Lighten Up, Lady

24 Jan

In today’s Boston Herald there’s this letter to the editor:

<< I’m sure I’m one of few Bostonians happy over the results of the Patriots–Colts game (Jan. 22). I’m happy there was no post-victory rioting or needless deaths, and I’m happy that a haughty coach and legions of hubris-driven, swaggering fans have been humbled. Mostly, I’m glad to know that there will be free time available to these obsessed minions that will hopefully be used toward a more conscientious purpose in our world than sports obsession. Maybe they’ll even have time to check out the true heroes — health care and human services workers, teachers and the like — and worship them instead of billionaire, profit-driven megalomanagers and men who happen to know how to toss pigskin around. >>

Jeeeeez. What a wet blanket.

How lame can one person be?

I won’t even begin to make fun of what she’s saying, but I will take issue with her characterization of Robert Kraft as a “billionaire, profit-driven megalomanager.”

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more generous sports owner than Uncle Bob (and his wife, Auntie Myra). The couple have donated tens of millions of dollars to a variety of philanthropic causes over the years.

This woman, this Susie Davidson of Brookline, should look into that before she makes such lame characterizations.

Bring It On

23 Jan

Whoa. That’s my biggest reaction to the Oscar nominations this morning. More specifically:

* No Dreamgirls for Best Picture? That’s a huge shock, because everyone thought it was a lock to win. This opens the field up completely, and now I’d say it’s a 4-way race (The Queen doesn’t really have a shot). But what’s odd is that Dreamgirls still has the most noms of any movie (eight) — including three in the Best Song category. That’s the coolest of all, because it means Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy may all sing. That would make for some fantastic television.

* Leo nominated for Blood Diamond and not The Departed. It’s because he thought he’d get a Best Supporting Actor nom for The Departed, and Warner Brothers campaigned thusly. Now he’s shot himself in the foot because he’s much better in Departed and doesn’t really have a shot to win for Blood Diamond. Then again, Forest Whitaker’s a lock to win anyway, so this is all moot.

* Ryan Gosling nominated for Best Actor. This is great. He is so good in Half Nelson. But I’m bummed that Sacha Baron Cohen didn’t get a nom for Borat. My view is that Will Smith took his spot; had Pursuit of Happyness come out any earlier in the year, the spot would have been Cohen’s.

* Whitaker vs O’Toole. If Peter O’Toole wins, it’ll be because of sentiment. He’s old; he plays an old guy. It’s sort of like Abigail Breslin. She’s good and all, but she’s playing a cute kid. How hard can that be? (Says the guy who couldn’t act, so he started writing reviews.) Not that I’ve seen Forest Whitaker’s movie (or O’Toole’s, for that matter), but that seems like a much more challenging role for him.

* Paul Greengrass nominated for Best Director. Even though United 93 didn’t make the Best Picture cut, I’m glad the movie was recognized here.

* Jennifer Hudson nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Hey, have I ever mentioned that I interviewed her for Continental? (Just kidding.)

* Mark Wahlberg nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Really? That one I don’t get. But more importantly, so who has the better back story this year: Jennifer Hudson, former contestant on American Idol, or Mark Wahlberg, formerly Marky Mark, former Calvin Klein underwear model?

* My predictions: Departed for Best Pic; Scorsese for Best Director; Mirren, Whitaker, Hudson, and Murphy in the acting categories; Departed for Adapted Screenplay and Little Miss Sunshine for Original Screenplay; “Listen” for Best Song; and Happy Feet for Animated Film.

Those are my quick reactions. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the nominations. I like that, aside from the four acting categories and Best Director, things are pretty wide open. And now I definitely need to see Babel (I still have no interest in seeing Letters from Iwo Jima). With Ellen Degeneres hosting, this could be a great show. I can’t wait.

Not Such a Great Catch

23 Jan

The trailer for Jennifer Garner’s latest film, Catch and Release, doesn’t exactly promise a very good movie.

So the good news is that the trailer gets it partly wrong.

For example, Catch is not a fun, cutesy romantic comedy about a woman getting over the death of her fiancee by falling in love with his best friend. Instead, it’s a rather serious film about a woman whose fiancee dies just days before the wedding, and who, in dealing with her grief, learns surprising things about him and herself.

Alright, fine, she does also fall in love with his best friend, but she does it reluctantly.

And even better, that’s not really the crux of the movie.

So I guess the film’s surprising depth is what redeems it from being a typical January throw-away.

Still, let’s not go too far with praise here. While the romance doesn’t feel totally forced, it does feel unrealistic. And Kevin Smith, playing a role probably meant for Jack Black, should probably stick to films he writes and directs, where he usually plays a character named Silent Bob.

Overall, the screenplay (by Susannah Grant, who also wrote Erin Brockovich and In Her Shoes, and who makes her directorial debut here) could have used some pruning; the generally likable cast helps a great deal to overcome its limitations.

Still, I just didn’t get into the story enough and found certain plot details predictable or unnecessary.

And Jennifer Garner just isn’t given enough opportunities to smile. When she does, it basically makes the movie worth watching — as does the scene where she’s wearing her wedding dress.

Catch earns points for being better than expected, but loses some for just not being compelling enough. So, I’m giving it a B–.

Just Wondering …

22 Jan

* Is this what the Yankee fans felt like in 2004?

* When radio execs first heard the chorus of Fall Out Boy‘s cool new single, “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race,” why did they decide to silence the word “God” and not “Damn?”

* Is the first real snow of the season not the best part of winter? I mean, walking home, as it’s coming down, hearing the crunching of your steps as you push down on more of the finely-packed snow … there aren’t too many pleasures to be taken from this season, but that’s one of them. Hopefully we’ll get more of this soon.

* Are you on the list?

* Why did I go all the way to IKEA on Saturday for a DVD tower, when I found exactly what I wanted at Best Buy the very next day?

* Is it Friday yet?

Not-So-Little Children

21 Jan

Children of Men presents a really unsettling picture of the world, circa 2027: all women have been infertile for 18 years, there is widespread poverty, no clear leadership, and bands of rebels use militaristic efforts to forward their goals. It’s not a pretty picture. So when a miracle pregnancy is discovered, extreme measures are needed to keep the secret and not interfere with the birth. Enter Clive Owen’s character, Theo Faron, who is grappling with his own inner demons (his child died years earlier), and who is charged with protecting the mother. That’s about all I understood about the movie. There’s a bit more to it, and much of that went over my head. I was unclear about what the Fish were doing, why Julianne Moore was only on for about 15 minutes, what Michael Caine had to do with any of it, and how this movie, which is actually quite good despite my not following it entirely, could resort to things like a character (the mother) whose name is Kee and a ship named Tomorrow. They’re not exactly subtle symbols. But anyway, I didn’t want to see Children of Men when it first came out, but the good reviews changed my mind. And now that I’ve seen it, I can’t say I entirely agree, but I do still think this is a very good movie — largely because I was impressed by the vision of writer/director Alfonso Cuaron, and because I thought Clive Owen made an engaging hero. So I’m giving Children of Men a B+.

Second Helping

21 Jan

I always hate going to the movies after year-end awards have been handed out because I can’t help but be biased while watching the film. It’s like my inner critic is crying out, “Impress me!”

And yet I do it anyway, mostly out of obligation, because I want to be able to have seen the major Oscar nominees.

So with that kind of mindset, I went to see The Queen on Saturday. And it’s a good movie, but I won’t be adding it to my top 10. Continue reading →

How Do You Say "Oh Well" in Swedish?

20 Jan

Not that I really needed one, but I’d been looking for a reason to return to IKEA ever since my first trip out to Stoughton a year ago (following The Great Clean-up of 2006).

After all, who doesn’t love IKEA, with its aisles and aisles of cheap but cool stuff?

And its good food?

Well, today I finally had a good enough reason to go. Continue reading →

Dark Tide Rises Again

17 Jan

For the second year in a row, I forgot to mention the Great Molasses Flood on the actual anniversary day, which was Monday. If you’ve never heard the story of the molasses flood of 1919, then you simply must read my post from a year ago, which provides a summary and links to other articles with more details. Suffice it to say, it’s one of my favorite Boston history stories of all time. I mean, it inspired a book called Dark Tide! How great is that?

Anyway, happy anniversary, Boston. I’ll eat a molasses cookie in your honor.

Wa-Wa-Wee-Wa!

16 Jan

Easily, the best moment of the Golden Globe Awards last night was Sacha Baron Cohen’s acceptance of his award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Borat. Check it out here. (Or here.) (Or here.) (Or watch it below.)

Burrrrrrrr …..

16 Jan

I think winter is finally here. And I don’t like it one bit.

It’s amazing to me that I’ve lived in the northeast all my life, and yet I’ve never gotten used to the cold.

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