By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

When we set my dad’s memorial for Dec. 1, we dreaded the grey Alabama winter. Instead, we enjoyed an Indian summer that lasted during our stay. As my mom, my brother and I said our final farewell to Dad, a bright yellow butterfly descended upon the flowers next to the gravesite, a spring miracle that does not occur in winter. Since that moment, butterflies have caught my attention in so many ways.

Eben Alexander’s recent best-seller “Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife” features a butterfly on the book cover. This work of non-fiction places an importance upon butterflies in the afterlife.

Flight of the Butterflies is a documentary currently playing at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery IMAX Theater in 3-D. Under one hour long, this film presents two stories, one about biology, another about biography.

The biographical portion introduces Fred Urquhart, a scientist who devoted 40 years to the study of the Monarch Butterfly. With his future wife Norah as his assistant, Urquhart tracked the trails of butterflies. The two founded Monarch Watch, which recruited hundreds of “citizen scientists,” who tagged thousands of butterflies and reported their findings to Fred and Norah.

The biological section traces the lifespan and multigenerational migration of the Monarch Butterfly. While it takes three generations to migrate to Canada, it is the Super Generation of Monarch that flies from Canada to the mountains of the Mexican state of Michoacán.

While these creatures weigh less than a penny, on the 5-storey IMAX screen, one is treated to a well-produced Mothra movie from Godzilla productions. Scientific facts are of utmost importance, but Flight of the Butterflies is also an entertaining film and a beautiful piece of visual poetry that would inspire artists like Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh.

In Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek, one can visit Butterfly World, a unique Botanical Garden that is now 25 years old. It would make for a wonderful Sunday afternoon visit, but it is closed this Easter Sunday. But Flight of the Butterflies will provide a great family experience as a substitute. Happy Easter!

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

New York Mayors are colorful characters; Jimmy Walker, Firorello La Guardia and Rudy Guiliani come to mind. Each individual represented a distinct era of their time. The documentary Koch is a slice of 1970s and 1980s Manhattan history.

Mayor Ed Koch’s threeterm reign is a lesson in political reality. Opening with great 1970s Studio 54 disco images and closing with images of electrified Manhattan, we see a principled individual who does not change, while the world around him changes.

Director Neil Barsky presents his lion in winter.

Although he has been out of office since 1989, Ed Koch has remained a political influence as a book writer, talk show commentator and fellow movie columnist. A lifelong Democrat, Koch earned Republican respect because the mayor referred to himself as “a liberal with sanity.”

During the AIDS hysteria of the mid 1980s, Mayor Koch was presented as just another uncaring politician. Although the Koch Administration took steps in AIDS prevention for the city, the residue anger zapped Koch’s political mobility. Aggressive AIDS advocates also publicly questioned Mayor Koch’s sexual orientation.

Given this invasion into his privacy, Ed Koch gives a public response that is R rated. However, Koch is a very approachable documentary. In his eighties, we see Koch as a political power broker who is very family-orientated. He shares a Yom Kippur meal with his family and attempts to see his niece when she is performing in a New York concert. We see a man who takes 10 pills a day and who visits Trinity cemetery, his future resting place. Despite his Jewish heritage, Koch takes pride in being interred in “a W.A.S.P.” graveyard.

His honor died right after when the documentary Koch made its New York premier. This film is a celebration of life and is an entertaining piece of history.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The disappointing box office of The Last Stand, Bullet to the Brain and A Good Day to Die Hard has been predicted as the death knell of action movies starring actors who are over 55 years old. If cinema history has taught us one thing, don’t count out Arnold Swarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis.

The 5th film of the series, A Good Day to Die Hard features John McClain (Willis) in Moscow, Russia. McClain is trying to see his son Jack (Jai Courtney), who is a political prisoner. Things explode, people betray one another and John McClain gets another boo boo on his forehead.

This is the weakest entry of the Die Hard series. While John McClain is still a great movie character, the overwhelming use of special effects stifles the human element. In fact, this does not seem like a Die Hard movie, but more like a weaker James Bond or Bourne Identity flick.

Lore opens this weekend at the Living Room Theater on the Florida Atlantic University Campus. This German movie with English subtitles has been winning awards on the film festival circuit.

Lore (Saskia Rosendahl) is a

14-year-old girl whose parents are Nazis. As the allies overtake Germany, Lore and her siblings become separated from their parents. To find a safe haven, she must escort her four brothers and sisters across the treacherous black forest in Germany. Along the way, she learns to trust a person she had been socialized to hate.

Lore is simple and gritty. After witnessing death, sex and brutality, this film concludes on a serious note. Lore and her siblings have witnessed things that will haunt the rest of their lives.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Set in Post Apocalyptic Japan circa 1945, Emperor reviews General Douglas MacArthur’s relationship with Emperor Hirohito. It is a fascinating story and similar to General Patton’s relationship with former Nazis in Berlin when peace was declared. There is an old adage that says only warriors truly understand the true meaning of peace.

As played by Tommy Lee Jones, General MacArthur has all the bombast, arrogance and guile one has read about in history. MacArthur’s meeting with Hirohito is touching with humor.

But Emperor is really about MacArthur’s assistant, General Bonner Fellows (Matthew Fox)’s investigation about Hirohito’s war crimes regarding the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Told in flashbacks, we learn that General Fellows had unrequited romance with a Japanese native who was Ivy League educated.

This is a sincere movie, but it could have been better. Instead of flashbacks, if the film took the time to visualize the story in chronological order, Emperor ould have had more of an emotional impact.

With Passover just around the corner, Hava Nagila (The Movie) is released, a documentary that reviews the history and cultural impact of the traditional Jewish folk song.

Until “Hava Nagila,” the history of Jewish music was full of prayerful dirges. To combat repression in the Ukraine, the upbeat song “Hava Nagila” emerged and has continued to inspire the Jewish People. Narrated by Rusty Schwimmer, with Leonard Nimoy, Harry Belafonte, Glen Campbell and Connie Francis providing personal experiences, Hava Nagila (The Movie) is a lovely way to spend 75 minutes.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The 85th Oscar ceremony has come and gone. While Argo won best picture, the awards were pretty divided between Django Unchained, The Life of Pi, Lincoln and Skyfall. Perhaps the biggest highlight included Shirley Bassey singing Goldfinger followed by Adele belting out Skyfall, the most memorable James Bond song since Timothy Dalton was 007. In fact, Oscar had better music than the Grammy Music Awards from a few weeks ago. Next week, The Miami International Film Festival (MiFF XXX), held March 1-10, will celebrate its 30th year making it the longest running film festival in South Florida. I am looking forward to interviewing veteran character actor James Cromwell and director Michael McGowan. The two are in town to champion Still Here, an excellent drama slated for local release in May.

Twenty Feet from Stardom opens MiFF XXX this Friday night. This documentary is about “back up” singers to famous rock stars like Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen. Vocalist Darlene Love will be in attendance and is expected to sing. Another documentary, Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story makes it’s South Florida debut. This documentary concerns Ungerer’s neurotic obsession and finding his outlet through the visual arts. Director Brad Bernstein presents a 98-minute moving portrait of Tomi Ungerer from children’s illustrator to subversive artist. From the United Kingdom comes Venus and Serena, a documentary about The Williams Sisters of West Palm Beach. Filmed in 2011, this film follows the tennis circuit in which both sisters battled serious health ailments. Blackfish is about one of the biggest mammals in the world, the Orca Whale. Since Orlando’s SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed in a “rare” accident, Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite discovers evidence to the contrary. If you liked The Cove, you may want to check out Blackfish. For those interesting in adventuring in Miami for the next two weeks for MiFF XXX, check out www.miami.festivalgenius.com/ 2013.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The National Endowment for the Arts has placed Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima on “The Big Read” list, along with titles like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Maltese Falcon.”

Given the brevity of the novel, the deep themes about religion, folklore and Latino Culture, it was only a matter of time that a movie would be produced. Set in New Mexico during World War II, the film opens with Antonio (Luke Ganalon) narrating the story about his childhood. He is a boy caught between his mother’s Roman Catholicism and his father’s dreams of being a cowboy

in the tradition of Mexican “vaquero.” When Grandma Ultima (Miriam Colon) moves into the house, Antonio finds an elder who can explain the complications of life.

In the Latin Culture, Ultima would be considered a “curandero;” in an Italian Culture, she would be considered a “strega;” to ignorant cultures, Ultima would be considered a “witch.” In fact, Ultima uses nature’s bounty to solve both physical and spiritual ills and mentor Antonio about good, evil, acceptance and understanding. Director Carl Franklin has created visual poetry within the narrative framework in this film. Without 3-D imagery, this motion picture features vibrant cinematography that will inspire the New Mexico tourist board.

Despite the inherit drama of Bless Me Ultima, the actors are understated and provide a truthful performance. As young Antonio, Ganalon provides the maturity often found with children found in rural settings. As Ultima, Colon captures the character’s transcendental tendencies.

Given the attention the Oscar-nominated films will see this weekend, Bless Me Ultima may get lost in a crowd of motion pictures with big marketing budget; this is sad. Like most great literature dealing with a child’s “coming- of-age” (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, To Kill a Mockingbird), this film features fine family entertainment.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Of the nine Best Picture Nominations, “Silver Linings Playbook” is the most domestic motion picture. It has a leading man (Bradley Cooper) who was once People Magazine’s sexiest man of the year, the hottest young actress in the movies today (Jennifer Lawrence), a master thespian (Robert DeNiro) and Jacki Weaver, an actress who has become an overnight sensation after four decades of film work in Australia. Throw in Director David O. Russell and the Weinstein brothers’ marketing blitz and Silver Linings Playbook has the potential to garner a few Oscars.

This film is a comedy drama about a Philadelphia family. Pat Jr. (Cooper) is released from a mental institution and moves in with his parents, Pat Sr.(DeNiro) and Dolores (Weaver). As part of his therapy, he takes therapeutic dance classes with Tiffany (Lawrence), a woman with her own self-esteem issues.

Silver Linings Playbook is a lively film with genuine moments. As the bipolar Pat Jr., Bradley Cooper invites the audience to ride the emotional roller coaster from sorrow to joy.

Benh Zeitlin spent almost two years writing his script for Beasts of the Southern Wild. With practically no money, Zeitlin cast New Orleans locals and directed his movie in approximately 36 days. After a successful screening at the Sundance Film Festival, his film became an overnight sensation when the print was purchased by Fox Searchlight.

While the trailer leaves one wondering if they are watching a poor man’s Godzilla featuring giant Pot-Bellied pigs and a haunted child, “Beasts of Southern Wild” is a simple coming-of-age film shot documentary style.

Quvenzhané Wallis portrays Hushpuppy, a feral 6- year-old little girl who lives in the swamps with her angry, but dying father (Dwight Henry). As she copes with the reality of floods, fires and hurricanes, Hushpuppy finds more terror in her nightmares involving rampaging Beasts.

Last, but not least, The 2nd Annual Blues Film Festival will commence Feb. 16-17 during the Riverwalk Blues Festival in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale. F o r d e t a i l s and showt i m e s , v i s i t www.riverwalkbluesfestival.com and www.bluesfilmfest.com

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Based on a graphic novel by Alexis Nolent, “Bullet to the Head” has all the elements of a pulp noir crime drama. When you factor 66- year-old Sylvester Stallone as your noir protagonist, one expects a world-weary perspective about the mean streets.

Ironically, Stallone seems to be the most energetic actor in the movie.

He portrays a hit man in New Orleans. After shooting a corrupt policeman, his partner is killed. Given that it was a police shooting, a federal investigator (Sung Kang) gets involved with the muddled investigation. Through happenstance, the New Orleans hit man and the federal investigator realize it is better to work together for mutual survival.

Given we spent last weekend watching the beauty of New Orleans from Super Bowl 47 coverage, Bullet to the Head presents sights not approved by the Louisana Tourist Board. Prostitutes, perversions and pain are the focus of the Big Easy in this film.

Guilermo Del Toro presents Mama, a ghost story in the vein of The Orphanage, The Devil’s Backbone and Don’t be Afraid of the Dark. There are genuine scary moments that will make audience members jump, but Mama is also a personal story about the family dynamic.

Raised in a forest with a dubious past, two feral girls are adopted by Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his punk rock girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain). Lucas harbors guilt about the children’s current disposition; his brother (also played by Coster- Waldau) tried to kill the girls.

When Lucas is hurt in a mysterious accident, the punk rock girlfriend (with NO maternal instinct) becomes an instant nanny. Through querulous circumstances, the punk rock nanny learns that these two children have a guardian devil.

While not Oscar quality, both Bullet to the Head and Mama exemplify genre expectations. Of the two movies, Mama is the better produced and most thought provoking.

By Dave Montalbano

cinemadave.livejournal.com

Stand Up Guys opens tomorrow and it seems to be a film that is designed for our South Florida neighborhood. The film opens with the style and cinematography of an early low budget exploitation film from the 1970s. It features actors who developed a cult following for their performance from this era of motion pictures: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin. With a touch of Rip Van Winkle, Stand Up Guys will be a contemporary hit.

Val (Pacino) is released from prison after many decades. He is met by Doc (Walken), a former partner-in-crime. While the two greet each other warmly, both know that Doc is assigned to kill Val. Instead of turning this event into a maudlin moment, these two Stand Up Guys decide to party hearty.

Director Fisher Stevens styles Stand Up Guys with a sense of swansong darkness. This noir set-up provides a life-affirming movie about old guys who teach a new generation how to be a Stand Up Guys. The center section provides the most humor, in which Pacino and Walken rescue Arkin from a nursing home.

Arkin is currently in the race for a Best Supporting Oscar for his work in Argo, directed and starring Ben Affleck. Much like Dustin Hoffman’s Oscar-nominated performance in Wag the Dog, Arkin portrays Lester Siegel, a veteran showbiz producer who must pretend to produce a movie in Iran, circa 1979. For those needing a history lesson, during the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian government held Americans hostage during the Carter Administration for 444 days. While the 52 hostages were the headline story, eight potential hostages slipped away and hid at the Canadian Embassy.

With Hollywood hocus pocus, CIA operative Mendez (Affleck) devises a plan. Working with award-winning makeup artist John Chambers (John Goodman), Mendez poses as a Hollywood producer who wants to film a Star Wars inspired movie with Islamic sympathies. The Trojan horse is daring, and Argo truly deserves its Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

Last weekend, the motion picture box office suffered. But, many Oscar nominated films are still playing on the big screen, and there are some good motion pictures, like Stand Up Guys, opening on the big screen.

By Dave Montalbano

cinemadave.livejournal.com

Six years ago at the library where I worked, a colleague presented a picture of a man being water boarded. With condescension, my colleague said, “THIS is what our government is doing.”

“He is lucky,” I replied, “If he threatened to kill my family and friends, I would not be so nice.”

Our conversation about enhanced interrogations stopped. Yet, with the release of Zero Dark Thirty, the debate will begin anew. Zero Dark Thirty is director Kathryn Bigelow’s procedural about the Central In-

telligence Agency’s hunt for terrorist Osama Bin Laden. The highlight is the Navy Seal Team 6’s raid on Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. Given the Obama Administration’s lack of transparency on the subject, Kathryn Bigelow provides an important public service and has created a criticproof movie.

At 157 minutes, the story leading up to the raid is fascinating for historians and true crime aficionados. Supposedly based on fact, only the names (and possible genders) have been changed to protect the those involved.

As seen through the eyes of Maya (Jessica Chastain), the film opens in darkness as we hear the voices of the victims from the terrorism attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. In 2003, Maya takes part in the enhanced interrogations and gleans a very important clue. However, under bloated bureaucracy and political pressures, this clue won’t be realized for seven years.

Zero Dark Thirty provides a good review of recent international history. While the United States homeland was kept safe after 9/11 (to focus on things like “reality television”), Bin Laden’s terrorist network bombed innocent people in London, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. From this history lesson alone, one sees the Bush Administration vindicated by his tactics in fighting terrorism.

If there is a flaw in Mark Boal’s screenplay, it is the presentation of Bin Laden. Instead of presenting a man, we are presented a mythical figure. Bin Laden’s execution is presented in shadows and blocked camera angles. It is as if Columbia and Universal pictures feared reprisal from Bin Laden’s demons.