Posts tagged Rance Howard
“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.
“Valentine’s Day” Predictable and Sappy
Feb 18th
Predictable and Sappy
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
VALENTINE’S DAY is stuffed with stars, filled with stories, overflowing with romance, and you don’t have to be in love to enjoy it.
But it couldn’t hurt, because chances are you can probably spot one of your own love stories.
Here are the stars: Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, and Taylor Swift.
And here are just some of the stories, which all pretty much intersect because of the characters and which all come full circle at the end of the day, which of course is Valentine’s Day.
Kutcher plays Reed Bennett, who owns a flower business, and as he tells Alphonso, one of his employees, when they are out making a delivery, “Everyone is romantic on Valentine’s Day.”
And Reed should know, not just because of his business and all the deliveries that he and Alphonso will make during the course of the day, but also because that morning Reed proposed to his girlfriend, and she said yes.
However, the results do not turn out the way that he expected, as we shall see.
Then there is Kelvin, a TV sportscaster, who is ordered by his producer to take a camera crew out onto the streets and interview people about Valentine’s Day, because the station wants more “fluff.”
The new boyfriend of a charming elementary school teacher is a doctor and can’t be with her on this day because he has to fly to San Francisco and perform an operation, but he has a secret that he is keeping from his girlfriend.
A wealthy businessman sits next to a woman captain in the Army for a 14-hour flight from overseas. She is going to be able to spend just one day with her special “Valentine” before she has to fly back to duty.
A couple of high-school sweethearts are planning to make this a very special day in their relationship.
A professional football player who might be retiring holds a press conference to reveal his own secret.
And the characters and stories just go on and on.
VALENTINE’S DAY is predictable and sappy, and the ending is completely heart-wrenching, but not in the way you would think.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
