Movie Reviews

An operatic reimagining of Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, awash in luminous and corporeal images, French director Claire Denis’ 1999 singular film continues to beguile and perplex. The film, set on the parched coast of Djibouti, not only reinvents Melville’s posthumously published novella, but also addresses, albeit obliquely, and with very little conventional storytelling, the incongruities of obsession, masculinity, jealousy and the legacy of French colonialism. In other words, the film modernizes Shakespearean tragedy through a contemporary prism with dazzling results. What little plot does exist, centers around a regiment of French Foreign Legion soldiers stationed on a base in the former French colony of Djibouti. The soldiers are seen mostly interacting among themselves, going through the mundane motions of training and soldiering. When Galoup (Denis Lavant), the troupe’s commander, takes a disliking to a new soldier, irreconcilable conflict enters the once seemingly cohesive group, leading to an unforgettable ending. Beau Travail was recently named the seventh best film of all time by Sight and Sound Magazine’s survey of critics. – Submitted by Ryan

Gage

Winning Time

Based on Jeff Pearlman’s 2014 book entitled Showtime and renamed for the purpose of avoiding confusion with HBO’s premium cable competitor, Winning Time tells the story of the Los Angeles Lakers as they launch their 1979-80 season. At the outset of what would prove to be a pivotal season for the Lakers, they, like many other teams in the league, were on the ropes and suffering from low attendance and a general lack of innovation. John C. Reilly stars as Dr. Jerry Buss, a real estate mogul who cannot help but fathom the unrealized potential of the NBA and sells off his assets to acquire the Lakers. Reilly, fast approaching legendary status for his acting range and incredibly eclectic collection of roles is perfectly cast and absolutely nails Buss’s characteristic brash, sleazy, multimillionaire-meets- the cast constitutes a remarkably deep bench from Quincy Isaiah and Soloman Hughes (Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar respectively) to Sally Field (Jerry’s accountant mother, Jessie) and Gaby Hoffman (Lakers’ Arena manager, Claire Rothman). The show highlights (without a specific focus, I should add) the various relationships that made the ‘79-’80 Lakers season such a spectacle both on the court and off: Magic and Kareem, Magic vs. Larry Bird, Paul Westhead and Pat Riley (Jason Segel and Adrien Brody), and Larry Buss vs. Red Auerbach to name a few. Season one sets the stage for the LA Lakers dynasty of the 1980s and thankfully will not leave us hanging, having been renewed for a second season, slated to release on HBO sometime later this year. – Submitted by Patrick Jouppi

Cocaine Bear

What exactly is a cocaine bear? In real life, circa 1985, a black bear came across a large, abandoned shipment of cocaine in the wilds of Tennessee. It had been dropped from a plane by drug smugglers (whose plan to escape after ditching the cargo hit a karmic snag when one of the runners’ parachutes failed to open). The bear ingested a substantial amount of the 75 pound payload, and was found dead in the woods of northern Georgia. So does Cocaine Bear dramatize that incident? Not exactly… a story about a bear dying alone of a cocaine overdose might allow for an existential masterpiece of cinema, but this is not that film. So what’s the story with this cocaine bear? The less one knows about Cocaine Bear, the better. Suffice to say that, in the hands of director Elizabeth Banks, Cocaine Bear is one of the smartest stupid movies ever made. It knows it’s a ridiculous film, but the way it plays with thriller tropes, from a subplot reminiscent of an afterschool TV special, to another involving law enforcement which gives off Fargo vibes, makes for a more subversive experience than its creature feature roots suggest. Unexpected laughs, horrifying shocks, CGI that’s both obvious and believable, one of Ray Liotta’s last film roles… Cocaine Bear has it all, as long as expectations aren’t as high as its subject.

Reviews submitted by Ryan Gage. These great titles and others are available at the Kalamazoo Public Library.