Recent Movies: Amazing Grace; High Life; Avengers: Endgame; Old Movies: Sunset Boulevard

Recent Movies

Amazing Grace

For two nights in January of 1972, Aretha Franklin recorded her “Amazing Grace” gospel album in the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. In this documentary, the viewer sees the details of the recording which was accompanied by the Reverend James Cleveland (also a musical artist), local musicians and choir singers, and a live congregation audience.

The period that began in the mid-1960s and ended some time in the 1980s was among the best eras for American entertainment. “Amazing Grace” and the Amazing Aretha prove the point further and up the ante. Add to that one of the greatest forms of music: African-American gospel.

I do know that I was conscious every moment of watching this film yet I was so exhilarated by Franklin’s singing that it sometimes felt like I was in some kind of a trance. If it is like this for someone watching it on film over four decades later, what must it have been like to witness it live? And of course, what is it like to have such amazing talent and project it so stunningly?

The close-ups help a bit to understand that last question. Among the beads of sweat, it is spellbinding to see Franklin’s shining eyes and glittering face as she belts out high notes. Regardless of whether or not one is a believer, the creation of this concert recording and the great talent at its centre are ample proof that a higher spirit does drop in on our crazy planet every now and then.

RATING (out of four stars):   * * * 1/2

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High Life

Monte (Robert Pattinson) one of a group of death-row criminals sent to outer space on a special mission. The prisoners are also being used by a physician (Juliette Binoche) to produce a baby via artificial insemination.

As a director, Claire Denis succeeds in creating an atmosphere that is mysterious and leaves the viewer curious. However, she fails as a co-screenwriter (along with Jean-Pol Fargeau). The overall concept and the stories within it are interesting but they are mostly incoherent and often incomprehensible. Other science-fiction films succeed when deliberately withholding information, leaving the viewer to fill in the blanks. This does not work in “High Life” as too much information is withheld. In addition, the sexual perversity of some scenes ends up being weird rather than intriguing. The same goes for some violent scenes.

Overall, the film is disappointing.

RATING: * *

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Avengers: Endgame

Following the aftermath depicted in last year’s “Avengers: Infinity War”, the gang of superheroes devise a plan to undo the great harm caused by the evil Thanos.

This film is the forth in the series that originated in 2012. It also happens to be the best. There are signs this could be the last in the series; thus there are emotional moments resulting from some shocking surprises that make us realize that we always felt something for the characters beyond their superhero abilities. More feelings are raised to the surface in time travel sequences when characters are in touch with those they lost a long time ago.

Another reason this movie stands out in its genre is that it is actually comprehensible throughout. The flaw of convoluted, busy plots have dragged down many in this genre (including prequels to this one) but “Avengers: Endgame” stands out for being accessible to those of us who spend only a bit of time in the Marvel Universe.

In playing with the device of time travel, the story mostly wins except for an inconsistency with the character Nebula near the film’s end. This is unfortunate as, up to that point, the Nebula story was one of the most fascinating. This is thankfully a small flaw compared to the film’s many pluses.

I had the good fortune to see this great film in IMAX 3-D. Perhaps it is for this reason that the production values (editing, cinematography, CGI, set design costumes) were outstanding.

Magnificent entertainment.

RATING:   * * * 1/2

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Great Old Films Seen Again

Sunset Boulevard (1950 – USA)

Joe Gillis (William Holden) is a Hollywood writer struggling to find work and pay off his debts. He unintentionally ends up parking in the driveway of a dilapidated mansion owned by Norman Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a mostly forgotten movie star of the silent era. Joe has writing skills and lacks money; Norma has loads of money but needs a writer to help her with a screenplay that she intends for her comeback. So the arrangement is made: Joe becomes a working resident as Norma falls in love with him.

In addition to Joe and Norma, two other characters in smaller roles have major impact. Firstly, there is Max von Mayerling (Erich von Stroheim), Norma’s dedicated (one could say pathologically dedicated) butler who has other past associations with Norma. Secondly, there is Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olson), a studio screenplay analyst with writing aspirations of her own including a collaboration with Joe.

Joe’s mindset lands somewhere between the opposite extremes of Norma and Betty. Norma fully believes in the illusion of Hollywood success and happiness. On the other hand, Betty is very clear and grounded about where she stands within the Hollywood system and she’s found contentment with her lot – all this at the age of twenty-two. Joe begins to think less like Norma and more like Betty about his own situation before other events take a serious turn.

One of the many praises of “Sunset Boulevard” is its parallel to real life especially with the choice of players who, in many cases, play themselves. Swanson, like Desmond, was a great silent screen star who failed to make the transition to talkies (this is difficult to believe considering her great work in this film). During a scene involving a bridge game, Norma’s guests are Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson, and H. B. Warner, all former silent screen stars whose fame went to oblivion like that of Desmond/Swanson. And one of the best scenes involves Cecil B DeMille who also plays himself as a director working at a Paramount studio as Norma visits him. It is one of the warmest scenes in the film as DeMille shows paternal kindness to Desmond even if he’s being somewhat deceptive – unable to tell her the truth about the film she wants to make. It’s also one of the rare moments Norma feels at ease, surrounded by praise and attention – even if some of it is insincere.

Director/co-writer Billy Wilder gets so much out of his fine cast. As the main character, Holden draws sympathy as someone acting unethically but whose situation is so desperate, he is easy to understand; as an extremely enabling co-dependent, von Stroheim’s Max might be laughable at times but he shows genuine sadness when the collective illusion starts being exposed. His action in the final scene is shocking even if it is genuinely in character; as the story’s anchor, Olson manages to bring a sweet charm to the smartest character who can see through all the Hollywood illusions; but Swanson truly stands out in a role who can easily draw laughter, contempt, pity, and sympathy sometimes even simultaneously as a super-egomaniac.

It is that final scene that is gripping all the way through and well after the film concludes. In the hands of many other actresses, the scene could have ended up as laughable camp and placed the film in the category of “so bad, it’s good”. But in Swanson’s hands, the scene and film end up in the opposite extreme. Her portrayal of insanity is so powerful that it leaves the viewer speechless as it also shatters the belief that Hollywood fame is the ultimate source of happiness. This archetype (a has-been star who still thinks she’s famous) was also superbly played twelve years later by Bette Davis in “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane”.

RATING:   * * * *

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS:

Screenplay by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, and D. M. Marshman Jr.

Acting by Gloria Swanson