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.

Beating back writer's block: Mary, Queen of Scots, Free Solo, Rango

It's been a while, a pretty long while as a matter of fact. I have no excuse. So, without further ado, here we go.

4/2/19 Mary, Queen of Scots, nominated Best Costume Design and Best Hair and Makeup, 2018 

I know I said I didn't really have an excuse, but I think I am going to blame Mary, Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan as Queen Mary and Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I. Yup, that's my story. When I initially heard about the movie, I was excited because the Elizabethan period is so lush with characters and intrigue and costumes. Sadly, that excitement left pretty quickly. I would say as soon as I heard Queen Mary speak with a Scottish accent, I was disappointed. It didn't stop there. Oh, let me clarify, even though Mary was Queen of the Scots, she was raised in France and wouldn't have had that accent. It didn't stop there, from casting decisions to not great acting to a not great script and a total disgregard for history (there may have been a teeny tiny disclaimer that they were just using history as a suggestion, but I didn't see it). It is pretty to look at, but I wouldn't spend two hours watching this land of make believe. In case you didn't pick it up from the other clues, the movie focuses on the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth, cousins and rivals. Whew, crossed that one off the list.

4/11/19 Free Solo, Best Documentary, 2018

My preference for best documentary was RBG, the film about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Free Solo features Alex Hohnhold, a quirky, but focused, free solo climber, and his attempt to free solo up El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Free solo climbing is done without ropes, pulleys, ladders or nets, so clearly, a challenging sport regardless of the locale, however, adding El Capitan into the mix, makes the climb one of the most difficult climbs undertaken. The film gives the viewer insight into Hohnhold's preparations, his relationship with his girlfriend, and a little bit of a look into his past and what motivates him. There are a few minutes of an interview with his mother, but she seemed a little distant and I got the vibe they weren't that close (I'm happy to be wrong in that perception). It's clear that Alex needs to climb, that's where he seems the most comfortable: climbing, prepping for a climb, talking about a climb. A friend of mine saw the movie in the theater with an audience (something I avoid as much as possible) and said you could hear the collective gasps of the audience as Alex made his way up the cliff, and that added to the suspense and thrill of watching the movie. I watched it at home, on my old boxy tv, by myself, and I knew how it ended. Two very different experiences, and whether my opinion would have been different, I'll never know, but I did like the movie, appreciated Hohnhold's (and the crew's) courage and strength and determination, but I didn't love it. I loved RBG, which I should say, in full disclosure, I saw in a theater with other people. Hmmm. Coincidence? These are two very different movies, with two very different protaganists, so it seems a little unfair to say one is better than the other. Co-director Jimmy Chin also co-directed Meru, another climbing documentary about climbing Meru in the Himalayas. That was an amazing film (seen on the big screen) and I totally recommend watching it.

4/27/19 Rango, Best Animated Feature, 2011

I vaguely remember watching Rango back in 2011 and don't recall anything spectacular about it. In 2011 I watched all of the nominated films, but I didn't write about them, but I remember not being in awe over any of the animated films from that year. Johnny Depp voices Rango, an iguana who gets displaced or misplaced and winds up in a small Western town facing a water shortage and needs a new sheriff. That's all I have. I couldn't pay attention. 

If Beale Street Could Talk deserved more than three nominations, Mirai and Ralph Breaks the Internet worth watching

In between traveling and going to concerts, I've been able to squeeze in a few Oscar-nominated movies. I wish I could have gotten them in before the big show to give me a better perspective, but a person can only do so much.

4/13/19 If Beale Street Could Talk, nominated Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, won Best Supporting Actress, 2018

If Beale Street Could Talk was directed by Barry Jenkins (director of Moonlight) and was based on the novel by James Baldwin. The story is set in 1970s New York City and focuses on the love story of Fonny (Stephan James) and Tish (KiKi Layne); it's a love story that takes a tragic turn when Fonny is falsely accused of rape. Fonny and Tish have been friends since they were little kids, and their friendship evolves into a romantic one. The story is told via flashbacks, which don't always work (in my opinion), but they do here. It does make it challenging to give you a straightforward narrative type review, and I don't want to ruin it, so I'll be careful. Tish provides the narration, describing her experiences as a young, black woman who is trying to earn a living working at a perfume counter, which include describing the differences in how the clientele treat her when choosing perfume. Her words and the visuals of one particular customer was downright creepy. Tish finds out she's pregnant when Fonny is in jail; she has told her family, and they are very supportive, and a little excited to have a new life in the world. They have Fonny's family over to tell them the news, and that was one of the scenes that blew me away, the fast paced dialog, the interaction of the characters and the fact that so much was packed into maybe less than ten minutes. Fonny's family doesn't think much of Tish and her family, they think Fonny deserves better, and his mother certainly doesn't approve of the new baby. Tish's sister, Ernestine, is someone I would want in my corner the way she defends her younger sister, and doesn't back down from the holier than thou attitude of Fonny's sisters and mother. Oscar-winner Regina King as Tish and Ernestine's mother, Sharon, tries to keep everyone cool and levelheaded, while always supporting her family, including Fonny. This is a family that never gives up trying to help vindicate Fonny, even if it costs them every cent they have. They raise the money to send Sharon to Puerto Rico to talk to the rape victim, Victoria, to try and convince her to come back to New York and admit that she misidentified her rapist under pressure from the arresting officer. As aside, I thought it was very important that Sharon, and the family, never denied that Victoria was raped, just that she was not raped by Fonny. The meeting between Sharon and Victoria was so powerful and painful to watch. There is a lot that is painful to watch in this movie, the injustice done to Fonny by a cop who has an ax to grind; hope that is dashed in minutes; the humiliation that Tish experiences at work. There is also a lot that is hopeful, the incredible love of Tish's family; a strong, intact black family going against stereotype; strong women: Ernestine works in a law firm and gets an attorney to help Fonny; Sharon goes, by herself, to Puerto Rico to help Fonny, which must have been scary, especially if she had never been out of the country and spoke no Spanish, and was on her own (this was in the 1970s, so probably a huge challenge); Tish who never gives up on Fonny. I hope this is enough to pique your interest if you haven't seen it. I actually think the movie was robbed in terms of Oscar recognition because I think KiKi Layne should have been nominated for Best Actress (perhaps a long shot give then way everything played out, but she was tremendous); how could Barry Jenkins not get a nomination for Best Director? And I don't think it would have been a stretch for Stephan James to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. James Baldwin had an interesting and complicated relationship with the United States and I think that comes through in this story.

4/16/19 Mirai, nominated Best Animated Feature, 2019

I was recently describing Mirai to a friend, and I found myself hemming and hawing about if I liked it or not. I couldn't outright say "Oh my gosh, you have GOT to see this movie.", but I also couldn't say I hated it or disliked it. The more I told her about it, the more I think I did like it, but there were parts I didn't care for, if that makes sense. What I really did like about the movie and thought made it special was how it gave the main character, Hun, a little boy who recently became a big brother, insight into his family and their 'origin stories', if you will. It involves a little bit of time travel and you have to surrender to the whimsy (maybe that's my hang up). Hun is having a hard time adjusting to his baby sister and the fact that he is no longer the center of his family's universe. As he has his outbursts (which are incredibly annoying and one of the things I disliked about the film), he also meets members of his family in the past, learning about his parents when they were children, his grandparents when they were young adults, and in a little twist, he meets his sister when she's older. All of these encounters teach Hun a little lesson about patience, tolerance, understanding, etc. As an adult watching this, I felt a little pang of jealousy (not jealousy exactly, but wistfulness maybe), because I think it would be magical, interesting and whatever other word I can't think of at the moment, to see what my grandparents were like in their twenties, or what my parents were like when they were kids. I guess I connected with those feelings. Hun's shrieking when he had his temper tantrums was enough to make me want to stop the DVD, that's how obnoxious it was. But I'm glad I stuck with it.

4/20/19 Ralph Breaks the Internet, nominated Best Animated Feature, 2018

I wasn't all that interested in seeing Ralph Breaks the Internet when it came out in the theaters, and still not thrilled after it was nominated for Best Animated Feature for 2018. My interest in animated feature films has waned, at least as an Oscar category because the rationale for selecting the winners, much less the nominees, just seems geared to sappy, oversentimental films, dominated by Pixar or Disney, not necessarily creative or innovative. Thankfully that was remedied (this time at least) when Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse won. Anyway, back to the movie at hand. So, it was with a little bit of reluctance that I started watching Ralph Breaks the Internet. John C. Reilly reprised his role as Wreck-It Ralph, who was formerly a big meanie in his video game, but revealed to have a heart of gold; Sarah Silverman as Vanellope, a driver in a racing game, who is also Ralph's best friend; and Taraji P. Henson as Yesss, the personification of an algorithm that determines what trends on the Internet; and several other new and returning characters from Wreck-It Ralph. The arcade is entering the Internet age and all that goes with it: social media, online auctioning sites, viruses, firewalls and updated video games. Ralph and his big two-dimensional heart get into a little trouble when he tries to give Vanellope a surprise and update her racing track. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, and that is pretty much how the movie goes, one good deed, one unexpected consequence, and so on. Shank (voiced by Gal Gadot) is a tough talking, fast driving character in a new type of online racing game (new to Vanellope). Vanellope admires Shank, but loves the freedom and unpredictability of this game compared to her old, familiar Sugar Rush. I was pretty ho-hum on the movie, until about 40 minutes in, and I can't tell you what happened, but then I started to like it. I do remember very distinctly thinking to myself that I was way more interested in this movie than The Incredibles 2, which bored me to tears. It might have coincided with the introduction of all of the Disney Princesses (plus Moana and Ella and Anna from Frozen); there are several other pop culture references that you have to be paying attention to or you'll miss them. I am glad that I liked the movie, still not sure it deserved an Oscar nomination.

More potential 2018 Oscar nominees with Mary Poppins Returns, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Peppermint

12/15/18 Peppermint, not yet nominated, 2018

When I saw the previews for Peppermint, I thought it would be good for Netflix, and I was right. It's a good revenge movie starring Jennifer Garner as Riley North, a mom and wife whose husband and daughter are shot by order of a drug lord. After the trial fails to produce any results that resemble justice, Riley takes things into her own hands. There may be something twisted or cathartic (depending on your point of view) about enjoying revenge movies like this where someone just goes batshit crazy on the bad guys. The protagonist learns martial arts, uses explosives, becomes a computer/tech whiz, takes punches, but gives harder ones, and man, do we feel better. I did wonder what the movie would have been like if we could have gotten a glimpse into her training routine, because how did she go from working in banking to being an assassin? There's some intrigue, a little twist, but I didn't think it was a deep thinking movie, and that was fine with me. I didn't watch Alias with Garner, but I recall from clips that there was some martial arts and other similarities with Riley North, so maybe Garner was looking to return to a more action packed role. And that's no judgement for me; if men can do it, why can't women? If you're looking for a movie to watch with some friends over pizza and your beverage of choice, add this one to the mix. As for Oscar nominations, it's a longshot, but action movies like this always carry the possibility of sound editing/mixing nominations. 

12/20/2018 Mary Poppins Returns, not yet nominated, 2018

I was skeptical about Mary Poppins Returns, and I don't think I was alone in that. Julie Andrews will forever be Mary Poppins and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "A Spoonful of Sugar" are the songs she sings, so I think it was really brave of Emily Blunt to take on the role, although not in a remake, but a long-delayed sequel. The movie is set in the 1930s, around twenty or twenty-five years after the original, so some characters have moved on, while others have aged. The Banks family is once again Mary's raison d'etre, (certain things will be left out since the movie just came out this week and I do not want to spoilt it), and her accomplice isn't Bert the chimney sweep, but Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), a former apprentice of Bert's who is a lamplighter. Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) Banks are trying to take care of Michael's children since his wife died. Even though we never meet her, we get the clear impression that she handled everything, and Michael is struggling mightily, hence Mary Poppins. I think it's a good ten or fifteen minutes (that's what it felt like) until Mary makes her grand entrance, and almost immediately, I was engaged in the story. There are a lot of songs, and lots of possibilities for nominations; there is the combination of live action with animation, just like in the original; instead of the chimney sweeps dancing, the lamplighters have a show stopping number; and there is a financial kerfuffle that could cost the Banks' their family home. Through it all, Mary handles the children and the various adventures with aplomb and calm, never getting flustered, which is what we all want from Mary Poppins. The movie sets and costumes are beautiful and colorful, more opportunities for nominations. I liked the movie, and perhaps over time, I will love the movie, or at least hold it in my memory with the same affection as the original. I'm not sure what is holding me back, because I thought Emily Blunt was tremendous, demonstrating her ability to sing and dance, all with a very posh attitude, with a touch of cheekiness; Lin-Manuel Miranda was very good, but something about the Cockney accent bugged me; the children were good as well (although I had to laugh every time they did something, my friend would say "I hate children"); and there are stars sprinkled throughout the film, in big, little and surprise roles (Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Julie Walters to name a few). One of the big problems I had was the character of Michael Banks seemed to suck the life and joy out of every scene he was in (perhaps that was the point, but I was noticeably happier when he was offscreen). I am glad I saw this in the theater.

12/22/2018 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, not yet nominated, 2018

If I thought too hard about Mamma Mia - Here We Go Again, I probably couldn't watch it with a straight face; there are too many things that defy logic, reality, time travel and singing ability. The only thing I care about is the music, and thanks to this movie, and its precursor (which began life as a theatrical musical), the music of ABBA will pretty much never die. The characters from the original film return (Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard), with a few key additions, including Lily James as a young Donna and Cher as Donna's mother and Sophie's grandmother. The story goes back and forth between young Donna, who having just graduated from Oxford, goes off to have adventures around Europe before she settles on an idyllic Greek island, and current day with Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) getting ready to reopen Donna's hotel. The best thing about the movie is it introduces some of ABBA's lesser known songs (well, I knew them, but I'm guessing a lot of people didn't) like "When I Kissed the Teacher" (which took a strange turn and also had a cameo appearance from Bjorn Ulvaeus), "Why Did It Have to Be Me" and "Andante, Andante"; of course, there were well known gems, like "Waterloo" (featuring Benny Andersson on the piano), "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and perhaps the biggest number is "Fernando" sung by Cher (I hope I didn't ruin that bit, but I thought it was common knowledge she was in the movie). The locale is beautiful, with filming being done in Croatia on the island of Vis, and the songs are terrific; the acting is good, but the story just seemed hit and miss for me. I hope they quit while they're ahead.

12/24/2018 Gosford Park, Best Original Screenplay, 2001

Since Gosford Park has been on cable at least twice this past week and I watched it, I figured I should review it. There is something about this Robert Altman movie that I have always liked, having seen it originally in the theatre and watching it when I find it on television. It is set on an English estate in 1932 and has a full cast of characters, above and below stairs and adds in a good old fashioned mystery. Julian Fellowes, who later created "Downton Abbey", wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay. The main plot involves the lord of the manor, Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his wife, Lady Sylvia (Kristen Scott Thomas), who are hosting a hunting party on their estate; the guests include gossipy cousin Constance, Countess of Trentham (Maggie Smith); actor, Ivor Novello (Jeremy Northam); American film producer, Morris Weissman (Bob Balaban). The below stairs cast include Helen Mirren as Mrs. Wilson, head housekeeper; Eileen Atkins as Mrs. Croft, cook; Emily Watson as Elsie, head housemaid; Clive Owens as Mr. Parks, valet to one of the guests; and Ryan Phillippe as Mr. Denton, valet to Mr. Weissman. Like most Altman films, there are a variety of subplots involving upstairs, downstairs and many that crossover between the two. All of these are happening even as someone is plotting a murder.  There are so many things going on, that even after watching it more than four times, there are new nuances that I picked up. If you enjoy "Downton Abbey" and have not yet watched this, I think you will enjoy it, Maggie Smith gets ready for her role as Dowager Countess of Grantham. Helen Mirren is wonderful as always, Ryan Phillippe is creepy as valet Denton, Gambon does not at all resemble Dumbledore. It really is a feast of wonderful actors in large and small roles. I feel like I have seen so many movies lately that I can barely get through one time, that I feel really pleased that I can watch a seventeen year old movie and still enjoy it.

Family friendly options: Happy Feet, Ratatouille and The Horse with the Flying Tail by Disney

5/25/18 Happy Feet, Best Animated Feature, 2006

In the early days of the Best Animated Feature Oscar, it was first awarded in 2001, there wasn't a lot of great competition, often the category only had three films. Happy Feet is a cute movie, with an ecological message that resonates even more today, but I didn't think it was the best animated film. Flushed Away, Open Season and Over the Hedge weren't even nominated. George Miller (Mad Max movies) directed Nicole Kidman (Norma Jean), Hugh Jackman (Memphis), Brittany Murphy (Gloria), Elijah Wood (Mumble) and Robin Williams in a variety of roles in this look at emperor penguins and their fellow inhabitants in Antarctica. Mumble is the offspring of Norma Jean and Memphis, and unlike his parents and fellow penguins, he can't sing, however, he can dance (actually, Savion Glover can dance as he provided the motion capture for Mumble). Unfortunately, his dancing makes him a bit of an outcast and takes him on a journey to meet leopard seals, skuas and other types of penguins, and also to discover that there were big machines out there destroying their home. Mumble is captured by humans and put in an aquarium when scientists think he is trying to tell them something, and they release him back to his family, but with a tracking device attached. And, unlike in the real world, the humans listened and stopped their drilling and digging and started to care about the environment.

5/26/18 The Horse with the Flying Tail, Best Documentary, 1960

Documentaries have come a long way since Disney's The Horse with the Flying Tail won in 1960, going up against only one other film, Rebel in Paradise about Paul Gaugin. Nautical, a Palomino, was a spirited horse who was a great jumper, when he wasn't being obstinate. The documentary traces his life as a ranch horse, then to various owners until he finally found an owner and trainer who could motivate him to be successful. He was part of the equestrian team that won the gold at the 1959 Pan Am Games. He had a habit of raising his tail when he would make a good jump. I don't know for sure, but I seriously doubt, that the film was shot in real time. How would they know that he would become a gold medal winner. I'm not sure it would hold up to today's documentaries but if you like horses, it was okay.

5/27/18 Ratatouille, Best Animated Feature, 2007

The first time around I wasn't really interested, I'm not even sure why I watched it, except it was pretty popular. This second time, over ten years later, I was interested and actually enjoyed it. Maybe I was thinking of my trip last year to Paris (no cooking rats, I'm afraid), or maybe I got over whatever was bugging me at the time. Brad Bird (The Incredibles) directed and Patton Oswalt voices Remy, a French rat who loves to cook and has a taste for the finer things, much to the dismay of his father (Brian Dennehy). Remy winds up in Paris, with the ghost of his inspiration, Chef August Gusteau (Brad Garrett), a welcome, if unexpected, presence. Garbage boy Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano) and Remy team up, with Alfredo the hands and Remy the brains behind delicious and innovative cuisine. Linguini's success is more than a nuisance to Gusteau's right hand, Skinner (Ian Holm) who has plans for a line of frozen foods and other ways to capitalize on Gusteau's legacy. Linguini and Remy unintentionally foil Skinner's plans. There are several other actors who make appearances, Janeane Garofolo as Colette, one of the cooks and Linguini's love interest; Will Arnett as Horst the sous chef; and Peter O'Toole as the deliciously evil-intentioned food critic, Anton Ego. Sometimes movies do get better the second time around.

More nominations: The Square, Coco, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

2/22/18 The Square, nominated Best Foreign Film, 2017

That is two hours of my life that I will never get back. I really want to know who the people are who think this movie is the best Sweden had to offer this year. At first I thought maybe I'm going soft in the head and didn't get it; well, I didn't get it, but I think it's because it wasn't very good. When I think satire and movie, I always think of Brazil by Terry Gilliam (comedy and drama, satire, just like The Square). I wouldn't even put this in the same category. The Square uses the art world, art installations, performance art and some of the pompous pretentiousness (that seems to be one of my favorite words) that is found when 'those in the know' extol the virtues of certain types of art. So, I guess you could say that is juxtaposed with the arrogance of gallery director, Christian, who essentially threatens an entire apartment building because he thinks the thief who stole his wallet and phone lives there. There is some bizarre relationship with a journalist, Anne (American actress Elisabeth Moss) which I cannot explain or understand why it's in the movie. There is another scene of performance art involving an actor imitating a chimp and getting very violent with the guests at a dinner event; his violence incites violence form the guests. Was that the point? I actually think there may have been a good point (the impact of social media on society, can social media be art, etc.) I like to encourage people to check out foreign films, but I won't be recommending this at all. I probably won't get to see the other nominees until after the Oscars, so I really don't have any idea which one will win.

2/24/18 Coco, nominated Best Animated Feature, Best Original Song, 2017

I wasn't all that bothered whether I saw Coco or not; sadly, that's what happens when I get to the end of the list and have such a short amount of time before the Oscars. I kind of just get burned out. However, one of my movie companions kept mentioning it and that she would like to go with me if it worked out with our schedules. I'm really glad that it did work out; I had heard really good things from adult friends who saw the movie, and then my snark got the best of me. But, I am here to tell you that this was a really good animated film: a sweet, heartwarming story; good animation techniques (not as technically interesting as Loving, Vincent); funny bits that kids and adults laughed at (that is the benefit of being in a pretty crowded theater, you can hear others' reactions); and little bit of an introduction to Mexican culture and the Mexican holiday of Day of the Dead (before someone gets upset with me, it's just an introduction, but hopefully it will interest kids and their families, and I guess just adults, to learn more on their own about the holiday and its traditions). I will say, and again, someone will disagree with me, I didn't think the music was all that great, not like other Disney or Pixar films. Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) is a 12 year old boy who comes from a family with a history of hating music, but he's never really given a reason for this, and causes a little bit of hysteria when he reveals his love of music. Miguel has a close relationship with his great-grandmother, Coco, even though is very old and doesn't always remember his name. He wants to try out for a talent contest that will be held on the Day of the Dead when he has a confrontation with his grandmother. Something happens and Miguel is transferred 'over the bridge' to where the dead live, and he meets his great-great-grandmother, aunts, uncles, as well as a few other characters. His appearance as a human boy is as disconcerting to them as their appearances as skeletons is to him. Miguel wants to go back home, but he can only do that with the blessing of someone form his family; great-great-grandmother Imelda gives him the blessing, but it includes the condition that he will never play music again, a condition he cannot abide. He goes on a quest to find another member of his family, perhaps the famed singer, Ernesto de la Cruz (voiced by Benjamin Bratt who brings the same smarmy quality he has when playing Javier on Modern Family), whom Miguel believes to be his great-great-grandfather. Miguel befriends Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) a lonely spirit who is fading from the memory of his family (when a spirit is no longer remembered, they disappear for good). The way the story unfolds is part of the charm, and if you haven't seen it, I do not want to ruin it because I think it was pretty clever. I have bemoaned the lack of family films, and rightly so I think, but Coco works on so many levels without getting sappy or preachy, and an adult can watch it and enjoy it as much as a kid. These days movies come and go so quickly, so when there is a movie with staying power (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Greatest Showman) like Coco which was released in November and up until recently was playing in chain theaters and is now at the 2nd run theater and was playing to a large number of people, I think that says a lot. It also says a lot when the audience applauds at the end, and to my surprise, this audience did, and loudly. My comment to my friend at the end was also kind of a question: how in the world is Boss Baby even considered on the same level as Coco or Loving, Vincent? I still have yet to see Ferdinand or The Breadwinner.

2/24/18 Roman J. Israel, Esq., nominated Best Actor, 2017

I wasn't exactly sure what Roman J. Israel, Esq., starring Denzel Washington, was about; I guess I made some assumptions based on the trailers, but they were all wrong. Or mostly. Tony Gilroy wrote and directed the film, and his last writer/director film, Nightcrawler was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, was a really well done piece of suspense and creepiness, and there was definitely some suspense (I was happy to not have the creepy aspect). Israel is an attorney, very happy in his current role writing briefs, doing legal research, etc., and not actually dealing with clients. That duty falls to his partner (actually, that may be more in Israel's mind than reality) and mentor, William Jackson, whom we never meet, but who becomes incapacitated and leads to the dissolution of the firm. Jackson made provisions for another attorney, George Pierce (Colin Farrell) to step in and give Israel a job opportunity. Israel has difficulty relating to other people; one could speculate he is on the autism/Asperger spectrum; he does acknowledge his social challenges. In his desire to get back to his roots, using the law for social change, he has an awkward encounter with some younger people who don't appreciate his 'old fashioned' ideas and it doesn't end well. However, he does being a friendship with Maya (Carmen Ejogo), a community organizer.  Meanwhile, Israel is having a tough time fitting in at Pierce's firm; challenged by the drive for billable hours and not practicing the law for the good it can do. Israel is given the opportunity to handle a case where the defendant is accused of killing a store clerk in a hold up. He says he didn't do it, but was there, and can tell Israel who and where the person is hiding. Israel makes a choice that will have impacts on the rest of his life, and that appear to change who he is as a person. He loses a bit of his optimism, his belief in the good of the system, to be dramatic - he loses a bit of his soul (much like Jake Gylenhaal and Rene Russo's characters in Nightcrawler). I liked that character study, and Washington is so damn good; you kind of believe that he is socially awkward. I thought the story was intriguing and not without possibility in the real world, but thought the end was kind of too neat. I would be surprised if Washington won for Best Actor because of the other nominees; Daniel Day-Lewis (whom I have yet to see in Phantom Thread, but who has won three Oscars for his five nominations) and Gary Oldman are probably the front runners. Who knows? That's the fun of watching. Out now on DVD.

Trying to prep for Oscar noms - Baby Driver, The Boss Baby and Girls Trip and American Assassin

12/24/17 American Assassin, not yet nominated, 2017

What can I say? I had a free movie with Redbox and the choices were pretty limited. That and the previews looked interesting. Eh. American Assassin was like a Jason Bourne movie without the smart plot and cool locations.

12/24/17 Baby Driver, not yet nominated, 2017

I understand that the title of Baby Driver comes from a Simon & Garfunkel song, but when I first heard it, it just sounded dumb. First impressions can be wrong. The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. Directed by Edgar Wright (Ant-Man, Shaun of the Dead), it's got action, some good acting by Ansel Elgort as Baby/Miles, and a soundtrack that propels the narrative in a fun, unique way. Baby is a driver (duh) for a gang of bank robbers, led by Doc (Kevin Spacey). Baby lives with his deaf foster father, and driving. He has music in his ears constantly as a way to offset tinnitus. Baby is pretty quiet, letting the rest of the 'crew' do the trash talking, even if it was about him; he let his driving speak for itself. Doc uses different crews, including Buddy (Jon Hamm, very scruffy and grungy), Bats (Jamie Foxx, foul, violent and dangerous), Eddie (Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Griff (Jon Bernthal). Baby meets Debora (Lily James - Cinderella, "Downton Abbey") who is a waitress. Baby owes Doc a debt, and once it's paid, he wants to leave town with Debora. The plot isn't all that complex or intellectual, but I liked the pace of the movie, and the way the music was used with the action, like it was choreographed. There was humor (it's nominated for a Golden Globe for comedy/musical, and it's described as a comedy) but it wasn't thigh slapping laugh out loud funny (not a bad thing, just my opinion). I thought it was an original take on heist films, and it could be nominated for original screenplay, sound editing or film editing. This was also part of my Redbox night, and it more than made up for American Assassin.

12/31/17 The Boss Baby, not yet nominated, 2017

When I saw the previews for The Boss Baby, starring Alec Baldwin as The Boss Baby, I thought it might be cute, mildly entertaining, and then I heard some initial reviews, and they weren't great. Normally I make up my own mind, but I have so many movies to watch, that I thought if I could avoid a 'bad' one, I should. Then it goes and gets nominated for a Golden Globe. Often, but not always, a Golden Globe nomination indicates an Oscar nomination. So, The Baby Boss it was for our annual New Year's Eve movie night. Our narrator (Tobey Maguire) introduces us to Tim, an inventive and imaginative 7 year old, who has the sole attention of his parents (Lisa Kudrow and Jimmy Kimmel) until a mysteriously precocious baby arrives. Tim suspects there is something different about the baby, and it turns out, that the baby is in management at Baby Corp. It seems that babies are losing affection to puppies, and the Boss Baby has been sent down to change the course of  Puppy Co. and it's leader, Francis E. Francis (Steve Buscemi). Baldwin brings aspects of his Jack Donaghy personality to the role, and he seemed perfectly cast, and there were parts of Francis' character that reminded me of Buscemi's Randall Boggs from Monsters Inc. There's lots of cute scenes with babies doing unbaby-like things, and Tim behaving like the reluctant brother, and his parents clueless to everything. It was sweet and funny, but compared to other animated movies from the past, this is no Oscar nominee. It might have won me over as a nominee if it was done as a short.

12/31/17 Girls Trip, not yet nominated, 2017

Our second movie of the night was Girls Trip, not my typical fare, but it looked interesting, and I love Queen Latifah, and it could be good for a laugh. Sasha (Queen Latifah), Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith), Ryan (Regina Hall) and Dina (Tiffany Haddish) are school friends who reconnect in New Orleans after some years of estrangement. They have all taken different paths in life; Ryan is a very successful author and motivational speaker; Lisa is a tightly wound nurse and mother; Sasha is a journalist who has fallen on hard times and has resorted to writing a gossip blog; and Dina, well, Dina is the crazy friend who has no filters. Mike Colter is Stewart, Ryan's cheating husband, who puts on a good show for the cameras. I only saw The Hangover once (hated it, but I was told I wasn't the target demographic), but Girls Trip had that buddy movie/road trip feel, with New Orleans and Bourbon Street as the setting; music plays a big part in the film, with hip hop and R&B stars making cameos throughout the movie. There were some laugh out loud moments (Tiffany Haddish was hilarious), and I like seeing more movies with women as the featured characters, I just felt it was a little long, and sometimes a little too raunchy for me.

An Outdated Musical, an Animation Classic and a Precursor to Indiana Jones

9/16/17 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment, 1965

Meh. That's really all I can come up with over a month after watching A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum which was directed by Richard Lester (of The Beatles' movies) and starred Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, Michael Crawford (later of Phantom of the Opera fame) and Phil Silvers. I don't think it translates very well over fifty years later, not that it was a huge hit in 1965. The bawdy humor seems juvenile and looking for cheap laughs. It's almost like a bad sketch comedy from the late 1960s; there are a lot of incongruities (the whole Buster Keaton story line made no sense, although it was bittersweet to see Keaton in his last role shortly before he died). 

9/16/17 The Snake Pit, 1948, Best Sound Recording

Olivia de Havilland was nominated as Best Actress for her portrayal of a woman suffering from a debilitating mental illness in The Snake Pit. I found de Havilland compelling as Virginia Cunningham, a young woman struggling to understand why she is in a mental institution. We learn a little more about Virginia through flashbacks as her psychiatrist digs into her past to see what triggers her episodes; her husband tries to understand her erratic behavior. Juniper Hill is a place that I hope is in the rearview mirror as far as mental/psychiatric hospitals are concerned: the care was often barbaric, occasionally nurturing and healing, but it's not where you would want to see a loved one. Virginia does seem to get better, although if there was an official diagnosis and treatment plan, I may have missed it. The movie was based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Mary Jane Ward, and the good news is that the film prompted several hospitals to change their policies and procedures. de Havilland was nominated as Best Actress in a Leading Role three times between 1946 and 1949, winning twice. 

9/16/17 Shrek, Best Animated Feature, 2001

Sixteen years later, I still laughed. Fractured Fairy Tales meets the American Top Forty. Shrek (Mike Meyers sounding a lot like Jim Taggart) is an ogre who, like Greta Garbo, wants to be alone, but he is either being harassed by frightened villagers or invaded by displaced nursery rhyme characters. His particular bête noir is Donkey (hilariously voiced by Eddie Murphy), who is very social and very chatty. The remedy to the home invasion is to go to Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) and get him to give Shrek his forest and privacy back. It doesn't go exactly as planned as Shrek becomes Farquaad's champion and agrees to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) who has been locked away in a castle. Shrek fairly easily rescues Fiona, with a little help from Donkey. The three head back towards Duloc, but Fiona is anxious to stop and rest before the sun goes down. It turns out that Fiona, a stereotypically beautiful princess by day, is an ogre by night, and she doesn't want Shrek to know since they were having such a good time together. The wedding to Farquaad doesn't go exactly as planned, which turns out to be a really good thing. All of this might make a good movie, but that would be too predictable. What makes Shrek so fun is it brings all of the fairy tales and nursery rhymes from our childhood to life, in a very twisted way: the Gingerbread Man is interrogated by Lord Farquaad and is tortured by dipping him in milk, causing him to go soft and lose a limb; Pinocchio is turned in for bounty money by Geppetto; the Three Little Pigs have German accents; and so it goes. This is an ideal film that adults can happily watch with their kids; it's funny, but not childish (silly, yes, with some gross humor that kids laugh at, and grown ups want to laugh at). The soundtrack includes songs by Neil Diamond to the Proclaimers to Leonard Cohen; a great way to introduce kids to music that their parents might like, but making it 'cool'. I really needed this movie after this last batch of movies that have been a little challenging to watch and review.

10/1/17 Gunga Din, National Film Registry, 1939

Gunga Din is a mix of comedy, drama and action, featuring two of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Cary Grant as two soldiers stationed in 1880s India, then under British rule. Grant is Sgt. Archibald Cutter who has obtained a treasure map that he is eager to check out with his pals, Sgt. MacChesney (Victor McLagen) and Sgt. Tommy Ballantine (Fairbanks), but Tommy has plans to leave the military and marry Emmy Stebbins (Joan Fontaine, whose sister was Olivia de Havilland). They are joined by Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe), their water bearer who longs to be a part of the army in larger capacity. Din joins Cutter on his search for the treasure in a golden temple. Unfortunately, the temple belongs to the Thugee, an indigenous group living in that area, one that is not well disposed towards the British. Cutter is captured and Din goes back to the base to get help from MacChesney and Ballantine, which does not go according to plan. Din does get his chance to show his mettle and prove his loyalty to the British Army and his friends. The movie is based on the poem by Rudyard Kipling, and Kipling (Reginald Sheffield) makes an appearance at the end of the film. I was reminded of the Indiana Jones franchise, without the great special effects. Grant reminded me a little of Harrison Ford. I enjoyed the movie, and it may seem strange, but it doesn't seem to as 'dated' as Something Happened on the Way to the Forum, and I don't know how to explain that. I am not what qualified it for the National Film Registry.

One word movie titles for three hundred, please - Hugo, Deliverance, Champion, Spartacus

8/26/17 Hugo, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, 2011

I haven't figured out why Martin Scorsese's Hugo has not found a bigger audience; I think it has stunning visuals (this is one of the few movies I have seen where 3D makes a difference, in a good way); I think kids/young teens can relate to the story; fans of early animation can appreciate the story of Georges Melies. But, perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. In 1930s Paris, Hugo (Asa Butterfield - Boy in the Striped Pajamas) is orphaned after his clockmaker/inventor father (Jude Law) is killed in a fire, but he is left an automaton his father was repairing. He is left in the care of his drunk and mean uncle Claude (Ray Winston), who teaches him to keep the clocks running at Gare Montparnesse. Hugo has a habit of shoplifting from a toy store owner (Ben Kingsley); using the pieces to finish restoring the automaton, until he gets caught by the store owner, who threatens to burn Hugo's notebook. Hugo meets Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) and they go on adventures, and Hugo learns that Isabelle is the toy store owner's goddaughter. Uncle Claude turns up dead after an ill-timed dip in the Seine, and Hugo is on his own again, so he lives in the clock (seriously, who would not think this is the coolest thing?), evading capture from a very hilarious Station Inspector Gustave (Sacha Baron Cohen who is surprisingly not offensive). It turns out that the toy store owner, also known as Papa Georges, was a groundbreaking filmmaker in the early 20th century, making the landmark film "A Trip to the Moon". The movie won the visual Oscars for very good reason, it's gorgeously done, the special effects from the automaton to the recreated scenes from Meliers' films and theater pieces are beautiful. Scorsese is a film historian and has provided funds for film restoration and while this may seem off the beaten track for him, I think it's a work of love. There are not a lot of films that families can watch together, so if you're looking for something whimsical and magical, get Hugo from the library or Netflix.

8/26/17 Deliverance, 1972 #84 BBC, National Film Registry

I don't think some of these 'classic' films translate so well thirty or forty years later. At least that's my opinion Deliverance based on watching it three times and not liking it any time, although I was less creeped out the last time than the first two times. The film is set in the north Georgia wilderness, and stars Burt Reynolds as Lewis, Jon Voight as Ed, Ronnie Cox as Drew and Ned Beatty as Bobby; Lewis and Ed are the outdoorsmen of the group, and this is Drew and Bobby's first outing. These are city boys and the locals are targets for their mockery and mistrust (although the mistrust goes both ways). Even if you have never seen Deliverance you are probably familiar with the music called "Dueling Banjos" (usually played when people are referring to hillbillies or something backwards); it's early on, and pretty much the only part I liked. Anyway, the city boys head down the river in their canoes, and Ed and Bobby have the misfortune to meet two very creepy country boys who have more than just fishing on their minds; one of them humiliates Bobby by making him squeal like a pig and then raping him. Before the same can be done to Ed, Lewis kills the attacker with a shot from his bow. The men dispose of the body, but are now in fear of the second man, whom they believe is stalking them from above in the cliffs. Things get really dangerous as they hit a series dangerous rapids, and it doesn't end there, as there are more deaths, severe injuries and an encounter with the local sheriff who doesn't believe anything they say. I don't mind outdoor films, and director John Boorman filmed a lot of beautiful shots in the Tallulah Gorge, and I like a good mystery or thriller, but this did nothing for me, and I can honestly say I tried.

8/26/17 Champion, Best Editing, 1949

I've been in a Kirk Douglas frame of mind, I guess, having recently finished Douglas's autobiography, The Ragman's Son, watching an old interview with Dick Cavett and grabbing two of his films in this blog session, Champion and Spartacus. Douglas was nominated for Best Actor for his role as "Midge" Kelly, a good boxer but a pretty crappy person. Midge didn't plan on being a boxer; he and his crippled brother, Connie (Arthur Kennedy), are heading west to claim their ownership of a restaurant in California, only to find that they've been swindled. The real owner, Lew, of the diner lets them stay on to work and both Midge and Connie fall for the owner's daughter, Emma. Lew is less than pleased with Midge and Emma's relationship and forces them into a shotgun marriage. Now that the fun is over, Midge takes off, leaving Emma behind. This is pretty typical of how Midge operates; he's a me first kind of guy. On the way out west, Midge enters a fight as a way to make some quick money, and when he flees his marriage, he finds Tommy Haley who offered to train and manage him if he wanted to get into the fight game for real. Midge has a single-minded focus on his new career, defeating all comers as he moves around the country. Midge gets the opportunity to fight Johnny Dunne, who is in line for the championship. Instead of tanking the fight like he promised, Midge knows out Johnny early on, earning the wrath of the mob, but the affections of Johnny's girlfriend, Grace. Yeah, there's not a lot to like about most of the characters in this movie. Grace persuades Midge to drop Tommy and get a new manager. Bad move on Grace's part as she unwittingly sets Midge up with his next fling. Being champion holds short term rewards for Midge, for which he seems to have no gratitude or appreciation. Things don't end for him quite as he anticipated. Douglas is pretty despicable in this role, and it kind of reminded me of his part in Ace in the Hole, as a journalist who is willing to risk another man's life to improve his career - devoid of scruples. It was a good movie, probably not at the top of most people's list, but it's one of Douglas's earlier films and worth a look.

8/27/17 Spartacus, 1960,  Best Supporting Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography - Color, Best Costume Design - Color,  #81 AFI

Spartacus is one of those old time Hollywood epic films that begins with an overture, has an orchestral intermission and a closing bit, enough costumed Romans to fill the Colosseum and more stars than there are in the sky. The movie is significant for more than its scope; it was Dalton Trumbo's first officially credited movie since he had been blacklisted, and it pretty much broke the blacklist; Kirk Douglas hired Trumbo and made the decision to put his name on the credits. Stanley Kubrick directed after the production company, Bryna Productions, fired the original director, Anthony Mann (Bryna Productions was Douglas's company). Douglas stars as Spartacus, a Thracian slave who is sold to a gladiator school run by Batiatus (Peter Ustinov in an Oscar winning role). Spartacus meets a slave girl, Varinia (Jean Simmons), who also draws the attention of Crassus (Laurence Olivier) and his entourage. Crassus and his party request a fight to the death between the gladiators, and Spartacus is chosen to fight against the African, Draba. Draba refuses to kill Spartacus and instead, lunges at the gawking visitors, only to be killed by one of the guards. This is the inspiration for the slave rebellion, led by Spartacus. Meanwhile, back in Rome, Crassus is in a power struggle with Gracchus (Charles Laughton) in the Senate. Domestically, Crassus adds a young slave to his household, Antoninus (Tony Curtis), and attempts to seduce him (one of the interesting things about this scene is that it is part of the restored film and Olivier's voice had to be dubbed by Anthony Hopkins). Antoninus later joins the growing slave army. Spartacus is trying to get the slaves out of Rome and makes a deal for ships, but in the time it takes for him to move down the coast, Crassus and Gracchus have been making their own deals and double-deals, in opposition to one another. Eventually, Spartacus and his army are brutally defeated, and the stage is set for probably the best known scene in the film, where the Romans are looking for Spartacus, and everyone stands up and says "I'm Spartacus"; the scene is more dramatic than written here. I love the drama, maybe melodrama, the grand scale, the cast of amazing actors, and since I have learned more of the history of the film, that just adds to it. Ustinov plays his role with a touch of comedy, dry wit and tongue in cheek; Olivier is cool and calculating; Laughton is calculating but honest about some of his foibles and weaknesses (food and women); there is something about Jean Simmons that I find captivating, her voice, her almost ethereal presence, I don't know. Douglas as Spartacus is pretty flawless, which is not typical of most heroes, there is sign of weakness, not even being prideful; I don't think it detracts anything, though, the movie is so big and there are other flawed characters. This would be a great movie for an autumn night in front of the fire, perhaps some Italian wine and cheese, if you're so inclined.

Beauty and the Beast, Toni Erdmann and The Red Turtle

4/30/17 Beauty and the Beast, not yet nominated 2017

I saw Beauty and the Beast on 4/30, a Sunday as I recall, and it's now Wednesday, May 10. I've been going over in my mind how to write this; I really don't think I need to recap the plot, it's the same one from the animated version of Beauty and the Beast. There are a few new songs, but nothing original or surprising. And, that's where I sit. I liked the movie, I thought it was well done, I'm fairly certain it will be nominated in the technical categories: production design, visual effects, costume and hair, and I really wanted to see it on the big screen. I wanted to see how Emma Watson (Belle) did in a lead role; I'm a fan, I think she's a great role model for young women, and young men, for that matter; she has a great sense of humor about herself; and it's fun to see young actors grow and take on new roles. The Beast, the Beast, oh right, Dan Stevens, late of Downton Abbey fame; to me it was pretty inconsequential, since for 95% of the movie, the Beast was, well, the Beast, and not in human form, and that is true for all the of the household items. Did it matter that Emma Thompson (whom I love) was Mrs. Potts? Not really. Or that Ian McKellen was Cogsworth? Meh. And I could go on through the cast. It's not like they were Ellen DeGeneres as Dory, or Billy Crystal as Mike (Monsters Inc). The 'human' cast was just as meh for me; Kevin Kline played Belle's father; Luke Evans was Gaston (Gaston is a character I thoroughly dislike, I know, he's a bad guy, but he's not even a fun bad guy; he's an ass). Josh Gad was LeFou, Gaston's sycophantic sidekick, who is portrayed, not subtly, as gay or effeminate (take your pick); I'd like to say who cares (I don't), except, it got very annoying during the movie, in your face - and it added NOTHING, if there was a point, I wouldn't care. There are a few new songs, one sung by Celine Dion at the end "How Does a Moment Last Forever" and "Evermore" by Josh Groban, which were fine, I don't recall being overly moved by either (wow, I sound like someone stole my heart and soul). I thought the cast, overall, did well performing the songs. I was disappointed, and a little surprised, that Audra McDonald, who has performed in a huge variety of singing roles, including on Broadway, and she sang only a little bit as a soloist. That seemed like a lost opportunity to me. I know this sounds whiny, and maybe that's why I waited so long, but I really did like and enjoy the movie, and it's good family entertainment, I just didn't love it.

5/7/17 Toni Erdmann, nominated Best Foreign Film, 2016

I don't mean to sound unprofessional, but UGH. This movie was two hours and forty-two minutes long, and it was really not as great as it was hyped up to be. I didn't think it was great at all. It seemed like one of my weaker reviews: full of half thoughts that don't get fully executed, and full thoughts that should have been stopped before they were started. I had really high expectations since it had been nominated for, and won, many international film festival awards. I tried, for 162 minutes I tried, to find something to like. There wasn't enough. Winfried Conradi is a music teacher with an unusual sense of humor (he would get on my nerves quickly, and I like to think I have a good sense of humor), who randomly decides to visit his estranged daughter, Ines, in Bucharest where she is working as a consultant for an oil company. As silly as Winfried (or his alter ego, Toni Erdmann) is, Ines is serious, determined and aloof. Winfried is clearly missing his daughter and just wants to spend time with her, maybe have fun; the problem is, they disagree on what 'fun' is. He uses the Toni Erdmann persona to insinuate himself into Ines' work life; eventually, he wears her down, and they tag team with each other in a meeting with Ines' client. I get that parent/adult child relationships can be difficult and challenging, been there, done that; and I understand that women have to work harder in male-dominated fields, so Ines has to stay focused and wants to be taken seriously. But, this point was beaten into the ground, and any empathy I may have had just shriveled up. As I was watching, I was making comparisons to Isabelle Huppert in Elle (she was nominated for Best Actress), in that both women were driven professionals, neither was very likable, and both had difficult relationships with their fathers, although I think it's fair to say that Ines' was a walk in the park compared to Michele. I'm not really sure where that comparison gets us, except that I liked Elle even though it was hard to watch and Michele was a bitch; and I didn't like Toni Erdmann. The movie was described as a comedy, and it is not that at all; they are a few funny moments, but overall, I would say that it is a drama. I think so much more could have been done with the idea of this father/daughter relationship. Disappointed.

5/9/17 The Red Turtle, nominated Best Animated Feature, 2016

I don't even know what to say. I'm sure there were some beautiful metaphors in this film, but I was so utterly bored out of my mind, I must have missed them. It was made by the Ghibli Studio, which has made other Oscar nominated animated films, like The Wind Rises, The Tale of Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There (which did not do much for me). There was no dialogue, which I'm fine with, but I don't know, maybe I would have liked it better if it was a short instead of a feature (it wasn't too long at 80 minutes, but long enough). Anyway, I can't even give you a synopsis. I'm waiting for My Life as a Zucchini, but so far, out of the nominees, you can't go wrong with Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana or the winner, Zootopia.


A friend of mine, who has seen all the other movies in the franchise and loved them, saw Fate of the Furious, last week, in the big IMAX theater, and was very disappointed. I asked him to do a guest review, and all he could do was show me two thumbs down. Since I have been exempt from having to see any of the other movies, and have no plans to see this one, this is the only review you'll see here.

Smile Pinki, lovable Mr. Magoo, The Magnificent Ambersons

4/15/17 Smile, Pinki, Best Documentary Short, 2008

For some reason, I thought I already reviewed this Oscar-winning documentary short, but apparently, I did not, so I re-watched it, and had a good cry all over again. Pinki is a young girl, born in India with a cleft lip. Cleft palettes and cleft lips are birth defects that can often be detected by ultra sound and treated early on, but in some countries, like India, cleft lips are not treated immediately, if at all. The children are often socially outcast, and face limited opportunities. The documentary follows Pinki and Ghutaru as they get a diagnosis/prognosis and eventually, surgery, at what is essentially, an open call for anyone suffering from the defects. Families come from all over Utter Pradesh, often on foot, like Pinki and her father and uncle, and sometimes their visit to the city is the first for them; they may borrow money for the food and transportation. The surgeries are provided free of charge by an organization called Smile Train. The surgeries almost seem like a conveyor belt, with many surgeries performed every day; I don't want to imply that the patients are treated like parts of the machinery, just that this organization has become extremely efficient, and they try to get the families in and out as soon as feasible, because sometimes it's the breadwinner who may be away with the child, and the longer they're away, the more money that may be needed for food. The changes are immediate; seeing the parents crying with joy because they know their children now have a chance to be 'normal' and go to school (the children often stop going because they are teased), get married, etc. The children smile for the first time and see their reflections and when they play with their friends, it's just made me cry. The special features on the DVD are worth watching because they show a little bit into how the director, Megan Mylan, wanted to film her subjects, but also how Pinki and her father traveled to the United States for the Oscars. She is perhaps six or seven at this time, and behaves like a lot of six and seven years old, occasionally overstimulated, often shy, coy and sometimes diva-like. The movie is available on DVD, but I also found it on YouTube. It's definitely worth watching.

5/5/17 The Magnificent Ambersons, 1942, National Film Registry, BBC #11

I don't know if I would have liked The Magnificent Ambersons when it released in 1942, but I did not like it in 2017. The Ambersons were a wealthy family in Indianapolis; daughter, Isabel (Dolores Costello), is very fond of Eugene Morgan (Joseph Cotton), but he makes an ass of himself one day, and she dumps him for the boring and seemingly stable, Wilbur Minafer. They have one child, George, who is spoiled rotten, and pretty much loathed by the whole town for being a bully and petulant young man, who never grows up. After leaving the city for several years, Eugene returns with his daughter, Lucy (Anne Baxter); George meets Lucy, not realizing the connection of their two families, and he tries to woo her. Eugene is an inventor of automobiles, which for some reason annoys George, who is very fond of his horse and carriage (I think it's because he's a sadist who likes to whip the horses). Agnes Moorehead is Aunt Fanny, and she is (unintentionally) very funny, breaking into hysterics, and totally infatuated with Eugene, even though he still loves Isabel. Eventually, the Ambersons fall from grace and lose their fortune, and poor George may have to get a j-o-b. It's only after his mother dies that he begins to edge towards being a human being, but I stopped caring long before then. And his move towards humanity was slow and seemed like a last grasp. Then he gets his legs broken by...an automobile, an evil automobile. I couldn't wait until it was over. Orson Welles wrote the screenplay, directed, produced and narrated. Apparently, the final version was very different from him vision, and about an hour shorter (small mercies). The movie was so melodramatic and I didn't find any of the characters sympathetic; they could have been, but they were mostly one dimensional and devoid of any depth. With all due respect to Orson Welles, the National Film Registry and the BBC, there are better movies out there from that period.

5/6/17 Mr. Magoo Revue (see what I did there?)

I actually watched several Mr. Magoo shorts this morning, and they all seem to follow the same theme: the lovable, short, extremely near-sighted Mr. Magoo gets into the most precarious and peculiar situations, and through good fortune, divine intervention and the occasional human intervention, he comes out unscathed. As predictable as they are, I still found myself laughing, rolling my eyes and laughing some more. I suppose that is because I relate somewhat to Mr. Magoo, in that sometimes I do absent-minded things, get lost with great regularity, and yet, manage to come out the other side. The shorts were no more than six minutes each. Jim Backus (familiar as Thurston Howell III from Gilligan's Island) voiced Quincy Magoo (that's some good trivia right there, What is Mr. Magoo's first name?).

Ragtime Bear, 1949 (first Magoo cartoon) This was the first Magoo short, and featured Mr. Magoo and his nephew, Waldo, go to a wilderness lodge, meeting a bear with a talent for playing the banjo. Mr. Magoo mistakes the bear for Waldo.
Pink and Blue Blues, nominated Best Animated Short, 1952 Ever the helpful neighbor, Mr. Magoo babysits his neighbor's baby boy. The problem is, he mistakes the family dog for the baby; gives the dog a bath, etc. and hilarity ensues.
When Magoo Flew, Best Animated Short, 1954 Mr. Magoo thinks he is going to the theatre to see a 3D film, when in fact, he gets on an airplane (this could never happen in a post 9/11 world), and sits next to a suspicious gentleman, who leaves his briefcase behind. Fearing he'll miss the movie, but not wanting his new friend to lose something important, he tries to find him, which results in him going outside of the plan, walking on the wing, scaring a passenger looking out of the window, as well as the pilots when he pops up in the front of the plane. All's well that ends well, as he disembarks (how he actually gets back to his place of departure is not addressed).
Magoo's Puddle Jumper, Best Animated Short, 1956 Mr. Magoo gets a new car, which takes him on a journey around the country, except not really, he just kept misreading billboards. He drove through a car wash, windows open, thinking he just crossed the state line.

2017 Oscar nominees: Trolls, Allied, Loving and Fire at Sea

3/12/17 Trolls, nominated Best Song, 2016

I am pretty sure I was not the target demographic for this movie, and I'm just as sure my feelings weren't helped by watching it at 1:00 in the morning. But, I needed to get it back to the library and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I can't even really explain the premise of this animated, soon to be franchise, but here's a brief attempt: the Trolls are good and happy and they are hiding from the Bergens, who are mean and grumpy, but eat Trolls once a year to be happy. Yeah. Voices are provided by Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel and a cast of dozens; it seemed like the director/writers were trying to pack in as many 'top' or hot voices as possible, even if it was for only one line. The music was great; remakes of many 1970s and 1980s hits: "Sound of Silence" by Paul Simon; "Hello" by Lionel Richie, "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire (all the songs have been adapted/remade) and the Oscar-nominated song "Can't Stop the Feeling", which was so much better live and on the Oscars. I can't give you any more of a synopsis, because I stopped caring.

3/18/17 Allied, nominated Best Costume Design, 2016

I feel like I should have enjoyed Allied a lot more than I did: a drama set in World War II with an element of mystery, but it fell short somehow. Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard star as Max Vatan and Marianne Beausejour; Max is a Canadian intelligence officer who falls in love with Marianne, a member of the French Resistance as they participate in a dangerous mission in Casablanca. They get move to London, get married and have a baby. Something about Marianne doesn't sit right with Max's bosses in the intelligence branch, and they think she is working for the Germans as a spy. Max, determined to protect the woman he loves, starts to dig into Marianne's past, and is shaken by what he finds, and what his duty requires him to do. I think I would have liked more suspense and intrigue; for me, it came too little and too late. I usually love Cotillard (Two Days, One Night and La Vie en Rose), and I liked her here, but there were moments when her performance seemed forced. Pitt was good, as well, and the two had a chemistry, but...I don't know if it was the writing by Steven Knight or the direction of Robert Zemeckis, but I think a good opportunity was lost. It's not a terrible movie, just not as good as I hoped.

3/19/17 Loving, nominated Best Actress, 2016

This is a hard review to write, because I think the story of Richard and Mildred Loving is an important one in our nation's civil rights history, and I liked the movie, but it's a subtle, modest, quiet movie, and I'm not sure many people rush to the theaters to see those movies anymore, or at least not as much as they used to. Some of this country's most important moments have come about because of ordinary people trying to live their lives, even if it's against the current 'norms'; Rosa Parks, Annie Lee Cooper and the Lovings. Joel Edgerton plays Richard Loving and Ruth Negga (in an Oscar-nominated role) plays his wife, Mildred Loving. Richard is white and Ruth is black, and in 1950s Virginia, they are having an illegal relationship; they go to Washington, D.C., where they can legally be married, but come back home to Virginia where they are arrested in the middle of the night. The Lovings move to Washington, but Ruth misses the open spaces of home where she wants their children to play, and they move back, but they have to hide. Eventually, the law finds them, and arrests them again, harassing them, until Ruth writes to Attorney General Robert Kennedy and he recommends the American Civil Liberties Union to help them. The case makes its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, Loving v. Virginia, which invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage in 1967. The Lovings both seem to be quiet and private people, even their 'opposition' in the form of the sheriff isn't as violent and explosive as he could have been, like in Mississippi Burning. There is really only one moment where Richard seems out of character, and it's after a night of drinking with his brothers-in-law and friends (all black), and one of the men says to him (my paraphrasing) 'You're not black. You can go back to being white if you get a divorce'. Richard doesn't say anything at the time, but the next scene is him at home, drunk, crying, telling Mildred that he can take care of her. It broke my heart. All he wanted was to be with the woman he loved, raise their children and take care of his family. There is a quiet strength in Mildred, and at times, she seems to be the one holding everything together. When I was telling people about the movie after I watched it, I made the comparison to Selma, another Civil Rights movie, but on a larger scale, with big marches, riots, speeches, big, impactful scenes, and you needed that movie for that event, and people went to see the movie, and it won a lot of awards. Loving, as I've mentioned, was a quiet film, and maybe for that reason, not a lot of people saw it in the theaters. And I think that's a damned shame. The dignity and strength that these two people embodied should have more of a celebration (although June 12 is known as Loving Day, the day of the Supreme Court decision), and hopefully the film will experience a new life on television and in schools (there is virtually no violence or profanity that I can recall). Ruth Negga was up against a pretty tough cast of characters for Best Actress, and the lack of fanfare around the film probably didn't help her odds, but doesn't diminish her role or the film in any way.

3/22/17 Fire at Sea, nominated Best Documentary, 2016

I hope this doesn't sound too callous, given the nature of the documentary, which "supposedly" was to follow the plight of refugees from Africa and the Middle East coming to a Sicilian Island, but this movie did nothing to move me emotionally. I think an opportunity was lost to show the impact of the refugees coming to this small Italian island on the islanders and the people rescuing them or helping them. This could have been a long form companion to the documentary short 4.1 Miles, which did an amazing job, in less than an hour, of showing the stress and heartache of the men rescuing refugees from leaky boats, and villagers of trying to help them. It seemed to me that Fire at Sea was two movies that never quite synched up; one looked at the refugees coming over on dangerously ill-equipped boats and briefly examined the refugees as they were brought to Italian ships or on to shore; and the second, and the one that dominated, followed a young boy as he went through his daily life, playing with friends, going on a boat with his father, getting his eyes examined and treated for lazy eye. The two did not ever seem to meet up with each other. I found myself asking what was the point? Reviews said this was a powerful look at what was happening in the world with the influx of refugees and the humanitarian crisis, but it didn't seem that way to me at all. I was very disappointed.

Drama, Animation, a Short and Basketball: LA Confidential, Beauty & the Beast, Wasp, Hoosiers

1/7/17 L.A. Confidential, 1997, Best Supporting Actress, Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay, National Film Registry

It's hard to believe that at one point in time Russell Crowe was 'unknown' in the United States, but it's true. Back in 1997 Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce were known mainly in Australia and New Zealand, yet they were put in starring roles in L.A. Confidential. Pearce is an up-and-coming police officer, Ed Exley, living in the shadow of his father, who was killed in the line of duty; Exley is a rule follower, which can be problematic because of the corruption running through parts of the department. Crowe is Bud White, an LAPD detective who has anger issues and isn't above beating a confession out of a suspect. It's 1950s Hollywood and the two men find themselves on opposite ends of case involving a Hollywood gossip magazine writer Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito), a cop/consultant to a Hollywood television series, Det. Sgt. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), White's partner, Captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell) and a call girl who resembles Veronica Lake, Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger in her Oscar winning role for Best Supporting Actress). Does that sound like a lot going on? Yeah, it is. It is not a movie to watch while you're multi-tasking, trust me. I'm not going to try and recap the plot, there's too much going on and if you haven't seen it, I would hate to ruin it for you. I liked the way the story as told, giving you some information up front in your face, but also leaving enough hidden and up to your own detective skills, that it does keep you engaged. Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland won the Oscar for Best Writing for an Adapted Screenplay. Exley is earnest in his desire to follow the rules and do things the right way, but he does learn to play the game; White is a good detective, but may look to enforce the law his way; Vincennes seems jaded and skeptical, but something about the case at hand reminds him that he must have been a good detective at one point. 1997 was the year of Titanic, and Gloria Stuart was nominated for her role as 'old' Rose, and she was my sentimental favorite even if I hated the movie itself (okay, not hate, but after seeing it 15 times, I never need to see it again). Minnie Driver was also nominated for her role in Good Will Hunting. L.A. Confidential takes all of the elements from 1950s Hollywood: the scandals, the gossip magazines, taboos (sex and drugs), drugs and corruption, and pulls them into a suspenseful thriller.


1/7/17 Il Divo, nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, 2008

When I saw that Il Divo was directed by Paolo Sorrentino, who directed The Great Beauty (which I loathed), I almost turned it off. I mean, it was only a nominee after all. But, that would be against the spirit of the almighty list. Il Divo is based (I cannot comment on how accurately) on the political life of former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti. Bad things seem to happen to people around Andreotti, like they died under mysterious circumstances. Unless you're reading Wikipedia as you watch this, or you're very familiar with Italian politics, a lot of what happens makes little sense, even with little explanations that pop up on screen. Sorrentino use of music is alternately annoying and interesting; which is what I thought in The Great Beauty and Youth, but it's not enough for me to like the movie. The film was nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling which seems so strange to me considering ALL of the movies released in a year, that this was nominated in that category. It lost to Star Trek.

1/8/17 Wasp, Best Live Action Short, 2004

A friend and I were talking about short features and how they have to pack so much into a really short amount of time (you have read that before from me). A lot of the filler or extra plot lines have to be left out to focus on the one main theme. In this case, it is Zoe, a single mom of four young kids somewhere in England, struggling to just get by. At one point the kids are hungry and she gives the oldest a bag of sugar and tells her to 'share it out' with the other kids. She meets up with an old boyfriend, but can't find anyone to watch the kids, so she brings them to the pub and leaves them outside, bring them two packs of crisps and a Coke to share. Zoe doesn't tell David that she has children, much less that they are outside the pub. This could go all kinds of bad, and I found myself getting ticked off at Zoe, but you can see she loves her kids, and is just so overwhelmed, and is stressed and probably scared and could use some help. There is no telling how this ultimately resolves, but I was hoping for the best.

1/12/17 Beauty and the Beast, 1991 Best Music Original Score, Best Music Original Song, National Film Registry

It has been a very long time since I've seen Beauty and the Beast, and I don't remember loving it the way so many people did and do; don't get me wrong, I like it, I like the 'staff' of the castle, Lumiere (Jerry Orbach) and Cogsworth (David Ogden Stiers), and of course Mrs. Potts (Angela Lansbury), and the story, of course, but I haven't watched it in 25 years, so clearly, I'm not that attached to it. I wanted to make sure I saw it before the new live action movie comes out in early 2017. The Beast (Robby Benson) has locked himself away in his castle for many years because, he's a beast; he used to be a prince, but because of his arrogance and ill treatment of an old beggar (really an enchantress in disguise), he was turned into a frightening beast and his staff were turned into household items, like a candlestick, armoire, clock, tea cup, etc. Belle (Paige O'Hara) is a young village girl who likes her books and independence; she lives with her father, an inventor. Belle is also pursued by the muscle-bound but clueless, Gaston. After her father disappears, Belle goes looking for him, and finds him in the enchanted castle that also happens to be where the Beast lives. The Beast is less than pleased with the intrusion of Belle and her father, he makes a deal to let her father go, but Belle must stay. At first the relationship is a little tense, but the Beast begins to have feelings for Belle, and as they learn about each other, accept each other's differences, love begins to grow. Of course, it's never that simple. Gaston rallies the villagers against the Beast and attacks the castle; to say that Gaston made a tactical error would be a small understatement. The film score and one of the songs ("Beauty and the Beast" sung by Angela Lansbury and also Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson) won Oscars, music is a large part of what makes the film so beloved. The movie was the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture. Little girls love to be Belle, and I don't think it's just because she gets the prince, but she is an independent young woman, who loves to read and learn and make up her own mind. Clearly the film and story resonate because there have been so many different incarnations: musicals, Disney on Ice, Disney World and Disneyland, straight to video sequels, and of course, the upcoming live action film. So, I guess while I don't personally love it, I did like it and think it's a good story and movie for families.

1/13/17 Hoosiers, 1986, National Film Registry

How have I never seen this movie? Seriously, I have never seen this story about an underdog basketball team from small town Indiana, starring Gene Hackman as head coach Norman Gale. Hoosiers is set in 1950s Hickory, Indiana and the high school team is getting a new head coach. Like many small towns, strangers are looked at with a bit of skepticism, and it's no exception here. Norman Gale has a bit of a mysterious past and some unconventional coaching methods which lead the townspeople to question his every decision. Not only are his coaching methods under scrutiny, but Gale brings in Shooter Flatch (Dennis Hopper), the father of one of his players, who is also the town drunk. Shooter is a fan and student of the game, and Gale gives him a moment to shine in front of his neighbors, and his son. Even though Gale tries to keep his past to himself, one of the teachers, Myra Fleener (Barbara Hershey) finds out why he is no longer coaching college out east, but is in rural Indiana coaching high school. Hopper was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Jerry Goldsmith was nominated for Best Score. 1986 was the year of Platoon, Hannah and Her Sisters, A Room with a View and several other big movies, so maybe there just wasn't enough room at the table for Hoosiers, but it certainly has had lasting value in the pantheon of sports movies. It's a great story of underdogs beating the odds, whether that's the small town of Hickory, its basketball team, Shooter, or Coach Gale finding his place. I really loved this movie. Gene Hackman is one of our great actors, if he is playing Popeye Doyle, Lex Luthor, the coach in The Replacements, the bad guy in Unforgiven, or Coach Gale. There's something about his acting style that doesn't seem like acting. Hopper is really good and less annoying than he was in Blue Velvet. The kids who played the players were good and believable, but I don't know if any of them continued with acting. If, by some freak of movie watching, you have not seen this movie, I totally recommend it.