Reviewing the Drama: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Ballet, Movies, and TV Reviews

The winners for the 89th Academy Awards have been announced and honored. Herein, the full list of winners. (Winners are notated with an asterisk, and are in bold typeface.) Best Picture Arrival Fences Hacksaw Ridge Hell or High Water Hidden Figures La La Land Lion Manchester by the Sea Moonlight * Maybe the best moment and surprise of the night, the right movie actually won! And you know that "There's been a mistake. Moonlight , you guys won Best Picture," will be not only be remembered for years to come, but will also be part of the Oscars promo next year with a tagline like, "It's live. Anything can happen." Actor in a Leading Role Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea* Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge Ryan Gosling, La La Land Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic Denzel Washington, Fences Actress in a Leading Role Isabelle Huppert, Elle Ruth Negga, Loving Natalie Portman, Jackie Emma Stone, La La Land * Meryl Streep, Florence F...

I really liked this movie. On the surface, this might strike you as an alien movie, but Ripley doesn't have a gun. Instead, our heroine is armed with a brain and the ability to learn and communicate. The always impressive Amy Adams ( The Fighter , Nocturnal Animals ) plays cunning linguist Louise, who, when alien objects touch down in 12 places across the globe, is enlisted by the military to try to figure out what their purpose on earth is. (By the way, Adams is fearless in this unglamorous role.)  Louise joins a team of military men, led by Colonel Weber ( Forest Whitaker ) and Agent Halpern ( Michael Stuhlbarg ), and scientists, including theoretical physicist, Ian ( Jeremy Renner ), who are all trying to save human kind. Written by Eric Heisserer (based on the Ted Chiang story, "Story of Your Life") and directed by Denis Villeneuve ( Enemy ), the story is interspersed with flashes of Louise's home life, which includes daughter Hannah. As the movie contin...