Irrational Man: A Movie Review

IRRATIONAL MAN is about a tormented philosophy professor who finds a will to live when he commits an existential act. Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix) is at rock bottom emotionally, unable to find any meaning or joy in life.  Soon after arriving at his new job, Abe gets involved with two women: Rita Richards (Parker Posey), a lonely professor who wants him to rescue her from her unhappy marriage; and Jill Pollard (Emma Stone), his best student, who becomes his closest friend. While Jill loves her boyfriend Roy (Jamie Blackley), she finds Abe's tortured, artistic personality and exotic past irresistible. Even as Abe displays signs of mental imbalance, Jill's fascination with him only grows. Still, when she tries to make their relationship a romantic one, he rebuffs her.Pure chance changes everything when Abe and Jill overhear a stranger's conversation and become drawn in."  www.sonyclassics.com/irrationalman

I love movie trailers as much as the next guy, but sometimes they show the best parts of the movie, or at least predict the outcome.  Trust me on this, Irrational Man is not the movie you think it will be.  

The chemistry between Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix is fantastic - and if you are a fellow Phoenix fan like me, you will not be disappointed.  He portrays vulnerability like no other actor in his time, & somehow makes every woman want him.  

There is much to be said for just "getting by" in life  - losing the desire to go beyond our comfort levels.  I see it all the time when I talk with people about being a dream chaser.  They look at me a bit lost, I can see them thinking "what is she talking about?"  While few people would go to the lengths Abe Lucas goes, most people do daydream about changing their path.  This movie does a brilliant job of showing us just how far some will go, the risks we are willing to take, and what we are capable of doing to keep our secrets safe and sound.

While "Irrational Man" may not have been a hit with the box office, it was a hit with me. 

Irrational man is rated R & is now streaming online, or available on DVD or Blu-Ray.

Will it be Spotlight or The Revenant? It's Oscar Sunday and I am ready to make my predictions!

Yes, I have been stalling on posting my predictions because I can't commit!  Now the day is upon us, so I am out of time.  Without further ado....

Best Picture:  Spotlight

The race for Best Picture is the closest in recent history, and I can see why.  While some people say it comes down to three movies - Spotlight, The Big Short or The Revenant - for me it's only two.  If The Big Short wins, I will be disappointed.  Give the Oscar to The Revenant or Spotlight, and I will be a happy girl.  Since I can only pick one movie, I am going to choose Spotlight because it has a great cast, screenplay and a very important story. Tom McCarthy completely won my adoration with the care he took with Spotlight.

Best Actor:  Leonardo DiCaprio

Everyone knows it's Leo's year.  He proved his acting chops long ago, but in The Revenant he took it to a whole new level. His work in this movie will be talked about for years to come.  I can't wait to hear his name called tonight.

Best Actress:  Brie Larson

The nominees in this category are all amazing and gave such wonderful performances, I can't imagine how it will feel to be Brie Larson this evening.  

Best Supporting Actor:  Sylvester Stallone

This is the one category I am most nervous about. This award could go to any one of the actors and I wouldn't have much of an argument.  So this "prediction" is really more about who I WANT to win.  Let's hand the gold to Rocky.

Best Supporting Actress:  Kate Winslet

This is the most confusing prediction I had to make.   While I agree Kate Winslet was brilliant in Steve Jobs, I wasn't a fan of the movie in general.  Close on her heels is Alicia Vikander for her beautiful role in The Danish Girl. I would much prefer to predict her as the winner.  If there were to be a major upset in the winners tonight, seeing Jennifer Jason Leigh winning Best Supporting Actress would be fantastic - and well deserved.

Best Director:  Alejandro Inarritu

I also think George Miller is quite deserving, having received his first ever nomination for the incredible Mad Max Fury Road.  But I just don't see that happening.  The Revenant was spectacularly beautiful while being horrifically violent and that is not an easy schtick to sell. I was completely blown away.  

Animated Feature Film: Inside Out

While Anomalisa is a masterpiece, I don't think it can beat Pixar's sweet movie Inside Out.  

Cinematography:  The Revenant

Tonight, Emmanuel Lubezki could make history in this category, winning for a third time in a row.  He won two years ago for Gravity, and last year for Birdman.  That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if Mad Max Fury Road wins this one.  It's a close, close race.

Costume Design:  Mad Max Fury Road (Jenny Beavan)

Sandy Powell received two nominations this year, for her work on Cinderella and Carol. You would think this would make her a sure win, wouldn't you?  Not so fast.  With tough competition, I think her two nominations will split her votes, and Mad Max will sneak in for the win.

Documentary Feature:  Amy

Cartel Land or The Look of Silence are serious competition, but I think Amy will win.

Film Editing:  Mad Max Fury Road

Brilliant, freaky and incredible.  For the win.

Foreign Language Film:  Mustang

This is the another category where I am following my heart.  Mustang was a beautiful film and I want to see it win.  (But it very well could be Son of Saul)

Makeup and Hairstyling:  Mad Max Fury Road

Those War Boys though...

Original Score:  The Hateful Eight

Original Song:  Til It Happens to You 

We love you Lady Gaga!

Production Design: Mad Max Fury Road

Sound Editing & Sound Mixing:  The Revenant

I will never forget how moved I was by the sound effects while watching The Revenant. It is the experience of a lifetime.

Visual Effects:  The Revenant

I am going with The Revenant, although everyone seems to think Star Wars:  The Force Awakens will win.  It's all about the bear scene for me.

Adapted Screenplay:  The Big Short

Original Screenplay: Spotlight

I have said it a million times, but I am saying it one more time.  The way this story was told was so so important.  The faith was protected, the victims were not sensationalized.  I am so impressed by this film.  I loved it.  

The Choice - A conversation with Nicholas Sparks

Fans of novelist Nicholas Sparks are lining up for this weekend’s release of “The Choice”, a movie based on Sparks 2007 novel of the same name.  The Choice tells the story of Travis and Gabby, neighbors in a small North Carolina coastal town in a relationship that is tested by life's most defining events.  

I sat down with Nicholas to ask him about this movie, how he feels when his movies are changed from the original story, how involved he is in casting his films, and if he would share HIS favorite Nicholas Sparks movie with me. Here is what he had to say:

The choice is a sweet movie, landing just in time for Valentines Day.  It is the perfect movie for a first date, or great for couples just looking to bring back a little romance into their life.  

I enjoyed it!

The Choice is Rated PG13.

Critics Choice Awards 2016

It's hard to believe our trip to California was already two weeks ago.  Time is going by way too quickly.   If you remember last year, I took my oldest daughter, Jessica, as my "plus one".  This year, I took my middle daughter, Jennifer.  We stayed at Hotel Erwin on Venice Beach and had the time of our lives.

Sunday we ordered a fantastic breakfast from room service,  relaxed & got glam for the Critics Choice Awards.  We weren't very happy with the salon we booked, but looking back I think they did a pretty good job.  Isn't Jennifer stunning?!?!

The 2016 Critics Choice Awards were held at the Barker Hangar - a beautiful venue in Santa Monica. The evening started off a little scary when our Lyft driver was directed into a line with several black Escalades, etc.  (We were in a red Jetta).  Before we knew what was happening, doors were being opened and we were directed into a line right along with Mayim Bailik.  We knew we were in the wrong line, but there was nothing we could do!  Thankfully I made eye contact with a handler who could see we were in distress just in time to get us OFF the red carpet.  Jennifer wanted to die.

Once we were safely tucked into the cocktail reception with a glass of wine, we took a few selfies and started to relax.

This was the first year the Critics Choice Awards combined the TV and film ceremonies, so there were hundreds more people than in years past.  There were pros and cons to having that many people, but once we ran into some of our favorite TV actors, we quickly decided we were happy with the decision.

This is my favorite picture of the night for several reasons.  I am a big fan of all three of these amazing actresses.  (Sarah Paulson - American Horror Story, Margo Martindale - Critics Choice Award winner for her Guest Role on The Good Wife, & Holland Taylor - Two & A Half Men)  But the really exciting part of meeting this group and getting Sarah to take our selfie was that it was Sarah & Hollands first red carpet event as a couple.  They are the cutest - just look at the way Holland is looking at Sarah in this picture.  I felt super blessed to spend a few minutes in their bubble.

Another highlight was bumping into Saoirse Ronan (Best Actress nominee - Brooklyn) & Finola Dwyer (Producer - Brooklyn)  They were both lovely.

The awards ceremony was wonderful, & most of my favorites won.  For a full list of winners, click here:  http://bit.ly/1SkCUBs

We met so many wonderful people at the Afterparty I don't even know where to start.  The highlight of the night for Jennifer was spending time talking with Gina Rodriquez (Critics Choice Nominee - Jane the Virgin)  I was so proud to watch her engage with such talent and see how much they enjoyed her as well. 

We also met Hayden Panettiere who was just adorable.

One of my favorite television shows is Transparent, so I was thrilled to have a few minutes with Jeffrey Tambor, who picked up a Critics Choice Award for Best Actor.  Such a gentleman.  I really, really liked him.

As a movie critic, I adore Grae Drake, the Senior Editor of Rotten Tomatoes.  Any chance I have to talk with her, I take it.  She is AMAZING.

Towards the end of the night, Neil Brown Jr. (Straight Outta Compton) walked by, and Jen "highfived" him, saying what a great job he was doing hosting snapchat that night for EW.  He asked for a selfie and away he went.  The night could not have ended any better when Jennifer checked EW's snapchat and saw this.  #NightMade.

********

The next day we had a lovely lunch on the patio of Don Cuco in Burbank.  I took this beautiful picture of Jennifer (on the right) because I have a similar picture of Jessica from last year (on the left).  I am super blessed.  

Jennifer and I had VIP tickets to the Ellen Show Monday afternoon - we had a great time!

Until next year....

2016 Critics Choice Movie Awards Complete List of Winners

BEST PICTURE
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Sicario
WINNER: Spotlight

BEST ACTOR
Bryan Cranston – Trumbo
Matt Damon – The Martian
Johnny Depp – Black Mass
WINNER: Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett – Carol
WINNER: Brie Larson – Room
Jennifer Lawrence – Joy
Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn
Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Paul Dano – Love & Mercy
Tom Hardy – The Revenant 
Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight
Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon – 99 Homes
WINNER: Sylvester Stallone – Creed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara – Carol
Rachel McAdams – Spotlight
Helen Mirren – Trumbo
WINNER: Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Abraham Attah – Beasts of No Nation
RJ Cyler – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Shameik Moore – Dope
Milo Parker – Mr. Holmes
WINNER: Jacob Tremblay – Room

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Big Short
The Hateful Eight
WINNER: Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton
Trumbo

BEST DIRECTOR
Todd Haynes – Carol 
Alejandro González Iñárritu – The Revenant 
Tom McCarthy – Spotlight
WINNER: George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott – The Martian
Steven Spielberg – Bridge of Spies

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen – Bridge of Spies
Alex Garland – Ex Machina
Quentin Tarantino – The Hateful Eight
Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley – Inside Out
WINNER: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy – Spotlight

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WINNER: Charles Randolph and Adam McKay – The Big Short
Nick Hornby – Brooklyn
Drew Goddard – The Martian
Emma Donoghue – Room
Aaron Sorkin – Steve Jobs

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Carol – Ed Lachman
The Hateful Eight – Robert Richardson
Mad Max: Fury Road – John Seale
The Martian – Dariusz Wolski
WINNER: The Revenant – Emmanuel Lubezki
Sicario – Roger Deakins

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Bridge of Spies – Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo
Brooklyn – François Séguin, Jennifer Oman and Louise Tremblay
Carol – Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler
The Danish Girl – Eve Stewart, Michael Standish
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road – Colin Gibson
The Martian – Arthur Max, Celia Bobak

BEST EDITING
The Big Short – Hank Corwin
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road – Margaret Sixel
The Martian – Pietro Scalia
The Revenant – Stephen Mirrione
Spotlight – Tom McArdle

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Brooklyn – Odile Dicks-Mireaux
Carol – Sandy Powell
Cinderella – Sandy Powell
The Danish Girl – Paco Delgado
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road – Jenny Beavan

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP
Black Mass
Carol
The Danish Girl
The Hateful Eight
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Ex Machina
Jurassic World
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
The Walk

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
WINNER: Inside Out
The Peanuts Movie
Shaun the Sheep Movie

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Furious 7
Jurassic World
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Sicario

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Daniel Craig – Spectre
Tom Cruise – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
WINNER: Tom Hardy – Mad Max: Fury Road
Chris Pratt – Jurassic World
Paul Rudd – Ant-Man

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt – Sicario
Rebecca Ferguson – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Bryce Dallas Howard – Jurassic World
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
WINNER: Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST COMEDY
WINNER: The Big Short
Inside Out
Joy
Sisters
Spy
Trainwreck

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
WINNER: Christian Bale – The Big Short
Steve Carell – The Big Short
Robert De Niro – The Intern
Bill Hader – Trainwreck
Jason Statham – Spy

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Tina Fey – Sisters
Jennifer Lawrence – Joy
Melissa McCarthy – Spy
WINNER: Amy Schumer – Trainwreck
Lily Tomlin – Grandma

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
WINNER: Ex Machina
It Follows
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Assassin
Goodnight Mommy
Mustang
The Second Mother
WINNER: Son of Saul 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WINNER: Amy
Cartel Land
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
He Named Me Malala
The Look of Silence
Where to Invade Next

BEST SONG
Fifty Shades of Grey – “Love Me Like You Do”
WINNER: Furious 7 – “See You Again”
The Hunting Ground – “Til It Happens To You”
Love & Mercy – “One Kind of Love”
Spectre – “Writing’s on the Wall”
Youth – “Simple Song #3”

BEST SCORE
Carol – Carter Burwell
WINNER: The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone
The Revenant – Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto
Sicario – Johann Johannsson
Spotlight – Howard Shore

Straight Outta Compton

There aren’t many great movies opening this weekend, so I am recommending you pick up the movie Straight Outta Compton, now available on DVD.   The film chronicles the rise to international fame of three rappers, Dr. Dre, Easy E and Ice Cube, all part of the legendary rap group NWA.

Even if you aren’t familiar with rap music, I recommend you check out this movie.  There are very solid performances – Paul Giamiatti as their shady business manager to name one,  and O’Shea Jackson Jr – Ice Cubes real life son, does an amazing job playing his father.

Some of the best scenes in the movie– while the most difficult to watch – are the confrontations between the rap artists and the LA police.  The script doesn’t hold back, forcing us to recognize the abuse these artists had to endure to get their voices heard.

You’ll be hearing a lot about Straight Outta Compton in the next few weeks leading up to the Oscars, many believe it deserved more nominations that the one it received.   I’d love to hear from our readers – do you think this film was overlooked?  I’m just not sure.

Rated R for language, strong sexuality/nudity, violence & drug use.

Kansas City is the backdrop for the beautifully shot "Trust Fund"

Trust Fund, starring Ana Ortiz (of Ugly Betty fame) and Kevin Kilner (you know him from House of Cards) is now playing in the KC Metro area, and I loved it.

The film tells the story of Reese Donahue, an independent young woman struggling to make her own way in the world as a writer.  When she discovers her mother left her a substantial amount of money after her death, her whole world takes a dramatic turn.

This is the first feature film of husband and wife team Sandra L. Martin & Isaac Alongi, both Kansas City natives who filmed almost the entire movie in their beloved home town.  You would never guess that to be the case – it was so exciting to see the backdrops of Kansas City passed off as Italy.  This film was beautifully shot!

It isn’t often I find a PG rated movie that still has enough drama and romance to keep me interested, but Trust Fund did just that.

Be sure and catch Trust Fund while it is playing in Kansas City!