Film and Theater by Don Gibble — February — 2020
First of all, I want to send out my prayers to Kobe Bryant's family. Way too young. He touched the hearts of so many people. This weekend is the Oscars and since he won an Oscar two years ago I'm hoping he's acknowledged in some way.
Every year I give you my Oscar predictions and for the last four years I've been 100% right, so if you go to an Oscar party, remember my choices.
Best Picture will be “1917”. I would like “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” to win because, believe it or not, Quentin Tarantino has never had a film win Best Picture.
Best Director will be Sam Mendes for “1917”. Again, I would like Quentin to win because he has never won for Best Director. He has won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay twice for “Django Unchained” and “Pulp Fiction”. He will probably win a third this year.
Best Actresswill be Renee Zellweger for “Judy”. If you still have the October issue of the Sonoma County Gazette you will see in my column that I predicted Renee would win for Best Actress and Joaquin Phoenix would win Best Actor for his amazing performance in “Joker”. Laura Dern will win best Supporting Actress for “Marriage Story” and Brad Pitt will finally win an acting Oscar for Best Supporting for “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood”.
If you don't have plans for Oscar Sunday then come to Mountain Mike's pizza in Rohnert Park to help raise money for the Boys and Girls Club in Sonoma County. There will be a Joker and Judy Garland costume contest and signature drinks honoring “Judy” and “Joker”. Party starts at 5pm and try their delicious ice cream. One of the raffle prizes is lunch with Debbie Abrams from KZST. If you have ever wanted to meet her, this is your chance! (The Oscars 2020 will return to ABC LIVE OSCAR SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9 8e/5p.)
Opening this weekend at a local theater near you is “Birds of Prey” starring Margot Robbie. After splitting up with the Joker, Harley Quinn and other female superheroes Black Canary and Huntress come together to save the life of a little girl from an evil crime lord.
Opening February 14th is “Fantasy Island” starring Michael Pena. This is the remake of the iconic 1970s show. Mr. Roarke invites guests to his exclusive island resort to fulfill their fantasies but they can only choose one.
Opening February 21st is “The Call of the Wild” starring Harrison Ford. This is the adaptation of the beloved novel where John Thornton whose dog, Buck, becomes the rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team.
Opening February 28th is “The Invisible Man” starring Elisabeth Moss. Moss stars in this terrifying modern tale of obsession inspired by Universal's classic monster character. She plays a woman who tries to flee her abusive, controlling husband, only to end up being haunted by him when he suddenly kills himself. If you haven't noticed, Reading Theater in Rohnert Park has lowered their price of admission to $8.50 to all showings. That's a nice surprise because theater usually raise their prices, not lower them. Also, unlimited popcorn to $6.00 and they have a new menu which includes a delicious pizza.
For my live theater fans there is “A View From The Bridge” by Arthur Miller at the 6th Street Playhouse. Closes February 16th. Call 707 523 4185 for more information. Fans of Harry Potter will be happy to know that “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is still running at the Curran Theater in San Francisco. Call 415 358 1220 for more information. Emaildongibblecast@hotmail.com with any film and theater questions.
Have a Happy Valentine's Day!
IMAGE of Kobe Bryant by Gamerscore Blog from USA - IMG_8984, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4434803
