As someone whose personal blog has been gradually taken over by photos of buildings, I am the prime audience for Director Kogonada’s Columbus.* While Haley Lu Richardson** and John Cho grapple with lives in flux, the modernist buildings of Columbus, Indiana provide a framework for the film’s narrative. It’s a movie full of small moments and stunning architecture, and both the moments and the buildings are beautiful.
Verdict: Recommended
Cost: free via Kanopy, the Multnomah County Library’s streaming service Where watched: at home.
*I’m also a fan of slice-of-life stories with characters at turning points. **This is three films in two weeks with Ms. Richardson. She played the friend in Edge of Seventeen, and an enthusiastic waitress in Support the Girls. I will also most likely see her soon in Five Feet Apart, because movies based on YA novels area always a priority.
Kelly hosted the Oscar-viewing party and we had a good time (despite my disappointment with the Best Picture outcome.)
I prepared my Happiest Oscar Viewer game, and I was the second happiest Oscar viewer. Laurie beat me out, but also because she had two things listed for some categories.
Kelly prepared a BINGO sheet, but nothing shook down in a way that caused any of us to win. If only one person had told their kids to go to bed! Or, if only I had looked more closely at my BINGO sheet instead of taking the one on the top.
The night of the Academy Awards remains my favorite annual TV event. I learned that when there is no host, things clip along. And also it’s awkward at the very end when there isn’t an official person to see us off the air.
Director Alex Lehmann’s Paddleton is chock full of things I like.* Ray Romano** captures many unsaid things as Andy, the friend who not only will be left behind, but also is helping his best Michael friend to exercise his right to die before cancer kills him. I was looking for sorrow to turn me inside out and that did not occur, but I still found a lot to love in this story.
Verdict: Good
Cost: Netflix monthly subscription fee $7.99 Where watched: at home
*Changing friendships, male friendships, the lives of middle-aged unmarried men, movies made by the Duplass brothers, sad things, quirky details like a made up game. **Who I know about, but whose body of work I am not familiar with because I never watched Everybody Loves Raymond
Sometimes, I think it’s harder to get nominated in this category than it is for best actress. After all, most movie roles for women aren’t for the lead. They are for the wife, or the mother, or the girlfriend. You know, the women who are ready and waiting to boost that man who is the real story. (In fact, our first contender fits neatly into that slot.)
Whereas movies that are really ABOUT women are much fewer and far between. And then sometimes they can’t be too much about women (ahem Tully) or supposedly “people” won’t want to watch them. So there are a lot more supporting roles than there are lead ones.
Oh, Amy Adams, you’re just good in everything, including Vice. The academy likes you so much they have nominated you for six Oscars. Your performance as the steely Lynne Cheney was equal to your many other nominated performances. However, I think you are a long shot to win.
Fun fact: Amy Adams’ performance in Enchanted was so good I left the theater without my purse.
Oh Emma Stone, you are also delightful, especially in The Favourite. You’ve already won an academy award (for La La Land) and you brought steely conniving to your role as Abigail. Will this be your year? Again? My guess is no.
Fun fact: we only know her as Emma Stone because there was already an Emily Stone already registered with SAG
Marina de Tavira, nominated for Roma
Marina de Tavira as Señora Sofía in Roma, written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
Photo by Carlos Somonte.
Marina de Tavira, you keep your own secrets in Roma. As the mother of four and the head of household you keep going as your marriage falls apart. Like Yalitza Aparicio, your performance is subtle. If the 2019 Academy Awards is going to be a night all about Roma, you might just win.
Fun fact: Marina de Tavira is a well-known actress in Mexico. I have no real fun facts because I mostly only watch movies in English.
Rachel Weisz, nominated for The Favourite
Rachel Weisz stars in Fox Searchlight Pictures’ “THE FAVOURITE.”
Rachel Weisz, in The Favourite, you get what you deserve and also manage to make us feel sad that things have turned out this way for you. It’s a great performance of friendship, and scheming, and control. I think two nominated actresses from the same movie will split the vote, so it will be a surprise—but a welcome one—if you win.
Fun fact: the first names of her former partner and current husband both begin with the letter D. But who are her former partner and her current husband? I’ll leave you to Google.
Regina King, nominated for If Beale Street Could Talk
Well hello Regina King, the matriarch holding things together in If Beale Street Could Talk. This is your first nomination, though IMDB tells me you have 52 wins and 53 nominations in other awards categories. You’re the one I’m hoping will win.
Fun fact: both her and her sister Reina’s first names mean “queen”
Predictions
So who will win? If it’s Roma’s night, then Marina de Tavira. If it’s not, then Regina King. Rachel Weiss and Emma Stone, maybe. Amy Adams, long shot.
My preferred winners, in order: Regina King, Rachel Weiss, Emma Stone, Marina de Tavira and Amy Adams
Dana sent me this lovely card from New Zealand where she and her husband are visiting for a little over a month. (Nice!)
Sara sent me this postcard with the express purpose of commenting on my recent observation (sent to her via postcard) that despite a postage increase, the post office is sticking with the blandly offensive seashell postcard stamps. Ugh! At least there was a nice postcard to temper my disappointment.
Julian Schnabel takes some chances in At Eternity’s Gate and those chances paid off for Willem Dafoe, who was nominated in the Best Actor category for an Academy Award. It didn’t fully pay off for me as this movie was slow, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes open.* I liked how they dealt with the dreaded accent thing,** and the visual things were interesting, almost enough to get me to stop thinking about the fact that a 63-year-old man was portraying a painter who died at 37.
Verdict: skip, unless the visual things intrigue you
Cost: $1.75 via Redbox Where watched: at home
Consider watching instead some other movie with Willem Dafoe, like The Florida Project, or The Life Aquatic with Steven Zissou
*Indeed, I took a short break and napped for 30 minutes so I could more fully watch the film. **You know, when the actors all talk with some sort of quasi-English accent, except they are (mostly) Americans playing people who are say, French. This movie starts in French, which sets the tone, but then most of the film the actors talk in standard American English.
I don’t usually walk down this street from this direction, so I’d not noticed this very fun mural on the side of a building that houses, among other things, a tattoo parlor. Hence the full sleeve on one of Paul’s arms.
My 1999 self watched the Wachowski’s The Matrix in the theater and what my 2019 self recalls about that movie is the feeling of a massive shrug. Having just re-watched the film as my 2019 self, I can say I’m not quite sure what my 1999 self was thinking* because WOW there is a lot to like about this film. It is still setting the standard for Sci-Fi visuals, Keanu Reeves’ performance isn’t nearly as wooden as I was remembering, and it has a strong female character (Carrie-Anne Moss) who is a great fighter.**
Verdict: Recommended
Cost: free from the Multnomah County library Where watched: at home, in preparation for Filmspotting’s 9 from 99 discussion.
*And really, this goes for all aspects of my 1999 self, not just pertaining to this movie. I thought it was weird I remembered not one thing about the film, so much so that I wondered if maybe I hadn’t actually watched it. But no, there it was listed in the 1999 journal. I watched it on June 23. I wrote nothing about the movie in the entry from that day. **Though alas, she exists only for the male lead. That “I love you” scene was probably the weakest one of the movie. Also, props for a somewhat diverse cast to support that male lead.
The Rosetown Ramblers went skating at Oaks Park and I had a quite good time.
The skates I rented. Though skating is fun, my feet hurt while I’m doing it.
Look at the price! Yikes!
If I wanted to, I could join the club that makes Oaks Park their home.
But I could probably not join the speed skating club.
I was surprised at how crowded the rink was on a Sunday afternoon, but I guess indoor family fun things are a big deal in February. I managed the skating quite well, and had enough fun that I envisioned a future where I took all the skate classes and became a really great skater.
And then I talked myself down. The joy of being in my 40s is that I can remind myself to focus on the many things I already do that I love.
Director Todd Strauss-Schulson calls out many of the romantic comedy tropes in Isn’t it Romantic, a film that is fun for lovers of romantic comedies and stands on its own as a peppy comedy. I’m quite glad someone gave Rebel Wilson a starring vehicle, because I’ve been waiting for her to be featured in something since 2012’s Pitch Perfect. For people aware of the romantic comedy arc, this is a predictable film, but that can be easily pushed aside to enjoy amusing performances as well as Wilson’s reactions to the romantic comedy her life has become.
Verdict: Good
Cost: $7.05 (the “bargain” night at Regal has become not so much of a bargain.) (Though free because the boyfriend had gift cards.) Where watched: Regal City Center Stadium 12 with the boyfriend.
