The Oscars 2011

OK, Valerie, let's weigh in on the Big Show! I love the glamour, lights, action, gowns...the wonder of it all. So let me begin by saying that for this reviewer there's no such thing as a BAD Oscars. Mediocre? Yes indeed, that word works for me.

We begin with the hosts. The powers that be deemed it time to have youth return to the stage, to create the "hip" Oscars, as it were. Sorry, fail! Yes indeed, James and Anne were nice on the eyes...handsome young things with lots of energy. But wit? Comedic talent? Stage presence? Uhhhhh... no way.

The awards were mostly in the range of expectations. I would have nodded for Geoffrey Rush in the Best Supporting Actor role. I might have put Black Swan up as Best Picture. But no big surprises here.

What is missing is pizazz! What about the old days of the great comedians? What about song and dance? Not a bad idea to pay homage to some of the oldies, but let's do it right! Please give us many clips of famous films, with actors who have been shining lights.

Kirk Douglas as presenter? I feel sorry for the old veteran who suffered a stroke. But let's not put him in the position of embarrassing himself or others. And certainly let's not have him overseeing such an important award as Best Supporting Actress.

Overall? Lots of fun. A must-see! But there's lots of room for improvement. Your thoughts, Valerie?

The King's Speech

On the eve of the Oscars, we ventured out to see the film that everyone commends. We were not disappointed.

The basic plot suggests a sleepy flick: The king to be, the Duke of Windsor, has a serious speech impediment. With the spurring of his dear wife, he seeks a tutor for help. Then he gets lessons. His speech improves. Zzzzzz.....

Wait! Don't doze off just yet! This tightly wound, brilliant story is a tour de force that will grab you out of your seat and launch you into a story that intrigues with its wit, style, grace, language, and elegance. With Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth at the helm, what else would you expect?

For folks like Valerie and me, who have devoted the better part of our lives to teaching, the film pays homage to the wonder of instruction. The tutor who guides the king toward overcoming his speech impediment is a glorious example of a teacher at his finest: caretaker of the soul, shaper of the mind, guardian of dreams....at once friend, helper, scolder, complimenter, and most of all, sharer of knowledge.

We viewers witness the power of psychology, something new to the folks of the 1930's, even with the advent of Freud. Watch the teacher help the learner build self-esteem on the road to recovery. The fun here? The Duke is such an uptight, stodgy Brit that the the good teacher must get him to sing, swear, indeed be one of the people, in order to gain ease of speech.

PS: Prediction (made the eve of the Oscars): The King's Speech will capture Best Film. Colin Firth will win Best Actor, Geoffrey Rush Best Supporting Actor, and Helene Bonham Carter Best Supporting Actress. Best actress: Natalie Portman (see our discussion below).

Need I say more? Bottom line: Run out and see this film masterpiece!

And the winner will be...

Hey, all! We want to hear from you! Place your bets now for tomorrow's Oscar nods. Check here for the run-down of nominations:

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Crazy Heart

So we start first with his name, Bad Blake. Really? Yep. This is what we call a "one man tour de force." Jeff Bridges earned his first Oscar for this role, and rightly so. He so precisely nails this character that I will forever look at him as if he is Bad. (Yes, they actually just call him "Bad.") A has-been, washed-up drunk of a country music star (are you fidgeting in your seat, Waylon?), every gesture, posture and line of dialogue deliver a ring of great authenticity. He knows this guy, and one gets the feeling he's been rehearsing for this role all his life. (Papa Lloyd would be proud.)

Now, the movie? It was o.k. My partner and I much enjoyed the first half over the second. The first was the world of gigs in bowling alleys and 2-bit dives. But the music was actually good, thanks to original songs by legend, T-Bone Burnett.

But then Bad has to fall for Maggie Gyllenhaal AND she for him! (really? can't see that chemistry) He works to clean up his act. Enough plot summary - I don't do that here. Anyway, the rest of the movie dragged for me.

Oh, and Colin Ferrell as a country music superstar. Really?

Mr. Bridges was in every scene of this film and his raw, gutsy, naked, no-glam portrayal earned him all the deserved awards that followed the film.

But I didn't laugh or cry. From start to finish, this is about a skillful actor who has come into his own. Good for you, Jeff.

Out of the Past

I was in San Francisco visiting my 90 year young mama, who, being a lifelong learner, took me to her Film Noir class at the Fromm Institute. The institute is a SF gem, a center for anyone with grey hair who wishes to learn about art, music, literature, history, politics, whatever.

At her class, I had the singular joy of viewing a film from...1947! OK, for those cynics who refuse to watch a film in black and white and consider the 40's the Age of the Dinosaurs (for example, my kids), get out and rent this oldie!

Film Noir got its name from two sources. The concept of "noir" implied a dark, mean-spirited, almost demonesque theme. In any good film noir, there had to be villains with very amoral, and immoral, values. The second meaning of noir concerned the marvelous use of black and whilte....shadows and shading to reflect the obscure, secretive nature of the protagonists.

That said, take a voyage back in time to an engaging thriller. Robert Mitchum plays the lead as the former private eye who wants to escape his past by running a gas station. Kirk Douglas, in one of his earliest roles, portrays the gangster who won't leave the private eye alone. After all, there are past grudges that must be resolved! Then there's the stunningly beautiful Jane Greer who dazzles in her role as the femme fatale.

Go back to a time when the film industry shined, when protagonists blew smoke in each others' eyes, when intrigue was a true art form. You'll be glued to the screen as the twisted plot unfolds, and as characters evolve.

They don't make 'em like that any more!

The Kids Are Alright

A family is a family.

More than anything else, that's what I got from this film.

So...I liked this movie. As its trailers revealed, Annette Benning and Julianne Moore are lesbian wives whose children find their sperm-donor father (Mark Ruffalo) and hijinx ensue. Well, not exactly hijinx, but major complications. Outside of the sperm-donor bit, it is the paradoxically simple story of the complexities of being a family. What makes it so good? I see it as three elements: dead-on writing, direction by Lisa Cholodenko and tight, skillful acting giving us what I love in film: tight close-ups in which the audience is rewarded if they pay very close attention to tiny, tiny nuances in expression, eyes, body language. I think this is Mark Ruffalo's finest performance yet. His laid-back, affable, hippie style might seem easy to play; I doubt it.

We all know these actors so well, and yet, they are SO good that I actually felt the chemistry and believed them as characters. The dialogue is strikingly authentic.

This film leaves one thinking about multiples themes:
• It asks us to consider the sliding scale of one's sexual orientation (a theme I was first intrigued by in Kiss of the Spider Woman)
• It presents a modern day parable for modern day marriages and families.
• It accurately and fairly (I believe) portrays the gay relationship for being as darned "normal" as it usually is.
• It reaffirms the intelligence, resilience, and commitment of our children and reminds how important the stability of the family unit is to them.

This movie is one of this year's nominees for Oscar's Best Picture. I know, I know, that by the Academy now nominating 10 films instead of 5, it boosts box office attendance. Hence, this film's inclusion, I suspect. I really, really liked it. But Best Picture? Naw. But worth seeing (now on DVD).

*Last note: I cannot believe Julianne Moore is 50! Damn.