Life of Ronnie

So now that I’ve seen all five of the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture, I thought I’d throw my two cents (Canadian) out there about what I think:

Atonement

In any other year, this is probably the film that would be a lock for Best Picture. It’s the kind of sweeping, romantic period piece that the Academy loves. And it would deserve it! This is a great adaption of some difficult material to translate to the screen. Particularly good is Saoirse Ronan, as the young girl who sees some things she does not understand, and spends the rest of her life seeking atonement for the lives ruined by her response.

Be forewarned you’ll need to be paying attention though, as the film jumps around in time quite a bit, even showing the same scenes from different perspectives. Definitely worth paying attention though.

Juno

This was a real treat. Nothing epic here, but it was clever, funny, moving, and downright charming. I don’t see it winning Best Picture, but a win by Ellen Page for Best Actress would not surprise me at all. It’s nice to see a film that shows adoption as viable and positive option, although I would imagine that it would be a mistake to think that this is meant as any sort of “message” and is just a plot necessity.

I’d highly recommend this to anyone.

Michael Clayton

I was kind of surprised to see Michael Clayton nominated (personally, I would have given this spot to the wonderful Ratatouille), but it was still an excellent film that’s worthy of being recognized. George Clooney is excellent as the titular Clayton, but for me the real stars were Tilda Swinton as the chief counsel for a huge, corrupt corporation that Clayton’s firm represents, and Tom Wilkenson as a lead attorney suffering a mental breakdown.

I think that this one will be especially enjoyed by people who like legal thrillers, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

No Country for Old Men

This one is interesting, because I think it’s showing itself a film that a lot of people will feel is either the most brilliant thing they’ve seen in years, or a waste of two hours. I fall much closer to the former, but I understand the latter, as the now-infamous ending leaves more than just film luddites with a lack of closure and a heap of questions. Still, it’s a gorgeous piece of film-making, and Javier Bardem is justifiably praised for his performance as the cold and merciless Anton Chigurh.

If you’re a fan of the Coen Brothers, this is one of their best yet. Just be prepared that this is a film that requires something of its audience, and that the fullness of the themes may take some digesting before they settle in. Definitely worth checking out though.

There Will Be Blood

This is my pick for Best Picture, and I believe it will win, as will Daniel Day-Lewis for his scenery-chewing role as Daniel Plainview, a successful oilman who cannot abide competition and has a tentative grasp on the slightest affection for mankind (it occurs to me that Plainview is in many ways similar on the surface to Day-Lewis’ portrayal of Bill the Butcher in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, however here he hates everyone, not just the Irish!). Watching Plainview’s rise to great power and success, even as he descends into madness, is gripping.

This is rightly being called an American masterpiece, and I’d recommend seeing it in the theater while you can.

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So, those are my thoughts. What are yours?

My wife’s Grandma Lois passed away on Friday, so we are driving down to Oregon today for the funeral.

I lost both of my grandmothers in the last few years, and even when they are getting old and are ready to move on to a better place, it still makes it rough. One can always be happy they are past their pain and with God, but still be sad because you’ll miss them.

My fondest memory of Grandma Lois is from the first day I met her — Thanksgiving (of the American variety) 2004. It was also the first time I met Anna’s parents, which was intimidating enough. They drove up from Oregon with Grandma Lois to join us — only recently dating — and Anna’s brother and his family at Anna’s little apartment for turkey and all the fixin’s. This was definitely a high-pressure “the boyfriend is assessed” kind of day.

I’ve been something of a WWII enthusiast for some time now, and Lois had spent the WWII years in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), so she brought several of her scrapbooks to share with me. We spent a couple of hours sitting together on the couch as she showed me old photos, postcards and news clippings from her time in the service, playing in the WAC band. Up until this last year and even though she was in her mid 80′s, she was still called upon almost weekly to play her bugle at veteran events and funerals. Anna looked over several times to see if I needed “rescuing” from the conversation, but apparently I was actually interested! I was especially amused at the article from VE Day that mentioned the “gay throngs dancing in the streets”. How our language has changed since 1945.

I suppose I must have left a good impression though, because at the end of the day when everyone was putting on their coats to leave, Grandma Lois failed at her attempt at a whisper and said loud enough for us all to hear “I think Anna should marry that man!”.

And she did!

We were able to drive down and visit with Grandma Lois one last time a few weeks ago, knowing that she didn’t have long. It was a great visit, filled with laughter and memories, even if its purpose was bittersweet.

Rest in peace, Grandma Lois. Tell Jim that I’m taking good care of his granddaughter.