Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin’
Plot: Chad Schaffler’s documentary focuses on the rise and eventual fall of Memphis Wrasslin’. Starting from the carnival days of Sputnik Monroe (who inspired the book, “Sputnik, Masked Men and Midgets”, which this film is based off of) to the glory days of Jerry “The King” Lawler. Interviews with former wrestlers, managers and promoters such as Jerry Lawler, Rocky Johnson, Jimmy Hart, Jackie Fargo, Jerry Jarrett, Bill Dundee and many more fill out the story.
Review: If you’re a wrestling fan such as myself, “Memphis Heat” is a treasure chest of gold! Filled to the brim with poignant and interesting interviews and a cavalcade of archival footage, there’s never a dull moment to be had. Once the movie starts, you’re strapped into a rollercoaster of wrestling and sports entertainment has never, and most likely will never, be matched.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Memphis territory or pro wrestling in general, “Memphis Heat” is a great guide. Giving a brief overview of the beginning of wrestling in carnivals and touching upon today’s showmanship extravaganza, Schaffler touches all of the bases. The majority of this documentary is focused on the Memphis territory, but he knows he needs to touch upon the territory wars and the eventual fallout as well. He does so quickly and informatively, compacting everything into a neatly wrapped package.
When focusing on the main attraction (the main event, if you will), he lets the veterans and promoters tell the story. Through the use of old footage, he engages the audience in the fun and rough activities that took place in Memphis. Everything from the rise of Jerry Lawler to the huge Andy Kaufman feud is covered with a majestic touch. Even if you’re not a wrestling fan, it’s hard not to get lost in the magic of it all.
For over twenty years, Memphis Wrasslin’ broadcast every Saturday morning. In their heyday, it was the most watched program in the Memphis area. The reason being was it was so much fun. “Memphis Heat” perfectly captures that and is fun and informative in it’s own right. Once the hour and a half runs up, you’re not done (thankfully). There’s over fours of bonus content waiting for you to dig into. It’s worth every penny to own this!
Final Rating: A+
My Week with Marilyn
Plot: Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) is a lover of cinema. When he lands the job as third assistant director on “The Prince and the Showgirl”, he is ecstatic. He gets to work under the legendary Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) and meet Hollywood’s hottest star, Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams). An affair blossoms between the two, complicating Colin’s relationship with Lucy (Emma Watson), as well as Marilyn’s with Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott).
Review: I was hesitant going into “My Week with Marilyn”. Marilyn Monroe is one of the most polarizing figures in all of filmdom. Many actresses have stepped up to the plate to fill her shoes. It’s a daunting task and, quite honestly, a played out one. I had faith in Michelle Williams. I also had trepidation.
Michelle Williams eased my worries by delivering a knockout performance, quite possibly the best Monroe to date. What works in her favor is being able to play her in a challenging part of her career. Her transition from Hollywood starlet to a great actress. Her fears and doubts, which are always denounced by those around her, tend to get the better of her. She’s not used to working with a director such as Olivier, who doesn’t pander to her. He breaks her down and picks at her mistakes.
Being pampered to for her whole career, she hides behind her acting coach, Paula Strasberg (Zoe Wanamaker), and seduces Colin Clark to help spy for her. Simon Curtis wisely makes Colin the lead male actor, as this is his story to tell. Any other director would have let the aura of Monroe overshadow Colin. Instead, Curtis has faith in Eddie’s performance (which is stellar) and lets him take the ball. The only spot where he drops by the ball is with Lucy, though that’s more and less Curtis’ fault for forgetting about her.
The best thing about “My Week with Marilyn” is that Simon Curtis doesn’t hold back. He doesn’t put Marilyn on a pedestal. He shows her weaknesses and her dirty tricks. He may slip up on that near the end, but he is working off of Clark’s book. Besides, Marilyn may have flaws, but that’s what makes her human. She’s easy to fall in love with, as is Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe.
Final Rating: A-
Another Earth
Review: “Another Earth” is one of those films that thinks it’s much smarter than it actually is. By inserting intelligent quotes and coming up with acute theories, the film flaunts itself as being high art. Add in beautiful cinematography and Mike Cahill has a surefire sensation on his hands.
The only problem is “Another Earth” isn’t good. It has interesting ideas, but never develops them correctly. Cahill see-saws back and forth from the human drama between Rhoda and John and the discoveries of Earth 2. These two storylines don’t compliment each other well at all and their tenuous link is brittle. Both plots deserve better, but Earth 2 suffers the most. Not only is it the main selling point of the film, but it is a highly intriguing idea. One that gets shortchanged and only briefly touched upon. It pops up when Cahill wants to be philosophical and wise.
The acting is admittedly good. Marling and Mapother are convincing in their roles and the relationship that develops between them is believable. They’re just stuck with two problems; an average story and being overshadowed by Earth 2. What’s funny is that the latter applies to Earth 2’s scenario as well. The only benefit that has is an original concept.
I’m not saying Mark Cahill isn’t smart. By all means, he comes across as one. He also comes across as an amateur filmmaker, which he is. Having a lot of newfound knowledge and theories he wants to disperse, he splurges on his first film. He ruins it in the process by clouting it and never giving his ideas finesse. They’re just good ideas floating around in a beautiful, but empty film.
Final Rating: C-
Young Adult
Plot: When her former sweetheart has a baby, young adult author Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) returns to her hometown of Mercury. She hopes to find her ex-flame, Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson), in a depressed rut and save him from suburbia and rekindle the magic they once had. Meanwhile, she strikes up an unusual friendship with Matt Fruehauf (Patton Oswalt), a paralyzed former classmate.
Review: Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody team up once again, this time graduating from High School (“Juno”) and moving on into adulthood. Our main character, Mavis Gary, still acts like a teenager, so it’s not a stretch. That’s by no means a detriment, as the film is well directed and written. It just holds the film back as it feels Cody doesn’t have much range as a writer. I hope to be proven wrong in the future.
That’s not to say “Young Adult” is an average retread. Far from it. It doesn’t share much in common with “Juno” outside of it’s quirky charm. It’s done in a much darker tone than the Ellen Page film, making it feel like it belongs in the adult world. There are a hefty amount of laughs in the film, squarely aimed at Mavis’ twisted view of the world.
Charlize Theron is fantastic in her role! She plays the “adult who acts like a child” well, never making her a caricature. She acts and operates like an adult. She just views the world through a teenager’s point of view, much like the characters in her books. Patrick Wilson is fine as her ex-flame, though he doesn’t have too much to work with. He’s there to give Mavis an overview of her life and play the doting, loving father.
Stealing the show is Patton Oswalt as Matt. He too can be viewed as a man-child, but only because of his geeky interests. Most of that is ignored, as he gets drunk with Mavis and tries to convince her that wooing Buddy is a bad idea. What helps him stand out (no pun intended) is his disability of a broken leg. It adds depth to his character (he was savagely beaten by jocks for supposedly being gay) and bounces off of Mavis well.
The film does stumble near the end. There’s a speech by one of the characters that’s highly convoluted and goes against the message that was being built. It felt more like Cody trying to justify herself than to neatly tie the film together. That could just be my perspective. Even with the misfired ending, “Young Adult” does stand out as a funny dark comedy, which is hard to come by.
Final Rating: B+
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure
Plot: In 1987, friends Eddie Lee Sausage and Mitch Deprey moved into an apartment complex in San Francisco, California. Their next door neighbors, Raymond Huffman and Peter Haskett, are drunk and bigoted individuals who constantly bicker at one another. Eddie and Mitch decide to record their arguments, which eventually leads to a pop culture phenomenon that includes CD’s, comics, plays and film adaptations. This documentary by Matthew Bate tracks the entire ordeal from beginning to end.
Review: The first half hour of “Shut Up Little Man!” had me worried. Though the bickering between the two men (and occasionally their friend Tony) was funny, it wasn’t suiting itself well to a documentary. Bate recreated the living environments of all involved in hokey reenactments that resemble what you would see on your local news broadcast. They type of stuff that would be lampooned on programs such as “Mystery Science Theater 3000”.
Once he got post the introduction and moved onto the following these recordings gained, the film picked up. The quirky and hysterically offensive tapes became documentary worthy when discussing it’s impact. Seeing how it nearly transported Eddie and Mitch into rich men thanks to film offers is invigorating. Seeing the play that came from this and the potential film adaptations was enthralling. A film was made in 1999, but it more and less satirized the idea instead of telling it.
What’s also interesting are the discussions on illegality and invasion of privacy, as well as how this was somewhat of a pre-cursor to Youtube and the numerous cell phone recordings we have now (such as the Christian Bale outburst). This helps in making the story more compelling and worth the time. Had Bate just focused on the tapes themselves and the two men responsible, this would have ran out of steam quick. Adding in discussions on it and dissecting it’s impact not only makes it work, but makes it more entertaining.
Final Rating: B
Pete Smalls is Dead
Plot: When famed director Pete Smalls (Tim Roth) dies, his old pal K.C. (Peter Dinklage) returns to Hollywood for his funeral. The real reason for his return is to obtain ten thousand dollars to rescue his dog, Buddha. His former best friend, Jack (Mark Boone Junior), convinces him he has the cash. If you count trying to sell the rights to one of Smalls’ final films having the cash, that is.
Review: “Pete Smalls is Dead” is Peter Dinklage and Mark Boone Junior’s film. Notable actors such as Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Lerner, Rosie Perez and Seymour Cassell may share screen credits, but it’s not their film to steal. Alexandre Rockwell knows this and keeps a tight grip on the story.
Dinklage and Boone are fantastic together as the witty friend and disgruntled pal. Boone has the best dialogue, making his scenes stand out the most. Dinklage has the hard job of working off of his demeanor, but does a splendid job. Thanks to “Game of Thrones” and various film projects, Peter is carving a slice of the acting pie for himself. His performances are always worth taking a bite out of it.
The best scenes come when K.C. and Jack are negotiating with “producers” Leonard Proval (Michael Lerner) and Bernie Lake (Steve Buscemi). It’s easy to tell they’re both hacks trying to sweet talk their way to success. When they first meet our protagonists, Bernie keeps repeating how big a fan he is of K.C. It’s not until a few minutes later that he discovers he isn’t talking to Pete Smalls. Despite the news covering his death 24/7, Lake never caught on.
There are also funny and sweet moments between Jack and his daughter, Xan (Emily Rios). She’s ran away from her mother’s to be with her boyfriend. K.C. strikes up a love interest with Saskia (Theresa Wayman), who was Smalls’ editor. It’s a bit strained, but they make it work. Alexadre Rockwell does get lost in all of this hoopla, undermining some key characters such as Julia (Rosie Perez), Pete’s widow and Nimmo (David Proval), the loan shark that has stolen K.C.’s dog.
I also wasn’t pleased with the ending. It seemed to simple and Hollywood-ish. That may be the point, as this film is mildly lampooning the town’s filmmaking and glamour. It still doesn’t change the fact that it tampered with the story that had been built up. A lot of the events that took place (such as them dressing as panda pizza delivery men and stealing Pete’s negatives) were useless in hindsight. Even so, they were fun and the script (by Rockwell and Brandon Cole) is quite clever.
Final Rating: B