Ed Koch has been a Pullquote patron saint from before the beginning. I learned of his death from Facebook this morning, where a friend who grew up in Queens wrote, "When I was a kid I thought no one else was legally allowed to be the mayor of NYC." Oof. His "How'm I doin'?" persona punctuated the pages of SPY I devoured in the 80s/90s, astonished there was a place for smart, sarcastic writing about culture that seemed like a secret club, located in a mythic New York City ruled by this man who looked like odd admixture of Orville Redenbacher and a Muppet.
Since I began writing here [in 2003!], a friend I affectionately called Carlos would e-mail Ed's movie reviews to me as a way of keeping in touch. Over the past year or so, as my interest in this site lagged, they never made the leap from my inbox. Now there won't be any more. Which seems somehow impossible. To prolong the inevitable a little, I'll be posting some of Ed Koch's final film reviews here. Rest in peace, Mister Mayor.
This one came from Carlos with the note "They don’t remove their underclothes…."
"Trouble With the Curve" (-)
I'm not a baseball fan, but I really enjoyed the 2011 film, "Moneyball," starring Brad Pitt. Unfortunately this baseball-themed movie, featuring Clint Eastwood, is really bad.
Gus (Clint Eastwood) is a scout at the end of his career. Barely able to see a few feet in front of himself, Gus relies on his ears, listening for the crack of the ball on the bat to make a decision about a prospective player. Gus's daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams), tries desperately to help her dad recruit promising players. Mickey's love interest is Johnny (Justin Timberlake), but there is no chemistry on screen between the two of them.
Everything about this picture is wrong. At one point in the film Mickey and Johnny skinny dip - neither of them remove their underclothes. Avoid.
Clint Eastwood did not direct this film. (The director is Robert Lorenz.) Eastwood did, however, direct his skit during the Republican Convention when he had his 15 minutes in the sun. It was an embarrassment for those who watched it.
"Searching for Sugar Man" (+)
I hadn't read any reviews of this documentary. After a friend of mine told me that it is the best picture he has ever seen, I decided to see it. I wouldn't go that far in describing it, but it is good, interesting and a respite from the many documentaries now available which are more frenetic.
This peaceful, comforting and occasionally lyrical film is about the U.S. singer-songwriter Rodriquez. He reminded me of Bob Dylan but has a far better voice than Dylan and you can comprehend every word he utters. He also reminded me in temperament of Cesar Chavez. Rodriquez's songs, written in the early 70's, were social commentaries which became big hits in South Africa. At the time South Africa had a civil war and was battling to end Apartheid and the white minority rule over the black majority. I believe there were at the time five million whites and 25 million or more blacks who did not have the right to vote. The rebellion ended with the election of Nelson Mandela.
This documentary doesn't cover the rebellion but rather the search of the Swedish filmmaker, Malik Bendjelloul, to find Rodriquez and understand why his success in South Africa was not followed by similar success in the U.S.
In order to support a family of three daughters, Rodriquez worked on construction sites demolishing buildings. A particularly wonderful portion of the movie includes an interview with one of his daughters who endured great poverty. She beautifully explains how it is that rich and poor people are so much alike which I won't spoil for you by setting forth her comments in this review. Rodriquez himself when interviewed is shy and not as verbal as one might have expected, but then neither is Bob Dylan. Both connect with our souls in their lyrics. ("Sugarman" is the title of one of Rodriquez's songs.)
"Searching for Sugar Man" is beautifully crafted and well-worth seeing if it reaches your neighborhood. I saw it at the Village East Cinema on Second Avenue and East 12th Street.
