BUCK

I saw a wonderful documentary on the real life "Horse Whisperer." The film won the Audience award at the Sundance Film Festival in January of this year.


It didn't hurt the film that it happened to be previewed at Robert Redford's Sundance or that Robert Redford had a spot in it.  But the film didn't need the star power. Buck Brannaman's story along with his soft spoken demeanor wins your heart.  He sounds a little like Sam Elliott in the movie, Tombstone or maybe Sam Elliot sounds a lot like Buck.  


As a young boy, Buck was given a fresh start after his coach at school discovered that he had been repeatedly beaten by his father. His young tortured life didn't ruin him but gave him insights into what horses need from their owners. Brannaman shares the power of understanding, respect, and affection that he learned from his foster parents as a way to get a horse to cooperate... and maybe love ya back.  


The 88 minutes follows Buck Brannaman around the country while he give clinics on "starting horses." Buck favors starting horses with trust and respect as opposed to breaking them in. He's had much success in showing horse owners how to do it.  He travels around 40 weeks of the year and enjoys his time best when his wife and youngest daughter can join him.


Although a professing shy cowboy, Buck assuredly lets horse owners know up front that it's not the horse that needs the training rather it's the owner. 


If you can get time away from your corral, go see it. 
http://www.buckthefilm.com/contact.htm

Beginners 
Rated R‎‎ - Drama‎

The movie poster (See it over there to the left?) gives you the impression that this might be a fun little drama-comedy with "cutie-patootie", Ewan McGregor and vintage acting pro Christopher Plummer. I mean, how could you go wrong with those guys?  Moluin Rouge meets Sound of Music. Look, they are smiling on the poster. It looks fun, doesn't it? 


My sisters and I were planning to go see BUCK, a documentary on the horse whisperer but it was delayed a week, so Beginners looked like a sweet replacement.

Eeee-gads!, the title fits if this piece is the  directors/writer's first film. Beginners--- Beginners luck? No way! This is a sad, sad, sad, sad movie. Not story...movie.  There's not much of a story to it. It's about a guy who is sad. He came from sad parents. He meets a sad girl and you get more sadness. Even his job is sad as he doodles sad faces. He inherits his dad's dog after his father dies. And for peat's sake, the dog is sad. I became sad as the filmed dragged on and on and on.

The non linear piece follows a guy who tries to have a better relationship with his father after his mother dies. His 75 year old dad decides to come out the closet in full rainbow color but the rest of his old life is anything but happy. It's...sad.  He is terminally ill and has an unfaithful lover. The main character meets a girl who has a sad background and they struggle to find any meaning in their relationship. The movie tries to somewhat champion the gay lifestyle; attempting to make happy the gay life. But it wasn't gay, it was sad.

I appreciate independent films that make up their own rules; not following a typical story line but there just isn't enough line of any sort to follow or enough love for any of the characters.  No great conflict or climax. It just kind of flat lined from beginners to enders.

What I did appreciate  about the movie, whether the director meant it or not, was that it seemed like real life and genuine dialogue...but we all know that sometimes real and genuine can mean boring, And it was. 

I walked away realizing that there are many real people (gay or not gay) that are trying desperately to find hope and joy in life. They bounce from brief moments of happiness to spells of sadness time and time again. And are never able to experience or hang on to deep joy.

After the movie was finally over, my thoughts of gratitude went to a familiar story read every Christmas time. I remember the Bible verse that says (It's an angel speaking to the shepherd outside of Bethlehem) "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." [Luke 2:9-11]

It has been some time since I first became a follower of Jesus. I have been following him for almost 40 years. I  know happiness comes and goes for me but lasting joy comes from my relationship with the Son of God who loved me and was delivered up to death to cover my death and separation from God. 

Ya know, I do remember my life before Christ....it was sad too.

What do you get if E.T marries a Decepticon?   
Or if J. J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg work together on a sci-fy thriller? 


You get a pretty creepy, misunderstood monster who is just trying to get home. (That's the ET part.) 
You also get exploding trains, hurling cars, magnetized metal, sinister military characters, and an alien with attitude. (That's the J..J. Abrams part.) And don't forget both film makers love to star a kid as the protagonist. 


I knew I was all-in when I caught myself holding my own hand.  I've figured out long ago that when a camera shot has a super big close up on any character, you know that something bad is going to happen and scare you. It's formulaic but it works on me every time.  


The story line: Some Jr. high boys are making a film for a student film festival in Ohio. They sneak out one night with a Super 8 camera, a tripod, and some fake blood to continue making their zombie movie. They witness a train crash and catch something mysterious on their camera. After the crash, the whole town experiences the disappearances of dogs, people and household appliances. And of course the military takes over the town. The kids are sworn to silence, until the cute girl (who agreed to be in their movie) disappears. The protagonist sets off to rescue her.


I am not a regular fan of sci-fy, zombie, or slasher movies. Ya see, it's my imagination... It kind of carries me away.  I blame it all on my mother who lovingly ingrained in my little, toddler soul that that the "goblins were gonna get me if I didn't watch out." She also took all of us kids to the Drive-In to see Night of the living Dead. (when I was in single digits) 


As I chewed up my entire box of Good N' Plenty; a way to take off the edge of scary, I ended up enjoying the film. There were undercurrent themes of bravery, Jr High love, forgiveness, and the whole fighting off a misunderstood alien.


GOOD STUFF--It was big screen -crazy- good special effects movie with some natural dialogue between the kids. There was some forgiveness and reconciliation  between two families over a tragedy. I also really like Kyle Chandler. (Early Edition & Friday Night Lights) 


NOT SO GOOD STUFF-- Bad sideburns and the story was pretty predictable. Unfortunately there was also your unnecessary, dirty junior high language between the boys. And one "F" bomb. I can't remembered who dropped that one. I dropped some of my Good N' Plenty on the theater floor. That was unfortunate.

I give SUPER 8-- 3 boxes of Good N' Plenty out of 5

Entertaining but not memorable.  It was worth the matinee price and definitely a big screen movie. Loved the FX and the relationship the boys had with each other. It reminded me of Stand By Me.  But had a hard time really getting attached to more than one character. (And it was not the alien or Cutie Kyle Chandler.) I think I'm looking more forward to the Transformer's Dark of the Moon and Cowboys and Aliens coming out later this summer.


The most frightening thing in the whole movie for me... was that it took place in 1979. The clothes, the cars, the music.... a horrible flashback. I was college age. Where was any sense of fashion back then?  I joined my sister and her hub as we exited the theater singing the closing song, "My Sharona" That was fun!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1T71PGd-J0