Add Brian Williams to the List

There are a few people who, when they appear on any of the late night talk shows, are must see. When I find out they are to be on Dave or Fallon if I am not able to be up I make sure to set up a Tivo recording.

On that list for me are Bill Murray, Bill Cosby, Micheal J Fox, Regis Philbin and Jungle Jack Hanna. There are others who from time to time become something you must see, these folks are people that no matter what they are promoting, or even not promoting, you must see the show.

Brian Williams now must be added the list. He is intelligent on any subject and is remarkably funny. On tonight's David Letterman show Williams did his Regis impression and it, incredibly, it is dead on. As Dave and he talked about the unfortunate incident that Al Roker has been all over the news discussing recently he made this quip " That hasn't happened in the West Wing since Nixon found out he had to release the tapes." Pretty clever stuff.

One of my favorite people: Brian Williams

Tom Hanks on Jimmy Fallon Last Night

Some people are funny no matter what they do. Tom Hanks appeared on Jimmy Fallon last night. Hanks has been everywhere lately. Making a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, working the phones on Jon Stewart's autism benefit, and then last night appeared on Fallon last night.

There might not be two more likable people in entertainment than Jimmy Fallon and Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks, now Hollywood Royalty, never seems to forget that he is the same person that we first saw on Bosom Buddies, or if you dig deep as the alcoholic uncle of Alex P Keaton on Family Ties.

Last night Hanks did a slam poem about the nineties sitcom Full House and as funny as that was the real highlight was just the stories he told while visiting with Jimmy. Telling the story of Jimmy's desire to appear on the Hanks HBO Miniseries Band of Brothers, and another story of Hanks almost playing guitar for Bruce Springsteen Hanks is just naturally funny. His ability to laugh at himself, combined with Fallon's constant joy in whatever he is doing made this fantastic television.

I watch a good deal of late night television. Only a few people are must see, Tom Hanks and Bill Murray are two of them. Hanks showed us why last night.

Groundhog Day

This weekend in an effort to find a movie that both the adults and the kids could watch we dug up Groundhog Day on Netflix streaming.

Having seen the movie multiple times before I was multi tasking for much of the first half of the film I was pleasantly surprised to hear laughter from my children. Not the churlish, pre ordained laughter you hear at things that are supposed to be funny, but real laughter from something with no hidden agenda or double meaning other than good comedy, some physical, some not.

Bill Murray is a master and while this movie was strictly a comedic role it was not so slapstick as some of his previous roles and so provided a small bridge to the outstanding more varied roles that were to follow.

Phil Connor is the weatherman at a local station in Philadelphia and as tomorrow is February 2nd he gets himself ready to go to Punxsutawny to observe the seasonal Groundhog festival. Phil's is joined by his Cameraman, Chris Elliott, and the segment producer named Rita played by Andie MacDowell.

MacDowell was at this time just making the change from modeling to actor and is surprisingly good in the role. Perhaps it is because her beauty is not the traditional blonde bombshell but a little less easily defined, dark haired and all cheekbones. One can just see her splashing her face with water in a Noxzema commercial. Maybe she actually did that?

After getting through the broadcast Phil is dismayed to learn that he and the crew are trapped by a snowstorm, that he did not predict. Much to his chagrin they stay over and the next morning he awakes at six a.m. to the same song as February 2nd, I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher. As he brushes his teeth and performs his morning rituals he notices that the radio hosts patter is the same as the day before. When it being Groundhog Day is mentioned Phil looks out the window and is aghast to see the town crowded with tourists and no signs of a snowstorm.

Phil is confused but with a couple of days he realizes that he is stuck inside a time loop. How Phil deals with this problem and learns to use it to his advantage in an effort to improve his relationship makes for a movie that while it is quite obvious in some places actually has more nuance than one would expect for a film of this type.

Murray is stupendous in the role, one cannot say enough good things about his performance as the car salesman like greasy weatherman with all the accompanying personality traits one expects but with, of course, a heart of gold under that exterior. Rita is earnest and finds herself more and more attracted to Phil and makes one wonder how well any of us would do if they could get a do over on any situation that did not work out as planned.

Directed by Murray's Ghostbusters pal Harold Ramis this movie is a winner. It also has been off the beaten path for enough time that your teenagers, like mine, might find it original and funny.

Moonrise Kingdom

I had heard a great deal of buzz about this movie through the early parts of the summer but it was not until August that it arrived at our theater. With Wes Anderson as the director and with a stellar cast one was instantly curious about what this simple movie could have to bring such a group together.

The movie set in the mid sixties is about a young boy, 12 or 13, who goes to summer camp, is unpopular, runs away with a local girl he has met, and all that happens as a result of this.

Jared Gilman plays Sam Shakusky an orphan boy who returns for a second year to Camp Khaki s summer camp in New England. The camp's Scoutmaster is Randy Ward, played by Edward Norton. Scoutmaster Ward's real job is as a math teacher but he considers scouting his real calling and takes it very seriously. It is a hoot to see, as he makes his inspections of the camp and scouts, the scout-leader smoking. Different times indeed.

Kara Hayward plays Suzy Bishop. Hayward makes her first movie appearance, she won an open casting call for the role in Massachusetts. Hayward is a member of Mensa and has said that her IQ rates in the highly exceptional range. One guesses she had no trouble remembering her lines.

She is unsettling in her role, with heavy eye shadow like a girl trying to be a woman, and yet bringing her cat when they run away, complete with cans of cat food, and her favorite books. As they seek to get to their idyllic runaway spot, which they name Moonrise Kingdom, she is seen carrying her heavy clunky suitcase.

The cast is exceptional. Truly. Bruce Willis plays the local police captain. Harvey Keitel plays the Commodore of all the khaki scouts on the island. Frances McDormand of Fargo fame plays Suzy's Mom and Bill Murray plays her Dad.

This is a top notch cast and this is a sweet movie. Cute, innocent, heartfelt, escapism is as good a description as one can give. This movie is worth all the buzz.

A final note. It might be time to accept what a treasure we have in Bill Murray. Hard to believe that this man who played on Saturday Night Live in all it's over the top, raucous glory, could be the same actor who can play an understated role such as this in a way that makes it hard to remember how over the top he can be. He is however. Murray with his late night visits, usually in preposterous costume or character, to David Letterman are must see television has reached the point where he does exactly what he wants and only what he wants. I remember hearing a story about he came to take a certain role and the screenwriter described that Murray never answers his phone and one must follow this process of leaving and relaying messages and hoping for the best. Still, once in a role, Murray might be the most underrated actor we have.

Before this movie I saw a preview for the upcoming movie Hyde Park on the Hudson in which Murray will play a Presidential Franklin Roosevelt. Based on the previews he appears to nail it in a way that might be award winning. It is shaping up to be a great year for one who is fast becoming a treasure for his eclectic choices of where to use his enormous talent.

The Return of Ron Burgandy?

For those of you reading this and who understand the significance of the question mark it is very likely that the news has found it's way to you already today. Last night on Conan O' Brien Ron Burgundy made a surprise announcement that a new movie will be released telling more of his life story.

Yes it is true. Will Ferrell, appearing as possibly his biggest character, Anchorman Ron Burgandy made a guest appearance with Conan last night. Playing his flute as he entered Burgandy wasted no time advisng Conan that he " looked awful " and looked like someone stuck " an orange wig on a skeleton."

As funny as that was we soon learned the real reason for the visit. Later this year the sequel will begin filming with a planned 2013 release. Sequels usually are not as good as the original. This movie however will have one thing going for it. Having such a cult following the movie has grown to have a large fan-base that the opening alone is all but guaranteed to be huge.

Ferrell is incredibly funny. He has, apparently no limits to what he will do for a laugh. Physical comedy is a specialty but Ferrell also does imitations, stereotypes and political humor. He has become what I call a big event comedian. His visits to a late night show are, for example, not ones to miss. Like Bill Murray on Letterman, Ferrell on Conan is a cannot miss. Who will ever forget his appearance as a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band leader on the last Conan episode at The Tonight Show.

Look forward to the movie and anytime you need a laugh check out Ferrell's website Funny or Die. You will always find something worth a laugh out loud.

The return of Ron Burgandy? One more reason for us all to love lamp.

Lost in Translation

We visited my wife's Mom tonight. She is surely not your stereotypical mother-in-law. She is a wonderful lady who I love dearly. She showed us a movie she had got from Netflix by accident. Of course I am not sure how it got into her list by accident but she is technologically challenged like me only amplified by twenty years.

So now that we had the movie she asked us to watch it with her and I was fine with that. I had heard much of the movie which was up for multiple awards in 2003. Bill Murray, as funny as he is, is also just absurd enough to pull off this role. Scarlet Johannsen, 18 at the time, is a picture of attractiveness and vulnerability. Sofia Coppola directed this movie and won the Oscar for screnplay.

The story explores issues of loneliness and alienation. Murray an aging actor has agreed to do a Japanese liquor commercial for two million dollars. Scarlet plays a young woman, married to a celebrity photographer who is questioning who she is and essentially what she wants to be.

Through a chance meeting the two become odd acquantences and exerience a week of ever growing closeness but never pull the trigger on sex.

The folks I watched the move with did not like it. It was slow moving and not quite Oscar worthy by my standards either. Still Murray is a great actor, his character was deep and his attempts to treat this attractive girl with respect while keeping his own mid life crisis at bay.

An interesting movie.