by Minnie Apolis
Now that the hubbub of the Oscars is over with, maybe it
would be a good time to list some movies that folks older than oh, 30
or so, can find interesting and worthwhile. If you haven't been
following the Oscars or any of the hype, here is a chance to see if
you might like to catch any of the following representatives of the
current movie crop.
I will start off with some titles suggested by the
Movies for Grownups article that ran in a recent magazine. With no
further ado, here is that list.
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL- Stars Judi Dench and
Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson. Recent widow Dench goes along with
the others to a luxury hotel in India, where they are pretty well
assaulted by culture shock.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK- Received some nominations on
Oscar night, so you may have heard about it there. Stars Jacki
Weaver, Robert de Niro. Retired hubby de Niro tries to make ends meet
as a bookie, while his wife Weaver smiles bravely as she hopes for
better times. Story is about a family in crisis, yet choosing to come
closer to each other rather than run for the exits.
LINCOLN- Won best actor Oscar for star Daniel Day Lewis,
and a nomination for actress Sally Field who played Mary Todd
Lincoln. Directed by Spielberg, so you know it got tender loving
care. A sharp political portrait of Lincoln but overlaid with a
warmth like few other directors can deliver.
HITCHCOCK- A film about my fave director stars Anthony
Hopkins as Hitch, and Helen Mirren as his devoted wife Alma.
BERNIE- A comedy starring Jack Black as a funeral
director who moves in with the local matriarch, Shirley MacLaine.
Black kills her accidentally-on-purpose, then hides her in the
freezer – of course! Written and directed by Richard Linklater, who
gleefully springs surprises along the way.
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN- I thought this might be about
our Lebowsky, but no. This is a documentary about two of the biggest
fans of 1970s rocker Rodriguez, who come all the way from South
Africa to search for their hero. Kind of a “Whatever happened
to...?” movie. Directed by Malik Bendjelloul.
QUARTET- First-time directing effort from Dustin Hoffman
about four retired opera singers who all live in a home for retired
classical musicians. Stars Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy
Connolly and Pauline Collins. Many over-65 musicians play supporting
roles and music, too.
AMOUR- An Austrian movie about an octogenarian couple's
final months together avoids sentimental tripe but is emotionally
loaded.
ROBOT & FRANK- Stars Frank Langella in a film where
a little robot is his best friend, and also helps him get the girl.
Directed by Jake Schreier. The robot is the perfect non-judgmental
pal for loner Langella.
ARGO- A time capsule film back to the 1970s when one of
the few feel-good stories to come out of the hostage crisis in Iran
was when the Canadians helped smuggle out six Americans with faked
passports. The plot involves a fake Hollywood movie supposedly being
shot there. This one just won Best Picture of the year.
MOONRISE KINGDOM- A quirky film about pre-teen romance
that was co-written and directed by that weirdo, Wes Anderson. The
grownups don't understand, of course, and the kids go thru the chills
and thrills of first love in high style.
ANY OTHER films that you would like to recommend to
fellow Viners, please feel free to do so. This article is just to
kick off discussion and recs and link-sharing and all that stuff.
Also, Hulu is offering trailers and/or clips to most of the films
mentioned.
