2013 Was a Lucky Year for the Movies

30 Dec

Inside Llewyn Davis scene2013 was the year Hollywood decided to blow up the White House — not once, but twice.

The year that Johnny Depp’s over-the-top character schtick totally and irreparably jumped the shark.

The year James Franco’s best performance was in a movie about Spring Break depravity, not the Wizard of Oz prequel — or even the movie where he played himself (a version of himself, anyway).

And the year even Bruce Willis didn’t seem to enjoy being a part of yet another Die Hard movie.

Yawn.

So you’d be forgiven if you thought 2013 was a bad year for the movies.

But you’d be wrong.

This was, in fact, one of the best movie years in recent memory, as Hollywood treated us to a bounty of impressive releases. The best of those grappled with important issues, such as racism, the economic climate, what it takes to survive (and thrive), and how tenuous our connections to each other are. They didn’t  provide easy answers or soft commentary, but through a variety of storytelling methods and production values, they entertained us, and in some cases, even inspired us to change our ways.

Of the 66 films I saw this year (!!!), what were the ones that in some cases, literally made me want to stand up and cheer? Here’s my list (with links to my reviews, where they exist). Continue reading →

If My Year Had a Soundtrack, This Would Be It

23 Dec

John-Mayer-Paradise-ValleyEvery year has its share of ups and downs.

My 2013 was no exception.

There was hope, disappointment, fear, elation, relief, frustration, happiness, and much more. Sounds like a great movie.

Of course, like any movie, there’s a soundtrack. Here are the songs I was listening to this year, which, when listened to together, provide a pretty accurate representation of the emotional roller-coaster I was on in 2013. (For the record, no pun intended, I did the same thing last year.)

I invite you to relive the year with me — musically, anyway — if you choose. Continue reading →

Holiday Movies: The Good, the Bad, and the Burgandy

19 Dec

Christmas isn’t until next week (!!), but Hollywood is already giving out the presents — in the form of some big movies hitting theaters or going wide this weekend.

Because time is tight, given the shorter holiday season, I’m wrapping my own gift for you here: Six reviews in one blog post.

That’s right … six. Read on for my reviews of American Hustle, Inside Llewyn Davis, Anchorman 2, and Saving Mr. Banks, plus two others as a bonus.

Enjoy! Continue reading →

Thank You to All These People and Things

27 Nov

turkeyAnd so, my friends, here we are.

It’s Thanksgiving again. Time to take a break from life and give thanks for all those people who mean so much to us and the things that make us happy.

If you’re anything like me, then you have a lot to be thankful for this year. Actually, I feel like I have more on my list this year than in years past. Real things, not just foods, movies, TV shows, and the like. That’ll happen after a challenging year that saw its share of ups and downs.

As things have mostly righted themselves for me and appear to be on an upswing, I’m giving lots of thanks for normalcy, and its return to my life. Welcome back. Please stay forever.

What else am I thankful for this year? Read on for my list, which is presented in no particular order. Continue reading →

It’s My DVR’s Favorite Time of Year

23 Sep

tv-screenI’ve never seen a single episode of Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Scandal, or Homeland.

I don’t watch any of the CSIs, NCISes, or Law & Orders.

I stopped watching The Good Wife early in the first season.

And I’ll probably skip the big returns of Michael J. Fox, Sean Hayes, and Robin Williams.

What can I say? When it comes to TV, there are just too many shows, and unfortunately, I can’t watch them all. The whole “having a life” thing always gets in the way.

But I am a TV fan, so now that the Emmy awards are over (hooray for Tony Hale!) and the new fall TV season is officially starting, it’s time to share the list of shows I’m planning to watch, just like I do every year.

Chances are good I won’t actually make time for everything here; between the new, heavily hyped shows debuting and old favorites returning, there’s just not enough time, or room on my DVR, to see it all. But I’m a curious cat, and I do want to check out some new stuff.

That’s why I apply my three-strikes rule: If I get backed up on three episodes of a particular show, I just give up and decide not to watch. It saves my DVR from becoming its own American Horror Story, and me from becoming a true couch potato.

So what’s on my list of must-see TV this year? Read on. Continue reading →

Eight Years Later, I’m Still Here

1 Sep

8th birthday cakeOn September 1, 2005, I started this blog.

Martin’s Musings was intended to be an outlet for me to share my thoughts on movies I’ve seen, music I’m listening to, my birthday, social media, and other topics I’m interested in. (Yes, even all the food I’m eating.)

And for eight years, that’s exactly what it’s been.

For a long time, blogging here has been something I’ve really enjoyed doing. Yes, Twitter has allowed me to get my “musings” out in shorter, more frequent fashion. But sometimes I want/need to write in more-than-140-character bursts.

Unfortunately, I haven’t felt much like writing these longer “musings” lately. Which is not to say I haven’t had things to write about. On the contrary, there’s been plenty. It’s just that my blogger-self needed a little bit of a break.

As I say on my “About This Blog” page, I don’t blog for money. I blog because I want to write. And I don’t blog every day. I blog when I have something I want to say.

Because this is a personal blog and not a professional one, I had the option of stepping back, and I’ve taken advantage of that.

Continue reading →

Dennis Farina: Remember Me “Just as a Person”

22 Jul

dennis-farinaI had the great fortune of interviewing many actors, actresses, musicians, authors, and other celebs during the seven and a half years I worked for Continental magazine. (Yes, the inflight magazine of the late Continental Airlines.)

One of the coolest people I had the chance to speak with was Dennis Farina, who passed away earlier today in Arizona.

Dennis is, of course, best known for his performances in such films as Get Shorty, Heat, Out of Sight, and Saving Private Ryan, and on TV shows like Law & Order, Crime Story, Luck, and, most recently, New Girl, where his tough guy persona was often used to great comic effect.

When I talked with Dennis in 2005, he was promoting the HBO TV movie Empire Falls. We talked about how his 18 years as a Chicago cop informed his acting career and the performances he gave. Continue reading →

Everybody Run. Helen Mirren’s Got a Gun.

18 Jul

red-2-posterThe 2010 movie RED was a bit of a surprise, with its unlikely cast of Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich starring alongside Bruce Willis as action heroes.

It grossed more than $90 million in the United States and more than $186.5 million worldwide, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy).

But do you know anyone who actually saw it? I don’t. Which leads me to ask this question …

Who, exactly, asked for a sequel?

Having seen the new film, I have to say I’m less concerned with the answer than with making sure more people I know check it out. Continue reading →

I Tweet for Myself. Here Are 5 Reasons Why You Should Too.

10 Jul

twitter-maskYesterday, I tweeted that I’d rather someone not have a Twitter handle than have someone else tweet generic stuff for them.

Suffice it to say, the reaction was interesting. I got responses that ranged from “a good [social media] specialist can tweet like the person without making it seem generic,” to, more amusingly, “Wouldn’t that put a lot of social media specialists out of a job?”

I replied that yes, good social media specialists may be able to do a decent job of ghost tweeting. But more often than not, they just tweet headlines and links, and maybe an occasional “thanks,” and that makes the real person look bad, like he/she doesn’t care. Ideally, people would just tweet for themselves. After all, it’s really not that hard.

And I meant that. People should be tweeting for themselves. This “ghost tweeting” stuff is for the birds. (Pun intended.) Continue reading →

Let’s Try to Get That Score Up

8 Jul

way-way-back-bannerIt’s appropriate that much of the new film The Way, Way Back takes place at a waterpark.

That’s because, like the water slides at Water Wizz, the movie is a fun ride, with surprising twists and turns, and even though it’s one with a predictable destination, it’s still cool and refreshing.

Written and directed by Jim Rash and Nat Faxon (the Oscar-winning writers of The Descendants), The Way, Way Back is a throwback movie, the latest in a long line of summertime coming-of-age stories where a loser kid finds himself with the help of some older, immature types. Continue reading →

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