The Last Picture Show: November 2011

Whatever happened to movies? There was a time in my life that going to the movies was almost a weekly event. Now I go to the movies maybe once or twice a year. Sure some of that has to do with DVD's and Netflix and On Demand and the like.

But a lot of it has to do with the premise of this entry: Movies suck now!

Of course this is just my opinion, but it seems to me that somewhere along the way the vast majority of movies stopped being anything that you could take seriously and became mere marketing opportunities or special effects smorgasbords or demographic exercises.

It seems to me that it goes something like this: If we make this movie about robots who turn evil and take over the world, we can get this many teenage males and this many 20-somethings and this many Europeans which will equal a ticket sale of whatever.

Sorry, but I'm just not interested. Instead of a special effect, I'd rather see a special performance, something that touches me in a real, human way. Those are quite rare these days and are very hard to discover because they are buried under too many explosions, squealing tires, and absurdly huge firearms.

Certainly there are exceptions. I think the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was the perfect blend of special effects, acting, and storytelling. But that was ten years ago. That's a long time between boxes of popcorn.

Living in the Boston area gave me an unfair advantage when it came to movies. There were so many "art houses," in the Boston-Cambridge area, that it was always possible to see some of those little, independent films that are usually about performance and not just eye candy. Down here on the panhandle, there are no intimate one or two screen theaters; just those gigantic mega-theater-sound system-arcade-mall-multi-screened behemoths which only play the latest, loudest, studio nonsense. I miss the days of the Nickelodeon, the Orson Welles, the Harvard Square, even the little Dedham Cinema with the art gallery downstairs. I didn't love every movie I saw at these and other small theaters. Sometimes I thought there was a lot of hype or buzz over an independent movie that I thought was just average or worse. ("Sideways" comes to mind) But at least these movies had integrity, a vision, a reason for being beyond ticket sales.

Of course not every "big" Hollywood movie is terrible. The first two "Godfathers" come to mind. "The Natural" and "Field of Dreams" would be called mainstream movies that I think are both filled with great performances and beautiful stories. There are many others I could mention. The point here is that I think movies like the ones above are being made much less often than they used to be.

So not for nuthin', in no particular order, here's a list of 10 of my all-time "small" favorites:

10. Bang the Drum Slowly, 1973. With De Niro, Michael Moriarty, and Vincent Gardenia. A great "baseball" movie about all sorts of things other than baseball.

9. Big Night, 1996. With Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub. The perfect little movie in my opinion. Great performances up and down the line.

8. Sling Blade, 1996. With Billy Bob Thornton and, especially, Lucas Black as the kid. Completely original and weirdly believable.

7. Tender Mercies, 1983. With Robert Duvall and Tess Harper. I guess I could do nothing but list Robert Duvall films here. I've chosen two for this list. He always does something unexpected or interesting. What a lovely, quiet, redemptive film.

6. Scarecrow, 1973. With Al Pacino and Gene Hackman. Wonderfully acted, beautifully sad movie.

5. Broadway Danny Rose, 1984. With Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. To me, this is Woody Allen at his best as a director, a storyteller, and a performer. Funny and sad at the same time.

4. 'Round Midnight, 1986. All time great tenor player Dexter Gordon playing a version of himself. This little movie had musical integrity and a lovely, heartwarming story as well.

3. Glengarry Glen Ross, 1992. What an ensemble and what a delight listening to David Mamet's peculiar patois. The brief Alec Baldwin bit is still one of the best five minute segments of any movie ever.

2. The Apostle, 1997. Another Duvall performance that mesmerized me. I actually think I would have contributed to his church.

1. Cinema Paradiso, 1988. Still the champion as far as I am concerned. A movie that loves movies in the same nostalgic, wistful way that I once did. Whenever I need a jolt or a taste of how magical movies once were in my life, I kick back with some chianti (hold the fava beans, please) and cry my way through this wonderful film. The Ennio Morricone score alone would be enough to qualify this incredibly humane film.

So there you have it. Some of my all time favorite "little" movies. I'm sure there are others I've neglected to mention, but each of these resonated in some meaningful way with me.

I doubt any of them were made with any thought about what kinds of action figures they would spawn.

I'll have a medium popcorn, no butter.

Weren't movies once grand?
J

Dim Sum: November 2011

A little of this...a little of that:

Cain not Able:

Herman, we hardly knew ye.

What a horrible, cowardly man! Here is what he is asking the country to believe: One time at a meeting of the National Restaurant Association board, he innocently mentioned to a woman employee that she was the same height as his wife. Cain insists that that sweet remark was enough to cause the woman to file a sexual harassment claim against him. Now, here's the thing: instead of firing this miserable, slandering woman and fighting her ridiculous claim in a court of law, Cain and the lawyers of the National Restaurant Association saw fit to pay her handsomely and have her accept a confidentiality agreement.

What? Huh? People, if you can't believe that, then you can't believe any of the other stuff he claims. That's how it works in these cases.

You want me to vote for a man who would go along with something like that? I'm sorry but I'd like to think that my President would have a little backbone and fight for what is right, even if it means getting a little bloody in the process.

Of course, there is another possibility. Herman Cain may just be guilty of the piggish behavior that, so far, four woman have accused him of. He may actually be that horrible cliche: the Chairman of the Board who actually thinks his power allows him to behave to women in any way he sees fit. A man like that would definitely need a Board that is willing to pay people off to keep quiet.

Obviously, I don't want that guy to be my President either.

So here's how I see it: if everything Herman has been saying is true, then he has no backbone and no principles and should be ashamed to parade himself out there to represent us. If everything Herman says is a lie, then he is little better than a predator, using his base of power to garner sexual concessions from women who are powerless to stop him.

President? Please tell me we haven't sunk this low yet.

Nick's

The other night Kate and I decided to go out for dinner and watch the Alabama-LSU football game, a very big deal in these parts. We decided to go to Nick's, a local place on scenic Rt 30A. Here is a true accounting of what the two of us ate and drank:

three margaritas, three glasses of chardonnay, a huge bowl of delicious homemade chili concocted with a real roux base lovingly prepared by an authentic Loosiana Cajun chef, an order of sweet potato fries, and an incredibly huge double cheeseburger with more sweet potato fries

The bill totaled $24.00.

Aside from wondering how on earth two people can eat and/or drink that much, can you believe the price? And everything was perfectly delicious.

Needless to say it looks like Nick's will become "our" place sooner rather than later.

Friends

I have been blessed to have many friends. Some, like Kate, I've only met since I moved to Florida. Some became friends during our teaching careers. As a matter of fact, Kate and I will be attending the Boston wedding of a daughter of one of those wonderful teacher friends this weekend. I also had the privilege of attending the wedding of another teacher friend's daughter last month. I was thrilled to have been invited to both affairs and feel so happy for all the parents involved. Both "matches" seem quite magical to me.

Some of the friends go back to teenage days at Boston Latin School or in Dorchester. I'm truly grateful for all the laughter we've shared over the years and I look forward to every occasion that brings us back together.

I have one set of friends from another country. They are the Davidson family pictured above. That's Steve, Carol, and son Jamie. I have been friends with Steve for over 35 years. We met in 1974 at Camp Androscoggin in Wayne, Maine. (The Rain in Wayne stays...you get the idea) Steve was a young math teacher from England who served as the head of soccer at camp. I was the head of tennis. We hit it off quickly, especially when Steve told me he'd like to learn more about the game of baseball. I told him I'd be happy to try and explain the nuances of the wonderful game as long as he promised to become a Red Sox fan. Steve said he'd be happy to do that as long as I would join the "Toon Army" which is how the fans of Newcastle United of the English Premier League identify themselves.

It was a trade that helped both teams, as they say.

It was because of Steve (alone at first, then joined by his wonderful wife Carol and eventually the amazing Jamie) that Ada, I and the boys were able to tour England. He generously arranged free lodging for us at his school and gave us the use of his car during our stay. What a fabulous time we all had, notwithstanding the damage I inflicted on Steve's beloved Renault.

Later, Ada and I were able to travel to France, Norway, and Spain in the company of all three Davidsons who were and still are brilliant travel companions.

Of course we were always eager to host them during their many trips to America. This included one sad last trip they made to visit us in New Hampshire when Ada was beginning to fail. They stayed with a New Hampshire friend for a week just on the chance that Ada would feel well enough for a visit. They were grateful for even the briefest time with her. Even now, I well up when I think of their patience and dedication.

It was wonderful to be able to host this fine crew last week here in Florida. Their "situations" are about to change dramatically. Steve is soon to retire after a long and incredibly positive stint as the Headmaster of Bradford Grammar School in West Yorkshire. Jamie is soon to enter university. I know we will be in each other's company from time to time and I look forward to it.

So there you have it. A little Dim Sum on this lovely fall evening.

Ain't life grand?
J