Memories: Some Embraced, Some Discarded, Some Misplaced
Reviews and Comments by Ken Burke
I invite you to join me on a regular basis to see how my responses to current cinematic offerings compare to the critical establishment, which I’ll refer to as either the CCAL (Collective Critics at Large) when they’re supportive or the OCCU (Often Cranky Critics Universe) when they go negative.
Top 10 Films of (Oscar-sanctioned extended) 2020
I’ve finally seen all of the cinematic options I thought might be contenders for my annual list (some have been slow to come to streaming for me due to their previous presence in theaters which have just now reopened in my San Francisco Bay Area, with a required lull before video availability, unlike with the new Warner Bros./HBO Max policy which allows simultaneous releases in 2021), so after prolonged-contemplation here are my choices which you’ll find sync up with the overall CCAL in only 4 cases, but I’ve not seen 2 of their Top 10, then made a difficult-decision to bypass on 4 others.
1. Nomadland (Chloé Zhao, 2021), our review posted on February 25, 2021
2. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (George C. Wolfe) our review posted on December 31, 2020
3. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Charlie Kaufman), our review posted on September 10, 2020
4. One Night in Miami (Regina King) our review posted on January 21, 2021
5. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hittman), our review posted on April 9, 2020
6. Pieces of a Woman (Kornél Mundruzcó) our review posted on January 14, 2021
7. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Aaron Sorkin), our review posted on October 22, 2020
8. Judas and the Black Messiah (Shaka King, 2021), our review posted on February 18, 2021
9. Mank (David Fincher), our review posted on December 10, 2020
10. Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell), our review posted on January 28, 2021
(I wanted a chance to slip Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom in here, as it's so close to being my #1)
I agree with only 5 of the Oscar Best Picture nominees as well—Judas …, Mank, Nomadland, Promising …, and The Trial …, both because they selected only 8 contenders to my 10 and I considered but rejected their other choices. I also decided to pass over (appropriate for this current Jewish holy period) one of my extremely-rare-5 stars-winners, The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone (Francis Ford Coppola; review in our December 17, 2020 posting) because it’s essentially an ever-better-recut of an excellent 1990 film, along with skipping entirely the critics’-darling First Cow (Kelly Reichardt) which got only 3½ stars from me (no Oscar nominations either). The others I considered but ultimately declined due to not being able to replace any of my chosen ones are Da 5 Bloods (Spike Lee; review in our June 25, 2020 posting), The Father (reviewed below), The Mauritanian (Kevin MacDonald, 2021; March 11, 2021 posting), Minari (Lee Isaac Chung, 2021; March 4, 2021 posting), Sound of Metal (Darius Marder; March 18, 2021 posting), and The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani; January 28, 2021 posting)—although my big 5 nominees for various acting awards by and large include folks from each of these (mostly overlapping Oscar nominees too; more about my preferences and predictions on the Oscars to come just before those awards are given on April 25, 2021). Now, to finish up my thoughts on worthy choices for these Top 10 (some of which are currently in theaters somewhere as well as available for streaming, so watch what you can, when you can, where you can), let us move on with Anthony Hopkins and The Father.
The Father (Florian Zeller) rated PG-13 97 min.
Opening Chatter (no spoilers): The Father presents us with a doubled-sided look at dementia as elderly Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) is suffering from this disease so we see events from his viewpoint which seem alternately confusing or rational to him (even though the “rational” ones are filled with misinformation he doesn't comprehend) as well as from a more objective look at how his deteriorating (but self-denied) condition is taking an increasing toll on adult daughter Anne (Olivia Colman). In that this film’s adapted from the director’s earlier play it does focus on dialogue exchanges between a limited number of characters in interior settings, but the emotional intensity of the work coupled with superb acting—especially by Hopkins, a strong contender for another Oscar—overrides any sense of distracting claustrophobia, except as intended as “the father” continues to recede into his inner world with no ultimate hope of improvement. You can see it (I hope you do) at a limited number of theaters or via streaming on several platforms (I used Amazon Prime) for a $19.99 rental fee. When we venture into the Short Takes section I’ll turn my attention to an excellent made-for-TV-documentary, Tina (about Tina Turner), you can find on HBO cable TV/HBO Max streaming which summarizes the life of the Queen of Rock and Roll, augmented with fabulous footage of why she’s so memorable on stage (you won’t see her up there any more so I highly suggest you take advantage of this farewell tribute). Also in that section I’ll offer suggestions for some choices on the Turner Classic Movies channel (but too much extra text for line-justified-layout like you see here [Related Links stuff at each posting’s end is similarly-ragged], at least to be done by this burned-out-BlogSpot-drone—oh, ye tedious software!) along with my standard dose of industry-related-trivia.
Here’s the trailer for The Father:
(Use the full screen button in the image’s lower right to enlarge it; activate
that same button or use the “esc” keyboard key to return to normal size.)
If you can abide plot spoilers read on, but this blog’s intended for those who’ve seen the film or want to save some $. To help any of you who want to learn more details yet avoid those important plot-reveals I’ll identify any give-away sentences/sentence-clusters like this:
⇒The first and last words will be noted with arrows and red.⇐ OK, now continue on if you prefer.
What Happens: Based on his own theatre work, Le Père, French film director/co-screenwriter (with Christopher Hampton)/playwright Zeller brings us to an at-times-heartbreaking, at-times-loving rendition of an 80-year-old-man, Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), living through the increasingly-difficult-trials of dementia which is troubling enough for him but is the source of increasing horror for his daughter, Anne (Olivia Colman). I must warn you from the outset, though, this can be a difficult film to watch—not only if you’re the relative/friend/caretaker of someone going through this debilitating form of personal-subtraction (I can only assume someone suffering from dementia might not grasp the full sense of difficulties Anthony’s enduring because I don’t really know how such viewers would comprehend what they’re seeing on screen, which might leave them more bewildered than Anthony is throughout most of this story) but also for the rest of us because the presentation is often from his point-of-view mixing aspects of past and present so that where he lives, which actor’s portraying Anne and others, whether there’s still a son-in-law in the events surrounding Anthony are fluid in presentation, giving us as much reason to be disoriented as he is. With those caveats in mind, what we see on screen is an old man living alone in his London flat, complaining to his daughter about his current caretaker—accusing her of stealing his watch, although it turns up later where it should be—upset she’s about to move to Paris to be with a new man she’s met (he thinks she’s still married), leaving him with yet-another-caretaker, even as he insists he’s capable of managing life on his own.
Anthony faces further confusion on another day when he finds Paul (Rufus Sewell) in the flat, Paul reminding Anthony he lives there with son-in-law and Anne (seemingly they’re still married); then she returns from the market but is now played by Olivia Williams, which confuses Anthony (and us, easily, until when we’re able to take this all in context). Anne arranges for another caretaker, Laura (Imogen Poots), whom Anthony says reminds him of his now-distant-daughter, Lucy, so he’s very taken with her (except when he’s not), even flirtatious as he consistently says he has no memory problems nor other reasons for anyone else to be worried about him. ⇒As events become slowly straightened out for us (not really for Anthony, at least not consistently) we understand Lucy died in a car accident some time ago (Anthony has some fleeting awareness of this), Anthony did live with Paul and Anne (variously also played by Mark Gatiss and Colman) for years (even as he consistently understood it as his own dwelling with them oddly there a lot) which led to arguments between the couple, ultimately divorce, Anne has gone to live in Paris but comes back to England for occasional visits with her father where he’s in a nursing home attended by Bill (Gatiss) and Catherine (Williams), as he consistently deteriorates, comforted by Catherine, suggesting they go for a walk outside at the film's end as the camera pans over to tree limbs gently blowing in the breeze outside his window.⇐
So What? You’ll find The Father actively competing for Academy Awards as it’s been nominated for Best Picture, Actor (Hopkins), Supporting Actress (Colman), Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, and Production Design. As noted above, I just couldn’t squeeze it into my Top 10 of last year (although it does easily land within the top 15), nor could I replace any of my 5 preferred Best Supporting Actress choices (more on that in a future posting) with Colman but I certainly agree with the Oscar nominations for Hopkins as Best Actor along with Zeller and Hampton for Best Adapted Screenplay; while I’d prefer Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom for that latter trophy I must admit after seeing The Father I’ve had to replace Chadwick Boseman (in Ma …) with Hopkins as my #1 pick for Best Actor. Boseman gives a triumphant (final) screen appearance, but I just can’t say anyone tops Hopkins (for me at least) in this powerful, immersive portrayal of a desperate man losing himself to a physical condition he (nor anyone else) can't control, just as he’s also lost both of his daughters to circumstances also no longer negotiable, certainly where doomed Lucy was concerned; you could argue—probably some will—Anne might be faulted for putting her own happiness/future before her aging father’s as she pursues a new life in France, but—harsh decision as something like that is, surely was for her—she’s soon likely to be lost to him as a conscious presence in his life, he may not have that many years left as this disease—if it manifests as full-blown-Alzheimer’s—is physically as well as psychologically deadly, while she still has a possibly-rare-opportunity to find some love, stability, growth after years of enduring hardship, heartbreak, capitulation to the seemingly-inevitable.
Call me heartless if you wish for siding with Anne’s choice, but it’s similar to the one I made back in 2008 when my mother—in deep pain, barely conscious on a morphine-drip after years of involuntary-bodily-impairment—consciously chose to enter self-starvation-hospice-care so that she could finally relieve herself of constant, debilitating misery. I had no qualms about her decision to end her life (nor would I for anyone in such a condition), but in that final week I spent with her (barely aware of my presence, although if that’s what it took to ease her pain, again no complaints from me) getting her final affairs in order I gave little thought to postponing my return flight to California from Texas, with no comfort to give except sitting at her silent bedside for anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months as I was told, so I left (with a heavy heart) getting notice a short time later that she was gone. Maybe others would choose a different path from the ones taken by Anne and me, but we all have to live our lives as best we can determine, even if we’re never sure in hindsight we made the right choices.
This is one of those rare occasions where I have access to press notes about the film (don’t be fooled into thinking critics have an astounding sense of history about a screen work and its various contributors; a lot of what they include in their reviews comes from the press kit, thus it’s nice to share some of it with you), so I’ll let director/co-screenwriter Zeller speak for himself about his debut cinematic accomplishment (it also helps he implies an agreement with my attitude toward Anne’s ultimate decision about managing her father’s life along with her own): "In a way it's like a thriller. It asks the audience to be part of the story by building a narrative, as I had done in the theatre. I wanted the audience to feel closer to the characters. With Tony (Anthony Hopkins) as Anthony, we had an actor who has always had a powerful presence on screen. But it was fascinating for me to watch him working with Olivia (Colman) who in my opinion is the greatest actress working at this time. The story is about that moment when you become your parents' parent, and Anne, played by Olivia is at the heart of the narrative. She has to decide if she is going to lead her life or lead her father's life.” [¶ …] for me writing is a lot like dreaming and it was only when I saw the plays in production that I realized what I'd written. Theatre and the movies remind you that you are part of something bigger than yourself. Despite its labyrinthine qualities, there is also a distinct sense of joy about the play which I wanted to keep. […] When I started working on the adaptation of my play, the face that came and came again to my mind was always Anthony Hopkins […] “I had the profound conviction he would be so powerful and devastating in this part. He was at the beginning of my desire to make this film. This is the only reason for my decision to do it in English: it was a way to come to him. In that sense, he was part of my dream. That's why the main character's name is Anthony." You can also get further, more-detailed insights from Zeller (along with talk from Hopkins and Colman) in the second item of the listings in my Related Links, far below, connected to this film.
Bottom Line Final Comments: You couldn’t ask for much more in the way of better critical recommendations to see a film than the ones regarding The Father published by the CCAL. (Although, surprisingly enough, when you consult that "Films Mentioned on Most Critic Top 10 Lists – 2020" link [noted far above] you won’t find this one even in their top 30; so, despite what I’m about to cite for aspects of the CCAL, those cited by Metacritic in that previous "Top 10" link are even harsher than me in considering The Father for their upper echelon of cinematic successes last year; on the other hand, if you were to consult Metacritic's tally of awards & nominations [both of these sites will reside for another month or so in my Related Links section far below] you’ll find The Father doing quite well in the realms of Lead Actor, Supporting Actress, Screenplay, Film Editing—with 21 wins, 135 nominations so far from various award-giving-groups.) The Rotten Tomatoes surveyed-critics honor The Father with 98% positive reviews (which ties with Minari and One Night in Miami for anything I’m aware of they’ve reviewed this year) even as those at Metacritic offer an 88% average score (tying with what I’m aware of from them this year for Minari, topped only by their almost-unheard-of-94% for Nomadland). Within this realm of talk about nominations, awards, and critical reactions, though, I’ll say just this final comment for now: While my choice for Best Actor would have to be Hopkins I have a strong sense the Academy voters will combine quality with tribute to give their award to Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a result I’d have no argument about in that this talented young man will never again have a chance for such a result while Hopkins continues to show himself at his prime even at age 83 so he may well return in future contention (He even says of himself in the press notes: “I'd die if I ever gave up the business. I must be an old warrior! A survivor!"). If you’re interested in seeing The Father (which I actively hope you are) it’s still in 652 domestic (U.S.-Canada) theaters (down from its high of 933 since its February 26, 2021 debut) where it’s made about $1.2 million (plus just a tiny bit more internationally), but your most likely access is on a few streaming platforms (including my choice of Amazon Prime), for a $19.99 rental.
I’ll finish these comments with my usual use of conceptual-closure in a Musical Metaphor, which you might guess could be “Memory” (from the London West End [beginning 1981]/Broadway long-running-smash-hit, Cats –music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Trevor Nunn adapted from a T.S. Eliot poem—with potentially-connective lines such as “Touch me It’s so easy to leave me All along with my memory Of my days in the sun”), EXCEPT that Nina and I saw this play in San Francisco years ago, are among the few on this planet who couldn’t stand it (even though we love actual—much more so than "practical"—cats, have consistently shared our lives with various ones for years, including growing-older-with-us-now sweet Inky and Bella), with “Memory” popping up constantly.* Therefore, I’ll suggest a better selection, Judy Collin’s “My Father (1968 album Who Knows Where The Time Goes) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJE5yonI1NU (a live 2002 performance I chose because I find her voice then still as ethereal as it was so many years ago on the original recording) due to very relevant lyrics, as if sung by Anne: “All my sisters soon were gone […] And I live in Paris now […] The colors of my father’s dreams Faded without a sound […] I sail my memories of home Like boats across the Seine And watch the Paris sun As it sets in my father’s eyes again.” This song could have been written (one of the few penned by Collins) to accompany the film’s credits or used for such, but as Zeller didn’t make such a decision I’m glad to help him out.
*However, in honor of Nina’s reverence for Barbra Streisand, if not for this specific song, here’s her version of "Memory," or, if you just can’t get enough of this song, here it is from Broadway with Betty Buckley (hilarious extra added at the end)—the 1983 cast album won a Grammy (you can also find it recorded by a multitude of others so help yourself if so inclined [my sympathies, though]).
SHORT TAKES
If you’ve ever been overcome with transcendent pleasure by watching Tina Turner on stage provide the epitome of energetic showmanship then you’ll likely love this biopic of her long life, career, and personal heartaches transcended as she rose up from "mere" stardom with abusive husband Ike to international superstardom using her own talent, with a useful dose of direct commentary from Tina.
Here’s the trailer:
Before reading further, please refer to the plot spoilers warning detailed far above.
Normally, I don’t review anything created as a TV movie or originally intended just for streaming but I made an exception for Tina because I was going to watch it anyway, its CCAL response is so strong (RT 94% positive reviews; MC 81% average score), and I’d just seen a PBS version of her 2000 London Wembley Stadium concert so I thought, “Why not?” Although, there’s really not that much to say about this documentary except that it’s a tightly-constructed, very informative, enjoyable to watch experience about a woman rightly called the Queen of Rock and Roll* (which dovetails nicely with the expansive 8-hour-miniseries about Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (National Geographic channel), each one illustrating a successful approach to telling a compelling story about a famous person where the shorter form must condense without glossing over, the longer one has the luxury of exploring lesser-known-aspects of the subject with the freedom to fictionalize events not available in doc-footage, using the additional attraction of strong actors [in this case Cynthia Erivo as the adult Aretha, Shaian Jordan as her childhood self, Courtney B. Vance as her father, Rev. C.L. Franklin]).
Although we get some brief testimony in Tina from notables such as Oprah Winfrey, former manager Roger Davies, and Angela Bassett (portrayed Turner in the fictionalized-biography, What’s Love Got to Do with It [Brian Gipson, 1993]—actual details of her life summarized here), the best testimony comes directly from the former Anna Mae Bullock (Ike took “Tina” from the mid-1950s TV show, “Sheena Queen of the Jungle,” then she got “Turner” from her unfortunate marriage to him), recorded for this film, as we briefly follow her life from 1939 Nutbush, TN; to emerging stardom with Ike (well-oiled-stagecraft, but brutal reality due to his assaults, helped somewhat by her Buddhism-conversion); to her fabulous solo career (and 1986 autobiography I, Tina), now ending in Switzerland retirement with second husband Erwin Bach, all of this enhanced by dynamic concert footage from throughout her career, making it clear how much Mick Jagger owes to her stage presence. I could pick any of her great hit songs for a Musical Metaphor, although I think the proper one is “Proud Mary” (from Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1969; for Tina originally on the 1970 Workin’ Together [hah!] album with Ike, then various albums of hers) with its references to “Left a good job in the city Working for the man every night and day And I never lost one minute of sleeping Worrying ‘bout the way that things might have been.” This live performance is from that 2002 Wembley concert at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2T5_seDNZE. Enjoy! The doc's on HBO cable or HBO Max.
*Tina says earlier in her career she wanted to be a superstar, able to fill stadiums like the Rolling Stones. My wife, Nina, saw the fulfillment of that dream (sadly for me, before I met Nina) when she saw Tina in concert at the Oakland (CA) Arena, first in 1969 when the Ike and Tina Turner Review shared the bill with B.B. King and the Stones, later (roughly 1984) when Tina was the sole headliner.
Suggestions for TCM cablecasts
At least until the pandemic subsides Two Guys also want to encourage you to consider movies you might be interested in that don’t require subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime, similar Internet platforms (we may well be stuck inside for longer than those 30-day-free-initial-offers), or premium-tier-cable-TV-fees. While there are a good number of video networks offering movies of various sorts (mostly broken up by commercials), one dependable source of fine cinematic programming is Turner Classic Movies (available in lots of basic-cable-packages) so I’ll be offering suggestions of possible choices for you running from Thursday afternoon of the current week (I usually get this blog posted by early Thursday mornings) on through Thursday morning of the following week. All times are for U.S. Pacific zone so if you see something of interest please verify actual show time in your area for the day listed. These recommendations are my particular favorites (no matter when they’re on, although some of those early-day-ones might need to be recorded, watched later), but there’s considerably more to pick from you might like even better; feel free to explore their entire schedule here. You can also click the down arrow at the right of each listing for additional, useful info.
I’ll bet if you checked that entire schedule link just above you’d find other options of interest, but these are the only ones grabbing my attention at present. Please dig in further for other possibilities.
Thursday April 1, 2021 (by pure chance these titles come up in alphabetical order)
9:15 PM An American in Paris (Vincente Minnelli, 1951) All-time great musical about a painter in Paris (Gene Kelley), his neighbor (Oscar Levant), and the woman he loves (Leslie Caron), ends with a spectacular ballet set to Gershwin’s An American in Paris. Nominated for 8 Oscars, won for Best Picture, Story and Screenplay, Art Direction-Color, Cinematography-Color, Costume Design-Color, Scoring of a Musical Picture, plus an Honorary Oscar to Kelly for cinematic versatility, multi-talents.
Friday April 2, 2021
2:45 PM Being There (Hal Ashby, 1979) A marvelous satirical exploration of the concept of cognitive dissonance as various characters encounter a gardener (Peter Sellers) with mental limitations whose vague statements lead them to interpret him as a newly-emerged genius with apt political agendas sought to be implemented by high government officials, even putting him in line for the Presidency. Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart, Richard Basehart (Douglas won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor, Sellers nominated for Best Actor). Ends on a great final shot.
5:00 PM Ben-Hur (William Wyler, 1959) A Jewish prince (Charlton Heston!) runs afoul of his childhood friend Messala (Steven Boyd), now a Roman tribune, who wrongly condemns noble Judah to slavery; from here it’s all about the long road back for Judah, culminating in a magnificent chariot race, all during the time of Christ. Won 11 Oscars from 12 nominations (only Titanic [1998], The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [2004] have also won that many): Best Picture, Director, Actor (Heston), Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith), Film Editing, Music Scoring, Sound Recording, Special Effects, Art Direction-Set Decoration, Cinematography, Costume Design (the last 3 for color films).
Sunday April 4, 2021
3:00 AM Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) Still my All-Time #1 (even though Sight and Sound’s poll dethroned it in 2012 in favor of Hitchcock’s Vertigo [1958] after 50 years on top); a triumph of script, acting, cinematography, editing, sound design, art direction, special effects, score, with Welles as director, star actor portraying Charles Foster Kane, an enormously wealthy (by chance as a kid) newspaperman (patterned on William Randolph Hearst) whose early progressive ideals succumb to pragmatics destroying marriages to 2 wives (Ruth Warrick, Dorothy Comingore) and a long-time-friend (Joseph Cotton), retaining loyalty only from his business manager (Everett Sloane). Except for the eye-of-God beginning & end told in flashbacks, 5 narrators imparting subjective accounts (hard for us to know what’s true). Won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz [granddad of noted TCM host Ben Mankiewicz]); scripting process the subject of Mank.
Tuesday April 6, 2021
4:45 AM Forbidden Planet (Fred M. Wilcox, 1956) Not a classic in the aesthetic sense as most of my recommendations are but is about as campy as it gets in a much-embraced sci-fi story about Earth astronauts traveling deep into space to learn the fate of another team sent out years before where only Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis) survived, trouble soon to come when mutual crushes occur between Altaira and expedition Commander Adams (Leslie Nielsen) leading to the famous “monsters from the id” plot line (with Freudian incest implications).
5:00 PM The 400 Blows (François Truffaut, 1959) A foundational film of the French New Wave cinematic revolution of the 1960s, essentially a fictionalized-autobiography of the director as an adolescent, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), who gets into constant trouble with his parents, teachers, and ultimately the police leading to his ongoing attempts toward independence even
at his young age (Truffaut made 4 sequels with Léaud as the character grows into adulthood).
Wednesday April 7, 2021
9:15 AM Giant (George Stevens, 1956) An epic story of the West (3 hrs. 21 min.) but presented in a contemporary plot where the owner of a huge west Texas ranch (Rock Hudson) goes East to buy a horse, ends up also with a wife (Elizabeth Taylor) who has more supportive attitudes toward their Mexican workers. His older sister Luz (Mercedes McCambridge) dies, leaves a small plot to a local rounder (James Dean) who finds oil on his land, gets quickly rich, continues over the years to bedevil the main family. Oscar for Best Director (plus 9 more nominations), Dean’s last role before his car-crash death. For the time and location, a surprising ongoing theme of emerging social tolerance.
If you’d like your own PDF of ratings/summaries of this week's reviews, suggestions for TCM cablecasts, links to Two Guys info click this link to access then save, print, or whatever you need.
Other Cinema-Related Stuff: In quick fashion, here are some extra items you might like: (1) Big opening overseas for Godzilla vs. Kong; (2) Godzilla vs. Kong will open in more than 3,000 domestic theaters (I’m still choosing to see it on HBO Max, not quite ready to chance an indoor crowd yet despite having both COVID-19 vaccination shots); (3) Nomadland gets Producers Guild top prize, strong indication for the Oscars; (4) Limited audience awareness of the Oscar Best Picture nominees. As usual for now I’ll close out this section with Joni Mitchell’s "Big Yellow Taxi" (from her 1970 Ladies of the Canyon album)—because “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone”—and a reminder that you can search streaming/rental/purchase movie options at JustWatch.
Related Links Which You Might Find Interesting:
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AND … at least until the Oscars for 2020’s releases have been awarded on Sunday, April 25, 2021 we’re also going to include reminders in each posting of very informative links where you can get updated tallies of which films have been nominated for and/or received various awards and which ones made various individual critic’s Top 10 lists. You may find the diversity among the various awards competitions and the various critics hard to reconcile at times—not to mention the often-significant-gap between critics’ choices and competitive-award-winners (which pales when they’re compared to the even-more-noticeable-gap between specific award winners and big box-office-grosses you might want to monitor here as well as here due to many 2020 releases being tracked on the 2021 list, although the income situation for 2020’s skewed due to so many award-contenders getting limited or no theatrical releases)—but as that less-than-enthusiastic-patron-of-the-arts, Plato, noted in The Symposium (385-380 BC)—roughly translated, depending on how accurate you wish the actual quote to be—“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder,” so your choices for success are as valid as any of these others, especially if you offer some rationale for your decisions (unlike many of the awards voters who simply fill out ballots, sometimes—damn it!—for films they’ve never seen).
To save you a little time scrolling through the “various awards” list above, here are the current Golden Globes nominees and winners for films and TV from 2020-early 2021 along with the Oscar nominees for 2020-early 2021 films.
Here’s more information about The Father:
https://www.sonyclassics.com/film/thefather
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS81ve3sFv0 (18:19 interview with director-screenwriter [also wrote the play he adapted it from] Florian Zeller and actors Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Coleman)
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_father_2021
https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-father
Here’s more information about Tina:
https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/tina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWHaONa1mWI (9:51 interview with international superstar Tina Turner, although from 2019)
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tina
https://www.metacritic.com/movie/tina
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If you’d rather contact Ken directly rather than leaving a comment here please use my email address of kenburke409@gmail.com—type it directly if the link doesn’t work. (But if you truly have too much time on your hands you might want to explore some even-longer-and-more-obtuse-than-my-film-reviews-academic-articles about various cinematic topics at my website, https://kenburke.academia.edu, which could really give you something to talk to me about.)
If we did talk, though, you’d easily see how my early-70s-age informs my references, Musical Metaphors, etc. in these reviews because I’m clearly a guy of the later 20th century, not so much the contemporary world. I’ve come to accept my ongoing situation, though, realizing we all (if fate allows) keep getting older, we just have to embrace it, as Joni Mitchell did so well in "The Circle Game," offering sage advice even when she was quite young herself.
By the way, if you’re ever at The Hotel California knock on my door—but you know what the check-out policy is so be prepared to stay for awhile (quite an eternal while, in fact). Ken
P.S. Just to show that I haven’t fully flushed Texas out of my system here’s an alternative destination for you, Home in a Texas Bar, with Gary P. Nunn and Jerry Jeff Walker. But wherever the rest of my body may be my heart’s always with my longtime-companion, lover, and wife, Nina Kindblad, so here’s our favorite shared song—Neil Young’s "Harvest Moon"
—from the performance we saw at the Desert Trip concerts in Indio, CA on October 15, 2016 (as a full moon was rising over the stadium) because “I’m still in love with you,” my dearest, a never-changing-reality even as the moon waxes and wanes over the months/years to come.
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Finally, for the data-oriented among you, Google stats say over the past month the total unique hits at this site were 28,136 (as always, we thank all of you for your ongoing support with our hopes you’ll continue to be regular readers); below is a snapshot of where those responses have come from within the previous week (with appreciation for the unspecified “Others” also visiting Two Guys’ site):
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