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August 25, 2022

Reel Time with Tom

Movies 2019 year to date

A combination of a publication break and some personal travel plans conspired to keep me away from the movie theater in time for this edition of the Sun Day. So, I thought I would take an early look at the year in movies so far.

Judy – a walk down the yellow brick road to an Oscar

Judy Garland died in 1969 when she was only 47 years old, a victim of the pills and alcohol she used constantly during her tumultuous life. And while she is gone, her memory will be with us forever, as generation after generation watch her walk down the yellow brick road, accompanied by her strange assortment of friends and her little dog Toto.

Ad Astra — outer space, country music and the Oscar watch begins

The review of Ad Asta starts a little further down.  First and foremost I need to tell you about the greatest piece of entertainment I have ever seen, hands down, or thumbs up whichever you prefer. I am talking about the PBS TV production of Country Music, an eight part series produced by Ken Burns. I’m not necessarily a country music fan, but this historical look at the beginning and evolution of that genre, absolutely mesmerized me. 

Downton Abbey – splendiferous

If you are a Downton Abbey fan this movie is a must see. When it ended the audience (almost a full house) applauded and cheered. On the way out the “buzz” exceeded that of any movie I can recall. And rightly so; the total production was amazing from beginning to end.

Where’d You Go Bernadette – a long trip

Thanks to one of our “email” readers, Dianne Morton who lives in Virginia. She tipped me off about this movie, as I had not heard about it. A little research suggested it might be worth our time, and as it turned out it most certainly was.

The Art of Racing in the Rain — proves that dogs are great!!

Before proceeding with the story line I have a timely comment. “Dogs are a connection. Dogs are a beacon of loyalty and family. Dogs are a man’s best friend. How could you not love dogs?

Yesterday — a musical treat

This movie has been in the theaters for a while, and certainly some of you may have seen it. I prefer to write about new releases, but as my editor Kelsey O’Kelley put it “I feel that August is one of the months where no good movies come out.” You’re right Kelsey, at least so far, so I chose to “reach back” for this edition.

The Lion King — all I can say is WOW

The sold out theater erupted into applause as this incredible movie came to an end. I don’t know if it was the spectacular settings and background, the animation (which is the best I have seen) or the musical score featuring Beyonce. In all likelihood, it was a combination of the three.

Spider-Man: Far From Home: Ho-hum

This is the umpteenth sequel for this franchise, the original with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst still ranks as the best of the lot, heads and shoulders above this one for sure. Spiderman fans will agree that Tom Holland makes an excellent Peter Parker, just on his good looks alone. However, even he can’t score with a less than mediocre script despite the support of an all- star cast.

Toy Story 4: Movie ok, ice cream much better

This is the third Toy Story sequel, and as usual, Pixar and Disney join hands providing us with another amazing production.

Shazam – stay home

The Hollywood studios grind out super hero movies as fast as they can. And why not, regardless of the quality or content they gross tons of money, sometimes from curiosity seekers but mostly the younger generation who fall for these irrespective of any reasonable standards. As long as they are full of special effects and a modicum of a plot, they’re good to go.

Dumbo – a Disney spectacular

I highly recommend this film. I think most of you will find it entertaining, as well as exciting. Be warned however, you will pay twice to see this one. First, of course, at the box office, and secondly sitting through twenty seven minutes (count em) of previews of upcoming children’s movies, all animated and all terrible.

Captain Marvel — a discombobulated disaster

I dug deep, did tons of research, called around, and finally determined that the five people who were involved in writing and creating this story were all in some sort of hallucinatory state as they put this together. What other answer could there be for the mind-bending trip this movie leads you on?

Green Book – a film of absolutes

I will begin by telling you Green Book impacted me more than anything I have seen since Darkest Hour (December 2017). I should have gone to see this movie when it was released last November and I’m sorry I didn’t.

Isn’t it Romantic — maybe, maybe not

Quoting from the February 11 edition of the Chicago Tribune, “Hollywood’s 2019 has gotten off to such a bad beginning that the movie’s tagline of ‘Everything is not awesome’ is looking more like accurate industry analysis.” I WONDER WHY?

If Beale Street Could Talk — exceptional acting

James Baldwin’s 1974 novel, If

Beale Street Could Talk, is brought to the screen in an extraordinary adaptation by director Barry Jenkins. The story is set in Harlem in the 1970s and tells the story of two young lovers played by Kiki Layne (Tish) and Stephan James (Fonny). Friends from early childhood their relationship evolves into an enduring and everlasting one.

A new year potpurri

First a belated Happy New Year to my friends at the fitness center, Ed, Bernie, Tony and Russ, I hope to get back soon.

It’s been a few weeks since we published, so there is a little catching up to do.

A look back at the year in movies

Last year there was a plethora of good or great films hitting the theaters around this time of year. Some of the best included The Man Who Invented Christmas, The Post, The Darkest Hour, and The Greatest Showman. Included in that time frame was The Shape of Water, undoubtedly one of the five worst films in history, and of course it won the Oscar for best movie.

Instant Family, instant watch

I arrived at the theater, settled into my seat with a box of Sno-Caps (a movie is not a movie without them), looked around, and there were five people in attendance. Why so few? Well maybe it was the time, 7:20; maybe it was the venue, AMC Lake in the Hills; maybe it was the weather, cold and miserable; maybe it was the day, a Thursday, or maybe it was the genre, Comedy/ Drama. Or maybe it was the subject matter, a realistic look at the Foster Care system.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web — not up to expectations

Swedish author Stieg Larsson died in November 2004. It took several years for his phenomenally successful trilogy about an unusual young woman named Lisbeth Salander to be published. The books sold 60 million copies posthumously. Lisbeth became an icon to those of us who could not put those books down. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire, and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, were made into films and went on to gross over $700 million worldwide.

Robert Redford, where are you?

A potato farmer hired a young man to help him with the harvest.  After dumping a truckload of potatoes in the barn, he asked him to sort them into three piles, one for large, one for medium sized and the third for smaller ones. The lad said, “fine, that shouldn’t be too hard.” After an hour or so the farmer decided to check back and see how the new helper was doing. He walked into the barn and found him curled up in a fetal position on the floor. Angered at the scene he found, the farmer spoke harshly to the young man, “what’s going on, I thought you said this job shouldn’t be too hard.” “The work isn’t too hard he replied, it’s those decisions that are killing me.”

Double feature — mixed results

Outside of family events, there are a handful of dates that are indelibly stamped in most of our memories. December 7, 1941, November 22, 1963, September 11, 2001, and the date this story is about, July 20, 1969. And what an incredible day it was: we won the space race to the moon. The world watched in awe as Neil Armstrong stepped off the lunar module onto the surface and uttered one of the most famous lines in history, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The Wife: Stay home

This gets one star only because of Glen Close, who gives us an Oscar worthy performance as the wife, lost in the throes of a forty year marriage slowly going astray. This might have been a two star movie because of the fine acting all around, but the profanity blew the story out the door for us.

Searching – a technical marvel

Written and directed by Aneesh Chaganty, the movie uses a decidedly different technique to present its story. Ninety percent of the film is seen on computer screens, as the principals use Facetime to communicate. If you’re not accustomed to spending time on your laptop, this may become a little more than you want to deal with, as Google searches, emails, texts, and Facebook pages are intermingled with computer screen conversations. The technology used is well past anything I am familiar with, but is fascinating to watch.

Operation Finale: 4 star story, 2 star movie

The Oxford Dictionary defines Despot as “A ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.” Adolph Hitler was such a person, and he spawned a number of others, including Adolph Eichmann, the mastermind of the holocaust, which was referred to by the Nazi’s, as “the final solution.” The horrors they unleashed on the world, the extermination of 6 million Jews, and after joining forces with the Japanese, sixty million war victims worldwide, will never be fully reconciled, until the end of time.

Crazy Rich Asians: a perfect title

I was not overwhelmed with this movie, although it was different and did have some moments. On my way out of the theater however, I talked to eight or ten others, all of whom gave it a hearty thumbs up. I will say this as an endorsement; no one got shot or killed, and there were no high-speed car chases. Tom Cruise would have been lost in this one, but then he’s not Asian.