In Response to my Sister's blog

I have to completely disagree with my sister.  I thought that there were fabulous movies this year.  Well there is some agreement so lets start there.  I agree that Winter's Bones was an outstanding film due both to the great acting and the writing.  It is a mystery and I love mysteries but it was unique in setting and style.  The one thing that I take from the movie is what I learn over and over.  Problems are all the same.  The human condition is all the same.  You could take this story and put it in the inner city and it would be no different.

I have not see The Tourist.  I liked the Black Swan, I thought Natalie Portman did an amazing job, but it just wasn't real enough for me.  It didn't seem believable and I work in the psych field.  Maybe it tryed too hard.  But it was an excellent movie.

My very favorite movie of the year is one that my sister just didn't get.  The Social Network.  She says perhaps it is because she doesn't get facebook.  I don't get facebook either.  I have lots of friends on it but I don't get it.  The Social Network however was not about facebook.  It was about a brilliant, obsessed individual who could not connect with anyone on an intimate level.  I don't think he was a bad guy just young, brilliant and alone.  The irony of the movie (and probably has no basis in fact) is that this kid with absolutely no social skills build a network for people to connect.  And Jessie Eisenberg who portrays the main character is nothing less than perfect.  I love the scenes where they are doing the deposition.  The unfortunate timing for this young man is that Collen Firth was just as good playing George VI in the King's Speech. 

The Kings Speech is the second best movie of the year.  This movie is not about speech therapy.  It is about intimacy.  Where the Jessie Eisenberg's character in Social Network could not be intimate because of his brilliance, Berty could not be intimate because of his social standing.  Its about resistance and trust and growth born out of intimacy with another individual.  Again the acting is superb and Geoffery Rush is outstanding.  But unfortunately for him the best perfomance of the year (men, women, lead or supporting) is Christian Bale's portrayal of Micky Ward's brother in the fighter.  Probably the second best performance is by Melissa Leo who plays his mother.  This movie is about finding out who you are, what you are made of and what is right for you.  Oh yea and how you can let the people you love help you without getting smothered. 

The Kids Are All Right is another look at intimacy and the problems a relationship can have even if you are a same sex couple.  You would think it would be easier.  But it's not.  Again the acting (all of the acting) and the writing, filming all superb. 

Lets not forget Toy Story 3.  A website I viewed actually put it as the number 1 movie of the year.  I wouldn't go that far, I would put it near the top.

Blue Valentine is a very intense look at a crumbling relationship.  The acting by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams elevates it to Oscar statis in my book.

I liked Sex and Other Drugs.  Not as an Oscar contender but as a romantic commedy with a heart.  And Judy there is a good line from the movie.  "You are the only person who every thought I was enough."

Most of my picks follow the Golden Globes picks.  As I was watching I was surprised at how smart those folks were to agree with me.  I had actually seen all of the movies in the best drama chategory and a few from the Comedy musical category. And although I was watching them by myself, my friend Laura and I texted back and forth.  It was an intimate moment.

Not much worth seeing

Haven't blog for almost a year but then there has almost not been a movie worth blogging about. Of the movies I have seen since last May, I have to say the best has to be Winter's Bone. A disturbing but beautifully filmed, directed and brilliantly acted movie. The King's Speech was also very good. I was one of the few that didn't like Social Network but maybe because I still don't get Facebook. I am on it, just don't get it. I also liked the Tourist. But I love Johnny Depp. I don't always like his weird movies but I like him. I liked True Grit but probably because of the young actor who did such a terrific job. I am glad I saw the Black Swan but it was too dark for my liking.

I miss romantic comedies that actually had some life to them. Some of my favorites are Pretty Woman, While You Were Sleeping, When Harry met Sally and of course Groundhog's Day. I went to see No Strings Attached tonight and it just did nothing for me. Romantic movies used to make me laugh and cry.

I miss the truly great pictures like The English Patient, Shindler's List and A Beautiful Mind. And I really miss the kind of movies that you watch everytime they come on like Pretty Woman, Shawshank Redemption, and My Cousin Vinny. I miss not having new movies that I can add to my one-line quotes like, "It's easier to believe the bad stuff," or "do you think the deer would care what you were wearing?" or "Get busy living or get busy dying." I was truly hoping that maybe there would be some great movies for the Academy Awards this year, but if there are, I haven't found them.---Judy

Did You Hear about the Morgans

This movie, Did You Hear about the Morgans is in contention for the worse movie of the year or maybe decade. I will confess that I am a big Hugh Grant fan and the reason I rented the movie. Now he looks like he has had cosmetic surgery and looks terrible. He always of plays the same character, kind of goofy and lovable at the same time but this time he looked stiff and very uncomfortable. I'm not a Sara Jessica Parker fan though I did like Sex in the City. She was equally as bad. Even Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen could not save this film. The writing is awful. It did almost make me cry knowing I paid to rent the movie. There was only one good line in the whole mess. Sam Elliott always the manliest of men is talking to Parker. He says "you know the book Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus"? Parker says "you read that book?" Elliott says "no the title says it all."

A Serious Man

Since Judy reviewed all but one of the Academy award nominated movies, I though I would review the one she didn't on the eve of the academy awards just in case anyone is interested. I have not seen many of the nominees this year and after reading Judy's review I probably won't. As I get older I seem to have more difficulty with violent movies. I say that even though some of my favorite films or at least ones that I have liked a lot are very violent. I'm not in the mood for instance, to see "The Hurt Locker." I'm not keen on war movies. And yet "Saving Private Ryan" as difficult as it was to watch ranks in my top 25 films. (Maybe, I'll have to think about my top 25, it is in at least my top 50.) And then there is the 2007 Academy Award winning film "No Country for Old Men." I loved that movie. A classic story of good and evil. The story wraps around a man who in attempting to do something bad, ends up trying to do something good that gets him caught up in a world he can't control. Brilliant acting but very violent though to me the violence seemed contained and the characters were the interesting part. A Coen Brother's movie which leads nicely in to the review a "A Serious Man" also by the Coen Brothers.

A serious Man is a big departure from most of the Coen Brother's other movies. I have actually seen 8 out of their 13 movies: Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Fargo (a personal favorite though again very violent), O' Brother. Where Art Thou, Intolerable Cruelty, No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading, and A Serious Man. What is similar to their other movies is the quirky characters and the superb level of acting on every one's part. The story is basically about a man who's life starts to fall apart when his wife tells him she is leaving him for the neighbor and he questions what he has done to anger God. He tries to get answers from several Rabbi's but they are of little help. It isn't a particularly fun or even enjoyable movie. The characters are not handsome or beautiful. But it is intriguing with it's questions and relationships. I'd recommend it. Will it win the Best Picture? Not a chance unless the voting gets completely screwed up. Michael Strubarg is up for best actor as well. He won't get the prize.

As I said in a previous blog some where I think Jeff Bridges will get it for "Crazy Heart" and probably deserves it for great contributions over the years. I think the Academy will recognize their first woman, Kathryn Bigelow, for best director. I didn't realize until just now that she is only the 4th woman to be nominated in that category. I didn't realize that Holliwood was such an "old boy's club". Maybe old and new boys. My money is on Sandra Bullock for best actress, again because of her contribution to the industry. Best picture "The Hurt Locker" because of the director. I have only seen three of the ten nominated films. "Up in the Air", "Up", and "A Serious Man." My favorite by far was "Up in the Air."

Oscar nominations

Since the Oscars are tomorrow night, I have been trying to see all of the nominated films. I have seen all but one. Best picture nominations: Avatar--I really didn't like this movie at all. Sure, the special effects were great but the story line was so trite and shallow it was hard for me to find any redeeming value. It was a poor attempt to echo what we western Europeans did to the American Indians. The hero wasn't any better than those trying to exploit the blue people because he married a blue girl in his altered state knowing he would never really be able to be with her. Anyway, I hope this doesn't win. The Blind Side was a very good, feel good movie and although the media wanted to discredit the real woman played by Sandra Bullock by saying she was exploiting the young man she helped, I don't think she was. It isn't the best movie of the year but it made me cry and definitely worth seeing. If not for Meryl Streep's performance as Julia Childs I'd give Sandra Bullock the Oscar. District 9 I hated although it was an amazing movie that definitely deserves a nomination. Similar to Avatar, it mimicked how blacks were treated in South Africa during the Apartheid. It was just done so much better. It was very Sci-Fi, gruesome and at one point I felt like I was in a transformer movie. I am glad I saw it but would never want to see it again. An Education was an interesting movie. It is never going to be a box office hit, and I don't think I'd watch it again but the acting was great. The story line was about a bright, young English woman who discards her chance for an education to pursue a relationship with an older man who turns out to be a scoundrel which was pretty apparent from the beginning. The Hurt Locker which is suppose to win for best picture was again a well done movie that I would never ever want to see again. It is about soldiers who are in charge of disarming IEDs. Very graphic which was necessary in this film to get a real sense of the horror of war. Inglourisous Basterds Randy and I just saw last night on Pay for View. It is a fictitious story about American soldiers in France during the Nazi occupation. Brad Pitt is in charge of a group that kills and scalps Nazis. Well done film that again showed the horrors of war and was very graphic and gruesome. I think they way over did the graphic factor. I hid my eyes several times. Christopher Waltz who plays a Nazi with the nickname of Jew Killer, definitely deserves the best supporting actor award. Precious was much more to my liking. It wasn't a pleasant movie to watch but an important one because it speaks to the sexual abuse that so many young girls growing up in poverty experience. I liked it better when I thought it was based on a real life story but as fiction it was unrealistic. The abuse wasn't unrealistic but the idea that Precious might be able to lead a normal adult life was pretty far fetched. Mo'Nique who plays Precious' mother definitely gets my vote for best supporting actress. Up was a great animated film (I didn't see it in 3D) and I think it probably deserves best animated film but I wouldn't put it up against the other nominations. If they had not doubled the nominated films this year it would never have made it. I liked Up in the Air a lot, and I would definitely see it again. My favorite reason for liking this movie is that a woman instead of a man was the one who had a family back home and was having an affair on the road or shall we say up in the air. The acting was great but I wouldn't give George Clooney best actor. He is good but he was pretty much just being George Clooney. However, Anna Kendrick, who plays the twenty something executive did a superb job and if it wasn't for Mo'Nique's role, I'd give her the Oscar for best supporting actress. She is really the reason I liked the movie so much. The only movie I haven't see is A Serious Man. I can't really say which movie I would give the Oscar to this year. None of them makes me say oh yeah that is the one. I hope 2010 movies are better. Regarding best actors, I haven't see Jeff Bridges or Morgan Freeman. Of those I have seen, I loved Colin Firth in a Single Man. It was a very poignant movie about a man who loses his male partner in a car accident and struggles with moving on.

Academy Nominated Shorts

Kate, Charlotte and I went to see the animated shorts last night. Dinner prior was delicious as was the conversations. The animated shorts were all interesting, They showed some that were not Oscar nominees as well as the 5 that were. Most of them were funny. My favorite was the Grim Reaper and the Old Woman. The poor old woman who is missing her husband and is ready to reunite dies in her sleep and the grim reaper comes for her. Some how (not explained) she ends up in the ER with the over zealous doctor who thinks he needs to revive her and the tug a war between the doctor and the grim reaper begins. Kate and I both felt strongly that this scenario is played out in real life much too often.

Kate and I then stayed for the live action shorts. (Charlotte had to work early in the morning.) These were much less fun. The one from India was a little like Slum Dog Millionaire with all the happy upbeat parts taken out. The one from Denmark was kind of fun though a little dark. Two young gay men move into a new apartment and are sitting at their breakfast table. One is very caustic and pessimistic about the world. The other one just wants to eat his breakfast without his partner blowing smoke in his face. A knock on the door brings an old woman from upstairs looking for flour. She is making her niece's favorite cinnamon rolls. The boys have none but she is very chatty and one of the guys finds a bag in the kitchen from the previous owner who the woman reveals was murdered in the apartment. The woman leaves. Another knock on the door and in walks the husband of the niece of the old woman who is looking for the guy that his wife is cheating with. After a long conversation a drug dealer shows up looking for the heroine which of course was the "flour" they gave the old woman. Very darkly humorous.

Our favorite was the Swedish film about a underachieving young man who wants to be a magician. The caliber of acting in all of the live action shorts is above average. I suppose that is one of the things that elevates them to Oscar nominations. But over all we were very disappointed. Kate and I had seen the live action last year and they were much better in terms of story and more subtle in their point of view. The thing I find most interesting though is how you can tell a complete story in 20 minutes or less.

Judy has decided to let me share this blog with her so I suppose we should rename it movie reviews by Judy and Gail or just the Judy and Gail Show. How come Judy and Gail has always sounded better than Gail and Judy. Must be the u sound being softer than the a sound.



The question is what to review. Although I like Judy's category I am more interested in the writing, acting and the emotional impact that the movie has on me and if it can teach me anything about life. I guess the last two categories the emotional impact and teaching me something about life are similar to Judy's does the movie make me cry and is there a theological message. Judy is about theology (sort of) and I am all about psychological impact. Is there a difference?

Perhaps I will just start by naming some of my all time favorite movies. Casablanca heads my list. I just watched it the other night again. It is a movie I could watch once a week and never get tired of. It still makes me cry. I suppose what makes it such a great movie is both the writing and the acting. The stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman of coarse. All Ingrid Bergman has to do is show up. She was such a beautiful woman. But many beautiful women cannot act. But more importantly are the secondary actors. I think you can tell the quality of a movie by the supporting cast hence the academy award category best supporting actor and actress. Claude Reins was superb. Paul Henried, and Dooley Wilson. The story is a timeless theme about love. But not just about love, it is also about the one we didn't end up with for what ever reason and then running back into the love of our life. Getting a second chance at that love. The movie starts out with Rick (sometimes known as Richard) a broken man who is surviving but not living. We find out the reason why during the movie and at the end he gets his life back again. It is about sacrifice and doing the noble thing. The scene where Humphrey Bogart is sending Ingrid Bergman away is perhaps the most famous scene in all of Hollywood and a great one.

A more modern movie that ranks at the top is Good Will Hunting. Right up my psychological alley. I thought the story was good and the writing above average. The acting top notch from the stars Matt Damon, Minnie Driver and Ben Afflect (probably the best thing Afflect ever did except for Holliwoodland where he plays George Reeves.) Again though, it is the supporting acting the elevates the movie to greatness. Robin Williams gets an academy award for his performance of Will's therapist. Best scene is when Will breaks down in his office. Second best scene is when Will has taken off and Afflect's character goes to his door to pick him up and he isn't there. He smiles and one of the buddies in the back seat jumps into the front seat and life goes on.

I think next time I will write a review of the movies (that I have seen) that are up for best picture. There are 10 of them this year.