Crazy Heart a good, solid film

I don’t know what I was expecting when I went to see Crazy Heart yesterday, but I was certainly touched and moved by the story.  The film stars Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake, a washed up country singer / songwriter who now plays gigs in bars and bowling alleys.  At a gig in Santa Fe, he meets Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), an aspiring young reporter who knows quite a bit about him.  Although he is easily old enough to be her father, and usually sleeps with a different woman every night, the two form an almost instant attraction and soon become involved.  And no, there is no cheating.  That would be too easy. Jean has a four year old son, though, (the adorable Jack Nation) and she doesn’t want to fall in with another bad guy.    She tries to start slow with their involvement, but after Bad falls asleep at the wheel, she brings him into her home to take care of him and things begin to really heat up.  She does have one rule: don’t drink in front of her son.  Easier said than done for Bad, who is an alcoholic.
I won’t spoil anything further, as there are a few twists, and the plot is not quite predictable.  Full of great, old style country music, the film itself is a character.  Lovable, yes, but hopelessly flawed.  And despite the best of intentions, things won’t always go right.  But there are plenty of charming things in this story, not just depression.  Colin Farrell shows up as Bad’s former protege, now a superstar.  Though he has far surpassed his mentor, he clearly still looks up to Bad, and wants to do right by him.  Robert Duvall plays Wayne, Bad’s best friend, a bartender.  When Bad is at home, he plays at Wayne’s place.  With these guys behind Bad, you know immediately that no matter what he does, deep down he’s a good guy deserving of love and friendship.
I highly recommend this film.  Although I couldn’t call everything in it original, it didn’t fall into the expected traps, had something to say, and definitely invoked a few emotions before the end credits roll.  Bridges and Gyllenhaal are both up for Oscars for their roles, deservedly so, and one of the songs is also nominated.  The song and Bridges already won their categories at The Golden Globes, and the movie has plenty of other nominations and wins already.  Let’s hope it gets a couple more.

We Are the World: 2010 Olympics open tonight, with Stephen Colbert

    Many people await the Olympics with great anticipation, and this year is no exception.  Every four years athletes gather to compete in the Winter Games (and in between, Summer Games), and the 2010 event has arrived.  The nearly two week contest will start with an opening ceremony, airing tonight at 7:30pm on NBC (in Lexington, WLEX, airing on channel 8 (antenna), 382 (satellite), and 906 (high def cable).  Details about the opening are kept mostly under wraps, but considering the awesome spectacle China hosted two years ago for the summer games, surely it will attempt to top that.


     One thing that will be part of the opening ceremony will be the premiere of the new version of "We Are the World".  Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, who organized the original, along with the late Michael Jackson, have done it again with a whole new batch of celebrities.  Janet Jackson, Michael's sister, took Michael's part, and the celebrities participating in the remake include Barbra Streisand, Randy Jackson, Kanye West, Usher, Jason Mraz, Tony Bennett, Jeff Bridges, Katherine McPhee, Celine Dion, Vince Vaughn, and many, many more worth mentioning, but I won't for the sake of brevity.  The song will benefit the earthquake victims in Haiti.

     Many events will be feature the next two weeks including figure skating, cross country skiing, luge, bobsledding, hockey, curling, and speed skating.  The last has gotten much attention recently, as they lost their lead sponsor, and Stephen Colbert and his Colbert Nation stepped in to save them.  The host will be joining the team, and filming episodes the air beginning February 22nd.  He also graced the Olympic Preview edition of Sports Illustrated recently.

     This year's event takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Portions of many events will air on NBC and their various affiliated channels, so check your listings for times.  Many events air in the middle of the night.  Other footage will be posted on their web site.