Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)

This movie has grown to become a favorite of mine. I first saw it when it was released to art house theaters in early 2002, and loved it because I saw it as a movie that spoke to me personally, as it is very frank and realistic depiction of young male relationships and sex drives. I loved the performances of the two male leads, Gael García Bernal (Julio) and Diego Luna (Tenoch), who went on to do more movies, and the female lead, Maribel Verdu (Luisa), who hasn't been in much lately to my knowledge. I thought her performances should have received more acclaim and awards.

I love the road trip theme of this movie, and the sense of adventure they all set out on. The movie also features a narrator who talks about each of their lives in detail, as a book or novel would about a character, and over the years I have found myself watching it multiple times to catch things I have missed previously.

On my latest viewing, I paid closer attention to find hints of bisexuality in the beginning, but could not find them. I paid attention to the fighting between Tenoch and Julio after Julio sees him in bed with Luisa; after that, everything changed. I suspect that they both might have been lying to each other, but Tenoch seemed genuinely remorseful. Also by the end of the movie, everything was fine between them again until the night, when everything falls apart. I'm not surprised that they never spoke again after meeting in the diner; sometimes you just want to put the past behind.

Five Easy Pieces (1970)

At the start of the film we're introduced to Jack Nicholson's character, an oil rigger who lives in a trailer park with his waitress girlfriend Rayette (Karen Black). Jack goes out drinking and fools around with other women (including Sally Struthers), while Rayette dreams of becoming a country singer.

Jack learns that his father is not in good health, so he travels to to his hometown on a road trip with Rayette.

As the movie unfolds, we learn that Jack comes from a more upper class family, and at one point in his life he was interested in becoming a pianist, which he didn't pursue.

I like how Jack's character interacts with his sister (Susan Anspach) and his father who doesn't recognize him anymore.  His brother is played by Ralph Waite.

While the film focuses on Jack's point-of-view mainly, I think Rayette is an equally important and memorable character in the film.

Her character seems to represents a life that Nicholson wants to put behind, but he doesn't know how.

The ending is open-ended and sad and leaves you wondering what will become of the characters.

I cared more about what would happen to Rayette than I did Jack's character.  I didn't like Jack's character. He may move on to pursue he dreams, but the way he treats Rayette throughout the movie is pretty awful. After all of the time he spent with his family, he still remains selfish and impulsive up until the very end. 

The movie Nashville (1975) features a character that longs to be a country singer (Barbara Harris' character); in the end of the film, she leads the entire crowd in song after a tragedy. I like to think that her character and Rayette from Five Easy Pieces are the same people. 

Another review of this movie from What I Watched Last Night

Nebraska (2013) and I Never Sang for My Father (1970)

I recently watched two intriguing films about complicated father-son relationships.  I would recommend both films; I think they'd be especially enjoyed by anyone who has had experience caring for an elderly parent.

The first is 1970's I Never Sang for My Father, which recently aired on Turner Classic Movies.  It's a serious drama that explores the themes of aging and death. Gene Hackman plays a widower who wants to move out of state and remarry. He's torn between moving and staying to care for his elderly father played by Melvyn Douglas.

Melvyn Douglas' character is a stubborn and proud man. We learn he used to be a politician and was very well-known at one time. He's the kind of man that will talk your ear off. Now in his 80s and a widower, he has very few friends, and often falls asleep watching westerns on TV.  He's not entirely sympathetic - we learn he and his daughter (Estelle Parsons) are estranged because of his disapproval of her husband.  And he treats Hackman like a child, and keeps making him feel guilty by saying, "I don't know what I'd do without you".

The movie has two sequences that I've rarely seen in the movies. One scene shows Hackman and Douglas shopping for funeral caskets (for Hackman's mother who just died). Another scene shows Hackman visiting different nursing homes to see if they would be right for his dad. He sees many lonely people by themselves, and he's filled with so much guilt.

It's a very quiet film, and really makes you think about these people, particularly Hackman's character, and how he handles the cards he's been dealt.

The other film is a bit more lighthearted: last year's Nebraska (2013), which is a quirky - and occasionally raunchy - comedy starring Bruce Dern as an elderly man suffering from early stages of dementia. His character is very different from Melvyn Douglas'; Dern is much more of an "average guy", and is much more of a quiet man who doesn't talk much.

But Dern is stubborn nonetheless - and is determined to claim a winning sweepstakes prize in Nebraska. His son is played by Will Forte and the two men go on a road trip to claim the prize. I really enjoyed these scenes of the two men bonding. At one point they visit Mount Rushmore and Dern is unimpressed. Then the best part of the film has the two pass through Dern's old hometown in Nebraska, where they meet many of his old friends including Stacy Keach, who teases him about the prize. There's even an old flame of Dern's that Forte meets, which makes him see a different side of his father.

The movie kept me in suspense to find out what happens at the end when they try to claim the prize. I was very pleased with the outcome of the movie, and I felt uplifted and inspired at the end.

Both movies have elements that reminded me of people in my own family and real life situations.

Read another blog post about Nebraska here from Avvaganda.com

Chef (2014)

Chef is a new independent comedy-drama starring, written and directed by Jon Favreau, taking a break from directing blockbuster superhero movies with Robert Downey Jr (Downey Jr. has a cameo in this film, incidentally).

In a nutshell: a divorced LA chef quits his job in a restaurant and starts a food truck, all the while teaching his young son some lessons along the way. The kid also teaches his dad a thing or two.

Now, if you're think you'll like a movie with LOTS of cooking and eating, go see this movie. I was very glad I ate before the movie!

Favreau as the lead took me some getting used to. He's played an obnoxious guy  in everything I've seen him in (Swingers, Four Christmases) and he plays a similar character in this, hot tempered and all. But when he made that grilled cheese sandwich for his son, I was charmed.

I was surprised to see some big name stars in the cast. Dustin Hoffman plays the restaurant boss. Scar-Jo (Scarlett Johansson) is in it, too as the restaurant host.  The ex-wife is played by Sofia Veranga, who is good in her part. And I haven't seen John Leguizamo so good in a film since the mid '90s.

The father-son relationship is a big part of the movie. They have some some quality bonding time in a cross-country trek, as the truck makes stops in Miami, New Orleans, and Austin. The soundtrack is great, and moves the film along nicely.

Reflecting our modern day culture, there are many uses of social media in this movie, more than any film I've seen before. Many of the characters "Tweet", "text", "Facebook", and "YouTube", and even "Vine".  At one point Favreau says to his tech-savvy young son "You're the head of our Marketing team!"

All the Tweeting done in the film is integral to the story, and the way it is presented on screen is unique and clever, and will likely be imitated by others in the future.

This movie is getting good word of mouth, and is now among the "Top 10" hits in the United States this weekend.

Movie theaters of Southeastern Georgia, USA (photos)

Note: this post is part of the photo series Vintage Movie Theaters across the USA

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Last month, my friend and I embarked on a road trip, beginning west of Tallahassee and onward to Savannah. On December 28, we made our way through two cities in southeastern Georgia and came across some cool vintage theaters. So what was I do ? Snap, snap away, of course. Here are the pics. Hope you enjoy them.

Driving east on Route 38, we made our way through Valdosta, Georgia...

and came across the Dosta Playhouse, which is now used primarily for live theater shows.

According to Cinema Treasures, the theater first opened in 1941, and showed movies.

One user commented that the theater used to be segregated.

Continuing northeast on Route 38, we passed through Waycross, Georgia.

First we saw the RITZ theater, which is - sadly - closed now. 

But according to Cinema Treasures, it was a thriving theater

in the 1940s and 50s.

A close-up of the relief - don't you just love this? 

Just around the block is another theater - The Ritz. 

Was originally a vaudeville house, and opened around 1913 according to Cinema Treasures.

It had a grand reopening in 1935, and showed movies starring Katherine Hepburn and Claudette Colbert. 

I love these old box office windows!!!!

They are so rare!

Now it is used primarily for community theater.

The State in Benton Harbor, Michigan

According to Cinema Treasures, the State opened in 1942 in Benton Harbor. 

A close-up of the marquee. 

Other buildings nearby are structures of another era, including an old Farmers and Merchants Bank.

The Michigan Theatre in South Haven, Michigan

Last month I went on a road trip with a photography group to southwestern Michigan. Our mission was to get some good shots of snow-covered lighthouses. We managed to get some good pics (see below), and I also took some pics of vintage theaters, too.

Below is the Michigan Theatre in downtown South Haven. It's still open, and showing Oscar-nominated films Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook. 

I love this marquee! I can only imagine what it looks like lit up at night.

50-cent popcorn and soda refills! Wow, that's a great deal!

According to Cinema Treasures, this theater may have been built around 1950, and it may have replaced another theater built earlier.  In this age of Netflix, Red-Box, Hulu and Streaming videos, it's nice to see it's still open!!

Downtown South Haven is like stepping back in time. You see mailboxes, department stores, ice-cream shops, and a row of a half-dozen newspaper boxes on the corner. 

A block down from the theater is a once-thriving department store, Hale's Department Store, which is closed, and out of business.

The owners have placed historic photos in the shop windows until the fate of the building is to be determined. 

This one was really cool. I love that basement staircase. Brings back memories of the old department store days.

Here's Hale's Department Store in it's WW2-era glory!

Not far from downtown, is the harbor and lighthouse, which is something of a tourist attraction. 

Lots of great photo opp's. 

The harbor. 

Look at that icy railing!!!

Look at those mini-icebergs!

Love these ice chunks! 

The State Theater in South Bend, Indiana

Yesterday, I drove through downtown South Bend and took some pictures of a golden-age movie palace known as the State theater.

It doors have been closed for several years, and hasn't shown a movie since 1977.

According to Cinema Treatures, the State opened on January 29, 1921.  Wow! That's almost 92 years old to the day! It was originally called the Blackstone theater and showed silent films. 

The theater was renamed the State in 1929 and began showing talkies. Below is a photo of the State in 1954 as the marque announces The Country Girl with William Holden and Grace Kelly. 

Photo courtesy of the South Bend Tribune

The marquee is the same as it was 60 years ago (but it's not the original).

Last year, Hurricane Sandy almost blew off the letter "S" on the marquee (read the story here)
Thankfully, it's been restored!

One of the first things you'll notice is the terracotta facade and the neo-classical columns,

designed by famed architect Henry Newhouse of Chicago, who designed many theaters including The Portage theater in Chicago.

Reliefs above the columns depict a parade of musicians and dancers

I love these balcony windows. 

The theater has been closed for several years.

As of October 2012, plans are underway to renovate and eventually reopen the theater as a rotating entertainment venue (source: SouthBendTribue.com)

Here's a peek inside the theater (neat!)

The Heart Theater in Effingham, IL

Right in the heart of downtown Effingham IL is an abandoned theater called The Heart, located at 133 East Jefferson Ave.

Effingham is approx. 200 miles south of Chicago.

According to Cinema Treatures, The Heart opened in 1941, and originally contained 750 seats.
The theater has been closed for over 6 years.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) and the sad lack of cell phones

The heartwarming 1987 John Hughes comedy Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, with it's Thanksgiving theme, has become a traditional holiday film and fan favorite. This weekend, with a piece of leftover pumpkin pie, I sat down - once again - to watch the comedic genius paring of John Candy and Steve Martin, who plays a character trying to make it home to his family for the holiday. There are some very funny moments in the film; it's hard to pick, but I'd say my favorite sight gag is the one with the dog in the back of the truck.  I went to a showing of this on its opening day - hard to believe it's been 25 years now. The theater at that screening was packed with people, and it was fun hearing everyone laughing. I bet alot of them have bought the DVD or Blu Ray.  This time while watching, I noticed a few quirky things going on in the background. For example, in the beginning, Steve Martin hails a cab for the airport in New York passes by a Roy Rogers fast food restaurant, which I'm sure has been gone for at least a decade or two.  In another scene on a bus, a passenger is shown reading a magazine with Michael J Fox and Family Ties on the cover.

Martin looks up at a clock in the airport, and it's 

one of those old "flip clocks"!  Not even a digital clock 

in the airport yet! 

Poor Martin tries to call home several times using a pay phone: from a restaurant, from the airport, etc. If only he had a cell phone, he'd be able to call home more frequently, and his wife would be calling or texting, too. But then again, the movie wouldn't be as funny, would it? I imagine that if the film is ever remade, Martin's character would have to lose his phone somehow.

The Burt Reynolds museum in Florida

This weekend I visited the Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum, a neat little museum in South Florida that is home to the actor's awards, gifts from his 50-year career in show business. 

The museum has lots of neat photos of Reynold's early life in Florida and his football days at FSU.

SPORTS 

Yearbook photos, humanitarian honors, and lots of sports memorabilia, including singed footballs, baseballs (Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial among them), jerseys, caps, you name it. 

 

Signed photos from Walter Payton, Jack Nicklaus, Sugar Ray Leonard, and tons more. Here's one from Russell Crowe from a movie called Mystery Alaska where he played a hockey player. 

 

Westerns

An entire wing is devoted to his Western films and memorabilia from the western shows (including Gunsmoke) and movies (100 Rifles) in the early part of his career.

Signed photos from the cast of Gunsmoke

1970s movies

A canoe used in Deliverance. The museum curator told me that last year, the four main actors from the film (Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ronny Cox, and Ned Beatty) hosted a Q&A here and filmed a segment for the upcoming 40th anniversary DVD of the film.

1980s films

Lots of cool stuff from his movies, including hits like Smokey and the Bandit 

Hundreds of autographed photos

AWARDS

I love seeing awards on display like this. It's so neat to see. After you watch the Oscars or an awards show and see the star win, you hardly ever see the trophies again. Here, Burt has put them all on display for his fans to enjoy. 

Golden Globes

Nomination certificates

Another nomination

Reynolds's sole Emmy win for Evening Shade

Here's an Oscar nomination certificate for Boogie Nights (1997)

Lots of People's Choice Awards

Here is an award recognizing Burt as the #1 Top Box Office Star of the Year (there are 5 of these)

New York Film Critics Award