Turkey Trot 2016

Here's the race video from the 2016 Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot!  I was coming off of knee surgery and minimal training.  I managed to finish the race without stopping.  Hopefully I have better results next year... Enjoy!

I'm lovin' Michael Keaton's performance in The Founder

I think I've been in awe of Michael Keaton since the first time I saw him on screen.  As a kid, I think I watched Mr. Mom a hundred times and laughed just as hard during each viewing.  There's just something so relate-able about Keaton's performances.  He's a certifiable movie star, but he never once seems out of touch.  His characters are filled with warmth and realism, and every one who dons Batman's cowl is chasing Keaton's run as the caped crusader.  The Paper is also one of my all-time underrated movies.  Then a crazy thing happened... Keaton went away for awhile.  He took a few years off from full-time acting, appearing occasionally (his performance as a TLC-loving Bed Bath and Beyond boss is the best part of The Other Guys) in an occasional film from time to time.  It wasn't until his career-defining role in Birdman hit the screen that I realized how much I missed Michael Keaton in my life. 

While I'm glad that Keaton is back, it's also criminal that he's been overlooked in his work since coming back.  He absolutely should have won Best Actor for Birdman, which is a role that will stand the test of time (does anyone even remember Eddie Redmayne's performance in The Theory Of Everything?  I didn't think so.).  He's appeared in two straight Best Picture winners, but has been overlooked for his acting on both occasions.  That streak of Best Picture winners will end with The Founder, a shockingly overlooked awards season player.  The fact that Keaton isn't even nominated for his tour de force performance as McDonald's kingpin, Ray Kroc, makes it even worse.

The Founder tells the story of how a failed salesman went on to head one of the largest, most recognizable companies in the world.  Keaton shines from the very first frame, giving a building performance from nobody to tyrant without it once veering in to camp-style performance that any other actor could have taken it to.  When he makes a turn to the dark side, he does it with such subtlety that you realize he's been that way the whole time.  The audience falls under the Kroc spell just like the McDonald brothers did.

This is not a film without flaw.  The story structure feels, at times, like a tried and true biopic.  Laura Dern is vastly underutilized as Kroc's neglected wife.  I also would have liked to see more of the story from the McDonald brothers side.  Finally, I felt the story could have delved a little deeper into Kroc's motivation.  You get glimpses into his motivations (Self-help records, failed marriage, nobody believes in him), but nothing is completely fleshed out.  Maybe that was the purpose.  Kroc is such a mythical figure in American culture, that nobody really knows why he did what he did.  There is also the McDonald's story to tell, which eats up time that may have been used for more character development.

Ultimately, none of this matters because Keaton is such an ever-present force throughout the film.  It's a shame that he didn't make the Best Actor cut.  I hope he continues making these prestige films, and filling my screen with such wonderful characters. 

I'm giving The Founder 3 out of 4 stars (4 stars for the Keaton performance).  It's a fully satisfying film that deserves a bigger audience.

On a final note, a former Colby College classmate (and Newhouse alum!) of mine is an executive producer on this film.  Congrats to her on making the Colby community proud!

Fences and my preliminary top 10 of 2016

There are few actors on earth (or in history) quite like the phenomenal Denzel Washington.  His range, presence and overall ability are (in my opinion) unmatched in modern cinema.  I would say that his closest modern competitor would be Tom Hanks, but even Hanks hasn't reveled in his dark side like Washington.  I mention this because I just got back from the phenomenal Fences (based on the August Wilson play of the same name), and I have to say that Washington's performance is his crowning achievement.

Washington plays Troy, a deeply flawed Pittsburgh (The movie was filmed here too!  Woo Woo!) man, father and husband that has never come to terms with the fact that he hasn't lived the life he wanted.  Washington's presence is vibrant throughout this film (which he directed).  He plays it cool, angry, jealous, sad, proud and antagonistic at the same time.  Troy is a deeply flawed man and Denzel plays him without any of his usual pomp and circumstance.  He delivers such a raw, stripped performance in a way that we have never seen from him before.

You can tell that this movie was a play first in that it's shot as a play would be presented on stage.  There are very few location changes, and in fact, the majority of the film takes place in the back yard (where the titular fence is being erected).  Wilson's dialogue is delivered at such a high rate and with such conviction by the entire stellar cast (Washington in particular) that it's almost poetic.  I am a huge Aaron Sorkin fan, solely because he treats dialogue as an art form.  That is very much the case in Fences.  You get into an almost trance-like state watching this film.  I absolutely adored it.

Another reason to love this movie is the phenomenal cast... in particular the excellent work by Viola Davis as a woman who is trying to keep this flawed marriage together at all costs.  She delivers one of the must stunning "yelling" scenes that I have ever seen after she learns some troubling news.  I really hope she is a major player come awards season because she deeply deserves.

Ultimately, this is a movie about the fences that we erect, both physically and metaphorically, to present our lives the way we want, both publicly and privately.  Denzel is so great because he shows the lengths we take to get through our daily lives, warts and all.

4 out of 4 stars.  I can't recommend Fences enough!

Now on to my top 10 of 2016... with the caveat that I have not seen many of the major awards players yet.  This is just a list of movies that I have seen this year.  No Manchester By The Sea, Jackie, Moonlight or La La Land.  I hope to update this list again before the Oscars.

Before I get to my top 10, here's a list of films that just missed the cut.

Zootopia, Finding Dory, The Jungle Book - I'm lumping these together because 2016 was a particularly strong year for animation and these all deserve some special recognition... particularly the phenomenal Zootopia (a stunning allegory for race in America).

The Nice Guys - Director Shane Black returns to his LA noir comedy stomping grounds with this criminally underrated summer comedy.  Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe have a strange but wonderful on screen chemistry.

Doctor Strange - Marvel continues its winning tradition with this excellent origin story of Marvel's sorcerer supreme.

Star Trek Beyond - A great third film in the rebooted Trek series, and a rare quality summer blockbuster this year.  I hope they continue on in their journey through the final frontier.

My (preliminary) top 10 of 2016

10) Captain America:  Civil War - Marvel knocked this one out of the park bringing one of the most famous comic book series to life.  Extra kudos for breathing fresh life in to Spider-Man.

9) The Witch - In a great year for horror films, The Witch stands out for its beautiful, stark minimalism.

8) OJ: Made In America - 2016 was a weird year, so it makes sense that it was also the year of OJ Simpson.  From the incredible fictional series The People vs. OJ Simpson to this ESPN documentary, the trial of the century was presented in a complete and thorough way.  Made In America took it one step further, showing the rise, fall and further fall of the once iconic OJ Simpson.

7) Green Room - I loved this highly underrated thriller about a punk band being trapped inside a white supremacist compound.  Props to the phenomenal Patrick Stewart in an against-type performance for the ages.

6) The Birth Of A Nation - Another criminally underrated (and underseen) movie.  Director Nate Parker presents the story of the largest slave rebellion in US History in a deeply moving way.  Once thought to be an Oscar front-runner has sadly fallen by the wayside.

5) Hell Or High Water - A good old fashioned cops and robbers film that doesn't break any new ground, but feels fresh and invigorating at the same time.

4) 13th - A total gut punch documentary that presents how African-Americans have been treated and incarcerated (particularly males) since the passing of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.  A must see!

3) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - The Force is in good hands with the house of mouse.  This exhilarating standalone story perfectly sets up A New Hope.  I'm glad the rumors over its troubled production were just that.

2) Fences - The best acted movie of the year should be a major player this awards season.

1) Arrival - An alien invasion movie where the aliens are almost secondary.  It's my favorite movie of the year by my favorite new director (Denis Villenueve).  I look forward to seeing what he can do with the Blade Runner sequel in 2017.

I am not going to do a bottom 5, but there were a lot of stinkers this year that could easily make the list.  2016 may have been the worst summer blockbuster season in recent years.  I will present you with my most disappointing film of the year.

The DC cinematic universe - I'm going to cheat and include both Batman V Superman and the deeply disappointing Suicide Squad as one.  DC is behind the curve with Marvel on every level.  I have high hopes for Wonder Woman, but I think this cinematic universe is already doomed.