Albert Nobbs (1:53) 2011

Glenn Close portrays Albert Nobbs, a quiet butler working in a Dublin Hotel in 1898. Nobbs is a competent worker who saves all his money with the goal of opening a Tobacco Shop. A painter discovers the Nobbs is closely guarding a secret - Nobbs is a woman. The painter, Mr. Page, promises Nobbs he will keep his secret. And he does since Page has a secret of his own. As Nobbs continues to inch his way to his goal, he asks a young servant girl, Helen, to take a walk. Each week Nobbs and Helen take walks during which Nobbs buys treats and clothing for Helen. Helen does have another boyfriend, Joe, who wants Helen to use Nobbs for his money. A typhoid fever hits Dublin and lives are changed for ever. Albert Nobbs is quiet, somber movie which deals with the issues women, especially poor women, faced a hundred years ago. Glenn Close speaks very little, she acts with her eyes. She has been nominated for an Oscar and it is well deserved. Close's scene walking on the beach riveted me. Janet McTeer  has received multiple nominations for Best Supporting Actress. They, too, are well deserved. I would recommend the movie for Close and McTeer's performances. The movie is, I suspect, is not everyone's cup of Irish Breakfast tea.

The Directors Guild of America Announce 2012 Winners

The Directors Guild of America held the 64th Annual Awards dinner last night in Hollywood. The following received awards:

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film:  Michel Havanavicius for The Artist
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary:  James Marsh for Project Nim
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series:
Jon Cassar for The Kennedys

Congratulations to all the winners. This well may be the year of The Artist.

Follow the link to read about all the DGA 2012 winners: http://www.dga.org/Awards/Annual.aspx

One for the Money (1:46) 2012

Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) is a divorced unemployed woman who has run out of money. She does have a cousin, sleazy Vinnie Plum, a New Jersey bail bondsman. Vinnie reluctantly gives her a job of bringing in Joe Morelli, a former cop who has been arrested for shooting and killing an unarmed man. Stephanie's work skills have been limited to selling women's lingerie and has the ability to use a can of  pepper spray. The bond on Joe is high so Stephanie has a chance of making some good money if/when she brings him in. Also, she has a score to settle, he is a former high school boyfriend. One for the Money is based on the book of the same title. Stephanie Plum is is a recurring character in the Janet Evanovich series. The books came out about fifteen years ago - many of us teachers read the popular series. We would discuss the the laugh out loud parts of each book and then brainstorm as to who we would cast in the movie as we wondered if the book would ever become a movie. At that time, we picked Sandra Bullock, Heigl was unknown because she was probably fifteen at that time. The movie was cute, the characters are the same in the movie as in the book.  Unfortunately. the movie has not received positive reviews. If you are a fan of the Plum mysteries or in the mood for a light, fluffy movie, take a friend and escape from reality for awhile.
 Here's to you, the staff of Montowese School teaching in the 1990s. Those were good years!

Red Tails (2:00) 2012

Red Tails is a movie inspired by the true events. The Tuskegee Airmen were African American pilots who served in Italy during WWII. Due to low expectations that comes with racisim and prejudice, The Red Tails were given flying assignments that were considered routine. When the American bombers were being shot down by the Germans in high numbers and losses were high, the Red Tails were finally given a forward mission. The fliers performed so well that not one bomber was lost on their first mission. Red Tails has strengths and weaknesses. It's strength is the telling of the herioc actions of the Tuskegee Airmen in military history, It also show how the most respected fighter groups  had to overcome adversity, segregation, poor equipment and negative press. George Lucas, the director,  filmed a lot of movie in the sky. There are lot of dogfights, fancy flying, and planes being shot down. The weakness is with some of the dialogue with the men as they were sitting around awaiting orders. Terence Howard was excellent as the Colonel who fought for his men and expressed his high expectations to them. Cuba Gooding, Jr. drove me crazy when he smoked his pipe, it seemed hokey.  However, that is a minor complaint. This is a good movie. There is some language but I would suggest the high school students or students who have an interest in American history, would enjoy learning about the Red Tails and the importance of their contribution in the war.

First Thoughts of American Spirit Awards - Best Supporting Male 2012

Five actors have been nominated for an American Spirit Award in the Best Supporting Male category. The five are:  Albert Brooks, John Hawkes, Christopher Plummer, John C Reilly, and Corey Stoll.
Albert Brooks portrays Bernie Rose, a real bad guy in the movie, Drive. He is a gangster who resorts to criminal acts, violent in nature. Much has been written that Brooks was snubbed by the Academy and I do agree. Brooks was very convincing as the villain. He very well may take home a Spirit Award. Jonathan Hawkes plays a charming and controlling cult leader in Martha Marcy May Marlene. His cult encourages young isolated young people to join the family. After making them feel welcome and safe, Hawkes "chooses" the women to be his sexual partner. Hawkes is creepy and invokes feelings of intense dislike. His nomination is well deserved but he will not take home the award. John C. Reilly plays Dean Zielger, an insurance agent who exhibits outrageous behavior, is attending an annual insurance convention. He meets up with a very naive Tim Lippe and introduces him to life on the wild side. Reilly is crude, vulgar and sometimes funny. Reilly does well with this type of role but this is not his year for a win. Corey Stoll plays Ernest Hemingway in Midnight in Paris. The ensemble cast was good but honestly, I don't remember his role that well. He'll be passed over. Lastly, Christopher Plummer will mostly likely take home for his role as the terminally ill father who reveals his homosexuality late in life. Plummer performance in Beginners has taken home a Golden Globe, most likely the first of several awards.

Reel Injun (1:25) 2009

Documentary director Neil Diamond travels around the Western part of the US in his "rez car." He visits different Native American tribes exploring how The People have been treated by Hollywood through the years. Diamond segments his documentary by the silent era, the Western movie era and. later on, by each decade. Well known Native American actors are interviewed including Adam Beach, Russell Means, and Graham Greene.  Reel Injun exposes a long time Hollywood secret when it is revealed that the Iron Eyes Cody, the Indian who shed a tear in the Keep America Beautiful television ads, was not a Native American but a son of Silician immigrants. The documentary also discusses political activism of the aboriginal people with the sit in at Alcatraz and Pine Ridge. This is a senstive and eye opening discussion of Hollywood's treatment of the Native American.

First Thoughts on Best Feature American Spirit Awards Nominees 2012

The following are the six nominees for this year's American Spirit's  Best Feature:
50/50, Beginners, Drive, Take Shelter, The Artist, The Descendants. 
Having viewed all the movies, I've divided the films into three tiers. The first are the two nominees who have a slim chance of taking home an award.
50/50 is a movie about a young man's struggle with cancer. It's a touching movie with a small but excellent cast led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Beginners is a story about a young man who deals with his father after his father's diagnosis  of a terminal illness. Along with dealing with the diagnosis, he also has to be accustomed to his widowed father's revelation that he is gay. Christopher Plummer has received multiple nominations for his performance in the Supporting Actor category.
The next two are creative and original and have been recognized with positive critical acclaim. Drive is a vehicle driven by Ryan Gosling literally and figuratively. Gosling is a stunt driver for the movies by day, at night he hires out as a getaway driver for robbers. Gosling is a loner until he meets Irene, a young mother whose husband is in prison. Gosling forms an attachment to both the mother and son and puts his life on the line to help the family. This is a taut movie, Gosling is at his best as the loner. Take Shelter is a movie which I was very taken with. Curtis, Samantha and their deaf six year old daughter, Hannah are living in Ohio.  Curtis is hardworking but money is tight but still they are a happy family. Curtis starts having nightmares about approaching an environmental doom. He also starts having hallucinations, such as the sky is raining oil. Curtis is freaked out by the nightmares because he mother was diagnosed with mental illness at the age he is now. The entire movie has the viewer asking, is Curtis succumbing to mental illness or are his dreams are harbinger of an cataclysmic event. Although both movies are up against better known movies, I would be happy if either of them walk away with a Spirit award.
The two films which I see as the favorites are The Artist or The Descendants, And the winner is a toss up. I do predict the award will go to The Artist, the highly acclaimed black and white silent film. However, Payne's The Descendants may take home the award. Set in Hawaii, The Descendants tell the story of a man (George Clooney) and his two daughters struggling with the impending death of their mother, a victim of a boating accident. It is a touching and sometimes humorous look at how the "back up" parent deals with a family tragedy.