Is it too early for a “Best of the Century” book list?
Here in 2019 we’re already seeing a “100 Best Books of the 21st Century” list.
All posts filed under: Best Of…
Year-end compilations and collections
Our year in photos – 2019
I continue my annual tradition of posting family photographs from the past year on More to Come.
I hate to say goodbye, so I’ll just say so long
A farewell message I wrote to my colleagues after 22 years at the National Trust.
Quest for the Best (Picture), Once Again
Has it really been eight years since we decided to try to catch the Best Picture nominees before the Academy Awards show? Indeed it has. Truth be told, this has been an up-and-down process. There are years when I’ll see 7 of the 8 or 9 films nominated. Then, there are times such as last year when we took in four on one weekend…and that was it. This year was really different, in that I’ve seen all 8 of the films nominated, plus a few more that could have been in the running. 100 percent! That’s a first. As in years past, I’ll provide the caveat that I’m no movie critic, so these are totally personal views without any understanding of the nuances of filmmaking. I’ll also list these in the order I ranked them, which is where I get the most comments. So, my best picture award would go to If Beale Street Could Talk. Wait, you say, it wasn’t nominated! Well, that’s not my fault; it should have been. This was a beautiful …
Our year in photos – 2018
Photos of family and travel from 2018.
Our Best Picture Quest Begins Anew
As we have done almost every year since 2012, Candice and I are on a quest to see as many of the “Best Picture” nominees as possible prior to the Academy Awards show on March 4th. Last year we were on a roll…and then life intervened, and we only saw four of the nine nominees. This year we’ll have to get them all in this month, as Candice will be otherwise occupied with hip replacement surgery on March 1st. So to get ahead of the game, we saw four pictures in four nights last weekend (and into Monday). Our wonderful American Film Institute Silver Theatre here in Silver Spring has been showing five of the Best Picture nominees, so it was easy to go two blocks and drop in for a movie. All four that we’ve seen were excellent, each in its own way. Here’s our initial take (from two highly unqualified movie critics). We both loved The Post, as much for what it says about the importance of a free press as for the …
Our year in photos – 2017
Pictures of the family from across the world.
Quest for the Best (Picture): The Best-Laid Plans Edition
Well, Candice and I were on a roll to get to all nine Best Picture nominees prior to Sunday night’s Academy Awards show. But then two sold-out theatres (when we tried to see Fences and Lion), trips to Tennessee (both of us) and Florida (Candice), a board meeting, and a very bad head cold (the last two are mine) intervened. So the four I ranked on February 18th are the only ones we’ll see prior to the awards show. I’m sorry we did not see the other five nominees, and especially Fences and Arrival. This was an especially rich year for Best Picture nominees. Of the four that we saw, the odds-on favorite to win the Oscar is La La Land. It is a delightful movie, but compared to the other three we saw, it is a lightweight. What most reviewers note is that the voters love nothing better than to award good films about making films. In reflecting on the other three – Hidden Figures, Manchester by the Sea, and Moonlight – I think …
Quest for the Best (Picture) – Part 3
Earlier this week Candice and I saw the fourth of this year’s Best Picture nominees. Manchester by the Sea is both a tragic story and a well-crated, artful movie. It is very much a deserving nominee for the Oscar for Best Picture of the year. The script is the first star here, in that the movie tells a story full of flashbacks and dreams that let the story unfold at a pace that is never rushed yet seems appropriately paced. Lee Chandler – played masterfully by Casey Affleck – returns to his hometown after his brother Joe dies of heart failure. He quickly learns that Joe has made him the guardian of his 16-year-old son, Patrick, played by Lucas Hedges. The relationship of Lee and Patrick could normally be seen as sharing a common grief – if from different perspectives – but as the movie unfolds it becomes clearer that Lee’s grief is much deeper and longer, and is sparked by a return to a town he had to leave in order to live. There …
Quest for the Best Picture (2016), Part 2
After this weekend, Candice and I are one-third of the way towards our annual goal of viewing all the “Best Picture” Oscar nominees. We’ve seen three very different films, but all terrific in their own way. Last weekend we saw Hidden Figures, a wonderful movie with an inspiring story just right for our times. On Friday we again walked up to AFI Silver Theater, this time to see Moonlight. This coming of age film was both difficult and yet ultimately very satisfying. I was initially uncomfortable, because I was disoriented by the context. The story of a young, gay, African American male learning about who he is through the bullying, teasing, and uncertainty was one I could understand. However, the setting – amidst the poverty, racism, and drug culture of Miami – was not familiar. Once I sorted that out in my mind, I saw the strong qualities of this movie on multiple levels. The acting is superb, beginning with Mahershala Ali as Juan, the drug dealer who befriends the main character, Chiron, and Naomie …
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