WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU GOT?
There are some very famous movie stars who have developed careers in other fields. I’m not talking about directing or producing movies, but completely unrelated things.
The late Paul Newman won Oscars and female hearts, and starred in my all-time number one favorite film, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969). But did you know that he was a champion Formula One automobile racer? He also developed the Hole In The Wall Gang camps, one of which is in my home county. These are wonderful places for children with disabilities to have fun and have fellowship with kids who have the same problems. And- if you look in the right place in your grocery store you will see his line of condiments, all the profits of which go to charity. As of 2014 $429 million had been raised. He also helped found Safe Water Network, which assists with clean water needs throughout the world. Oh, and he was married for life to the wonderful Joanne Woodward. A well-lived life indeed!
Steve Martin is so talented it ought to be against the law! He is a fabulous stand-up comedian. He has acted in good movies such as The Spanish Prisoner (1997) and Roxanne (1987). He is also one of the best banjo players in the world. He has played alongside the legendary Earl Scruggs and he has his own bluegrass band, the Steep Canyon Rangers. But that’s not all: He also writes extremely well, penning Shopgirl and My Life Standing Up.
The late Polly Bergen was a skilled actress, appearing in such winners as the original Cape Fear (1962) and The Caretakers (1963). And she found time to create a highly successful cosmetics company.
Francis Ford Coppola is a legendary director of such classics as The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now (1979). He also founded a top-flight winery in California.
James Franco was seen in the Spiderman films, as well as Milk (2008). He is also a highly-regarded professional writer.
Ethan Hawke, of Training Day (2001) and with Julie Delpy in the Before trilogy, is the author of two novels and has directed Broadway plays.
Hedy Lamarr was the ultimate seductress in Samson And Delilah (1949).
And she was widely regarded as the most beautiful woman in the world. But wow-talk about not just a pretty face! With composer George Antheil she developed spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology. The principles of these are now incorporated into Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology. And in 2104 she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame!
And of course there is Fred Thompson, featured in a recent article here, who was a United States Senator from Tennessee. Arnold Schwarzenegger had a term as Governor of California. And let’s wind this up with Ronald Reagan, who became President of these United States!
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Sunday, December 20, 2015
BRUCE WILLIS CAN SO ACT
He smirks. He struts. He falls 100 feet from a crane and sustains only a slight limp, which mysteriously disappears by the next scene. He can “open” an action movie like nobody else. He made the Die Hard movies a franchise, and appeared in dogs like Hudson Hawk (1991) and The Fifth Element (1997). He makes more money from one film than the total budget of many third world countries. And he seems to be the sole Y2K victim, unerringly picking dogs since the century turned over. But- can Bruce Willis act? Absolutely.
Perhaps the sole exception to the apparently limitless series of losers is the dreamy Moonrise Kingdom (2012) with Bruce as a friendly cop.
Granted, the unexpected success of The Sixth Sense (1999) has a lot to do with the story. But Mr. Willis is absolutely splendid as the psychologist trying desperately to help a small boy in torment because he sees dead people. Bruce Willis gave the film credibility and put people in the theaters. From there, word of mouth took over and made it a blockbuster, surprising everyone including the people who made it.
In Country (1989) is not mentioned in the same breath with the great Vietnam war movies like Apocalypse Now and Platoon, but it deserves to be. Emily Lloyd, yet another British actor with complete mastery of our accent, has lost her father and a big chunk of herself to the war. Bruce Willis is her uncle, a Vietnam vet devastated by what he has seen and heard, unable to cope with the fact that he somehow survived when so many did not. Low key and convincing, this film is a sleeper that deserves more attention.
With all the hoopla surrounding Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta, people
tend to forget that Bruce Willis appeared in Pulp Fiction (1994), Quentin Tarrantino’s groundbreaking black comedy about Americans a good way down on the food chain. Told from different points of view at the same time, Pulp Fiction has become something of a legend. Mr. Willis is just fine as a crooked boxer trying to escape intact and being foiled at every turn.
Nobody’s Fool (1994) is unquestionably Paul Newman’s movie. Richard Russo’s wonderful novel of the vanishing American individualist is a perfect setting for what was Mr. Newman’s last leading man role. Give Bruce Willis an assist, though, as Newman’s sometimes boss and friend, one of the few characters who understands him. A poker game is a comical high point, as well as the constant one-upmanship between the two.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are for adult audiences.
He smirks. He struts. He falls 100 feet from a crane and sustains only a slight limp, which mysteriously disappears by the next scene. He can “open” an action movie like nobody else. He made the Die Hard movies a franchise, and appeared in dogs like Hudson Hawk (1991) and The Fifth Element (1997). He makes more money from one film than the total budget of many third world countries. And he seems to be the sole Y2K victim, unerringly picking dogs since the century turned over. But- can Bruce Willis act? Absolutely.
Perhaps the sole exception to the apparently limitless series of losers is the dreamy Moonrise Kingdom (2012) with Bruce as a friendly cop.
Granted, the unexpected success of The Sixth Sense (1999) has a lot to do with the story. But Mr. Willis is absolutely splendid as the psychologist trying desperately to help a small boy in torment because he sees dead people. Bruce Willis gave the film credibility and put people in the theaters. From there, word of mouth took over and made it a blockbuster, surprising everyone including the people who made it.
In Country (1989) is not mentioned in the same breath with the great Vietnam war movies like Apocalypse Now and Platoon, but it deserves to be. Emily Lloyd, yet another British actor with complete mastery of our accent, has lost her father and a big chunk of herself to the war. Bruce Willis is her uncle, a Vietnam vet devastated by what he has seen and heard, unable to cope with the fact that he somehow survived when so many did not. Low key and convincing, this film is a sleeper that deserves more attention.
With all the hoopla surrounding Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta, people
tend to forget that Bruce Willis appeared in Pulp Fiction (1994), Quentin Tarrantino’s groundbreaking black comedy about Americans a good way down on the food chain. Told from different points of view at the same time, Pulp Fiction has become something of a legend. Mr. Willis is just fine as a crooked boxer trying to escape intact and being foiled at every turn.
Nobody’s Fool (1994) is unquestionably Paul Newman’s movie. Richard Russo’s wonderful novel of the vanishing American individualist is a perfect setting for what was Mr. Newman’s last leading man role. Give Bruce Willis an assist, though, as Newman’s sometimes boss and friend, one of the few characters who understands him. A poker game is a comical high point, as well as the constant one-upmanship between the two.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are for adult audiences.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
FRED THOMPSON
With his authoritative persona and resonating baritone voice, the late Fred Thompson almost always played commanding men, and he did so quite well.
He is perhaps best known for his numerous appearances on the popular TV show Law And Order, as District Attorney Arthur Branch (1999-2007). Or maybe you remember him as an accomplished politician. He was a Republican United States Senator from Tennessee from 1994-2002. He actually ran a credible presidential campaign in 2007, but he didn’t win any primaries, dropped out of the race and endorsed John McCain.
His movie roles were confined to a few years, but were quite well done. In the pulsating film version of Tom Clancy’s The Hunt For Red October (1990). Thompson plays Rear Admiral Joshua Painter, commander of the US Empire Carrier Battle Group, enlisted to stop the erratic Russian sub if need be. The film belongs to Sean Connery as the Soviet sub captain, but Fred Thompson carries his role well.
Days Of Thunder (1990) features Tom Cruise as a star stock car driver and Nicole Kidman as the love interest. Fred Thompson has a nice turn as Big John, the president of NASCAR. The film also features a number or real-life race car drivers, such as Rusty Wallace and Richard Petty. The racing sequences are very authentic.
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) is almost as good as the first one, with Bruce Willis doing completely impossible things to thwart the very bad guys. Fred Thompson’s part is small- he plays the head of Dulles Airport, where much of the action takes place.
Fred Thompson has a bit part (Tom Broadbent) in the 1991 version of Cape Fear. And although it features Robert DeNiro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, it is a far cry from the 1962 version. In that one, Mitchum is the extraordinarily creepy bad guy, and Gregory Peck the hero. Polly Bergen is very good as the hero’s wife.
Clint Eastwood is Secret Service officer Frank Horrigan and Fred Thompson is his boss (Harry Sargeant) in the highly suspenseful In The Line Of Fire (1993). John Malkovich is at his bizarre best as the determined assassin, and Eastwood is compelling as a discredited agent. The plot is a bit of a stretch, but just go with it. The white-knuckle confrontation is riveting.
In Secretariat (2010) Fred Thompson appears as Bull Hancock, owner of Kentucky’s Claiborne Farms, and like most of the characters in this film, a real person. He helped Secretariat’s owner Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) find a suitable trainer for the soon-to-be Triple Crown winner.
All of the films (including nearly all the various versions of Law And Order) in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All except Secretariat, which is okay for everybody, are for mature audiences.
With his authoritative persona and resonating baritone voice, the late Fred Thompson almost always played commanding men, and he did so quite well.
He is perhaps best known for his numerous appearances on the popular TV show Law And Order, as District Attorney Arthur Branch (1999-2007). Or maybe you remember him as an accomplished politician. He was a Republican United States Senator from Tennessee from 1994-2002. He actually ran a credible presidential campaign in 2007, but he didn’t win any primaries, dropped out of the race and endorsed John McCain.
His movie roles were confined to a few years, but were quite well done. In the pulsating film version of Tom Clancy’s The Hunt For Red October (1990). Thompson plays Rear Admiral Joshua Painter, commander of the US Empire Carrier Battle Group, enlisted to stop the erratic Russian sub if need be. The film belongs to Sean Connery as the Soviet sub captain, but Fred Thompson carries his role well.
Days Of Thunder (1990) features Tom Cruise as a star stock car driver and Nicole Kidman as the love interest. Fred Thompson has a nice turn as Big John, the president of NASCAR. The film also features a number or real-life race car drivers, such as Rusty Wallace and Richard Petty. The racing sequences are very authentic.
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) is almost as good as the first one, with Bruce Willis doing completely impossible things to thwart the very bad guys. Fred Thompson’s part is small- he plays the head of Dulles Airport, where much of the action takes place.
Fred Thompson has a bit part (Tom Broadbent) in the 1991 version of Cape Fear. And although it features Robert DeNiro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, it is a far cry from the 1962 version. In that one, Mitchum is the extraordinarily creepy bad guy, and Gregory Peck the hero. Polly Bergen is very good as the hero’s wife.
Clint Eastwood is Secret Service officer Frank Horrigan and Fred Thompson is his boss (Harry Sargeant) in the highly suspenseful In The Line Of Fire (1993). John Malkovich is at his bizarre best as the determined assassin, and Eastwood is compelling as a discredited agent. The plot is a bit of a stretch, but just go with it. The white-knuckle confrontation is riveting.
In Secretariat (2010) Fred Thompson appears as Bull Hancock, owner of Kentucky’s Claiborne Farms, and like most of the characters in this film, a real person. He helped Secretariat’s owner Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) find a suitable trainer for the soon-to-be Triple Crown winner.
All of the films (including nearly all the various versions of Law And Order) in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All except Secretariat, which is okay for everybody, are for mature audiences.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN CHRISTMAS MOVIES
Nothing against Miracle on 34th Street or It’s A Wonderful Life, mind you, but you might want something a little different for your Christmas viewing this year.
Auntie Mame (1958) features Rosalind Russell as the madcap maiden aunt, and reluctant guardian, of author Patrick Dennis. When everyone gets depressed, Mame decides it’s time for Christmas, and so they have it. The calendar is irrelevant. Much better than the so-so musical version with Lucille Ball.
Christmas is the catalyst for a strange voluntary truce between Allied and Axis soldiers in the compelling, and underrated, A Midnight Clear (1992). Ethan Hawke and Gary Sinise head a good ensemble cast. This fine film quietly makes the point that we have more in common than we have to fight about.
Another highly recommended sleeper is The Railway Children (1952). It begins with the worst Christmas ever when the father of three children is unjustly sent to prison. Their lives were already hard on a marginal small farm near the railroad tracks, and now it seems all will be lost. But they begin a doubtful campaign to free their father and are most grateful for the small pleasures life brings them. This joyous, almost unknown film teaches that children can accomplish great things.
The wonderful Kramer v. Kramer may seem an unlikely choice unless you happen to remember that Ted Kramer loses his job a few days before Christmas and has to put on a happy face for the young son he is raising alone. We tend to remember the bitter child custody trial that gives the film its title, but most of the movie is about
learning to be a real parent and what a joy everyday things can be. Dustin Hoffman as the father and Meryl Streep as the mother both won Oscars, as did the movie for best film.
When you reach the saturation point from Christmas schmaltz and commercialism, it’s time for Tim Burton’s amazing The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Filmed in an exacting stop-action technique, the look of the film is unique. The story involves Jack Skeffington, the bizarre Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, deciding to confiscate Christmas as the better choice of holidays. The kidnapping of Santa Claus is just one of the outrages committed by Jack and his cronies. Nightmare is not for all tastes. Teenagers generally love it; adult reviews are mixed.
And if you're in the mood for a real anti-good-cheer vehicle, you can't do better(worse?) than Bad Santa (2003) with Billy Bob Thornton in the title role and Tony Cox as his diminutive assistant. Whew boy- call this one a guilty pleasure!
All of the movies in this column are available on DVD and for streaming. Railway Children and Auntie Mame fine for 8 and up; the rest for 12 and over.
Nothing against Miracle on 34th Street or It’s A Wonderful Life, mind you, but you might want something a little different for your Christmas viewing this year.
Auntie Mame (1958) features Rosalind Russell as the madcap maiden aunt, and reluctant guardian, of author Patrick Dennis. When everyone gets depressed, Mame decides it’s time for Christmas, and so they have it. The calendar is irrelevant. Much better than the so-so musical version with Lucille Ball.
Christmas is the catalyst for a strange voluntary truce between Allied and Axis soldiers in the compelling, and underrated, A Midnight Clear (1992). Ethan Hawke and Gary Sinise head a good ensemble cast. This fine film quietly makes the point that we have more in common than we have to fight about.
Another highly recommended sleeper is The Railway Children (1952). It begins with the worst Christmas ever when the father of three children is unjustly sent to prison. Their lives were already hard on a marginal small farm near the railroad tracks, and now it seems all will be lost. But they begin a doubtful campaign to free their father and are most grateful for the small pleasures life brings them. This joyous, almost unknown film teaches that children can accomplish great things.
The wonderful Kramer v. Kramer may seem an unlikely choice unless you happen to remember that Ted Kramer loses his job a few days before Christmas and has to put on a happy face for the young son he is raising alone. We tend to remember the bitter child custody trial that gives the film its title, but most of the movie is about
learning to be a real parent and what a joy everyday things can be. Dustin Hoffman as the father and Meryl Streep as the mother both won Oscars, as did the movie for best film.
When you reach the saturation point from Christmas schmaltz and commercialism, it’s time for Tim Burton’s amazing The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Filmed in an exacting stop-action technique, the look of the film is unique. The story involves Jack Skeffington, the bizarre Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, deciding to confiscate Christmas as the better choice of holidays. The kidnapping of Santa Claus is just one of the outrages committed by Jack and his cronies. Nightmare is not for all tastes. Teenagers generally love it; adult reviews are mixed.
And if you're in the mood for a real anti-good-cheer vehicle, you can't do better(worse?) than Bad Santa (2003) with Billy Bob Thornton in the title role and Tony Cox as his diminutive assistant. Whew boy- call this one a guilty pleasure!
All of the movies in this column are available on DVD and for streaming. Railway Children and Auntie Mame fine for 8 and up; the rest for 12 and over.
one and done
ONE AND DONE
Sometimes an actor’s star flares up dramatically and as quickly is gone. Why is that? I have no idea. But here are some interesting cases in point.
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) is as fine a film about American courage and decency as we have. Gregory Peck won the Oscar as Atticus Finch, a Mississippi lawyer defending a black man on a trumped-up rape charge. Mary Badham plays Scout, his daughter and sounding board. She is convincing, level and altogether gives a remarkable performance. Ms. Badham appeared in one other film four years later, then vanished from the screen.
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946) is William Wyler’s splendid account of three GIs returning home after World War II and the problems they face resuming life in peacetime. Harold Russell, a genuine paraplegic who lost his hands, won not one but two Oscars for his unsentimental, convincing performance. (He won for Best Supporting Actor and a special Oscar for bringing hope to veterans!) Mr. Russell never made another movie.
Breaking Away (1979) is a jewel of a film that sneaked up on everyone when it came out and is still quite popular on TV and on DVD. Dennis Christopher shines as a teenager in love with bicycle racing, whose antics include speaking Italian and training beyond exhaustion. Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie are quite good as his bewildered parents. From this promising height, Mr. Christopher went on to smaller and smaller parts in worse and worse movies, never approaching his achievement of 36 years ago.
On The Town (1949) is a charming musical about three sailors with a one-day shore leave in New York, their adventures and the girls they meet. (And of course the songs they break into and the dances they dance!) Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Vera Ellen, Ann Miller and Betty Garrett all went on to many more big parts. The third sailor, Jules Munshin, appeared in three other films in the late 40's and was never seen on the screen again.
Tex (1982) is an underrated small film about two teenage boys left parentless and trying to cope without much guidance or money. It provided Matt Dillon with his break-out role as the younger brother. Not so Jim Melzer, who as the older brother outshines Dillon. Mr. Mezler has appeared in a dozen other nothing films in forgettable parts.
Similar career downslopes for Alexander Knox (Wilson 1944) and both Ian Charleston and Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire 1981).
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are suitable for mature 8-year-olds and up.
Sometimes an actor’s star flares up dramatically and as quickly is gone. Why is that? I have no idea. But here are some interesting cases in point.
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) is as fine a film about American courage and decency as we have. Gregory Peck won the Oscar as Atticus Finch, a Mississippi lawyer defending a black man on a trumped-up rape charge. Mary Badham plays Scout, his daughter and sounding board. She is convincing, level and altogether gives a remarkable performance. Ms. Badham appeared in one other film four years later, then vanished from the screen.
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946) is William Wyler’s splendid account of three GIs returning home after World War II and the problems they face resuming life in peacetime. Harold Russell, a genuine paraplegic who lost his hands, won not one but two Oscars for his unsentimental, convincing performance. (He won for Best Supporting Actor and a special Oscar for bringing hope to veterans!) Mr. Russell never made another movie.
Breaking Away (1979) is a jewel of a film that sneaked up on everyone when it came out and is still quite popular on TV and on DVD. Dennis Christopher shines as a teenager in love with bicycle racing, whose antics include speaking Italian and training beyond exhaustion. Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie are quite good as his bewildered parents. From this promising height, Mr. Christopher went on to smaller and smaller parts in worse and worse movies, never approaching his achievement of 36 years ago.
On The Town (1949) is a charming musical about three sailors with a one-day shore leave in New York, their adventures and the girls they meet. (And of course the songs they break into and the dances they dance!) Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Vera Ellen, Ann Miller and Betty Garrett all went on to many more big parts. The third sailor, Jules Munshin, appeared in three other films in the late 40's and was never seen on the screen again.
Tex (1982) is an underrated small film about two teenage boys left parentless and trying to cope without much guidance or money. It provided Matt Dillon with his break-out role as the younger brother. Not so Jim Melzer, who as the older brother outshines Dillon. Mr. Mezler has appeared in a dozen other nothing films in forgettable parts.
Similar career downslopes for Alexander Knox (Wilson 1944) and both Ian Charleston and Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire 1981).
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are suitable for mature 8-year-olds and up.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
MAUREEN O’HARA
She was an Irish beauty with fiery red hair, proud of her heritage. Maureen O’Hara lived to the good old age of 90. Her filmology is rich and diverse.
Later dubbed the “Queen Of Technicolor,” her first starring role was in a black and white movie. Her first screen test was called unsatisfactory but Charles Laughton saw something about her that made him go to bat for her with studio execs. She then landed the plum part of Esmerelda in the 1939 version of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Mr. Laughton is the title hunchback. This is by far the best version of the Victor Hugo masterpiece.
Rio Grande (1950) is the third leg of John Ford’s Cavalry Trilogy and stars Ms. O’Hara as Kathleen Yorke and John Wayne as her husband, Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke. He is joined by their son Jeff (Claude Jarman, Jr.), who has flunked out of West Point. Ms. O’Hara shows up to take Jeff back home, but he refuses to go. This being Hollywood, the dormant flame between the Yorkes is reignited and all ends well. Oh yes, there are plenty of Indian attacks and chances for heroics. Ms. O’Hara made fives westerns with Mr. Wayne. This is the best one.
Maureen O’Hara wanted to branch out, feeling that she had been pidgenholed as “The Pretty Woman.” She was delighted to be cast in The Quiet Man (1952), set and shot in Ireland, her ancestral home. This very different film is directed by John Ford and stars John Wayne as American Sean Thornton. He and Ms. O’Hara (Mary Kate Danaher) have a stormy Irish marriage, with conflicts over Irish traditions scorned by Sean but revered by the Danahers. The movie features one of the longest, and funniest, fistfights ever filmed between Mr. Wayne and Victor McLaglen (Will Danaher, Mary Kate’s brother). And speaking of fights, Ms. O’Hara broke her hand taking a poke at Mr. Wayne during the filming! Well, the plot is a lot more complicated than that, but that’s enough to get the idea.
At Sword’s Point (1952) is not exactly the stuff that cinema legends are made of, but it is notable for Maureen O’Hara’s virtuoso fencing scenes. She had insisted on doing her own stunts, and studied fencing for six weeks before filming started. So that isn’t a stunt double skewering those bad guys!
Maureen O’Hara is splendid as Angharad in the classic Welsh mining movie, How Green Was My Valley (1941). It also features Roddy McDowell, Walter Pigeon, Anna Lee and Donald Crisp. It won five Oscars, including Best Movie. The bad news: it is in black and white, so no flaming red O’Hara mane. The good news: it is one gorgeous black and white movie!
Ms. O’Hara is the title lady in Lady Godiva of Coventry (1955) sort of a Hollywood potboiler. And guys- don’t get your hopes up. Ms. O’Hara is always well covered up!
Maureen O’Hara can also be seen to great effect in A Bill Of Divorcement (1940), Miracle On 34th Street (1947), The Foxes Of Harrow (1947) and Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation (1962) with Maureen as Mrs. Hobbs and James Stewart as her husband.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for all ages.
She was an Irish beauty with fiery red hair, proud of her heritage. Maureen O’Hara lived to the good old age of 90. Her filmology is rich and diverse.
Later dubbed the “Queen Of Technicolor,” her first starring role was in a black and white movie. Her first screen test was called unsatisfactory but Charles Laughton saw something about her that made him go to bat for her with studio execs. She then landed the plum part of Esmerelda in the 1939 version of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Mr. Laughton is the title hunchback. This is by far the best version of the Victor Hugo masterpiece.
Rio Grande (1950) is the third leg of John Ford’s Cavalry Trilogy and stars Ms. O’Hara as Kathleen Yorke and John Wayne as her husband, Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke. He is joined by their son Jeff (Claude Jarman, Jr.), who has flunked out of West Point. Ms. O’Hara shows up to take Jeff back home, but he refuses to go. This being Hollywood, the dormant flame between the Yorkes is reignited and all ends well. Oh yes, there are plenty of Indian attacks and chances for heroics. Ms. O’Hara made fives westerns with Mr. Wayne. This is the best one.
Maureen O’Hara wanted to branch out, feeling that she had been pidgenholed as “The Pretty Woman.” She was delighted to be cast in The Quiet Man (1952), set and shot in Ireland, her ancestral home. This very different film is directed by John Ford and stars John Wayne as American Sean Thornton. He and Ms. O’Hara (Mary Kate Danaher) have a stormy Irish marriage, with conflicts over Irish traditions scorned by Sean but revered by the Danahers. The movie features one of the longest, and funniest, fistfights ever filmed between Mr. Wayne and Victor McLaglen (Will Danaher, Mary Kate’s brother). And speaking of fights, Ms. O’Hara broke her hand taking a poke at Mr. Wayne during the filming! Well, the plot is a lot more complicated than that, but that’s enough to get the idea.
At Sword’s Point (1952) is not exactly the stuff that cinema legends are made of, but it is notable for Maureen O’Hara’s virtuoso fencing scenes. She had insisted on doing her own stunts, and studied fencing for six weeks before filming started. So that isn’t a stunt double skewering those bad guys!
Maureen O’Hara is splendid as Angharad in the classic Welsh mining movie, How Green Was My Valley (1941). It also features Roddy McDowell, Walter Pigeon, Anna Lee and Donald Crisp. It won five Oscars, including Best Movie. The bad news: it is in black and white, so no flaming red O’Hara mane. The good news: it is one gorgeous black and white movie!
Ms. O’Hara is the title lady in Lady Godiva of Coventry (1955) sort of a Hollywood potboiler. And guys- don’t get your hopes up. Ms. O’Hara is always well covered up!
Maureen O’Hara can also be seen to great effect in A Bill Of Divorcement (1940), Miracle On 34th Street (1947), The Foxes Of Harrow (1947) and Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation (1962) with Maureen as Mrs. Hobbs and James Stewart as her husband.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for all ages.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
BASKETBALL
The slight chill in the air means one thing to most folks around here: Basketball- serious hoops! So how has the silver screen treated our roundball passion? There are at least 50 movies that deal with basketball in one way or another, and most aren’t very good. Trust Mr. Movie to find the gold among the dross.
Black And White (2000) is partly about basketball and partly about white kids’ infatuation with black culture. The basketball parts are pretty good. The NBA’s Allen Houston is rather good as a hoopster. Finding Forrester (2000) is a better film, and the basketball part of it is also well done. Rob Brown is a ghetto kid recruited for the upscale white prep school because he can play. Sean Connery is a reclusive one-book author who becomes the kid’s mentor. Most instructive as to how people get used and how assumptions can be way wrong.
Perhaps the best basketball film ever made is the stunning documentary Hoop Dreams (1994), the true story of two black kids from the Chicago slums who dream of making it out via the basketball court. The distractions and hurdles they face along the way are more than most of us could bear, and the basketball is the real stuff. As with most fine films, Hoop Dreams turns out to be more about life than its presumptive subject, basketball.
Hoosiers (1986) yanks our heartstrings with both hands as a small Indiana high school improbably goes for the State Championship. Gene Hackman is superb, as always, as the coach. Dennis Hopper has a nice turn as an alcoholic basketball junkie
who still knows more about the game when drunk than most people who are sober. Not liking Hoosiers would be at least mildly un-American.
From tears to laughter in one fell swoop, check out White Men Can’t Jump (1992) with Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as improbable basketball hustlers. Rosie Perez is excellent as Mr. Harrelson’s girlfriend, who is tired of his basketball obsession, and whose lifetime goal is to get on Jeopardy. The two guys are able to hustle people by playing on their assumptions, and by dogging it until it counts.
Coach Carter (2005) stars Samuel L. Jackson in a true story of a basketball coach who benched his undefeated starting line-up because of poor academics. This didn’t go over with almost anyone, but he stuck to his guns with pretty amazing results.
He Got Game (1998) is a Spike Lee story in which convict Denzel Washington is let out of jail so he talk his estranged son, a basketball superstar (Ray Allen, an NBA player), into attending the governor’s alma mater. If you can buy that premise, you might like it. The basketball is well done.
All of the films in this column are available on DVD and for streaming. All are suitable for 10 and up.
The slight chill in the air means one thing to most folks around here: Basketball- serious hoops! So how has the silver screen treated our roundball passion? There are at least 50 movies that deal with basketball in one way or another, and most aren’t very good. Trust Mr. Movie to find the gold among the dross.
Black And White (2000) is partly about basketball and partly about white kids’ infatuation with black culture. The basketball parts are pretty good. The NBA’s Allen Houston is rather good as a hoopster. Finding Forrester (2000) is a better film, and the basketball part of it is also well done. Rob Brown is a ghetto kid recruited for the upscale white prep school because he can play. Sean Connery is a reclusive one-book author who becomes the kid’s mentor. Most instructive as to how people get used and how assumptions can be way wrong.
Perhaps the best basketball film ever made is the stunning documentary Hoop Dreams (1994), the true story of two black kids from the Chicago slums who dream of making it out via the basketball court. The distractions and hurdles they face along the way are more than most of us could bear, and the basketball is the real stuff. As with most fine films, Hoop Dreams turns out to be more about life than its presumptive subject, basketball.
Hoosiers (1986) yanks our heartstrings with both hands as a small Indiana high school improbably goes for the State Championship. Gene Hackman is superb, as always, as the coach. Dennis Hopper has a nice turn as an alcoholic basketball junkie
who still knows more about the game when drunk than most people who are sober. Not liking Hoosiers would be at least mildly un-American.
From tears to laughter in one fell swoop, check out White Men Can’t Jump (1992) with Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as improbable basketball hustlers. Rosie Perez is excellent as Mr. Harrelson’s girlfriend, who is tired of his basketball obsession, and whose lifetime goal is to get on Jeopardy. The two guys are able to hustle people by playing on their assumptions, and by dogging it until it counts.
Coach Carter (2005) stars Samuel L. Jackson in a true story of a basketball coach who benched his undefeated starting line-up because of poor academics. This didn’t go over with almost anyone, but he stuck to his guns with pretty amazing results.
He Got Game (1998) is a Spike Lee story in which convict Denzel Washington is let out of jail so he talk his estranged son, a basketball superstar (Ray Allen, an NBA player), into attending the governor’s alma mater. If you can buy that premise, you might like it. The basketball is well done.
All of the films in this column are available on DVD and for streaming. All are suitable for 10 and up.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
BAD GUYS GONE GOOD
Here is the flip side of a recent article about actors who generally played good guy parts suddenly showing up as villains. This column is the opposite- it’s about actors who were almost always bad guys and who suddenly appear as nice men. And yeah, it’s kinda short because I couldn’t think of any more!
Ernest Borgnine just looks like a bad guy, and for years he was one. He was especially hateful as the murderous Fatso in From Here To Eternity. But then in 1955 he broke our hearts as Marty, unlikely hero of a very quiet little jewel of a film. His phone call to Betsy Blair and his comments about her to a buddy are just simply wonderful. He won the Oscar, as did director Delbert Mann, screenwriter Paddy Chayfesky and the film itself won Best Movie.
Vincent Price made quite a career as countless villains in countless horror movies. He diced and sliced many a fair maiden and his appearance alone generated hisses from the audience. But in 1987 he is the nicest of guys in The Whales Of August. He is Mr. Maranov, who befriends Lillian Gish and Bette Davis, movie icons, as sisters on holiday in Maine.
James Cagney’s career consisted mainly of playing a hateful thug in lots of movies about gangsters. His most famous scene involved shoving a grapefruit into the face of his wife in White Heat (1949). So- who to get to play George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)? Why Cagney, of course! And he is just superb as the legendary song and dance man, doing his own singing and dancing.
Jack Elam was probably in more westerns than John Wayne, and in almost all of them was a villain. But he is just right as the sidekick for good guy James Garner in both Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) and Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971). Elam is the really laid-back sheriff’s excitable deputy and perfectly sets the stage for Garner’s easy-going portrayal.
All of the films in this column are available on DVD. All are okay for any age.
Here is the flip side of a recent article about actors who generally played good guy parts suddenly showing up as villains. This column is the opposite- it’s about actors who were almost always bad guys and who suddenly appear as nice men. And yeah, it’s kinda short because I couldn’t think of any more!
Ernest Borgnine just looks like a bad guy, and for years he was one. He was especially hateful as the murderous Fatso in From Here To Eternity. But then in 1955 he broke our hearts as Marty, unlikely hero of a very quiet little jewel of a film. His phone call to Betsy Blair and his comments about her to a buddy are just simply wonderful. He won the Oscar, as did director Delbert Mann, screenwriter Paddy Chayfesky and the film itself won Best Movie.
Vincent Price made quite a career as countless villains in countless horror movies. He diced and sliced many a fair maiden and his appearance alone generated hisses from the audience. But in 1987 he is the nicest of guys in The Whales Of August. He is Mr. Maranov, who befriends Lillian Gish and Bette Davis, movie icons, as sisters on holiday in Maine.
James Cagney’s career consisted mainly of playing a hateful thug in lots of movies about gangsters. His most famous scene involved shoving a grapefruit into the face of his wife in White Heat (1949). So- who to get to play George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)? Why Cagney, of course! And he is just superb as the legendary song and dance man, doing his own singing and dancing.
Jack Elam was probably in more westerns than John Wayne, and in almost all of them was a villain. But he is just right as the sidekick for good guy James Garner in both Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) and Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971). Elam is the really laid-back sheriff’s excitable deputy and perfectly sets the stage for Garner’s easy-going portrayal.
All of the films in this column are available on DVD. All are okay for any age.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
JOAN LESLIE
She wasn’t exactly a household word. In fact, even Mr. Movie had never heard of her and had to look her up. But Joan Leslie, who died recently at 90, had an incredible movie career, and a good life to boot. She starred in three classics and appeared in two more quality films. After a blazing start, she just dropped out of show biz altogether for about 10 years. She raised her two daughters, both of whom are physicians on university faculties. And she was married to the same man for 50 years, the union ending only with his death. Wow! A life well-lived indeed. Her career started in 1936, but didn’t really take off until
High Sierra (1941). In this early John Huston classic, Humphrey Bogart plays a hard-nosed con (Roy Earle) just released from prison and in on a new heist. On the way, he meets Velma (Joan Leslie) who suffers from a deformed foot. He sympathizes with her plight and pays for corrective surgery. Though immensely grateful, she turns down his marriage proposal to return to her hometown sweetheart. Roy Earle continues on to the planned robbery, which goes terribly wrong. Unhappy endings were not the usual material of Hollywood in those days (although bad guys ending up badly was formula stuff).
In Sergeant York (1941) Gary Cooper plays the title character. We see him at first as a hard-drinking hard-fighting hillbilly, but his life is changed on meeting Gracie Williams, ably portrayed by Joan Leslie. He goes on to become one of the most famous soldiers of World War I, a decorated hero. Mr. Cooper won an Oscar for his performance, and the movie was nominated for five more statues.
Next up for Ms. Leslie was the incredibly entertaining Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). It features James Cagney (yes, him!) as legendary song and dance man George M. Cohan. Joan Leslie plays Mary, his lovely wife, dancing partner and co-star.
The film was nominated for nine Oscars and won four, including Mr. Cagney as Best Actor.
Joan Leslie as a dancer was no fluke. Her next movie involved dancing with the Grand Master: Fred Astaire! The Sky’s The Limit (1942) may not be Astaire’s best, but it’s still Astaire, There are the usual number of great dance numbers, all of which were choreographed by Astaire himself. And Ms. Leslie leads him a merry chase that of course ends happily. And- she holds her own dancing with a legend.
Finally, the rather hokey but nonetheless entertaining Rhapsody In Blue (1945), a somewhat iffy biopic about George Gershwin. Joan Leslie plays Julie Adams, a Gershwin sweetheart, one of many fictional characters in the film. The music is great!
After that, Joan Leslie drops out of sight for many years and never really hits it big again. All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for all ages.
She wasn’t exactly a household word. In fact, even Mr. Movie had never heard of her and had to look her up. But Joan Leslie, who died recently at 90, had an incredible movie career, and a good life to boot. She starred in three classics and appeared in two more quality films. After a blazing start, she just dropped out of show biz altogether for about 10 years. She raised her two daughters, both of whom are physicians on university faculties. And she was married to the same man for 50 years, the union ending only with his death. Wow! A life well-lived indeed. Her career started in 1936, but didn’t really take off until
High Sierra (1941). In this early John Huston classic, Humphrey Bogart plays a hard-nosed con (Roy Earle) just released from prison and in on a new heist. On the way, he meets Velma (Joan Leslie) who suffers from a deformed foot. He sympathizes with her plight and pays for corrective surgery. Though immensely grateful, she turns down his marriage proposal to return to her hometown sweetheart. Roy Earle continues on to the planned robbery, which goes terribly wrong. Unhappy endings were not the usual material of Hollywood in those days (although bad guys ending up badly was formula stuff).
In Sergeant York (1941) Gary Cooper plays the title character. We see him at first as a hard-drinking hard-fighting hillbilly, but his life is changed on meeting Gracie Williams, ably portrayed by Joan Leslie. He goes on to become one of the most famous soldiers of World War I, a decorated hero. Mr. Cooper won an Oscar for his performance, and the movie was nominated for five more statues.
Next up for Ms. Leslie was the incredibly entertaining Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). It features James Cagney (yes, him!) as legendary song and dance man George M. Cohan. Joan Leslie plays Mary, his lovely wife, dancing partner and co-star.
The film was nominated for nine Oscars and won four, including Mr. Cagney as Best Actor.
Joan Leslie as a dancer was no fluke. Her next movie involved dancing with the Grand Master: Fred Astaire! The Sky’s The Limit (1942) may not be Astaire’s best, but it’s still Astaire, There are the usual number of great dance numbers, all of which were choreographed by Astaire himself. And Ms. Leslie leads him a merry chase that of course ends happily. And- she holds her own dancing with a legend.
Finally, the rather hokey but nonetheless entertaining Rhapsody In Blue (1945), a somewhat iffy biopic about George Gershwin. Joan Leslie plays Julie Adams, a Gershwin sweetheart, one of many fictional characters in the film. The music is great!
After that, Joan Leslie drops out of sight for many years and never really hits it big again. All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for all ages.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
GOOD GUYS GONE BAD
I like movies where an actor who has usually played good guy roles suddenly turns up as a villain. Here are some of the best of these:
Paul Newman was almost always the fair-haired boy or at worst the loveable scamp. Everyone loved him in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Sting (1973) and many others. But in Hud (1963) he shows up as this truly awful guy, raping Patricia Neal and in general being as unlovable as a snake.
Fred MacMurray was the caring, wonderful Dad for years in the TV series My Three Sons, and was the good guy in movies like The Egg And I (1947), The Miracle of the Bells (1948), and Fair Wind To Java (1953). But in Double Indemnity (1944) he is an insurance agent besotted with the nefarious Barbara Stanwyk and together they plot the early demise of her unsuspecting husband.
Denzel Washington has almost always been the hero or at least the good guy in films like Glory (1989), Crimson Tide (1995), and The Bone Collector (1999). So you would figure in a cop movie he would be “good cop” but he’s definitely “bad cop” in Training Day (2001), corrupting rookie officers and anyone else in his way. He also turns out to be less than a stellar hero in Flight (2012). Actually, this guy can play most anything.
Jack Lemmon has made a good living as the all-American boy next door in films like The Apartment (1960), Bell Book and Candle (1958), The Wackiest Ship In The Army (1960), and The Notorious Landlady (1962). But he is completely
unsympathetic as the whiny, hopeless alcoholic in Days Of Wine And Roses (1962), dragging down everyone around him as he spirals to the bottom.
The short, brilliant career of Heath Ledger has been marked by good guy movies like Brokeback Mountain (2005) and The Brothers Grimm (2005). Yet he becomes the quintessential villain in the Batman epic The Dark Knight (2008) as the Joker, a very unfunny character, perhaps the darkest of all Batman foes.
And finally there is Bing Crosby, the smooth as silk crooner beloved by everyone in such films as Going My Way (1944), The Bells Of Saint Mary’s (1945), and all those mediocre Road movies with Bob Hope. Then came The Country Girl (1954) and he plays opposite Grace Kelly and William Holden as the truly awful drunk Frank Elgin. In fact, he was so good as this bad guy that he won the Oscar!
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. Too many to rate for appropriate ages!
Sunday, October 18, 2015
GOOD GIRLS GONE BAD
How about some movies featuring actresses who are almost always good girls but who suddenly turn up bad? Thought you’d never ask!
Mary Tyler Moore practically defined the chirpy good girl in her two long-running TV series, and was also the good girl in films like Change Of Habit (1969) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Then came Ordinary People (1980) and Ms. Moore is the dysfunctional member of a saddened family who has lost a child. Donald Sutherland and Timothy Bottoms are doing their best to cope, while she mopes and just can’t shake her depression. She was nominated for an Oscar, but lost out to Sissy Spacek for Coal Miner’s Daughter.
Donna Reed is one of the last actresses you’d pick to play a hooker, heart of gold notwithstanding,. The All-American girl in movies like It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) and her own long-running TV show, she is nonetheless a prostitute in From Here To Eternity (1953). And this movie has another surprise entrant: Good girl Deborah Kerr, starring in films like The Sundowners(1960) and The King And I (1956), appears as a very adulterous wife, rolling in the surf with Burt Lancaster.
Girl-next-door June Allyson, good as gold in Little Women (1949) and The Glenn Miller Story (1954) turns up as the hateful wife from Hell in The Shrike (1955), driving poor Jose Ferrer into a mental hospital (and into the arms of good girl Joy Page).
Anne Bancroft is very sweet in 84 Charing Cross Road (1987) and is almost saintly as Helen Keller’s teacher Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker (1962). But her most famous part, by far, is as the wicked Mrs. Robinson, seducing overmatched Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate (1967). Her angry face as Mr. Hoffman rescues Katherine Ross from the altar is not quickly forgotten.
Who doesn’t love Jodie Foster? We’ve watched her grow up in the movies. She is a sweetheart in movies like Candleshoe (1977) and Silence Of the Lambs (1991). But in Elysium (2013) she is the extremely vicious Secretary of Defense of the stellar location of the rich and powerful, dispatching bad guys to kill off the miserable poor saps trying to become citizens of the idyllic utopia. Okay, I know she played a 12-year-old whore in Taxi Driver (1976) but she was mostly a helpless victim.
And while we know Meryl Streep can play absolutely anything, she still stuns us as the worst boss ever in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), driving poor Ann Hathaway (and much of the audience) to distraction with her arbitrary devilish directions.
By the way, I can’t seem to come up with any Bad Girls Gone Good movies. Any ideas?
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. Too many to rate for age suitability.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
BICYCLES
A few years ago (Okay, a lot of years ago) a granddaughter asked for a column about her favorite vehicle- bicycles. Ah, well- anything to please a lady!
And since it just happens that four of the five movies in this article are in a lot of people’s all-time Top Ten, I am indeed happy to oblige.
Breaking Away (1979) is about a high school kid so enamored of the Italian bicycle racing team that he goes around speaking in Italian phrases and copying everything he can about that team. When they come to his home town some of the shine fades from their halos. Dennis Christopher (whatever happened to him?) is endearing and quite good as the wannabe bike racer. Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie are letter-perfect as his bewildered parents.
It seems odd to us nowadays that a bicycle could almost be the difference between survival and extinction, but that is the exact situation in the legendary Bicycle Thief (Italy,1947). The plot is simple: A poor family depends upon a bicycle for the father to work. It is stolen and the Dad and a son spend most of the rest of the movie just trying to find the bike. The talented cast and the famous Italian director Vittorio di Sica not only sell us this premise but rivet our attention to the story. So- is this classic as good as you’ve always heard? Yes.
American Flyers (1985) features Kevin Costner and Rae Dawn Chong in a story about two brothers, one critically ill, who enter a grueling bicycle marathon race. It was written by Steve Tesich, the guy who wrote Breaking Away, and if it isn’t quite up to its more famous predecessor, its still a very good pull-for-the-underdog movie.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) has a wonderfully whimsical sequence where the main characters take up one of the very newest things- bicycle riding. Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Katherine Ross look like they’re enjoying the newfangled contraption as much as we are enjoying watching them!
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) certainly contains plenty of magic. But perhaps the most magical sequence is when Henry Thomas and his friends outrun the villainous government forces and then mount to the sky as they escape with ET in tow so he can go HOME. Who will ever forget seeing those bicycles outlined against the full moon?
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for 12 and over.
A few years ago (Okay, a lot of years ago) a granddaughter asked for a column about her favorite vehicle- bicycles. Ah, well- anything to please a lady!
And since it just happens that four of the five movies in this article are in a lot of people’s all-time Top Ten, I am indeed happy to oblige.
Breaking Away (1979) is about a high school kid so enamored of the Italian bicycle racing team that he goes around speaking in Italian phrases and copying everything he can about that team. When they come to his home town some of the shine fades from their halos. Dennis Christopher (whatever happened to him?) is endearing and quite good as the wannabe bike racer. Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie are letter-perfect as his bewildered parents.
It seems odd to us nowadays that a bicycle could almost be the difference between survival and extinction, but that is the exact situation in the legendary Bicycle Thief (Italy,1947). The plot is simple: A poor family depends upon a bicycle for the father to work. It is stolen and the Dad and a son spend most of the rest of the movie just trying to find the bike. The talented cast and the famous Italian director Vittorio di Sica not only sell us this premise but rivet our attention to the story. So- is this classic as good as you’ve always heard? Yes.
American Flyers (1985) features Kevin Costner and Rae Dawn Chong in a story about two brothers, one critically ill, who enter a grueling bicycle marathon race. It was written by Steve Tesich, the guy who wrote Breaking Away, and if it isn’t quite up to its more famous predecessor, its still a very good pull-for-the-underdog movie.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) has a wonderfully whimsical sequence where the main characters take up one of the very newest things- bicycle riding. Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Katherine Ross look like they’re enjoying the newfangled contraption as much as we are enjoying watching them!
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) certainly contains plenty of magic. But perhaps the most magical sequence is when Henry Thomas and his friends outrun the villainous government forces and then mount to the sky as they escape with ET in tow so he can go HOME. Who will ever forget seeing those bicycles outlined against the full moon?
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for 12 and over.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
2014 SLEEPERS
Part 4
Here are five more 2014 movies that didn’t get a lot of attention, but you might enjoy. This is probably the last 2014 sleepers article- or not?
Love Is Strange is indeed a strange little film that I actually liked a lot. Warning: If you’re even mildly homophobic, you’re going to hate this. But- love is love and this film delivers it in spades. John Lithgow and Alfred Molina are ancient lovers who have lived in the same Manhattan apartment for many years. After 39 years together they decide to get married, and when one of their employers finds out, the unlucky partner is fired. They no longer have the money to live in their beloved apartment, and so have to separate and live with family members. Their loss is palpable. Everyone involved, including the principles, tries to adjust to a stressful situation, with differing results.
In 2013 documentarian Laura Poitras receives an email from an anonymous person identified only as Citizenfour. She connects with this person, who turns out to be whistle blower Edward Snowden. He has stolen (borrowed? appropriated? liberated?) thousands of NSA documents which show without question that US government agencies have been snooping on virtually everyone on earth. This includes all Americans and the top officials of several foreign countries. You may recall that German chancellor Angela Merkel was one of many who were not amused. The whole thing is succinctly pictured by Ms. Poitras in this stunning documentary.
Million Dollar Arm is based on a true story. Jon Hamm, of Mad Men fame, is a sports agent on the edge of fading out completely when he happens to catch an Indian cricket match on TV. He notices that these guys can really throw hard and wonders if they could make it in baseball. Off to India to find out. He runs a huge contest looking for the hardest throwers, offering a million dollar prize. Two winners are found and sent to America. They have no clue about baseball and their attempts to learn are hilarious. Did any of the boys make it to the big leagues? You’ll have to watch to find out!
Dame Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect, The Queen) is always good and certainly carries the lightweight but entertaining The Hundred-Foot Journey. An Indian family renowned for its restaurant leaves for Europe after a fire. When their van breaks down,
they find themselves in a French village that is home to an elite restaurant. The patriarch decides to buy the building across the street and open an Indian restaurant. A not-so-civil war ensues. After many mishaps and nearly lethal encounters, a gradual peace ensues and the cultural exchange is enchanting.
And finally, a very strange but engaging film entitled The One I Love. Mark Duplassis and Elisabeth Moss play a married couple whose partnership has run out of gas. They consult a counselor (Ted Danson- Yes, the old Cheers bartender) who is supposed to heal broken marriages. He sends them to an exclusive estate to reconnect. They have the place to themselves- or do they? Each discovers that the place seems to include an exact copy of him and her. They decide to return home and confront the counselor. I’m not telling any more!
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for mature 12 year olds.
Part 4
Here are five more 2014 movies that didn’t get a lot of attention, but you might enjoy. This is probably the last 2014 sleepers article- or not?
Love Is Strange is indeed a strange little film that I actually liked a lot. Warning: If you’re even mildly homophobic, you’re going to hate this. But- love is love and this film delivers it in spades. John Lithgow and Alfred Molina are ancient lovers who have lived in the same Manhattan apartment for many years. After 39 years together they decide to get married, and when one of their employers finds out, the unlucky partner is fired. They no longer have the money to live in their beloved apartment, and so have to separate and live with family members. Their loss is palpable. Everyone involved, including the principles, tries to adjust to a stressful situation, with differing results.
In 2013 documentarian Laura Poitras receives an email from an anonymous person identified only as Citizenfour. She connects with this person, who turns out to be whistle blower Edward Snowden. He has stolen (borrowed? appropriated? liberated?) thousands of NSA documents which show without question that US government agencies have been snooping on virtually everyone on earth. This includes all Americans and the top officials of several foreign countries. You may recall that German chancellor Angela Merkel was one of many who were not amused. The whole thing is succinctly pictured by Ms. Poitras in this stunning documentary.
Million Dollar Arm is based on a true story. Jon Hamm, of Mad Men fame, is a sports agent on the edge of fading out completely when he happens to catch an Indian cricket match on TV. He notices that these guys can really throw hard and wonders if they could make it in baseball. Off to India to find out. He runs a huge contest looking for the hardest throwers, offering a million dollar prize. Two winners are found and sent to America. They have no clue about baseball and their attempts to learn are hilarious. Did any of the boys make it to the big leagues? You’ll have to watch to find out!
Dame Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect, The Queen) is always good and certainly carries the lightweight but entertaining The Hundred-Foot Journey. An Indian family renowned for its restaurant leaves for Europe after a fire. When their van breaks down,
they find themselves in a French village that is home to an elite restaurant. The patriarch decides to buy the building across the street and open an Indian restaurant. A not-so-civil war ensues. After many mishaps and nearly lethal encounters, a gradual peace ensues and the cultural exchange is enchanting.
And finally, a very strange but engaging film entitled The One I Love. Mark Duplassis and Elisabeth Moss play a married couple whose partnership has run out of gas. They consult a counselor (Ted Danson- Yes, the old Cheers bartender) who is supposed to heal broken marriages. He sends them to an exclusive estate to reconnect. They have the place to themselves- or do they? Each discovers that the place seems to include an exact copy of him and her. They decide to return home and confront the counselor. I’m not telling any more!
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for mature 12 year olds.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
SIR ALEC GUINESS
The death of Sir Alec Guiness in 2000 at the age of 86 was a sad, if not unexpected, event. Sir Alec appeared in over 50 films in a long and distinguished career. Most younger fans will remember him as Obi Wan-Kenobi, guardian of The Force and mentor to Luke Skywalker, in Star Wars (1977). He brought needed gravity and nobility to the film.
Mr. Guiness won an Oscar for his stunning portrayal of the Colonel in Bridge On The River Kwai (1957). Kwai is not only an outstanding war movie and a consummate nail-biter, it is an excellent character study. The Colonel somehow loses sight of the long-range goal and becomes obsessed in saving the bridge he has built for the Japanese. Jack Hawkins and William Holden head the rest of a fine cast. This film won seven Oscars in all, including Best Picture and Best Director. If you have never seen it, you’re in for a treat!
Sir Alec is convincingly depraved as the villainous Fagin in Oliver Twist (1948), topping even Ron Moody’s performance in Oliver! (1968). Both of these films are excellent. The earlier one with Mr. Guiness is not a musical. It amply demonstrates the incredible, effortless range of which Sir Alec was capable.
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) is British low-key comedy at its finest. Sir Alec is a timid bank clerk and the unlikely mastermind of a gold truck heist. Stanley Holloway leads the ensemble cast of assorted ne’er-do-wells but it is Mr. Guiness’ underplayed drollery that makes this film a classic.
In The Horse’s Mouth (1958) Alec Guiness stars as Joyce Cary’s eccentric
genius and pain-in-the-neck, Gully Jimson. He is an artist who by turns dazzles and irritates those he deals with. Sir Alec is perfect in the part and is the wheel that turns this fine comedy, a serious but entertaining exploration of the artistic soul.
It seemed Alec Guiness was around forever- he was knighted 56 years ago. Some other fine films with good Guiness performances include Great Expectations (1946) as Pip, Tunes of Glory (1960) as the easygoing officer, and Lawrence of Arabia (1962) as an Arab prince. He was awarded a special Oscar in 1980 for “memorable and distinguished performances.” He was in a few bad movies, but he never gave a bad performance.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are suitable for children 10 and up.
The death of Sir Alec Guiness in 2000 at the age of 86 was a sad, if not unexpected, event. Sir Alec appeared in over 50 films in a long and distinguished career. Most younger fans will remember him as Obi Wan-Kenobi, guardian of The Force and mentor to Luke Skywalker, in Star Wars (1977). He brought needed gravity and nobility to the film.
Mr. Guiness won an Oscar for his stunning portrayal of the Colonel in Bridge On The River Kwai (1957). Kwai is not only an outstanding war movie and a consummate nail-biter, it is an excellent character study. The Colonel somehow loses sight of the long-range goal and becomes obsessed in saving the bridge he has built for the Japanese. Jack Hawkins and William Holden head the rest of a fine cast. This film won seven Oscars in all, including Best Picture and Best Director. If you have never seen it, you’re in for a treat!
Sir Alec is convincingly depraved as the villainous Fagin in Oliver Twist (1948), topping even Ron Moody’s performance in Oliver! (1968). Both of these films are excellent. The earlier one with Mr. Guiness is not a musical. It amply demonstrates the incredible, effortless range of which Sir Alec was capable.
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) is British low-key comedy at its finest. Sir Alec is a timid bank clerk and the unlikely mastermind of a gold truck heist. Stanley Holloway leads the ensemble cast of assorted ne’er-do-wells but it is Mr. Guiness’ underplayed drollery that makes this film a classic.
In The Horse’s Mouth (1958) Alec Guiness stars as Joyce Cary’s eccentric
genius and pain-in-the-neck, Gully Jimson. He is an artist who by turns dazzles and irritates those he deals with. Sir Alec is perfect in the part and is the wheel that turns this fine comedy, a serious but entertaining exploration of the artistic soul.
It seemed Alec Guiness was around forever- he was knighted 56 years ago. Some other fine films with good Guiness performances include Great Expectations (1946) as Pip, Tunes of Glory (1960) as the easygoing officer, and Lawrence of Arabia (1962) as an Arab prince. He was awarded a special Oscar in 1980 for “memorable and distinguished performances.” He was in a few bad movies, but he never gave a bad performance.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are suitable for children 10 and up.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
2014 SLEEPERS
Part 3
Here’s another interesting group of films from last year that you might have missed.
In World War II, the German Panzer tanks were apparently superior to American Sherman tanks (I did not know that!). So American tank squads had to be smarter and trickier to have a chance. Fury is the story of one American tank team. Brad Pitt is the leader and his five-man crew has been together for most of the war. This film is far more realistic about tank warfare then most others, and is quite an exciting ride. The group’s strategy is outstanding and it’s ability to cope with dire situations is amazing.
Belle stars the unprounceable Gugu Mbatha-Raw as the mixed race niece of a powerful British judge (Tom Wilkinson). Found living in poverty in the West Indies, she is taken to the manor house of her wealthy uncle and raised together with her very white cousin (Penelope Wilton). The interaction of this charming girl with staid 18th century British society is fascinating. As a bonus, the Judge is called upon to rule in a case determining whether slaves are people or property.
The Fault In Our Stars is a better than average coming of age flick, marked indelibly by the wonderful breakout performance of Shaliene Woodley. Veterans William Dafoe and Laura Dern pump up the supporting cast, but this is Ms. Woodley’s movie, lock stock and barrel. Though she’s only 25, she already has over 50 acting credits. This one is worth seeing just for her performance.
Obvious Child is a romantic comedy about abortion! Filled with unknowns, it features Jenny Slate as a stand-up comedian who discovers she is pregnant after a drunken one-night stand. The unwitting father Max (Jake Lacy) finds out about her condition and supports her decision to end her pregnancy. The ending is a very sweet denouement. WARNING: If you are strongly pro-life, this film may offend you. I’m forever on the fence on this hot-button issue and I thought the film handled the subject matter with tact and sympathy.
Okay, I know that Paddington is ostensibly a kid’s movie. But you know what? A good movie is a good movie! The stuffed bear from “Darkest Peru,” who speaks and understands English, is adopted by a normal British family. He of course knows nothing about modern society. High-jinks ensue. This charming film features Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville (His Lordship on Downton Abbey!), Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and an absolutely adorable bear.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. Only the last one is OK for kids.
Part 3
Here’s another interesting group of films from last year that you might have missed.
In World War II, the German Panzer tanks were apparently superior to American Sherman tanks (I did not know that!). So American tank squads had to be smarter and trickier to have a chance. Fury is the story of one American tank team. Brad Pitt is the leader and his five-man crew has been together for most of the war. This film is far more realistic about tank warfare then most others, and is quite an exciting ride. The group’s strategy is outstanding and it’s ability to cope with dire situations is amazing.
Belle stars the unprounceable Gugu Mbatha-Raw as the mixed race niece of a powerful British judge (Tom Wilkinson). Found living in poverty in the West Indies, she is taken to the manor house of her wealthy uncle and raised together with her very white cousin (Penelope Wilton). The interaction of this charming girl with staid 18th century British society is fascinating. As a bonus, the Judge is called upon to rule in a case determining whether slaves are people or property.
The Fault In Our Stars is a better than average coming of age flick, marked indelibly by the wonderful breakout performance of Shaliene Woodley. Veterans William Dafoe and Laura Dern pump up the supporting cast, but this is Ms. Woodley’s movie, lock stock and barrel. Though she’s only 25, she already has over 50 acting credits. This one is worth seeing just for her performance.
Obvious Child is a romantic comedy about abortion! Filled with unknowns, it features Jenny Slate as a stand-up comedian who discovers she is pregnant after a drunken one-night stand. The unwitting father Max (Jake Lacy) finds out about her condition and supports her decision to end her pregnancy. The ending is a very sweet denouement. WARNING: If you are strongly pro-life, this film may offend you. I’m forever on the fence on this hot-button issue and I thought the film handled the subject matter with tact and sympathy.
Okay, I know that Paddington is ostensibly a kid’s movie. But you know what? A good movie is a good movie! The stuffed bear from “Darkest Peru,” who speaks and understands English, is adopted by a normal British family. He of course knows nothing about modern society. High-jinks ensue. This charming film features Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville (His Lordship on Downton Abbey!), Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and an absolutely adorable bear.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. Only the last one is OK for kids.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
ONE DEGREE OF KEVIN BACON
There is a game called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, in which you start with the actor and in six steps connect him with anyone in the world. He seems mildly amused to be famous for that silly game. I think he is one of the most underrated actors around.
Mr. Bacon was born in Philadelphia (not his fault) in 1958, and while comfortably middle-aged he still looks virtually ageless. He is able to play as young or old as the part requires, within reasonable limits. He has been in over 50 movies, and is usually the guy who simply cements the spaces between the big stars.
But he is the main guy in The Woodsman (2004). Mr. Bacon not only carries this exceptional film on his back, he was so keen on it that he also produced it. It is a daring leap for a guy who doesn’t need to risk anything. The Woodsman is the up close and personal story of convicted child molester, beautifully underplayed by Mr. Bacon. The subject matter is squirmishly uncomfortable, but the payoff is big. The story is treated with tact but pulls no punches. And make no mistake about it, the main character is certainly not treated as a hero. This is a very good movie.
Both Sean Penn and Tim Robbins deservedly won Oscars for Mystic River (2003). And yet, it is Mr. Bacon’s quietly competent performance as the third friend, who happens to be a cop, that really holds this movie together. Something terrible happened when all three were kids, and something terrible keeps happening now. Not for the squeamish, this film features strong performances and a tough, unrelenting screenplay.
Apollo 13 (1995) likewise features numerous fine performances. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris are all good. Kevin Bacon is there to quietly and competently fill the spaces that need filling. This is the most suspenseful movie in history where you already know the ending!
Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore would tend to intimidate anyone, and all are good in A Few Good Men (1992). But Kevin Bacon is the grace note, providing once again the right touch in this splendid court-martial story.
Diner (1982) is Barry Levinson’s autobiographical love story to Baltimore. Mr. Bacon is joined by Steven Gutenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke and Ellen Barkin in a fine coming-of-age story.
Though he doesn’t have many good movies after 2004, he still gets a lot of work.
And Kevin Bacon has come a long way since he was a frat boy in Animal House (1978)!
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are for matures audiences.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
MORE GOOD MOVIES WITH BAD TITLES
Here are five more fairly good movies with truly terrible titles, titles so bad they not only have nothing to do with the film, but also make the movie sound awful.
Phffft! (1954) features Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon as feuding ex-spouses who soon discover they were better off married. Jack Carson and Kim Novak are on hand as the extracurricular interests of the featured players. It has some funny bits and, of course, a happy ending, but the title? You got me.
Slither (1973) is not about snakes at all. It is, in fact, a really good little off-beat film about a bunch of kooky characters in search of a cache of money. James Caan, Peter Boyle and Sally Kellerman lead an interesting mix of actors. There’s a nice surprise in there, too, but where they got the title I have no idea. The 2006 horror film with the same title isn’t in this class.
The Snapper (1993) is an Irish movie about an unexpected pregnancy and it’s effect on the teen-age girl’s family. I know that doesn’t sound like a comedy, but it is, and Colm Meany is perfect as the bewildered father of the young lady. The circumstances of the conception are just wonderfully comic and I’ll tell no more. The title? Who knows?
Iran, of all places, has a burgeoning film industry that has produced several high-quality movies in the past few years. Offside (2006), Baran (2001), Persepolis (2001) and Children of Heaven (1997) are all very good.
But towering above all these is A Time For Drunken Horses (1999), a great movie with a goofy title. It is about the Kurdish people of the Middle East. The family makes a meager living smuggling goods into Iran. The little boy Madi is afflicted with dwarfism and constantly ill. His only hope is an operation, far beyond the family’s meager means. But they try. The older children embark on a perilous smuggling trip, fraught with terrible weather and bandits.
And finally, there is Wah Wah (2006) about a white farm family in Swaziland beset by both domestic problems and the conversion of the country to majority rule. Seen through the eyes of a little boy, whose safe world shatters when his mother leaves the family and his father takes to drink, this is a fine movie with a dumb title. Julie Walters, Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne and Emily Watson feature a fine British cast. All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are okay for 10 and over.
Here are five more fairly good movies with truly terrible titles, titles so bad they not only have nothing to do with the film, but also make the movie sound awful.
Phffft! (1954) features Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon as feuding ex-spouses who soon discover they were better off married. Jack Carson and Kim Novak are on hand as the extracurricular interests of the featured players. It has some funny bits and, of course, a happy ending, but the title? You got me.
Slither (1973) is not about snakes at all. It is, in fact, a really good little off-beat film about a bunch of kooky characters in search of a cache of money. James Caan, Peter Boyle and Sally Kellerman lead an interesting mix of actors. There’s a nice surprise in there, too, but where they got the title I have no idea. The 2006 horror film with the same title isn’t in this class.
The Snapper (1993) is an Irish movie about an unexpected pregnancy and it’s effect on the teen-age girl’s family. I know that doesn’t sound like a comedy, but it is, and Colm Meany is perfect as the bewildered father of the young lady. The circumstances of the conception are just wonderfully comic and I’ll tell no more. The title? Who knows?
Iran, of all places, has a burgeoning film industry that has produced several high-quality movies in the past few years. Offside (2006), Baran (2001), Persepolis (2001) and Children of Heaven (1997) are all very good.
But towering above all these is A Time For Drunken Horses (1999), a great movie with a goofy title. It is about the Kurdish people of the Middle East. The family makes a meager living smuggling goods into Iran. The little boy Madi is afflicted with dwarfism and constantly ill. His only hope is an operation, far beyond the family’s meager means. But they try. The older children embark on a perilous smuggling trip, fraught with terrible weather and bandits.
And finally, there is Wah Wah (2006) about a white farm family in Swaziland beset by both domestic problems and the conversion of the country to majority rule. Seen through the eyes of a little boy, whose safe world shatters when his mother leaves the family and his father takes to drink, this is a fine movie with a dumb title. Julie Walters, Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne and Emily Watson feature a fine British cast. All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are okay for 10 and over.
Monday, August 24, 2015
BAD TITLE, GOOD MOVIE
What were they thinking? Herein you will find some of the worst movie titles ever dreamed up. These are titles that almost guarantee no one will come to see them, titles that seem to have no connection at all with the movie. Interesting trivia: All of these movies were made (and named) within three years of each other. And all of them are actually pretty good films!
Let’s start with Hideous Kinky (1999). Kate Winslett chucks her life in England and hightails it for Morocco (?) to find herself. She has no job and knows no one in the country. She has two young daughters she drags along on this adventure. Talk about leaping before you look! Whence the title? Beats me.
Sexy Beast (2001) features Ray Winstone as a former Mafia hit man who thinks he has retired. Then an old colleague, played by Ben Kingsley, shows up and want his buddy to take on that one last job. Kingsley’s bravura performance as a vicious, demented and altogether unlikeable thug practically steals the movie. This guy was Ghandi? But Mr. Winstone’s laid-back effort nicely evens things out. Again, I have no idea what the title signifies.
Dirty Pretty Things (2002) is my favorite of this disparate group of movies. Chiewetel Ejiofor, a little-known but quite accomplished English actor (Amistad, Inside Man, Children Of Men), plays a Nigerian immigrant working two jobs and hoping to bring his family to the UK. Audrey Tatou (Amelie) is his Turkish girlfriend and an illegal immigrant. He realizes bad things are going on in the hotel where he works and decides he must act. This is quite a good story, and the ending will shock and surprise you. Very weird title, though.
The Big Kahuna (2000) is actually a filmed stage play featuring Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito as world-weary salesmen waiting for a key customer to come to their hotel suite. They unsubtly discourage young Peter Facinelli, whose optimism and religious fervor are badly shaken. Another strange title.
And finally, one you may have actually heard of. Monster’s Ball (2001) garnered an Oscar for Halle Berry. She begins a torrid affair with Billy Bob Thornton, a prison guard who incidently had a hand in her husband’s execution. Her character is not a good mom and not a good person, but Ms. Berry took this juicy part and ran with it. Once again, I have no clue about the weird title.
Do I have some more of these strangely named flicks up my sleeve? Watch this space!
All of the movies in this articles are available on DVD and for streaming. All are for grown-ups.
What were they thinking? Herein you will find some of the worst movie titles ever dreamed up. These are titles that almost guarantee no one will come to see them, titles that seem to have no connection at all with the movie. Interesting trivia: All of these movies were made (and named) within three years of each other. And all of them are actually pretty good films!
Let’s start with Hideous Kinky (1999). Kate Winslett chucks her life in England and hightails it for Morocco (?) to find herself. She has no job and knows no one in the country. She has two young daughters she drags along on this adventure. Talk about leaping before you look! Whence the title? Beats me.
Sexy Beast (2001) features Ray Winstone as a former Mafia hit man who thinks he has retired. Then an old colleague, played by Ben Kingsley, shows up and want his buddy to take on that one last job. Kingsley’s bravura performance as a vicious, demented and altogether unlikeable thug practically steals the movie. This guy was Ghandi? But Mr. Winstone’s laid-back effort nicely evens things out. Again, I have no idea what the title signifies.
Dirty Pretty Things (2002) is my favorite of this disparate group of movies. Chiewetel Ejiofor, a little-known but quite accomplished English actor (Amistad, Inside Man, Children Of Men), plays a Nigerian immigrant working two jobs and hoping to bring his family to the UK. Audrey Tatou (Amelie) is his Turkish girlfriend and an illegal immigrant. He realizes bad things are going on in the hotel where he works and decides he must act. This is quite a good story, and the ending will shock and surprise you. Very weird title, though.
The Big Kahuna (2000) is actually a filmed stage play featuring Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito as world-weary salesmen waiting for a key customer to come to their hotel suite. They unsubtly discourage young Peter Facinelli, whose optimism and religious fervor are badly shaken. Another strange title.
And finally, one you may have actually heard of. Monster’s Ball (2001) garnered an Oscar for Halle Berry. She begins a torrid affair with Billy Bob Thornton, a prison guard who incidently had a hand in her husband’s execution. Her character is not a good mom and not a good person, but Ms. Berry took this juicy part and ran with it. Once again, I have no clue about the weird title.
Do I have some more of these strangely named flicks up my sleeve? Watch this space!
All of the movies in this articles are available on DVD and for streaming. All are for grown-ups.
Monday, August 17, 2015
CHARLES LAUGHTON
Even Babe Ruth never had a year like Charles Laughton had in 1935. With today’s shooting schedules it would be next to impossible to crank out Les Miserables, Ruggles of Red Gap and Mutiny on the Bounty in the same calendar year. Though he was homely and stocky, the underrated Laughton’s great range and versatility made him the “go-to guy” of the 30's.
Laughton’s incredible run began with an Oscar for best actor in The Private Lives of Henry VIII (1933). His performance brought depth and texture to a historical figure previously viewed merely (and merrily) as a lecherous villain.
If Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s father weren’t the strictest dad in England, he was certainly in the top ten. He forbade his children to marry and apparently kept all of Elizabeth’s extensive earnings. Mr. Laughton somehow makes this loathsome prig believable in The Barretts Of Wimpole Street (1934). If the movie ultimately belongs to Frederic March, as Robert Browning, and Norma Shearer, as Elizabeth, it would never get off the ground without Mr. Laughton’s haughty villain.
In 1935, Mr. Laughton (Inspector Javier) again teamed with Mr. March (Jean Valjean) in Les Miserables. There are at least seven filmed versions of the Victor Hugo classic and this one is easily the best. Javier hunts down Valjean for a minor crime against the backdrop of the French Revolution. Mr. Laughton’s reading of the persistent, law-and-order at all costs policeman is a gem.
Ruggles Of Red Gap (1935) is a British gentleman’s gentleman washed up on
the shores of the American West and somehow won in a poker game by rancher Charlie Ruggles. Ruggles is rich, well-placed and as uncouth as a hog. Mr. Laughton is drily persuasive as the unlikely butler. This is a delightful, much overlooked film that holds up very well.
Charles Laughton again defines a famous role as the domineering Captain Bligh in Mutiny On The Bounty (1935). And again, this version of the Melville story is by far the best one. You won’t shed a tear when Bligh is set adrift in a lifeboat; Bligh doesn’t want your sympathy, even at that desperate moment.
Mr. Laughton closed out the 30's as the heroic, misshapen Quasimodo in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1939). The humanity Mr. Laughton brings to this difficult part is most affecting. Forget the Disney version, this one gets it right.
All of the movies in this column are available on video. Unfortunately, only the last two are available on DVD at this time. All are fine for children 10 and up.
Even Babe Ruth never had a year like Charles Laughton had in 1935. With today’s shooting schedules it would be next to impossible to crank out Les Miserables, Ruggles of Red Gap and Mutiny on the Bounty in the same calendar year. Though he was homely and stocky, the underrated Laughton’s great range and versatility made him the “go-to guy” of the 30's.
Laughton’s incredible run began with an Oscar for best actor in The Private Lives of Henry VIII (1933). His performance brought depth and texture to a historical figure previously viewed merely (and merrily) as a lecherous villain.
If Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s father weren’t the strictest dad in England, he was certainly in the top ten. He forbade his children to marry and apparently kept all of Elizabeth’s extensive earnings. Mr. Laughton somehow makes this loathsome prig believable in The Barretts Of Wimpole Street (1934). If the movie ultimately belongs to Frederic March, as Robert Browning, and Norma Shearer, as Elizabeth, it would never get off the ground without Mr. Laughton’s haughty villain.
In 1935, Mr. Laughton (Inspector Javier) again teamed with Mr. March (Jean Valjean) in Les Miserables. There are at least seven filmed versions of the Victor Hugo classic and this one is easily the best. Javier hunts down Valjean for a minor crime against the backdrop of the French Revolution. Mr. Laughton’s reading of the persistent, law-and-order at all costs policeman is a gem.
Ruggles Of Red Gap (1935) is a British gentleman’s gentleman washed up on
the shores of the American West and somehow won in a poker game by rancher Charlie Ruggles. Ruggles is rich, well-placed and as uncouth as a hog. Mr. Laughton is drily persuasive as the unlikely butler. This is a delightful, much overlooked film that holds up very well.
Charles Laughton again defines a famous role as the domineering Captain Bligh in Mutiny On The Bounty (1935). And again, this version of the Melville story is by far the best one. You won’t shed a tear when Bligh is set adrift in a lifeboat; Bligh doesn’t want your sympathy, even at that desperate moment.
Mr. Laughton closed out the 30's as the heroic, misshapen Quasimodo in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1939). The humanity Mr. Laughton brings to this difficult part is most affecting. Forget the Disney version, this one gets it right.
All of the movies in this column are available on video. Unfortunately, only the last two are available on DVD at this time. All are fine for children 10 and up.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
3D OR NOT 3D
3D or not 3D- that is the question. Let’s start with a confession. I am probably older than you. The only thing I can do on my cell phone is make calls. In my last business, we had a coal-fired copier (okay, just kidding on that one). Anyway- I sort of don’t like change...
When I was a kid they tried 3D with dogs like House Of Wax (1953). It was dreadful, with equally bad special effects.
So what does this ancient curmudgeon think of the latest incarnation of 3D? Well, folks, I’m agin it. It’s not that I haven’t given it a fair try. If anyone can make it work, it should be Martin Scorcese. Hugo (2011) is a very good movie. It starts with one of the director’s signature tracking shots through a crowded railway station. It has a wonderful train wreck. Is the tracking shot better than the one he did in Goodfellas (1990)? No. Is it better than the train wreck in The Fugitive (1993)? Well, no. Would it be just as good (or maybe better) without the 3D trickery? I think so.
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams (2011) is a fascinating documentary about some ancient cave paintings in France. It is shot only in 3D. Does that help? Actually, I don’t believe it does. It does perhaps present a little better depth, but that is negated by how dark it is.
The one movie I have seen I would have to concede is good in 3D is James Cameron’s Avatar (2009). The soaring dragons and the pitched battles between the various creatures are indeed awe-inspiring. Would it be good without 3D? You bet.
To me, so many of the 3D effects are simply the director saying “Look what I can do” and they don’t really add to your enjoyment of the movie. Rather than helping the story, they actually distract from it. Add to that the fact that 3D very much darkens the images and the tradeoff is hardly worthwhile.
Think of some good movies with great special effects. How about Inception (2010) with all the collapsing buildings. Better in 3D? I doubt it. Or how about the Star Wars movies with all the chases and high-tech stuff.Or the great stunts in the Mission Impossible series. Need 3D? Don’t think so.
And now they’re even redoing some old favorites in 3D, hoping no doubt to sell more tickets. Lion King and Titanic will not be improved by remaking, in my opinion.
Finally, who wants to put up with those higher prices and clunky glasses? Well, I’ve had my say- what do you think?
3D or not 3D- that is the question. Let’s start with a confession. I am probably older than you. The only thing I can do on my cell phone is make calls. In my last business, we had a coal-fired copier (okay, just kidding on that one). Anyway- I sort of don’t like change...
When I was a kid they tried 3D with dogs like House Of Wax (1953). It was dreadful, with equally bad special effects.
So what does this ancient curmudgeon think of the latest incarnation of 3D? Well, folks, I’m agin it. It’s not that I haven’t given it a fair try. If anyone can make it work, it should be Martin Scorcese. Hugo (2011) is a very good movie. It starts with one of the director’s signature tracking shots through a crowded railway station. It has a wonderful train wreck. Is the tracking shot better than the one he did in Goodfellas (1990)? No. Is it better than the train wreck in The Fugitive (1993)? Well, no. Would it be just as good (or maybe better) without the 3D trickery? I think so.
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams (2011) is a fascinating documentary about some ancient cave paintings in France. It is shot only in 3D. Does that help? Actually, I don’t believe it does. It does perhaps present a little better depth, but that is negated by how dark it is.
The one movie I have seen I would have to concede is good in 3D is James Cameron’s Avatar (2009). The soaring dragons and the pitched battles between the various creatures are indeed awe-inspiring. Would it be good without 3D? You bet.
To me, so many of the 3D effects are simply the director saying “Look what I can do” and they don’t really add to your enjoyment of the movie. Rather than helping the story, they actually distract from it. Add to that the fact that 3D very much darkens the images and the tradeoff is hardly worthwhile.
Think of some good movies with great special effects. How about Inception (2010) with all the collapsing buildings. Better in 3D? I doubt it. Or how about the Star Wars movies with all the chases and high-tech stuff.Or the great stunts in the Mission Impossible series. Need 3D? Don’t think so.
And now they’re even redoing some old favorites in 3D, hoping no doubt to sell more tickets. Lion King and Titanic will not be improved by remaking, in my opinion.
Finally, who wants to put up with those higher prices and clunky glasses? Well, I’ve had my say- what do you think?
Monday, August 3, 2015
2014 SLEEPERS
Part 2
Here’s another handful of very good movies from last year that didn’t get much play, or that you may have missed.
Gillian Flynn’s marvelous thriller Gone Girl cried out for movie treatment, and got it in spades. Not as good as the book? Isn’t that always the way? But- the film is very good indeed with Ben Affleck convincing as the philandering victim of the meanest female movie villain in a while. Roasamund Pike does this very well, pulling off the most immoral movie female since Bette Davis sat there and let her husband die in The Little Foxes (1941). There are lots of delicious twists and turns in this one, and the ending is a corker.
Two Days, One Night is one of those films with a fairly unpromising story line that turns out to be really good. Marion Cotillard misses a considerable time from her job in a solar panel factory because of illness. While she is gone, the other workers discover they can cover her duties by each working a little longer. The boss offers each of them a substantial bonus if they will continue to do the extra work and render Marion’s job superfluous. She begs the boss to let her stay. He tells her she has the week-end to convince the others to forego the bonus and let her come back. She must visit each one and convince them to help her. To find out how it comes out, you’ll have to watch it.
Calvary features the splendid Irish actor Brendan Gleeson as Catholic priest Father James in a small town. In the confessional, a parishioner tells him that he was terribly abused as a child by a now-dead priest. He also states that he is going to kill Father James on a certain day. His warped reasoning is that by killing a good priest he will hurt the church more than it would to kill a bad one. The run-up to the confrontation involves Father James attending to his priestly duties and deciding what to do about the threat. The ending caught me completely off guard.
Locke features an incredible performance by Tom Hardy. The entire film takes place in his car, as he rushes to be present at the birth of a child he has conceived in an extramarital affair. In his absence there is a complicated job to be completed at his work, and he must talk a somewhat dim subordinate through the process by phone. He also confesses to his wife and son where he is going and why and tries to convince them to stay together with him. It’s a unique concept. I thought it would be boring. It is in fact suspenseful and entertaining.
Remember those hokey paintings that were popular in the 50's and 60's featuring children with enormous eyes? Okay, maybe you’re too young to remember them. Well, anyway, Big Eyes is the more-or-less trues story of the shy female artist who painted them, how she was victimized by her controlling husband, and what finally happened. Amy Adams is splendid as the artist and Christopher Waltz convincingly slimy as her husband.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are for adult audiences.
Part 2
Here’s another handful of very good movies from last year that didn’t get much play, or that you may have missed.
Gillian Flynn’s marvelous thriller Gone Girl cried out for movie treatment, and got it in spades. Not as good as the book? Isn’t that always the way? But- the film is very good indeed with Ben Affleck convincing as the philandering victim of the meanest female movie villain in a while. Roasamund Pike does this very well, pulling off the most immoral movie female since Bette Davis sat there and let her husband die in The Little Foxes (1941). There are lots of delicious twists and turns in this one, and the ending is a corker.
Two Days, One Night is one of those films with a fairly unpromising story line that turns out to be really good. Marion Cotillard misses a considerable time from her job in a solar panel factory because of illness. While she is gone, the other workers discover they can cover her duties by each working a little longer. The boss offers each of them a substantial bonus if they will continue to do the extra work and render Marion’s job superfluous. She begs the boss to let her stay. He tells her she has the week-end to convince the others to forego the bonus and let her come back. She must visit each one and convince them to help her. To find out how it comes out, you’ll have to watch it.
Calvary features the splendid Irish actor Brendan Gleeson as Catholic priest Father James in a small town. In the confessional, a parishioner tells him that he was terribly abused as a child by a now-dead priest. He also states that he is going to kill Father James on a certain day. His warped reasoning is that by killing a good priest he will hurt the church more than it would to kill a bad one. The run-up to the confrontation involves Father James attending to his priestly duties and deciding what to do about the threat. The ending caught me completely off guard.
Locke features an incredible performance by Tom Hardy. The entire film takes place in his car, as he rushes to be present at the birth of a child he has conceived in an extramarital affair. In his absence there is a complicated job to be completed at his work, and he must talk a somewhat dim subordinate through the process by phone. He also confesses to his wife and son where he is going and why and tries to convince them to stay together with him. It’s a unique concept. I thought it would be boring. It is in fact suspenseful and entertaining.
Remember those hokey paintings that were popular in the 50's and 60's featuring children with enormous eyes? Okay, maybe you’re too young to remember them. Well, anyway, Big Eyes is the more-or-less trues story of the shy female artist who painted them, how she was victimized by her controlling husband, and what finally happened. Amy Adams is splendid as the artist and Christopher Waltz convincingly slimy as her husband.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are for adult audiences.
Monday, July 27, 2015
PETER USTINOV
Peter Ustinov, who left us in 2004 at age 82, was a true renaissance man. He acted, wrote and directed. He worked tirelessly for UNICEF for over 30 years. He made over 90 films, and the best of them are very good indeed.
Mr. Ustinov first appeared on the radar of American film buffs in the Roman Empire epic Quo Vadis (1951). Despite the presence of Deborah Kerr and Robert Taylor, Mr. Ustinov frankly steals the movie as the mad emperor Nero, a character he defined for all time with this portrayal.
The Sundowners (1960) is one of those quiet little films that just hangs around because people keep liking it. Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr are Australian sheep ranchers and Peter Ustinov is their sidekick-foreman-best friend. It is very much like an American western in its portrayal of pioneers trying to survive in a raw, hostile country.
Spartacus (1960) features Kirk Douglas (as leader of a slave revolt), Jean Simmons, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Tony Curtis and Charles Laughton. But it was Peter Ustinov who won an Oscar for his supporting role as Batiatus, owner of a notorious school for gladiators. Its history may be a little questionable, but there is no denying the spectacular sets, costumes and battle scenes of Spartacus. Oh, and there's the much featured scene where all the revolting slaves tell the Roman soldiers, "I am Spartacus."
In the long roll-call of heist movies, few can approach the bright and wonderful Topkapi (1964) about a disparate and desperate band of small-time thugs determined to rob the big museum. Once again Peter Ustinov is in august company: Melina Mercouri, Maximillian Schell, Robert Morley, Akim Tamiroff. And once again it is Mr. Ustinov copping the Oscar as the sleazy hood with all the answers. It is hard to imagine anyone else in this role, which pulls this movie up above dozens of other caper flicks.
Perhaps the crowning glory of Peter Ustinov's cinematic career is the much underrated Billy Budd (1962). A personal project Mr. Ustinov had dreamed of putting together for years, it is based on Herman Melville's novella and is a cautionary tale that pushes the limits of the morality vs. legality debate. Mr. Ustinov wrote it, directed it, produced it and plays the key role of the captain. He must decide whether to follow the law to the letter, or do what seems right in his heart. Terrence Stamp (in his first role) is incandescent as the innocent Billy, and Robert Ryan is superb as the villainous master-at-arms.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are for 10 and up.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
JOAN ALLEN
What do Mira Sorvino, Juliette Binoche and Julia Roberts have in common (other than being fine actresses)? All three snatched an Oscar from the more deserving hands of the wonderful Joan Allen. Well, Joan Allen's day will come. You heard it here first.
As The Contender (2000) Ms. Allen hit it out of the park as a vice-presidential candidate who refuses to even discuss what she may have done as a slightly wild college kid. This film is a cautionary tale for our time, and Joan Allen makes it go. It asks some ultimate questions and the answers are not easy ones.
Ms. Allen splendidly played the long-suffering Pat Nixon in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995). The film is a fascinating hatchet job that makes no pretense of fair play and is all the more interesting because of that. Ms. Allen practically steals the movie from Sir Anthony Hopkins, not an easy task. So what did Pat Nixon really think about all that carrying on? Joan Allen shows a probable answer in a stunning performance.
Joan Allen was the only good thing in the dreadful remake of The Crucible (1996). I can't really argue against Juliette Binoche winning for The English Patient in'96. But in 1995 she lost to Mira Sorvino for Mighty Aphrodite and in 2000 she lost to Julia Roberts for Erin Brokovich. Ms. Allen was robbed!
There is no one better at playing slightly square, well-meaning Moms than Joan Allen. Check her out in Pleasantville (1998), or The Ice Storm (1997), or the wonderful Searching For Bobby Fisher (1993), or the underrated In Country (1989).
Another somewhat slighted film is Ethan Frome (1992), based on Edith Wharton's outstanding novel and very true to it. Joan Allen has a nifty change-of-pace as Liam Neeson's whiny invalid wife. She makes you hate her for her neediness and her ability to cloud the sunniest day.
A nice early effort by Joan Allen, as the somewhat overly protective Mom of Kathleen Turner, is Peggy Sue Got Married (1986). Nicholas Cage pushes a little too hard as the teenage boyfriend and philandering husband, but Ms. Turner and Ms. Allen are just fine and the film is loads of fun.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are okay for 12 and up.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
OMAR SHARIF
Omar Sharif left us recently at age 83. At his peak he was one of the best-looking men on the planet. Barbra Streisand's lines in Funny Girl say it best: "To tell the truth; it hurt my pride. The groom was prettier than the bride."
He became a world-class bridge player and developed a second lucrative career as a syndicated bridge columnist. His film career is an almost perfect bell curve: real bad movies to start, real good movies in the middle, real bad movies at the end.
Omar Sharif burst onto the world's consciousness in the towering Lawrence Of Arabia (1962). He was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Sherif Ari, Arab friend and colleague of the mercurial T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole). The film is about the Arab war against the Turks, but more particularly the life and times of the title character. It is very long, but worth the effort. I used to advise seeing only in a theater, but with today's big screen TVs I think the spectacular scenery and set pieces are quite good.
The part that endeared him to moviegoers was the title role in Dr. Zhivago (1965). This sprawling story of a privileged Russian on the run during the revolution makes a heckuva movie. The ice scene at the abandoned manor is breathtaking, as is Tom Courtenay as the relentless Strelnikov. Julie Christie as an unforgettable Lara heads a fine supporting cast including Sir Alec Guiness, Rod Steiger and Geraldine Chaplin. This is one of those films the critics didn't much like and the audience loved. It is still in the all-time top ten of box office receipts!
In Funny Girl (1968) Barbra Streisand is the legendary Fanny Brice and Omar Sharif is her wooer and later her husband, Nick Arnstein. This film put Ms. Streisand on the map and deservedly so. The music is quite good and she is spectacular. Mr. Sharif is good as her love interest. His singing will not make you forget Frank Sinatra (who was considered for this part). The ill-conceived sequel, Funny Lady (1969) has the same cast with so-so music and screenplay.
Mayerling (1968) has Omar Sharif and Catherine Deneuve as the world's cutest couple, excellent sets and costumes and a famous story with a cloudy ending. I would call it mediocre.
Before Steven Soderbergh's two-part biopic Che in 2008 there was the even worse 1969 version with Omar Sharif in the title role and Jack Palance (!) as Fidel Castro. Folks, this is just plain awful!
Omar Sharif can also be viewed as a German officer trying to solve the grisly murder of a prostitute during World War II in The Night Of The Generals (1967) and as Father Francisco in the confusing and not very good Behold A Pale Horse (1964). And, as the immortal Bugs Bunny put it, "That's all folks!" Mr. Sharif had another 40 years of movie roles, none of them very good.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are for mature audiences.
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