And The Oscar Goes To.....

Tonight is Oscars night. It's the one night of the year when people tune into the show to see the stars, and what they're wearing. Sometimes I wish I had a friend that was a movie star. I would just like to talk with them to see what it was like.

It's red carpet night.

Most everybody I know have a regular job. It's not too exciting. You go to work, and you come home. Nobody ever asked me for an autograph. Actors do not have regular jobs. They work periodically as independent contractors making a film. They have plenty of time off, and make tons of money.

If I had a friend that was a movie star, I would probably want somebody that seemed like a normal guy like Tom Hanks or Mark Wahlberg. I don't think I could have a good conversation with people that seem "out there" like Johnny Depp or Uma Thurman.

But they will all be out tonight for the Academy Awards. This is the night we honor the best the film industry has produced last year. They don't always get it right. Great movies like Shawshank Redemption, Goodfellas, Raging Bull. and even Citizen Kane were all snubbed by the Academy.

Frances McDormand looks pretty normal.

I haven't seen all the movies up for nomination for Best Picture. Last year I saw a couple of films that I liked a lot, Hidden Figures and Lion. This year there is one I would recommend you seek out and watch. It's not about World War II (Dunkirk and the Darkest Hour), and it's not a science fiction re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, (The Shape of Water.). It's the story of a woman in a small town that's filled with rage over the murder of her daughter. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand). lives in the small town of Ebbing, Missouri. Seven months earlier, her daughter was raped, murdered, and burned. There have been no arrests in the murder investigation by the small local police force. This enrages Mildred who decides to take action. She buys advertising in the form of three billboards on a road just outside of town. They are simple billboards designed to bring attention to the unsolved murder, and inaction by the local police force.

This angers the local police force, as well as other members of the community. Woody Harrelson co-stars as the troubled Chief of the local PD. This movie appeals to me because it just seems so normal.

Most movies are set in extraordinary situations or with extraordinary people. But World War II was before I was born. Also, I've never met or seen any science fiction creature. (But I admit it would be a thrill to see Bigfoot!)

We have all at least driven through a small town like Ebbing, Missouri. Who among us has not known somebody that just can't get over the death of a family member. Who doesn't get frustrated with perceived inaction by the authorities sometime. The characters in this movie work normal jobs, they curse, and occasionally will say a funny line. Just like real life.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri actually reminds me of another movie Frances McDormand starred in: Fargo. That movie took place in winter in Minnesota. It featured normal people in normal jobs. But some with flawed characters. It took this normal setting and told a chilling story that turned into murder. Three Billboards does not get as violent as Fargo. But it does take seemingly normal people in a normal small town, and tell an extraordinary story.

I don't know if this picture will win Best Picture from the Academy. But I'll give it the Richy, from Hanging With Rich.

Here's the trailer.