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.
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