Eddie the Eagle

Film Review by Kam Williams



Against-the-Odds Saga Chronicles Exploits of Underdog Ski Jumper at the 1988 Winter Olympics


Growing up in Cheltenham, Michael Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) would tell anybody who would listen that he would be an Olympic athlete one day. Although mercilessly teased by playmates and barely tolerated by his skeptical father (Keith Allen), the boy seized on the unwavering encouragement of the very supportive mother (Jo Hartley) who would feed his seemingly-unreachable dream. 
 
Despite being extremely farsighted, born with an underwhelming physique and betrayed by bad knees, Eddie pursued a variety of track-and-field events over the course of his formative years. But when none of those panned out, he eventually tried downhill skiing with hopes of representing England in the Winter Games. 
 
However, after failing to achieve world-class status racing, he turned his attention to jumping where he would have absolutely no rivals, since his country hadn't competed in that sport since the Twenties. So, he ventures to Germany, one of the handful of countries with the requisite training facilities.

There, Eddie begins his quest under the careful tutelage of Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), a disgraced American jumper in need of redemption. First, he must complete a couple of 60+ meter jumps to meet the Olympic's minimum entry requirements. 
 
Of course, that proves easier said than done, for it takes not only skill but a lot of courage to plunge headlong down a long ramp and launch yourself into thin air. Furthermore, the key to success includes mastering what Bronsan refers to as the "Jumper's Paradox," the counter-intuitive imperative to lean forward while in the air, which is just the opposite of the natural instinct to straighten up. 
 
Directed by Dexter Fletcher (Wild Bill), Eddie the Eagle is a heartwarming, overcoming-the-odds adventure recounting the real-life exploits of a lovable underdog who became a crowd favorite during the '88 Olympics staged in Calgary. Though initially content just to participate in the Games, Eddie becomes more ambitious the better he gets. 
 
Ironically, the movie makes a passing reference to the Jamaican bobsled team, another long shot which developed a following in Calgary. Their exploits were recounted in Cool Runnings (1993), a picture very similar to this one in many respects. 
 
A sentimental tearjerker which manages to make you weep, even though you see the manipulation coming a mile away.



Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for smoking, partial nudity and suggestive material
In English, German and Norwegian with subtitles
Running time: 105 minutes
Distributor: 20th Century Fox


To see a trailer for Eddie the Eagle, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FWAiXll_jw

Oscar Predictions 2016

The Envelope Please:

Who Will Win, Who Deserves to Win, Who Was Snubbed

by Kam Williams

It's unfortunate that there's a dark cloud hanging over the Oscars because of the absence of any black actors or actresses among the nominees for the second year in a row. What's worse is the way the controversy is creating a rift in the Hollywood community.

A number of African-American icons like Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee have called for a boycott. In response, some of their colleagues have pushed back just as forcefully against what they say would amount to participation trophies for members of ethnic groups.

Jada is ostensibly upset that her hubby Will's excellent work as a physician in Concussion was overlooked. If he's looking for accolades, he'd do better to play a violent outlaw, which is what it generally takes for a black male to catch the Academy's eye. And African-American females fare far better when they portray someone who's homeless than someone who's wholesome, as was the case on 9 of the 10 occasions when a sister was nominated for Best Actress.

Contributing to the brouhaha was Best Actress nominee Charlotte Rampling who dismissed the complaints by blacks as "racist against whites." The British star of 45 Years even went so far as to suggest that "maybe black actors did not deserve to make the final list."

Should the glaring omission of minorities be considered just a case of sour grapes or might it be symptomatic of a deep-seated societal problem? Perhaps, what needs to be revisited is the question of what criteria the Academy relies upon in assessing the quality of a performance.

For example, think back to 2001 when Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was nominated for 10 Oscars, but none in any acting categories, despite a number of superb performances. You can't but help wonder whether the outcome might have been different, if whites had played the lead roles.

After all, the industry has historically preferred to have Caucasians play Asian characters, even Charlie Chan and Fu Man Chu. Consequently, we've witnessed everyone from Rex Harrison to Mickey Rooney to Peter Sellers donning yellowface and adopting offensive accents to present a perverted image of Asians.

In fact, in less enlightened times, numerous whites appearing in yellow, brown and blackface have been nominated for Oscars, including H.B. Warner as an Asian in Lost Horizon, Marlon Brando as a Latino in Viva Zapata!, Jennifer Jones as an Asian in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, Laurence Olivier as a black man in Othello, and Susan Kohner as an African-American in Imitation of Life, to name a few.

Let's be honest, things have improved substantially over the years. And yes, there is still far to go. But Oscar voting is very subjective and unlikely to change substantially until Hollywood fully embraces colorblind casting and the ranks of Academy reflects the diversity of the general population.

If, despite all of the above, you are still tempted to tune in to the Oscars, I hope my predictions below help you prevail in an office or online pool. The 88^th Academy Awards will air live on ABC this Sunday, February 28^th at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT, and will be hosted by Chris Rock.

Best Picture

Will Win: The Revenant

Deserves to Win: Spotlight

Overlooked: Creed, Desert Dancer and Kingsman: The Secret Service

Best Director

Will Win: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant)

Deserves to Win: Thomas McCarthy (Spotlight)

Overlooked: Ryan Coogler (Creed), Richard Raymond (Desert Dancer) and Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: The Secret Service)

Best Actor

Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Deserves to Win: Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)

Overlooked: Jake Gyllenhaal (Southpaw), Michael B. Jordan (Creed), Will Smith (Concussion) and Johnny Depp (Black Mass)

Best Actress

Will Win: Brie Larson (Room)

Deserves to Win: Brie Larson (Room)

Overlooked: Freida Pinto (Desert Dancer), Amy Schumer (Trainwreck) and Greta Gerwig (Mistress America)

Best Supporting Actor

Will Win: Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

Deserves to Win: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Overlooked: Michael Keaton (Spotlight), Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation) and Samuel L. Jackson (Kingsman: The Secret Service)

Best Supporting Actress

Will Win: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Deserves to Win: Rooney Mara (Carol)

Overlooked: Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), Lola Kirke (Mistress America) and Kiersey Clemons (Dope)

Best Original Screenplay

Will Win: Spotlight

Deserves to Win: Spotlight

Overlooked: Dope, Mistress America and Trainwreck

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will Win: The Big Short

Deserves to Win: Room

Overlooked: Kingsman: The Secret Service, Desert Dancer and Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

Predictions for the Balance of the Categories

Animated Feature: Inside Out

Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul

Documentary Feature: Amy

Cinematography: The Revenant

Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road

Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road

Original Score: The Hateful Eight

Best Song: Til It Happens to You (The Hunting Ground)

Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road

Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road

Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Animated Short: Sanjay's Super Team

Documentary Short: Body Team 12

Live Action Short: Ave Maria

Spotlight

DVD Review by Kam Williams













Best Picture Oscar-Nominee Released on DVD



The Catholic Church has a very checkered past regarding its handling of the rampant molestation of children by the clergy. And Pope Francis recently tarnished that image further by issuing a plenary pardon to any pedophile priests willing to confess their sins.

This means the Church is likely to remain a safe haven for its protected perverts. Meanwhile, their traumatized victims continue to be frustrated in their quest for compensation or just to expose the identities of their abusers. That's because the Church hierarchy has routinely opted to enforce a white collar of silence whereby serial rapists in its ranks are merely reassigned to a different parish rather than defrocked and reported to the authorities.

Directed by Oscar-nominee Tom McCarthy (for this movie and Up), Spotlight has been nominated for a half-dozen Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo) and Best Supporting Actress (Rachel McAdams). The film focuses on one of those rare occasions where the truth regarding pedophile priests did manage to come to light.

In that instance, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), the editor of the Boston Globe, was willing to look into the widespread rumors of a Catholic cover-up of molestation stretching back decades. . After all, as a Jew who was new to town, he wasn't as awed as the locals by the powerful Boston Archdiocese being run with an iron fist by Cardinal Bernard Francis Law (Len Cariou).

So, the intrepid editor gave his approval to a quartet of reporters interested in launching a deeper investigation. Code-named "Spotlight," the crack team comprised of Mike Rezendes (Ruffalo), Robby Robinson (Michael Keaton), Sacha Pfeiffer (McAdams) and Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James) researched the story for several years.

On January 6, 2002, they finally began publishing their findings in a series of damning articles that exposed Cardinal Law as an enabler offering protection for cronies he knew to be guilty as sin. For, the inquiry had unearthed mountains of evidence that the archdiocese was not only aware of about a hundred kids who'd been assaulted by numerous different men of the cloth.

But Church attorneys had repeatedly run interference for the perpetrators by settling claims out of court while simultaneously swearing the plaintiffs to secrecy via non-disclosure agreements. Consequently, the repeat offenders were free to move around from parish-to-parish, destroying additional youngsters' lives in the process.

Overall, Spotlight amounts to a scathing indictment of the Catholic Church as little more than a meat market racket masquerading as a religious institution. Though not exactly a date night or a feel-good flick, the film nevertheless comes highly recommended for a few reasons.

First, it relates an important reminder about the salutary value of investigative reporting in a Digital Age when Google search engine optimization would assign a higher page ranking to a picture of a cute cat than to a story of such social relevance.. Second, the compelling screenplay unfolds in gripping fashion and without resort to rehashing salacious details in a manner bordering on re-victimization. And third, the A-list cast turns in a plethora of dynamic performances, most notably Ruffalo, McAdams, Michael Keaton, John Slattery and Stanley Tucci.

An iconoclastic drama that makes a convincing argument in support of the incendiary axiom, "The closer to Church, the further from God."


Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity, sexual references and mature themes
Running time: 129 minutes
Distributor: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Extras: Uncovering the Truth: A Spotlight Team Roundtable; Spotlight: A Look Inside; and The State of Journalism.

To see a trailer for Spotlight, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg5zSVxx9JM
 

To order a copy of the Spotlight Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, visit:  

 

My All American

DVD Review by Kam Williams




Uplifting Biopic About Late College Gridiron Great Arrives on DVD



Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) was just about the last person you'd expect to see on a football field. But the pint-sized safety somehow made up for it in heart, what he lacked in muscle and stature. 
 
He was trained by his father (Michael Reilly Burke) to always give 110%, which led to his being recruited out of high school by Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart), the legendary coach of the University of Texas. At UT, Freddie was a fan favorite who helped lead the Longhorns to the national title during the 1969 season when the team went undefeated.

Unfortunately, the diminutive defensive back's euphoria proved to be short-lived, for he would receive some very grim news from the doctor just a couple days after spearheading a come from behind victory over Arkansas in a contest considered "The Game of the Century." He'd been playing with pain for weeks, and that nagging leg injury he'd been ignoring was diagnosed as cancer. 
 
Suddenly, Freddie found himself facing the toughest battle of his life. But luckily, he had the support of his family and friends, especially Coach Royal, teammates Bobby (Rett Terrell) and James (Juston Street), and his high school and college sweetheart, Linda (Sarah Bolger).

Freddie Steinmark's abbreviated career and his ensuing intrepid fight against the disease which would cost him, first, a leg and, then, his life is the subject of My All American, a bittersweet biopic written and directed by Angelo Pizzo. While the movie marks Pizzo's directorial debut, he is no stranger to the inspirational, sports saga genre, having penned the screenplays for such similarly-themed, fact-based dramas as Hoosiers (1986), Rudy (1993) and The Game of Their Lives (2005).

This film is likely to resonate most with the faith-based demographic, as its admirable protagonist is truly a throwback, a devout Christian who not only went to church every day but remained faithful to his girlfriend, despite all the groupies at his disposal. Decent acting trumps a fairly formulaic plotline, here, particularly Aaron Eckhart as a sermonizing coach waxing romantic about why Freddie was "My All American."

An uplifting testament to an old-fashioned, real-life hero that time forgot.



Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG for mature themes, mild epithets and brief partial nudity
Running time: 119 minutes
Distributor: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Extras: A Look Inside My All American; and The Spirit of Freddie Steinmark.

To see a trailer for My All American, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udOir1ucj38

To order a copy of the My All American Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, visit:

Top Ten DVD Releases for 2-23-16

This Week’s DVD Releases

by Kam Williams

Top Ten DVD List for February 23, 2016

Spotlight

The Graduate [Criterion Collection]

The Irish R.M.: The Complete Collection

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar

The Summer of Sangaile

The Good Dinosaur

The Serpent and the Rainbow

My All American

Chuggington: Delivery Dash at the Docks

Be Cool Scooby-Doo!

Honorable Mention

Secret in Their Eyes

Planet Matzah Ball Series: Chanukah and Passover

Race

Film Review by Kam Williams
 
Inspirational Biopic Recounts Jesse Owens' Triumphs at 1936 Berlin Olympics


Jesse Owens (Stephan James) is famous for winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics staged in Berlin. The in track and field events events in which he competed included the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, the long jump and the 4 x 100 meter relay race.

What makes Owens. feat is remarkable is that he had to overcome not only racism at home but the prejudice he encountered in Germany which has embraced Nazi notions about whites being a master race. So, not only did he have to deal with discrimination in the States but prejudice on the part of Adolf Hitler (Adrian Zwicker).

Directed by Stephen Hopkins (Lost in Space), Race is a character-driven biopic which has much more to offer than an account of Jesse's historic assault on the record books. For, in addition to recreating the tension surrounding each of the contest, the picture devotes considerable time to fleshing out the protagonist's personality.

As the film unfolds, we learn about Jesse's humble roots in Cleveland, and that he was the first of his family's ten children to attend college. When he left for Ohio State, he already had a baby (Yvanna-Rose Leblanc) with Ruth Solomon (Shanice Banton), the childhood sweetheart he would eventually wed and remain married to until his death in 1980. 
 
At the university, Jesse forged a close relationship with his track coach, Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis), who also served as something of a surrogate father. And when his confidence was being undermined by bigoted officials on the U.S. Olympic Committee, Snyder decided to pay his own way to accompany his promising protege to the games in Berlin. 
 
There, Jesse was shaken to be greeted with the N-word. He was equally shocked by see signs in stores declaring "No Jews or dogs allowed." Nevertheless, he managed to block out the madness all around him while concentrating on performing in the Olympic stadium to the best of his ability. 
 
Jesse's prevailing over Aryan athletes infuriated Hitler who refused to shake his hand, as was the proper protocol, at least with white gold medal-winners. Despite pressure from the Fuhrer and his henchman Joseph Goebbels (Barnaby Metschurat) to follow suit in the snub, German long jumper Carl "Luz' Long (David Cross) went out of his way to embrace the champion ostracized on account of his skin color. (Postscript: The two remained friends until Carl perished while fighting on the front lines in World War II). 
 
Regrettably, Jesse's reception back home wasn't much better, given how the White House never publicly acknowledged his remarkable achievement. A very inspiring, long overdue tribute to a great patriot and African-American icon.



Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, mature themes and ethnic slurs
In English and German with subtitles
Running time: 134 minutes
Distributor: Focus Features

To see a trailer for Race, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3ZF5b0zu00

Kam's Movie Kapsules for 2-26-16

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam's Kapsules:

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

by Kam Williams

For movies opening February 26, 2016

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Eddie the Eagle (PG-13 for smoking, partial nudity and suggestive material) Inspirational biopic about British ski jumper Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton), the farsighted underdog who became a crowd favorite at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Co-starring Hugh Jackman, Christopher Walken and Jo Hartley.

Gods of Egypt (PG-13 for action, violence and some sexuality) Action fantasy, inspired by ancient mythology, about a thief (Brenton Thwaites) who joins forces with a god of war (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) in order to protect a peaceable kingdom from a god of darkness (Gerard Butler) and his henchmen. With Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton, Geoffrey Rush, Chadwick Boseman and Bruce Spence.

Triple 9 (R for nudity, graphic violence, drug use and pervasive profanity) Grisly crime thriller revolving around Russian mobsters blackmailing some crooked cops into attempting a practically impossible heist. A-list ensemble cast includes Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet, Oscar nominees Woody Harrelson, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Casey Affleck, along with Anthony Mackie, Teresa Palmer and Michael Kenneth Williams.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Backtrack (R for profanity, violence and disturbing images) Psychological thriller about a shrink (Adrien Brody) who starts questioning his own sanity after discovering that his patients are ghosts. With Robin McLeavy, Bruce Spence and Jenni Baird.

The Bounce Back (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality and brief drug use) Romance drama about a relationship expert (Shemar Moore) who falls head-over-heels for a fellow love guru (Nadine Velazquez) while on a publicity tour for his new book. Cast includes Kali Hawk, Michael Beach and Vanessa Bell Calloway.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (PG-13 for violence and brief partial nudity) Michelle Yeoh reprises her role as a martial arts warrior in this tale of redemption revolving around a search for a legendary sword. Co-starring Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Harry Shum, Jr. and Roger Yuan.

Marguerite & Julien (Unrated) Tale of forbidden love about an aristocratic brother (Jeremie Elkaim) and sister (Anais Demoustier) who find themselves ostracized by polite society when their incestuous affair comes to light. Featuring Frederic Pierrot, Aurelia Petit and Catherine Mouchet. (In French with subtitles)

A Strange Course of Events (Unrated) Prodigal Son drama about a melancholy, middle-aged dreamer (Ori Pfeffer) who returns home to Haifa to reconcile with the estranged father (Moni Moshonov) he blamed for all his life failures. With Michaela Eshet, Bethany Gorenberg and Maya Dagan. (In Hebrew with subtitles)

Tricked (Unrated) Tale of passion and betrayal revolving around a real estate tycoon (Peter Blok) whose 50th birthday party thrown by his wife (Ricky Koole) is ruined by his backstabbing business partners (Jochum ten Haaf and Pieter Tddens) and news that one of his mistresses (Sallie Harmsen and Gaite Jansen) is pregnant. Supporting cast includes Robert de Hoog, Carolien Spoor and Ronald van Elderen. (In Dutch and English with subtitles)

Who's Driving Doug (Unrated) RJ Mitte plays the title character in this unlikely-buddies drama as a nerdy college student who embarks on a very eventful road trip with a slacker (Ray William Johnson) and a cute classmate (Paloma Kwiatkowski) he has a crush on. With Daphne Zuniga, Shanti Lowry and Alix Elizabeth Gitter.