Tag: Song Sung Blue

March 9th, 2026

Dangerous Liaisons: Back in the summer I saw the beginning of the Stratford stage production of this story.   I didn’t finish it.  I found the lead characters most repulsive in their lies, deceit and manipulation of those around them.   I did, however, want to see how the movie from 1988 (which garnered a number of award nominations) addressed the story, and also how it ultimately ended.  

Starring Glenn Close in a simply excellent performance, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfieffer and Uma Thurman it is a good cast and beautifully shot by Stephen Frears. It is a master class in production design, costumes and make up for the times.  All the actors look so young and freshly faced.  The story is Close and rogue Malkovich who look to exact revenge on those around that they don’t like.  It was as simple as that, with a vengeful Close wanting to humiliate another woman.

The revenge takes many forms.  Malkovich was a former lover of Close, who wants to get back into her favour. But he is also a rogue who will do and say anything to try and win a woman’s heart just enough so that she will spend the night with him.   Close is definitely a challenge for him as she has been hardened by life, her station and a realisation that she has limited options.  In order to get her favour, Close is demanding many things from Malkovich that he must do to prove his worth.   One of them involves deflowering a virtuous young woman (Thurman), the daughter a woman Close does not like. The other is in making a married virtuous woman (played by Pfeiffer) willingly give up all her virtues, with written proof of it, from Malkovich. Malkovich regards the first task as simple. The second less so.  The main two characters play with love like a child with a gun.  Hearts are meant to be conquered by all means possible. I am not sure whether I anticipated the final act, but there is certainly a profound moment of choice where the two main characters square off and make a determination that will shape what is to come.   I don’t like these characters.   I have a better sense of them in this film than the play.  It is just beautiful to see in images.  The period is recreated excellently.   Close didn’t win the Oscar but it was certainly a deserving performance.  Jodie Foster was Best Actress for The Accused. Also in the field was Melanie Griffith (Working Girl), Meryl Streep (A Cry in the Dark), and Sigourney Weaver (Gorillas in the Mist) which is a very strong field. It did win three Oscars for Best Writing and Screenplay, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

Oscars 2026: A week from now the Oscars will have finished. I have had an opportunity in the past week to re-visit a number of the nominated films. This week I have watched Marty Supreme, Rental Family and Song Sung Blue. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Rental Family and Song Sung Blue once again with family who hadn’t seen them. They enjoyed both, especially Song Sung Blue. They are both Neil Diamond fans, but realized that this is not a story about Neil Diamond, but rather a story about a couple from Wisconsin who fall in love and choose to be a “Neil Diamond Experience”. Kate Hudson who is nominated for Best Actress did actually do her own signing, as did Hugh Jackman. This is in addition to carry an emotional range for her character that was unexpected for me. I didn’t know about this couple, and the things that have happened to them, it is not your typical story of rags to riches or unknown talent to the spotlight. It’s more about the challenges that life can throw at you, and how as a couple you can overcome them one at a time.

I also really enjoyed the much deeper story associated with Rental Family with Brendan Frasier. He has an everyman quality along with very expressive eyes. The acting is good and all the characters involved in the rental business learn something valuable. Even in a culture which comes across as tradtional and close-minded with honour taking top priority, they are still are deceiving someone on some level and they choose to do better.

Finally, I have seen in social media these proponents speaking about the greatness within Timothee Chalamet’s performance in Marty Supreme. The re-watch confirmed my first impression of this movie and the performance. I am not a huge fan. It was well acted, for each of the despicable people involved. I didn’t like Kevin O’Leary but maybe that was the point, nor Gwyneth Paltrow. Timothee interesting enough this past week has on the talk show circuit talked about how “no one cares about ballet and opera” and why he is glad that he is in movies. That is a brash, offensive statement like many of those uttered by Marty in the movie, including highly offensive statements about the Holocaust, Japan, and others in addition to the horrible way that he treats his mother (played by Fran Drescher). His actions towards his mother are never explained except for the fact that this street rat will do and say anything necessary to have him get what he wants because as he says himself “I have a purpose”. All of this means for me that this was not the Best Actor performance. I still maintain that this belongs to Ethan Hawke, but this likely will not be the case.

January 26th, 2026

Nobody 2: Starring Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman) this sequel to the original picks up where the other left off.  In a John Wick way, Bob plays a family man, wife and two kids who live in the suburbs.   Bob however doesn’t have an ordinary job, and he performs tasks requiring his specialized skills which John Wick would be pleased.  Bob has some anger management issues as part of his package and he has a hair trigger.  It seems his son has inherited some of his genes.

Bob finishes a gig for his syndicate (making a minor dent in the debt that he owes from the consequences of the first film).  But he needs a break as he has promised his wife to have a vacation.   He decides to return to a family amusement park of his youth in the Midwest.  His own Dad, played by Back to the Future Doc Christopher Lloyd, is invited to come back to reminisce as create “new memories” with his grandchildren.  We learn quickly through the local sheriff, played by Colin Hanks with a Forrest Gump haircut, which I will assume that very deliberate, getting in Bob’s face early.   The town has a couple of other notable baddies including Sharon Stone.   Things escalate quickly into a carnage free for all in the amusement park.  It’s funny how there seems to be endless prep time for boobie traps and deadly games all while the baddies are on their way over in what was quite a small town.  

For me, I cheered for Bob and his family.   The baddies were bad enough with Stone chewing on bullets and being ruthless and profane.   It was an hour and a half that went by quickly on an airplane ride.   I am glad that I didn’t pay for it, like the original but it is an interesting new turn for Bob Odenkirk the actor who is clearly looking to shed the Breaking Bad lawyer in Albuquerque gig.


Song Sung Blue: when I had seen trailers for this movie in the theatres I was not overly enthusiastic about the premise.  But like the recently reviewed Rental Family, this story based on a real life couple in Wisconsin had more depth and emotion than just a cover band expose.  I will also confess that this music is what was played at my household and cottage throughout my years (I knew every one of the songs).

Hugh Jackman plays journeyman alcoholic (sober for many years) Mike Sardinia, who plays music to fill his soul instead of alcohol.   He meets at a retro cover band tribute artist Clare (Kate Hudson) who is singing Patsy Cline tunes.   He is immediately awestruck.  

Jackman is excited to find some better paying gigs as he has a teenage daughter and a mortgage.   Hudson had suggested that he had the hair to do Neil Diamond, which he had refused before because he held Diamond in such high regard.  Things happen quickly and they become a couple.   Then just after they have their big break (and it is a really big break) then other things happen.   This all came as a surprise to me.  I was surprised and felt that they dealt with real life in an authentic way.   

I had seen the award nominations for Kate Hudson and was surprised.   I am not surprised any longer.   This isn’t just performing on stage, there were real hurdles for her character to address.  Both Jackman and Hudson were very good in showing their connection.   The rest of the cast includes Jim Belushi, Michael Imperioli (Chris from the Sopranos) who not for a moment did I believe that he could sing like Buddy Holly nor actually play the guitar.  I was emotionally engaged in the story and had more than a few surprises.  The two daughters, one was Hudson’s and the other Jackman’s, are very good as they explore being forced together because their parents have started dating.  It is a charming side story.  This is worth checking out and especially so if you like Neil Diamond’s music, because as Jackman insists throughout, he has way more songs than just Sweet Caroline.