a collision. He's struggling with his mental health. "I need to turn things around," he declares early on.

High school doesn't start well. Former classmates want nothing to do with him. He's targeted by bullying by older students. Charlie eats alone at lunch.

Then he meets Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his stepsister Sam (Emma Watson).

They're seniors who take Charlie under their wing. Patrick and Sam share Charlie's love of music. It's hard to nail down a date here, but the presence of mix tapes suggests Perks is set in the 1980s.

Things get complicated. Charlie likes Sam. She tends to gravitate to guys who treat her bad. Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman) is another member of Patrick's circle of friends. She gets interested in Charlie. He's never had a girlfriend before and is a little confounded about how relationships work.

Perks works for so many reasons. It's funny, especially with Patrick's pronouncements. Perks is a romance. Charlie and Sam connect. She's trying to get into college. There's other guys. He's not quite sure what to do. Charlie struggles with his mental health. Things start to get better once he meets Patrick and Sam. His well-being takes a big hit when tensions rise within the group when he's torn between Mary Elizabeth and Sam.

I give Perks marks too for touching on abuse in dating relationships. That's something I don't remember seeing in a teen film before.

I missed this film when it came out. Maybe it didn't play in my city. But The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of the best films I've seen in a long time. Watch this movie.

RATING: 9/10

FUN FACTS: Neat. Internet Movie Database reports Ezra Miller will appear as The Flash in a 2018 feature.

Logan Lerman, I've seen you at least once before. You were in the remake of 3:10 to Yuma in 2007.

Cool. Paul Rudd, who appears as English teacher Mr. Anderson, was in another teen film well worth seeing, 1995's Clueless.

This older film fan couldn't help but think of Mary Stuart Masteron, from Some Kind of Wonderful, when watching Emma Watson.