Get on Up

First Hit:  The music was great, dancing even better, historically somewhat interesting, and confusing in how it was put together.

I recall listening to James Brown (played by Chadwick Boseman) in the early 1960s thinking, this guy’s doing his own thing and it is very soulful.

Not soulful like the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, or The Platters. Brown’s music was in a word “Funky”. He is and was the creator of the funk sound. He mixed musical rhythms together that may have made a classical musical teacher cringe, but in the end the sound was powerful, interesting and in the soulful groove of us all.

His music reached across races – James Brown made such an impact in music that is felt today and will forever be felt. The film gave perspective of where he came from, how he was raised, and his belief that he knew what he wanted his music to sound like. One of the most interesting scenes is during a rehearsal when he told everyone that their musical instrument was a drum – and that the beat he wanted would work if they did what he said.

The film also gave a glimpse as to his beliefs of our government and race. He demanded respect from his musicians and was a task master. He didn’t trust many people. The music came through loud and clear and the camera work on some of the dancing was very good. However the crisscross movement of time to review his past and present life was confusing at times because the relation to time was not well marked. There were times I had to think as to what time in his life we were seeing.

Boseman was really good as Brown and he seemed to get a lot of the dancing footwork down which may not have been easy. Nelsan Ellis played his best friend and bandmate Bobby Byrd. Ellis was really strong and he made Boseman’s character better. He provide a deeper understanding of Brown. Dan Aykroyd played his manager and business partner Ben Bart. As Bart, Ackroyd was fantastic. His seriousness and sarcasm was perfect. Viola Davis as Susie Brown (mother) was very strong and provided both warmth, remorse and depth to the film. Jez and John-Henry Butterworth wrote the screenplay which required research and a willingness to dig into the positives and darker side of his life. Tate Taylor directed this film and may have made it more complicated to view than necessary.

Overall:  The music was outstanding – I enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane.

Magic in the Moonlight

First Hit:  Lighthearted philosophical romp through Woody Allen’s belief structure around magic, God and science.

Stanley (Colin Firth) is a magician named Wei Ling Soo. He’s famous and he’s good. He also has a job of invalidating and unmasking people who claim to be spiritualist, people that can speak to the dead and denote a person’s past.

His best friend, and fellow magician, Howard Burkan (Simon McBurney) comes to him with a proposition to unmask a young beautiful woman who claims to be clairvoyant. Sophie (Emma Stone) comes from a working class family and because of her abilities has gotten some wealthy people supporting her and her abilities by leading séances.

As the story unfolds, Stanley starts to believe until he sees the fallacy of what is happening to him. The scenery of this film is great. I loved the cars used to represent the 1920’s and the costumes were really wonderful. Stylistically this film is really good, but Allenistic dialogue just seemed to be pressed at times although the last ½ hour was a lot more interesting and engaging.

Firth is excellent as the sarcastic arrogant English magician. However his rudeness actually bothered me from time to time – probably the intended result. McBurney was good as the conniving jealous friend. Stone was sweet as Sophie but she wasn’t quite believable as a psychic. I did think that this pairing didn’t work well because of the age differences between the two. Allen both wrote and directed this film and as expected we get Woody’s version of the world and here it was a little overhanded.

Overall:  Enjoyable and easy to watch, however not sure if the intellectual challenges Allen wanted were really there.

Into the Storm

First Hit:  Exciting visuals, uninteresting story and the plot, although predictable, was weak.

Pete (Matt Walsh) is a premier tornado hunter. His job is to move his armored truck into position, the tornado’s path, and film the experience including what is in the eye.

His team, including scientific tornado finder Allison (Sarah Wayne Callies), has had a series of bad luck calls and they’ve just missed getting their job done. The pressure is on. Gary (Richard Armitage) is a widowed father and high school Vice Principal. His boys Donny and Trey (Max Deacon and Nathan Kress respectively) are struggling with his parenting skills and style but have taken to his suggestion that they video their lives. They all get caught up in the largest tornado in history which descends on their town of Silverton.

For some comic relief and to give a different slice of life, the film includes two guys who do stupid things and survive all the havoc. I did think the visuals were done really well but I didn't care about the characters. It seemed to be the film was derived because there was great technology available to the producers and storms would be fun to do so; “let’s create some sort of story that includes young people and parents realizing they need to care more about their kids while fighting a common problem."

Walsh is mediocre as the man who needs to get a tornado on film to justify the expense of building his tank like tornado filming truck. Callies’ character was uninspired and not interesting. She feigned to be a weather and climate scientist but nothing about what she said was anything you don’t hear from a weather person on network TV. Armitage appeared to be really be trying to be engaged with his character and film, but that was the problem, you could see his acting. Deacon and Kress were the best parts of the film in their own way. As brothers there was the tension and love which always lives between brothers. John Swetnam wrote the script which had its failings from being interesting. Steven Quale used visuals very well. I loved seeing the funnels starting, stopping and finally coming into fruition. I felt the sense of power of a tornado, having been through one in Oklahoma many years ago. It is tense and powerful and over in a heartbeat.

Overall:  Outside of the visuals I just didn’t get interested in the characters or story. I just wanted to see the tornadoes.

A Most Wanted Man

First Hit: Better than Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but the pall of Hoffman’s death kept creeping into my thoughts while watching.

Upon seeing Hoffman, I found myself looking for the signs of his real life struggle. His overweight, chain smoking and heavy drinking character Gunther Bachmann was one having a difficult life as well.

As an unsupported German government terrorist finder, he’s got a small team of people who work to befriend, interrogate (nicely) and influence people to assist him to find the people who fund Islamic terrorist activities around the world. His team does it methodically and not reactively.

However, the CIA and the German government only gives him a short leash and their ever-present pushing create a more difficult environment him and his team to work in.

The film takes place in Hamburg (one of my favorite German cities) with its water, canals, and mixture of old and new architecture. The pacing of this film is on the slow methodical side but it fits with the story. The film is dark in mood and I don’t think I saw one scene where the sun shines as well.

Hoffman embodies his character with an odd inconsistent accent. Girgoriy Dobrygin as Issa Karpov (as suspected terrorist) was very good. His sullen, eyes down view of the world was very powerful and believable. Mehdi Dehbi as Jamal was very good because he embodied the scared but determined informer he was. Nina Hoss as Irna Frey (Bachmann’s right hand person) was very good. Rachel McAdams as Annabel Richter (lawyer for Karpov) was really good. I liked the brightness she brought to the film. Robin Wright as Martha Sullivan (CIA head in Germany) was very strong. Willem Dafoe as Tommy Brue (Banker who manages his deceased father’s bank of ill-gotten money) is also very strong. Andrew Bovell wrote a clear screen play of this John le Carre novel. This was better than the muddied screen play for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy novel. Anton Corbijn directed this dark sullen film with a clear deft of hand.

Overall: This film was much better than I thought it would be but the pall of Hoffman’s recent death carried through my heart as I watched it.

Guardians of the Galaxy

First Hit: Came off as tongue in cheek, overly complicated, funny sometimes, and visually interesting from time to time.

When I watched the preview I wondered how the filmmakers would make one generic white man, one tree, one greenish beauty and one raccoonish fox type set of characters to become “Guardians”.

The complicated part: The filmmakers had a young Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) extracted from earth the night his mother dies by Kraglin (Sean Gunn). Kraglin raises Peter to be resourceful but Peter doesn’t like the way Kraglin lives his life so as an adult he goes on his own. Quill is a curious sort and resorts to listening to music on a portable cassette player given to him by his mom.

Upon finding an Orb with special powers by which the galaxy can be destroyed the enemy of the Galaxy ,Ronan, wants him captured. He gets caught along with a tree called “Groot” (Vin Diesel - voice), Drax (Dave Bautista) a buffed red scarred guy, Rocket (Bradley Cooper – voice) a raccoon/fox animal, and Ronan's daughter Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who has learned her father is bent on destroying a civilization.

OK, now you get it, the film's setup is overly complicated just to get characters into the game. Then to have them be united in their goal was the director’s next step and to do this he used tongue in cheek dialogue and scenes.

The film kept moving into taking itself seriously and then not. I enjoyed some of the Orb visuals along with some of the results of the weapons they used in fights. The outcome was predicted as well as introducing a sequel.

Pratt had a great way of being serious and not serious and carrying off the tongue in cheek way this film was presented. Gunn was good as the guy with an occasional heart. Saldana was strong as the woman who wants to make the galaxy a better place. Her strong body worked very well for the part. Cooper’s voice for Rocket was fun as was Diesel’s voice for Groot. The usage of Groot’s one sentence to express everything was inventive. James Gunn and Nicole Perlman wrote this fun but convoluted script. Gunn created a fun experience but I hope the sequel settles down and brings more of a point to the film.

Overall: This film was fun, it had some great laughs but it could have done more interesting and effective by being simpler.