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It's been a while since I've written about the movies we've seen, mainly because we haven't been enticed to the big screen very often these past months. We're not even enticed by the luxurious recliner seats and hot buttered popcorn. Last week, between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, we wanted to see "Darkest Hour." An online reviewer had said that Gary Oldman was such a tremendous Winston Churchill that only one time in the entire 125-minute production did he glimpse the actor beneath the statesman. The movie didn't happen for us, but we didn't stay home either. We made a couple gift exchanges at Southdale (it's my favorite Macy's store), Allan attended a Minnesota Gophers Game in Minneapolis with our son Nick (a Christmas gift), and we made a couple trips to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, escorting daughter Jenny and family to and fro. If "Darkest Hour" hangs around a while, we'll get there and maybe you'll hear about it. *** A few weeks ago we had seen "Murder on the Orient Express." It was okay, but not great. The mountain scenery was big but most of the action takes place inside the train, where the fancy dining car is much unlike diner cars on today's Amtrak. This 2017 version of "Orient Express" moved me to re-watch the 1974 version, which I had remembered as better. But it wasn't. In fact, I found Ingrid Bergman's German accent to be annoying. However, I do think Richard Widmark plays a better bad guy than Johnny Depp. I didn't mind when Depp's character got murdered early in the movie. At the very end, Poirot the famous detective finds himself in the same dilemma in 2017 as he did back in 1974 and in the 1934 novel by Agatha Christie. Does someone deserve to be murdered? Does anyone deserve to get away with murder? *** We also saw "Only the Brave" in recent weeks. Very good. Very, very good, as a matter of fact. I kept thinking about our Victoria firefighters and how they, too, leave the comfort and safety of home and family on a regular basis, to respond when a call comes in. When I see footage of the raging fires out in California, I think of the Granite Mountain Hotshots in "Only the Brave." The movie is based on a true story about a wildfire out in Yarnell, Arizona, in June of 2013. I wasn't aware of the true story and so I was shocked at the ending. Actually, speechless might be a better word. What a catastrophe. Unlike with Gary Oldman and Churchill, who become one (if the above reviewer is correct), I kept seeing James Brolin in his son Josh Brolin, one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. I probably saw every episode of "Marcus Welby MD" and "Hotel" -- two long running television shows starring the senior Brolin in the 1970's and 1980's. There is one way that "Only the Brave" could have been improved and that would have been by giving the movie a better name. It should have been called "The Yarnell Fire." *** Since our daughter Jenny and family spend some days with us over the holidays -- after all, it's a 10-hour drive from Tioga, ND -- we were able to squeeze in a movie downstairs on our own big screen. Addie and Gunnar hadn't seen "The Shack" -- neither had their dad -- and the rest of us looked forward to seeing it again. It was worth it! Wow. Since I knew in advance about Mack Phillips and his encounter with The Trinity, I could better concentrate on the amazing messages in the dialogue. *** It also seems apropos to mention another movie we recently watched downstairs in our family theater, a favorite spot in our home with the ambience of fireplace and surround sound. It was an animated 2013 Disney production called "Frozen" and I watched it through the eyes of our little granddaughter Mia, who has spoken of Elsa and Kristoff and other of the characters as though they were personally acquainted. I was enticed to sit through it because of Mia and I immediately understood a child's attraction. In addition to the outstanding graphics, there are magical powers, royalty, an ice palace, a giant snow monster, and much more. It's a fairy tale with a happy ending. It was enchanting and warming. When my own kids were little, some of our favorites were "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Sleeping Beauty," "Beauty and the Beast, and "Cinderella" -- each of which is even more straightforward regarding virtue and vice. Depending on what we choose to view, movies are a help or a hindrance to our ultimate goal in life. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. |
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From the Editor |
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Dedicated to the sunshine of truth, the moonshine of meeting deadlines, and the starshine of Victoria. |
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The Victoria GAZETTE |
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Sue’s Album A symphony of photos and fewer than a thousand words at www.VictoriaGazette.com |
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January 2018 |
