June 28th, 2021

Supernova: Love is love, which I think has been well established. Love comes in all forms, and partnership, companionship and a life partner is a goal that many strive to have. Life, sadly, can interrupt those plans in the most cruel of ways. In the days with superhero movies, and horror movies and science fiction movies, it is refreshing to see a movie about humans and relationships. Something that less some truths that are taken for granted. Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth, both excellent actors bring forth a story very well that has been addressed in others before. It doesn’t mean that it takes anything away from it, nor the performances. Together they play a couple who is taking a road trip in an RV to the northern part of England. There are a couple of stops along the way. You see their relationship from the banter between them in the RV. What slowly emerges is that both of these successful, creative, artistic men are connected. One of them, we learn, is suffering from dementia. It isn’t apparent at first how far along that he is. The story goes on to observe how these two men are dealing with it. Two people are impacted by an event that neither one can control. While you may think at first that the impact is mostly on the one who is sick, it isn’t true. Both of them have plans, or think that they have plans, which haven’t been well communicated to the other. It’s touching and emotional. It reminds me of Still Alice, where Julianne Moore plays an accomplished professor who slowly loses her mind, and also the movie Euphoria with Eva Green and Alicia Vikander as sisters who are coping with the one sister’s illness. This was very good and I would recommend it if you can find it. I saw on Crave. No one gets through this life unscathed, and in many ways it is all just a lottery. Sometimes that lottery misses you directly, but can impact you with the ones that you love. The message in the end is to enjoy the time that you have with the people in your life that matter, because you never know when that may end. A good message to have when we continue through a pandemic and one can bog down in thoughts of not being able to do some things or go some places.

The Little Things: I wish that I had more positive to say about this one. The cast with Denzel Washington, Remi Malik and Jared Leto is impressive. All have Oscars to their name. Yet it didn’t work me. Washington plays an aging police officer in a small town. Malik is a detective in a larger one, who I think was miscast. I think it’s really my fault for thinking that since I found him hard to understand at times, and I kept expecting to break out into singing Bohemian Rhapsody. Leto plays seemingly another one his creepy guy roles, where he looks like he hasn’t washed his hair in months, he is a smart ass, and pops up in places when you least expect him. Some women have gone missing, and the police are trying to figure it out. The movie title comes from something that Washington says to Malik about the reason why people get caught, and them messing up the details. For those of you, like me, who think that the role of the police and law enforcement is to find the truth of a situation and prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, then this movie may not work for you as well. There were aspects of it, and why they are suspecting the Leto character that just didn’t add up to me. In the end, I wasn’t all that entertained and found it somewhat disturbing, which likely was one of the messages that they wanted to deliver.

As a follow up to the HBO documentary Framing Britney, Britney herself appeared in a California court to address her conservatorship. She delivered a 25 minute speech that was rambling, profane at times (which I think is a great mistake in a courtroom) and expressed her determination to avoid jumping through any more hoops that show her mental health. She wants her life back. Plain and simple. She wants her father and family out of her life. She wants to have freedom and autonomy over her body and relationships. There was a time when her erratic behaviour cried out for some intervention. I am not clear whether this was the proper vehicle to get there. But at 40yo, and being expected to run another stay in Vegas with her successful show as well as juggling teenage kids, I think it is safe to say that she can take care of herself. She may remain eccentric, but find me other successful artists who aren’t? Elton John? Please!! Interestingly she hasn’t even made the formal application to end the conservatorship. You would think that Legal advisors would point that out. You would think she could get her own lawyer (another thing that she would like). So we will see how this plays out. The world is denied her talent, because she refuses to perform without this being removed from her life. I think that this makes a lot of sense, and it is good for her to stand up for herself and her rights in an otherwise “free” country. Let those who profit from her find other ways to make money on their own. The story evolves.

June 21, 2021 (welcome summer)

The most amount of sunshine in the year takes place as we welcome Summer. I haven’t watched anything of note so I will once again review movies that were watched long before I started having review discussions.

The Hunger: This 1983 Tony Scott film, who later did Top Gun (and is also the brother of Ridley Scott) and was known for also ending his life in 2012 by jumping off an overpass in LA – what a horrible way to die I think, was an early project for him. We lost David Bowie five years ago already in 2016. Time flies. He starred in this movie along with Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneueve. Deneuve and Bowie play a couple who early on enter a nightclub and engage with another couple. They later that evening kill the couple that they had met. Bodies are disposed, and they carry on. The Bowie character notices that he is beginning to age quite rapidly and wants to explore what is occurring and how it can be stopped. Meanwhile, Sarandon plays a doctor/researcher who is studying rapid aging in monkeys and wants to explore whether humans can control the aging process. Bowie tracks her down, and they have a frustrating meeting for his character. The story goes on to show the unique relationship that the Deneuve character has with the Bowie character. She has some unique talents, but they require her to “feed”. Those who know the stories of True Blood will have a pretty good idea about where this is going. In the 80s, this film was viewed as cutting edge, when things happened in clubs and elsewhere but they weren’t put on film. You didn’t have gay encounters filmed very often, but it is what made the casting so crucial. At the time I was an impressionable teen, and it stuck with me. Scott went on to make other notable movies as addressed earlier, and apparently executives didn’t like this film. It almost took the Top Gun directing job away from him. But history will show he worked frequently with Denzel Washington (Unstoppable, Deja Vu, Taking of Pelham 123) and others like True Romance, Crimson Tide, and Days of Thunder. I like the opening music sequence and the bar scene juxtaposed with the monkey scene.

Meatballs: Bill Murray leveraged his time on Saturday Night Live into some comedies that were more slapstick than serious comedy. Movies like Caddyshack, Stripes and Ghostbusters come to mind. In 1979, this movie was really the first for him, and it was a fun summer camp movie. It is fun to revisit and I have seen on either Crave or Netflix. Filmed in Ontario, Murray is head counsellor, Tripper Harrison, at a summer camp. There are CITs and other staff, along with Harvey Atkin as Morty who is in charge of the entire operation. It’s a teenager movie as the target audience. Tripper is the typical Murray smart ass. A young camper, played by Chris Makepeace, joins the camp as an outsider who doesn’t really fit in. There is a neighbouring camp with rich, entitled kids that has a competition with this camp. The camp itself has the typical group of misfits which would match any Revenge of the Nerds film. There is summer romance, and hijinks with various pranks and comedy with the daily announcements done by Tripper. It is silly. It is fun. I have watched more than once because it is light and brings back younger days of summer in the wilderness. Others in this series with Murray can be reviewed later. Each of them has their own merit, and built an early career for him and also director Ivan Reitman. All were summer movies that made an evening out in the theatre something to look forward to. Other camp movies followed like Little Darlings with Tatum O’Neal.

June 14, 2021

Casablanca: In all my years of movie watching, I have never sat down and watched the 1942 Best Picture and Director film of Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. I remember that in When Harry Met Sally that they would watch this movie (separate places and TVs) when it was on, and they had a debate about whether Ilsa should be with Rick or Victor. This is a classic black and white film. A timeless love story about star crossed lovers in a time of war (WWII) where there relationship starts in Paris and then they meet back up in Morrocco. She is married. She had thought that her husband was dead from his activism when she had met Rick (the bar owner) in Paris. The rest unfolds with intrigue as the husband is a wanted man, and wants passage out of Casablanca. Rick happens to be holding two permits of passage. Will he or won’t he help out. I note in some research that Ingrid Bergman died at age 67, from cancer. She was 5’10” which was tall for that time. Alfred Hitchcock was in love with her. She married and divorced three separate times. Humphrey Bogart’s wife thought that she was a threat to her marriage. Even in this day and age, the movie holds up. I was most impressed by the Chief of Police locally played by Claude Rains. He is just the right combination of smarmy, practical, funny and serious. He was nominated for his role. So like Harry and Sally, it is worthwhile to see and spend some time with actors who have long since passed. Stories remain the same and are an unbroken legacy.

The Woman in the Window: This is a recent release on Netflix. It has a good cast, including Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, Tracy Letts and others. Seems Letts thinks he has some talent as a script writer since it is his in the credits. As a card-carrying member of the (generally) I Don’t Like Amy Adams Club, I was hesitant to watch this. Arrival is my exception for Miss Adams. Maybe The Fighter. Her Lois Lane is really unforgivable. Anyway, if you think you kind of know where this tale goes, you are right since Alfred Hitchcock, noted above, did it better many years ago with Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window. A housebound person looking onto the windows of neighbours is a witness to a nefarious act. Stewart was in a wheel chair from an accident and broken leg and cast. Adams is housebound with agoraphobia, the fear of leaving the house. Everyone these days has some kind of anxiety, this is no different. Adams looks like a mess, to be blunt, and she lives in a palatial place in Manhattan. How the heck she managed to afford it, and keep it is never explained. Selling it would make her independently wealthy for generations to come. But I digress. She has neighbours across the way, and meets some of them, one at a time initially, and mostly from this one family who was newly moved in. Things happen. She witnesses something. Police are called. Adams is heavily drugged for most of this film, and seems to always have a bottle of red wine going. Tracy Letts plays her psychiatrist (guess why write a story without a part in it for yourself?). This was silly. In so many facets, up to and including the conclusion. I cannot recommend it and I would go further as to discourage watching it. It is a shame when talent gets wasted, notably for me Gary Oldman. A shame really.

Seaspiracy: This 2021 Netflix documentary was also recently released. It is a eco-documentary which speaks to a number of issues that deal with the challenges in the oceans. It touches upon global warming, plastics, the Cove dolphin slaughter, garbage in the oceans, the protection of whales, dolphins and sharks, shark fins and trolling and long line fishing. It is a massive scope. Each of these in many ways are movies unto themsleves. Movies like The Cove, Blackfish, Finding Coral, Shark Water etc. Those more settled and detailed films identify the problems, which for the most part haven’t been addressed, but it raises a new issue which is one of who (corporately) are involved in labels like Dolphin Safe or others that promote the concept of “sustainability”. The thesis is that sustainable fishing is non-sensical. What they don’t explore is ceasing to eat fish altogether. It doesn’t talk about eliminating or regulating the fishing ships about lines, trolling etc and finding areas of protective oceans. Nowhere is there a promotion of these crucial pieces. Rather they are focused on plastic straws!! 40% plus of the garbage found in the stomachs of whales and in the garbage fields in the ocean are all from commercial fishing. Halting or reducing fishing is NOT discussed or promoted. But surprise, surprise, the fishing owners own those labels and make money from them. There is no policing on the seas. Orders are not enforced. You cannot stop what happens on the oceans it seems. It all is very frustrating and when countries like Japan declare that they will not honour whale protection regulations and they will resume whaling. It is remarkable. The scene at the end with whaling of pilot whales outside Iceland was just sickening. I cannot agree with the ultimate resolution for the director. But this is eye opening. We as humans do need to remember that dead oceans means the end of the human species on earth. Here is yet another global political outcry for action in a time when so many other cries for immediate help are made.

June 7th, 2021

Wonder Woman 84: This is a sequel that misses the mark so badly that I think that it sets all sorts of nasty precedents. First there was the breakthrough directorial role for Patty Jenkins. There was a theory that a female director couldn’t manage a big budget super hero movie. The success of the original with Gal Gadot playing Wonder Woman (aka Diana Prince) was a quality member to the superhero genre. It tells a good origin story of the young girl on the female dominated island (Paradise Island) with Amazons. She meets in WWI, a young handsome pilot played by Chris Pine, and they go on to assist each other in dealing with a villian. One of the writers for this story was Zach Snyder, who decided not to direct it.

Sadly this sequel is a mess from the beginning. It sets the woman’s movement in the movie back half a century but also the continuing strides made by directors like Jenkins. She has a part in putting together this story. Wonder Woman in the beginning film was a confident, self assured, princess from a foreign land who doesn’t understand the male world that she gets brought into, but she takes it head on. Being on the front lines of the two fronts between the Germans and Allies, she boldly ascends the wall and charges single-handedly into the fray. Her efforts astound the surrounding onlooking soldiers and they take the battle. In the sequel set now almost 60 years later, she is unchanged (she hasn’t aged, she continues with her life and job in Washington DC). I don’t give too much away to say that the Chris (Steve Trevor) isn’t with her any longer, by his choice. The challenge is that Wonder Woman becomes a whiny teenager wanting to see her boyfriend. She openly admits that she is going through the motions in her life with the initially geeky co-worker played by Bridesmaids and SNL star Kristen Wiig. The Wiig character wishes to be more like the “together” Diana Prince. Together they come upon an amber stone antiquity which they ultimately learn is some kind of an Aladdin’s lamp.

But it gets better! There is a life loser, played by the Mandalorian, Pedro Pascal, who is disappointing his son, his customers and hasn’t really pulled his life together. He makes a wish that even The Genie wouldn’t allow to take place, but it happens anyway. He ends up having more power than one could ever anticipate and the story continues down its crash course downwards. There is a great part of me that thinks, how could ANY superhero movie ever decide to have the Villian involved be a lamp?! It boggles the mind where someone agreed to green light this. And may I say, poor Chris Pine. I actually felt pain for him in some of the lines that he had to deliver in this. I never fully understood why his presence was even required, and I finished with the same opinion. From the disconnected early sequence where very young Diana isn’t allowed to win a ridiculous competition because she “cheated” (one could argue that as she was showing creativity beyond her years but who cares?). In the end it really was much ado about nothing. Just when you thought that this movie was trending badly, it found new ways to get even more ridiculous. I cannot recommend, and would actively steer people away from watching this. It isn’t worth your time. If you really want to see a strong independent woman being a hero, then maybe look for Justice League (? maybe) or re-watch the initial film.

To finish off the movie, there is the introduction of the invisible jet in a sequence where Steve Trevor, a pilot from the early 1900s sits in a jet for the first time. Well, he shouldn’t be able to fly this jet. Why doesn’t Diana fly it? It is hers? Why does she take a back seat? Why does she remember all of a sudden that she has an ability to make things become invisible (like the cloak in Harry Potter)? I mean. What? Forget this and hope Gadot will have a better role to play in the future.

Mare of Eastown: I finished this series, and I was initially intrigued and it became better and better. It was a story set in a small Pennsylvania town. Kate Winslet plays a divorced detective in this small town, with her teenage daughter in high school, a grandson who was born to her deceased son, and her own Mom. There are many locals to keep track of who interact with her for varying degrees. A young girl is murdered and this follows from an unsolved case of a young woman who disappeared for over a year. Mare feels the pressure in a Three Billboards way of having this unsolved case where leads have gone cold. Then this young girl, with a young baby of her own ends up dead. There are plenty of suspects and the viewer has their own theories. It’s very complex and so one needs to pay attention. Things happen, unexpected things also happen and those who you may have initially were involved, suddenly are no longer as suspicious. The web weaves more, and the series continues. One of the strengths as I see it, are the twists that are unexpected but not completely off the wall that you wouldn’t have necessarily seen them coming. It is clever. Sometimes maybe too clever, but well worth the time. Winslet plays her character warts and all. She isn’t perfect. She is imperfect and still plugs along. She struggles, and she remains reticent to not have her past dictate her future by, for the most part, burying it deep inside. There are flawed people all over the place. It seems more real, and less contrived. Yes the final episode was perhaps a little more Hollywood, but for me was still effective. I recommend and think that this as a series would be a good binge.

May 31st, 2021

Tonight marked the last night of May, in this continued lock down, and also marked the end to the hockey season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They haven’t won the Cup since 1967 (54 years ago). They haven’t won a playoff series in 17 years. They haven’t gotten out of the first round in the past six. In the end, this means that flags on cars can be lowered and we can begin thinking about golf and summer to come. Oh, and by the way, the Leafs had a 3 games to 1 lead in the series against Montreal, but then lost three in a row, including two of those three at home. Ouch. With all this hockey playoff time, there is less time for movies.

First, Mare of Easttown was really good yet again. I have enjoyed this more as it has moved along. Full review when the series is completed.

Mississippi Burning: Back in 1988, this was a multiple Oscar nominated film, with nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Gene Hackman), Best Supporting Actress (Frances McDormand), Best Director and a win for Best Cinematography. Other nominees included Rain Man (winner), Dangerous Liaisons, The Accidental Tourist and Working Girl. History I think shows that the Academy got it wrong that year. This movie should have won.

The story, which remains as painfully relevant in these times now, outlines the story of two young white Jewish men and a single black man who are leaving Mississippi and never make it home. They were activists looking to make a political statement. It was 1964, shortly after JFK’s assassination. FBI agents Gene Hackman, a former Mississippi sheriff himself, and young agent (Wilem Dafoe) who is a stickler for “playing it by the book” are investigating. They interview the local police who seem to ooze arrogance and over-confidence. The system supports them from the District Attorneys to the Judges to the members of the Klan who terrorize the local black population without retribution. The agents don’t agree on methods and the younger Dafoe makes limited progress with his standard ways. Hackman is more subtle, but they are both outsiders who are not respected nor supported by the locals on either side. Frances McDormand plays a local young woman who is a hairdresser and wife of the Deputy. It is interesting to note that only after a break in the stalemate of information is made, that action begins to take place on the FBI side. It is not a stretch to say that things in the South haven’t really changed all that much. Certainly the overt racism is not evident any longer, like the opening sequence where twin water fountains labeled White and Coloured are seen being used. But, there is still no equal rights. No equal treatment under the law. No government support (generally) within the institutions and voting rights which show signs of abating. If you haven’t watched this movie, it is definitely worth your time. The performances are universally excellent. Hackman has an ability to smile at the screen but you can seen an undercurrent of vengefulness. He and Dafoe both have raised eyebrows about their colleague and their methods. People now should reach out to see this movie before they go to see Rain Man.

May 24th, 2021 (Victoria Day)

I am a little late in writing since it was a long weekend here in Canada. I have been wrapped up in watching MLB, and the NHL playoffs that I haven’t watched a lot of films. I did manage to re-watch a couple.

Booksmart: I have reviewed this before, a year ago in May 25, 2020. In seeing it once again it was a perfect change of pace to have some laughs. It is high school drama, end of year shenanigans but funny and fun. It also has a heart where all these young people, who are each lost and insecure in their own way, find some direction after a night of celebration. There are the typical kids included with the athletes, the theatre types, the brainers and those in between. Relationships are tentative and uncertain. It was fun as the end of the school year approaches.

Bull Durham: In the category of movies I have watched long ago, but didn’t review when I had started conversing with Alison is Bull Durham. This 1988 baseball flick is another movie that is just fun. It is one of the best baseball movies ever made, in my opinion, and shows the trials of career minor leaguer catcher, Crash Davis (played by Kevin Costner) mentoring a young pitcher prospect, Nuke Laloosh, played by Tim Robbins. Davis teaches the immature pitcher the ins and outs of pitching and in life (with local ladies like Susan Sarandon). Robbins and Sarandon met in this film and later married and had kids. There are some classic scenes with Nuke pitching and the chatter on the baseball diamond. As I watch a young Jays baseball team, I think about some of the scenes, like Crash teaching Nuke about baseball clichés for interviews.

And who can forget this lesson in baseball when the pitcher has to trust in his catcher. Priceless the look on Robbins’ face as he sees ball exit the field “in a hurry!!!” Funny! This movie is as relevant today as when it was first released. The actors of course have all aged and moved on but it was a memorable addition to their collective body of work.

Mare of Easttown continues to be good and I am enjoying. Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and the glorious weather we had in Southern Ontario.

May 17th, 2021

First of all, I need to have a shout out to my Mom who celebrated her 80th birthday on the weekend. I owe so very much to her, over and above the obvious. She has been providing support, encouragement and love through all of my choices in life, both good and questionable. Happy Birthday, Mom! Many more to come! I look forward to more get-togethers and good times ahead as we hopefully can put this pandemic and Stay At Home Orders behind us.

A Private War: Some people it seems are just meant to do the job that they have chosen. Even when you chose a vocation that is extremely dangerous personally. In this case, being a war correspondent is the only thing that Marie Colvin an American and writer for the UK’s The Sunday Times seemed to be born to do. Even after losing her eye in a close explosion in a war zone, she continues on. She just has to “see it for herself”. She lives life hard, and is challenged with her personal life as well as with drinking and smoking. She was awarded numerous awards including the 2012 Foreign Reporter of the Year. In the movie she is played with an edge by Rosamund PIke. Jamie Dornan plays her photographer sidekick, and Tom Hollander her boss. She suffers from the things that she sees. The truth of war, with unpredictable actions and results fills each of her days abroad. But she can make a difference like when she is specifically selected to speak with Libyan Leader, Muammar Gaddafi. She doesn’t punch a clock. She doesn’t sit behind a desk. She is bringing perspective to people comfortable in their homes and proving the lies of leaders. Pike doesn’t sugar coat her subject, and shows her with flaws and all. We as the audience understand her, even though we can’t fully comprehend what drives her. It really is an addiction for her; to be involved, to put herself in obvious danger, to provide a human story to something that seems so foreign and abstract. When this was released in 2018, Pike got some Award consideration (including a Golden Globe nomination and American Film Award for Best Actress). It was justified. This isn’t easy to watch, especially some of the things that she uncovered. But it was informative and interesting. Well worth the view if you can find it.

Dark Skies: This is a 2013 horror, thriller, sci fi thriller which deals with a young family (husband, wife and two young boys) living in the suburbs. Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton play the couple. JK Simmons is the notable actor involved in the project. The story is well-trodden horror ground, where a young couple in a house begins to encounter strange occurrences, which start out innocently enough and then escalate. Off the top of my head, films like The Amityville Horror, Poltergeist, The Entity and countless others have aspects in this. The couple has some money issues with Dad out of work. There are little hints dropped through out which points to some of their past. They eventually run into Simmons who explains what he believes that these disturbances are. I won’t divulge the details, but I don’t think that it’s really surprising to anyone. The last quarter of the movie focuses on the family’s approach to do what they can to protect themselves. There are better movies in this genre. This doesn’t really add anything to me. This can be found on Netflix.

Mare of Easttown: Kate Winslet stars in this series which is on Crave HBO. It started off slowly but has progressed well and has captured my attention. So far anyway. So I will continue to watch.

May 10th, 2021

One of the more interesting aspects of having started this blog, and earlier the email exchanges with Alison, is that although it has been done for quite some time, it still doesn’t reflect all the movie viewing that has been done. I review things that I have watched that week, but there are older movies that I enjoyed when I was younger that I haven’t reviewed because they were seen many years ago. Movies from the 70s and certainly the 80s fall into this category. I re-watched one of these movies from many years ago this weekend. I liked it then, and I still like it now. It holds up well.

The World According to Garp: Back in 1982, Robin Williams had just completed Mork & Mindy. Before that the absolutely awful Popeye. John Irving wrote the book, unread by me, and this movie had an impressive cast with Williams, plus Glenn Close portraying his nurse Mom, Jenny Fields, Mary Beth Hurt and John Lithgow. The story details the life of young T.S Garp and his Mom, where in the early 1940s she is a feminist before her time. Early on she believes that lust drives men, and she doesn’t view it positively. As a young nurse she wanted a child, but didn’t want the trappings at that time of other “womanly” duties and expectations. Garp was born, and his father had passed away. Jenny was raising Garp in a prep school in New England. Garp grows and mainly through lust for a young woman (Hurt) who sees herself as a reader and future professor. Garp writes short stories and is quite good, novels come later. Garp and Mom decide to move to New York to experience life and become real writers. Mom decides that her life story is something that she should write about and it becomes a political manifesto for women’s rights and the women’s movement for equality. The movie is a delicate balance of humour and seriousness. There are some genuinely funny moments, and Williams is allowed some leeway it seems to improvise and show his early comic genius. But it has also some touching moments and sadness. Garp gets married, has children, and interacts with people who have flocked to Jenny for support. Things happen, and like life not all of them are expected. Even 40 years later the issues addressed in this movie still linger. Equality, women’s rights, violence, political activism, political correctness all come together in a cohesive story. It isn’t single minded nor is it exactly what you might have expected. Still it remains effective. Williams shows early signs of dramatic abilities as well as comic. Both Close and Lithgow were nominated for Best Supporting Actor Awards for these roles. Well deserved, as I think Close is simply excellent. Worth checking out if and when you can find it.

Marathon: The Patriots Day Bombing: This 2016 documentary follows the actions of the Boston Marathon bombing back in 2013, and the aftermath for those who were most directly impacted. Those who lost loved ones (4 were killed, including an 8yo boy) but many others who had amputations (mostly legs) as a result. One of the more touching stories explored was a young couple, Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, both runners who were spectators who lost their left legs in the bombing. Having done some running and attending these races, the Boston Marathon being the pinnacle of the sport, I can attest to the training, hard work, agonizing times to reach that race and then only to have your body destroyed so close to the finish line would be agonizing. It breaks my heart to think about it. You have entered a bucket list race, almost finished and then this senseless act happens. Lives are lost, the manhunt for the brothers ensues, but your life is changed forever. What cannot be anticipated is that your own body is rejecting amputation and preventing you from effectively wearing a prosthetic leg without excruciating pain. There is a scene with Jessica waking up and the bottles of drugs beside her bedside are astonishing. A senseless and barbaric act, which was protesting US violence against Muslims, rips apart lives. It is really very sad, but shows a level of resilience that is equally remarkable.

Image without a caption — Downes and Kensky when they were engaged.

Their stories are all heart wrenching. As you see those not injured in that bombing but those military personnel who have returned from places like Iraq and Afghanistan, you see wasted youth as they try to reassemble their lives for conflicts which resolve nothing. A moment in time for these people becomes a defining moment where their lives changed, and a unique unanticipated struggle for some normalcy begins. Incidentally since the documentary aired, she has written a children’s book about her and her support dog, Rescue. They campaigned for Elizabeth Warren, who assisted in getting them into Walter Reed Hospital for Military personnel. I cannot imagine the dark days that this couple will have endured. But I am thankful for healthy legs, and kids and family that in comparison makes me rich beyond anything imaginable. Stay well and stay safe.

May 3, 2021

Oscars 2021: I will admit that I get excited around Oscar time, which for me usually starts around the time that TIFF gets going in September. Seems the Oscar-worthy films come out for TIFF. I run an Oscar pool over the past few years for fun, and will acknowledge that my brother won last year breaking a string of victories by Alison in the process. I make a point of seeing all the nominated Best Picture nominees and many of the Best Actor and Actresses Award nominees as well. I want to be able to form my own opinion about the Films and choose my own preferred winner. This year, while I did see all nominated films, I didn’t have the energy (or enthusiasm) for the Awards. All along it felt that the best films to be released were being pushed back. No studios wanted to lose on the in-theatre revenue for these expensive films, and that is completely understandable. Money talks in this business, and after all that is why they are produced. This year’s nominees struck me, as I mentioned a few weeks back as the Plan B movies, that in most other years wouldn’t be nominated. Like a sports league, we had the minors on display, with the best players on the sidelines. Having watched most of the Best Picture nominees I was agreeing with the sentiment that overall they were down in tone. While 2020 sucked in the outside world with the pandemic, death, masks, lock downs, a bizarre election season, a riot, a police killing of a black man etc all the news was dark, dreary and depressing. In a time when we could all use a little entertainment, some fun, we didn’t get it. Where was La La Land this year? Where was Singin In The Rain, A Star is Born, Wizard of Oz or the like? There wasn’t any buzz or excitement. Sure there were some quality performances, like Sir Anthony Hopkins in The Father, for which I was thrilled that he took home the prize. But even then, it is a depressing story of an older man losing his marbles. I didn’t come away from it energized, more like thinking “this is what I potentially have to look forward to”…! I watched briefly and saw the Best Director award being given, early in the evening, a surprise in the placement since Best Director is usually one of the latest awards given out. I didn’t watch any more. I was able to watch a quick highlight reel, where I learned that as much as I like Frances McDormand and her performances, much like Jacquin Phoenix, I don’t ever want her over for dinner and a chat. (Incidentally I re-watched Fargo the other night and she is brilliant. So much fun capturing the essence of the people of Minnesota, and her own particular situation as a pregnant woman dealing with a bizarre set of circumstances. But I digress. I read about who won. I was pleased about Soul, and Hopkins as well as Daniel Kaluuya as Best Supporting Actor. Was Nomadland the Best Picture of the year? Nope. Not for me anyway. But I will turn the page and hope that at some point I can get to a theatre. I went once last year and saw Tenet in the small window we had to see films there. As we sit in the first week of May, with more Covid-19 cases than a year ago, I am not overly optimistic that we will get to a theatre this year. But I remain positive. The US is opening up, and doing a much better job with vaccines than the rest of the world. Still with over half a million dead, this makes sense. I hope we can all catch up and get back to the theatres to see the real A-list movies once again!

Justice League: Full disclosure, and those who know me know that I am generally NOT a superhero movie guy. The high water mark was the Nolan Batman trilogy for me, where Christian Bale is my Batman. No other. Not even close. I hadn’t watched Batman vs Superman which in some ways is unfortunate, since this movie follows along from that one. But you see, Ben Affleck isn’t my Batman. And the concept of a human (Batman) taking on supernatural, untouchable alien (Superman) was just ludicrous, and don’t get me started about Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor (or anything else for that matter – dude really needs to be punched in the face, and wipe off the smirk). It is a pretty short fight, all things considered. Being rich isn’t a superpower. Anyway, the rest of these movies like Ant Man, Aquaman, Doctor Strange, Iron Man et el just don’t do it for me. Cities get leveled, with goodness knows how many innocents getting crushed with no thought. The CGI computers work overtime to create the images, which in many cases don’t have the weight behind them, meaning that it doesn’t seem real. So with this background, I sat down to watch Justice League. Zach Snyder has put together a story of the formation of this “league” which brings me memories of 1970s cartoon Superfriends, and was just missing the Wonder Twins (and Robin of course)!

This movie has Batman looking to gather forces for an epic battle to come, as a cosmic bad guy and his henchman are looking to bring together three thinking rubix cubes and terrorize the world with it. You need all three in order to have the full impact. It’s about at this point as I try to distill the major plot points that one realizes just how silly it all is. Is it sillier than The Matrix, a movie and series that I genuinely like and seek out if it is on? No. That franchise has just as much or more CGI associated with it too. But it was fun and compelling and the heroes wore cooler outfits. Anyway, I managed to get through this, and still don’t see the value in Amy Adams as Lois Lane on any level. Then again, the Flash as comic relief didn’t really work much either, and I don’t need to see him again (the actor was in Trainwreck with Amy Schumer and I couldn’t help think about the bedroom scene with him and Schumer as he wants to be hit by her). I didn’t need to see this. It is 3+ hours of my life that I won’t get back. It filled a space of time. It brings more laughs honestly than anything else as my Level of Disbelief Meter goes off the charts! All this to say, if you like this genre, and need to see every superhero movie, you can likely do worse. For those with only a passing interest, then take it or leave it. As for me, there is the Robert Pattinson Batman that was delayed from the pandemic, and should hit theatres at some point when things open up. He likely will be better than Affleck (can’t really be much worse) and maybe will bring his own spin to it. Apparently, Christian Bale is perhaps going to make a guest appearance as Batman. We will see….

Exclusive: Christian Bale Is In Talks To Return As Batman

In 2014, there was a documentary about the Pamela Smart murder trial. Entitled Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart, it talks to the main issue on whether Smart was able to actually get a fair trial in this first-of-its-kind media circus. In summary, Smart was a young, pretty school teacher who manipulated three students to corner and kill her new husband. The boys were 16 and 17, and she had a sexual relationship with the one. The trial was broadcast and had detailed coverage from 1990 standards with not only mainstream news but Donaghue, Geraldo, Hard Copy etc. There have been two movies about it; a made-for-TV movie starring Helen Hunt and then the film with Nicole Kidman and Jacquin Phoenix (To Die For from 1995). When this was released, the puller of the trigger (husband was shot rather than knifed as allegedly Smart instructed to save her carpet) was not eligible for parole until 2015. Smart herself was convicted of First Degree murder and a sentence of life imprisonment with no eligibility of parole. Ironically, the boys who had copped a plea for a lesser charge of second degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder are able to get parole but she is not, as she became the target for the prosecution. She maintains her innocence, and some of the evidence provided supports part of her contention. An example would include that jurors were not sequestered, each night they went home with their families. They also should watch the news and the media coverage. To think that this wouldn’t impact their view is unrealistic I would contend. Others included the transcript of a garbled hidden microphone of a conversation with Smart and another woman. It was very damning, but it became a creative writing/listening exercise. In the end, it was interesting and made me want to better understand what has happened since 2014. She still remains behind bars. She has exhausted all forms of appeal. Now she appeals to the same media attention that helped convict her in the first place.

Note, Billy Flynn was granted parole after 25 years in prison.

https://www.wmur.com/article/billy-flynn-granted-parole-25-years-after-killing-gregg-smart/5198419#

April 26th, 2021

The Nest: Jude Law has been playing a variety of interesting roles in the past while. From Third Day and The Young Pope he seems to take on complex characters where he shows his maturity as an actor and likely as a person. In this story, Rory (Law) and Alison O’Hara (played well by Carrie Coon who I don’t remember seeing her before – although she was in both Widows and The Post) are a couple with two kids. They live in the US, where it seems she is earning the family funds through her horse riding training and managing a stable. Rory early on announces that he would like to explore a new opportunity going back to his home in London. Alison is skeptical, as she has heard this before about “starting fresh”, but ultimately decides that she belongs with her husband and he being happier in his work. From the moves early days, there is an extravagance in all that these people do. Rory works hard, looking to be a rainmaker in his firm, while Alison works on establishing a new, being constructed stable. The kids look to head to new schools. It all seems to work on the surface, but below there are disturbing cracks. More cracks appear as the family begins to unravel slowly, on all fronts. The kids get into challenges, while Alison’s horse also struggles. Business isn’t exactly working out quite as Rory expected. Things happen. There are many parallels as symbolism in the story (from the horse, to the house that they live in, to situation at school for the kids). When it finished, rather abruptly I have to add, I was surprised. Surprised in a negative way. Scratching my head, I wasn’t really sure what the future held for these four people. I cannot recommend, and I am thankful that I saved the money from the theatre. When the trailer had first appeared and I saw Law with the cast it seemed intriguing. Trailers can be deceiving.

Big Fish: In 2003, director Tim Burton put together this excellent cast for modern day fable. Part of this cast included Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, Ewan McGregor, Marion Cotillard, and Billy Crudup. The story surrounds a man (Finney) who tells tall tales all of his life, fantastical tales with giants and circuses and amazing people from all walks of life. Ewan McGregor plays the younger version of Finney. Finney is aging and his son (Crudup) has grown up feeling as though he doesn’t have any idea about his father. He thinks that his father’s stories are all made up. He feels as though he has been lied to, and just wants some straight answers. Crudup is married and his wife is expecting their first child. He is preparing for being a new Dad, all the while his own Dad is in ill health. He wants to understand. Although the stories that the father tells are disjointed and remarkable, and seem completely unrelated, except for him, they all do come together well as the story continues. I find this movie warm hearted and touching. Although I am not a huge Tim Burton fan, this story strikes the right chord with me as the young man begins to realize that his father is a good man. That he care for others and help them. That he loves his mother, and only his mother always. It seems the life lesson is that many people realize only too late that their parents are people and they have had unique experiences and lived a life that involved their children but weren’t all about their children. Sometimes telling fantastic tales can make them more memorable. Well worth a view.

Robin’s Wish: This is a 2020 documentary about the follow up on the life of Robin Williams. For many of us, we had heard about his untimely death (apparently by suicide) back in August 2014 at the age of 63. How sad for a man who had made so many people laugh. In a way, I think, we all kind of felt that he was a friend. He played many memorable roles, too many to list here. Notable in this film is the lack of participation from his three children and his first wife. There is a lot of talk from his last and third wife, Susan Schneider. We learn that Robin suffered from Lewy body dementia. Basically a form of dementia that is hard to diagnose, and makes that person lose their abilities and mental capacities. Slowly. Imperceptibly to themselves and those around them. It is a sympathetic story and shows that Williams in all likelihood wasn’t taking his life selfishly. It didn’t really show much extra coverage of Williams himself. There are plenty of friends who appear, but not those like Billy Crystal, Pam Dawber or others who you might expect, and were a part of the other Robin Williams documentary from 2018 Come Inside My Mind. Post viewing this, I saw the Schneider who Williams had met in a rehab centre, had been in prolonged litigation with his children, but that it had settled.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/10/robin-williams-widow-children-settlement

In the end, this was not as compelling. I am not surprised that there was something more going on in Williams’ head. Much like great athletes with concussion symptoms, this great actor and comic genius seemed to work on a different plain than the rest of us. In the end, the best way to remember him is through his work in my opinion. He has left a great legacy, and he left us (like many a great artist) all too soon. So on this Oscar night, I will recall this Oscar winner for his body of work, and the laughs that he left behind.