Harry Dean Stanton was one of the greatest "character" actors of all-time. He found a perfect role in his penultimate big screen appearance.
Lucky (2017) is a portrait of a 90ish non-believer who, although in good health, is acutely aware of his finite existence and the possibility of the void that follows life. "I'm afraid," he says at one point. His daily routine is shown: at home, at a diner, in a store, at a bar, along the streets of his small southwestern town. It is slices of life that gradually reveal his character, mostly kind and civil, occasionally ornery. Two scenes stood out. He has a conversation with a fellow WWII vet, a stranger, who divulges images of the bloodbath that was Tarawa still vivid in his memory, as are Lucky's of his Navy service in the Pacific. At the birthday party of a ten-year-old, he surprises everyone by breaking into song
a cappella - Vicente Fernandez's
Volver, which, according to quora.com, is about the longing for the return of a lost love. He does it entirely in Spanish. Perhaps the only
gringo present, the others eventually sing along.
Lucky is a film by and full of "character" actors. The ubiquitous John Carroll Lynch directed, impressive in his first stint at the helm. Legendary director David Lynch has a role as quirky as those he has filmed. Tom Skerritt is outstanding as the ex-Marine. Ed Begley Jr., Ron Livingston, the prolific Beth Grant (220 titles listed at IMDb), Barry Shabaka Henley, and James Darren, dapper as ever in his first appearance since 2001, bring their considerable talents to the narrative. The screenplay was written by Logan Spark and Drago Sumanja. 8500+ users at IMDb have rated
Lucky, forging to a consensus of 7.4 on a scale of ten. It is slow-moving, geared to those who appreciate a character study. There will be one last film featuring Stanton. It is currently in post-production. I look forward to it. I say it again - it's a crime that he was never nominated for an Oscar.
From
Yahoo Sports, edited by yours truly: Peter Moylan, 39, was the losing pitcher in Atlanta’s 10-7 loss to Baltimore last night. Coming into the game, he'd logged 208 MLB appearances spanning eight seasons since taking a loss. He gave up three runs in the 15th inning. Only Trevor Miller, a journeyman left-hander who appeared in 694 career games, had a longer streak, 240 from 2006 to 2009. Kudos.
I blew it today in terms of the floating book shop. Anticipating rain, I eschewed my Saturday nook in the old neighborhood and, after completing chores, returned to Sheepshead Bay hoping to take advantage of the shelter provided by the scaffold at my regular nook. Unfortunately, there weren't any parking spots available. I waited a half hour and gave up. It has not rained as of 5:18 PM. I have a feeling of lost opportunity that won't go away until tomorrow's session, for which I will be well-rested. My thanks to Ipsos surveys, which sent me a ten buck Amazon gift certificate via email. I have $290 stored there, which I will use to purchase copies of my next novel, due in January.
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