Film: A Man Called Otto

 

GENRE: Drama/Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for thematic material involving suicide attempts
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 6 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood)
Mariana Trevino (Club de Cuervos); Rachel Keller (Legion, Fargo-TV show)
DIRECTOR: Marc Forster (Stranger than Fiction, Finding Neverland)
WRITER: David Magee (Finding Neverland, Life of Pi)
PLOT: A grumpy widow wants to end it all but is constantly interrupted by a young family who moves across the street.   

FULL DISCLOSURE: I like Tom Hanks films. Never read the book.          

STORY STUFF: While a good chunk is predictable, I was totally engaged with the story. I was thoroughly invested in Otto’s life and got some teary eyes on more than one occasion. There are some great lines throughout that make you smile and laugh. I also enjoyed the jumps back and forth between the present day and the past. Realizing afterward that the writer also did Finding Neverland, it makes sense as I got some feels from that movie as well. As I get older, I get more emotional. I also feel most of Otto’s grumpiness is totally justified although there is a physical altercation that didn’t fit at all.

ACTING STUFF: Hanks is always a treat to watch. He is so good on screen. I think he should have been a bit older though – pretty spry for his age. Trevino is the perfect dose of feistiness and works well with Hanks. Tom’s son, Truman, plays a younger version of Otto. He performs well but I thought he didn’t look that close to his dad. Colin is way more the dead ringer but was too old for this role. Also, the cat is adorable and Mike Birbiglia plays a good jerk.     

ARTISTIC STUFF: Cinematography and editing are done well. As I mentioned before, I enjoyed the blending of the past and present. There were some poor music choices here and there. I like some of the acoustic tunes but a couple of moments felt a little cheapened by the music. And again, Hanks’ character could have used more aging.       

VERDICT: Four and a half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You want some feels and enjoy Tom Hanks
UPCOMING REVIEW:  You People

2023 Golden Globes Recap

 

Here’s my recap of the Golden Globes last night.

·       Jerrod Carmichael was an awful host. What’s with telling everyone to keep settling down? It’s a party, not stand-up show. He’s treating the celebrities like elementary children. Didn’t find his laid-back story of being asked to host because he was black funny. I did enjoy the camera people focussing on black celebrities to see if they were vibing with it and the white celebrities looking awkward.

·       There was a panel on the side wall that kept changing photos, it was hella distracting.

·       They could cut the runtime by not putting the Abbott Elementary folks at the back of the audience so they have to snake through hundreds of people to get to the stage.

·       Jack Nicholson used to sit in the front row of the Oscars and get loads of attention. At the Golden Globes, Nicholson is replaced by Brad Pitt. (runner up is Rhianna)

·       Natasha Lyonne had the best intro of the night taking loads of time to talk about how they were on a time crunch.

·       Some of these speeches went on way too long. Jennifer Coolidge’s intro and acceptance speech was too much. I like that Michelle Yeoh won but didn’t need her life story on coming to Hollywood forty years ago up to present day.

·       I enjoyed Regina Hall calling out Kevin Costner for missing the awards then immediately finding out that he was sheltering from flooding in Santa Barbara. Ouch.

·       Even Peters gave a nice quick speech. Thanked enough people and got off the stage.

·       Enjoyed Colin Farrell’s speech and warning about not leaving him hungry at breakfast.

·       Austin Butler thanked Denzel Washington. Apparently Denzel cold-called Baz Luhrmann and told him that he had just worked on stage with Butler and Baz had to audition this guy.

·       Loved Ke Huy Quan thanking Steven Spielberg for casting him in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

·       Loved Spielberg’s explanation of why he took this long to tell his early childhood story.

·       Enjoyed Eddie Murphy’s ‘three things to know’ sign-off.

·       I got 21 out of 27 categories ‘correct’

·       Most happy about Fabelmans, Spielberg, Farrell, RRR and Abbott winning awards.

·       Most disappointed about the losses for Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul, and RRR for the Non-English Language Film.

Anyway, here were the winners:

Best Motion Picture – Drama
The Fabelmans (predicted & wanted)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Cate Blanchett (Tar) (predicted)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Austin Butler (Elvis) (wanted)

Best Motion Picture – Comedy
The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy
Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) (predicted & wanted)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy
Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) (predicted & wanted)

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) (predicted)

Best Animated Feature Film
Guillermo De Toro’s Pinocchio (predicted & wanted)

Best Foreign Language Film
Argentina 1985 (Argentina)

Best Director – Motion Picture
Steven Spielberg (The Fablemans) (predicted & wanted)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin) (predicted)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Justin Hurwitz (Babylon) (predicted & wanted)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Naatu Naatu” (RRR) (wanted)

Best Television Series – Drama
House of the Dragon

Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Zendaya (Euphoria) (predicted)

Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Kevin Costner (Yellowstone)

Best Television Series – Comedy
Abbott Elementary (predicted & wanted)

Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) (predicted)

Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy
Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) (predicted)

Best Supporting Actress TV Comedy or Drama
Julia Garner (Ozark) (wanted)

Best Supporting Actor TV Comedy or Drama
Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary) (wanted)

Best Limited Series or TV Movie
The White Lotus (predicted & wanted)

Best Actress in a Limited Series
Amanda Seyfried (The Dropout) (predicted & wanted)

Best Actor in a Limited Series
Evan Peters (Dahmer-Monster) (predicted)

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series
Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus) (predicted)

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series
Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird)

2023 Golden Globe Predictions

 

The Golden Globes are usually on Sundays but things have changed. Last year, the awards were not broadcast as they were boycotted for not having any African American members in their organization. While I think that has been remedied, they are still in the dog house. This year, it is back on the air but will be on Tuesday, January 10. Not sure if the stars are showing up but I thought I would still give my predictions. Here’s who I think will win and want to win.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Avatar 2 | Elvis | The Fabelmans | Tar | Top Gun: Maverick
Will Win: The Fabelmans
Want to Win: The Fabelmans

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA
Austin Butler [Elvis] | Breandan Fraser [The Whale] | Hugh Jackman [The Son] | Bill Nighy [Living] | Jeremy Pope [The Inspection]
Will Win: Brendan Fraser [The Whale]
Want to Win: Austin Butler [Elvis]

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA
Cate Blanchett [Tar] | Olivia Colman [Empire of Light] | Viola Davis [The Woman King] | Ana De Armas [Blonde] | Michelle Williams [The Fabelmans]
Will Win: Cate Blanchett [Tar]
Want to Win: Ana De Armas [Blonde]

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY
Babylon | The Banshees of Inisherin | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Glass Onion | Triangle of Sadness
Will Win: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Want to Win: Glass Onion

BEST ACTOR – COMEDY
Diego Calva [Babylon] | Daniel Craig [Glass Onion] | Adam Driver [White Noise] | Colin Farrell [The Banshees of Inisherin] | Ralph Fiennes [The Menu]
Will Win: Colin Farrell [The Banshees of Inisherin]
Want to Win: Colin Farrell [The Banshees of Inisherin]

BEST ACTRESS – COMEDY
Lesley Manville [Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris] | Margot Robbie [Babylon] | Anya Taylor-Joy [The Menu] | Emma Thompson [Good Luck To You, Leo Grande] | Michelle Yeoh [Everything Everywhere All At Once]
Will Win: Michelle Yeoh [Everything Everywhere All at Once]
Want to Win: Michelle Yeoh [Everything Everywhere All at Once]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - FILM
Brendan Gleeson [The Banshees of Inisherin] | Barry Keoghan [The Banshees of Inisherin] | Brad Pitt [Babylon] | Ke Huy Quan [Everything Everywhere All At Once] | Eddie Redmayne [The Good Nurse]
Will Win: Ke Huy Quan [Everything Everywhere All at Once]
Want to Win: Brendan Gleeson [The Banshees of Inisherin]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - FILM
Angela Bassett [Wakanda Forever] | Kerry Condon [The Banshees of Inisherin] | Jamie Lee Curtis [Everything Everywhere All At Once] | Dolly De Leon [Triangle of Sadness] | Carey Mulligan [She Said]
Will Win: Jamie Lee Curtis [Everything Everywhere All at Once]
Want to Win: Kerry Condon [The Banshees of Inisherin]

BEST DIRECTOR
James Cameron [Avatar 2] | The Daniels [Everything Everywhere All At Once] | Baz Luhrmann [Elvis] | Martin McDonagh [The Banshees of Inisherin] | Steven Spielberg [The Fabelmans]
Will Win: Steven Spielberg [The Fabelmans]
Want to Win: Steven Spielberg [The Fabelmans]

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio | Inu-Oh | Marcel the Shell With Shoes On | Puss in Boots: The Last Wish | Turning Red
Will Win: Pinocchio
Want to Win: Pinocchio

BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM
All Quiet on the Western Front [Germany] | Argentina 1985 [Argentina] | Close [Belgium] | Decision to Leave [South Korea] | RRR [India]
Will Win: All Quiet on the Western Front [Germany]
Want to Win: RRR [India]

BEST SCREENPLAY
Todd Field [Tar] | The Daniels [Everything Everywhere All At Once] | Martin McDonagh [The Banshees of Inisherin] | Sarah Polley [Women Talking | Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner [The Fabelmans]
Will Win: Martin McDonagh [The Banshees of Inisherin]
Want to Win: Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner [The Fabelmans]

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Carter Burwell [The Banshees of Inisherin] | Alexandre Desplat [Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio] | Hildur Gudnadottir [Women Talking] | Justin Hurwitz [Babylon] | John Williams [The Fabelmans]
Will Win: Justin Hurwitz [Babylon]
Want to Win: Justin Hurwitz [Babylon]

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Carolina” [Where the Crawdads Sing] | “Ciao Papa” [Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio] | “Hold My Hand” [Top Gun: Maverick] | “Lift Me Up” [Wakanda Forever] | “Naatu Naatu” [RRR]
Will Win: “Hold My Hand” [Top Gun: Maverick]
Want to Win: “Naatu Naatu” [RRR]

BEST TV SERIES – DRAMA
Better Call Saul | The Crown | House of the Dragon | Ozark | Severance
Will Win: Severance
Want to Win: Better Call Saul

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA
Jeff Bridges [The Old Man] | Kevin Costner [Yellowstone] | Diego Luna [Andor] | Bob Odenkirk [Better Call Saul] | Adam Scott [Severance]
Will Win: Bob Odenkirk [Better Call Saul]
Want to Win: Bob Odenkirk [Better Call Saul]

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA
Emma D’Arcy [House of the Dragon] | Laura Linney [Ozark] | Imelda Staunton [The Crown] | Hillary Swank [Alaska Daily] | Zendaya [Euphoria]
Will Win: Zendaya [Euphoria]
Want to Win: Emma D’Arcy [House of the Dragon]

BEST TV SERIES – COMEDY
Abbott Elementary | The Bear | Hacks | Only Murders in the Building | Wednesday
Will Win: Abbott Elementary
Want to Win: Abbott Elementary

BEST ACTOR – COMEDY
Donald Glover [Atlanta] | Bill Hader [Barry] | Steve Martin [Only Murders in the Building] | Martin Short [Only Murders in the Building] | Jeremy Allen White [The Bear]
Will Win: Jeremy Allen White [The Bear]
Want to Win: Bill Hader [Barry]

BEST ACTRESS – COMEDY
Quinta Brunson [Abbott Elementary] | Kaley Cuoco [The Flight Attendant] | Selena Gomez [Only Murders in the Building] | Jenna Ortega [Wednesday] | Jean Smart [Hacks]
Will Win: Quinta Brunson [Abbott Elementary]
Want to Win: Jenna Ortega [Wednesday]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – DRAMA OR COMEDY
John Lithgow [The Old Man] | Jonathan Pryce [The Crown] | John Turturro [Severance] | Tyler James Williams [Abbott Elementary] | Henry Winkler [Barry]
Will Win: John Turturro [Severance]
Want to Win: Tyler James Williams [Abbott Elementary]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – DRAMA OR COMEDY
Elizabeth Debicki [The Crown] | Hannah Einbinder [Hacks] | Julia Garner [Ozark] | Janelle James [Abbott Elementary] | Sheryl Lee Ralph [Abbott Elementary]
Will Win: Sheryl Lee Ralph [Abbott Elementary]
Want to Win: Julia Garner [Ozark]

BEST LIMITED SERIES
Black Bird | Dahmer - Monster | The Dropout | Pam & Tommy | The White Lotus
Will Win: The White Lotus
Want to Win: The White Lotus

BEST ACTOR – LIMITED SERIES
Taron Egerton [Black Bird] | Colin Firth [The Staircase] | Andrew Garfield [Under the Banner of Heaven] | Evan Peters [Dahmer-Monster] | Sebastian Stan [Pam & Tommy]
Will Win: Evan Peters [Dahmer-Monster]
Want to Win: Sebastian Stan [Pam & Tommy]

BEST ACTRESS – LIMITED SERIES
Jessica Chastain [George & Tammy] | Julia Garner [Inventing Anna] | Lily James [Pam & Tommy] | Julia Roberts [Gaslit] | Amanda Seyfried [The Dropout]
Will Win: Amanda Seyfried [The Dropout]
Want to Win: Amanda Seyfried [The Dropout]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - LIMITED SERIES
F Murray Abraham [The White Lotus] | Domhnall Gleeson [The Patient] | Paul Walter Hauser [Black Bird] | Richard Jenkins [Dahmer-Monster] | Seth Rogen [Pam & Tommy]
Will Win: F Murray Abraham [The White Lotus]
Want to Win: F Murray Abraham [The White Lotus]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – LIMITED SERIES
Jennifer Coolidge [The White Lotus] | Claire Danes [Fleishman is in Trouble] | Daisy Edgar-Jones [Under the Banner of Heaven] | Niecy Nash [Dahmer-Monster] | Aubrey Plaze [The White Lotus]
Will Win: Jennifer Coolidge [The White Lotus]
Want to Win: Aubrey Plaza [The White Lotus]

Let’s see how I do this year. 

2023 Film Preview

 

Here are the films that look interesting for the new year. Again, I am basing a lot of my picks on the people involved, familiarity, or an interesting plot description. My opinions may change closer to the release dates, and release dates may change. Here they are:

Jan.13 A Man Called Otto
A grumpy Tom Hanks who probably warms up by the end of the film.

Jan.27 You People
Jonah helps write and stars in a Netflix film with Eddie Murphy.

Feb.17 Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
Hope Marvel can start the Phase 5 right. Trailer's not encouraging though.

Mar.03 Creed III
I've enjoyed Michael B Jordan in this Rocky continuation. He directs too.

Mar.10 Scream VI
The fun horror franchise continues with Ghostface taking Manhattan.

Mar.17 Shazam!: Fury of the Gods
I like Zachery Levi as Shazam though a little worried if this'll work again.

Mar.24 John Wick: Chapter 4
Wick continues to beat the crap out of everyone, this time -  The High Table

Mar.31 A Good Person
I’m a Zach Braff fan, he writes & directs Morgan Freeman & Florence Pugh

May.05 Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3
James Gunn returns to write and direct the (last?) Guardians mission

May.26 The Little Mermaid
Rob Marshall (Chicago) directs the live action version not that it’s needed

Jun.02 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)
The first animated film was awesome. Looks likes it’s getting bigger.

Jun.16 Elemental
Pixar mixes fire and water characters but it’s done by Good Dinosaur guy

Jun.23 Asteroid City
Wes Anderson directs Tom Hanks, Bill Murray and more. I am there.

Jun.30 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Not a fan of the title but looking forward to the continuation of the franchise

Jul.14 Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (Part One)
I love this franchise. I eagerly await more of Ethan Hunt & crew.

Jul.21 Barbie
Greta Gerwig directs Margot Robbie as Barbie. Can my wife take me?

Jul.21 Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan’s making of the atomic bomb with Cillian Murphy. Yes!

Jul.28 The Marvels
Just watching this because I feel compelled to keep watching Marvel films

Sep.22 Expendables 4
More mercenary fun with all the has-been action stars. Sure, why not.

Nov.03 Dune: Part Two
Looking forward to Denis Villeneuve’s conclusion of this epic tale

Nov.17 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
I read this Hunger Games prequel about President Snow. I’m in for more.

Dec.15 Wonka
The  beginnings of inventor Willy Wonka with Timothee Chalamet.

Dec.20 Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2
Not much info on it but Jason Reitman is back and I liked the first one

2023 Television Preview

Wondering when your shows are returning? Here’s when my shows are returning, as well as a few new shows to check out this winter. I will try and keep this post updated as new dates roll in.
(Green = New Series, Grey=New Season, Blue=Continuing Season from Fall)

The Simpsons (Jan.1)
Abbott Elementary (Jan.4)
Young Sheldon (Jan.5)
Welcome to Flatch (Jan.5)
The Chase (Jan.5)
Celebrity Jeopardy (Jan.5)
Night Court premieres Tue. Jan.17 on NBC
Reboot with John Larroquette and Big Bang’s Bernadette
Saturday Night Live (Jan 21)
Accused premieres Sun. Jan.22 on FOX
Anthology series with cameo defendants in a courtroom
The Good Doctor (Jan.23)
Shrinking premieres Fri. Jan.27 on Apple TV+
Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso) directs Harrison Ford
Dear Edward premieres Fri. Feb.3 on Apple TV+
Sole survivor of plane crash. Jason Katims (FNL) involved
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Season 10 (Feb 19)
Party Down premieres Fri. Feb.24 on Starz
Adam Scott series is continued. Enjoyed the original.
The Mandalorian: Season 3 begins (Mar.1)
Perry Mason: Season 2 begins (Mar.6)
Lucky Hank premieres March 19 on AMC
Bill Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) as college English dept. head
Succession: Season 4 (March 26)
Billions: Season 7 begins (Jul.30)

Barry: Season 4 (Spring)
Ted Lasso: Season 3 (Spring)
Breeders: Season 4 (Spring)
Masterchef: Season 13 (Summer)
Only Murders in the Building: Season 3 (Summer)
The Morning Show: Season 3 (Summer/Fall)
Handmaid’s Tale: Season 6 (Late 2023)
The Crown: Season 6 (Late 2023)
The Afterparty: Season 2 (Late 2023)
Winning Time: Season 2 (2023?)
Super Pumped: Season 2 (2023?)
Severence: Season 2 (2023?)