Random Friday Thoughts — May 13, 2022

It feels like the seasons jumped right from winter to summer this week across Illinois with highs 90°-95° and heat indices around 100°!

Yuck, is it fall yet? 🙂

Have a fantastic weekend and thank you for taking the time to check out my random thoughts.

Oh, Happy Friday the 13th!

THE PANDEMIC AND COVID TESTING

The COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. We’re seeing another surge in infection rates and deaths.

Since masks and mandates are coming down, there’s still one change I hope happens soon.

I want the Biden administration and the CDC to drop its mandatory testing for American citizens returning from foreign countries by air. Currently, you have to have a negative COVID test one day before returning to the U.S.

This is from the State Department’s website: “The order relates to boarding a U.S.-bound aircraft and is meant to protect and preserve human life, as well as prevent further transmission of a highly contagious and often deadly virus.” 

This made more sense early in the pandemic when there were more uncertainties and no vaccine.

But, it doesn’t make sense to me now that foreign travelers have to go through the expense of being tested before returning. (Last October, it cost me 10 Euros in Greece and $40 in Costa Rica in April to be tested.)

This is silly because people can travel freely on domestic flights in the U.S. without being tested and this could just as easily transmit the “highly contagious and often deadly virus”.

Drop the testing policy now for Americans traveling internationally and just bring back the flight mask mandates!

I’ll still be wearing mine! Your thoughts?

MY COSTA RICA SOUVENIR

While I’ve been back from my spring trip to Costa Rica for over a month, I finally have the souvenir I bought myself on display.

It’s now part of my memorable mementos’ wall in my bedroom — my photo with President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter and with Hillary Clinton; the Moulin Rouge in Paris where I turned 50 at midnight sipping champagne sitting at the stage; one of my all-time favorite meals at Benny The Fisherman in Tel Aviv; and Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean from Old Jaffa, which I visited during the same birthday trip to Paris.

SHOCKED AND NOT SHOCKED…

When it was announced that Naomi Judd, of the iconic country music duo The Judds, died at the age of 76 at the end of April, it sounded suspicious. In the back of my mind, I suspected suicide because she had battled mental illness for years.

On Thursday, her daughter, actress Ashley Judd, told Diane Sawyer on “Good Morning America” that Naomi did take her own life. What shocks me is it was from a self-inflicted gunshot wound!

May is “Mental Health Awareness Month”. If you (or someone you know) are overwhelmed and thinking of taking your life, please make this call and talk!

FREE PREMIUM CABLE

Recently, I had free premium channels from my cable company, so I was able to watch “The Flight Attendant” and other series and a movie to take advantage of the free week!

“THE WHITE LOTUS”

If you need to recharge, but you can’t get away or don’t want to spend the money, there are two series you can check out covering relaxation (and drama) — one in Hawaii and the other in California.

The six episode HBO series, “The White Lotus” was interesting.

A group of Americans arrive in Hawaii and they bring all their drama with them. Geez, after watching this series, I really feel for those in the hotel industry!

While the series was great, there were only two likeable characters — a guest and one employee! Jake Lacy and Sydney Sweeney successfully make their characters very unlikeable! 🙂

Out Australian actor Murray Bartlett (“Looking” and the Netflix revival of “Tales of the City” in 2019) was incredible as hotel manager Armond. While dealing with the guests, he falls off the wagon after being “clean” for years.

And, when he falls off, some very interesting things happen. One scene was totally incredible (adult) and the other was nasty (yet, the person it’s directed at totally deserved it)!

Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge both won the Critics’ Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Limited Series or Movie made for Television, respectively. Both were also nominated by the Screen Actors Guild.

I expect both to get Emmy nominations in July!

“The White Lotus” was renewed as an anthology series and Jennifer Coolidge will reprise her role as Tanya McQuoid in “The White Lotus: Sicily”.

GRADE: B

“NINE PERFECT STRANGERS”

This eight episode Hulu series is based on the book by Liane Moriarty (“Big Little Lies”).

While my girl crush Nicole Kidman was great (when isn’t she?), the standouts I expect to get Emmy nominations are Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, and Regina Hall.

And, I was totally mesmerized by Manny Jacinto as Yao and I wished he had a larger role.

After watching the series, I read the book. Both were enjoyable, but neither were “Big Little Lies”!

GRADE: B-

“THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT” — THE BOOK

It was a year ago this week that I wrote about Chris Bohjalian’s 2018 bestseller, “The Flight Attendant”, and stated, “it’s incredible.”

I went on to say, “An alcoholic flight attendant wakes up in Dubai after hooking up with a hot man in first class on her flight.

The one night stand or doing the walk of shame would be the least of her problems. She wakes up and the bed is covered in blood! His throat has been slashed and she can’t remember what happened!

Did she do it????”

“THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT” — SEASON ONE

Well, I finally got the watch the first season and it was fantastic. While the book was very bleak, which was fitting with the subject matter, the series took a more comedic-dramatic approach. It worked perfectly.

Kaley Cuoco (“The Big Bang Theory”) was incredible as the alcoholic Cassie Bowden (she’s in denial about being a drunk). And, the men, (soon to be murdered) Alex (Michiel Huisman), Buckley (Colin Woodell), Max (Deniz Akdeniz), and Van (Nolan Gerard Funk) are all beautiful to look at.

And, Zosia Mamet, as Cassie’s best friend and lawyer, was amazing.

The second season is now airing on HBO Max.

GREAT SEEING BANGKOK AGAIN!

While the pivotal murder scene in the book takes place in Dubai, it’s Bangkok, Thailand in the television series.

I was in Bangkok in the spring of 2019 and it was absolutely stunning to see the Chao Phraya River again and the city aglow in lights at night.

The top left photo above is “Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan” (try saying that!), also known as the “Temple of Dawn”, and in the bottom left is Iconsiam, a $1.5 billion mixed-use complex including a high end shopping mall, hotels, and residences.

“FROM HARPER VALLEY TO THE MOUNTAIN TOP”

“Harper Valley P.T.A.” was one of my favorite songs as a kid and it’s still one of my all-time favorites. Recently, I read Jeannie C. Riley’s 1978 autobiography, “From Harper Valley To The Mountain Top”.

Even if it was the late-1970s when the book was published, I was still shocked that she used a quote with the n-word in referencing the blues — a title her father used!!!!

Some of the other things I found interesting about her. I laughed when she talked about not wanting to be noticed one day when she doing something “undercover”, yet she was driving around in a lavender Cadillac. 🙂

Jeannie talked about her own hypocrisy and summed it up, “Not only was I Mrs. Johnson with her miniskirt, but I was philandering Bobby Taylor. I was the widow Jones with her window shades up, I was Shirley Thompson with the nip of gin on her breath. No one was as big a hypocrite as I was. But now, praise God, things are different.”

Jeannie was one of the celebrities welcoming President Jimmy Carter to Nashville in October 1980 at a “Town Hall Meeting” at the Grand Ole Opry House.

“HARPER VALLEY P.T.A.” (JEANNIE C. RILEY) (1968)

In a ranking of my 100 favorite songs in the first era of my life, “Harper Valley P.T.A.” was my #5 song.

“MY LIFE: THE FIRST 35 YEARS”

If you’d like to know the 13 biggest events of my first 35 years and take a walk down memory lane with my 100 favorite songs in those three-and-half decades (1964-1999), just click on the link below.

I had so much fun researching this blog and writing it. Obviously, many of you did, too, since it was one of my most viewed blogs over the past two years.

Click here: https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2020/09/11/my-life-the-first-35-years/

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

Random Thoughts — April 5, 2019

It’s the first week of April and I hope you weren’t fooled too much earlier this week.

Have a great weekend and thank you for checking out my random thoughts.

KUDOS CHICAGO!

Lori Lightfoot’s election win earlier this week to become Chicago’s new mayor is historical!

Not only will she become the city’s first African American woman mayor, but she’s also part of the LGBTQ community!  She and her wife, Amy Eshleman, have one daughter!

Best wishes Lori!!!!!!

CHICAGO’S OTHER WOMAN MAYOR

Jane Byrne was the first woman elected as Chicago’s mayor and she served four years — from April 1979 to April 1983.

“A MIGHTY HEART”

I remember the tragic story when it was developing back in early 2002 and when the Angelina Jolie movie came out in 2007.

However, reading “A Mighty Heart: The Inside Story of the Al Qaeda Kidnapping of Danny Pearl”, Mariane Pearl’s account of the abduction and beheading of her husband in Pakistan by Islamic and religious extremists, is harrowing and heartbreaking.

If you don’t recall, Daniel worked for the “Wall Street Journal”.  He was reporting on the United States’ “War on Terrorism” following the 9/11 attacks just months earlier.

He disappeared on January 23, 2002, at a Karachi hotel where he was meeting a contact. A terrorist group claimed he was an American spy.  Once they found out he was Jewish, his fate was sealed.

He was beheaded nine days later in a video that surfaced three weeks later.  His body, cut into ten pieces, was found in a shallow grave in May.

One very interesting note I learned from Mariane’s book is that for a 40-day training session at a Taliban camp to learn “how to terrify, torture, kill”, it only cost about $20/day ($50/day with weapons)!  😦

SYMPATHY FROM VLADIMIR PUTIN — COUGH!

The last part of Mariane’s book, “A Mighty Heart”, featured comforting letters to the Pearl family from around the world from everyday people and politicians, including President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush and Laura Bush.

But, the one that struck me the wrong way all these years later was from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In light of all the atrocities he’s orchestrated (oops, I mean, that he’s accused of), this part of his letter didn’t set well with me, “We will do everything to root out this evil, eliminate the threat of terrorism, find and neutralize all those who bring death and destruction.”

Earlier in the letter, he was more honest — like he was looking in a mirror, “International terrorism knows no borders or nationality.”

JOURNALISTS, MAINSTREAM MEDIA & HATRED

Many times while reading “A Mighty Heart”, I thought of 45’s constant attack on the “mainstream media” and his calling journalists that don’t pander to his rhetoric “the enemy of the people”!

No, Donald, jihadists like the ones that kidnapped Daniel Pearl because he was bringing news of their inhumane actions to the world stage are the enemies!

I know that past presidents of both parties have disliked the media.  It’s no secret that Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, just to name a few, disliked reporters and the news outlets.

But, they never went so far as screaming “fake news” to any group that wasn’t Fox News!

We don’t need more blood on our hands with journalists, like Danny Pearl and countless others, being killed just because one man or one group dislikes what they report!

“HOMELAND”

I finally got caught up on the Emmy Award-winning Showtime series “Homeland” with the incredible Claire Danes.

I had watched up to season four, but now that I have premium cable, they’ve added seasons five, six, and seven.

And, in a casting note that I love, Hugh Dancy (NBC’s “Hannibal”), who’s also Danes’ real-life husband will have a multi-series arc!

The eighth and final season comes out later this year.  They’re currently shooting in Morocco, which is substituting for Afghanistan!

While I’m thrilled that Dancy will be joining the cast, I hope they bring back James D’Arcy and make him Carrie’s love interest.  He’s already mine!!! 🙂

FUNNIEST “HOMELAND” LINE

In a series about homeland security, terrorists, shady politics and being bipolar, there usually aren’t a lot of laughs.

However, in season seven, I had to LOL at one of Carrie Mathison’s (Danes) lines.

She’s knows that her body has built up a tolerance to the lithium that’s keeping her sane.  Storming into her therapist’s office with her head bleeding after a fight with a man blackmailing her, a manic Carrie tells the doctor she wants to try new medication.

The doctor is freaked out about the surprise visit and Carrie’s head bleeding asks her repeatedly how it happened.

Carrie’s response:  “Can you focus?” 🙂

“HANNIBAL”

Speaking of “Hannibal”, the amazing NBC series that was probably too intelligent for television was cancelled after three seasons.

There’s still talk of bringing back the critically acclaimed show with a Clarice Starling story line!  Because of contractual blah blah blah, that wasn’t possible in its first run.

I want more Hugh Dancy (“Will Graham”), Mads Mikkelsen (“Hannibal Lecter”) and Gillian Anderson (“Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier)!

“STRONGER THAN THE TRUTH”

Reba McEntire’s 33rd studio album, “Stronger Than The Truth” is out now!

If you’re planning on buying it, Target has an exclusive disc with two additional songs!

“THE FAVOURITE”

This Academy Award nominee for Best Picture is set in the early 18th century and is very quirky!

At the beginning of the movie, Olivia Colman’s Queen Anne makes a humorous comment about the war, thinking it’s over.

But, once you realize that she has very serious health issues that affect her ability to make decisions for the country, it becomes darker.

Best Supporting Actress nominees Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz were fantastic.

Now that I’ve seen all five Oscar nominees for Best Actress this year, I’m okay that Colman won.

Ideally, I would’ve been happier if it had been a tie between Colman and Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)

GRADE: B+

“IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK”

And, since I was talking about Best Supporting Actress nominees in “The Favourite”, Regina King won the Oscar this year in that category for this movie.

This is director Barry Jenkins’ follow-up to the Oscar-winning Best Picture “Moonlight” (2016).

“Tish” (KiKi Layne) and “Fonny” (Stephan James) have been friends all their lives and a romantic relationship develops when they’re a little older.

Fonny is falsely accused of raping a woman and his mother-in-law, Sharon Rivers (King), tries to track down the woman and convince her to recant her story and clear Fonny.

Layne’s performance, in a weaker Oscar race, could easily have been nominated!

GRADE:  B

“BRITNEY:  INSIDE THE DREAM”

If you’ve been following the news this week, Britney Spears checked herself in a mental health facility to relax and help her cope with her father’s failing health.

Recently, I recently read Steve Dennis’ 2009 biography on the pop princess and it was more entertaining than reading about Britney on Wikipedia.

However, the book ends after her meltdown more than a decade ago and before she reclaimed her pop throne with “Femme Fatale”, my favorite album of 2011.

Additionally, Dennis didn’t have access to Britney, so much of it was speculation and the parts of the book where he had a psychologist analyze Britney without talking to her were a little awkward.

MY THREE FAVORITE BRITNEY SONGS

BONUS BRITNEY

This song was never released as a single, but it should have been!

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

Random Thoughts — March 5, 2019

Wait, it’s not Friday!  But, I’m still sharing some random thoughts with you.

Thank you for checking them out and I hope you have a great week ahead!

LUKE PERRY

After suffering a massive stroke last week, actor Luke Perry died Monday at the age of 52.

Perry rocketed to fame in the early 1990s playing Dylan McKay on the first six seasons of Fox’s “Beverly Hills 90210”.  (While he became a series regular in the show’s last two seasons in 1999 and 2000, he was billed as a “special guest”.)

And, in Perry, the LGBTQ community lost an ally!

R.I.P. LUKE

“MELROSE PLACE”

I was familiar with “90210” and thought Jason Priestley (“Brandon Walsh”) was cute, but I was obsessed with the 1992 spin-off, “Melrose Place”.

Even though I was almost the same age as the “90210” actors playing teenagers, I felt I had more in common with the “Melrose Place” characters and I would have loved to live in that complex!

Well, before crazy Kimberly blew it up!

I had a major crush on Grant Show (“Jake Hanson”) and I loved Amy Locane (“Sandy”), even though she was only on the first eleven or so episodes.

BERNIE SANDERS & 2020 DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION

We’re still about 20 months away from the 2020 Presidential Election.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know I’ve been pretty quiet overall about the “national emergency” the country is experiencing and I’m not talking about a damn wall!

If you recall in 2016, there were more than a dozen Republicans vying for the nomination.  Well, in 2020, that’s the Democrats looking to earn the right to run against that man.

Bernie Sanders has thrown his hat into the race.  That’s all I’ll say about him since my feelings toward him haven’t changed in the past four years. (Well, they have but not for the better.)

A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows some interesting thoughts going through potential voters’ minds.

A couple of highlights:

68% of those surveyed would be comfortable with a gay or lesbian candidate — that’s up from 43% in 2006!

And, 62% are very uncomfortable with someone over 75!

Ages at the 2020 election:  Sanders (79), Michael Bloomberg (78) and Joe Biden (77).

If you’re still reading, Hillary Clinton said Monday night, “I’m not running, but I’m going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe” and added, “I want to be sure that people understand I’m going to keep speaking out. I’m not going anywhere”.

Translation:  Vice President under Joe Biden! 🙂

But, in the words of Benita Buttrell…

POST OSCARS THOUGHTS

I’m so happy that Rami Malek won the Best Actor Oscar for his Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

I still haven’t seen “Green Book”, but it’s definitely on my list.

While social media (and Spike Lee) is upset that it won Best Picture, I’m just happy that “Roma” didn’t win!  As I’ve said before, I wasn’t blown away by “Roma”!

Going into the Academy Awards, I was certain that seven-time nominee Glenn Close would finally win an Oscar.  Well, she didn’t!

I still haven’t seen “The Favourite”, but once I do, I may agree with the Academy that Olivia Colman deserves it.

After the Oscars, I saw another of Close’s competitors.  In retrospective, Close would have been my second choice!

I would have given the Best Actress Oscar to…. MELISSA McCARTHY!!!!!!!!!!!

“CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?”

She blew me away in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, a real-life story of author Lee Israel, who became a forger of celebrity letters.

While McCarthy is mostly known for her comedic roles, I saw a hint at her dramatic acting in 2014’s “St. Vincent”.

McCarthy’s co-star, Richard E. Grant was excellent in the movie and picked up a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.

“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” wasn’t a box office smash, but in addition to the two acting Oscar nominations, it was also up for Best Adapted Screenplay.

I don’t give too many movies this grade!

GRADE:  A+

“A STAR IS BORN”

I finally saw the Academy Award Best Picture-nominated movie.  (It was nominated for a total of eight Oscars and won for Best Original Song for “Shallow”.)

It was enjoyable enough.  I thought Lady Gaga held her own with dramatic acting.  The brutal bathtub scene proved that!

If you haven’t seen it, this really isn’t a spoiler.  I had a hard time buying into one of the first scenes in the movie.

I know if you’re an alcoholic and you need liquor, you might go into a drag bar.  But, to become best buddies?

Even so, I still found Willam’s comment later in the movie, “I wore my Jackson titties!” hilarious! 🙂

Would I watch it again?  Yes, if I was with someone that wanted to see it.

Would I watch it again on my own?  No.

GRADE:  B

“SANTA CLARITA DIET” 

The third season of the hilarious zombie comedy premieres March 29th on Netflix.

I can’t believe how much I still crush on Timothy Olyphant!  That’s not true, I can believe it!

I absolutely loved him in “The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy” (2000) and the critically panned “Catch and Release” (2006).

I have the first three seasons of “Justified” on DVD that I should binge and I need to check Netflix to see if seasons 4-6 are there!

Here’s a sample of “Santa Clarita Diet” and it contains language and violence (and humor)!

“HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER”

The fifth (and final?) season of the fantastic ABC drama wrapped up with a few shocks and cliffhangers!

Two characters went missing, which explains why Annalise is screaming like a mad woman on the street!  And, another was poisoned and left gasping for air!

The bigger question is not who kidnapped them or will the <poisoned person> die, it’s will ABC renew the low-rated series for us to find out the answers?

With Viola Davis on board, I’d say yes!

I’m still one of those people that can’t wait to see what Annalise and the “Keating 5” (oops, “Keating 4”) get into and out of each week!

Another reason I want the show to come back is to see more of Gerardo Celasco (Xavier Castillo, Laurel’s brother)!

“THE OLD MAN & THE GUN”

This movie was sold as Robert Redford’s last acting role.  We’ll see!

If it is, then he put in a nice performance and I absolutely love Sissy Spacek.

But, there’s really no need to see this movie based on a real-life elderly (and charming) bank robber.

With that being said, I’m not even posting the trailer!

GRADE:  C

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — July 28, 2017

Where does the time go?  It’s hard to believe that it’s already the end of July and that seven months of this year have already passed.

I hope you have a great weekend and I appreciate you checking out my “Random Friday Thoughts”.  After you read mine, feel free to share yours.

#45, YOU DON’T SURPRISE ME AT ALL

Last summer, when #45 posted this on Twitter, I made sure to save it.

On January 27, 2017, I wrote, “At the time of this tweet, I laughed to myself as a man, an American, and one of those people he thanked!  I think now just as I thought then, it’s just another joke and a bad one played on me and my fellow Americans.”

This past Wednesday, #45 tweeted that transgender people will not serve in the military in an capacity.

Here’s my reply.

This ban is a perfect example of “smoke and mirrors” to hide his job and policy failures.

Friends, just remember:  “Stay Woke” and “Resistance”!

KILLING GAYS IN CHECHNYA

Outside of conservative America, there’s an all out war against the LGBT community in Chechnya (a republic of Russia). When I say war, I mean savage murdering.

The Russian newspaper Novaya Gazetta reports that as many as 26 men have been killed, so far, in 2017, in Chechnya.

However, Chechnya’s president, Ramzan Kadyrov,  claims there are no gay people there.  In an interview with “Real Sports”, he said “To purify our blood, if there are any here, take them to Canada”.

Earlier this spring, he publicly stated that he wanted all LGBT people in his country eliminated by May 26, the start of Muslim holiday, Ramadan.

While sad and devastating, one has to think how this might be handled if the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election was different — if we had Hillary Clinton as president and a different Secretary of State.

BUT, WE HAVE OUR OWN HATRED

While Chechnya and Russia’s hatred of LGBT people needs to be addressed on the international stage, we need to do something at home, too.

Already in 2017, there have been, at least, 11 trans people, many of them people of color, murdered in the United States.

But, this is nothing new, it’s just getting worse.

Over the years, Brandy Martell (above) is just one of many high-profile transgender women, again, mostly people of color, that have been brutally murdered.

37-year-old Martell was shot in the genitals in Oakland, California, and Diamond Williams’ body was hacked into pieces and scattered about in an overgrown lot in Philadelphia.

And, just last week, a former Navy sailor, 21-year-old Dwanya Hickerson, of Mississippi, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for murdering a registered nurse, Dee Wigham, in 2016.

Hickerson stabbed Wigham 119 times after learning that she was transgender.

“LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE”

Maybe everyone needs to take four minutes and open their ears and mind and listen to LeAnn Rimes!

She’s one of my favorite singers and a sweetheart (I met her in Salisbury, Maryland, in 2005).

This week she tops the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart with her latest, “Love is Love is Love”.

Earlier this year, “Long Live Love” also topped the chart marking her third #1 on the Dance Club Songs chart.

If you haven’t bought her latest album, “Remnants”, do so now.  It’s phenomenal!

“OZARK”

“Ozark” is the latest Neflix series and it debuted last week.

Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) is a financial adviser from Chicago who’s laundering money for a Mexican drug lord.  When a scam deal goes bad, he relocates to the Ozarks of Missouri to continue his illegal work.

Laura Linney, one of my favorite actresses, plays his wife.  You’ve heard me talk about her many times as Mary Ann Singleton in “Tales of the City”.  Plus, she’s a three-time Oscar nominee and she’s won four Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes!

This is an excellent series and both lead actors play their broken characters very well.

The Emmys will come calling for Bateman, Linney, and the series next summer and I hope it’s renewed for season two.

GRADE:  A

“TO THE BONE”

Earlier this week, I talked about the Netflix movie “To The Bone”.

It’s the story of a 20-year-old woman’s struggle with anorexia that was not only threatening to kill her, but it was also tearing her family apart.

While the movie was realistic and I commend it for showing that men suffer from eating disorders, too, I was a little offset by the amount of humor surrounding the dire subject.

Humor is needed in the darkest of times, but there has to be a line and I think this movie crossed that line, at times.

Overall, a great movie to highlight a devastating illness.

GRADE:  B

RECOVERY IS A LIFELONG STRUGGLE

I know first hand about eating disorders.  While “To The Bone” focused mostly on anorexia nervosa, my illness is the opposite, bumilia (binging and purging).

In 1995, I weighed 116 pounds (down from a weight of 169 in 1986).  I was on the wagon for 21 years, but I relapsed this past winter.

I’m eating healthy again and exercising. I’m at almost three months and counting toward my next 21-year run!

You can read that blog by clicking here and it’ll open in a new window:  https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/daily-struggle-through-thick-and-thin/

If you or someone you know is fighting anorexia and/or bulimia, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association at 1-800-931-2237 or check out their website, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

MELISSA McCARTHY KNOWS SHE’S NOT THIN

The hilarious comedian earned an Oscar nomination for “Bridesmaids” and scored one of my favorite movies of 2015 with “Spy”.

She’s talked candidly with “Rolling Stone” about her weight and said she often wished she was taller, prettier, and thinner.

One night she was looking at the IMDB message board and saw an anonymous message from Ohio at 3:43 a.m. calling her a “fat pig” and hoping “she drops dead of a heart attack in front of her children.”

McCarthy told the magazine, “all the air left my lungs.  Like, wait a minute.  My kids?  Like who –?  What kind of ass?  I kind of wanted to go to Ohio and just be like, ‘Hey, I have two girls, I do by best, and you hope I die in front of them?  Like, what the f*ck?  I mean, you can hate my movies, find me boring or over-the-top, whatever it is.  But when you move into that realm of the world…”

What is wrong with people?

MARTHA WASH & BLACKBOX

Just one more thought on this weighty subject matter.

I’m sure many of you remember or have heard the classic,”It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls.

The group, made up of Martha Wash and Izora Armstead, also worked as back-up singers for Sylvester.  They were then known as Two Tons O’ Fun.

Since then, Wash has worked with many acts because she’s an incredible vocalist.  Back around 1990, she sang on albums by C+C Music Factory and Black Box.

“Everybody Everybody” and “Strike It Up” became Top Ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and both topped the Dance Club Songs chart.

However, if you watch the “Strike It Up” video, you don’t see Wash.  You see a very petite Katrin Quinol lip-synching the lyrics!

Wash also sang the vocals on C+C Music Factory’s #1 hit, “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”.  Yet, another petite woman, Zelma Davis, appears in the video moving her mouth to Wash’s voice.

It’s a perfect example of pandering to the mentality that it’s easier to sell a product with a pretty, young, and thin woman as opposed to a pretty, older, and larger lady.

I wish we lived in a society that accepted people for who or what they are, but we don’t. 😦

As for Martha Wash, in 1993, her self-titled album produced three Top Ten Dance Club Songs hits with two hitting #1 (“Carry On” and “Give It To Me”).  I also got to see her perform at the Vortex in Chicago around that time!

Here’s that full-figured dynamo with some very hot, hot dancers!

In 1994, Wash and C+C Music Factory’s Clivilles and Cole reached two out-of-court settlements giving Martha credit for singing on their hits.

TROPICKLES

You may have heard Walmart is carrying Tropical-flavored pickle spears!

Some of you are already snarling your nose up and some are thinking that it sounds interesting.

Kyle, our morning photographer, brought some in and I tried one.

If you like “bread and butter” pickles and you like fruit punch, you’ll love them.  It’s a very pleasant combination and I’d definitely buy them for a picnic.

PICK HIT & PANAMA CITY BEACH

Most of you may not know Jason Dottley.

He starred in the LogoTV series, “Sordid Lives: Television Series”.  (If you’ve never seen the original “Sordid Lives” with Olivia Newton-John, Leslie Jordan, Beth Grant, Delta Burke, and others, you’ve got to find it.  Hilarious!)

Jason is also a singer that’s scored three hits on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart over the years.

His latest, “Summertime” is convenient for the season.

The video was filmed in Panama City Beach, Florida.  While there, over the Fourth of July, Jason says a young woman called him a “f**got”.

I know Jason is man enough to handle her ignorance.

But, I just want you all to know we have some great people here — like those that risked their own lives recently to make a human chain to save a family caught in dangerous rip currents.  But, we also have other people like that young woman!  It takes all kinds!

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

Daily Struggle Through Thick and Thin

It’s summer when you want to look your best if you’re heading to the pool or the beaches.  Those few pounds you packed on during the holidays and the winter are harder to lose than to gain.

It’s even more of a challenge when you’re a recovering food addict.

Over the years, I’ve written several times about eating disorders from Karen Carpenter’s anorexia nervosa to my own battle with bulimia.

I wrote, “In early 1995, I was down to 116 pounds and I thought I was fat… I’m still obsessed with weight gains and losses, eating too much, and fighting the urge to binge and purge.”

Another time I shared, “… I fight the food demon of overeating every day.  A few pounds to the average person is a huge burden, a catalyst for insecurity, and a path for destruction to a food addict.”

While I was a practicing bulimic for nine years from 1986-1995, I got my act together for more than two decades.

Sadly, I fell off the wagon this past winter.  Abrupt changes in my life were just too much to handle and I found solace in binging and purging.  After months of relentless walking on the treadmill and purging all that I’d eat, I lost 20 pounds the wrong way.

I’m happy to say that I’m back on the wagon again — almost three months now!  I’m eating healthy, exercising, and gaining a few months and I’m okay with it.

Ironically, I got back on the wagon on the day I packed my truck to move to Panama City, Florida.  My celebratory meal for the renewed fight was Osaka Buffet in Moline!

So, what prompted me to share this failure and my renewed effort to start the next two decades of a healthy eating lifestyle?  A new Netflix movie and “Rolling Stone” magazine.

I watched “To The Bone” about a 20-year-old woman’s struggle with anorexia that was not only threatening to kill her, but it was also tearing her family apart.

The movie was honest and it accurately covered the “tricks” that people struggling with eating disorders perfect on a daily basis.

And, it earned points with me for featuring a young man dealing with anorexia since most people associate the disorder with girls and women.

It’s estimated that boys and men now make up about 25% of those with eating disorders.

Also, I was reading an old issue of “Rolling Stone” and the feature was on actress Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids”, “Spy” and “Mike & Molly”).

She told the magazine that she often wished she was taller, prettier, and thinner.

One night she was looking at the IMDB message board and saw an anonymous message from Ohio at 3:43 a.m. calling her a “fat pig” and hoping “she drops dead of a heart attack in front of her children.”

McCarthy told the magazine, “all the air left my lungs.  Like, wait a minute.  My kids?  Like who –?  What kind of ass?  I kind of wanted to go to Ohio and just be like, ‘Hey, I have two girls, I do by best, and you hope I die in front of them?  Like, what the f*ck?  I mean, you can hate my movies, find me boring or over-the-top, whatever it is.  But when you move into that realm of the world…”

Melissa, you’re a beautiful, funny woman!  If you lose weight, I’m thrilled for you.  If you don’t, I know you’ll be happy with your life and your wonderful family.

Through thick and thin, when we see someone that may look too skinny or overweight, maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to judge them on their appearance.  We really don’t know the struggles that they may be going through in their lives.

If you or someone you know is fighting anorexia and/or bulimia, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association at 1-800-931-2237 or check out their website, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — July 22, 2016

The weekend is almost here and that means I’m sharing some of my random thoughts with you.

I realize now if I want to take a break and still have something to post, I’ll just have Malania Trump, Donald’s wife, to put together a blog for you under my name.  It wouldn’t take much effort. 🙂

Malania, look up the word “plagiarism”.  P-L-A-G-I-A-R-I-S-M.

I saw this online and it was perfect and it made me smile, “I’d like to thank my speech writers ‘Copy and Paste'”.

VICIOUS ATTACKS ON ACTRESS LESLIE JONES

I never saw the original “Ghostbusters” from the 1980s and I have no desire to see the all-female remake in theaters now.

However, all of the sexist chatter on the Internet is rather appalling.  Actress Leslie Jones, the only black actress of the four leads (the others are Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Kate McKinnon), has been singled out for the most vicious of the online insults.

It’s a sad, sad world when it’s so easy to sit at a computer or use your smartphone and make racist and misogynistic comments and think it’s okay.

Please crawl back under the rock you surfaced from.  It just might help you from getting heat exhaustion this summer in the real world!

SPEAKING OF SUMMER HEAT

KARDASHIAN-WEST-SWIFT FUED

I truly don’t care what Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, and Taylor Swift argue about.  There are so many things in this world that demand our attention and our actions.

Who cares about these millionaire celebrities’ petty little attempt to garner more headlines?

See, even Taylor agrees!

BUT, THIS STUFF JUST WRITES ITSELF

Originally, when I started this week’s blog, I was going to briefly mention Donald Trump’s moment of glory and call attention to his lesser known running mate.  And, I wasn’t going to say anything more about the tiff between the millionaires mentioned above until….

Joseph Kahn, the Grammy Award and MTV Video Music Awards winning director of some the most classic music videos by Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, Eminen, and so many more, went on a Twitter rant against Kim Kardashian and her family.

Usually when someone tweets something that people are shocked or offended by, the tweet mysteriously disappears (and lives on through screenshots).  Not, Kahn.  He makes no apologies.

Wednesday he tweeted, “People have been group attacking me for years on Twitter but they don’t understand that unlike normal humans, I have no emotions.”

MORE CIVIL SWIFTIES DEFENDERS

Unlike Kahn, other Swift friends have commented on the matter in a much more civil manner.

Singer and actress Selena Gomez tweeted “There are more important things to talk about… Why can’t people use their voice for something that fu**ing matters?” and “Truth is last thing we need right now is hate, in any form”.

But, she summed it up perfectly with “This industry is so disappointing yet the most influential smh”.

Actress Chloe Grace Moretz tweeted “Everyone in this industry needs to get their heads out of a hole and look around to realize what’s ACTUALLY happening in the REAL world” and “Stop wasting your voice on something so petulant and unimportant”.

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CIRCUS CONVENTION

Since more Republican voters chose Donald Trump as their choice in the primaries, I’m glad that he was picked as the nominee at the Republican Nation Circus Convention.

Why?  Because I’ll be visiting Cleveland, Ohio, in late September and I didn’t want people to burn the city down in protest.

ANTI-GAY VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MIKE PENCE

Indiana Governor Mike Pence was chosen to be Trump’s running mate.

I thought it was going to be New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and all of his baggage, but I never thought for a minute that it’d be Newt Gingrich.

So, who is Pence?  Well, I definitely know he’s not a friend of LGBT people.

He’s opposed to marriage equality and civil unions, he believes that gays should not serve in the military, he opposed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act of 2009 (which expanded the definition of hate crimes to include gender identity and sexual orientation), and he voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (it would have banned workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation).

And, then there’s the whole Religious Freedom Restoration Act (Indiana State Bill 101), which allows individuals and companies to discriminate against LGBT people using religion as a defense.

He signed it into law in March of last year, but amended it a week later with certain provisions to “protect” LGBT people.

However, there was still widespread opposition and criticism.  Many huge companies threatened to take their business elsewhere and some cities and states would not allow employees to travel to Indiana on business.

So, if you have loved ones or people you love that are LGBT, you might want to think twice in November if you’re thinking of this pair for president.

ONE MONTH SINCE THE DEATH

It’s hard to believe that the tragic car accident that took the life of 27-year-old actor Anton Yelchin was over a month ago.

His new movie, “Star Trek Beyond” hits theaters this weekend.

In a full page ad in “Variety” magazine, his parents shared these heartfelt words:

“Thank you to all of you who have sent flowers and gifts, for your condolences and kind words and to all who came to celebrate the life of our dear son, Anton.  We are deeply grateful for your unconditional love… He would be surprised at how many hearts and souls he touched. Thank you very much.”

Yelchin died in a freak accident on July 19th when his Jeep pinned him against a brick mailbox pillar attached to a security fence outside his home in Los Angeles.

“GREEN ROOM”

This weekend, Anton Yelchin will most likely debut at the top of the box office with “Star Trek Beyond”.

“Green Room” was the last movie he released before his death and it’s now out on DVD.

He turns in an incredible performance as Pat, a member of a punk rock band, the Ain’t Rights.  The group is down on their luck and they get booked a gig at a backwoods Oregon dive.

But, it turns out that the audience is a group of neo-Nazis skinheads and the venue is owned by a menacing drug peddler played by Patrick Stewart.

When Pat goes back into the “green room” to grab a band mate’s phone as they’re leaving, he witnesses a death.  It quickly becomes apparent that the band has to be silenced to keep police away and it becomes a psychological game of survival.

This is “red band” trailer (adult language and situations).

GRADE:  B

FIVE MONTHS TO CHRISTMAS

The heat index in the Quad Cities (of Illinois and Iowa) hit 114°  Thursday as much of the middle part of the country is in a heat wave that’ll last through, at least, the weekend.

So, some may think it’s too early to be thinking about winter or Christmas, but I say, “bah humbug”.

It’s only five months to Christmas now, but new holiday albums from some of your favorite singers start coming out in the fall.

This year, I’m looking forward to a duets Christmas album from Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood and I’m really excited about a new holiday collection from Kacey Musgraves.

I’m sure it’ll have Christmas classics and originals with her witty, down home brand of country music.  That’ll make me very happy as long as it doesn’t sound anything like the hokiness of “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Grammy Award-winning singer, this is a big hit from her album, “Same Trailer Different Park”, which was my 10th favorite album of 2013.

Last year, my favorite new Christmas album was “Kylie Christmas” by Kylie Minogue.

While she covered classics like “Let It Snow”, “Winter Wonderland”, and “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, there were new tracks such as the instant disco classic with her sister, Dannii Minogue, “100 Degrees”.  Give it listen!

Country acts Rascal Flatts and Chris Young are also promising new Christmas albums this fall.

“THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN”

While there are a few movies I want to see later this year, “The Girl on the Train” has been at the top of my list since I read Paula Hawkins’ amazing debut novel and the movie was announced.

Here’s what I had to say last July about the book and the lead character, Rachel, who will be played by Emily Blunt:

“Rachel is an alcoholic, divorced woman who becomes obsessed with a couple she sees on a regular basis from the train she takes into London.  One day, she sees something strange that will trigger a series of events that will have you feverishly turning the pages to see what’s real, what’s not, and what really happened.  It’s a page turner until the end!”

The first trailer was released in April and now a second trailer is out just months before the movies opens October 7th.

I’m so ready for October!

PICK HIT

17-year-old Daya (Grace Tandon) from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is well on her way to becoming a pop music superstar.

She most recently topped the Top 40 radio airplay charts with her collaboration with The Chainsmokers, “Don’t Let Me Down”.

She made her debut last summer with “Hide Away”, which reached #7 on the Top 40 radio airplay charts.

Her latest, “Sit Still, Look Pretty” is already Top 20 at pop radio and is my pick hit of the week.

Here’s a recent morning show performance since there isn’t an official video yet.  Check out the incredible Lady Gaga-ish shoes.  The shoes are almost as awesome as Daya’s voice!

A full album from Daya is expected later this year.

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

My Favorite Movies of 2015

It’s time for me to share my twenty favorite movies of 2015.  Notice I said “favorite” and not “best”.  There may have been better movies, but that doesn’t mean I’d want to see them again.  The ones on this list, I would watch again (and, maybe, again).

These are the movies that I saw for the first time in 2015 regardless of the release date.  You’ll see some familiar titles that were big at the Oscars and Golden Globes earlier in the year.

Before I begin, as Casey Kasem did to start his countdown, here’s a recap of my favorite movies over the past three years. In 2012, my favorite movie was “Weekend”.  In 2013, it was “Out in the Dark”, and last year, “Bridegroom”.

Here’s a link to those movies (and my favorite albums from 2010-2014):

 https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/best-of-2010-2015-flashback/

Now, my favorite movies of 2015!  Oh, disclaimer:  some of the movie trailers might be more “rated-R”.

“SPY”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $235.7 MILLION

 

“LILA & EVE”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $38,263

“CHAPPIE”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $102.1 MILLION

“WELCOME TO ME”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $625,727

“THE 10-YEAR PLAN”

“THE LAST STRAIGHT MAN”

“THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $122.9 MILLION

“KRAMPUS”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $47.6 MILLION

“TRAINWRECK”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $139.5 MILLION

“WHIPLASH”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $49 MILLION

“MAPS TO THE STARS”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $4 MILLION

 

“THE JUDGE”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $84.4 MILLION

“HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $3.6 MILLION

 

“THE AGE OF ADALINE”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $57.7 MILLION

“CHEF”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $46 MILLION

“STRANGER BY THE LAKE”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $1.1 MILLION

“BIRDMAN”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $103.2 MILLION

“THE IMITATION GAME”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $227.8 MILLION

“STILL ALICE”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $41.8 MILLION

Now, before I reveal my favorite movie of 2015, here are the worst movies of the year.  Okay, my least favorite movies.

“MAGIC MIKE XXL”, “PITCH PERFECT 2”, “IT FOLLOWS”, AND “WHILE WE’RE YOUNG”.

Now, back to the countdown.

“LILTING”

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE:  $197,588

Tomorrow, my 20 favorite songs of 2015.

Anthony

Movies To Rent & Two To Avoid

As the days get shorter, the nights get longer, and we inch closer and closer to the winter season, more and more people will be renting movies becoming couch potatoes.

Here are the recent movies we rented that you may have thinking about checking out.  Some you’ll want to see and some are definitely not worth spending your money or wasting your time on.

LILA & EVE 

This drama stars Viola Davis (“How To Get Away With Murder”) and singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (“The Boy Next Door”) as grieving mothers who join a support group after their children are murdered .

Great performances from both actresses with several shocking twists.

If you love Davis as Annalise Keating on “Murder”, treat yourself to this one.

GRADE: B

“BOULEVARD”

Robin Williams stars in this drama, the late actor’s last on-screen movie role.  It’s new to DVD and it’s very touching.

You get heartbreaking performances from both Williams and Kathy Baker (“Picket Fences”).

Also, relative newcomer Roberto Aguire stands out as Leo, the man that helps Williams’ Nolan Mack to re-evaluate his life at 60.

Speaking of Aguire, I tweeted him recently about the movie and got this kind response.

A must see!

GRADE:  A

“THE GIFT”

This psychological thriller stars Jason Bateman and Joel Edgerton, who also wrote, produced, and directed the movie.

Simon (Bateman) and his wife, Robyn, move from Chicago to California near when Simon grew up.  They run into a man, Gordo, who claims that he and Simon went to high school together.  Simon doesn’t seem to remember Gordo.

Gordo begins popping up at their house with gifts and you realize that Simon does know Gordo and it becomes very interesting.

The story line twist is original and downright creepy.

GRADE:  B

“SPY”

As I’ve blogged before, I’ve never been a big fan of Oscar-nominated comedian Melissa McCarthy.

I enjoyed her dramatic performance in “St. Vincent” and thought I’d give the comedy “Spy” a chance with low expectations.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had with the movie and I laughed a lot — once you suspend some belief.

McCarthy and Rose Byrne were hilarious in the movie.

The biggest scene stealer was English actress Miranda Hart, who played a CIA agent and friend of McCarthy’s Susan Cooper.  I definitely want to see more of her.

GRADE:  B

“SAN ANDREAS”

Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) stars in this disaster flick about a massive earthquake, one of the largest ever recorded on Earth, that devastated California from Los Angeles to San Francisco along the San Andreas Fault.

If you suspend ALL belief in science and take the movie at face value for the popcorn thriller it is, you’ll enjoy it.

And, any movie that featuresKylie Minogue in a bit part is all right with me.

The $110 million dollar budgets movie grossed $470.5 million!

GRADE:  C

NOW, LET’S TALK SEQUELS NEW TO DVD…

“THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL”

I loved the 2012 surprise hit, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”.  The $10 million movie ended up making almost $137 million.

Thus, the expectations were high for the follow-up, which cost about the same to make, but only brought in $86 million.

And, it’s fitting.  While the main original cast returned, the movie was enjoyable, but didn’t really add too much to the story and it really didn’t need to be two hours long.

The Bollywood musical number toward the end of the movie bumped it up from a “C”.

GRADE:  B-

“PITCH PERFECT 2”

The 2012 original about the a cappella group, the Barden Bellas was entertaining, it spawned a radio hit, “Cups”, by Anna Kendrick and jump-started the career of Rebel Wilson, who played Fat Amy.

The sequel fell flat!

The only bright spots in the movie were the clueless, politically incorrect commentators played by Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins and the German powerhouse group “Das Sound Machine” (DSM).

If hearing Kendrick and Snoop Dog (Lion) or just Snoop perform “Winter Wonderland/Here Comes Santa Claus” wasn’t bad enough, by the time Fat Amy performed, “We Belong”, I felt sorry for Pat Benatar for allowing the movie to use the song!

Sadly, another sequel is coming in August 2017.

GRADE:  C-

“MAGIC MIKE XXL”

Here’s what I wrote and graded the summer 2012 original, “Magic Mike”:

“‘Magic Mike’ is definitely a fun, hot movie that also has a heart.  It’s not all about sweaty dollar bills, cheap sex, and chiseled bodies — although there’s nothing wrong with that.  Who am I to judge?”

GRADE:  A-

This sequel three years later was too talky and boring — flaccid!

“We didn’t want to show the best parts of the movie in this trailer, but it was very very hard to resist”.

That’s actually from the movie trailer.  Sure enough, my favorite scene in the whole movie is featured 23 seconds into the trailer — Joe Manganiello’s character doing a dance routine in a convenient store.

I think the “XXL” in the title means “extra extra lousy”.

Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, and Jada Pinkett Smith could not even save this movie!

GRADE:  D

If you saw any of these movies, let me know what you think.  You might have liked them more than me or hated them more.

Anthony

“Foxcatcher”, “St. Vincent”, “Dear White People” & More

It’s time to share a few more reviews of recent DVD releases in case you’re caught up on your television viewing or you want suggestions for movie night.

“ST. VINCENT”

I’ve never been of “Saturday Night Live”, so I never followed Bill Murray’s movie career.

As a teenager, I saw “Meatballs” and I enjoyed it.  I also loved “Tootsie” and “Zombieland”, but not so much for Murray.  And, I’ve also seen Murray in “Groundhog Day” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and I’m indifferent about both.

So, I rented “St. Vincent” with reservations.

I’m so glad I checked it out!  While his character was severely flawed, he played the lousy neighbor with precision.

I’m also not a fan of Melissa McCarthy, but her straight performance in this dramatic role as a divorced parent trying to make a new life for her and her son was refreshing.

The real standout in the movie is Jaeden Lieberher, who played the 12-year-old neighbor that Murray’s alcoholic Vincent MacKenna was responsible for watching after school.

Two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts (“The Impossible”) was also funny as Vincent’s pregnant, pole-dancing/prostitute girlfriend, Daka.

A very touching movie that’ll make you laugh and cry.

GRADE:  A-

“FOXCATCHER”

While captivating, “Foxcatcher” was more than two hours of pure creepiness and awkwardness.

“Best Actor” Oscar nominee Steve Carell was incredible behind his prosthetic nose and teeth. His portrayal of John du Pont’s loneliness was sad to watch, but you couldn’t turn away.

And, I believe that Oscar gave the “Best Supporting Actor” nominee to the wrong person.

I love Mark Ruffalo as an actor, but Channing Tatum was the real star with the most pain expressed on-screen.

The movie could have been about thirty minutes shorter!

GRADE: B

“THE DROP”

This little seen Brooklyn crime drama marked the final movie appearance by the late James Gandolfini.

Gandolfini played Marv, the former owner of a neighborhood bar called “Cousin Marv’s”.  He had turned over ownership years earlier to a Chechen mob and is still making payments to them — by laundering money that the bar makes each day.

Tom Hardy was fantastic as slightly challenged bartender, Bob, who rescues a pit bull puppy from a trash can in Nadia’s yard.  Nadia is played by Noomi Rapace (from the Swedish “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” movie series).

While an enjoyable movie that kept you guessing, it was pretty cookie cutter as a crime caper.

GRADE:  B-

“BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP”

You’d think a mystery thriller with Academy Award winners Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth would be incredible.

While the performances were great, the story of a woman who forgets everything about her life each night when she goes to sleep tired quickly.

Kidman’s Christine Lucas memory loss is the result of a brain injury she suffered ten years ago in a car accident.  Or, is it?

She gets a mysterious call from a doctor that informs her to start recording her thoughts each day.  That way, when she wakes the next day, she’ll have somewhere to start in piecing together who she was and if she was really injured in a car accident.

There is a dramatic scene between Kidman and Firth toward the end of the movie that redeemed it from a failing grade to average.

GRADE:  C

“COLD IN JULY”

I’m a huge Michael C. Hall fan.

I could watch all eight seasons of “Dexter” on repeat.  He was mesmerizing and insanely sexy as everyone’s favorite serial killer on the Showtime series.

I even traveled to New York City in January to see him on Broadway in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, in which he plays fame-seeking East German transgender rocker, Hedwig.

While he’s a Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild winner and an Emmy nominee, movie stardom has eluded him.

That trend continues with “Cold In July”, which only made less than one-half million dollars last year in theatrical release.

Hall plays a Texas man who shoots an intruder in his house in the middle of night.  While the police say it’s an open and shut case, the victim’s father comes back for answers and revenge after being released from prison.

It turns out there’s more to the story of who the victim is and why police closed the case so quickly.

While I only watched the movie to see Hall, it was great to see Don Johnson (“Miami Vice”) again in a comedic/dramatic role.

GRADE:  C

“DEAR WHITE PEOPLE”

In a perfect world, a movie about racism would be something that would take you back to pre-1960s America.

However, the world is not perfect and this satirical dramedy is very poignant in pointing that out.

Samantha (“Sam”) White is a mixed race student in a predominantly white college that uses her radio show to criticize white people and their racism and the school administration.

There’s a scene in the movie where the school president’s son is behind a very racist-themed party to retaliate against Sam’s views and her radio show.

In light of the recent racist video that surfaced from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at the University of Oklahoma, maybe more people should see this movie and hopefully learn from it.

“Dear White People” stars Tyler James Williams, who’s on the current season of “The Walking Dead”.

GRADE:  B

Soon, I’ll post a blog of three movies that I just watched years after their release that definitely deserve a second look since not many people checked them out the first time in theaters.

Anthony