Calvary p.s.

And it's tragic.  Yes, that too.

Calvary

Oh my god!  An Irish priest (Brendan Gleeson at his best) grapples with idiosyncratic citizens of a small coastal community and his visiting fragile daughter, (very attractive Kelly Reilly).  These edgy, cynical and mostly angry folks are challenging beyond expectations.  A powerful script, a connected soundtrack and spectacular environs make for an entirely engaging film that never lets up.  Do not even think of missing this movie.  This movie is exactly what draws so many of us to the movie house. Honest, sometimes hilarious, hard hitting and loving.  I just can't say enough.  It's 4 stars plus.

Boy oh boy. Boyhood

An extraordinary film by Richard Linklater filmed over a 12 year! period.  Masterful performances by the growing boy, Ellar Coltrane, and his divorced parents, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette.  A long movie, nearly 3 hours, that never stalls, with scenes edited in a way that make you wonder, why the cut away?, but quickly make sense in the ongoing story.  These parents evolve into thoughtful, mature and loving people, with a Linklater script that continues to surprise, but then fits in harmoniously with the actors and the music. A truly amazing film. Do not miss this one.
P.S. Look for the next post on samoblog about Calvary.  Oh my god!

Third Person

Paul Haggis (Crash) has written and directed another extraordinary, complex, multi-character film.
I saw this film a second time thanks to our friend, Masten, who clued us in to a plot twist that I had missed after the first viewing, that left me pretty confused.  With concern for avoiding being a spoiler, I will only say - pay close attention to the lead character, played masterfully by Liam Neeson, and what he does.  The superb cast includes Maria Bello, James Franco, Kim Basinger, Mila Kunis, Olivia Wilde, Moran Atlas and a very suave Adrien Brody.

Locke

A movie about a guy driving in a car and talking on the phone.  That's it for 84 minutes.  Tom Hardy is the only actor in the movie, and, boy is it and he good!

Television

Mad Men continues to be the most compelling series on tv, especially now that it appears Don is "coming back".
Bill Maher is at the top of his game with his weekly show, always interesting guests and issues to be wrestled with.  He also is executive producer of the show Vice, which probes matters of global and local concern to depths that bring them into view.  It's a provocative and informative show and is not to be missed.
Yes, Bill Maher, Robert Reich and Randi Rhodes.  Randi Rhodes is a radio talk show host, soon to go off the air, unfortunately.  Seek her out.  She's a straight-forward, no b.s. type.  In fact, these 3 all have these traits in common.  As far as I'm concerned I could listen and watch them and know I'm getting information I can trust.  Not always that easy to find.

Anita

Whew!  I just got through a busy period.  I haven't seen many movies, but this one is not to miss:  Anita.
Here is one very courageous woman standing up to the weak, uneducated and nasty Senate Judiciary Committee, consisting of all white males in 1991.  She brought up the issue of Clarence Thomas' character in light of his sexual harassment and intimidation of her on the job.  This so called  "elite panel" failed miserably to deal with this issue and thus confirmed the kind of Supreme Court justice they deserved, but we citizens sure didn't. What a blatant example of why congressional ratings are so low!  Her engrossing book about this matter is very aptly titled, Speaking Truth to Power.  Although the movie is technically flawed, I strongly recommend it for its historical value.  Two other movies I've recently seen that I'd recommend:  Child's Pose and Le Week End.  Child's Pose is an intense Romanian drama featuring a mother who is trying to help her son even though he hates her.  Le Week End is about a senior couple wrestling with demons and each other as they bop around Paris.  Another very special performance by the always reliable Jim Broadbent.