Well… another Oscar night has come and gone. I was actually please with my ballot results this year: 10/24!!!! I usually do much worse. Perhaps it was the thrill of actually having something to win that created the competitive urge in me. Most of the movies nominated this year in the BIG catergories were not ones you would expect to see in Northwest OHHO so you do the best with what you have.

I started off on a roll. I think I successfully picked 4 or five in a row. THEN, we got to the technical awards. Most of these were won by The Bourne Ultimatum. I have seen the first two films in the Matt Damon starring spy trilogy but have yet to see the third and that won for Best Sound Mixing and Sound Editing. How terrible would it have been if it had won one and not both awards.

Another downfall was in Best Song. I should have known that when a movie (even a Disney movie) is nominated more than once in the same catergory, it is the kiss of death. I know very little about the movie Once from which the song “Falling Slowly” comes.

The contest came down to the final award: Best Picture. Three of us were tied. I picked There Will Be Blood. WRONG!!!! AH, well… I was really pleased with my results. I won two packages of gift bags which is a quite useful prize and did not end up with the Spider-Man cap that I provided as a prize.

This above all: To thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Hamlet, Act I scene iii

How rich these words sound nearly 400 years after William Shakespeare put them to paper. Polonius is advising his son Laertes to be true to himself and he will be true to those around him. Know himself for the person he is before others can know the true him. Many works of art have included this theme within them. One example is a seemingly simple movie: Disney’s Aladdin.

Aladdin is a street wise beggar who lives by his wits in the village of Agrabah. However, he longs to be much more. One day in the marketplace, Aladdin comes face to face with a beautiful young lady who appears to be a common peasant girl until she reveals herself as the fair Princess Jasmine. When he finds a magic lamp, a comical genie appears and grants him three wishes. Almost immediately, the young peasant wishes to be something he is not: a prince. As Prince Aliababwa (or Ali Abooboo), the streetrat fumbles around making himself look totally foolish as he tries to win the heart of Princess Jasmine.

One night, Ali takes Jasmine on a magic carpet ride to show her a “Whole New World.” However, even before the couple go on their flight, Jasmine begins to see beneath the “prince’s” disguise. Following the date, Jasmine tricks Aladdin into admitting his ruse. BUT, riddle me this, why was it ok for Jasmine to pretend to be something she was not in the marketplace? Can we say….EEEEVIL WOMAN.

There must be thousands of books, movies, songs, plays, or any type of art which attempts to convey the message of honesty to one’s self. Isn’t it ironic how such a fun Disney cartoon displays this message to children of all ages? Take the time to look back at the best of Disney’s animated movies and see how many of life’s lessons you can discover.

Everyone has a passion in life. For some it is a hobby. Others maybe family. But whatever it is, most have to learn to balance their passion with what may seem like the mundane world of everyday life. In the movie Mr. Holland’s Opus, one man struggles to do just that and along the way finds that his passion in life may have changed.

Richard Dreyfuss portrays Glenn Holland, a would-be composer who accepts a “day job” teaching music appreciation to high school students. During the course of his 40 year career, he finds that he has the power to instill passion in others. A clarinetist lacking confidence and an academically challenged athlete who HAS to take his course to fulfill his graduation requirements are just two of the students he encounters. My favorite student is the young promising singer who he encourages to follow her dream. Glenn not only inspires musically but in all aspects of life.

However, Mr. Holland’s personal life is often filled with turmoil. He spends a lifetime searching for the inspiration to compose his one great piece of music. He struggles to find a balance between work and family. His musical passion and his family life are put to the ultimate test when his young son, Cole loses his hearing. A brilliant scene shows Mr. Holland attempting to bridge the rift with his son my performing a personal rendition of John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy.”

Some intriguing historical flashbacks are used to show the passage of time. This creates the illusion that the audience is watching a movie based upon the events of a real person. The Vietnam War is seen through flashbacks and creates drama in Mr. Holland’s life.

Mr. Holland’s Opus is a remarkable movie for anyone who has inspired or been inspired. It is sentimental without being sappy.

Sometimes a movie franchise which begins on a promising note can take a big leap downhill. One case would be the Batman films began by Tim Burton in 1989. The original Batman was dark, very atmospheric, close to the comics began in 1939. By the time Batman and Robin was made, the movies were an all out farce. In 2005, enough time had gone by to attempt a rebirth of sorts with Batman Begins.

Batman and Robin ended the franchise for several reasons. George Clooney did not a Batman make. He even considered the performance terrible. Perhaps he wanted to be part of a sure-fire money making movie series but upon reading the script found himself in trouble.

The villains were lame. Mr. Freeze was a carry over from the 60s television show and was a laughable character at best. Arnold Schwarzenegger seems well cast in movies in which he can deliver memorable catch phrases (Hasta la vista, baby; I’ll be back; Chill out). That seems to what he does best in any movie he is in to say nothing of his ability to govern the richest, most populous state in the country.

Another great big flaw was in costume design. In some awful anatomical promotion, a cod piece was added to the Bat-costume. To add even more insult, nipples were added to the chest area. These may not have been so noticable had it not been necessary to blatantly display both in close up shots. This must have been an attempt to promote the new and improved Bat-suit. And who to blame for this…. the director himself, Joel Schumaker (who should take all the blame for this mess).

After the success of Batman Begins, one can hope that the superhero will once again return to the movies in a good way.

I was having a brain freeze today and could not come up with a suitable movie to review… until I read a blog form a friend.  Happy Gilmore is one of the funniest movies involving one of the most boring sports imaginable: GOLF…. UGH!!!!.  Adam Sandler is one of the funniest guys around.  I abhor watching golf…. it is so quiet that that you are just dying to yell out “FIRE” or some other attention grabber.  But this movie makes it hilarious.  My favorite part of the whole movie has got to be when Happy is in a celebrity pro/am tournament.  He was lucky enough to be paired with America’s favorite game show host: Bob Barker former star of The Price is Right.  Happy’s day on the course does not go well.  Bob makes the comment that Happy’s hockey playing could not be worse than his golf game.  Then, the hilarity begins.  Bob Barker gets into a knock-down, drag-out fight.  When it seems that Happy is victorious, he exclaims: “The price is WRONG, B*%#H.”  To which Bob goes into a fit of rage and gives his golf partner a good beating.  After finishing Happy off, Bob returns the favor by saying: “now, you’ve had enough… b*$@h.”  All those days Bob spent boxing in the service must have payed off because the fight actually resembled a choreographed boxing match.  It was one of the highlights of the movie to watch the normally composed game show host lose his cool.  Speaking of boxing matches, Happy’s golf mentor, Chubbs, was played by Carl Weathers who played Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies.

Since this is to be a blog concerning movie reviews, I suppose I should start reviewing more. On May 22, one of my favorite movie franchises will be resurrected with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Let me take a moment to deal with the previous 3 movies in turn. All four movies contain two essential elements: Harrison Ford and director Steven Spielberg

Raiders of the Lost Ark was one of the top grossing films of 1981, if not THE top money maker. It is here we meet the great archaeologist and follow him around the globe on his quest to find the Lost Ark of the Covenant. Along with his female companion Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen), Indy battles Nazis, a trecherous rival treasure hunter, and the bane of his existence…. deadly snakes. However exhausted he may seem, Dr. Jones rises to each challenge with courage and at times a bit of a swagger. In one scene, Indy shoots a menacing swordsman with one bullet fired from his gun. However, his favorite weapon of choice: his trusty bull whip.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released in 1984. The second installment was considerably darker than its predecessor. In fact, Spielberg had to lobby for a new movie rating in order to avoid getting an R-rating. Thus, the PG-13 rating was created. Temple of Doom concerns our intrepid adventurer searching for the lost sankara stones which were stolen from a small village in India. These rocks may have meant “fortune and glory” to Indy but to the village they meant their very livelihood. Some of the highlights in this epic are a speeding mine car chase, a rickety rope bridge, and a sumptuous feast consisting of snake surprise, beetles, eyeball soup, and for dessert…Chilled Monkey Brains (a tasty treat anyone would enjoy).

The third part of the saga, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), had a lot to do with the background of the character: why archaeology, where his whip came from, and why the name Indiana. In a very brilliant piece of casting, Sean Connery was chosen to play Indy’s father. Who else but the world’s greatest superspy could play the world’s greatest adventurer’s father? After rescuing his father from Nazis,they set out to find the Holy Grail: the cup which held the blood of Christ at the Last Supper and gives everlasting life to anyone who drinks from it. In a flashback at the beginning of the movie, the late River Phoenix plays a young Indy on one of his teenage escapades.

Now, comes the next chapter. Very little is known about the new movie aside from the title and who knows what the purpose of the crystal skull is. Karen Allen is returning as Marion and Shia LaBeouf is cast as a young man who speculation suggests has a familial tie to the hero. Watch the trailer here

Since my last post (Jamy’s last post, not Morat’s) concerned one of my all time favorite actors. I would like to expand a bit on the career of David Hasselhoff. Why you ask? He is just so great and even performed on Broadway in the last few performances of Jekyll & Hyde. “This is the Moment” is one of the greatest songs ever put into a musical. The melody is just breathtaking and the lyric is phenomenal. I recently received a link to the Hoff’s performance of the song on America’s Got Talent. I just hope that the person who won the competition was better than he was. I’m thinking this must have been just after the “hamburger incident” because no one could sound that good and not be in some impaired state. He sounded like a dying elephant. One has to wonder why he is such a big star in Europe. Sharon Osbourne even said it was “absolutely fabulous.” I suppose she would since her husband’s brain has been fried for years. There are so many other great performers who have sung the song either in the show or apart from it. My favorites: Anthony Warlow (from Jekyll & Hyde the gothic musical thriller recording), Michael Ball, & Chris Avell. Honorable mention goes to Sebastian Bach (KIDDING) who also performed on Broadway as Jekyll and Hyde .To see the Hoff butcher a fantastic song please Click Here. Even Morat he say the Hoff was not good.

Ok…. so it really seems that everything old is quickly becoming new again. Last fall we saw the “return” of The Bionic Woman to television. Morat a not like this show. How a woman get to be so powerful and strong is not right. Thank you Morat. Very opinionated. But, I did not really care for the updated version of the campy 1970s television series. The new show had little character development, you did not care for any of them. Aside from the name Jaime Sommers, you would never know that you were watching a show called The Bionic Woman. Sunday night saw a movie of the week redo of an 80s cult classic: Knight Rider. In the update, a young man named Michael Tracer inherits driving the supercar named K.I.T.T. In the old series, Michael’s father (Michael Knight… hence the title… hahaha) drove the car while working with the government to bring down the villain of the week. Michael Knight is played by everyone’s favorite actor (oooookkkk) and America’s Got Talent(?) judge, David Hasselhoff. Thank goodness the Hoff was only on screen briefly at the end of the show. But what makes Knight Rider fun was that it never takes itself for anything less than it is: pure camp. It never takes itself seriously. Of course, who would ever consider David Hasselhoff a “serious” actor? The new Bionic Woman failed for just that reason: it was too serious and at times, complicated Plus, the recent writers strike also contributed to its demise. Old KITT New KITT The new Knight Rider is classified as a “backdoor pilot.” If the movie did well enough in the ratings, then it could potentially become a series. If not, then it will disappear as quickly as it appeared