Ford v Ferrari

Today I saw Ford v Ferrari, starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon.

Caroll Shelby (Damon) is a former race car driver who had to stop racing due to a heart condition. He has been tasked with helping the Ford motor company develop a new race car to beat Ferrari, who insulted them during acquisition negotiations.

Shelby accepts the challenge and brings his friend, British war veteran Ken Miles (Bale), who is an engineer and driver, along with him. The entire film centers around the building of this super-fast vehicle and the race that will determine certain victory for one of the rivals.

Chtristian Bale is predictably superb as a hot-headed, but good-at-heart racer who has a deep passion for his craft. Miles is also a family man who dearly loves his supportive wife Mollie (Catriona Balfe) and adoring son Peter (Noah Jupe).

Damon is predictably solid as Shelby, who wants to do right by his bosses, but usually personally agrees with Miles (though his behavior is sometimes wild).

The story makes the representatives of Ford very unlikeable, especially that of VP Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas), who, though based on the real man, is portrayed as a composite of every slimy corporate white-man-of-privilege any of us have had the displeasure of working with or for, and that's a bit much to take.

With few exceptions the order of events is followed faithfully to the climactic race that determines the winner. And the buildup to that is fun to watch, but the best parts of the film are the moments that examine the genuine friendship between Shelby and Miles and the genuine love between Miles and his family.

I enjoyed the film—mostly because of Bale's performance—but thought it could have been about an hour shorter.

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Dirty Dancing

Tonight I saw Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. And yes, it still holds up.

Why am I writing a review of it now, 20 years after its release? Well, that's why. Tonight (and last night) all over the country, there were limited screenings of the film in honor of its 20th Anniversary. And to be honest, I'm the type of geek these 'fan events' are made for. The minute I saw the trailer for it months ago, my nostalgia antennae went up and I knew I couldn't miss it.

I'm so glad I didn't.

For a Seattle crowd, the group was loud—but in a good way. The energy was high, the giggles were frequent and the men were, well, scarce.

It had a crowd-participation vibe from the moment the black and white screen flashed with "Be My Baby" playing in the background. Everyone whistled when Patrick Swayze first appeared and clapped at the end of the first (awkward) dance between Johnny and Baby.

No one talked during the dialogue; everyone bopped in their seats when a great dance number took place.

This is the kind of cinema camaraderie I live for.

But getting back to the movie—yes, it's cheesy, campy and all of the other anti-snobby words you could call it, but it's also a movie about Social Class. And Abortion. And True Love. And Creative Expression.

The characters are drawn with very bold strokes, but in this case, it's a welcome blatancy.

And although the movie takes place in the 60s, it's got a definite 80s vibe with tunes from Eric Carmen and the like, providing the romantic backdrop.

A few of the scenes (Johnny and Baby crawling toward one another lip syncing; Baby practicing her dance moves on the steps) really took me back to the age I was when this came out—12.

I distinctly remember knowing every important line, singing songs from the soundtrack at slumber parties, and having a serious crush on Mr. Swayze.

Good times.

And after 20 years, since I still feel like getting up in the aisle and dancing along with the characters throughout, it must be a good film.