Category: Movies

I have mention before how much I love Netflix, both streaming and dvds. While cruising around their site, I ordered Larry Crowne primarily because it stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. I didn’t know they had made a movie together.  The one-line synopsis reads, “After losing his job, a middle-aged man reinvents himself by going back to college.”   Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) is also in this film.

It’s really a delightful movie. It just seems unusual to me is that it’s the sort of film these heavy dramatic actors might have made 20-25 years ago … think Big, Pretty Woman, or Amazon Women on the Moon. Tom Hanks in a chick-flick? in 2011?

Tom Hanks wrote (with Nia Vardalos) and produced this picture but, in my fantasy, I can hear him calling up Julia and Bryan and saying, “Hey, what are you doing next week? Let’s make a movie. Bring the kids. Come on … it’ll be fun.”  Because it looks like they probably had fun making this movie.

There are cameo roles by Cedric the Entertainer, Rita Wilson (Tom’s wife), George Takei (of Star Trek fame), and Chet Hanks (son of Rita and Tom). Mr Hanks also gave work to a lot of unknown or new-to-the-business actors, technicians and crew (credits rolled forever).

All in all, this effort turned out to be a good story about a how a guy whose life has stalled gets jump-started again … how a college teacher (Roberts) who has lost her passion for teaching finds she can still make a difference in her students’ lives. And it all happens without sex, violence or obscenities. How refreshing.

I definitely recommend this movie.

Sunday afternoon is my usual day to post but today there is stiff competition for my time and attention.

On February 1, Turner Classic Movies began their 31 Days of Oscar Celebration. It’s rather self explanatory: for 31 days they will show films that are Oscar winners or nominees. Since this is year number 84 for the Academy Awards, there are many films to choose from.  A lot of awards are given, both technical and directorial as well as acting.

This afternoon’s offering was Mr. Roberts, a favorite from 1955 starring Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell and a young Jack Lemmon.  This was originally a novel by Thomas Heggen adapted into a Broadway play by Heggen and Joshua Logan before it became a movie. It’s the story of Lieutenant (J.G.) Doug Roberts (Fonda), stuck on a cargo ship during World War II with a Captain (Cagney) who is a tyrant.   Mr. Roberts wants to get into the war, serve on a destroyer, but the Captain will never approve a transfer. This movie is funny, touching and a little sad.  The supporting cast of sailors includes Ward Bond and a crew that could be identified as “young actors who will later be big in television.” Though I consider Mr. Roberts an outstanding movie it did not receive an Oscar nomination. Jack Lemmon won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and that’s how the movie qualified for the 31 Days Celebration

On tap for the rest of the day today is Auntie Mame, starring Rosalind Russell, The Music Man, with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones (and five-year-old Ron Howard), and My Fair Lady, featuring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.

For good movie viewing without commercials, Turner Classic Movies is the place.  They really are usually classics.  To see the line up for 31 Days of Oscar, visit 31Days.tcm.com

The 2013 Academy Awards air February 24 on ABC.

The Netflix package my children gave me for Christmas (Thanks Kids!) allows me to cruise through hundreds of movies and documentaries and choose something to watch when there’s nothing good on cable or the networks. Which happens oftener and oftener.

So, last night I chose Room With a View, an English movie adapted from a 1908 novel by E. M. Forster.  Mr. Forster used much irony in his stories about the hypocrisy involved in the class conscious culture of the day.

The movie, made in 1985, stars a young and beautiful Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy Honeychurch and Julian Sands as George Emerson. Daniel Day Lewis gives an excellent performance as the prim and proper Cecil Vyse.  They were ably supported by Maggie Smith and Judi Dench in character roles. The rave review on imdb.com says this film captures the spirit of the book.  All of us who have been disappointed when a favorite book is made into a lousy movie, can understand the satisfaction when the movie actually does indeed capture the spirit of the book.

Room With a View is a love story about a young girl (Lucy) who must decide between two suitors, exuberant, passionate George or steady, predictable Cecil. Should she go with convention or take a chance on love? The limitations and expectations placed on young ladies during the Edwardian Era play a big part in her decision making.

The background music is spectacular — arias by Puccini and selections by Victor Herbert adding to the drama.

I do have to mention one particular scene that surprised me. The vicar comes upon two young men, waist high in water, bathing. They invite him to join them and he promptly drops trou and steps out from behind the bush completely naked. He jumps in the water and he and the young men engage in splashing and horse play, chasing each other in and out of the pool for a few minutes, before the story line moves on.

Today, when I checked the Parents Guide for this movie the concern listed was: “Full frontal nudity in a non-sexual way.”  True.  The rest of the movie everyone stayed fully clothed, skirts down to the floor and collars up to their chins.

I never figured out the point of this scene, which would lift right out of the film without changing the plot a bit.  Unless it was to shock the daylights out of this grandma!

Room With a View is worth your while and I would recommend it. Just keep your finger on the fast forward button.