Who among us isn't a movie buff? If you just thought, "Well, I'm not.", then don't waste your time reading this blog entry. I love movies, and I especially love good movies. A friend of mine refused to go see any movie that wasn't ' socially important'. After attending several movies of her choice, I came to the conclusion "socially important" meant any movie which wasn't really fun and entertaining. It was Barry Lyndon and Chariots of Fire that were the last straws. We finally parted ways when it came to attending the flix.
This is the most exciting time of the year for movies. Not only are the 'award' movies out there, but TCM (Turner Classic Movies) runs a shtick called "30 days of Oscar". Simply put, they run movies that have won Academy Awards. My DVR gets a work-out this month. The movies they choose will have won an Oscar for something, and although I've seen quite a few of them, there are always new ones and old favorites I can re-watch at the drop of a hat. It's very interesting to chart the evolution of popular culture in the United States by watching movies from all time periods in the 20th century. We sometimes forget we're copied by almost everyone else in the world, and a big reason for our cultural dissemination is our movies which are distributed world wide.
However, let's dish about the current crop of 'award movies'. First, I've seen lots of the nominated movies. Now, I don't know about you, but even if I wanted to see the short and long documentaries, I couldn't find them anywhere in this Philistine city. Only if you live in L.A. or NYC do you have a prayer of seeing those documentaries, so I'm just going to ignore them. I also don't know enough about Film Editing or Sound Production to be able to pick in those categories. Let's face it, we only really care about the actors, the best pic, the director, the cartoon pic, and the song as far as the Oscars go. We might give a slight nod to screenplay and score. So here goes.
The animated film I liked best was Frozen. I think it was the music that tipped the balance for me. (Disclaimer: I only saw 3 of the 5.) I also liked "Let it Go" from the movie for best song. I walked out of the theater humming the "Let it Go" song. However, I thought Best Score should go to Her. The unscientific reason is I kept noticing the music during the film.
As for Costume Design, I think it has to go to American Hustle. What a perfect re-creation of the ugliest clothes of the century: the late 1970's. I think ties were 5 inches wide, and clothes for women were skimpy and tasteless - such a winning combination. Make-up/Hair Design should go to "Dallas Buyer's Club, a movie about the mishandling of the anti-virals needed by HIV positive patients in the early days of the AIDS crisis.
Oddly enough Dallas Buyer's Club should have been a completely miscast, utterly depressing movie. Instead, it turned out to be my second favorite film this year. I think Matthew McConaughey should get the nod for Best Actor. It wasn't just his weight loss which was shocking in itself, but his realistic portrayal of an unlikely hero who, even though dying himself, made it his mission to help keep others alive. Oh, and if he made a buck at the same time, so much the better. Instead of a depressing movie, it was uplifting and one of growth and triumph. MM needs an Oscar to legitimatize his actor chops. His competition are already accepted as 'real actors'. He's still trying to shed the Rom-Com label, and the smirk in people's voices when his name is mentioned.
As to who should win in the women's categories: I'm torn between Judi Dench in Philomena and Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine as Best Actress. They both created mesmerizing characters you couldn't take your eyes off whenever they were on screen. Cate Blanchett had better material to work with (Woody Allen just knows how to write a move.) Oh, I do want to mention Meryl Streep and her movie - I hated August Osage County and I hated her character. I disliked the entire production so much, I don't even want to think about her or the movie winning ANYTHING. Newsflash! I'm done, done, done with dysfunctional families. At some point you have to quit blaming your parents for your difficulties. Amy Adams in American Hustle may sneak in and take Best Actress because she's been working really hard, and Hollywood likes that.
My choice for Supporting Actress would be Jennifer Lawrence from American Hustle. When you walk out of a movie quoting one of her lines, and marveling over her character as if she was a real person - well, that deserves an award. Oh, I forgot the Best Supporting Actor - I'm torn between the guy who plays the Somali Pirate in Captain Phillips and the guy who plays the cross-dressing prostitute in Dallas Buyer's Club. Again, though, it might be Bradley Cooper, American Hustle, because Hollywood is 'in love' with him right now. I think either of other two guys are more deserving for the characters they created.
Gravity should win for Cinematography. I really believed they were in space, but gag me with a spoon - Sandra Bullock in the lead isn't a good enough actress to carry the whole movie. Perhaps I should have seen it in 3-D. Don't get me started - I try to boycott 3-D movies because I hate being ripped off by the bumped up ticket price. There are other awards - like best screenplay, but I'm such a Woody Allen fan I just want him to win for Blue Jasmine. I have no clue who will win Best Director. If they had a category of "Most Interesting Ideas in a Feature Film", then Her would win.
I do know which should be the best movie of the year: American Hustle. It was fast paced, smart, entertaining, funny, nostalgic, and, the movie I will want see again in the future. Isn't that what ultimately should be the one factor that decides the best American movie of the year?
Here's my final tip: DVR the entire proceedings starting with the pre-Oscar show, so you can ogle the dresses and fast forward through the commercials. But, the most important reason to DVR, is to fast forward through the winner's speeches. Don't forget to extend the time of the actual program for an hour because those Hollywood people are long winded. And, you're not quite finished.....to really top the festivities off - DVR "The Fashion Police" on E Network with Joan Rivers and one of the Osborne's - the one with purple hair - dishing the dirt on the dresses the morning after. It's hilarious and a great finish to the entire Romanesque spectacle.
Happy Viewing!
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Glass in the Desert
'When we rolled into Phoenix, I was very excited to discover Dale Chihuly had installed an exhibition at the Phoenix Botanical Garden. I first heard of this artist in the 1980's when Margie (college roommate, dear heart friend) came back from a trip to Seattle raving about 'GLASS'. At first, I couldn't understand her excitement. I knew she loved Lalique, and I was still thinking of art glass in the terms of 'vases'. I had figured she wasn't talking about those little blown spun glass ships, birds, butterflies and unicorns you buy at most cheesy souvenir shops. It wasn't until she showed me pictures of Chihuly's work that I finally got it.
Dale Chihuly has singlehandedly pioneered large scale art glass. He founded the first American glass studio which evolved into a cutting edge Glass Museum in Tacoma, Washington. Here's what I'm talking about.
This vibrant yellow and red sculpture is about 40 feet high, and Mr. Chihuly has installed twenty-one diverse glass sculptures scattered throughout the entire Desert Botanical Gardens. This venue is one of my favorite destinations in Arizona. It's a cactus garden run amuck. There are all sorts of desert vegetation from the commonplace, such as prickly pear, to the uncommon such as a Bojum Tree. Mike Perez, my brother-in-law, who has lived in the desert all his life, was amazed by plants such as this one. I first saw the garden in 1970. It was my first trip to Arizona. I was a 20 year old Oklahoma girl who had never seen a desert. The Gardens were a wonderful introduction.
Dale Chihuly has singlehandedly pioneered large scale art glass. He founded the first American glass studio which evolved into a cutting edge Glass Museum in Tacoma, Washington. Here's what I'm talking about.
This vibrant yellow and red sculpture is about 40 feet high, and Mr. Chihuly has installed twenty-one diverse glass sculptures scattered throughout the entire Desert Botanical Gardens. This venue is one of my favorite destinations in Arizona. It's a cactus garden run amuck. There are all sorts of desert vegetation from the commonplace, such as prickly pear, to the uncommon such as a Bojum Tree. Mike Perez, my brother-in-law, who has lived in the desert all his life, was amazed by plants such as this one. I first saw the garden in 1970. It was my first trip to Arizona. I was a 20 year old Oklahoma girl who had never seen a desert. The Gardens were a wonderful introduction.
Chihily has been doing exhibitions in other gardens around the world for several years. This is an artist with an international reputation, and his pieces reside in the most famous museums in the world. His garden installations bring his glass visions to ordinary people. They are utterly astounding. Some of our discussions as we viewed the pieces were 'how were they transported'; 'how were they assembled', and what does that one weigh?
If you are interested in future Chihuly exhibitions, click here:
My pictures of what we saw on Sunday are available at
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