First Man
Entertainment Rating: ★★1/2
Rating: PG-13: one or two profanities, tense moments
Possible Oscar Nominations: Best Movie, Damien Chazelle, Director; Steven Spielberg, Executive Producer
Outside of family events, there are a handful of dates that are indelibly stamped in most of our memories. December 7, 1941, November 22, 1963, September 11, 2001, and the date this story is about, July 20, 1969. And what an incredible day it was: we won the space race to the moon. The world watched in awe as Neil Armstrong stepped off the lunar module onto the surface and uttered one of the most famous lines in history, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Over 400 million people watched worldwide on television, as this took place. Even Walter Cronkite got excited, as the words of President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 speech about our determination to get to the moon first, rang true.
The real heroes, of course, are the astronauts. The ship was commandeered by Armstrong, played by Ryan Gosling, who this movie is really about. We follow his life, and family, through the decade of the sixties, specifically the eight years it took him and his team to prepare for the mission. Directed by Steven Spielberg, I was looking forward to seeing another of his amazing adventures, he’s the best there is.
I left the theater disappointed. Spielberg chose to film this in subdued light, and used close-ups almost unmercifully. Add to that the depressed state of Astronaut Armstrong through the entire story, brought on by the untimely death of his very young daughter, just as the training program was beginning, and the film was less than upbeat. As the eight-year program progressed several of our most popular space pioneers were killed as they tested one technological advancement or another.(Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee among others). Armstrong himself almost died testing the lunar module for the first time. Several others died in airplane accidents, all good friends, adding to Armstrong’s mental anguish.
The highlight, of course, was the successful mission to the moon. From the lift off to the touchdown of the lunar module, we were caught up, anyone would be. Knowing the outcome made no difference; it was, to say the least, awesome. Spielberg at his best. So sorry that didn’t apply to the rest of the story.
* * *
A Star is Born
Entertainment Rating: ★★★
Rating: R: Streams of profanity, love scenes, partial nudity
Possible Oscar Nominations: Best Actor, Bradley Cooper, Best Actress, Lady GaGa, Best Song, Shallow, Best any award related to music.
The supposition is that everyone knows the basic story line of this movie. If you don’t know, call your neighbor, they will.
I went Gaga over this movie (literally not figuratively), absolutely Gaga. I had never paid attention to the Lady, partially because of her inane costuming, make up, and she “appealed to the younger set,” not mature adults like me. Boy, was I wrong. I was mesmerized by her singing in this movie. She is no doubt one of the top female pop artists in the world, maybe the best. Her voice is on par with Streisand’s, and that’s saying a lot. Henceforth I am a huge fan, regardless of how she dresses or whatever venue she appears at.
The Lady joins forces with Bradley Cooper for the fourth version of this timeless story. Bradley joins the list of actors who can not only sing, but do it incredibly well. Actors like Gary Bussey, Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, and Gwyneth Paltrow among others who have taken to the screen in song and delivered big time. Watching the two of them sing individually and in duets, makes this the musical film of the year, if indeed there are any others. The live concert scenes, extraordinarily filmed and edited, will stick with you for some time. My wife felt Cooper’s performance was moving, passionate and his slow demise was played out beautifully. I agree honey.
That’s the good stuff, and there is plenty of it. On the downside, a lot of the dialogue is missed as the background music at times drowns out the frequently whispered conversations.
And then of course there is the consistent stream of raw language, which in most cases is unnecessary. Sam Elliot, who plays Bradley Cooper’s brother, has a one-word vocabulary, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what that word is.
