Sunday, December 29, 2013

The Wonderful Works of Kathleen Turner - A Film Retrospective





Kathleen Turner has long been my favorite actress. Ever since I can remember I have admired her. In fact, when I was in junior high school, Mia Nelson and I would pass notes back and forth to each other in the hallways between classes. She would sign her notes Kathleen Turner and I would sign mine Michael Douglas.

Kids.

Not to long ago, my friend Padric and I compiled our list of the all time top 10 Movie Actresses. It took hours, days, weeks to whittle down our favorites, some 80 plus actresses, to just 10. We debated. We argued. We sometimes cried at the thought of who wouldn't make our list. But in the end we got our final 10. Kathleen was among them. You can read more about our grueling process on Padric's fantastic food culture blog, What Would Julia Do? Click here for part 1 of the Best Actresses post. Click here for part 2 of the Best Actresses post.

Kathleen Turner was one of the biggest box office stars of the 80's. In fact, in 1989, her box office totals ranked her the number 1 actress of the year. She has been nominated for Tony's, an Oscar and BAFTA and has won 2 Golden Globes.

She hasn't done much film work since the mid 1990's focusing instead on a stellar stage career. Unfortunately, Hollywood seems to have a short attention span and many may forget some of these fantastic films. Here I select some of her most memorable roles to share with you. For those of you that may or may not know of her career, I present to you the wonderful works of Kathleen Turner.




BODY HEAT - (1981) - *** - dir. Lawrence Kasden. Kathleen Turner, William Hurt, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, Mickey Rourke. Turner exploded on the scene in this 1981 thriller. A wonderful homage to the film noir pictures of the 1940's. Owes a lot to Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity. Sexy and thrilling with a classic jazz score by John Barry and steamy cinematography Richard H. Kline. You practically want to wipe the sweat of the screen. Hurt and Turner are hot as hell and she nails the femme fatale. Turner earned Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for New Star of the Year.


ROMANCING THE STONE - (1984) - *** - dir. Robert Zemeckis. Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Holland Taylor, Mary Ellen Trainor. Turner plays a quite romance novelist who is suddenly finds herself in Columbia looking for her kidnapped sister. With only a cocky American vagabond (Michael Douglas) at her side. Fantastic comedy actioner in the vein of Indiana Jones is held together by Turner's very strong comedic performance. Golden Globe winner for Best Actress and Best Picture Musical/Comedy and an Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing. Followed by the sequel The Jewel of the Nile.

PRIZZI'S HONOR- (1985) - ***½ - dir. John Huston. Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Anjelica Huston, William Hickey, Robert Loggia, John Randolph, CCH Pounder, Stanley Tucci. This is one of the best dark comedies to come out of the 80's. Nicholson play a dim witted hit man who comes from a tight knit Mafia family. All hell breaks loose when he falls in love with Turner. This is the original Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The films is peppered with great performances all around. Especially John Randolph as Nicholson's father and Anjelica Huston in an Oscar winning performance for Best Supporting Actress. Golden Globe winner for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) Actor (Nicholson) Actress (Turner) and  Director (Huston). It also received 8 Oscar nominations including Best Picture. When Oscar nominations were announced, one of the biggest upsets was Turner not receiving a Best Actress Nomination.

PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED - (1986) - **** - dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage, Barry Miller, Joan Allen, Jim Carrey, Helen Hunt, Kevin J. O'Connor, Catherine Hicks, Lisa Jane Persky, Barbara Harris, Maureen O'Sullivan, Wil Shriner, Sofia Coppola. This is one of my all-time favorite motion pictures. My favorite Coppola film and my favorite Kathleen Turner film. Look at this cast! This movie asks you, what if you knew then what you know now? What would you do differently? Turner collapses at her 25th high school reunion and when she wakes up she finds she has traveled back in time to her senior year in high school. Turner's performance is many things all at once. Heartbreaking, hilarious, gorgeous, strong. Roger Ebert had this to say, "Turner, who is actually 32, plays a teenager by making certain changes in her speech and movement: She talks more impetuously, not waiting for other people to reply, and she walks in that heedless teenage way of those who have no yet stumbled often enough to step carefully." This is masterful acting. This is a movie Frank Capra would have made if he was alive in the 1980's. Peggy Sue was the highest grossing Romantic Comedy of 1986. It received Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) and Best Actress. It received 3 Oscar nominations, including one for Best Actress and one for Jordan Croneweth's dream-like cinematography. I personally think it's one of Oscar's biggest travesties that Kathleen Turner did not win, she lost to someone who's name we will not speak of. Also of note is John Barry's beautiful score.

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? - (1988) - ***½ - dir. Robert Zemekis. Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer, Kathleen Turner. I mean, come on. Who doesn't know this movie. I would say that, arguably, Turner's Jessica Rabbit is the most popular character from the film. With her now infamous line, "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way," etched in pop culture history. This a fun live-action-comedy-cartoon-caper hybrid that pushed visual effects to new heights. It received a special achievement Oscar for animation direction and 3 competitive Oscars including Visual Effects. Also Golden Globe nominated for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) and Best Actor (Hoskins).



THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST - (1988) - *** - dir. Lawrence Kasdan. William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Genna Davis, Amy Wright, David Ogden Stiers, Bill Pullman, Ed Begley Jr. Hurt and Turner reunite for this faithful adaptation of Anne Tyler's novel. Hurt shines in this performance of a grieving father who loses his son. Turner plays his ex-wife and Genna Davis (in an Oscar winning role) plays the eccentric new woman in his life. A film with a deliberate pace that pays off nicely in the end. Received 4 Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Golden Globe nominated for  Best Picture (Drama) and Best Score (John Williams).



THE WAR OF THE ROSES - (1989) - *** - dir. Danny DeVito. Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Marianne Sagebrecht, Sean Astin. This wonderful satire chronicles the life and marriage of rich yuppie couple Oliver and Barbara Rose (Douglas and Turner), from their first meeting at an estate auction to their fateful demise in a gorgeous chandelier. Yes, in a chandelier. When the Roses decide to get a divorce they cannot decide on what to do with their house. And shit just hits the fan from their. Douglas, Turner and DeVito are all in fine form on this, their third outing together. Very dark and violent at times, this wildly successful comedy was nominated for 3 Golden Globes, Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) Best Actor (Douglas) Best Actress (Turner).

V.I. WARSHAWSKI - (1991) - ** - dir. Jeff Kanew. Kathleen Turner, Jay O. Sanders, Charles Durning, Angela Goethals. What on earth is this movie doing on this list you ask? Well if Jessica Rabbit isn't bad, she's just drawn that way, then V.I. Warshawski isn't bad, she's just written and directed that way. Based on the hit novels by Sara Paretsky, Turner plays Chicago private investigator V.I. Warshawski. Yes the movie has a TV Drama essence about it and yes the directing is banal, at best. What do you expect from the guy who has directed such classics as Troop Beverly Hills and Revenge of the Nerds. However, Turner shines in the role of V.I. The part fits her like a glove and she is the only reason to watch this movie. Every time I catch this late night on KTLA Channel 5, I can't help but wonder at what could have been. Missed opportunities abound.

SERIAL MOM - (1994) - ***½ - dir. John Waters. Kathleen Turner, Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake, Matthew Lillard, Mink Stole, Mary Jo Catlett, Traci Lords. This is one of Waters' best films and Kathleen Turner is having a ball as the maniacal Beverly Sutphin. Beverly is the perfect mother who governs the perfect house with the perfect family and if anyone questions this or attempts to, they will be murdered. Also, just don't piss her off. Waters hits the nail on the head satirizing the media's love affair with with turning crazies into celebrities. Full of bizarre cameos, pussy willows and lots of blood. One of the best comedies of the 90's. Quotable for days.


THE PERFECT FAMILY - (2011) - *** - dir. Anne Renton. Kathleen Turner, Emily Deschanel, Elizabeth Pena, June Squibb, Jason Ritter, Richard Chamberlin, Sharon Lawrence, Michael Mc Grady. When Eileen Cleary is nominated for a top honor at her church she goes into overdrive trying to fluff up her family. This is the opposite of Serial Mom and it's a nice ying to that films yang. Here she has a lesbian daughter and alcoholic husband and her son is getting divorced and having an affair. The journey Eileen is on is one that questions her very beliefs in the church that wants to honor her. Great supporting cast. Best line, "I don't have to think, I'm Catholic."

Turner needs to do more films. That's all there is to it.  

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, December 27, 2013

Michael Caine, Gillian Anderson & Clemence Posey in Last Love - Review

Sometimes I like to watch movies over a couple of days. Especially if I really like it. I don't want it to be over. You can never watch it again for the first time. I have found that this process brings out a mini-series quality to certain films. The characters get to live with you just a little bit longer.

It doesn't work for every movie and you can't do it in the theatres but it can enhance certain films that you watch at home. Just a little tid bit.

Some might say that that can give certain movies an advantage or disadvantage. I say, who the fuck cares? It's my movie watching experience. No one elses. And if it takes me nearly 2 weeks to watch Speilberg's Lincoln than so be it. Some nerve making a 150 minute historical extravaganza.

Last Love I watched in 2 parts. For what it's worth.

LAST LOVE - 2013 - ***
dir. Sandra Nettelbeck.
Michael Caine, Clemence Poesy, Gillian Anderson, Justin Kirk, Jane Alexander.

A film that moves casual and with a deliberate pace is like a bottle of red wine that you share leisurely with your best friend. In between the sips and the laughs and the hints of blackberry is life. Last Love is like that. It's a movie about what happens in between life's "big" moments. It is a reminder that we are not shaped by one or two big events. Life carves out a little bit of us everyday. We are malleable until the day we die.

It's been three years since Matthew Morgan (Michael Caine) lost his wife Joan (Jane Alexander). He has fallen into a routine, that's quotidian at best. His since of time relies on when then cleaning lady arrives at his Parisian flat or when the phone rings and he's late for another lunch. His lust for life has passed. He has lived in France for years and hasn't learned a word of French. He always relied on Joan. He always had things to do and always had a dinner date because he always had Joan. He has no one now.

That all changes when he meets the young and beautiful Pauline (Harry Potter's Clemence Poesy) on the bus. The two unlikely friends hit it off. Not in a weird way. In a father-daughter way. Her family has passed and his are in the states. A match made in France.

Gillian Anderson.
Pauline is a dance teacher and gets Matthew to come to her classes. They go out to fancy dinners and row boats and eat hot dogs. But all this is just too much for Matthew. He realizes, by spending time with Pauline, how much he misses his wife and attempts to take his own life.

When his son and daughter (a strong Justin Kirk and a splendidly selfish Gillian Anderson) come to visit Matthew in the hospital, family drama ensues.

There is by no means any reason that Michael Caine still needs to be doing movies. He has nothing to prove. He has done everything. Won 2 Oscars. Was in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. He even starred in the surprise summer hit Now You See Me. But I'm glad to see that he is still challenging himself in these small, intimate movies. He is brilliantly restrained as the grieving widower. There are some tender moments that only Caine could deliver. Check out the heartbreak in his eyes when Pauline gets a ride to town with a handsome stranger. What could have been a very creepy performance (think Peter O'Toole in Venus) is not in the hands of Michael Caine.

However, I was most delighted and impressed with Ms. Poesy. A beautiful actress who gives so much life to Pauline. When she's happy, every part of her is happy. Even her hair.

A pleasant score from Hans Zimmer and some very lush cinematography by Michael Bertl.

A sweet litle movie.

(3 stars *** out of 4 ****)

Thursday, December 26, 2013

"Your face is fat!" - Really mean things I say to myself - #1

Well, I suppose I should start by acknowledging that yesterday was Christmas.

Yesterday was Christmas.
Christmas is dunzo.

There, that's done.

Moving on.

I couldn't help but notice that every time I look in the mirror I see fat face. These giant bulbous, fleshy, Santa Clause looking cheeks. I dislike them very much and I say to myself, "Your face is fat!" Then I go on about my day.

I've tried everything to make my cheeks deflate. Starvation. Exercise. Drugs. Masks. Cheek-o-suction. Nothing works.

The other day I was on a run. People were looking at me. I was waving at them and smiling, saying, "Happy Holidays." I was feeling good.

But then I paused to look at my reflection in a storefront. I was sweaty, I was panting, my cheeks were bright red. I looked like a rabid Baboon on the streets of Orange County. Those were not people wishing me hello. Those were people concerned about me.

Me, this frumpy, chubby, red cheeked man, stumbling down the street. I wasn't even running. I was stumbling. I'm not even sure if I know how to run. I blame it all on my fat face. Damn these cheeks.

A bit of advice, when running, try not to look at your reflection in windows. Especially storefront and car windows. People can tell what you're doing, you vain, narcissistic creature. At best you look like an escaped zoo animal.

I know I'm not the only person who has these kind of thoughts about themselves. Why can't I say something nice about my cheeks when I see their ghastly reflection? Like, "Oh. Hello there friendly cheeks." That's not a terrible thing to say. Who knew self acceptance was so hard?

This is what I look like at the end of a run.





Tuesday, December 24, 2013

She's a Hustler Baby and Wants You to Know - Jennifer Lawrence and the American Hustle Review

What a treat!

Nora Lewis, one of my dearest friends, came and visited Old Man Baine here yesterday. Why, she even took me out to lunch and then to the picture show.

Yes, the sweet, gorgeous and nothing short of extraordinary, Nora Lewis. For those of you that know her, you realize that that description is an understatement. She is also habitually late, has no track of time and thinks her Garmin is the end-all be-all of street navigation.

But that's what makes her so sweet. Not only that, she has a blog on the eats of Las Vegas. You can check out Nora's blog here. (Nora's Blog)

We lunched at my favorite lunch spot in Orange County. Rutabegorz. There are 3 very quaint locations throughout OC and we visited the Fullerton location. Food is great, staff is great. We both highly recommend it. But be forewarned. If you order a salad, it's big enough to feed the Pygmy population of Papua New Guinea.

Pygmys eating Nora's leftover Rutabegorz salad.
After lunch, Nora dutifully punched in the address of the theatre into her little buddy Garmin and we were on our way. Never mind that it was down the street and I knew the quickest way to get there. We went the way that little fucker told us to. Nora is nothing if not consistent. So sweet she is.

We made it to the theatre. Bought our tickets. We were about to get our American Hustle on.




AMERICAN HUSTLE - 2013 - ***
dir. David O. Russell.
Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Michael Pena, Shea Whigham, Alessandro Nivola, Robert DeNiro.
Let's just talk about Jennifer Lawrence for a moment. I have loved this actress since I saw her in 2010's Winter's Bone, my favorite film that year. Last year she was in Silver Lining's Playbook, again, my favorite movie of the year and she won an Oscar for it. And I would put The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in my top 10 this year. So it is no surprise that Ms. Lawrence was my favorite thing in American Hustle.
Now let's talk about director David O. Russell. I admire his films. They are some of my favorite. Flirting with Disaster. Three Kings. The Fighter. Silver Linings Playbook. I was really looking forward to American Hustle.
I was a little disappointed.
Here's the question. Can actors raise a sub par movie to greatness? The answer here, is yes. American Hustle would not be the movie it is without the outstanding performances of the five leads.
Here, David O. Russell is reuniting with stars from his previous films to bring you a glossed over, at best, retelling of late 70's, early 80's, ABSCAM fiasco. The FBI's public corruption investigation that led to the downfall of nearly a dozen elected officials.
Christian Bale plays Irving Rosenfeld. A small time con artist who teams up with Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams, who looks a lot like a young Nicole Kidman here) to scam thousands of dollars from the people who need it the most. Very desperate people looking for the easy way out by taking a loan they shouldn't. Irving is the pole. Sydney the bait. A match made in heaven. They're probably in love with each other. Never mind that Irving has son and young wife named Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence.) 
It can't last forever. They are soon busted by a bumbling agent (Bradley Cooper in a performance that has to be seen to be believed) and forced to help entrap government officials.
For me, the film stayed in the same gear from start to finish. A sense of urgency was never built. I never felt the plight of what these characters were going through. The screenplay and the directing did not hustle me the way the acting did.
The attention to detail in American Hustle is reminiscent to that of the 2009 Soderbergh film The Informant! Another flashy period film that focused a lot of attention on costume, set and makeup when really they should have been focusing on rewrites. Russell's film doesn't suffer the same demise that that film did because of the bravura performances of his cast.
Adams. Cooper. Renner. Bale. Lawrence
Christian Bale is unrecognizable, brilliant, pathetic, hilarious with every word he utters and every
move he makes. He gives one of the best performances of the year as the balding, overweight Irving. Amy Adams is solid as usual and I think her breasts might get a nomination this year for Best Supporting Actresses. Bradley Cooper. Oh, Bradley Cooper. You're just so god damn cute. Even when you are sitting on the toliet, eating fried chicken, with curlers in your hair. He's a maniac in this role. He tears it apart and it's awesome to watch. Jeremy Renner might give the best performance of his career as Mayor Carmine Polito.
But it's my Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalyn who does it for me. She's fucking hilarious. Some people say she was over the top. Not me. Spot on. What else do you expect from a depressed, alcoholic, stay at home Mom? In the 70's? Some of the funniest lines in the film belong to Lawrence. And don't even get me started on the Science Oven.
I wouldn't be surprised if all 5 actors walked away with Oscar nominations for this film. It's their movie. They make it work. It's not the best picture of the year but it sure is fun.
(3 stars *** out of 4 ****)








Monday, December 23, 2013

Do Not Mess With Hugh Jackman- Prisoners Review

I got a little bored last night and walked to the video store to rent a movie. Yes, I am still fortunate enough to live next to a real live actual video store. And what a luxury it is. I prefer it to the likes of Netflix and Hulu. Call me nostalgic. Call me old-fashioned. Call me I-used-to-work-at-a-Blockbuster :/ If you don't have a local video store in your area, the local library is a good resource for DVD's and they are usually free to check out. I know this now because I'm an old person with nothing to do.

Any way here goes.


 
PRISONERS - 2013 - ***½
dir. Denis Villeneuve.
Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, Dylan Minnette, Zoe Borde.

Holy fucking shit that was intense! Jesus Christ! I don't even know where to begin.

I can't imagine the helplessness a parent must feel when their child is taken from them. Losing someone is hard enough. Losing someone and not knowing what happened to them and not knowing how to help them has to be worse.

It's Thanksgiving time. Keller and Grace Dover (a career best Hugh Jackman and Maria Bello) are taking their kids down the street to enjoy a holiday dinner with their best friends Nancy and Franklin Birch. (Viola Davis and Terrence Howard.) Within hours of being there, the two youngest girls go missing. Then all hell breaks loose.

You can tell from the get go this is going to be an uncomfortable film. With the king of cinematography, Roger Deakins, (who has been nominated for an Oscar 10 times and has yet to win) behind the camera and a haunting score by Johann Johannsson, (that's his real name, I'm not kidding) there's no getting away. Your are trapped.

The case of the missing girls is assigned to Detective Loki, played fantastically by Jake Gyllenhaal as I've never seen him before. I can't help but wonder about the name Loki. Fans of the Marvel world will recognize the name Loki and the Asgardian God of mischief, madness and evil. Loki is covered in tattoos hidden by his detective uniform that elude to a troubled past. Perhaps he has become a detective to live a life of redemption. After all, he has solved every case he's ever been assigned.

Paul Dano plays Alex Jones, the only suspect that the police can come up with. Dano has established himself as the great young character actor of his generation. On par with Dennis Hopper. The scenes with him and Jackman are among the hardest to watch. Canadian director Villeneuve, in his first American feature, is unflinching in they way he portrays violence. Which will alienate some viewers.
Davis. Gyllenhaal. Howard.

Melissa Leo turns in a great performance as Alex's Aunt. Viola Davis and Maria Bello have the distraught mother roles down pat. (Bello played a very similar role in the 2010 movie Beautiful Boy about a high school shooting.) All four children in this movie are amazing. Usually child actors can pull you out of a film that has this much intensity. They don't. They're great. The cast is nothing short of epic.

Prisoners will undoubtedly be compared to such films as Mystic River, Zodiac, In the Bedroom even The Brave One. These film asks very tough questions. Moral questions. What do you do when you think the police aren't doing enough to help you? Do you take matters into your own hands?

I knew very little about this movie going into it. So, I don't want to give away all the surprises. But it is full of twists and turns. Solid, solid screenplay by Aaron Guzikowski. The first hour and a half is hard to watch. However, the last hour, I felt like Murder, She Wrote trying to put the pieces together.

The film was near perfect for me but at 2 hours and 33 minutes, it was simply to long.

There are some powerful themes in this motion picture. Guilt. Vengeance. Atonement. If you can sit through it, it's rewarding. Trust me.

(3½ stars ***½ out of 4 ****)

Sunday, December 22, 2013

2013 - It's Been Swell - Avicii, Gravity & Lady Gaga

Reflections.
As the end of 2013 draws to a close it's time for reflections. Yes, of the way life used to be. Once again we find ourselves asking the questions. How is it already December? Where did all the time go? Can you believe it's going to be 2014? Why are we still talking about Hannah Montana? And all those other useless questions we ask ourselves when we recognize, from a distance, how much time has passed.

I know that 2013 has been a trying year for a lot of my friends. We all seem to be aging quicker. Our parents and grandparents seem to be aging quicker. Many of us have had to say goodbye. I, in fact, had to say goodbye to Grandma Joy. There is nothing like the death of a loved one to remind you of your mortality. Saying goodbye to my Grandma was a loud reminder of the transience of life.

Grandma Joy circa 1943.
So, I made a lot of personal changes. Changing cities, reorganizing priorities, making time for the ones who count. Falling in love again with my writing, watching movies, long distance running, cooking. Things that the tides of many years, mainly my late 20's, had simply washed away. It reminds me of the lyrics from that Avicii song Wake Me Up, "All this time I was finding myself and I didn't know I was lost." One of the best songs of the year, in my humble opinion, or rather, IMHO, as the kids say.

Transitions are hard. Being alone is hard. Sometimes even wanting to go on can be hard. All things that I can relate to. Which is why I connected so much with director Alfonso CuarĂ³n's movie Gravity. This is what I wrote on my Facebook page after first seeing the film - "The single best Clooney film. The single best Bullock film. Rarely does the art of film transcend itself. Exceptional." After seeing the movie multiple times, I stand by those words.



Gravity. Cuaron. Clooney. Bullock.
 
Performances aside, which like I said are out of this world, (pun intended) the film is basically an allegory of human existence. Some people thought the symbolism might have been a bit heavy handed but considering what 2013 meant to a lot of people I love, it spoke to me. And after all, isn't that what movies are suppose to do. Gravity is this; losing a loved one, starting over, losing everything, fighting for everything, giving up on everything, getting your second wind, coming back from what seems like hell and becoming a better person for it. That's life.

2013 hasn't been all hardships though. There have been some truly wonderful things that have transpired. Let's see...

Adele won an Oscar for Best Song for Skyfall. That was nice, wasn't it?
Kelly Clarkson is pregnant. That's fantastic. Definitely something the world can get excited about.
McRib made an appearance again this year. Thank God. I was getting worried about my little pork buddy.
The band Imagine Dragons aren't really radioactive. It's just a catchy little ditty they thought of. (That borderlines on false advertising.)
That stupid girl who said she didn't get a tip because she was gay. She lied and got caught. Hooray for humanity.
George Zimmerman was found innocent. American justice still works! Go America.
Lady Gaga lives for the applause. Whatever you do, don't stop clapping.
Duck Dynasty has A LOT of fans. Ignorance be damned!

Seriously though, there are some truly inspiring things that have happened in 2013...

16 year old Malala Yousafzai who stood up to the Taliban is now a leading pioneer in human rights.
A healthy royal baby boy was born. Welcome Prince George.
Batkid Miles Scott in San Francisco.
Laura Mae Davis found the diary of a man she loved in a World War II museum.
Barbara Garcia found her dog alive in the rubble after the Oklahoma tornado. Live on TV!
Those three Cleveland woman were found after missing for more than 10 years.
Pope Francis seems kinda cool.
The football players at Olivet Middle school forged a secret play so a teammate with learning disabilities could score a touch down.
5 year old leukemia patient, Miles Scott, got to play Batkid for a day.

But I don't want to belittle these stories by trying to write about them. I'll stick to what I know. Movies, pop culture and stuff.

So, 2013. Wow. It's been swell.

Thank you for the growth. Thank you for the challenges. Thank you for the surprise Beyonce album.

But I'm really looking forward to moving on and having a fantastic 2014.