For one thing, I'm driving to the nearest "big city" (too often) to see some of the year-end movies, as I love the awards shows and try to see most of the films before the shows air ... Tonight, as you probably know, we have the Golden Globe Awards. I really can't blog and watch at the same time, trust me (and we're off to a pre-show dinner party in a minute), so tomorrow you'll have something new about our real topic here (kids and movies!), promise.
Along with some of the big films everyone is buzzing about (like Milk, Slumdog, Doubt...), I saw a great indie film called Frozen River. It's about hardscrabble life up in the frozen north of New York, right on the Canadian border, and a mom who gets herself into a bit of a pickle with a young Native American woman who's involved in smuggling people across the border. It was beautifully shot, well acted and written, and underplayed in the way good indie films are. Try to see it, or rent it! If you're a parent, it will really break your heart. But in a good way.
Also, I'd wanted to tell you about a little movie I caught on the plane back to the East Coast, I think it deserves a friendly hug and a push: Bottle Shock, with Bill Pullman.
It’s the story of a snobby wine connoisseur (the great and lovable British actor Alan Rickman) living in Paris who goes to Napa Valley in 1976 to discover that the wines being crafted in California are not only drinkable, but damn good. What follows is the tale of the “judgment at Paris,” where a California wine took top honors - to the apparent horror of the French judges - in a blind taste test. The event put California wines on the map.
Maybe I enjoyed Bottle Shock more than I should have as both a wine drinker and a Californian ... but as far as plane films go, I can honestly say the movie more than fulfilled its duty in providing light entertainment. So, if you’re a wine lover or a French hater (nah...) or someone who grew up in the ‘70s and have a secret soft spot for the Doobie Brothers (ok, not me, honestly), get a bottle of California Chardonnay and some nice Humboldt Fog cheese and throw this movie in your DVD player. It’s a nice escape.
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I definitely liked Bottle Shock. Sure it didn't really push any boundaries, but I thought it was entertaining...and Bill Pullman was great! I especially liked the cameo by Bradley "Josh Lyman" Whitford.
ReplyDeleteIn retrospect, there were all kinds of little things in that movie that were nice surprises... Nice to see you, FF! I need to pay you a visit soon (she has a great blog of her own, people--)...
ReplyDeleteI finally saw Frozen River over the weekend and thought it was really beautiful and well done. I also saw w/d Courtney Hunt at a panel last night and let me tell you something -- that is one determined woman! Inspiring as all get out.
ReplyDeleteOh, i'm so glad you liked it! And i'm thrilled it's won so many awards. It's totally deserving. What was so inspiring about her at the panel? did she talk about the making of the film?
ReplyDeleteI just found out a friend of mine from the Boston music scene dated her years ago! Heh. He is also good friends with the woman who did Wendy and Lucy, which I'm dying to see. Jeez, come to think of it, he also knows Phil Morrison, who did Junebug! Wow. Connected film dude... that's just dawning on me... hmmm....