By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
“Blinded by the Light” is a heartwarming, intergenerational dramedy about a Pakistani/British teen who falls in love with Bruce Springsteen’s music, Gurinder Chadha (“Bend It like Beckham”) delivers one of the last — and best — cinematic gifts of the summer.
Settling in the tiny, working-class town of Luton, Javed Khan’s (Viveik Kalra) family were among the first Pakistanis on the block, inciting anti-immigrant racism from National Front fascists that continues on a daily basis. And when Javed’s stern father (Kulvinder Ghir) loses his job in 1987, things only get worse.
One day, a Sikh pal (Aaron Phagura) gives him cassette tapes of “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” Suddenly, listening to Springsteen’s lyrics, Javed realizes he’s not alone in his confusion about identity, romance and yearning to escape. Basically, Javed’s world changes!
Javed yearns to be a writer but no one takes him seriously until, one day, in high school, an English teacher (Hayley Atwell) reads some of his work. That opens yet another door, one that leads him to Asbury Park, New Jersey, to visit the birthplace/home of The Boss.
Curiously, the concept is similar to “Yesterday”): both are set in England, rely on classic rock songs and introduce British-born Indian actors. But “Yesterday” was fantasy; “Blinded” is based on a true story.
Adapted from British/Pakistani journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s 2007 memoir “Greetings from Bury Park,” it’s adapted and directed by Gurinder Chadha who, along with her cowriting husband Paul Mayeda Berges, creates a character-driven, coming-of-age story about confronting family tradition. Sure, it’s oversimplified and cheesy, at times — but the emotional resonance remains.
Ms. Chadha received special permission from The Boss not only to use his songs throughout the film but also to feature “Jungleland” as National Front white supremacists march through Luton.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Blinded by the Light” is a thoroughly enjoyable 8, a jubilant tribute to the way pop songs can ignite our lives.
In “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” Guillermo del Toto (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) produces a socially conscious, surprisingly grim, ‘gateway horror’ anthology, geared toward younger viewers, connecting Alvin Schwartz’s tales, grotesquely illustrated by Stephen Grammell, revolving around six teenagers in 1968, just before Richard Nixon’s election.
It opens with Stella (Zoe Margaret Colletti) noting: “stories hurt and stories heal.”
On Halloween in the shadow of the Vietnam War and condemnation of fascism, a group of friends, led by aspiring writer Stella, whose mother abandoned her and her father, investigates a haunted house.
In the small town of Mill Valley, Pennsylvania, the Bellows family mansion casts a spooky shadow. It was there that young Sarah Bellows (Kathleen Pollard), now a vengeful ghost, turned her imprisoned life into a book of scary stories about memorable monsters that Stella and her friends discover.
There’s the newcomer, Ramon Morales (Michael Garza), often the target of Hispanic racism, plus Auggie (Gabriel Rush), Chuck (Austin Zajur) and Ruth (Natalie Ganzhorn).
Adapted by Dan and Kevin Hageman, the nightmarish episodes, directed by Norway’s Andres Ovredal, interweave lies with truth, as Sarah’s observes: “You don’t read the book. The book reads you.”
Like “The Red Spot,” in which a girl pops a pimple on her cheek, releasing hundreds of baby spiders that have incubated inside her. “The Pale Lady” featuring a fleshy figure with a smiling, misshapen face who relentless plods down a red-lit hallway. “Jangly Man,” who disassembles and reassembles while pursuing his prey. And the cockroach-oozing scarecrow “Harold,” taking revenge on his tormentor.
Andres Ovredal thinks the psychological legacy of Schwartz’s books can be found on Twitter: “On social media, things can be manipulated and propelled into stories that have no grounding to reality, but people believe them.”
On the Granger Gauge, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is a squirmy, insidious 7, like TV’s “Stranger Things,” encouraging youngsters to face their fears and learn from them.
Based on Garth Stein’s bestselling 2008 novel, “The Art of Racing in the Rain” is about a golden retriever named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) whose earnest owner, Denny Swift (Milo Ventimiglia), named him after Italian racing legend Enzo Ferrari. “I was meant to be his dog,” Enzo notes.
Set in Seattle, the tepid story opens as elderly Enzo is nearing death, so his esoteric reminiscences and erudite, philosophical observations are presented as flashbacks.
Denny’s goal is to achieve success as a race car driver; his particular skill is his ability to drive effectively and face adversity while racing in the rain.
Along the way, Denny meets and marries angelic Eve (Amanda Seyfried). “Denny was clearly taken with her grooming,” Enzo warily observes. “She probably bathed every day … I loathed the attention he lavished on her — with her opposable thumbs and plump butt.”
Eventually, of course, shaggy Enzo accepts Eve and becomes protective of their daughter Zoe (young Ryan Kiera Armstrong/teenage Lily Dodsworth-Evans). But there’s no love lost between Enzo and Eve’s wealthy, disapproving parents (Kathy Baker, Martin Donovan).
When he’s not in the car, Enzo loves to watch television with Denny, particularly a documentary about Mongolia where certain tribes believe that, if dogs learn everything they’re supposed to learn, they will be reincarnated as human beings.
Predictably adapted by Mark Bomback and leisurely directed by Simon Curtis, it’s contrived, veering toward overly melodramatic, not unlike “Marley & Me,” “A Dog’s Purpose” and “A Dog’s Life.”
Best known for TV’s “This Is Us,” Milo Ventimiglia acquits himself admirably on the big screen. His racing scenes were filmed at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the WeatherTec Championship Mobil 1 Sports car Grand Prix.
On the Granger Gauge, “The Art of Racing in the Rain” is a soapy, sentimental 6, resulting in a soggy handkerchief.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
