Sunday Morning Ramblings

Some thoughts on a lazy Sunday morning.....

Last night we watched this movie, which was an Oscar nominee for Best Picture of 2016.

With all due respect, the best thing that I can say about this movie was that it was an affirmation of why I am not, with few exceptions, a fan of the science fiction genre.  Why didn't I like this movie? Let me count the ways....

• I love Amy Adams, but she was so obviously and painfully acting in this one, that it got tiresome to watch.
• You could only understand about every fourth word spoken by Forest Whitaker, a past Oscar winner.  I was wishing that they had subtitles whenever he spoke.
• The movie was so relentlessly dark that I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with my TV set.

When I went to Google this morning to get the picture you see above, the first thing you see are references to article after article that "explains" Arrival and the movie's ending.  I got it, for the most part, but if a movie needs article after article to tell you what it was about, then that's not entertainment, that's work.

Only one star from The Grandstander for this one.

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I got to watch the last four innings of the Pirates exhibition game against the Red Sox on TV yesterday afternoon.  Nice watching the Bucs again after a five month absence.  Didn't see any scoring but I did see Tony Watson, Daniel Hudson, and Jared Hughes each pitch a three-up-three-down inning, and Pat Light also facing three batters (one hit, but guy was then caught stealing) to wrap it up.  So that was good stuff. 

Also got to see hot shot prospects Austin Meadows and Kevin Newman bat for the first time.  Meadows struck out looking, Newman swung at first pitch and popped up.  (Bums!)  And while I consider myself an avid fan who keeps pretty close tabs on the team, there were guys playing at the end of that game of whom I had never, and I mean NEVER heard.  And we may never hear of them again.

You gotta love the Grapefruit League.

I also made the promise that I make every spring:  Gotta get down to Bradenton to see some of these games myself....next year!

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An eight part series called "Feud" begins on the FX network tonight.  It is about the legendary feud between actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis and it stars Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon.

I am not sure how long I will stick with this series, but I am going to give it a shot for at least a week or two, if for no other reason than to see what will surely be some major Chewing of the Scenery by Lange and Sarandon.  

It could be great fun.

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Speaking of Bette Davis, the next TCM/Fathom Events classic movie that will be showing in movie theaters will be the 1950 multiple Oscar winning, "All About Eve".  In Pittsburgh, it will be showing at the Cinemark theaters today, Sunday, and Wednesday, March 8.  I am planning on taking in one of the showings on Wednesday.

Be there, and fasten your seat belts.  It's gonna be a bumpy night.