First Man Is A Powerful Reminder Of What Humanity Can Accomplish

It's been a dark week in the United States... Pittsburgh, my adopted hometown, in particular.  The tragic shooting here has left us all with a horrible reminder of the worst in humanity.  And, for many of us, the rhetoric coming out of the oval office seems like a race to the bottom in many ways.  It was nice to go into a movie tonight and be reminded that we as a country can achieve greatness if we so choose.  First Man, shockingly the first true biopic about Neil Armstrong, shoots for greatness.  Directed with surgeon's focus by Damian Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash), and acted with a quiet but gritty focus by Ryan Gosling, First Man is a shining star in a world that needs one.

Gosling leads First Man's stellar cast.

What was most interesting to me about this film is that while the moon landing was one of the most memorable moments of all-time, I hardly knew anything about the man who took mankind's greatest leap.  Armstrong is portrayed as a man haunted by the loss of his daughter and space compatriots who uses that pain to keep pushing forward.  Gosling is remarkable in this role.  It was interesting to see just how much of a loner that Armstrong was.  He kept everyone, including his wife (portrayed with steel resolve by The Crown's Claire Foye) and kids, at an arm's length.  Even his fellow astronauts couldn't get a true read on him.  There's a moment towards the end of the film, where you finally see Armstrong let go of the inner pain that haunts him throughout it.  This moment could very easily have veered into cheesy territory, but it's done in such a way that had my eyes welling up.

Speaking of direction, a lot of this film's success is due to the tight direction of Damian Chazelle.  He truly takes a step forward with this film.  From start to finish, this film is presented in a restrained manner.  We are presented with the story in a way that rightly steers clear of hero worship, while showcasing just how great these people were.  Chazelle presents the story in a "warts and all" manner, showing the sacrifice and human toll of walking on the moon.  He also does a lot with the camera, editing, and sound design to show just how harrowing space travel is.  This is not a movie that's heavy on musical score.  Instead, Chazelle let's the shaking of the camera and sound of the launch tell the story.  It reminded me a lot of my favorite movie from last year, Dunkirk, in this way.  The claustrophobia of such a big moment made it so much more intimate for the audience that I found myself white knuckling my chair at many moments this year.

First Man is a top rate movie.  It showcases the best of humanity at a time when many of us need that reminder.  I'm giving it 3.8 out of 4 stars.  It'll certainly make my top 10 of the year and should be a major player during awards season.

A Star Is Born is going to win best picture.

I've never seen any of the approximately 345 previous versions of A Star Is Born, so this review won't try to make any comparisons.  I'll judge this film on its own merits.  I can confidently predict that A Star Is Born will win this year's Best Picture.  It's an incredible character study with strong performances throughout.  The music is infectious and the Bradley Cooper's directing is strong.  While it's not currently my favorite movie of the year (That would be the incredible Annihilation), it'll be at the top of my year-end list. 

A Star Is Born is the fictional tale of an aging, drunken musician (Cooper in a breakout performance) who stumbles upon a no-name musician during a trip to a drag bar (the exceptional Lady Gaga).  He then takes her on the road with him and romance and heartbreak ensue on her rise to stardom.  This movie had a lot of chances to fall into a cliche trap, but Cooper's direction and the performances keep it from doing so.  For starters, the actors chose to sing live instead of to a pre-taped performance.  This gives each musical scene a sense of realism that may have been lost.  Cooper more than holds his own with the exceptional Gaga, which was something I didn't think he had in him.  The bond between these two characters was real and sincere.  Both their characters are given equal time to develop, so their choices have weight and meaning behind them.  I don't really want to spoil anything for those of you who aren't familiar with the story, but the film takes some dark turns along the way, and they hit so hard because of the time we as an audience are given to bond with them.

Cooper and Gaga have exceptional on-screen chemistry.

I was skeptical that Cooper and Gaga would be able to pull off such an excellent film, and boy was I wrong.  However, they aren't the only actors who shined in in A Star Is Born.  I can easily see Sam Elliott's brother/father figure character getting some awards' season recognition, and Andrew "Dice" Clay delivered a humorous yet relate-able performance as Gaga's father.

I'm giving A Star Is Born 3.75 out of 4 stars.  I predict it will be a major player come Oscar time.  It may not be the best film of the year, but I predict it will win Best Picture.

Watching Purple Rain for the first time in the shadow of the #MeToo movement

I've long been a fan of Prince's music, but for some reason or another, I've never gotten around to watching his 1984 breakout film Purple Rain.  I finally got around to it the other night when it made its way to the top of my Netflix DVD list (yes, I still use that service).  Making my way through this film, I couldn't help draw direct parallels to today's current climate... especially the Me Too movement.  While Purple Rain has some exhilarating musical performances and serves as a showcase for the then 23-year old Prince, it is rife with sexism and misogyny, which hasn't helped it age particularly well.  I realize that it's a product of its time, but its flaws are just so glaring that I had a hard time getting past them.

Purple Rain serves as a quasi-autobiography for Prince.  He plays "The Kid," the lead singer of The Revolution (Prince's real life band) who is striving to make it big in the Minneapolis music scene.  He plays at the First Avenue club, which is owned by Morris Day and his band "The Time."  This film definitely blends fantasy and reality in that it mixes real life artists with fictional characters.  Shortly into the film, we're introduced to Appollonia (played by Appollonia), as the muse to both The Kid and Morris Day. 

The major issue with this film is its portrayal of women (especially Appollonia).  They serve as objects to control by both Prince and Morris Day.  In an early scene, Prince's character plays a trick on Appollonia by convincing her to jump naked into a lake.  She's said maybe two words to him at this point.  Morris Day frequently refers to women as "Bitches" and seems to treat them as object.  His goal is to put together an all-girl group, but his only request is that they be "hot."  Their performance (in nothing but lingerie) of the laughable song "Sex Shooter" is her characters only real shining moment.  She is a victim of physical abuse at the hands of Prince's character.  The film poorly tries to make a connection between that abuse and the abuse that Prince's mother's character receives at the hands of her husband.  The reason this falls flat is that the violence comes out of nowhere, and it's never resolved.  There's a forced happy ending between The Kid and Appollonia, where it appears that nothing ever went wrong.  And this leads me to...

Purple Rain felt like a giant #MeToo foreshadow.  Watching it after the Kavanaugh hearings, I couldn't help but scream out "This is why victims don't come forward!"  It's ingrained in our society.  It's always "their fault," and the abusers always seem to be given the benefit of the doubt.  The Kid's music outshone the fact that he was a physical and mental abuser.  Just as Judge Kavanaugh's ability and record as a judge is more important than any potential abuse committed in his past.  While Purple Rain has many moments that shine, it feels like a relic of the past... though a past that is still rearing its ugly head.