Book – **** David James Duncan’s novel of the Chance family which explores the interfamily and external relationships of the family members and the seemingly disperate worlds of minor league baseball, religion, and the Vietnam War. Duncan, however, blends them seamlessly with humor and pathos. Excellent book.
Tour de force by Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant bringing the story of a real tone-deaf diva to the screen.
Coast Guard rescue and love story that fully delivers the dangers seamen and coast guard face combating storms at sea and bureaucracy on land. Nice acting by Chris Pine, Holiday Grainger, and Casey Affleck.
A troubled teen and a troubled loner are forced to go on the run together in the New Zealand bush changing both. Lovely film.
Wonderful foreign film about an out-of-work cellist who goes home with his new wife and unexpectedly finds work as a funeral director’s assistant, a profession looked down upon in Japan.
Entertaining within its strange premise that kids in a survival setting have the discipline to outlearn college students and love a completely dictatorial father.
Bryan Cranston (Robert Mazur) plays a role remarkably like his character in Breaking Bad, where his undercover activities start to alter his normal personality. The film paints the life of an infiltrator well, but offers no insight for our investment in the journey.
Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, was played by John Cusack and Paul Dano, both well cast. Elizabeth Banks was also good, but the story overindulged the portrayal of his mental state and glossed over how the controlling psychiatrist came to dominate him.
Once again, I watched Dave and enjoyed every minute. Few movies bear repeated viewing, but Dave is one of them. Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver got it just right and brought a fun script to life. I will post six stars in the future for movies that deliver their magic…
Book – *** The Chamber (1994) – Slow exploration of Sam Cayhall, a Klu Klux Clan murderer facing the gas chamber. His estranged grandson, Adam Hill, fights his impending death sentence for two murders he did not commit. Too much of a treatise against the death penalty, while leaving interesting…
