“Flipside”: A Film Review

Yes, this shall be a review of Chris Wilcha’s outstanding documentary “Flipside.”

Which is — I shan’t bury the lede — the best film I’ve seen this year. In several years.

But, as is my wont, I shall wend my way there, starting with Anne Lamott.

Whom I’ve adored from the get go when hearing the author being interviewed decades ago by Terry Gross. She was/ is wise, literate, funny, and the author of the best book on writing I know of, “Bird by Bird.” Which I have recommended and given away copies of many times since.

Lamott writes what are termed, somewhat derogatorily by some, “fix me books.”

And, other than the many of her endeavors I own and have savored, I eschew generic fix me books. (With a lone non-Lamott exception of Richard Carlson’s “DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF . . . and it’s all small stuff.”)

Anyhow, Ms. Lamott, long in 12 step recovery, has the great facility to extrapolate life lessons from every day events and moments. Especially how to turn what we might consider failures of ourselves into changes for the good. They are shared with insight, humor and truly engaging writing.

Filmmaker Wilcha’s film is centered, sorta, kinda (but it’s really much more) on the small town NJ record shop with the title’s name, owned by a guy named Dan. And a rival shop across town. Owned by a different guy named Dan.

But what it’s really about is how, like Lamott, director/craftsmith Wilcha is eventually able to gain insight and serenity within from what he considered previously a career of unfinished projects, a life of failures. Read the rest of this entry »

“Unfrosted”: A Movie Review (& My Chat with Helen Mirren)

Yes, kids, it’s been awhile since I’ve weighed in on a movie or TV series.

And, frankly, I’m still not sure why this smile-inducing, easily forgettable Netflix confection from Jerry Seinfeld has me at it again.

Perhaps the way I watched it. On my laptop at the car dealer while my car was getting worked on. In a serendipitous moment, my Crosstrek was ready just as the credits rolled.

Nah, that’s not it. But it sure did make that hour and a half wait significantly more tolerable.

No, I think the real reason is I found it’s just this too silly, often overreaching but ever humorous mindless take on 50s and 60s culture a perfect anecdote for these troubled times.

Anyhow, it’s an almost totally fictitious tale of the cereal war in Battle Creek between Kellogg and Post which ended in the kid’s breakfast stable Pop Tarts hitting the grocery shelves.

It also skews just about every cultural phenomenon of the time, except for the Hula Hoop and Slinky.

While taking digs at such as . . . Read the rest of this entry »