"Miss Sharon Jones!"

"Miss Sharon Jones" Movie Review

"Miss Sharon Jones!"

Posted on Aug. 26, 2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

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“Miss Sharon Jones!”

 

Sharon Jones, along with her band, “The Dap Kings” is known for high energy R&B performances that shake the rafters and gets the crowd on their feet. Jones gives such powerful and spirited sets that she is often compared to the legendary James Brown or Tina Turner in their primes. While a hit, especially with live audiences, Jones, and her band have still not quite become household names. Things are looking up, as a new album is about to be released and a world tour is in the planning stages.

Sharon Jones’s personal life has taken quite a few hits, with the recent deaths of her sister, and more recently her number one fan, her mother. Normally a positive and gregarious person, her world is rocked even further when she is diagnosed with Stage Two pancreatic cancer. We are about to go on a ride with Miss Jones as she battles for her life.

This documentary is from the two-time Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. Kopple’s camera follows Jones, who is talkative and mostly upbeat, as she goes from surgery to remove and reroute her organs, to moving in with a holistic nutritionist to help her with recovery from her chemo treatment. The film contrasts the concert scenes of the past, where Jones is a whirling dervish, to a woman who has lost so much of her strength that she struggles to walk up a flight of stairs. Fighting to survive, you can’t take your eyes off of Jones as she pushes herself to try to keep some of her life moving forward. With a great manager, some willing assistants and a band that truly loves her, she accomplishes more than most people fighting cancer would. We see the small moments between her manager and Jones, as they try to plan out a tour that neither knows will ever be carried out. Jones is acutely aware that her band is not getting paid while she battles on, and that makes her work even harder. Kopple continually inserts old concert footage in between trips to the hospital or Jones’s weak interactions with her staff and friends, showing us just how far she has to go to get back into concert form.

We get to see the smaller moments of Jones’s struggle. You are constantly amazed at her positive attitude and her lust for life, such as when she revels in telling the camera of her seemingly endless list of daytime TV watching or when she interacts with other chemo patients, always with a positive attitude and ear to listen to their stories.

There are three scenes in this film that stand out for me.  The first is where Jones, though weak from chemo, blows the roof off of a church service with a gospel song that is incredible in its heartfelt and powerful performance. It’s as if she believes that more she puts into the song, the more she will get strength from it. The second is where she proudly shows off a cover story of the ‘Village Voice” magazine and talks about being rejected early in her career by a record executive who told her she was “too short, too fat ever to make it in the industry.” The pride in her work is evident on how she relishes just how far she has come and accomplished. The final scene is a sold out concert in her hometown of Augusta, GA, where in front of adoring crowd (including some of the hospital staff that treated her and the doctor that did her surgery) she gives a performance that shows the world she is back with a vengeance. It’s an incredible performance that will make you want to see her perform in person.

You are going to want to go on this journey with this fireplug of a singer who, through her grace and spirit makes you feel better about the world, a world filled with the beautiful music that she creates.     My Rating:  Full Price

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Miss Sharon Jones!” Facebook page

For more of Mike’s reviews and interviews click here

“Miss Sharon Jones!” is playing exclusively at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

"Southside with You"

"Southside with You" Movie Review

"Southside with You"

Posted on Aug. 26, 2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

“Southside with You”  (2016)

When we first meet Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers), he is getting ready for a date, though he is more concerned about talking to his friends on the phone and smoking one last cigarette. Barack gets into a beat up two door car and heads down the road. Michelle (Tika Sumpter) is also getting ready, but as she converses with her family, it’s very clear that she does not see it as a date but as a work experience with a colleague. Her interaction with her family is fun and familiar. It is evident that this is a close-knit, very warm and loving family.

Barack, after getting in one more cigarette on the way, stops in front of Michelle’s home to pick her up on a beautiful Chicago day in 1989. When Michelle gets in his car, she looks down at the hole in the floorboard beneath her feet and wonders just what she has gotten herself into. She makes sure that Barack is aware that this is just an outing with two co-workers and not a date. Michelle makes it very clear that they can’t date, as she is his advisor at work. Barack feels that they could date since he is a lowly intern (that no one is interested in) and the only thing she has supervised is showing him where the coffee is located in the building.

They arrive at their destination and much to Michelle’s chagrin; Barack has planned much more than just to attend a community meeting; he wants a trip to a museum and a walk in the park, maybe even a bite to eat, before attending the meeting. Reluctantly, Michelle agrees to the museum and soon the future President and First Lady are on their first date, though it will be long into the day before Michelle concedes that fact.

I enjoyed this romantic drama by director/writer Richard Tanne, as it has a nice light touch of romance with some smarts to it, much like the subjects it profiles. The film concentrates on two people getting to know each other, both confident in their abilities to express themselves and make a point. Tanne creates a world where we see the potential in both of these people individually and as a team. It’s the dialogue that makes this film interesting and fun to watch. As the two characters feel each other out, over topics ranging from the artwork used in the TV show “Good Times” to office politics (especially for two young minorities working in a big cooperate office) and how much harder they have to work than their colleagues. A good deal of their conversation seems to always head back to the struggles of trying to find your place in the world. They cover a number of subjects, even talking about Barack’s strained relationship with his father. As the conversation moves along and the day gets longer, we see the potential of this couple and how they just might work out.

Tanne’s script moves along at a nice pace, never stalling even though the film is almost entirely a conversation between the couple. The cinematography, by Patrick Scola, is crisp and bright, much like a spring day in Chicago. The musical score by Stephen James Taylor fits the film perfectly, with some late eighties tunes to highlight the mood of the scenes of this budding romance.

The heart of this movie and why it works so well are the performances by Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers. Sumpter gives a spirited and fiery performance as Michelle, while also being a little reserved, almost cold, especially early on. Sumpter plays off Parker incredibly well, with the patter between the two seeming natural and effortless. Sawyers does an excellent job capturing the future President’s speech pattern and mannerisms. Sawyers lets us see the real Barack, a man who is sure of himself and his abilities that he is almost cocky at times. Besides the moments between the two, Sawyers best scene is at the community meeting where Barack takes over showing his leadership and speechmaking powers. Sawyers commands the scene and shows the charisma that the President will show later on in his career.

This delightful romance lets us into a world of two people destined for great things, even if they don’t know they will accomplish it together.   My Rating: Full Price

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Southside with You” website

"Hell or High Water"

"Hell or High Water" Movie Review

"Hell or High Water"

Posted on Aug. 19, 2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

“Hell or High Water”

We see two men (Chris Evens, Ben Foster) driving in a beat up car down a dirty street full of billboards imploring to get the locals to solve their problems with a payday loan. When they pull black knit stocking caps over the heads and faces, we know that they are not up to any good. They wait on the side of a bank building until a woman begins to open the front door. They rush her, yelling commands for her to open the cash drawers and the safe. She tearfully tells them she can’t; the bank manager has the only key to the safe. She tells them that he will be arriving shortly, and sure enough, they see an older man drive up to the bank and get out of his car. As soon as he gets inside, one of the bank robbers hits the man across the face with a gun. The manager opens the safe, and the robbers take only small bills with them, as they run out of the bank and back into their car. As the robbers make their getaway, they start celebrating, with the older one celebrating more than the younger one. It turns out the two men are brothers, discussing how the robbery wasn’t as smooth as they wanted it to be.

Meanwhile, a crusty Texas Ranger named Marcus (Jeff Bridges), who is unmercifully ribbing his partner (Gil Birmingham), a man of mixed heritage of Native American and Hispanic. Most of the jokes play on the partner’s Native American side and are quite racist. The two lawmen have been assigned to hunt down the two bank robbers.

The robbers drive to a second small town (which looks like the first one) and is more successful in robbing this bank, getting away with a lot more money. The two men head back home, parking the beat up car in a big whole and using a tractor, covering up the car with dirt. We learn that the two men are brothers. The oldest, Tanner, is an ex-con who has served time recently in jail. The younger man, Toby, is divorced and had taken care of his mother as she was dying from cancer. The mother had taken out a second mortgage to pay for her treatment. The family ranch is about to be foreclosed on by the bank, and the two brothers are trying to raise enough money to save the family farm and put it into a trust for Toby’s sons. It’s a plan that is sure to go down in flames, more than likely at the hands of the Texas Rangers hot on the trail of the two bank robbers.

Writer Taylor Sheridan (who wrote the excellent “Sicario’) and director David Mackenzie have conceived a moving and exciting modern western set in the small towns of West Texas. The characters, even down to the smaller parts, like a grumpy old waitress, are rich and complex. Combined with Giles Nuttgens cinematography, the film looks as bleak and dusty as the people living in an economic landscape where banks rule people’s lives, taking away land that has been part of generation after generation. These are desolate and grim times, even for Ranger Marcus, a widower who is weeks from a retirement that he is going to hate.

The backbone of this film are the performances by the main cast. Foster and Evans play off each other so well; it makes the idea that they are brothers easy to believe and even easier to understand their relationship and motives. Foster, bringing a menace and roughness to every scene, letting us know that his Tanner is at the end of his rope and has nothing to lose in trying to bring about Toby’s plan. Evans, playing the quieter of the two brothers, gives off a steely resolve, letting us know that there is more to this cowboy than what is on the surface.

Jeff Bridges is scintillating to watch as he melds into the Texas Ranger that just might be hoping to go out in a flurry of bullets rather than fade away in retirement. Bridges fits into the role like the well-worn cowboy boots that his Texas Ranger character wears, making us believe he would rather sit outside with a blanket in the cold night air than lie on his warm bed. Not to be outdone, Gil Birmingham has the uneasy task of being on the receiving end of all the racist jokes that Bridges delivers, but Birmingham gives his portrayal of Ranger Alberto a feeling that for all that Marcus puts him through, he would stand by the man in any fight.

My favorite scene in the film sums up the movie. Tanner and Toby have bonded over this adventure as they discuss their future out on the land that they dearly love. As the sun sets, the two men start a wrestling duel that shows that the two brothers will always be family, no matter what is going to happen down the road. It’s a journey that we hope they will survive and persevere.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again

My movie rating system from Best to Worst: 1). I Would Pay to See it Again 2). Full Price 3). Bargain Matinee 4). Cable 5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Hell or High Water” Website

For more of Mike’s reviews and interviews click here.

Full disclosure:  I am an employee of CBS Television Stations and the film is distributed by CBS Films, Inc.

"Florence Foster Jenkins"

"Florence Foster Jenkins" Movie Review

"Florence Foster Jenkins"

Posted on August 12, 2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

“Florence Foster Jenkins” Movie Review

When we first meet Florence Foster Jenkins, a wealthy New York socialite, she is deciding from the ceiling dressed as an angel much to the delight of her fellow society members who fill the atrium. While not graceful entrance (in fact, at one point she gets stuck), she is still warmly greeted, and it’s apparent that the crowd loves her. Her husband, St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) accompanies her appearance with some poetry that the crowd just eats up. Inspired by her warmly received program and swept up in the emotion of the moment, she decides, with the urging of her husband to make her next appearance singing Operatic tunes.

Mayfield takes her home, all the while, Florence is bubbling over with excitement from the night and her future plans. Arriving home, Bayfield see’s to her every whim, making sure that she is comfortable for the night, even spouting more poetry until she falls asleep. Once she is asleep, it is very apparent that he doesn’t live with Florence, as he makes arrangements with the maid for Florence’s care and heads for the door. Bayfield heads across 1940’s New York and ends up at his mistresses’ (Rebecca Ferguson) apartment. From their comfort level and the subjects that they talk about, it’s evident that this arrangement has been in place for a while.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

With the impending concert on the horizon, Florence is in desperate need of an accompanist. In walks Cosme McMoon (Simon Helberg), a young man who has recently moved to New York with the idea of making it in the world of classical music. Cosme is a skilled pianist, but he is not prepared for the singing voice of Florence. In fact, to say she has one would be pushing the boundaries of good taste. In spite of with a vocal coach, Florence does practically everything opposite of how to sing opera; she rarely hits a note correctly, her timing is off in nearly every stanza, and her breathing is so off, you wonder how she remains upright while singing. Florence, Bayfield, and Cosme are about to go on a journey that even in their wildest dreams they would dare to think about.

This delightful film is reminiscent of the screwball movies of the thirties, though it never gets to a frenzied level of the comedies of the past. The film is funny, moves at a quick pace and has a few twists and turns (one which you won’t see coming). As with any comedy, it does have a few serious moments, as well as an underlying sadness of what her life could have been, but Florence’s “can do” attitude and her perseverance dominate the film, making mostly an upbeat and joyful film.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

The supporting cast is a blast to watch, though Ferguson, as the put-upon mistress, isn’t asked to do much. Allan Corduner is hilarious as the hardworking opera teacher who knows a good gig when he sees it, buttering up to Florence as he plots to be out of town on her concert date. Helberg gives a winning performance, in particular, with the knowledge that he is playing the piano accompaniment on the screen. His mannerism and facial expression are priceless and his portrayal of the shy, unsure (except within his music) Cosme delights. Hugh Grant looks like he is having the time of his life on the screen as the husband who loves his eccentric wife but isn’t ready to give up his wild ways. Grant is at his best when he attempts to recite lines from plays to entertain fellow socialites at a gathering or lull his wife to sleep as she prepares for bed. Bayfield may be a cad, but Grant makes him Florence’s cad with a flourish.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

This is, of course, Meryl’s movie and she jumps with both feet into the deep end with relish portraying this fascinating woman. It’s an amazing performance for someone we know can sing incredibly well. It’ a high-energy performance that makes Florence extremely likable, making us root for her to succeed, even though we are aware Florence can’t sing. It doesn’t matter because, against all the odds, she thinks she can. Not everything is perfect in Florence’s world, particularly when her husband leaves her every night to sleep with someone else and Streep allows her character to have that sadness just in the background of her character’s actions.

It’s Streep’s boisterous performance that makes this film so much fun to watch. You may not always enjoy the singing, but you certainly will admire the gusto that its performed with.   My Rating: Full Price  

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Florence Foster Jenkins” Website

"Phantom Boy"

"Phantom Boy" Movie Review

"Phantom Boy"

Posted on Aug. 5, 2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

 “Phantom Boy”  (2015)

Leo is an eleven-year-old boy who is incredibly sick. His parents and his sister are worried about his upcoming trip to the hospital for treatment. To keep his mind off of his troubles, Leo immerses himself into stories about detectives. He imagines that he is a detective who is tracking down the latest evil mastermind on the rooftops of New York City and bringing them to justice. These dreams are always interrupted by his well-meaning family, who awaken him, this time, to take his trip to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Alex Tanguy is already in the doghouse with his boss. The detective captured a bad guy red-handed trying to break into a warehouse, but in the midst of apprehending the suspect, Tanguy accidentally burns down the facility. Now, as punishment for his latest misstep, Tanguy has been assigned the crappy job of patrolling the docks.

A master criminal, who calls himself “The Man with the Broken Face,” has appeared in New York City and to show his strength, he turns off all the power to the city for fifteen minutes. He demands an outrageous sum of money or he will permanently put New York in total darkness, and the city just might pay it out. Leo stumbles on “The Man with the Broken Face” and in the attempt to bring him down, is shot in the leg and is sent to the same hospital that Leo is in. Leo has discovered that if he lies real still in his hospital bed, his body will float invisible above everyone else, and he can control where and how fast his body will float, not only through the hospital corridors but the city as well. Soon, due to a chance encounter at the hospital, Leo, and the detective meet up. With the street smarts of the detective and the kid’s ability to float all over the city, they are ready to take on the master criminal and save their town.

Academy Award nominated directors of “A Cat in Paris”, Jean-Loup Felicioli, and Alain Gagnol, bring us a beautiful but simple animated tale. The film should captivate young children, but adults may be a little bored with the straightforward storyline. The film is something that is rather rare today, a hand-drawn movie, giving it whimsical look with its characters having long exaggerated limbs and buildings that seem to breathe life. This is not the gritty, dirty city that we are used to in “crime films” but a city that gives off a  feeling that though the boy and the detective are in sometimes in trouble, they are never really in any danger. This animated style works well when Leo is floating across the city, weaving in and out of traffic, or floating high above the cities rooftops. At times this animated style clashes a bit with the film’s storyline, especially when the film turns serious, like when it deals with Leo’s very sick body. I saw the film with the original French dialogue version. I must admit it’s a little jarring to watch this film about American characters (how much more American can we get than a typecast New York detective) where everyone is speaking French. There is an English version with the characters voiced by Marcus D’Angelo, Melissa Disney, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jared Padalecki, and Fred Armisen that may have helped the film feel more natural.

I like this charming animated film and its sweet storyline, but coming from the team that brought one of my favorite animated films of the past ten years, I wanted the movie to be a little more substance and a little less lighthearted. Still, it’s a film that has a magical feel with a wonderful message of believing in yourself and your abilities to overcome anything. Overall,  families will enjoy their flights around the city with Leo as he fights to bring justice to the streets of New York.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Phantom Boy” is playing exclusively in Atlanta at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

“Phantom Boy” Website