Because this is a true story that happened years ago, there are no real spoiler alerts. You can find out about Stephen Hawking's life on Wikipedia, but this shows you how it really was.
The movie basically begins with the meeting of Stephen Hawking (the brilliant Eddie Redmayne) and Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), without too much background information on either of them. He's pursuing a doctorate of physics while she studies away at the romantic languages, hoping to do her thesis on the Iberian Peninsula. They meet and sure, it's a little awkward at first, especially since he's an atheist and she's religious, but it is a good relationship, only to be ruined by his devastating diagnosis of motor neuron disease, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease or ALS. He's given a short life-span of just two more years and does his best to push Jane away though she doesn't. Even the devastated look on her face when he struggles to play coquette, stumbling over his own two feet. But she refuses to give up, not caring that it might be limited, their time together and soon, the two are married but foolishly buy a two-story house with stairs that become his worst enemy. His condition deteriorates enough for him to have a wheelchair, though he insists that it is only temporary and then an electric wheelchair and his speech becomes worse, more muddled and harder to understand. Though Jane believes herself to be a strong person and she is, but she also feels that the children are missing out on having a real father which they sort of are. (Yes, he is able to have children despite losing control of most of his muscles, that one remains unaffected.) Her mother (Emily Watson) insists that Jane join the church choir, which she does, even though that means for an hour a week, she will be out of the house. There, she meets Jonathan (Charlie Cox), who knows what it is like to care for someone. His late wife died from leukemia. He becomes a caregiver and active surrogate father for Robert and Lucy. It is soon obvious that he and Jane have feelings for each other that when Jane has her and Stephen's third child, Timothy, Stephen's mother (Abigail Cruttenden) wonders out loud if it is really Stephen's child. Jonathan does try and keep his distance though Stephen is perfectly okay with him spending time with the family.
Jane faces yet another challenge when Stephen becomes deathly ill while overseas. She refuses to unhook the ventilator and is convinced that he will survive the trip back to England, which he does, much to the doctor's surprise. However, his survival comes at a cost, he can no longer speak. He struggles with the letter chart though, fortunately, Jane finds an excellent speech therapist, Elaine (Maxine Peake) who can actually get through to him. Elaine is even able to find a crude computer-type machine that allows him to talk again. Sort of. However, instead of being super amazed by the machine, Jane is horrified when the voice sounds American.
The ending is sort of sad. Stephen decides to bring Elaine on a trip to America and Jane is upset because he didn't even tell her about it. He has made his choice though it does break his heart. He is freeing Jane to be with Jonathan, which does happen. But he honors her with a visit with the Queen and Jane is thrilled that she had that honor, even if he refuses the knighthood. Never have the words, as he glazes out on his children, "Look what we made," have had a bigger impact, nearly bringing tears to my eyes.
Though the film is pretty straight-forward, almost making the most difficult physics understandable to the average person, it seems almost trite. I kept comparing this to A Beautiful Mind, though Hawking is so different from John Nash. Hawking is intelligent and kind-hearted and has a physical ailment while Nash was super cocky and his ailment was all in his head. Yet, the performances are amazing. Redmayne has spent months researching this role and it shows, it feels like you are actually watching the real Hawking on the screen. Jones is also great in the understated role of the wife with looks that show what she is thinking. They could both win Oscars and they would both be deserved. However, lots are comparing Redmayne's performance to the one of Daniel Day-Lewis's in My Left Foot, and though Redmayne is utterly brilliant, with every muscle twitch done to perfection, Day-Lewis was better in a better, grittier film. (If you want to watch good Redmayne film, I recommend 2011's My Week with Marilyn, forget about 2012's Les Miserables as he was forgettable in that one.) That is not to undermind Redmayne's brilliance. Honestly, I didn't think he was capable of the gravitas needed to pull off this performance, but he does that and then some. It is truly heart-breaking when he struggles to feed himself when Jane throws a dinner party to celebrate him getting his doctorate and then the desperate climb up the stairs while little Robert looks on behind the gate as Stephen can't finish his climb. He gets the choking and gagging scenes correct and Jones is fabulous, fully prepared to pass little Lucy to her mother-in-law as she slaps him on the back so he doesn't choke. Another scene of note is when she gives him baby Lucy to hold, the gestures of how difficult is was for her to let him hold the baby, so that he can support Lucy's head is remarkable. They both deliver completely natural performances. That is the reason to watch the film.
Also interesting to note, Emily Watson, underused in both the film and Hollywood in general, delivered a similar type performance in the good 1998 film Hilary and Jackie where she plays a brilliant cellist who is diagnosed with MS, a fight which she eventually loses. She didn't win the Oscar that year, though she should have.
This film, in addition to the memorable performances, does have great costuming and cinematography, though I don't think they aged Jane properly, but whatever, I know I'm being super nit-picky but, I think I'm becoming harder to please. This is a romantic film, which I love, but the main couple, who you are rooting for from the very start of the film, don't last. Jane couldn't do it anymore, though she loved him and did her best. Stephen marries Elaine and she marries Jonathan, though the two remain friends. And Stephen lived a lot longer than the two years he was predicted, as he is still alive today, fifty years after his initial diagnosis and he is still at work, trying to prove his theories. He has truly lived an amazing, wonderful life. Grade: A-
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, November 22, 2014
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One
As if I couldn't hate Jennifer Lawrence any more than I already do, I managed to find more hate. (Sarcasm, of course.) She can sing. I mean, she's not going to be the next Carrie Underwood or Ariana Grande, but her singing is more than acceptable.
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is in District 13, which managed to survive by hiding underground but she is confused and wants Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) back. But the President of District 13, Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) needs her to rally the remaining districts to rebel against the Capitol and the nasty Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland), great first name, by the way. She is reluctant to at first, until Coin gives in to her demands, which include rescuing the other victors, in addition to Peeta, this includes Johanna (Jena Malone) and Finnick's (Sam Clafin's) girlfriend, Annie (Stef Dawson). Plus, her sister, Prim (Willow Shields) gets to keep her old cat Buttercup, in an area where cats aren't allowed. After some hesitation, Coin gives in and Katniss begins her mission, including exploring the heavily bombed District 8, where the long forgotten baby issue is brought up again. At the makeshift hospital, where Katniss promises she will fight for them, one woman asks her what about the baby, and Katniss even manages to look sad as she says that she lost it. Of course, she was never pregnant in the first place, and if she was, it is perfectly plausible that she would miscarry after everything her body went through in Catching Fire. But Snow finds about Katniss's visit and bombs the hospital, leaving Katniss furious and completely on the side of rebellion. Beadie (Jeffrey Wright) has even figured out a way to get the messages through to the districts which is good. However, Peeta is being used as a sort of pawn, urging the fighting to stop altogether. Too many people will die, on both sides if this continues. Guess what? He's right. The Peacekeepers kill many, but the people, despite being suppressed and overworked, fight right back, bombing the Peacekeepers and breaking a damn which makes the electricity in the capitol go out, which means that the long-awaited rescue mission for the victors can begin.
Gale (Liam Hemsworth), naturally, joins the fight. He is by Katniss's side every step of the way, and is one of the soldiers who goes on the mission to rescue the victors while Katniss tries to distract Snow and Finnick broadcasts the deep, dark secrets of how Snow has remained President for so long. The secret? Poison.
Gale returns, and doesn't understand why even if Snow knew they were there, he did nothing to stop them. Johanna is fine, despite a shaved head and Annie is fine but Peeta, though he looked better than I thought, something is wrong as he immediately attacks Katniss and nearly succeeds in choking her. I thought the film would end there, but it doesn't, lucky for us. Plutarch (Philip Seymour Hoffman) explains that Peeta had been drugged, using Tracker Jackets and his memories have been compromised. They probably planted false ones in there, erasing his true memories, meaning he now sees Katniss as an enemy.
Though Coin declares this a victory and Panam will be next, Katniss, unable to speak thanks to her injuries and the neck brace, sees Peeta in his own room, restrained, banging himself against the edge of the bed while Katniss watches, distressed.
This film is pretty good, not as good as the first two, but good nevertheless. However, it felt incredibly long despite being nearly half an hour shorter than the first two. Still, the acting is brilliant, with Lawrence turning in another top notch performance and Hutcherson is great in this smaller role, trying, in vain, to get Katniss to think for herself. The cinematography is haunting, and editing flawless and the scenery brilliant, so when it is destroyed, it is truly devastating.
Even the new cast additions are great, in addition to an always spectacular Moore, Patina Miller and Natalie Dormer are great, more great roles for strong female characters.
Harrelson and Tucci continue to be great in their limited roles. However, sure Katniss is still strong, but her heart is battling between two guys and she needs to pick one of them. While I want this to happen, she is strong enough not to need a man, though her character proves differently. I want to pick neither of them, choosing to be by herself, at least for now. And Peeta is right. She is being used by District 13 as a means to an end, but she does believe in the cause. Of course, she does things in her own way, refusing to perform on demand. Grade: B+
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is in District 13, which managed to survive by hiding underground but she is confused and wants Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) back. But the President of District 13, Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) needs her to rally the remaining districts to rebel against the Capitol and the nasty Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland), great first name, by the way. She is reluctant to at first, until Coin gives in to her demands, which include rescuing the other victors, in addition to Peeta, this includes Johanna (Jena Malone) and Finnick's (Sam Clafin's) girlfriend, Annie (Stef Dawson). Plus, her sister, Prim (Willow Shields) gets to keep her old cat Buttercup, in an area where cats aren't allowed. After some hesitation, Coin gives in and Katniss begins her mission, including exploring the heavily bombed District 8, where the long forgotten baby issue is brought up again. At the makeshift hospital, where Katniss promises she will fight for them, one woman asks her what about the baby, and Katniss even manages to look sad as she says that she lost it. Of course, she was never pregnant in the first place, and if she was, it is perfectly plausible that she would miscarry after everything her body went through in Catching Fire. But Snow finds about Katniss's visit and bombs the hospital, leaving Katniss furious and completely on the side of rebellion. Beadie (Jeffrey Wright) has even figured out a way to get the messages through to the districts which is good. However, Peeta is being used as a sort of pawn, urging the fighting to stop altogether. Too many people will die, on both sides if this continues. Guess what? He's right. The Peacekeepers kill many, but the people, despite being suppressed and overworked, fight right back, bombing the Peacekeepers and breaking a damn which makes the electricity in the capitol go out, which means that the long-awaited rescue mission for the victors can begin.
Gale (Liam Hemsworth), naturally, joins the fight. He is by Katniss's side every step of the way, and is one of the soldiers who goes on the mission to rescue the victors while Katniss tries to distract Snow and Finnick broadcasts the deep, dark secrets of how Snow has remained President for so long. The secret? Poison.
Gale returns, and doesn't understand why even if Snow knew they were there, he did nothing to stop them. Johanna is fine, despite a shaved head and Annie is fine but Peeta, though he looked better than I thought, something is wrong as he immediately attacks Katniss and nearly succeeds in choking her. I thought the film would end there, but it doesn't, lucky for us. Plutarch (Philip Seymour Hoffman) explains that Peeta had been drugged, using Tracker Jackets and his memories have been compromised. They probably planted false ones in there, erasing his true memories, meaning he now sees Katniss as an enemy.
Though Coin declares this a victory and Panam will be next, Katniss, unable to speak thanks to her injuries and the neck brace, sees Peeta in his own room, restrained, banging himself against the edge of the bed while Katniss watches, distressed.
This film is pretty good, not as good as the first two, but good nevertheless. However, it felt incredibly long despite being nearly half an hour shorter than the first two. Still, the acting is brilliant, with Lawrence turning in another top notch performance and Hutcherson is great in this smaller role, trying, in vain, to get Katniss to think for herself. The cinematography is haunting, and editing flawless and the scenery brilliant, so when it is destroyed, it is truly devastating.
Even the new cast additions are great, in addition to an always spectacular Moore, Patina Miller and Natalie Dormer are great, more great roles for strong female characters.
Harrelson and Tucci continue to be great in their limited roles. However, sure Katniss is still strong, but her heart is battling between two guys and she needs to pick one of them. While I want this to happen, she is strong enough not to need a man, though her character proves differently. I want to pick neither of them, choosing to be by herself, at least for now. And Peeta is right. She is being used by District 13 as a means to an end, but she does believe in the cause. Of course, she does things in her own way, refusing to perform on demand. Grade: B+
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
The Middle: Thanksgiving IV
Thanksgiving has arrived and once again, this spells disaster for the Hecks.
Because of the conditions of the Heck house, including the tiny table and no sink, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) decides to have the dinner at a restaurant. Sue (Eden Sher) isn't pleased to hear this but she is more concerned with Mike (Neil Flynn) not liking Darrin (John Gammon). This only gets worse as the meal continues.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) is finally forced to give Devin Levin (Gina Mantegna) a ride home from college. It's a complete set-up from Frankie but apparently Devin Levin is distantly related to Frankie's garage hairdresser. He is furious at first, though his disappointment soon sort of fades. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is also bringing Cindy (Casey Burke) whose weirdness is cemented in this episode. Yes, its a Thanksgiving to remember.
First, there is a line at the restaurant and Sue tries to warn Darrin to step it up a notch to impress Mike. Cindy mentions that she would like the stuffed flounder inside the toy machine. Brick spends all of his allowance and birthday money to try to win it for her. She grows bored and leaves to eat. She gets a large wedge of cheese and when asked how it is, she mentions that she's had better. Things turn from bad to worse when Darrin eats the last of the turkey and though he later offers it to Mike, Mike promptly replies that he's fine. Things even seem to be going well between Devin Levin and Axl, as she loves the Colts and even can beat him at sugar packet ball, forcing him to drink some dirty turkey water. And there is so much food, Axl probably eats too much.
But this is the Hecks, and the smoke detector goes off, and, just as Brick finally gets his claw on that flounder, the electricity goes out. This means that everyone in the restaurant must go outside into the snow. Mike tells Darrin that he won't like anyone who tries to take his little girl away from him. But he is pleased when Darrin says that he will try and be better. Frankie has already her traditional speech on how everyone should be grateful that they have so much while others have so little. She is wondering if she does actually have anything to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, Mike throws a snowball at her which launches a huge snowball fight. She is happy again, Mike is happy. All is well, for now.
Sure, the Devin Levin plot and flashbacks come out of nowhere, but I have been asking for them to give Axl another love interest, and Devin does have potential but she is too smart for him, seeing right through his crap, leaving him hanging at the end. I doubt we will see her again. But Sue and Darrin are still going strong, and they are my absolute favorites. Cindy, on the other, completely forgets about the flounder, leaving Brick stinging.
Sure, this was also an odd Thanksgiving for the Hecks, as they don't have any family members over, which makes me sad because they have some great, funny characters on both sides of the family. There are tons of funny moments in this episode, without a doubt the funniest so far this season. Of course, the acting remains top notch, and Mike has his fair share of great looks in this episode. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Devin Levin is comfortable in her own skin, changing her clothes in the car, eating Funions, talking sports with Mike and can cook anything on a hot plate, including Brownies.
-Axl first tells her that he has a girlfriend, but later tries to recant that by saying that he got a text over dinner saying that she died, but it wasn't sudden, as she was in a coma. He leans in for a kiss, but she is just reaching over for her basketball bag.
-The actress who plays Devin was made famous in the decent and surprisingly touching Christmas movie, Unaccompanied Minors. Just thought you guys might like to know that.
-When Darrin grabs the last piece of turkey, Mike is right behind him and the waiter tells him that there is no more turkey, Darrin merely says, tough break.
-In order to get Mike to like him, Darrin tells the staff that today is Mike's birthday, which is the worst thing he could have done. Mike hates being the center of attention. He takes the candle on the cake and instead of blowing it out, he sticks it in the cake, leaving the staff stunned.
-When Mike wants to know who is at fault, Sue, Axl and Frankie immediately finger point to Darrin.
-Darrin puts ranch dressing on his turkey leg and then tries to wash it in his water jug before giving it to Mike. Disgusting.
-Cindy says that her parents will pick her up when they get back Kentucky. Yikes.
-Brick never does join the family for dinner, getting served his drinks at the toy machine.
Because of the conditions of the Heck house, including the tiny table and no sink, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) decides to have the dinner at a restaurant. Sue (Eden Sher) isn't pleased to hear this but she is more concerned with Mike (Neil Flynn) not liking Darrin (John Gammon). This only gets worse as the meal continues.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) is finally forced to give Devin Levin (Gina Mantegna) a ride home from college. It's a complete set-up from Frankie but apparently Devin Levin is distantly related to Frankie's garage hairdresser. He is furious at first, though his disappointment soon sort of fades. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is also bringing Cindy (Casey Burke) whose weirdness is cemented in this episode. Yes, its a Thanksgiving to remember.
First, there is a line at the restaurant and Sue tries to warn Darrin to step it up a notch to impress Mike. Cindy mentions that she would like the stuffed flounder inside the toy machine. Brick spends all of his allowance and birthday money to try to win it for her. She grows bored and leaves to eat. She gets a large wedge of cheese and when asked how it is, she mentions that she's had better. Things turn from bad to worse when Darrin eats the last of the turkey and though he later offers it to Mike, Mike promptly replies that he's fine. Things even seem to be going well between Devin Levin and Axl, as she loves the Colts and even can beat him at sugar packet ball, forcing him to drink some dirty turkey water. And there is so much food, Axl probably eats too much.
But this is the Hecks, and the smoke detector goes off, and, just as Brick finally gets his claw on that flounder, the electricity goes out. This means that everyone in the restaurant must go outside into the snow. Mike tells Darrin that he won't like anyone who tries to take his little girl away from him. But he is pleased when Darrin says that he will try and be better. Frankie has already her traditional speech on how everyone should be grateful that they have so much while others have so little. She is wondering if she does actually have anything to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, Mike throws a snowball at her which launches a huge snowball fight. She is happy again, Mike is happy. All is well, for now.
Sure, the Devin Levin plot and flashbacks come out of nowhere, but I have been asking for them to give Axl another love interest, and Devin does have potential but she is too smart for him, seeing right through his crap, leaving him hanging at the end. I doubt we will see her again. But Sue and Darrin are still going strong, and they are my absolute favorites. Cindy, on the other, completely forgets about the flounder, leaving Brick stinging.
Sure, this was also an odd Thanksgiving for the Hecks, as they don't have any family members over, which makes me sad because they have some great, funny characters on both sides of the family. There are tons of funny moments in this episode, without a doubt the funniest so far this season. Of course, the acting remains top notch, and Mike has his fair share of great looks in this episode. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Devin Levin is comfortable in her own skin, changing her clothes in the car, eating Funions, talking sports with Mike and can cook anything on a hot plate, including Brownies.
-Axl first tells her that he has a girlfriend, but later tries to recant that by saying that he got a text over dinner saying that she died, but it wasn't sudden, as she was in a coma. He leans in for a kiss, but she is just reaching over for her basketball bag.
-The actress who plays Devin was made famous in the decent and surprisingly touching Christmas movie, Unaccompanied Minors. Just thought you guys might like to know that.
-When Darrin grabs the last piece of turkey, Mike is right behind him and the waiter tells him that there is no more turkey, Darrin merely says, tough break.
-In order to get Mike to like him, Darrin tells the staff that today is Mike's birthday, which is the worst thing he could have done. Mike hates being the center of attention. He takes the candle on the cake and instead of blowing it out, he sticks it in the cake, leaving the staff stunned.
-When Mike wants to know who is at fault, Sue, Axl and Frankie immediately finger point to Darrin.
-Darrin puts ranch dressing on his turkey leg and then tries to wash it in his water jug before giving it to Mike. Disgusting.
-Cindy says that her parents will pick her up when they get back Kentucky. Yikes.
-Brick never does join the family for dinner, getting served his drinks at the toy machine.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
The Middle: The Sinkhole
Well, the Hecks might be back on TV, but things aren't looking good for them.
Frankie (Patricia Heaton) tosses a fork into the sink and it falls to the ground. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) accidentally broke the family lawnmower and Sue (Eden Sher) lacks a physical education credit and might not be able to graduate and thus go to college.
Yes, things certainly suck in the Heck household, but then again, when don't they?
Axl (Charlie McDermott) opts to actually help Brick get out of trouble, and tells him to steal Mike's (Neil Flynn's) wallet. Which he does and no one notices because he's the kid no one notices. But that idea comes back to bite him. He actually loses Mike's wallet and then adds to his plan and steals Mike's car keys which leads Mike to think he's losing his mind.
Then Mike decides to mow the lawn and discovers a bookmark. But then Brick looks like the hero, presently Mike with both his wallet, found near the mailbox and his car keys. Then, the family starts going though his wallet, which he's had since he was a boy. He has a picture of his high school girlfriend, Genie, and no pictures of Sue, but he does have some of Brick and Limestone, the old cat at the quarry. And the location of the death napkin is revealed. It's in Mike's wallet. Frankie tries not to let them read it, but Sue and Axl are too curious, and, just as I predicted, the napkin ends up in a bowl of milk, ruined. Frankie, then, at the request of her children, starts writing another one and urges them to look around the house to see if there is anything, but there is nothing they really want. Because everything sucks. Of course, Axl can't stand Brick taking all the glory for finding the wallet so he spills the beans but Mike doesn't get mad at all. That shouldn't have happened.
Sue does get into a gym class, however, instead of a normal sport, they are doing this ridiculous dance with wood sticks. Sue is horrible so Frankie suggests that she become a stick person, clanking them together in time, but this goes even worse, she trips someone but worse, someone gets taken away to the hospital on a stretcher. That quick scene was absolutely hilarious.
Sue tries to get her parents to help her practice but that doesn't go to well, either. However, a miracle happens. Somehow, someway, at the end, she performs a brilliant performance to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off". Her friends are pleased.
This was a great episode, with many call backs to previous episodes, including the old quarry cat and the often referred to death napkin. Plus, Brick's tick of saying he's lying is gone, replaced with something else. Sue's thermometer, measuring her amount of money set aside for college is also there. But there are some holes, including Sue's miraculous recovery in gym class to why in the world is Axl at home instead of being at college?
That being said, it was still one of the better episodes of the season so far. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Sue doesn't earn much money at Spudsy Malones.
-We get a few glimpses of her friends, Becky (Jessica Marie Garcia) and Ruth (Grace Bannon) whom we haven't seen much of lately. They are great characters, always good for a laugh.
-She argues that Wrestlerettes should count as a sport, even though she just made it up, but wasn't everything made up at one point?
-Axl is so sweet, he actually thinks he's responsible now. He's not.
-Because of the broken sink, Frankie is forced to wash dishes with the neighbor's hose and urges her family to drink out of the container and serves breakfast in a community bowl, another funny gag.
-At the end, the family works together to wash the dishes in the bathroom, Brick dumping the scraps of food into the toilet, Axl scrubs them in the shower, Sue drinks them with the hair dryer and Mike stacks in them in the laundry basket. Teamwork, people, teamwork.
-No, seriously, why isn't Axl at college? I can't think of any logical reason for his presence.
Frankie (Patricia Heaton) tosses a fork into the sink and it falls to the ground. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) accidentally broke the family lawnmower and Sue (Eden Sher) lacks a physical education credit and might not be able to graduate and thus go to college.
Yes, things certainly suck in the Heck household, but then again, when don't they?
Axl (Charlie McDermott) opts to actually help Brick get out of trouble, and tells him to steal Mike's (Neil Flynn's) wallet. Which he does and no one notices because he's the kid no one notices. But that idea comes back to bite him. He actually loses Mike's wallet and then adds to his plan and steals Mike's car keys which leads Mike to think he's losing his mind.
Then Mike decides to mow the lawn and discovers a bookmark. But then Brick looks like the hero, presently Mike with both his wallet, found near the mailbox and his car keys. Then, the family starts going though his wallet, which he's had since he was a boy. He has a picture of his high school girlfriend, Genie, and no pictures of Sue, but he does have some of Brick and Limestone, the old cat at the quarry. And the location of the death napkin is revealed. It's in Mike's wallet. Frankie tries not to let them read it, but Sue and Axl are too curious, and, just as I predicted, the napkin ends up in a bowl of milk, ruined. Frankie, then, at the request of her children, starts writing another one and urges them to look around the house to see if there is anything, but there is nothing they really want. Because everything sucks. Of course, Axl can't stand Brick taking all the glory for finding the wallet so he spills the beans but Mike doesn't get mad at all. That shouldn't have happened.
Sue does get into a gym class, however, instead of a normal sport, they are doing this ridiculous dance with wood sticks. Sue is horrible so Frankie suggests that she become a stick person, clanking them together in time, but this goes even worse, she trips someone but worse, someone gets taken away to the hospital on a stretcher. That quick scene was absolutely hilarious.
Sue tries to get her parents to help her practice but that doesn't go to well, either. However, a miracle happens. Somehow, someway, at the end, she performs a brilliant performance to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off". Her friends are pleased.
This was a great episode, with many call backs to previous episodes, including the old quarry cat and the often referred to death napkin. Plus, Brick's tick of saying he's lying is gone, replaced with something else. Sue's thermometer, measuring her amount of money set aside for college is also there. But there are some holes, including Sue's miraculous recovery in gym class to why in the world is Axl at home instead of being at college?
That being said, it was still one of the better episodes of the season so far. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Sue doesn't earn much money at Spudsy Malones.
-We get a few glimpses of her friends, Becky (Jessica Marie Garcia) and Ruth (Grace Bannon) whom we haven't seen much of lately. They are great characters, always good for a laugh.
-She argues that Wrestlerettes should count as a sport, even though she just made it up, but wasn't everything made up at one point?
-Axl is so sweet, he actually thinks he's responsible now. He's not.
-Because of the broken sink, Frankie is forced to wash dishes with the neighbor's hose and urges her family to drink out of the container and serves breakfast in a community bowl, another funny gag.
-At the end, the family works together to wash the dishes in the bathroom, Brick dumping the scraps of food into the toilet, Axl scrubs them in the shower, Sue drinks them with the hair dryer and Mike stacks in them in the laundry basket. Teamwork, people, teamwork.
-No, seriously, why isn't Axl at college? I can't think of any logical reason for his presence.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Birdman
This was a fascinating film.
First of all, the film appears to be filmed in real time which makes the special effects all the more impressive. Everything is done in long shot, which makes the acting even more brilliant. If there are any edits, they are so seamless I couldn't tell they existed.
Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) used to be a famous actor, playing the title superhero character, Birdman, but now his career is in the toilet though he is trying in vain to revive it. He has a play by a personal hero, Raymond Carver. He has rewritten it for the stage, directing the adaptation and is even starring in it. However, the other guy in the play needs to be replaced and is, with Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) who is excellent, but being on stage is normal for him, which means that he is not normal. He can act, but takes everything on stage too seriously, even going as far as attempting to have sex with his girlfriend, Lesley (Naomi Watts) on stage. Naturally, she is furious.
Riggan's personal life is also in turmoil. His daughter, Sam (Emma Stone) has only recently been released from rehab. Riggan hasn't been a bad father, just an absent one who alternated between extreme praise and abandonment. She's now his assistant though Lesley is not a fan. He is also having a relationship with the other leading lady, Laura (Andrea Riseborough) who wishes she was pregnant with his child, though her body has other ideas.
There is also Jake (Zach Galifianakis), Riggan's lawyer, who is worried about money all the time.
Riggan also has his own personal demons, included a voice in his head, something which his ex-wfie (Amy Ryan) wants to forget his said. He doesn't like technology, hasn't adopted to the times as his daughter blatantly tells him. He hates twitter and doesn't have a facebook, so it is his own fault that he's invisible, forgotten.
Though the film revolves around Riggan, the supporting characters also shine, including some great scenes between Norton and Stone, who get together even though he's afraid he won't be able to please her sexually. Watts and Riseborough are also great, though who knows if anything will happen after their incident.
The last character that matters is the elderly play critic, Tabitha (Lindsay Duncan) who promises to drown his play because she hates that his Hollywood-type can take over Broadway. The problem is, she hasn't seen it yet. But she can't wrap her head around how artistic Hollywood can be.
Now, I won't give away the ending, though I predicted about halfway through that it would have a Black Swan-type ending but you can be the judge of that.
This may have been a brilliant film, and it was, with realistic sets, actually filmed on location, something you don't see that often, this film was not perfect. Laura deserved more screen time, that relationship should have been explored a little more. And some screens toward the ending are just odd, especially when he flies. But the acting is great, with realistic characters and it helped that the close camera angles gave the audience the chance to see every emotion sketched across their face. This film will be showing up at award shows later this season, and I hope that more than just Keaton get nominated. This is certainly Stone's best work in her expansive, young career and Norton is a revelation. Keaton is also excellent as the man slowly going mad but trying to keep it together because his career depends on this. Grade: A-
First of all, the film appears to be filmed in real time which makes the special effects all the more impressive. Everything is done in long shot, which makes the acting even more brilliant. If there are any edits, they are so seamless I couldn't tell they existed.
Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) used to be a famous actor, playing the title superhero character, Birdman, but now his career is in the toilet though he is trying in vain to revive it. He has a play by a personal hero, Raymond Carver. He has rewritten it for the stage, directing the adaptation and is even starring in it. However, the other guy in the play needs to be replaced and is, with Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) who is excellent, but being on stage is normal for him, which means that he is not normal. He can act, but takes everything on stage too seriously, even going as far as attempting to have sex with his girlfriend, Lesley (Naomi Watts) on stage. Naturally, she is furious.
Riggan's personal life is also in turmoil. His daughter, Sam (Emma Stone) has only recently been released from rehab. Riggan hasn't been a bad father, just an absent one who alternated between extreme praise and abandonment. She's now his assistant though Lesley is not a fan. He is also having a relationship with the other leading lady, Laura (Andrea Riseborough) who wishes she was pregnant with his child, though her body has other ideas.
There is also Jake (Zach Galifianakis), Riggan's lawyer, who is worried about money all the time.
Riggan also has his own personal demons, included a voice in his head, something which his ex-wfie (Amy Ryan) wants to forget his said. He doesn't like technology, hasn't adopted to the times as his daughter blatantly tells him. He hates twitter and doesn't have a facebook, so it is his own fault that he's invisible, forgotten.
Though the film revolves around Riggan, the supporting characters also shine, including some great scenes between Norton and Stone, who get together even though he's afraid he won't be able to please her sexually. Watts and Riseborough are also great, though who knows if anything will happen after their incident.
The last character that matters is the elderly play critic, Tabitha (Lindsay Duncan) who promises to drown his play because she hates that his Hollywood-type can take over Broadway. The problem is, she hasn't seen it yet. But she can't wrap her head around how artistic Hollywood can be.
Now, I won't give away the ending, though I predicted about halfway through that it would have a Black Swan-type ending but you can be the judge of that.
This may have been a brilliant film, and it was, with realistic sets, actually filmed on location, something you don't see that often, this film was not perfect. Laura deserved more screen time, that relationship should have been explored a little more. And some screens toward the ending are just odd, especially when he flies. But the acting is great, with realistic characters and it helped that the close camera angles gave the audience the chance to see every emotion sketched across their face. This film will be showing up at award shows later this season, and I hope that more than just Keaton get nominated. This is certainly Stone's best work in her expansive, young career and Norton is a revelation. Keaton is also excellent as the man slowly going mad but trying to keep it together because his career depends on this. Grade: A-
Saturday, November 1, 2014
St. Vincent
This is one of the best films of the year so far.
Vincent MacKenna (Bill Murray) isn't a likable character. As his young charge, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), puts it, he drinks too much, smokes and gambles but for those who he cares about, he is truly noble.
Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) is his new next door neighbor and she needs someone to watch her son because she is new at work and works long hours. She's a CAT scan techinican, a job which makes her miserable. She's trying to start again because her unattractive husband managed to have several affairs behind her back. So she pays Vincent to watch her son.
Vincent teaches Oliver how to fight, to get back at the nasty bullies at his private Catholic school, how to gamble so they can win it big, which manages to happen, just once though, and how to speak up for himself. Sure, he shouldn't be bringing a child into a bar or to the tracks but Vincent has a hidden secret. His wife is suffering from early onset dementia and doesn't even recognize him anymore, but he visits her, disguised as a doctor and does her laundry every week. But the man is broke and his wife is in danger of being evicted from her lovely home and has a lone shark (Terrance Howard) after him.
Then the film takes an even darker turn. Vincent suffers a stroke and needs physical therapy to recover which he does.
But Maggie is sued by her ex for full custody and that doesn't go well because of everything Vincent has done with Oliver but fortunately, this movie ultimately has a happy ending.
Sure, Vincent's wife dies and he doesn't hear about it, but Maggie forgives Vincent whom Oliver sort of hails as a saint and they end eating around the table as a big, dysfunctional but happy family.
Murray and McCarthy have excellent support from Naomi Watts as Daka, the pregnant Russian prostitute who is fired from her job as a dancer because of her condition, though she seems happy with having a baby and cries when her daughter is born. She also isn't shy, having no problem breast feeding the baby at a table with young boys present.
Chris O'Dowd is also great as the priest who teaches Oliver about saints and religion but is blind to the bully problem happening in his own classroom. He is a Catholic, which is the best religion because they have the most rules.
Sure, the plot has been done before, a grumpy old man softens with the a little help from his friends, but the acting truly shines. Everyone is great. It is nice seeing McCarthy playing something different from what she normally does but Murray is certainly the best, giving an excellent performance that should capture the attention of the awards. Even the Australian Watts manages to nail a Russian accent and get Vincent to eat vegetables and clean up his dump of a house and weasels her way into having a job taking care of him while he finishes recovering.
There are problems with the film, like the timeline is off, just slightly. And Oliver forgives the bully too easily, though I'm glad they became friends, bonding over their absent fathers. Who knows if Maggie's ex will let have full custody in the end or not, though Oliver wants to have a relationship with his father even though he thinks they are doing just fine without him. Daka's daughter might or might not be Vincent's but Oliver doesn't get involved with other people's affairs, which makes sense in a way. The lone shark also just disappears after Vincent suffers a stroke right before his eyes, never getting his money back. And how does Vincent pay for everything when he is beyond broke? Still, the film was greatly enjoyable with snappy remarks and brilliant acting all around. Grade:A-
Vincent MacKenna (Bill Murray) isn't a likable character. As his young charge, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), puts it, he drinks too much, smokes and gambles but for those who he cares about, he is truly noble.
Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) is his new next door neighbor and she needs someone to watch her son because she is new at work and works long hours. She's a CAT scan techinican, a job which makes her miserable. She's trying to start again because her unattractive husband managed to have several affairs behind her back. So she pays Vincent to watch her son.
Vincent teaches Oliver how to fight, to get back at the nasty bullies at his private Catholic school, how to gamble so they can win it big, which manages to happen, just once though, and how to speak up for himself. Sure, he shouldn't be bringing a child into a bar or to the tracks but Vincent has a hidden secret. His wife is suffering from early onset dementia and doesn't even recognize him anymore, but he visits her, disguised as a doctor and does her laundry every week. But the man is broke and his wife is in danger of being evicted from her lovely home and has a lone shark (Terrance Howard) after him.
Then the film takes an even darker turn. Vincent suffers a stroke and needs physical therapy to recover which he does.
But Maggie is sued by her ex for full custody and that doesn't go well because of everything Vincent has done with Oliver but fortunately, this movie ultimately has a happy ending.
Sure, Vincent's wife dies and he doesn't hear about it, but Maggie forgives Vincent whom Oliver sort of hails as a saint and they end eating around the table as a big, dysfunctional but happy family.
Murray and McCarthy have excellent support from Naomi Watts as Daka, the pregnant Russian prostitute who is fired from her job as a dancer because of her condition, though she seems happy with having a baby and cries when her daughter is born. She also isn't shy, having no problem breast feeding the baby at a table with young boys present.
Chris O'Dowd is also great as the priest who teaches Oliver about saints and religion but is blind to the bully problem happening in his own classroom. He is a Catholic, which is the best religion because they have the most rules.
Sure, the plot has been done before, a grumpy old man softens with the a little help from his friends, but the acting truly shines. Everyone is great. It is nice seeing McCarthy playing something different from what she normally does but Murray is certainly the best, giving an excellent performance that should capture the attention of the awards. Even the Australian Watts manages to nail a Russian accent and get Vincent to eat vegetables and clean up his dump of a house and weasels her way into having a job taking care of him while he finishes recovering.
There are problems with the film, like the timeline is off, just slightly. And Oliver forgives the bully too easily, though I'm glad they became friends, bonding over their absent fathers. Who knows if Maggie's ex will let have full custody in the end or not, though Oliver wants to have a relationship with his father even though he thinks they are doing just fine without him. Daka's daughter might or might not be Vincent's but Oliver doesn't get involved with other people's affairs, which makes sense in a way. The lone shark also just disappears after Vincent suffers a stroke right before his eyes, never getting his money back. And how does Vincent pay for everything when he is beyond broke? Still, the film was greatly enjoyable with snappy remarks and brilliant acting all around. Grade:A-
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