Little Miss Sunshine

I was delighted to see Little Miss Sunshine in my alphabet soup of Best Original Screenplay winners, as it is one of my favorite films. Released in 2006, it has an all-star ensemble cast who play a family focused on getting to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant in Redondo Beach, California. This involves a cross-country road trip from Albuquerque to the coast in an old yellow VW van. The film is rated R for language, some sex and drug content.

Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) wins a minor beauty pageant in her hometown and is invited to attend the contest of Little Miss Sunshine. Her parents, Sheryl (Toni Collette) and Richard (Greg Kinnear), agree to take her there, but must also take the rest of their family along with them.

Dwayne (Paul Dano) is their voluntarily mute teenage son focused on becoming a pilot in the air force; Frank (Steve Carell) is Sheryl’s gay brother, recently recovering from a serious suicide attempt; and Grandpa (Alan Arkin) is Richard’s grandfather, living with them after having been kicked out of his retirement home.

When a film’s characters talk about philosophers such as Proust and Nietzsche, you know it’s not your typical Hollywood story. Michael Arndt won Best Original Screenplay as the writer of this delightful and intelligent comedy. Alan Arkin won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Grandpa.

There is so much to laugh about, even though the comedy is a bit dark at times. Richard is a perpetual optimist, set on becoming the next big self help guru, helping winners succeed through using his nine steps, no less. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) appears as Stan Grossman, Richard’s business contact that he hopes will be able to get his nine-step work published.

Olive practices diligently on her dancing routine, which is coached by her Grandpa. The film culminates in typical beauty pageant fashion where little girls compete in swimsuits, gowns and in the talent category. Since we never get to actually see Olive and Grandpa rehearse, the delightful debut of Olive on stage is even more exciting than you could imagine, along with many other surprises along the way.

The family has to push and pull together to help Olive meet her goals. This is an entertaining film that I love to watch. Although the family lives in Albuquerque, it was filmed in Arizona and California. It has a good pace and everyone’s individual lives are focused on and showcased during the trip and the action. The well-known cast does a wonderful job with this story.

Abigail Breslin was off to a good start in this film, as she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets), Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense), and Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) have all been nominated for Oscars in the films I just listed, and I don’t doubt that Paul Dano will be next. Look for more films by these wonderful actors and actresses; you won’t be disappointed.

The King's Speech

The King’s Speech is a film from 2010 about the real life story of Prince Albert (Colin Firth) who became King George the VI of England, and his struggles with speaking. He had a stuttering problem, which is a huge issue for anyone being able to communicate with others effectively, and it may bring shame and ridicule to the victim. It was made even more difficult for this sensitive man nicknamed Bertie, and who was expected to make speeches to the kingdom. (Royalty has more than one name, which can be confusing.)

His wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) has been seeking out the help of linguists, speech therapists, and healers for many years, and they finally light upon Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), whose unorthodox, yet effective ways of dealing with the stuttering issue begin to help Albert.

This was an interesting time in British history to portray, as the years depicted led up to Britain entering into war against Nazi Germany. Also in the mix was Albert’s well-known brother David, aka King Edward the VIII (Guy Pearce), whose affair with American socialite and twice-divorced Wallis Simpson (Eve Best) led to scandal for the crown. When he abdicates the throne, Albert is thrust even more into the public eye when he becomes King George.

The film is a beautiful, often dreamy depiction of the streets and countryside of England. Set decorations and costuming were well done and no doubt congruent with the times. Academy Award winner Alexandre Desplat (who won for The Grand Budapest Hotel) wrote the score, and the selections of music throughout fit the time and situations well. Danny Cohen was nominated for Best Cinematography and although he didn’t win, the nomination was well deserved.

More than a story about the King of England, it is a story that anyone who has the affliction of stuttering can be inspired by. The psychological basis for the problem is explored, and the stormy relationship between Logue and Albert depicted very well.

My favorite part of the film is when King George gives his famous speech over the “wireless” to his kingdom, including Canada, Australia, etc. announcing war with Germany. It is the most moving piece in the film that may bring you to tears. It is beautiful to watch Logue acting as a sort of conductor to George’s reading his speech.

The King’s Speech won four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay for David Seidler, Best Actor for Colin Firth, and Best Director for Tom Hooper. It is rated R for some language. I think the R rating shouldn’t scare you off from sharing this film with your children. The language is probably nothing they haven’t already heard, and the film’s message so important it shouldn’t be missed for that reason.

I highly recommend this film. It is engaging on many levels, for the history, for the compassion evoked in the viewer towards King George and for all people with a stuttering problem, and just because it is so well crafted.

Juno

The film Juno won a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for new screenwriter Diablo Cody. It is a fast paced, clever and quirky movie from 2007 about teen pregnancy and adoption. It is not, however, a typical adoption story.

Juno (Ellen Page) has one night of introductory sex with her classmate and friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), and as happens far too frequently, their unprotected tryst results in 16-year-old Juno being with child.

Her father Mac (J. K. Simmons) and step-mother Bren (Allison Janney) are the way parents everywhere should be if their precocious teen becomes pregnant: supportive. Juno has decided to have the baby and give it up to a loving home for adoption.

Enter Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman) as the couple who are overjoyed to be the recipient of Juno’s baby gift. All of these arrangements are completed in an entertaining way, while traversing the four distinct seasons of a year in Minnesota. We see Juno’s life unfold through this year, from the reveal of her pregnancy to the birth.

This is not your typical A-Z adoption story, and the twists and turns it takes are really entertaining, as life progresses in a somewhat non-linear fashion for Juno. I liked how the film ended, but I can’t tell you why because I don’t want there to be any spoilers for you!

All the characters’ dialogue is very well written, and Juno especially has a mouth on her that Ellen Page delivers with such finesse and unselfconsciousness, no wonder she received an Academy Award nomination that year for Best Actress. The character Juno is a little over the top, but not pretentious like Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Director for Jason Reitman.

This film could be a tearjerker for you. I don’t normally like sappy kinds of films about babies, but certain ones like Juno and Knocked Up, end up being very funny for me as well as making me a little teary eyed.

The film was released in 2007 and is rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language. There are a few voice over’s in the film, all by Juno, and the uncommon use of this technique fits the story well. The voters in the Academy chose an offbeat comedy to award Best Original Screenplay to in Juno, and this doesn’t often happen. The Academy prefers drama when giving out awards. In this case, I believe it was well deserved.

A note here on my process for selecting the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners for the Blogging A to Z Challenge. I looked at the winners in this category chronologically from most recent on back, and as each letter came up, gave it a place in the alphabet for the month of April. This kept out any bias I might have about a particular film, and whether I wanted to watch or write about it. Thanks for reading!

Interrupted Melody

Let me just say right up front: I don’t like opera. But this movie about an opera singer begins with the letter I, and won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, so I watched it in the interests of my commitment to the Blogging A to Z Challenge! I saw it on Amazon streaming (it wasn’t very easy to find).

Interrupted Melody is a film from 1955 based on the true story of Marjorie Lawrence, a gifted opera star. It is dense in the beginning with numerous arias of various productions she sang in. Despite my having to sit through the beautiful soprano vocal expertise of Eileen Farrell, who was dubbed in later, the story was fascinating and heartwarming.

Marjorie Lawrence (Eleanor Parker) grew up in a small town in Australia. Her vocal gifts were noticed at a young age and she was able to obtain a scholarship to Paris. Her career is no less than a catapult to fame and notoriety. Her brother Cyril (Roger Moore) was her manager. Marjorie is a strong willed woman, shown in various scenes where she defies her director on stage during a performance, much to the delight of the audience and her critics.

She meets Dr. Tom King (Glenn Ford) and they immediately fall in love. As with complicated relationships where both individuals want careers, it’s a struggle to finally commit to each other.

The unfortunate illness of Marjorie hits suddenly and she is diagnosed with polio. The rest of the film is focused on Dr. King and Marjorie dealing with her illness, which was devastating to a young woman used to being center stage and singing joyfully every day of her life.

It’s about the time of World War II, which ends up figuring into the story. What I liked about the film was the wonderful screenwriting and dialogue, especially between Marjorie and Tom. They have an easy repartee, and their romance is made believable, although I’m sure it was spiffed up for a Hollywood movie.

The other thing about the story that is interesting is how a couple deals with illness and the entire disruption of their lives. Do they just give up, stay down, or do they find a way to cope with the drastic changes?

It was an inspiring story, and if you like opera, you will definitely love this film. Perhaps you’ve even heard of Marjorie Lawrence. I did recognize some of the operatic stories that were staged briefly to show how Marjorie commanded the stage (Carmen, Madame Butterfly, Samson and Delilah, and a couple works of Wagner, among others).

It is rare that the Academy recognizes a musical for best screenplay, much less best picture. This is the only one I’m aware of that featured an opera star. Eleanor Parker sung the arias in her performance, and later Eileen Farrell’s voice was dubbed in. It sounds and looks impressive. I actually thought Eleanor Parker was the one singing until I read about the dubbing. Well done.

Her

Joaquin Phoenix stars in the 2013 quirky futuristic film, Her, by Spike Jonze. Computers have reached a level of sophistication whereby artificial intelligence in the form of a special operating system (OS) can be purchased by lonely humans as a sort of companion and organizer of their life.

Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely man going through a divorce from Catherine (Rooney Mara). He has a job as a letter writer for those who apparently cannot write. Scary future if people have mostly lost the capability to write for themselves, and scarier still that there are signs of that almost everywhere these days (but not in Blogging A to Z!). Theodore puts his innermost thoughts and feelings directly into the personal letters he writes for his clients.

Scarlett Johansson is the voice of Samantha, the OS who organizes Theodore’s life. She is never seen obviously, but plays an important role for Theodore, who is coping with the grief from his separation and trouble in love. He soon becomes infatuated with Samantha, and they are nearly inseparable.

A good friend from college days, Amy (Amy Adams), is a confidant for Theodore, one of the few real people he seems to connect with. Everyone in this film seems to be having trouble with relationships, including Amy. No wonder; they’re all walking around talking into space, kind of like having a blue tooth, and seldom interact with each other.

Cyber sex (Kristin Wiig in a hilarious turn as the voice of SexyKitten) and surrogate sex so that Samantha can have sex with Theodore, provide some really hilarious moments. Basically, this is about a society where no one knows how to have a truly satisfying intimate relationship anymore. Theodore has a blind date (Olivia Wilde) that doesn’t go anywhere either.

The film is rated R for language, sexual content, and brief graphic nudity. It takes place in a Los Angeles of the future, looking mysteriously like the well-populated skyline of Singapore, where it was filmed, along with some filming taking place in LA.

I like Her. Joaquin Phoenix really has to carry the whole film and his expressive face is in virtually every scene. I also enjoyed the sparse costuming, a future world where men don’t wear belts anymore, just those tight slacks.

I agree with the Academy awarding the Best Original Screenplay to Her and Spike Jonze. The writing is terrific, great dialogue (in fact this is one of the films I’ve seen where there is almost constant dialogue), and really quite thoughtful conversations between the characters, whether they are another human or an OS.

Are we as a world heading this way? You’d think so watching people walking down the street like they do in this film, not really seeing what’s around them, all focused on their devices. I hope it doesn’t turn out to be film as prophecy, and we all succumb to the addictive draw into our computers, telephones, and whatever other electronic device is next available on the market.

Gosford Park

Gosford Park is a 2001 British film directed by Robert Altman. It received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and is rated R for some language and brief sexuality.

Taking place in 1932, it features a party at the country manor of William (Michael Gambon) and Sylvia (Kristin Scott-Thomas) McCordle. The guests arrive for a weekend of hunting, each accompanied by a valet or maid. This was a time in Britain when the classes were quite distinctly separated in terms of wealth and servitude. Not exactly American slavery in the pre-civil war days, but it had its own disgusting over- and undertones to it as depicted in the film.

The cast is divided into the upstairs guests, and the downstairs servants.  Mrs. Wilson (Helen Mirren) meticulously runs every aspect of the servants’ work. Her sister also works in the manor, as does the sister’s husband. Elsie (Emily Watson) is an outspoken servant, warming to a visiting maid Mary (Kelly Macdonald). Robert Parks (Clive Owen) enters the picture as the valet of a guest, and the other residents of this mansion do not ignore his good looks.

The trailer suggests that someone will be murdered during this film, and thus it is a whodunit, with clues sprinkled liberally throughout. Missing knives, bottles of poison, and lots of motives to do any number of people in, both within the guests as well as for the servants milling about trying to do their job to their employer’s satisfaction.

Morris Weissman (Bob Balaban) is a Hollywood exec invited to the hunting weekend, and he brings his valet, a curious Scotsman, Henry Denton (Ryan Phillippe). Sexual dalliances in the house are common, and the upper class doesn’t seem to be any better off really than the lowly servants, financially that is.

A Hollywood star Ivor Novello (Jeremy Northam) provides welcome relief as he plays the piano and sings. William’s aunt Constance (Maggie Smith) is a real shrew, very disdainful to the other guests, and goes about with such an air of entitlement that perhaps only Maggie Smith could pull it off (and she did). The grounds where they go pheasant hunting are quite beautiful. You can almost feel the rain and dampness that permeates the poorly heated mansion.

Basically, I liked this film. Robert Altman directed the weaving of these disparate lives together very well. I wondered how he could keep track of all the different scenes, as the action travels upstairs and downstairs to give us a feel for who all the characters are, setting the stage for the murder that comes well after an hour into the film.

Who did it? I can’t say much more here as no spoilers will pass my lips. How do all the players fit together? You will need to see for yourself. It is a well-written and filmed murder mystery, not launching prematurely, but allowing us to see what this culture was like. If you’re an Anglophile, or a Maggie Smith fan, definitely watch Gosford Park.

Father Goose

Father Goose is a comedy/romance from 1964 starring Cary Grant and Leslie Caron. Cary Grant was 60 years old, and Leslie Caron 33 years old when the film was made, and somehow, despite their age difference, they make a good match for a romantic comedy.

Walter Eckland (Cary Grant) is an American with a drinking problem who has fled to the South Pacific in order to escape his conventional life only to find himself in the middle of World War II. Commander Frank Houghton (Trevor Howard), of the British Royal Navy, tricks Walter into taking up residence on an isolated island where he is to watch for enemy aircraft and report their movements. Walter was assigned the moniker of Mother Goose as a code name to be used when speaking over the radio to the Commander and his staff, thus the title of the film.

Walter is sent to rescue another spotter in danger, and when he arrives at the other island discovers Catherine Freneau (Leslie Caron) and the seven female students she is responsible for. Walter reluctantly transports them back to his island, and all sorts of adventures are just waiting to happen. The dialogue between Walter and Catherine is witty, the interactions between Walter and the Commander and his staff are very funny, and the girls each have their own unique way of dealing with Walter, who is changed by them. This film is definitely all about Cary Grant. He is front and center of just about every scene.

Movies from the 1960’s and earlier have some strange things going on in them. Walter and Catherine slap each other in the face several times, and this seems to be some kind of foreplay for them. That part is interesting because we get to see what was acceptable back then that wouldn’t be tolerated today. Aside from the bizarre slapping episode, there really is nothing objectionable in the film, and it is quite entertaining.

I read that Cary Grant said that he was more like the character of Walter Eckland than for example, some of his more suave, privileged characters. I have always enjoyed his performances in Alfred Hitchcock films especially. Hitchcock, who didn’t really hold actors in very high esteem, reportedly said that Cary Grant was the only actor he loved working with.

Father Goose won Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards for story by S. H. Barnett, and screenplay by Peter Stone and Frank Tarloff. This may be a good time to talk about writing credit conventions. You will notice that there is story and screenplay mentioned when referencing the award here. Story refers to actual writing, not just an idea. It can take the form of a story or treatment, or sometimes a complete script. Screenplay in this case would then refer to a subsequent writer doing a rewrite of the original material.

This is a classic film watched over and over again for its unique storyline and comedy. I highly recommend it to you.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Charlie Kaufman is known for some kind of strange screenplays (Being John Malkovich, and Adaptation are two I really enjoyed). Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is another. I had seen it several years ago, when first released in 2004 and I didn’t care for it very much. It was a film that won Best Original Screenplay for Charlie Kaufman, and it begins with E, so I watched it again.

This time I enjoyed it. Don’t know what put me off the first time, but this story of people desperate to rid their memories of failed romance works. The film is rated R for language, some drug and sexual content.

Joel (Jim Carrey) meets free spirit Clementine (Kate Winslet), and they end up in a stormy relationship. Joel finds out by accident that Clementine has undergone a procedure by Dr. Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) to erase all memories of him. Dr. Mierzwiak‘s business, Lacuna, Inc., caters to those hurt by love that just want a new start.

Once Joel finds this out, he too wants the procedure done. After all it is non-surgical and deemed safe. Dr. Mierzwiak employs three assistants, Stan (Mark Ruffalo), Mary (Kirsten Dunst), and Patrick (Elijah Wood). Three kooky free spirits themselves, they administer the brain altering procedure to Joel in his bed in his own apartment during the night, getting into all sorts of escapades while he’s asleep.

That part was really funny, as is what happens when Joel begins to resist the erasing of his memories of Clementine. The world around him begins to fade and disappear, like a pencil erasing a picture someone has drawn. The cinematography reminded me of a more recent film, Inception, where the world folds in on itself. In the spotless mind, the world simply crumbles and turns to ash.

Clementine is an annoying sort of young woman, striving to be cool and daring for attention, which you know is done to cover up her insecurities and lack of confidence. She seems phony to me, but Joel loves her.

Joel is a lonely sort of guy, also insecure, but where Clementine likes to be on stage, he does not. He’s more of the wallflower type, miserable yet safe standing in a corner watching the world go by. I thought both characters were well written, and the performances by Carrey and Winslet excellent.

The three assistants to Dr. Mierzwiak are a welcome addition to the cast of characters. Their individual stories help to create the comedy in what could otherwise have been just a boring story about two miserable people looking to forget each other.

Is Valentine’s Day really the most miserable holiday of the year? For those unlucky in love, perhaps erasing your memories will make you happier. But does it? Be sure to watch the extra feature on the DVD of an ad for Lacuna, Inc. where Dr. Mierzwiak makes the case for undergoing his safe, non-surgical procedure. Then you can decide if you too want eternal sunshine in your mind.

Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino. If you don’t know who that is, you’ve been asleep at the movies. He won best original screenplay for this 2012 fictional film, Django Unchained, which takes place in America two years prior to the Civil War. Christoph Waltz won his second Academy Award for best supporting actor in this gruesome tale.

Tarantino’s movies are violent. It is rated R for strong graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language, and some nudity. Django (Jamie Foxx) is one of several slaves being transported somewhere, walking barefoot, chains around their ankles, when German dentist Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) accosts the group. He quickly convinces the slave traders to sell him Django, once he’s determined that Django could spot the men he is after for a bounty, dead or alive. He then frees him, not approving of slavery.

Thus begins the partnership of Django and Dr. Schultz. They team up to hunt down white men who are bank robbers, cattle rustlers, etc. and shoot them dead. Django has a wife, Hilde (Kerry Washington), who has been sold to slave owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo diCaprio) on a plantation in Mississippi. Dr. Schultz encourages Django to find her offering his assistance.

The blood bath begins. Blood is splattered everywhere, over the white balls of cotton in the hot fields, over the houses and clothing of anyone unlucky enough to be in the way. If this film doesn’t make you want gun control, nothing will. You’ll need a strong stomach to watch the cruelty dealt out by wicked slaveholders.

The reason perhaps why this film won an award is that it is written very well, utilizing the legend of Siegfried and Brunhilde, saved from the dragon. Hilde speaks German due to ownership by a previous German slave owner, and can converse with Dr. Schultz effectively.

Christoph Waltz brilliantly plays the character of Dr. King Schultz. The dialogue is written so engagingly and he never comes out of character. He played a Nazi in Tarantino’s film Inglorious Bastards, (his first Academy Award winning role) a sort of cathartic film where we get to watch Nazis being terminated by a group of volunteers. Yes, we hate the Nazis and we hate slave owners, so seeing them get blown away gives some satisfaction, but it doesn’t really do the job.

For that, we still have to fight racism and racial profiling, and intolerance of religious groups for which some are still at risk and are killed for even today. It is not enough to watch this film. I wonder if Mr. Tarantino does anything to fight intolerance and injustice other than make his films. I hope so.

I do recommend this film if you’re a screenwriter who can also stomach the blood shed. It harkens back to old Westerns made in the beginnings of cinema in America, and the music accents the action quite well. Expertly filmed, it is often visually appealing, showing the Western landscape, the mountains and rivers that are still so beautiful today.

Crash

Written and directed by Paul Haggis, the drama Crash from 2004 won Best Film, Best Original Screenplay (for Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco), and Best Film Editing at the Academy Awards. It is rated R for language, sexual content, and some violence. It employs an ensemble cast whose characters weave in and out of each other’s lives over a 36-hour period in Los Angeles.

This film has at its core an examination of racism and prejudice. The characters are a cross-section of America in ethnicity, social class, and religion. Police officers figure prominently in this tale of tragedy and thankfully, in some cases, redemption.

The best most heart wrenching moments in the film are those with Daniel (Michael Pena), a Hispanic locksmith with a young daughter Lara (Ashlyn Sanchez). He faces discrimination for nothing more than basically sporting tattoos on his person from Jean (Sandra Bullock), who has the locks changed on her home after being carjacked at gunpoint with her husband, district attorney Rick (Brendan Fraser). She suspects Daniel’s a gang member and can’t be trusted to change the locks in her home. While Daniel works on a job at a convenience store, an encounter with the shop owner Farhad (Shaun Toub) creates such bitterness in Farhad’s soul that he goes after Daniel. This was a brilliant piece of writing that translated well to the screen.

Despite a best original screenplay win, some of the dialogue feels a bit didactic. Maybe it’s the delivery, or just that there was so much to delineate and say about race relations in LA that it couldn’t come off as more natural sounding dialogue. Again, the story lines about Daniel and Farhad are the most genuine and natural and well performed. A lot of the other characters are just spouting off long diatribes about the state of affairs in LA and really all of America in terms of race and prejudice.  In the 13 years since Crash was released, not much has changed in terms of some still harboring fear and prejudice of anyone who is different from them in terms of sexual orientation, religion or race.

Other cast members include Don Cheadle, Jennifer Esposito, Matt Dillon, Ryan Phillippe, Thandie Newton, Terrance Howard, Loretta Devine, and Tony Danza. They were cast well in their roles and all do a good job with the situations they were asked to portray.

Crash is the kind of film where you really have to pay attention to every encounter, and then at the end, the missing links between the characters come around full circle. I basically like the film despite its preachy message. About every ethnic group is represented here; African-Americans at two extremes of social class, Asians, Hispanics, Muslims, white privileged upper class, and basically working class law enforcement. The weaving back and forth between stories works to draw the viewer along and stay engaged with the film. You’re always wondering what will happen next to the person on screen, and to the relationships between the characters.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a fine cinematic offering released in 2014 from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, also the director of Gravity and The Revenant. Birdman is a tale of one man’s attempt to create something he believes will have a lasting impact on the world.

Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) has had a career in filmmaking, most notably as the superhero Birdman. He writes a play based on a short story by esteemed author Raymond Carver, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. The play is in rehearsals with opening night on Broadway fast approaching when we meet Riggan struggling to both direct and star in his play.

Sam (Emma Stone), Riggan’s daughter, works for him as a sort of gofer running errands, and she is one angry young lady fresh out of rehab. His ex-wife Sylvia (Amy Ryan) comes for a visit, and further complicating his life, his three fellow actors are all neurotic and self-absorbed: Mike (Edward Norton) is a handful of ego driven charisma, who harasses his former lover Lesley (Naomi Watts) on stage and off, and Riggan’s much younger lover Laura (Andrea Riseborough) is jealous and insecure. His manager Jake (Zach Galifianakis) tries to keep things steady for Riggan, but chaos tends to follow him everywhere.

The story works well, alternating between Riggan’s direction of the play and his inner musings, or rather possession, by his alter ego Birdman. The story effectively ridicules the super hero genre, and the movie-going public’s questionable intelligence in gravitating towards those types of films.

Broadway is painted to be an ego filled place, from the critics who can make or break an opening, to the actors who constantly wonder if they are good enough for the stage. The film is confined mostly to the theater, the back stage behind the scenes workings of the production, and to the actors’ dressing rooms that serve as sanctuary and a place to vent their angst. The camera often follows the actor down hallways and through the depths of the theater in one smooth take, serving to unite the action with the character’s internal progression as the tension builds and Riggan reaches the point of breaking.

I really enjoyed this film. I saw it in the theater when it first came out, and liked it on DVD again. All the acting is superb, especially Edward Norton as the self-confident actor whose inner core is not so strong when he’s not on stage. He and Michael Keaton have some really intense scenes together, very well played by both.

Inarritu has proven himself to be an excellent screenwriter and director. Birdman walked away with four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki.

I recommend Birdman for anyone interested in the theater, as well as the psychology of the inner creative self. The film is rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and brief violence. It is not a film for children.

American Beauty

… sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can’t take it, and my heart is just going to cave in.              ~ from American Beauty

So pleased to be watching this tour de force again for the challenge! From 1999, American Beauty scored with five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay for Alan Ball, Best Actor for Kevin Spacey, Best Director Sam Mendes, and Best Cinematography for Conrad L. Hall.

Rated R for strong sexuality, language, violence and drug content, this is not a film for the kiddies.

Alan Ball went on to produce and pen scripts for the acclaimed HBO series’ Six Feet Under and True Blood on HBO. I never watched Six Feet Under, but did watch all of True Blood. Alan is not one to skirt around the issues. He can talk about the hard stuff, things no one else wants to discuss or acknowledge.

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a 42-year-old businessman with a super driven career wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening), and a teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch). Their home is not so perfect as the décor and civility might suggest to the outside eye. Lester is reaching a midlife crisis, Carolyn despairs of ever being as great a real estate agent as Buddy Kane, (Peter Gallagher), and Jane is at a defiant awkward stage in high school.

Big changes happen when the house next door is sold to a new family. Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) is an 18 year old who attends high school with Jane and her bff Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari). Ricky’s father, Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper) and his nearly catatonic wife Barbara (Allison Janney), make for a strange couple.

In many respects, this is an ensemble cast, even though only Kevin won the acting award. The three teens are brilliant in his or her roles, as is everyone. Chris Cooper especially gives it his all as the abusive ex military man. If I could give them all awards I would. This has to be one of my top favorite films. The writing is superb; the color resolution and the visuals in the fantasy sequences are outstanding. Interesting to note that Lester has a voice over, an uncommon choice in film.

When it first came out, a friend of mine with a teenage girl saw it and was really disturbed by Lester’s infatuation with Angela. I can understand that, and that is exactly why it was brought forward in the film. Lester has some decisions to make. Ricky stays focused on the beauty of the world, even when it is ugly (what most people would see as ugly). The rosebushes Carolyn nourishes with eggshells and Miracle Grow, the faded roses on her shirt at the dinner table, and the bright rose petals in Lester’s fantasies all serve to tie the theme of American Beauty together.

If you haven’t seen it and want to see a really fine all around production based on a great screenplay, this is it.

Stardust

I had not heard of the film Stardust until my neighbor brought the DVD over one night for my husband and I to watch together. Ian McClellan narrated this 2007 adventure/fantasy from England where the characters travel to different worlds in search of love and family.

My neighbor described it as being reminiscent of The Princess Bride. It has been years and years since I saw that film, but I recalled it as having some good humor to it. This film was also funny in the situations that arose and the dialogue between the characters.

Young Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox) decides to travel beyond “the Wall” that is a barrier between the town in which he lives and another world, where no one is ever to visit. He wishes to find a star to present to the object of his affections, a vapid young lady named Victoria (Sienna Miller). Beyond his small town, on the other side of the wall, is Stormhold, a world of magic and intrigue. He soon meets pretty Yvaine (Clair Danes), and they set off together on a journey that will test them.

This journey brings them into the paths of witches, who are a trio of aged sisters led by Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), as well as seven princes all vying for the throne as their father (Peter O’Toole) languishes on his deathbed. The crown must be passed to a male heir and besides that, their only sister has disappeared years ago. Two actors I recognized, Rupert Everett, and Ricky Gervais, lend great comic humor to their characters. Surprising developments have all these players on their three separate journeys or quests, colliding into one shared journey in the least likely of star-crossed stories.

Tristan and Yvaine at one point find themselves the reluctant passengers of a vessel plying the skies guided by Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro). This captain’s role is one of the funniest and most entertaining of all, and a great character for De Niro to inhabit.

Tristan must grow up quickly and turn himself from victim to champion in his quest for the star. As could be predicted, he and Yvaine are getting along famously, and this beautiful star that has a glowing countenance, especially around Tristan, finds herself in the earthly world that she has only ever been able to look at from afar.

I thought the special effects were good for the type of scenes that were staged, and quite fun. The magical kingdoms are quite wondrous with all the fantasy one could dream up.

The screenplay is based on a novel by Neil Gaiman. The film is rated PG-13 for some fantasy violence and risqué humor. It was filmed in Scotland and Iceland, and the scenery is breathtaking, very desolate and wild.

I liked Stardust. It was a sweet fantastical film, one that can take you far away from your current circumstances and place you in a world of danger, intrigue, magic and most importantly, of love. I recommend it.

Academy Award Winners for Best Original Screenplay

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is fast approaching! Last April, I participated with daily entries on my Family Reunion Keepsake Book blog (link on the right). This year I will be blogging from A to Z on my movie review blog, A Movie for Every Mood. Twenty-six unique and informative movie reviews for your entertainment and educational pleasure.

The theme for my A-Z reviews focuses on films that won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The process I used in selecting the 26 films was to look at a list of all the winning and nominated films in this category, scanning back in time from present to past in order to find one winning film for each letter. Some letters were not available as a best original screenplay win, but I was able to use some films that at least were nominated in that category (finding XYZ was challenging, but I found them!).

Whether you are a screenwriter yourself, or an avid movie lover, there is something for everyone in my reviews. No spoilers, lots of film history, and musings about what makes a film memorable.

I invite you to join me in April as we look at some truly great films. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

The Brothers Grimm

Matt Damon and Heath Ledger; how could it go wrong? The Brothers Grimm is a fantasy stemming from the tales of the famous children’s fairy tale authors, the Grimm brothers. It was directed by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame. It’s a comedy/fantasy about the two con men/brothers who ostensibly help villagers rid themselves of supernatural disturbances.

It is 1796 and Wilhelm “Will” (Matt Damon) and Jacob “Jake” Grimm (Heath Ledger) find themselves in the village of Marbaden encountering a very real supernatural spell, with children having disappeared, including Little Red Riding Hood and Gretel among others. With the help of an independent, spirited young female guide Angelika (Lena Headey), they traverse the forest that has enchantment throughout.

I started to fall asleep. This is very rare, my falling asleep during a movie, so that is not a good sign. Matt Damon sounded like he was copying Heath Ledger’s Australian accent, and Heath played the wimpy younger brother well. They were in period dress, and it seemed odd to watch Matt Damon with that hair and costuming.

What did stand out were the special effects. The forest that was very much alive was teeming with all types of creepy, crawly bugs, lots of them. I don’t like bugs and didn’t like that much. There are other scenes where people turn to glass and shatter, which was pretty spectacular.

I seem to recall that in my childhood I had a worn copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Whether they were whitewashed like the Disney movies or remained true to the original “grim” stories, I can’t recall. But the fairy tales they wrote were kind of horrific. Think about Little Red Riding Hood for instance. She is stalked by a wolf in her grandmother’s clothing, and barely escapes with her life. Hansel and Gretel are about to be eaten by a cannibalistic witch (if you can equate a witch in their tale with being human), all scary and dismal stories. No doubt intended to keep kids on the straight and narrow to behave, not wander away lest they suffer a fate worse than death.

Maybe I was just tired; I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. As I mentioned earlier, I am a great fan of both Damon’s and Ledger’s work, but I found myself thinking some other actors would have been better in these roles, less famous perhaps as their acting legends precede them and they were always so recognizable as themselves.

The film is rated PG-13 for violence, frightening sequences, and brief suggestive material. The Mirror Queen (Monica Bellucci) is responsible for some of this as it is her goal to drink the blood of 12 young girls to restore her beauty.

If you like fantasy, you might enjoy The Brothers Grimm. It was a clever story after all, supposing that the brothers’ inspiration for their fairy tales was actually real supernatural events. If you’ve seen the film, please leave a comment on what you thought of it. Thanks!

I Am Not Your Guru

“Life happens for you, not to you.”                        ~ Tony Robbins

I read a small book by Anthony “Tony” Robbins once that a friend of mine gave me. I found it inspiring, and his suggestions good. Hard to follow, but sound.

The Netflix feature length documentary, Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru, follows Tony through a weeklong event called Date With Destiny, which was held in Boca Raton, Florida. Joe Berlinger, a documentary filmmaker, directs it. Tony gives conferences worldwide and this was just one of the many offerings he schedules for his followers.

The film is not rated, but I’d give it an R rating as it features very liberal use of the f-word by Tony during the event. He explained that all cultures have certain taboo words, and when he uses these taboo words, it keeps people in the present and engaged. Perhaps.

Over 2,500 people attend an event such as this, paying over $4,000 each to attend. That should give you an idea about the financial status of people he attracts. Tony has a fleet of helpers, some of whom are assigned to groups of people as a kind of moderator or group leader for the individual, and for the group exercises they engage in when not in the main convention area listening to Tony.

I had heard some of Tony’s background previously; his growing up in poverty in an abusive home, a bout with homelessness that inspired him to “sculpt” his life and his persona so his family will never have to endure such deprivations or angst.

I found the documentary fascinating. Some really troubled people, abused themselves, attend these conventions and we see their sharing and Tony’s response live. I found him to be authentic, compassionate, intuitive and sometimes unpredictable. Participants bring other members of the audience to tears, as they sometimes did me. Tony says change can happen in a moment. And for some in the audience, it did.

Unconventional in his approach, he apparently has a wide following. I liked some of what he was saying. He says he’s not just a positive thinker kind of guy, and seems to really emphasize action.

I thought there was a good balance of private talks with Tony (for the viewer to get some of his personal history), live coverage of the event and of what the participants were doing, along with updates on the few individuals who had interventions with Tony that were a focus in the film.

I have a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and have spent many years as a therapist in all types of situations. After watching this documentary, I would caution you to take what you need and leave the rest. I didn’t care for every technique Tony used to help people, but some of what he was advocating are things I will use in my own life. I recommend it if you have a curiosity about psychology, the science of change, or just about people and their stories.

The Breakfast Club

I had the opportunity to see the 80’s teen movie The Breakfast Club at a special screening recently. It was to help launch the publication of Kevin Smokler’s book, Brat Pack America: A Love Letter to ‘80s Teen Movies. Kevin was there along with John Hughes son James for Q&A following the film.

I was familiar already with The Breakfast Club having seen this John Hughes classic when it was originally released in 1985. It is rated R.

Five teens labeled as delinquent are sentenced to an entire Saturday in the high school library for various infractions. Supervised by slimy Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason), they spend eight-plus hours getting to know each other, some for the first time.

There’s Clair Standish (Molly Ringwald), a pampered girl in the clique everyone wants to be in; Andrew Clark (Emilio Estevez), an athlete hoping to get into college on a wrestling scholarship; Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall), the brainy kid not in the popular kids world; John Bender (Judd Nelson), the bad boy with the mouth; and Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy), a wallflower unseen and unheard.

We are let in on their innermost secrets as they bond and open up to each other during their imprisonment. Judd Nelson plays John brilliantly. Everyone is good, but he really shines. It was very uncomfortable watching him verbally abuse the other teens, and especially his sexualized harassment of Claire. It has been a long time since I watched this film, and none of that is funny. At the same time, we feel for John, how he grew into the bad boy through nothing other than the parents he was born to. Judd has continued to work as an actor, but this was his most notable role.

Emilio Estevez has gone on to be a writer and director, helming the films The Way and Bobby. Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy have continued to work as actresses, and Anthony Michael Hall has appeared in The Dead Zone.

Some of the discussion after the film focused on the ethnic makeup of the group of students, all white from the suburbs of Chicago. Back in 1985, that town would be all white. Today, it would be much more diverse ethnically, and be a different film. The issue of inclusion is a big one due to the discussions at the Academy Awards to be more diverse for ethnic and LGBTQ actors. John Hughes films reflected the times of 30 some years ago, and the times, they have changed.

Even so, if you’re a student of film, or even just a film lover, The Breakfast Club is a must see. Much more serious than some of John Hughes’ other films like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and the Home Alone movies, it peers intimately at high school age adolescents and really gets in their psyches and what that stage of life is for them.

Give Kevin Smokler’s book a look too. You can order it by clicking on this link: Brat Pack America: A Love Letter to '80s Teen Movies

Manchester by the Sea

The landscape in Manchester by the Sea is as much a character as are any of the actors. Taking place on the Eastern seaboard, we accompany the cast through the seasons, the dead of winter to the hopefulness of early spring. We watch as the family’s boat, the Claudia Marie chugs out to sea. The quaint town where close-knit families live and grow and die is a part of the story.

Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is living in Boston, working as a handyman in an apartment building, when he hears the news that his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) has passed away. He travels to Manchester and thus begins a journey of coming home to the town of his childhood and early adulthood.

Joe has left behind a teenage son Patrick (Lucas Hedges) and has given Lee guardianship. This is problematic for Lee who doesn’t really want to be in Manchester due to the ghosts of memories that haunt him. Lee has suffered through tragedy so extreme, I’m kind of surprised he managed to stay alive. But he rises to the mandate of his brother and sets into motion actions that will keep Patrick safe.

Randi Chandler (Michelle Williams), Lee’s ex-wife, enters the scene as she attends Joe’s memorial service and later the funeral. This couple’s shared tragedy is so horrific, and yet their scene together where Randi tries to heal from it with Lee is so touching, and the best acting in the whole film.

The contrast between Patrick and Lee in how the death of their father and brother is handled is quite distinct. Patrick has the hope and dreams of a young man, whereas Lee has given up hope and has settled for a marginalized sort of existence, isolated from others. Will Patrick help to move Lee towards reengaging with society? With his small circle of family and friends? You will have to see it for yourself.

This film is rated R for language throughout and some sexual content. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Actress for Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges. It won Best Actor for Casey Affleck, and Best Original Screenplay for Kenneth Lonergan.

The film moves through every detail of Lee dealing with arrangements after Joe’s death. Thoughtful and sparing us nothing, it shows the grief and stress that go along with a sudden death. Even if you know it’s coming, you’re never prepared for when it actually happens and someone suddenly vanishes from your life.

When I saw the film, I knew why Casey Affleck was nominated, as well as Michelle Williams. Their performances were spot on, and they managed to make it seem like they weren't even acting; it was so natural and real. Lucas Hedges gave an excellent performance in his role as well. He has a good future ahead of him. I recommend you see Manchester by the Sea. It is a story that is well written and painfully real.

Arrival

I was looking forward to seeing the film Arrival. It was promoted as an intellectual sort of film about aliens, with little in the way of explosions and death, and more on the level of cerebral discourse.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I came away wondering if something was lost in the adaptation. The screenplay was based on a short story by Ted Chiang, Story of Your Life. Sometimes it is hard to translate the written word into a visual representation onscreen, and I suspected this might have been a problem of translation, in terms of the written word onto the screen.

One screen adaptation I really enjoyed was The Shawshank Redemption. The screenplay was based on a short story by Stephen King called Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. I read the story after having seen the film and the screenwriter did an exemplary job translating it to a full-length film. This film was not up to that standard. I am going to read Story of Your Life, and determine for myself how this film could have been better.

Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is selected to travel to a site in Montana where a spaceship has landed in order to hopefully communicate with the aliens. The pod shaped spaceship is just one of twelve that has mysteriously descended upon the earth. She is a linguist, and to me her willingness to face the aliens is never fully explored. What has made her such a daring young woman to go there with no support from anyone she knows?

Also in attendance is a physicist, Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), reporting along with Louise to Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker). If someone doesn’t figure out why the aliens have come to earth, war against them will commence.

What I did like was the depiction of the communication by the aliens. They were shooting out what looked like ink from their octopus looking appendages, kind of in a Rorschach inkblot way, and it was Louise’s job as a linguist to interpret or crack their language in order to see what these pod aliens wanted.

I thought that Louise and Ian’s relationship was not fully explored as the days progressed, and I think that was a mistake. It would have added more to the film and helped fill in the blanks. The film has to do with time, how modern society is aware of time passing in a linear fashion, whereas quantum physics postulate that time exists all at once, perhaps inter dimensionally?

The film is rated PG-13 for brief strong language. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture and Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Production Design, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Film Editing. It won only Best Achievement in Sound Editing, not that it is a small award, just that it was the only one of eight they were nominated for that won. I’d recommend you watch the other nominated films first and leave this one for last, for when you have the time.