Monthly Archives: October 2018

There have been bad films made about space travel (Marooned 1969), good films (Interstellar 2014, Moon 2009), and great fiims (The Right Stuff 1983, Apollo 13 1995). There have even been good films about fake space travel Capricorn One 1978) and classic films that transcended space itself (2001: A Space Odyssey). First Man is harder to define. It is a character study about someone dedicated to getting into space. It is as if John Cassavetes made a film about being an astronaut. If that sounds odd, it is.

The film centers on Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and his journey at NASA to reach the moon. It takes years, much sacrifice, the death of friends and most devastatingly, the death of his young daughter not to mention putting his life on the line testing the spacecraft and gear before becoming the ‘first man’ to step onto the moon. His wife Janet (Claire Foy) and young sons also sacrifice to support Armstrong during this time and we see the strain it puts on all of them. Both Neil and Janet were very private people and kept very much to themselves which is why we didn’t know much about their story. Director Damien Chazelle wanted to explore their relationship, their sacrifice and those of his colleagues and their wives as well as the apathy in the country at the time to spending so much money to reach the moon while the country was being torn apart in the late 60s.

The film makes you feel like you’re a voyeur into their lives. It is very introspective and claustrophobic and quiet. When Cassavetes was asked to describe his film Love Streams (1984) he responded by saying “I’m making a film about inner life and nobody believes it can be put on screen, including me. I don’t believe it either but screw it!”. That is what First man feels like and it may need a second or third viewing to fully appreciate or understand.

The performances are good from Gosling and Foy right through to Jason Clarke, Patrick Fugit, Kyle Chandler , Corey Stoll and Shea Wigham. The photography gives it a documentary-like feel. The moon landing is amazing. It’s shot from Armstrong’s point of view, a point of review not seen before or imagine. The whole film is not what you expected and it keeps you off guard. Director Damien Chazelle continues to take chances and make movies in his own unique style and vision much like Cassavetes and more recently, Paul Thomas Anderson. You may not walk away liking the film but you will know that you’ve seen something new and original and it will stay with you and you’ll keep thinking about it for a long time after.

Most people I’ve spoken with think that the 1976 version with Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson was the first version but it was actually the third. The first version was made in 1937 with Janet Gaynor and Frederick March and directed by William Wellman (Nothing Sacred, Beau Geste). The now classic second version was made in 1954 with Judy Garland and James Mason and directed by George Cukor. (Gone With The Wind, The Philadelphia Story). The third version with Streisand and Kristofferson was directed by Frank Pierson and was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, winning 1 for Best Song for songwriters Streisand and Paul Williams.

The first two versions were set in the film world while the third and current version inhabit the music world. When I first heard that Bradley Cooper had decided to make his directorial debut by doing another remake of A Star Is Born I was not enthused. Why? But I liked the trailer and I think Cooper is serious about his work so I went to see it. I was impressed. Cooper and his team have crafted a beautifully moving film. It is an amazing achievement.

The story is a simple and familiar one. Famous singer on an alcoholic downward spiral meets and falls in love with a woman who has a great talent. He encourages her to follow her dreams and soon she becomes a star on the rise while his star fades. He gets worse and worse and starts dragging her down but their love keeps them together and they strive to make it work. Suffice it to say, it does not end well. It’s a tried and true tale so it takes some imagination to find ways to make it new. Cooper finds the ways.

Anyone can put together two good looking stars, a few songs and this story and make a decent hit but as I said before, why? Cooper took his time and aimed higher. He brought in Lady Gaga to star and write songs. He also co-wrote some of the songs. He got Eric Roth and Will Fetters to assist him with the script. He brought in Lukas Nelson (Willie Nelson’s son) to co-write the songs and perform with his band in the film as his character’s band. He made some interesting casting choices with Sam Elliot as his older brother/manager, Dave Chappelle as one of his best friends and Andrew Dice Clay as Gaga’s dad and they all pay off.

Cooper wanted to make a love story. A love story about two creative people and the difficulties of remaining true to oneself in this modern crazy world. He was also aiming to show genuine vulnerabilities, honest emotion and soulfulness. He gets it. Cooper takes his time in the first half of the film to show Jackson Maine (Cooper) and Ally (Lady Gaga) meet and fall in love. Cooper and Gaga have great chemistry in these scenes and then later onstage performing together. It’s very powerful. He gets strong heartfelt performances from Elliot, Chappelle and Clay. The concert scenes are exciting and electric and always focused on Cooper and Gaga’s relationship. The songs are emotional, memorable and heartbreaking. Even though the film is tragic (I admit I cried) there was still plenty of humor and smiles.

This is Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut and he nails it. You can see the influences of his mentors David O Russell and Clint Eastwood. He fleshes out scenes between characters that feel natural and genuine like O Russell. He also knows when to pull back and not get too complicated with a scene like Eastwood. You can also see the influence of the best 70s films, wide shots, extreme close ups a la Cassavetes and sad inevitability. One of my favorite moments is between Cooper and Elliot in a car. Jackson tells his brother why his ‘stole’ his voice. It wasn’t their father he idolized but him. Elliot doesn’t say anything and just starts to back the car out of the driveway. He looks back and you see tears in his eyes. It got me. It was simple and not mushy. It felt real.

This is not a ‘chick flick’. This is a tragic romance. This is a fine film. It’s the best film of the year so far.

If anyone was wondering what happened to troy from Reality Bites (1994) this film is as close to an answer as you’ll get. Ethan Hawke plays a singer/songwriter who put out one album in the 90s and then disappeared and developed a cult following. This is perfect fodder for the likes of write Nick Hornsby whose 2009 novel of the same name is the basis for this film. The film is directed by Jesse Peretz (Girls, Nurse Jackie) and produced by Judd Apatow and an interesting quartet of writers, including Jim Taylor (Election, Sideways) and Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams, Sneakers) which would indicate a superior romantic comedy but doesn’t quite reach those expectations.

The plot is simple. Annie (rose Byrne) is married to Duncan (Chris O’Dowd) who is obsessed with a one hit wonder obscure singer/songwriter from the 90s named Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). They live a very mundane existence in a seaside village in England and Annie feels trapped and lonely. Duncan runs a website dedicated to Tucker Crowe and when Annie posts a negative comment on the website she is surprised when Crowe himself responds. They begin a correspondence and soon enough they plan to meet in London. As you can imagine, hijinks ensue.

This is a light romantic venture and though it doesn’t really come together I found it charming. Hawke and Byrne don’t really generate the chemistry needed to really commit to what transpires but the real pleasure here is Hawke. As he gets older he is becoming more and more comfortable in his skin and becoming a really fine character actor, playing against his boyish good lucks and letting himself look paunchy and weathered. He gives a fine performance of a man who could have been a star and is now just trying to be a good person. You find yourself rooting for him.

Byrne is good. She’s funny but she’s been better in other films. O’down is also very solid as the nerd and horrible husband who’s life is dedicated to a has been who never was. He could have been a one dimensional loser but O’Dowd gives him depth and you find yourself caring about him even as you’re completely annoyed with him.

Jesse Peretz rightly doesn’t try to do too much with this light material, choosing to highlight the understated performances and delivers a sweet film reminiscent of Local Hero (1993). This is pure Nick Hornsby territory but it’s Hornsby lite and that’s still pretty good.

I enjoyed it. It’s not great but I love where Ethan Hawke is taking his career and he’s worth the price of admission.