And the Award Goes

1938

Here they are again: Hollywood Self-Aggrandizement Award Ceremony Fests. Oh, how I hate them.  

There will be some great nominations this year, much to my surprise. These movies I rate by my accurate system: How many times do I have to go to the bathroom?

My bladder is almost always correct. What measures the excellence of the movie is how and what I experience throughout the movie and its conclusion. 

Was I emotionally engaged? Did the plot have me traveling with it? Were the characters actors portraying some other person other than themselves? The ending does not have to be fairy tale happily ever after, but it does have to be make some kind of sense. 

The movie must, absolutely must keep me enthralled. Go to the toilet during the previews, yes. But stay to catch every other scene.

Movies that have a clear "And then... where the sequel is in your face" will lead me to question Why? Is a sequel needed? Or does the film holds it own without further travel?

We had no expectations about any movies at any point. The following two movies surprised us. 

Go see this entertaining movie which received excellent reviews. "Uplifting, refreshing" are the reviewer comments: Knives Out. Top notch actors and script appeared. Very much on the lines of Agatha Christie, this movie kept us both in our seats.

4.5 stars out of 5

Another worthwhile movie is "1917". History of WW1 and WW2 always catches and amazes me. The How and Why of those time periods and of the young soldiers fills me with both anger and sorrow. In this movie, two young men have to carry orders to the front, telling to postpone a large offensive. 

No bathroom breaks with these two, I can tell you. None whatsoever.

Why do we go to movies? Why do you go to movies, if you do go? 

YouTube 1970

True Grit Oscar Award

Experiencing Cow Chip Toss First Hand

Identifying a freshly dumped pattie

Chatham Cow Chipping Competition was long over when I visited my brother at his town of Chatham.  As I promised, here are some times that I enjoyed and shared with my brother Don. Do not expect any great thoughts.

You cannot make any of this up. Good times were had by all.

I was active in finding and scooping up the patty.

Notice that the patty is the size of a toilet seat.

Checking product for correct dry and texture
Considering aerodynamic and wind direction.

Disappointment at the failed toss. It went about
7 to 9 feet. Oh, well. Next year.

The patty now lies in my yard. It will disintegrate
in time.  

 My brother Don contacted his friend Gene, who cleared the field of cows for our adventure. The field was loaded with products. We had much product from which to choose.

Don spent a lot of time on farms over his 72

years. He is so much fun to share our

stories and memories.

He also possesses so much knowledge about

livestock and farm life. 

Disappointment is a Harsh Burden

Disappointment is a harsh burden, especially when there was great expectation.  Any fan of mysteries can understand this sentiment.

I remember the Agatha Christie books and how my white-haired grandmother would devour them.  Devour them!  Then those books came to me, and I became a Christie fan.

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In 1985 or so, BBC released the Agatha Christie Mysteries starring Joan Hickson.  She was an amazing Miss Marple, perfect to the letter.  The excellent filming, settings that screamed “England!  Right here!”, as well as the accuracy of clothing and times presented all the engaging drama one has come to expect from BBC mysteries.

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Let’s leave Dame Margaret Rutherford out of this, shall we.

Today’s American murder/drama/police dramas have gone down a dark, predictable road.  My heart is broken.

It is a dead give-away who did what the moment actors start appearing.  Excluding the usual main characters, the “bad guy” will be the once-off actor who is the most famous and gets paid the most.

And the plot?  The instigating event occurs by the 14^th minute.  The searching for clues lasts until the 47^th minute.  The big “Ah HA!” hits around the 52^nd minute, with winding down (through commercials) until the 58^th minute.  Then there are ads and previews of the next episode.

Disappointment, indeed.  Agatha Christie would have wept.

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