Quick Movie Reviews: A Christmas Carol, Man on Wire, Wanted, Milk

A Christmas Carol (1938)
By my reckoning and via a bit of quick research on Netflix.com there have been five films made with the title of Charles Dickens’ famous book. This list would include the Barbie version, but it would not include versions based on the book but with different titles (e.g. Scrooged (1988)). I set the TiVo to see what I would get and what I decided to watch was this 1938 version, which, based on my research, is the first version of the book adapted to film. It stars Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge and lasts about an hour and 15 minutes. Yes, it moves along at a brisk pace but it is very well done. It is also an interesting look at 19th Century London. Yes, Virginia, there was time when the whole family got excited about receiving a table-top carousel and sat around the table eating pudding that is served ablaze.

Man On Wire (2008)
I’ll say up front that I am afraid of heights. My knees shake. The palms of my hands sweat. My mouth goes dry. My heart begins to beat rapidly. That is all to say I experienced all of those things while watching this first-rate documentary. It chronicles Phillipe Petit's successful walk across a wire strung between the two World Trade Towers in New York on 1974. He and his team did it without permission and watching and hearing how they pulled it off ranks as one of the best thrillers in a while. Director James Marsh does a terrific job of driving the narrative so that it shows the inevitability of Petit’s attempt. We see Petit’s other attempts. We see the construction of the World Trade Towers. In light of 9/11, it is a bit disconcerting to see the World Trade Towers actually being constructed. Marsh interviews virtually everyone attached to the attempt (including an arrogant Petit) which breathes even more life into this film. The one group I thought should have been interviewed? Any or all of the security guards who were on duty the night Petit’s crew snuck into the WTC Towers.

Wanted (2008) [SPOILER ALERT!]
Okay, yes, I rented this movie because it had two of my favorite words – Angelina and Jolie. It’s always good to see an actor having fun while making a movie, and Angelina clearly is having fun here. It’s too bad that movie stinks to high heaven. I’m a huge fan of the action flick. Examples would include: Die Hard (1988). Terminator (1984). Under Siege (1992). The Transporter (2002). But it seems that action flicks of late are seriously pushing the limits of believability (e.g. Crank (2006) and Shoot ‘Em Up (2007)). Yes, I know that by their nature action flicks are supposed to take action to a new level and that, at their core, they are mere entertainment. But, dang, the basic laws of physics should apply. At some point in the movie, the head knocker for these elite assassins, Morgan Freeman (who was clearly cashing a check here) asks: “If no one had ever told you that a bullet could only fly straight, would you believe it?” This leads to one of the most ridiculous points in the movie – the art of “curving” a slug. Here’s the thing – just because no one tells you that the earth is round doesn’t mean it’s not true. Let’s face it, in the end, the movie is so bad that even Angelina shoots herself in the head.

Milk (2008)
In 1978, Harvey Milk became the first openly-gay person elected to any substantial public office when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Eleven months later, he, along with Mayor George Moscone, was assassinated by former Supervisor Dan White. If you haven’t heard already, hear it now – the strength of this film lies in the performance of Sean Penn. He is phenomenal as Milk. It does a heart good to see one of our great actors in fine form. The film is directed by Gus Van Sant, who does an admirable job moving the story along even though he does get off track from time to time and the action seems forced. In particular, I was dismayed by the unnecessary melodrama of the ending – a fairly typical slo-mo movie death. It seemed oddly out of place. The other strength of this movie is its supporting cast. I’ve heard more than one critic knock the film because they say the supporting cast doesn’t hold up. I totally disagree. Josh Brolin as Dan White gives a terrific performance; Emile Hirsch is surprisingly good (to me anyway) as Cleve Jones; and James Franco as Scott Smith continues to amaze. Another pleasant supporting actor surprise here? Lucas Grabeel as Danny Nicoletta. He is best known as Sharpay Evans’ brother, Ryan, in the High School Musical movies. Interested in an even better look at Milk’s life? Check out the 1984 documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk.

Robert Mulligan – R.I.P.
As much as I love To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), I’ll be honest and say that if you had walked up to me a month ago and asked me who directed it, I would be hard-pressed to come up with a name. Such is the fate of Mr. Mulligan who died on Dec. 20 at age 83. So let’s give him his due for a moment. Other films he directed that you might recognize: The Man in the Moon (1991), Clara’s Heart (1988), Same Time, Next Year (1978), and Summer of ’42 (1971).

A word about Tosca. . .[SPOILER ALERT!]
In two movies that I’ve seen this year – Quantum of Solace and Milk – the opera Tosca has been used as a backdrop. In Quantum, Bond shakes up the secret crime organization while standing atop the backstage scaffolding of a contemporary staging of Tosca in Austria. In Milk, Harvey, an avowed opera lover, attends a performance of Tosca and, ostensibly, he sees the promotional banners for the opera as he dies. I thought it might be worthwhile to pass on some basic information about this magnificent operatic work. . .Giacomo Puccini wrote the opera based on Victorien Sardou’s play of the same name. The libretto or lyrics were written by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. As with most operatic tragedies, this one involves political intrigue, jealous lovers, evil intent, and, eventually, the death of a principal or two. The opera includes some of the most famous arias around including Recondita Armonia, the beautiful Vissi d’arte, and the heart-wrenching E lucevan le stelle. If you get a chance. look up a synopsis of the opera in Wikipedia or at the Metropolitan Opera’s website.