Movie Review: ***^ The Lost Weekend (1945)

 A movie about the effects of alcoholism.  This movie won the Oscar for best picture.  It is amazing what efforts Don Birman (Ray Milland) will go to to continue his drinking over the objections of his brother, Wick Birman (Phillip Terry) and his girlfriend Helen St. James (Jane Wyman).  Don will buy two bottles of cheap liquor and hide one where his brother will find it, and the other he keeps for himself.  It takes Don a while to hit bottom, but he finally does.  He has been on a downward spiral for many years.  It is also very incredible the length Helen St. James will go to rescue her boyfriend.

Book Review: Lana's Lakota Moons

Lana's Lakota Moons by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2007.

This is a very good story about Lana and Lori, cousins.  Lori is about six months older.  It is Lana who illustrates the moons.  Lakota measure by moons instead of months, and they describe the moons to fit the time of year.  There are also the parents of both and grandparents.  Sneve slips into the story Lakota legend stories and customs.  A third friend joins them during the school year, Shoua from Laos, who they made a blood sister.  Lana also has a boyfriend, Andy; and a little brother.  The story is well told as they attend the buffalo roundup in the fall, and the pow wow with jingle dresses.  

Very well done and highly recommended.

Clint Eastwood Directed Matt Damon Movie: ** Hereafter

 George Lonegan (Matt Damon) has a strange ability left over from a childhood illness.  He can sense people who have died when he touches someone ro whom they are important.  Many people seek him to talk with deceased relatives, and he finds this a curse and runs away from it.  His brother (Jay Mohr) would like him to make a career of it, as it helps people.  He meets a girl, Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard) and when she finds out he has this ability he does a reading, which. ruins the relationship.  A young boy (Frankie and George McClaren) also approaches him, and he refuses at first, but he won't go away.  He want to talk to his twin brother and he finally does this and the boy get some closure.  In following Lonegan, the boy noticed there was a woman (Cécile de France) he was interested in, and he provides information to him so the two can meet.

This story was written by Peter Morgan and it is very confusing.  I am still confused.  

James Stewart Movie Review: **** Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

 This is a very good James Stewart before he went to war.  In this movie he goes to war with the U.S. Senate.  Mr. Smith (Stewart) is a boy's club leader, and when the senator dies, the boys convince the governor (Guy Kibbee) to appoint Mrs. Smith.  This is acceptable to the political boss, James Taylor (Edward Arnold) who thinks they will be able to control Mr. Smith.  

When he gets to Washington Smith meet the senior senator from his state, Senator Paine (Claude Raines).  He has been Smith's hero.   Smith proposes a boys camp, and it happens to be on and where they plan to put a dam, with lots of political graft.  Smith won't back down, the political boss frames him for profiteering as they have made it look like he owns the property for the boys camp.  He is to be expelled from congress, but not before he has his say.  He is lucky he meets Paine's secretary (Jean Arthur), who is assigned to him as she helps him.  He is new to Washington and she knows the ropes.  He is also helped by the leader of the Senate (Harry Carey).  He is not helped by Paine's daughter (Astrid Allyn) who keeps him occupied while political moves are made behind his back.  So the question is, can Mr. Smith talk his way out of the hole he is in and will the corruption ever be exposed.  

Enjoyable movie.  Who knew James Stewart could talk for so long.  Also interesting portrayal of the Senate and government corruption.  

Music Review: Selena: Mis Mejores Canciones (17 Super Èxitos)

Selena: Mis Mejores Canciones (17 Super Èxitos), EMI Latin 1993.

Selena is an American artist.  Although released before her death, this album became much more popular after her murder as it became the first Spanish language album to reach number one in the U.S.  And why not, there is much to like here.  I really like "Besito." It has a very nice rhythm to it.  This sog demarks Selena's cumbia style mising Spanish, Caribbean and African style.  

Necesito tus besitos cada noche, cada día
Dime, amorcito, que yo soy tu alegría
Dime, cariñito, que yo soy la dueña de tu corazón

I need your kisses every night, every day, Tell me love that I am your happiness, tell me my loved that I am the boss of your heart.  This song was written by A.B. Quintanilla, Selena's brother and Pedro Astudillo.  These two collaborated on most of the songs on the album.  

I also like "Mentiras" with its echoing style.

The Tejano music became very popular and Selena was a big part of this.  It is unfortunate that she was murdered by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar, who had embezzled from Selena and this was coming to light.

Football Movie Review: ****^ We Are Marshall (2006)

 In 1970 the Marshall football was involved in a chartered plane crash with no survivors.  Four team members were not on the plane, staying home due to injury.  One assistant coach, Red Dawson (Matthew Fox) did not fly home as he was recruiting.  However the town, lead by one of the players, Nate Ruffin (Anthony Mackie) lets the college and college president Dedmon (David Strathairn) know that they do not want to give up the football program.  But Dawson does not want to be the coach.  The president finds another coach willing to keep the program alive, Hank Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey).  Rebuilding a program is not easy, and this movie deals with the struggle.  Marshall was not an instant success, but the won a couple games and the program stayed afloat.  Other charcters of not are the wives of the coaches (January Jones and Kimberly Williams-Paisley).  There is the steel mill own, whose son died on the plane, Paul Griffen (Ian McShane) and the girlfriend of the son and cheerleader Annie Cantrell (Kate Mara).  A very good movie about the struggle, and shows that the struggle is not always pretty, but it is still worth it.

Movie Review: ****^ Sweetwater (2023)

 Nat Clifton aka Sweetwater (Everett Osborne) is playing basketball for the Harlem Globetrotters.  This comes with difficulties, travel where Blacks are not accepted.  This was an interesting time.  Jackie Robinson had broken through the color barrier in baseball; but the NBA was still all White.  In 1950 three Black players broke this barrier, including Nat Clifton who was the first to sign, but due to scheduling not the first to play.  He tells his story working as a cab driver to a reporter (Jim Caviezel).  He was playing with the Globetrotters under Abe Saperstein (Kevin Pollack).  However the owner, Ned Irish (Cary Elwes) and the coach, Joe Lapchick (Jeremy Piven) of the Knicks want him to play in the Garden.  Jeremy Podoloff (Richard Dreyfuss) is the NBA commissioner and sees things changing.   Emmaline plays the singer in the bar singing soul who befriends Sweetwater.

I say this is a very good movie.  I like to watch films about racial injustice and this film is one of the more poignant I have seen.  I really like the relationship between Clifton as a cab driver and the passenger reporter.