The Sandman (2022, Netflix) ****

 

I was introduced to the Sandman comics in college, and quickly was drawn into Neil Gaiman's dreamworld of magic and philosophy. It seemed like the most profound thing ever at the time, although looking back, aspects of the series seem pretty sophomoric. I mean, it's a story about a family of anthropomorphic beings who personify the supposedly most basic aspects of existence: Death, Dream, Destiny, Desire, Despair, Delirium (formerly Delight), and Destruction, all basic, eternal concepts that happen to start with a “D” in the English language. (What about their cousins, Building, Bravery, Boredom, Bitchiness, and Bombasticity? Or Marriage, Mercy, Misery, Malice, and Mendacity?) Despite the essential silliness of some of his concepts, Gaiman made it work, inspired by a rich trove of worldwide mythologies blended with a deeply-perceptive brand of humanistic storytelling. There were no villains in Gaiman's stories, just people (human and otherwise), each flawed and driven by their own agendas.

Now “The Sandman” has been translated to the screen, streaming on Netflix, and it's been a long road getting here. Dream was never as famous as Batman or Superman, but “The Sandman” was, by the end of its run in 1996, a highly successful and influential comic. People have been trying since the early '90's to cash in on that and make a film or TV show, and Gaiman has been busy the last couple of decades preventing bad Sandman adaptations from seeing the light of day. There's a short story by Gaiman about a writer going to Hollywood, where everyone loves his story, and everyone has ideas about how to change it for the screen. I imagine that short story was informed by Gaiman's Sandman experiences. Fortunately, Gaiman finally found a show-runner he trusted in Allan Heinberg, along with co-writer David Goyer. The result is a bit uneven, but still thrilling for a long-time Sandman fan like myself.

Tom Sturridge plays Morpheus, the tall, thin duke of dreams, in charge of shaping our dreams so that they instruct and inspire us. A rogue nightmare called The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook) has escaped to haunt the waking world, and Morpheus/Dream goes to collect him. Before he can, Dream is summoned and imprisoned by a mage (Charles Dance). Spoiler alert: Dream eventually escapes that trap and has to go reclaim his magical weapons, a journey that literally takes him to Hell and back.

Season 1 includes the stories from the first 2 graphic novels in the series, Preludes and Nocturnes (Issues 1-8) and The Doll's House (Issues 9-16). This may seem like a bit of trivia interesting only to people like myself, who spent the '90's buying and reading the comics as they came out, but I say it to make a point about how much story is packed in here. In just 10 episodes, they cover essentially 2 novels' worth of material, which may be why the series feels oddly-paced at times. Sometimes it feels like things are dragging, while there are times when it feels we are racing to a conclusion. Reading the comic, you had the opportunity to linger on a page, and to go back and re-read, and I think this series will benefit from some re-watching, which should be easy, since it is on Netflix.

The great news is that if you have the patience to put up with a few quirks, this series does some tremendous world-building, which lays the foundation for some terrific storytelling to come. “The Sandman,” after all is a story about stories, and how they shape us as much as we shape them. If you can hang on for a few confusing episodes, Gaiman has some amazing stories to tell us, as evidenced by the bonus episode they dropped on Netflix August 19, 2 weeks after the first 10 episodes debuted. The first part of the episode is an animated version of the comic issue “Dream of a Thousand Cats,” which is just OK. The 2^nd half, however, gets back to live-action with the story of “Calliope,” and it is outstanding! I think they actually managed to improve on the comic with this one!

If you are already a fan of The Sandman, then you will have already watched the series and made your own judgments. If you are even a fan of Neil Gaiman's many other works, like Coraline, Good Omens, or American Gods, then you should definitely watch. The series adheres strongly to Gaiman's vision. Some episodes are almost straight off the page of his comics, and where they have made changes, they respected the source. I think any Neil Gaiman fan will be happy with this series, although I will admit that it was uneven enough that I did not find it quite as good as the first season of “American Gods” or the movie “Coraline.” Now that the world-building is done, however, I have high hopes for the next season, if we are lucky enough to get one. The big question is whether someone who is completely new to Gaiman's work will like the show. You should be warned that it is unlike any other show. You have to be open to something that is weird and magical, something that will be confusing at times. This is, after all, a show about dreams!

4 stars out of 5

The Day The Music Died (2022) ***

 

If there ever was a song that is worthy of its own movie, Don McLean's 1971 classic “American Pie” is it. Inspired by the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, the song is so much more than an elegy. It is the Great American Novel, condensed into an 8 minute song with the most sing-alongable chorus in Rock-n-Roll. Each verse is a treasure trove of artistic references and symbolism, and millions of person-hours have likely gone into parsing the lyrics in college dorm rooms across the U.S.

Currently streaming on Paramount+, the documentary “The Day The Music Died” explores the tragedy behind the song, and it attempts to plumb the secrets of the song itself. It succeeds more at that first part than the second.

We all are vaguely aware that Buddy Holly and some other musicians died in a plane crash. Quite a few musicians have died in plane crashes, however, and I knew few details of the crash that killed Holly. For example, country singer Waylon Jennings was a member of Holly's band at the time, and was supposed to be on that fateful flight. He gave his seat to Richardson, who had the flu, an act of kindness that saved Jennings's life and cost Richardson his. “The Day The Music Died” does assume that you know who these artists are, spending very little time on their music. That's fine for those who are up on early rock-n-roll, but I couldn't tell you who the Big Bopper is or name one of his hits for you, and “La Bamba” is the only song I know by Ritchie Valens. So, the film provides exquisite detail about the crash, its location in Clear Lake, Iowa, and its legacy, but you have to already know a little background about the musicians, themselves.

The documentary is hit-or-miss when it comes to exploring McLean's song. There's a lot of material here, and I learned a lot about the writing of the song, and a lot more than I cared to about McLean, himself. What I was really hoping for was a blow-by-blow of what each verse in the song means, and you only get a taste of that. McLean denies, for example, that “the king” refers to Elvis or “the Jester” to Bob Dylan, but he does not elaborate, and I'm not sure I take him at his word. Truth be told, McLean comes off as something of a pompous jerk, and he ultimately obscures more than he reveals. Likewise, interviews with artists who have covered the song, like Garth Brooks, are somewhat interesting, but they do not ultimately reveal much about the song itself.

In the end, “American Pie” may simply be too much song for any one examination. Like the Grand Canyon, it is too big to look at the whole thing and also get into the details in one sitting. “The Day The Music Died” can be forgiven for failing to completely illuminate the song in an hour and a half. For fans of the song, it is still well worth watching.

3 stars out of 5

Happy Gilmore (1996) *

 

Netflix has dumped a trove of Adam Sandler films onto its server, with “dump” being the operative word. I've never been a fan of the Sandler oeuvre. His films don't offend me with their violence or foulness; I just don't find them funny. And yet, in the midst of his dumpster fire of a filmography, there is 1998's “The Wedding Singer,” a goofy, funny comedy-with-a-heart. I love that movie so much that I keep giving Sandler a chance. I somehow got the impression that “Happy Gilmore” might be a classic comedy, more along the lines of “The Wedding Singer” than “The Waterboy,” so I gave it a chance. It did not take me long to regret it.

Sandler plays the title character, a frustrated hockey player with fighting skills and a mean slap shot, who can't skate worth a damn. Finding an old set of golf clubs gives Happy a new opportunity in life, as it turns out he can drive a golf ball 400 yards. His swing is unorthodox, and he cannot putt, but that drive might win him enough money to save his grandmother's house.

Does it? I don't know, because I turned this piece of crap off after about 20 minutes. “Happy Gilmore” is boring and stupid. The film lacks the wit to even be so dumb that it's funny. It is just dumb!

1 star out of 5

The Worst Person in the World (2021) ****

 

The latest from Norwegian director Joachim Trier (distant relative of Lars Von Trier) is a romantic black-comedy, coming-of-age-tale about a young woman. It's the third film in what Trier describes as his “Oslo Trilogy,” coming after 2006's “Reprise” and 2011's “Oslo, August 31^st.” I have not seen the first 2 films, but my understanding is that other than being set in Oslo, Norway, they have no connection to each other or to “The Worst Person in the World.” Three movies over 15 years, which all happen to be set in a writer/director's home city, does not seem like much of a trilogy to me. It would be like calling Woody Allen's oeuvre his “New York Trilogy.” Fortunately, “The Worst Person in the World” is thoughtful and engrossing enough to make me forgive that ridiculousness.

We meet Julie (Renate Reinsve) in her early twenties, trying to figure out what to study in college. The film then takes us through her next decade, as she loves and loses and tries to figure out who she is. It could be pretty thin gruel for a whole movie, but the combination of Trier's thoughtful script and Renate Reinsve's charm make this a delightful film that reminds me of 2001's “Amelie.” At the start of the film, I thought that Reinsve looked like the Norwegian Dakota Johnson, but by the end, her magnetic face and charming manner had me thinking that Dakota Johnson may just be the American Renate Reinsve.

Julie is not, of course, the worst person in the world, but the film is named for the fact that she often feels like she is. That's a feeling most of us can identify with, and the thing is, if you are wondering if you are the worst person in the world, you probably aren't. I don't imagine Hitler spent a lot of time worrying about whether he was a bad person. Julie muddles through her 20's, making mistakes and searching for herself, and for 2 hours, Joachim Trier makes her seem like the most interesting person in the world.

4 stars out of 5

Local Hero (1983) ****

 

In this small, but satisfying film, Peter Riegert plays “Mac” McIntire, an ambitious, successful oil company executive. Mac is sent to Scotland to negotiate the purchase of an entire fishing village, to be turned into an oil refinery. His off-kilter boss, Mr. Happer (Burt Lancaster), an amateur astronomer, gives him a secondary assignment, which is to “watch the northern skies” for a comet that Happer can name after himself.

With these marching papers, Mac descends on the village of Ferness, accompanied by Danny Oldsen (Peter Capaldi), a member of the company's U.K. team. Mac and Danny explore the town and beach, meeting a variety of colorful, small-town types. Danny falls in love, while Mac begins to wonder if there is something more to life than his Porsche, his corner office, and his swell, Houston apartment.

“Local Hero” is one of those little movies that knows exactly what it is about. Produced by David Puttnam (“Chariots of Fire”), the film is written and directed by a guy named Bill Forsyth. Forsyth is not particularly famous, but he really gets the tone right in this wistful, wryly funny, character-driven film. “Local Hero” is a forgotten gem from back when they made movies for grown-ups, and it is well worth a watch.

4 stars out of 5

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) ****

 

In a sense, we are lucky we didn't get a “Top Gun” sequel in 1988. The 1986 action flick about Navy fighter pilots was such a hit, and Tom Cruise such a star afterwards, that it's quite surprising that producer Jerry Bruckheimer didn't cash in with a followup 2 years, or 5 years, or even 10 years later. As it went, serious talks about a sequel didn't begin until around 2010, and the the suicide of ”Top Gun” director Tony Scott (“True Romance”) slowed plans even further. All of these delays gave Tom Cruise a chance to mature into a 59-year-old actor who could play an older, sightly grizzled, slightly wiser version of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell who is way more interesting than the cocky fly-boy from 1986.

We find Maverick working as a test pilot and still bucking authority. All these years later, he is still known as an outstanding pilot with an attitude problem, and it is only his friendship with Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer) that has kept him from being booted from the Navy. Iceman's newest assignment for Maverick is to return to the Top Gun Academy and prepare a group of young, hotshot pilots to fly a dangerous, covert mission. Mav rekindles an old flame (Jennifer Connelly), annoys his commanding officers, and shows that he still has the Right Stuff.

To judge “Top Gun: Maverick” based on the usual criteria, like plot, acting, and dialogue, probably misses the point. Like the first “Top Gun,” this film is about two things: fast-paced, jet-fighter action and Tom Cruise's charm, and the film aces both of those. Rather than relying on CGI, Bruckheimer and company used real jet-fighters and real aerial photography, and it shows. The action here feels much more visceral than what you will find in the latest CGI, comic-book movie. This is just pure, high-octane entertainment! Some of the plot points are completely ridiculous, and there is a lot of hackneyed dialogue, but it doesn't matter when a movie looks this good, and when it feels so good to be back in the air with Maverick.

Cruise may be a complete nut in his personal life, but he relentlessly makes good movies. (Check out “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Oblivion” if you haven't, already.) In this case, he gets an assist from an excellent supporting cast, including the promising actors Monica Barbaro and Glen Powell. Both have mostly done TV work and small movies before this, and both have serious star potential. Jennifer Connelly, of course, lights up the screen every time she appears. 

 

(L. Maverick's jacket from 1986. R. Maverick's jacket in the 2019 trailer)

Now, about that Taiwanese flag. In the original “Top Gun,” Maverick had a patch on the back of his bomber jacket that included the flags of Japan and Taiwan. Back in 1988, no one in Hollywood was worried about angering Chinese censors, and I'm sure no one thought much about those patches then. Nowadays, everyone from Disney to the NBA is watching what they say to avoid angering the Chinese Communist Party, which controls access to a 1.5 billion-person market. Thus, when the trailer for “Top Gun: Maverick” first aired in 2019, sharp-eyed viewers noticed that the Japanese and Taiwanese flags on Mav's jacket had been changed. Needless to say, Paramount Pictures took some heat for that, and they wound up putting the original flags back in. There are two lessons here. One is that Western values can still win out over Communist censorship, but only if we raise enough of a squawk about it. Left to their own devices, media companies are going to self-censor and pander to the authoritarians, doing anything they can to get access to a lucrative market. The other lesson is that, with the digital tools now available, any image can be changed or faked at any time. We have to be skeptical of everything we see now, whether we are watching political videos on Facebook or watching Tom Cruise go mach 2 with his hair on fire.

4 stars out of 5

Get Shorty (1995) ****

 

Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is a cool character, as cool as you can get. He wears a cool leather jacket, he can handle his fists or a gun, and when he is collecting money from people who owe him, he doesn't get upset at the little things. He is, however, getting tired of the life of a small-time loan shark, taking orders from jerks like “Bones” Barboni (Dennis Farina). When a collection job takes him to L.A. and the living room of a Hollywood producer, even a B-movie producer like Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), Chili senses a chance to break into a better line of work. Chili pitches his own story to Harry as a movie idea, and just like that, Chili finds himself in the movie business, which turns out to be not so different from the loan-shark business.

As a character, Chili is too good to be true, always cool and collected, a total bad-ass, but still a gentleman. This gangster comedy works because of all the other kooky characters, including the gangsters and movie producers, as well as Rene Russo as a sexy scream-queen actress and Danny DeVito as an unlikely leading man. Director Barry Sonenfeld also gets excellent supporting turns from James Gandolfini and Delroy Lindo.

“Get Shorty” is based on the Elroy Leonard novel of the same name. It holds up well to repeat viewings, and while it isn't the peak of Elroy Leonard adaptions (That title goes to “Jackie Brown”), it's a fun parody of a Hollywood culture where everyone has a screenplay in their back pocket.

4 stars out of 5

Death on the Nile (2022) ***1/2

 

I won't claim to be the biggest Agatha Christie fan. Her detective stories are too old-fashioned and mannered for me. I prefer the Philip Marlowe style of detective, the guys who pound the pavement and get their asses kicked until the guilty parties tip their hands. Nonetheless, Christie's deductive geniuses do have a certain style. Of her works I have read, Murder on the Orient Express is the best, and rightfully her most famous. Death on the Nile would probably be runner-up. Both have been adapted to the screen more than once.

Kenneth Branagh's 2017 iteration of “Murder on the Orient Express” was a massive hit, bringing in over $350 million worldwide. Those are Marvel Comics numbers, and on a much lower budget, so it's no surprise that Branagh would get another shot at directing and playing detective Hercule Poirot. The story finds Poirot on holiday, exploring the cultural riches of Egypt. There, on a boat cruising the Nile, a love triangle turns violent, and Poirot is compelled to solve the case.

This is not the most memorable film, but it has its moments, and it is worthwhile popcorn entertainment. Screenwriter Michael Green deviates from the novel in the beginning, giving some Poirot back-story and using a jazz-age nightclub to establish the central love triangle much more succinctly than the novel does. The film is graced with an all-star cast, including Gal Godot and Emma Mackey as the former friends competing for the heart of Armie Hammer. The cinematography of the Egyptian ruins and countryside is gorgeous.

I don't know about you, but I have never witnessed or been present at a murder, and the same goes for most people I know. Hercule Poirot, however, keeps having murders occur around him, despite the fact that he is a famous detective. You would think that seeing Poirot on board a train or boat might stay a murderer's hand. At the very least, you might expect this propensity to affect Poirot's social popularity. As it goes, evildoers always try to outsmart the detective, and he remains the toast of society.

3.5 stars out of 5

Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984) ***

 

If you like off-beat movies like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8^th Dimension,” then here's a chance to really test your taste for the weird. “Voyage of the Rock Aliens” is a musical spoof of sci-fi, horror, and beach movies that makes “Buckaroo Banzai” look like “Citizen Kane.”

To the extent that it matters, the plot involves a group of space aliens who cross the galaxy in a guitar-shaped spaceship, searching for rock-n-roll. They land in a small town, where their leader, ABCD, falls in lust with high-schooler DeeDee. (Pia Zadora, whose character is clearly named for the level of her acting skills, which makes her by far the most talented person in the film.) ABCD and his crew research earth life while avoiding the local sheriff (Ruth Gordon) and dealing with DeeDee's boyfriend and his gang/band, all to various musical numbers. Also, there's a Jermaine Jackson/ Pia Zadora music video near the beginning that has no connection to the rest of the plot, and Jackson does not otherwise appear in the movie.

The thing is, Pia Zadora is so adorable that she, alone, is worth the price of admission. She's about 5 feet tall, smokin' hot, and completely committed to her role, as ridiculous as it is. Truth be told, no one in this film phones it in. As bad as the script, acting, and songs are, everyone in the film acts like it is their last, which it probably was for most of them. The songs sound like parodies of other, better, songs, but even they have some charm, and that Jackson/Zadora duet was actually a hit.

If you wonder why you have never heard of this gem, it's because it was never released, at least not in American cinemas. You can watch it streaming now, and you'll like it if you like this sort of thing. It's as goofy and low-rent as “The Velocipastor,” and just as much fun!

3 stars out of 5

Life of Crime (2013) ***

 

Between his westerns and his crime novels, author Elmore Leonard has had his share of books adapted into movies. One of his best adaptations, most would agree, was Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film, “Jackie Brown.” Based on Leonard's novel, Rum Punch, it featured a colorful cast of characters circling around a trove of drug money. Two of those characters were Ordell, played by Samuel L. Jackson, and Louis, played by Robert De Niro.

2013's dark comedy “Life of Crime,” based on Leonard' novel The Switch, features the exploits of those two knuckleheads preceding the events of “Jackie Brown.” It's the late 70's, and Louis and Ordell decide to kidnap rich socialite Mickey Dawson (Jennifer Aniston). They figure on a fat ransom, little knowing that her husband (Tim Robbins) has a mistress (Isla Fisher) and is planning to file for divorce.

This time around, Louis is played by John Hawkes, and Ordell by Yasiin Bey (formerly known as the rapper Mos Def). These guys clearly don't bring the star power of Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro, but they bring their own charm to the roles. Tim Robbins and Isla Fisher are excellent, as is Will Forte as Mickey's milquetoast lover.

Aniston is just alright. She gives the same blankly-staring, flat-affect performance that she always gives. I can never exactly pinpoint a fault in her acting, but as beautiful and stylish as she is in real life, she always fails to light up the screen.

Aniston notwithstanding, it's a great cast, yet “Life of Crime” is not in the same league as “Jackie Brown.” Director Daniel Schecter seems to have trouble finding and maintaining his tone. He also fetishizes period details to a distracting extent. The film is set in 1978, so every car has to be from that year, and every outfit has to be period-perfect. In real life, everyone doesn't just buy everything all in the same year. People have cars and clothes from 5, 10, 15 years ago, all mixed together.

It may be an unfair comparison. Leonard wrote The Switch in 1978 and Rum Punch in 1992, but Hollywood switched the order of things by adapting Rum Punch first, into “Jackie Brown,” which was the kind of classic that revives careers and sticks with you. It's hard to live up to that. Without that legacy to carry, “Life of Crime” could be enjoyed as what it is, a fairly entertaining, darkly funny, popcorn movie.

3 stars out of 5