Taking Woodstock (2009)

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"They think that 5,000 people are going to buy tickets."
Elliot Teichberg (Demetri Martin) returns for the summer to his small hometown of Bethel in the Catskill Mountains to help out his parents (Imelda Staunton [who is hysterical in this!], Henry Goodman) who run a cheap, seedy motel. He promptly gets elected president of the Chamber of Commerce and sets about to get his parents' motel and the deteriorating tiny town on track.

He's asked to continue the summer concert series he ran when he lived at home -- basically Elliot playing music on his stereo. But he continues to look for opportunities to bring tourists to the area. When the neighboring town of Wallkill cancel the permit for the Aquarian Festival that was scheduled to be held there, Elliott decides this could be his town's summer concert.

And thus was born the historic Woodstock.

Others in the cast include Eugene Levy as Max Yasgur, who offered his dairy farm as the venue; Emile Hirsch as a young, disillusioned, drugged out local; Jonathan Groff as Mike, the laid back organizer; Mamie Gummer as Mike's assistant Tisha; Liev Schreiber in drag as Vilma who offers security; Richard Thomas as the Reverend Don; and Paul Dano as a hippie.

Based on Elliot Teichberg's memoir.

Director Ang Lee did an amazing job getting all the details. Some scenes are nearly identical of photos taken at Woodstock.

Run time: 2 hours, 1 minute

Rated R for nudity, language, and drug use.

My personal rating: B+

The Contender (2000)

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"...principles only mean something if you stick by them when they're inconvenient."

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When the Vice-President dies, Democratic President Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges) must appoint a replacement. Approaching the end of his second term, he wants to leave an important legacy and therefore nominates Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen), D-OH, a former Republican.

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But Congressman Sheldon "Shelly" Runyon, R-IL, (Gary Oldman), a major Republican opponent of the President, leads a McCarthy-esque witch hunt guised as the Congressional confirmation hearing. Runyon is set to discredit Senator Hanson on the basis of reports of her sexual indiscretion when she was in college. Fact of the matter is, the very conservative and disingenuous Runyon is opposed to all of Senator Hanson's positions on the abortion issue and religion, and his obvious disdain for powerful women. He seeks to humiliate her in whatever way he can.

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Some very interesting twists that made it a real keep-watching political thriller. Interesting, too, in the comparisons to President Clinton's indiscretions, references to Chappaquiddick. and a certain prophetic tone that hit home in terms of the 2008 presidential campaigns, the election of a fresh new attitude in Washington in 2009, and the national embarrassment of the gubernatorial scandal in Illinois.

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Also appearing are Christian Slater as the young senator and rising Democratic star from Delaware, Sam Elliott as a President's Chief of Staff, William Petersen as the Virginia governor who had been the preferred vice-presidential contender but was by-passed by the President, Saul Rubinek as the President's press secretary, Mike Binder as Senator Hanson's legal counsel, Philip Baker Hall as Senator Hanson's father and former Republican Governor of Ohio, Robin Thomas as Senator Hanson's husband and former campaign manager, Mariel Hemingway as Senator Hanson's former college chum and ex-wife of Hanson's current husband, Kathryn Morris as the FBI agent who thoroughly investigates the Virginia governor and Senator Hanson, Noah Fryrear as the Hanson's six-year-old son.

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Jeff Bridges and Kim Carnes sing the opening song -- "Ring of Fire" -- which all just seems so right!

Some of my favorite quotes from the film:

President Jackson Evans: "It pains my soul to tell you that you have brought blood and shame under this great dome. Your leadership has raised the stakes of hate to a new level where we can no longer separate the demagogue from the truly inspired. And believe this, there are traitors among us."

Senator Laine Hanson's closing statement at her confirmation hearing: "...and, Mr. Chairman, I stand for the separation of Church and State, and the reason that I stand for that is the same reason that I believe our forefathers did. It is not there to protect religion from the grasp of government but to protect our government from the grasp of religious fanaticism. Now, I may be an atheist, but that does not mean I do not go to church. I do go to church. The church I go to is the one that emancipated the slaves, that gave women the right to vote, that gave us every freedom that we hold dear. My church is this very Chapel of Democracy that we sit in together, and I do not need God to tell me what are my moral absolutes. I need my heart, my brain, and this church."

Written and directed by Rod Lurie.

Run time: 2 hours, 7 minutes

Rated R for strong sexual content and language.

My personal rating: A

Ambulance Girl (2005)

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"Fear is like a hologram. It seems real, filled with substance. And then, when you go beyond it, you realize it is just an illusion."

As a long-time fan of food writers Jane and Micheal Stern, this was a most fascinating story for me to see. Based on Jane's autobiographical novel, this is a frank revelation of the stresses in the the successful couple's lives and marriage well after they are established and loved in their field.

After Michael (Robin Thomas) had maintained his sobriety for three years, Jane (Kathy Bates, who also directed the film) experiences growning anxiety and depression. He's spending more and more time away at AA meetings and with his horse while she wallows in her misery.

She feels useless now, after 33 years of marriage, because she feels Michael doesn't need her anymore. An incident on an airplane when Jane was terribly anxious but helped a young man who was nearly paralyzed with anxiety led her to feel that she had much to offer others and she needed to do something about it. Despite being overweight and out of shape, Jane enrolls in and passes an EMT class and with great joy, becomes deeply involved in paramedic work.

Instead of helping to make their marriage better, Jane's new preoccupation drives them further apart. Jane isn't as involved in writing their new book which is under contract. They need to keep up a false front in public because everyone perceives them as such a loving couple.

Can this marriage be saved? Can these lives be saved?

Also appearing is Gorden Pisent as the barn owner who is a good friend to both Jane and Michael.

Originally aired on Lifetime-TV.

Run time: 1 hour, 27 minutes

Not MPAA rated.

My personal rating: B+