Buck (USA) Directed by Cindy Meehl

Buck is the story of Buck Brannaman, the man who both advised Nicholas Evans while researching his book The Horse Whisperer, became the model for Evans’ lead character, and then served as a consultant on, and double for Robert Redford, on his film of the same name. Buck refers to himself as a horseman, but regardless of what one calls him, Buck is a fittingly quiet, leisurely profile of a man who suffered horrendous abuse as a child, but went on to become an expert in his field. Brannaman grew up in the American Northwest, a child performer who, as “Buckshot” practiced rope tricks with his brother, “Smokie,” as part of a famous duo called The Idaho Cowboys, under the tutelage of their vicious father, Ace, who beat the boys mercilessly from the time they were small. There is a wonderful Zen-like message here about the treatment of human beings and animals alike, and who better to understand about the evils of disciplining animals through maltreatment than a human being who was maltreated himself. First time Director Cindy Meehl met Brannaman at one of the many horse clinics (some 1500 and counting) he conducts that take him away from his family for nine months out of the year. Meehl is clearly not after digging into the story with an investigative eye, and there is little attention paid, for instance, to Buck’s brother Smokie, a strange omission given their shared past. An interesting side note is that the brother runs a horseman business of his own, bringing into question whether this omission was financially related, which also calls into question exactly who was controlling the content here. There is also, oddly, no talk of Brannaman’s other two daughters, and we see only wife Mary, and daughter Reata, who rides horses and is described as being just like her father. Still, we do hear from the foster mother and father who took Buck and his brother in, childhood friends, work colleagues, and others, who express a similar awe regarding his inspiring life story and ability to connect, tame, and train horses without resorting to cruel and aggressive treatment. Given to understatement, Buck is soft spoken on camera, but the action with him working with the horses, doing what he does so well, speaks volumes.

Breaking Bad (AMC) Renewed for one more (16 episode) season this past August, Breaking Bad wrapped its fourth earlier this month, and it was as good as any of the ones previous. Vince Gilligan’s marvelous story about high school science teacher/cancer patient Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) descent into the dirty business of meth dealing has managed to grow into a wider reaching drama about organized crime, money laundering, and federal law enforcement, while managing to keep us tightly invested in the main characters, including Walter’s former high school student/current partner Jesse (Aaron Paul); ex-wife Skyler (Anna Gunn); brother in law/DEA Agent Hank (Dean Norris); and bad guy boss Gus (Giancarlo Esposito). Rather than straining to keep the drama alive, Gilligan et al have, ala The Sopranos, shrewdly kept the story exciting without ruining the plausibility and sense of realism they worked so hard to create in the first place. Though there are some wildly violent action sequences in season four, the drama is always well plotted, never random and over the top, a feat that should not go unrecognized. Though AMC is reportedly having money trouble with the expensive cast of Mad Men and their costly new show Walking Dead draining their coffers, it is good news to know that Breaking Bad will get an extra long final season, with a break in between that should allow Gilligan and staff to come up with a fitting conclusion to one of the best shows ever on the airwaves.

Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of a tribe Called Quest (USA) Directed by Michael Rapaport

The title comes from A Tribe Called Quest’s 1996 Grammy Award nominated fourth album. Director Michael Rapaport, better known for his acting talents, examines the history of one of hip hop’s most beloved and respected acts. Consisting of founding members Q-Tip (Jonathan Davis/Kamaal Fareed) aka The Abstract; Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor); DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammed; and originally (and then only occasionally) Jarobi White (who is now a chef), the group’s origins date back to when the foursome were teenagers in New York City in the late 80s. Tribe, who brought us classics like Award Tour; Bonita Applebum; Can I kick It?; Buggin Out; and Scenario, was part of a kind of collective that originally consisted of a collaboration with the Jungle Brothers (who they knew in high school) and De La Soul, which they called Native Tongues. Though Native Tongues didn’t actually create much with all of these three groups together, the basic idea took root, and a host of variations throughout the years would include repeated pairings with artists like Pharcyde; The Roots; Monie Love; Queen Latifah; The Leaders of the New School; and Black Sheep, among many others. In fact, the way these groups shared their talents and ideas, and worked on/influenced one another’s projects, helped create the basis for a new style of socially conscious, afro-centric, funk/jazz/soul hybrid sometimes called New School. We hear from a long list of hip hop luminaries, including Common; Marry J. Blige; Mos Def; Adam Horowitz; Talib Kweli; and Pharrell Williams, all of whom cite Quest’s influence on the art form. It is always a bit disturbing to find the subject of a documentary listed in the producing credits, but this never feels like a puff piece, mostly because Rapaport doesn’t shy away from detailing the longstanding friction between the now 40-somethings Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, a fractured relationship that comes to serve as a kind of ongoing storyline propelling the film forward. While unity and brotherhood are certainly legitimate elements of the overall panorama, so to is aging, ego, control, and artistic integrity. Rapaport obviously unabashedly loves the music, but thankfully it doesn’t seem to keep him from painting a pleasingly complex portrait. Tribe as an entity is an interesting amalgam, with the DJing, multi-instrument playing, prolific, perfectionist producer Q-Tip, a member of the nation of Islam, and the sports obsessed, diabetic street kid Phife Dawg, serving as the most obvious contrast in personality and style. While plenty of artistic accolades have come their way over the years, in the end this is a story about a group of real life friends with a shared personal and professional history. The group officially disbanded in 1998 after only five albums, and master sampler Q-Tip went on to pursue a solo producing and performing career (a fact that still rankles Phife), but they have (despite some serious acrimony) gotten together for several tours since then. Their place in music history might be cemented, but mirroring real life, their ongoing and evolving personal and professional relationships don’t come wrapped up neatly with a bow on top. “Yo, Microphone check, one two what is this. The five foot assassin with the roughneck business.” Indeed.

Page One: Inside the New York Times (USA) Directed by Andrew Rossi Written by Andrew Ross; Kate Novack

Page One is an examination of the inner workings of The New York Times, a newspaper that has been on the vanguard of journalism for the past one hundred and sixty years, but rather than a strict procedural the film is more succinctly about the changing nature of media, and the ways The Internet is contributing to the demise of traditional outlets, in part by shifting the very business model it has depended on.

The institution that published the Pentagon Papers, and long served as a standard bearer, and the pinnacle aspired to by other papers and journalists all over the world, The Times hit a rough patch in recent years. Along with the systemic crash in advertising, subscription, and readership dollars, as well as the massive layoffs that followed, several scandals rocked their once unimpeachable reputation. These included widespread plagiarism by reporter Jayson Blair, and wildly inaccurate, fabricated articles written by Judith Miller about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The film focuses on several individuals who work for the paper, most prominently David Carr, who reports on media through the media desk. Carr is an interesting character, an ex-crack addict from Minnesota, who raised two kids as a single father and managed to turn his life around. Red faced, slightly hunchbacked, with a raspy voice and accent straight out of Fargo, Carr is a tenacious reporter, who eloquently posits about the future of his own paper (conceding he is an unabashed fan), and print media in general, and during the filming a well-publicized controversy erupts over Carr’s investigative work digging into the bankruptcy of The Chicago Tribune and it’s billionaire owner Sam Zell.

Others featured include younger reporters like Tim Arango and Brian Stelter, and editors Bill Keller (who stepped down as executive editor earlier this year) and Bruce Headlam, giving us several voices, and a wider look at how stories get written and approved. The phenomena of WikiLeaks also plays out during the filming, further deepening the dialectic about news sources, and the role traditional newspapers now hold in a wider media landscape, one that has potentially altered long held journalistic ethical considerations and procedures.

While the pace is frenetic, and the film doesn’t completely deliver on the promise of the title, some interesting, relevant discussion is carried out concerning the concept of print newspapers providing much of the content for newer channels to filter to their audiences, and what might happen if these powerful traditional entities with the deep pockets and clout to stand up to other powerful institutions (big business, government, et al) were to disappear, and the question of where exactly then would investigative reporting come from. While Internet news sites can disseminate information to their audience quickly and expediently, there are still real questions about whether they have the necessary infrastructure available to spend months digging into stories that need reporting - covering wars, exposing well entrenched corruption. There is little doubt that all reportage involves some degree of bias, but what to make of a future spearheaded by the likes of Julian Assange, who falls somewhere in a gray area of computer hacker/journalist/activist/information terrorist.

Director Andrew Rossi does an excellent job bringing forth conversation about Gawker; Pro Publica; The Huffington Report and some of the other leading Internet sources, and interviews with famed Washington Post/Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein; author Gay Talese (who wrote a famous book on The Times, Kingdom and the Power (1969); and author and journalist Sarah Ellison (War at the Wall Street Journal), to provide insight and color. While this is not actually a narrow view of the day to day working of a paper, nor is it a much needed examination of the failure of traditional media to do the kind of salient investigative reporting it touts itself as doing, it is a prescient look at a wider question that speaks to the implications surrounding how we will get our information in the future.

Bad Teacher (USA) Directed by Jake Kasdan Written by Gene Stupnitsky; Lee Eisenberg Starring Cameron Diaz; Jason Segel; Lucy Punch; Justin Timberlake; Phyllis Smith; Thomas Lennon; Molly Shannon; Eric Stonestreet

While Bad Teacher is not much different from some of the better R rated studio comedies of the recent past (i.e. Bridesmaids; Cyrus; Get Him to the Greek; Horrible Bosses; The Hangover; Wedding Crashes; Superbad; 40 year Old Virgin, et al), it is closest to a film with a similar title and premise, Bad Santa (which in turn owed a tip of the hat to Bobcat Goldwait’s 1991 Shakes the Clown). From a script penned by two writers from The Office, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, Jake Kasdan (The TV Set; Zero Effect, Walk Hard) directs this unapologetically misanthropic story of slutty, potty-mouthed middle school teacher Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz), who, after getting dumped by her rich fiancee, is biding her time at a job she loathes before landing another sugar daddy. Diaz joyfully embraces the despicable nature of her character, who demonstrates far fewer redeemable qualities than in most similarly set up comedies of the type. The supporting cast includes Jason Segel as good guy gym teacher, Russell; Lucy Punch (with a horrible American accent) as goody-two-shoes foe and fellow teacher, Amy Squirrel; Justin Timberlake as new teacher, Scott; and John Michael Higgins as Principal, Wally Snur. Though the story is paper thin, it is to the writers and director’s credit that Bad Teacher manages to be so self-contained, rarely venturing from the confines of the school building, and deviating little from the premise. The film also carries out its mission with little concession to the standard main character learning arc that is usually played out in excruciatingly deliberate fashion. True, there is some “growth” along the way, but it happens by accident, and almost grudgingly, and still, one can’t help but wish the powers to be pushed it even further and refused to allow any kind of satisfying wrap up (think Todd Solondz). There is so little depth that the film feels like little more than a series of scenes knitted together, as opposed to a fully fleshed out entity, but there is some definite fun to be had.

Horrible Bosses (USA) Directed by Seth Gordon Written by Michael Markowitz; John Francis Daley; Jonathan Goldstein   Starring Jason Sudekis; Jason Batemen; Charlie Day; Colin Farrell; Jennifer Aniston; Kevin Spacey; Jamie Foxx; Donald Sutherland; Lindsay Sloane; Julie Bowen

Seth Gordon (Four Christmases; Freakonomics) directs this mostly fun (and funny) comedy about three put upon employees who decide to help one another out by killing the others’ boss. Horrible Bosses manages to feel freewheeling without resorting to overindulgence, so while clearly scripted, the comedy has that improvised feel to it without getting into Cannonball Run territory. Jennifer Aniston seems to delight in her role as a foul mouthed, sexually predatory dentist, and the same can be said for Kevin Spacey as a vicious, dictatorial corporate exec, and Colin Farrell as Bobby, the balding, coke sniffing owner’s son, his physical transformation reminiscent of Tom Cruise’s turn in Tropic Thunder. Jason Sudekis; (the always solid) Jason Batemen; and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Charlie Day (who is turning out to be the breakout film actor of that show’s bunch), make for an amusing trio of friends, sharing the kind of chemistry only possible with decent writing and well honed comic timing. Only some extra dollops of absurdity having to do with plot, and perhaps too little attention to what made the guys friends in the first place, keep the film from being memorable, though there are plenty of laughs to be had.

Bill Cunningham New York (USA) Directed by Richard Press

Fascinating and engagingly human portrait of New York Times fashion/society photographer Bill Cunningham, an octogenarian whose regular photo columns, On The Street and Evening Hours, have been mainstays for the publication’s print and online versions for over thirty years. Cunningham is a unique character, fascinated with documenting the fashions displayed by NYC pedestrians since the early sixties, maintains his incredible collection of photos in multiple file cabinets that dominate his meager, longtime apartment at Carnegie Hall. During the making of the film, Cunningham is, along with the few remaining elderly resident artists remaining in the building, evicted from his home. We observe Cunningham as he does his duties for the paper, riding his bike day and night along the streets of Manhattan. The photographer long ago chose a kind of spartan, monk-like existence, his time devoted by his work. Throughout the film, he expresses his nearly lifelong passion for clothes, claiming a complete lack of interest in the celebrity that surrounds the industry. Through the years, Cunningham has built a solid reputation in the fashion world as someone with an encyclopedic historical knowledge with the ability to keenly spot recurring trends and make connections with the past. It is his odd sensibility, however, that is perhaps most interesting - a disdain for any and all luxuries, a lack of interest in his own clothes, and an overall refusal to take any money beyond what he needs to live. He is so principled that he has never even taken a snack at the swank events he covers, and says he wouldn’t know what to do if he went to a fancy restaurant. His refusal to compromise his strict set of moral codes once led him to leave a solid position with Women’s Daily Wear. Raised Catholic in a conservative Massachusetts household, he is a genteel soul with an abhorrence for anything he considers not nice. At the same time, he maintains a sense of humor about himself and his own habits, his conversation often punctuated by a unique giggle. Director Press was once a Times employee, who only managed to get his subject to agree to the film because they knew one another previously. The painstakingly shy Cunningham seems genuinely befuddled as to why it is being made in the first place, and was reportedly reluctant to continue at various times throughout the filming. Ultimately, the film’s most poignant moments occur during the director’s last interview with his subject, when he carefully asks the very private Cunningham about his sexuality and past romantic relationships. It is here where we see get a glimpse into the full depth of a complex man who has carried on a love affair with fashion for the entirety of his life, but may have given up some in the process.

Submarine (USA) Directed by Richard Ayaode Written by Richard Ayoade  Starring Craig Roberts; Sally Hawkins; Noah Taylor; Paddy Considine; Yasmin Paige

Based on a 2008 novel by Joe Dunthorne, this British production stars Craig Roberts as fifteen year old nerd Oliver Tate, from Swansea, Wales, a young man with limited social skills who longs to be in a relationship with a girl. The object of his desire is the enticing, enigmatic, eczema plagued pyromaniac Jordana (Yasmin Paige), an elusive creature with a bold streak who becomes enamored with Oliver’s strident devotion to her. The cast is a good one, consisting of the marvelous Noah Taylor (as bored father Lloyd) and Sally Hawkins (as bored mom Jill), as well as Paddy Considine, doing one of his far out characterizations as new age motivational speaker with a mullet, Graham Purvis. Making his feature debut, thirty four year old writer/director Richard Ayaode is clearly a talent to watch, and demonstrates a sure hand in establishing a consistent tone. The precociousness of the younger characters and deadpan delivery of the actors resembles a kind Wes Anderson Rushmore/ Tenenbaums vibe, mixed with seventies American Cinema (think Harold and Maude); with a dollop of Catcher in the Rye for good measure. Once upon a time one can imagine Michael Cera in an American version of the film, doing a riff on his outsider character who’s so square he’s hip (Scott Pilgrim; Youth In Revolt; Superbad et al). Oliver narrates the proceedings with a wry, often skewed view of the world, while trying to capture his beloveds heart, mind (and of course, body) and repair his parents failing marriage. While there are times when the film teeters on either side of the sentimental/ ridiculous ends of the spectrum, for the most part Ayaode manages to keep the ship steady as he attempts to meld emotionally honest performances with highly stylized/fantastic, trappings.

Moneyball (USA) Directed by Bennett Miller  Written by Aaron Sorkin; Steve Zaillian  Starring Brad Pitt; Jonah Hill; Phillip Seymour Hoffman; Robin Wright Penn; Chris Pratt; Spike Jonze; Kerri Dorsey; Robert Kotick

Based on Michael Lewis’ 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Moneyball is made in the same vein as another recent popular film based on a non-fiction bestseller, The Social Network. Perhaps this should come as no surprise since both well-crafted scripts bear the stamp of Aaron Sorkin (this time sharing credit with Steve Zaillian (American Gangster; Schindler’s List), who wrote a polish on the initial script). Like David Fincher before him, Director Bennett Miller (Capote) manages to take recent history and spin it in such a way that the events never seem boring, or drawn out, or cliche.

On paper, a film about the General Manager of the 2001 Oakland A’s and his battle to compete in an unfair economic landscape, really shouldn’t work, which is partly why this project took so long getting to the screen. Once upon a time Stephen Soderbergh was set to direct, but the plug was pulled some five days before shooting was to begin due to controversy over Soderbergh’s own version of the script, which relied heavily on interviews with real life people, and eliminated fictionalized elements. 

When one thinks about it, Moneyball takes many of the conventions of the traditional sports pic - that is, it gives us a rag tag bunch of misfits who no one believes in; a flawed, but ultimately selfless leader, driven by demons, who goes out on a limb to prove something to himself; a cutesy kid who wants to spend more time with her father; a crusty coach and bottom line owner, and so and so on… and yet…

In film it’s all about tone. And Sorkin/Miller et al understand that there is beauty to be derived in the very basic idea of a good tale told well. Thus, although all of the usual plot devices may be hanging out for all to see, the film somehow feels fresh. Perhaps, in part, it’s the depiction of the main characters and the way they relate to one another - the fact that Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is obviously a lonely man, and yet the subject isn’t something that is ever actually discussed; the odd working friendship that develops between he and assistant Peter Brand (in real life, Paul DePodesta, who unlike Hill’s character was an ex-college player/scout), played by, Jonah Hill, that never gets sappy; Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s nifty portrayal of Manager Art Howe (who has complained about being inaccurately portrayed), and the way that his interaction with Beane is played for some laughs, but never allowed to verge into parody.

The film itself is sweeping in the sense that it covers a year or so in time pass, using woven flashbacks to cover Beane’s personal history, but ala The Social Network, screen graphics, and key inserts help to provide pace and feed us lots of information in a clever way. Under the eye of DP Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight; Inception), there are a host of nicely composed shots of Beane alone in contemplation, real and constructed baseball highlights, empty parks, a hitter in a batting cage, all married in an a masterful editing job (Christopher Tellefsen) that deserves to be noted.

The rest of the cast, which includes Robin Wright Penn, Chris Pratt, and Spike Jones (in an amusing cameo), is solid as well, though it all revolves around Pitt (who fought to bring the story to the screen and is one of the producers), who manages to convey the affable, cocky manner of an ex-jock, easygoing and smiling, but with an intense desire to win boiling underneath the facade. Pitt’s partner in crime, Hill (in his first big dramatic role), also proves to be an excellent choice, doing his deadpan best as a nerdy Sabermetric guy from Yale who Beane plucks from The Cleveland Indians. Their scenes together are some of the best in the film.

Though clearly a number of liberties were taken with the real life events (e.g. in real life the A’s had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball), Miller chooses to employ a host of non-professional actors, who work well to create an authentic feel. The scenes at the table with Beane’s grizzled team of scouts are examples of getting solid performances from non actors, something that can only be accomplished by a skilled director. Likewise, the baseball scenes range from stylized to doc-like, but the look and feel always comes across as intentional, as opposed to so many sports films that, hampered by budget or actors who aren’t athletes, wind up reading false. Ultimately, Miller delivers an impressive meld of realism and stylization, an alchemy that more often than not proves difficult to achieve.

Moneyball has its flaws - several scenes with Beane’s aspiring musician daughter (Kerri Dorsey) come dangerously close to schmaltz, recalling similar ones repeated in Showtime’s Californication; and while Pitt is certainly a handsome man, there are at least a couple too many beauty shots of him brooding, driving by himself, and sitting in an empty park (we get it already, he’s haunted by his past failures and wants to succeed); and of course there is little attention paid to the fact that, unlike other small market teams like The Tampa Bay Rays; and Florida Marlins, Beane has never been able to win a championship. There is little doubt, however, that this will stand as one of the better films coming out of Hollywood this year.

Win Win (USA) Directed by Thomas McCarthy  Written by Thomas McCarthy Starring Paul Giamatti; Amy Ryan; Bobby Cannavale; Jeffrey Tambor; Burt Young; Melanie Lynskey; Alex Shafffer; Margo Martindale

Win Win is writer/director Thomas McCarthy’s follow up to his timely 2007 critical darling, The Visitor. It is only McCarthy’s second film since his debut, The Station Agent, in 2003. His lack of output as a director is likely correlate to the demand for McCarthy’s skills as an actor. Since 2005 he has been a regular on The Wire, and has appeared in films like Good Night, and Good Luck; Syriana; Mammoth; Duplicity; Fair Game;and Jack Goes Boating. The forty five year old director again brings us a drama grounded in realism, but filled with characters in varying degrees of crisis. Paul Giamatti plays everyman schlub Mike Flaherty, a small time New Jersey attorney and high school wrestling coach. Flaherty’s business is failing, but he is too ashamed to let his wife Jackie (Amy Ryan) in on the news. Instead he devises a plan to make some additional income, and along the way comes Kyle, a champion high school wrestler from Ohio, who just might be able to help reverse Flaherty’s flailing team’s fortunes. Solid supporting cast with Ryan, Bobby Cannavale as Mike’s buddy Terry; Jeffrey Tambor as assistant coach, Stephen, Burt Young as client Leo, and a miscast Melanie Lynskey as a drug addicted Mom. The biggest chance taken here though was the selection of non-pro Alex Shaffer, a real life New Jersey High school wrestling champ. It is always a risk using an inexperienced actor amidst a very experienced cast. While Shaffer is noticeably wooden at times, his awkwardness ultimately works for the character, and his obvious ability on the mat helps redeem some of the failings he demonstrates as a thespian. Win Win may not stand up to Vision Quest as a classic high school wrestling film, but Giamatti is his usual solid self, and there are a number of nice moments about family and the importance of love, trust, and fidelity among those in our life circle. Though the lives of those depicted here may be rather small or ordinary in scope, McCarthy recognizes the poignancy to be mined by the day to day struggle to do the right thing.