February 17th, 2015

This past week has been a busy one to catch up on movies for the coming Oscars on Sunday night. I have all but American Sniper watched (and I finished half of that yesterday). I watched Boyhood last Thursday and then The Boxtrolls (animated nominee) and finally Selma last night.

None of these viewings changed my mind as to the Best Picture for 2014. It is still The Imitation Game for me. I enjoyed both Boyhood and Selma for different reasons. Both are worthy nominees for Best Picture.

Boyhood was long and plodded along. It was an ordinary story about everyday life in South central US. In this case Texas. Young boy in the beginning grows and ages over time and we see most of that in his hair style. Those around him do as well. Mom, older precocious and overly-talkative sister and then Dad (already separated from Mom when we meet him). Dad is finding his way early. Not really there, exploring music and not seeing his kids much. We find out that eldest daughter wasn’t exactly planned. Mom moves into an educational mode going back to school and hooks up with a couple wrong men – hard drinking men who are abusive in different ways. Meanwhile boy grows and find out what interests him. He is an interesting kid. Quite a commitment from a Director to sign him on for 12 years. I wonder how much of the story was scripted out in Year 1. Likely most. But how much leeway was there for shaping it to the kid’s interests and personality? For me, this is Best Director. I do not see the Supporting Actress nominations here. Hawke nor Arquette. Neither of the roles is an emotional stretch. There are not many powerful soliloquies, except Mom who selfishly and incredibly takes away from son’s life event moment of going off to College. Sad really.

Selma was last night and I see the thievery from the Academy for David Oyelowo who is cast as MLK. Our much talked about discussion on bio-pics runs true here. You can watch the MLK speeches in Montgomery Alabama. Can watch the other very public aspects of King’s life at this time. Yet Oyelowo finds more than home movies here. More than newsreel footage. You see real emotion and angst as he struggles at home and with those who are losing loved ones based upon his direction and his commitment to non-violence. It’s powerful. Much like Stephen Hawking the life is well known. It’s in the spotlight. But to have him not even nominated, it is a travesty. Plain and simple. I cringe at the fast that most of the Academy is American. It puts good films not focused on the US (like Imitation Game at a disadvantage) but one would think that it would assist with a Best Actor nomination. Overall, quality performances with a powerful story. As a lawyer, the legal “right” to something clearly can be usurped by ill-intended clerks and local administrators who can prevent basic rights – like voting which have a ripple effect on judges, juries and the whole legal system. Here too, we have Lyndon Johnson, who I don’t think that history has treated kindly (justifiably so) showing more fortitude ultimately than I think was there. If it is true, it is amazing how much communication took place between the President and MLK directly.

Finally the Boxtrolls. Here is a Sheridan College grad directing and old school animation piece – with stop animation where every movement is done by hand and filmed one frame at a time. Not computers. This is very nice looking. Remarkable in look and feel in places. The story suffers. This is not Finding Nemo or Beauty and the Beast. It is a decent tale, but it did not grab my 10yo’s attention. I am still amazed that Lego Movie got snubbed. Not even nominated. There is no accounting for taste it would seem. Does the father figure and mayor of the town really care more for CHEESE than his own daughter? Think on that.

February 9th, 2015

So based upon the favourable reviews, the number of nominations (including Best Picture) and the win at the Golden Globes and BAFTA awards for Eddie Redmayne for Best Actor I finally had a chance to see The Theory of Everything. I share in many of Alison’s views (previously shared) about biopics and the acting challenge that it requires. In the last 10 years, there have been 6 biopic Best Actors award winners and 4 non-biopic. The last six years it has been alternating between biopics and not. Last year was NOT with Matthew McConaughey. The year before was Yes for Lincoln. Then The Artist (No), Kings’s Speech (Yes), Crazy Heart (No), Milk (yes) and Last King of Scotland (Yes). If the pattern continues, and it will, this year we have a biopic winner. But history aside, what about the movie?

I had heard mixed reviews about the film. All the nominations quite frankly surprised me. The two key performances with Redmayne and the Wife (Felicity Jones) are solid. This is a story of remarkable resilience for a man who was given a death sentence (“two years to live”) early on in his life. We see his struggles and the brilliance of his mind. Much like Daniel Day Lewis with Christie Brown in My Left Foot, you have a physical transformation of the man as he succumbs to the disease. His body folds away underneath him and settles uneasily into a wheelchair ultimately. There is a scene of tremendous struggle where he tries to get up a flight of stairs to his bedroom with his young toddler son watching. Another after he loses the power of speech. Still, he has the love and support from his Wife. She is good as well. Although for the older scenes as she ages, she is just a little too young looking still. I was awaiting her Jennifer Connolly A Beautiful Mind moment where she explodes from frustration in dealing with her everyday life, but she doesn’t. Maybe that is a strength in the performance, but somehow I think that more range can be shown. Or perhaps it comes from the fact that this movie is based upon Jane’s own book of living with Stephen. It reminds me of The Affair (just begun for me to see on a plane this weekend – where perspective plays a huge roll and the same scene is shown to different eyes and lens). Maybe that is HER interpretation of events with him. Redmayne has to show range through his face, and body language as his character loses speech fairly early on. I did find it predictable as a story, and I cannot think of this as the Best Picture. I like Imitation Game and Birdman more than this –unfairly comparing completely different films. But back to Alison’s point, Professor Hawking is still alive. There is much footage about his life and his history. In many ways Redmayne is replaying old home movies. To that end, I am still backing Cumberbatch as a better performance and gets my vote for Best Actor. Redmayne will likely win. But to me, there is more to fill in (and act) for a character who was not as well known. In the end we will see.

Another film started but not finished for me was The Judge. Another TIFF film with Robert Duvall and Robert Downey is his most smart-ass like self acting as a lawyer separated by life from his family. They don’t get along, and he and his Judge father do not talk. But his Mom dies and he needs to pay his respects to this backwater town in Indiana to bury her. He meets up with younger and older brothers. He exchanges groans with Dad until Dad is charged with hitting a local everyman with his car and killing him. Step in Robert Downey and let the clichés rain on down. I did not even see the ending, but I know how this ends. Let’s just say the youngest brother in the family finds a way to film his way into saving the day! That is a total guess on my part so I cannot be said to give it all away. But I don’t feel the need to finish this film as it was going through the motions. Billy Bob Thornton is admirable as a cocky Prosecutor. And there is Vera Farmiga who should work more, and so should the woman playing her daughter. But I am glad that I did not pay $25 to see this film.

Incidentally, having seen Episode 2, 3 and 4 of The Affair that won best drama in TV for Golden Globes I am enjoying the story. I like the perspectives taken, and the intrigue. I will watch more episodes.

January 26th, 2015

Oscar season is upon us, and to that end there are a number of films for me to catch up on. I saw for a second time Imitation Game this weekend and re-confirmed what I had been thinking; that this is one of the Best Films of the Year. So far it is my pick. And although it is a biopic, and agreed on my part with Alison, that it isn’t as much of a stretch for an actor (here we have a man, Turing who has been dead since 1954). I like the various themes here, and the notion that it was women (not only Joan Clark but the receiver of messages on the wires) as well as this gay man who solved Enigma and shortened the war effort by a couple years.

I saw Birdman and also Cake this weekend.

Birdman was really good on a number of levels. Michael Keaton was really good and so was Edward Norton. I typically am not an Emma Stone fan, but she was also very good in a supporting role. It is an interesting view on fame, relevance, the theatre and critics. All at the same time. It is well acted, with some extraordinary interactions. It is beautifully filmed in NYC, and in a theatre with great use of lighting and colour. The music too adds much to the whole feel of the picture. Here we have a tortured narcissist and actor who had been a great comic book movie star, but has done little since. He is looking to become relevant by creating an original play for Broadway (writing, acting and directing). Norton re-affirms what I already knew about him; he is a great actor and needs to work more on quality projects. The interaction among the characters is its strength and it has great writing. Worthy of its’ many nominations (Best Film, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor and Actress).

Cake was okay. A rather simple story really of a woman in chronic pain after an accident of some kind. A fellow woman in pain therapy had taken her own life (Anna Kendrick) and that leaves this woman trying to understand herself and this other woman’s motivations. Can’t say that this was an Oscar performance, and Aniston was not nominated (although she got a Golden Globe nomination). It was a bit slow, and I can’t say that the acting (beyond showing pain) was over the top excellent. Here like Birdman is a protagonist who has internal voices, or those who speak to them that are not necessarily there.

Guess I need to see The Theory of Everything at some point.

January 5th, 2015

Welcome to the first edition in 2015 for Mondays. It was a great holiday break is year filled with many movies. Great times. And some time away from the office. For movies there was a lot of quality that was seen.

First and foremost we start with the most recent film watched. Last Friday at VIP cinema. The Imitation Game simply needs to be seen. It is, I think, and also predict the best film of the year. It won the TIFF prize. It is also a first rate story with quality performances. Benedict Cumberbatch is superb and plays this quirky role with aplomb. Keira Knightly brought more to her role than I would have expected. This movie is a human story but also deals with deeper issues like how do you keep the knowledge of cracking an uncrackable encryption from the enemy, thereby keeping him using it. First rate. Highest rating.

Into the Woods was a musical that girlfriend and her theatre friends were eager to see put on film with the assembled cast including Meryl Streep. Emily Blunt has a golden globe nomination. Anna Kendrick is also here. I knew nothing of the story. Youngest son came as well. He was bored. I found the story slow. There were no songs to leave humming but clever song writing. The two princes song was funny and good. The Cinderella song very clever. Sondheim does multiple voices well. Still it was a story that did not entreat. Girlfriend enjoyed more as it was a trip down memory lane. She had played the Baker’s Wife role (Blunt) and knew every word of the performances. For her it was true to the play but good not great. A fair evaluation to me. A rental.

A Good Lie. Saw this Christmas Eve on video and enjoyed it thoroughly. An engaging story well told of Sudanese refugees. Don’t fool yourself about Reese Witherspoon. This is not her film. It is about these young men and their struggle. Their resilience. Overcoming obstacles. Staying true to themselves and persevering. I liked them. I respected their choices and their desire to follow through with their family. The human spirit can be a remarkable thing. I think that Unbroken will show this as well. To be seen and reviewed by me (I just finished reading the book and enjoyed it).

Equalizer. Denzel as you had pointed out and disappointing. It becomes formulaic. And there is the nasty Russian mob who bullies a helpless hooker and Denzel rides in to make it right. But it becomes ridiculous when he flies to Russia to take out the “big boss”. (Cough) bullshit!!! Just sayin.

More to come as Selma beckons me as well as American Sniper. Likely Foxcatcher too. But the nominations will come out soon and there will be much still to see. Oscar is on the horizon.

The Giver. Please, take it back.

Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges (in Bridge’s best marble-in-the-mouth voice)….here is a movie that Meryl has no business making. It is a Divergent rip off. It is not done as well. It is forgettable, utterly and completely. It was a FREE movie Thursday (note: every thursday you use Promo Code THURSDAY and get a free movie in a Red Box). This was not a good movie. Cannot recommend.

Boyhood is now on the Red Box and I need to see it. All 3.5 hours of it, but still need to see.

I am still trying to figure out all the love for The Theory of Everything. Redmayne wins the Best Actor. I had heard from the reviews that it was simply average.

I am disappointed to read about American Sniper. Eastwood usually puts forth good work.

I was pleasantly surprised to see JK Simmonds win. Grand Budapest simply makes me shake my head, and Lego movie losing to Dragon 2??!!? Huh?!!

Here was the joke from The Aristocrats that got me going:

A pianist and composer walking down the street sees a sign outside of a piano bar that reads, “Pianist wanted. Inquire within.” So he goes inside, speaks to the bartender, and sets up an audition.

For his audition, the pianist plays the most amazing jazz piece ever. The bartender is just floored. He sees that this pianist is going to triple his business. So the bartender asks, “Who wrote that?”

“I did,” says the pianist.

“Wow!” says the bartender. “What’s it called?”

“I fuck goats on Sunday,” replies the pianist.

The bartender does a double take, and almost throws the pianist out of the bar, but instead asks to hear another piece. So the pianist plays a magnificent classical piece that is sexy and suave at the same time.

“Wow,” says the bartender. “Who was that? Fuckin’ Mozart or something?”

“No,” says the pianist. “I wrote it! It’s called ‘Your mother is a two-bit whore but she gave me half off!'”

“Hey, man,” says the bartender. “Your stuff is awesome, but do you have anything without an obscene title?”

The pianist thinks for a minute, and then says, “Nope.”

The bartender thinks for a minute himself, then agrees to hire the pianist as long as he *never* tells anyone the title of his songs. The pianist agrees, and thus begins a wonderful relationship. The bar is packed, the pianist gets quite a following, it becomes one of the most happening places in town.

One day, the pianist is playing one of his particularly sexy pieces, and he sees an attractive girl at the bar eyeing him quite suggestively. So after finishing the piece, the pianist winks at her and heads to the bathroom. She follows him in, and gives him a blowjob. He finishes up, she gets up, leaves. A minute later, he heads back out to start playing again.

Everyone in the bar is staring at him. He thinks it’s because they all realize that he just hooked up with a really attractive woman in the bathroom. But then one of the patrons shouts out, “Hey, Piano Man, you know your zipper’s open, your dick’s hanging out, and there’s jism on it!?!”

The pianist grins widely and says, “Do I know it? I wrote it!”