TICK, TICK...BOOM!

Andrew Garfield     Alexandra Shipp     Robin de Jesus     Vanessa Hudgens

Joshua Henry     Bradley Whitford     Jonathan Mark Sherman

 

Jonathan Larson, the creator of the hit musical “Rent” (which earned Pulitzer and Tony awards) is the subject of this film as he was writing one of its predecessors.  He is young—not yet 30—but wants to set the Broadway world on fire with his musicals.  He captures the interest of one who turned out to be his long-time mentor Stephen Sondheim (here played on note by Bradley Whitford), and one of the humorous segments of the film is Sondheim and a colleague critiquing one of Larson’s first musicals.  It’s funny because the colleague seems to want to trash it, but after Sondheim gives his opinion, the man agrees with him in a roundabout way.  (A wonderful rendition of doublespeak.)

Tick, Tick…Boom! canvasses a wide range of subjects—writer’s block, homophobia and the AIDS epidemic, the tension between art and corporate concerns, and on a more personal level the tension and pulls between professional life and human connections—all of which were highlights in Larson’s life. These subjects are the “meat” of the production.

I found the story more engaging than the music, especially in the beginning, which is frenetic and hyper in the partying mode.  At the middle point of the drama and towards the end, music and story become more inspirational.  The duet of Susan (Shipp), Larson’s neglected girlfriend and Karessa (Hudgens), one of Larson’s main characters/singers, sing about Jon’s struggle in writing the most important song in the work; it’s a stand-out, especially touching and beautiful.  I also found the songs of Larson and de Jesus at the end singing about AIDs just as beautiful and moving.

Andrew Garfield may not be the most appealing star of a musical, but his performance here proves his talent.  Shipps’ and Hudgens’ voices complement each other and express well the emotions their characters are experiencing.  The entire ensemble of musicians makes this musical vibrate.

Another strength of Tick, Tick…Boom! Is the cinematography of Alice Brooks.  She inserts a number of shots that are humorous and inspiring, such as that of Jon at his lowest encountering the “30” at the bottom of the pool (reminding him of his impending age) and swiping it into a treble clef, just what he needed for inspiration to write the most important song in his current production.  There are numerous creatively rendered shots that enhance this production 

Tick, Tick in the title refers to the ticking of time, that it is always there to remind us of the finiteness of life and relationships.  I think the film did a great job of reminding us of that and encouraging us to ponder it a bit.  And to emphasize the point, Jon’s agent tells him after the success of the Tick, Tick...Boom! workshop that his next job is to start writing his next show immediately.  No rest for the weary!

Tragically, that tick tick of the clock was a knell for Jonathan Larson.  He had an aortic aneurysm that killed him suddenly at age 35.  Our loss for sure.

 

Tick, Tick…and may there be a Boom...if you're lucky!

 

Grade:  B                                                      By Donna R. Copeland

THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE

Jessica Chastain     Andrew Garfield     Cherry Jones     Vincent D’Onofrio

 Fredric Lehne     Louis Cancelmi     Sam Jaeger 

             A little girl with a rejecting mother finds redemption for herself at a Second Adventist Church when she bursts in on a service (against her mother’s wishes) and the preacher accepts her testament of faith.  She is so overjoyed she begins speaking in tongues, whereupon the congregation is convinced she is from God.

            A young man driving his father’s car gets distracted and hits a young boy, seriously injuring him.  The teenager is so distraught he prays for the child, promising God that if the child lives, he will devote himself to preaching the Gospel.

            Tammy Faye (Chastain) and Jim Bakker (Garfield) meet, fall in love and elope before Tammy’s mother knows what is going on.  He aspires to become a television evangelist a la Pat Robertson, and Tammy Faye fits herself right in with a singing voice and creativity in appealing to anyone—adults or children—who listens.  They’re both talented, and building on childhood dreams, manage to develop a following among evangelical Christians.  Of course, this provokes the interest of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell who aren’t quite ready for the competition.

            Those of us of a certain age remember the Bakkers and their making religion more entertaining with playful puppets and delivering messages like “God doesn’t want us to be poor” on their PTL (Praise the Lord) network.  They even recruit Gary Paxton, a Grammy winning songwriter who comes up with something like “Don’t Give Up; You’re on the brink of a miracle” for Tammy Faye to sing.  For her, God is a loving god with tolerance for everything he has made.  When Falwell is condemning homosexuality and claiming that AIDS is God’s punishment for it, her approach is that we should love all God’s creatures, because “God don’t make no junk.”

            This starts to be a fairy tale story, as the Bakkers’ messages—and confessions—strike a chord in the hearts of Christians and the donations coming in go over the top.  Jim’s plans and dreams grow in kind, as in elaborate water parks and vacation lands on the PTL property, along with Tammy Faye’s social programs (e.g., homes for unwed mothers and children with special needs).  Unfortunately, the Bakkers are susceptible to human enticements, and no one in their organization has learned money management, which ends up being a major problem.

            Certainly, the outstanding part of this production is Jessica Chastain’s performance as Tammy Faye.  She so encapsulates the character, the viewer ceases to see Chastain at all—only Tammy Faye.  Chastain captures Tammy’s chameleon personality flawlessly, and we get seduced just as all the characters are by her enticing charm.  There is a genuineness in Tammy Faye that Chastain has picked up on that makes her a sympathetic character rather than one usually disdained.  Andrew Garfield is likewise perfectly cast as one who, though mostly sincere, is naïve, easily influenced, and devoid of a sense of practicalities. 

            There are a couple of problems with an otherwise well produced movie.  One for me is that the two characters become wearing over time, with their inability to grow and change and their persistent denial of reality, even though I realize this is probably how people experienced them at the time.  But the filmmakers could have used more judicious editing and omitted some of the scenes--especially toward the end—when the movie seems to drag on and on.

            I did appreciate the honesty of both of these characters when they are confronted by each other; ultimately, they were truthful—at least with one another.  Whether or not that holds for the real people, I couldn’t say.

 

Tammy Faye shows how even those with good intentions and caring hearts can be seduced by fame and fortune to their detriment.  Nevertheless, the voyage in getting there may make it all seem worthwhile.  Didn’t the characters say in the end that they didn’t regret anything?  I was left with that impression.

Grade:  B                              By Donna R. Copeland

HACKSAW RIDGE

Andrew Garfield   Sam Worthington   Vince Vaughn   Hugo Weaving   Rachel Griffiths   Teresa Palmer

       You are not surprised in a Mel Gibson movie to begin with the fiery fields of war.  That’s how Hacksaw Ridge starts, along with a voice-over of a sermon.  After that, we’re introduced to the Doss family, first the two brothers Desmond and Hal in horseplay and climbing on cliffs.  Then the father Tom (Weaving) with PTSD, alcoholism, and abusiveness and mother Bertha (Griffiths).  Although Tom received medals of honor after his service in WWI, he is bitter about losing his comrades on the battlefield.   To his horror, both his sons sign up for WWII, Desmond (Garfield) wanting to go as a medic because of his conscientious objection to taking up arms.  (To the film’s credit, clear lines are drawn connecting this belief to his religion as Seventh Day Adventist, to his father’s abuse of his mother, and to the guilt he feels after almost killing his brother by hitting him in the head with a brick.) 

      Just before he signs up, Desmond falls in love with a nurse at the hospital after he has saved a man’s life with a tourniquet after an accident.  He’s trying to retrieve the belt he used in the save, and Nurse Dorothy (Palmer), who is drawing blood from donors, agrees to get it for him, especially after he offers to donate.  Love quickly turns into an engagement, and Dorothy gives him her personal Bible and a picture of herself in bidding him goodbye at the train station as he leaves for boot camp.

      Boot camp is a major test of Desmond’s beliefs.  He is taunted, beaten up, and called a coward, and the army tries to get him disqualified for psychiatric reasons.  He tries to argue that he is a “conscientious cooperator” rather than an objector, but the brass do not get the distinction.  Finally, he faces a court martial when his father comes through with a letter from a brigadier general saying he has a right to his beliefs and that he is to be trained as a medic.

     By this time, some of his superiors, like Sargeant Howell (Vaughn) and fellow privates are starting to respect him somewhat.  But little do any of them know how he will prove himself on the battlefield using ingenious methods and extraordinary persistence to save 75 soldiers in three battles on aptly named Hacksaw Ridge that took away most of his unit.  (We “get” to see all three in detail, since Gibson doesn’t seem to know when to stop.)  The film is based on a true story, and Desmond Doss was later awarded the Medal of Honor for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action” for his bravery in Okinawa in 1945.

     Hacksaw Ridge should be commended for showing the effects of war both during the time of battle and afterwards, for showing that one doesn’t have to have a gun to be brave, and for highlighting the extraordinary military service of one individual, Medic Desmond Doss.

     Director Mel Gibson is clearly a talented filmmaker, who grasps the essence of a major story and turns it into a film that captures your attention.  In this, he is clearly helped by cinematographer Simon Duggan, accomplished in focusing in on sensitive human exchanges and using special effects for battle scenes.  He is also helped by Garfield, Weaving, and Griffiths bringing just the right dramatic tone to their characters, especially Garfield, who plays the modest but intelligent rube masterfully. 

A startling work about the heroics of a conscientious medic in war.

Grade:  B+                        By Donna R. Copeland

99 HOMES

Andrew Garfield    Michael Shannon     Laura Dern

          99 Homes presents an excellent picture of what came down for thousands of homeowners during the meltdown.  As with most crises, there are always the few standing in line to take advantage of it.  Rick Carver (Shannon) explains it very well at several points; better that others (who are dumb, overextended, not smart about money and opportunity, or simply have bad luck) take the fall.  He is not going to be taken advantage of and keeps a watchful eye and calculating mind read on every situation he encounters.  “Don’t get emotional about real estate”, he advises, “they’re just boxes.” 

             Dennis Nash (Garfield) is one of the unfortunates whose work is in construction in Florida.  He works hard and is totally committed to supporting his mother (Dern) and his son.   He’s an example of someone rather naïve about the world who gets pushed to a desperate point, but has no experience or training in analyzing a situation from an ethical or legal standpoint.  He’s also typical of a male who wants to do better than his father, and doesn’t want to discuss his plans or his business with those he feels responsible for (always a mistake).  When Carver appears with a safety net and fatherly mien (he says “son” when he is giving Nash advice), Dennis is quick to trust and take a “hope for the best” approach, with the golden aura of money clouding his judgment.  What he doesn’t count on is a landslide of guilt that will set in, especially when his mother begins to grasp what his “business” is.

         The Rick Carver character exemplifies someone who is able to use spurious reasoning to justify his actions without much regard for others or ethical/moral considerations.  Just the opposite of Nash, he is entirely self-serving, although he can mouth caring words in tense situations.  To the uninformed, he might sound reasonable, and although a discerning person would see the flaws, most people don’t.

Both Garfield and Shannon do a masterful rendition of their characters.  When they’re together in a scene, some kind of ineffable connection is almost palpable.  When he hires Nash, Carver bluntly says, “When you work for me, you’re mine.”  But there are traits of Nash that Carver misses.  

          Director Ramin Bahrani is a sensitive socially aware filmmaker who, with his co-writers Amir Naderi and Bahareh Azimi, gives us a dynamic, humane picture of what it was like for families undergoing foreclosure of their homes.

           For a person with ethical principles this film will be hard to watch because it shows family after family begging to keep their homes for very good reasons but still being evicted within minutes of the sheriff’s knock on the door.  It’s likely you’ll say, “What would that have been like if it happened to me?!”  It must have been so awful, and it shows us how being a part of that travesty gnawed at Nash.

          The film has another contribution, which is showing how those higher up on the food chain remain unscathed.  Although they are the ones manipulating the whole system, they are not held accountable.  Maybe the filmmakers had a reason for making the ending ambiguous; I’m not sure, and am not sure whether that is a weakness or a strength of the film.

I wish 99 Homes would be shown in money management courses in high school, college, and continuing education courses.

Grade:  A-                                    By Donna R. Copeland