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Flash Movie Review: Oscar Telecast
THIS WAS NEW TERRITORY FOR ME. Having not been in this situation before, I must tell you it was disconcerting for me. All day this past Sunday, I did not think about the telecast, except that it was starting at 6pm CST. For some reason, I assumed it would begin at 7pm, so I had to speed up to get all my tasks that needed to be done for the day. The one thing I did not want to happen was to rush to finish something just a minute before the Oscar Ceremony started. I have my rituals; my clothes for the workday are laid out, I am dressed in my lounging clothes, and I go to the bathroom a few minutes before the start time. If I had any concerns or worries, the first 10 minutes of the show obliterated them. I could not think of a better way to open the show with a message of love to Los Angeles than having the powerhouse singers Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performing. Right after the first note was sung, I was transported into the lights and glamour of Hollywood and movies. My concerns about not seeing, for the first time, all the nominated films went from boiling over in my head to a quiet slow simmer. I was settled into a state of comfort and peace, able and willing to sit however long it would be until the end of the show. IT WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR anyone to follow that opening, but whoever came up with the idea of host Conan O’Brien doing a comedy bit based on the film The Substance, I tip my hat to them. It was a wonderful way to move the audience along to the next segment of the show. I thought he did an excellent job of hosting, though there were a few things that were a bust for me. His singing about wasting time and being late could have been deleted, in my opinion. His humor has a sly edge to it where it gives one a moment’s pause at time, but I appreciated that he did not take the easy way of cracking jokes about the latest winner. What I thought was a nice touch was the way they introduced some of the nominees by having individuals connected to their movie introduce them or just have the presenter talk about each one; it made it more personal and interesting to me. Also, Conan kept things moving along between segments. THE MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT I HAD WAS the tribute to Quincy Jones. Of all the music and songs, he was involved with, I do not understand why they chose a song from the film The Wiz. He produced the song for the film version of the Broadway production. The wrong choice to sing this song was Queen Latifah. I absolutely enjoy her singing voice, but she has a jazzier lower registered voice that was not suited for this song. Along with her outfit, she could have easily done the song “Don’t Bring Me No Bad News” from The Wiz and would have presented it better. The tribute I found touching came from Morgan Freeman talking about his friend Gene Hackman. And with that in memoriam segment I am glad they simply did a musical accompaniment. Outside of that the telecast had few surprises. There was Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal teaming up which was cute, but for me the bigger surprise was having Mick Jagger as a presenter. He truly seemed touched by the crowd welcoming him. By the end of the telecast, I was aware there was a little regret for not being able to have seen all the nominated films, but I felt this might be the wave of the future. Of course, I hope the writer and director of Anora is right when he pleaded for filmmakers to make more films for the theater and asked the public to support movie theaters. I hope this will be the case and I know I will be doing my part to see more films at the theater this year. Because when push comes to shove, I enjoy watching the Oscar telecast having seen all the nominated films beforehand. Wish me luck for next year’s telecast.
Flash Movie Review: Oscars 2025
IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE I have been posting movie reviews for nearly fourteen years. I remember the first year I set out a goal to post one movie review each day for the entire year. Back then my reviews were shorter in length, but I did it, an entire year of movie reviews. Along with the reviews each year I made my predictions of who and what would win the Oscar award. Though, I was making predictions much earlier than 2011. I believe I mentioned in one of my earliest reviews how making Oscar predictions was a tradition in my family. We would all gather around the television set with our list of predictions and begin to check off the ones we got correctly. At the end of the telecast, each of us would count our wins to see who was the winner amongst us. It is such a fond memory; there was no competition between any of us and we just enjoyed being together to watch the show, with our assortment of snacks and drinks. The only thing the winner would get was bragging rights; but it never lasted long since our movie loving family would be immediately back in the hunt to see the next great picture. WHEN THE COVID PANDEMIC HIT AT the end of 2019, things began to change. I remember looking out the bedroom window and seeing no sign of human life. There were no cars on the road, the grocery store parking lot was completely empty, and no one was walking down the sidewalks. It was eerie to the point where I felt we were in an apocalyptic movie; it felt so unreal to me. No one was going to the movies; several around me were closed, and movie studios started focusing on streaming services. Our cable bill soared with all the services even though we do not have all of them. When the time came when it was relatively safe to go back to movie theaters, I would wear a safety mask and sit in the last row off to the side away from everybody. That everybody at first was sometimes only me or a few others brave enough to venture out. With my work schedule and the theaters reduced times, I had a tough time trying to find a movie that would fit in with my schedule. Add in the writers’ strike and it got even more challenging to try and find a decent film to watch. I tried my best but the roadblocks that were set up made it nearly impossible for me to see my usual number of movies. Things came to a head this year when the Oscar nominations came out. Some films only played for one week in 2024 to be considered by the academy and never came back to the theaters, others went to a streaming service we do not have in our package, or the films did not last long for me to try and find a place to see them that was agreeable with my workload. As of today, when I look at all the nominations, for most of them I have only seen two out of five nominees for each category. It is heartbreaking and upsetting to me. The most I have seen for one category is for best picture; I have seen five out of ten of the nominated movies. Because of this situation, for the first time in my life, I cannot make my predictions. I am not alone in this within the family. Hopefully, this is not a prelude for what is in store for the future. I hope things change where there will be more opportunities throughout the year to see movies. SPEAKING OF CHANGE, ISN’T THAT WHAT life is about, it is always changing. At the end of this month, I will be retiring from my day job, after having been with the company for over thirty years. Part of me is anxious, nervous, and excited. You see, I have been working since I was thirteen years old, and the idea of waking up without a schedule is frightening to me. I am a structured person, having always lived with schedules for everything. However, with my upcoming retirement, I am hoping to break that “habit” and try to experience more living in the moment. With that being said, I want you to know my reviews may not always be on a consistent schedule as they have been. There is going to be a lot of traveling coming up, so there may be a few weeks out of the year when I will not be able to post a review. Or, where I normally post reviews Monday through Wednesday, they may now come on different days and times. Until I settle into the next chapter of my life, I do not know how everything will fall into place, and I am okay with it. I just want to experience waking up without an alarm clock blaring in my ear and see how the day moves me. Of course, I am hoping I will have more opportunities to see movies at the theater, but I cannot put anything down yet as a must do schedule. So please bear with me as I navigate this unfamiliar environment in store for me. As I have said before, I appreciate each one of you taking the time to read my reviews and communicating with me. Enjoy the Oscars telecast; I hope it will be an exciting and fun show this year. All the best to you.
MoviePass, MovieCrash
AS I WALKED INTO THE LUNCHROOM, two fellow employees were sitting and talking at a table. When they saw me, one of them asked me if I had ever heard of MoviePass; they knew I was an avid movie goer. I told him no and both employees immediately uttered, “What!?!?” From the look on their faces, you would have thought I had just revealed my secret identity as a superhero or told them I was a former gold medal winning Olympian. I asked them what was MoviePass and they both started talking in unison, telling me about paying a monthly fee and being able to see any movie, anywhere, at any time. I listened intently, but part of me was waiting for some kind of catch or joke to be played on me. They described what they had to do to see the movie and I was still skeptical. It sounded too good to be true and frankly, it sounded strange. At the time they were telling me about this, I was working two jobs which took up most of my time. I did not know if this thing they were talking about would be worth it to me. I also could not understand how the company was making money off this idea. MY PREFERRED METHOD OF PAYING FOR movie tickets was using gift certificates, I would get for my birthday and holiday, and discount certificates I would purchase at the warehouse club where I belonged. Buying a ten pack of certificates would average out to a little less than $8.00 a movie ticket. During the holidays, when the certificates would go on sale, I would buy up to a dozen packs and use them throughout the year, sometimes into the next year even. After listening to the employees’ pitch about this new movie service, I went home after work and did some investigating online. Granted it sounded like a great idea, but there was something inside of me that said something was not right about the company. I had read a multitude of customer comments; they ran the gamut from glowing reviews to irritating ones. Some people complained the screen would freeze up on their phone when they were trying to pick a film; others commented how much they hated trying to reach the customer service department. Honestly, I was surprised by the amount of people taking the time to write down their grievances and their praises. After spending a couple of weeks researching the company and its offerings, the pessimistic side of me prevailed and I chose not to get involved. Having now seen this documentary movie, I am glad I made that decision. FROM TWO MEN’S REVOLUTIONARY IDEA ABOUT a new way to see a movie at the theater, a phenomenon was born. If only they had stuck with their original plan. Directed by Muta’ali (Cassius X: Becoming Ali, Life’s Essentials with Roby Dee), this comedic crime drama was an easy watch. I was fascinated with how the story was unfolding; despite the obvious inequity that filtered through the company. I appreciated the way the director wove news clips, videos, and an array of personal interviews from employees, media, and investors. It created a well-rounded take on the various events and stages that were happening at the company. The thing I found the most interesting about this movie is the way it allows the viewer to expand their thinking to other public companies. After finishing my viewing, I found it ironic that I wound up signing up for a service like MoviePass’ operation except mine is through a movie chain.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Oscar Predictions 2024
WE BOTH FELT THE SAME WAY about the current situation with the Oscar nominations. Ever since streaming came up alongside movie theaters, our joy in watching the Academy Awards telecast has lessened. I was telling my relative how I loved hearing the nominations being announced then checking off how many of them I had already seen. Those that I had not yet seen came to the forefront of my movie viewing jaunts. It was nothing for me to go to a movie theater and watch three nominated films in a row, so I could check them off the list when I returned home. By the time of the awards show, I had seen every nominated movie, and I had all my top choices picked. Now I must traverse in a much different landscape. Some films are produced and shown only on a company’s streaming service. With the variety of streaming services available, they start to add up to more than any cable bill I ever had before; it is crazy. I cannot justify signing up for every streaming service being offered that shows movies. And let us face it, not every movie coming out on streaming is a winner. MAYBE I AM MORE NOSTALGIC THIS year, but I am a little sad that I have not seen every nominated picture. I would have thought the streaming companies that have an Oscar nominated film would allow it to be released at the theaters, even if it were for a brief time, but alas no such luck. The yearly contest among the relatives has been retired for the past couple of years because I am not the only one who was not able to see all the nominees. With this in mind, I was thinking about my predictions, and I have decided I am going to follow the rule on some of the testing we were required to do in our school years; it is better to guess an answer than skip the question. So, please keep in mind the only categories where I have seen all the nominees are Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. With the remainder, it runs the gamut from seeing only one nominee in a category to all but one. I will try to do my best and as always, list what I think should get the award compared to what the Academy will do. Let us all hope that we have a fun and exciting show to watch this year. Good luck.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORT ROLE:
MY CHOICE: Da’Vine Joy Randolph—The Holdovers
ACADEMY PICK: Da’Vine Joy Randolph—The Holdovers
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Robert Downey Jr—Oppenheimer
ACADEMY CHOICE: Robert Downey Jr—Oppenheimer
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Carey Mulligan—Maestro
ACADEMY CHOICE: Lily Gladstone—Killers of the Flower Moon
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
MY CHOICE: Paul Giamatti—The Holdovers
ACADEMY CHOICE: Cillian Murphy—Oppenheimer
BEST DIRECTOR: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Christopher Nolan—Oppenheimer
ACADEMY CHOICE: Christopher Nolan—Oppenheimer
CINEMATOGRAPHY: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: El Conde
ACADEMY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
COSTUME DESIGN: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Barbie
ACADEMY CHOICE: Poor Things
FILM EDITING: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
ACADEMY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:
MY CHOICE: Poor Things
ACADEMY CHOICE: Poor Things
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY): (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Barbie
ACADEMY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY): (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Past Lives
ACADEMY CHOICE: The Holdovers
VISUAL EFFECTS: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Godzilla Minus One
ACADEMY CHOICE: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE-DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
ORIGINAL SONG: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: What Was I Made For—Barbie
ACADEMY CHOICE: What Was I Made For—Barbie
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: The Boy and the Heron
ACADEMY CHOICE: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
ACADEMY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
BEST PICTURE: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
ACADEMY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
Well, there you have the choices for this year. To tell you the truth I am not noticeably confident since there were several films with multiple nominations that I have not seen this past year. I am grateful after the pandemic and the writers’ strike; we were able to get enough films to be nominated. I hope everyone has a wonderful time watching the show and let us hope next year will provide even better and more film choices for us to see. Be well and thank you.
Flash Movie Review: Fool’s Paradise
IF YOU HAVE NEVER SAT WITH someone who was constantly posting things on their social media sites, then consider yourself quite lucky. I myself have been lucky, but I did have someone sitting at the next table to me at a restaurant who was posting stuff. Besides being inconsiderate with all her narrations, she was taking photos of every dish that came to the table. I sat there trying to ignore it all, but it was like trying to ignore fireworks going off in your backyard. All her movements were overexaggerated as was her dialog. The baked potato was not just delicious with butter and sour cream, it was according to her a perfect blend of buttery dollops floating in a sea of smooth cream, with a touch of shaved cheddar cheese sprinkled on top like a brief spring shower. I could not imagine who would be following her on social media; what made her such an expert, I wondered. Not that I judge people by their appearances, but she barely looked of legal age and talked in a phony solicitous way. I did chuckle at the way she kept flicking her long hair back, to keep her face in the best lighting possible. What was the purpose of her doing these posts; did she expect everyone watching to go to the restaurant? Or did she hope to find a way to monetize her sites based on the number of people following her? I do not get it. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A PRODUCT I purchased based on a celebrity endorsement. These days there are some bloggers that have become celebrities; no matter, I would not act on the advice of a blogger, actor, musician or anyone who was not an expert on the subject. Many celebrities have been spokespeople for products or services; though, it seems to me it has increased in number after the golden age of Hollywood. Nowadays, it only takes a person to do one thing that gets noticed and the press quickly blows it out of proportion. It reminds me of that documentary I reviewed where a homeless man saved a woman from an attack, after a traffic incident. He became this hot topic, being wooed by talk show hosts and news outlets. It turned out he might have staged the event and was later accused of murder. Go figure. I cannot describe it fully, but there seems to be this voracious appetite in the news/entertainment worlds to continually elevate people to these absurdly high levels of public recognition, no matter who or what they may have done or not done. This comedic satire can show you an example of what I have been talking about. HAVING BEEN RELEASED FROM A MENTAL health facility, a homeless man soon becomes the latest rage in Hollywood’s media mill. With Charlie Day (Fist Fight, I Want You Back) as Latte Pronto, Ken Jeong (Crazy Rich Asians, The Hangover franchise) as Lenny the Publicist, Kate Beckinsale (Underworld franchise, Love & Friendship) as Christiana Dior, Adrien Brody (Blonde, The French Dispatch) as Chad Luxt and Jason Sudeikis (Colossal, Ted Lasso-TV) as Lex Tanner; Charlie wrote and directed this film. I thought he did an admirable job with his character, which had no dialog; it was completely a physical role. He along with the celebrity cameo roles were the high points of this movie. The script lacked humor, depth and emotion. It kept reminding me of an old Peter Sellars film titled Being There. I knew something had to be up because I was the only one sitting in the theater. There really was nothing unique here except, as I said, for cameo appearances from such celebrities as Ray Liotta and Jason Bateman. With nothing funny or unique being offered, I was left bored through most of this film.
1 ½ star
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2023
WHEN THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS WERE ANNOUNCED, I had the choice to be either optimistic or pessimistic. As I looked at the categories, I felt excited that I had seen a good portion of the films nominated. It was certainly more than last year’s nominees. On the other hand, I still am not back to my original place of having seen every nominee in the major categories. It used to be where several movies would premiere on the west and east coasts before new year’s eve, then open everywhere in January or February. If that is still in place I have not seen evidence of it, which I believe is one of the reasons why I have not been able to see every nominated film. The other reason is due to the streaming services. Some of the services’ movies get a nomination and the corporation keeps them exclusive to their streaming platform. If I were to add every major streaming service to my television package, I might have to get a second job; it is getting ridiculous with everyone jumping on the streaming bandwagon when they all used to be free on network TV or cable. And I will forgo for now my pros and cons to seeing movies at a theater compared to one’s home. So unfortunately, again I have not seen every movie in the category which puts me at a disadvantage. For the sake of tradition, I will do my best to pick what I think deserves the Academy Award and what the academy will do. I will also note which group is incomplete for me. Enjoy the telecast and remember whatever you eat during the show does not have any calories. Happy Oscar’s Day!
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
MY CHOICE: Angela Bassett—Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
ACADEMY PICK: Jamie Lee Curtis—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Ke Huy Quan—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Ke Huy Quan—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Michelle Yeoh—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Michelle Yeoh—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Brendan Fraser—The Whale
ACADEMY PICK: Austin Butler–Elvis
DIRECTING (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Steven Spielberg—The Fabelmans
ACADEMY PICK: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—Everything Everywhere All at Once
CINEMATOGRAPHY (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front
ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western
COSTUME DESIGN (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
FILM EDITING:
MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:
MY CHOICE: The Whale
ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western Front
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY):
MY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front
ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
VISUAL EFFECTS:
MY CHOICE: Avatar: The Way of Water
ACADEMY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front
BEST PICTURE:
MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
There you have it, my picks for this year’s Academy Awards. No matter who gets the Oscar, I hope all of us have can have a fun and enjoyable time watching the telecast. Best of luck to you.
Oscar Predictions 2018
WELL ANOTHER OSCAR SEASON will close with this weekend’s awards show. It has been an interesting past year for movies. There have been a couple of breakout stars and some major flops. Looking at my reviews the past year, there seems to have been fewer outstanding films in my opinion. I believe only 1 or 2 movies received my top 4 star rating. To tell you the truth overall it has been a tough slog to sit through so many pictures that were poorly made. I did however discover 3 new things at the theater. First, I love the one remodeled theater out of 18 at the movie complex near my house. With oversized, soft reclining seats that vibrate to the soundtrack and a dynamite sound system; it made watching a blockbuster film more enjoyable. Second, I discovered a decked out theater with great sound and picture quality along with reclining seats does not make a poorly made film any better. And lastly I discovered I hate, yes hate, sitting in a theater that allows people to order food and have it brought in so they can eat a meal while watching the movie. It is so annoying to sit there and try to pay attention to the picture while a group of people next to you are chomping down on their food. And don’t get me started with the ones that eat with their mouths open!
So let us put all of that aside, get settled into our happy place and enjoy the Academy Awards show. I have all of my favorite snacks ready (to be eaten during the commercials) and have the weekend off from teaching, so I can focus on getting all of my chores done before the telecast. Without further ado let me present to you my choices for what I think should and will win in each category listed.
MY CHOICE TO WIN WHAT WILL WIN
BEST PICTURE
The Shape of Water The Shape of Water
LEAD ACTOR
Gary Oldman Gary Oldman
LEAD ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins Frances McDormand
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Allison Janney Allison Janney
DIRECTOR
Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro
ANIMATED FEATURE
Loving Vincent Coco
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Call Me by Your Name Call Me by Your Name
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Get Out The Shape of Water
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dunkirk Blade Runner 2049
ORIGINAL SONG
This is Me Remember Me
COSTUME DESIGN
Phantom Thread Beauty and the Beast
SOUND MIXING
Baby Driver Star Wars: The Last Jedi
THERE YOU HAVE IT, my picks for the Oscars. May each and every one of you enjoy the show and may each day after be an Oscar worthy day for you. Thank you for your support, comments, likes and suggestions; I appreciate it deeply and also you allowing me to nurture my passion for movies.
Oscar Nomination Picks 2017
THE time has come to put all of your worries aside, forget the chores, make your favorite food dishes and do something special for yourself. It is that time of year, after twelve months of movie watching, where I can relax and stretch myself out on the sofa to experience the blessed event—the Oscars telecast. My menu is set, all I have to do is pick-up the ingredients this weekend. I will be eating dinner early; the reason being it is not healthy to eat something then go lie down. It is bad for one’s digestion. I have declined all invitations to be part of an Oscar party since those attending tend not to devote all their attention to the show compared to me. Talking can only be tolerated during the commercial breaks. If everyone is settled in and there are no questions, let the show begin. I have listed below those nominees I think should win compared to those I think will win. Have a joyous night of fun and laughter everyone. So without further adieu, good luck to everyone and let the show begin.
SHOULD WIN: WILL WIN:
Best Picture:
Hidden Figures La La Land
Best Actress:
Natalie Portman Emma Stone
Best Actor:
Casey Affleck Denzel Washington
Best Supporting Actress:
Viola Davis Viola Davis
Best Supporting Actor:
Mahershala Ali Jeff Bridges
Best Director:
Barry Jenkins Damien Chazelle
Best Original Screenplay:
Manchester by the Sea La La Land
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Hidden Figures Moonlight
Cinematography:
Silence La La Land
Best Animated Feature:
Kubo and the Two Strings Zootopia
Best Original Song:
How Far I’ll Go City of Stars
Oscar Telecast
The telephone loudly pierced the purposeful silence that descended upon the house. It was less than 5 minutes prior to the Oscars telecast, so it was obvious the caller did not know me. Everyone who knows me knows not to call me on Oscar Sunday. I need the day to take care of life’s chores before settling in to watch the show and see how my predictions will fare. With the controversy over this year’s nominations I commend host Chris Rock tackling the subject head-on, with a mixture of humor and seriousness. I felt he found the perfect balance to carry off the monologue. As the show progressed I would have preferred it if Chris expanded beyond this one subject. Yes, there was the Girl Scout cookie moment but it seems ever since Ellen DeGeneres took that selfie shot in the audience, every telecast now has to have some kind of interaction with the audience. The cookie gag was funny for a moment but was not necessary in my opinion.
Though I just heard on the news that this telecast had the lowest television ratings of the past 8 years, I thought the news ticker running across the bottom of the screen listing the people the winners wanted to thank was a good idea; their speeches certainly seemed shorter to me. As far as I could remember this telecast was the closest to end on time compared to recent past shows. My favorite acceptance speeches were given by Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, though I wished the music was not playing during Alejandro’s speech like it did not for Leonardo. I also enjoyed the quick informational blurbs that appeared next to the presenters, despite them being a bit small to read at times. Since I am a big fan of music, I was looking forward to the singing of the nominated songs. Lady Gaga did not disappoint; I thought her performance was a highlight of the show and was surprised her song did not get an Oscar. The two presenters that stood out for me were Louis C.K. for Documentary Short Subject and Toy Story’s Woody and Buzz Lightyear for Best Animated Film. Oh and I cannot forget the robots from Star Wars and the Minions.
If you know me you probably realize there would have to be something startling inappropriate or poorly thought out for me to dislike an Oscar telecast. There have been hosts that were quickly forgettable, speeches that dragged on forever and presenters that used the opportunity for personal gain; but I do not care, the bottom line for me has always been the celebration of the movies I love. Ever since I was a little boy, sitting on the floor in front of the TV with my bowl of popcorn, the Oscars has been my favorite show to watch. So with that being said, it is time to close the chapter on this year’s Oscar telecast and begin seeking out what will get the nod for next year’s show.
Flash Movie Review: Life Itself
I did not always understand what I was watching but it did not matter to me. As long as I experienced an emotional reaction and was entertained, I was content and satisfied. I remember seeing a flying car in one movie and wondering why my family was stuck with a four door sedan. After seeing a boy fly on screen I could not wait to get that ability, figuring it would be taught to me in school. You see, movies always had a major influence on me. Once the film started I could easily be taken away from the reality around me, transported to the time and place inside the movie screen. Fantasy has always been mightier than reality in my world. Once I became aware of movie critics, the first pages I took out from the newspaper were from the entertainment section. Poring over every article pertaining to movies became an obsession (really? you ask). There was one critic who was different from all the rest; he was someone I soon felt was in synch with me. I never sensed he was talking down to me; it was as if we were sitting together and he was explaining what the movie would offer me. That movie critic was Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times. Every week I had a standing date with him to plan out my weekend of movies. SPANNING the decades of his life, this documentary directed by Steve James (Hoop Dreams) unapologetically and candidly showed how Roger went from a young boy to newspaper reporter to Pulitzer Prize winning film critic to his battles with cancer. Executive produced by Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street, Hugo), this film festival nominee did an outstanding job of blending various sources together such as family film footage, outtakes from Roger’s television show with fellow movie critic Gene Siskel and interviews with a variety of friends and celebrities. I felt this movie was evenly balanced; it did not shy away from tough subjects, nor did it try to sway the viewer by the way things were depicted. There were a few scenes that were hard to watch when Roger was shown struggling with his health issues. When you think about it, there really could be no other way to make this film. Roger approved and it was even shown how he wanted this film to show him as he really was in life. Whether it was his alcoholism or showing how he got nourishment after his surgery; for me, this biographical film was the real thing. It was an incredible life squeezed into the short time frame of this wonderful documentary. I know if Roger would have reviewed this film he would have given it a thumbs up.
4 stars
moviejoltz 