WHIPLASH * ANGELA'S ASHES * THEORY OF EVERYTHING * AMERICAN SNIPER

Whiplash - I had no idea what Whiplash was about except that J.K. Simmons won a Golden Globe for his performance in it. I figured it was about race cars or that it was one of those quirky who done it movies that was hard to follow. (I don't read reviews.) Anyway, it's a movie about what it takes to be a true master of something. It's about the sweat and devotion necessary to reach a goal, and what people do in order to get past the ordinary and onto the extraordinary. It was so good that I'm still thinking about it. It's a different kind of a movie and I wish I could see one like it every week. 

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt - Growing up poor in Ireland is the subject of Frank McCourt's memoir. I read it many years ago, loved it, and wanted to revisit the Irish writing, the sad lanes of Limerick and the hope that seemed to be in the background no matter how bad things got in the lives of the McCourt family. It's just as wonderful as I'd remembered for all the reasons I mentioned.

Angela's Ashes - I also had to re-watch the movie, only this time right away after reading the book so I'd know how true to the story it was. It's a great movie, sometimes hard to follow if you didn't have the benefit of the recent read, but all in all Angela, Malachy, Frank and the rest of the family and characters bring the words to life quite beautifully.

Theory of Everything - So far, the actor who played Stephen Hawking is my choice for best actor this year. Stephen Hawking pursued knowledge of the unknown with a ferocious thirst that was hardly hindered by his physical condition. This is a driven person, and the fact that he did it with a sense of humor and humble demeanor is even more remarkable. A beautiful movie.

American Sniper - The book was eye-opening, and Bradley Cooper is such a good actor that you forget it's Bradley Cooper, and really think that it's Chris Kyle brought to life, reliving the experiences of four tours of duty in Iraq. The movie is good; and I'm not sure why the critics and public are maligning his wife or making any judgements at all about these people. It's a tough choice and horrible job to go to war and the fallout is big. Who is anyone to judge, except to say that it is a dirty business best avoided at all costs. Recently, 60 Minutes did an interview with Bradley Cooper who talked about his life and his acting philosophy - no wonder I thought I was watching Chris Kyle come to life.