"83"

I was captivated by last year’s smash hit “Frozen,” not only for its stunning animation and catchy songs, but for its story, which featured female characters in primary, heroic roles. It is a story about women, in fact… the men are almost incidental.

“Noah,” starring Russell Crowe and a Pentateuchal God punishing the wicked with about 45 minutes of world-destroying CGI, opens today. While you could go blow money on this floating mess of animalia, we recommend you skip it, and watch a better Biblical movie – “The 10 Commandments” (1956), directed by the King of Spectacle Films, Cecil B. DeMille.  “Commandments” retells the Biblical tale of Moses, from his float down a river, to becoming a prince of Egypt, to his successful career as a prophet. It’s a film worthy of the record-breaking $13.5M budget it eventually received. It was to be DeMille’s magnum opus, and he treated it as such. When studio bean-counters complained about spiraling costs, DeMille asked if he should stop filming and make “The Five Commandments” instead.

The best movies are a breed apart – exceedingly rare, and born of compelling human stories well told. A superb drama has the power to change how we see the world, while a first-rate comedy can provide sublime entertainment that nourishes both brain and spirit. Today, too many exceptional films are hiding in plain sight, obscured by big commercial titles that may divert us in the moment, but offer little lasting impact, insight or enjoyment.

Michael Caine has been a lot of things to a lot of people. To the ladies of “Alfie” (1966), he’s the conflicted bad boy they’ve both dreamed of and dreaded, the working-class womanizer who broke all the rules (including kicking down the 4th wall to talk directly to the audience). He’s a British super agent in “The Ipcress File” (1965), and the scientists he saves are glad to have a “thinking man’s James Bond” on the scene. He’s been an alcoholic English professor (1983’s “Educating Rita”) and a stout British soldier standing up to wave after wave of Zulu warriors (1964’s “Zulu”). He’s one of the most universally beloved actors of his generation, a charismatic talent that steals nearly every scene he’s in. 

Produced by the great Robert Duvall, “Crazy Heart” tells the story of hard-drinking former country star Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges), who refuses to acknowledge that his career as a crooner is kaput. Things are looking bleak for Blake, but a tentative relationship with reporter Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and a chance to open for country mega-star Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) signal that Blake’s fortunes may be turning. Can Blake overcome his addictions and reignite his country career? As successful and effective as "Crazy Heart" was, it bears some striking parallels to Duvall’s own “Tender Mercies” from 1983. Let’s see: both feature a drunk, washed-up country singer. Both meet women who inspire them to put the toilet seat down. And they both struggle to figure out whether one can actually live inside a bottle of whiskey. Yep, pretty darn close. Luckily, as they say, "Close is only good in horseshoes and hand grenades... and movies about alcoholic country singers." 

Screenwriter, musician, composer, author, sometime actor, and man who never sleeps, Nick Cave is the epitome of prolific. From books to albums to movie scripts, Cave never seems to sit still. Today, we’re focusing on the music from an excellent film he had more than a hand in, “The Proposition.” With credit for both soundtrack and script, “Proposition” is very much Cave’s movie, a Western with a twist. Set in late 19th Century Australia and directed by John Hillcoat (who might claim it was his movie), you get the sweeping vistas and white-knuckle gun fights, only with kangaroos instead of rattlesnakes. 

In 1983, the Center for Disease Control reported 1,025 cases of AIDS. By 1985, it had claimed the lives of over 6,000 Americans. Still no word came from the White House. When Reagan finally addressed the issue in 1987, over 36,000 Americans had been diagnosed.  The Oscar-winning “Dallas Buyer’s Club” is set in the midst of this terrifying silence. It’s 1986, and heterosexual Rob Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), gets diagnosed due to unprotected sex. While searching for treatments unavailable in the US, he realizes he can make a buck selling those drugs to patients back in the States. The homophobic Rob begins an awkward partnership with the transgendered Rayon (Jared Leto), whom Rob initially sees as nothing more than a foot in the door to their largest customer base: gay men.        McConaughey and Leto won Lead and Supporting Oscars for their memorable performances, and joined a small cadre of distinguished actors to be nominated by the Academy for portraying men living with the disease.