Reel Critics: ‘Amy’ is shattering portrait of brilliance

I didn’t know much about singer Amy Winehouse beyond the beehive and the eyeliner until her untimely death in 2011 at age 27. Thanks to the absorbing documentary “Amy,” I am now a fan, and the loss of such a talent feels shattering.

Filmmaker Asif Kapadia amassed a trove of revealing video footage and interviews with those who played a major role in her life, for better or for much worse.

The movie allows the audience to listen to Winehouse’s voice as a North London teenager. She was blessed with the strong, clear vocals of an old soul and the skills of a poet, she was happiest singing and writing her own songs.

Kapadia chronicled events in Winehouse’s life that were reflected in her songs, wisely captioning the lyrics to give us a deeper appreciation for what inspired her.

Winehouse said she wouldn’t know how to handle it if she became rich and famous and sadly that point is well made. From a toxic boyfriend who got her hooked on cocaine and heroin, to an estranged father who came back into her life to bask in her glory rather than look out for her health, to battles with depression and bulimia, it doesn’t seem like she ever had a chance.

But her music lives on. Toward the end, Winehouse was a star-struck girl again when idol Tony Bennett invited her to record a duet of “Body and Soul.” Her intuitive jazz styling and beautiful phrasing impressed the legendary singer, who rightly compared her talents to Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday.

As a fitting eulogy for this broken little songbird, Bennett said he wished he’d told her to “Slow down. Life teaches you really how to live it, if you can live long enough.”

—Susanne Perez

*

‘Minions’ is silly fun and nothing more

“Minions” is super-silly animated chaos with little redeeming social value. It centers on the Minions’ attendance at a villain convention to find a new despicable leader to serve.

They end up in London to steal the Crown Jewels of England on behalf of their new criminal boss: the malicious Scarlett Overkill. The absurd plot just organizes the hundred short slapstick scenes that make up the screenplay.

It’s preposterous, but brightly colored and zany with many sight gags and wild chases. The fast pace generates enough PG-level laughs to keep young kids engaged. Set in 1968, the classic rock sound track and cultural references offer something for the parents in the crowd. But any deeper meaning was not part of the storyboard for this film.

This movie really exists to serve the marketing needs of the “Despicable Me” franchise. The first two movies already earned more than $600 million, which guarantees many more “Minions” in the future. It doesn’t hurt that the simple oblong shape and lack of facial features make the dolls, T-shirts and related products easy to produce and sell.

—John Depko

JOHN DEPKO is a retired senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office. He lives in Costa Mesa and works as a licensed private investigator. SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a company in Irvine.