Almost Famous (2000)

 Pros: A solid cast leads this film which manages to take something overwrought and put a different twist on things. Patrick Fugit leads as the young William Miller, a talented young man who loves music and jumps at the chance to interview and tour with his favorite band, Stillwater, led by charismatic but aloof frontman and occasionally cruel, Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup). Plenty of other interesting characters fill the film from top to bottom, and yes, there are a few twists and turns, but ultimately, everything works out in the end, which is good as everyone deserves a happy ending. 

Cons: Consent is important, people. How many times do I have to say it? Sure, William never said no when the girls climbed on top of him but you knew he wanted his first time to be different. And when Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) is drugged out of her mind, he seizes the opportunity and kisses her (fortunately, that was all), but that still wasn't cool as she wasn't in a position to consent. 

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-The stand outs from this impressive would have to be Hudson and Frances McDormand, William's college professor mother who is also incredibly overprotective but is also the only one who has the balls to stand up to Russell. Both were Oscar-nominated for their work here.

-Zooey Deschanel is Anita, William's flight attendant sister. 

-Philip Seymour Hoffman is William's mentor, of sorts.

-The film works out too well as Russell admits that he lied and the magazine believes him so William's article can be published in its unaltered, brilliant form. While it was needed, I can't believe that the magazine would decide that now Russell is being honest and go with the story. 

-I can't believe that Penny had all those different outfits with her, I mean, where in the world did they all come from?

-The soundtrack is also a sound-out here. 

-It is a shame that Kate Hudson hasn't found a role this good since. 

Primal Fear (1996)

 Spoilers Ahead!!

Pros: This screenplay is tight, filled with twists and turns, some which I picked up on, others I did not. And while I didn't find the sex tape shocking, back then, before the amount of scandals broke, it was pretty mind-binding. Marty Vail (Richard Gere, in probably his best performance that I've seen) is a hotshot attorney who likes gambling with the future of others and now, he's taken on a high-profile murder suspect, young Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton, brilliant), accused of viciously murdered a much-beloved archbishop. The sex tape is only one of the twists as the archbishop is a lot shadier than anticipated and the district attorney, John Shaughnessy (John Mahoney) isn't a good guy either. So while there is a lot going on, the screenplay interweaves most of it beautifully and the acting is top-notch with a stellar cast. Once Richard Gere realizes the cold, hard truth, he realizes that winning isn't everything. He's a shell of his former self. 

Cons: Despite the solid screenplay, there are holes, such as why does no one try to find Linda Forbes (not really shown on screen), the alleged girlfriend of Aaron who also participated in the heinous sex videos, and why is there the line that altar boys keep disappearing? And we don't have enough information on Aaron's background, including whether or not he was raised Catholic, vital important as he couldn't have been an altar boy without being one. Still, the film is worthwhile, albeit sad and depressing. 

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-The supporting cast is brilliant with Alfie Woodward as the cold-hearted judge but she is ultimately fair, France McDormand as the neurologist who diagnoses Aaron, Andre Baugher and Maura Tierney as Marty's team, Laura Linney as his ex-girlfriend and defense attorney.

-Tony Plana, before his Ugly Betty days and Joe Spano, before his NCIS days have cameos here.

-Janet (Linney) has the great line of her previous relationship with Marty, "It was a one-night stand, it just lasted six months." She wasn't wrong. Still, he does care about her.

-Another underdeveloped thread is the news article about Marty, which sort of fades rapidly into to background. 

-I wonder if they actually arrest Alex (Jon Seda), Aaron's friend, and if so, for what? 

-Aaron is a true villain, being able to convincedly act like he actually have two distinct personalities when that is actually a lie. The effort it must take to act like someone not true to yourself must be exhausting. 

Blinded by the Light (2019)

 Pros: An enjoyable little film comprised of a cast of largely unknown actors, this film would likely make The Boss proud, as his words inspire the son of an immigrant from Pakistan nearly halfway across the world. The acting was solid and I always like a film with a happy ending. 

Cons: Despite being utterly delightful, with great acting, I just felt like it was re-hashing tons of plots that have been done before, albeit never in this exact way, with Javed (Viviek Kaira) rebelling against his strict immigrant father, Malik (Kulvinder Ghir) in all the traditional ways before finally being forced to reconcile at the strict request of his mother, Noor (Meera Ganatra). And his friend, Roops (Aaron Phagura) is great in his few scenes before disappearing for a good portion of the film and then reappears just when he's needed, and he was a great character. I did feel that so many of the characters were painfully undeveloped, which is just a crying shame as they all had so much potential. 

Recommend: Maybe

Grade: B

Side Notes:

-Dean-Charles Chapman (from 1917) shines as Javed's British friend, Matt, who is both supportive and demanding of Javed. Even though he's in a band, you never actually hear them play. 

-Hayley Atwell is the supportive teacher or adult figure a film like this always needs.

-Nell Williams is the required love interest though she is great in her few scenes as someone who has a cause, trying to stand out while Javed is desperate to fit in. 

-Ripping up concert tickets is stupid as you can make more money back if you resell them later.

-I can't imagine loving anyone so much that I would see them 150 times. 

Quiz Show (1994)

 Pros: Solid acting and a good base plot make this film memorable and important. Before Jeopardy!, there was 21, another game show where two competitors are pitted against each other each in their own soundproof booth, unaware of how the other is doing. But the show is rigged. While the two main contestants, Herbert Stempel (John Turturro) and Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes) are certainly intelligent, some of the questions are incredibly difficult and they are being fed the questions and subsequent answers and Herbert is even told to purposely get one question incorrect because he's not a likeable hero. But he doesn't take defeat well, feeling like NBC has betrayed him which they did and they betrayed the trust of the American public. 

Cons: Despite the great true-life story, the young, hotshot but ethical attorney, Richard Goodwin (Rob Morrow) is unable to take down television to his chagrin. It would have been nice to know the public's opinion of Charles Van Doren, after the truth is revealed as Columbia does ask (rightfully so) for his resignation. He was a huge heartthrob but after he admits that he doesn't actually know everything, who knows what happens in the public's eye. 

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A-

Side Notes: 

-The great supporting cast includes David Paymer as the executive who refuses to throw NBC under the bus, Hank Azaria, Christopher McDonald as the show's charismatic host, Mira Sorvino, as Richard's equally ethical wife and Paul Scofield as Charles's academic father, furious that his son fooled the public, sullying the family name but nevertheless, stands by and supports him as the truth is finally revealed.

-We never learn what Herbert's occupation was before he appeared on the show.

-The other game show contestant, James Snodgrass (Douglas McGrath) is the one who holds the smoking, mailing the questions to himself before the show actually aired, but he refused to get an answer wrong on purpose, leaving the host surprised. It's a shame that we don't learn more about James.

-No minorities even have a speaking part in this film which is unfortunately realistic for the time period. Even the female contestant who ends up beating Charles is referred to as Mrs. Vivienne Nearing (Grace Phillips). 

 

Air (2023)

 Pros: A solid cast leads this film. Despite knowing the outcome (more or less), the screenplay is solid, detailing how Nike catered to Michael Jordan (barely shown on screen) and his family, including his powerhouse mother, Deloris (the always lovely and brilliant Viola Davis) all to save their basketball division. And thanks to the clever and quick thinking of Deloris, insisting that Nike give Michael a percentage of the profits from the shoes bearing his name which only makes sense as they would be making money off his name and yet, this wasn't common practice in the 1980s, and honestly, it may still not be today. 

Cons: Honestly, while I love a good epilogue, explaining what happened to the main characters, this one went on a little long and I would have liked to have seen or heard Michael's actual opinion on Nike and what finally got him to change his mind as he was an Adidas man, the second main sneaker which controlled the industry, but he nevertheless changed his mind and the rest, they say, is history. 

Recommend: Yes

Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-The all-star cast includes Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans and Chris Tucker, all of whom are great.

-Chris Messina has an especially great scene in which he threatens to destroy Matt Damon, not that that comes to fruition. 

-Julius Tennon, Viola Davis's real life husband, portrays her screen husband, James Jordan.

-Why do NBA shoes need to be 51% white?

-Ironically, Nike eventually would buy Converse which was the most popular sneaker brand in 1984. 

A Man Called Otto (2022)

 Pros: This film got me feeling all the feels despite the trite plot, I was in tears at the end as it was just so touching. Otto Anderson (first Truman Hanks, then Tom Hanks) thrives with his routine and can't deal with idiots. While he comes across cross and nasty, he's deeply grieving his wife so he has no room for anything else. But at least he has a ton of neighbors who won't let him get away with that crap. And despite the fact that he tries to kill himself in various ways, the universe keeps telling him to stay alive. The acting is great, filled with realistic characters and despite Hanks being the only major actor, this is truly an ensemble piece, with everything pulling their own weight.

Cons: You never learn how the condo company learns about the health issues of the developments elderly residents though you strongly suspect that it is something illegal, access to their medical records which cannot be legal. And while it is touching that neighbors care about each other so deeply, I can't see it being super realistic, unfortunately as it is part of why this film is so effective.

Recommend: Yes

Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-Mariana Trevillo shines as Marisol, Otto's new neighbor who is ten months pregnant throughout the film but only she manages to get through Otto's armor. She's also the only one he doesn't think is even a little bit of an idiot by the film's end.

-Mack Bayda is a transgender former student of Otto's beloved wife, Sonya (Rachel Keller), but he also plays an important part of Otto's life as well.

-Otto did have to deal with immense tragedy, his wife became paralyzed and they lost their unborn child due to a nasty bus accident. 

-Otto believes that Chevys are the best. I wonder if they contributed any money to the film's budget for being advertised that way. 

Money Monster (2016)

 Pros: This is a tight screenplay which plays out almost in real time as a cable news network's show is hijacked by a disgruntled loser who laid all his bags in one basket which has just blown up in his face. So what does he decide to do? Rant about it on the internet, no that's too mundane. Instead, Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) threatens to shoot and blow up the host, Lee Gates (George Clooney) who steered him in the wrong direction, though as it turns out, the investment shouldn't have gone wrong, but rather, the company's owner makes dangerous gambles with the money of others. The thrill factor is huge and the acting is great with a top-notch cast. 

Cons: While the twist is supposed to be epic, I found it somewhat predictable though it did take me a little while to put everything together, after all, the company's owner is MIA for more than half of the film. And there is no way in the world a live broadcast would be able to get away with the language used, despite the intimate threat of death.

Recommend: Maybe

Grade: B

Side Notes:

-Dominic West does well as the bad guy oblivious that everyone is on to him.

-Catriona Balfe is the COO who changes her mind about her boss partway through the film.

-Kyle's pregnant girlfriend is a force to be reckoned with. While her rant did nothing to diffuse the situation, she spoke her mind and called him out for being an idiot, which is the truth. She was probably the best character despite having barely two minutes of screen time.

-Julia Roberts is solid albeit semi-wasted as Lee's long-suffering but brilliant director. She's probably the smartest person in the room.