Whiling away the time while staying at home

There is no denying that these are very strange and tumultuous we're living in. Obviously I haven't been blogging too much lately, it's not that I haven't been watching movies, but really nothing I felt like writing about. And the movies I should be blogging about, I can't, I just have a huge block. But after listening to a podcast yesterday, I decided to just write and see if I can move past this constipation of creativity. So, while I haven't been actively blogging, I have been watching movies, television, reading, and listening to podcasts and music.

I have been mostly watching documentaries and some British television series. Here are just a few:

Maiden - documentary - did I mention this before? An all-woman crew takes a boat around the world in the Whitbread race. #girlpower

Public Speaking - documentary featuring the curmudgeonly Fran Lebowitz

David Crosby - Remember My Name - pretty self-explanatory

Beware of Mr. Baker - biography of the very disagreeable, but crazy talented, Ginger Baker

A Ballerina's Tale - documentary about Misty Copeland; very interesting, especially because I know very little about ballet, but I have heard of Misty Copeland. Ballet is incredibly hard work, and she is an incredibly talented and resilient person

A Murder in the Park - a documentary examining the case in Chicago that put a halt to the death penalty in Illinois, but was it done based on incorrect conclusions. This one will make you think.

Sholom Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness, a documentary about the creator of Tevya and The Fiddler on the Roof, among many.

Television

Grace & Frankie - Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are hilarious as a modern day Lucy and Ethel; it's streaming on Netflix

The Office - I am very behind the times, as some of you may already know, and somehow I stumbled across a marathon on and have been hooked. I could have done without the last season, but that's not even an original idea. I love it, though, it's funny, and smart and very human.

No Offence - a British cop drama with a bit of humor; some strong female leads, which I like. I finished season 1, and on to season 2

Broadchurch - again, late to the party, but I'm into it with a vengeance great cast, great writing and a damn fine mystery

Podcasts - I have a hard time listening to people talking at me while I'm working or just listening to people ramble on, so I don't really do podcasts, but I have been listening to Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone with my favorite comedian, Paula Poundstone, Adam Felber, and a rotating slate of guests and house bands. I have also been listening (and relistening) to The Office Ladies, Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer's podcast about The Office. I highly recommend both of these. Two little islands of sanity (well, maybe not sanity) these days.

Books - this list may look like a hodge podge, but it makes total sense to me.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo - read after watching the movies for the 10th time. He could have cut out one whole subplot and it still would have been a great read

The Naked Civil Servant by Quentin Crisp - a memoir/autobiography that doesn't hold back on the wit or the acerbity

Bright Lights, Dark Shadows: The Real Story of ABBA by Carl Magnus Palm - I was almost killed by the detail in the first 150 pages, but my persistence paid off.

In My Brother's Image: Twin Brothers Separated by Faith after the Holocaust by Eugene Pogany - wow, what an incredible (and true) story of twins, born and raised in Hungary, Jews who converted to Catholicism to survive, and then one had doubts after the Holocaust. 

Don't Look Back by Karen Fossum - a Norwegian murder mystery (part of a series)

I'm halfway through a collection of short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, and I'm just stopped. I can't. I just started a 750 page biography of Marlene Dietrich by her daughter. I'm on page 23.

In addition to all of these mentally stimulating activities, I'm also eating. I like to think I'm eating to support the economy, and I'm sticking to that. It isn't the same as eating with my friends at a restaurant or cafe, but I'm trying make my little effort to keep some of these businesses going. I've also been ordering some baked goods for delivery or shipping, like using Goldbelly.com (I just learned about them) to get some delicious treats from Angel Food Bakery in Minneapolis; through Goldbelly you can support a variety of small shops and restaurants from around the country. 

And I've been walking and raising money for charity at the same time. I use the Charity Miles app which allows you to pick from a wide variety of charities for which you can walk, from food banks to malarial nets and a lot of organizations in between.

SO, that's what I've been doing. Stay safe and healthy, and check up on me to make sure I'm writing.

From Apple Valley

Back at it with Harriet, For Sama and Honeyland

I'd like to say my delay in posting these reviews was due to some wonderful reason, like I was meditating in Tibet with the Dalai Lama or I was on a secret mission or the space bar was stuck on my laptop. Alas, nothing quite so dramatic, just a lot of The Office episodes, afternoon naps and a smattering of ennui. By this time, you may have already seen the films below, and if not, given the current world situation, you may have some extra time on your hands.

1/29/20 Harriet, nominated Best Actress, Best Original Song, 2019 

A friend of mine, who is more of a movie geek than I am, didn't really like Harriet; not because the topic wasn't worthy, she just thought it should paint Harriet Tubman as less of a comic superhero and more of a real person. This was hard for me to wrap my head around, because as far as I'm concerned, the woman was pretty superhuman, I mean I get lost (really) in my own neighborhood, and I have GPS; Harriet Tubman walked hundreds of miles in the wilderness with only the stars to guide her, all the while fighting off headaches and 'spells' from a blow to the head when she was younger. AND, she wasn't traveling alone, as she was bringing slaves out of the South into the free North, and none of her 'passengers' was killed. That is pretty amazing to me. Cynthia Erivo was amazing as Harriet Tubman (who SHOULD be on the $20 by now), bringing a no nonsense and can do attitude to her mission of leading slaves to freedom. Tubman escaped from slavery in Maryland by walking, maybe hitching a ride in a wagon to Philadelphia. In an effort to save her family and be reunited with her husband, she went back to Maryland many times to help family members and others escape. There are some big names in supporting roles including Leslie Odom, Jr. as William Still, an abolitionist affiliated with the Underground Railroad; Jennifer Nettles as Eliza Brodess, the widow of Harriet's owner; and Janelle Monae as Marie Buchanon who owned a boardinghouse where Harriet found respite and friendship. I suppose it was a forgone conclusion that Renee Zellweger was going to win for her role as Judy Garland, but I was pulling for Cynthia Erivo. I also loved the song "Stand Up", especially after the performance at the Oscars. I wouldn't say that a film about slavery is necessarily a family film, except this is more than that; it's about a woman, facing horrible circumstances and incredible odds to do amazing things, never giving up. She wasn't just an inspiring woman, but an inspiring human. If you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend doing so.

2/2/20 Pain and Glory, nominated Best Actor, Best International Feature Film, 2019

Um. Yeah. I was going to write that I'm hot and cold on Pedro Almodovar films, but in all honesty, I have to say I'm mostly cold. I did not care at all about the highs and lows of director Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), his loves, his drug addiction, his childhood. That's basically what the movie is about. There are highbrow critics who thought this was the best movie of 2019 or the best of Banderas's career, but I don't think so. In fact, I would put this in the category of "I stopped caring after 15 minutes". Use that two hours to see something else on this list.

2/5/20 For Sama, nominated Best Documentary Feature, 2019

Sadly, Syria has become an incubator for documentary films over the past five years (or longer?) due to the civil war, oppression and brutal attacks on its civilian population. I have not yet seen The Cave, also from Syria, but I did watch For Sama, and boy, it was tough. Waad al-Kateab is filming her daily life and that of her husband and friends as they valiantly try to tend to the sick, wounded and dying in Aleppo, Syria, while dodging bombs and coping with shortages. During filming, Waad discovers she is pregnant, which raises existential questions for her, like who would knowingly bring a child into this world? It is heartbreaking watching the doctors and nurses try to bail out a sinking ship with a paper cup, trying not to give up and hoping the and waiting for the rest of the world to help. There is a small glimmer of hope, but you have to look hard to see it, but I still think you should watch.

2/7/20 The Edge of Democracy, nominated Best Documentary Feature, 2019

I don't know if it was because I was watching this right before going to bed or what, but it took five nights to watch this documentary about the nascent democracy movement in Brazil. Petra Costa, the director, had some direct connections to former President Lula through her parents' activities in Brazil. It was definitely interesting and gave me a perspective into a country which I have been fascinated with for a long time, and it has implications for the current political situation in Brazil. Stick with it and take a few nights if you need to.

2/15/20 Honeyland, nominated Best Documentary Feature, Best International Feature Film, 2019

Honeyland was one of my favorite movies of all the nominees. It was beautifully filmed and showcased a woman I would love to meet, Hatidze Muratova, a wild beekeeper in North Macedonia, a country in the Balkans, bordering Kossovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania, a true melting pot of cultures, languages and religions. The film follows Hatidze as she collects honeycomb to 'grow' and nurture her own hives, using just smoke and maybe a face covering to protect herself from the bees. She sells the honey she harvests to buy necessities for her and her elderly mother, maybe treating herself to hair coloring. Her mother is an invalid, blind and hard of hearing, and the exchanges between the two of them are heartwarming and heartbreaking. Hatizde has lived on this land her whole life and it has been in her family for generations. Her life is about to undergo a change when a family of nomads moves in next door; at first, I think she's glad of the company, people to laugh with, share meals with, teach the children the ways of honey bees, but then it turns into one of those nightmarish movies, like Neighbors, and things don't end very well. But Hatizde has a spirit that might dim, but, I felt it still burned, even though it was subdued. I just loved this movie. If you are looking for something different, or maybe you're homeschooling and want to do some World History/Geography/Environmental studies, you would get your money's worth with this movie. Do not be afraid of the subtitles, there is so much that you can infer and feel without understanding the language. Consider all the crap movies you have watched and how you're like, well, that was two hours of my life I'll never get back, and then watch Honeyland and feel redeemed. It will do your soul good, I promise.

The 92nd Academy Awards are in the books - Parasite was the big winner

The 92nd Academy Awards start in just a couple of minutes. It will be hostless this year, and I'm okay with it. It was still long last year, but slightly less annoying.

Janelle Monae is opening as Mister Rogers, singing "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood", and now into an opening number celebrating the Oscars. Steve Martin and Chris Rock are presenting something, right now they're kind of doing the intro schtick  that I thought not having a host avoids. I guess not. Although Chris Rock got in a little dig about the lack of women and black nominees. It's going on a little long though. Oh I guess they're not presenting. Regina King is presenting for Best Supporting Actor, I think Joe Pesci should get it for his role in The Irishman. Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers, Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict in Two Popes, Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffman in The Irishman, Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Brad Pitt won. It is his first acting Oscar. I'm okay with that, he did a good job as Cliff Booth. That was a good speech.

First commercial break.

Mindy Kaling is presenting Best Animated Feature Film. I really hope Klaus wins. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, boring; I Lost My Body, no, I lost my mind; Missing Link which I liked; Toy Story 4, meh and Toy Story 4 won. Seriously? I guess I'm not shocked, just disappointed. Go see Klaus online. The nominees for Best Animated Short: Dcera, Hair Love, Kitbull, Memorable and Sister. My favorite is Hair Love. Which just one. Awesome.

Josh Gad presenting Idina Menzel and Aurora for Frozen 2's song "Into the Unknown". Wow. Pretty cool, they have Elsa's from around the world singing different lines in their language.

Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves are presenting the Best Original Screenplay: Knives Out, Marriage Story, 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Parasite. The winner is Parasite. That or Knives Out was my choice. South Korea's first Oscar. Timothy Challemet and Natalie Portman are presenting Best Adapted Screenplay: The Irishman, Little Women (ugh), Joker (another ugh), Jojo Rabbit (my favorite), The Two Popes. YES! Jojo Rabbit won, Taika Waititi. Shia LeBeouf and Zack Gottsagen  (from The Peanut Butter Falcon) are presenting the Live Action Short Film nominees. Brotherhood, Nefta Football Club, The Neighbors' Window, Saria (probable winner), A Sister (my favorite). The Neighbors' Window. Eh.

Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig are presenting Best Production Design: The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, 1917 (probable winner), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Parasite. The winner is Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Ok. Hard to quibble with any of the nominees, because the sets were terrific. Nominees for Best Costume Design (they are singing right now): The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Little Women, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. No clue who will win. Little Women. Ok. It was the costumes I had a problem with. The song from Breakthrough, "I'm Standing with You" sung by Chrissy Metz.

Mark Ruffalo is presenting Best Documentary with a pwoerful introduction from previous documentaries and documentary creators. This is a tough call for me. I've seen about half of the feature films. My favorite I think is American Factory (on Netflix); The Cave (haven't seen it yet); The Edge of Democracy; For Sama; Honeyland (haven't seen it yet). The winner is American Factory! It is very powerful (they all are really), check it out. I've seen all of the documentary shorts except for St. Louis Superman. They are all so good and you should check them out. Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone if you're a Girl, Life Overtakes Me, In the Absence, St. Louis Superman, Walk Run Cha Cha. The Oscar goes to Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone if you're a Girl. SUPER!!! It is so good. It will make you smile and cry.

Mahershala Ali is presenting Best Supporting Actress. Laura Dern in Marriage Story (not my favorite), Scarlett Johanssen in Jojo Rabbit; Kathy Bates in Richard Jewell, Florence Pugh in Little Women; Margot Robbie in Bombshell. The Oscar goes to Laura Dern. I guess it was a forgone conclusion, but that was not my favorite role or performance. The best thing is that her mom, Diane Ladd is sitting with her, and I love her.

So, I probably missed it, but why was Eminem on? It was a great performance, a lot of people were singing along, but was it from a movie I missed on my list? I mean, the show is long enough, and they have plenty of music from current films, so why? It really wasn't clear from Lin-Manuel Miranda's introduction. I don't know. Whatever.

Oscar Isaac and Selma Hayek Pinault present the Best Sound Editing nominees: 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Ford v Ferrari, Joker. The Oscar goes to Ford v Ferrari which I think I called when I wrote my original review. It was like being on one of the cars with that sound. Sound mixing nominees: Ad Astra, Ford v Ferrari, Joker, 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The Oscar goes to 1917. I think this is the first award of the night for 1917.

Randy Newman is performing "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from Toy Story 4 (this cannot be the winner, it just can't).

Will Farrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are presenting Best Cinematographer: The Irishman, Lawrence Sher, The Lighthouse, Jarin Blaschke, 1917 Roger Deakins, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Robert Richardson. Roger Deakins wins for 1917. Well deserved. It was a beautifully filmed movie with some amazing camera work. Film editing: Ford v Ferrari, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Parasite. Ford v Ferrari won, which totally makes sense; the editing, both film and sound.

If my counting is right, which is doubtful, there are eight more categories to go. Can they do it in an hour? I don't think so. Cynthia Erivo is going to be singing the song, "Stand Up" from Harriet. I just got chills. Rebel Wilson and James Corden are presenting Best Visual Effects as their characters from Cats. Nominees are Avengers: Endgame, The Irishman, The Lion King, 1917, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The Oscar goes to 1917. Ray Romano and Sandra Oh are presenting for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, nominees are: Bombshell, Joker, Judy, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, 1917. The Oscar goes to Bombshell, maybe because they had to makeover so many more people, but the work done on Judy was really incredible, Renee Zellweger was transformed.

Penelope Cruz is presenting Best International Feature Film: Corpus Christi (Poland), Honeyland (North Macedonia), Les Miserables (France), Pain and Glory (Spain), Parasite (S. Korea). Parasite wins, but I have heard wonderful things about Honeyland, which was also nominated for Best Documentary. If you haven't seen Parasite, you should check it out. The director, Bong Joon ho has just asked the crew and cast to stand.

Elton John is performing "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman. It's good, but I really don't think it's the best song. He looks like he's having a great time. Randy Newman didn't look thrilled, but I think that's just how he looks.

Gal Gadot, Sigourney Weaver and Brie Larson are presenting Best Original Scores: Little Women, 1917, Marriage Story, Joker, Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker. The winner is Hildur Gudnadottir for Joker (is she the first female composer to win an Oscar for an original score?). And now the Best Original Song: "I Can't Let you Throw Yourself Away", "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again", "I'm Standing with You", "Into the Unknown" and "Stand Up". Elton John and Bernie Taupin won. I don't think it really was the best song for a film. That's kind of disappointing.

Spike Lee presenting Best Director: Martin Scorsese - The Irishman, Todd Phillips - Joker, Sam Mendes - 1917, Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Bong Joon ho - Parasite. The Oscar goes to Bong Joon ho for Parasite. That was cool. Bong Joon ho names Martin Scorsese as an inspiration. Steven Spielberg is introducing the In Memoriam section, there were a lot of losses last year. Billie Eilish is singing "Yesterday".

Olivia Colman is presenting Best Actor (she is very funny) Jonathan Pryce - Two Popes, Joaquin Phoenix - Joker (probable winner), Adam Driver - Marriage Story, Leonardo DiCaprio - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Antonio Banderas - Pain and Glory. The winner is Joaquin Phoenix for Joker. I think it would have been a bigger surprise had he not won. He just gave a very emotional speech, I don't think I can fairly capture it here.

Rami Malek is presenting for the Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo - Harriet, Scarlet Johansson - Marriage Story, Charlize Theron - Bombshell, Saorise Ronan - Little Women, Renee Zellweger - Judy (my favorite). The winner is Renee Zellweger; she made quite a comeback in Judy. Her performance was amazing.

The final award is coming up, Best Picture (not too bad, it's only 10:20 central time). I'm guessing Parasite is going to win. Jane Fonda is presenting for Best Picture and gets a standing ovation. Nominees are: Ford v Ferrari, 1917, The Irishman, Little Women, Jojo Rabbit, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Parasite, Marriage Story, Joker. The Oscar goes to Parasite! What a night for Bong Joon ho. 

Annual trip to see the Shorts - 2020

For the past four or five years my friend and I have gone to one of the theaters in Uptown (Lagoon or Uptown) to watch the Animated and Live Action Shorts. There's usually a lunch involved, some people watching and a few shorts that really stay with us. As soon as the nominations are out, we start planning our day. Here are some of my thoughts.

2/8/2020 Animated Shorts

Oh, where to begin? (slight spoiler alert)  Hair Love (USA) was one of my favorites of the nominated shorts; a little African-American girl is trying to do her hair for a special occasion, but we don't know what it is yet, and she is watching videos online for help. Her father is overwhelmed by the task and almost gives up, until he hears the end of the video and recognizes it as his wife. As he follows his wife's online guidance, the hair is a success. There's more, but you will have to see it for yourself. It's available online or currently in theaters. I liked this for a lot of reasons: it was a sweet story between and father and daughter; the animation had the feel of the cartoons I grew up with (there very well could have been computers involved, but it didn't feel like that); African-American hairstyles have been in the news a lot lately, and not in any good way, but often about punitive actions being taken against people, mostly kids/teenagers, for their hair. This is a positive story on so many levels; and even though it is about an African-American family, the story is universal: fathers and daughters, learning who you are and family. This is my choice to win.

Dcera (Daughter) (Czech Republic) had an interesting, yet creepy, animation style; kind of like papier mache. It's told in a flashback style, and like many of the animated shorts, there is no discernible dialog, so you have to pay attention to the nuances and little moments to figure out what is going on. It's another father-daughter short, and at the heart of it is about not hanging on to anger and resentments because by the time you realize it, it could be too late (full disclosure: I totally know about hanging on to resentments, bitter party of one). It's a sweet story, but really, the animation was a little distracting.
Memorable (France) is about a painter who has trouble remembering what certain objects are or what they do, and seems to be forgetting who is wife is. He begins making little drawings of objects and sticking them on the objects to remind him what they are. Even though he is losing his memory, he shares a very tender moment with his wife (but he doesn't realize it's his wife), telling this woman how much he love his wife. This theme was present in a couple of shorts last year (if I recall correctly), and as dementia and Alzheimer's continues to affect and impact more people, I think we'll see more shorts on the topic. I liked the film and I thought the animation was beautiful.

Sister (USA/China) I didn't really like this short. I didn't care for the animation style, and while I understand the inspiration behind the story (China's One Child Policy), it didn't move me.

Kitbull (USA) was cute and uplifting. It's about a stray kitten who meets a pit bull, they test each other and begin playing (from a distance). The owner of the pit bull is abusive and as the kitten and pit bull become friends, they escape over the fence.

The set also includes shorts that qualified to be nominated. We thought some of these were actually better or as good as the nominated films: Maestro is really short, but clever and fun to watch. The animals of the forest come together to perform (I think it was Bellini???). It was created by Disney animation interns. Henrietta Bulkowski is about a young woman who has a disfigured spine, which makes it impossible for her to stand up straight, and also disqualifies her from going to flight school, her dream. She doesn't take no for an answer and pursues her dream. What happens at the end shows us not to give up our dreams, but also to look inward for our potential and believe in ourselves. The Bird & The Whale used painted glass to create the animation, which creates such a beautiful visual the full length animation Loving Vincent also used this technique). A young whale who can't quite sing the way the adults in the pod can comes upon a caged bird who has survived a shipwreck. They bond and as they fight to stay alive during a horrible storm, the spirit of the bird flies into the whale. Hors piste (which means back country skiing) got the audience to laugh out loud. It was really funny with no deep meaning as far as I could tell. Two rescuers land their helicopter on the top of a mountain, and as they prepare to load their patient, terrible, but funny, things happen. It's ridiculous and impossible and fun. How was this not nominated?

Lunch time at Stella's Fish Cafe. I'm very lucky I did not fall into a food coma. The Bailey's and coffee could have gone horribly wrong.

The Live Action Shorts covered a variety of topics and prompted a variety of feelings. A Sister (Belgium) was probably my favorite; it was suspenseful and intense and had two main characters (both women), the emergency services operator and the female caller. The way the film was edited adds to the tension, with the viewer only seeing and hearing the caller's side, then it switches so we see and hear from the operator's viewpoint, and then it cuts together. I think I held my breath for the last ten minutes. It was so good. Brotherhood (Canada/Tunisia/Qatar/Sweden) provided a different point of view on ISIS and the war in Syria by taking it out of Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan, for that matter, and bringing it to Tunisia in Northern Africa and showing how a family was affected by the war. Mohamed and his family live in the countryside raising sheep and goats. We meet him and two of his sons (who are actually brothers) as they are bringing back the flocks while their mother is at home. When they arrive home, his eldest son, Malek, has returned from fighting with ISIS in Syria and brought a young bride with him. There is clear distance and hurt between Malek and Mohamed because Mohamed does not agree with the strict Islam that ISIS follows and forces on others. The resentment and anger that Mohamed feels manifests itself in a way that once done, cannot be undone. I liked it because of the different story it told with characters I have not encountered yet. I almost felt like I was watching a documentary; I don't know if the actors were actors before or this was their first film, but they were very believable. The Neighbors' Window (USA) (spoiler alert) covered a gamut of emotions, initially making the audience laugh at the protagonists' actions and reactions to what was happening in the apartment across the street. The neighbors have no blinds or curtains on their windows or they choose not to use them which allows Alli and Jacob to watch them having sex. This turns into a preoccupation that neither Alli nor Jacob want to fully admit; they are in part turned on but also regretful that their marriage isn't like that anymore. The voyeurism continues for several months when they notice that the husband from across the way doesn't look very well, and then one night, Alli is looking over and sees the husband being taken away by undertakers. Her curiosity gets the better of her and walks over to the other apartment and meets the wife. As it turns out, they could see into Alli and Jacob's apartment (it wasn't one way glass and yet Alli seemed shocked) and loved how silly the kids were or how one or the other parent would feed the baby. It makes you think about being jealous, but not really having the whole story. I liked it, but I don't think it's the winner. Apparently the film was based true events. Saria (USA) (spoiler alert) made me feel angry and sad and helpless. Saria is also based on a true story about a deadly fire at a home in Guatemala for orphaned and troubled kids in 2017. Saria is the main character, she has dreams of escaping with her sister Ximena to the United States. She has an independent streak which gets her into trouble with one of the 'teachers'. Many of the girls are raped and beaten by guards. Eventually the girls stage a protest as the guards menacingly bang their shields; the boys in the other part of the home jump in and give the girls a chance to escape. Unfortunately this doesn't have a happy ending, in fact, it's quite gruesome. Everyone is eventually caught and forced back to Virgen de la Asuncion Safe Home. The girls were locked up and weren't allowed out for any reason, including to use the bathroom. Some of the girls thought if they started a fire, the guard would have to open the door. That didn't happen and 41 girls died. According to some online reading I did, no legitimate investigations or punishments or changes have been made. The young actors were from another children's home and the lead actress who played Saria, Estefania Tellez, was terrific. I think this will probably win the Oscar. Lastly, Nefta Football Club (France/Tunisia) was a great way to end the collection (unlike last year when it ended with Skin, which won, but was awful and like a punch to the face). There are two story lines happening, one involves two men who are looking for their donkey who seems to have run off; the other involves two brothers, Abdullah and Mohammed, who are trying to get home when they stop along the road and discover a donkey with headphones and some white powder. The eldest realizes what the powder is, but he tells his little brother that it's laundry detergent. It turns out the donkey was trained to stay near its home/owners by listening to Adele, but one of the guys mistakenly puts on Hadele, which was a little rockier than Adele and drove the donkey away. I won't tell you what happens to the white powder, but it was pretty awesome.

Best Picture Nominees: 1917, Parasite, Jojo Rabbit, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

1/19/20 1917, nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, 2019

National World War I Museum and Memorial, Kansas City, MO

1917 sure did get a lot of nominations, but nothing for the actors. I've seen that before, of course I can't remember when, but what does that say about the movie? Is it really the best picture? I don't know. Not for me. It was very good, great effects and the cinematography is spectacular. 1917 is set in northern France near the end of World War I. Lance Corporal Thomas Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) is given an unenviable, and almost impossible, task of crossing through no-man's land and German territory to warn another regiment. Blake is selected because his brother is in the other regiment; his friend Lance Corporal William Schofield (George MacKay) was the victim of dumb luck. Director Sam Mendes and the production designers do a phenomenal job of recreating the horrible trenches that were such a huge factor in World War I. I really don't want to give away too much of the plot (that's pretty much the company line for the other movies below). I think it was a really good decision to not cast well-known actors in the two main roles, it would have been too distracting; there were cameos by Benedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth, and I kind of think they were a little distracting. Roger Deakins filmed the movie beautifully and with quite a bit of effort to make it look like one continuous shot. If you're still able to catch the film in the theater, I hope you can see it; some movies should be seen on the big screen and this is definitely one of those. I think it will win a lot of awards, but I don't think it's best picture.

Exhibit of Trench Warfare, National World War I Museum and Memorial, Kansas City, MO

1/25/20 Parasite, nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, 2019

South Korean film Parasite wins the award for the most misleading title. Yes, I do know why it's titled that NOW, but I didn't before I watched it, and the name was one of the reasons I didn't want to see it. Stereotypically, a movie called "Parasite" would be a horror movie, something with an invasive species or something. In case you're wondering, that doesn't happen. What does happen is a story unfolds about class wars, envy, deceit mixed with satire. Don't be put off because it's in Korean, or it has a creepy title, it is an original idea with original characters. Co-written and directed by Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer), Parasite has social commentary mixed with some biting sarcasm and a little bit of suspense. We first meet the Kim family, a down-on-their-luck clan, living in cramped basement quarters and leaching off the wi-fi signal of their neighbors and trying many different scams to earn money. When son, Kim Ki-woo, gets a job as an English tutor for Park Da-Hye, the daughter of the wealthy Park family, Ki-woo sees possibilities for his family to improve their situation. And that's all you'll get from me. This is another film that has been nominated for Best Picture, but no actor nominations, which I don't understand, maybe because it was really an ensemble piece with eight 'leads' (well, maybe 6), but there could have been at least a supporting nod for Lee Jeung-eun as the housekeeper. I really liked Parasite, it wasn't a remake, a sequel, a reboot or based on real events (as far as I know); I know I keep harping on the originality, but it was so fresh. I would be willing to bet that an American version will be out in the next five years. I think it will win Best International Feature Film; I haven't seen any of the other nominees, so this is going on past awards and a gut feeling. This is out now on DVD or streaming, so check it out.

Seoul, S. Korea

1/25/20 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, 2019

Sigh. 161 minutes, everyone I know has commented on how long The Irishman is, but nobody has complained about the length of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but they were both too long. I liked half the premise, a visit to old Hollywood and the shows of the 1950s and 1960s, a washed up actor, Rick Dalton, (Leonardo DiCaprio) trying to be relevant again. I also thought it was an interesting twist to include his stuntman/driver/gopher, Cliff Booth, (Brad Pitt) in the mix, creating the buddy movie element. Parallel to Rick and Cliff trying to find work is the introduction of the Manson Family and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), Roman Polanski and friends; eventually they all intersect. Eh. DiCaprio and Pitt were both nominated for Oscars, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, but I didn't see anything in DiCaprio's performance (compared to his own past performances and other 2019 nominees) that deserved an Oscar nod. I thought Pitt's performance was worthy of the nomination, I thought he was more fun to watch and had better scenes. I think the Best Actor is probably going to go Joaquin Phoenix, but I'm not sure about Best Supporting Actor.

1/26/20 Jojo Rabbit, nominated Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, 2019

Jojo Rabbit is one of my favorite movies of this year because of its originality (with a nod to Mel Brooks), humor, satire, tenderness and the three young actors. Jojo Rabbit is set in the later years of World War II, and ten year-old Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) has regular conversations with his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi, who also wrote and directed) and is eager to join the Hitler Youth with his pal, Yorki (Archie Yates). His patient mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) gently chides Jojo about his dedication to the Fuhrer, while protecting him from a dangerous secret involving a young girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) hidden in the house. I'm not really sure I can describe more of the story without giving away some of the surprises I had while watching it. I enjoyed watching looking at the world through Jojo's eyes, even as horrible as it could be during a war, as he endured heartbreak, love and small victories, and learned to shed his devotion to Hitler. Also in another terrific supporting role is Sam Rockwell as Captain Klenzendorf; seemingly devoted to the cause because he has to be, not necessarily because he is a rabid believer. He shows Jojo kindness and protection that Adolf can't give. As far as the nominations go, I don't understand thinking a movie is Best Picture, but you don't nominate the director of the movie? I'm not sure how it's going to do against the other nominees, but I know who I'll be rooting for. And I can't wait to see Davis and Yates in more films. I would say if you have not seen Jojo Rabbit, do yourself a favor and watch it. I may watch it again after the awards.

More Oscar Nominations: Some family films and some sci-fi

1/25/20 Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, nominated Best Makeup and Hairstyling, 2019

I enjoyed the first Maleficent film, starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning; I saw it in a theater and thought the visuals were terrific. Lately, I have found myself reluctant to see sequels, unless I'm compelled by the list or they were part of the Marvel Universe. I had intentions of seeing Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, but it just never happened (the story of my movie life last year). There were parts of this story that truly escaped me; maybe I wasn't paying attention or maybe it was just that incoherent, but I can only give you a high level recap. I was grabbed by the visuals, which I thought were terrific except when they were hidden in some very dark (as in "I can't see, it's too dark") photography. The story picks up a little after the first movie, and Aurora is ruling the Moors; she's also being courted by Prince Philip. I'm not quite sure what Maleficent was doing. Prince Philip's mother, Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeifer), is plotting war and revenge against the Moors. She starts by angering Maleficent and creating false pretenses for her aggressions. The pixies are back as are the big trees and other creatures form the Moors; new are the Dark Feys, creatures like Maleficent. I don't think the movie was as good as the first one; I don't think there was enough Maleficent in the sequel; there was too much spread out between Ingrith, Aurora and Maleficent. 

1/26/20 Ad Astra, nominated Best Sound Mixing, 2019

At the heart of it, I think Ad Astra is about the relationship between a father and son and expectations of both; however, it's wrapped up in a sci-fi movie. Brad Pitt is astronaut Major Roy McBride, son of legendary/infamous astronaut/explorer, H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones). U.S. Space Command is concerned that recent disturbances in the universe are the result of an experiment being conducting by the elder McBride, and ask Roy McBride to establish contact with his father, whom he has not seen in years. As Major McBride makes his way to Mars to send his message, he encounters brigands and rabid baboons and resistance to his desire to meet his father on Neptune. The whys and wherefores of the story got a little confusing and ridiculous; seriously, rabid baboons on a Norwegian space craft, but so sign of the humans aboard or what happened, and then what happened to the baboons? I stopped trying to figure it out. What I did like about the movie were the incredible visual effects. Those I would have liked to have seen on the big screen, maybe even IMAX, and those aren't even up for a nomination. That was crazy. If you enjoy science fiction/space movies, you have probably seen this already, but if you haven't, I think it's worth watching, and you probably have a television from this century. 

2/1/20 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, nominated Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, 2019

I was telling my friend today that I just saw Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker and I hoped they were done with it. We'll see. I know there are huge Star Wars fans who keep all the plotlines straight and look for plot holes, but I am not one of them. I enjoy them, but I don't look for a lot of deep meaning. There are so many things happening, I mean the movie was over two hours long, that I can't even give you a reasonable recap. It's like the writers and director, J.J. Abrams (also a writer) took as many cast members from the previous eight films (living and dead) as they could, plus more than a handful of cameo appearances by 'new' characters, threw them into a pot, mixed it with explosives, lasers and a familiar score from John Williams and said, "Here you go". I liked the last twenty minutes, but I had to sit through over hundred other minutes. I'm probably in the minority since it has made over $1 billion dollars and is still playing in the theaters, but let's move on, or to quote from Frozen, "Let it go".

2/2/20 Frozen 2, nominated for Best Original Song, 2019

I was not all that thrilled about seeing Frozen 2, not for any tangible reason, I'm just tired of sequels and remakes and reboots, also, I knew there were going to be children in the theater (I saw the first one at home) and I could not legitimately get upset with their existence. It didn't take a lot of arm twisting to get my movie pal to go with me, and I will eat a little bit of crow here, I really did like it, and it was fun listening to the kids giggling at the funny parts, and the songs were really good. The story picks up with Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) feeling a little restless, but not knowing why; Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) making googly eyes at each other; and Olaf (Josh Gad) looking for the meaning of life and transformation (in case you don't know, Olaf is a snowman). Elsa starts hearing something, but she can't quite pinpoint what it is or where it's coming from, but around the same time she starts hearing it, other strange phenomenon start: massive winds, strange fires and buckling streets. In order to protect her kingdom, Elsa, with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven the reindeer, embark on a quest to save Arundelle and the Northuldra tribe who live in the forest and learn the mystery of their parents' lives. Several of the cast members sing, but when Idina Menzel sings, it is mind-blowing. The only category the film is nominated in is for Best Original Song, and the good news is (I think I read it correctly) that Idina Menzel will be singing "Into The Unknown". I thought Frozen 2 was ten million times better than How to Train Your Dragon 47 in the story, the animation, music, everything. 

Frozen in Harbin, 2020

2019 Documentary Shorts

Regular readers know that I love documentaries, and I have special place in my heart for the documentary shorts. I usually go to the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis and make an afternoon of it. However, time constraints this year have forced me to Plan B. Almost all of them were available online, except for St. Louis Superman.

1/26/20 Life Overtakes Me - As refugees flee their home countries and the familiar surroundings and resettle (or try to) in new countries, there is all kinds of adjustments that have to be made, new languages to learn, and the fight to stay in the desired country after seeking asylum. This short film was made in Sweden and followed families seeking asylum, but also coping with their children who are suffering from is being called "Resignation Syndrome". It's almost as if the children quit wanting to live; they stop eating, stop responding to their parents or any stimulation. Some of the children have been in this condition for 6-12 months. It's heartbreaking watching the parents massage the children, talk to them and try to include them in family activities and hope for them to wake up. It is possible, and one of the doctors suggests (and the example in the film seems to bear her out) that once the family's situation becomes stable, like asylum is granted, and the parents become more calm and less stressed the children start to come out of the suspended animation state. Cases of Resignation Syndrome have increased in Sweden in the last ten years, and new cases are appearing in Australia among refugees. It made me wonder if children being held or coming to the United States under uncertain conditions are experiencing this syndrome and it's not being reported. Life Overtakes Me is available on Netflix.

1/26/20 Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl) - So far this is my favorite of the four shorts I have watched. The title says it all, girls in Kabul, Afghanistan are learning to skateboard and they are definitely still in a warzone. This could have been a depressing story, focusing on the war and the poor treatment of women and girls, but I found myself crying tears of happiness and joy at the spirit of the schoolgirls, but also their mothers and their teachers (I often cry watching documentaries). Muslim extremists frown on girls going to school or having any kind of education or freedom, which makes going to school a very dangerous proposition. The girls go to school and then learn to skateboard; skateboarding outdoors is also dangerous, so there is an indoor 'skate park' where they learn all the basics. The teachers are women as are the skateboarding instructors. Listening to all of the women talk about the importance of the school and the skateboarding is so uplifting; mothers talking about how they were prohibited from going to school and were forced to marry when they were very young and they want something better for their daughters. There is a school administrator who inspired me to a few fist pumps as she seemed fearless in the face of men who opposed the school. The skateboard instructor who was once a student who aspired to participate in international competitions. The energy and joy of the girls, the giggling and teasing, but also incredible support they have for one another is awesome and uplifting. I have been recommending it to everyone. It's available online through A&E. The organization that supports this endeavor is Skateistan.org. You will thank me later.

1/30/20 Walk Run Cha-Cha - Paul and Millie Cao met as youngsters in Vietnam, but were separated when Paul left for America to begin a new life. They kept in contact and eventually Paul was able to bring Millie to the United States and they re-connected and married. We meet them while they are in a dance lesson, and I really had no idea what the movie was going to be about, I thought just dancing. Dancing became kind of like their second chapter together as a couple after both had successful careers and their daughter was grown and out of the house. They both take the dancing very seriously, taking private lessons and competing. Paul is the more serious of the two, rarely cracking a smile, and Millie seems to light up when she talks about dancing and listening to Western music when she was growing up. Watching them dance together was very touching. I don't think it was the 'best', but I did enjoy it. This is also online, available through general searching or on Vimeo.

1/30/20 In the Absence broke my heart. In the Absence documents the sinking of the MV Sewol, a South Korean ferry, in April 2014. It also shows in real time video and recorded radio and phone exchanges the sheer incompetence of the South Korean authorities to make any real attempt to rescue the passengers, many of them students, before the ferry sank. It is so hard to describe what happened, because it makes no sense. Government authorities were more concerned about the appearance of making a rescue and filming the scene than actually doing anything productive. A group of civilian divers did their best to recover the victims, but they were also battling the government who eventually ordered them to stop their efforts. Two of the divers were interviewed or testified in a later public forum, and you could see how tortured they were by not being able to complete their task. It was chilling to watch parents, survivors and ordinary Korean citizens marching and protesting against the government. There were several scenes that made tear up, and one of them was when the ferry was recovered, four years after the disaster, and the remaining victims were brought home. The families wanted to get closer, maybe see the bodies (I don't know if that would have been good), but the authorities were keeping them locked out, and the families are shouting about how they have been forced to wait and they were getting aggressive (I didn't blame them), the camera shows members of the police/security forces waiting in the area (waiting for a conflict) and as the families are yelling, one of the officers is shown wiping away tears. It was as if she knew what was happening was wrong and she felt horrible for what was happening. There was no narration to the film, but interviews, recorded exchanges from a variety of officials, news footage and super titles providing time frames to the disaster as well as information about what was happening. It was moving and aggravating and it was hard to find anything positive in the outcome. This documentary is available on YouTube.

Buddha, Mt. Seorak, S. Korea

I want my money back: The Lighthouse, I Lost My Body

I have two weeks to go before the Oscars and I am terribly behind due to my two weeks in Asia, so it's well worth it. I have twenty-nine movies to see and I'm not optimistic. I have legitimate concerns that my retinas will burn out.

1/25/20 Little Women, nominated Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, 2019

I was irritated the whole time I watched Little Women. Irritated it was on the list; irritated I make myself follow the list; irritated it was over two hours long. I didn't care and don't care. It's certainly not Best Picture material. 

1/25/20 I Lost My Body, nominated Best Animated Feature, 2019

It took me five tries to finish the movie, and the whole time I wanted to quit. It was the longest 81 minutes of my life. This is a candidate for an animated short, there was no need for this fantasy drama about a disembodied hand in search of its body to be EIGHTY ONE MINUTES long. There was definite potential, but it was lost, in my opinion in mopey melodrama. If this wins for Best Animated Feature, I may give this up.

1/26/20 The Lighthouse, nominated Best Cinematography, 2019

The two best things about The Lighthouse are it's less than two hours long and it was only nominated for one award. Otherwise, oh my god and I want my money back, Redbox. Horror movies usually have one of two effects on me, they either scare the crap out of me or they make me laugh because they are so ridiculous. I cried and laughed because this was so ridiculous. It was nominated for its cinematography because it was in black and white; that almost seems like the way to guarantee at least one nomination, regardless of the quality of the movie. Allegedly this was based on an unfinished Edgar Allen Poe, or at least it was the inspiration, but Poe could scare the crap out of you in a short story (did you catch the 'short' part?) and you weren't laughing. Anyway, I wrote way more than I wanted to about this movie. But, if you want to see a good movie, don't do it. As for the Oscar, I've seen the other nominees, and I think 1917 had some spectacular cinematography as did Joker.

Three more nominees: The Two Popes, American Factory and Breakthrough

12/26/19 The Two Popes, nominated Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2019

I cannot speak to the accuracy of The Two Popes, especially the scenes within the conclave where the Cardinals vote for the new pope. I thought the ballots were burned, so perhaps that part is speculation. At any rate, the film looks at the unusual circumstance and relationship between Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce) created when Pope Benedict stepped down from his lifetime appointment to the papacy and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis. The two men couldn't be more different or on opposite sides of almost any argument. The movie flashes back to when Jorge was a young man, before he entered the priesthood and then his time as a priest during the time of the junta in Argentina. The flashbacks show Bergoglio's flaws and his human side, which some may not believe are suited for a position that is considered infallible. Bergoglio repeatedly tries to resign his post as Cardinal, but Pope Benedict continually refuses him. The movie shows the human side of Pope Benedict as well, as he and Pope Francis watch the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina together, fact or fiction, it was an enjoyable scene to watch. Pryce is nominated for Best Actor and I think the odds are against him since Joaquin Phoenix seems to be the favorite this awards season. Hopkins is nominated for Best Supporting Actor and that may be a little more open, with two nominations for The Irishman (Joe Pesci and Al Pacino), Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (haven't seen this yet) and Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. I know Hanks is usually the favorite any time he's nominated, but I thought Pesci was really, really good.

1/12/20 American Factory, nominated Best Documentary Feature, 2019

American Factory was hard to watch, I really felt the heartache and frustration and disappointment of the men and women of Moraine, Ohio, as they tried to make a new life at a new factory built and run by the Chinese glass factory Fuyao. I wasn't surprised by the culture clash and differences, but I was surprised at how big and wide the divide was, and the hostile attitudes expressed by both at the end of the film. I thought something seemed familiar about the filmmaking and the topic, the General Motors Assembly Plant, but I just found out that the filmmakers also made 2009 nominee, The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant by Julie Reichert and Steve Bognar. This was the same plant. Everything seems pretty positive and full of potential and hope to bring back good paying jobs to southwestern Ohio. The Chairman, Cao Dewang, is aware of the differences in culture and work practices and at first seems okay with it, up to a point. The Chinese are absolutely opposed to any kind of unionization and threaten to shut the plant if the unions come in. Eventually, the lower than expected wages, the safety concerns and other practices put the two sides in opposition to one another. In my Pollyanna world, I kept thinking if the two sides could talk, really talk and get some kind of understanding and not fall into stereotyping (it happens on both ends), it could have been so much more beneficial. This is the first nominated documentary I have seen, so I can't honestly say if I think it will win, but I found it powerful, relevant and full of humanity. It's distributed by Netflix, so it's available on streaming, and I strongly recommend watching it, for so many reasons. 


1/17/20 Breakthrough, nominated Best Original Song, 2019

I'll be honest, if Breakthrough wasn't on the Oscars list, I would never have watched it; I can't even say it was an unexpected find. It's not that it was terrible, it's just not my thing. When I saw the previews, I thought, nope, I won't be going. Sigh. So here we are. The movie is based on the true story of John Smith falling through a not so frozen lake in St. Charles, Missouri and being put into a medically induced coma. The doctors had no expectations of a full recovery, but his mother, Joyce (Chrissy Metz), had other ideas. She was so fervent and adamant in her belief and her prayers that you could say she willed John to get better. Movies like this really aren't my thing, so if I'm going to like it (or maybe just watch it) at least the acting needs to be good. I'm sorry, but it wasn't. Topher Grace was Pastor Jason, and while I believed Anthony Hopkins could have Pope Benedict, I did not at all believe that Topher Grace was a pastor. The music was okay; "I'm Standing with You", written by Diane Warren and performed offscreen by Chrissy Metz is nominated for Best Original Song. It was a good song, but I have a feeling that the new song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin for Rocketman, "(I'm gonna) Love Me Again". The movie wasn't my thing, but you may like it.

2019 Animated nominees - Missing Link, Klaus, The Lion King

1/16/20 Missing Link, nominated Best Animated Feature, 2019

If you're like me and are looking for something new, or at least not remade or a sequel, I totally suggest Missing Link or Klaus (my favorite was Klaus). Missing Link was done by Laika, which has also done some of my recent favorite animated films including Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, Kuba and the Two Strings (if not my favorite, I like them for their original ideas and animation style) and using stop motion animation. It tells the story of an eccentric English explorer, Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) and his pursuit of unique creatures, in this case, Bigfoot (voiced by Zack Galafianakis). Frost is joined by Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), also an adventurer, who is brave and clever in her own right. Frost has the idea of taking Bigfoot, now named Susan Link (that's a whole other story), to meet his relatives, Yetis, in the Himalayas. Of course, there is a jealous nemesis, Lord Piggott-Dunceby (Stephen Fry) and a ruthless henchman, Willard Stenk (Timothy Olyphant). I enjoyed the movie for the story, the voice characters and the animation. Totally a movie for one of those snow days or winter weekends.

1/17/20 How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World, nominated Best Animated Feature, 2019

I do not understand how this franchise keeps getting nominated for Oscars, I really don't. It was fine, if you're twelve, or maybe ten, but Oscar-worthy? No. That's all, I can't even pretend to care, not after watching Missing Link and Klaus. I'm hoping the series ends here.

1/19/20 The Lion King, nominated Best Visual Effects, 2019

The Lion King is the third or fourth (?) animated Disney film to be reimagined as live action or 'photorealistic computer animated'. WHY? I don't know. Again, I thought it was a good movie, not great, and in fact, it's nominated for Best Visual Effects, and I don't have a strong feeling about it one way or another because it's going up against Star Wars, The Irishman (with the de-aging effect), The Avengers and 1917, and I think depending on how the voters are feeling that day, or their particular pet peeve, anyone could win. The Lion King doesn't stray too far from the original, some tweaks and nuanced changes, but nothing that would be shocking. There are all new voice actors, except for that national treasure who is James Earl Jones, reprising Mufasa; the songs have been re-arranged, and there are new songs, one by Ilya Salmanzadeh, Labrinth and Beyoncé and performed by Beyoncé ("Spirit") and one written by Elton John and Tim Rice ("Never Too Late"). I think was some disappointment that "Spirit" wasn't nominated. Beyoncé also voices the grown up Nala and Donald Glover is Simba. Chiwetel Ejiofor was Scar, previously voiced by Jeremy Irons; it's hard to compare because they were both pretty menacing. Timon and Pumbaa were voiced by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, and I admit I was listening for Nathan Lane as Timon, but I got over it. I honestly do not remember the voice of Zazu in the original movie, but he is voiced by John Oliver in the new film, and he might be my favorite, maybe because I saw him in my head when I was watching. The effects were good and sometimes the animals seemed real, or at least not like a cartoon, but like I said, not sure how it's going to fare against the other nominees. Did they have to make this movie? I really don't know. I guess the best I can say is they didn't make it worse (not naming names), and the music gets a little refresh and sounds good. If you have little kids and want a movie for the rest of the long, cold winter we have ahead of us (or if you're reading this in six months - for a night at the cabin), this would be a good family movie.

1/19/20 Klaus, nominated Best Animated Feature, 2019

There have been variations on the Santa Klaus theme over the years, but this is a version that is new to me. The movie features JK Simmons as Klaus, a reclusive toy maker/carpenter, and Jason Schwartzman as Jesper, a ne'er-do-well postman who meet in an isolated town and change the lives and attitudes of each other and the townspeople. Smeerensburg is a northern (very northern) version of the Hatfields and McCoys, with two feuding families who have no use for a postman, a teacher or a man who makes toys for children. Jesper's father promised him that he could return to the family and comforts of home if he posted/processed 6,000 letters, so Jesper gets creative and, well, you're going to have to watch. I don't want to spoil it. The two voices that really stand out are JK Simmons as Klaus and Joan Cusack as Mrs. Krum, leader of one faction of the feuding families (say that three times fast). Sergio Pablos was the director, writer and a couple of the voices; he was also the creator of the Despicable Me/Minions franchise. Rashida Jones is Alva, a schoolteacher who works as a fishmonger because the children aren't sent to school. The animation steers away from computer animation and tries to improve on the traditional animation techniques; it looked, if not 'fresh' exactly, it looked new and different. There is humor, but also a story about people and growing and learning and doing things for others. It may sound corny, but I don't think it comes across that way. If you want to wait until next Christmas to watch this new Christmas movie, you can, but I don't think you have to. I hope this wins, but I don't know.