Seasonal Greeting

To quote my friend, Mark Blackburn,
Happy New Year despite everything

Aquarius and Manchester by the Sea

Aquarius is a movie about a tenant, played by the great Sonia Braga, who is the last remaining occupant of a building the owners have other plans for.  She refuses to leave in spite of a generous offer to do so.  Family members are encouraging her to take the offer and reduce her stress level.  A thoroughly engaging movie with a very surprising, yet satisfying and hilarious finale.
Manchester by the Sea is a gritty depiction of a man (Casey Affleck) with tragic events compounding his angry and explosive character, when he is suddenly named the guardian of his 16 year old nephew after his brother's death. The editing of this film, particularly as to the use of flashbacks, is about the best I've seen.  Affleck is flawless in his depiction of this complicated and erratic guy.
Don't miss either of these compelling films.

Overused phrase

I'm sick of hearing about how crucial it is to "hit the ground running".  It seems to be vital to the Obama people or the Trump people when discussing the need for a smooth transition.
How about Trump finding his balance before "running"?

Queen of Katwe

Mira Nair has directed another colorful, rich, absorbing drama.  It is based on a true story of an indian girl rising to the heights of the chess world.  It's the best kind of crowd pleaser.  A must see.

Indignation

Indignation is a gripping, potent and engaging movie with a script that deserves prizes. It is based on a Phiip Roth novel, which I plan to read very soon. The movie contains one of my favorite scenes ever when Marcus Mesner (Logan Lerman), a brilliant college freshman, meets for a lengthy and frank discussion with the Dean (Tracy Letts). This is another example of why I go to the movies. It clearly will be one of the best of the year.

Olympics 2016

How about the women's 400?  Allyson Felix appeared to catch Shaunae Miller just before the finish line when Miller dove across the line and won by 7/100 of a second.  Come on.  This is a race, not a race and dive event.

The Night Of

Check out The Night Of.  A new HBO mini series of 8 episodes now going into #3.
This one puts us right in there with the criminal justice system, low, nasty and, I think, all too real.
John Turturro is the defense lawyer in a gritty homicide case.  4 stars.

Captain Fantastic

For those of us who at one time or another pursued idealism in a way that dug in, this is an especially moving film, and hopefully, for many others too .  Viggo Mortenson is truly fantastic and his kids love him so.  I have to say this movie touched me deeply, with connections to John Lennon's Imagine.

New Slogan

Samoblog finds it important at times to put something out there:
New slogan for assault weapons proponents, NRA, et al:
RIFLES FOR LIFE

Frank Zappa

Eat That Question, Frank Zappa in His Own Words is a documentary film not to be missed.  This guy is an engaging and articulate musician with a consistent determination to hold onto his core beliefs.  This is a film worth way more than the price of admission.  The music doesn't really do it for me, but the strength and power of his words and personality are absolutely compelling.

Weiner, Genius and A Bigger Splash

Weiner is a startling documentary about the ex-NY congressman, Anthony Weiner.  After viewing even part of this movie, a big question arises as to why he allowed this movie to be made.  He resigned his congressional seat after it was revealed that he had been sexting online by showing his bulging crotch. He subsequently ran for mayor and swore he was over this behavior.  Then it was shown that he continued sexting and also having phone sex. Needless to say, he lost overwhelmingly in the race for mayor. I found an even bigger question that was not mentioned at all, and that is, why didn't he or his wife make any mention of the obvious need for psychotherapy?
Genius is another good movie based upon facts about the editor, Max Perkins (Colin Firth), for Thomas Wolf (Jude Law) and other famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  It's an intriguing look into the amazing task of reading, choosing (or rejecting) submitted manuscripts, seeing them through to publicaiton and then dealing with the writers themselves.  An exceptional cast headed by Firth, Law, Nicole Kidman and Laura Linney. Firth is outstanding.
A Bigger Splash is another movie to be seen. It's a triumph for Ralph Fiennes.  He's is a compelling ham, in a smash performance.  He and his daughter (Dakota Johnson) go to visit an old friend and lover (Tilda Swinton) and her younger lover.  Fireworks are mostly just below the surface and the reverie is smoldering.

Post 29 Palms Visit

the mix falls
the rocks and joshuas
the cool city and home
a vermilion flycatcher
tents on the sidewalk
a barn owl close up in a palm tree, uncoordinated & slipping on the fronds
driving through the tenderloin, a pedestrian crossing against the light, seeming to have the attitude
  like  Hey!
(pedestrians have been influenced, I think, by bicyclists who pay about no attention to traffic signals)
a rosy boa slithers across our path
on food runners job - late lunches at kokkari
the desert vistas near the cholla garden
here and there, like a gin & tonic

Knight of Cups

Oh my!! An astounding visual delight - ocean, pools, the LA River, desert.  In the water, over the water, under water.  Where, what, why.  Take it in, way in.  Bleakness, but not really.  Freeways, highrises, movie sets, deserted beaches, crowded beaches.  I LOVE LA.  4 stars.
P.S.  Don't a lot of us go to movies because we know that occasionally one comes along that leaves us flat out and awed?  This one did it for me.

Stll Perfect After 60 Years

In 1956 three friends and I, all in our early 20s and from Southern California took a mexican freighter, Ensenada II, from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas.  On the way we stopped at Cedros Island and Tortuga Bay.  We got off at Punta Palmilla and were rowed ashore in a dinghy.  A resort was being built there.  We were going to stay in the town of San Jose del Cabo, and we were taken there in a flat bed truck.  We arrived when we pulled into a back yard.  A man with an axe was chasing a small pig that was roped to a tree.  The man chased the pig until the rope was fully tight around the tree, and then he chopped its head off.  It worked perfectly.
60 years later and just weeks ago, a friend, with whom I had travelled to Baja 6 or 8 times before, and I, went there again. We decided to stay for the first time at the Palmilla Resort, the same one I had seen under construction in 1956.  We had stopped in there over the years before a few times for breakfast or lunch   The resort is now part of the One and Only chain of resorts and is very posh and expensive, with spectacular views of the gorgeous ocean from Punta Palmilla.
On our last day there we were on the deck out by the pool after finishing our lunch.  We were lying in lounge chairs.  After being there awhile I noticed very thin wires going across the pool and large deck area.  They were about 10 feet above the surface.  I couldn't figure out what they were.  I went over to one of the gardeners and asked him.  He told me they were there to keep the birds away.  He pointed out they had small pieces of plastic, barely visible, at various lengths that made a noise that couldn't be heard by humans but bothered the birds.  It worked perfectly.

*Although this blog is primarily for my comments related to movies and tv shows, I will occasionally, as here, drift to other matters, such as observations, poems and such.

WHAT?

Spotlight gets 6 Oscars nominations and the interminable slog through the snow gets 12!  I'm sorry.

Joy

Ok, it's not as good as Silver Linings Playbook, but it is still a very good movie.  The courage, perserverance and determination to reach her goal is an amazing journey in the face of serious obstacles and negativity and is astounding, with a fully dimensional personality performance by Jennifer Lawrence.  Wow!  Who'd want to miss this?