GREEDY LYING BASTARDS
In last weekend’s Q&A at Palm Desert’s Cinema’s Palme d’Or, writer director Craig Scott Rosebraugh was supremely articulate about the lying, greedy bastards that are behind the denials – he calls them “denialists” — of what almost every legitimate environmental scientist recognizes as a global warming pattern that is essentially caused by humans that is and will continue to have a devastating impact on our home planet. Rosebraugh said the first cut of his film, which was produced by Daryl Hannah, came in at eight hours. The final cut is only 90 minutes, but sometimes seems longer. It especially rambles in bizarre, lengthy interviews of a Colorado family who lost their home in a wildfire. Some excellent heavy weather and natural disaster footage is interspersed with the talking heads. What’s GREAT about the documentary is the scathing portraits of those who profit the most by making absurd counter arguments, and funding deceptive organizations limit any controls of environmental concerns. They crave their profits even if their actions destroy life – human and otherwise – on the planet. The Koch brothers are singled out by name, as are certain senators and lobbyists. The title says it all and for that reason is worth a look as a reminder of a dark reality. If you’re angered by what’s happening, go to GreedyLyingBastards.com for things you can do.
OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN
Anton Fuqua directs this tense but derivative action thriller about the White House – and President — captured by a brilliant (aren’t they always?) terrorist. Gerard Butler is in fine form as a formerly disgraced (aren’t they always?) Presidential guard who saves the day against great odds. Somehow, the set up in the opening scenes was not satisfactorily paid off, but action addicts may find this crude, brutal and patriotic thriller enough for a fix. The exceptional cast co-stars: Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melisa Leo, Ashley Judd and Rick Yune. The White House under attack is almost becoming a sub-genre. Stay tuned for “WHITE HOUSE DOWN.”
NEW FOR THE HOME THEATER:
TO THE ARCTIC
Greg MacGillivray’s beautiful Imax tone poem of a documentary takes us the forbidding arctic and allows us to spend up-close time with a mother polar bear and her two cubs. Of course there’s the requisite stops and informative conversations with scientists, but the rare bear footage makes this one a special treat. I am not a big proponent of 3D for the big or home screen, but I must say, the extra dimension just added enough to make the pristine, highly detailed footage even more surreal and breathtaking. A big recommendation. Warner Bros/Imax. Blu-ray 3D.
PARENTAL GUIDANCE
Andy Fickman guides an awkward Billy Crystal and the always fun Bette Midler in this flat, alleged comedy that is excruciatingly unfunny. Old style grandparents meet their match when they offer to babysit grandkids. That’s the premise. No real audience exists for this misguided film other than the no doubt forced screening in the Crystal household from whence this notion of a “family film” was apparently conceived. Marisa Tomei somehow emerges from this morass unscathed. 2oth Century Fox. Blu-ray.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Stephen Spielberg’s desperate bid to be validated with another Best Director Oscar© seems to be the true theme of this bloated, talky, faux history that comes across as “medicine that’s hard to swallow but good for you.” Privately, Daniel Day-Lewis must be amazed at how seriously — no, make that reverentially — he has been worshipped by some critics. But he and I both know that he is essentially a poseur which any gifted high school drama student could easily surpass. I sorely miss the vampires. Disney. Blu-ray.
RobinESimmons@aol.com
