Movies

Was there anyone hotter at the time than Jennifer Beals in Flashdance? Just saw the sweatshirt / bra removal scene.

Can’t remember any chick I ever was with ever doing anything that sexy.

GO DODGERS!!!

My father owned a gas station. I loved the smell of gas. Probably explains a lot.

Deadpool just came on. Ryan Reynolds is hilarious.

Better Off Dead was on last night. So many gags in that movie. John Cusack's repeated suicide attempts. The Japanese guy who learned English by listening to Howard Cosell. The paper boy. "I want my two dollars."

Speaking of John Cusack, just caught him as Brian Wilson in Love and Mercy, which was based partially on his autobiography “I Am Brian Wilson”.

A good but disturbing account of his genius and then misdiagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia by quack psychiatrist Eugene Landry (played to the hilt by the always great Paul Giamatti) and his over medicating treatments that actually did more damage than good.

Paul Dano plays the “past” Wilson during their early days and thru the recordings of both Pet Sounds and Smile.

The film shifts back and forth between those early days and the present, with Cusack playing the later who meets the love of his life, Melinda Ledbetter (played by the ALWAYS smoking hot Elizabeth Banks) while buying a Cadillac.

It is she that eventually gains evidence against Landry and convinces Carl and the Wilson family to file suit against the controlling “doctor”.

In the closing scenes, the film advises that Landry was stripped of his license to practice and after a corrected diagnosis and treatment, Wilson was finally able to overcome his mental issues and once again return to the group, recording and stage.

A pretty decent little film with LOADS of great music not only by The Beach Boys, but also other groups of the era.

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GO DODGERS!!!

Killing Them Softly with Brad Pitt just went off.

Back to back Brad Pitt nights over the weekend finally allowed the viewing of Meet Joe Black and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

First of all, let me make it clear that I am not, nor have I even been homosexual, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

But DAMN - that Brad Pitt is one good looking dude in both of these films from 1998 (MJB) and 2008 (TCCOBB).

Meet Joe Black finds Pitt playing the role of Death by taking over the body of a young man that earlier in the day had met Susan Parrish (played by Claire Forlani), the daughter of business and media billionaire William Parrish (played by the ALWAYS excellent Anthony Hopkins).

Mr. Parrish is nearing his 65th birthday and a lavish gala is being planned and coordinated by his other daughter Allison (Marsha Gay Harden) at his Long Island estate.

He begins to experience the “left arm” pain normally associated with heart attacks and hears a voice that says “yes” a number of times.

Death soon shows up in the form of Pitt who is new to the city, but shortly after meeting Susan (who is involved with one of Mr. Parrish’s aides Drew, played by the snarky Jake Weber) at a city coffee shop and pretty much sweeping her off her feet gets hit and tossed by two midtown taxis as he is crossing the street and without Susan seeing the incident.

Mr. Parrish introduces him to the family and board of directors as a new “associate advisor” and while Susan immediately recognizes him as the man in the coffee shop, he is NOT that same man - death is simply using his body before taking Mr. Parrish to his final destination.

Susan still falls in love with Death and behind all of this Drew schemes to sell the company to a direct competitor which Mr. Parrish does not want to do.

It all comes to a head and completion at the birthday party and I won’t spoil the ending for those who may have not seen it.

The acting overall is superb and the storyline is strong with a twist ending I certainly did not see coming. Definitely worth the three hours of viewing.

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Benjamin Button tells the story of a man that is born in his 90’s and ages in reverse. As a baby, his mother dies during child birth and his father considers him a mutant deformity that very likely would not live very long.

He leaves the baby wrapped in a blanket on the steps of a home for the elderly and infirmed which is run by Queenie (Taraji P. Henson).

She takes the boy in and raises him as her own as his life goes in reverse and he goes from a wrinkled old man to Brad Pitt, with excellent make-up and CGI graphics that allow him to play the part for most of the film.

Benjamin goes on many adventures as he gets younger, including a stint on a tug boat which is eventually fitted with guns by the Navy to do battle in WWII.

He meets Daisy (Cate Blanchett) when she is in her early teens and he is still elderly looking, but also around the same age.

He immediately falls in love with her and they eventually get together around the same time they both reach their 40’s.

Lots to like here, including the way the story is being told during Hurricane Katrina by an elderly and on her deathbed Daisy by and to her daughter Caroline (Julia Ormond).

One of my favourite characters was an old man at the house who claims to Benjamin “did I ever tell you I was struck by lightning seven times?” and then each time he states this it shows a scene of how he was struck as he tells it. Pretty funny stuff!

Benjamin’s father eventually comes back into his life and they make peace with each other before the elder passes away.

Another good one and well worth the 2 3/4 hour run time.

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