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Jonad-2026
Reviews
American Masters: No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)
Where genius meets the moment
We are amidst COVID shutdown, and this 3.5 hr documentary from 2005 is streaming for free. This movie explores the beginnings of Bob Dylan's career as a folk musician (1961-63) as juxtaposed to his decision to abandon folk and move to electric rock/blues (1965-66). I particularly recommend this for music lovers aged 50 or younger who never listened to Dylan's early catalogue, and to anyone who is not familiar with the amazing Greenwich Village folk artists interviewed in the film (Clancy Brothers, Dave van Ronk, Pete Seeger, New Lost City Ramblers). After I first saw this documentary on PBS in 2005, I was able to move back from Dylan's music and better appreciate some of the earlier folk artists.
So, who was this kid from the Iron Range in Minnesota, with a mediocre singing voice, who moves to NYC at age 20 and becomes an international star by age 25? The movie explains how it happened - how Dylan was driven by music his whole life, how he worked his way into the NYC folk scene by improving rapidly and writing great songs, how he keenly observed other artists and could shape-shift to adopt various folk forms, and how he saw the world changing and used his unique talent to capture a moment and catapult himself into relevance and stardom.
It is said that talent hits a target that few can hit, whereas genius sees a target that few can see. What is most poignant in this film are the interviews with musicians and poets who rubbed elbows with Dylan before he was a star, many of whom are no longer with us. The interviews explain the genius of Dylan - that Dylan wrote songs about the moment that could have been written 200 years ago (NYC record store owner Izzy Young), and that his voice was a "column of air" that was part of larger objective truth (Allen Ginsberg). Other interview subjects didn't understand Dylan's not-so-pretty singing voice (like Mitch Miller), while others didn't understand Dylan's reluctance to embrace leftist politics (like van Ronk, Joan Baez). They didn't see that Dylan was a step ahead, focusing on targets that they weren't seeing.
One criticism that I have with the movie is with the disjointed format. The movie explores Dylan's early career, then interrupts the narrative flow with short footage from his later, electric phase (1965-66), when Bob was being heckled for his abandonment of the folk form. Bob's refusal to be pigeonholed as a folk musician led him to explore electric rock (which he did to near perfection), and that's a story worth telling. I just wish that Martin Scorcese has told that story in more linear fashion without interrupting the earlier story.
Dirty John (2018)
Sociopaths Walk Among Us
This is a binge-watch worthy miniseries based upon a true story (which became a popular podcast). The story revolves around Debra (Connie Britton), Debra's two adult daughters, Ronnie and Terra, and a sociopath named John Meehan (played to creepy perfection by Eric Bana), who becomes Debra's love interest.
I won't reveal too much of the plot, other than to say that Dirty John wreaks havoc on this family. What is so frightening about sociopaths is that they appear charming on the surface. They can manipulate their way into your lives, and then as their destructive behavior manifests itself, they are adept at convincing you that it's all normal (a process known as "gaslighting"). They make enemies out of people who see through them and seek to split and divide their victims from their families.
If you've never met a "Dirty John" in real life, count your blessings. I had a sibling marry a sociopath (drug addict, prison, serial liar, thief - just like Dirty John), and it led to three enormously stressful years for my family. Some of the things Dirty John said in the miniseries are things I heard verbatim in my own life. This is well worth watching if only to help you spot sociopaths.
Great performances by Julia Garner as Terra and Connie Britton as the naive Debra. Garner also plays Ruth in "Ozark," and has a formidable screen presence and intensity, despite being small in stature (compare to Israeli actress Shira Haas, who likewise shines in the miniseries "Unorthodox").
The Biggest Little Farm (2018)
Compelling story, but lacking information about finances
If you want to see a well paced and beautifully filmed documentary about an ethically-driven farm, please watch and enjoy. I'm no biologist (or farmer), so I offer no critiques about how they handled day to day issues concerning their animals and crops.
What was missing, however, was information about the ongoing finances of the farm - how much it cost to get it running, and how they obtained the capital to keep it going until they could generate income. What were the specific terms for repayment to investors? They were pouring money into animals, crops, and equipment even after acquiring the land. I was also interested in how or whether they paid and housed employees, and how much operating income they were generating from crops versus animals.
I understand that "dollars and cents" may not be the most interesting issue, but if the point of the documentary was to encourage others to pursue the same dream, then it would have been helpful to devote 5-10 minutes explaining how they kept it all going, financially.
Normal People (2020)
"It's hard to be wise and in love at the same time"
This is a slow-paced romantic drama about a young Irish man (Connell) and woman (Marianne). They first meet in their school in County Sligo and they then move in and out of each other's lives through four years at Trinity College in Dublin. The audience will recognize that they are soulmates. But will Connell and Marianne?
Connell struggles to express emotion, which is not uncommon among Irishmen. Marianne is super-sensitive, and from a wealthy but cold family, and she is afflicted by it. This creates disconnects in communication. The plot concerns their struggles to address and overcome these obstacles as they become more self-aware.
Very well filmed and acted. Great character development. There are graphic sex scenes, so be warned. The plot moves slowly, so this isn't for everyone.
Shtisel (2013)
9/10 for Season 1, 7/10 Season 2
I binge watched this recently. I live in the US and have no Jewish ancestry, so this was eye-opening, culturally. "Shtisel" is an Israeli family drama from 2013-16 about an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem. The plot mostly revolves around the widowed family patriarch (Shulem Shtisel) and his twenty-something son, Akiva. Akiva marches to the beat of his own drummer, much to his dad's chagrin.
The dialogue is in Hebrew and Yiddish, and is unexpectedly droll, sarcastic, and witty. The old men routinely get off zingers at the expense of the youth. Accompanying the good writing are universal plot points - love, family squabbles, jealousy, betrayal, young v old conflict.
Season 1 is particularly strong. The plot moves along well, and the main characters are developed. Shulem's elderly mother and her friends at the elder care faculty are a hoot. Akiva's love life (which is limited by his religion) and search for a career path do not go well. We see the struggles of the female characters - Shulem's adult daughter is abandoned by her husband, while another twice-widowed woman is deemed an unfit match for Akiva.
Season 2 is a bit weaker. The plot seems more aimless, and certain plot points become repetitive. Still worth watching.
Other observations:
Shulem's oldest granddaughter is a teenager played by the talented Shira Haas, who starred in Netflix's "Unorthdox." She's a natural scene-stealer.
There is an instance of first cousins getting engaged, which the show treats casually. That may be a bit stomach-turning for some audiences.
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
Great cast, funny lines, disturbing plot
This romantic comedy is worth watching if you can completely suspend disbelief and laugh at some of the lines. Treat this as more comedy than romantic.
The cast includes Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon. Lots of talent who do their best to deliver the lines. Carell and Moore are a couple in a troubled marriage. Their thirteen year old son has a mad crush on the 17 year old babysitter, who has a crush on Carell, who is separated from his cheating wife. Carell meets Gosling in a "magic" pickup bar where single beautiful women abound for Gosling to pick up and take home. Gosling teaches Carell some of his secrets, while Gosling meets his soul mate. Hilarity ensues.
Carell and Jonah Bobo (who plays Carell's son) deliver some funny lines, which make for a few memorable scenes. The plot itself, however, is flat and unrealistic, so I found myself not caring about the characters and just waiting for the next punchline.
Some complaints (with spoilers):
- There can exist a bar where, on a random night, the hot single women outnumber the single men, but that's not typical. Word gets out.
- It is in no way normal or funny for a high school age girl to try to send nude pictures to a grown man, especially a 40-something dad down the street. That's child porn. No, no, no.
- The 13 year old "loves" the babysitter, but he conducts himself like a creeping stalker. Jonah Bobo is funny at times, but his behavior is not normal.
- Wives who cheat on their husbands rarely get taken back. It works the other way as well, but more so for cheating wives. Infidelity is a nuclear bomb for most marriages.
- Where one spouse cheats on the other, don't introduce a plot line where the aggrieved spouse somehow "caused" it by his or her actions.
- Pickup artists whose priority it is to bed as many women as possible don't just become doting boyfriends and husbands. They have deep issues with connection and intimacy. I get it - the writers think that the female audience wants to believe that there are Ryan Goslings out there, just waiting to meet them and become "good" boyfriends. The notion that some "magic woman" will flip a switch and make a womanizer normal is far-fetched.
Unorthodox (2020)
10/10 for Shira Haas, 8/10 for the story
The story itself is compelling. It is based on Deborah Feldman's memoir regarding her departure from a particularly strict and insular Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, NY. Ms. Feldman's character in the miniseries is named "Esty," a 19 year old woman played by actress Shira Haas. Esty is pregnant, in an unhappy marriage, and secretly leaves the community to head to Berlin, where her mother (who also left the community) lives. Esty, who has an interest in music, befriends some music students while in Berlin.
The plot revolves around Esty's struggles to adjust to the outside world, her interactions with the music students, and to her attempt to elude her husband, who travels to Berlin to bring Esty back. According to the "Making of..." episode, Ms. Feldman explained that the interactions with the music students never really happened. No surprise there; Esty's scenes with the music students were the only real flaw in the plot. At times the group seemed a bit contrived (multi racial?, check. Gay students?, check. Handsome potential romantic interest?, check).
Rising star Shira Haas shines. She attacks this role with extraordinary emotional intensity. She can't be more than 5' tall and can't weigh more than 100 lbs., but she has a formidable screen presence. You feel her pain and anxiety with every breath and facial expression. You can't take your eyes off of her. We will be seeing more of her.