Brittany Runs a Marathon

Now streaming on Amazon Prime, this Sundance 2019 award winner is part inspirational tale, but also at heart a RomCom with a definite script to follow.

Brittany is nearing 30, living in New York and having a quarter life crisis.  No job, no man or woman, overweight, she is convinced by her doctor to improve her health.  She starts small and finds a local runners group where she meet two misfits just like her.  They train for marathon (hero's quest), have a crisis of confidence (RomCom snafu 30 minutes before the end) and ... well, you can guess the rest.

Along the way to make some money she discovers house and dog sitting which leads her to her romantic interest Jern ( a very Aziz Ansari character).  More classic RomCom tropes emerge.

My guess is that this played so well at Sundance because it looks like an indie film with no-name actors but at heart is a classic studio story with a big name producer behind it (Tobey Maguire).

* * * of 5

Frozen (2013)

Disney's animated story with a lot of familiar ingredients:  the sister rivalry, the dead parents, the banishment, the hero's journey back and true love's kiss.  Add in some snow, and a huge helping of Wicked and you've now Frozen.

It does owe a lot to the Broadway musical that it will be destined to become, and even get the Broadway star Idina Menzel as Elsa and Kristin Bell as Anna (playing the other Kristin Chenowith part).  Also starring Josh Gad's voice as Olaf, the wise cracking snowman sidekick.

A predictable if pleasant Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty/ Beauty and the Beast story.

* * * of 5

National Lampoon's Animal House

A modern classic, still regularly quoted on college campuses everywhere.

Caddyshack (1980)

My latest post was about the first Saturday Night Live movie.  While this was not a skit from SNL, the writing was certainly inspired by that humor. Also starring SNL regulars Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, it's an Upstairs/Downstairs look at a country club inspired by Brian Doyle- Murray's caddying for the Chick Evans Scholarship in Chicago back in the 60s and 70s.

 Done in the pre VHS days it became a staple on HBO and is regularly quoted on every golf course in the world today. Also the subject of an interesting book, again quoting the movie's famous line, A Cinderella Story.

Written by Doug Kenney, also of National Lampoon's Animal House fame, which was also the subject of a movie about this movie, A Futile and Stupid Gesture. Hear it in the Animal House clip.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Amazon has a Christmas ad playing a familiar song.  Here it is in all its analog, pre CD, pre VCR glory.  This was the first movie to bring a Saturday Night Live sketch to the big screen.



Lots of good music in this movie.  Here's a young Aretha Franklin!



Be sure to watch the original first and then you can see Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) starring John Goodman and Dan Ackroyd

Last Christmas

T'is the Season for Christmas movies.  Hollywood is good for 2 or 3 a season while Hallmark does it all year long.

Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Me Before You) plays Kate, a nice little elf who works in a year-round store for Santa (Michelle Yeoh).  The old Wham! favorite "Last Christmas" plays on a loop. 

She meets Tom, an an angelic young man Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) who works in a homeless shelter while working as a bike messenger.

But you'll have to see the movie to see the surprise plot bringing the song Last Christmas to life.  Last Christmas I gave you my heart/ but the very next day you gave it away/ this year to save me from tears/ I'll give it someone special. 

Some good talent comes together, written by Emma Thompson and directed by Paul Feig.

Better than expected!    * * * * of 5

Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)

My friend Keith is not only a talented car restorer but also a fan on 70s car chase movies.  Smokey and the Bandit is his favorite but he also likes Bullitt, the French Connection, Bond movies and this one.

An unusual movies without stars or even much of a plot.  A group of car thieves finds more and more cars to steal, until the final White Whale, named Eleanor, gives them the final ride.  Not so easy to follow but the visuals were interesting.



* * of 5