"Brawl in Cell Block 99" - review

A gore-splattered grindhouse flick with heart

Movie fans are probably most familiar with writer-director S. Craig Zahler's bleak Western "Bone Tomahawk", starring Kurt Russell and Richard Jenkins.  However, Zahler's follow-up film, "Brawl in Cell Block 99" starring Vince Vaughn and Don Johnson, is very similar in its focus on tersely written character drama interspersed between scenes of increasingly volcanic violence.  Zahler loves pulp films, both in style and in bodily destruction, but thankfully he is able to balance the aortic explosions with sincere, intimate exposition that gives the grisly proceedings meaning beyond mercilessness.

Vince Vaughn is Bradley Thomas, a former drug mule struggling to live a clean life.  Recently fired from his auto body job, Bradley regretfully returns to running meth in order for him and his newly pregnant wife to have a chance at being a happy family.  However, Bradley is gifted and/or cursed with a functioning conscience and when a delivery goes bad, he stays instead of running.  Bradley shoots some of his cohorts to prevent local cops from being murdered, but Bradley's criminal history overshadows this one selfless act, and he is sentenced to seven years in prison.

Bradley's wife is kidnapped, and their unborn child is threatened with prenatal dismemberment unless Bradley kills a man in another prison.  The slow and inexorable descent into brutality upon brutality reaches nearly nonsensical heights as getting to that man requires Bradley to leave a trail of broken bones and crippled guards behind him.  This is NOT a film for the squeamish, but the increasing chiaroscuro style of the cinematography makes Bradley's persistent plunge into amoral oblivion take on a painterly elegance and composition.  Filth and darkness has rarely looked so repulsively and yet classically gorgeous.

Vince Vaughn's performance is restrained and quite credible.  There's nary a flash of the witty, quip-laden and fast talking character he is wont to play.  Vaughn also does most of the stunt work, and that combined with his imposing height and the long takes makes the fight scenes as impactful upon the mind as they are on the bodies.  The effects are all practical as well, which lends another level of veracity and ferocity to the melee.  There is one shot at the very end that while brief, does not work well, but overall if you're in the mood for a "Sin City"-styled fight to the death, "Brawl in Cell Block 99" will definitely get your blood pumping.  Just try to keep it inside your body!

"Apollo 11" - review

Stupefaction in 70 millimeter!

Being born on July 20th, 1969 guaranteed that I'd be a fervent fan of NASA for my entire life.  I've eagerly read about all the amazing accomplishments prior to and after Apollo 11 landed on the moon and and have always thrilled at that singular, history-making moment when humankind took its first bold steps into the cosmos.  I've watched multiple documentaries multiple times and relished the familiar and yet still inspiring footage again and again.  I thought I had seen it all, and I've never been SO happy to be proved wrong!

Launch pad 39A at Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 16th, 1969.

The crawler which carried the Saturn V to 39A at nearly 1 mph!

"Apollo 11" is the new benchmark in American space documentaries, and I'm still reeling from the initial viewing.  Produced, directed and edited by Todd Douglas Miller, the film is an astounding visual and sonic experience.  The never seen and newly restored archival 70mm footage is colossal and breathtaking.  The images are of such clarity and depth that you feel as if you are actually part of the scene.  I was so awestruck by the detail in every shot that I struggled to believe they were real.  

Michael Collins - Command Module Pilot

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin - Lunar Module Pilot

Neil Armstrong - Mission Commander

The journey begins!

It is this immersion that makes "Apollo 11" feel so vibrant, arresting and powerful despite the fact that this particular mission has been so thoroughly documented and presented so many times in the five decades since.  As the world watched in unison and celebrated one of the greatest achievements in human history, we can now look back upon that glorious time with a newfound perspective that is as grandiose at it is bittersweet.  While we have left our home planet for the first time, we have still not left behind our fear and ignorance.

You feel like you're standing right there, looking up in awe.

Thousands gathered to witness history with their own eyes.

The propulsive sound and spectacle of the launch is incredible!

Even Mission Control couldn't resist watching from their stations.

As America and the rest of the world continues to grapple with the myriad problems of life on Earth, "Apollo 11" reminds us that there is always the opportunity for discovery, knowledge and glory in the stars.  While such adventures may not directly benefit individual lives, they can still provide inspiration, hope and wonder.  Having struggled myself with fluctuating fortunes throughout my life, it is with a grateful relief that I can take a break from my seemingly trivial challenges and bask in the immensity of the universe and our infinitesimal place within it.

The new footage from space is eye-goggling!

The immortal moment.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin fly Eagle back into orbit.

Michael Collins approaches to dock.

Successful splashdown!

The most important reunion!

"Wattstax" - review

A vibrant, powerful and heartbreaking cultural experience

The Watts riots in Los Angeles, which raged for an entire week in August 1965, were one of many urban uprisings brought about by the systematic suppression of the African American population in the United States.  Political, social and private power has long been exerted to subjugate and separate black communities, confining them to certain neighborhoods where they were further isolated and their prospects for improvement drastically reduced.  Through a varied and vile array of closed door conspiracies, black people nationwide were continually beset by minimal job opportunities and Draconian punishments while any avenues of assistance which might prove beneficial were firmly barricaded.

For a group of people who had been so cruelly and continually marginalized for so many generations, the riots were the last and least desired option.  Yet out of the fiery ashes of that destruction, a brilliant light and sound coalesced to show the entire world that while the anger, frustration and suffering was very real, there was also something else: strength, unity and music.  Stax records, an iconic black-owned record company famous for its superlative stable of soul, gospel, funk and blues artists, organized a benefit concert seven years after to commemorate the Watts riots, and the event was a beautiful and potent expression of black culture, identity and style!

Power to the People!

The Bar-Kays, resplendent!

Mavis Staples

"Wattstax", directed by Mel Stuart and nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Documentary Film in 1974, is part joyous celebration and part incisive social commentary.  The movie is a rightfully aggressive and contentious examination of the joy and pain of black people's lives in America and most of the world.  So many voices unheard, complaints long ignored and deep wounds to bodies and minds left to ache and torment the souls of so many human beings imprisoned within their own cities.  "Wattstax" brought all of this to the stage, and the cavalcade of talent was a wonder to behold.  More importantly, their musical message was ecstasy to hear.

The Rance Allen Group

Carla Thomas

Rufus Thomas

Isaac Hayes

I was not familiar with most of the artists who performed, but their presence and power was electric.  The music hit me in monumental waves.  Emotion after emotion, each one coiled with the kind of implacable tidal power that is irresistible and everlasting.  The exultant release, the euphoria of shared experience and the certainty of a collective desire for better days was transcendent. I wanted to dance to every song and add my ardent voice in tandem with and in fervent support of the assembled multitude.  My soul was captivated and my booty was shakin'!

Then the music finally ended and the credits rolled.  The modern world came slowly filtering back in and I was once again regretfully reminded that things have improved little in the decades since.  Our country feels more polarized than ever, and it seems a fool's errand to hope for a lessening of the fear and hatred which has driven so many to desperation.  Yet, there have been some positive changes and "Wattstax" shows what beatific things can happen when we come together to heal instead of hate.

The only thing standing in the way is us.

Can I get an "Amen?!"

"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" - review

A fever dream of overheated nostalgia

I've usually enjoyed Quentin Tarantino's work, even when his later films started to extend their running times beyond the limits of my patience and my bladder.  Writers love to hear themselves talk, and I have always been willing to forgive such self-indulgence if the overall experience was worth it.  This has largely been the case until "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."  This 9th Tarantino film is far too long for its own good, and I really felt it dragging at multiple points throughout.  Quentin!  Cut it!  Let's MOVE ALONG, pardner!

I also had a problem going in because I'm not enamored with either of the lead actors.  For me, Brad Pitt's dramatic roles are all of a very similar piece.  I feel that they lack dimension and range.  However, when Pitt takes on a comedic role, he channels a childish, manic persona that is as delightful as it is whimsical.  Leonardo DiCaprio gave similarly energized performances as a younger man, but as an adult I find his acting to be theatrically exaggerated.  I feel like I'm watching DiCaprio act instead of being the character, as if he's self-conscious about his performance and winking at the audience for approval.

Perhaps DiCaprio's recent Best Actor Oscar has calmed him down a bit because in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" he turns in a fine performance as Rick Dalton, a washed-up Western villain trying to resurrect his flagging career.  Brad Pitt plays Cliff Booth, a quiet, veteran stuntman who works solely for Dalton.  Together, their bromance provides an endearing and welcome balance to the usual Tinseltown seediness through which both must navigate.  Dalton's self-doubt and desperation is well-done without feeling pitiable, while Booth's streetwise urban cowboy is funny and witty without seeming like a too-cool quip machine.

Additionally, because both characters are fictional, there is more room for creative invention since the style of Dalton and Booth's story leans heavily into the ample satirical possibilities of an industry pervasive with venality and treachery.  Their symbiotic relationship and fluctuating fortunes provide plenty of dramatic heft and interest to make the entire film feel whole and satisfying.  Unfortunately, this makes the inclusion of the Sharon Tate and Manson family storylines feel largely unnecessary.

While these three stories do overlap at several points throughout the film, the Sharon Tate and Manson family sequences don't mesh nearly as well mainly because they're too long.  The characters are hastily sketched and more crucially, their threads aren't strongly woven around the struggles of Dalton and Booth.  It takes over two hours to get to the last act, and as the vast majority of that time is still spent on Dalton and Booth's misadventures, this overshadows the other two stories such that their intersection at the end feels coincidental rather than fateful.

I believe that this is intentional, but it also has the effect of lessening the sense of importance in the Sharon Tate and Manson family portions of the film, especially since you can't change those stories because they're actually based on fact, right?  Well, I can't say more except that while I was quite grateful for the final "twist" feeling somewhat rewarding despite the slog to get there, it was ultimately too little too late.  I anticipated a horrifically gory and unpleasant ending, and instead was given something slightly different.  It was a nice surprise, but the prolonged unwrapping was enervating to the point of actual boredom.

The production, costume and set design are superlative and detailed without being distracting.  The cinematography is also top-notch and combined with the aforementioned practical effects, the film becomes a sumptuous feast of the color-drenched landscape and intoxicating hippie culture that was still exploding in late sixties Los Angeles.  As usual, Tarantino's musical choices are unconventional but still perfectly align with the moods and themes of the individual scenes.  Quentin just needs an editor who will apply the same brutality to his extended running times as he does to the hyperkinetic violence which he adores.