Oscar 2016

To the one of you that still read my drivel, here is my oscar comments:

Best Actor will probably be Leonardo Dicaprio for"Revenant"  Good Jobe among many good actors.

Best Actress should be Bree Larson for the "Room".  She runs the gambit of all possible emotions. I will be disappointed if she doesn't.

My pick for Best Picture is "Spotlight": Emotional true story with the best cast possible.  "Revenant" may win because the Best Director and best movie are usually the same.

While really can't comment about the supporting roles. I see where they will probably it one to Stallone because he has been Rocky for 40 years.  This is similar to giving John Wayne best actor for "True Grit" because they failed to reward him for previous years of movie roles.  It hope Mark Ruffalo gets it, but have not seen all the nominees.  By the same token I would like Jennifer Jason Leigh to get it for "Hateful 8". That movie deserves a nod of some kind.

This was a great movie year.

Eddie the Eagle

This is a movie that I needed, It is the true story of a kid that dreamed of being in the Olympics.  He finally settled for the 1988 Winter Games and Ski Jumping as his sport. Never mind that Great Britain had no such team. overmanned that he had never Jumped. Never mind that NO one on earth believed in him.

It is a fun story of overcoming.

You owe it to yourself to see this or at least learn this story.  Priceless

I like Eddie. He inspired me.  2016 Movie #6  I give it ***1/2 stars.

Brooklyn

Last night we saw "Brooklyn" thereby now seeing all 8 best picture nominees.  This was a great year for movies.  "Brooklyn" was a period piece about an Irish young lady who comes to America in 1952.
The story is about being torn between home and family and a new beginning with a new love.   The movie is slow paced even for me. It is one of those movies that slowly grabs you and holds you till the end. Excellently photographed and acted.  This is a good movie but not as good as say "Spotlight."

I give it ***1/2 stars. 2016 movie 5

FYI 2016 is going to be a slow year. So far I am still seeing 2015 movies. The new ones so far as a whole are weak.

Mountain Tops

The distance between Mountain Top experiences and Valleys of discontent can be fairly close if a cliff is involved.

Last weekend I had a true Mountain Top experience. I went to a retreat and listened to the chaplain of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team, Ken Johnson. I felt as though he spoke directly to me, touching on those things I needed to hear. He re-charged me and said: "Sic'em".

THEN CAME MONDAY

The devil is not lazy.

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in the "Spotlight"

In life we see many situations where people do good and evil at the same time. Does the good cancel the evil? Should we overlook the "dark side"?   We face this more than we stop to consider.

The movie "Spotlight" faces this subject head on.  This is the true story of how the Boston Globe broke the story of Priest abuse and molesting of children and the Church's cover-up.  The City of Boston is 52% Catholic.  The problem was known about in lesser ways but not talked about. Anyone who tried was ruined. Enter a new editor of the Globe who was from Florida and JEWISH. He ordered the Globe's famous investigative journalists, "Spotlight" to dig in while taking on the Catholic Church.

This is a gripping story by probably the best cast in years.  It reminds me of the movie about "Deep-throat" and uncovering of the Watergate scandal. Their is even a common thread: Ben Bradley was editor of the Washington Post and Ben Bradley Jr. was with the Globe.

It is "R" but I think all church leaders should see it. Much thought is needed on this subject.

I have now seen 7 of the eight best picture movies. When you see a movie like this, I think how did Mad Max make it into this group?

2016 Movie #4. *****star.

Where is Reality? Where is Truth?

Perception is everything these days. You don't have to know what is true. You just have to think you know what it appears to be.

A man can hurt his family and abuse many others, but if the public only sees his "spiritual" side then he is deemed flawless.

A politician with little experience tells what he would do if elected.    He is perceived a genius because he can make things better by himself.

The truth is sometimes forced to the shadows only to suddenly appear when we least expect it.

Finest Hours

January was a slow month for movies. Many of the movies I want to see are not coming to our town, and my schedule makes going elsewhere harder. "Spotlight" and "Brooklyn" are still on the radar.

We did get to take in "Finest Hours", the true story of an unbelievable ocean rescue by the Coast Guard during a violet winter storm. It is an enjoyable and fast moving story with scenes that seem totally real.  I felt wet and tired at the end!  I will say that after Revenant and Hateful 8 I now expect all movies to show the character's breath when cold, and they should be totally wet when in the boat. This movie was not like those. Good popcorn movie.

I give it **1/2 stars. 2016 movie #3