Avengers: Infinity Wars - no spoilers

5/6/18 Avengers: Infinity Wars, not yet nominated, 2018

I poached the above picture from my brother's Instagram page. He was instrumental in me seeing Avengers: Infinity Wars so soon after it opened (only a week instead of two months like for The Black Panther) because he nagged me so much; he was so concerned that I see it, he offered to send me the money. Isn't that sweet? So I went last weekend, sat through 20 minutes of trailers and finally the show started. It isn't critical to watch all of the preceding Avengers-related movies, you can still enjoy the story, action and effects, but if you don't remember the origins of the different Infinity stones and other details (the Collector, who is Gamora's father, etc.), it wouldn't hurt to watch them. It's hard to review a movie that is so 'new' and not give spoilers (yes, there are some people who haven't seen it yet). I will tell you Thanos is one bad dude and the screenwriters give us almost all of our favorites in movie: Peter Quill and his team of Guardians of the Galaxy; Dr. Strange; Spider-Man; Black Panther; and of course, The Avengers. I was worried it would be heavy on characters that they wouldn't be able to get them all in the story, but somehow it works. There are a couple of different story lines that break up the characters so they're not tripping on one another, and they take place in Wakanda, New York City, and a few other planets and galaxies. It's action packed with great effects, and that comic book humor that I love so much (that DC movies have not quite perfected). My one qualm (or the only I've held onto) is with Groot. Why? Why? He/It was kind of purposeless in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 as he was re-growing from the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, and he really remained useless here. Maybe you could argue he was helpful in the big fight, but I would shake my head. But, aside from that, I did really enjoy it. It was over two hours and fifteen minutes, so it's long, but it didn't really feel like that. I cannot wait until next year for the sequel (yes, sequel).

Just a job to do - Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds

5/20/16 Pulp Fiction, Best Original Screenplay, 1994, #94 American Film Institute, National Film Registry, #28 BBC


6/10/16 Inglorious Basterds, Best Supporting Actor,  2009


I have been struggling with how to write these reviews, and I still am. Regarding Pulp Fiction which somehow is on so many Best of lists and is a 'must-see' film - why? Apparently it changed film making and storytelling. Um, okay. I saw this movie around twenty years ago, but didn't remember any of it, just that I didn't like it, so I wanted to try and watch it again to see if I had changed. Well, I do think I have changed, but my opinion of the movie has not. I didn't like it, and even worse, I just didn't care. It seemed so self-indulgent. As for Inglorious Basterds, I kind of liked it the first time I watched it; I thought it was an interesting story, and I enjoyed Melanie Laurent's performance as Shoshana/Emmanuelle, and there are several other actors in brief appearances who are worth watching (Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl among a few), and of course, Christoph Walz in his Oscar-winning role as Hans Landa, the sadistic SS Colonel. But, the second time around, I was disinterested. It was like the novelty of it had worn off, and to be honest (please don't shoot me), Walz's performance was good, but it seems that when a director needs a sadist/evil guy, they say "Is Christoph Walz available?" (see him in Big Eyes, and the new Tarzan movie). I'm sure he can do so much more. You have probably already seen both of these movies, possibly more than once, and maybe you even think they are fabulous. All I can think of is, two more off my list.

Speaking of the list, here are the numbers:
793 - number of movies to watch/blog that have won an Oscar
22 - the number of movies to watch/blog that are on the American Film Institute 100 best films
541 - number of movies to watch/blog on the National Film Registry (some of these films go back to the early 1900s so we'll see how that works)
46 - the number of movies to watch/blog on the BBC's list of best 100 American films

Thank goodness there is a lot of crossover, and if I work really hard, I can finish the AFI list this year. It's coming up on the 4 year anniversary of starting the blog. Some days it's easier than others, but it's still fun.

Two Days, One Night; God and Elvis; a visit to Chernobyl, Spy and the Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - a cinematic hotdish

There was actually going to be a plan to this entry, but that kind of  went out the window pretty quickly as the movies piled up. There are one foreign film and three documentary shorts and then to throw you off balance, two comedies. It's a grab bag of cinema.

11/21/15 Two Days, One Night, nominated Best Actress, 2014

Several posts ago I mentioned that I had watched all but one of the nominees for last year. I lied. And I'm sorry. I had Two Days, One Night at home, but couldn't fit it in to my busy schedule. I finally did a couple of weeks ago and it was an interesting premise and I would like to state for the record now that I believe within five years this will be remade as an American film. The movie was a joint Belgian/French/Italian production set in Belgium. Marion Cotillard was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar, losing out to Julianne Moore in Still Alice. Marion is Sandra, a worker in a small solar panel factory in Seraing, a city near Liege, Belgium. When the movie starts Sandra is hoping to return to work after being gone for an unspecified reason (we are given clues along the way); unfortunately, the manager and owner learned that the the team could still meet all production demands being short one person. They are given the option of having Sandra back or getting a bonus; for some of the workers the bonus will have a huge impact on their quality of life. Sandra's friend, Juliette, has convinced the owner to hold a secret ballot after the weekend. This reprieve gives Sandra time to speak with everyone one on one and plead her case. She is reluctant, but her husband, Manu, tries to encourage her and support her. It's an emotional roller coaster as Sandra suffers rejection but also makes some conversions. I worried about her state of mind and tensed up as she made her plea. It didn't end like I thought it would, but I think it was better and more real. One thing I do want to say is that some of the workers made their decision based on the fact they would lose this bonus; but were they in such dire straits before Sandra left? And what makes them think they are safe and that management wouldn't see if they could do with one less person in six months? And (I guess that's three things) how come there was no union intervention? On that matter, I'm guessing because it was a small shop. I love Cotillard, I totally believed she was Sandra, the pain and angst and the love of her kids. She is amazing, although I think she is much better in French films, but perhaps I'm being a snob.

11/22/15 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, 2015

Movies are funny things. When you see a really good movie, you walk out and say, ooh, I hope they make a sequel. I loved The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, it featured some of the best British actors and actresses and it was on a beautiful location. Who wouldn't want a second movie? Most of the original cast returns: Dame Maggie Smith as Muriel Donnelly who now helps to run the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel; Dame Judi Dench as Evelyn Greenslade who works sourcing original Indian cloths; Bill Nighy is Douglas Ainslie a sweet, fumbling guide who has unrequited feelings for Evelyn; Dev Patel returns as Sonny Kapoor, the ambitious and over the top entrepreneur who is preparing for his wedding; Richard Gere is the new face and he is a guest at the hotel and also very interested in Sonny's mother. You kind of need a scorecard to keep track of who is with whom and who does what. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is doing so well that guests never leave (until they permanently check out) so Sonny and Mrs. Donnelly set off to America to make a deal to start a Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  As with any ensemble film, there's a lot going on and some of it is more interesting or funny than other bits, and you find there are characters you would rather watch. Maggie Smith as Mrs. Donnelly is that person for me. In some ways she is like her curmudgeony character on Downton Abbey, dropping acerbic comments as effortlessly as rain falls in Seattle. There is a great Bollywood dance at the end, and other than that, the movie was okay, but not great, and I really hope they don't make a third best exotic marigold hotel.

11/26/15 Chernobyl Heart, winner Best Documentary Short, 2003

I may have to come up with a ratings system for documentaries; I think this would be five tear drops. I remember when the Chernobyl disaster happened; I had friends living in Sweden at the time and the news said that the radiation was blowing towards Sweden and the children were not supposed to play in the sand. It was crazy. It was in the news for a while and occasionally news would come out about what was happening, especially to the children. Seventeen years after the disaster, director Maryann DeLeo takes us to Chernobyl and surrounding villages and cities, to hospitals and orphanages. The number of birth defects has increased dramatically since the disaster, as has the number of cases of thyroid cancer and other diseases. The impacts on this generation of children is unfathomable. Our 'guide' for this visit is Adi Roche, a most amazing woman who founded Chernobyl Children International. The film was difficult to watch, frustrating and infuriating and yet Adi and her team and the doctors who come to perform surgeries for free give that ray of hope. The video is available on youtube and I strongly encourage you to watch it. 

11/26/15 Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work Of Mark O'Brien, Best Documentary Short, 1996

Mark O'Brien was a poet who UC Berkeley, wrote several volumes of poetry and articles, all while being in an iron lung. O'Brien was stricken with polio when he was 6 years old. His parents didn't want to put him in a nursing home, so they kept him at home as long as they could, but then he went out on his own, attending college and graduate school. He has the help of attendants, but he uses a tool to type with his mouth. There are times he seems very lonely, but he still has a sense of humor and a sense of indignation when it comes to equal access and opportunity for disabled. His story was dramatized in Sessions which focused on his desire to experience sex. O'Brien died in 1999. The documentary is available on youtube and Sessions is available through the library or Netflix. I suggest seeing both.

11/26/15 God is the Bigger Elvis, nominated Best Documentary Short, 2011

I had no idea what this documentary was about until I watched it, I thought it was something to do with religion, but other than that, nada. Well, it has to do with God and Elvis. You movie buffs out there may know the name 'Dolores Hart' (I have to admit it didn't ring any bells with me, I'm sorry) from the 1950s, particularly Loving You with Elvis Presley. Dolores did not find the Hollywood lifestyle suitable to her and left to join a Benedictine order in Connecticut. The (now) Mother Prioress talks about her choice and others from the abbey about why they joined and what the Mother Prioress gives to them. I liked the documentary, it had a certain joie de vivre, but this was the year that Saving Face won and that was a hard one to beat, I think.

11/27/15 Spy, 2015

I really needed this movie after two days of intense movies (Secret in Their Eyes and Spotlight). There is no question that Melissa McCarthy has been in some hit or miss movies, but even if it's a 'miss', I almost always find something to laugh at; she is one funny lady. Spy isn't exactly a miss, but I didn't laugh as hard as I did during Bridesmaids, but I think that was a pretty rare occasion for me. 
Spy is a comedic take on James Bond, featuring Jude Law as agent Bradley Fine; Jason Statham as his interdepartmental rival, Rick Ford; Rose Byrne as baddie Rayna Boyanov; Allison Janney as Director Elaine Crocker. The casting is pretty spot on: Statham shows he has a sense of humor about himself and his tough guy image by being the consummate 'top the topper', escaping death more times than it's possible to imagine; Janney is just so good in everything she does, she could teach a master class in line delivery and McCarthy is smooth moving from physical comedy to playing off of her co-stars (she and Byrne have this down to a science). McCarthy plays Susan Cooper a behind the scenes type of agent, providing the field agent, Fine, with escape routes and intel on the bad guys. Cooper and the rest of the agency are led to believe that Fine has been killed by Boyanov and that all of the field agents have been compromised, so they need someone unknown to the other side, and that would be Susan Cooper now Penny Morgan. Susan goes to Europe to stop the bad guys selling nuclear weapons (actually I wasn't really following the plot all that closely). Cooper proves to be lot more capable than anyone gave her credit for and she is assisted by Nancy (English actress Miranda Hart who has a great scene with 50 Cent). I think when Melissa McCarthy has a good script and a good director (Paul Feig, he directed Bridesmaids and Heat) good times can be had by all. McCarthy is one of the best comedic actresses and it's fun watching her do her thing.

Focusing on the National Film Registry and the AFI list with Hitchock and 12 Angry Men

7/1/15 12 Angry Men, 1957, AFI #87, National Film Registry

I've mentioned a couple times here that I don't watch too many movies more than once, but I have watched 12 Angry Men several times and I find something to keep my attention each time. 12 Angry Men was directed by Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon, Network) and starred several big named actors, or soon to be big name actors including Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Warden and Jack Klugman. Most of the movie is set in a jury room where the twelve men are deciding the fate of an 18 year old young man; the room is claustrophobic and the heat is overbearing. It seems at first that it's an easy decision - guilty, but juror number 8 (Henry Fonda) wants the men to take more than a cursory glance at the evidence and discuss it before they sentence the defendant to a death sentence. He runs into resistance by the other jurors who want to leave for their evening plans or just get out of the jury room. If you have not seen the movie, I really don't want to give too much away because the way Juror 8 lays out his arguments and just tries to ask probing questions is the best part of the film. Wikipedia refers to it as a film on consensus building, but I also think it's an example of critical thinking, looking beyond the surface of things, challenging the popular opinion. The performances are taut, you really can feel the tension and the heat and smell the cigarette smoke. The men are angry, and it's interesting to hear how fears or prejudices come out. The movie was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Writing of an Adapted Screenplay, but lost to Bridge on the River Kwai (another movie I have watched a few times). 12 Angry Men is currently on the AFI list of the best 100 films as well as being added to the National Film Registry.

7/2/15 Tangled, nominated for Best Song, 2010
7/4/15 The Princess and the Frog, nominated Best Animated Film, Best Original Song, 2008

Tangled is an animated version of the Rapunzel fairy tale; it may be an exact version, I don't know, it's not one of the fairy tales with which I am most familiar, and I wasn't very enthralled. Honestly, I was bored. I feel kind of bad for saying that, as I love to find movies that are great for kids, especially girls. Rapunzel is a strong character, and she eventually becomes independent from her mother (who really isn't her mother), but meh, I would skip it. Unlike The Princess and the Frog which worked on several different levels: the music, by Randy Newman, provides a great taste of the New Orleans sound; the peripheral characters add humor; and a poignant, but not overly sappy storyline. The Princess and the Frog is set in 1920s New Orleans, and Tiana is a young girl who aspires to open the restaurant her father had always wanted. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the money to buy the building, and as Mardi Gras is set to unfold, there's a little voodoo and magic going on, and Tiana is turned into a frog. Prince Naveen, a visiting dignitary also falls under the spell of Dr. Facilier, a witch doctor, and he is turned into a frog as well. Tiana and Prince Naveen set off on their quest to undo the spell, and that's where they meet some great bayou characters, including Louis, an alligator and Ray, a Cajun firefly. If you have to pick, and of course you don't, I would pick The Princess and the Frog because it's a better, more interesting story; a fabulous soundtrack, and I liked Tiana as a role model for girls (willing to work hard to make her dream come true, but also ready to take a risk, like going through the bayou as a frog).


7/3/15 North by Northwest, 1959 #55 AFI, National Film Registry

7/4/15 Rear Window 1954 #42 AFI, National Film Registry

Is it just me or does anyone else wonder why Alfred Hitchcock never won a Best Director Oscar? Or how only one of his films Rebecca (a favorite book and film) won for Best Picture? I think this is a valid question because when you look at the list of the Best 100 Films by the American Film Institute, there are only four directors on the list with four or more films, and three are deceased: Billy Wilder, Stanley Kubrick, and Hitchcock; Steven Spielberg is the only director with five films on the list. So again, I ask, how is that Hitchcock never won a Best Director Oscar? Ok, well, it's not going to happen now, but it's something to think about. North by Northwest reminded me a little of Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much with James Stewart and Doris Day, with mistaken identity, a dashing leading man and a beautiful leading lady; in North by Northwest that would be Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. In North by Northwest, Cary Grant is mistaken for a spy/man of intrigue and is targeted by James Mason (I can never listen to James Mason without thinking of Eddie Izzard doing James Mason as God). The movie is often identified by the great clip of Grant trying to outrun a very low flying plane. He also climbs Mount Rushmore. I really enjoyed the story and the suspense, and Grant as Roger Thornhill is so very dashing, and you think he is out of his depth, but he manages to hold his own against Mason and Martin Landau. The pacing of the movie and the action kept me interested, and I would watch it again and totally recommend it.

Can you guess what's coming next? Rear Window is another Hitchcock film that is cited as one of the greatest films ever made (obviously, it's #42 on the list), and in comparison to North by Northwest which takes you from New York City, to a sleeper car, to Chicago to South Dakota, you may experience a bit of claustrophobia but then you get to breath the fresh air of the Great Plains, Rear Window made me feel closed in and you only (or primarily) get the perspective of wheelchair-bound L.B. "Jeff" Jeffers (James Stewart). Jeffers is an internationally known photographer who is stuck in his apartment during a New York City heatwave, where he is tended to by his nurse Stella (played by Thelma Ritter) and his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly). Jeffers has very little to do but look out his apartment window and look into the lives of his neighbors; he gives them all names and makes up stories to go with what he sees, until one day, his story-telling takes a turn into reality. I think the technique to limit what the audience sees and hears to what the main character sees and hears is very interesting and a novel idea, but it was also frustrating (and as I write this, I'm thinking, perhaps that was the intention...). I just couldn't get into it, and as for the suspense, I didn't find it as suspenseful as The Man Who Knew Too Much. I have found, and previously commented, that Hitchcock often has strong women characters, but I don't think that Lisa would rate up there in the top five (I love Grace Kelly and she was wonderful when she was paired with Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief, but she was wasted here).

Blazing Saddles, Transformers: Age of Extinction, St. Vincent

Well, I have crossed nothing off of the current Oscars list, but I'm hoping that I may have taken two off of 2014 nominees by watching St. Vincent and Transformers. Time will tell, I guess. I'm not sure what my problem is; I started a new job three weeks ago, and I didn't really change my schedule or my commute, but you would think I changed time zones or something. I'm going to use that as my excuse for now.

November 2014, Blazing Saddles, National Film Registry, 1974

I really like Mel Brooks' films, some I really love, like Young Frankenstein and History of the World, Part 1. I watched Blazing Saddles on the recommendation of a friend only to find it was on one of my many lists, so yay me. Blazing Saddles is set in the Old West and stars Cleavon Little as Sheriff Bart, Gene Wilder as Jim the Waco Kid, a drunken gunslinger, Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamarr, the greedy State Attorney General and Mel Brooks in the role of the Governor and an American Indian who speaks Yiddish. As in most Mel Brooks movies, there are a lot of running gags, like people mispronouncing Hedley Lamarr as 'Hedy' Lamarr (the actress). Wikipedia says that the movie is full of intentional anachronisms like Nazi soldiers, bikers  and toll booths (the screenplay was co-written by Brooks, Richard Pryor, Andrew Bergman, Norman Steinberg and Al Uger) and some over the top stereotypes, I mean it is Mel Brooks and Richard Pryor for crying out loud, but I don't know how well this plays in the 21st century (the epithets thrown around, especially in the direction of Sheriff Bart, who is black, come to mind), in fact, Mel Brooks has said he probably could not make the movie today. Anyway, Lamarr is trying to buy up land along the new railroad, and the frontier town of Rock Ridge is in the way (everyone living there is named Johnson). Different hijinks folllow, including the famous scene of Alex Karras as Mongo punching a horse (don't ask). I just didn't laugh as hard as I wanted to, and I really wanted to. I still love History of the World and would pick that as my favorite Mel Brooks movie, although apparently it has not been deemed worthy of preservation.

November 2014, Transformers: Age of Extinction, not yet nominated, 2014

Only in a misguided attempt to be prepared and not have to cram in three hours of robots at the last minute in the event of a nomination for sound, effects, etc., did I watch this. Otherwise, I think I may have passed on the latest installment of the Autobots versus evil man versus evil Decepticons, etc. etc. Michael Bay and James Cameron must have gone to the same film editing class, as in don't edit, leave it all in. UGH. 165 minutes of...something. 165 minutes = over two and a half hours, time I will never get back. Damn you, Optimus Prime. Actually, he's the only one I like and can identify. Age of Extinction is a reboot of the Transformers franchise sans Shia LeBeouf, but with Mark Wahlberg as the human interface between the Autobots and the other humans. I really don't like it when people and some kind of convoluted narrative get in the way of the bots. I just want action, I did not care about some story about a struggling inventor, Cade Yeager (Wahlberg), his daughter and her Irish boyfriend (whose accent sometimes sounded Australian) and their fight to outsmart Kelsey Grammer as a CIA agent (the CIA is not supposed to operate on American soil, but we'll save that for another day). Grammer is in cahoots with Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci), an inventor who is looking for the Autobot/Decepticon genome (yeah, I know). Joyce actually turned out to have a lot of the funny scenes (this isn't a comedy, but it's not very well acted/written, so some of the humor is just because it's so bad, but his stuff is funny on purpose, I think). If you followed any of that, you are better than me. And I have no idea about the Dinobots, they're introduced at the beginning and then come back at the end and there you go. Ta-da. WTH? There is some good action, which is all I want anyway, just give me Optimus and Bumble Bee and I'm happy. Don't clutter it with people. Did I mention it's almost 5 hours long? If this doesn't at least get nominated, I am going to be so pissed.

11/15/14 St. Vincent, not yet nominated 2014

St. Vincent stars the inimitable Bill Murray as Vincent, a grumpy, curmudgeon withe a drinking and gambling problem and a bit of a secret life. Melissa McCarthy and Jaeden Lieberher as Maggie Bronstein and her son, Oliver are Vincent's new neighbors. Vincent loves the horses, his whiskey and his prostitute/stripper/girlfriend, Daka (Naomi Watts), and not much else. Maggie and Oliver are trying to start a new life, which is complicated because Maggie is starting a new job and cannot be there for Oliver at the end of the school day. Oliver winds up hanging out with Vincent, for a price, and they slowly form a bond as they bet on the races, Vincent teaches Oliver how to fight back against the bullies at school, and Oliver shows Vincent that not everyone believes he's a big grouch. Vincent has a secret that he only partly shares with Oliver (I'm not going to spoil it for you), but as Oliver is researching an assignment for school, he learns more about Vincent and 'nominates' Vincent as a saint. My friend and I really enjoyed the movie, but I think we were under the impression from the previews that it was a laughfest and we were kind of surprised when it turned out to have just as much drama as comedy. That is not a bad thing, but I wanted to warn you in case you think this is all out comedy. Bill Murray is really great as Vincent, showing a gruff side, but also a connection with Oliver and a tenderness with his wife as well as Daka. There are a few scenes where Murray just cuts loose, dancing to the juke box at his local pub (if I can move like that at 64, I want some kind of award), and it must be awesome to have that kind of freedom. The way he acts/talks with Oliver seems natural, like you could imagine him saying and doing those things. When Murray is on, he doesn't seem like he's acting at all. McCarthy, who is coming off of some not very successful films, is good here, she doesn't have to carry the movie or be outrageously funny; she's a good foil for Murray. Jaeden Lieberher is a new face, and as Oliver, he is unfailingly polite, but vulnerable and kind, and I hope to see him in more roles. I was surprised by Naomi Watts as Daka, at first I found her annoying, but then she grew on me. She wasn't one dimensional and developed through the course of the movie. The movie had good dialog, a good story and some interesting subplots and the acting was good, especially by Murray and a good soundtrack; I have to think there might be a nomination for story or acting either in the Golden Globes and possibly the Oscars. We'll see. Regardless, try to see this one while it's still in the theaters.

The Normal Heart, Bridges of Madison County, Louie, The Best Years of Our Lives, Words and Pictures

Well, it's not like I wasn't doing anything, but it probably seems like it. So without further ado.

The Normal Heart, winner Outstanding Television Movie - Emmy, 2014

It always seems inappropriate to me to say I 'loved' or 'enjoyed' a movie about AIDS or the Holocaust or anything that is about such a serious topic, but what do you say? The Normal Heart was a movie based on the play by Larry Kramer and had a laundry list of television, movie and theater actors that would make any casting director drool. The Normal Heart is set in New York City in the early 1980s and stars Mark Ruffalo as Ned Weeks, our protagonist, and follows him as the New York gay community begins to experience the epidemic that came to be known as AIDS. Julia Roberts is Dr. Brookner as the doctor who treats and documents these cases as they come in; her character is brave in her refusal to cower to the fear the disease has inflicted on caregivers and the public. Alfred Molina is Ben Weeks, Ned's older brother who manages Ned's finances and does not quite accept his brother's homosexuality as normal or healthy. Matt Bomer is Ned's lover who contracts AIDS. There is a litany of other actors, some who were in the Broadway play like Jim Parsons and Joe Mantello. Larry Kramer has been a polarizing figure in the gay community for decades and Ned seems to take on those qualities, an outspoken criticism of the gay community for ignoring AIDS and confronting politicians and potential allies, and the conviction that his is the right way and the only way. This movie does not shy away from anything, not the sex, not the ravages of the disease and not the internal conflicts, nor should it. With the passage of time, it seems that the outbreak of AIDS has been forgotten, the incredible fear that came with it, the deaths of people like Rock Hudson and Freddie Mercury, Liberace that brought the discussion to the general public. The acting is passionate and intense, the frustration is palpable as Dr. Brookner's request for funding and to be included in the research is so haughtily denied. The sadness when Ned says he will no longer speak to his brother until Ben acknowledges that he is an equal and not sick or abnormal is familiar to too many gays and lesbians. This is hard to watch but I think it's worth it. A couple of years ago there was an Oscar-nominated movie that parallels the events in The Normal Heart called How to Survive a Plague that I also recommend as well as Longtime Companion that came out in 1989 and follows a group of friends in the early days of AIDS as well.

Roseman Bridge, Winterset, Iowa 2014

The Bridges of Madison County, nominated Best Actress, 1995

(sigh) One of the things that happens when people find out you watch movies and write about them is they love to recommend movies for you. If I'm really not interested, I usually lie or tell them I have a list a mile long of movies that I have to watch. I kind of set myself up for this one, The Bridges of Madison County, because I told several people that I was going to Iowa and that I saw the bridges of Madison County and the inevitable question was - have you seen the movie? No, it was not on my list, of that I was sure, but a friend from work was insistent, pleading her case that she loved it and it was wonderful and would make me cry. I thought is there a sports documentary hidden in there, because otherwise, I probably won't be crying. I didn't think I would watch it, but then I thought, crap, I should just watch it and then I can use my picture (above) and cross it off the list (I'm not sure what list, but it's crossed off now). Okay, so the movie stars Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep as two people who find each other in 1960s Iowa; she is a farm wife, Francesca, who gave up a lot to be with her husband on his family farm in Winterset, Madison County, Iowa, and he is a photographer, Robert, who is on assignment for National Geographic to shoot the bridges of Madison County. The movie is told in flashback after Francesca's death and her grown children learn of the brief, but impactful, affair. Meryl Streep lost the Oscar to Susan Sarandon in her role as Sister Prejean in Dead Man Walking. I have seen a lot of Meryl Streep movies, and while I think it's fair to say she is pretty excellent in everything she does, I didn't think this was an Oscar-winning role or performance. Francesca and Robert embark on a whirlwind affair while her family is at the Illinois State Fair, and he asks her to go off with him. She wisely declines, knowing that the magic of the four days probably could not be sustained, although she feels the effects of the affair for many years. There you go. The movie was close to three hours, or at least that's how it felt. It was nice to see my neighbors to the south get a little recognition and I guess it brings in a lot of tourists who want to see the bridges (I only saw two and then was pretty much done). I have now seen the bridges and the movie, I refuse to read the book.

Louie, Season 1, 2010

I don't know, I usually don't buy into hype. I'm the anti-hype person, but after watching Louie win Emmys for the past couple of years, I thought I might be missing something. (insert very long, painful silence)
Yeah, no. There were funny bits, but mostly, it was really not my type of comedy, and I use that word loosely. There are currently three other seasons, but I think I'll quit while I'm ahead and just wait impatiently for the next season of Veep to come to my library.

The Best Years of Our Lives, Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Writing - Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Honorary Award, AFI #37, 1946

Most of you have probably never heard of The Best Years of Our Lives even though it one seven competitive Oscars and was one of the blockbusters of its time. The Best Years of Our Lives follows three servicemen as they come home from World War II; coincidentally they all live in the same town. They represent the Navy, Airforce and Army and range from being a young man in his early twenties to an older man who has been married twenty years and has two older children. William Wyler directed; Frederic March (who won an Oscar as Best Actor) is Sergeant Al Stephenson who is married to Milly (the wonderful Myrna Loy) and was a bank manager in his previous life; Dana Andrews is Captain Fred Derry who was a bomber pilot but was a soda jerk prior to joining the service. Harold Russell, who was the first non-actor to win a competitive Oscar, was Petty Officer Homer Parrish; Russell actually did lose his hands in the war and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but he was also given an honorary Oscar because the Academy did not think he would win. Hoagy Carmichael is Homer's Uncle Butch and he runs the best bar in town which serves as a meeting place for the guys. As I thought about how I would try to describe all of the different things that go on the movie, I had this visual of swim lanes (if you work in Project Management, then you might understand what I'm trying to convey). The three men are linked because they travel home together, then go their separate ways, then come back together, and so on. That's kind of what makes the movie so long, there's a lot of story to tell. In one way, this movie is very much a period piece, but in other ways, this story could be told today, with our veterans coming back from whatever theater of war they were in and trying to deal with getting back to normal, with injuries you can see and injuries you can't. They didn't call it PTSD back in the 1940s, but that's what it would be recognized as now. Anyway, Al comes back to his loving family and his job at the bank. He's given a promotion to work with small business loans for veterans. Fred returns and looks for his wife whom he married during his training; he struggles in the real world because he doesn't want to go back to the soda fountain, but he doesn't have formal training (these days, the fact that he had to learn how to fly one of those massive bombers would count as some kind of training). He also finds out his wife really isn't interested in him since he doesn't have any money. Homer comes home with his two hooks (his words) but he hasn't really told his family or his girlfriend, Wilma, so they are surprised when they see them. Homer takes it all in stride, well aware that people may be nervous about him or think he can't do anything; he proves them wrong, being able to light matches (think about it, we're used to using our fingers to hold them match), shoot a gun. Harold Russell held his own, and if I didn't know he had never acted before, I don't think I would have known from his performance. Homer doesn't want Wilma to be stuck with him and tries to keep his distance. Wilma, to her credit, isn't having it, and is persistent. He finally gives in and I thought one of the sweetest moments I have seen on film is when he takes her to his room and shows her what his nightly routine is like, so she can have an idea what she is getting into. He shows her how he takes off his robe, his prosthesis and then for all intents and purposes, he's helpless. She doesn't care. It was just a brutally honest few minutes. If the movie was made today, the repercussions of the PTSD and trying to fit in probably would have been more graphic, peppered with swear words, violence and maybe not have had such a positive outcome. So, if you watch this movie (and I hope you do), don't be too quick to characterize it as hokey or unreal.

Words and Pictures not nominated, 2014

This was another movie that someone recommended. It stars Juliet Binoche and Clive Owen as teachers at a private prep school in Maine (I swear they must have been right on the Canadian border, but that's neither here nor there). Juliet Binoche is an artist and is teaching the Honors Art Class, she also suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Clive Owen is an English teacher who has more than an obsession with the English language and a drinking problem. They somehow become engaged in a debate on which is more necessary or powerful, words or pictures. The debate draws in the students who create poems and paintings to make their points. It certainly is an interesting concept, and the dialog is peppered with quick wit and an appreciation of language. There's some other stuff going on as both characters are knocked back by their respective diseases. I really did not care for Owen's character, I found him smug and arrogant and obnoxious. Binoche was a little more likable than her character in the Before the Dawn/Sunrise/Sunset trilogy, but I guess I really didn't like her either. However, saying all of that, the movie does make you think about words and images and their power, and if you are interested in that debate, then you might like this.

Fleetwood Mac, September 30, 2014 - Target Center, Minneapolis

I have gone to a lot of concerts over the pat year, and this was the biggest venue I have been to since I saw Peter Gabriel at the United Center in Chicago. The only reason I went was because Christine McVie rejoined the band, and she wrote my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs. The show was amazing, the band opened with "The Chain" and as far as I'm concerned just rocked it the whole night. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie have been the unchanging factors in the history of Fleetwood Mac, and they really are one of the best rhythm sections out there. Mick Fleetwood, who is well past 60, still bangs the drums with such ferocity it's hard to believe. Lindsay Buckingham, who I go hot and cold on, he always seems to diffident, has a unique guitar style and gets some great sounds and had a couple incredible solos. This was the first concert of the latest tour and the Target Center was sold out and very engaged and appreciative, as was the band. They thanked the audience several times, not just the 'thank you very much' but they expounded on how excited they were to start the tour, and start it with Christine McVie. It was a love fest up there. They played for over two and a half hours and did all the hits and I was trying to mentally tick them off my list. I was pretty high up, although towards the center, so I was head on, but they were awfully teeny down there. Thank god they had huge screens. I hope this iteration sticks around, they say they are also working on a new record. I would see them again (only these five, otherwise, forget it). My only complaints are actually about the audience, and at first I was going to blame Minnesotans, but I think this may be how it is these days. What the frack is it about talking through the concert? Seriously? It's not a damned football game or a picnic or a pizza party in your living room. Shut the hell up. Then, the chick behind me apparently felt like she was at home in her chaise lounge because she had her feet up over the end of the seat, right behind my head. I don't drink at concerts (or anywhere really), one I don't like the taste of beer, and the thought of paying $8 for a beer is just obscene, but then if you drink 32 ounces of beer, at some point, you're going to have to expel it, so the up and down, just makes me nuts. Then, I paid a lot of money to see this show, and I don't want to miss anything. If I missed "You make loving fun" because I was in the bathroom, I would have been devastated. I guess that's your choice, but could you be less annoying going up and down the stairs? Oh, that felt good. Thanks for listening. If you can, see Fleetwood Mac when they come to town, you will not regret it.

2014 Oscar Night proving that Gravity is more than just theoretical

Prologue:
This is taking it right down to the wire, but it just adds to the excitement, right? As of this afternoon, I have seen 57 of the 72 nominees. I'm not sure I can put together a good review(s) in the next 51 minutes, so I'd rather not try. I will say that I watched the five nominated animated shorts today and my personal favorite is Mr. Hublot from France and Luxembourg; if that doesn't win, I hope that Room on the Broom does. I also saw the nominated documentary Cutie and the Boxer and while I found it interesting, I thought it would have been better as a documentary short film, and I don't think it will win. Star Trek: Into the Darkness was 20 minutes longer than it needed to be, in my opinion, and not my favorite movie ever. It was nominated in the visual effects category and if it wasn't for Gravity this year, it might win. It is visually impressive and has some great action; there is a reason it wasn't nominated for any acting awards.

Predictions:
This is more for fun since I have had a few people ask me. I won't do all the categories, but here are a few of my picks:

Best Picture: Twelve Years a Slave (I think the only thing that can beat it is Gravity)
Best Director: Steve McQueen (again, I think Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity is the only other movie that could pull it out)
Best Actor: I think it's between Matthew McConaughey and Leonardo DiCaprio, but I think Chiwetel Ejiofor should be getting talked about a lot more (I pick McConaughey)
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyongo'o - Twelve Years a Slave, she was amazing in this role

I am now ready for the festivities to start. Just a warning, I will whine if it goes too long because I need to go to work tomorrow morning.

The countdown: four minutes to go.

And...we're off. Already it's less tense than the fiasco last year. No silly song and dance number (yet).

Best Supporting Actor is the first category. Jared Leto wins for Dallas Buyers Club. It was a great performance and a really great movie.

Jim Carrey is presenting for something. I'm not sure what yet; he's doing a Bruce Dern impression. He is pretty funny when he isn't obnoxious. Okay, so he wasn't actually presenting, but just did a bit on animated heroes. AND THAT'S why the Oscars go so long.

Pharrell Williams is performing "Happy" from Despicable Me in that ridiculous hat. The song is infectious, though. He even got Meryl Streep shaking it. That might have been my favorite part of the movie.

The award for costume design is next, being presented by Samuel L. Jackson and Naomi Watts. I think The Great Gatsby will win. And I was right. Two for two. The movie was terribly long and not very good, but it really looked good. I think I blogged about it, but for the life of me, I don't know where it is. Visually, it is incredible, full of color. Nice short speech.

Makeup and hairstyling is next. No commercials. Bad Grandpa winning would justify me seeing it in the theater. Dallas Buyers Club wins again. I think it was the transformation of Jared Leto (primarily), but Matthew McConaughey also did not look like Matthew McConaughey at all.

Harrison Ford is presenting the first three nominees for Best Picture: American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club and The Wolf of Wall Street (still haven't seen that one, but it's like 10 hours long).

Kim Novak and Matthew McConaughey are presenting for the Best Animated Short, which I just saw today. Mr. Hublot was my pick and it just won. They were all pretty good though and hopefully you can catch them in the theater. Now the Best Animated Feature film.....I think it's going to be one of the ones I have not seen yet. Frozen won; I'm surprised, but not surprised. I really thought The Wind Rises would win. Maybe Frozen will stay in the theaters a little longer so I can see it in the theater.

So now Sally Field is doing a tribute to the real, everyday heroes that have been portrayed in film. That's great, but there are still a lot of categories to go, so let's get to them please.

Visual Effects is the next category. I've seen everything except Gravity. Let's see who wins. I pick Gravity, just based on the buzz. Gravity wins. I think that was kind of a no-brainer.

Karen O is performing the song from Her, "The Moon Song", another one of the 'big' movies I haven't seen yet. Karen O performed a mind-blowing version of "The Immigrant Song" for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Ooh, the short films are next. I love them. Best Live Action Short Films are next. This is a tough call. I think Helium will win. And...Helium wins. Best Documentary Short Films are up. This is even harder than the Live Action category. I hope The Lady in Number 6 wins. And it just did. God bless Alice Herz Sommer. Please find some of her videos on youtube or see this movie. You will not regret it.

I have seen most of the documentary films, except for The Square; they are an interesting collection, that's for sure. My personal favorite is Twenty Feet from Stardom, which just won. Twenty Feet from Stardom is about the back up singers that make pop and rock music hum. Darlene Love is on stage, finally getting her moment in the spotlight and she breaks into song, and gets a standing ovation. She only recognized the female back up singers, but there are some male back up singers that are in the documentary as well in the special features.

Kevin Spacey is talking about the Governor's Award recipients, including Angela Lansbury (who has done so much more than Murder, She Wrote); Steve Martin; Piero Tosi who is a costume designer; the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award to Angelina Jolie. The Governor's Awards were held a few months ago.

Best Foreign Film is up now and I have only seen one. Those are pretty tough. They're on my NetFlix list. The only one I saw is The Hunt, which was pretty good and a well-told story. The Great Beauty, from Italy, won. I saw a brief clip of that, but I have no idea what it's about. I think the director just thanked Diego Maradona who is a football/soccer player. Maybe I didn't hear that quite right.

Tyler Perry is introducing three more of the Best Picture nominees, Nebraska, Her, and Gravity. I don't think Nebraska will win any of the major awards, but it would be so cool if it did. There are still fourteen awards to go. Ellen just walked out in a bright white suit and introduced Brad Pitt. Brad is introducing U2 to sing "No Ordinary Love" from the film Long Walk to Freedom. I haven't seen the film or heard the song yet. I don't know if the original version is acoustic, but that's how they're doing it tonight. Larry Mullen is rocking it on the drums. I think this one will probably win, more because of the power of Mandela than it being the best song from a film (it's a good song, but I think "Happy" should win).

Ellen is walking through the audience and now trying to take a group photo including Meryl Streep, Julie Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and a bunch more. They are going to try to get it re-tweeted. Much funnier and less mean-spirited show than last year.

Sound awards are next, with Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Charlize Theron presenting, a little hitch in the cue cards (or the technical equivalent). Sound Mixing is first, then Sound Editing. Gravity wins for Sound Mixing. Sound Editing is the only nomination for All is Lost. Gravity wins again.

Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained and Inglorious Basterds), he practically ran out on stage, is presenting for Best Supporting Actress. My pick has been Lupita Nyongo'o since I saw 12 Years a Slave. Julia Roberts was really good in August: Osage County and Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine. Lupita Nyongo'o just won. Amazing, and she gets a hug from Liza Minnelli and gets a standing ovation. I think everyone was pulling for her, she's been so fun to watch on all the awards this year. It looked like Benedict Cumberbatch has tears in his eyes (he was also in the film). The theme from "Willy Wonka" is playing as she leaves the stage.

Ellen actually ordered pizza and is delivering it through the audience. There isn't going to be enough for everyone.

Amy Adams (love her) and Bill Murray (mostly love him) are presenting the Best Cinematography award; my pick is The Grandmaster but it will probably be Gravity again. And Billy Murray sneaks in a tribute to Harold Ramis who passed away this week. Guess who? Gravity. Damn, I kind of wish I had squeezed that in with all my frantic movie viewing the past months.

Film editing is the next category (my snarky favorite category because some movies are still too damn long). I picked Captain Phillips because I do feel that the editing really kept the guessing, especially at the end. Oh hell, it's Gravity again. Why bother? Alfonso Cuaron got cut off, but I'm sure he'll get another chance at some point tonight.

Oh, there is a tribute to The Wizard of Oz tonight by Whoopi Goldberg; it's the 75th anniversary of one of my childhood touchstones. There's a story to tell, but I'll save it for my memoir. Judy Garland's 'kids' are in the audience: Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft. Pink is singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". I love this movie. Might be time to see it again. Nice job. Judy would have been proud.

Nine awards to go (not to be a killjoy or anything) and it's 9:40 central time; tomorrow morning is going to come too soon.

Ellen just comes out as Glinda the Good Witch. Awesome.

I'm going to go on a limb and say that Gravity will win for Production Design. Just a guess. The other possibility is The Great Gatsby. Sonofabitch. It was The Great Gatsby.

Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs - terrific movie and performance) is introducing the In Memoriam segment. Bette Midler singing "The Wind Beneath My Wings" after the montage. In a strange way, I like this part the best because it reminds me of contributions of people that sometimes have been forgotten or overlooked by newer audiences.

And Goldie Hawn is now introducing the last group of Best Picture nominees, Philomena, Captain Phillips, and 12 Years a Slave. These are some good movies, and good books, too.

John Travolta introducing Idina Menzel ("Wicked"), but I didn't understand what he said at all. She is singing the song from Frozen, "Let it Go". Man, she's got a set of pipes. I heard her sing in "Chess", but wow, she's incredible. With someone like her who can actually sing, how come there are so many crap performances out there with people who can't sing worth beans? Just a random question.

The Original Score is being presented by Jamie Foxx and Jessica Biel, I'm not sure what is happening. If Jamie is ad-libbing or what. I picked Gravity just because that seems to be the trend. And Gravity wins. Saving Mr. Banks was nominated, and I feel that film kind of got the shaft, but I think that may be because Mary Poppins is one of my favorite movies. I haven't seen The Book Thief which was also nominated. It's on the list though.

Now we finally come to the Original Song; who will win since Gravity isn't nominated? dun-dun-dun: "Let It Go" from Frozen, I did not see that coming, and yet after Idina's performance, totally deserved.

I am getting a cramp in my fingers. My left hand is starting to turn into a claw. Six more awards. This is not going to be over before 11:00. Ellen, I love you, but please wrap this up. I really should have taken tomorrow off.

The writing awards presented by Robert DeNiro and Penelope Cruz; first is the Best Adapted Screenplay, and my pick is 12 Years a Slave but Philomena could win too, and I'd be happy. 12 Years a Slave won. I am trying to find the book and I believe it's available online but I would like to actually read the hard copy. As I mentioned, Philomena is a book and it actually tells a different side of the story than the movie does, so it's well worth reading. For the original screenplay I picked Dallas Buyers Club, and since Gravity isn't nominated, it's possible. Nope, Her by Spike Jonze won. Before Midnight was also nominated and I had every intention of watching that this weekend, but it didn't happen. I felt bad, and then I remembered, I hated the two earlier movies in this trilogy and got over my angst pretty fast. I hope this is the last one, although as my friend and I were joking, they could do 'Before Daylight Savings Time' and variations on that theme.

Angelina Jolie and Sidney Poitier get a standing ovation as they present Best Director. He is wonderful, if you have not seen him in To Sir, With Love, The Heat of the Night, Guess Who is Coming to Dinner and so many others, you really should try. Best Director I have as Steve McQueen, but Alfonso Cuaron wins for....Gravity. He had a great acceptance speech, I think from either the Golden Globes or SAG awards.

(sigh) Daniel Day-Lewis is presenting Best Actress, and he's doing it as himself, not as Abraham Lincoln, although that would be kind of cool. I think Cate Blanchett is going to win for Blue Jasmine based on the previous awards; Meryl Streep was powerful as Violet in August: Osage County, but I don't think this will be her fourth Oscar, and I think Judi Dench is in a category with some great actresses in great roles this year. Sandra Bullock is nominated for Gravity, but strangely there hasn't been a lot of chatter around that. Cate Blanchett wins. I did like Blue Jasmine and she captured the essence of a narcissistic clueless woman of 21st century financial greed. Great speech from Cate on the power of women in cinema, but it's late and I want to go to bed.

Three hours and counting. Jennifer Lawrence will present the Best Actor award. Christian Bale should win for the risks he took with his hair, but I don't think that's going to happen. It's Leo or Matthew, I think. Chiwetel Ejiofor is great in 12 Years a Slave and if you can, try and see Kinky Boots. And Matthew McConaughey wins. He reminds me of someone every time I see him, but for the life of me I cannot put my finger on it. Very cool speech.

Ok, so we are now waiting for the Best Picture. Gravity? 12 Years a Slave? or a dark horse? I guess Will Smith, from that blockbuster, Razzy Winner, After Earth is presenting the award. The timing is ironic, I think. YES!! 12 Years a Slave wins for Best Picture! Super awesome! Wonderful. Steve McQueen didn't win Best Director. I think we'll see more from him.

That's it. We made it. Three and a half hours later, 72 films. See you next year.

2014 Oscar-nominees: August: Osage County, The Lone Ranger, 20 Feet from Stardom, The Croods

Aside from a few detours, I am really going to try to focus on the recently announced Oscar nominees. This weekend has been quite successful in that regard. So, here we go.

1/18/14 The Croods, Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, 2013

The Croods tells the story of a family of cavemen trying to survive when their neighbors have perished due to encounters with very large reptiles, freak accidents, etc. Their precarious existence is guarded by the over-protective patriarch, Grug (Nicholas Cage); Grug and his daughter, Eep (Emma Stone), battle over the Grug's rules, with Eep longing for a little freedom outside of the cave. Eep finds an ally in Guy (Ryan Reynolds) who invents things, like fire, and explores the vast surroundings, which not surprisingly, causes friction among the Crood family (which includes Catherine Keener as Grug's wife, Ugga and Cloris Leachman as Ugga's mother, Gran). The Croods was okay, I'm not sure what got it nominated for Best Animated Feature, story-wise it didn't seem to break new ground; visually, it was very appealing, and originally was showing in 3-D. I didn't really care until there was about 20 minutes left, and then it mildly interested me. I didn't find myself having great belly laughs, or thinking that the word play was extra witty or clever.

1/18/14 The Lone Ranger, Nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects

I'm gonna say, I watched The Lone Ranger and I didn't hate it. Was it great? No. But there were some funny moments and great action; it wasn't any worse than 2 Guns. Johnny Depp is Tonto and Armie Hammer is The Lone Ranger (aka John Reid). The men team up after a rough first encounter and much against John Reid's wishes. Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner) killed John's brother, Dan Reid, Texas Ranger. Tom Wilkinson is the other bad guy, Latham Cole, a greedy railroad bigwig. Tonto and the Lone Ranger (notice who is first in this pairing?) each have their own hang-ups and guilt trips and they must overcome issues from the past as they try to move on in the present. Honestly, when I watch Armie Hammer I have to try and remember where I have seen him (Mirror, Mirror and The Social Network), I don't know if that's good or bad, it just is. Johnny Depp, on the other hand, sticks in my mind, even if I can't remember the movie. He brings the same quirkiness to Tonto that he brought to Jack Sparrow, and delivers some great lines that did make me laugh out loud (that did not happen at all during the The Croods). I was ready to write the movie off, like a lot of people did, but I decided to just watch it and see what happened. I will say the movie could have been edited down by about 15 minutes and maybe some tweaks to the story, but it was a decent action-comedy. Back to Johnny Depp, I did enjoy him as Tonto, but he is such a big presence that you kind of forget the other actors; I mentioned Jack Sparrow, but for the life of me, unless I look it up, I cannot think of the other characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (I never cared that much to begin with). I really thought the movie should have been called Tonto. Helena Bonham Carter is a madam and I'm not sure why she is even here (it's a relatively small role), unless it was the obligatory part in a movie with Johnny Depp (please don't misunderstand, I love Helena Bonham Carter, it's just why here?). The movie is nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects. There are only three movies in the Makeup category, and one of the nominees is Bad Grandpa. I'm not sure how The Hobbit and some other movies didn't get nominated, but I'm not sure about this one. As for the Visual Effects, it is up against Iron Man 3, The Hobbit and Gravity among others. If you skipped The Lone Ranger because of the bad reviews, I would say, check it out.

1/18/14 20 Feet From Stardom, Nominated for Best Feature Documentary, 2013

Well, you all now I love me a good documentary, and you make that a music documentary, I am so happy. I saw previews of 20 Feet from Stardom and couldn't wait to see it, but I'm not sure if it came to the Twin Cities or came and I missed it, but it's on Netflix now. 20 Feet from Stardom tells the stories of backup singers over the last 50 years or so, focusing on four singers, Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Judith Hill and Lisa Fischer; Love and Clayton have roots in the early days of rock, with Phil Spector, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles and others. Lisa Fischer has sung with The Rolling Stones, Sting, Luther Vandross and Tina Turner. Judith Hill was recently on The Voice and is trying to establish herself as a lead singer. There are many other singers interviewed and showcased as well. The movie introduces us to these singers, who have been on some of the biggest selling records in history (or at least in their time) and let's the back up singers, as well as the people with whom they have sung (Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Austin, Sting) speak to how influential they have been, but also the dream of being a solo act. It becomes evident that not everyone is cut out for the lead microphone, they may lack the ego or the timing is bad, and they are more comfortable singing back up. There are male and female singers interviewed, but in the main film, the focus is on the female singers of the 1960s and 1970s; there are some good clips in the extra features which I recommend that you watch. I think it was easier to construct a story by narrowing the focus, because otherwise, this movie could have been three hours long (one of the few times I would not object to a three hour long movie). It was interesting to hear, from the big name singers as well as producers and arrangers, that in some cases, the backup singers has more training or more flexibility in the types of music they could sing, and may be better singers than some of the newer names of today; the process of auto-tuning was derisively mentioned. This is the first documentary of the nominees that I have seen, so I cannot say if it should win, but I suppose it's fair to say it's my favorite as of now. I would recommend Standing in the Shadows of Motown which is about the house band of Motown Records, the Funk Brothers; it has some incredible music and great interviews and insight into the history of Motown. It won a Grammy. There is also a documentary coming out, partially funded by a Kickstarter campaign, called The Wrecking Crew which is about studio musicians from the West Coast.

1/19/14 August: Osage County, Nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, 2013

Family gatherings always seem to bring out the worst in us, maybe it's the stress of being all together and memories and hurt feelings being raised to the surface. There are a lot of universal truths in August: Osage County told with pointedly hurtful and occasionally insightful and funny dialogue. The patriarch of the Weston family, Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard) disappears and is eventually found drowned. This is the triggering event to bring his family together. Violet (Meryl Streep) is Beverly's drug-addicted viper of a wife, who doesn't bother with societal niceties, with her family or with strangers, Vi is also suffering from mouth cancer which does not seem to slow down her cigarette habit. Their daughters Barbara (Julia Roberts), Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) and Karen (Juliette Lewis) all have their own challenges with their mother as well as with one another. Margo Martindale is Mattie Faye, Violet's sister and Chris Cooper is Charlie, Mattie Faye's good-natured husband who must often wonder how he married into this hell on earth. The movie is based on Tracy Lett's original play and he wrote the screenplay. The dialogue is rich and packs a punch and is very colorful. Osage County is in Oklahoma, and it's as much of a character in the movie as any of the players; with the heat, wide open spaces, the potential for drought, emotional and climatological. Barbara is the oldest and there seems to be the biggest rift between Barb and Vi, possibly because Vi claims that Barbara was her father's favorite and she just left the family. Ivy is the sister who somehow got stuck in Oklahoma. Vi is constantly on Ivy about her appearance and lack of a man in her life. Ivy manages to hide her resentment as she hides other things from her family; in fact, there are a lot of secrets in the Weston family, and they all start coming out after the funeral. I think this is one of those things that resonates with a lot of viewers, it did for me anyway, although the secrets I'm thinking of are nothing like what comes out in the movie. Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts are really great together, and both have been nominated for an Oscar (I am typically not a Julia Roberts fan, I don't line up to see a movie because she is in it, but she kicks some ass in this movie; this may be the fifth or sixth Meryl Streep film I've reviewed in the past month). There are a lot of scenes that seem so exhausting, very much like real life. Julianne Nicholson as Ivy was touching and heartbreaking, and I wondered what happened to her after the movie ended (Nicholson was Detective Wheeler in Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and she was good in that as well, so it's nice to see her in a longer vehicle). Vi goes between being a hateful woman to someone you might just pity; we get the sense that her life was extremely hard and not full of love, and she didn't know how to love her children either, and the chickens are coming home to roost. August: Osage County was initially predicted to be nominated for a lot of Oscars, but only came away with the two actress nominations; this was due to the plethora of great movies this year (in my opinion), because I really think it should have been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, perhaps Best Supporting Actor for Chris Cooper (who's portrayal of Charlie was not what I expected) and possibly Best Original Song for the song at the end of the film. To me August: Osage County was a fair representation of how many families interact with one another, and I like how Letts' screenplay doesn't sugarcoat anything (you can argue that it's a little over the top, I mean, they use the F-bomb almost as much as Martin Scorsese, and things are definitely added for effect, I wouldn't rule out anything when it comes to families) and things are not necessarily tied up with a nice bow. The cast is superb, but is it just me, or does Dermot Mulroney creep you out too?

Cate Blanchett seems to be the favorite for Best Actress for Blue Jasmine and Roberts has some competition from Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle and Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave (my choice is Lupita).

Flashback: Wallace & Gromit, Argo, Iron Lady, The Help, and more

It's been a while since I've done any kind of anthology or flashback and it seems like a good time before this year's Oscar nominations are released.

Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers, Best Animated Short Film, 1993 and A Close Shave, Best Animated Short, 1995

I love Wallace & Gromit, Wallace is like Mr. Magoo meets Rube Goldberg, and Gromit is his trusty sidekick who always seems to make everything okay, no matter how much Wallace screws it up. In The Wrong Trousers, want-to-be inventor, Wallace, creates a pair of robotic trousers that can take Gromit for a walk. Things are turned topsy-turvy when a criminal penguin rents a room from Wallace. That's really all I'm going to tell you, and it's all you need to check out the video (both are available on a single DVD from the library). A Close Shave has our intrepid duo and a new window washing enterprise, but they fall into the path of sheep wranglers, very dangerous wranglers, at that. Gromit performs some very impressive aviation maneuvers to save the sheep. All of this is funny and fun to watch, made even more so when you realize the work it takes to make the stop-motion animation happen; on the DVD I had there some behind the scenes footage with Nick Park and how he creates. There is a lot to entertain kids, but adults will enjoy these as well. I'm not responsible if you start grinning maniacally and crave cheese.

Zero Dark Thirty, Best Sound Editing, 2012

If you have not seen this movie, you should add it to your list. I remember when my friend and I watched it in the theater, we were just speechless when it ended. Kathryn Bigelow does a great job of pacing the film and taking you on the ups and downs of the main protagonist, CIA Agent Maya, played by Jessica Chastain. If you have not seen the movie a very high level recap, without giving anything away, is that this follows Maya on her very single-minded quest to find Osama bin Laden and the mission that was based on her analysis. Chastain was compelling to watch, as she goes from naive agent to driven and obsessed and not afraid to throw around a  few f-bombs to her bosses. She was nominated for Best Actress and lost out to Jennifer Lawrence; Chastain got my unofficial vote, I thought her character had a lot more work to do in the film since a lot of characters came in and out of the film, versus Lawrence working closely with the other actors. They were both great, though. There are scenes early on of torture, and they are hard to watch, and that's where we meet Maya. There are probably more than a few literary licenses taken, and I think I have mentioned before, unless it's a documentary, some things probably need to be changed to simplify filming or smooth out the story-telling process, and I don't have a problem with that unless we're led to believe it's 100% accurate; so there were criticisms of the movie. I say, watch it and judge for yourself. Jessica Chastain is going to be one of those actresses that we see a lot of in the future (Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams are two others who jump to mind).

Argo, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, 2012

I saw this movie with my little brother and it was so funny because he did not believe that it was real, and like several movies lately, I actually remember when this happened. And while I enjoyed seeing silly, animated, kids' movies with him, it was nice to see a grown-up movie that we could talk about after it was over (and I didn't fall asleep which used to irritate him). Argo dramatizes the story of CIA operative Tony Mendez and the successful extraction of six Americans stuck in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. Much-maligned Ben Affleck directed and starred as Mendez and whatever you think about Ben Affleck if you've seen Gigli or Daredevil, should be erased from the movie watching part of your brain. His direction is balanced, suspenseful, restrained where necessary, and as Mendez, he plays it cool, but with authority. The basic premise (not giving anything away here) is to get the Americans out of Iran he needs a cover story, so he and John Goodman as John Chambers, a Hollywood insider, come up with the idea to make a movie in Iran, and they need to scope out some locations, etc. They go to great lengths to substantiate the story so it will withstand any scrutiny. Goodman teams up with Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel, a producer, to form the creative brains, and they provide a lot of the comic relief, and have great chemistry together. The actors who play the six Americans demonstrate palpable claustrophobia representing their circumstances. Until almost the very last moment, you don't know what's going to happen, even though the outcome is public record. 2012 was a great year for movies, and if you have not seen Argo, add that to your list. If I didn't have so many movies to review and watch, I would watch it again. Watching Ben Affleck made me think he might be able to pull off Batman.

The Iron Lady, Best Actress, Best Makeup, 2011

I should probably track how many movies I have watched with Meryl Streep in the past few months, it's probably been a lot, and I have really liked most of them. Even so many months after watching The Iron Lady I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I really wanted to like it, but there was something that just kept bugging me. I think it was the use of the dream/memory sequences; I think I really wanted a biographical movie, not the biography mixed with dreams. I also did not think that this was the Best Actress performance; I was hoping for Viola Davis in The Help or Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs, two powerful performances. The Iron Lady of the title refers to Margaret Thatcher, the first, and so far, only female Prime Minister of Great Britain (and still one of the few female leaders even in the 21st century). Her conservative politics were polarizing and she was an incredibly strong personality, and you liked her or you didn't; in the US, she was closely associated with President Reagan. The movie uses flashbacks and the aforementioned dream sequences (or hallucinations). I don't know, it's okay, I guess, but check out the other movies first.

The Help, Best Supporting Actress, 2011

The Help made me laugh, made me cry and pissed me off. In other words, the complete movie experience. It was an ensemble piece if there ever was one, a great cast, including Octavia Spencer who won the Best Supporting Actress, Viola Davis (nominated for Best Actress), Jessica Chastain (Best Supporting Actress), Emma Stone, Allison Janney (who is chameleon-like in the roles she plays) and more. The movie is set in the south in the early 1960s in the early days of the Civil Rights movement, and focuses on the relationship between the black maids and the white families that hire them, and the tension that often bubbles just under the surface. Viola Davis is Aibileen and one of the main characters, her friend, Minny (Octavia Jackson) who hasn't learned quite how to edit herself (and thank goodness for that) and their friendship with Skeeter (Emma Stone) a white young lady who has known these women, but only through their 'working' relationship. Skeeter sets out to change that and tell the maids' stories. The journey to that point is Act I if you will, and the resulting furor from the publication of the stories is Act II. Viola Davis handles the various situations that are tossed at her with a strong, quiet dignity, she does not like to let anyone too close, but she is a loyal and true friend. If you have not seen this movie, yeah, you know the drill, add it to your list.  Here's one of those interesting connections: Viola Davis and Meryl Streep were antagonists in Doubt.

Black Swan, Best Actress, 2010

Natalie Portman won for Best Actress in Black Swan for her role as the prima ballerina in the Swan Lake. I can't really tell you more than that because the movie creeped me out; I didn't want to watch in the first place except for this damned list. I really liked Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei, but this was not even similar. I was really weirded out and couldn't sleep after watching it. If that makes me a wimp, so be it. If you like 'psychological thrillers' have at it; if you have a weak constitution, skip it.

I think that's enough for now. There are more movies I want to write about before the awards, so check back.

You can go home again - a flashback of sorts

To my faithful readers, and I know there are at least three of you out there, sorry I've been away for a bit. I'm having some family time back in Cleveland, and am still recovering from the drive and now today, my little brother and I spent the day in Cleveland, doing all kinds of fun stuff, including visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was a gorgeous day on the North Coast.

Free Stamp, Cleveland, Ohio

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio

So, today's blog will be about Oscar-winning movies that have a Cleveland connection (however tenuous or tangential).

The Dirty Dozen, Best Sound Effects, 1967

The Dirty Dozen is a World War II action movie with a great cast of characters played by Lee Marvin, John Cassavetes, Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland, Telly Savalas and Jim Brown among others. Lee Marvin plays Major John Reisman who is asked to lead a group of soldiers in what is certain to be a death mission. The soldiers in question are either sentenced to death or life in prison, but if they survive, their sentences will be commuted. Part of what I liked about the movie is watching the characters learn to work together and go through the drills, and then putting the plan into action. It's kind of like the original A-Team. Is it the best movie ever? No, but it doesn't claim to be, but it's one of the few movies that I will watch whenever I find it on television. And it didn't win for Best Picture, but Best Sound Effects. If you like World War II movies, like Kelly's Heroes, The Guns of Navarone, you might like this as well. The Cleveland connection? Jim Brown, one of the greatest running backs of all time (I say the greatest, but I'm biased) who played for the Cleveland Browns.

Jim Brown, Cleveland, Ohio

Superman: The Movie, Special Academy Award for Visual Effects, 1978

This is the Superman movie, the first in a tetralogy of Superman films starring Christopher Reeve. This is Superman's origin story, how his father, Jor-El (played by Marlon Brando) popped him in a capsule to rescue him from Krypton's impending doom. The effects for 1978, thirty-five years ago, were done before CGI and the fancy stuff we are so used to these days. I never bought Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, it seemed too clowny, I mean Luthor is evil, and I always thought the movie had a hard time deciding if it was going to be melodrama, serious, comic book-y. I do like Christopher Reeve, and I think he may be the best Superman. Margot Kidder is Lois Lane, Ned Beatty is Otis, Luthor's henchman/sidekick. This is a good family night movie, and for all my complaining I do above, I do like that Reeve does not play Superman as a brooding, uncertain, reluctant superhero (at least not yet) and recommend seeing the movie, for historical perspective if nothing else. Superman was created by two Clevelanders, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

The Untouchables, Best Supporting Actor, 1987

Kevin Costner stars as Eliot Ness and Robert DeNiro is his nemesis, Al Capone during the Prohibition Era. Ness's exploits during this time are legendary, the incorruptible government agent during a time of corruption. Costner is not my favorite actor, and there are times when I watch him, I think, eh. It feels like you can tell he's acting. Sean Connery is the reason I will watch this when it's on TV, and it is quite often. How do you not love Sean Connery as Jimmy Malone, the Irish cop, who's Ness's mentor and has this Obi-Wan Kenobi type of presence? Connery won  the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in this movie. There are so many movies about Prohibition and the gangsters of that time period, you could have a whole film festival, maybe show episodes of Boardwalk Empire in between The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Scarface, Road to Perdition and others. I think even when I don't like a movie, I like Robert DeNiro, so you have two reasons to watch: Connery and DeNiro. After his fame in Chicago and 'capture' of Capone on tax evasion, Ness moved to Cleveland to become the Safety Director and he faced a foe he was never able to defeat, the Kingsbury Row murderer (although he did make life miserable for Cleveland mobsters).

Road to Perdition, Best Cinematography, 2002

Tom Hanks is Michael Sullivan, a member of the Irish mob run by Paul Newman's character, John Rooney. Rooney is a contemporary of Al Capone. Daniel Craig is Connor Rooney, John Rooney's son, who has some, um, control issues, as in, he doesn't have any. Sullivan's son sees Connor kill a man which scares Connor enough to try to kill Sullivan and his family. Sullivan is generally quiet, not a lot of bluster, but he quickly seeks his own kind of retribution by robbing banks with Rooney and Capone's money. Meanwhile, there's a hit out on him, and Harlen Maguire (Jude Law) is a super creepy hit man. It's a cat-and-mouse game between Sullivan and Maguire, and you're not really sure how it's going to go. Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) directed and he uses a lot of restraint, which makes some of the violent scenes more intense and tension-filled. Hanks and Craig are good foils for each other, vying for Newman's approval. Newman was nominated as Best Supporting Actor but lost to Chris Cooper in Adaptation (which I haven't seen, and I like Chris Cooper, but I like Paul Newman better).You never seem to hear about this movie, but it had good box office results, and I liked it. Paul Newman was from Shaker Heights, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb and Tom Hanks had his start (or part of his start) with The Great Lakes Shakespeare Theater Festival in Cleveland. 

A Cleveland Original, Jane Scott, World's Oldest Rock Critic 

Another I told you so moment - The Towering Inferno

7/20/13 The Towering Inferno - Best Original Song, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing 1974

Oh, the humanity! Ok, I kind ripped that off from The Hindenberg, but that's all I could think of as people were flying out of windows over 1,000 feet in the air. The Towering Inferno is not a movie for the fainthearted, or if you have a fear of skyscrapers, but if you want to see a first-rate disaster movie (and one of the originals), this is it. Do a double feature with this and The Poseidon Adventure to make it an Irwin Allen night. The plot isn't that hard to follow: man builds the tallest building in the world, someone decides to use less than premium building materials, bad things happen, good guys have to save the day. If I was ever in a disaster movie, I can't think of two other people I would rather have rescue me than Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, normally I would also include William Holden, but in this movie, he's about as effective as Mr. Magoo without his glasses. These are just three of the stars in this movie, but it was full of them: Faye Dunaway (who previously played the love interest of both McQueen and Holden, but is Newman's fiancee here); Robert Wagner, Fred Astaire (who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Harlee Claiborne), Jennifer Jones (who won Best Actress for Song of Bernadette in 1943), and Richard Chamberlain, just to name a few.

View from the Willis (Sears) Tower, Chicago glass-floor observation deck, 2009

View from the Willis (Sears) Tower, Chicago glass-floor observation deck, 2009

 You only have to wait 41 minutes for your first "I told you so" moment when Newman's character, Doug Roberts, the architect of the building, tells James Duncan (Holden) the builder of the building and host of the big party, to evacuate because of a fire over 30 floors below (the building is over 130 floors high). Duncan refuses, thinking they'll be safe, and you guessed it, not so much. Of course, if he would have listened, the movie would have be 50 minutes long and nobody would have watched it. Chamberlain is the insecure, but egotistical son-in-law of Duncan and the electrical engineer for the building. I love listening to Chamberlain speak, but he was an ass in this movie, and I would have liked to push him out a window myself. In addition to several "I told you so" moments, the action and suspense is almost non-stop, and a few times, I actually looked away. Allen does not shy away from showing bodies engulfed in flames or plunging 100 stories to their death, and if that bothers you, you may want to skip this. McQueen is wonderfully understated but totally in control of this crazy situation; Newman, as the architect, does his part as well, a civilian and McQueen's eyes on the inside. They shared top billing, but actually had few scenes together. Fred Astaire is an aging con-man who falls for Jennifer Jones; he was wonderful, and I felt such empathy for him. Inferno won Oscars for Best Editing and Best Cinematography, there was no category at this time for special effects or visual effects, but it probably would have won. It also won for the best original song, "We may never love like this again", sung by Maureen McGovern (who also sang the winning song from The Poseidon Adventure, written by the same pair, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschorn). It was kind of milquetoast-y to me, but looking at the other songs, maybe it was the lesser of all evils. The movie highlights the work of firefighters and the dangers they face, willingly as part of the job, even dying in the process. Firefighters have been in the news a lot recently here in the States from the explosion on Texas a couple of months ago where volunteer firefighters were killed trying to contain a huge fire, to the Hotshots who died trying to fight a wildfire in Arizona, and fighting the wildfires in Colorado. They're crazy; crazy brave, and while The Towering Inferno is fiction, the risks and dangers of firefighting are not.

Memorial to London Firefighters during the Blitz, London, 2006

File this under 'I told you so' - The Fugitive and The Poseidon Adventure

I have decided I am going to create a new sub-sub-genre of movies called 'I told you so' movies; self-evidently, these are movies where any of the characters could say to someone else in the movie 'I told you so' (they usually don't, but I do).

6/29/13 The Fugitive - Best Supporting Actor, 1992

The Fugitive is a little over 20 years old and I think it holds up pretty well. It stars Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble who is accused of killing his wife, and Tommy Lee Jones as U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (for which he won the Best Supporting Actor). To me it works best if you don't really think about it too much, I mean when Kimble jumps off a huge dam, and comes out barely scathed, I mean, really? Like I said, don't think too hard. The movie is based on the TV show from the 1960s, which in turn was loosely based on the Sam Sheppard case from Cleveland in the 1950s (see how shamelessly I slip in a Cleveland reference?). Kimble, in an early face off with Gerard tells the Marshal that he didn't kill his wife (I told you so moment). The movie follows Kimble as he tries to track down his wife's killer and Gerard as he chases Kimble, conveniently, always just moments behind. It's fun and entertaining, and a fun way to spend a Saturday night (or a rainy Saturday afternoon). It's a movie you can watch with the kids (if you're so inclined) as it's relatively tame regarding violence, sex (none, really) and language. It's also provides a historical reference to what us older folks remember as 'pay phones', and the cars (hardly an SUV in sight). This movie would have been very different if it had cell phones, or even smart phones, and in a post 9/11 world. I love Tommy Lee Jones, I think he's wonderful, but looking at the other nominees this year for Best Supporting Actor, I am not really so sure he should have won. Pete Postlethwaite who was incredible in the powerful film In the Name of the Father, Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List and Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, were all deserving, I didn't see John Malkovich in In the Line of Fire (my vote would be split between Fiennes and Postlethwaite). And, after just looking at the movies from this year, how the hell did Denzel Washington NOT get nominated for something for his role in Philadelphia? Anyway, rant over. Maybe this makes up for Tommy Lee Jones not winning for his role in Lincoln. 

6/29/13 The Poseidon Adventure - Best Original Song, Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects, 1972

If you plan on a cruise in the near future, you may want to skip this movie, but if you are a fan of the disaster movies of the 1970s (Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, any of the Airport movies) then you will love this. It was done by the king of disaster films, Irwin Allen. The movie has a fabulous cast (typical of the genre) including Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Jack Albertson (maybe best known for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the TV series, Chico and the Man), Roddy McDowell and others. The S.S. Poseidon is on her last voyage, headed toward Europe on New Year's Eve and there have been pretty rough seas. Apparently before the movie begins, a representative of the ship's owners made some decisions that may have compromised the safety of the ship (this is your first I told you so moment). The ship is flipped over by waves resulting from an undersea earthquake, and when I say flipped I really mean flipped over upside down. Gene Hackman plays Reverend Scott who it seems has been banished for his radical theology, which seems to combine a type of manifest destiny with a heavy dose of free will (versus predetermination), and he leads a group of passengers to the 'top' of the ship against the orders of the purser. He butts heads with Mike Rogo, a police detective played by Ernest Borgnine, as they argue and debate about the best thing to do. Eventually Scott convinces this smaller group to go up and try to find the thinnest part of the ship to escape. The other passengers are reluctant to follow and decide to wait  to be rescued (I told you so). Jack Albertson and Shelley Winters (who was nominated for another Best Supporting Actress award but lost to Eileen Heckart in Butterflies are Free, which I have not yet seen) play a married couple going to see their grandson in Israel. I enjoyed watching the two of them act together and the she is a wonderful bubby (grandmother), delivering some great self-deprecating lines. There is pretty much non-stop excitement, great effects and some definite surprises (and a few more I told you so moments). The movie won for the Best Original Song "The Morning After" which you do not hear in its entirety, and provides a bit of foreshadowing (I would have had it play the whole way through at the end of the movie, but nobody asked). Oh, in another shameless Cleveland reference, the single that was released was recorded in Cleveland. Every once in a while, The Poseidon Adventure is on television, but I wouldn't wait for that, go rent it or borrow it. It's a Friday night movie with some pizza and popcorn, and your friends so you can share the  I told you so moments. I know a few friends will ask if it's okay for the kids. There are a few bodies that float or otherwise make an appearance, and that may be a little disturbing (although there is so much worse on television), the language is at a PG-13 level, and I would say the effects hold their own with today's technology, so yeah, I think 13 and older would be fine watching it. And, if you've seen Titanic (you've noticed I haven't gone out of my way to review that movie) then they can handle this for sure, and you don't have that soppy love story getting in the way of the action. Bon voyage.