Review of film: “ME AND ORSON WELLES”

2009, 12-08:

Review of film:  “ME AND ORSON WELLES”

Director: 

Richard Linklater.

Writers: 

Robert Kaplow (novel).

[Screenplay:]

Holly Gent Palmo

Vincent Palmo Jr.

Starring: 

Zac Efron

Claire Danes

Christian McKay

Ben Chaplin

Zoe Kazan

Eddie Marsan

Kelly Reilly

James Tupper

Leo Bill

Al Weaver

Iain McKee

Simon Lee Phillips

Simon Nehan

Imogen Poots

Patrick Kennedy

Janie Dee

Marlene Sidaway

Garrick Hagon

Megan Maczko

Travis Oliver

Nathan Osgood

Robert Wilfort

Michael Brandon.

MPAA Rating: 

PG-13 for sexual references and smoking

Quotes: 

“ The kid’s got balls! ”

“ Have you tried Wheaties? ”

“ How’d I do?” … “I cried! ”

“ …  remember…  well for the rest of your life. ”

“ Get in here! ”

“ You’re fired! ”

“ How the hell do I TOP this?! ”

MY Rating: 

8 of 10 stars (based on an advance screening of the 114-minute film)…

           

         Lives will change since “MERCURY” is Rising

It’s 1937 when this movie starts...  In retrospect (& giving facts that are NOT covered in the film:), that was the next-to-last year of the Great Depression in the U.S….  The Japanese were bombing parts of China…  Amelia Earhart disappeared flying over the Pacific… 

…  Radio was the “big deal” in everyday entertainment, & it often relied on celebrities from the theater and vaudeville. One of the well-known names in radio then was ORSON WELLES.  Born in Kenosha, WI in 1915, he started acting professionally at the Gate Theater in Dublin, Ireland at age 16…

…  Welles returned to the U.S. a few years or so later, after earning acclaim for his various acting roles in Ireland, and became very well known as an expert on Shakespeare from working on a large writing project called “Everybody's Shakespeare”… 

…  He soon joined Katharine Cornell's acting company & toured in three off-Broadway productions.  When a Broadway opening of “Romeo and Juliet”  fell-thru, he staged his OWN drama festival with the Todd School & utilizing actors he brought over from the Gates Theater…

…  When that proved a huge success, followed by a highly-regarded revival of “Romeo and Juliet”, he caught the attention of John Houseman, who had a primary role in the WPA’s Federal Theatre Project (FTP) & was seeking an exceptional lead actor for his projects (which were designed to put unemployed theater performers and employees to work)… 

…  By 1935 (at age 20), Welles was already appearing on radio as an actor, to supplement his theatre earnings (which helped with household expenses for him & his actress wife Virginia whom he’d married a year earlier)… 

…  In 1936, Houseman hired Orson to direct a play for the Negro Theater Unit of the FTP.  He got great praise (& tours around the country) for his “Voodoo” version of “Macbeth” (set in the court of Haitian King Henri Christophe, using voodoo witch doctors for the three Weird Sisters)…

…  He was eagerly lauded as a prodigy for his directing and acting, & that increased with his work on the very political operetta “THE CRADLE WILL ROCK”…

…  Disliking the way the government was operating the FTP, Houseman & Welles RESIGNED from that project & formed their own group called the Mercury Theatre, which used a company of actors who soon became particularly well-known & stayed with them for years… 

…  Their first production was scheduled to be a highly edited-down & “politicized” version of “JULIUS CAESAR” set in contemporary FASCIST Italy [then run by Benito Mussolini], wherein the poet Cinna would be killed at the hands of a secret POLICE force rather than by a “mob”…

…  This point is essentially where this MOVIE begins (& the above facts are NOT really detailed by the film):

…  A young student named Richard Samuels (ZAC EFRON) is bored in a classroom, & prefers reading his own book rather than one being discussed by the teacher.  He wants to be an ACTOR, &, in visiting a music store after school, he chances to meet a young lady, Gretta Adler (ZOE KAZAN), who’s also a “dreamer” like him, with her goal being to become a writer.  He’s very friendly and gentlemanly towards her… 

…  Zac then goes to the MERCURY THEATRE where the newly-formed group is trying to set up “shop”, hoping to get some work there.  When he meets Orson Welles (CHRISTIAN MCKAY), in order to get an acting role in the planned “JULIUS CAESAR” production, he brashly claims that he can play a “ukelele” (which would “stand in” for the “lute” planned for the production)…

…  Liking his attitude, Christian immediately HIRES him for the play (with the role of Lucius), & the film is in essence the story of what went on to get that production in front of the public…

…  Altho she tends to “ignore” the other male actors who regularly “hit” on her, the sort of “manager” for the company, Sonja Jones (CLAIRE DANES), takes a liking to 17-year-old Zac (seemingly for his looks & his straightforward honesty rather than the duplicity & “b.s.” she regularly encounters from many of the others)… 

…  That interest from Claire gets Zac especially “noticed” by the other male actors: ladies-man Joseph Cotten (having the role of Publius in the play, & played by JAMES TUPPER);  & Norman Lloyd (having the role of Cinna, played by LEO BILL)…

…  Also, George Coulouris (having the role of Mark Antony, played by BEN CHAPLIN);  Joe Holland (having the role of Julius Caesar, played by SIMON NEHAN);  Grover Burgess (having the role of Ligarius, played by PATRICK KENNEDY);  & John Hoyt (having the role of Decius, played by TRAVIS OLIVER)…

…  Zac works diligently on his small role in the play, & wants his mother (JANIE DEE) & grandmother (MARLENE SIDAWAY) to feel he’s making lots of “PROGRESS” in life… 

…  He’s fully believable in how he gets “caught up” in his relationship with Claire, & how HURT he is when she sees other people…  (As to the Gretta character, we see her again around midway in the film when he tries to HELP her, and again towards the end of the film)…

…  Very early on, we see that Orson (playing the role of Brutus) is exceptionally “FULL” of himself, regularly making unreasonable demands on others, and brow-beating John Houseman (EDDIE MARSAN) + some crew members…

…  More than that, Orson (Christian) is rakishly openly “HITTING” on whatever females he fancies at the moment, such as cast member Muriel Brassler (having the role of Portia, & played by KELLY REILLY), & Evelyn Allen (having the role of Calpurnia, & played by MEGAN MACZKO)…

…  Zac is impressed when Orson takes him to a RADIO broadcast (where Orson drives the other actors crazy by his ad-libbing), & there are some references made to Orson’s possibly working in MOVIES in the future… 

…  Zac shows he feels people should be treated fairly, & he tends to stand up for what he believes (even when that puts him at odds with Orson at times)…

…  As shown in this film, Orson is basely bombastic, brusque & DICTATORIAL in his dealings with others.  He could be very charming when he “wanted” something from people (like for Zac to come back to playing the role of Lucius), but he’s seen saying the SAME supposedly special “individual” comments to a NUMBER of different people… 

…  Orson’s seen as an easily-angered person who’s very vengeful when he feels he’s been “crossed”.  He readily flits around with other females, but gets deeply enraged if anyone TALKS about that & about his then-pregnant wife (who’s briefly seen in one scene when she arrives unexpectedly at the theater)…

…  Will the play they’re working on ever get PERFORMED for the public, and, if so, how will the public “REACT” to the unusual way it was planned?…  What will become of the characters that ZAC & ambitious CLAIRE play?…  What happens in the life of Orson Welles?…  The movie “answers” just SOME of that in part…

 …  This film basically covers just the start of the Mercury Theatre project, & does NOT go into how Welles came to be considered a GENIUS for his later work in plays done on radio (including the October 30, 1938 radio broadcast of H.G. Wells’ story “WAR OF THE WORLDS”, which frightened many in the country)…

…  The movie also does not speak about Orson’s directing and / or acting in “CITIZEN KANE”, “THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS” (a story that is alluded to in this film), “OTHELLO”, “TOUCH OF EVIL” and others (before he passed away in 1986)…

…  I feel Christian does a WONDERFUL job “channeling” the sound, tone & “attitude” of Welles, & may well get an Oscar nomination for his powerful and spirited work… 

…  Zac is quite effective in his role, and Claire is finely “breezy” in her character, with quite good performances by the other major actors…  The movie is good at delineating the “INDIVIDUALITY” of the various characters & at setting up an effective “ATMOSPHERE” & “MOOD” of the times…  

…  One person I talked to after the film stated it had been “boring” to him--  but I found it to be an unusually WELL-DONE story, showing the “blood, sweat & FEARS” that infuse many in the acting community…

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Review of film: “INVICTUS” + INFO About RUGBY

2009, 12-07:

Review of film:  “INVICTUS”   + INFO about RUGBY

Director: 

Clint Eastwood

Writers: 

John Carlin (book)

Anthony Peckham (screenplay)

Starring: 

Morgan Freeman

Matt Damon

Matt Stern

Julian Lewis Jones

Adjoa Andoh

Marguerite Wheatley

Leleti Khumalo

Patrick Lyster

Penny Downie

Sibongile Nojila

Bonnie Henna

Shakes Myeko

Louis Minnaar.

MPAA: 

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Quotes: 

“ The… nation starts here. ”

“ He said, he rested enough in PRISON. ”

“ [The] ‘Springboks’ still represent Apartheid. ”

“ Smile! ”

“ I had to know my energy. ”

“ They are our FUTURE South Africa. ”

“ You must tell him, the BUS service is very bad! ”

“ We must all EXCEED our own expectations. ”

“ I need to be ANGRY tomorrow! ”

“ When I look at you, I ENVY my father. ”

“ No, thank YOU, Mr. President! ”

MY Rating: 

8 of 10 stars (based on an advance screening of the 134-minute film opening 12-11-09).

One man CAN make a Worthwhile DIFFERENCE!

“Invictus”’ is the title of a poem which was a favorite of Nelson Mandela, the former South African president and first black to hold that title (which he won after spending like 27 years in prison on Robben Island for his anti-apartheid activities)…  The most famous lines in the poem are:  “ I am the Captain of my Fate, / The Master of my Soul. ”…

…  This film (based on TRUE incidents) stars MORGAN FREEMAN as Mandela--  a man he first met in the 1990’s & always wanted to play in a film.  As the movie begins, Mandela is about to move into the official Presidential offices--  & startles the white employees who are packing up to leave, by encouraging them to STAY ON in their jobs…

…  Many of the employees were stunned at what they heard, particularly the white Presidential SECURITY GUARDS (such as Hendrick Booyens, played my MATT STERN) & also the newly-hired BLACK Guards including Jason Tshabalala (played by TONY KGOROGE) & Linga Moonsamy (PATRICK MOFOKENG)…

…  Morgan explains his actions by saying, he wants & NEEDS the people to remain in order to help him build up the country based on RECONCILIATION (between the black majority & the previous white Afrikaaner rulers of the nation)…

…  One of the biggest examples of the previous white control of the country was South Africa’s national RUGBY team, the “Springboks” (named after a jumping antelope native to the country): 

…  They were mainly watched and supported by the English- & Afrikaaner-speaking white population, & many of the fans continued to bring OLD symbols of white power to the matches--  the orange and white flag of the previous form of the country, supporting the nearly all-white team members (--  only 1 player on the squad was black, a man named Chester--  played here by MCNEIL HENDRICKS), etc…

…  In general, Mandela felt that, if he could expand a widespread INTEREST in the team by the general population, it could help bring the country “TOGETHER” more (both blacks & whites + mixed races)…

…  That necessitated having a better, more MOTIVATED team, &, to help accomplish that, he calls in the Captain of the team, Francois Pienaar (MATT DAMON).  He’s initially skeptical of Mandela’s intentions, but (unlike his usually-closed-minded parents), he’s willing to give Mandela a “CHANCE”, & carefully listens to what he has to say…

…  Little by little, Matt works to try to win over the attitudes of his white TEAM-members.  Altho Morgan’s secretary Brenda Mazibuko (ADJOA ANDOH) is herself somewhat doubtful that Morgan’s efforts are worth the time, she works to support his wishes and helps arrange things like sending the team members out to meet with poor BLACK kids to help teach THEM the game... 

…  Things like that are publicized on the TV NEWS, & that starts to bring added interest in the team across many racial lines…

…  Seeing the enthusiasm of the kids & the added interest by people around the country, bit-by-bit, the white team members (who were VISITED by Mandela at a practice) start to “SIGN ONTO” the overall effort…  That attitude is extended by their going on a tour of the Robben Island PRISON complex where Mandela was forced to live for so many years…

…  Altho it’s not specifically stated “OUT LOUD”, in essence, they start to feel, if Mandela could work so hard to try for RECONCILIATION with those who'd treated him so horribly, then THEY should be willing to make their OWN efforts for the overall health of the newly-reconstituted country… 

…  (It’s that reconciliation between the various races & factions in the country that’s really the CORE & “MESSAGE” of this movie…)

…  The “Springbok” team starts to get better & better, & reaches the point that they start playing for a goal of being in the 1995 WORLD CUP FINALS of playing the game--  which are happily ATTENDED by Mandela & various government ministers and employees, & avidly followed on TV by the general citizenry…    

…  The movie spends a lot of time on the practice & playing of the Rugby games.  No matter how many scenes I watched of the work by the team members, I still didn’t really “UNDERSTAND” the game being portrayed on screen.  Thus, hoping it might prove HELPFUL to people, FOLLOWING this Review, I’ll give you some “background” I researched on the rules of the game of Rugby…

…  Like most of the audience, I was quite IMPRESSED with the movie overall, particularly the work of Morgan Freeman (who was also an executive producer on the film, & who – along with director CLINT EASTWOOD -- might well get an Oscar nomination for his efforts). .. 

…  [As an aside:  later, for the OSCARs, Morgan was nominated as Best Lead Actor, & Matt was nominated for Best Supporting Actor… ]

…  To me, the film is “MANDELA’S” story (with the direct “contact” between him & Matt’s character considerably “limited” compared to what the trailers might lead you to expect)… 

…  A friend (who gave the film only 2 of 4 stars) complained that, he felt it didn’t say “ENOUGH” of what Mandela accomplished in his life.  But, as I pointed out, the movie is NOT designed to be a wide-ranging “BIOGRAPHY”: 

…  It concentrates mainly on ONE specific incident, namely, the efforts at helping the RECONCILIATION between the main races in South Africa thru getting the country “behind” the efforts of its RUGBY team…

…  It does show OTHER efforts by Mandela to help expand the “acceptance” of once-“outlawed” South Africa thru meetings with, and trips to, people from other countries (such as England, the U.S., Taiwan, etc.)— but those are “incidental” to the main “Springbok” story here…

…  Since that account is told very EFFECTIVELY, I thus rated the movie accordingly, as an UPLIFTING story of a rare man and how “one” person can make a “DIFFERENCE” in this often-discouraging world…

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       Here’s the promised partial info on the RULES & play of Rugby:

…  Rugby (which is sometimes called the “father” of American FOOTBALL, in that it started 70 years before football was begun & has some similar rules) is played at a fast pace, with continuous changes of possession & few stoppages. ..

…   All the players on the field ( = 15 for each team) must be able to run, pass, catch, and kick the ball.  Also, they all must also be able to defend & tackle, thus making each position both offensive and defensive. There is NO blocking of the opponents (unlike in football), and each team is only allowed five substitutions in a game. A rugby match consists of two 40-minute halves.

…  In rugby, each team is numbered so the number indicates that player's position. Those players numbered 1-8 are forwards, whose main job is to win possession of the ball (which they can do because they’re usually the larger, stronger players, like American football linebackers and lineman)…

…  Those Players numbered 9-15 are backs (tending to be the smaller, faster and more agile players), whose main role is to exploit possession of the ball won by the forwards (thus making them similar to quarterbacks, wide receivers & running backs in American football)…

…  Rugby has NO blocking or “downs” (as football does), and play is like soccer in that it’s continuous. The person carrying the ball leads the attack, &, when he’s tackled, he must release the ball & roll out of the way so that those players still on their feet can continue to play the ball in attempting to get to the opponent's goal line…

…  A player holding the ball keeps running unless they are tackled, step out of bounds or run beyond the goal line…  The ball can be PASSED to another open player on the team--  as long as the pass goes backwards or sideways (laterally) rather than directly forward… 

…  Any player can KICK the ball forward at any time--  but that allows any player of either team to get possession of it (whether or not it hits the ground).  Naturally, it’s best to try to kick the ball to either an open teammate (in hopes of advancing it to the goal line) or to avoid a temporarily-poor field position by sending it to the opposing team…

…  A “RUCK” occurs when players converge over the ball on the ground & work to push the opposing players backwards (similar to a “scrum”).  A player can’t pick up the ball until it emerges from the “ruck” pileup, at which point play continues...  

…  Being in a “ruck” causes “offside” lines, & players must get back “onsides” in order to rejoin the play (which thus opens up space into which an attacking team can try to move the ball forward towards the opposing goal)…

…  A “MAUL” occurs when the player in possession of the ball is NOT tackled & brought to the ground, but is instead held UP by an opponent and one his own players converges on him.  This creates “offside” lines thru the feet of the last players on each side, & players have to RETREAT behind these offside lines if they want to take part in any ensuing play…  When the ball emerges, the “maul” ends…

…  Info on the 4 ways to SCORE points:  A “TRY” awards 5 points if a team touches the ball down in the other team's “goal” area (thus being similar to a “touchdown” in football)...  After a “Try”, you can get 2 points for a “CONVERSION” by kicking the ball through the upright goal posts from a line point at least 10 meters (30 feet) straight out from where the ball was touched down (thus, like an extra point in football)...

…  If there’s a major law violation, if in range, the kicking team can get 3 PENALTY “KICK for points", awarded for a successful kick from the point of the foul or anywhere on a line straight behind that point. If the kick fails, the ball can be played… 

…  A “DROP GOAL” (similar to football’s field goal) awards 3 points for a successful drop kick from anywhere on the field made at any time during the course of normal play. If the kick fails, the ball is still alive… 

…  As the movie shows, you have to rely on the JUDGES (referees) to determine where things “stand” at any given point during play (because things can easily get really confusing & in “dispute”)…

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