Blogger's Note: Good grief, I started this entry on Sunday and it is now Tuesday night. I'd like to think this means I'm being thoughtful, but I honestly can't say, I just want to apologize for the delay. Clearly, I'm not meeting my self-imposed deadlines.
It has been a busy week. Someone asked if I could do this for a living. I don't think so. Too stressful, and I don't think I could meet my deadlines. I may make my current deadline, which is February 22, Oscar Night, and I'm on pace to hit 95%.
1/17/15 Selma, nominated Best Picture, Best Song 2014
This review is being written last, even though it was the first film in this selection that I saw. I wanted to be thoughtful, maybe thought-provoking. The truth is, I loved the movie. I have been interested in the Civil Rights movement for a very long time, and the Civil Rights movement within the context of everything else that was happening in the 1960s: Vietnam, assassinations of American leaders (the Kennedys, King, Malcolm X and others). I don't usually cry in movies (this has been documented), but I started to cry pretty early on and didn't stop (it wasn't a weepfest, but it was very emotional). The movie focuses on Martin Luther King, Jr., the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Council) and the voting rights movement in the South, specifically in Alabama. David Oyelowo is Martin Luther King, Jr., Tom Wilkinson is Lyndon B. Johnson; they are the leads in this very deep and talented cast. The pivotal event in the film is the march from Selma to Montgomery (capital of Alabama) to protest the multitude of voting restrictions for African Americans at the time (if you do not get absolutely spitting angry when Oprah Winfrey's character Annie Lee Cooper is denied her right to vote after answering the registrar's questions, then you're just not paying attention). The early part of the movie lays the background for the necessity of the march (the denial of Annie Lee Cooper's right to vote is part of that); the background is important, especially if the viewer is not really familiar with the Civil Rights movement. It also gives us an opportunity to see some of the dynamics within the SCLC and the conflict between the SCLC and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The idea of the march was to be nonviolent and peaceful, but the state troopers (sent by Governor George Wallace, played by Tim Roth) and the county sheriff had other ideas. Unfortunately for them, the violence was captured on television (this is before cable and the 24 hours news cycle) and shared around the country and world. Of course, there is a lot that happens between the opening scenes and the march, including visits to the White House by King, a conversation between Malcolm X and Coretta Scott King, and other events. I never felt overwhelmed by the information, and even though the movie was long in duration (two hours), I could have sat there a while longer. Director Ava DuVernay does a great job at pacing the movie and captures the crowd/action scenes with a visceral quality. There are a couple of original songs in the film and "Glory" by John Legend and Common is one of them, and it is nominated for Best Song. The movie (it is a movie) conveys the events of the time, the emotion of people fighting for their rights, does not shy away from the allegations of King's infidelities (which it could/would if it was a whitewashing of his legacy, and I don't think it is at all) or the conflicts within the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. Is it 100% accurate as might be told in a monograph on the subject? No, somethings are done for a dramatic purpose; Maureen Dowd wrote an article taking issue with LBJ's position in the movie on Civil Rights versus his position in real life; in real life LBJ was more sympathetic than portrayed in the movie (her article is worth reading because it gives food for thought). My own opinion on this is King had to have a place to voice his thoughts, desires for action, the frustration he and others were feeling; I think it was important to have that dialog with a white man. Who would that white man be? Wallace, a racist? He wouldn't have let King go off like he did. The county sheriff? That wouldn't have the impact. He needed to have this conversation with the most powerful man in the free world and that would be LBJ. That's just my opinion of how I understand moving a story along. This wasn't a documentary, just like Glory or Mississippi Burning or Pearl Harbor were not documentaries. They are movies. They tell part of a story that may be 100% true and other parts are contrived. As a history major, I think it's important to get movies like this (well-told, well acted, thought provoking) out there and have discussions like Dowd and others have provoked. I mean, if a movie is totally inaccurate, that's a different story. But if you can get kids (or even grown ups) to watch a movie like this or Schindler's List, then you can have discussions that go further, read historical books about the topic. Some people hate history because it's so dry and boring (WHAT?), but if you can humanize it, and if Selma does anything it humanizes the people of the movement, Annie Lee Cooper, Cager Lee, John Lewis, and the others. The Civil Rights Movement precluded the Women's Rights Movement of the 1970s and the Gay Rights Movement in the late 1980s through today. We stand on the shoulders of those men and women, black and white, and we should not forget that.
1/17/15 Gone Girl, nominated Best Actress 2014
I do not even know where to start with Gone Girl but I'll try. I am not one of the many people who read the book and I intentionally did not read any of the reviews because I knew I would see it at some point, especially after hearing such great reviews of Rosamund Pike's performance. Rosamund Pike plays Amy Dunne, the inspiration for her parents' best-selling books featuring "Amazing Amy"; Amy is married to Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), who writes for a magazine, until he gets laid off. Early in the movie, we are led to believe that something awful has befallen Amy, and perhaps Nick is responsible. The movie is not a straight narrative, going from point A to point B; it's told from different perspectives and uses flashbacks. I would suggest paying attention (on occasion, I have been known to multi-task, but I can focus when necessary). I don't want to give anything away in case you haven't seen it because the suspense is imperative to the success of the movie, I think. For the first 45 minutes or so of the movie, I thought Pike was good, but not nomination worthy, and then about an hour into it, she flipped a switch. Wow. I was not expecting any of what happened next. She totally transformed, and was amazing. Between the actual story and the musical score (by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, which surprisingly was not nominated for an Oscar), I was a little freaked out and not sure how I was going to sleep that night. Even being a little wigged out, I still liked the movie, I thought it really kept you on your feet. I think The Best Actress category is a pretty tough one, having now seen three of the five movies, I really don't have an inkling. Now that I've seen the movie, I don't plan on reading the book (sorry Rach).
1/19/15 The Last Days, Best Documentary, 1998
The Last Days is a documentary focusing on five survivors of the Holocaust; all five survivors were from Hungary. They were all kids when they were sent to the camps and at the time of the documentary were in their 60s or 70s. They begin by telling their stories of growing up in their villages or town and how they (almost all of them) felt their Hungarian nationality was primary and their Jewishness was just a small part of who they were. In fact, when they started to hear stories from Polish or Czech refugees about what was happening in their hometowns, the Hungarian Jews were convinced that could not happen to them. Unfortunately, fascism reared its head in a most forceful way in the form of the Arrow Cross Party; the Arrow Cross were responsible for deporting and killing Jews. Raoul Wallenberg of Sweden saved many Hungarian Jews by giving them fake passports. The survivors provide vivid and detailed descriptions of their deportations and the intake process into the camps, how in some cases they were separated from their family members. All of the survivors in the movie go back to Hungary, some of them go back to the sites of their camps with their adult children; they meet their old neighbors. Returning to Hungary and the camps seems to give some 'closure' (not the best word) to survivors; in fact, a couple of them say they never need to come back. Documentaries like The Last Days are hard to watch and they should be, but they should also be watched, especially considering the rise of anti-Semitism and the continued existence of Holocaust deniers. The documentation of Holocaust survivors has been a singular goal of Steven Spielberg as part of the USC Shoah Foundation - The Institute for Visual History and Education.
Wild - The book by Cheryl Strayed was the basis for the 2014 movie with Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl (in an Oscar nominated role). I think it's a coin toss when you have a book that's made into a movie, sometimes I read the book first, sometimes I see the movie, sometimes I don't read the book. In this case, I probably would not have read the book had I not seen the movie and really enjoyed it and been moved by Cheryl's story. I found them complimentary to one another, not one better than the other. I loved the movie for the incredible scenery and because Witherspoon gave a voice and embodiment of Cheryl, and also, Laura Dern gave Cheryl's mother Bobbi a voice as well. For me, because I saw the movie first, this helped me when I read the book to have a visual in my head. The book is more raw and has more details than the movie, because I think that's the beauty of a book. Bobbi's sudden illness and death were almost more palpable to me in the book than the film, and in fact, I was not sure I was going to get through the first chapter. But, as a friend of mine told me, the payoff was well worth the tears in the first 50 pages or so. Obviously, the book (or any other book like Foxcatcher or Unbroken (which I'm reading now) will have more information, and movies compress events and often make composite characters to facilitate the film, but in this case, I don't think it hurts the movie, and you can find the depth in the book.
1/24/15 Ida, nominated for Best Foreign Film, Poland, Best Cinematography 2014
I kind of feel bad, but I didn't like this movie, even though I wanted to, and you would think it would be right up my alley. The movie ended and I said something like "What a f*&()*) awful movie" or words to that effect. Ida is set in post World War II Poland, early 1960s, and we first meet Ida in a convent where she is preparing to take her vows as a nun. That is until the prioress tells Ida that they have finally heard from her one living relative, an aunt, and Ida is encouraged, nay told, to go and meet her. At first I thought the aunt was a prostitute, but apparently she was not, she was a judge. Aunt Wanda is not one for sentimentality, and blurts out that Ida is Jewish. After a false start, the two start out on a quest to locate the bodies of Ida's parents, which takes Ida back to the village where she was born. Wanda was very closely associated with the Stalinist regime and seemed possessed by a deep melancholia or something which keeps her in between cynicism and morbidness. The movie is full of long silences and pauses, which normally don't bother me, but here it just seemed annoying. It is a beautiful film, the black, white and grays are very powerful, but otherwise, I could have cared less, about Ida or her aunt (I might have been more interested in a movie about Wanda and the complexities of her life, which were based on a real person). It seemed to me that the idea that Ida was Jewish was just a gimmick. The only blessing is the movie was less than 90 minutes.
1/24/15 Gary Louris, Northfield Arts Guild
In September, I had the opportunity to indulge my recent love of the Jayhawks at the First Avenue in Minneapolis. I'd been waiting ever since for a solo date by Gary Louris, lead singer and main writer for the band. Of course, it would be in January in Northfield, MN (read: country), but it was on a Saturday night, and as luck would have it, the East Coast was getting all of our snow. So, I headed down the road, it's really not that far. A very good friend of mine is from Northfield and told me the venue was small. I had no idea how small "small" was until I got there. The seating capacity might have been 100, tops and I was in the very last row and it was still one of the best seats I've had at a concert. I did feel like some outsider, since I think almost everyone in the theater was from Northfield or Rice County at large. Terry Vanderwalker opened; Terry is a local guy, and I was actually sitting next to his wife, and is (was?) in a band called The Big Wu which is known around Minnesota. Then Gary Louris came on and played a few Jayhawks songs and then brought out Kraig Johnson, also of the Jayhawks, to play guitar and sing. You could tell these guys have known each other a long time, and they also just got back from a West Coast trip, so they seemed a little loopy (in a good way); they had great banter with each other and the audience. There were Jayhawks songs, songs Gary wrote with other people, including the Dixie Chicks and stuff from his own solo material. It was a fun night at the Northfield Arts Guild.
1/25/15 Whiplash, nominated Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, 2014
This movie was intense, not intense in the way Selma or Gone Girl were intense, maybe percussive is a better way to describe it, especially since the drums are another character in the story. Andrew (Miles Teller) is a first year student at the most prestigious music conservatory in the country, and he aspires to join the elite jazz band led by the sadistic Terence Fletcher (Oscar nominated J.K. Simmons). Andrew gets his chance, but that doesn't mean things get any easier for him, and the minute he shows any flash of confidence or heaven forbid, bravura, Fletcher knocks him down. It's nothing personal, Fletcher is pretty brutal to everyone. Andrew is driven and instead of being discouraged, he practices harder, much to his father's chagrin (his dad is played by Paul Reiser). As a viewer, you learn pretty quickly not to get too comfortable with Andrew's successes, and you kind of hold your breath, waiting for something else to happen. There comes a point near the end of the movie where Andrew has the chance to walk away from Fletcher, move on, take a different path, and he does not; I began to think that Fletcher may have been a sadist, but Andrew was pretty close to a masochist, and maybe they belong together. If you remember J.K. Simmons from his role as J.J. Jamison from the Toby McGuire Spiderman franchise, you are very well aware that he can be blusterous, and in Whiplash he takes it up a notch, but yet is a little more restrained; you knew J.J. was just blowing off steam and he would never really do anything, but with Fletcher, you're not sure. I liked the movie, I don't know if I loved it, but J.K. Simmons is powerful and he would be vote for Best Supporting Actor with Edward Norton. The characters that they play impacted and informed what the main characters did. I'm not a big band/jazz enthusiast, so I have no idea if the music was spot on in the genre, but I liked a couple of the songs/pieces and may get some Buddy Rich or Charlie Parker from the library.
1/25/15 Finding Vivian Maier, nominated Best Documentary Feature, 2014
Everyone likes a good mystery, including the Academy (Searching for Sugarman from a couple of years ago), so I was going to see this whether or not it was nominated. John Maloof was looking for photographs of Chicago for a project he was working on, so he bought a box of photos from an auction. What he found led him to buy more boxes of photos, negatives and film, all by a nanny named Vivian Maier who died in 2009, not leaving any documentation or narrative other than her photos and bits of receipts and bric a brac, and a small group of former employers. Maloof becomes obsessed with learning more about Vivian, even tracing her family in the French Alps. Vivian comes across as a complex person, not quite the Mary Poppins-type. The photographs are captivating and very good, and several professional photographers opine that she may have become quite well-known had she ever published her work or gave an exhibit. I enjoyed the film and would be interested in a book or exhibit of her photographs, but something in the documentary didn't quite fill me with the joy, passion, anger or whatever strong emotion I like to get from a documentary. I think it was because we never 'find' Vivian the way we 'found' Sugarman; we could enjoy Rodriguez's resurgence with him in a way we cannot with Vivian. I'm guessing based on past documentary winners this may lose out to the documentary on Edward Snowden (Citizenfour) or the documentary on the Vietnam War.
A movie classic: 2001: A Space Odyssey and some new movies from 2014 - Snowpiercer, Pride, Skeleton Twins
Sometimes I think I'm onto a great idea and other times, I just get points for trying. In this case, I thought I would be able to knock a few off of the 2014 list (which was released on 1/15/15) and also clear some off of the big list. Alas, only two come off the list, BUT, and this is a big BUT for me, there were a couple of fabulous movies that I hope you check out.
1/8/15 Of Human Bondage 1934
This was probably the most disappointing of all of the movies in this selection. First, for some reason I was certain it was on the list, only to find out that Bette Davis was nominated for the Best Actress award, but did not win, and the film did not win anything at the Oscars. Second, the movie was really not that great. It was based on the book by Somerset Maugham, which I have not read, and now have no plans to do so. It was dreary and annoying, kind of like our modern-day soap operas with the weak-willed man who is a sucker for the manipulating woman (sorry if that's too simple of an analysis). I really lost interest about 45 minutes into it. The saving grace is it was a relatively short film. This was Bette Davis' break out role, and it was definitely a tough role, but Leslie Howard in the lead was milque toast. A basic synopsis is Leslie Howard plays a failed artist with a club foot; he then tries his hand at medicine, but he falls in love with a waitress, Mildred, (Bette Davis) who is happy to use him, but doesn't really return his affections. And this is how the movie continues until Mildred dies a rather horrible death. I would recommend skipping this.
1/9/15 Snowpiercer not nominated 2014
I really am not a huge science fiction fan, especially of the dystopic sub-genre, it just doesn't usually interest me. However, I read an online interview with Tilda Swinton who co-stars in Snowpiercer by Korean director, Bong Joon-Ho, and it sounded really interesting and the author supposed that the film might be nominated for an Oscar or two. So, trying to get ahead of the nominations, I thought I would watch. What a treat. Seriously. It leans towards being very dark and serious, but then something will happen that will be humorous. The movie is set in the mid-21st century, so not too far in the future, and the has been devastating climate change - the world is frozen over. Survivors are on a train circling the Earth (now in its 18th year), with the passengers divided into classes, the lower classes are in the back of the train and eat a very gross protein bar, while the upper class eat meat and eggs and experience daylight. The train is driven and guided by a man who is unseen until the end of the film, Wilford (played by Ed Harris). His right hand man (or woman) is Minister Mason (Tilda Swinton); I say man or woman because Mason is addressed as "Sir" and is almost androgynous; in fact, Swinton is almost unrecognizable, looking a little like Edith Head or the character from The Incredibles and she provides some of the best humor at the worst possible times. I really think she should have received a Supporting Actress nod. The leader of the people in the tail section is John Hurt as Gilliam, but he is ready to pass on the reigns to Curtis (Captain America Chris Evans). Curtis is a reluctant leader, he wants change, but not the responsibility of leading the section in revolt that will get people killed. Circumstances come together to push Curtis to the front, to confront the demons from the past and deal with a future he cannot comprehend. There is a lot that happens, and I don't want to spoil it as it unfolds. It's a movie I would watch again because I'm sure I missed things, especially when the movie got going. Octavia Spencer, Jamie Bell and Ewen Bremner also co-star. Evans and Song Kang-ho (a Korean actor) really feature, and Evans is good, more emotive than his Captain America role, but also controlled. The movie has tension and some plot twists, interesting effects. This is probably not on anyone's radar, but it was at my library and I saw it on Netflix, so it's out there. Go get it.
1/10/15 Skeleton Twins not nominated 2014
I didn't really think this would be nominated , but when I saw the previews, I thought it was going to be pretty funny, and it came up from the library, so I grabbed it. It's funny, but it's not pee your pants funny. The funny is tempered by the serious and sad nature of the relationship between Maggie and Milo, twins played by Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. And I think that's fine, it just wasn't what I was expecting. Maggie and Milo have been separated for many years and still carry around unresolved feelings about their father's suicide, and have a distant relationship with their mother. Maggie is married to a seemingly great guy (Luke Wilson) but cheats on him with apparent regularity; and Milo is gay and a struggling actor in California. After a failed suicide attempt, Maggie brings Milo back home to New York state, and they reconnect, but it's not easy. Some of the funny moments are when Milo visits Maggie at the dentist officer where she works and they inhale quite a bit of nitrous; they also lip-synch to a Jefferson Starship song (and the name escapes me at the moment), and that was pretty funny. Like I said, it wasn't a side-splitting movie, but that's okay. Hader and Wiig are really funny; I'm a latecomer to appreciating Hader because I was not a loyal Saturday Night Live viewer, but I usually liked the sketches he was in (arg, I hate ending sentences with a preposition).
1/10/15 The Equalizer not nominated 2014
Again, this was not going to be nominated for any major awards, but you never know on the technical side, especially sound editing. And really, it's Denzel Washington, so I don't need to justify anything here. The Equalizer is a movie based on the television series from the 1980s starring Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a retired agent of a government agency. Washington plays McCall in the film. I never watched the series, so I didn't have any preconceived ideas of how it should be. McCall works in a Home Depot-type store and is a friend or mentor to a lot of the workers, even though he kind of keeps to himself. He's kind of Yoda-like, inspiring an overweight co-worker to work out and diet to get enough to apply for a security guard job. McCall has long given up his pat life, but he cannot help himself when he sees friends in trouble; we some of his retribution, but some we don't, leaving us to fill in the blanks (it's not hard, but it was nice that director Antoine Fuqua let us figure it out on our own). McCall is a well-read, type A insomniac who keeps late hours at a 24 hour diner where he befriends a young girl, Teri, in the escort business (played by Chloe Grace Moretz). After Teri gets beaten by her employers, McCall takes matters into his own hands, using past connections from his agency to get the lowdown on the bad guys. Whereas I don't usually watch science fiction, movies like this catch my attention (witness my willingness to watch Taken 2 and November Man), so I enjoyed it. It had a lot of action and great acting by Washington, and left the distinct possibility for a sequel, although Washington has historically avoided any sequels. I kind of thought it might be nominated for sound editing, but it was not to be. If you're looking for a movie to hunker down with during the winter, this would not be a bad choice.
1/10/15 Million Dollar Arm not nominated, 2014
I didn't really think that Million Dollar Arm, an inspired by the true story film by Disney would be nominated for an Oscar, although I thought there was an outside chance the the soundtrack/score by A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours among many of his scores) would be nominated, and from I can learn from Wikipedia, it was on the long list. Million Dollar Arm is about sports agent J.B. Bernstein (Jon Hamm) who is struggling to get his own business up and running and his crazy scheme to go to India, focusing on cricket players to find a pitcher for major league baseball. His P.T. Barnum approach takes him (and us) around India, including to Agra, the site of the Taj Mahal, at sunrise, and to Indian villages. Bernstein, with the help of scout, Ray Pointevint (the irascible Alan Arkin) picks two boys to come back to the States, hopefully getting tryouts with Major League scouts. Dinesh and Rinku, and translator/comrade Amit are overwhelmed by the amenities and modern conveniences they experience, and kind of dumped by Bernstein, who doesn't consider that he has uprooted these young men and abandoned them. Coach Tom House (Bill Paxton) is willing to work the boys who have unconventional forms and no understanding of baseball whatsoever; House tries to engage Bernstein a little more, but it takes Brenda (Lake Bell), his tenant and potential love interest, to really hammer it home. I'm a fan of sports movies and travel, so this was a nice combination. Having been to India and having friends who live there, I was interested in how things would be portrayed. I think they did a good job of showing the color and variety of the country, as well as the openness of the people. I thought the movie was a little long, and I was turned off by Bernstein, but I liked the young actors who played Dinesh, Rinku and Amit (Madhur Mittal, Suraj Sharma and Pitobash Tripathy) added a great sense of naivete but adventurousness that made them fun to watch. I doubt my friends in Hyderabad watched this, we talked many times about movies and their tastes ran towards action films, but maybe they'll give this a try.
1/8/15 Of Human Bondage 1934
This was probably the most disappointing of all of the movies in this selection. First, for some reason I was certain it was on the list, only to find out that Bette Davis was nominated for the Best Actress award, but did not win, and the film did not win anything at the Oscars. Second, the movie was really not that great. It was based on the book by Somerset Maugham, which I have not read, and now have no plans to do so. It was dreary and annoying, kind of like our modern-day soap operas with the weak-willed man who is a sucker for the manipulating woman (sorry if that's too simple of an analysis). I really lost interest about 45 minutes into it. The saving grace is it was a relatively short film. This was Bette Davis' break out role, and it was definitely a tough role, but Leslie Howard in the lead was milque toast. A basic synopsis is Leslie Howard plays a failed artist with a club foot; he then tries his hand at medicine, but he falls in love with a waitress, Mildred, (Bette Davis) who is happy to use him, but doesn't really return his affections. And this is how the movie continues until Mildred dies a rather horrible death. I would recommend skipping this.
1/9/15 Snowpiercer not nominated 2014
I really am not a huge science fiction fan, especially of the dystopic sub-genre, it just doesn't usually interest me. However, I read an online interview with Tilda Swinton who co-stars in Snowpiercer by Korean director, Bong Joon-Ho, and it sounded really interesting and the author supposed that the film might be nominated for an Oscar or two. So, trying to get ahead of the nominations, I thought I would watch. What a treat. Seriously. It leans towards being very dark and serious, but then something will happen that will be humorous. The movie is set in the mid-21st century, so not too far in the future, and the has been devastating climate change - the world is frozen over. Survivors are on a train circling the Earth (now in its 18th year), with the passengers divided into classes, the lower classes are in the back of the train and eat a very gross protein bar, while the upper class eat meat and eggs and experience daylight. The train is driven and guided by a man who is unseen until the end of the film, Wilford (played by Ed Harris). His right hand man (or woman) is Minister Mason (Tilda Swinton); I say man or woman because Mason is addressed as "Sir" and is almost androgynous; in fact, Swinton is almost unrecognizable, looking a little like Edith Head or the character from The Incredibles and she provides some of the best humor at the worst possible times. I really think she should have received a Supporting Actress nod. The leader of the people in the tail section is John Hurt as Gilliam, but he is ready to pass on the reigns to Curtis (Captain America Chris Evans). Curtis is a reluctant leader, he wants change, but not the responsibility of leading the section in revolt that will get people killed. Circumstances come together to push Curtis to the front, to confront the demons from the past and deal with a future he cannot comprehend. There is a lot that happens, and I don't want to spoil it as it unfolds. It's a movie I would watch again because I'm sure I missed things, especially when the movie got going. Octavia Spencer, Jamie Bell and Ewen Bremner also co-star. Evans and Song Kang-ho (a Korean actor) really feature, and Evans is good, more emotive than his Captain America role, but also controlled. The movie has tension and some plot twists, interesting effects. This is probably not on anyone's radar, but it was at my library and I saw it on Netflix, so it's out there. Go get it.
1/10/15 Skeleton Twins not nominated 2014
I didn't really think this would be nominated , but when I saw the previews, I thought it was going to be pretty funny, and it came up from the library, so I grabbed it. It's funny, but it's not pee your pants funny. The funny is tempered by the serious and sad nature of the relationship between Maggie and Milo, twins played by Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. And I think that's fine, it just wasn't what I was expecting. Maggie and Milo have been separated for many years and still carry around unresolved feelings about their father's suicide, and have a distant relationship with their mother. Maggie is married to a seemingly great guy (Luke Wilson) but cheats on him with apparent regularity; and Milo is gay and a struggling actor in California. After a failed suicide attempt, Maggie brings Milo back home to New York state, and they reconnect, but it's not easy. Some of the funny moments are when Milo visits Maggie at the dentist officer where she works and they inhale quite a bit of nitrous; they also lip-synch to a Jefferson Starship song (and the name escapes me at the moment), and that was pretty funny. Like I said, it wasn't a side-splitting movie, but that's okay. Hader and Wiig are really funny; I'm a latecomer to appreciating Hader because I was not a loyal Saturday Night Live viewer, but I usually liked the sketches he was in (arg, I hate ending sentences with a preposition).
1/10/15 The Equalizer not nominated 2014
Again, this was not going to be nominated for any major awards, but you never know on the technical side, especially sound editing. And really, it's Denzel Washington, so I don't need to justify anything here. The Equalizer is a movie based on the television series from the 1980s starring Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a retired agent of a government agency. Washington plays McCall in the film. I never watched the series, so I didn't have any preconceived ideas of how it should be. McCall works in a Home Depot-type store and is a friend or mentor to a lot of the workers, even though he kind of keeps to himself. He's kind of Yoda-like, inspiring an overweight co-worker to work out and diet to get enough to apply for a security guard job. McCall has long given up his pat life, but he cannot help himself when he sees friends in trouble; we some of his retribution, but some we don't, leaving us to fill in the blanks (it's not hard, but it was nice that director Antoine Fuqua let us figure it out on our own). McCall is a well-read, type A insomniac who keeps late hours at a 24 hour diner where he befriends a young girl, Teri, in the escort business (played by Chloe Grace Moretz). After Teri gets beaten by her employers, McCall takes matters into his own hands, using past connections from his agency to get the lowdown on the bad guys. Whereas I don't usually watch science fiction, movies like this catch my attention (witness my willingness to watch Taken 2 and November Man), so I enjoyed it. It had a lot of action and great acting by Washington, and left the distinct possibility for a sequel, although Washington has historically avoided any sequels. I kind of thought it might be nominated for sound editing, but it was not to be. If you're looking for a movie to hunker down with during the winter, this would not be a bad choice.
1/10/15 Million Dollar Arm not nominated, 2014
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| On the road to Agra |
1/11/15 Calamity Jane, Best Original Song, 1953
WARNING: Leave your late 20th/early 21st century sensibilities in the closet or you risk being offended by the politically incorrect portrayal and references to American Indians and women as well. If you can do that, I think you might enjoy this 1950s musical about Calamity Jane, portrayed by the legendary Doris Day. Calamity Jane is set in Deadwood, South Dakota, in the late 1800s. The plot revolves around the tale-telling, gun-toting Calamity Jane and her promise to the mostly male population of Deadwood that she would bring famed entertainer Adelaid Adams to Deadwood. Instead, she brings Katie Brown, Miss Adams' maid, who has aspirations of being on the stage. After overcoming the initial disappointment of Katie not being Miss Adams, she is embraced by the town, and she also forms an unlikely friendship with the tomboyish Jane. Jane has a love/hate relationship with Wild Bill Hickock (Howard Keel), but has designs on Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin. As these types of plots usually goes, there are crossed wires and hurt feelings, but they are overcome with song. The movie doesn't tax your brain, has some rollicking songs ("The Deadwood Stage Whip Crack Away", "A Woman's Touch" and Oscar-winning "Secret Love") and Doris Day. I don't think today's audiences, myself included, really appreciate the kind of talent Doris Day had, and I've only had a little taste in The Man Who Knew Too Much, but she is really amazing, and I look forward to watching a few more of her films. After recently watching Hello Dolly! and feeling my attention wane, I didn't feel the same way watching Calamity Jane; it wasn't as lush (if that's it) and didn't have the dance numbers, but I liked it more (being PC aside).
1/11/15 2001: A Space Odyssey, Best Visual Effects, 1968, #15 AFI, National Film Registry
I am not quite sure how to review this iconic film, I mean it is on the American Film Institute's list of 100 best films, it was put on the National Film Registry as a film of historic significance, it has references that most people know, even if they have never seen the film. I feel like I should have seen this movie at some point in my younger days, that my dad would have inflicted it on me, I'm certain he read the book by Arthur C. Clarke, but I have no complete memory of it. Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is set in the future (it seems very odd to say future given that 2001 is in our rearview mirror), and is complete with space travel and gadgets of the future. The movie does not have a traditional narrative, and as I was watching it, I was reminded of The Tree of Life a Terrence Malick film from 2011 which I hated, and yet, I didn't hate this move at all. Once I released my brain from trying to follow the story and just enjoyed the visual immensity and the aural festival, I really liked it. There is very little dialog, and really none of it matters except for the last 45 minutes or so (the movie is close to three hours) when HAL (the supercomputer) is confronted by the astronauts, Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood). This is one of the most beautiful films I think I have seen, incredible visuals (deserving of the Best Visual Effects Oscar), and the music is wonderfully apropos; I'm sure Richard Strauss never imagined how is waltzes would be used. There is an extremely long and detailed article on Wikipedia about the movie, its influences, etc. and you would be better off reading that for more information, because I am not up to the task. The movie may not be everyone's cup of tea and its length may be off-putting, but the section with HAL is well worth it. For those of us who periodically think computers are running the world, HAL does nothing to change that point of view.
1/14/15 Pride not nominated 2014
Pride is set in 1980s, Thatcher England and Wales among coalfields and the gay rights movement. Huh? Yeah, exactly. What an unlikely combination, but it works and works incredibly well. Pride was nominated for a Golden Globe and for a couple of BAFTA awards but not a single Oscar (although this year's Oscars may be more remembered for the many movies it snubbed than what was nominated). Until today when I saw Selma (review to come soon), I don't recall crying so much during a movie. As I was driving back from Selma, I was thinking about this, and it kind of made sense, two movies that had a spirit and showed the power of what people can do together. Pride focuses on a group of gay and lesbian young people in London, led by Mark Ashton, who decide to support the coal miners during their strike in 1984. The problem lies in the fact that most of the unions don't want to take support from the gay community, so the group, now called LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) picks a community and union to give their support. They find a small town in South Wales and begin to forge the most unlikely of alliances. For a pretty serious situation that includes a lot of hate and bigotry, the film handles it with humor (or humour since it's a British film) and affection. Dominic West (from HBO's The Wire) leads the cast of gay and lesbian activists as Jonathan Blake; the remainder of the actors may are relatively unknown in the US. The Welsh community is led by Dai Donovan (Paddy Considine), Hefina (Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake, Harry Potter, Nanny McPhee among others), Cliff (Bill Nighy - Love Actually, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). Ben Schnetzer plays Mark Ashton, the leader of LGSM, who brings an incredible enthusiasm and passion and a refusal to take no for an answer (mostly); I have not seen Schnetzer in anything before, but he was a dynamo and he must have been magnetic to be around, and probably frustrating because he was like a bull sometimes. It's important to remember the place in time that this movie occupies, decades removed from gay marriage and the openness we see from artists (Elton John had not yet come out), but in the early days of the AIDS epidemic; also the movie is based on real events and real people, some of whom are still alive, which made it more powerful to me. I was so excited about this movie that I emailed a friend of mine the next day, I thought a text late at night might be overdoing it, to tell him about it. I don't buy movies, but I will probably buy this one. Some people may be uncomfortable with the overt gay theme, but when you see middle-aged Welsh miners embrace 'the gays' as they are called, how can you be uncomfortable? It's a great lesson in tolerance and acceptance, from both sides.
WARNING: Leave your late 20th/early 21st century sensibilities in the closet or you risk being offended by the politically incorrect portrayal and references to American Indians and women as well. If you can do that, I think you might enjoy this 1950s musical about Calamity Jane, portrayed by the legendary Doris Day. Calamity Jane is set in Deadwood, South Dakota, in the late 1800s. The plot revolves around the tale-telling, gun-toting Calamity Jane and her promise to the mostly male population of Deadwood that she would bring famed entertainer Adelaid Adams to Deadwood. Instead, she brings Katie Brown, Miss Adams' maid, who has aspirations of being on the stage. After overcoming the initial disappointment of Katie not being Miss Adams, she is embraced by the town, and she also forms an unlikely friendship with the tomboyish Jane. Jane has a love/hate relationship with Wild Bill Hickock (Howard Keel), but has designs on Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin. As these types of plots usually goes, there are crossed wires and hurt feelings, but they are overcome with song. The movie doesn't tax your brain, has some rollicking songs ("The Deadwood Stage Whip Crack Away", "A Woman's Touch" and Oscar-winning "Secret Love") and Doris Day. I don't think today's audiences, myself included, really appreciate the kind of talent Doris Day had, and I've only had a little taste in The Man Who Knew Too Much, but she is really amazing, and I look forward to watching a few more of her films. After recently watching Hello Dolly! and feeling my attention wane, I didn't feel the same way watching Calamity Jane; it wasn't as lush (if that's it) and didn't have the dance numbers, but I liked it more (being PC aside).
1/11/15 2001: A Space Odyssey, Best Visual Effects, 1968, #15 AFI, National Film Registry
I am not quite sure how to review this iconic film, I mean it is on the American Film Institute's list of 100 best films, it was put on the National Film Registry as a film of historic significance, it has references that most people know, even if they have never seen the film. I feel like I should have seen this movie at some point in my younger days, that my dad would have inflicted it on me, I'm certain he read the book by Arthur C. Clarke, but I have no complete memory of it. Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is set in the future (it seems very odd to say future given that 2001 is in our rearview mirror), and is complete with space travel and gadgets of the future. The movie does not have a traditional narrative, and as I was watching it, I was reminded of The Tree of Life a Terrence Malick film from 2011 which I hated, and yet, I didn't hate this move at all. Once I released my brain from trying to follow the story and just enjoyed the visual immensity and the aural festival, I really liked it. There is very little dialog, and really none of it matters except for the last 45 minutes or so (the movie is close to three hours) when HAL (the supercomputer) is confronted by the astronauts, Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood). This is one of the most beautiful films I think I have seen, incredible visuals (deserving of the Best Visual Effects Oscar), and the music is wonderfully apropos; I'm sure Richard Strauss never imagined how is waltzes would be used. There is an extremely long and detailed article on Wikipedia about the movie, its influences, etc. and you would be better off reading that for more information, because I am not up to the task. The movie may not be everyone's cup of tea and its length may be off-putting, but the section with HAL is well worth it. For those of us who periodically think computers are running the world, HAL does nothing to change that point of view.
1/14/15 Pride not nominated 2014
Pride is set in 1980s, Thatcher England and Wales among coalfields and the gay rights movement. Huh? Yeah, exactly. What an unlikely combination, but it works and works incredibly well. Pride was nominated for a Golden Globe and for a couple of BAFTA awards but not a single Oscar (although this year's Oscars may be more remembered for the many movies it snubbed than what was nominated). Until today when I saw Selma (review to come soon), I don't recall crying so much during a movie. As I was driving back from Selma, I was thinking about this, and it kind of made sense, two movies that had a spirit and showed the power of what people can do together. Pride focuses on a group of gay and lesbian young people in London, led by Mark Ashton, who decide to support the coal miners during their strike in 1984. The problem lies in the fact that most of the unions don't want to take support from the gay community, so the group, now called LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) picks a community and union to give their support. They find a small town in South Wales and begin to forge the most unlikely of alliances. For a pretty serious situation that includes a lot of hate and bigotry, the film handles it with humor (or humour since it's a British film) and affection. Dominic West (from HBO's The Wire) leads the cast of gay and lesbian activists as Jonathan Blake; the remainder of the actors may are relatively unknown in the US. The Welsh community is led by Dai Donovan (Paddy Considine), Hefina (Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake, Harry Potter, Nanny McPhee among others), Cliff (Bill Nighy - Love Actually, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). Ben Schnetzer plays Mark Ashton, the leader of LGSM, who brings an incredible enthusiasm and passion and a refusal to take no for an answer (mostly); I have not seen Schnetzer in anything before, but he was a dynamo and he must have been magnetic to be around, and probably frustrating because he was like a bull sometimes. It's important to remember the place in time that this movie occupies, decades removed from gay marriage and the openness we see from artists (Elton John had not yet come out), but in the early days of the AIDS epidemic; also the movie is based on real events and real people, some of whom are still alive, which made it more powerful to me. I was so excited about this movie that I emailed a friend of mine the next day, I thought a text late at night might be overdoing it, to tell him about it. I don't buy movies, but I will probably buy this one. Some people may be uncomfortable with the overt gay theme, but when you see middle-aged Welsh miners embrace 'the gays' as they are called, how can you be uncomfortable? It's a great lesson in tolerance and acceptance, from both sides.
Oscar madness - the countdown to 2/22/2015 begins
This is a quick and dirty blog on the day of the Oscar nominations. My head is spinning, and I couldn't wait to get home to compare notes and see how well I had done in anticipation of the 2/22/2015 ceremony. And the results are: not bad. I have a little over a month to see around 28 films, not including the shorts which I hope are shown at one time at a local theater. So, in an effort to provide easy access to the movies I have already seen and reviewed, the links are below. Stay tuned because there are more updates to follow. The goal is within sight.
Captain America: Winter Soldier (filmed in Cleveland)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (a personal favorite)
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Maleficent (should have received more nominations)
Guardians of the Galaxy (good times)
The LEGO Movie (shocked that it was not nominated for best animated feature, but hoping that bodes well for Box Trolls)
Birdman and The Theory of Everything (two great movies)
Foxcatcher, Wild, Into the Woods, Unbroken - someone needs to explain to me why Foxcatcher is so good, because I don't think so. Unbroken is underrepresented, and hoping for good things for Wild.
Whew. Catch ya later.
Captain America: Winter Soldier (filmed in Cleveland)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (a personal favorite)
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Maleficent (should have received more nominations)
Guardians of the Galaxy (good times)
The LEGO Movie (shocked that it was not nominated for best animated feature, but hoping that bodes well for Box Trolls)
Birdman and The Theory of Everything (two great movies)
Foxcatcher, Wild, Into the Woods, Unbroken - someone needs to explain to me why Foxcatcher is so good, because I don't think so. Unbroken is underrepresented, and hoping for good things for Wild.
Whew. Catch ya later.
Movies from 2014 - Into the Woods, Unbroken, Big Eyes, Foxcatcher, Wild and MORE
I suppose you could say it's feast or famine with me. No movies or a boatload of movies. This past week it has been a boatload. I actually think I have retina burnout, or at least movie bloating. I've been watching a marathon of National Geographic's Lockdown. I have learned a few things: prison is bad, segregation is worse, and the food appears to be from another planet, and not in a good way. I should feel guilty about staying inside all day, but it's been freezing here (and we did get snow last week), so it's time to get some writing done.
12/20/14, The Candidate, Best Original Screenplay 1972
This should have been included in the last entry, but I've been swimming in movies and forgot it, but it's here now. Even though The Candidate was written over forty years ago, things in politics really haven't changed all that much, or sadly, at all. Bill McKay (Robert Redford) is 'the candidate', a Californian lawyer representing populist causes who is tapped by Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) to be the Democratic candidate in a senatorial race that is expected to be dominated by the Republican candidate. It's easy for movies that are so locked into a time frame like this one (or the loathed Shampoo) to be seen as out of date and very hard to watch, however, I think this does hold up very well. Perhaps if politics were different, it would be a different story, but aside from the technology updates and the sexist attitudes, the issues are the same: the environment, race relations, employment. I enjoyed it; Redford is understated (although, I think that tends to be his MO) and Boyle is terrific as the hard-assed campaign manager/politico.
12/25/14 Into the Woods, not yet nominated, 2014
I have tried to anticipate potential Oscar nominees based on Golden Globe nominations and a variety of articles. Odds are this and the other movies below will be nominated for something, so at least I'll be ahead of the game come Oscar night. Anyway, my friends and I made our traditional trek to the movies on Christmas Day, and there were not a lot of things that really grabbed our attention or that we agreed on, but we did decide to see Into the Woods, which could potentially receive Oscar nominations for costume, set design, sound editing, and maybe a nomination for Meryl Streep. Into the Woods is based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim and is a melding of different fairy tales, linking the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella. Meryl Streep is the witch who casts a variety of spells that are the catalyst for the dramas in the musical. There are some big names in the cast, Streep; Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Christine Baranski as her evil stepmother, Chris Pine as the Prince, James Corden as The Baker and Emily Blunt as the Baker's Wife, Johnny Depp as the Wolf; and then some not so big names (or ones that may not be as familiar), like Daniel Huttlestone as Jack (his mother is played by Tracey Ullman, who some might consider a big name from several years ago) and Lilla Crawford as Little Red Riding Hood. I wasn't really familiar with the story of Into the Woods until the movie previews came out, and I wasn't in a huge hurry to see it. But, we did see it and it was pretty good; I tend to run tepid on musicals as a rule, so 'pretty good' might be 'excellent' for others. Visually it is very appealing; musically, eh, there are some good songs, but I can't remember any of them, I think it was just too much. I will say that even though the movie is about fairy tales, there were some scary moments if I was a little kid. A little girl was actually crying. Dear parents - maybe you need to do some research before you bring your children to the movies (also see Unbroken).
12/26/14 Unbroken, not yet nominated 2014
Unbroken seems to be getting as much attention for the director, Angelina Jolie, as for its subject, Louie Zamperini. Louie Zamperini was a real person, a World War II hero and Olympic runner, and an incredible man. Unbroken is based on the book of the same name by Laura Hillenbrand (she also wrote about Seabiscuit, which was the basis for that film). Unbroken is told using flashbacks, usually as Louis (Jack O'Connell) is facing a challenge; we see him running under the tutelage of his older brother, Pete or running in the Berlin Olympics. Flashbacks can backfire if they are not done well, but it works here because you can sense that Louis is drawing on these past events for his strength. Louis is a bombardier in the Pacific theater, and he and his crew narrowly dodge a dangerous crash landing in the ocean; however, they are less lucky when they crash on a rescue mission. He and two of the crew, including the pilot, Phil Phillips, float in the life boat for over 40 days. Zamperini and Phillips survive that experience, only to be picked up by the Japanese and taken to prisoner of war camps. The movie focuses on the relationship between Zamperini and the camp sergeant, known as The Bird (who was a real person). The Bird has a sadistic streak that seems to know no bounds, and fixates on Louis, it seems because he was an Olympic athlete or possibly because Zamperini made the mistake of looking at Bird in the eye. It was hard to watch, but I was compelled to look and see how Zamperini handled the beatings and the abuse. Personally, when I ram my toe into a table, it hurts like hell and I curse, so when I see someone take the physical abuse that Zamperini did, it's hard not be amazed, impressed and awed at his resilience. Zamperini eventually makes it home. I thought the movie was for the most part well done, although I occasionally had issues with the transition from one scene to another. I didn't think they always flowed so well. I think that's okay in a book, but in a movie, I think transitions make things less choppy and are important. I liked Jack O'Connell as Zamperini; I don't really know a lot about Zamperini (the book is on order from the library), so I thought O'Connell portrayed Zamperini with appropriate restraint and quiet intensity. I would have preferred less time focused on the ocean scenes; it seemed like overkill to me, when the time could have been spent telling another part of the story. The screenplay was primarily written by Joel and Ethan Coen, and I was surprised that this was not more widely talked about, since they are Oscar winners themselves. I think the movie covers a topic that is not as well-known as other World War II stories. It's a movie worth seeing, and it may even be worth taking your children to so they can learn about Louis Zamperini, HOWEVER, please watch it first, and perhaps wait until it's on DVD so you can watch it at home. I was amused by the parents who chose to bring their young children to the theater and were treated to a trailer for Fifty Shades of Gray. I can hear it now "Daddy, why is that woman tied up?" Serves you right.
12/26/14 Taken 2, not nominated 2012
I saw Taken and Taken 3 is coming out soon, so I thought I should see Taken 2. Aside from some nice scenes of Istanbul, Taken 2 isn't really very different from the original, and I don't anticipate that Taken 3 will have any surprises. The only surprise will be if there is a Taken 4. Don't get me wrong, I like a good action flick, and I'm a big Liam Neeson fan, and he does seem to be the action hero of the past few years, but there aren't a lot of plot twists here. It was good Saturday afternoon entertainment that did not require too much of brain, and it was free from the library.
12/26/14 This is Where I Leave You, not yet nominated 2014
This is Where I Leave You probably won't be nominated, but it was pretty good entertainment. It stars Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Adam Driver and Corey Stoll as siblings of the Altman family, with Jane Fonda as their mother who is also a psychologist. The family reunites to sit shiva, which is the period of mourning after a death in Jewish family, for their father. I think (and clearly it's not an original thought) that funerals bring out the best and worst in families and a lot of dirty laundry that is hidden for years. The Altman's have their fair share of that. Many of us can probably relate to sibling rivalries, even when we're supposed to be too old for that crap. There are some funny moments, how could there not be when you have Tina Fey and Jason Bateman in a movie. I will say, though, that Bateman seems to play the same type of character in his movies, or at least he has the same delivery (although I love his deadpan delivery, I wonder if there's anything else). This was another movie that didn't tax my brain, but gave me a few laughs, and only cost me a dollar from the library.
12/27/14 Big Eyes, not yet nominated, 2014
I don't normally run out to see Tim Burton movies, even though I end up liking many of them, but with Amy Adams in the lead role of Margaret Keane in a biographical film, my interest was piqued. Margaret Keane painted pictures of children known as "Big Eyes" in the 1950s and 1960s. Dick Nolan (Danny Huston), a columnist for a San Francisco paper, provides minimal narration that gives some framework to the story. Margaret Ulbrich meets Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) who immediately (to me) gives off an oily, slimy kind of vibe, and when he starts claiming Margaret's work as his own, it's more than a vibe. Walter convinces Margaret that nobody would buy her pictures because she's a woman, and being a woman of that era, pre-feminism and women's liberation, she believed him. Eventually, Margaret finds the strength to leave him and takes her daughter to Hawaii to start a new life. The climax of the movie is the courtroom scene as Margaret sues Walter for slander. Burton is working with a different cast in this film; he is known for his many movies with Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp, as well as using incredible visuals (Alice in Wonderland). The visual effects in the movie are a little more subtle and gently used, it's seen in the eyes during one particular scene; the paintings themselves are all the visual effects that are needed. Adams is also subdued as Margaret, overpowered by the magnetism of Waltz as Walter; Margaret's power and voice come through in her love for painting. Waltz, known for his brutal (but Oscar-winning) roles in Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained, takes on the challenge of Walter Keane, a fraud of the highest magnitude, barely hiding his controlling and manipulative tendencies. The song at the end of the film by Lana Del Rey "Big Eyes" has been mentioned as a possible nominee for Best Song. I liked it, but admittedly, I cannot recall songs from other films I have seen, and only get the whole idea after the nominees are announced. Both Waltz and Adams are nominated for Golden Globes, but in the Comedy/Musical category, and this is where the Golden Globes confuse me: while the movie has some humorous bits, I don't think it's anywhere near a comedy or a musical. I don't think the acting fields are as crowded as they were last year, but I'm not sure if Adams or Waltz will get nominated for an Oscar. I enjoyed the movie, but Adams is one of my favorite actresses because of her versatility; and Waltz is definitely an actor to pay attention to after two Oscar wins.
12/27/14 Hello, Dolly! Best Art Direction, Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture, Best Sound, 1969
Why are musicals so damn long? Honestly. Okay, now that's out of the way. Hello, Dolly! is based on the Broadway musical and stars Barbra Sreisand as Dolly Levi, a matchmaker in 19th century New York. One of her more difficult clients is shop owner Horace Vandergelder, played by curmudgeonly Walter Matthau. There are actually about three subplots going on, and I do not have the energy to try and untangle them, but they involve mistaken identities, rebellious love, lots of singing and dancing. I think one of the subplots was kind of throwaway and could have been cut out and nobody would have noticed. I did enjoy many of the dancing scenes, especially a great number in a restaurant where the waiters have a wonderfully choreographed dance with serving trays and brooms. None of the songs truly stick out, except for probably "Hello, Dolly!" because I was familiar with that before I ever saw the movie. The great Gene Kelly directed, but did not choreograph, although I felt there was some of his influence because of the athleticism involved. I would hate to dissuade you from seeing this, it certainly won't do any harm, but if you're looking for a musical that you don't see on television very often, I would recommend Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
12/31/14 Foxcatcher, not yet nominated 2014
I was really excited to see Foxcatcher starring Steve Carell as John Du Pont, Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz and Mark Ruffalo as his older brother, Dave Schultz. After finishing Mark Schultz's autobiography, Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, which I hated, I was less excited, but still wanted to see it. First, I will totally admit that Steve Carell undergoes an incredible transformation into a weasel-like John du Pont, there is no denying that. Secondly, Ruffalo and Tatum also transform and take on the bow-legged stride of men who have been wrestling their whole lives. However, I do not think the movie lives up to all the hype, the trailer for the film provided more suspense and tension than the whole film; perhaps I spoiled it by reading the book, but I don't think it should matter if it's a good movie. I mentioned in Unbroken that I like good transitions between scenes, and I don't think that happens here either; the difference for me is that I was rooting for Zamperini and I could have cared less about Mark Schultz or John du Pont (even though this is all brought about because of Dave's murder, he's really not in the film as much as Mark - or the book for that matter). I think the transitions were important in this story because it seemed too jumpy, and I was wondering why something was happening, although I didn't wonder too hard because I had read the book, but if you didn't read the book, you might be a little confused. Dave Schultz seemed like a great guy, he loved his family, loved wrestling and teaching, and perhaps there was jealousy on Mark's part (or maybe not perhaps at all). Mark, from his book and the movie, seemed like a whiny, lost kid, looking for something, feeling like he was owed something, self-serving, and I wanted the book and the movie to end. I've seen Ruffalo in a few movies and I didn't think this was that great of a performance, it wasn't horrible, I just don't think he was given a lot to work with: walk bow-legged, grab Tatum and whisper in his ear.. That's it. I think Jack O'Connell in Unbroken had more to work with and do as an actor and would deserve a nomination over any of the cast of Foxcatcher. Vanessa Redgrave makes an appearance as du Pont's mother, and I think it was to show that du Pont had some mother issues, but otherwise, her talents were wasted. Maybe I'm so harsh because I was really disappointed and had wanted something more, and the fact that people are putting this on the top of their Best Movies list - are you kidding? If this movie had come out last year, I don't think it would have even been mentioned.
1/2/31/14 Thunderball, Best Visual Effects, 1965
There are movies you watch where you should know going in that you have to suspend any sense of reality, otherwise you will drive yourself nuts. James Bond movies are like that, especially the earlier ones which can seem campy fifty years later. But that's okay, especially on New Year's Eve when you don't want to watch anything too serious or mind-blowing. It has become a New Year's Eve tradition to head up to my friends' house and watch a movie, sometimes TWO. Tonight none of us were in the mood for something too heavy, and I would have been okay watching a non-Oscar related movie just so I could relax those 'critic' muscles that have been overworked lately. Thunderball was a good compromise, because like I said, you don't really have to worry about the plot, and it knocks another film off THE LIST. We settled in a for a romping good time with Sean Connery's Scottish charm, a beautiful setting in Nassau, Bahamas; some fun tools from Q, including an underwater breathing apparatus, a decked out Aston Martin, a jet pack; a very cool underwater battle complete with spear guns; oh, and a dangerous woman; and sharks, don't forget the sharks. Whew. Bond is on the trail of the SPECTRE agents who stole atomic bombs from a NATO mission, and follows the trail, which includes a beautiful young lady, to Nassau. Bond and his CIA counterparts search the waters around the island and eventually, about seventy-five minutes later find the bombs and then engage in the previously mentioned underwater battle. That was actually kind of amusing and the three of us were entertained by the seemingly unlimited number of men fighting and the availability of the spear guns. The Visual Effects award was in its early years in the 1960s, in fact, there was only another film in competition for the award, and that was The Greatest Story Ever Told, compared to the last few years where there have been five competitors. But the lack of nominees does not take away from some of the things that were done in Thunderball by John Stears (Stears also created some of the most endearing icons in film, including R2-D2, C-3P0, and other Star Wars items). If you're looking for a fun movie over the winter, grab a Bond, any Bond and don't think too hard.
1/1/15 Wild, not yet nominated, 2014
There is a lot of talk about Reese Witherspoon being nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Cheryl Strayed in Wild, and I can totally agree with that. Wild is Cheryl Strayed's story about her trek along the Pacific Crest Trail in a search to silence her demons and find herself (the book is waiting for me at the library). Wild was directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, who directed last year's powerful Dallas Buyer's Club, and he and Witherspoon take a similar path with a flawed human being, seeking redemption by going way out of her comfort zone. Strayed hiked over a thousand miles on the Pacific Coast trail, encountering helpful strangers and a few scary ones, a natural world that was beautiful and magnificent, but could also be frightening. She had a lot of time with her own thoughts, time to go over her past actions and forgive herself. Cheryl wasn't necessarily the most likable person before she set out on this journey; she was a drug user, slept with men for drugs; cheated on her husband; but through the flashbacks used and from Cheryl's words in the present, you get some idea as to why she has done what she did (not explicitly, but from inference), and it helped me relate to her pain and anger. I only mention this because it was some of this background that was missing from Foxcatcher, and as a viewer, you didn't understand Mark's anger or motivation, and maybe that's what left me cold. Anyway, I would love to think I could hike a thousand miles, but I'm fairly certain I could not, unless I was staying in a Hilton or Marriott at night, so I was very moved by her accomplishment, especially because it seems very few women at that time made that hike alone. Witherspoon brings it in this movie; she has a few scenes with others, including her mother (Laura Dern) and her ex-husband, Paul (Thomas Sadoski), but for the majority of the film, it's just her and mother nature, sometimes unforgiving, always incredible. It reminded me a little of All is Lost with Robert Redford from last year, just a person and nature. I was rooting for Cheryl as she reached the end of her journey, and I like that there were real photos from Cheryl's trip in 1995; the movie even used the same t-shirts (probably not the exact same since it's twenty years ago, but maybe). I'm excited to read the book and hopefully find some things that were not included in the movie.
12/20/14, The Candidate, Best Original Screenplay 1972
This should have been included in the last entry, but I've been swimming in movies and forgot it, but it's here now. Even though The Candidate was written over forty years ago, things in politics really haven't changed all that much, or sadly, at all. Bill McKay (Robert Redford) is 'the candidate', a Californian lawyer representing populist causes who is tapped by Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) to be the Democratic candidate in a senatorial race that is expected to be dominated by the Republican candidate. It's easy for movies that are so locked into a time frame like this one (or the loathed Shampoo) to be seen as out of date and very hard to watch, however, I think this does hold up very well. Perhaps if politics were different, it would be a different story, but aside from the technology updates and the sexist attitudes, the issues are the same: the environment, race relations, employment. I enjoyed it; Redford is understated (although, I think that tends to be his MO) and Boyle is terrific as the hard-assed campaign manager/politico.
12/25/14 Into the Woods, not yet nominated, 2014
I have tried to anticipate potential Oscar nominees based on Golden Globe nominations and a variety of articles. Odds are this and the other movies below will be nominated for something, so at least I'll be ahead of the game come Oscar night. Anyway, my friends and I made our traditional trek to the movies on Christmas Day, and there were not a lot of things that really grabbed our attention or that we agreed on, but we did decide to see Into the Woods, which could potentially receive Oscar nominations for costume, set design, sound editing, and maybe a nomination for Meryl Streep. Into the Woods is based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim and is a melding of different fairy tales, linking the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella. Meryl Streep is the witch who casts a variety of spells that are the catalyst for the dramas in the musical. There are some big names in the cast, Streep; Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Christine Baranski as her evil stepmother, Chris Pine as the Prince, James Corden as The Baker and Emily Blunt as the Baker's Wife, Johnny Depp as the Wolf; and then some not so big names (or ones that may not be as familiar), like Daniel Huttlestone as Jack (his mother is played by Tracey Ullman, who some might consider a big name from several years ago) and Lilla Crawford as Little Red Riding Hood. I wasn't really familiar with the story of Into the Woods until the movie previews came out, and I wasn't in a huge hurry to see it. But, we did see it and it was pretty good; I tend to run tepid on musicals as a rule, so 'pretty good' might be 'excellent' for others. Visually it is very appealing; musically, eh, there are some good songs, but I can't remember any of them, I think it was just too much. I will say that even though the movie is about fairy tales, there were some scary moments if I was a little kid. A little girl was actually crying. Dear parents - maybe you need to do some research before you bring your children to the movies (also see Unbroken).
12/26/14 Unbroken, not yet nominated 2014
Unbroken seems to be getting as much attention for the director, Angelina Jolie, as for its subject, Louie Zamperini. Louie Zamperini was a real person, a World War II hero and Olympic runner, and an incredible man. Unbroken is based on the book of the same name by Laura Hillenbrand (she also wrote about Seabiscuit, which was the basis for that film). Unbroken is told using flashbacks, usually as Louis (Jack O'Connell) is facing a challenge; we see him running under the tutelage of his older brother, Pete or running in the Berlin Olympics. Flashbacks can backfire if they are not done well, but it works here because you can sense that Louis is drawing on these past events for his strength. Louis is a bombardier in the Pacific theater, and he and his crew narrowly dodge a dangerous crash landing in the ocean; however, they are less lucky when they crash on a rescue mission. He and two of the crew, including the pilot, Phil Phillips, float in the life boat for over 40 days. Zamperini and Phillips survive that experience, only to be picked up by the Japanese and taken to prisoner of war camps. The movie focuses on the relationship between Zamperini and the camp sergeant, known as The Bird (who was a real person). The Bird has a sadistic streak that seems to know no bounds, and fixates on Louis, it seems because he was an Olympic athlete or possibly because Zamperini made the mistake of looking at Bird in the eye. It was hard to watch, but I was compelled to look and see how Zamperini handled the beatings and the abuse. Personally, when I ram my toe into a table, it hurts like hell and I curse, so when I see someone take the physical abuse that Zamperini did, it's hard not be amazed, impressed and awed at his resilience. Zamperini eventually makes it home. I thought the movie was for the most part well done, although I occasionally had issues with the transition from one scene to another. I didn't think they always flowed so well. I think that's okay in a book, but in a movie, I think transitions make things less choppy and are important. I liked Jack O'Connell as Zamperini; I don't really know a lot about Zamperini (the book is on order from the library), so I thought O'Connell portrayed Zamperini with appropriate restraint and quiet intensity. I would have preferred less time focused on the ocean scenes; it seemed like overkill to me, when the time could have been spent telling another part of the story. The screenplay was primarily written by Joel and Ethan Coen, and I was surprised that this was not more widely talked about, since they are Oscar winners themselves. I think the movie covers a topic that is not as well-known as other World War II stories. It's a movie worth seeing, and it may even be worth taking your children to so they can learn about Louis Zamperini, HOWEVER, please watch it first, and perhaps wait until it's on DVD so you can watch it at home. I was amused by the parents who chose to bring their young children to the theater and were treated to a trailer for Fifty Shades of Gray. I can hear it now "Daddy, why is that woman tied up?" Serves you right.
12/26/14 Taken 2, not nominated 2012
I saw Taken and Taken 3 is coming out soon, so I thought I should see Taken 2. Aside from some nice scenes of Istanbul, Taken 2 isn't really very different from the original, and I don't anticipate that Taken 3 will have any surprises. The only surprise will be if there is a Taken 4. Don't get me wrong, I like a good action flick, and I'm a big Liam Neeson fan, and he does seem to be the action hero of the past few years, but there aren't a lot of plot twists here. It was good Saturday afternoon entertainment that did not require too much of brain, and it was free from the library.
12/26/14 This is Where I Leave You, not yet nominated 2014
This is Where I Leave You probably won't be nominated, but it was pretty good entertainment. It stars Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Adam Driver and Corey Stoll as siblings of the Altman family, with Jane Fonda as their mother who is also a psychologist. The family reunites to sit shiva, which is the period of mourning after a death in Jewish family, for their father. I think (and clearly it's not an original thought) that funerals bring out the best and worst in families and a lot of dirty laundry that is hidden for years. The Altman's have their fair share of that. Many of us can probably relate to sibling rivalries, even when we're supposed to be too old for that crap. There are some funny moments, how could there not be when you have Tina Fey and Jason Bateman in a movie. I will say, though, that Bateman seems to play the same type of character in his movies, or at least he has the same delivery (although I love his deadpan delivery, I wonder if there's anything else). This was another movie that didn't tax my brain, but gave me a few laughs, and only cost me a dollar from the library.
12/27/14 Big Eyes, not yet nominated, 2014
I don't normally run out to see Tim Burton movies, even though I end up liking many of them, but with Amy Adams in the lead role of Margaret Keane in a biographical film, my interest was piqued. Margaret Keane painted pictures of children known as "Big Eyes" in the 1950s and 1960s. Dick Nolan (Danny Huston), a columnist for a San Francisco paper, provides minimal narration that gives some framework to the story. Margaret Ulbrich meets Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) who immediately (to me) gives off an oily, slimy kind of vibe, and when he starts claiming Margaret's work as his own, it's more than a vibe. Walter convinces Margaret that nobody would buy her pictures because she's a woman, and being a woman of that era, pre-feminism and women's liberation, she believed him. Eventually, Margaret finds the strength to leave him and takes her daughter to Hawaii to start a new life. The climax of the movie is the courtroom scene as Margaret sues Walter for slander. Burton is working with a different cast in this film; he is known for his many movies with Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp, as well as using incredible visuals (Alice in Wonderland). The visual effects in the movie are a little more subtle and gently used, it's seen in the eyes during one particular scene; the paintings themselves are all the visual effects that are needed. Adams is also subdued as Margaret, overpowered by the magnetism of Waltz as Walter; Margaret's power and voice come through in her love for painting. Waltz, known for his brutal (but Oscar-winning) roles in Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained, takes on the challenge of Walter Keane, a fraud of the highest magnitude, barely hiding his controlling and manipulative tendencies. The song at the end of the film by Lana Del Rey "Big Eyes" has been mentioned as a possible nominee for Best Song. I liked it, but admittedly, I cannot recall songs from other films I have seen, and only get the whole idea after the nominees are announced. Both Waltz and Adams are nominated for Golden Globes, but in the Comedy/Musical category, and this is where the Golden Globes confuse me: while the movie has some humorous bits, I don't think it's anywhere near a comedy or a musical. I don't think the acting fields are as crowded as they were last year, but I'm not sure if Adams or Waltz will get nominated for an Oscar. I enjoyed the movie, but Adams is one of my favorite actresses because of her versatility; and Waltz is definitely an actor to pay attention to after two Oscar wins.
12/27/14 Hello, Dolly! Best Art Direction, Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture, Best Sound, 1969
Why are musicals so damn long? Honestly. Okay, now that's out of the way. Hello, Dolly! is based on the Broadway musical and stars Barbra Sreisand as Dolly Levi, a matchmaker in 19th century New York. One of her more difficult clients is shop owner Horace Vandergelder, played by curmudgeonly Walter Matthau. There are actually about three subplots going on, and I do not have the energy to try and untangle them, but they involve mistaken identities, rebellious love, lots of singing and dancing. I think one of the subplots was kind of throwaway and could have been cut out and nobody would have noticed. I did enjoy many of the dancing scenes, especially a great number in a restaurant where the waiters have a wonderfully choreographed dance with serving trays and brooms. None of the songs truly stick out, except for probably "Hello, Dolly!" because I was familiar with that before I ever saw the movie. The great Gene Kelly directed, but did not choreograph, although I felt there was some of his influence because of the athleticism involved. I would hate to dissuade you from seeing this, it certainly won't do any harm, but if you're looking for a musical that you don't see on television very often, I would recommend Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
12/31/14 Foxcatcher, not yet nominated 2014
I was really excited to see Foxcatcher starring Steve Carell as John Du Pont, Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz and Mark Ruffalo as his older brother, Dave Schultz. After finishing Mark Schultz's autobiography, Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, which I hated, I was less excited, but still wanted to see it. First, I will totally admit that Steve Carell undergoes an incredible transformation into a weasel-like John du Pont, there is no denying that. Secondly, Ruffalo and Tatum also transform and take on the bow-legged stride of men who have been wrestling their whole lives. However, I do not think the movie lives up to all the hype, the trailer for the film provided more suspense and tension than the whole film; perhaps I spoiled it by reading the book, but I don't think it should matter if it's a good movie. I mentioned in Unbroken that I like good transitions between scenes, and I don't think that happens here either; the difference for me is that I was rooting for Zamperini and I could have cared less about Mark Schultz or John du Pont (even though this is all brought about because of Dave's murder, he's really not in the film as much as Mark - or the book for that matter). I think the transitions were important in this story because it seemed too jumpy, and I was wondering why something was happening, although I didn't wonder too hard because I had read the book, but if you didn't read the book, you might be a little confused. Dave Schultz seemed like a great guy, he loved his family, loved wrestling and teaching, and perhaps there was jealousy on Mark's part (or maybe not perhaps at all). Mark, from his book and the movie, seemed like a whiny, lost kid, looking for something, feeling like he was owed something, self-serving, and I wanted the book and the movie to end. I've seen Ruffalo in a few movies and I didn't think this was that great of a performance, it wasn't horrible, I just don't think he was given a lot to work with: walk bow-legged, grab Tatum and whisper in his ear.. That's it. I think Jack O'Connell in Unbroken had more to work with and do as an actor and would deserve a nomination over any of the cast of Foxcatcher. Vanessa Redgrave makes an appearance as du Pont's mother, and I think it was to show that du Pont had some mother issues, but otherwise, her talents were wasted. Maybe I'm so harsh because I was really disappointed and had wanted something more, and the fact that people are putting this on the top of their Best Movies list - are you kidding? If this movie had come out last year, I don't think it would have even been mentioned.
1/2/31/14 Thunderball, Best Visual Effects, 1965
There are movies you watch where you should know going in that you have to suspend any sense of reality, otherwise you will drive yourself nuts. James Bond movies are like that, especially the earlier ones which can seem campy fifty years later. But that's okay, especially on New Year's Eve when you don't want to watch anything too serious or mind-blowing. It has become a New Year's Eve tradition to head up to my friends' house and watch a movie, sometimes TWO. Tonight none of us were in the mood for something too heavy, and I would have been okay watching a non-Oscar related movie just so I could relax those 'critic' muscles that have been overworked lately. Thunderball was a good compromise, because like I said, you don't really have to worry about the plot, and it knocks another film off THE LIST. We settled in a for a romping good time with Sean Connery's Scottish charm, a beautiful setting in Nassau, Bahamas; some fun tools from Q, including an underwater breathing apparatus, a decked out Aston Martin, a jet pack; a very cool underwater battle complete with spear guns; oh, and a dangerous woman; and sharks, don't forget the sharks. Whew. Bond is on the trail of the SPECTRE agents who stole atomic bombs from a NATO mission, and follows the trail, which includes a beautiful young lady, to Nassau. Bond and his CIA counterparts search the waters around the island and eventually, about seventy-five minutes later find the bombs and then engage in the previously mentioned underwater battle. That was actually kind of amusing and the three of us were entertained by the seemingly unlimited number of men fighting and the availability of the spear guns. The Visual Effects award was in its early years in the 1960s, in fact, there was only another film in competition for the award, and that was The Greatest Story Ever Told, compared to the last few years where there have been five competitors. But the lack of nominees does not take away from some of the things that were done in Thunderball by John Stears (Stears also created some of the most endearing icons in film, including R2-D2, C-3P0, and other Star Wars items). If you're looking for a fun movie over the winter, grab a Bond, any Bond and don't think too hard.
1/1/15 Wild, not yet nominated, 2014
There is a lot of talk about Reese Witherspoon being nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Cheryl Strayed in Wild, and I can totally agree with that. Wild is Cheryl Strayed's story about her trek along the Pacific Crest Trail in a search to silence her demons and find herself (the book is waiting for me at the library). Wild was directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, who directed last year's powerful Dallas Buyer's Club, and he and Witherspoon take a similar path with a flawed human being, seeking redemption by going way out of her comfort zone. Strayed hiked over a thousand miles on the Pacific Coast trail, encountering helpful strangers and a few scary ones, a natural world that was beautiful and magnificent, but could also be frightening. She had a lot of time with her own thoughts, time to go over her past actions and forgive herself. Cheryl wasn't necessarily the most likable person before she set out on this journey; she was a drug user, slept with men for drugs; cheated on her husband; but through the flashbacks used and from Cheryl's words in the present, you get some idea as to why she has done what she did (not explicitly, but from inference), and it helped me relate to her pain and anger. I only mention this because it was some of this background that was missing from Foxcatcher, and as a viewer, you didn't understand Mark's anger or motivation, and maybe that's what left me cold. Anyway, I would love to think I could hike a thousand miles, but I'm fairly certain I could not, unless I was staying in a Hilton or Marriott at night, so I was very moved by her accomplishment, especially because it seems very few women at that time made that hike alone. Witherspoon brings it in this movie; she has a few scenes with others, including her mother (Laura Dern) and her ex-husband, Paul (Thomas Sadoski), but for the majority of the film, it's just her and mother nature, sometimes unforgiving, always incredible. It reminded me a little of All is Lost with Robert Redford from last year, just a person and nature. I was rooting for Cheryl as she reached the end of her journey, and I like that there were real photos from Cheryl's trip in 1995; the movie even used the same t-shirts (probably not the exact same since it's twenty years ago, but maybe). I'm excited to read the book and hopefully find some things that were not included in the movie.
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Whiling away the time while staying at home
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