A Man Called Adam

PLOT (spoiler alert!!!):

Adam Johnson is a talented African-American jazz trumpeter, plagued by ill health, racism, alcoholism and a short temper, as well as guilt over the deaths years before of his wife and child. The result is a caustic personality that wears even on those who care the most about him, such as his best friend Nelson, and Vincent, a young Caucasian trumpeter whom Adam mentors. Arriving unexpectedly at his New York home drunk after walking out on his jazz quintet, Adam finds prominent Civil Rights worker Claudia Ferguson and her grandfather, Willie, who is himself a well-known jazz trumpeter, in his apartment. The two have been given access to the apartment by Nelson, but despite having authorized this, the drunken Adam is rude to both, including making a vulgar pass at Claudia.

The next day, a sober Adam is apologetic and strikes up a new friendship with the two. This eventually leads to a romance with Claudia, who cautions Adam that from that point on, she will not allow him to be any less than he is. Nelson warns Claudia against it, saying that although he understands what she sees in Adam, he will still ultimately only hurt her. She is not dissuaded, saying that she is determined not to let Adam destroy himself.

The relationship has a positive effect on Adam and all is well until an encounter with some racist police officers. Adam tells them off and fights with them when they seek to take him into custody. Claudia is upset that he intentionally antagonized them, while Adam can’t understand why she thinks he should submit to being humiliated. They quarrel, leading to Adam drinking more and beginning to lose control of his temper. Manny, Adam’s booking agent, says he intends to send Adam on a tour of the South, insisting Adam accept whatever racist treatment he may encounter there. Adam violently threatens Manny and later physically assaults a jealous former girlfriend who had just slapped Claudia.

Adam tells Claudia she is too good for him, but when he subsequently takes ill, she moves in with him and their relationship is renewed. He confesses to her his secret that he was driving while intoxicated during the car accident which killed his family, having gotten drunk in response to being demeaned and insulted by a racist police officer. Claudia convinces Adam’s old group to reunite with him and things again seem to be looking up for him. However, the police pressure the owner of the club where the group plays to ban him. When he learns of this, Adam lashes out at everyone, including Nelson, Claudia and Vincent.

A drunken Adam crawls back to Manny, who sends Adam on the Southern tour. Adam asks to have Vincent come along and they perform well together. On one occasion, Adam and Vincent hug after a particularly well-received number, prompting a violent audience reaction. This time, Adam maintains control of himself and does not respond. The tour continues very successfully, and upon returning home, a cheerful Adam proposes to Claudia.

Afterward, Vincent is violently attacked in front of Adam and Claudia. Claudia looks for Adam to do something, but he remains frozen, only watching as a helpless Vincent is pummeled. Finally, Adam just runs away. Claudia reflects that it was her insistence that caused Adam to change from a man who would never accepted any slight to the man she had just witnessed. She regrets that she effectively took away his manhood.

Eventually, Adam resurfaces at the club, looking “chewed up and spit out”, as Willie puts it. Adam is relieved to learn that Vincent is not dead. Despite his physical condition, Adam accepts the invitation to join the group on stage. His performance is first brilliant, with Claudia, Willie and Vincent all watching and thoroughly enjoying his resurgence. Soon, though, Adam begins to struggle physically and his playing turns frenetic. Eventually, everyone stops playing, leaving nothing but Adam’s fevered trumpeting, which he attempts to continue even while virtually doubling over in agony. Finally, he collapses and dies, leaving his friends to grimly mourn him.

REVIEW:

Well, it finally happened. With A Man Called Adam, I have now officially gone through every film that Louis Armstrong has starred in, to my knowledge. I’ll double check that stat once I finish this post, though. I actually have been putting this film off for the past two or three years because I thought it was some uninteresting sappy drama which was sure to put me to sleep, but that was not to be the case.

What is this about? Sammy Davis Jr. stars as a respected but volatile jazz trumpeter on a downward spiral sparked by racism and personal tragedy. A relationship with a civil rights activist (Cicely Tyson) seems to lift him out of his doldrums, but the turnaround is temporary.

What did I like?

Themes. This is one of those films that is able to tackle such heavy themes as racism, alcoholism, etc. without getting too preachy. Of course, when you’re dealing with musicians, what do you expect, since it is very well documented how much they were subject to racism and were rampant, raging alcoholics. Some things never change. These are sensitive topics and, in 1966, weren’t exactly the kind of coffee table conversation starters one would use in polite conversation.

Music in black and white. Nearly 30 years after the release of this film, a similar flick will be released, Mo’ Better Blues. Why am I bringing that film up? Well, no matter what you think of the film, it cannot be denied that the music is a huge part of its success. The formula was laid down with this film and the great music laid down by the liked of Nat Adderly, Mel Torme, and the incomparable Louis Armstrong. I also have to mention that this is in black and white. In 1966, films had long since made the shift to brilliant Technicolor, but for some reason, I don’t believe this would have worked as well had it not been in black and white. There is just something about jazz musicians and black and white film that works so well. The other day I was watching a Miles Davis feature that also would not have been as impressive to look at, had it been filmed in color. Isn’t it amazing how different things look in black and white, as opposed to color?

Satchmo. I’m one of the world’s biggest Louis Armstrong fans, so is it really a surprise that I was a fan of him being in this film? Hell, he’s one of the reasons I even added this to my list. If you’re knowledgable of Louis’ film career, then you know most of the time he plays himself or a character that is a band leader, and these roles are usually quick cameos. With the exception of The Five Pennies, I believe this is the only time he’s actually had the opportunity to flex his acting chops. However, let’s face the facts, the reason you put Pops in a movie is to hear him play, even if this is at the tail end of his career, at a point when he was doing less and less playing. I love this character of Sweet Daddy. It allows Armstrong to be the older musician who has paid his dues and the performance of “Back O’ Town Blues” is a real treat!

What didn’t I like?

Learn to play. Before I go on this long rant, keep in mind that I am a trumpet player, so I’m a tad bit biased. That being said, it is obvious that Sammy Davis, Jr. and Frank Sinatra, Jr., for that matter aren’t playing their horns. There is a point where the music is a sustained note and Davis is pushing buttons down in rapid succession. Even if you’re not a trumpet player, you can tell something is off about that! Here’s what makes matters worse, they have one of the greatest trumpet player to ever pick up the horn as part of the cast. Surely they could have picked his brain and had him give Davis and Sinatra some tips, or at least a focal point as to what to look like when you’re playing. I am taken back to The Mambo Kings for a second. Antonio Banderas isn’t playing his horn in that film (there is some debate about this), but he at least looks like he is trying. For me, Davis was just winging it and no one did anything about it. Sinatra had a bit more of a grasp on the concepts, but we don’t see him playing that often.

Woman, please. From the moment we are first introduced to Cicely Tyson’s character, I could tell that she wasn’t going to be one that I would care for. As the film progresses and she nags Davis’ character to the point that she changes who he is, and as a result when Sinatra’s character is getting the crap beat out of him, all Davis does is stand there as an onlooker, afraid to do anything. She does however, realize the error of her ways, but I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like had Lola Falana’s character been the object of Davis’ affection.

Life story. From what I can deduce, those that resort to alcoholism have some kind of personal demons they are facing. For Davis’ character, he had a car accident that killed his wife and kids and blinded his best friend, who is/was also his piano player. Quite the tragic tale, huh? Thing is, we don’t get the full story until nearly half way through, if not past that point. Why so long to give us the details of what happened? Given the way the film opens, that would have been the perfect time to give the audience the lowdown as to what happened and set up the misery that Davis is going through, and explain his walking off stage.

Initially, I was only going to watch A Man Called Adam for Louis Armstrong and the music, but this film surprised me and ended up being a really entertaining film. Strong performances by Davis and the rest of the case really sell what could have been a mediocre, at best, film. Do I recommend this film? Yes, I would say it is a good drama with great music that most can enjoy. Is it for everyone? No, but can you honestly tell me a film that is? Give this one a shot sometime. You may be surprised how much you enjoy it!

4 out of 5 stars

Dinosaur

PLOT (spoiler alert!!!):

The film opens with an Iguanodon mother forced to abandon her nest, with only one egg surviving a Carnotaurus attack. The egg is taken by an Oviraptor, who drops it into a river while fighting another Oviraptor, and finally is taken by a Pteranodon to an island inhabited by lemurs, who see the egg hatch, name the baby dinosaur Aladar, and raise him as their own. When Aladar is an adult, the island is destroyed when an asteroid crashes on earth, causing a meteor shower, with only Aladar, his grandfather Yar, his mother Plio, his best friend Zini and his sister Suri surviving the destruction of the island by swimming to the land.

After fleeing a pack of Velociraptor, the family meets a multi-species herd of dinosaurs (consisting of a bunch of Iguanodon, Styracosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Stygimoloch, Microceratus, Parasaurolophus, and Struthiomimus) led by the Iguanodon Kron and his lieutenant Bruton, who are on a journey to reach the “Nesting Grounds”, a valley believed to be untouched by the devastation of the asteroid impact. Aladar and the lemurs befriend a trio of elderly dinosaurs: Baylene the Brachiosaurus, Eema the Styracosaurus, and Url, Eema’s dog-like pet Ankylosaurus. Aladar also develops romantic feelings for Kron’s sister Neera, but she appears uninterested, playing hard to get. Meanwhile, the Velociraptor pack continues to follow them, but are scared off when a pair of Carnotaurs picks up the herd’s trail too. The herd arrives at a lake they’ve relied on for past trips, but it has dried up. Aladar saves the herd from dehydration when he and Baylene eventually dig up the trapped water beneath the ground. Aladar and Neera eventually fall in love after Neera sees Aladar helping the dinosaurs (especially the elderly ones) survive. However, Bruton, having been sent by Kron to find water upon arrival at the lake, returns injured by the Carnotaurus which killed another Iguanodon that was scouting with him. Kron evacuates the herd from the lake bed in a rush, leaving Aladar, the lemurs, the elderly dinosaurs, and the injured Bruton behind, also warning Aladar that he will be executed if he meddles with leadership affairs again.

The small group recuperates in a cave during a rainstorm, with Bruton eventually befriending them. When the Carnotaurus pair attacks, Bruton’s loyalty is proven when he kills one of them as the others escape to the depths of the caves, being killed in the process. But one of the Carnotaurus escapes, enraged by the death of its mate but unable to follow the group. Upon reaching a dead end, Aladar begins to lose hope, after repeated failures and the loss of Bruton. His friends all join in breaking down the dead end, stabilizing his confidence. Finally, Baylene demolishes the wall. The dead end actually leads to the “Nesting Grounds”, where Eema sees that the old entrance – where the herd has gathered on the other side – has been blocked by a landslide generated by the meteors.

Aladar rushes to find the herd on the other side, accidentally alerting and being tracked by the Carnotaurus. He finds the herd being directed by Kron to climb the rocks, which can’t be passed without fatality, but when he suggests the alternate route he found, Kron becomes enraged at his authority being questioned and challenged, and attempts to kill Aladar. Despite landing a few good hits, Aladar is outclassed by Kron, who only stops short of killing Aladar when Neera, tired of her brother’s illogical beliefs, strikes him down and defends Aladar. Aladar and Neera take control of the herd, but Kron refuses to submit to the leadership of another and begins climbing the rocks himself. The Carnotaurus then confronts them, but Aladar rallies the herd to drive it off by standing together and scaring it off with intimidation. The Carnotaurus leaves the herd alone, but spots Kron who mistakes that Aladar lead the Carnotaur to the herd climbing the rocks alone, and is followed by Neera and Aladar as it charges to kill the former leader of the herd. In the ensuing fight, Kron is severely wounded by the Carnotaurus, but Aladar is able to push the predator off a cliff to its death. Kron, however, succumbs to his injuries and dies with Aladar and Neera at his side.

Aladar and Neera lead the herd back to the “Nesting Grounds”, where the two eventually mate and have children, and the lemurs find more of their own kind. Plio narrates the ending, wishing for their story to be remembered in history. She then says, “But one thing is for sure. Our journey is not over, we can only hope in some small way our time here will be remembered.”

REVIEW:

Following the Disney Renaissance, people wondered how the company would rebound after their films started to not do so hot. The unfortunate answer was the beginning of the computer animated Disney (not Pixar) films, of which Dinosaur was the first.

What is this about?

In Disney’s animated film, an orphaned Iguanadon named Aladar grows up in the care of a group of lemurs. But when a meteor shower appears, Aladar and his lemur “family” flee their homeland and seek safety. While on the run, Aladar encounters other dinosaurs for the first time, and they must all work together to survive.

What did I like?

Scenery. Today, scenery like we see here can be created by computers, but back in 2000, that technology didn’t quite exist, so the brilliant filmmakers made the decision to use actual locations as the background. As with most films of this nature, the only place left on this planet that still has its natural beauty is New Zealand.

Dialogue. I remember when I saw the first trailer for this that had no dialogue whatsoever. It turns out that originally, that was the plan, but someone decided it would work better to have talking dinosaurs. I think this worked better, especially when you throw in the fact that this is supposedly a kid’s film. Without the talking dinosaurs, this would have been nothing more than some kind of documentary of sorts, with dinosaurs.

Comic relief. Keeping with the kind formula one can expect from a film of this nature, the comic relief comes from the characters that seem the most out of place, but are the most lovable. Headlined by Della Reese, these supporting characters bring some much needed levity to a film that could very well have just been a bunch of giant creature traipsing around the countryside.

What didn’t I like?

More of the same. I really wonder if the dinosaurs did anything other than wander around looking for oasis areas. If you go by the movies, that is all they seem to do. Think about the plots of Ice Age and The Land Before Time, as well as their sequels. These magnificent creatures deserve something better when they are put on film, besides wandering around like mindless brutes.

History. I was reading the history of how this was getting made and learned that there was a moment when this was set to be stop-motion animation. In the past, I have not hidden the fact that I think stop-motion is far superior to computer generated crap. Dinosaurs also really work when they are computer generated, as we’ve seen in Ray Herryhausen creations.

Lemurs. To my knowledge, lemurs were not around during this time. So, using them is nothing more than a marketing ploy. Soft and cuddly characters are almost always a sure bet to sell, as opposed to scaly dinosaurs. Throw in that whole wannabe The Lion King story where they raise the dinosaur and they just didn’t work for me.

Dinosaur is one of those forgotten Disney films. That isn’t because this is a bad or boring film, but rather because it is overshadowed by far superior films.I find it kind of funny that I’m watching this after watching the old show Dinosaurs (remember Baby saying “Not the Mama!”). So, is this a recommendation or condemnation? Well, it is a decent family flick with a few violent scenes here and there that may be too much for younger children. A good watch, but not something to go out of your way to see.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars