Best Picture Winners: Terms of Endearment

I'm sure that a lot of women have a tumultuous relationship with their mothers, and this movie is no different. In fact, it is the epitome of that, in the case of Aurora and Emma, the mother and daughter of the movie in question.

That movie is Terms of Endearment, Best Picture of 1983, starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, and Jeff Daniels. It spans 30 years of their relationship as Emma gets married and has her own life, she always talks to her mother and Aurora can be very difficult, but she just cares so passionately that it can be overwhelming. 

We see Emma (played by Debra Winger) go through marital problems with her husband Flap (Jeff Daniels) and thinking that he is cheating, so she becomes close with Sam Burns (played by John Lithgow) only to find out that her husband is actually not doing anything. 

So as the movie goes on, we just see Aurora and Garrett (who is the next door neighbor played by Nicholson) start a relationship and while he is someone who isn't really the commitment type, he commits to Aurora and is there for her when Emma is in the hopsital with cancer. Who ends up dying and Flap says that Aurora can take care of the kids. 

In the end, while it is sad because she dies, we see the joy and the love for Emma and for the family shown in different ways. That is what makes the movie so special I think. 

Best Picture Winners: Driving Miss Daisy

When we think of an unlikely pairing, what comes to mind? I don't think a 72 year old Jewish woman and a 60 year old colored man, would be our first thought. Well, that is the pairing in this movie, which won Best Picture of 1989. 

The name is Driving Miss Daisy and it stars Jessica Tandy as Daisy, Morgan Freeman as her kind chauffeur Hoke and Dan Aykroyd as her son Boolie. 

Daisy is very stubborn and when she isn't able to drive anymore, her son hires a driver, Hoke and during this time, the 1950s, blacks did this kind of work. So Hoke tries to help out around the house, but Daisy won't have it, but eventually she lets him drive her to where she needs to go. The film spans about a 20 year period from 1948 to about 1967 or 68, so we see how their friendship grows and changes through the years. 

What I like most about the movie was the fact that this woman didn't really treat Hoke the best at first, but he was always gracious and kind and he never gave up and I think if more people were like that, this world would be a better place. In a time, when race relations were a big issue and blacks weren't that excepted, this shows that you can find friendship and kindness in just about anyone. I think this was deserving of the Best Picture award and I would give the movie a 4 out of 5. :)

Time After Time

When I think of the title "Time After Time" I'm reminded of the 80's song sung by the eccentric Cyndi Lauper. However, the movie of the same name is about H.G. Wells and his time machine that uses to go after Jack the Ripper. 

The year is 1893 and H.G. Wells is talking with his buddies, one of whom is Stevenson (played by the amazing David Warner) about his predictions for the future and then finding out that Stevenson was Jack the Ripper and took the time machine, using it to go to 1979. So Wells gets in the time machine and follows him to the future. When he gets there he discovers that it is not the Utopia he predicted. However, he meets a woman named Amy (played by Mary Steenburgen) and they both try to search for Jack the Ripper. While Wells is after Jack, Jack is after Wells to obtain a master key to the machine. He continues his murderous ways and will stop at nothing to achieve his desires which puts Amy in danger. 

What I liked about the movie is that it deals with time travel and that is always interesting and fun for me. Also, how it was Jack the Ripper that was the villain of the story and he went by Stevenson, I liked that 'Jack the Ripper' aspect because I think it mirrored a lot of what is going on in the present just like what was going on in 1979. Overall, I would give this movie a 4 out of 5.