Posts tagged Alexander Payne
“Nebraska” Quirky Little Comedy
Feb 5th
“Quirky Little Comedy”
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
NEBRASKA stars Bruce Dern in an award-winning performance as an old codger who is convinced that he has won a million dollars, because he received a letter in the mail that says he did.
Unfortunately, we have all received such letters, which say something like, “You may have already won one million dollars!”
So, when the movie opens, we see Woody Grant shuffling along the highway outside Billings, Montana, where he lives when a policeman stops him to find out what he is doing.
The policeman asks, “Where you headed?” and Woody points ahead of him in the direction he was walking.
The policeman says, “Where you coming from?” and Woody just points behind him.
Will Forte, who was a regular cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” plays David, Woody’s son, and when David comes to pick up Woody, he is told that Woody said he was walking to Nebraska.
You see, the headquarters of the marketing firm that sent Woody the letter is in Lincoln, and Woody believes that if he just shows them the letter, they will give him the one million dollars.
David drives Woody home, and Kate, Woody’s wife, is not sympathetic at all, saying that she never even knew that Woody wanted to be a millionaire, but if she had a million dollars, she would put Woody in a home.
David believes that Woody just needs something to live for, and so somewhat reluctantly he calls in sick at work and agrees to drive Woody to Nebraska just to prove that Woody didn’t win anything.
And so begins a road trip, with a stop along the way in Hawthorne, Nebraska, where Woody grew up and still has friends and relatives living there.
Well, the people in Hawthorne misunderstand the details of Woody’s trip, and the story goes around town that Woody won the lottery and really is a millionaire.
All of a sudden now, many people start pestering Woody and David, saying that Woody owes them money from the past and they want to be repaid.
One of them is Ed Pegram, played by Stacy Keach, who used to be Woody’s business partner and whom Woody believes owes Woody something.
NEBRASKA has a nice little surprise ending, and this quirky little comedy directed by Alexander Payne will make you pleased you saw it.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
Nebraska – Movie Trailer
Feb 2nd
Director Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants) takes the helm for this black and white road trip drama starring Bruce Dern as a tempestuous Missouri father who’s convinced he’s won a million dollar magazine sweepstakes, and Will Forte as the son who grudgingly agrees to drive him to Nebraska to claim his winnings. Bob Odenkirk and Stacy Keach costar.
“The Descendants” Is Complicated, Confusing, and Funny
Dec 3rd
“Complicated, Confusing, and Funny”
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
The Descendants is the latest movie starring George Clooney, but more importantly it is also the latest movie written and directed by Alexander Payne.
Now, you might not be that familiar with his name, but surely you are familiar with at least some of his other films. Payne also directed the 1996 Citizen Ruth, the 1999 Election, the 2002 About Schmidt, and the 2004 Sideways.
Clooney plays Matt King, a lawyer on Hawaii who hasn’t been on a surfboard in 15 years, and one day he finds himself faced with a number of big problems.
He is the trustee for the ownership of 25,000 acres of the last huge portion of virgin beachfront land in Hawaii that is owned by him and his seven cousins, they are trying to decide whether to sell it for development, and if they don’t sell it, the trust dissolves in seven years.
Matt’s wife, Liz, is in a coma from a boating accident, and the doctors don’t know if she will ever recover.
Matt is ready to be a real husband and a real father to his two daughters, but 17-year-old Alexandra and 10-year-old Scottie are becoming more problems than he is sure he can handle.
And on top of all that, Alexandra tells Matt that she saw Liz out with another man, and Matt discovers that Liz was in love with this man and was going to ask Matt for a divorce.
So, when we hear Matt say, “I know I can make things right,” we are not so sure that he can, and therein lies this excellent and very funny movie.
Matt believes that there is something wrong with his daughters, but he starts to bond with Alexandra in ways that he never could before when they begin a mission together to find out who the man is that Liz was having an affair with. Matt says that he just wants to see him, but we have to believe that Matt might want to do more than just that.
And when Matt discovers who the man is and what he does, he also discovers that there might also be a connection that could affect Matt’s decision about selling that huge portion of land that he and his cousins own.
The Descendants is complicated, confusing, funny, and also very excellent.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”