Cinephiles mourned the loss of the great
Italian composer Ennio Morricone who died at age 91 earlier this month,
especially remembered for his iconic film scores for the Clint Eastwood
“spaghetti westerns” of the 1960s and for “The Mission” among other
classics. Also on the music front,
although my last post was quite critical of the Netflix series “The
Politician”, the best thing about it is to have introduced a wide audience to
Ben Platt who has the title role. Platt,
who has been on stage since childhood and became a Broadway star, is a
supremely talented musician, singer, and songwriter. Check out the Netflix special Ben
Platt Live from Radio City Music Hall, a fantastic performance,
immensely appealing and candid, recorded last September. As the “politician”, Platt’s character is
determined to become president. So my favorite Platt quote is: “I’m counting
the days until Trump is just a stain on history …”. On the acting side, Platt has joined an
18-year project by master filmmaker Richard Linklater. As with Boyhood (filmed over 12 years and
released 2014) I’m sure it will be worth the wait.
This excellent National Film Board
documentary directed by Claude Guilmain, now free to stream on the NFB website,
delves into the backstory to Canada’s decision not to participate in the March
2003 invasion of Iraq which would prove so disastrous with harmful consequences
that continue to this day. In the
context of the George W. Bush administration’s “global war on terror” there was
huge pressure on Canada, as neighbor and ally, to go along. That was resisted by then Prime Minister Jean
Chrétien who insisted that any offensive action would require explicit UN
Security Council approval. Ultimately it
was his decision about which he speaks frankly and forcefully. Although Canada
was not a Council member, our then UN ambassador Paul Heinbecker speaks
eloquently to Canada’s influence behind the scenes. Other close advisors and
commentators interviewed add context.
This was probably the most momentous foreign policy decision of recent
decades, particularly popular in Quebec. (It’s also clear that then Leader of
the Opposition Stephen Harper wanted Canada to participate in the war.)
I
vividly recall these tense times. When the invasion started on March 19 (also
my mom’s 90th birthday), I was a personal advisor to then Foreign
Minister Bill Graham for his cross-country “dialogue of foreign policy”. The “war on terror” and Iraq overshadowed
everything. The film doesn’t tell the
whole story. Graham wasn’t interviewed
and he was the principal interlocutor with U.S. Secretary of State Colin
Powell. There were a lot of dimensions
to this crisis. What the film usefully conveys is how the “highwire” act of
diplomacy can be exercised, and how Canada can take a principled stand even
when that means standing up to an aggressive, indeed bellicose, American
administration. We do have an option. See more at:
Director Thomas Kail’s filmed version of
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s acclaimed Broadway smash-hit musical [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_(musical)] was not due to be released until October of next year. But with all live performance venues closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic,
Disney put it out on the eve of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, thereby
also driving up subscriptions to the streaming service. Although lacking the
ambience of seeing the production live, the fluid camerawork affords a
perspective as good as and often better than that of the best seat in the
house.
Miranda
himself takes on the title role of the American revolutionary figure Alexander
Hamilton, an orphan from the West Indies who would become a founding father of
the republic, its first Secretary of the Treasury, and author of some of the
“Federalist Papers”. Hamilton was also a controversial figure. He married into
a slave-owning family, had extra-marital affairs, and would be killed in a duel
with Aaron Burr in 1804, three years after his eldest son had also died in a
duel. The musical, which boasts a phenomenal multiracial cast and energetic
choreography with a contemporary vibe, portrays Hamilton as pro-immigrant and
anti-slavery. The historical accuracy of
this hip version of Hamilton is certainly open to dispute (on the controversy
see:
https://www.vox.com/culture/21305967/hamilton-debate-controversy-historical-accuracy-explained).
Those questions aside, however, this
polished production offers a rousing and highly entertaining experience even
when viewed at home … with no booking months in advance at stratospheric prices
required.
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of
Walter Mercado (U.S. 2020, Netflix,
https://www.muchomuchoamor.com/)
A-
I confess I had never heard of Walter
Mercado before watching this fascinating profile directed by Cristini
Costantini and Kareem Tabsch. However
it’s clear that through decades of television appearances the Puerto Rican
astrologer became a cult figure for many millions of Latinos. Early in the film
we see the “Hamilton” playwright and Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda relating
how he grew up with Mercado, and late in the film when Miranda gets to meet him
he gushes like an emotional fan. Somehow
the androgynous effeminate “gender nonconforming” Mercado was embraced by a
homophobic Catholic culture. Mercado started out as a dancer and actor before
becoming a television personality in which he created his own fantasy world,
appearing in extravagant bejeweled costumes, flowing robes and capes that outdo
Liberace at his most ostentatious. (The effect isn’t “trans” or “drag” but it’s
definitely outré and eye-catching.)
Dispensing positive astrological messages of love and peace, Mercado also
established a lucrative psychic “hotline” but encountered troubles with a
controlling business manager that led to what he describes as a “legal
nightmare”. Health woes included a heart attack. For years he disappeared from
public view though had recently re-emerged as a social media phenomenon.
Along with archival footage and a few
clever bits of animation, much of the film centres on Mercado at home in the
Puerto Rican mansion he shared with longtime assistant Willy Accosta. The filmmakers also followed him to a 2019
Miami museum 50th anniversary celebratory event where the always
flamboyant Mercado is carried in on a throne and mobbed by admirers. A few
months later Mercado died at age 87. His
is a most unusual story that deserves telling, whether or not written in the
stars.
The Old Guard (U.S. 2020, Netflix) C-
Adapting a 2017 comic-book series,
Gina Price-Bythewood helms this $70 million ultra-violent sci-fi thriller that runs
over two hours, though the last 10 minutes or so are end credits adding to the
premise that a band of “immortal” (though not eternal) warriors for what they
deem right have intervened throughout human history. Charlize Theron plays the
many centuries old kick-ass female leader of the pack, Andromache (“Andy”),
accompanied by three dudes: Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), Joe (Marwan
Kenzari), and Nicky (Luca Marinelli).
The first rescue mission is in the conflict zone of South Sudan where
the team survives an ambush. Next stop is Afghanistan where an African American
female marine named Nile (KiKi Layne) emerges from a fatal throat slashing to
be the newest “immortal” member of the team that has a headquarters outside
Paris for some reason. Their activities are being followed by an African
American chap named Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), with a vague allusion to the
CIA. More menacing is the interest of a
Big Pharma baddie Merrick (Harry Melling) who hunts and captures several
“immortals” to discover their genetic secret. (Imagine the “live forever” profit
potential!) There’s a suggestion of betrayal by Booker before Merrick and his
goons get snuffed. It’s a pileup of
crazed scenarios spiced with a few historic flashbacks (one to witch trials
deals with the unfortunate fate of Andy’s former female accomplice). This is one of those action movies that
demands a high tolerance for nonsense. And though they stand on guard, laments
one immortal, the world is “getting worse”. No pandemic relief to be found here!
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