Reviews Of Rented Movies

The title says it all so here we go:

• Shine A Light – Here are some words I thought I would never say. The Rolling Stones are irrelevant. This documentary of The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang tour was directed by Martin Scorsese. Keith was never able to sing, but he apparently is now tone deaf. He proves this in Far Away Eyes. If you need further proof then watch the outtake of Little T&A. Mick still can’t play guitar. The sound editor all but eliminates Mick’s guitar in the film and Mick should thank him if he hasn’t already done so.To top it off, Mick is now sounding almost as bad as he did on Love You Live and that’s not a good thing. Martin Scorsese tries his best to put lipstick on the pig, but alas, it is still a pig which makes the whole thing that much sadder. Now some people might think a different director would have improved the result, but keep in mind, Mr. Scorsese got his start as the assistant director on the original Woodstock documentary. More recently he directed No Direction Home: Bob Dylan and he will soon be directing a documentary on George Harrison. In the end, Shine A Light will remind you of Neil Young’s lyrics, “It’s better to fade out than it is to rust.” I only wish the Glimmer Twins had heeded this advice.
• Recount – This is a decidedly one-sided story about the Florida recount in the 2000 Presidential election. As long as you know that going in, it is an interesting rental. Kevin Spacey is outstanding, but his performance is offset by the over-the-top caricature portrayals of several other figures, most notably Katherine Harris (played by Laura Dern) and Warren Christopher (John Hurt). What is most amusing is the portrayal of Al Gore as a sympathetic figure who really only wanted to do what was best for the country with no regard for his personal advancement.
• The Counterfeiters – This may be one of the best films ever done on the Holocaust. It not only brings the atrocities of World War II to life, it also shows the many different moral decisions faced by the Jewish people during their time in the concentration camps. The film is about a group of Jews who must produce counterfeit currency to help support the German war machine during World War II in order to stay alive. There are more shades of gray in this film than in my winter wardrobe.
• Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day – I saw this movie on August 25th and I’ve already forgotten most of it. What does that say? The acting was fine, but the story was uninspired and unoriginal. You will know the ending well before it thankfully arrives. Feel free to make a sandwich halfway through while the movie continues. I promise you won’t miss anything.
• Entourage, Season Four – Alright, I know it’s not a movie, but I love Vincey-Mark and his funky bunch, however, I am concerned about the long term viability of the franchise based on this season. The characters are, for the first time, in trouble of becoming caricatures. Drama wants to get a part in anything that will take him, Turtle wants to smoke weed, Eric can’t figure out what he is supposed to be doing half the time, Vince is still pretty, Lloyd is still gay, and Billy is still an insecure ass. The only one who evens shows a hint of growth is Ari when he sheds a tear for his son and then is forced to publicly admit who he is. Still, the worst season of Entourage still beats 99.9% of everything else on television.
• Smart People – A well written movie about bitterness, ego, and opening one’s heart to new experiences. Thomas Haden Church is absolutely great as the ne’er-do-well brother and Dennis Quaid and Ellen Page both turn in solid performances. I wouldn’t have wanted to go to the theatre to see this, but it’s not bad for a rental.
• 21 – This movie was not written for the serious gambler who will be able to point out flaw after flaw in much the same way Trekkies can tell you exactly which doors didn’t open when they were supposed to on the original series. However, if you want mindless entertainment this is for you.
• In Bruges – This film is exactly why you should read this blog for movie reviews and not the film critic in your local fish wrap. Most film critics will tell you this is one of the best films of the year. I promise you — it is not! It is an enjoyable film with a couple of plot twists and it is a somewhat interesting study in human behavior and emotion, but come on guys, this isn’t Citizen Kane. Once again, it’s worth a rent, but I wouldn’t have spent a full admission on it.
• Rockumentaries – I rented Sixties Rock. Don’t bother. Picture MTV with lip synched performance videos in black and white. I also rented Good Rockin’ Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records. I’m pretty sure director Bruce Sinofsky is now dating Sam Phillips. Sam was allowed to do his usual rant about being the father of rock ‘n roll. Fortunately, Billy Lee Riley is included and pretty much tells Sam exactly what he thinks. This documentary is worth the rent if for no other reason than the performances, however you should be ready to listen to a lot of angry and bitter old men. The Stax Records Story is wonderful. In the 1960s, soul music was defined by two labels — Motown with its lush arrangements and polished sound and Stax with its raw, straight from the streets sound. At Motown the house band was The Funk Brothers. At Stax it was Booker T. & the M.G.’s! Smokey Robinson was Motown. Otis Redding was Stax. The Four Tops were at Motown, but Sam & Dave called Stax home! After watching this documentary a nice companion piece is Wattstax. It’s an amazing event in light of what all was occurring both in the Watts section of L.A. and what all was happening back at Stax Records in Memphis. Talk about going out with a bang.

With that said, BANG!