Saving Mr. Banks Review

LitaPitasMusings

In some BIG ways this movie was a surprise. When I saw the trailer in the summer, I really thought that this movie was going to be about that P.L Travers who had a cold unloving,inattentive, unimaginative father, and then a nanny appeared out of nowhere.. and ended up saving her whole family- and especially her father. Hence, the title, ‘ Saving Mr. Banks!’ But much to my surprise, P.L Travers’ father was very loving and she idolized him; And he actually died from alcoholism because he was so unrealistic and drank his problems away..quite the opposite of a stern, overly realistic father as we see in Mary Poppins.He was also very, very imaginative. The lines, we hear in the movie “Mary Poppins,” Winds in the East, Winds to the West,” were actually said by her father in the movie at one point.
The woman who did come later as a nanny to help the Golf family actually failed to save Mr. Banks.. which I thought from the trailer she was going to do and be the inspiration behind Mary Poppins. It took me a while to realize this, but I guess what ended up happening was that P.L Travers.. imagined what would happen if her father could be saved and how the nanny would be if she could actually save him. So Mary Poppins is a mixture of this fantasy and idealism- and barely a morsel of reality.

I guess I was a bit disappointed because I was really hoping that when P.L Travers was a little girl that her father and her family were saved by this nanny who come out of nowhere and helped the whole family, and especially the father, out. I guess if it was real I would have been happier to know that though we cannot be totally saved by others during times of despair.. others can still offer some crucial help. Plus, I feel rather deceived by the trailer.

But the movie is still a good movie to see. The camerawork was amazing. In the opening scene you have the camera moving down from the sky onto the top of cherry blossoms, then through the cherry blossoms, and then through P.L Travers’ window. It almost gave the beginning a floaty, whimsical..imaginative feeling.. like a fantasy. I almost felt like I was dancing on clouds or eating cotton candy while riding a unicorn. Ironically. P. L Travers says to her agent soon after.. “Don’t they look like clouds?” in reference to the cherry blossoms.

I loved the art direction and how everything meticulously and truly represented the 1960’s. Whether it was the feel of the 1960s airport, the swimming pool by the P.L. Travers’ hotel, The look of the Mickey Mouses in her hotel room, etc. Along with the art direction, I loved the costumes on well, everybody. Whether it was Paul Giamatti’s thick rimmed glasses..Walt Disney’s skinny ties, Walt Disney’s secretary’s flipped hair and skirt suit… the costumes were great!

I will say that I liked Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Disney and how he made Walt Disney so affable. I loved the the acting of the young girl who portrayed a young P.L Travers and how she portrayed this perceptive little girl who rather be imaginative yet had to be an adult more than she would have liked. I also loved the actress who portrayed the mother of P.L Travers. She didn’t have too many speaking lines.. but by all her looks and glances.. she did the worrying for both parents in that family. She really echoed a mother who was trying to do her best.. but felt trapped because she couldn’t do much to change her husband, and also had the pressure of a family to tend to. I really felt bad when she almost committed suicide.. but I could really, really empathize with her. She felt that she really couldn’t help her husband’s drowning himself in alcohol.. so she would take control in the only way she could… Thanks to her daughter, she didn’t she didn’t control her life by cutting it short.

Last nor least, did I mention how much I LOVED Emma Thompson’s portrayal of P.L Travers. Oh My God.. this woman deserves an Oscar nomination for her portrayal. I love how she says, “Oh, no no no no” at least 15 times in this role.. with just enough fussiness! In many other ways, whether through the simplest glance or her short delivery of lines.. she manages to portray this fussy, immensely difficult, mostly somewhat tough, meticulous to the point of clinically obsessive- complusive –mostly unlikable woman. At the same point Thompson, puts in the cracks of likeability into her so that the audience doesn’t completely hate her. There is the time, when she tells Ralph the limo driver, that he is her favorite American and hands him a list of famous people who have had difficulties ( oh in case I forgot to mention it- I loved Giamiatti’s portrayal of Ralph).. but there are other more nuanced times, where you just give in to the fact that she is human. Like when she goes down to the hotel bar and tries to talk to the bartender.. but he doesn’t realize she is talking with him.. leaving her alone. For days she contemplates going down to the bar.. and when she does… she is unable to communicate with anybody. Or the night.. she needs something to hold while sleeping.. so she picks up the Mickey Mouse stuffed animal she initially detested. Yes, Thompson manages to breathe some humanness into this woman.. But furthermore, she manages to portray the pitiful aspects in this woman’s life.. After all this is a woman who is sadly kind of married to her father ( she did take his name…) and is very sore and hurt about the past.
In sum, this is a great and interesting movie to see- just don’t believe everything you see in a trailer.

I give it 4 out 5 stars.

Preview: Saving Mr. Banks

LitaPitasMusings

Ever see Mary Poppins? I am sure most of us have. I remember the first time I watched it, I was this little 7 year old thing. It is a classic, no doubt. Well, now you can see and hear about how this movie was made, or rather how it almost wasn’t made.
I am not gonna lie- I saw the trailer to this movie in the summer when I went to see the Butler and I have literally been counting down the days until the release of this film!
I couldn’t wait to see this movie because it talks about subjects that are very dear to me. One of them is how artists’/creators’ works can be so, so dear to them.. that it is hard for them to let them go. As was the case with P.L Travers- the creator of Mary Poppins. The other subject I really wanted to know about was who was this woman who inspired P.L Travers to come up with the Mary Poppins character? In other words, what gave this writer/artist ( P.L Travers) her inspiration to come up with the character Mary Poppins? I am almost always curious to know what inspired artists. Furthermore, how did this figure save the Mr. Banks figure in her life, i.e. her father, and lastly.. exactly how cold was P.L Travers’ father? The trailer just looks so intriguing!! Anyway, if you are as intrigued as I am- then I encourage you to go see this movie!!

REVIEW: Michelle Chamuel and Tyler Duncan Sing in the New Year as s/he

Jackson Tucker-Meyer

It was quite a sight—a crowd of Canadians and Michiganders that stretched across a downtown block, caked in the snow of two separate years, attempting dance in cramped conditions, shivering and ecstatic, all on account of two individuals: Tyler Duncan, the glitter-glazed Paganini of the Irish pipes, and Michelle Chamuel, the returning hero of Ann Arbor music.

 

The first time I saw these two musicians, they were in a seven-piece band called My Dear Disco, a sensational paragon of Michigan music that performed an amalgamate and widely-accessible style of music which they dubbed “DanceThink,” a newfangled genre that strove to engage both the bodies and minds of listeners. MDD pursued this goal by combining virtuosic blastacular dance-rock anthems with lyrical portraits of self-conscious, dysfunctional individuals, people “standing on the corner between distant and sincere.” It was a peculiar fusion of euphoria and inhibition, but it was difficult to detect this quality when I saw the band the first couple of times, because they were such a terrific multicolored extravaganza live. The nervy anxiety that was as integral to their art as the carefree joy only really became evident when I actually sat down and listened to their DanceThink LP. Dance, and then think.

 

Four years after their inception, the name of the group was changed to Ella Riot, reportedly because they didn’t want people to think they were a disco group. A few months later, they abruptly announced that they were going on “indefinite hiatus.” A couple of years after this void-creating loss, the frontwoman of the group, Michelle, tried out for The Voice and subsequently made it to second place. Michelle has a tendency to surprise people—My Dear Disco was originally an instrumental group called Toolbox, until Michelle, a music production student from Amherst, ended up working with guitarist Robert Lester on a recording project for a University of Michigan class and demonstrated her incredible voice for the first time—and she managed to surprise both her core group of Ella Riot fans and the rest of the TV-watching public, showing herself to be an insightful and empathetic interpreter of other people’s songs, not just her own. That was awesome.

 

In the time between the hiatus and The Voice, however, she had already released several recordings, including a side project with keyboardist and bagpiper Tyler Duncan, called s/he. In s/he, the conflicting impulses of abandon and introspection—DanceThink—became explicit in both the lyrics and the music. Take the song “In the Dark.” The music itself is by turns aggressive and meditative—it takes a greater amount of effort and imagination to dance to this music, as though s/he are making a conscious effort to draw attention to the words. Meanwhile, the struggle between reserve and impulsiveness is also illustrated lyrically—“I don’t want to be alone / Kept out the way, come on / Don’t want to behave / I step out into the sun / I want to play, come on / I want to be brave.” In the coda of the song, almost all the instrumentation drops out except for a basic foundation of bass and percussion, and a determined chant is repeated over and over—“Courage take us to the sun, we want to face the open.” Soon, a four-on-the-floor beat takes over, making the song significantly easier to dance to, and Michelle yells out “Let them finally see – you are extraordinary.” In “In the Dark” and many other songs on s/he’s self-titled album, people dance and think simultaneously—dancing, the act of putting yourself out on the floor and flaunting your glorious ridiculousness for the world to see, is shown as something that is liberating and healthy for the mind. However, when this album first came out, it seemed as though I would never get to see a crowd dancing to it—it was a one-off studio project, made for headphones, not amps.

 

This concert was therefore momentous for a couple of reasons. First off, it would be the first time Michelle performed in front of a LIVE audience—that is to say, an audience not entirely comprised of studio-selected autocheer humanoids, as was the case during her time on The Voice—in a good couple of years. Secondly, this would be s/he’s first live performance EVER. Who knew how they would sound or look live, and would dancing or thinking take precedence?

 

Since I was standing only a few feet away from stage right, I had an ideal view of the musicians, but my perception of the sound quality was distorted by my proximity to the speakers. The percussive blasts of bass sounded suitably buzzy, and the blinking-light melodies of songs like “Here with You” and “Mr Hyde” sounded suitably bright, but whenever the music combined noise with melody, it became difficult to distinguish the two—they melted together in a deafening whir of pixelated static. Still, Tyler’s uilleann pipes and penny-whistle proved consistently capable of cutting through the murky mix like a sine wave dipped in white-hot quicksilver.

 

It was interesting to hear such massive waves of DanceThink emanating from two people in winter coats on a tiny and cluttered stage, since I was so used to Ella Riot’s stage-filling multitude of sharp-dressed musicians. Most of the instrumental tracks were triggered by Tyler from a laptop, but the two musicians were still able to improvise over the loops; Tyler played various keyboards and wind instruments from a stool, while Michelle occasionally distorted her voice through a synthesizer, or gleefully bashed on a drum and cymbal. At times, it seemed as though the two musicians were hiding within their own lightshow, a mélange of subaquatic purples and blues, letting the music hang in the air, detached from the people who were creating it. At other times, it was one of the most powerful performances I’d ever seen from either of them. Michelle’s style of performing had changed considerably during her time on TV, and it was truly something to see live. She owned her few square feet of stage space, rocking a single mitten like a Michiganian Michael Jackson, strutting around with utter decisiveness and punching the air with pugnacious precision. Her utterly distinctive voice was even more captivating, alternating between wailing fierceness and crooning tranquility. Tyler was comparatively subdued but still spirited, harmonizing with a dry baritenor and headbanging while playing a stratospherically squeedly solo on the electric bagpipes.

 

The music did indeed change when performed live; it sounded much more danceable than it did on record, and Michelle’s fearless earnestness became downright forceful in a live setting. Although the nuances of the lyrics were occasionally eclipsed by the heavy blurts of electronic rhythm, the choruses—“I WANT TO FEEL ALIVE TONIGHT,” “SOMEHOW WE’VE FOUND THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH,” “YOU ARE EXTRAORDINARY”—gained new power when they were finally shouted out into the open air. Dancing and thinking at the same time felt easier than ever before.

 

When they brought several members of Ella Riot out on stage for the final number, it reminded me how much I’ve missed seeing these wonderful people make wonderful music. I dearly hope that s/he makes live performance into a habit. When I first saw My Dear Disco perform live, they were reading from sheet-music stands, eyes and feet fixed to the floor. A couple of years later, they were the most electrifying group I’ve ever seen. If s/he mustered this kind of energy for their first-ever live performance, imagine what they could be like in a year or so.

 

–JTM

Review: It’s A Wonderful Life with Virginia Patton ( Actress actually from the 1946 film)

LitaPitasMusings

Well, it was amazing! Mrs. Virginia Patton Moss was a very magnetic and warm speaker. She gave an introduction about Frank Capra and having met him. I didn’t know this, but Frank Capra came to the United States at the age of 6 from Sicily. He couldn’t speak any English when he came here. The man even worked his way through Grammar school, High School, and College! I don’t know how many people can say that! Anyway, Mrs. Patton Moss explained that she had met Jimmy Stewart and that they had rehearsed their scene together. In it, she was his sister in-law.. which was unknownst to Jimmy Stewart’s character because his brother telegrammed him saying it was a surprise—which was her!! The main thing Mrs. Patton Moss spoke in regards to her role was that she was dressed in the outfit of a married woman. That is she had the hat, the suit, and gloves! But her character was suppose to eat popcorn.. and in those days you didn’t eat popcorn with gloves on! So, she told us, she gave in and probably started a new trend by eating popcorn with gloves on!! She also went onto explain that she wanted a family so she left Hollywood to start a family. One day her young son saw her in the movie, and was crying about why someone else besides Daddy was kissing Mommy!! Other than that she rang a bell at the end of her talk, and congratulated Frank Capra on getting his wings!

The only issue of this event is not being able to see her afterwards. In previous years, she went on to sign autographs! Plus, I suppose I would have liked to hear more about working with Jimmy Stewart or being an actress in the Hollywood Industry; That is if she liked it and how she felt to be in Hollywood in those Iconic days!! But I guess, it wasn’t a talk about her life in Hollywood and more about the film and her connection to it. Nevertheless, it was a good event to go to and I am happy I went!!

It’s A Wonderful Life with Virginia Patton ( Actress actually from the 1946 film) Preview:

LitaPitasMusings

This is an amazing perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity!! Everyone knows the film, It’s A Wonderful Life, right? The film is considered the paradigm for a great, and well-received Christmas movie! But how many of you have actually seen any of the actors up close? Well, this is one of the few opportunities any of us might have to see an actor who starred in a film from the 1940’s.. and one who starred in a movie as classical as this. So go and don’t miss this incredible actress.. and at the same time, see a It’s A Wonderful Life for free!!!!

Review–American Hustle

keshav

American Hustle is an exciting film based on an FBI sting operation which took place during the 1970’s. The film, directed by David O. Russell (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook), stars an ensemble cast including Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, and comedy legend Louis CK.

The film follows small time con-artist Irving Rosenfeld (Bale), who runs his operation with former stripper Sydney Prosser (Adams). The two are also lovers, carrying on affair unbeknownst to Irving’s unstable, alcoholic wife Rosalyn (Lawrence). Everything seems to be going fine until FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper) catches the duo. He offers them an opportunity to avoid prison if they help entrap four big-time criminals. The ensuing sting operations gain action and suspense with every minute, as Irving, Sydney, and Richie all try to manipulate and lie themselves into positions of power at the others’ expense.

The plot of the film is intricately constructed and may be difficult to follow if you’re not in the right mindset. As the film progresses, the trio of Irving, Sydney, and Richie try to set up a sting on everyone from New Jersey’s mayor to the head mafia boss in the northeast (a small yet menacing appearance by Robert DeNiro). Along the way, Irving and Sydney’s love for each other is tested: Richie tries to turn them against each other by offering each a deal to rat the other out, Rosalyn discovers Irving’s infidelity, and as the profile of each target rises, Irving and Rosalyn start to wonder if they’ll make it out of this final heist alive if not free.

Adding to the confusion are the ambiguous motivations and allegiances of each character—the high stakes and low margin for error test each character’s loyalties, the dramatic tension invigorated by the ensemble cast’s emotionally charged performances. Every character, from Irving to Richie introduce themselves and narrate most of their actions, explaining their motivations. Their on-screen dialogue, however, reveals a lot of their narration is not entirely true—not only are they hustling each other, they’re also hustling the audience into rooting for them.

This final element separates American Hustle from other crime films I’ve seen. Few crime films attempt to tell a heist story from each character’s perspective. Doing so is difficult because it is a balancing act—each character must have an opportunity to explain their perspective. The writing rises to this challenge: each character defined clearly at first, their internal struggles and changes of heart develop along the way, and at key points in the film, they reveal ulterior motives which turn the film’s plot on its head.

Strong acting complements this strong acting. As hustling is the underlying idea of the movie, each actor portrays a less than honest individual trying to appear more than dishonest. This is very challenging, as each actor essentially tries to portray their character as a careful mixture of likeable and dislikable at the same time. Russell offers each character an opportunity to showcase their talent with clever framing techniques, setting each star center stage for their hustler’s lines—the screen becomes a stage for their pitch. An excellent movie for fans of crime drama and stories with many plot twists.