The Finest Hours

DVD Review by Kam Williams


Disaster Flick Revisits Coast Guard 1952 Rescue off Cape Cod



On February 18, 1952, one of the worst nor'easters in history hit New England. In fact, the roiling waters off Cape Cod were so severe that a couple of oil tankers totally split in half.
While the SS Fort Mercer was able to issue an urgent S.O.S., the SS Pendleton's fore section was swallowed too quickly by the ocean to broadcast a distress call. The latter's captain went down with the shortwave radio, too, leaving 34 sailors in the stern with no idea whether the world was even aware of their perilous plight. 
 
As luck would have it, a tow truck driver (Matthew Maher) not only spotted a light from the Pendleton listing off the coast of Chatham, but he had the wherewithal to report it to the authorities immediately. Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana), the officer in charge of the local Coast Guard station, was a World War II vet who'd seen combat in the Pacific theater. He didn't hesitate to order a rescue attempt, despite the blizzard's frigid temperatures and gale force winds. 
 
That unenviable task fell to Bosun's Mate Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) who hastily assembled a crew composed of Seamen Richard Livesey (Ben Foster) and Ervin Maske (John Magaro), as well as Engineman Andrew Fitzgerald (Kyle Gallner). The rag-tag team left the harbor aboard a modest motorized lifeboat seating only a dozen and offering scant protection against the elements. 
 
It would take a yeoman's effort just to reach the sinking Pendleton, given that the tiny Coast Guard cutter encountered waves as high as 70 feet-tall out on the open seas. Moreover, Webber was further frustrated by the loss of his compass to one of the tsunamis.

Meanwhile, the remaining sailors on the Pendleton were doing their best to keep what was left of the ship afloat. With the skipper and his other officers already swept to watery deaths down in Davy Jones locker, a new leader emerged in Engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck), a salty dog with nerves of steel and a wealth of naval knowledge. 
 
The veteran boat whisperer not only took command of the crew, but determined that survival depended upon the electric pumps functioning long enough to ground the vessel on a sandbar. A third plotline was unfolding back in Chatham where the worried families of the brave Coast Guardsmen, including Bernie's fiancee Miriam (Holliday Grainger), were wringing their hands. 
 
Directed by Aussie Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm), The Finest Hours is a gripping, seafaring adventure reminiscent of The Perfect Storm (2000). It is also based on a best-seller recounting the real-life exploits of some unsung heroes who rose to the occasion in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. 
 
A visually-captivating and remarkably-moving recreation of what, to this day, remains the most daring Coast Guard rescue on record.



Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for intense peril
Running time: 117 minutes
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Blu-ray Extras: Deleted scenes; Against All Odds: The Bernie Webber Story; Brotherhood; Two Crews; The Finest Inspiration: The U.S. Coast Guard; and What Is Your Finest Hour?



To see a trailer for The Finest Hours, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQmllwTKtqU

To order a copy of The Finest Hours on Blu-ray, visit::

 

Top Ten DVD Releases for 5-24-16

by Kam Williams

This Week’s DVD Releases

The Finest Hours

Risen

How to Be Single

Eleventh Hour

1916: The Irish Rebellion

Bad Influence

Sex, Love & Therapy

Rise of the Legend

Outsiders: Season One

David Holt's State of Music

Honorable Mention

The Wonder Years: Season Five

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Sporty-Thon

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Beyond the Known Universe

Major Crimes: The Complete Fourth Season

Kate & Mim-Mim: Balloon Buddies

Kam's Kapsules for Movies Opening 5-27-16

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

by Kam Williams

 

OPENING THIS WEEK

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Alice through the Looking Glass (PG for fantasy action, scenes of peril and mild epithets) Adaptation of Lewis Carroll's sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland finds Alice (Mia Wasikowska) traveling backwards in time in order to save the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) from losing his mind. Ensemble cast includes Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Rhys Ifans and the late Alan Rickman.

X-Men: Apocalypse (PG-13 for violence, action, destructon, suggestive images and brief profanity) 9th installment in the franchise based on the Marvel Comics series finds Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) recruiting a team of young X-Men to prevent a seemingly immortal and invincible mutant (Oscar Isaac) from triggering an extinction-level event. With Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult and Rose Byrne.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Holy Hell (Unrated) Mind control documentary revisiting The Buddhafield, an ill-fated, religious sect located in L.A. in the Eighties which was run by a charismatic cult leader called Michel.

The Idol (Unrated) Against-the-odds biopic about Mohammed Assaf (Tawfeek Barhom), the Palestinian kid from Gaza who used a forged visa to enter Egypt where he proceeded to win the 2013 Arab Idol competition. With Ahmed Al Rokh, Hiba Attalah and Kais Attalah. (In Arabic and Spanish with subtitles)

Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang (Unrated) Reverentail biopic about Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke unfolding from the perspective of his Brazilian colleague, Walter Salles. (In Mandarin with subtitles)

Ma Ma (R for some nudity and brief sexual references) Character-driven drama, set in the Canary Islands, revolving around a young mother (Penelope Cruz) recently diagnosed with cancer who forges a friendship with a soccer scout (Luis Tovar) who just lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. With Asier Etxeandia, Teo Planell and Anna Jimenez. (In Spanish with subtitles).

Presenting Princess Shaw (Unrated) Prestige biopic about Samantha Montgomery, New Orleans healthcare worker-turned-Youtube singing sensation with the help of a stranger, Kutman, a pioneering composer/musician/video artist located half a world away in Israel.

Unlocking the Cage (Unrated) Animal rights documentary chronicling the efforts of attorney Steven Wise to secure personhood status for primates, elephants and whales.

The Angry Birds Movie

Film Review by Kam Williams



It's Birds Vs. Pigs in Animated Adaptation of Popular Video Game App

With over three billion downloads and counting, Angry Birds is the most popular app of all time. Nevertheless, one need not be familiar with the video game to enjoy this delightful animated adventure.

The kid-oriented cartoon was co-directed by Fergal Reilly and Clay Kaytis who make an auspicious debut with this silly comedy featuring enough sophisticated asides to keep adults thoroughly entertained, too. The frenetically-paced production arrives laced with witty one-liners (like "Something isn't Kosher about these pigs.") as well as a cornucopia of cute sight gags (such as a billboard for "Calvin Swine" underwear).

The story is set on idyllic Bird Island, a tropical paradise inhabited by a variety of very happy flightless birds. As the film unfolds, we're introduced to four exceptions to the rule who actually have trouble controlling their tempers. We find protagonist Red (Jason Sudeikis), along with Chuck (Josh Gad), Bomb (Danny McBride) and Terence (Sean Penn), attending an anger management class being taught by Matilda (Maya Rudolph), a former angry bird-turned therapist. 
 
The plot thickens upon the arrival of a big boat containing a couple of ingratiating green pigs (Bill Hader and Tony Hale) claiming to be alone and explorers coming in peace. Truth be told, the pair have a hidden agenda about to be executed by their army of pigs. 
 
After suckering the masses of gentle, gullible birds into letting down their guard, the diabolical invaders proceed to steal every hatched egg on the island before setting sail for home. Once, it's clear they've all been duped, the irritable quartet, led by Red, springs into action. 
 
Because they can't fly, they soon realize their best chance of retrieving the eggs rests in enlisting the assistance of Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage), the only bird on the island who can. Trouble is, he's lazy and hasn't flown in ages. Of course, Red and company do eventually coax him out of retirement to join forces and help save the day 
 
A kooky, kitchen sink comedy with lots of laughs for kids of all ages!



Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG for action and rude humor
Running time: 95 minutes
Distributor: Sony Pictures


To see a trailer for The Angry Birds Movie, visit: http://www.angrybirds-movie.com/en/#trailer
Or: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVQJ32gIq4E

Professor Eddie Glaude

The “Democracy in Black” Interview

with Kam Williams

Glaude Matters!

Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. is the William S. Tod Professor of Religion and African-American Studies and the chair of the Department of African-American Studies at Princeton University. He is the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, including the 2002 Modern Language Association William Sanders Scarborough Prize for his book, Exodus!

Professor Glaude is on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, African-American National Biography and Contemporary Pragmatism. Professor Glaude's work also includes African-American Religious Thought: An Anthology (2004), co-edited with Dr. Cornel West.

Here, he talks about his new book, Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul.

Kam Williams: Hi Professor Glaude, thanks for the time. I really appreciate it.

Eddie Glaude: I really appreciate you.

KW: What inspired you to write Democracy in Black?

EG: Two things. All of this talk about economic recovery, when all of the data suggests that African-Americans were still wallowing in what I call "The Great Black Depression." What does it mean to talk about recovery when white wealth is 13 times that of black wealth, and 38% of our children are in poverty? And that led me to the idea of the "value gap," a belief that underneath all this white people are valued more than others. And that belief animates our social practices and informs our political arrangements and economic realities. The second motivation was the death of Trayvon Martin and, of course, Mike Brown. Trying to come to terms with all this senseless death, I felt like I needed to intervene in this moment.

KW: But haven't African-Americans made significant progress since the civil Rights Movement?

EG: Of course there's been progress. But what hasn't changed is the belief that white people matter more than others. And as long as that informs and shapes how this society is organized, the outcomes will be the same, no matter what the inputs are. So, part of what the book attempts to do is lay bare that reality, and how that has happened even with a black man in the White House.

KW: You come down pretty hard on Obama.

EG: The book isn't just about him. But the reality is that, over the last 8 years, we're not doing well by every statistical measure. The level of unemployment in the black community is still at a crisis level. Many of us have been kind of taken with protecting the President from the vitriol coming from the right. What we haven't seen at appropriate levels are folks crying from the rooftops that our communities are in crisis, that we are witness a devastation, whether it's schools closings, flatlining wages, the jobs crisis, long-term unemployment and, of course, mass incarceration. Black Lives Matter has pushed him to address that. so, the second part of the book is really about our complicity. What we've seen over the decades since the assassination of Dr. King, is a narrowing of black political life. All of this has happened on the watch of black liberals. I'm not saying we need to embrace black conservatism; I'm just arguing for a much more robust form of black politics.

KW: It's amazing how Obama got a pass from the black community, his most loyal constituency, despite not attending to its agenda.

EG: You can see how over the course of these past 8 years there's been an insistence on a kind of discipline vis-a-vis President Obama. However, this isn't about Obama bashing, but about the narrowing of African-American politics. It's the traditional black liberals versus the post-racial black liberals, and in between the black poor is languishing in opportunity deserts and falling farther and farther behind. So, the book is really a challenge to the black political class, because they've failed us over the past few decades.

KW: So, what's the solution?

EG: We need a revolution of value. We need to change our view of government by changing our demands of government. We need to change our view of black people which means we need to change the view of white people. And we can't be greedy, selfish and narcissistic. We can't live in a world where 62 people own more than 3.5 billion people. That's sick. That's evil. A revolution of value requires a strategy for the streets, a strategy for the court room and a strategy for the ballot box. We have to do something dramatic to break loose of the stranglehold of the current political landscape.

KW: Blacks certainly haven't been rewarded for loyalty to the Democrat Party.

EG: For decades, political scientists have talked about the black community as a kind of captured electorate that the Democrats herd us to the polls every 2 or 4 years, as if we're cattle chewing cud. And then they have no reason to deliver on policy, because we have no place else to go. Whatever this is, this ain't democracy.

KW: Well, the book is certainly incendiary and thought-provoking.

EG: It's a provocation to get us to have a conversation. If I've achieved that, then I've done exactly what I set out to do when I sat down to write the book.

KW: Thanks for kickstarting an overdue political conversation, Eddie.

EG: You got it, Kam. Thanks so much.

To order a copy of Democracy in Black, visit: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0804137412/ref%3dnosim/thslfofire-20

Queen Mimi

Film Review by Kam Williams


Biopic Chronicles Hardy 88 Year-Old's Path from Homelessness to Hollywood
Marie "Mimi" Haist began living in her car when she was in her 50s. That was after she lost her house in the wake of a nasty divorce. And when she could no long afford to keep up the car, she ended up struggling to survive on the streets of Los Angeles.

One day, the owner of the laundromat where she washed her clothes took pity on her. He not only gave her a job, but allowed her to start sleeping there overnight in a chair behind the first row of washers.

Because the store was in Santa Monica, it catered to a number of upscale clientele. Zach Galifianakis and Renee Zellweger were among the many locals who came to befriend Mimi. Eventually, the two actors decided to help the down-and-out octogenarian, with the former renting her an apartment while the latter furnished it for free.

Zach also had her as a guest on his TV show and took her as his date to a red carpet movie premiere. But who was this woman who had spent over 30 years homeless?

What had her life been like before her fall from grace? Did she have any children or other loved ones? Those were the sort of questions that intrigued director Yaniv Rokah enough to make her the subject of a biopic.

The upshot of that effort is Queen Mimi, a revealing documentary offering an intimate portrait of a feisty, yet very likable lady with a strong survival instinct intact. A heartwarming reminder that there but for fortune, may go you or I.



Very Good (3 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 76 minutes
Distributor: XLrator Media


To see a trailer for Queen Mimi, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPavvkCmnQ8

Top Ten DVD Releases for 5-17-16

This Week’s DVD Releases

by Kam Williams

Top Ten DVD List for May 17, 2016

The Witch

Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art

Fidelio: Alice's Odyssey

Angie Tribeca: The Complete First Season

Eisenstein in Guanajuato

Kindergarten Cop 2

Carol + 2: The Original Queens of Comedy [Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball]

Theeb

A Perfect Day

Mr. Selfridge: The Final Season