Movies -- A Recap -- Part XXXVIII -- Based on a True Story

Wildflower was a winner.  It's certainly not the only movie about a family which is non-traditional in its own way, but it's one of the better ones I've seen, even as it edges toward the predictable.  Young Bea has two intellectually disabled parents who, against some substantial odds, have raised their daughter in their own way.  Families interfere, but love and understanding win the day, carried in no small part on the shoulders of the daughter.  If you were a Mad Men watcher, you'll recognize Kiernan Shipka, who played Sally Draper, as Bea.

The title character in Yara was a 13-year-old girl who went missing when she was on her routine walk home from her gym one winter night. Her body was found three months later, but it took years to identify a suspect and bring the matter to trial.  Though the crime is of course the center of the story, the real narrative is the doggedness of the investigator and the patience of the victim's family.  The movie is based on a real murder and subsequent criminal investigation.

Mutiny on the Bounty is one of those movies that everyone knows the name of.  I imagine only a small fraction of those people have actually seen it.  Until recently, I was one of those.  For my part, I watched the 1962 version.  (There are at least four other film versions, some now lost to history.)  Marlon Brando, young though he looks as lead mutineer Fletcher Christian, had been in major films for 10 years by the time Mutiny came out.  It's an old movie, so expect a lot of racism and sexism.  I didn't love the movie, but at least now I can say that I've seen it.

None of these movies are documentaries, but Bridge of Spies has gotten some flak for taking pretty substantial liberties with the real story, especially the timeline.  But, I love Tom Hanks, I love a good historical tale, and I love a war movie, so I don't really care. Hanks plays an American lawyer who, after he is tapped to defend a Soviet spy caught in the US, is sent to East Germany to try to facilitate a prisoner swap, exchanging his convicted former client for an American pilot.  His unwavering certainty about how to handle the negotiations is where the inspiration lies.

If you, too, think the idea of watching a guy whittle wooden keys for 90 minutes sounds as dull as watching paint dry, try Escape from Pretoria.  Real-life political activist Tim Jenkin is portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe.  When he is arrested in South Africa, along with his friend, for their anti-apartheid activities, Jenkin plots his - you guessed it - escape from Pretoria Prison. Surprisingly suspenseful.

Soccer fans may already know the story told in The Keeper, but I didn't. It profiles Bert Trautmann, a German POW who elected, at the end of the war, to remain in England rather than return to Germany.  He made a name for himself as an excellent football goalie, eventually guarding the goal for many years as the keeper for Manchester City.  The movie is pitched as a love story, but even immediately after concluding viewing I would have told you it's more about overcoming prejudice and building bridges through sport than it is a love story.  Upon reading a bit more about Mr. Trautmann's post-film personal life, I find that to be even more true.  Regardless, I enjoyed watching the impressive saves.

Movies -- A Recap -- Part XXXVII -- Comedies

Strays stars dogs.  Enough said.  (But in case you want to know more, a dog who's been abandoned decides to take revenge on his former owner with the help of some of his newfound friends.  It's crass but there were several laugh-out-loud moments, and the music selections were on point!)

I expected pretty much nothing from The Lost City, and it didn't disappoint.  In fact, though I wouldn't call it a good movie, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  I've seen Brad Pitt do comedy before (and do it well, as in Mr. & Mrs. Smith), but still I was surprised by how funny he was.  Channing Tatum was pretty funny too, and Sandra can hold her own, but Brad Pitt stole the show. 

I find it hard to believe, but I think Adam's Rib is only the second Spencer Tracy movie I've ever seen (with the first being Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). In Adam's Rib, he and Katherine Hepburn - together again - play a pair of husband-and-wife attorneys on opposite sides of case involving a woman who shot her husband.  Their witty banter and obvious chemistry carry the movie!

Enough Said started out funny and clever. There were lots of chuckles and a couple of hearty laughs.  Unfortunately the second half turns a little predictable.  But it was well cast, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus (whom I currently have a real-life crush on after discovering her podcast, Wiser Than Me), James Gandolfini, Toni Collette, and Catherine Keener.

If you like British people, Irish people, the post office, historical settings and costumes, swear words, or any combination of the above, Wicked Little Letters will amuse you.  A very proper British woman in a very proper British town is scandalized by the receipt of profane correspondence from an anonymous sender.  All eyes turn to the young Irish mother who showed up in town after the war.  A battle of swear words ensues.

 

 

I automatically give extra credit to any movie which is set in Great Britain or Ireland.  People We Hate at the Wedding is one of those. It's a 100% predictable story of wedding shenanigans, but if what you need is some brain candy with a few extra-funny zingers, it's not a bad pick.

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Take 2

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy was not for me.

Initially, I didn't quite know what I was getting into.  The first 20 pages or so were pretty entertaining.  Then it just started to get weird and go a bit off the rails.  So I looked up a few things about it and came away with this summary: "nothing happens, it's pretty dumb, but there are some real gems in the prose."

My reading experience could not mirror that summary more exactly.  I really had to push myself to get through the pages.  I thought this one would be easy because it's so short, but the total lack of plot made it a real slog.  But every now and then I would either burst out laughing or come across a passage that was so spot-on that I had to go back and read it aloud to S.

Despite that, I don't expect I will be reading any of the other books in the series.