BB-15's Reviews

Nova: Secret of Photo 51 (2003)

Season 30, Episode 9

10/10

Giving equal credit for the discovery of the structure of DNA

23 January 2024

Secret of Photo 51 is about the scientist Rosalind Franklin and the discovery of the structure of DNA. The credit for this discovery has almost completely been given to Francis Crick, James Watson and Maurice Wilkins. Yet, Matthew Cobb and Nathaniel Comfort have found evidence that Franklin was an "equal player" in the process leading to the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA. The Secret of Photo 51 tries to sort out the complicated story of why Franklin was not given proper credit.

A significant part of this history involves James Watson. Watson went to Franklin's lab and suggested Franklin did not know how to interpret her own data. This created hostility between them. Watson dismissed Franklin with the name Rosy. For Watson she was just an assistant and he ignored the reality that Franklin was a brilliant scientist who created amazing X-Ray images. Watson's account of the DNA discovery story was described by Francis Crick as a "contemptible pack of damned nonsense".

As a scientist, Watson had many controversial ideas. He suggested a link between skin color and sex drive. He believed that overall women were inferior in their ability to be scientists. While Watson had served as the director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), his prejudicial views had become so extreme that CSHL revoked honorary titles that it had awarded to Watson and cut all remaining ties with him. This prejudice is indicative of why Franklin was not given equal credit (with Crick, Watson and Wilkins) for the discovery of the structure of DNA.

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John Wick (2014)

2/10

A dumb villain video game movie

20 January 2024

In a video game I can play a character who kills hundreds of enemies. By design the main game character is overpowered and the game enemies are not very smart. Still I always know this is not realistic. It is a fantasy and I would not want to watch a movie where dumb villains keep getting killed.

John Wick is at a video game level of realism. I never believed it. Wick has no superpower. He walks around with no alarm system in a house with glass walls. His enemies do not use infrared cameras or sniper rifles. His enemies are fools who blunder into Wick. With fight after fight Wick is not rushed and is only captured briefly at the end. Wick has mostly one on one fights over and over.

It is nonsense. There is almost no story. We are told from the beginning that John is a super assassin who cannot be stopped. So, there is no mystery. And the wooden acting of Keanu does not help. I only watched this because a friend of mine put it on. It was a waste of time. 2 stars for set design and stunts. That is it.

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Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

3/10

Like switching TV channels

20 January 2024

I'll begin with what I appreciated; the fine acting of Michelle Yeoh's and the ability of the writers, directors and crew to manage all that was going on.

What is my problem? Over time movie editing and tone shifting has become quicker. Quick cuts are down to 15 seconds as they are in Everything Everywhere. In addition the tone of the story in Everything Everywhere changes about every 30 seconds from serious family drama to over the top comedy to action scenes.

The problem with mixing in a screw ball comedy into a movie which changes tone every minute is that all the drama parts no longer are important. It is all a joke after all. So, I didn't care about the daughter, the father, or the family. What did it matter when a minute later there would be a fight with inserted sex toys and minute after minute there would be more fights with abrupt character shifts.

The overall tone of the film was of an over the top comedy. Did I laugh? No. Which for a comedy is deadly. I didn't care about the story or the characters. After 2/3 through the movie I asked why I was torturing myself watching this. Then I gave up.

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Noah (2014)

6/10

A science fiction-fantasy film

20 January 2024

Almost all of Noah is a science fiction-fantasy film with familiar plot points. There are bits which reference the Bible but that's not what carries this movie.

First, is a post apocalyptic wasteland. Like something out of the Mad Max films or The Book of Eli only darker. Second, comes magical plants like in a Miyazaki movie. Third, are giant monsters which look like something out of Galaxy Quest. Fourth is some standard Middle Ages fighting. Fifth is a section which actually is from the Bible about the gathering of animals. Sixth, are crazy killers on a ship like the sci-fi film, Sunshine. Seventh is the huge role reversal from villain to hero like Darth Vader.

Decent acting. Interesting visuals and design. Good special effects. It just has little to do with the Bible.

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The Blind Side (2009)

1/10

The movie is a scam

15 January 2024

When this film came out, I believed its feel good story about how this family supposedly did good deeds. What really happened is that Michael Oher was never adopted by Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy. Instead what the Tuohys did was to trick Michael into signing conservatorship papers which allowed the Tuohys and their children to profit off of Michael's story.

Only years later, with the help of a lawyer, was Michael able to learn the truth. The Tuohys and their children received payments of tens of thousands of dollars from the Blind Side film while Michael was paid nothing.

I almost never give a movie a 1 star rating. But this one, based on a pack of lies, deserves it.

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Under the Silver Lake (2018)

8/10

Another enjoyable stoner neo-noir

24 December 2023

There is a tiny sub genre which I've enjoyed called stoner neo-noir. It began with the excellent The Big Lebowski and then popped up again with the decent Inherent Vice. Under the Silver Lake continues in that style of the bumbler backing into becoming a crime investigator. Some people have mentioned David Lynch as an influence for Silver Lake. I see a bit of that but I suggest that viewers look beyond Lynch for influences.

Go back to Vertigo by Hitchcock for a clueless main character who just happens to figure out a mystery but who never understood the woman he was obsessed with. Another older influence is Blow Up by Antonioni which has a similar ending to Silver Lake. What about a cult in a mystery? Look to Rosemary's Baby.

Silver Lake is a blend of all these elements which push the story along. What does it mean? Maybe the dude said it best; "Strikes and gutters, ups and downs."

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Traumnovelle (1969 TV Movie)

7/10

Dream Story and Eyes Wide Shut

1 November 2023

Strange as it might seem, I prefer Dream Story/Traumnovelle over Eyes Wide Shut. How can this be? On every technical level, (camera work, lighting, music, direction, editing, acting), Eyes Wide Shut is far superior. What is lacking with EWS? Certain details about the story.

Dream Story/Traumnovelle, with both the TV film and the novel, takes place in early 1900s Vienna. This is essential to make the story work. The characters are still in the very conservative, religious Victorian age. So, the depiction of sexual dreams, infidelity, prostitution, orgies and abuse by the aristocracy was shocking to some story characters. The power of Dream Story/Traumnovelle's plot is best told when set in an older time.

Secondly, the writer of the story, Arthur Schnitzler, was Jewish and railed against anti-Jewish sentiments in Europe during his life. In the TV movie the protagonist, Doctor Fridolin, is pushed aside by a German student. Dr. Fridolin is an outsider as a Jewish man. That dynamic adds meaning to the secret society of aristocrats who banish Fridolin from the masked ball as he was again an outsider (a Jew).

Third, the motivation of Dr. Fridolin in the TV movie is more clear as a man who is insecure about his wife's shocking sexual dreams and decides to go on his own sexual adventures.

EWS takes place in 1990s New York with an American, Dr. Harford, as the protagonist. That alone strips out various motivations from characters from the novel. By the 1990s anyone could read women's sexual fantasies which had been widely published for over 2 decades. Prostitution in New York? Widely known. Go to Times Square at night. Watch Taxi Driver.

EWS as a commentary on sexual slavery and exploitation is trying to fit a masked ball by early 1900s European aristocrats into modern New York organized crime. It does not work even if one goes into far fetched conspiracy theories.

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Foundation (2021– )

9/10

Season 2 worked because I continued watching it

9 October 2023

I loved Season 1 because of its challenging story.

When I began to watch Season 2, I thought the plot had become much less clever. Then I became frustrated.

But I gave Season 2 a chance and continued to watch episodes.

What I saw was that the story repeatedly added more layers leading it to regain its cleverness.

As for comparing the show with the novel, I'm familiar with it. The novel is not completely abandoned. In the web of complex interlocking plot threads, ideas from the novel are still there.

The designs can be spectacular. The music, acting, costumes all are effective. Bottom line; Foundation remains top notch TV science fiction.

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Rifkin's Festival (2020)

8/10

Thought provoking & funny look at life through dreams & movies

16 September 2023

Rifkins Festival was the most enjoyable Woody Allen film, which I have seen, since Blue Jasmine.

Over many years Allen has been very perceptive about people who want to be professional artists but who cannot successfully do it. (For instance with Crimes and Misdemeanors and Bullets Over Broadway.) In Rifkins Festival that is the core of the story.

What is new is that Allen combines dreams with excellent recreations of famous moments of cinema which moves the story along.

Added to that is Allen's sharp wit. But not only for simple jokes but also about comic jibes towards the attitude of the intellectual (which is towards Allen himself).

Allen expresses his usual fears and wonder about the profound questions of life and death but at the same time, others consider such thoughts to be boring and pretentious. Allen, the intellect has more awareness and acceptance of who he is in a world of more typical folks and who they are.

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Jim Gaffigan: Dark Pale (2023 TV Special)

7/10

Skip the first 15 minutes & get the old Jim

8 August 2023

When I first tried to watch Dark Pale from the beginning, I gave up after 5 minutes. I was surprised because I'm a fan of Gaffigan's humor & specials.

Then I saw a clip from Dark Pale from later in the show about dads and that was funny.

So, what I did was I skipped the "dark" humor from the beginning and got to about 15 minutes where Jim's more typical jokes started. Then it was regular Gaffigan humor the rest of the way. Some funny stuff from then on.

What's the problem? Imo after so many specials, Jim and Jeannie are running out of material and decided to try something new at the beginning of the show. Just skip that and the old Jim is back.

7/10.

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Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

2/10

Different is not always good

8 January 2023

The amateurish lighting, the fixed camera, the long takes, the primitive sound all would be acceptable in a student film.

But with Jeanne Dielman we are expected to believe that "experts" consider this to be one of the greatest films of all time.

This reminds me of my time in film school where my movie reviews would sometimes not be in synch with my professors.

I am greatly impressed by Fellini, Bergman and Kurosawa in terms of film technique.

If wanted to watch a movie about the oppression of women, I would consider "The Accused" staring Jodi Foster.

I am open to movies from women directors such as "The Piano" and "The Power of the Dog" from Jane Campion, "The Hurt Locker" from Kathryn Bigelow or even "Swept Away" from Lina Wertmuller.

Back to "Jeanne Dielman". I won't go into details but any movie which seems 'real' has violence has a challenge in depicting this violence in a realistic manner. "Jeanne Dielman" goes out of its way in being realistic. But if part of the climax is not realistic (and this is true of this movie with a clumsy technique), then that undermined the experience for me.

The fans of this movie can claim the violence was symbolic. But the rest of the movie often tries to be literal sometimes feeling like a documentary. This mix of amateurish technique, the attempt at realism and its unrealistic climax does not work.

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Andor (2022– )

4/10

Season 1, stretched out to give more money to Disney

28 December 2022

Some Star Wars fans were so desperate for a different Star Wars, they will accept anything.

Some will say "Andor" is realistic. It's not. Also, Andor is very slow, repetitive and dragged out which means; different doesn't equal good.

Before this, live action Star Wars mostly involved fast paced stories about space wizards called Jedi who have magical powers. The older Star Wars live action franchise is basically a fantasy about magical beings set in a science fiction world.

"Andor" tries to be about rebels in harder sci-fi like "The Expanse" TV series with a little bit of "Firefly" and "Blade Runner" mixed in. "Andor" is not as good as any of those TV series / movies.

"Andor" adds action story themes which are not realistic. The villains are ridiculously stupid in not recognizing a character which they should. There is "hidden" equipment which should have easily been discovered by authorities. There are improbable escapes as well as a ship which has a ridiculous weapon.

Worst of all "Andor" drags with repeated scenes about the same theft/criminal, about bank loans/transfers, of a family arguing and where people put together the same equipment. The story is dragged out so Disney can stretch this prequel over another season. What happened in "Andor" season 1 could have been finished in 6 episodes but it got stretched out to 12.

Also, "Andor", as the prequel to "Rogue One", doesn't fit very well. In "Rogue One" Cassian Andor, is a man who has been fighting in the Rebellion since he was six years old. Cassian Andor in the TV series, is very different.

Overall 5/10 for special effects, sets and a decent cast. The story and pacing is 2/10.

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The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022)

8/10

Another background addition to the Star Wars story

3 March 2022

The Book of Boba Fett is part of the Star Wars world building / adding that The Mandalorian began.

I see nothing wrong with that.

The expanded Star Wars universe had much more about Boba Fett after Return of the Jedi. Ever want to see some of that in a live action story?

Ever asked yourself about the Sand People'?

Or about Luke after Return of the Jedi?

Ever wondered about the Hutts and organized crime on Tatooine?

Or thought about the Sarlacc pit? And the rancor?

* Besides all these Star Wars questions; there is also the quality of The Book of Boba Fett. It has fine acting, sets, special effects and appropriate action movie dialogue. I'll gladly watch it again.

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Krypton (2018–2019)

9/10

Good world building / backstory for Superman

10 February 2019

I've followed the DC franchise for a very long time. For live action presentations of where Superman was born, "Krypton" does a much better job than "Man of Steel" in terms of set/production design, acting & story ideas. The questions about why Krytonian society failed are much are understandable compared with MOS.

British accents? See the Krypton sequence in 1978 "Superman" which had several British actors. I have no problem with that.
Interracial cast? Why not. Variations of skin pigment would exist when aliens are played by human actors. See Star Wars for multiple examples.

* "Krypton" is a pleasant surprise for this DC fan. 9/10

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Blue Jasmine (2013)

9/10

Cate Steals the Show

8 September 2013

"Blue Jasmine" is a classic tragedy brought up to date with recent events. And very much the center of this story is Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Jasmine. Every time that she was on the screen, I was riveted in watching an amazing performance unfold. It was a tour de force. And I would be shocked if she was not nominated for an Academy Award.

There is also some comedy by Woody in contrasting people's manners and life styles. But the seriousness of what is happening often undercuts the humor. Because Cate's character moves through the story in such a powerful way, laughter is often held back. While Woody tries to keep things light with music and some funny moments, the story will come back to Jasmine. And she is a character that cannot be ignored.

The rest of the cast is very good in providing the background for Jasmine's tale as it moves back and forth in time. And the locations fit the world of the wealthy or of more average blue collar characters.

But in the end this is about Jasmine and Cate's performance.

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Sunshine (2007)

6/10

Interesting to look at but that's about it

17 October 2012

Warning: Spoilers

"Sunshine" didn't work for me very well.

1. The basic idea of the movie/MacGuffin was unrealistic and this was pretty obvious to me since I know a little bit about astronomy and physics.

* The first premise of the movie is that the sun is dying/losing power/going dark. Science knows a lot about our sun. The sun will die out in about 5 billion years. And no special object could make it lose brightness. The Wikipedia "Sunshine" article discusses this.

* The second basic premise in the film is that; if the sun was "dying", that the people on earth could do something about it. No bomb that could be carried by a spaceship (even one with the mass of Manhattan) would be able to reignite the sun.

3. The goal of the characters was predictable. They are trying to save life on Earth. It was pretty obvious to me that the movie would not have a depressing ending. So, I knew how the film was going to end after hearing the introduction.

4. A predictable movie isn't a bad thing if the interaction with the characters is interesting. But several of the actors in "Sunshine" were not that convincing.

First we have the captain, Kaneda, played by Hiroyuki Sanada. This was a very important role. But Sanada's English was not very good and that limited his performance.

Cliff Curtis as Searle and Troy Garity as Harvey were not memorable. And this set up another predictable plot point.

5. I knew who was going to die. In the movie some of the crew members need to be sacrificed. It became clear to me that the less effective actors were going to go. And they did. The only exception to this was Trey played by Benedict Wong. He had some good moments but since he caused a major catastrophe, I knew that Trey was also going to die.

6. "Sunshine" at the end turned into a slasher film because a crazy character entered the story. It was not very interesting or scary to me. Frankly, by this time I was ready for the movie to be over.

** What did I like? The photography and editing stand out as being pretty creative. There was lots of movement with the camera and there was quick editing with pictures of crew members. It felt pretty fresh. The sets and special effects of the sun and the ship were well done.

There were also a few moments in the movie that I really enjoyed; a quiet chat between Robert Capa (Cillian Murphy) and Cassie (Rose Byrne); crew members exploring another ship; and the despair of Trey.

** "Sunshine" is interesting to look at but it doesn't have much more beyond that.

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Metropolis (1927)

9/10

The whole film (almost) is now available

3 February 2012

Over the years I have been watching increasingly longer versions of Metropolis as new footage has been found and put together in different releases. Finally, in 2010 almost the entire movie was released on DVD or Blu-Ray by KINO. And now that I've seen the complete film, I feel I'm able to do an accurate review.

* The complete Metropolis is one of the greatest movies ever made, silent or sound. Metropolis has a spectacular use of miniatures, impressive sets and special effects for its time. The original music score (in a new recording by KINO) is one of the best I've heard, fitting every mood. The complete story is interesting with its focus on class, the danger of oppression and anarchy. This complete version now has a back story which explains many of the motivations of the characters. There is also plenty of interesting symbolism in Metropolis including from the Bible and about the structure of society.

* But while the restoration of the movie has taken a tremendous leap forward, the new footage has only been partially restored. So, some sections have lots of lines from scratches. It is still watchable though. Hopefully more money will eventually be found to digitally improve the new images. (This kind of digital restoration costs over a million dollars per film so, it's going to take time.)

* But my review is about the movie itself. Now that Metropolis is almost complete, we clearly have a brilliant landmark in the history of film.

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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)

7/10

I liked the story

27 February 2010

Despite the almost unanimous negative reviews by viewers and professional critics, I liked "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt". Why? This movie is a combination of an old-fashioned mystery story combined with an indie film style.

I have been a longtime fan of old detective films and I also like modern low-budget independent movies like "Management" and "Little Miss Sunshine". This combination of styles; old-fashioned mystery and indie low-budget, didn't bother me.

I accepted that many of the actors were not the greatest around today, or that the lighting and sound was almost never polished and was often primitive. And that the music soundtrack was just adequate.

But what I very much enjoyed was the story itself. This is a great mystery plot which kept me guessing. And I like those kinds of stories.

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My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)

5/10

A Superhero and the Comedy of Life

1 August 2006

Warning: Spoilers

My main reason for liking the movie is that with the hundreds of superhero movies that have been done, none of them seem to be about people who have usual problems. Superheroes are almost always completely noble. And super villains are almost always evil lunatics.

"My Super Ex-Girlfriend" was very different. The comedy comes from how a superhero deals with life. I also really cared about the Uma Thurman character. She seemed really lonely in her role as a "savior" who can't even have a quiet dinner without having to save the world. Many of the problems of life; first dates, keeping secrets, breaking up a relationship are touched upon in the movie for our superhero to deal with. And that set up many funny situations.

As for the people who criticized the movie, I think an important thing needs to be remembered. This is not a typical superhero movie. This is an adult comedy which happens to have a superhero. So, if you keep that in mind, I think the comedy works really well.

imho at least, BB ;-)

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Match Point (2005)

3/10

Woody Allen repeating plots

7 July 2006

Warning: Spoilers

I've seen many Woody Allen films and for some reason he is able almost completely rehash characters in one movie after another.

In "Manhattan" we have a character who's cheating because he can't control his passion. In "Hannah and Her Sisters" we have a character who is cheating on his wife because he can't control his passion. In "Crimes and Misdemeanors" we have the same thing, again a character who is cheating.

So now I am supposed to be impressed with "Match Point" because there is a character who's cheating on his wife? Well, I'm not.

As for the earlier Woody Allen films, the cheating part was a subplot. There were different stories interwoven, sometimes with comedy, which made those movies more interesting. With "Match Point", the cheating story is the entire film. I knew what was going to happen because this movie followed the pattern already set in the other films right up to the end.

No other filmmaker is able to get away with this repetition. I was more than not impressed with this movie. I was frustrated.

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Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

8/10

It's Fun

30 May 2006

Warning: Spoilers

I like some Godzilla movies but I am not a serious fan. I hadn't seen a Godzilla movie since "Godzilla 2000". That film was OK, but for me the basic Godzilla plot has been repeated so many times that while G2K was good, it was not great.

With "Godzilla Final Wars" we have a different approach to a Godzilla film. It has taken a standard Godzilla story and combined it with every recent popular action film style. You have mutants, space aliens, a matrix type hero, a Japanese anime style bad guy, and even a Chuck Norris kind of hero. There is even a touch of Star Wars.

The special effects combine the usual miniatures of the Godzilla style with clever blends of CGI, Hong Kong action and a touch of Bullet Time.

But while the movie is well made, unlike many recent action films, GFW never takes itself too seriously. The acting is often over-the-top and the characters get to have fun playing with their costumes and their Kung Fu moves. And one action stunt where a person is jumping around a motorcycle and is skidding on the pavement at high speed is so outrageous that it becomes hilarious. But that is an obvious choice by the filmmakers.

The editing of the movie is quick. The music is driving. And the story which gets more absurd with each scene (where baby Godzilla is trying to drive a truck or the Mothra girls start singing) we know a lot of this is for laughs. And then we get to the final climax where our favorite G monster does some great wrestling with the bad guys.

I think of it as a bending of the Godzilla genre as "Kung Fu Hustle" did for martial arts films. Watching GFW was very enjoyable and now I own the DVD.

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The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)

8/10

An intense story of a young woman's survival

26 June 2004

If the movie lacks anything it is the beauty of the photography in films like "Quest for Fire" and "Windwalker". Otherwise I can't find any serious flaws. It is rare to find a decent movie about prehistoric peoples. "Quest for Fire" is the best movie of this kind in my opinion but "Clan of the Cave Bear" is a close second.

I am not trying to compare "Cave Bear" to the books by Jean M. Auel. To me the film takes the best part of Auel's story and makes a pretty good movie. The later Auel stories become more romance novel fodder and to some that may be more entertaining. "Clan of the Cave Bear" is not romantic. It captures the brutality of prehistory very well for a fiction film. I've seen documentaries about the Neanderthal and was surprised how accurately "Cave Bear" showed that time. The flaws in human nature are shown in all their rawness in this movie. There is prejudice, oppression and abuse in full force. What makes it bearable for me is how the Darryl Hannah character is able to deal with this and eventually over come it.

"Cave Bear" also shows some of the ritual of stone age culture with the Shaman and the hunting rites of passage. There is some beauty in that culture. But the bottom line for these people is survival and that was a very difficult thing to accomplish. They were scratching and clawing (literally) just to eat and raise children. And sadly we know that they are doomed (except for a few Neanderthals who possibly interbred with Cro-Magnons).

This kind of documentary approach in "Cave Bear" will not thrill those who want a stone age comedy-romance, "Caveman", or a special effects absurdity of prehistoric people fighting lots of dinosaurs, "One Million BC", (which is historically impossible). But if you can appreciate an intense story of a young woman's survival in the wild and her experience with a lost stone age culture, then I recommend "Clan of the Cave Bear". 9/10

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Impostor (2001)

7/10

Superior Sci-fi Film

13 January 2003

Like Total Recall, Impostor was based on a short story by Phillip K. Dick. (Dick's stories were also the inspiration for Blade Runner and Minority Report.) In my opinion Impostor is a solid science fiction film.

The core of these stories by Dick has to do with the nature of reality and Impostor is no exception. If we have memories implanted in our minds, how can we tell what is real and what is an artificial memory? Added to this in the movie is the change in a society that comes from years of war. Can we have freedom and human rights when anyone can be a spy? This combines two great traditions in sci-fi; illusion vs. reality (Total Recall) meets taking over our minds and bodies by an alien power (Invasion of the Body Snatchers).

Add to the great story concepts is superior acting by Gary Sinise and Madeleine Stowe. The supporting cast is good with Vincent D'Onofrio playing a complex character. Is he a villain? Nothing is as it seems.

With all of these positive comments, I cannot give the film a 10/10. This is a low budget film which first started as a short film and grew into a feature. While the story of Impostor IMHO is superior in some ways to Minority Report and much better than typical sci-fi, the lack of money for Impostor shows.

The director, Gary Fleder is no Speilberg, Ridley Scott or even Paul Verhoeven. Sometimes the pace of the film seemed to need tighter editing. The script in the central part of the film could have used more work to learn more about this world. And the music was just ok in supporting the action and emotion of the film.

Still Miramax was right to decide on making this a feature film rather than a short subject or straight to TV film. Impostor has some great sci-fi story ideas and good performances. 8.5/10

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Jazz (2001)

Starts With a Bang; Ends in a Whimper

3 February 2001

The culture of the "People, all the People" has been Ken Burns' great theme. In the first two thirds of "Jazz" he eloquently presents these grand ideas. From Armstrong and Ellington to Billie Holiday and Benny Goodman we are swept along in a vibrant, multi-layered story of something special that would change the world.

But once the documentary reaches the 50's, the tale takes a radical turn. There is a lot of focus on drugs and broken lives. This may be important but these sad endings lead the film on a downward emotional spiral. (I understand why Spike Lee detests jazz musician's stories focusing on drugs.) But at least the music is good.

When the so called jazz music of the 60's and beyond is revealed, we see that the climax of this film is a betrayal of its beginning. The "People's music" has vanished. We see that "real" jazz is elitist and narrow and for the most part is a musical dead end.

We find that "real" jazz is played on acoustic instruments such as trumpets and saxophones. So, electric jazz guitarists are almost never mentioned as well as any electric keyboard players. And the only correct modern style comes straight from Be Bop. We hardly hear any Latin jazz or Fusion.

The great music promoter John Hammond once said that his most satisfying discovery was George Benson. Of course we never hear about Benson because he was popular and he plays electric guitar. No, instead the film's ending becomes an overblown promotion of Wynton Marsalis who since he acts as the film's "senior creative consultant" brings the great story down to an example of petty ego.

Overall "Jazz" has seven excellent episodes about a vital part of history and its effect on the world's music. Enjoy these and after that I would gently suggest to quit while you're ahead.

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As Good as It Gets (1997)

8/10

It's Sort of a Wonderful Slice of Life

5 March 2000

What kind of movie is As Good As It Gets? There is no easy answer. It isn't a simple romance or road picture and doesn't have clear cut heroes and villains. It is a slice of life with people trying to deal with tough breaks and for the most part As Good As It Gets does its job well.

As Good As It Gets begins by showing us a bigoted, rigid novelist played by Jack Nicholson. The main object of his scorn is an artist (Greg Kinnear) who happens to be gay and the only person who can tolerate our bigot is a waitress (Helen Hunt). Now the film gets into very heavy details about the problems of the artist and the waitress and how Nicholson's character could care less. This worked well for me because the performances were good, including a supporting part by Cuba Gooding Jr (oh, and the dog is cute too). Also, the script was well written and the pace felt right.

As Good As It Gets brought up many topics and presented them in interesting ways. Can a bigoted person change? Does a single mother with big financial problems take money as a main consideration when looking for a partner? For a Hollywood movie the handling of these weighty subjects leaned more toward reality than fantasy. Still, the age difference between Nicholson and Hunt as well as the final scene take some strong suspension of belief. On a positive note, the style of the picture moved from drama, to comedy, to a road picture and landed as a romance shifting smoothly from one mood to another.

Appreciating As Good As It Gets depends if you are not expecting a lot of action or a straight forward story. If you are willing to give the movie a chance and enter the lives of its characters then your effort will be well rewarded.

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