What Else I Watched This Week 7/22

• 30 For 30: Run Ricky Run
• Ted
• 30 For 30: Little Big Men
• 30 For 30: The 16th Man
• Dexter
• 30 For 30: Without Bias

Senna

Director: Asif Kapadia
Starring: Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2010
How: Apple TV (Netflix)

Notable Awards:

• Sundance Film Festival: World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary

Arguably one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers in history, Aryton Senna is often overlooked due to a career tragically cut short. Delving into the life of a driver at the top his career, and the politics surrounding the sport, Senna is gripping, even for those unfamiliar with Formula 1.

Ayrton Senna was born to a wealthy family in Sao Paulo. Even at an early age he showed great prowess behind the wheel, first driving at the age of seven. By thirteen, Ayrton was competing in karting, which later in life he would regard as "the purest form of racing." The was no money in it, no politics, just racing.  

He swiftly moved up in the racing world and by 1984, had a ride with Toleman, a newer team and not one expected to be very competitive. Senna quickly proved himself an extraordinary driver, especially in the rain, something that he demonstrated at the Monaco Grand Prix. Starting 13th Senna quickly worked his way up to second. The rain continued to intensify, yet he making up a staggering four seconds a lap on the leader, Alain Prost. The race was called before taking the lead but his reputation had been established.

For the 1985 season, Senna joined Lotus-Renault. In the second race of the season, Ayrton took his first career pole and converted it first career win, in what was a very rainy Portugese GP. Senna would stay with the team for another two season, honing his skills before leaving for the more formidable McLaren team.

Much of the story is about Ayrton's rivalry with French driver Alain Prost. Prost, already a two time champion, was known as the "Professor" due to his calculating, methodical approach to racing, doing whatever it took to be ahead on points, a stark contrast to Senna's passionate style. Ayrton was not very comfortable with the politics of the sport, something Prost excelled at. Their rivalty truly evolved during the 1988 season, when Senna joined Prost at McLaren.

Senna and Prost put up a facade of friendliness, but both grasped what Ayrton's signing would mean for the team. McLaren dominated the rest of the field. Between the two, they took all but one pole and one victory the entire 1988 season.  Their only real competition came from each other. The season would come down to the final race in Japan. Senna had the point lead going into the final race of season in Japan. If he won that race he would win his first championship. But Senna stalled at the start, falling to 14th, but then it started to rain. Ayrton would drive an amazing race and storm all the way back to snatch both the victory and the world championship from Prost.

The 1989 season saw the two drivers become more alienated and the politics of the sport come into play. Something Senna did not enjoy. Once again the season came down the race in Japan, only this time if Senna did not finish, Porst would take the championship. The race was neck and neck, then Prost and Senna came together. Prost race was over but Ayrton drove down a slip road and proceeded to win in spectacular fashion, a result Prost would contest. The president of the FIA at the time, Jean-Marie Balestre, was close with Prost and ruled in favor of the Frenchman, giving him the Championship and suspending Senna from the 1990 season. After, Prost would leave McLaren to drive for Ferrari.

For a third third year in a row the season hinged on the race in Japan. Senna won the pole , only to find that pole position had been moved off the racing line, to a part of the track with half the grip, a decision undoubtedly influenced by Balestre.

The film is a fantastic weave of archival F1 film inter-spliced with TV interviews and rare footage from things like drivers meetings. Despite the often low resolution offered in the 80's the quality and breadth of the material makes the documentary incredibly immersive, sometimes feeling like you are hurtling around the track along with Senna. This is a documentary that transcends the racing genre. Even people who don't even like cars will be able to amazing and tragic story.

If you need any more proof check this out, Honda pays tribute to Senna's record breaking lap at the Suzuka Circuit, only in light and sound. 
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/07/honda-senna-tribute/

Rating: 9.1/10

6 Word Reveiw of Gasland

Director: Josh Fox
Starring: Josh Fox
Year: 2010
Genre: Documentary
Run Time: 104 Minutes
How: Apple TV (HBO)

Notable Awards: 

•  2011 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming
•  2011 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature - Nominated

Test your water. Fracking is scary.

Rating: 8.1

180° South

Director: Chris Malloy
Starring: Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Jeff Johnson, Keith Malloy, Timmy O'Neil, Makohe
Genre: Adventure Documentary
Year: 2010
Run Time: 85 Minutes
How: Apple TV (Netflix)

Patagonia. One of the last great, unspoiled wildernesses left on the planet. Located at the end of the world, it has some of the most extreme terrain, Ranging from coastline to thick forest to jagged peaks, blanketed in ice. That was what drew Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins there back in 1968.

Back then, Yvon and Doug were living in Ventura, California, surfing, rock climbing, even  making their own equipment (Yvon founded Patagonia Clothing and Black Diamond and Doug, The North Face). Both were very accomplished climbers, having made many notable ascents all across North America, and had set their sights on Mt Fitzroy in Patagonian Chile. So in 1968 the two packed up a van with surfboards and climbing equipment and set off on a 6 month, 10,000 mile journey along the Pan American Highway. They made it to Mt Fitzroy and scaled it over the course of three weeks, much of wich was spent in a snow cave waiting for deadly storms to pass. 

Jeff Johnson, a friend of Yvon and Doug's and fellow surfer/climber, found the footage of their trip and was inspired to recreate it. Jeff's goal was to be Corcavado, a mountain Yvon had given him a picture from his first trip.

Corcovodo

Jeff joins the crew of a small sail boat named the Sea Bear, which is relocating from Seattle back to Chile. Jeff has never sailed long distance before, but relishes the change of pace that life at sea offers. They sail down the coast of Mexico and to the Galapagos Islands. over a thousand miles off the coast of Chile, the Sea Bear's mast snaps, their only option, motor to Rapa Nui a.k.a Easter Island. Stranded on this remote island while they repair their ship, Jeff explores his surroundings. He meets a local woman named Makohe, who is also intrigued by his journey and asks if she can join them when the leave.

After a about a month in Rapa Nui, Jeff and the crew are finally able to remast, using an risky strategy, sailors used to perform such repairs while anchored at sea. With Makohe aboard, the Sea Bear heads east, for Chile. Once in port, Jeff and Makohe continue their journey south by bus. Soon they meet up with Yvon and Doug, both of whom now live in Patagonia.

Yvon and Doug have dedicated their lives trying to preserve Patagonia. They have taken it upon themselves to use their own life savings  to buy up large tracts of land, creating Concervaion Patigonica, basically a national park on private land larger than Yosemite. The film focuses a lot on conservation, how we need to protect our wild spaces, not build factories in pristine wilderness. It kind of become old hat, but you almost forgive it for the beauty of the of the place.

After a long arduous journey they finally make it to Corcovodo. Joined by Jeff's friends, Keith Malloy and Timmy O'Neil, Jeff, Makohe and Yvon being their ascent. There is something compelling about seeing a place few people have ever set foot, even on film. 

The film features a great soundtrack, mainly consisting of music by Ugly Casanova, featuring Isaac Brock, front man of Modest Mouse. It is also interspersed with the likes of Billy Bragg & Wilco and James Mercer. All together the music compliments the breath taking visuals and journey's laid back feel. Though a compelling documentary, the environmentalism in it gets a little stale, Patagonia itself makes for the any wrongdoing.

Rating: 7.8/10

Moon

Director: Duncan Jones
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey
Genre: Sci-Fi
Year: 2009
Run Time: 97 Minutes
How: DVD

When Zowie Bowie directs a film, you know its gonna be just as out there as his notorious father, and Moon does not disappoint. Sam Rockwell is Sam Bell, the sole employee at one of Lunar Industries Helium-3 mining facilities on the far side of moon. Near the end of his 3 year work contract, the only company Sam has had, aside from the occasional recorded message from his wife, has been the mining bases artificial intelligence, GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey). GERTY is reminiscent of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyessy, in an eerie, criminally insane sort of way, and its emoticon faces don't do much to change that perception.

Two weeks before Sam is supposed to return for earth, while he is out maintaining on of the harvesters, he begins to hallucinate. Sam's rover crashes into the harvester and Sam is knocked unconscious.

Sam wakes back at the base, with no recollection of the crash or how he got back. GERTY tells him he is not allowed to leave the base until a rescue team arrives. Sam gets suspicious and tricks GERTY in to letting him outside. Sam takes a rover to the site of his crash, only to find something that will alter his perception of reality, but I don't want to give it away.

Duncan Jones's vision is a unique one. Exploring the effects of extended solitude as well as the ethical questions that may arise with advancing technology. He definitely evokes Kubrick which is never a bad idea. This is the type of sci-fi film that is all to rare these day. The kind that shies away from massive explosions, and equally massive budgets . One that delves into the human psyche and our interactions with artificial intelligence as our comprehension of what is real. Rockwell puts on a powerful performance, as a man on the brink, questioning his sanity, and determined to get back to earth. Moon is a smart movie that will keep you trying to understand what could be going on until the end.

Rating: 8.2/10

Quick Review: Lone Ranger

Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner
Genre: Western Action
Year: 2013
Run Time: 149 minutes
How: In Theaters

The Lone Ranger had a fair amount of hype leading up to its release, and why not? It was just Disney's latest 225 million dollar movie. Now 2 weeks later, it is destined to be one of the biggest flops since John Carter.

The Lone Ranger is undoubtedly a visually appealing and spectacular in terms of special effects, but it suffers greatly from a story that just seems to drag on for ever. It takes an hour for Armie Hammer (insert ridiculous name joke here) to even put on the iconic mask. At two and a half hours long, the film often seems bogged down scenes that have little bearing on the story itself (ie. The young boy talking to Tonto in the museum through out) most of which could have been cut without the movie losing any substance.  

One of the few bright spots in the movie is Johnny Depp, who is good for a laugh several times throughout, though it some times feel like Tonto is just a Comanche Captain Jack Sparrow. This is unfortunately is countered by the rest of the cast both absurd and cliched. Helena Bonham Carter is the same character she often does only this time she a old western madame who just happens to have a gun in her prosthetic leg. While William Fichtner is Butch Cavendish, complete with cross dressing gang of dim wits.  Cavendish is like a bad bond villain, who both monologues and should have been killed on 4 separate occasions yet never seems to die.   

All said and done, this movie was definitely a bold follow up for Verbinski and Pirates of The Caribbian but I'm not sure it paid off. There is a fair amount of bad but its not all unwatchable. If your looking for a long, throwback complete with more than its share of train wrecks, gun play and explosions and less story, then your in luck.

Rating 3.9/10

Being John Malkovich

Director: Spike Jonze

Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, John Malkovich, Catherine Keener, Orson Bean

Genre: Comedy
Year: 1999

Run Time: 112 Minutes

How: DVD/Netflix

Notable Awards

• Academy Award For Best Director - Spike Jonze - Nominated
• Academy Award For Best Original Screen Play - Charlie Kaufman - Nominated
• Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Keener - Nominated

New York City - A struggling, unemployed puppeteer, Craig Schwartz (Cusack) is putting on a rather saucy sidewalk marionette show. Schwartz is a rather disheveled, long haired man, whose unique skill set make him ill equipped for most lines of work. Schwartz's wife Lotte, portrayed by an equally frumpy Cameron Diaz, spends her time doting on the couple's numerous pets, specifically a chimp with childhood issues named Elijah. 

Desperate for  work, Craig answers a job posting for Lestercorp, simply looking for someone with "skilled fingers." Lestercorp is wonderfully eccentric on every level. From the man, Dr. Lester (Bean), to the office located on the 7 1/2th floor of the Mertin-Flemmer Building ("For the low overhead"), to the mysterious doorway. During his orientation video Craig meets and immediately becomes infatuated by Maxine (Keener), who makes it quite obvious that she has no interest in the often awkward Schwartz. 

While filing in cramped offices of Lestercorp, Craig stumbles across a small door hidden behind a filing cabinet  Naturally he decides to crawl into the tunnel only to get sucked all the way in. Once inside Craig realizes he in inside John Malkovich's  head, seeing what Malkovich sees, feeling what Malkovich feels. After a little while Craig is ejected unceremoniously on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.  

Craig immediately tells Maxine, who is understandable skeptical, watching Craig assert the meta-physical significance of the door. How being able to be Malkovich allows him to actually be someone else, something Craig gets out of being a puppeteer. Maxine proposes that they create a business out of it, allowing people to be Malkovich for $200. 

Craig also shares his discovery with Lotte, who's experience inside Malkovich is transformative. She becomes obsessed with being him and a man, to the point she declares herself a transexual. She too falls in love with Maxine, though only as Malkovich. 

The film really picks up as Craig begins to learn to control Malkvich and the love triangle (square?) complicates itself further, classic Charlie Sheen makes a cameo, and the age old question: What happens when John Malkovich becomes John Malkovich? is answered. Malkovich plays himself brilliantly and has a great to see he has a sense of humor about himself. Spike Jonze's vision is wildly original and has plenty of rewatchability. Only Sesame street has had as much success with puppets.  

Rating: 8.5/10 Malkoviches

Fun Fact: This film was produced by Michael Stipe from R.E.M

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Director: NIcholas Stoller
Starring: Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis Paul Rudd, Bill Hader
Year: 2008 
Run Time: 110 Minutes
How: Apple TV (iTunes)

Peter Bretter (Segel) is a composer is musician who composes the music for his beautiful actress girlfriend Sarah Marshall's (Bell) TV Show, that is until Marshall breaks up with him and reveals that there is another man. Peter goes into a spiral after the breakup and at his brother's (Hader) insistence, he flies to Hawaii to clear his head as the title suggests. 

Peter arrives in Hawaii only to find that Sarah is staying at the same resort with her new lover Aldous Snow (Brand). Snow is a lothario rock star and is yet another roll in which Brand plays himself, though he manages to be funnier than most of his other work. Peter frets over this for a while but starts the befriend the hotel staff, including the hilarious Paul Rudd as Kunu the surf instructor who doesn't quite all there mentally. Meanwhile Peter falls for the front desk girl played by Kunis.

Produced Judd Apatow, the film feature many of his regular actors, notably: Segel, Paul Rudd, and Jonah Hill.  Segel once again showcases his musical abilities which we have seen as far back as Freaks and Geeks, which was also produced by Apatow. Peter performs songs from his Dracula musical, which features puppets (along the lines of Avenue Q).

The film is solid throughout with a strong performance by Segel and Kunis. Brand holds his own but fails to show any range, once again playing a role similar to himself. Rudd, Hill and Jack McBrayer all provide laugh out loud moments and help make this movie quite rewatchable.

Rating: 7.2/10

Average User Rating: 9

Bottle Rocket

Director: Wes Anderson
Staring: Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Robert Musgrave, Andrew Wilson

Year: 1996

Run Time: 91 Minutes
How: Apple TV (Netflix)

Bottle Rocket was Director Wes Anderson's first major film. Along side friend and co-writer/actor Owen Wilson, Anderson directs a quirky heist movie in his own unique style.

The film opens in Texas as Dignan (Owen Wilson) "rescues" Anthony (Luke Wilson) from a voluntary mental facility where Anthony has been staying for exhaustion. Dignan, has developed a 75 year for the pair to work their way criminal world. 

Dignan is eager to please, but does not take criticism well and has a compulsive need to be in charge. The first step in this plan is for them to rob Anthony's do a series of practice heists.

Dignan recruits Bob Mapplethorpe (Musgrave) to be the crew's getaway driver as he is the only person they know with a car. The gang buys a gun and Digan plans to rob a bookstore and subsequently "go on the lam". All this is in order to impress Dingnan's old boss and rumored thief, Mr. Henry (Caan).

The crew hides out at a motel where Anthony falls madly in love a housekeeper named Ines. The two spend time together while she works. After Bob takes off in the middle of the night to bail his brother, played by third Wilson brother, Andrew. Dignan feels betrayed by this. Meanwhile Anthony asks Ines to run away with him, but she knows can't just pick up her life and leave with him.  

Dignan and Anthony have falling out and Anthony goes off to live with Bob. Dignan goes back to work for Mr. Henry and plans yet another heist. This one of a cold storage facility and tries to recruit Anthony once again.

This film, being Anderson's first, lacks a lot of the polish of his later work. His trademark visual style, highlighted by symmetry, bold colors, and framing are not as pronounced as you see in his newer films. This also is the first film of both Wilson brothers and it shows. Its an interesting film that show the promise  of a young director. It can move a little slow at times, but it is heartfelt and unique in a way only Wes Anderson can be. 

Rating: 6.5/10

You're Welcome America - A Final Night with George W Bush

Starring: Will Ferrell
Genre: Taped One Man Show
Run Time: 115 Minutes
How: Apple TV (HBO)

This is the first movie I will be reviewing for my currently unnamed blog so Im going to make this quick. This one man show was put on by Will Farrell in 2009 after Barack Obama was inaugurated. Based on Farrell's infamous SNL sketches. This is a new blog and please reply with movie you want me to review, ways I can improve the blog and things you want to see in the future.

Rating: 6/10


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