Ok, back to work.
11/7/14 Rio 2, not yet nominated, 2014
I liked Rio, didn't love it, but I liked it. I didn't see a reason to make a sequel, but, clearly, there are no new ideas, so let's just make part 2, part 3, ad nauseum. Rio 2 picks up after the original with Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), a Spix's Macaw from Moose Lake, Minnesota, and his mate, Jewel (Anne Hathaway), living in a preserve in Brazil. After seeing a news report about other rare Spix's Macaws possibly existing in the forests around the Amazon River, Jewel thinks it would be great to take the family back to her home and experience the wild, to get away from TV, iPods and modern conveniences. Blu, who is used to comforts, is a little less sure, so unsure that he brings his GPS. The sequel brings some of the characters from the first film, but they seem little more than the pickle on the side of your deli sandwich, Rafael (George Lopez), a toucan; Pedro, a red-crested cardinal (will.i.am), Nico a yellow canary (Jamie Foxx). Probably my favorite character, also brought over from Rio is Nigel, a sulphur-crested cockatoo played by Jermaine Clement (part of Flight of the Conchords) who is the evil character in the animal kingdom, and he is surrounded by incompetence, including his friend, Gabi a poison dart frog (Kristin Chenoweth). The humans are populated by Linda, the woman who adopted Blu back in Minnesota, her husband, Tulio, who is an ornithologist on a mission to save endangered birds like the Spix's Macaw. Miguel Ferrer is the voice of Big Boss, who has no regard for the wildlife and is happy to send teams of loggers to clear the forests. Jewel and Blu (and their three children) find other Spix's Macaws and it turns out it Jewel's family. As she reconnects, Blu has to adjust to birds who are truly wild and don't understand his use of a fanny pack or reluctance to sleep in the trees, and Jewel's dad (Andy Garcia) thinks he's a ninny. As Blu tries to fit in, or at least get Jewel to go back to their comfy setting, the birds' habitat is threatened by Bog Boss; and Nigel tries to get revenge on Blu. There is a lot of singing throughout the movie (I suspect a song may be nominated for an Oscar), some funny moments, especially the climax scene, but I didn't think it was a great movie. It made a lot of money, and I saw some reviews when the movie came out that thought it was wonderful (so, possibly Best Animated Feature?). Eh. I am probably not the target demographic, so maybe you should take my opinion with a grain of salt. I borrowed it for free from my public library, so it didn't cost me anything other than 101 minutes on a Friday night (that's kind of sad, isn't it?). I think this would have been a good short, and I think something that followed the misadventures of Nigel and Gabi (or just Nigel) could be fun. Your kids might like it and you can read the paper and not miss a thing.
Oh writer's block, how I hate you. Sorry for the delay in completing this entry, but I am finding it very hard to complete the task at hand. I'm going to try now or I'll never get out of this hole.
11/9/14 The Lost Weekend, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, National Film Registry, 1945
The Lost Weekend won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, which is no small feat to be sure. The Lost Weekend tells the story of Don Birnham, a writer with a drinking problem and a long weekend where he feigns sobriety, falls into a deep abyss of alcohol, and then seems to beat the demons and gets back to writing. All in six days. When I look at some of the movies I've watched during this little project, I have been surprised that so many of the movies have such dark themes. I think most people think of the big MGM musicals or westerns. Or maybe that was just me. Anyway, that was just a thought I had. Ray Milland is Don Birnham and Jane Wyman is his suffering girlfriend Helen who tries to encourage Don to give up the booze and focus on his writing. Billy Wilder directed and co-wrote the screenplay which was based on a novel. I try to watch the movies without inflicting my 21st century framework on them, but sometimes it's hard. The treatment of alcoholics, and addicts in general, has definitely come a long way; we see Don in the Alcoholics Ward in a hospital and the methods seem archaic and almost barbaric; Don's fit of the DTs seems overwrought, but perhaps it was not. I still think Days of Wine and Roses with Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick is one of the best representations of the 'hook' of alcohol and its (sometimes) devastating affects, with no happy ending. The Lost Weekend is not one of my favorite Wilder films; it's recognized as a classic by its listing on the National Film Registry, but I don't know if it holds up over time.
An interesting bit of trivia: Miklos Rosza was nominated for Best Score but he lost...to HIMSELF for the score of Spellbound. Miklos had an affinity for the theramin, made popular by the Beach Boys and Star Trek.
Orange is the New Black, season 1, 2013
One of the reasons I got so behind in writing and watching movies is I got Orange is the New Black form the library, and since it had a list of holds, I couldn't renew it. So, I pushed through roughly 13 hours of television. I also wanted to watch it while the book was still fresh in my mind (yes, it was actually based on Piper Kerman's book). The series received a lot of press and hot reviews and I wanted to see if it was all true. And...I don't know. At first I really didn't think it was all that great and I found some of the characters annoying, not funny and not interesting, just annoying. Probably about midway through, I started to slowly change my opinion, but not totally, just for some characters. I've been trying to figure out how to explain, and I still don't know if I can. The first thing that I can point to is that there are a lot of things different between the series and the book. I understand, you have to create story arcs and broaden characters to expand possibilities in case the series is picked up for another season (it was). But, I liked the book and I thought Kerman told a good story, not just her story, but she shed light on some of her fellow inmates and what it's like in prison. Having said all of that, it took me a long time to warm up to the Piper character, like the last two episodes. She really serves as the conduit for the other stories. Two of my favorite characters (as well as many viewers, I think) are Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren. Uzo Aduba takes what could have been a one dimensional cartoon character and gives her a depth that made me want more of her storyline (granted this didn't really happen until half way through, but it was worth the wait). The other character is Sophia Burset, played by Laverne Cox; Sophia is a transitioning transgender female who is in prison for cred card fraud. Again, this could have been a stereotypical character that just pandered for easy jokes. While I admit I didn't fall in love with this series the way some have, I really loved the fact that there were so many diverse characters in one show; women of all colors, races, ethnicities, sizes played by women of different acting backgrounds: the esteemed Kate Mulgrew as 'Red', Annie Golden, 'Norma', who has had a singing career, acted on Broadway as well as in films; Lea DeLaria who plays 'Boo' who is better known in LGBT circles as a comedian; and the list goes on. So, I gave you a lot of background, but not a lot of the story. Basically, Piper (Taylor Schilling) is convicted of selling drugs and sent to federal prison; oh, by the way, she was named by her ex-girlfriend, Alex (played by Laura Prepon); Piper is dropped off at the prison by her boyfriend, Larry (Jason Biggs). The episodes follow Piper as she gets used to prison life, the mildly awkward bit of being in prison with her ex; and trying to keep her relationship with her boyfriend alive. Telling you anymore would spoil it. I am looking forward to Season 2 on DVD, but I still say you should read the book.
Captain America 2: Winter Soldier, not yet nominated, 2014
I already reviewed Captain America: 2 Winter Soldier after I saw it in the theater. But, I could not resist when the opportunity presented itself to watch it with my friends. And I could point out all the parts that featured Cleveland, or what I could pick out, anyway. I cannot wait until The Age of Ultron comes out in May. Avengers, assemble!
Karen Armstrong is a religion historian from England who has a way of taking 6,000 years of religious history and distilling it into something that almost anyone can digest. Her first book, A History of God, looks at the three monotheistic religions comparatively and in context. I have listened to her on different occasions, a few times on Kari Miller's show on Minnesota Public Radio, "Talking Volumes". When I heard she was coming to St. Paul to talk about her new book, I grabbed a ticket as soon as I could. I had a great seat in the orchestra section at the Fitzgerald Theatre (where I saw Mary Black at the end of October). It was an incredible evening. Armstrong discussed a little about her new book, Fields of Blood, which looks at the role of religion in wars, and takes on the idea that religious zealots are at the heart of these conflicts, when in fact, that may not be the most accurate portrayal. She also discussed Islam and gave some background and insight into Islam and how in many ways it has been corrupted to suit a political purpose. She also talked about the Charter of Compassion, which is a project Armstrong spearheaded after winning the TED prize in 2008. She spoke at length about compassion and how it is needed more these days. The recording will be available on MPR, and I will try to post the link when it's ready. About a year ago, I was fortunate to hear Temple Grandin for the same radio series. I feel very lucky to live in a metropolitan area where these types of events are available and embraced by the community. That sounds so touchy feely, but it's true. Now, if only progressive music had an audience here, I wouldn't have to go to Chicago or Milwaukee, but it's okay.
