1950’S Style

Two movies on the blogoscope today, both set in the 1950’s, but worlds apart.



Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull


Let’s start with the biggie: “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” I figure you either love Steven Spielberg’s cliffhanging archeology adventure series or you’re ambivalent. Put me in the latter group. Here’s what I liked about the latest Indy: the first half hour, with the appearance of Cate Blanchette as Col. Dr. Irina Spalko, a psychic KGB agent, sort of a cross between Lotte Lenya’s Rosa Klebb (“From Russian With Love”) and Bettie Page. It also features a nifty scene in which Indy finds himself in a picture-perfect suburban community, the kind Spielberg grew up in, only this one is populated by mannequins, and – uh oh -- there’s an atom bomb test about to go off.

Commies, cold war paranoia and nuke tests create an intriguing time-frame for Indy – but the second half of the movie sinks into the all-too familiar string of Spielbergian special effects, in which Indy and friends (Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen and John Hurt) do the usual cobwebby tomb crawling. There’s not much else to recommend this seemingly endless series of chases and CGI. As I said, you either love this stuff or you don’t. It’s rated PG-13, which seems about right.


Honeydripper

Now to a much smaller and slower-paced picture, set in 1951 and true to its historic setting -- despite being a pure fable.

John Sayles wrote, directed and edited “Honeydripper,” another in his long line of movies featuring ensemble casts confronting personal and social issues (among others, “Return of the Secaucus Seven,” “Lone Star” and ”Eight Men Out”). In “Honeydripper,” we’re in segregated, rural Alabama, where Tyrone “Pinetop” Perkins (Danny Glover), the owner of a fading blues joint, faces financial ruin from the glitzier competition up the road. In a desperation move, Tyrone bets it all on a star, hiring New Orleans legend Guitar Sam to play the Honeydripper club for one Saturday night to try and turn things around. Will Sam show up? And how can we tell if he does, since it seems no one in the small town of Harmony has ever seen him?

Rooting for Perkins are his wife Delilah (Lisa Gay Hamilton), daughter China Doll (the sweet Yaya DaCosta) and trusty bartender Maceo (Charles S. Dutton), each of whom comes across as a likeable and memorable character. There are also some wild cards in this deck: the Sheriff (Stacy Keach), a sack of southern prejudice with particular tastes; Sonny (Gary Clark Jr.), a handsome drifter with a guitar who befriends the Perkins family and winds up in a heap of trouble; and Possum (blues musician Keb’ Mo’), a mysterious presence who seems to materialize out of nowhere and sees all that is going on despite being blind. Is he the Greek chorus, the Devil or the ghost of Robert Johnson? Who knows?

There are a good number of lesser supporting characters in this grown-up fairy tale as well, but the most resounding presence is the music itself. From beginning to end, we are treated to a variety of songs, from traditional blues to high-energy R & B, in one of the most enjoyable soundtracks since “O Brother Where Art Thou.” The movie itself takes its own sweet time – Sayles is a literary as well as a visual artist -- but builds up to a satisfying finale. It’s also rated PG-13.

YOUNG @ HEART

A group of senior citizens takes the stage. One elderly woman steps up to the mike and lets out a howl, as the group launches into the Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go.”
That’s the opening of a wonderful movie called “Young @ Heart,” a smart, heart-warming antidote to big-budget summer blockbusters.

The movie was made by director Stephen Walker and an English TV crew who spent seven weeks in Northampton, Massachusetts, documenting the rehearsals of a unique group of old people, who have dedicated themselves to covering a wide range of rock songs. And I do mean wide: through the course of this movie, you’ll hear everything from the BeeGee’s “Stayin’ Alive” to the Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime.” You’ll also get to know some some of the 24-member Young@Heart ensemble (average age 81), and their untiring and inventive music director, Bob Cilman.

The plot, such as it is, centers around the group’s preparations for an upcoming concert. Cilman is determined to teach them three new songs: Allen Toussaint’s “Yes We Can Can,” Sonic Youth’s “Schizophrenia” and James Brown’s “I Feel Good.” (See what I mean about eclectic music choices?) But to Cilman’s dismay, the group has trouble with every one of these new numbers. Case in point: there are 71 “cans” in “Yes We Can Can,” and the singers just can’t get them all straight. Even greater obstacles loom ahead, as some group members become ill, and even die. Can the show go on?

I won’t reveal much more, except to say that there are moments in this movie that will have you in tears, and others that will have you laughing and cheering. One such moment comes when the group gives a practice concert at the county jail – and is greeted by hugs from the hardened inmates. There’s not a dry eye in the jail (or in the movie theater) when the group performs Bob Dylan’s great blessing/anthem, “Forever Young.” These old people are full of life and their unusual musical direction has plugged them into a socket of seemingly boundless energy and merriment. As one observer notes, “I’ll never complain again about feeling too old or too tired.”

Go see this movie. Bring the family, old and young. You may never look at older people the same way again. Who knows, they may be practicing some Kinks tunes.

“Young @ Heart” is rated PG, possibly because of the sophisticated music selection.