Is This the Way We Make Decisions?

Just imagine if every truly important decision in our country was decided the way we select presidential candidates. 

First, we would have to get a bunch of rural, nearly entirely white Iowans together to stand in groups, then after a first count, reshuffle and be counted again -- apparently by people who can't count.  Then we would go to New Hampshire, where once again a group of nearly entirely white, rural citizens would vote.  Only then,  if both Iowa and New Hampshire approve, could we move forward.

This means that no one who lives in a true urban area would have a say.   Des Moines with a population just over 217,000  is the only city in either state with a population above 200,000.  There are only two other cities in Iowa (Cedar Rapids, 132,000; Davenport, 102,000) and only a single city in New Hampshire (Manchester, 109,000) with a population over 100,000. 

Minorities would have no real say.  Iowa's black population is 3.5 percent.  New Hampshire's black population is a miniscule 1.1 percent.

We as a nation would not tolerate such a decision-making system for anything that would impact our lives in even the smallest fashion.  Yet that is how we are choosing the candidates to run for the most powerful office in the world.

Unless you're Mike Bloomberg with more money than God, a candidate must win or come close in Iowa or New Hampshire, or they are done.  Even Joe Biden, with a resume that includes with 36 years in the U.S. Senate and 8 years as Vice President, is being counted out if he doesn't finish in the top two in New Hampshire after finishing fourth in Iowa.

This is NOT the way to choose the future of the United States.

Travel back in time with me to: PSYCHO

Put yourself back in 1960. 

You don't know anything about the movie except the preview at last week's show, and the big poster in the lobby warning that no one will be admitted after the movie starts. 

After all, it's Hitchcock. 

You think "This will be a great date movie. Maryann will squeal and snuggle up close during the scary parts." So you head off the the Rivoli on a Saturday night. There you sit, about halfway through the movie -- and nothing much has happened. A bit boring, really. The blonde main character (Janet Leigh) is now facing up to the fact that she took the money, and is ready to head back home and face the consequences. She just needs to "freshen up a bit" and get a good night's sleep. 

Then she's steps into the shower. 

Oooh, maybe this is going to get good, especially with my arm sneaking over Maryann's shoulder. Then . . .

SHIT ! ! ! 

There's a knife. And that noise! Oh, shit, she's getting stabbed. I mean, that doesn't look like fake movie stuff. It looks like she's really getting stabbed.

Oh my god, she's naked!  And there's blood! And that noise! And she's still getting stabbed. Oh shit.

Wait. She's dead. She's the star of the movie and she's dead! What the hell? The star of the movie is laying there naked in a shower. And she's dead. 

Then you hear the weird guy that runs the motel: "Oh mother! What have you done?"

In that instant, everything you ever knew about movies is turned upside down. 

You forget all about Maryann, who is sitting there with her mouth hanging open and her fingernails drawing blood on your forearm. You're mouth is hanging open, too. Your hands are gripping the arm of the seat as hard as Maryann is clawing at your arm. The popcorn from the bag you were sharing is scattered on the floor. 

And although you don't know it yet, there's more to come. Things you can't even imagine. Things you've never even heard of.  

By the time the screeching violins and slashing knife have played out, by the time the chair turns to one more chorus of piercing screams and flying popcorn, you are exhausted.

When it's all done, there's no more thought of how far you can get with Maryann.  All you want is to somehow look manly while you drink your cherry Coke -- even you had to check to make sure you didn't pee your pants.

September 11 -- A HARD RAIN FELL

The following is an article I wrote only days after the September 11, 2001 attack. It is made up of email posts from an email group of solo and small firm lawyers from around the country.  It starts with normal business day posts, but the world quickly changes.  More than anything I've read, it captures the shock, the immediacy, the helplessness, and finally the call to help of that day which we cannot forget.

On the 17th anniversary, I thought I would offer it so that we can all remember.

September 11 – A Hard Rain Fell

By Stephen M. Terrell, 

9-11 South Tower, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The morning of September ll started as a bright and beautiful late summer day across Indiana. As I do every morning, I took my dogs for a walk, planning my day, thinking about phone calls to make and letters to write. I returned home to get ready for work - help my daughter on to her school bus -take a quick look at the news while I dressed.

Then at 7:48 everything changed. We changed. America changed.

Solosez is the ABA-sponsored e-mail list of solo and small firm lawyers. It is an electronic community of more than 900 lawyers - helping each other with legal questions, sharing jokes, bickering over politics.

Like all America, Solosez started September ll as other days - postings about bankruptcies, products liability, divorce. But after 7:48, the messages changed. Those messages intimately record the shock, fears, concerns and grief of a nation.

Bankruptcy question - You have about about two weeks after the discharge until the case is closed. – Sheryl Cramer, Lawton, OK

Subject: Ford recall - Does anyone have any case law about Ford recalling faulty starters? - Jean Moyer

World Trade Center Attack - I am hearing reports that there has been another terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. - Patrick W Begos, New York

Go to cnn.com or msnbc.com or any news site you can get to. Two jets have crashed into the World Trade Center - one on each tower. There are gaping holes in both buildings and flames are shooting out. It’s a horrible scene. I was watching it on the Today Show. A 737 veered into the second tower. Absolutely horrible. I can’t believe I just saw this happen. - Ross Kodner, Milwaukee

It has also just been reported that another hijacked airliner has also just crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC! !  - Alan Pearlman, Chicago

I just passed by the site on the way to my office. There was mass confusion, running and screaming in the streets while flames were shooting out of one of the towers. My office shook as the second explosion hit. - Joseph Handlin, New York City

The entire southern tip of Manhattan is now covered with smoke or dust from debris as one of the towers may have collapsed. This is bad, very bad. I have friends near the towers and in the Pentagon. - Ed Lawson

I could see the smoke from the Pentagon from the US Dept of Transportation building several miles away in SW DC. - Joel R Bennett, Washington, DC

I am two blocks from the White House .... they are evacuating it...sirens all over town. - Reid Trautz, Washington DC

Reid, there were earlier reports on NBC of a fire at the OLD EOB across the street from the White House. Is that happening? Get the hell out of there! - Sterling L. DeRamus

NBC showed footage that clearly showed the top 1/3 or 1/ 2 of the second tower has completely collapsed. It’s completely gone. - Ross Kodner, Milwaukee

In NYC the UN has been evacuated. I am no longer receiving TV signals except for CBS and through Cable. - Christina Kallas, New York City

Let’s all say a prayer for both the victims and those who must go in harm’s way to rescue survivors and contain the hazards. - Jeffrey Allen McCann, Pensacola

My Associate has come into my room in floods of tears saying the Twin Towers have been demolished by a plane flying into them and Pentagon is on fire. As an expatriate I am just feeling very far away today. This is so upsetting. What is going on? - Valerie Macadam, Edinburgh, Scotland

ln Houston: Chase Tower evacuated, Enron Building evacuated, and Reliant Tower is to be evacuated next. - Arlen M. Driscoll, Houston

Upstate New York District Courts are all closing or closed.  I haven’t felt like this since JFK was assassinated, but this is so much larger. - Marion Chase Pacheco, Syracuse

As for Chicago, The Daley Civic Center closed, all suburban courthouses closed, Sears Tower closed. Mass Exodus from the downtown loop back to everyone’s homes !- Alan Pearlman, Chicago

Baltimore Metro Area: Roads leading into and out of the city being closed. Federal Building being evacuated. This is surreal. - Eleanor Naiman, Baltimore

Lots of AW/\C’s seen in the sky over Oklahoma City. State offices have been shut down. My Mom called and told me to go home. - Melissa A. Shomben Oklahoma City, OK

My daughter lives in Brooklyn and drives to work through lower Manhattan. She called that she made it to work and was safe. She had seen both crashes into the WTC and the collapses which have traumatized her. - Dick Howland, New York

My former firm, Thacher Proffitt & Wood, had its offices at 2 WTC. I shudder to think how many people I know and worked with died today. - Christina Kallas, New York City

Everyone is in a state of disbelief and worrying about friends and family who are stateside. I personally have dealings with several attorneys at Hill Betts and Nash in the World Trade Center, and l fear that I will not see them again. Go home and hug your loved ones. - Andy Simpson, Christiansted, U. S. Virgin Islands

The office upstairs represent pilots and flight crews. They knew several people on the planes that went down from Boston, I had friends working next door to the Trade Center and a partner had two relatives working in the Trade Center. Maybe just too close. - Ed Lawson

“I shudder to think how many people I know and worked with died today. ” My church has scheduled a prayer service at noon today. I suggest everyone with a religious bent take a moment or two today to pray for the victims of this atrocity and for peace. - Charles Kelley

Colleen - Are you okay? I don’t know where your office is. . Let us know that you are okay. - Saundra M. Gamerove,

Has anyone heard from J ay Fleishman? He has an office in the WTC area. - Colleen Samuels, New York City

Colleen (and everyone else):- I as well as my entire office staff are alive and well. We are, of course, not in business right now and l don’t know when we will be. – Jay Fleischman, New York City

I went to the hardware store - where they had run out of flags this morning but had since restocked. Now my new flag is flying. God bless America. - Jimmy L. Vernet; Jr,

Dallas, Texas

I am blocking out Friday afternoon to donate blood. I have also made a donation to the American Red Cross. I urge everyone to do the same. I am going to take my daughters to the park now. I need to watch them play for a while - Neal A. Kennedy, Marble Falls, Texas

I am a social worker as well as an attorney. Due to the downed telephone lines I am unable to reach anyone in NY If any organization needs someone for crisis counseling or any other help, please let me know. - Colleen Samuels, New York City

Well, I waited for SIX HOURS, but one pint of my finest blood is now sitting at the local Red Cross center. – Sasha Golden, Needham, MA

In the weeks to come, the people of NYC will be inundated with forms they will need to fill out. There will be insurance forms, FEMA fomis, SBA small business loan. Let’s send a busload or two of volunteers to NYC to help with these forms. - Frank J. Kautz, II, Boston

There will be an awful lot of New York lawyers who need fast advice and help on how to get their practices going again from a technology perspective. 1 will happily offer my consulting services at no charge. - Ross Kodner, Milwaukee

Washington Rock - General George Washington stood there 225 years ago while the county was under attack and lookedacross to Manhattan. He saw the British coming. Standing there today, looking across the river, seeing the void in theskyline, showed the work of another enemy. lt was chilling. - John R. Parker; Flemington, NJ

I can’t help but keep remembering, over and over, how wonderfully quiet and peaceful Washington, D.C., was when I was there last November. Are those times all behind us now? - Gena Holmes

I ask you to join me - Let there be abundant peace from heaven, And life’s goodness for us and for all humanity. He who ordains the order of the universe Will mercifully

bring peace To us and to all humanity. Let us say: Amen - Jay Goldenberg

Jay, thanks for reminding me that even at the most awful of times, our prayer is for peace. Susan Freiman

On the street, I could see that WTC One was burning from its upper stories; curlicues of paper were floating down, glittering in the light, I saw people running past, some of them crying, as I stood immobilized, watching the flames. Then there was an explosion, and fragments of glass rained down on my head. I saw a huge hole in the roof of a building two blocks from World Trade Center. I began running away from the burning buildings, wondering what would blow up next. I started to walk, looking back over my shoulder repeatedly at the burning towers. Someone behind me shouted, “There are people jumpingl” and I turned to see a black dot, almost certainly a human dot, fall from the top of a tower. A few minutes after I got home I was watching live coverage on CNN as World Trade Center 2 collapsed, then building 1 a few minutes later. I thought of words of a Bob Dylan song:

I 've stepped in the miclclle of seven sad forests,

I ’ve been out in #ont of a dozen dead oceans,

I 've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,

And its a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

The glass I picked out of my hair an hour later was a hard rain.  - Jonathan Wallace

DEADBEAT Tickets ON SALE NOW !

Tickets for are now available online for  DEADBEAT, the innovative one-act psychological murder mystery written and produced by Speed City Chapter of the National Sisters In Crime.  

Director Deborah Assante

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and adults, with a $1 per ticket service fee for online orders.  To Order your tickets NOW, click this link:  TICKETS TO DEADBEAT

Deadbeat will have six performances between August 16 and 26 at the 100-seat Basille Fringe Theater, 719 E St Clair St, Indianapolis, IN 46202.  Deadbeat is part of the nationally-recognized Indy FringeFest.  

“It’s going to be the adult show to see, said Deborah Asante, the award-winning director of the play. The play features an experienced professional cast: Gabrielle Patterson (Abigail), Alicia Simms (Celeste) and Zach Hyatt (Matt).

Deadbeat is the first project of its kind for any chapter of the national Sisters in Crime organization. The Play was a group project written by Speed City Chapter members with guidance from noted playwright and chapter member C.V. Rhodes. 

Cast Gabrielle Patterson, Alicia Sims & Zach Hyatt

DEADBEAT six performance schedule is:  

THURSDAY             AUGUST 16      9:00 P.M.
SATURDAY             AUGUST 18      9:00 P.M.
MONDAY                AUGUST 20      9:00 P.M.
THURSDAY            AUGUST 23      7:30 P.M.
FRIDAY                   AUGUST 24      6:00 P.M.
SUNDAY                 AUGUST 26      7:30 P.M.

Hiding History Isn't the Answer; Removing Klan Images from Indiana Mural Is Disservice to Future

Sometimes people just don't think. They become so wrapped up in the sloganeering of the times that they really don't look at the consequences and meaning of what they are spouting.

Panel 10 of Thomas Hart Benton's  Indiana Mural.  Ku Klux Klan which dominated Indiana politics in early 1920s, 

is shown marching in upper right. In foreground, a white hospital nurse cares for a sick black child.

A misguided group at Indiana University is chirping about the KKK image that is on one of the 22 panels in Thomas Hart Benton's magnificent 250-foot "Indiana Mural" which now hangs at the I.U. Auditorium and the Little Theater, as well as Woodburn Hall on the Bloomington Campus. 

First and foremost, this is NOT a tribute to the Klan. 

Read a little history and its amazing what you can find out.  Despite not being a Hoosier, Thomas Hart Benton was hired by the State to do the Indiana Murals for display at the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair.  He traveled the state and studied its history for a year before creating this spectacular piece of art showing Indiana's heritage.  

The mural was not without controversy at the time -- including protests about the images of the Klan in the upper corner of panel No. 10, which some felt portrayed the entire state as racists.  But others also objected to the image of striking industrial workers carrying signs that stated:  "“Workers-Why vote the rich man’s ticket?” claiming it was depicting socialism.

Despite complaints, the image stayed as created by the artist.  Benton viewed his task as displaying the full history of the State, not just the "Chamber of Commerce" view. 

After the World's Fair closed,  the mural was packed away in storage at the State Fair Grounds. But visionary IU President Herman B. Wells knew the value of Benton's mural.  He convinced Governor  Cliff Townsend to make the mural available to I.U. for its new auditorium.  In 1940, 7 years after it was last seen in public, Benton himself supervised the placement of the mural at I.U., where it has been displayed ever since.

It is one thing to take down monuments to hatred. It is quite another to attempt to sanitise and wipe clean our past.  Those who would wipe out a portion of Benton's magnificent work are of the same mentality that wants to change the name of "Nigger Jim" in Huckleberry Finn, or strip bookshelfs of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, or Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, J.D Salinger's Catcher in the Rye or Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.  

Klan rule of Indiana in the 1920s was a shameful part of our history.  The only thing worst would be to blot it out as if it never happened.  As George Santayana famously said, ""Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it" 

101st Indy 500: Who Will Win

As last year showed when rookie Alexander Rossi won on a daring fuel strategy, picking a winner of
the Indianapolis 500 is at best, educated throwing a dart on the wall. This year, with maybe 20 drivers or more having a legitimate chance to win, it really does ultimately come down to a guess.

But there are some points to consider:  First, Hondas are faster than Chevys, no question. They just pull more speed down the straights. But that difference will probably even out a bit during actual racing. 

Second, Hondas this season are having real engine reliability problems. Blown engines almost disappeared from Indycar racing the past decade. But Honda's new engine seems to have brought them back. There have been several engine failures already in the Indycar season, and five failures this month at Indy.

Third, Don't count out Team Penske despite not running the fastest so far this month. They know how to win.

So here is my list.

TIER ONE  

(Most likely to be in Victory Lane:

Scott Dixon -- Speed, top team, and if anyone can make the Honda engine last, it is Dixon
Ryan Hunter-Raey -- Experienced, aggressive and should have won last year if not for pit road accident.
Helio Castroneves -- Still racy and knows how to win at Indy.
Will Power -- Despite lack of speed in qualifying, Penske will be there, and Power is the fastest of the Penske cars

TIER TWO  

(Just a bit below Tier One, but still among the class of the field)

Ed Carpenter -- Local hero has speed and knows how to race at the Speedway, but somehow he seems to get caught up in incidents in the last part of the race.
Josef Newgarden -- Great young driver, now driving for Penske. Reliability of Chevy & expertise of Penske
Simon Pagenaud --  Quick, experience and smooth.
Juan Montoya  -- He's been quiet and has something to prove after losing his full-time ride at Penske)
J.R. Hildebrand -- If Indy owes anyone a win, it's J.R.   Maybe a surprise to some that I would have him this high, but he is quietly fast, driving for the Carpenter team that has gotten the speed out of the reliable Chevys. He isn't a dark horse anymore.

TIER THREE  

(Solid contenders. No surprise if one of these drivers win).

This list largely is filled with Andretti team Hondas. Some will finish, but I'm not confident that all of the Hondas will finish.

Fernando Alonzo -- The F-1 champion has taken to Indy like he grew up on 16th Street
Marco Andretti -- Indy owes the Andretti family one, but then it has for nearly 50 years.
Alexander Rossi -- Defending champion. This year he won't need a fuel strategy. He's fast, confident and talented.
Tony Kanaan -- The most popular driver at the track, he's still fast and on a good team.
Graham Rahal -- Would be an incredibly popular winner. His team has a knack of running much better in the race than in practice and qualifying. And he seems to have really matured as a driver.

TIER FOUR  

(These are outside contenders, but it would not shock me to see 

any of these drivers win with the right breaks).

James Hinchcliff -- Running for Schmitt-Petersen, he has the disadvantage of a smaller team, and he's not shown nearly the speed he showed last year. But never count out Hinch.
Takuma Sato -- Now driving for Andretti, he has the speed, the team and the daring to win. But somewhere along the line, Sato usually makes that one mistake -- usually taking himself out of the race. But don't forget, a few years ago, he made that attempted pass on the last lap for the win -- and nearly pulled it off.
Charlie Kimble -- Running for Ganassi, he has four Top 10 finishes in the last 5 Indy 500s, including finishing the past two in the Top 5. I'm not sure I'd bet for him to win, but betting or him to finish in the Top 5 might be smart money.  And if you're in the top 5, you never know what can happen.
Max Chilton -- The least known of the Ganassi drivers, Chilton has been wickedly fast this month. A break or two, and he could win.

DARK HORSES 

(If you draw these guys in the office pool, don't throw away your slip. 

They could be the next Alexander Rossi).

Ed Jones -- The rookie was fastest in the final full practice session. He's been fast all month. He has the speed to compete. Can a rookie win? Just look at last year.
Sage Karem -- Only 22, he's running a "one off" in his fourth 500 for a brand new racing team. It doesn't sound like a winning combination, but Karem has quietly been consistently fast and has kept his car clean. Karem has talent, and as he showed in his rookie race, he can drive a smart race. I don't look for him to win, but I think he will be hanging around near the top 10 when we get to the final 100 miles.

MY PICKS -- I'm cheating and taking two

SCOTT DIXON

Long overdue, he's the smartest, coolest and most consistent driver in Indycar. But when it comes time to get racy, he will go wheel-to-wheel with anyone. 

RYAN HUNTER-RAEY

What I said about Dixon -- it applies to Hunter-Raey. I think they are the two best drivers currently in Indycar. And if it comes down to a shootout, I'll take Hunter-Raey over anyone. Exhibit A: Hunter-Raey nearly going in the grass to pass Castroneves in Turn 3, right in front of me, in the final laps on his way to Victory Lane.

2016 MILO AWARDS: La La Land Best Pic; Stone & Bridges Best Actors

It's once again time for the most coveted award of the movie awards season -- The Milos.

The following are my pics for best performances and best movies of 2016. These are not my predictions for Oscars, but my own personal picks. I don't get a chance to see everything before the Oscars, and I consider only movies that I have seen. I have seen all of the movies nominated for Best Picture.

Here are my picks:

Best Actor:  

Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea. Affleck is tremendous as a man tortured by his past, and facing a future now filled with the responsibility of caring for his nephew. The acting is understated, with emotions told more through subtle gestures and expressions than dramatic outbursts. This performance stays with you long after the lights come up.

Other remarkable performances:

Joel Egerton, Loving. Egerton gives a remarkable understated performance as a white construction worker who falls in love and marries a black woman Egerton's performance is reminiscent of Heath Ledger's performance in Brokeback Mountain.
Ryan Gosling, La La Land (his piano playing is a revelation)
Denzel Washington, Fences  Washington is sensational in a role that won him a Tony.
Vigo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic 

Best Actress:  

Emma Stone, La La Land. Emma Stone dances, sings, and reveals a world of complex emotions without saying a word. Her performance of Audition (The Fools Who Dream) is mesmerizing.

Other remarkable performances:

Natalie Portman - Jackie. Wonderful performance that looks behind the curtain on how Jackie dealt with the JFK assassination.
Ruth Negga, Loving
Amy Adams, Arrival  (I didn't care for the movie, but Adams performance is a redeeming feature).
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins  (Another movie that I thought missed the mark, Meryl Streep was fantastic).

Supporting Actress:  
Naomi Harris, Moonlight. Naomi Harris performance as a crack-addicted mother is stunning. She wants to love her son, but her addiction controls her life.

Viola Davis, Fences  Davis is such a marvelous actress, and she is outstanding in this role.
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea. This, too, is an incredible performance.
Olivia Spencer, Hidden Figures

Supporting Actor: 

Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water. In an often overlooked movie, Bridges delivers a perfect performance as a Texas Ranger at the end of his career, tracking down one last set of bank robbers before he retires.

Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea 
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight 
Trevant Rhodes, Moonlight


Best Documentary:  
OJ: Made in America  Eight-part series visits all that was revealed about OJ, the legal system, and America in the "trial of the century."

Runner Up:  13th.  An eye-opening documentary about race, mandatory sentencing,  and the prison industrial complex. America jails more of its citizens than any other country on earth. In the 1990s, the number of American's in prison more than doubled, driven by race, fear and for-profit prisons. 

NOTE: I have not yet seen I Am Your Negro. 

Best Animated Movie:  

Kubo and the Two Strings. Far more than just an animated film. This is epic story-telling.

Also considered: Zootopia.  It's a very good animated movie, but doesn't have the magical feel of Kubo



Best Song:  
Audition (The Fools Who Dream), La La Land  This is one of those rare songs that plays an important part in the movie, revealing the emotional underpinnings of Emma Stone's character. The last song of this magnitude in a movie was Jennifer Hudson Oscar-winning performance of "And I'm Telling You" in Dreamgirls. 

Much better song than incipid "City of Stars," also from La La Land and the likely Oscar winner.

Best Movies:

1. La La Land. For those who thought the movie musical was dead, here is the answer: a resounding NO. From the opening musical number on an LA freeway, this movie captures the audience, and you know it will be different. But  just singing and dancing in modern LA isn't enough for a great movie. Rather this movie is about dreams, broken and otherwise,  and love, and finding oneself even if it isn't quiet the dream come true we expect. The performances by Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling and John Legend are simply marvelous, as is the music. 

2.  Hell or High Water.  This movie seems to have been overlooked by many. Maybe it was the "B-movie" title. Maybe it was the fact it was released early in the year rather than in the last two months when most award-quality films are released. But until I saw La La Land, this was the best movie I had seen all year.  Jeff Bridges is remarkable as a Texas Ranger on the cusp of retiring. But he's determined to catch a pair of unusual bank robbers before he hangs up his badge. Like Nebraska a couple of years ago, the cinematography makes the stark landscape of west Texas another character.

3.  Manchester by the Sea. Casey Affleck is a man living in isolation when the death of his brother draws him back to all that he left behind, including the soul-destroying tragedy that he shares with his ex-wife, played by Michelle Williams. The performances by Affleck, Williams and Lucas Hedges as the teenage nephew are all award-winning quality. 

4.  Deadpool.  Not many movies change a genre, and certainly not one that has been as dominant as the superhero genre.  But Deadpool, the first R-rated Marvel movie, does just that. The parade of summer superhero money-making machine movies from Marvel have grown tiresome. But along comes Deadpool. It's funny, original, and like nothing you've seen before.  No doubt that by the time we get to Deadpool 8, it will all seem tiresome. But for now, it was the most fun movie of the year.

5.  Loving.  Until 1968, it was illegal in Virginia and the states of the Old Confederacy for a white man to marry a black woman (or visa versa). But in 1968, the Supreme Court issued its decision in the appropriately named case of Loving v. Virginia changing the nation's laws forever (at least we hope). This movie tells the story of the couple behind that landmark case. But importantly, its focus is on the Lovings and their desire to be a family. Surprisingly, there are minimal courtroom scenes, and only periodic references to their case making its way through the system. Joel Egerton and Ruth Negga bring the Lovings to life with reserved performances that capture the couple that wanted nothing more than to be able to live as a family in their home state

6.  Moonlight.  Powerful movie about an abused gay black man captured through three different segments of his life. Great performances abound, particularly Naomi Harris as the crack adicted mother.

7. Jackie.  This movie pulls back the curtain of privacy around Jackie Kennedy, and reveals her private moments during those four days of November in 1963. Natelie Portman is spot-on perfect as Jackie Kennedy. The movie is drawn from the iconic Life Magazine interview when she first publicly referred to the Kennedy's time in the White House as Camelot. 

8.  Kubo and the Two Strings. Not many animated movies do much more than entertain you for a couple of hours. Kubo and the Two Strings is something more. It is animation as art and storytelling as a fine craft. 


9.  Hacksaw Ridge.  Inspiring story of the first conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor. Predictable in many ways, but well done, and certainly better than the equally amazing story in Unbreakable from a couple of years ago. 

10.  Lion. Well done but somewhat predictable story of an Indian youth who through happenstance finds himself separated from his family, then adopted by a family in Tazmania. Based closely on true story. As an adult, he uses the new technology of Google Earth to track down his birth family. Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman are stellar, as always.

11.  Hidden Figures.  This is probably the most popular movie nominated this year. It is enjoyable, though predictable. But it is civil rights light. It boils the civil rights movement down to the inconvenience of a colored restroom. Enjoy it for what it is. But if you want to know what life was like for these women in the south, where a black person could be hung for not saying "sir" to a white person or failing to step off the sideway to let a white person pass, read "The Warmth of Other Suns."

12. Jungle Book. Technology makes this telling of Rujard Kipling's classic tale possible as never before. It pays homage to the original Disney animated film, but this is a far superior telling. 

13. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back:  This is my guilty pleasure for the year. I liked the first Reacher movie, but it didn't really stand out. This one is what a true action crime movie should be. Tom Cruise grabs your attention from the opening scene, and the movie never lets go. The plot hangs together without any holes. If you haven't seen this, by all means find a copy for a Friday night on your home screen. 

14. Eye in the Sky.  An underrated thought-provoking movie about the impact of technology and long-distance drone killing on those who much pull the trigger from the safety of a room thousands of miles away. Helen Mirrem, as always, is outstanding. 

15. Captain Fantastic.  Vigo Mortensen delivers a captivating performance as a newly-widowed father trying to raise his family in the woods without exposure to the modern world, much to the displeasure of other family members. The all-too-convenient happy ending that is inconsistent with the lead character brings the movie down on my list.

16. Dr. Strange. Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect as Marvel's Dr. Strange in this mind-bending, gravity-shifting movie. Best Marvel movie since the original Captain America - except for Deadpool.

17. Girl on the Train.  Movie adaption of the best-selling mystery/thriller was true to the book in not only its characters and storyline, but also the tone of the movie. 

18. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.  Tina Fey finds herself assigned as a  reporter in Afghanistan. While the trailer bills it as a light comedy, it has a much deeper resonance about the insanity of the American involvement in Afghanistan.

19.  Hail Ceasar.  If nothing else, this movie is worth seeing for George Clooney as the befuddled movie star Baird Whitlock. But the cast is sensational (Tilda Swenson, Josh Brolin, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansen, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Frances McDormand)

20. Arrival.  This is one of those really well-done, well-acted movies that hints at some deep meaning. But I really didn't get it. 

Worst Movie of the Year:  Independence Day: Resurgence. Just awful