In August I lost my daughter, Christy-Lynn Avilla. She’s buried at the Hawaii State Veterans Memorial in Kaneohe. Mom passed away on November 19th. Her service will be this Saturday at Borthwick Mortuary. Maunakea Chapel. 10:00 am. Burial to follow at 1:30 pm. at Hawaiian Memorial Park.
Aloha to Christy and Mama.
Baby It's Cold Outside
samedi 22 décembre 2018
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/05/67377...radio-stations
I thought the ban was silly. But, there's ujee guys out there.
Baby It's Cold Outside
I thought the ban was silly. But, there's ujee guys out there.
RIP: Penny Marshall
https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/18/enter...ead/index.html
Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!
RIP: Penny Marshall
Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!
Hawaii Radio Dial 2019 and Beyond
vendredi 14 décembre 2018
Since things are so ultra slow here, decided to just add one new thread to cover all things current with Hawaii radio both on Oahu and neighbor islands, traditional through the airwaves and internet streaming... whatever.
To start things off...
RECENT CHANGES ON THE HONOLULU RADIO DIAL (Dec. 2018)
Three Country Music Stations in Honolulu! Say what? Can't believe it myself, but there are now three and actually four radio stations here on Oahu that are playing a country music format.
KGU AM 760 / 95.1FM just flipped to country last week, dumping the long running Bloomberg business radio format.
KHCM 97.5 FM still maintains their country music format. They have been playing country for at least 10 years now. Both KGU and KHCM are owned by Salem Media.
KORL 107.5 FM retains its country music format that the station adopted last year. KORL is a multiplexed station running on several frequencies airing different formats such as oldies, 80s rock & pop, classic rock and country. It's owned by HHawaii Media.
In late October KPHI 96.7 FM / 1130 AM flipped from Filipino music to a new format "Shaka 96.7" playing contemporary Hawaiian music from the 70s to 90s. They're also an HHawaii Media station.
Other news... long time talk radio station KWAI at 1080 AM has been off the air for sometime now and is now labeled as "silent". Probably hardly anyone listened to them.
So is anyone here still listening to the radio in the old traditional way or have you just like dumped radio and stream everything on your smartphone and other connected devices (internet)?
Hawaii Radio Dial 2019 and Beyond
To start things off...
RECENT CHANGES ON THE HONOLULU RADIO DIAL (Dec. 2018)
Three Country Music Stations in Honolulu! Say what? Can't believe it myself, but there are now three and actually four radio stations here on Oahu that are playing a country music format.
KGU AM 760 / 95.1FM just flipped to country last week, dumping the long running Bloomberg business radio format.
KHCM 97.5 FM still maintains their country music format. They have been playing country for at least 10 years now. Both KGU and KHCM are owned by Salem Media.
KORL 107.5 FM retains its country music format that the station adopted last year. KORL is a multiplexed station running on several frequencies airing different formats such as oldies, 80s rock & pop, classic rock and country. It's owned by HHawaii Media.
In late October KPHI 96.7 FM / 1130 AM flipped from Filipino music to a new format "Shaka 96.7" playing contemporary Hawaiian music from the 70s to 90s. They're also an HHawaii Media station.
Other news... long time talk radio station KWAI at 1080 AM has been off the air for sometime now and is now labeled as "silent". Probably hardly anyone listened to them.
So is anyone here still listening to the radio in the old traditional way or have you just like dumped radio and stream everything on your smartphone and other connected devices (internet)?
Rampage
samedi 8 décembre 2018
I missed seeing the movie Rampage when it was playing in the theaters earlier in the year, however it is available on HBO and I was able to watch it thru on-demand.
The movie is inspired by an arcade game during the middle 1980's. In the game people are transformed into monsters by various things while in this movie animals are transformed into big versions of themselves by a mutagen that came from an exploding space station.
There are added subplots to the movie
Rampage
The movie is inspired by an arcade game during the middle 1980's. In the game people are transformed into monsters by various things while in this movie animals are transformed into big versions of themselves by a mutagen that came from an exploding space station.
There are added subplots to the movie
Evil Genius
https://www.yahoo.com/news/disgruntl...131500797.html
Why can't she use her power for good instead of evil?
Evil Genius
Why can't she use her power for good instead of evil?
Filet of Fish at McDonald's
lundi 19 novembre 2018
https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddri...cid=spartandhp
It needs a lot of tartar sauce to give it taste.
Filet of Fish at McDonald's
It needs a lot of tartar sauce to give it taste.
Rich People need a Housesitter
samedi 17 novembre 2018
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...150256022.html
Why don't some celebrities have a house sitter when they're away? Even pro athletes have someone watching their home when they're at a game, so that robbers know that they're not home.
Rich People need a Housesitter
Why don't some celebrities have a house sitter when they're away? Even pro athletes have someone watching their home when they're at a game, so that robbers know that they're not home.
"Manifest" on NBC
mercredi 7 novembre 2018
The premise of NBC's Manifest is that a plane going from Jamaica to New York in April of 2013 finds itself in New York on November 2018.
The people on the plane haven't aged a day but the rest of world is trying figure out what happen to the people on the plane that was missing for 5 and half years.
It seems that the people on the plane have gained some sort of ability that sort of seems like Spider-Man's Spider Sense.
"Manifest" on NBC
The people on the plane haven't aged a day but the rest of world is trying figure out what happen to the people on the plane that was missing for 5 and half years.
It seems that the people on the plane have gained some sort of ability that sort of seems like Spider-Man's Spider Sense.
voting 11-6-18
mardi 6 novembre 2018
voted straight line Democrat this morning :D ALL AMERICAN
voting 11-6-18
2018 General Election Day
Today November 6, 2018 is the General Election Day, by tradition this thread is about your experiences in casting your ballot at your polling place.
Like was the lines were long or short, was the machines working, had enough ballots for everyone?
If you voted early or by absentee ballot you can relate your experiences here as well.
2018 General Election Day
Like was the lines were long or short, was the machines working, had enough ballots for everyone?
If you voted early or by absentee ballot you can relate your experiences here as well.
The Lost Boys (1987)
samedi 3 novembre 2018
I have to admit I really don't know why I missed seeing the movie The Lost Boys when it first came out. I do remember seeing an episode of Siskel and Ebert that showed a preview of this movie where the younger brother Sam finds out his older brother Michael is a vampire and Sam's said:
I kind of remembered Roger Ebert's reaction to this quote and sort it went to the effect that yeah you are vampire the last thing on you mind is what your mother is going to do to you.
I don't remember when exactly I saw this movie on cable it was kind of funny with all of the scifi and comic book pop culture references. Once in a great while I would see this movie during the Halloween season and just saw it tonight (11/2/18) via Spectrum's On Demand.
The Lost Boys (1987)
Quote:
|
Look at your reflection in the mirror. You're a creature of the night Michael, just like out of a comic book! You're a vampire Michael! My own brother, a goddamn, s**t-sucking vampire. You wait 'till mom finds out, buddy! |
I don't remember when exactly I saw this movie on cable it was kind of funny with all of the scifi and comic book pop culture references. Once in a great while I would see this movie during the Halloween season and just saw it tonight (11/2/18) via Spectrum's On Demand.
A Star is Born (2018)
dimanche 28 octobre 2018
A Star is Born (2018)
Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Dave Chappelle, Andrew Dice Clay. Written by Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters. Directed by Bradley Cooper.
It was seventeen years between Janet Gaynor and Judy Garland, twenty-two years between Garland and Barbra Streisand, and now forty-two years between Streisand and Lady Gaga as the titular star in A Star is Born. I mention this only because I’m thinking about the disconnect I felt with the music in the 1954 version and about how much I enjoyed the music in this 2018 version. Some stories deserve to be retold in ways that connect to their intended audiences, and maybe this is one.
Some people say once a film has achieved cultural icon status, there’s no point in remaking it, but I’m not one of these people. Art is consumed, but it is also created, and its creation is most often where the magic and beauty are, and if we didn’t all feel this way we would be stuck with one interpretation of Romeo and Juliet and one version of “All Along the Watchtower.” The world would be a poorer place.
Is the world a richer place with this third remake of A Star is Born? It’s too early to tell, but it’s already spawned one hit single (“Shallow”) and Oscar buzz for its stars. Of the four films, it has the best music and possibly the best acting, and if anyone in the cast wins an acting Oscar it will be a first: Gaynor and Fredric March lost to Louise Rainer and Spencer Tracy. Garland and James Mason lost to Grace Kelly and Marlon Brando (The Country Girl and On the Waterfront—they never had a chance!). Neither Streisand nor Kris Kristofferson were nominated for acting awards, but Streisand did win an Oscar for best song.
More important, Gaga and Cooper have something different to say in this telling of the tale. There was a hint of a statement in the 1976 film about rock music and pop, but here it seems to be the central theme. This movie is less about a relationship, less about self-destructive personalities, and more about music and success. This may also be its biggest shortcoming, but the shift in emphasis validates a third remake.
Our falling star is now named Jackson Maine and our rising star is Ally Campana, and their meeting is very much like Esther’s meeting John in 1976. Ally’s singing in a drag show when a drunk Jackson stumbles in. Their connection is nearly immediate, and they get to know each other very quickly. Before they’ve been acquainted 48 hours, Jackson practically forces Ally onstage to perform one of her songs. She’s an immediate hit.
The first half of this movie is better than any half of any of its predecessors. Cooper and Gaga are a joy to watch, crackling with chemistry and sincerity. Cooper adopts a Kristofferson-like look and sound, while Gaga is all kinds of humility and sweetness Streisand couldn’t approach (and possibly only Gaynor equaled). Gaga’s music in real life doesn’t do a thing for me; if it moves me at all it moves me out the door. But here in their early scenes, absent the veneer of a pop show with all its choreography, makeup, costumes, and sheen, we have an actress perhaps less skilled than her opposite but making up for it with utter vulnerability.
Ally on stage is likeable, but her pop music feels fake, and if that weren’t blatant enough a statement, there’s a moment where Jackson offers her a pep talk, saying her audiences will love her if she always effing means what she’s singing.
But as Sam Adams wrote in his critique on Slate, “the further from Jackson’s influence Ally gets, the worse her music becomes.” Cooper’s message may not be as overt as Adams interprets it, but there’s so much in the setup about having a voice, having something to say, and trusting others that he’s definitely on to something.
The worsening of Ally’s music doesn’t necessarily dictate a worsening of the story, but it is the case here, and the second half is a letdown after such a promising setup. Still, my fondness for the film is salvaged by a decision Cooper the director makes near the end, giving us something none of the earlier movies offered, making 2018’s A Star is Born the best of the four.
7/10 (IMDb rating)
77/100 (Criticker rating)
A Star is Born (2018)
Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Dave Chappelle, Andrew Dice Clay. Written by Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters. Directed by Bradley Cooper.
It was seventeen years between Janet Gaynor and Judy Garland, twenty-two years between Garland and Barbra Streisand, and now forty-two years between Streisand and Lady Gaga as the titular star in A Star is Born. I mention this only because I’m thinking about the disconnect I felt with the music in the 1954 version and about how much I enjoyed the music in this 2018 version. Some stories deserve to be retold in ways that connect to their intended audiences, and maybe this is one.
Some people say once a film has achieved cultural icon status, there’s no point in remaking it, but I’m not one of these people. Art is consumed, but it is also created, and its creation is most often where the magic and beauty are, and if we didn’t all feel this way we would be stuck with one interpretation of Romeo and Juliet and one version of “All Along the Watchtower.” The world would be a poorer place.
Is the world a richer place with this third remake of A Star is Born? It’s too early to tell, but it’s already spawned one hit single (“Shallow”) and Oscar buzz for its stars. Of the four films, it has the best music and possibly the best acting, and if anyone in the cast wins an acting Oscar it will be a first: Gaynor and Fredric March lost to Louise Rainer and Spencer Tracy. Garland and James Mason lost to Grace Kelly and Marlon Brando (The Country Girl and On the Waterfront—they never had a chance!). Neither Streisand nor Kris Kristofferson were nominated for acting awards, but Streisand did win an Oscar for best song.
More important, Gaga and Cooper have something different to say in this telling of the tale. There was a hint of a statement in the 1976 film about rock music and pop, but here it seems to be the central theme. This movie is less about a relationship, less about self-destructive personalities, and more about music and success. This may also be its biggest shortcoming, but the shift in emphasis validates a third remake.
Our falling star is now named Jackson Maine and our rising star is Ally Campana, and their meeting is very much like Esther’s meeting John in 1976. Ally’s singing in a drag show when a drunk Jackson stumbles in. Their connection is nearly immediate, and they get to know each other very quickly. Before they’ve been acquainted 48 hours, Jackson practically forces Ally onstage to perform one of her songs. She’s an immediate hit.
The first half of this movie is better than any half of any of its predecessors. Cooper and Gaga are a joy to watch, crackling with chemistry and sincerity. Cooper adopts a Kristofferson-like look and sound, while Gaga is all kinds of humility and sweetness Streisand couldn’t approach (and possibly only Gaynor equaled). Gaga’s music in real life doesn’t do a thing for me; if it moves me at all it moves me out the door. But here in their early scenes, absent the veneer of a pop show with all its choreography, makeup, costumes, and sheen, we have an actress perhaps less skilled than her opposite but making up for it with utter vulnerability.
Ally on stage is likeable, but her pop music feels fake, and if that weren’t blatant enough a statement, there’s a moment where Jackson offers her a pep talk, saying her audiences will love her if she always effing means what she’s singing.
But as Sam Adams wrote in his critique on Slate, “the further from Jackson’s influence Ally gets, the worse her music becomes.” Cooper’s message may not be as overt as Adams interprets it, but there’s so much in the setup about having a voice, having something to say, and trusting others that he’s definitely on to something.
The worsening of Ally’s music doesn’t necessarily dictate a worsening of the story, but it is the case here, and the second half is a letdown after such a promising setup. Still, my fondness for the film is salvaged by a decision Cooper the director makes near the end, giving us something none of the earlier movies offered, making 2018’s A Star is Born the best of the four.
7/10 (IMDb rating)
77/100 (Criticker rating)
Hunter Killer
Saw the early afternoon showing of Hunter Killer at the Regal Dole Cannery Theaters.
While this movie is not a sequel to the 1990's movie The Hunt for Red October it does have few nods to that film.
In this movie the Russian Minister of Defense stages a coup by kidnapping the Russian premier and trying to start a shooting war with the United States Navy. What stands in his way? A Virginia class submarine, a SEAL team and a couple of Russian's loyal to the premier.
Hunter Killer
While this movie is not a sequel to the 1990's movie The Hunt for Red October it does have few nods to that film.
In this movie the Russian Minister of Defense stages a coup by kidnapping the Russian premier and trying to start a shooting war with the United States Navy. What stands in his way? A Virginia class submarine, a SEAL team and a couple of Russian's loyal to the premier.
Current plantation history
jeudi 25 octobre 2018
In Hawaii's plantation history, first, there was the Chinese. Then the Japanese came. Then the Koreans around the 1900s. Then the Filipinos in the 1930.
There were some overlap, with the groups, but majority followed the immigration pattern. This was what they did when they first arrived. By the 2nd gen, many moved on to other jobs.
Today's plantation, whatever is left, is far less labor intensive.
Who is working at the plantations today? Is there still a "specific" ethinc group? Or is it just like the labor market, where if you need a job, like this type of work, then apply and work. I'm not really sure if there is a specific question, just perhaps a discussion to know.
I know today's immigration does not follow this model. If someone move to Hawaii from Tonga or China today, he is not working in the plantations.
Current plantation history
There were some overlap, with the groups, but majority followed the immigration pattern. This was what they did when they first arrived. By the 2nd gen, many moved on to other jobs.
Today's plantation, whatever is left, is far less labor intensive.
Who is working at the plantations today? Is there still a "specific" ethinc group? Or is it just like the labor market, where if you need a job, like this type of work, then apply and work. I'm not really sure if there is a specific question, just perhaps a discussion to know.
I know today's immigration does not follow this model. If someone move to Hawaii from Tonga or China today, he is not working in the plantations.
Pua Olena - Lim Family
mercredi 24 octobre 2018
I tried to do some research but the results don't match my memory.
If you know or remember, please correct me.
Pua Olena is a song best remember by the Lim Family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcSs...gUPzszXVkI6OTM
When I looked it up, the original album it was on was from 2005.
However, I recall hearing it on the radio back in the early 1980s. And it was a female voice, IIRC, sounded very much like Lorna Lim.
Was the song Pua Olena recorded by someone else? And played on the radio? Or is my 2005 recorded date wrong?
Many Hawaiian songs were recorded by many people. Pua Olena was also sung by Auntie Genoa and Loyal Garner. But their version wasn't what I recall from the radio.
Pua Olena - Lim Family
If you know or remember, please correct me.
Pua Olena is a song best remember by the Lim Family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcSs...gUPzszXVkI6OTM
When I looked it up, the original album it was on was from 2005.
However, I recall hearing it on the radio back in the early 1980s. And it was a female voice, IIRC, sounded very much like Lorna Lim.
Was the song Pua Olena recorded by someone else? And played on the radio? Or is my 2005 recorded date wrong?
Many Hawaiian songs were recorded by many people. Pua Olena was also sung by Auntie Genoa and Loyal Garner. But their version wasn't what I recall from the radio.
A Star is Born (1976)
lundi 22 octobre 2018
A Star is Born (1976)
Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson. Written by Frank Pierson, John Gregory Dunne, Joan Didion. Directed by Frank Pierson.
This second remake of A Star is Born is the logical bookend for the collection. In 1937, Janet Gaynor played a rising movie star. In 1954, Judy Garland played a rising star of movie musicals. Now in 1976 Barbra Streisand plays a rising star of pop music, this time as Esther Hoffman instead of Esther Blodgett, with Kris Kristofferson as her alcoholic discoverer, John Norman Howard instead of Norman Maine.
“Are you a figment of my imagination,” John asks the audience as he takes the stage for a live performance, “or am I one of yours?” It’s a great line, practically an epitaph, and John repeats it until it moves past poetry and into cliché, a rather excellent statement about self-destructive rock stars and the relationships they find themselves in all the time, according to VH-1 True Hollywood Stories.
Kristofferson provides the movie something the earlier versions didn’t: a male lead with charisma to tug back against the star. John’s rock-star magnetism and rough road-weariness almost make alcoholism sexy, where in 1937 and 1954 all it did was make men weak. I want to say I disapprove of such representation, but it feels appropriate, and it makes for a much better dynamic.
John discovers Esther when, after a big concert, he orders his limo driver to take him to the bar where Esther is performing. From the beginning, she’s confrontational and tough. John’s drunken behavior is messing up her gig, and she tells him so right in the middle of her show. When John takes her home after the show and offers to come up, Esther says no, but he’s welcome to show up for breakfast in a few hours if he’s up for it.
Esther calls the shots in this relationship from the beginning, and while John nudges her onto the stage for her turn in the spotlight, her success, like the successes of the Esther Blodgetts before her, is entirely hers. A star is born; she isn’t made.
The music in this incarnation is far better than in 1954, and although Esther’s songs don’t exactly thrill me, she performs them with a sexy stage presence that makes it difficult to turn away. John’s country-flavored rock has the outlaw vibe of Kristofferson’s own music, and my only complaint about his performance is that we don’t get to hear enough of it. Darn alcoholism.
This remake suffers from some of the same period-related stuff as the first remake. It worships Streisand the actress-singer a bit too adoringly and segues twice into that Seventies staple, the golden sunlight country road long drive music video, complete with lens flares. You see the first one coming a mile away, and the second one is only a surprise because who expects that twice?
Some of the pacing is also misguided. There are a time and place for candlelit bathtub lovemaking scenes, I suppose, although what they are I can’t tell you. Esther’s fights with John also get tiresome and too long. They love each other but it’s a damaged relationship. We get it.
It’s pretty harsh to blame a 1970s film for being too 1970s, but I blame the 1954 film for being too 1950s, and the enduring films of any era should be called out for their excesses. It’s a fine movie with some definite highlights and a few too many self-indulgences.
6/10 (IMDb rating)
67/100 (Criticker rating)
A Star is Born (1976)
Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson. Written by Frank Pierson, John Gregory Dunne, Joan Didion. Directed by Frank Pierson.
This second remake of A Star is Born is the logical bookend for the collection. In 1937, Janet Gaynor played a rising movie star. In 1954, Judy Garland played a rising star of movie musicals. Now in 1976 Barbra Streisand plays a rising star of pop music, this time as Esther Hoffman instead of Esther Blodgett, with Kris Kristofferson as her alcoholic discoverer, John Norman Howard instead of Norman Maine.
“Are you a figment of my imagination,” John asks the audience as he takes the stage for a live performance, “or am I one of yours?” It’s a great line, practically an epitaph, and John repeats it until it moves past poetry and into cliché, a rather excellent statement about self-destructive rock stars and the relationships they find themselves in all the time, according to VH-1 True Hollywood Stories.
Kristofferson provides the movie something the earlier versions didn’t: a male lead with charisma to tug back against the star. John’s rock-star magnetism and rough road-weariness almost make alcoholism sexy, where in 1937 and 1954 all it did was make men weak. I want to say I disapprove of such representation, but it feels appropriate, and it makes for a much better dynamic.
John discovers Esther when, after a big concert, he orders his limo driver to take him to the bar where Esther is performing. From the beginning, she’s confrontational and tough. John’s drunken behavior is messing up her gig, and she tells him so right in the middle of her show. When John takes her home after the show and offers to come up, Esther says no, but he’s welcome to show up for breakfast in a few hours if he’s up for it.
Esther calls the shots in this relationship from the beginning, and while John nudges her onto the stage for her turn in the spotlight, her success, like the successes of the Esther Blodgetts before her, is entirely hers. A star is born; she isn’t made.
The music in this incarnation is far better than in 1954, and although Esther’s songs don’t exactly thrill me, she performs them with a sexy stage presence that makes it difficult to turn away. John’s country-flavored rock has the outlaw vibe of Kristofferson’s own music, and my only complaint about his performance is that we don’t get to hear enough of it. Darn alcoholism.
This remake suffers from some of the same period-related stuff as the first remake. It worships Streisand the actress-singer a bit too adoringly and segues twice into that Seventies staple, the golden sunlight country road long drive music video, complete with lens flares. You see the first one coming a mile away, and the second one is only a surprise because who expects that twice?
Some of the pacing is also misguided. There are a time and place for candlelit bathtub lovemaking scenes, I suppose, although what they are I can’t tell you. Esther’s fights with John also get tiresome and too long. They love each other but it’s a damaged relationship. We get it.
It’s pretty harsh to blame a 1970s film for being too 1970s, but I blame the 1954 film for being too 1950s, and the enduring films of any era should be called out for their excesses. It’s a fine movie with some definite highlights and a few too many self-indulgences.
6/10 (IMDb rating)
67/100 (Criticker rating)
A Star Is Born (1954)
dimanche 21 octobre 2018
A Star is Born (1954)
Judy Garland, James Mason. Written by Moss Hart. Directed by George Cukor.
Esther Blodgett is a singer in a band when she meets Norman Maine, a Hollywood star at the very beginning of his career’s decline. Although this 1954 version is my least favorite of the four A Star is Born films, Esther and Norman’s meeting in this one is the best. Norman’s drunk when he wanders onto a stage where Esther and her band are performing. Rather than let Norman be embarrassed, Esther quickly incorporates him into the act, as if he were part of the show.
It’s an immediate display of grace, sensitivity, talent, smarts, and self-assuredness that characterizes Esther throughout the film. If only such economy in development could be employed the rest of the way.
Instead, we get a three-hour marathon that’s alternately engaging and sloggy. Everything we love about younger Judy Garland is right here, as if the film were written about her, and everything some of us (me) hate about 1950s movie musicals and their showtunes is right here as well, in overwrought, boring excess.
Take out most of the songs, and the film would be a pleasant length, but the filmmakers are determined to make it a comeback tour de force for Garland, who’d been out of movies for four years following the end of her time with MGM.
I’m grateful that this movie holds true to the original in one very important aspect of Esther’s career. Although Norman cracks the door open for Esther’s chance in the movies, Esther kicks it down with her talent, charm, and niceness. She’s pretty, but she’s not that pretty, just like the first Esther Blodgett. Some guy who has the hots for her does her a favor, but Esther makes Esther. It’s the best thing about the film.
When Esther’s first major film premieres for the Hollywood VIPs, we’re treated not only to a few minutes, but what feels like practically the entire movie. It’s misery.
Esther’s career is on the rise, while Norman’s is on a self-destructive path downward. It’s just as interesting as the original except that James Mason’s Norman Maine is not nearly as likeable as Fredric March’s and there’s really very little romantic chemistry between Garland and Mason. They’re much better and much more believable as best friends.
Could have been a great movie if not for all those songs!
6/10 (IMDb rating)
61/100 (Criticker rating)
A Star Is Born (1954)
Judy Garland, James Mason. Written by Moss Hart. Directed by George Cukor.
Esther Blodgett is a singer in a band when she meets Norman Maine, a Hollywood star at the very beginning of his career’s decline. Although this 1954 version is my least favorite of the four A Star is Born films, Esther and Norman’s meeting in this one is the best. Norman’s drunk when he wanders onto a stage where Esther and her band are performing. Rather than let Norman be embarrassed, Esther quickly incorporates him into the act, as if he were part of the show.
It’s an immediate display of grace, sensitivity, talent, smarts, and self-assuredness that characterizes Esther throughout the film. If only such economy in development could be employed the rest of the way.
Instead, we get a three-hour marathon that’s alternately engaging and sloggy. Everything we love about younger Judy Garland is right here, as if the film were written about her, and everything some of us (me) hate about 1950s movie musicals and their showtunes is right here as well, in overwrought, boring excess.
Take out most of the songs, and the film would be a pleasant length, but the filmmakers are determined to make it a comeback tour de force for Garland, who’d been out of movies for four years following the end of her time with MGM.
I’m grateful that this movie holds true to the original in one very important aspect of Esther’s career. Although Norman cracks the door open for Esther’s chance in the movies, Esther kicks it down with her talent, charm, and niceness. She’s pretty, but she’s not that pretty, just like the first Esther Blodgett. Some guy who has the hots for her does her a favor, but Esther makes Esther. It’s the best thing about the film.
When Esther’s first major film premieres for the Hollywood VIPs, we’re treated not only to a few minutes, but what feels like practically the entire movie. It’s misery.
Esther’s career is on the rise, while Norman’s is on a self-destructive path downward. It’s just as interesting as the original except that James Mason’s Norman Maine is not nearly as likeable as Fredric March’s and there’s really very little romantic chemistry between Garland and Mason. They’re much better and much more believable as best friends.
Could have been a great movie if not for all those songs!
6/10 (IMDb rating)
61/100 (Criticker rating)
A Star Is Born (1937)
jeudi 18 octobre 2018
A Star Is Born (1937)
Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Adolphe Menjou, Lionel Stander. Directed by William A. Wellman.
Esther Blodgett is a North Dakota farm girl with dreams of Hollywood stardom. The original A Star is Born movie pretty much begins with her family thinking she’s crazy for even entertaining the notion. Her grandma, however, believes that if you’re willing to risk everything in pursuit of your goals, you have to do it.
Esther relocates to Hollywood, where she discovers the supply of young, aspiring actresses far exceeds the demand. She’s about to give up when a chance encounter with one of filmdom’s legends, Norman Maine, leads to an audition, a minor supporting role, and the lead in her own film. Soon, her career is on the rise while Norman’s is on the decline.
The Esther-Norman relationship drives the film, because while Esther may have needed Norman’s little boost to get through the door, she she’s not at all dependent or needy in her relationship with Norman or in any other relationship. Norman clearly needs her far more than she needs him. She just really, really loves him, and he doesn’t quite know how to be loved.
In nearly every way, A Star is Born looks and feels like the popular movies of its time, but with a smart, strong woman taking the lead. Norman is no tragic hero—he’s not a hero at all—but he’s a man loved by a woman. Could his demise have been reversed by a woman like this, or by anyone? The film seems to think not, and as Norman travels along his beautiful, downward spiral, Esther goes along with him because someone has to try.
Fredric March as Norman and Janet Gaynor as Esther are a great screen couple, and Gaynor’s performance is especially impressive, the best reason to watch this film more than once.
75/100 (Criticker rating)
7/10 (IMDb rating)
A Star Is Born (1937)
Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Adolphe Menjou, Lionel Stander. Directed by William A. Wellman.
Esther Blodgett is a North Dakota farm girl with dreams of Hollywood stardom. The original A Star is Born movie pretty much begins with her family thinking she’s crazy for even entertaining the notion. Her grandma, however, believes that if you’re willing to risk everything in pursuit of your goals, you have to do it.
Esther relocates to Hollywood, where she discovers the supply of young, aspiring actresses far exceeds the demand. She’s about to give up when a chance encounter with one of filmdom’s legends, Norman Maine, leads to an audition, a minor supporting role, and the lead in her own film. Soon, her career is on the rise while Norman’s is on the decline.
The Esther-Norman relationship drives the film, because while Esther may have needed Norman’s little boost to get through the door, she she’s not at all dependent or needy in her relationship with Norman or in any other relationship. Norman clearly needs her far more than she needs him. She just really, really loves him, and he doesn’t quite know how to be loved.
In nearly every way, A Star is Born looks and feels like the popular movies of its time, but with a smart, strong woman taking the lead. Norman is no tragic hero—he’s not a hero at all—but he’s a man loved by a woman. Could his demise have been reversed by a woman like this, or by anyone? The film seems to think not, and as Norman travels along his beautiful, downward spiral, Esther goes along with him because someone has to try.
Fredric March as Norman and Janet Gaynor as Esther are a great screen couple, and Gaynor’s performance is especially impressive, the best reason to watch this film more than once.
75/100 (Criticker rating)
7/10 (IMDb rating)
Eighth Grade (2018)
vendredi 12 octobre 2018
Eighth Grade (2018)
Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson. Written and directed by Bo Burnham.
Kayla is in the last week of eighth grade, where she’s pretty close to invisible and doesn’t seem to have any close friends. Her classmates vote her “Most Quiet,” which bugs Kayla. She doesn’t think of herself as quiet; she doesn’t want to be quiet. She has things to say, but she can’t seem to interest anyone in hearing her.
Like many young men and women, Kayla spends most of her waking time in front of a screen. A smartphone from which she Snapchats her activity, a MacBook on which she produces YouTube self-help videos for almost no audience. In these videos, she presents herself as socially competent, a positive thinker, an assertive friend. She’s none of these things in real life, and the only person who seems genuinely interested in everything going on with her is the one person she doesn’t want listening: her single-parent father.
Because most of us were eighth-graders millions of years ago, we’re like Kayla’s dad. We see what a bright, interesting, resilient young woman Kayla is. Unlike Kayla, we also see that the young people around her, the popular kids throwing pool parties at their huge homes and the nerdy cousins and the handsome (barely pubescent) jocks all have their own growing pains.
Perhaps they struggle differently, but they struggle as deeply. Kayla doesn’t see that the pool party girl knows her married mom flirts shamelessly with Kayla’s dad, or that the nerdy boy is, by virtue of being the least cool person in the room, perhaps the only person at the party not pretending to be something he’s not, and therefore the one most worthy of her friendship.
Kayla takes a foray or two into the world of grownups (read: high-schoolers) where she sort-of experiences the kind of acceptance she longs for. I don’t know what such excursions were like for anyone else, but I imagine Kayla doesn’t see anything especially unusual.
Which makes Eighth Grade one of the realest looking movies about pre-high-school I’ve ever seen. Performances all around are solid and thoughtful, and the script brilliantly gives grownups (read: people old enough to be Kayla’s parent) one film and young people another, both of them sincere and provocative. This is one of the best movies for younger teens I’ve seen in a very long time.
9/10 (IMDb rating)
92/100 (Criticker rating)
Eighth Grade (2018)
Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson. Written and directed by Bo Burnham.
Kayla is in the last week of eighth grade, where she’s pretty close to invisible and doesn’t seem to have any close friends. Her classmates vote her “Most Quiet,” which bugs Kayla. She doesn’t think of herself as quiet; she doesn’t want to be quiet. She has things to say, but she can’t seem to interest anyone in hearing her.
Like many young men and women, Kayla spends most of her waking time in front of a screen. A smartphone from which she Snapchats her activity, a MacBook on which she produces YouTube self-help videos for almost no audience. In these videos, she presents herself as socially competent, a positive thinker, an assertive friend. She’s none of these things in real life, and the only person who seems genuinely interested in everything going on with her is the one person she doesn’t want listening: her single-parent father.
Because most of us were eighth-graders millions of years ago, we’re like Kayla’s dad. We see what a bright, interesting, resilient young woman Kayla is. Unlike Kayla, we also see that the young people around her, the popular kids throwing pool parties at their huge homes and the nerdy cousins and the handsome (barely pubescent) jocks all have their own growing pains.
Perhaps they struggle differently, but they struggle as deeply. Kayla doesn’t see that the pool party girl knows her married mom flirts shamelessly with Kayla’s dad, or that the nerdy boy is, by virtue of being the least cool person in the room, perhaps the only person at the party not pretending to be something he’s not, and therefore the one most worthy of her friendship.
Kayla takes a foray or two into the world of grownups (read: high-schoolers) where she sort-of experiences the kind of acceptance she longs for. I don’t know what such excursions were like for anyone else, but I imagine Kayla doesn’t see anything especially unusual.
Which makes Eighth Grade one of the realest looking movies about pre-high-school I’ve ever seen. Performances all around are solid and thoughtful, and the script brilliantly gives grownups (read: people old enough to be Kayla’s parent) one film and young people another, both of them sincere and provocative. This is one of the best movies for younger teens I’ve seen in a very long time.
9/10 (IMDb rating)
92/100 (Criticker rating)
Puzzle (2018)
mercredi 10 octobre 2018
Puzzle (2018)
Kelly Macdonald, Irfan Khan, David Denman. Written by Oren Moverman and Polly Mann. Directed by Marc Turtletaub.
People who know me don’t have to be told I’m predisposed toward liking a movie about a middle-aged homemaker questioning her choices and discovering a love for solving jigsaw puzzles. It’s like this movie was made for me, so take my recommendation with this in mind.
Agnes feels she’s been taken for granted by her family: a hard-working, loving husband who doesn’t seem to need much from her outside meals and companionship, and two adult sons who respect her but don’t know anything about her.
A day after a birthday party thrown for Agnes which she seems to have done all the prepping for and cleaning up after, Agnes takes a few moments for herself, apparently a rare occurrence. One friend has given her a jigsaw puzzle as a birthday gift. She spends the day completing it, and then breaking it apart so she can complete it again.
Dinner is forgotten in these puzzle-solving moments. And when her family expresses annoyance at having been put on the back burner, Agnes begins to resent the role she may have carved out for herself.
She goes to a puzzle shop and buys another.
Soon, she is secretly practicing a few times a week with a new puzzle-solving partner—an independently wealthy inventor, recently single, who watches the news all day because he’s fascinated by the destruction.
I saw Puzzle five days after seeing Juliet, Naked, and they are nice complements for one another. Both movies feature middle-aged women questioning their choices, wondering if it’s not too late for a do-over on some of them. I like them both, but I like Puzzle quite a bit more. Whether it’s because of its puzzles theme, because it’s considerably more anguished, or because it leaves a bit more to the viewer to interpret doesn’t really matter to me; it’s probably all three.
“Why do we love puzzles?” one character asks.
“It’s a way to control the chaos,” says another.
Heck yeah.
9/10 (IMDb rating)
90/100 (Criticker rating)
Puzzle (2018)
Kelly Macdonald, Irfan Khan, David Denman. Written by Oren Moverman and Polly Mann. Directed by Marc Turtletaub.
People who know me don’t have to be told I’m predisposed toward liking a movie about a middle-aged homemaker questioning her choices and discovering a love for solving jigsaw puzzles. It’s like this movie was made for me, so take my recommendation with this in mind.
Agnes feels she’s been taken for granted by her family: a hard-working, loving husband who doesn’t seem to need much from her outside meals and companionship, and two adult sons who respect her but don’t know anything about her.
A day after a birthday party thrown for Agnes which she seems to have done all the prepping for and cleaning up after, Agnes takes a few moments for herself, apparently a rare occurrence. One friend has given her a jigsaw puzzle as a birthday gift. She spends the day completing it, and then breaking it apart so she can complete it again.
Dinner is forgotten in these puzzle-solving moments. And when her family expresses annoyance at having been put on the back burner, Agnes begins to resent the role she may have carved out for herself.
She goes to a puzzle shop and buys another.
Soon, she is secretly practicing a few times a week with a new puzzle-solving partner—an independently wealthy inventor, recently single, who watches the news all day because he’s fascinated by the destruction.
I saw Puzzle five days after seeing Juliet, Naked, and they are nice complements for one another. Both movies feature middle-aged women questioning their choices, wondering if it’s not too late for a do-over on some of them. I like them both, but I like Puzzle quite a bit more. Whether it’s because of its puzzles theme, because it’s considerably more anguished, or because it leaves a bit more to the viewer to interpret doesn’t really matter to me; it’s probably all three.
“Why do we love puzzles?” one character asks.
“It’s a way to control the chaos,” says another.
Heck yeah.
9/10 (IMDb rating)
90/100 (Criticker rating)
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux, Gillian Anderson. Written by Susanna Fogel and David Iserson. Directed by Susanna Fogel.
The Spy Who Dumped Me is not the first female buddy-cop flick, but in the summer of 2018, its existence and moderate success feel like a statement. I was happy to see it just to express my support for such a film, and in fact am disappointed in the title, which refers to a male character who’s pretty much not even in the movie. This is a movie about two friends, not a man who dumps a woman.
As a friend movie, it works pretty well. Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon play nicely off each other, and there are moments of very believable affection, not for any of the many men in the picture, but for each friend by the other. That they can develop and portray this relationship in front of this spy-vs-spy backdrop of a plot feels like a statement as well, and although I admire the concept, the execution leaves a bit to be desired.
I didn’t care for the violence, which seems to push past gratuitous and into sadistic, and I mean sadistic toward its audience. People come to horrific ends, almost always men and almost always after establishing some kind of rapport with the main characters. Is this also part of the big statement? If it is, there’s probably more going on here than I thought.
One very memorable scene involves our main characters, Audrey and Morgan (her name is Morgan Freeman, believe it or not), interacting with a couple of younger twenty-something women. Audrey and Morgan, probably in their early to mid thirties, are smart and funny, and they’re in the midst of a life-or-death situation with international spies.
These two younger women are vapid and giggly. Are Audrey and Morgan looking at their former selves, kind of disgusted with what they see but experienced enough to manipulate it? Or are they looking at the idea of young women in movies, nearly completely useless in a genre almost always dominated by men?
There’s something here, but my brain was too bored by the third act to try and put it all together. I don’t think it’s the fault of the actors so much as a general problem with the genre.
Oh yeah, the plot. Audrey is dumped by her boyfriend Drew. She learns from some guy she meets that Drew is a spy. Drew tells Audrey they must travel together to Vienna to turn over a certain item, but Drew is murdered. Morgan convinces Audrey that they need to fly to Vienna and complete the mission, but someone advises them to trust nobody. Violence. Comedy. Female bonding. Possible romance. Women discover they’ve got more in them than they thought. 117 minutes that could have been 93.
6/10 (IMDb rating)
61/100 (Criticker rating)
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux, Gillian Anderson. Written by Susanna Fogel and David Iserson. Directed by Susanna Fogel.
The Spy Who Dumped Me is not the first female buddy-cop flick, but in the summer of 2018, its existence and moderate success feel like a statement. I was happy to see it just to express my support for such a film, and in fact am disappointed in the title, which refers to a male character who’s pretty much not even in the movie. This is a movie about two friends, not a man who dumps a woman.
As a friend movie, it works pretty well. Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon play nicely off each other, and there are moments of very believable affection, not for any of the many men in the picture, but for each friend by the other. That they can develop and portray this relationship in front of this spy-vs-spy backdrop of a plot feels like a statement as well, and although I admire the concept, the execution leaves a bit to be desired.
I didn’t care for the violence, which seems to push past gratuitous and into sadistic, and I mean sadistic toward its audience. People come to horrific ends, almost always men and almost always after establishing some kind of rapport with the main characters. Is this also part of the big statement? If it is, there’s probably more going on here than I thought.
One very memorable scene involves our main characters, Audrey and Morgan (her name is Morgan Freeman, believe it or not), interacting with a couple of younger twenty-something women. Audrey and Morgan, probably in their early to mid thirties, are smart and funny, and they’re in the midst of a life-or-death situation with international spies.
These two younger women are vapid and giggly. Are Audrey and Morgan looking at their former selves, kind of disgusted with what they see but experienced enough to manipulate it? Or are they looking at the idea of young women in movies, nearly completely useless in a genre almost always dominated by men?
There’s something here, but my brain was too bored by the third act to try and put it all together. I don’t think it’s the fault of the actors so much as a general problem with the genre.
Oh yeah, the plot. Audrey is dumped by her boyfriend Drew. She learns from some guy she meets that Drew is a spy. Drew tells Audrey they must travel together to Vienna to turn over a certain item, but Drew is murdered. Morgan convinces Audrey that they need to fly to Vienna and complete the mission, but someone advises them to trust nobody. Violence. Comedy. Female bonding. Possible romance. Women discover they’ve got more in them than they thought. 117 minutes that could have been 93.
6/10 (IMDb rating)
61/100 (Criticker rating)
The Equalizer 2 (2018)
jeudi 4 octobre 2018
The Equalizer 2 (2018)
Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo. Written by Richard Wenk. Directed by Antoine Fuqua.
I never saw 2014’s The Equalizer, so The Equalizer 2 is completely fresh snow for me, and it’s not bad if you don’t mind your snow a little on the vindictive side.
Robert McCall is a Lyft driver in Massachusetts, where he reads a lot of books and looks after an old man in a retirement home while lecturing some of the local kids on the value of hard work or something kind of Furious-Styles-sounding. He’s something of a neighborhood vigilante, a very violent, fearless vigilante who takes on groups of young men for assaulting the young women in the neighborhood.
Someone close to McCall is murdered, and there (apparently) aren’t very many people close to McCall, so he goes after the people responsible, only he doesn’t know who these people are. At first.
Everything I feel I needed to know about McCall is covered by the fact that he’s reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me right before he destroys a train car full of very bad men. So I kind of like him even if it seems he’s got his fingers in far too many pies. Denzel in badass mode is great if he isn’t allowed to ham it up.
About those pies: the story tries to do twenty things and I would normally be annoyed or distracted or dissatisfied, but I was really just along for the ride. Yeah, the story is too busy and too involved, but okay.
Alas, the film is directed by Antoine Fuqua, and I haven’t seen all of his movies with Denzel, but I’ve seen Training Day, a film I disliked because Denzel hams it up like an Easter brunch. Thankfully, there are only a couple of offending scenes like this here, but there was a moment where I was half-certain McCall was about to proclaim at the top of his lungs that King Kong ain’t got s*** on him. I tolerated these couple of scenes because I like the rest of this film just fine.
You know what? I’m adding the first film to my Netflix DVD queue. And I’d pay to see another of these. Please, though, can we get a different director?
5/10 (IMDb rating)
50/100 (Criticker rating)
The Equalizer 2 (2018)
Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo. Written by Richard Wenk. Directed by Antoine Fuqua.
I never saw 2014’s The Equalizer, so The Equalizer 2 is completely fresh snow for me, and it’s not bad if you don’t mind your snow a little on the vindictive side.
Robert McCall is a Lyft driver in Massachusetts, where he reads a lot of books and looks after an old man in a retirement home while lecturing some of the local kids on the value of hard work or something kind of Furious-Styles-sounding. He’s something of a neighborhood vigilante, a very violent, fearless vigilante who takes on groups of young men for assaulting the young women in the neighborhood.
Someone close to McCall is murdered, and there (apparently) aren’t very many people close to McCall, so he goes after the people responsible, only he doesn’t know who these people are. At first.
Everything I feel I needed to know about McCall is covered by the fact that he’s reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me right before he destroys a train car full of very bad men. So I kind of like him even if it seems he’s got his fingers in far too many pies. Denzel in badass mode is great if he isn’t allowed to ham it up.
About those pies: the story tries to do twenty things and I would normally be annoyed or distracted or dissatisfied, but I was really just along for the ride. Yeah, the story is too busy and too involved, but okay.
Alas, the film is directed by Antoine Fuqua, and I haven’t seen all of his movies with Denzel, but I’ve seen Training Day, a film I disliked because Denzel hams it up like an Easter brunch. Thankfully, there are only a couple of offending scenes like this here, but there was a moment where I was half-certain McCall was about to proclaim at the top of his lungs that King Kong ain’t got s*** on him. I tolerated these couple of scenes because I like the rest of this film just fine.
You know what? I’m adding the first film to my Netflix DVD queue. And I’d pay to see another of these. Please, though, can we get a different director?
5/10 (IMDb rating)
50/100 (Criticker rating)
The Happytime Muders (2018)
mercredi 3 octobre 2018
The Happytime Murders (2018)
Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, Elizabeth Banks, Bill Barretta, Dorien Davies. Written by Todd Berger. Directed by Brian Henson.
Picture a world like the one in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? but instead of humans and toons, the world is cohabited by humans and puppets with serious discrimination against puppets. This is the world in which The Happytime Murders is set, only instead of some made-up town, we are right in the Los Angeles with all its glamour and sleaze.
Mostly sleaze.
And instead of playing pattycake, the characters have all manner of strange methods for pleasing each other, not to mention all manner of bodily fluids spewing everywhere.
Phil Phillips was once the first puppet in the L.A. Police Department, but an error in judgment got him fired, and now he’s a private investigator specializing in wrongs done by humans against puppets. A hard-boiled Philip Marlowe type, Phil is lonely and apparently haunted by demons we don’t discover until we’re knee-deep in the plot. And Silly String.
Some high-profile people and puppets are murdered in what appear to be related crimes, so Phil’s former chief of police deputizes Phil and assigns him to his former partner, a human played by Melissa McCarthy.
If this same movie were cast entirely with humans and no other changes, it would probably be a hard NC-17, but you can get away with a lot more when half the characters are puppets (performed by Jim Henson’s Muppets). Members of the creative team clearly asked themselves what puppets were physically capable of as well as what puppets could get away with in a movie, and pushed right up against the line.
So it’s a fun, creative, raunchy-as-heck movie and I appreciated it for these reasons. Phil is a loveable, beat-down character it’s hard not to like, and McCarthy does what she usually does very well: play crass while remaining vulnerably human. It mostly works.
Where it falls short is in its plot. It’s okay that it’s not very twisted or complicated, but it begins to get dreary and barely interesting about two-thirds of the way through, and the resolution feels strangely dark, like those Dirty Harry movies where the bad guys are dead and the good guy is alive, but yuck. You need a shower.
I discovered the day after I saw this film that I laughed a lot harder telling someone else what’s in it than I did actually watching it. It appears to be hilarious in concept and even execution while awkward or grim in performance. Or something like that.
Even now, I think about an octopus and a cow (all those arms; all those teats) and I laugh aloud. I didn’t laugh aloud when it played out in front of me.
Totally worth a free stream but I wouldn’t recommend paying movie theater prices for this. And keep the kids away!
5/10 (IMDb rating)
55/100 (Criticker rating)
The Happytime Muders (2018)
Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, Elizabeth Banks, Bill Barretta, Dorien Davies. Written by Todd Berger. Directed by Brian Henson.
Picture a world like the one in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? but instead of humans and toons, the world is cohabited by humans and puppets with serious discrimination against puppets. This is the world in which The Happytime Murders is set, only instead of some made-up town, we are right in the Los Angeles with all its glamour and sleaze.
Mostly sleaze.
And instead of playing pattycake, the characters have all manner of strange methods for pleasing each other, not to mention all manner of bodily fluids spewing everywhere.
Phil Phillips was once the first puppet in the L.A. Police Department, but an error in judgment got him fired, and now he’s a private investigator specializing in wrongs done by humans against puppets. A hard-boiled Philip Marlowe type, Phil is lonely and apparently haunted by demons we don’t discover until we’re knee-deep in the plot. And Silly String.
Some high-profile people and puppets are murdered in what appear to be related crimes, so Phil’s former chief of police deputizes Phil and assigns him to his former partner, a human played by Melissa McCarthy.
If this same movie were cast entirely with humans and no other changes, it would probably be a hard NC-17, but you can get away with a lot more when half the characters are puppets (performed by Jim Henson’s Muppets). Members of the creative team clearly asked themselves what puppets were physically capable of as well as what puppets could get away with in a movie, and pushed right up against the line.
So it’s a fun, creative, raunchy-as-heck movie and I appreciated it for these reasons. Phil is a loveable, beat-down character it’s hard not to like, and McCarthy does what she usually does very well: play crass while remaining vulnerably human. It mostly works.
Where it falls short is in its plot. It’s okay that it’s not very twisted or complicated, but it begins to get dreary and barely interesting about two-thirds of the way through, and the resolution feels strangely dark, like those Dirty Harry movies where the bad guys are dead and the good guy is alive, but yuck. You need a shower.
I discovered the day after I saw this film that I laughed a lot harder telling someone else what’s in it than I did actually watching it. It appears to be hilarious in concept and even execution while awkward or grim in performance. Or something like that.
Even now, I think about an octopus and a cow (all those arms; all those teats) and I laugh aloud. I didn’t laugh aloud when it played out in front of me.
Totally worth a free stream but I wouldn’t recommend paying movie theater prices for this. And keep the kids away!
5/10 (IMDb rating)
55/100 (Criticker rating)
White Boy Rick (2018)
lundi 1 octobre 2018
White Boy Rick (2018)
Richie Merritt, Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Bruce Dern, Piper Laurie. Written by Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, and Noah Miller. Directed by Yann Demange.
It’s difficult to know how to feel about what happens to Rick Wershe, Jr. at the end of White Boy Rick, and this makes it difficult to decide how I feel about the movie. Do we care more about justice in the eyes of the law, or justice according to a sense of right and wrong, and how do Rick’s choices stand up to either standard? If the film wants us to take a side, I can’t tell which it is.
This makes me dissatisfied with the film, which is a disappointment because I like and care about this character, and Richie Merritt as White Boy Rick does a nice job playing him. Guided by a sense that life is ripping him off but feeling empowered to do something about it, Rick is suspicious of his father’s optimistic outlook and unsure what to do about a junkie older sister whom he cares very deeply about.
Rick Sr. is a licensed gun dealer who operates outside the law. He’s a smart, principled man who may have made a few mistakes as a younger man but who tries to do right for his family now. As role models go, one could probably find a lot worse in 1980s Detroit. Rick Jr. helps his dad with the business, gaining the friendship and trust of a local drug ring. When he’s offered money by the FBI to inform on some of the neighborhood suppliers, he reluctantly accepts the gig, becoming (according to some of the film’s publicity materials) the youngest FBI informant in history at age 14.
It’s fairly easy to read Rick Sr.’s moral code, but Rick Jr.’s is still being formed. Which of his bad decisions are mere errors in judgment and which are dictated by a slightly skew sense of right and wrong? I’m okay with a movie whose position differs from mine on this, but the movie doesn’t seem to take a position, taking some of the power out of some very good performances.
I’ve heard some critics say the McConaughssance is over, but the evidence here would suggest otherwise. It’s a solid, sympathetic performance from McConaughey, and I also really like Jennifer Jason Leigh as Rick Jr.’s handler, Brian Tyree Henry (Paper Boy in the excellent FX series Atlanta) as a local Detroit police officer, and Taylour Paige as the wife of the leader of Rick Jr.’s drug-dealing friends.
This film came close to being good.
6/10 (IMDb rating)
64/100 (Criticker rating)
White Boy Rick (2018)
Richie Merritt, Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Bruce Dern, Piper Laurie. Written by Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, and Noah Miller. Directed by Yann Demange.
It’s difficult to know how to feel about what happens to Rick Wershe, Jr. at the end of White Boy Rick, and this makes it difficult to decide how I feel about the movie. Do we care more about justice in the eyes of the law, or justice according to a sense of right and wrong, and how do Rick’s choices stand up to either standard? If the film wants us to take a side, I can’t tell which it is.
This makes me dissatisfied with the film, which is a disappointment because I like and care about this character, and Richie Merritt as White Boy Rick does a nice job playing him. Guided by a sense that life is ripping him off but feeling empowered to do something about it, Rick is suspicious of his father’s optimistic outlook and unsure what to do about a junkie older sister whom he cares very deeply about.
Rick Sr. is a licensed gun dealer who operates outside the law. He’s a smart, principled man who may have made a few mistakes as a younger man but who tries to do right for his family now. As role models go, one could probably find a lot worse in 1980s Detroit. Rick Jr. helps his dad with the business, gaining the friendship and trust of a local drug ring. When he’s offered money by the FBI to inform on some of the neighborhood suppliers, he reluctantly accepts the gig, becoming (according to some of the film’s publicity materials) the youngest FBI informant in history at age 14.
It’s fairly easy to read Rick Sr.’s moral code, but Rick Jr.’s is still being formed. Which of his bad decisions are mere errors in judgment and which are dictated by a slightly skew sense of right and wrong? I’m okay with a movie whose position differs from mine on this, but the movie doesn’t seem to take a position, taking some of the power out of some very good performances.
I’ve heard some critics say the McConaughssance is over, but the evidence here would suggest otherwise. It’s a solid, sympathetic performance from McConaughey, and I also really like Jennifer Jason Leigh as Rick Jr.’s handler, Brian Tyree Henry (Paper Boy in the excellent FX series Atlanta) as a local Detroit police officer, and Taylour Paige as the wife of the leader of Rick Jr.’s drug-dealing friends.
This film came close to being good.
6/10 (IMDb rating)
64/100 (Criticker rating)
The Wife (2018)
dimanche 30 septembre 2018
The Wife (2018)
Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater. Written by Jane Anderson. Directed by Björn Runge.
At first I didn’t quite see what the critics were reporting, that Glenn Close’s performance in The Wife was sure to earn her a nomination for a Best Actress Oscar. Close is pretty much always very good, and this role of Joan Castleman didn’t seem to stretch her at all. Sure, there are some pretty fiery moments where Joan and her husband Joe Castleman argue almost to the point of throwing blows or objects, but this stuff is a cakewalk to someone of Close’s talent.
Then there’s the last act of the film, where Joan’s barely controlled fury threatens to blow everything in the room to pieces, and it’s an amazing thing to witness. She is certain to be nominated for best actress, and she’s going to be among the favorites to win.
Joe is informed in the first scene that he is this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. The movie then alternates between its present day and the early days of the Castlemans’ relationship. This is a movie about Joan’s role in Joe’s literary career, which includes the raising of two children—a well-adjusted adult daughter and a troubled adult son, who accompanies his parents to Stockholm for the awards ceremony.
It’s a pretty good story, but the reason to see it is the acting, which is excellent without being especially pyrotechnic. I was really pleased to see Christian Slater as a wanna-be biographer tailing the Castlemans despite their open dislike of him. Slater brings his slimiest best, all the sneaky, sleazy acting that made him a Gen X icon, minus the rebellious self-righteousness. I won’t be surprised if there’s some supporting actor love for him at Oscar time.
Close’s real-life daughter Annie Stark is a nice discovery as young Joan.
I’m giving it a few extra points for being a literary-themed movie, one of my admitted biases. Worth a look even if it’s not one of yours.
8/10 (IMDb rating)
80/100 (Criticker rating)
The Wife (2018)
Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater. Written by Jane Anderson. Directed by Björn Runge.
At first I didn’t quite see what the critics were reporting, that Glenn Close’s performance in The Wife was sure to earn her a nomination for a Best Actress Oscar. Close is pretty much always very good, and this role of Joan Castleman didn’t seem to stretch her at all. Sure, there are some pretty fiery moments where Joan and her husband Joe Castleman argue almost to the point of throwing blows or objects, but this stuff is a cakewalk to someone of Close’s talent.
Then there’s the last act of the film, where Joan’s barely controlled fury threatens to blow everything in the room to pieces, and it’s an amazing thing to witness. She is certain to be nominated for best actress, and she’s going to be among the favorites to win.
Joe is informed in the first scene that he is this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. The movie then alternates between its present day and the early days of the Castlemans’ relationship. This is a movie about Joan’s role in Joe’s literary career, which includes the raising of two children—a well-adjusted adult daughter and a troubled adult son, who accompanies his parents to Stockholm for the awards ceremony.
It’s a pretty good story, but the reason to see it is the acting, which is excellent without being especially pyrotechnic. I was really pleased to see Christian Slater as a wanna-be biographer tailing the Castlemans despite their open dislike of him. Slater brings his slimiest best, all the sneaky, sleazy acting that made him a Gen X icon, minus the rebellious self-righteousness. I won’t be surprised if there’s some supporting actor love for him at Oscar time.
Close’s real-life daughter Annie Stark is a nice discovery as young Joan.
I’m giving it a few extra points for being a literary-themed movie, one of my admitted biases. Worth a look even if it’s not one of yours.
8/10 (IMDb rating)
80/100 (Criticker rating)
"Murphy Brown" on CBS
vendredi 28 septembre 2018
After a 20 year break Murphy Brown returns to the CBS Fall 2018 lineup.
Most of the characters from the old FYI program come back from either retirement or other endeavors to do a morning news program on a cable network and have to contend with things like smartphones and social media. Murphy shows her flip phone to their news programs' young tech guy who have seen pictures of old flip phones but never seen one. He attempts to ask Siri on the flip phone about something but the flip phone doesn't have Siri on it.
"Murphy Brown" on CBS
Most of the characters from the old FYI program come back from either retirement or other endeavors to do a morning news program on a cable network and have to contend with things like smartphones and social media. Murphy shows her flip phone to their news programs' young tech guy who have seen pictures of old flip phones but never seen one. He attempts to ask Siri on the flip phone about something but the flip phone doesn't have Siri on it.
Juliet, Naked (2018)
jeudi 27 septembre 2018
Juliet, Naked (2018)
Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Dodds. Written by Tamara Jenkins, Jim Taylor, Phil Alden Robinson, and Evgenia Peretz (based on the novel by Nick Hornby). Directed by Jesse Peretz.
Tucker Carlson released one moderately successful album called Juliet and then disappeared. Decades later, his fans dedicate their free time to deconstructing the album and speculating on Carlson’s whereabouts in an online forum run by Duncan Thomson, a college lecturer in a small town in England. Duncan’s live-in girlfriend and the central character in Juliet, Naked is Annie Platt, the curator and director of the town’s museum.
Juliet, Naked is the title of a new release of the classic album, but stripped down to its essential vocals and acoustic guitar, perhaps demo recordings of the songs before they were recorded and mixed for the final product. It seems to appear out of nowhere, and of course the rabid fanbase is ecstatic.
Annie is less so, and when she expresses her feelings about the album, she sets into motion a weird sequence of events leading to Annie’s serious questioning about her life choices. She knows exactly how she got to where she is, but is she satisfied? Is it too late for a redo on some of it?
It would be easy to call this film a romance, and there are romantic elements here. Yet Annie’s relationship with Duncan is only part of her reflection, merely representative of many choices she never pursued or opportunities she let go. The possibility of a new relationship simply provides the catalyst for this self-evaluation.
What I love most about Juliet, Naked besides Rose Byrne’s excellent performance is how correspondence by email and in text messages with an unexpected friend forces Annie to articulate the specifics of her life and how she feels about them. Annie deconstructs her relationship, her family, her job, and her small town in what becomes essentially a journal with an audience.
When Annie is finally ready to do or not do something about where she finds herself, it isn’t because some guy walks into her life, or some other guy sees the error of his ways and redeems himself. She makes her choices because self-examination empowers her.
Ethan Hawke can be an annoying actor. I find myself demanding he prove his sincerity with every performance, even in those great sequels to Before Sunrise. Here is a film where he mostly wins me over (despite one suspiciously gratuitous piano performance), one of the best roles I’ve seen him in. Byrne has what I think of as the Emily Blunt role, which used to be the Minnie Driver role, but she does it in the sweetest, most relatable way that makes me wish she had more starring vehicles.
My only real problem with the movie is the Nick Hornby effect. I care about Annie and don’t want her mixed up with any of the men in Nick Hornby stories. Not John Cusack, not Hugh Grant, not Ethan Hawke, and certainly not Nick Hornby. None of these guys can be trusted, and I left the theater confident in Annie’s ability to deal with whatever comes her way, but I don’t want a Nick Hornby to be one of those things.
8/10 (IMDb rating)
83/100 (Criticker rating)
Juliet, Naked (2018)
Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Dodds. Written by Tamara Jenkins, Jim Taylor, Phil Alden Robinson, and Evgenia Peretz (based on the novel by Nick Hornby). Directed by Jesse Peretz.
Tucker Carlson released one moderately successful album called Juliet and then disappeared. Decades later, his fans dedicate their free time to deconstructing the album and speculating on Carlson’s whereabouts in an online forum run by Duncan Thomson, a college lecturer in a small town in England. Duncan’s live-in girlfriend and the central character in Juliet, Naked is Annie Platt, the curator and director of the town’s museum.
Juliet, Naked is the title of a new release of the classic album, but stripped down to its essential vocals and acoustic guitar, perhaps demo recordings of the songs before they were recorded and mixed for the final product. It seems to appear out of nowhere, and of course the rabid fanbase is ecstatic.
Annie is less so, and when she expresses her feelings about the album, she sets into motion a weird sequence of events leading to Annie’s serious questioning about her life choices. She knows exactly how she got to where she is, but is she satisfied? Is it too late for a redo on some of it?
It would be easy to call this film a romance, and there are romantic elements here. Yet Annie’s relationship with Duncan is only part of her reflection, merely representative of many choices she never pursued or opportunities she let go. The possibility of a new relationship simply provides the catalyst for this self-evaluation.
What I love most about Juliet, Naked besides Rose Byrne’s excellent performance is how correspondence by email and in text messages with an unexpected friend forces Annie to articulate the specifics of her life and how she feels about them. Annie deconstructs her relationship, her family, her job, and her small town in what becomes essentially a journal with an audience.
When Annie is finally ready to do or not do something about where she finds herself, it isn’t because some guy walks into her life, or some other guy sees the error of his ways and redeems himself. She makes her choices because self-examination empowers her.
Ethan Hawke can be an annoying actor. I find myself demanding he prove his sincerity with every performance, even in those great sequels to Before Sunrise. Here is a film where he mostly wins me over (despite one suspiciously gratuitous piano performance), one of the best roles I’ve seen him in. Byrne has what I think of as the Emily Blunt role, which used to be the Minnie Driver role, but she does it in the sweetest, most relatable way that makes me wish she had more starring vehicles.
My only real problem with the movie is the Nick Hornby effect. I care about Annie and don’t want her mixed up with any of the men in Nick Hornby stories. Not John Cusack, not Hugh Grant, not Ethan Hawke, and certainly not Nick Hornby. None of these guys can be trusted, and I left the theater confident in Annie’s ability to deal with whatever comes her way, but I don’t want a Nick Hornby to be one of those things.
8/10 (IMDb rating)
83/100 (Criticker rating)
The Bookshop (2018)
mardi 25 septembre 2018
The Bookshop (2018)
Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson, Honor Kneafsey, James Lance. Written by Isabel Coixet, based on the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. Directed by Isabel Coixet.
Florence Green is a middle-aged widow living in a very damp coastal English town. She opens a bookshop, despite reservations by (and condescending advice from) supposedly smarter men like her banker and her solicitor, and despite strong discouragement from Violet Gamart, an elder socialite who envisions a community arts center in the space Florence purchases for her shop.
A smart, young farm girl works for Florence after school, and the two ladies form a nice mentor-apprentice relationship. A wealthy recluse (played by Bill Nighy, one of my favorites) is one of her steadiest clients, and the bookshop seems to take hold in its little corner of this town among other residents as well, but Violet still wants her arts center.
The Bookshop is a wonderfully moody film, colored with the grayish blues and grayish grays a lot of post-WWII films set in England seem to favor. England, like the rest of the world, still feels the effects of the war, and people seem to want connections where connections may be elusive. Florence’s tenuous but intriguing connections, made through the drawing power of her bookshop, seem to bring together people who have difficulty connecting otherwise.
Like her bookshop, Florence may not belong in this place among these people, but like her bookshop, she appeals to the people who need these connections even if maybe they never realized it.
I love this movie. I love Emily Mortimer’s quirky but dignified performance as Florence, and of course I love Bill Nighy whose Edmund Brundish has all kinds of locks begging to be sprung.
I imagine this is the film people are thinking of when they say they dislike British films (it’s Spanish, but whatever). For me, it’s a desperately needed scratch of my long-neglected Merchant-Ivory itch and I can’t wait to see it again.
9/10
91/100
The Bookshop (2018)
Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson, Honor Kneafsey, James Lance. Written by Isabel Coixet, based on the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. Directed by Isabel Coixet.
Florence Green is a middle-aged widow living in a very damp coastal English town. She opens a bookshop, despite reservations by (and condescending advice from) supposedly smarter men like her banker and her solicitor, and despite strong discouragement from Violet Gamart, an elder socialite who envisions a community arts center in the space Florence purchases for her shop.
A smart, young farm girl works for Florence after school, and the two ladies form a nice mentor-apprentice relationship. A wealthy recluse (played by Bill Nighy, one of my favorites) is one of her steadiest clients, and the bookshop seems to take hold in its little corner of this town among other residents as well, but Violet still wants her arts center.
The Bookshop is a wonderfully moody film, colored with the grayish blues and grayish grays a lot of post-WWII films set in England seem to favor. England, like the rest of the world, still feels the effects of the war, and people seem to want connections where connections may be elusive. Florence’s tenuous but intriguing connections, made through the drawing power of her bookshop, seem to bring together people who have difficulty connecting otherwise.
Like her bookshop, Florence may not belong in this place among these people, but like her bookshop, she appeals to the people who need these connections even if maybe they never realized it.
I love this movie. I love Emily Mortimer’s quirky but dignified performance as Florence, and of course I love Bill Nighy whose Edmund Brundish has all kinds of locks begging to be sprung.
I imagine this is the film people are thinking of when they say they dislike British films (it’s Spanish, but whatever). For me, it’s a desperately needed scratch of my long-neglected Merchant-Ivory itch and I can’t wait to see it again.
9/10
91/100
Pepperming (2018)
lundi 24 septembre 2018
Peppermint (2018)
Jennifer Garner. Written by Chad St. John. Directed by Pierre Morel.
Riley North witnesses the horrible murder of her husband and young daughter. A crooked system lets the perpetrators get off with no punishment, so Riley disappears for a few years, showing up in time to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the murder, but this time with Jason-Bourne-like skills. And she’s not back to offer second chances.
A movie like this is pretty much review-proof. It’s Jennifer Garner in badass mode, as she was in her Alias TV program. I was aware of its terrible reviews before I went in, but whatever. It’s Jennifer Garner.
Even the bad reviews acknowledge that Garner is pretty good in it, and she is. I think only Julia Roberts among current actresses holds a screen better than Garner, and as long as the script keeps finding new ways for her to exact her revenge, I’m unlikely to find any of it boring.
I dislike the concept of a vigilante, but I do enjoy vigilante movies, and how many have female leads? Seriously, you can put Riley right up there with any of them. I like her better than Charles Bronson in Death Wish or Clint Eastwood in those westerns. I don’t care that there is nary an explanation to be found for her quickly attained super-amazing death-machine skills. I just want more Peppermint.
Predictable, formulaic, incredible? Yes, all of those. But fun, too. Sequel, please!
6/10 (IMDb rating)
63/100 (Criticker rating)
Pepperming (2018)
Jennifer Garner. Written by Chad St. John. Directed by Pierre Morel.
Riley North witnesses the horrible murder of her husband and young daughter. A crooked system lets the perpetrators get off with no punishment, so Riley disappears for a few years, showing up in time to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the murder, but this time with Jason-Bourne-like skills. And she’s not back to offer second chances.
A movie like this is pretty much review-proof. It’s Jennifer Garner in badass mode, as she was in her Alias TV program. I was aware of its terrible reviews before I went in, but whatever. It’s Jennifer Garner.
Even the bad reviews acknowledge that Garner is pretty good in it, and she is. I think only Julia Roberts among current actresses holds a screen better than Garner, and as long as the script keeps finding new ways for her to exact her revenge, I’m unlikely to find any of it boring.
I dislike the concept of a vigilante, but I do enjoy vigilante movies, and how many have female leads? Seriously, you can put Riley right up there with any of them. I like her better than Charles Bronson in Death Wish or Clint Eastwood in those westerns. I don’t care that there is nary an explanation to be found for her quickly attained super-amazing death-machine skills. I just want more Peppermint.
Predictable, formulaic, incredible? Yes, all of those. But fun, too. Sequel, please!
6/10 (IMDb rating)
63/100 (Criticker rating)
Searching (2018)
Searching (2018)
John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La. Written by Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian. Directed by Aneesh Chaganty.
Searching is the second movie I’ve seen in September 2018 that’s marketed as a thriller but is really a mystery. So if you are not thrilled by thrillers (as I am not), don’t let the trailer keep you away. There are a couple of dark episodes, but the film stays away from edge-of-your-seat suspense or immediate peril for the main character. The main character’s teenaged daughter disappears and may be dead, and very sensitive parents may wish to skip it for this reason, but even with this major plot element, the film is really not at all scary.
Some viewers, however, may find it gimmicky. The entire movie is seen on electronic screens of some sort, usually computer screens and smartphone screens. Even when we’re looking at live news reports, we see them not on television, but via streaming through a web browser. There’s a good reason for the gimmick, and although this device forces the filmmakers to resort to some unrealistic exposition by way of news reporters who say things they would never say (and televise things they would never televise), it’s worth this bit of tradeoff for the social issues they explore. In this way, Searching is not a bad partner for Eighth Grade.
Cho is David Kim, the recently widowed father of Margot, a high-achieving high-school senior. Margot disappears one night when she’s supposed to be at a study group. As police detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) and her team trace the evidence, they ask David to contact all of Margot’s friends to try and figure out where she might have gone. The more David looks, the clearer it is that he really doesn’t know his daughter.
It’s pretty cool to see Cho carry a film pretty much entirely on his own. Messing is a supporting actor at best here, and Cho is more than up to the task. The film has a few flaws best left for the viewer to discover (or not care about). I’m willing to look the other way because the story is engaging and surprisingly not preachy about the things it wishes us to consider. In my own writing, I frequently ask, “How does any of us survive childhood?” Searching proposes another side of the question I’ve honestly never considered: How does any of us survive parenthood?
7/10 (IMDb rating)
73/100 (Criticker rating)
Searching (2018)
John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La. Written by Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian. Directed by Aneesh Chaganty.
Searching is the second movie I’ve seen in September 2018 that’s marketed as a thriller but is really a mystery. So if you are not thrilled by thrillers (as I am not), don’t let the trailer keep you away. There are a couple of dark episodes, but the film stays away from edge-of-your-seat suspense or immediate peril for the main character. The main character’s teenaged daughter disappears and may be dead, and very sensitive parents may wish to skip it for this reason, but even with this major plot element, the film is really not at all scary.
Some viewers, however, may find it gimmicky. The entire movie is seen on electronic screens of some sort, usually computer screens and smartphone screens. Even when we’re looking at live news reports, we see them not on television, but via streaming through a web browser. There’s a good reason for the gimmick, and although this device forces the filmmakers to resort to some unrealistic exposition by way of news reporters who say things they would never say (and televise things they would never televise), it’s worth this bit of tradeoff for the social issues they explore. In this way, Searching is not a bad partner for Eighth Grade.
Cho is David Kim, the recently widowed father of Margot, a high-achieving high-school senior. Margot disappears one night when she’s supposed to be at a study group. As police detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) and her team trace the evidence, they ask David to contact all of Margot’s friends to try and figure out where she might have gone. The more David looks, the clearer it is that he really doesn’t know his daughter.
It’s pretty cool to see Cho carry a film pretty much entirely on his own. Messing is a supporting actor at best here, and Cho is more than up to the task. The film has a few flaws best left for the viewer to discover (or not care about). I’m willing to look the other way because the story is engaging and surprisingly not preachy about the things it wishes us to consider. In my own writing, I frequently ask, “How does any of us survive childhood?” Searching proposes another side of the question I’ve honestly never considered: How does any of us survive parenthood?
7/10 (IMDb rating)
73/100 (Criticker rating)
A Simple Favor (2018)
dimanche 23 septembre 2018
A Simple Favor (2018)
Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding. Written by Jessica Sharzer (based on the novel by Darcey Bell). Directed by Paul Feig.
A Simple Favor is being marketed as a thriller, but it’s really more of a mystery, so if you’re put off by thrillers (as I am), be assured that it’s not very scary and not very violent, and it doesn’t have edge-of-your-seat moments the way thrillers usually do.
Anna Kendrick plays Stephanie, a widowed mother who puts her name next to three jobs for her young son’s class party sign-up sheet while the other parents say mean things about her behind her back. When she’s not volunteering for class mom activities, she produces a vlog for other moms.
She meets Emily, the beautiful mother of her son’s classmate. Stephanie and Emily become friends, but for Stephanie it’s a very uneasy friendship. Emily is wealthier, more successful, and more adventurous than she is, and where Stephanie is eager to please and quick to apologize, Emily seems to disdain any attitude that doesn’t begin with oneself. She admonishes Stephanie for saying “I’m sorry,” and threatens to punch her in the face if Stephanie ever says it again.
Emily disappears a week after she befriends Stephanie, and the rest of the film involves finding out what happened to her.
It’s fun in the way a good puzzle mystery is fun, engaging all the way and difficult to predict. Every character seems at times likeable and despicable, with nice performances by Kendrick, Lively, and Henry Golding as Sean, Stephanie’s husband.
Early promo materials (including trailers) featured only Kendrick and Lively, but the success of Crazy Rich Asians, which stars Golding, had the studio releasing new promos highlighting all three principal actors. This is not meaningless: there’s no way to tell if it’s lasting, but there has already been a Crazy Rich Asians diversity effect even on films already completed before its release.
Anna Kendrick is my second-favorite actress over the past several years, so there’s a huge bias here, but if you also find her charming, you’ll want to see this film. If not, deduct a few points and see it anyway for a good two hours of engaging escapism.
79/100 (Criticker rating)
7/10 (IMDb rating)
A Simple Favor (2018)
Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding. Written by Jessica Sharzer (based on the novel by Darcey Bell). Directed by Paul Feig.
A Simple Favor is being marketed as a thriller, but it’s really more of a mystery, so if you’re put off by thrillers (as I am), be assured that it’s not very scary and not very violent, and it doesn’t have edge-of-your-seat moments the way thrillers usually do.
Anna Kendrick plays Stephanie, a widowed mother who puts her name next to three jobs for her young son’s class party sign-up sheet while the other parents say mean things about her behind her back. When she’s not volunteering for class mom activities, she produces a vlog for other moms.
She meets Emily, the beautiful mother of her son’s classmate. Stephanie and Emily become friends, but for Stephanie it’s a very uneasy friendship. Emily is wealthier, more successful, and more adventurous than she is, and where Stephanie is eager to please and quick to apologize, Emily seems to disdain any attitude that doesn’t begin with oneself. She admonishes Stephanie for saying “I’m sorry,” and threatens to punch her in the face if Stephanie ever says it again.
Emily disappears a week after she befriends Stephanie, and the rest of the film involves finding out what happened to her.
It’s fun in the way a good puzzle mystery is fun, engaging all the way and difficult to predict. Every character seems at times likeable and despicable, with nice performances by Kendrick, Lively, and Henry Golding as Sean, Stephanie’s husband.
Early promo materials (including trailers) featured only Kendrick and Lively, but the success of Crazy Rich Asians, which stars Golding, had the studio releasing new promos highlighting all three principal actors. This is not meaningless: there’s no way to tell if it’s lasting, but there has already been a Crazy Rich Asians diversity effect even on films already completed before its release.
Anna Kendrick is my second-favorite actress over the past several years, so there’s a huge bias here, but if you also find her charming, you’ll want to see this film. If not, deduct a few points and see it anyway for a good two hours of engaging escapism.
79/100 (Criticker rating)
7/10 (IMDb rating)
"American Horror Story" on FX
samedi 22 septembre 2018
I have heard about the series American Horror Story but never watched an episode until a co-worker was telling about an episode that he watched the night before to our group to past the time on a long drive thru Northern Nevada last week (9/13/18 was when the co-worker was relating his experience of the episode).
What he was watching was the 8th season opening of American Horror Story: Apocalypse which is titled The End. The episode is about the end of the civilized world due to a nuclear war. It doesn't say who started it or why but a news cast in the episode states that cities like Hong Kong, Moscow and a few other cities have already been hit with ICBM and Los Angeles (which the beginning of the episode takes place) is next.
The bulk of the episode is about the aftermath of the war and the few survivors who have taken shelter in a place that has prepared for this disaster.
The episode makes reference to the missile alert scare in Hawaii, ancestor websites and only one song that plays on and on in the bunker.
American Horror Story airs on the FX network on Wednesday nights and Spectrum does have it on Demand if you want to watch the first two episodes that have already aired as of 9/22/18.
"American Horror Story" on FX
What he was watching was the 8th season opening of American Horror Story: Apocalypse which is titled The End. The episode is about the end of the civilized world due to a nuclear war. It doesn't say who started it or why but a news cast in the episode states that cities like Hong Kong, Moscow and a few other cities have already been hit with ICBM and Los Angeles (which the beginning of the episode takes place) is next.
The bulk of the episode is about the aftermath of the war and the few survivors who have taken shelter in a place that has prepared for this disaster.
The episode makes reference to the missile alert scare in Hawaii, ancestor websites and only one song that plays on and on in the bunker.
American Horror Story airs on the FX network on Wednesday nights and Spectrum does have it on Demand if you want to watch the first two episodes that have already aired as of 9/22/18.
Hurricane Olivia
lundi 10 septembre 2018
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center has issued Tropical Storm Warnings for the counties of Maui and Hawaii and a Tropical Storm Watch for Honolulu County for Hurricane Olivia.
Hurricane Olivia
Slow
vendredi 7 septembre 2018
This forum is really slow.
Not much discussion at all.
Where has everyone gone????
Slow
Not much discussion at all.
Where has everyone gone????
Scully
jeudi 6 septembre 2018
Why weren't there any service animals on the flight? Was it because birds caused the crash?
Scully
Airport Security Trays
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/msn/t...ays/ar-BBMVl7t
I gotta stop licking those airport security trays. They look so tasty.
Airport Security Trays
I gotta stop licking those airport security trays. They look so tasty.
Stowaway Skunk found at Maui Trucking Company
As Superspy would say, "Skunk soap makes you kusai."
Stowaway Skunk found at Maui Trucking Company
2018 UH Warrior football season
dimanche 2 septembre 2018
I hadn't paid squat for attention thru the off season without even a clue who might even be our QB. then lo and behold we're into the 2nd game of the season having won the opener on the road at CSU, the first since the '80s, and then tonite while I was away on a dinner date the team takes win #2 at home against NAVY and scoring 59 points with big numbers on the ground and air! in review it looks like Cole McDonald has some goods and plenty of guts to carry most of the team on his back as they struggle on defense and gave up 41 points. next up is Rice which promises win #3 of a schedule that favors a rejuvenated UH squad. good for Rolo, the coaches, and the young men under the helmets, things are looking up!
2018 UH Warrior football season
2918 UH vs. Colorado St. College Football
mardi 28 août 2018
The run & shoot is back, baby!
2918 UH vs. Colorado St. College Football
2018 Little League World Champions from Hawaii
Right arm! Right arm!
2018 Little League World Champions from Hawaii
Hurricane Lane
mardi 21 août 2018
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) has been tracking Hurricane Lane since Saturday afternoon August 18, 2018.
As of Tuesday afternoon August 21, 2018, the county of Hawaii is under a hurricane warning while the counties of Maui and Honolulu are under a hurricane watch.
While I still have some canned food that I purchased during the Hurricane Hector a couple of weeks ago, I do need to make another supply run tonight.
Hurricane Lane
As of Tuesday afternoon August 21, 2018, the county of Hawaii is under a hurricane warning while the counties of Maui and Honolulu are under a hurricane watch.
While I still have some canned food that I purchased during the Hurricane Hector a couple of weeks ago, I do need to make another supply run tonight.
2018 Primary Election Day
samedi 11 août 2018
August 11, 2018 is the Primary Election Day in the State of Hawaii.
It has been a HawaiiThreads tradition to do a thread about the voting process for this event and to note your experiences in casting your ballot. If you already voted by absentee ballot you can relate your experience as well.
2018 Primary Election Day
It has been a HawaiiThreads tradition to do a thread about the voting process for this event and to note your experiences in casting your ballot. If you already voted by absentee ballot you can relate your experience as well.
Blindspotting (2018)
jeudi 9 août 2018
Blindspotting (2018)
Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Wayne Knight. Written by Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. Directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada.
It would take longer to describe the plot of Blindspotting than I want to take, and anything I’d write might fail to convince you to see this movie, which is what I really want. The writers (who also star) try to do a lot with this story, most of it successfully, but the accomplishment isn’t in the story; it’s in the development of these characters toward a face-off over issues so layered that it takes all these plot elements to get us ready for it.
Daveed Diggs plays Collin, a late-20s black man living in a halfway house. He has three days left on his probation after a prison sentence. For three days, he must stay completely out of trouble, but there are pitfalls all over the place in his hometown of Oakland. It’s tempting to think forces are amping up their game against him in these three days, but one gets the feeling after getting to know this man that it’s not these three days: it’s every day that a black man trying to stay clear must dodge problems.
Collin’s best friend since childhood is Miles, a white man who seems to think it necessary to prove in every waking moment that he’s as street as any of the black men and women he’s friends with. Miles doesn’t just walk the line; he takes daily steps over it, I guess because he can.
Collin’s loyalty to Miles may be wearing itself out, the way childhood friendship sometimes do, and it is the central tension in this film, but it’s only one of many tensions. Oakland is having an identity crisis as hipsters gentrify formerly decrepit neighborhoods, and its longtime residents have mixed reactions to the transformation. Police officers and black men have the problems police officers and black men have in many other American cities. And Collin can’t get his ex-girlfriend to warm up to him after his prison time.
Blindspotting has a lot to say, and it brilliantly says most of it through the lives of these characters. This is when it works. Sometimes it says it through the mouths of the characters, almost in Greek chorus-like fashion, and here is where it doesn’t quite work. I suspect there’s a cultural barrier here for me, as the characters repeatedly break out into spoken-word, freestyle verse of the sort that some call slam poetry. When it’s playful it’s cute and clever. When it’s dramatic, I have difficulty taking it seriously. And while I admire the device for its vision, creativity, and daring, it doesn’t quite click things into place the way it wants.
As a result, the film has two climaxes, one that’s amazing, moving, and beautiful, and one that’s strange, awkward, and contrived. I’m grateful for them both. A fifty percent success rate when you’re trying to do something nobody’s ever seen in a movie is tremendous.
Excellent acting and great dialogue make it worth a look all by themselves, but there’s so much more going on here, a reminder that people have a lot to say, and a reminder that film is one medium through which they can say it.
8/10 (IMDb rating)
84/100 (Criticker rating)
Blindspotting (2018)
Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Wayne Knight. Written by Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. Directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada.
It would take longer to describe the plot of Blindspotting than I want to take, and anything I’d write might fail to convince you to see this movie, which is what I really want. The writers (who also star) try to do a lot with this story, most of it successfully, but the accomplishment isn’t in the story; it’s in the development of these characters toward a face-off over issues so layered that it takes all these plot elements to get us ready for it.
Daveed Diggs plays Collin, a late-20s black man living in a halfway house. He has three days left on his probation after a prison sentence. For three days, he must stay completely out of trouble, but there are pitfalls all over the place in his hometown of Oakland. It’s tempting to think forces are amping up their game against him in these three days, but one gets the feeling after getting to know this man that it’s not these three days: it’s every day that a black man trying to stay clear must dodge problems.
Collin’s best friend since childhood is Miles, a white man who seems to think it necessary to prove in every waking moment that he’s as street as any of the black men and women he’s friends with. Miles doesn’t just walk the line; he takes daily steps over it, I guess because he can.
Collin’s loyalty to Miles may be wearing itself out, the way childhood friendship sometimes do, and it is the central tension in this film, but it’s only one of many tensions. Oakland is having an identity crisis as hipsters gentrify formerly decrepit neighborhoods, and its longtime residents have mixed reactions to the transformation. Police officers and black men have the problems police officers and black men have in many other American cities. And Collin can’t get his ex-girlfriend to warm up to him after his prison time.
Blindspotting has a lot to say, and it brilliantly says most of it through the lives of these characters. This is when it works. Sometimes it says it through the mouths of the characters, almost in Greek chorus-like fashion, and here is where it doesn’t quite work. I suspect there’s a cultural barrier here for me, as the characters repeatedly break out into spoken-word, freestyle verse of the sort that some call slam poetry. When it’s playful it’s cute and clever. When it’s dramatic, I have difficulty taking it seriously. And while I admire the device for its vision, creativity, and daring, it doesn’t quite click things into place the way it wants.
As a result, the film has two climaxes, one that’s amazing, moving, and beautiful, and one that’s strange, awkward, and contrived. I’m grateful for them both. A fifty percent success rate when you’re trying to do something nobody’s ever seen in a movie is tremendous.
Excellent acting and great dialogue make it worth a look all by themselves, but there’s so much more going on here, a reminder that people have a lot to say, and a reminder that film is one medium through which they can say it.
8/10 (IMDb rating)
84/100 (Criticker rating)
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
mardi 7 août 2018
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
Fred Rogers. Directed by Morgan Neville.
Four personal memories of Mr. Rogers’s Neighborhood, my favorite TV show for most of my early childhood.
1.
Mr. Rogers shows a short film on his in-studio framed painting, whose name is Picture Picture. Mr. Rogers challenges us to guess what’s being produced in this film. We see machines leading yarm around and around through a maze of mechanical arms, spools, and belts. Something’s taking shape but it’s impossible to tell what it is. Suddenly the process is complete, and we’ve witnessed the automated production of socks.
2.
Mr. Rogers has a leaky wooden bucket. He takes us to the house of a neighbor who’s a woodworker. She repairs the bucket. I’m not sure, but I think she does it without glue or any kind of adhesive. Before Mr. Rogers leaves, he thanks his friend and says, “This is water-tight, right?” And the neighor says, “This should be water-tight.” Mr. Rogers takes the bucket back to his place and puts water in the bucket. It’s water-tight, and I’ve learned a new phrase at five years old.
3.
I have some kind of boo-boo, something bad enough to make me cry. My family is living on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. My dad is at work; I don’t know where my sister is. My mom puts a Band-Aid on it, or kisses it, or does some kind of mom magical that makes me feel better. Then she gives me a Granny Goose Goos-Bar (it was our family’s preferred brand; I don’t remember having Otter Pops until I was almost out of elementary school, at some kind of school function) and puts me in front of the TV to watch Mr. Rogers.
4.
The kids in first and second grade liked Sesame Street. I liked Mr. Rogers. Still. None of the guys liked Mr. Rogers at all. Some of them said Mr. Rogers was gay. None of this was enough to make me change my mind. All of this is part of my first memory of being alienated from the other guys by liking something different, a state that never really went away.
Sesame Street was entertaining as heck, and I loved it. But Mr. Rogers stoked my curiosity and taught me how to ask meaningful questions, fueling a love for learning that has never left me and always made me an outsider, even at my college-prep private high school.
It’s a bit more trendy now to remember Mr. Rogers with fondness, and I want to feel good about it, but mostly I feel slightly resentful. I knew Mr. Rogers was awesome when I was three. Where were all these fans at seven and eight? I don’t need them now; I needed them then.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, a documentary by Morgan Neville (who directed the terrific 20 Feet from Stardom) is helping me get over it. I need a movie about kindness at this time when kindness in the media seems scarce, perhaps more than I needed common ground with my guy friends in the mid-1970s. I can’t pretend I’m over anything yet, but I can be reminded that kindness is a mission, that kindness is the high road, and that one of my childhood heroes looked a cynical congressman right in the eye, returned spite with kindness, and saved PBS.
For about as long as I can remember, I’ve admired rebels. See this movie and understand why.
8/10 (IMDb rating)
81/100 (Criticker rating)
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
Fred Rogers. Directed by Morgan Neville.
Four personal memories of Mr. Rogers’s Neighborhood, my favorite TV show for most of my early childhood.
1.
Mr. Rogers shows a short film on his in-studio framed painting, whose name is Picture Picture. Mr. Rogers challenges us to guess what’s being produced in this film. We see machines leading yarm around and around through a maze of mechanical arms, spools, and belts. Something’s taking shape but it’s impossible to tell what it is. Suddenly the process is complete, and we’ve witnessed the automated production of socks.
2.
Mr. Rogers has a leaky wooden bucket. He takes us to the house of a neighbor who’s a woodworker. She repairs the bucket. I’m not sure, but I think she does it without glue or any kind of adhesive. Before Mr. Rogers leaves, he thanks his friend and says, “This is water-tight, right?” And the neighor says, “This should be water-tight.” Mr. Rogers takes the bucket back to his place and puts water in the bucket. It’s water-tight, and I’ve learned a new phrase at five years old.
3.
I have some kind of boo-boo, something bad enough to make me cry. My family is living on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. My dad is at work; I don’t know where my sister is. My mom puts a Band-Aid on it, or kisses it, or does some kind of mom magical that makes me feel better. Then she gives me a Granny Goose Goos-Bar (it was our family’s preferred brand; I don’t remember having Otter Pops until I was almost out of elementary school, at some kind of school function) and puts me in front of the TV to watch Mr. Rogers.
4.
The kids in first and second grade liked Sesame Street. I liked Mr. Rogers. Still. None of the guys liked Mr. Rogers at all. Some of them said Mr. Rogers was gay. None of this was enough to make me change my mind. All of this is part of my first memory of being alienated from the other guys by liking something different, a state that never really went away.
Sesame Street was entertaining as heck, and I loved it. But Mr. Rogers stoked my curiosity and taught me how to ask meaningful questions, fueling a love for learning that has never left me and always made me an outsider, even at my college-prep private high school.
It’s a bit more trendy now to remember Mr. Rogers with fondness, and I want to feel good about it, but mostly I feel slightly resentful. I knew Mr. Rogers was awesome when I was three. Where were all these fans at seven and eight? I don’t need them now; I needed them then.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, a documentary by Morgan Neville (who directed the terrific 20 Feet from Stardom) is helping me get over it. I need a movie about kindness at this time when kindness in the media seems scarce, perhaps more than I needed common ground with my guy friends in the mid-1970s. I can’t pretend I’m over anything yet, but I can be reminded that kindness is a mission, that kindness is the high road, and that one of my childhood heroes looked a cynical congressman right in the eye, returned spite with kindness, and saved PBS.
For about as long as I can remember, I’ve admired rebels. See this movie and understand why.
8/10 (IMDb rating)
81/100 (Criticker rating)
Christopher Robin (2018)
samedi 4 août 2018
Christopher Robin (2018)
Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Brad Garrett. Written by Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder. Directed by Marc Forster.
It’s been thirty years since Christopher Robin last visited the Hundred Acre Wood, and he is sorely missed by its denizens. He’s a man now, with a career as an efficiency manager for a luggage company in post-WWII London. He has a wife and a daughter, and if he ever thinks of his friends Pooh and Piglet, you wouldn’t be able to tell.
Christopher Robin is unhappy, despite a lovely family and a good job. His job is draining him, and his sense of duty has removed the joy from his family life.
Since Christopher Robin will not visit the Hundred Acre Wood, which has always been there for him, Winnie-the-Pooh comes looking for Christopher Robin, stumbling into London through the door where they used to meet.
The rest alternates from magically, nostalgically unexpected to disappointingly cliche. By the time it becomes the latter, however, some viewers will have bought into the whole thing. That’s what happened to me. Although I wasn’t once tempted to say “Awwwwww” the way everyone in the row behind me did several times, I admit to a few teary moments. Christopher Robin is 104 minutes long, and about 80 of them are quite sad.
Ewan McGregor is perfectly cast as middle-aged Christopher Robin, reminding me at times of his wonderful Alfred Jones character in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, only not as funny. Brad Garrett seems like a no-brainer to voice Eeyore (my favorite), but he’s kind of distractingly recognizable as Brad Garrett most of the time. Young people will probably not have this issue, as Everybody Loves Raymond has been off the air for thirteen years.
Another excellent decision was to represent the animal characters based on the original drawings by E. H. Shepard in the books, rather than on the Disney cartoons that have replaced them in many of our minds. However the animators managed to put these characters on the screen, the animals seem pretty real to me throughout the film, in both their and Christopher Robin’s realities. Which is rather perfect.
Although I admit I found most of the third act disappointing, I cannot deny the emotional effect the very existence of this film had on me, an enormous fan of the books by A. A. Milne. I did not have these books read to me as a child, and I came to them rather late, beginning in sixth grade and finishing in seventh. I don’t know what drew me to them then, but I hold tightly to them today for their utter lack of cynicism, for their pureness of spirit, and their steadfast belief in the virtues of kindness, curiosity, imagination, and the specialness of certain relationships.
In a time where certain forces seem determined to erode my confidence in foundational institutions of government, religion, and culture, I’m willing to believe, at least for 104 minutes, that “wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.”
Small point deduction for not including some variation of that quote somewhere in the film.
8/10 (IMDb rating)
80/100 (Criticker rating)
Christopher Robin (2018)
Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Brad Garrett. Written by Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder. Directed by Marc Forster.
It’s been thirty years since Christopher Robin last visited the Hundred Acre Wood, and he is sorely missed by its denizens. He’s a man now, with a career as an efficiency manager for a luggage company in post-WWII London. He has a wife and a daughter, and if he ever thinks of his friends Pooh and Piglet, you wouldn’t be able to tell.
Christopher Robin is unhappy, despite a lovely family and a good job. His job is draining him, and his sense of duty has removed the joy from his family life.
Since Christopher Robin will not visit the Hundred Acre Wood, which has always been there for him, Winnie-the-Pooh comes looking for Christopher Robin, stumbling into London through the door where they used to meet.
The rest alternates from magically, nostalgically unexpected to disappointingly cliche. By the time it becomes the latter, however, some viewers will have bought into the whole thing. That’s what happened to me. Although I wasn’t once tempted to say “Awwwwww” the way everyone in the row behind me did several times, I admit to a few teary moments. Christopher Robin is 104 minutes long, and about 80 of them are quite sad.
Ewan McGregor is perfectly cast as middle-aged Christopher Robin, reminding me at times of his wonderful Alfred Jones character in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, only not as funny. Brad Garrett seems like a no-brainer to voice Eeyore (my favorite), but he’s kind of distractingly recognizable as Brad Garrett most of the time. Young people will probably not have this issue, as Everybody Loves Raymond has been off the air for thirteen years.
Another excellent decision was to represent the animal characters based on the original drawings by E. H. Shepard in the books, rather than on the Disney cartoons that have replaced them in many of our minds. However the animators managed to put these characters on the screen, the animals seem pretty real to me throughout the film, in both their and Christopher Robin’s realities. Which is rather perfect.
Although I admit I found most of the third act disappointing, I cannot deny the emotional effect the very existence of this film had on me, an enormous fan of the books by A. A. Milne. I did not have these books read to me as a child, and I came to them rather late, beginning in sixth grade and finishing in seventh. I don’t know what drew me to them then, but I hold tightly to them today for their utter lack of cynicism, for their pureness of spirit, and their steadfast belief in the virtues of kindness, curiosity, imagination, and the specialness of certain relationships.
In a time where certain forces seem determined to erode my confidence in foundational institutions of government, religion, and culture, I’m willing to believe, at least for 104 minutes, that “wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.”
Small point deduction for not including some variation of that quote somewhere in the film.
8/10 (IMDb rating)
80/100 (Criticker rating)
Aloha Poke Co. in Chicago is far from "Aloha"
jeudi 2 août 2018
OMG, I can't believe the news about Aloha Poke Co. in Chicago of all places!
From Fox News yesterday:
"Hawaiian activist Dr. Kalama O Ka Aina posted the video Saturday calling out the Chicago-based company, which was started in 2016 by Illinois-native Zach Friedlander, for reportedly sending cease and desist letters to other eateries with similar names, demanding they no longer use “aloha” or “poke” together."
What?!
Aloha Poke Co. in Chicago is far from "Aloha"
From Fox News yesterday:
"Hawaiian activist Dr. Kalama O Ka Aina posted the video Saturday calling out the Chicago-based company, which was started in 2016 by Illinois-native Zach Friedlander, for reportedly sending cease and desist letters to other eateries with similar names, demanding they no longer use “aloha” or “poke” together."
What?!
Ant-Man and the Wasp
mercredi 25 juillet 2018
Saw the movie Ant-Man and the Wasp at the Ward Theater on Tuesday night (7/25/18). It is a sequel to the movie Ant-Man as well as nods to the movies Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War.
The movie has a mixture of action, superhero, comedy on the side and your typical car chase scene in San Francisco.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
The movie has a mixture of action, superhero, comedy on the side and your typical car chase scene in San Francisco.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
lundi 23 juillet 2018
Saw the movie Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again at the Ward Theater on a Sunday afternoon (7/22/28) with a friend.
The movie is a musical comedy and a sequel to the movie Mamma Mia! which I haven't seen but my friend did see it.
The movie tells 2 similar stories set 25 years apart in the same place. It took a while for me to figure out which time period was being shown.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
The movie is a musical comedy and a sequel to the movie Mamma Mia! which I haven't seen but my friend did see it.
The movie tells 2 similar stories set 25 years apart in the same place. It took a while for me to figure out which time period was being shown.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
lundi 16 juillet 2018
My friend and I saw the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom at the Ward Theater today (7/15/18). We both have seen the pervious movie Jurassic World when it was playing in the theaters a few years ago.
In this movie the volcano on the island Isla Nublar is coming back to live and will wipe out all of the dinosaurs on the island. A group wants to save the dinosaurs and enlist the aid of Clair and Owen from the last movie to help out in the effort.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
In this movie the volcano on the island Isla Nublar is coming back to live and will wipe out all of the dinosaurs on the island. A group wants to save the dinosaurs and enlist the aid of Clair and Owen from the last movie to help out in the effort.
Heroes and Icons (H&I) channel
dimanche 8 juillet 2018
On Friday (7/6/18) after tuning to MeTV on Spectrum channel 126, I then checked the program guide to see what's playing and I noticed that on channel 125 listed some Star Trek episodes being listed, not the original series but rather Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise episodes and I had missed the Next Generation and the original series episodes that aired that day.
I took a chance and tuned in to channel 125 and was able to view with no problem (note I have Spectrum Silver). During commercial breaks the channel was identifying itself as the Heroes and Icons or H&I. Also checking its Wikipedia entry it says that H&I is a sister network of MeTV.
Like MeTV it broadcast oldies TV series, but more of the action, adventure, police drama and superhero genres and the time range of series includes the 1990's and the 2000's. As I do this post Relic Hunter is on which was aired during the 1999 to 2002 time frame.
One thing I don't know is if H&I is available over the air or not. Their website and Wikipedia's entry doesn't list Honolulu (or anyplace in the state of Hawaii) as having an affiliate broadcast site.
I also don't know where the feed from Spectrum channel 125 is coming from.
Heroes and Icons (H&I) channel
I took a chance and tuned in to channel 125 and was able to view with no problem (note I have Spectrum Silver). During commercial breaks the channel was identifying itself as the Heroes and Icons or H&I. Also checking its Wikipedia entry it says that H&I is a sister network of MeTV.
Like MeTV it broadcast oldies TV series, but more of the action, adventure, police drama and superhero genres and the time range of series includes the 1990's and the 2000's. As I do this post Relic Hunter is on which was aired during the 1999 to 2002 time frame.
One thing I don't know is if H&I is available over the air or not. Their website and Wikipedia's entry doesn't list Honolulu (or anyplace in the state of Hawaii) as having an affiliate broadcast site.
I also don't know where the feed from Spectrum channel 125 is coming from.
Avengers: Infinity War
jeudi 28 juin 2018
Saw the movie Avengers: Infinity War a second time at the Ward Theater on Tuesday (6/26/18) night.
If you have been watching the various MCU movies that deal with Infinity Stones as part of its storyline this is one that brings all six Infinity Stones in one movie and what they can do.
It is a long movie but it has a lot of characters and places to contend with. As usual there is a scene after the ending credits.
Avengers: Infinity War
If you have been watching the various MCU movies that deal with Infinity Stones as part of its storyline this is one that brings all six Infinity Stones in one movie and what they can do.
It is a long movie but it has a lot of characters and places to contend with. As usual there is a scene after the ending credits.
Incredibles 2
lundi 25 juin 2018
Saw the movie Incredibles 2 at the Ward Theater on Saturday night (6/23/18).
The start of this movie picks up at the end of The Incredibles, namely the Incredibles family having to stop the Underminer from causing havoc in the city. Of course the entire movie is not about going against the Underminer. There is a new supervillain lurking around.
Movie has a share of action and comedy as well as nods to the James Bond genre like the background music (which is done in the same style as The Incredibles), a ship like the Disco Volante from the movie Thunderball and a car inspired James Bond's car from the movie Goldfinger.
Incredibles 2
The start of this movie picks up at the end of The Incredibles, namely the Incredibles family having to stop the Underminer from causing havoc in the city. Of course the entire movie is not about going against the Underminer. There is a new supervillain lurking around.
Movie has a share of action and comedy as well as nods to the James Bond genre like the background music (which is done in the same style as The Incredibles), a ship like the Disco Volante from the movie Thunderball and a car inspired James Bond's car from the movie Goldfinger.
lava / Puna owners get free land?
jeudi 14 juin 2018
I was curious how special those who are now homeless having built / owned on cheaper volcanic land would be handled vs the poor homeless and here it is, a land giveaway rewarding those better off financially for risky choices while the rest can just stay in their homeless camp squalor. http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/3...aced-residents
lava / Puna owners get free land?
Pulse of the People
mercredi 6 juin 2018
Aloha everyone, I am just looking around to check the pulse of the people. I am Terrence Teruya and I am running for Governor. teruyaforgovernor.com I am checking around to see if there is agreement with my platform or push back, I don't see anything positive so I think I am on the right track.
Thank you everyone for your understanding and I hope to be a better alternative than the same o same o machine. Mahalo
Pulse of the People
Thank you everyone for your understanding and I hope to be a better alternative than the same o same o machine. Mahalo
Zoysia grass
lundi 30 avril 2018
I've heard good things about Zoysia grass.
Chokes out weeds and other grasses.
Need little watering.
Strong.
Needs little cutting. :)
Grows well in shade.
Is it that good???
Bad part is that it is expensive.:mad:
Best place to buy some????
Zoysia grass
Chokes out weeds and other grasses.
Need little watering.
Strong.
Needs little cutting. :)
Grows well in shade.
Is it that good???
Bad part is that it is expensive.:mad:
Best place to buy some????
now that we can see the end coming...
jeudi 19 avril 2018
...and boy, it sure didn't take long, can we see trump surviving til the Happy Holidays?
I can't see how in some manner his tenure will not succumb to the exponentially mounting pressures, especially now that Avenatti has Daniels ready to tweet bait him into every horrible foot-shooting scenario possible re the defamation suit probability. but be it his mental frailness or a republican coup, there's little hope in most views that he can hold out for another 6 mos in the face of this historic meltdown. if it goes so far certainly November will be a month of increasing insanity, culminating with what could be a dramatic shift in Congressional seats, should only The House be taken by Dems it will be another crushing defeat which cinches the rope he's put around his own neck even tighter. then, if The Senate goes as well, oh boy, all that's left is for the fat lady to leave the building and start building the scaffold. to think that just as many predicted when he fell backwards into the Oval Office, this buffoonish mega grifter has done it all to himself, and done so in the grandiose style he's wrapped himself in his whole life. only this time, completely legitimately.
now that we can see the end coming...
I can't see how in some manner his tenure will not succumb to the exponentially mounting pressures, especially now that Avenatti has Daniels ready to tweet bait him into every horrible foot-shooting scenario possible re the defamation suit probability. but be it his mental frailness or a republican coup, there's little hope in most views that he can hold out for another 6 mos in the face of this historic meltdown. if it goes so far certainly November will be a month of increasing insanity, culminating with what could be a dramatic shift in Congressional seats, should only The House be taken by Dems it will be another crushing defeat which cinches the rope he's put around his own neck even tighter. then, if The Senate goes as well, oh boy, all that's left is for the fat lady to leave the building and start building the scaffold. to think that just as many predicted when he fell backwards into the Oval Office, this buffoonish mega grifter has done it all to himself, and done so in the grandiose style he's wrapped himself in his whole life. only this time, completely legitimately.
Talkin' 'bout the weather...
mardi 17 avril 2018
This is the wettest winter/spring I can remember, ever. I wasn't here for 1974, and there have been flash floods often since, but this? :eek:
Even worse than the 40 days and 40 nights of rain in March 2006.
Kuliouou flash flooding, Waimanalo flooding, Hanalei area literally a muddy lake - for the second time in recent months.
I guess we no longer have to worry about the sinking water table.
http://strangesounds.org/2018/04/mud...-shelters.html
Talkin' 'bout the weather...
Even worse than the 40 days and 40 nights of rain in March 2006.
Kuliouou flash flooding, Waimanalo flooding, Hanalei area literally a muddy lake - for the second time in recent months.
I guess we no longer have to worry about the sinking water table.
http://strangesounds.org/2018/04/mud...-shelters.html
RIP - Art Bell, Coast to Coast AM
samedi 14 avril 2018
It was announced tonight on Coast to Coast AM that founding host of the program, Art Bell died tonight at the age of 72. Accolades poured in during tonight's Coast to Coast AM show on air with George Noorey who replaced Bell in 2002.
Early news from Las Vegas Review Journal
https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/...ll-dies-at-72/
Bell died in Parump NV, where he used to broadcast his show.
RIP - Art Bell, Coast to Coast AM
Early news from Las Vegas Review Journal
https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/...ll-dies-at-72/
Bell died in Parump NV, where he used to broadcast his show.
Hawai‘i Governor’s Race
jeudi 29 mars 2018
At one time, it was unheard of for ANY fellow Democrat to challenge a sitting governor. But David Ige used unconventional campaign tactics to break tradition in 2014 — by running against, and defeating — Neil Abercrombie.
Now, after numerous scandals have rocked the foundation of state government, the shoe is on the other foot. Seizing the moment — several big names have entered the 2018 race for Governor.
Who will you cast your ballot for this year? :confused:
Hawai‘i Governor’s Race
Now, after numerous scandals have rocked the foundation of state government, the shoe is on the other foot. Seizing the moment — several big names have entered the 2018 race for Governor.
Who will you cast your ballot for this year? :confused:
Isn't construction actually good?
lundi 5 mars 2018
Don't get me wrong, I miss the way (Oahu) Hawaii used to be. In the last 10+ years, the construction boom have just gone wild. I get the resentment. How the state bird is the steel crane. Hawaii is a special place and I would be a person that would tell people that you can "feel" the spirit of the aina.
Anyhow, but isn't construction a good thing? For some, for many? Doesn't it create jobs? $$$ in the economy? True, not everything is about money. But it is for the local guy that need to feed his family and afford his house.
Those who hate development have a louder voice. Those who benefit from it often remain quiet. Why is that? Is it because it's not PC?
The (sad) thing is we can not turn back time.
What do you think? Is this a legit point?
Isn't construction actually good?
Anyhow, but isn't construction a good thing? For some, for many? Doesn't it create jobs? $$$ in the economy? True, not everything is about money. But it is for the local guy that need to feed his family and afford his house.
Those who hate development have a louder voice. Those who benefit from it often remain quiet. Why is that? Is it because it's not PC?
The (sad) thing is we can not turn back time.
What do you think? Is this a legit point?
Tom, Prince, sad overdoses
dimanche 21 janvier 2018
I happened across this video that includes both Tom Petty and Prince performing a tribute to George Harrison.
It is a great clip, but brings a mixture of enjoyment of the music and sadness about the people. George Harrison passing was such a loss to the music world. And now there it the awful link between Tom Petty and Prince that they both died of drug overdoses, of which misuse of Fentanyl contributed. That drug has its place in pain management (cancer, etc), but it can be so deadly if misused or combined incorrectly.
The video is great. Watch till the end when Prince takes charge of his guitar!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y
Tom, Prince, sad overdoses
It is a great clip, but brings a mixture of enjoyment of the music and sadness about the people. George Harrison passing was such a loss to the music world. And now there it the awful link between Tom Petty and Prince that they both died of drug overdoses, of which misuse of Fentanyl contributed. That drug has its place in pain management (cancer, etc), but it can be so deadly if misused or combined incorrectly.
The video is great. Watch till the end when Prince takes charge of his guitar!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y
Missile attack on Hawai‘i!
samedi 13 janvier 2018
I received this message today from Hawai‘i Civil Defense.
Someone is in a lot of trouble right now!
Missile attack on Hawai‘i!
Someone is in a lot of trouble right now!
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