First Word

Last night, I didn't cuddle up to watch the Oscars. I flipped the channels until I found an older movie, Sea Biscuit , that I had never seen before. I had my chips and salsa and crunched, crunched, crunched away the night. Not so many years ago, I used to look forward to Oscar night. I enjoyed seeing clips from the movies I would soon go see and supporting movies that I had seen already and loved. The last several years (and maybe it's just me), it seems like the quality and depth of the really great movies has waned. The market gets flooded with commercial vehicles and the truly fantastic films get harder and harder to find. Among the array of movies nominated last night only a small handful looked remotely appealing. I saw the movies that I had any interest in. The winner for best picture, The Artist doesn't appeal to me at all. I would have much rather seen something like Moneyball  or The Descendants win. As the big commercial films dominate the cinema, especially thi...

We went and saw the wonderful and sad movie The Descendants with George Clooney that did not do well at the box office. It went out in limited release, and it was a very well acted and well done drama. When a friend of mine noted how great the movie was and how its box office receipts were weak, I said, "That's because it's not for 12-year-old boys." Did you know the core movie-going audience consists of mostly 12-year-old boys? So when you see a movie like Battle Ship that comes out May 18, and you think it looks like another version of Transformers only out out to sea; it's because of what I just said. Movies like Battle Ship or Transformers are what they call in the industry popcorn flicks. In the most literal sense of the word, these movies "sell popcorn" and they pander to a young audience. While the rest of us adults grumble about this reality and suggest there are no good grown-up movies out there, it's because we tend to stay home or wat...

I don't go to movies often anymore. I either don't have time or nothing seems worth the price of admission. This week, though, I was presented with time and a good movie. I went to see the new George Clooney film The Descendants , a rare adult drama worth the ticket price. Now if you're searching for an uplifting, fun ride, this film is not for you. It is not a popcorn flick by any means. This heartfelt story is about a husband on the eve of being left a widow as his comatose wife lay dying, and he now must rise to the occasion of being a hands-on Dad. He also unfortunately discovers his wife had taken a lover. This revelation obviously turns his world upside down and gives Clooney another vehicle to show off his acting skills. I suspect he might be up for yet another award for this one. The young actresses who play his daughters also deliver the emotional goods and give an organic, realistic and un-self-conscious performance. I particularly enjoy the somewhat stupid boyfri...