March 2019 film review

FREE SOLO (2018) (Narional Geographic documentary) D- Jimmy Chin

El Capitan is a near vertical slab of rock half a mile high in the Yosemite valley of California. And ever since people began to take an interest in mountain climbing, they have been dreaming of somehow getting up a sheer face that seems to have few hand and footholds to assist the process. The first attempts were marathon affairs lasting many days, involving sleeping in hammocks nailed to the rock face and using teams of climbers. Then some lunatic decided he could do it by himself. Eventually this was achieved, but people still weren’t satisfied. They wanted to do it without ropes, expanding bolts or indeed any artificial aids beyond a good, grippy pair of shoes and some chalk to absorb the sweat from their hands. 

          Then another death defying (or seeking? It’s hard to be sure which) guy comes along and says he wants to break the speed record for doing the apparently impossible. His name is Alex Honnold and his name has now entered the annals of climbing, and indeed sporting achievement generally as one of the greatest exponents of his art the world has ever seen. A man who lives in his van, whose brain has been shown by CT scan to have an amygdala (the emotional core of our brains) which demands intense stimulation before it even begins to fire up, this man lives, sleeps and dreams climbing. Then a Nat Geo team approaches him with the idea of filming his epic attempt at breaking the speed record. He isn’t sure. He isn’t stupid, he knows he stands a significant chance of falling to his death and he wonders about the ethics of filming someone dying. Eventually, to the great benefit of Us all, he agrees, and a team of accomplished climber/ cameramen is assembled to record the great climb. The result is one of the most gripping pieces of documentary film making I have ever witnessed. Unmissable.

AMERICAN HONEY (2012) D- Andrea Arnold

In the heart of Bible Belt America, a young woman with little going for her decides to join a travelling group of magazine subscription sellers. Their wages are minimal, the work is long and hard but at least she’s doing something. 

            On the road, relationships form, break apart, reform with other parties, but the work goes on relentlessly. 

            This film was much praised at the time for its cine verite authenticity, and the players, including Sasha Lane and Shia Lebeouf are excellent. Strangely compelling.

THE LAST MOVIE STAR (2016) D- Adam Rifkin

An aging and long-retired movie star (Burt Reynolds, almost playing himself) is invited to accept a ‘lifetime achievement award’ at a film festival he hasn’t heard of. Flattered, he accepts the offer and makes his way to Hicktown, USA, where he finds to his horror the film festival is just a bunch of movie geeks who get together once a year to show a few movies and invite stars, none of whom ever attend - until now. Furious in his mind he has been duped, Reynolds initially decides to bugger off back home, but then something begins to happen to him and he decides to stick around for a few days to see what happens, and take in some of the local colour. And in the process learn a few things about himself along the way...

          I was rather taken with this little effort, crafted with skill and sincerity, and comprising perhaps one of Reynold’s finest roles, certainly since Boogie Nights. 

RAIN (1932) D- Lewis Milestone

Somewhere in the South Seas, a good-time girl (Joan Crawford in one of her first talkies), or is she really just a prostitute, or sex worker as we should say today, is stranded on an island, causing much excitement among some members of the populace, and unmitigated horror amongst the more straight-laced. A local pastor (Walter Huston) takes it upon himself to steer her towards the path of riteousness, but it is an uphill task. Meanwhile a sailor also wishes to make an honest woman out of her. But what does she want? That seems to be laid aside as the locals try to work out what to do with this free spirit.

          1932 was the last year Hollywood could get away with films like this. After the Hays Code was brought in the following year, salacious subjects like prostitution, or even worse, women who enjoy sex for its own sake, became taboo subjects for over 30 years. So this was almost the last chance American cinemagoers got for a great many years to see adult subjects tackled in an adult way. And even today, nearly 90 years on, it holds its ability to shock. Now that has to be something of an achievement