Wishing You the Happiest of Birthdays Again

Dear Jane,

I am so sorry for missing these birthday letters. Life has been crazy busy while I was taking two classes this past semester.

My relaxation is watching movies and listening to audio books. Where ever you are these days, do you get a chance to listen to these? I have learned to love them but it really depends on who is doing the reading to make it good or not. Some books done this way can be quite dreadful, especially if the reader doesn’t get the main character.

One book I listened to recently made the two main characters too giggly f

or the situations or their own character traits. That to me is really annoying, The other annoying thing is when the speaker’s volume is very loud for one character and very soft for another who are in the same scene. This happened in one book which lead me to turn up the volume for the soft character only to have to quickly turn it down for the next who’s voice was booming.

Well, if you can, I would suggest the Inspector Gamache series on audio. Louise Penny has centered these books in the town of Three Pines, an English settlement in the Quebec province. Our Inspector is French Quebecois but apparently speaks English quite well. These mysteries definitely have an Agatha Christie feel to them. There are many books in this series, each a gem. If you can, get the ones narrated by Ralph Cosham who passed away in 2014.

Another thing you might want to catch if you can is a movie version of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Is this a great movie? Well, no. But Lily James gives a spirited performance as Lizzie who is an excellent fighter. I think you would be proud of her and this version of your book. I still don’t understand the proposal/fight scene. You will have to watch it to see what I mean. I think it is perfect for watching with teenage or older children, if they don’t mind zombie movies.

But it is your birthday and I hope that your special day is just that. I pray you get some cake and a bit of fun. It seems hard to believe that you lived for a short time and I am now older than you got to be. But your legacy has lived on and inspired so many others. I don’t think any of us can say thank you enough.

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays and a wonderful lazy day to dream of the next book,

Sincerely, your devoted friend, etc.

 

 

 

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Oh, no she didn’t. . .

Once upon a time, I wrote movie reviews.

I still watch a ton of movies. I still love romantic comedies.

I told one of my classmates in my LTA program that I used to write reviews. And the question she asked was interesting. She wanted a list of romantic comedies in which the heroine wasn’t stupid, or the plot wasn’t stupid.

Rhinestone Dress Brooch ($29.00); picture from http://www.shop.heart.com

My immediate thought was don’t watch a single Kate Hudson romantic comedy. I never watch her movie with Anne Hathaway but I felt pretty certain it was awful, too. What disappoints me is that in Almost Famous Hudson was great, luminous and raw. I could have watched her all day.

So as I thought Bout this list, I realized I was starting way back. I am not going into the silent movies but there are a few from the 1930s that are must sees.

I would start with My Man Godfrey (1936) starring Carole Lombard as the ditzy rich girl who is only interested in partying during the depression. It takes their new butler Godfrey, played by William Powell, to help her figure out life is about something more. This is one of the first screwball comedies but a classic as we know what will happen with a few surprises.

Because they apparently worked well together, Grant and Hepburn starred in The Philadelphia Story (1940) just two years later. Here a divorced couple meet up again just before her wedding to another man. Because it is a society wedding, reporter Jimmy Stewart shows up with his girl friday. Snappy dialogue along with plenty of drinking makes for a lot of fun,

To be honest my next pick is a Christmas movie but I find that Barbara Stanwyck is still one of the

Picture from IMDb.com

smartest actresses I’ve ever watched. In Christmas in Connecticut (1945),  Stanwyck is a Martha Stewart-like writer without the farmhouse, husband, baby, or the ability to cook. Then her publisher (Sydney Greenstreet) wants to spend Christmas with her and invites a recently recovered war vet. Stanwyck invents a husband, farm, and baby. She then promptly falls in love with the soldier.

For whatever reasons, my next pick doesn’t come until the late 80s. But if you haven’t seen Roxanne (1987) starring Steve Martin and Darryl Hannah, you might learn to love this Cyrano redo. Martin plays a firechief in a small mountain town who happens to have a big nose. Hannah is a lovely astronomer who come to town for the summer to relax. During the scene when Martin invents 20 insults that someone could have used, start counting because I think there are more than 20.

An article like this has to mention When Harry Met Sally (1987) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993). These are two of the smartest and funny romantic comedies I have ever seen. Before I go to my favorite, my honorable mentions goes to Return To Me (2000) starring Minnie Driver and David Ducovney as well as While You Were Sleeping (1995) with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. Love these and will Watch them again and again.

Poster image from IMDb.com

But one of my favorite romantic comedies is Forget Paris (1995) starring Billy Crystal as an NBA ref who meets Debra Winger in Paris and falls immediately in love. Instead of being about the ramp up to a relationship, this movie gives us the after with ups, downs, and constant curves. THe Pigeon scene still makes me laugh as does Cynthia Stevenson.

Please share your picks for great romantic comedies with smart heroines in the comment section.

 

 

 

Dr. Who Love

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

With the new year comes resolutions to be better, to do better.

We all have some goal we want to accomplish. Maybe it is losing weight or gaining more muscle or learning a new skill or getting rid of clutter.

I usually set goals for how many books I will read throughout the year on Goodreads.com. I would like to do that for movies but I tend to watch quite a few without a goal. Another goal I like to set is trying to figure out better nutrition for myself and my family. That and getting rid of clutter. I am always trying to get rid of clutter.

Change is inevitable in some things.

Such as Dr. Who.

Jodie Whitaker as the latest Dr. Who

Some of you may have been watching the British show since the 60s when nit first came about. Others might have started in the 70s when Tom Baker was the enigmatic Doctor. My children have watched the show with Matt Smith and David Tennant. The current doctor is portrayed by Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to portray the Doctor.

Everyone I know seems to have a favorite doctor and not all agree on who is the best. For me, it is Tom Baker. He started the super-long scarf craze and seemed just wacky and tough enough to be a great doctor. But there is a part of me that loved the last doctor portrayed by the Scottish Peter Capaldi.

The basic story line is that the Doctor is an alien humanoid who travels through time and space, trying to help whatever group he/she may encounter. Some episodes find us in the past, some find us exploring the future. The setting might be a spaceship in distress or a countryside facing evil from other aliens. The Doctor always has an human companion, some more skillful than others, some more dear than others.

Like the Doctor, companions have changed out over the years. Sarah Jane was one of my favorites. But I also grew to love Rose and Clara. My kids loved Amy Pond. It wasn’t really that hard to like her or her husband, Rory.

How do we forget the villains? The salt and pepper shaker inspired Daliks? The weeping angel statues? The creepy cybermen? My favorite was the robot who eliminated people if they showed any signs of sadness.

There have been many enjoyable moments as some of my favorite actors have appeared on the Doctor. I loved it when Michael Gambon starred as a scrooge-like character. Not too long ago Alan Cummings portrayed King James. Alex Kingston portrayed Riversong to unpredictable perfection. To list them all would take too much time.

Doctors come and go. The back story, especially that with Riversong, is long and complicated. And yet, the Doctor draws people in to a certain level of fandom that is only equaled by Trekkies and Star Wars fans. I recently read that there is a warehouse/store/museum in Indiana filled with Doctor Who memorabilia. To me that sounds like a road trip in the making.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

ChristmasMovies

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

It is the Christmas season. And every year I find myself talking about the same movies.

New movies come about and one wonders if they are to be new classics.

I know a lot of people like to watch Elf but I have never warmed to that movie. There are others that are meant for older teens and adults but not for children. I love Bad Santa, Love Actually, and The Holiday but their content is adult focused. It’s hard to display these as family friendly movies when the are definitely not for the kids.

Other movies or shows are meant for kids, a whole variety of cartoon characters have special christmas episodes. Maybe it is Thomas the Tank Engine or Angelina Ballerina or Dora. These are really meant for kids and only kids.

One of the newer movies made for Christmas that intrigues me is called The Man Who Invented Christmas. The movie is about the time period in which Charles Dickens was writing A Christmas Carol. Some might say that this is Dickens’ masterpiece. The movie takes place in the 1840s as Dickens is going through a tough time financially as his last three novels were flops.

His latest serial is not doing well and Dickens needs a better cash flow. That is when the idea of his classic tale comes to life in his head. But writing it all down, creating the story is hard work. Dickens is blocked in his attempt to write and illustrate the story during a frustrating six-week period.

As he is writing, characters come alive and state how they want to be treated in the story. Scrooge ridicules the writer while demanding his story be told through his own written narrative. Soon, other members of the cast show up and help him figure out the rest of the story.

Dan Stephens plays the author with gusto and creativity. He is joined by Christopher Plummer as Scrooge in a performance that defines the character. This movie has received a variety of awards from family movies groups. It is wonderful and weird watching the writer in his process.

Most of the time I would tell you watching a writer create is not exciting. We sit at a writing table or a keyboard and work to create by typing and checking our research. Dickens apparently used to walk through London, even the dodgy areas, while in the middle of creating his various stories.

But by making these characters come to life, some who are also played by members of the household, the director, Bharat Nalluri, adds dimension to the process.

We know that A Christmas Carol is a classic story that our society enjoys every year. Dickens’ story changed the way England and America celebrated Christmas. It brought back hope and goodness that we now associate with the season.

In seeing how this story was created, we develop better understanding of this wonderful traditional Christmas tale. And that can make the story all that more special.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

The Lion in Winter

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

Lately my facebook page has been filled with advertisements for The Favorite starring Rachel Weitz, Emma Stone, and Olivia Colman.

The story is about Queen Anne of England and how she was influenced by two women who were her favorites at various times.

The women were in essence fighting over Anne, each with ideas of what would be best for the country.

It is a character study that is both fascinating and appalling.

I haven’t seen this movie yet but it does remind me of an older movie about a British royal family celebrating Christmas while trying to decide upon the heir to the king’s seat.

The Lion in Winter is set during the reign of King Henry II. The king is older and he has three sons wondering who will be the next king. WE know them as King Richard the Lionhearted, King John, and Geoffrey. To make everything more interesting, the Queen has been allowed to visit from her jail cell. Eleanor of Aquitaine is a dangerous woman who has tried to unseat her husband several times and almost succeeded once.

Henry and Eleanor are portrayed by Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn, two giants in the world of acting. One scene is filled with much emotion and constant stategising between these two as both try to get their favorites in place for power. There is much chemistry and fire between these two as they fight and love or just be.

Henry!! was a ruthless king and Peter O’Toole gives him the right amount of passion and drive to be king. We watch him throw someone out a window and plot to make his favorite king. Katherine Hepburn give a tour -de force performance as a woman who constantly fights for her rights. But Hepburn makes her a standout woman who seems unafraid to admit what upsets her.

This movie also marks Anthony Hopkins debut as a screen actor as Prince Richard. Hopkins gives a strong performance and related the advice Hepburn gave to him regarding acting. Timothy Dalton appears as the French king.

Is this a Christmas movie? No, not really. It is set at Christmas but the family gathering is very intense with family members willing to take out the mates of their family members.

And yet there are beautiful parts of this movie with the grand entrance of the queen at the beginning. A part of me loves the dysfunction and the constant bickering. I love the grand scenes and the more intimate scenes. Even the final scene is fascinating as they make plans for the following year.

Despite being made in the 60s when there were more restrictions on movies, this one is not for kids. It has some harsh scenes and deadly outcomes. It contains adult context and should be kept for teens and older.

This is the season when kid shows and movies abound. This movie is for adults and something many of us can relate to even if our families are not royalty.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

The Crimes of Grindelwald

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

I hate it when I am looking forward to a movie and it doesn’t live up to what I had hoped it would be.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has been advertised for months. I was super excited to see Jude Law as a younger Dumbledore. Johnny Depp appearing as Grindelwald seems inspired.

I knew that we would see Grindelwald’s beginnings as a leader of wanting only wizards to rule the world. I knew that there would be new and old characters developing the story further.

I didn’t expect the darkness but I should have because the timing of Grindelwald’s reign of terror coincides with WWII. And his message of a master race is eerily similar to Hitler’s messages from the early 1930s.

The movie starts with Grindelwald’s escape from New York, a scene in which enemies and partners are discarded like wet towels that are no longer needed. Soon enough we are finding out about his true intentions and desires. We see him slowly trying and winning more followers.

Meanwhile, Newt Scamander has continued to take care of his menagerie of creatures. Because of the events in New York City a few months back, he is no longer allowed to travel across international lines. But the ministry is willing to allow him to travel again if Newt is willing to ‘take care’ of the Credence problem.

There are other problems. When Queenie and Jacob show up in London, Newt knows immediately that Queenie has put Jacob, an American Muggle, under a spell. They want to marry but Jacob won’t until the law allows them to be married.

Soon enough all three find their way to Paris to find Tina, Quennie’s sister. Not to mention the situation with Dumbledore.

The animation of this movie is incredible. Magical creatures abound and seamlessly works on the screen. I feel as if we are in the London and Paris of the 1920s moving towards the 1930s with more fitted clothing but Marcel waves still abounding.

The problem is there are almost too many back stories that we need to make sense of everything. Some of our characters do not act in a way that seems true to the characters we have known. While Jude Law is good as Dumbledore and Eddie Redmayne continues to shine as Newt, there is something missing. The wonder of magic is simply not present enough despite Jacob’s efforts.

That compounds the fact that this movie is too dark in the story line, in the story telling, and in the characterization of Grindelwald. This is not a movie for children, as much as I wish it to be. It is better for teens and adults who might feel a kinship with Credence in his hunt for his real family.

The first movie had many magical elements and was fun. This second installment has moved to a darker place quite quickly and I feel the rest of the movies in this series will not go back to a lighter feeling. But how can it when we are talking about a holocaust?

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

THe Lovely Emma Stone

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

There are various actors that I love to watch because their good. Some I like because they make acting look so easy no matter what role they are playing.

Zombieland

I started watching Emma Stone when she appeared in Zombieland. When I see Emma Stone, somehow, I am reminded of Lindsey Lohan. Stone is having the career that Lohan should have had. It is filled with a variety of roles in a variety of genres. Stone has done musical, comic book, drama, and historical movies. She has dipped her toes in science fiction and voice over work.

Everytime I see her in a movie, I am transported. I believe she is that character and her emotions always feel true.

Zombieland starred Stone, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin as four survivors after the zombie apocalypse. They are all trying to get back to a place where they think it might be safe from the zombies, they all want to find if loved ones are still alive.

Stone reminded me of Zooey Deschanel with long dark hair and a sassy attitude. But the one thing I noticed is I could not stop watching Stone. Every time she was on the screen, I wanted to see what she would do next.

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of watching Stone in a variety of movies. She has been a 1960s activist writer in The Help. She played Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man. That was followed by voicing the lead character in The Croods.

Birdman

While these were good, Stone would really shine in The Birdman starring Michael Keaton. The movie was about a man making a comeback on Broadway after a career of playing a super-hero character. Keaton might be crazy, he might really have some powers and we never know for certain.

Stone plays his daughter who has recently come out of drug rehab. She appears much thinners, pale, and has dark shadows under her eyes. But her performance especially at the end of the movie, is spellbinding. It is her reaction to her father’s final scene that allows you to believe in something happy, something positive.

While I thought La-La Land was uneven, Stone was marvelous. Her dancing was light and airy but done by a person who appeared to be confident and learning how to be better. And that matched her character, a young actress trying to make herself better with every role and every opportunity.

Her latest movie is The Favorite set in the early 1700s in the royal court. Stone plays Abigail, a woman who comes to find a job at the royal residence of Queen Anne and becomes the person that the queen wants with her at all times.

This actually happened as Queen Anne slowly turned from her favorite of Lady Sarah Marlborough to Abigail. As I watched the clips, I loved how Stone handled various situations and I found she sounded similar to friends of my children. For those in high school yet, Stone is an inspiration of how to act and how to be during interviews and on set.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

The Spy who Dumped Me

Family Movie Night

by Karyn Bowman

The other day I started writing my column when I realized I was going to have to scrap it.

My youngest son had to go to the ER. What started out being flu-like turned out to be appendicitis. Surgery took place on Friday morning and the weekend was spent at the hospital.

By the time you read this, he will be at home resting. With any luck he will be well on the way to recovery.

For everyone who sent well wishes and all those who gave up prayers, please accept our thanks and appreciation.

When I started writing this week’s column, I was talking about The Spy Who Dumped Me. This action/comedy stars Mila Kunis as a woman who was recently dumped by her boyfriend by text message. Her best friend, Kate McKinnon, tries to cheer her up by suggesting they burn all of the ex-boyfriend’s stuff and text him to let him know.

That’s when it gets a little crazy. He texts back to say he will pick it all up. Then Kunis learns from a handsome Brit, Sam Heughan, that her boyfriend is CIA who was making a deal for something that she has in her possession. And when the ex shows up, he asks her to take the item to Europe.

So now McKinnon and Kunis are on their way, hoping not to die in the process. Of course they’re being followed, of course it is going to be dangerous, of course there are going to be guns ablazing.

As much as I wanted to like this movie, I was disappointed. There were a lot of funny moments but there were other moments that dragged or didn’t feel quite realistic.

Because this is supposed to be a comedy, some of the action scenes are over the top in the amount of violence and gun fire. The big torture scene is supposed to be funny because this woman uses gymnastic techniques to beat on these women. But I also love this because it makes fun of the action films that have increased their wire gymnastics actions.

Kate and Mila

However, this movie also wants to be taken seriously. The singular body count – one here, one there – gets rather high and they don’t always make sense.

Does Kate McKinnon go over the top? Is Mila Kunis a bit too shrill at times? Could Sam Heughan have been a bit more something? Yes, yes, and yes. The problem is it wants to be both action and comedy. At some point you have to make a choice between action movie with comedic elements or comedic movie with action elements.

On the other hand, if all you want is a fun action movie that is bit of a travelogue with some salty language, then this is the girls night movie you have been waiting for. Can I say that Sam is really hunky?

 

You Betcha, I can!

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

 

Comfort Movie

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

As we zoom into the holiday season, I find I want to watch those movies that are comforting and familiar.

This past week I watched You’ve Got Mail for the umpteenth time. One child shook his head and asked if I hadn’t watched this movie too many times. Another child wondered why I was watching the movie without her.

I found myself reading quotes from the movie on IMDb.com and knew where each one came from. Okay, maybe not right down to the minute but I recognized where each one fit in the movie.

I know the movie well despite hating the ending which I will talk about later.

I find that this movie has a wonderful mix of the sentimental and the modern. In this movie the characters meet in an online discussion group, something very modern in the late 90s as AOL and the internet takes off. They meet at Starbucks, which was beginning to be everywhere.

And yet it is filled with memories from the music by Harry Nilsson and Roy Orbison. Each song seems perfectly fitted for the emotional moment of each scene. The most modern song comes from The Cranberries at the beginning of the movie which set the tone of the busy-iness of New York City, of the people walking to work at a quick and excited pace.

There are all of these charming moments throughout the movie with lovely incidental music that has a slight jazzy tone that romances us and reminds us of an earlier citified age.

All of these elements allow me to forgive the ending in which I think Kathleen should have slapped Joe in the face for his deception. She should have told him off before admitting she hoped it would be him all along. Maybe that would have been trite, maybe not the right payoff. But I always felt that she accepted Joe too easily.

We all have that kind of movie that makes us happy, where all of the pieces come together perfectly and tell a story the right way. I have wonderful friends who love horror movies, my mother could watch Humphrey Bogart movies all day. My sons are happy with movies that have explosions and chase scenes.

These are the movies we all turn to when life needs to stay on the other side of the door, when we just need a break from the world for a little while. In the next month and a half, life will get crazy for some of us with holiday events and concerts and family gatherings. For some of us the holiday season is a simple reminder of all the things and people we are missing.

Comfort movies help us get through, maybe they allow us to cry or feel exhilarated. We know how everything will move through the story, we know the dialogue, and the various underlying themes that we may or may not think about.

Maybe for you that movie is Godzilla in whatever iteration but for me it is You’ve Got Mail. And the only other thing I need besides a box of kleenex is a bowl of popcorn with cinnamon sprinkled about.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

Blair Witch Project

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

In this final week of the Halloween season, I know people are watching their favorite horror movies and getting ready for the Halloween night.

One thing that has fascinated me is the rise of Trunk-or-Treat events. I remember about five years ago seeing a handful of these events and thinking what a great idea that would be. It is a good time for kids to wear their costume again and each trunk can have a different theme with or without a game.

It adds to the fun and festive atmosphere of the season.

I know some people love this aspect. But others love exploring the scary part, the possibility of ghosts and the evil that resides in the human heart. My favorite movies, the ones that I’ve watched once, are filled with scary moments, some ‘gotcha’ moments, and never a sight of the actually villain until near the end if at all.

Perhaps that explains the popularity of The Blair Witch Project. Released in 1999, the movie purports to be the lost footage of three young filmmakers who go into the woods near a small town in Maryland. They went into the woods purposely to explore the legend of a witch and to see if they can record anything.

Heather, Josh, and Michael are trying to follow a map while searching for signs of this legendary ghost. And what they find are creepy piles of rocks, gooey substances covering their personal items, and stick doll figures. They are followed by strange sounds, lights in the distances, and happenings that cannot be explained.

Because we are seeing ‘found’ footage, it is grainy with a lot of shaky movement. It is a difficult movie to see in the theater. Many people had feelings of nausea while watching the movie. Luckily this does not happen when the movie is watched on a television.

Most of the fear we are watching is tangible, it feels real, it feels as if this is something that could be happening. And that is what makes this movie one of the best in this style to watch. The actors never let us down in their emotional levels – the excitement, the fear, the anger, the resignation. This movie has high ratings along with having been nominated for a Razzie (award for worst movie of the year) which might make a person confused. Is it good? Is it bad?

The answer is yes to both questions. There are parts that are good, we believe every moment, we believe in the three filmmakers’ fear. And yet, in the after thoughts you wonder why you were scared by what seemed like close to nothing. After all, the person causing all of the fear and terror is never seen. Be aware that there is a lot of swearing and use of the F word. If you are sensitive to this word usage, this might not be the movie for you.

I will never forget what Richard Roeper said about this movie. He suggested that if you want to know if this movie is scary or not, watch it sometime during a dark night, all by yourself in the house.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.