DailyView: Day 299, Movie 422

I have watched concert films from Elvis and Queen over the last few days, and so I decided to add one of the more controversial one to the DailyView, Michael Jackson’s This is It.

It took awhile for me to listen to Michael Jackson songs after the documentary series Leaving Neverland. The allegations against Jackson of sexual abuse of kids stuck with me and made listening to his music difficult. Since the time has passed and some of the allegations have been questioned, it has made it a little easier for me.

But that is not the only controversies with this movie. This is It was a documentary that was pieced together from personal films of the rehearsals for a comeback tour of the same name. In fact, the film itself is almost exclusively Michael’s rehearsals for the show. However, the show was cancelled because of the untimely death of Michael Jackson. There were plenty of people, including family members of the Jackson estate, that believed that releasing the movie was just an attempt at a cash grab and that Michael, being a perfectionist, would never have wanted it released since he was not giving it his all. There were also accusations of the use of body doubles of Michael because he was not in good health, an accusation denied by Sony. This led to protests and boycotts of the film by fans.

I will admit that I did not notice any obvious examples of replacing Jackson with body doubles. It seemed pretty clear that it was him. There may be one or two places where a body double could have been used, but it would not make sense in the grand scheme of the film to do so. As for not giving his all, he says multiple times through the movie that he is not singing to save his voice for the performance. There are moments when he breaks into song and he chastises himself and others that he should not be singing. I found this as Jackson’s desire to create an epic show and protecting it, despite the times when the music’s feel overwhelmed him.

No matter what you think about the person Michael Jackson, it cannot be denied that the man was a musical genius and one of the greatest onstage performers we have ever seen. The complicated dance routines involved in the plans for the show was amazing and how fluidly he moved through them was astounding, especially with the fact that he was not fully healthy and would die weeks later.

Jackson’s perfectionism came through in the film as well as he was constantly stopping people for specific reasons, to hold a beat or to let the music breathe, that some would not be able to hear, but it was how Michael had the sound in his head. His musical brilliance was definitely shown here.

The film is an amazing look at an artist in the process of creativity and how so many people were behind the scenes in support of the man. This is It exists in opposition to Finding Neverland, the dark side to the legend that was Michael Jackson.

DailyView: Day 298, Movie 421

What the hell did I just watch?

At first I thought it was a horror movie. Then, I thought it was an amalgam of Stand By Me and The Wonder Years if they were a ghost story, with some racial undertones tossed in. However, there were so many other weird things that happened that I just was not sure what was happening.

On HBO Max, there is a movie called Lady in White. The synopsis on the streaming service said the following: “A little boy who loves to tell ghost stories has an encounter with a real ghost that marks him as a child-killer’s next victim.” That intrigued me, but it does not come close to what this movie was.

The film started following the life of Frankie (Lukas Haas) and it felt as if it was going to be a 1980s kid adventure… but then Frankie’s friend Donald (Jared Rushton) dropped the N-word, shocking the crap out of me. This was the first time that I sat up straight and yelled at the screen. It was not the last time.

Donald and Louie (Gregory Levinson) tricked their friend (although the film made them out to be friends, I think the jury is still out on that) Frankie to go back into the school after hours and they locked him in the coatroom as a joke. Nice friends.

However, then Frankie started to see the ghost of a little girl (Joelle Jacobi) calling for her mother and then get strangled, though the killer was invisible. A few moments later, a real man entered the coatroom and saw Frankie (wearing a Halloween costume that covered his face) and the man began to strangle Frankie too.

We then come back and Frankie is coming to with his dad (Alex Rocco) on the floor beside him. The police were here and Frankie was saved. The police arrested the janitor Harold Williams (Henry Harris) because he was still on site at this time of night and because he was black.

Okay, I’m not going into any more plot than that because there are so many things that I may miss because there is a hugely convoluted story going on. There was also a Lady in White who was supposedly wondering the cliffs calling for her daughter.

This film’s tone jumped all over the place. There was a joke made about Frankie’s older brother Geno (Jason Presson) and masturbation, there was a running gag about their grandfather Popa (Angelo Bertolini) and his attempts to keep his smoking a secret from his wife, and we also found out that the person who tried to strangle Frankie might be a serial killer who had killed 11 other kids in the town.

HUH?

Wouldn’t that be something that you would lead with? Not here. Here it is just one more bizarre moment.

Katherine Helmond was in this movie too as a weird piano teacher who I was not sure was alive or dead. The story of Harold Williams took a rather tragic turn. The third act was just totally crazy.

I don’t know how much more I can say about it.

The effects was absolutely from the 1980s, the worst green screen effects you could expect. Yet it felt as if it were in perfect place in this movie.

I was thoroughly entertained by this, because I had no idea what was going to happen next because I really think that they just kept tossing elements into the film whether it fit or not. It went from comedy to supernatural thriller to horror movie to revenge flick. It was all of these but none of them as well.

I loved the experience of this movie. It was not a good movie, but I was engaged and thrilled by it at the same time.

It absolutely earned the following category:

DailyView: Day 297, Movie 420

Scanning through Starz this morning, I came across a film called Bottle Rocket, which featured Owen and Luke Wilson. I was not aware of this movie before, but I discovered that this was the feature film directorial debut of Wes Anderson, who has had plenty of quirky and eccentric films since including Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

This started as a short that also starred the Wilson brothers. Anderson expanded the short into this feature length film.

From Rotten Tomatoes: “In Wes Anderson’s first feature film, Anthony (Luke Wilson) has just been released from a mental hospital, only to find his wacky friend Dignan (Owen Wilson) determined to begin an outrageous crime spree. After recruiting their neighbor, Bob (Robert Musgrave), the team embarks on a road trip in search of Dignan’s previous boss, Mr. Henry (James Caan). But the more they learn, the more they realize that they do not know the first thing about crime.”

Bottle Rocket is an odd film with the typically strange group of characters that come above the story. That can work extremely well to not much at all. For me, Bottle Rocket falls somewhere in the middle. I did not love this but it was watchable.

The biggest issue I had was probably the character of Dignan. I have not been a big fan of those types of loud, blowhard types in films and this one is no exception. I am not sure why someone would want to spend any time with him. Since that is the case, why do I want to spend time with him.

Admittedly, Anthony was not a regular guy wither. Out of a mental hospital and falling in love with perhaps the first woman he saw in Inez (Lumi Cavazos), Anthony was just a little quieter than Dignan. He was certainly not more balanced.

The film is only around 90 minutes, but it did feel long. There is a section in the middle where Anthony and Dignan split up and Anthony goes to set up a new life for himself. I am unsure why that was included because 10 minutes later, he was right back involved, as if he had never left. There was no purpose for that part of the story. It simply might be an attempt to extend the film from the short.

In the end, this was okay. I do like the Wilsons and James Caan stole every scene he was in. I just wanted a little more than what was here and some of what was here was not relevant.

DailyView: Day 296, Movie 419

Yesterday, I watched a concert movie with the King, Elvis Presley and I enjoyed the film quite a bit. So I decided that I would look into some of the other available concert films, but, fact was, I did not find a bunch that I wanted to see. However, there were a few that I found and the one I chose for tonight was featuring the band Queen.

Queen, which included, arguably, the greatest front man in music history, Freddie Mercury, as well as amazing guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon, went on their final tour with Mercury behind the Iron Curtain and into Hungary.

Hungary, in 1986 when the tour took place, was still under a Communist dictatorship at the time, which was unbelievable that a British rock band was able to tour. They were Queen, after all.

To be fair, the non-music part of this documentary was severely lacking. However, these scenes, with Queen making their way around Budapest, were short and allowed a nice respite from the concert.

The music was the reason to watch this. Queen is utterly brilliant and the performances of these songs were fantastic. Freddie Mercury’s voice is unmatched and the skill with which he used it is completely impressive. What was just as awesome here, Freddie spent most of the concert running all over the stage. There were steps and pavilions and scaffolding and Freddie went everywhere. He had to be in amazing shape (even though he possibly was HIV + at the time).

Queen hit all of the songs that they performed at their famous Live Aid performance. There were a few of Queen’s hits that I would have liked to have heard. In fact, the first group of songs they played were songs that I did not recognize. It was wonderful hearing the songs that were like all new ones.

Queen was not just about Freddie Mercury though as the other band members were remarkably talented too. Brian May’s guitar work is breathtaking. Roger Taylor is something special to watch as he sings and pounds away on the drums. Taylor had his own impressive voice.

And watching thousands of audience members jumping up and down and clapping in synch showed how beloved this group was…even in Hungary.

There was not much more to this film than the music, but fortunately, the music is more than enough.

DailyView: Day 295, Movie 418

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, a film coming out this year with Tom Hanks, dropped its first trailer today so I felt like a film with Elvis in it would be a nice touch for the DailyView today. However, I have not begun the journey into the King’s movie career because they are, supposedly, not the greatest in cinema history.

Because of my uncertainty, I found a documentary that followed Elvis on a 15-city tour during the summer of 1972. It was a documentary and a concert film mix.

Elvis Presley is one of the most charismatic, yet eccentric characters from real life. However, that does not come through here near as much as some other examples. The film focused more on Elvis’s fans reactions to Elvis and the people behind the scenes with the King than the eccentricities of the singer.

That does not make this a bad film, by any stretch. I enjoyed the film on the strength of the music. It was an interesting collection of songs. There were not a ton of classic Elvis songs, though a few made their appearance. Hearing Elvis do songs such as “Proud Mary” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is cool. What was even better was hearing the rehearsals of Elvis and his background singers doing the gospel songs. There were some wonderful singing and beautifully performed.

It is fascinating watching the crowd lose their minds to Elvis, who has seen his better days. Fact was that 5 years after this, Elvis died. The spell that Elvis held over the audience is amazing.

I am looking forward to the Elvis project to see more about the King, but this was a nice evening worth of entertainment.

DailyView: Day 294, Movie 417

The fifth and final film in the Small Axe series, Education, is the shortest of the series. I really enjoyed two films in the series (Mangrove & Red, White & Blue), while the two others (Lovers Rock and Alex Wheatle) were not my favorites. Education will see which way the series, directed by Steve McQueen, will tilt for me. Education packs quite the punch as the wrap up of the five film series dealing with the racism and challenges faced by the West Indian population in London.

Education is one of two fictional stories of the Small Axe series. As a teacher, it is also the one that I related to the most.

12-year old Kingsley (Kenyah Sandy) caused problems at his school with his behavior and struggled to read. When the school identified Kingsley as someone who should be sent to a “special” school, Kingsley’s parents (Sharlene Whyte, Daniel Francis), who were desperately busy with their jobs, just went along with it.

However, the special school Kingsley attended did nearly nothing to teach or help the students, leaving them to, basically, do whatever they wanted. Kingsley realized quickly that he had been sent somewhere to be removed.

When Hazel (Naomi Ackie) arrived at the “educationally subnormal school” trying to find out the names of the students, she met Kingsley and that led her to his home. Kingsley’s mother did not want to hear the truth at first, but, after educating herself, she became a fearsome advocate for her son.

I was totally engrossed with this movie. It was such a painful reminder about how the education system can get in the way of some students, especially when there is a systematic racist undertow. There are scenes in this movie that I recognize, and that was even more difficult to comprehend.

There is such a message of hope on display and the idea that, with supportive parents, many children, even those dismissed or forgotten, can raise above the expectations. There were a few moments where I felt emotional watching this as the story and the situation it described resonated soundly with me.

Small Axe: Education was the shortest of the five films at 63 minutes, and I would have liked it to be longer. Although it does a decent job of showing us Kingsley and his life, I would have loved to go into greater detail with his family, learn more about his parents and how they became the way they did. This was touched on, but another 20 minutes or so would have really made this character piece even stronger than it was.

The scene where Kingsley’s mother finally confronted him about his reading ability was extremely powerful and beautifully acted, in particular by Kenyah Sandy. He was very solid in what he was given, and I would have loved to have seen his part written with more to it.

Small Axe: Education brought the Small Axe series to a fittingly solid ending. Even with the episodes that I did not love, I appreciated the efforts and the experimental styles used overall. Steve McQueen brought five wholly original and powerful works of art that brought to life the sometimes chaotic lives of the West Indian population in London. I may not have loved every one, but I respect the journey.

DailyView: Day 293, Movie 416

I was on Twitter the other night and I saw a tweet talking about a movie called Driveways. The tweeter (I do not remember who it was) said that the film was criminally underwatched and the tweeter wished people would search out the film.

I went in search of the movie, which turned out to be the final film in the career of the late, great Brian Dennehy, and I found it on Vudu.

A lonesome young boy Cody (Lucas Jaye) comes with his mother (Hong Chau) to clean out his late aunt’s house. Cody met and befriended a former veteran Del (Brian Dennehy) who lived next door.

Driveways was a sweet, deeply connecting character study, focused mainly upon the relationship between the old man and the young boy. The movie does not have a lot of plot, but the story is really in the characters. Both Dennehy and Lucas Jaye are wonderful here and they create a friendship that carries the emotional depth of the movie.

Cody’s mother, played by Hong Chau, does a great job as well, struggling with the job of cleaning out her sister’s house (which is packed to the ceiling with junk) as well as her sister’s death. She is trying to maintain her job, raising her son on her own, while dealing with the emotions swelling within her.

There are some fantastically sentimental scenes with these characters in a real life setting that places each character into situations that are powerful and moving. It may seem to be a fairly simple film, but there is so much more going on with the characters that you will fall for it.

I’m pleased that I found that tweet. Thanks to whomever that was. Driveways is a gem that I missed when it was first released. I am so happy that I got a chance to see it now.

DailyView: Day 293, Movie 415

The fourth film in Steve McQueen’s personal opus followed the early life story of Alex Wheatle (Sheyi Cole), award-winning YA author. This biopic tells the story of Alex from young boy spending his childhood in a mostly white institutional care without any real closeness or caring to young adulthood in Brixton where he finds a sense of community and who he truly is.

Of the Small Axe series so far, Alex Wheatle was the one that I was least engaged in. The last two in this series have not been my favorites and have not reached the levels of the first two.

Sheyi Cole is excellent in the title role. He is obviously the standout in this film.

The tone and mood of the movie continues to fit the time and the circumstances beautifully. The scenes of confrontation with the London police stands out among the tale.

This was one of the shortest of the series so far, but it did feel long. There were some impressive scene with Alex in jail with Simeon (Robbie Gee), who becomes a major influence on the future of the writer. I enjoyed Robbie Gee’s work in Alex Wheatle.

Good performances, but I just did not connect with this film either.

DailyView: Day 293, Movie 414

I picked out a second film for the DailyView that looks at the career of the late Ivan Reitman, who produced this Academy Award nominated film, Up in the Air. Ivan Reitman’s son, Jason Reitman directed the film which starred George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) worked for a company specialized in employee termination. If a company needed help in releasing their workers, they would call the company and Bingham would go out and let the employees go.

On his trips around the country, Ryan met a woman named Alex (Vera Farmiga), another traveling professional. They bonded in a special relationship that they would carry on whenever they needed each other.

However, Ryan was called back to his office by his boss (Jason Bateman) who introduced Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick). Natalie had a strategy to cut down on costs of travel by planning on firing people via videoconferencing. Ryan, who found himself most at home when traveling, was unhappy about the new process and he challenged Natalie to fire him. He went through several things that could happen during a video call that she was unsure about and his boss wanted Ryan to take Natalie on the road and show her the ropes, teach her the skill of firing people.

This, of course, led to several scenes between the two characters, looking at the different perspectives of their lives and their career choices. The movie was really a character study of a man who had isolated himself from any sort of connection and a woman who was trying to be successful in a world where isolating was helpful.

George Clooney is as charming as ever in this film, bringing his odd philosophy on life and making it seem to work. Clooney and Vera Farmiga were tremendous together. Vera Farmiga has never given a poor performance in my mind and she is just excellent in this movie, completely warm and welcoming despite being a female version of Ryan.

There was a sweetness to Natalie, through the work of Anna Kendrick, that let you know that she was not made for this business. Her struggle with the pain being leveled on the employees and her lack of understanding about how crushing firing these people were wound up being on display with some strong cameos. In particular, the scene involving J.K. Simmons was powerful.

Up in the Air was a film that featured some strong performances and amazing character development. Ryan grew a lot during the story and it made the ending even more impactful.