Morgan Neville – We Are Movie Geeks

PIECE BY PIECE – Review

Here’s a challenge for even the most respected and revered documentarians: how do you make your film different than the usual profile/biography? Mind you, there have already been some exceptional showbiz docs this year with SUPER/MAN and FAYE. Not to mention the two-part four-hour look at Steve Martin made by this film’s director, Morgan Neville. Is there a fresh way to present the “talking heads” interviews, the “reanactments”, and the archival footage? How about animation, much like the recently lauded FLEE? That’s a start, but should it be standard hand-drawn 2-D, or the molded CGI? Yes to the latter, but do it in the Lego brick style since Warner’s let their license lapse. This gives the title a double meaning as Neville examines the life and career of Pharrell Williams, step by step, or rather PIECE BY PIECE.

After a brief opening sequence of the film’s subject playing with his wife and children, Williams is whisked away to a section of his home where Neville and his crew are setting up for an interview shoot. Neville is stunned when Williams shares his epiphany that his life should be “Lego-animated”. The story then shifts several decades in the past, as we see Pharrell as a fun-loving boy growing up in a housing project in Virginia Beach, VA. With the ocean nearby and a big Posiedon statue towering over it, and living in the Atlantis apartments, Williams believes that there was “something in the water”. Perhaps that’s why he saw colors when looking into the speakers of his “boom box”. Ditto when he enjoyed the church choir with her adored grandmother. It seemed inevitable he’d form a band with some of his pals. Williams and BFF Chad Hugo were the driving force behind the Neptunes (another water riff). Their hopes rose when a big music producer opened a big recording studio. After being spotted at the local school’s talent show, the Neptunes became part of the studio crew, going from errand work (getting coffee, etc.) to making music suggestions. From there they tried getting the NYC labels interested. Eventually, they got some airplay near their hometown and were soon collaborating with Pusha-T, N.O.R.E., Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Timbaland, and Busta Rhymes. Soon he and Chad were major producers garnering awards and working with the best of the biz including Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk, and Jay-Z. After marrying and starting a family, Williams yearns to express his only musical voice. And with the “Happy” help of Gru and his Minions, it all “clicks”…

So yes, it does give a new energy and sparkle to the old documentary tropes. There’s a playful quality to everything, particularly in the sequences set in the old Virginia Beach hometown as people frolic (on foot, bikes, and skateboards) in the bright sun as the Blue Angels fly overhead. A satiric element is added in the later scenes involving other music superstars, especially Snoop Dogg as they’re surrounded by mist emitting from a spray bottle labeled “PG haze”. It’s also fun to see the Lego logo in the ocean foam as a fish breaks the surface. I had seen a CBS Sunday Morning profile of Williams a few days ago, so I was a bit surprised that the story stopped short of his recent foray into fashion, which might have inspired more clever brick recreations. The colors are dazzling and the visuals are inventive (drops of water and chicken nuggets are plastic smooth hoops), but the story’s throughline feels a tad rote (I did this which led to this and this and…). It offers some good life lessons for kids, with a great montage of Williams literally bouncing off the walls of the offices of stunned studio execs, but older folks may be confused by some similar design choices and the constant music biz “name drops”. This radical mesh of movie styles is a noble experiment, which could yield moviegoers a new slate of biopics that build on the cinematic potential shown in PIECE BY PIECE.

2.5 Out of 4

PIECE BY PIECE is now playing in theatres everywhere

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? – Review

“You know everyone has lots of ways of feeling, and all those ways of feeling are fine. It’s what we do with our feelings that matter in this life.”

I wanted to open with a quote from Mr. Rogers because there is nothing that I can say or write that can impart the amount of love and humanity he shared with the world. Director Morgan Neville (who won the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary for 20 FEET FROM STARDOM) also understands that. Instead of overloading the film with talking heads and celebrities singing the praises of Fred Rogers, Neville relies heavily on archival footage from each of those special episodes. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? serves as both a deeply moving tribute to one of life’s greatest teachers but also as an important reminder of the power of kindness.

Fred Rogers was a man of faith. He studied to be a minister but saw an opportunity to touch the lives of children through a tool that wasn’t being used to build the emotional intelligence of a child: TV. At a time when television was used to entertain children, Fred Rogers saw an opportunity to inform. The film traces back to his beginnings starting the show in 1968 on a local channel in Pittsburgh. After a few seasons, the show moved to PBS where it quickly found an audience who welcomed Mr. Rogers into their homes.

Right from the very first episode, the show tackled such themes as fear and isolation. King Friday, the ruler of “The Land of Make Believe” wanted to build a taller fence around his kingdom to prevent outsiders from coming in (the irony of this was not lost on the audience I saw it with). And as the show’s producer claims, “And this was just the first episode.” WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? hammers home just how unafraid Mr. Rogers was at addressing the fears of children as well as explaining the circumstances of real-world events, such as the assassination of Robert Kennedy.

The film focuses heavily on his approach to how he taught children. Even though he was religious, he didn’t preach about God or about scripture. He didn’t tell children what was was bad or what they should avoid. His message was one of love, and he approached it in a way that both children and adults could relate to. He understood the importance of emotional development. His unique ability to connect with children is discussed in charming interviews with his wife and some of the crew that worked with him on set, but it’s clearly evident in the footage from the show. What made his show unique might have been the quaint low-budget aesthetic or the fact that he embraced such imaginative tools as a magical projector called “Picture Picture,” as well as a world of puppets and humans called “The Land of Make Believe.” Yet, what made Mr. Rogers special was his earnest dialogue. He was willing to be vulnerable so that children would feel comfortable being vulnerable too.

One of the most moving stories in a film that is filled with dozens of tear-jerking sequences involves discussing an episode featuring a young boy named Jeff. Jeff was 10 when he appeared on the show. He was a quadriplegic who used an electric wheelchair to get around. As the film goes on to emphasize, it was this simple gesture of showing a boy with a disability that made a huge impact on television. Mr. Roger’s didn’t hide the circumstances of Jeff’s life. He asked about the wheelchair and how long he had been using it. In the process, he showed kids that it’s ok to talk about the hardships of life and what makes each of us unique. It’s a treasured moment in TV history that taught kids about acceptance without trying to tie it into a “message.” And all he did was simply hold a conversation with another human.

As with anything that sounds too good to be true, director Morgan Neville addresses some of the complaints and doubts some people had about Mr. Rogers. A small amount of time is focused on discussing “the entitled Mr. Rogers generation” that he supposedly helped foster. Thankfully, the film doesn’t focus on the negativity too much. And although I’d be remiss to heed my own advice, Neville does include a handful of saccharine animated sequences involving “Daniel Tiger” to illustrate the turmoil within Fred Rogers. Given how straightforward the host approached deep thoughts, these sequences seem like a misstep taken from a modern day approach to learning.

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? could have been comprised of 3-5 hours of heart-melting moments and inspiring lessons of truth. Mr. Rogers taught us it was ok to ask questions. He reminded us that we’re each different. Most importantly, he showed us that it’s ok to have emotions, to cry at the death of a pet or if our parents are getting a divorce, and to feel insecure in life. In turn, watching the film reminds us that it’s okay to sit in a theater full of people you don’t know and feel vulnerable; that we can connect over our shared love of a teacher who taught us we’re all unique but connected by the same emotions; that it’s okay to share these emotions with the world. The impact Mr. Rogers had on all of us can’t be measured or read about in a book, but it can be seen on the faces of your neighbors walking out of the theater.

Overall score: 4 out of 5

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? opens at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema in St. Louis on June 15th before getting a wider release on June 22nd

True/False Film Fest 2018: WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?

“You know everyone has lots of ways of feeling, and all those ways of feeling are fine. It’s what we do with our feelings that matter in this life.”

Fred Rogers was a man of the faith. He studied to be a minister but saw an opportunity to touch the lives of children through a tool that wasn’t be used to build the emotional intelligence of a child: TV. At a time when television was used to entertain children, Fred Rogers saw an opportunity to inform. The film traces back to his beginnings starting the show in 1968 on a local channel in Pittsburgh. After a few seasons, the show moved to PBS where it quickly found an audience who welcomed Mr. Rogers into their home.

Right from the very first episode, the show tackled such themes as fear and isolation. King Friday, the ruler of the “Land of Make Believe” wanted to build a taller fence around his kingdom to prevent outsiders from coming in (the irony of this was not lost on the audience I saw it with). And as the show’s producer claims, “And this was just the first episode.” WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? hammers home just how unafraid Mr. Rogers was at addressing the fears of children as well as explaining the circumstances of real-world events like the assassination of Robert Kennedy.

The film focuses heavily on his approach to how he taught children. Even though he was religious, he didn’t preach about God or about scripture. He didn’t them what was was bad or what they should avoid. His message was one of love, and he approached it in a way that both children and adults can relate to. He understood the importance of emotional development. His unique ability to connect with children is discussed in charming interviews with his wife and some of the crew that worked with him on set, but it’s clearly evident in the footage from the show. What made his show unique might have been the quaint low-budget aesthetic or the fact that he embraced such imaginative tools as a magical projector called “Picture Picture” and a world of puppets and humans called “The Land of Make Believe.” Yet, what made Mr. Rogers special was his earnest dialogue. He was willing to be vulnerable so that children would feel comfortable being vulnerable too.

One of the most moving stories in a film that is filled with dozens of tear-jerking sequences involves the time a young boy named Jeff. Jeff was 10 when he appeared on the show. He was a quadriplegic who used an electric wheelchair to get around. As the film goes on to emphasize, it was this simple gesture of showing a boy with a disability that made a huge impact on television. Mr. Roger’s didn’t hide the circumstances of Jeff’s life. He asked about the wheelchair and how long he had been using it. In the process, he showed kids that it’s ok to talk about the hardships of life and what makes each of us unique. It’s a treasured moment in TV history that taught kids about acceptance without trying to tie it into a “message.” And all he did was simply hold a conversation with another human.

As with anything that sounds too good to be true, director Morgan Neville addresses some of the complaints and doubts some people had about Mr. Rogers. A small amount of time is focused on discussing “the entitled Mr. Rogers generation” that he supposedly helped foster. Thankfully, the film doesn’t focus on the negativity too much. And although I’d be remiss to heed my own advice, Neville does include a handful of saccharine animated sequences involving “Daniel Tiger” to illustrate the turmoil within Fred Rogers behind the scenes. Given how straightforward the host approached deep thoughts, the sequences seem like a misstep taken from a modern day approach to learning.

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? could have been comprised of 3-5 hours worth of heart-melting moments and inspiring lessons of truth. Mr. Rogers taught us it was ok to ask questions. He reminded us that we’re each different. Most importantly, he showed us that it’s ok to have emotions, to cry at the death of a pet or if our parents are getting a divorce, and to feel insecure in life. In turn, watching this film reminds us that it’s okay to sit in a room full of strangers that you don’t know and feel vulnerable; that we can connect over our shared love of a teacher who taught us we’re all unique but connected by the same emotions; that it’s okay to share those emotions with the world. The impact Mr. Rogers had on all of us can’t be measured or read about in a book, but can be seen on the faces of your neighbors walking out of the theater.

Overall score: 4 out of 5

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? is being released by Focus Features later this year

BEST OF ENEMIES – The Review

By Cate Marquis

Once upon a time, there was a news media covered that politics in a calm, pointedly-neutrally way. Then the televised debate between conservative William F. Buckley Jr. and liberal Gore Vidal happened. Nielsen numbers went through the roof and TV political coverage was never the same. Television news discovered political coverage as blood sport and traded dispassionate reporting for the entertaining fireworks of shouted confrontation and punditry.

In the highly entertaining, engrossing documentary BEST OF ENEMIES, directors Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon make a credible case for the Buckley-Vidal debates, a political face-off between, intellectual giants with opposing views, as a turning point in how the American media covers politics. The film takes us back to 1968 and the TV broadcasts of the Republican and Democratic political conventions, when these two prominent cultural and intellectual figures debated the direction of the nation.

In 1968, before cable and the internet, television was king. There were only three national networks, NBC, CBS and ABC. While news leaders NBC and CBS presented gavel-to-gavel coverage of the conventions, third-place (and much poorer) ABC hit on the idea of only presenting a nightly recap of the events at the conventions, and then supplementing that with a debate between pubic figures on opposite sides of the political spectrum.

Choosing these two men for a broadcast political debate was akin to a debate between, say, Rush Limbaugh and Jon Stewart – with no rules and nothing off the table. Who wouldn’t want to see that? Yet Rush and Stewart are entertainers while Buckley and Vidal were widely acknowledged brilliant minds. It seems very foreign now but at that time these two intellectuals were famous cultural figures, appearing on TV talk shows and other popular programs. Audiences of the time found them entertaining, with their sharp-witted verbal barbs and exaggerated upper-class mannerisms.

As BEST OF ENEMIES points out, the Buckley-Vidal debates were both a high point and low point for media coverage of politics. On the one hand, Buckley and Vidal were true intellectual heavyweights with the brains and verbal skills to demolish to each other’s arguments. On the other hand, they harbored a mutual hatred, which meant a fair amount of time went to pointed, clever, funny but personal attacks. As Neville writes the film’s notes, “This is not a film about who wins the argument. It’s a film about how we argue.”

Directors Neville and Gordon present the debates a bit like rounds of a boxing match, a good metaphor given the go-for-blood verbal sparring. The directors do a good job of putting these matches in a historical context and painting a brief picture of each man. Then there was the backdrop of the conventions. The Republican convention in Miami, with the Reagan forces revving in the wings, was relatively peaceful, in stark comparison to the later and famously disastrous Democratic convention in Chicago, where Mayor Richard Daley’s police brutalized anti-war protesters who were outside in the streets and clamoring to participate in the convention.

On the surface, Buckley and Vidal seemed to have much in common – both intellectuals and writers with elite upbringing and education, speaking with an upper-class East Coast accent and with an effete, aristocratic manner. Both were men had sharp wits and even sharper tongues, and used words as weapons.

As similar as they seemed, Vidal and Buckley stood on either side of the evolving cultural divide. Buckley was a Republican organizer and advocate of Ronald Reagan-Barry Goldwater’s “new conservative” movement, a staunch Catholic who rejected modernization, founder/editor of the conservative “National Review” magazine, and the host of the “Firing Line” TV talk show. Vidal was a liberal who was considered a literary giant, ranked with figures such as Truman Capote and Norman Mailer. He was a playwright and author whose works included the acclaimed “Burr” and other bestselling historical novels, as well as the scandal-sparking gender-bending satire “Myra Breckenridge.” Vidal, who had links to cultural figures ranging from Oscar Wilde, Jack Kerouac and Amelia Earhart, advocated sexual freedom and rejected conventional labels. He was a political outsider who favored the Democratic Party and had family ties to Jackie Kennedy.

Each believed the other’s ideas would destroy the country. What’s more – they hated each other personally.

BEST OF ENEMIES present the Buckley-Vidal debates in the context of their times, and follow-up on the aftermath of the debates and their lingering impact on both men. Besides the archival footage of the debates, the film has interviews with an array of journalists and academics including Todd Gitlin, Eric Alterman, and the late Christopher Hitchens. Speakers include people who knew them, like former talk show host Dick Cavett, Vidal biographer Fred Caplan and Buckley’s brother Reid. The film also features readings of both men’s writings, with Buckley’s words read by Kelsey Grammar and Vidal’s by John Lithgow, and archival interviews with the late Buckley and Vidal.

Setting the stage for the culture wars that still dog us, Buckley and Vidal debated the direction of the country from opposite ends of the political spectrum, discussing race, gender and class, war and American imperialism, civil unrest and personal freedom. While there were plenty of thoughtful discussions, the archival clips chosen for the film often focus on the zingers – the funny, pithy jabs and sparkling, venomous barbs. Watching these brainy people needle each other is entertaining but for a fuller, meatier view of the scope of their discussions, one would have to view the debates footage itself.

In the years following theses debates, Buckley’s “new conservatism” came to dominate the American political landscape since Reagan, yet Vidal’s call for gender, racial and personal freedoms seems to have won the social debate, with gay marriage and progress on gender and racial equality.

Both men are gone now although the debate still lingers. Since then, Buckley remains well-known, thanks to the way the Republicans made him an icon after Reagan’s election. Vidal’s public fame has faded, sadly, although writers and academics still hail him as the last literary giant of his era. Maybe this fascinating, entertaining film will spark renewed interest in his writings.

4 out of 5 stars

BEST OF ENEMIES opens Friday, August 21, at the Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

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