WE’VE GOT YOU, BABE!
Cher now has a Broadway musical named for her and featuring her songs. She is 72 and so famous that like Elvis, Sting and Madonna, she uses only one showbiz name.
Her film career has sort of floundered recently, but she can be very, very good. She is best known as the hip, smart-mouthed, very independent woman against the world, either as a mom (single, of course!) or as a sidekick.
Cher holds her own as the tough-as-nails best friend of Meryl Streep in Silkwood (1983), a good film based on the true story of a whistle-blower pushed beyond the edge. Cher was nominated for an Oscar but lost to Linda Hunt for The Year Of Living Dangerously.
In Mask (1985) Cher is the determined mother of Eric Stoltz, a kid with a genetic disorder that makes him look like a freak. Cher is determined to make some kind of life for them in this interesting film about our differences and our similarities.
Cher is in exalted company in The Witches of Eastwick (1987) in which she, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon try to conjure up the perfect man and instead bring on the devil, played with fiendish glee by Jack Nicholson.
Winona Ryder is the bewildered teen-age daughter in Mermaids (1990). Cher is her mom, and she is sexy, profane and a constant source of humiliation and embarrassment to her kids. She pushes the idea of kids being embarrassed by their parents to an entirely new level, much to our delight.
In Come Back To The 5 And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982) Cher and her girlfriends hold a 20-year reunion of a James Dean fan club they formed as kids. Kathy Bates, Karen Black and Sandy Dennis all learn more about themselves
than maybe they, or we, wanted to know. Robert Altman directed this rather strange
little film that is not to all tastes but has its devotees.
Cher is a major player in Tea With Mussolini (1999), portraying a wealthy young widow expatriate living in Italy at the time of fascism’s rise. She sets up a trust fund for a young man recently orphaned, and during WWII she rescues Jews headed for extermination. The film is based on true incidents. Cher holds her own amidst British icons Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Maggie Smith.
Cher’s break-out role came in the wonderful Moonstruck (1987). She is a young widow who agrees to marry Danny Aiello because it’s convenient, then absolutely flips for his younger brother (Nicholas Cage). Cher is soft, charming and feminine and a real revelation in this role. And she earned the Best Actress Oscar!
All of the movies in this column are available on video. All are for big people.
###
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Sunday, March 24, 2019
OSCAR’S BIGGEST GAFFE
Legendary director Stanley Donnen danced off this mortal coil at 94. He was born in Columbia, SC, and he always wanted to be a dancer. His affection for dancing shows in most of his movies. In an incredible 10-year span he directed some of the greatest movie musicals ever made.
We begin with On The Town (1949). Three sailors have a 24-hour leave to spend in New York City. With music by Leonard Bernstein and Roger Edens, and lyrics by Comden and Green, it is a delight from start to finish. Frank Sinatra, Vera-Ellen and Ann Miller sing and dance up a storm in the Big Apple.
Royal Wedding (1951) is the fictional story of a brother and sister who go to London to witness the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. Jane Powell (cute but not really a dancer) and Fred Astaire star. The film features two famous Astaire dances- one in which he dances with a hat rack and another in which he dances up the walls and on the ceiling.
Next comes the iconic Singin’ In The Rain (1952) with Donald O’Connor dancing up a wall, and Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds hoofing wonderfully. Kelly’s signature dance down the street in the rain is worth watching all by itself! It’s also a great story- about Hollywood’s switch from silents to talkies and the effect on different actors.
Great dancing is the hallmark of Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954). The dancing is so athletic you get tired just watching. The story is very politically incorrect as the women all get pregnant while being snowbound with the brothers one bad winter. But forget that part- just watch the dancing! Howard Keel and Jane Powell are the stars, but the film also includes a very young Russ Tamblyn and Julie Newmar.
Audrey Hepburn plays the title character in Funny Face. Kay Thompson plays a fashion magazine editor and Fred Astaire is her photographer. The complicated plot involves convincing Audrey to become a model and Fred falling for her.
The Pajama Game (1957) is a somewhat dated comedy about workers in a textile factory, their loves and losses and especially their annual picnic and hopes for a raise. John Raitt (great singer) and Doris Day (good singer and cute) are the stars. The songs are still really good.
Are you old enough to remember when the New York Yankees always won the pennant? I sure am and so was Douglass Wallop, who turned The Year The Yankees Lost The Pennant into the stage play and movie Damn Yankees (1958). Tab Hunter plays the sincere but rather slow-witted Joe Hardy, a Washington Senators fan who sells his soul to the devil’s disciple (Gwen Verdon, the sultry siren Lola). He becomes the best baseball player ever much to the delight of Washington fans.
Now- about that title. I didn’t write about Stanley Donnen’s Oscars because he didn’t win any. It gets worse. HE WAS NEVER EVEN NOMINATED FOR BEST DIRECTOR! And I consider that the worst gaffe ever made by the Motion Picture Academy. They did give him one of those Lifetime Achievement deals and he was characteristically gracious about it.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and fine for all audiences
Legendary director Stanley Donnen danced off this mortal coil at 94. He was born in Columbia, SC, and he always wanted to be a dancer. His affection for dancing shows in most of his movies. In an incredible 10-year span he directed some of the greatest movie musicals ever made.
We begin with On The Town (1949). Three sailors have a 24-hour leave to spend in New York City. With music by Leonard Bernstein and Roger Edens, and lyrics by Comden and Green, it is a delight from start to finish. Frank Sinatra, Vera-Ellen and Ann Miller sing and dance up a storm in the Big Apple.
Royal Wedding (1951) is the fictional story of a brother and sister who go to London to witness the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. Jane Powell (cute but not really a dancer) and Fred Astaire star. The film features two famous Astaire dances- one in which he dances with a hat rack and another in which he dances up the walls and on the ceiling.
Next comes the iconic Singin’ In The Rain (1952) with Donald O’Connor dancing up a wall, and Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds hoofing wonderfully. Kelly’s signature dance down the street in the rain is worth watching all by itself! It’s also a great story- about Hollywood’s switch from silents to talkies and the effect on different actors.
Great dancing is the hallmark of Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954). The dancing is so athletic you get tired just watching. The story is very politically incorrect as the women all get pregnant while being snowbound with the brothers one bad winter. But forget that part- just watch the dancing! Howard Keel and Jane Powell are the stars, but the film also includes a very young Russ Tamblyn and Julie Newmar.
Audrey Hepburn plays the title character in Funny Face. Kay Thompson plays a fashion magazine editor and Fred Astaire is her photographer. The complicated plot involves convincing Audrey to become a model and Fred falling for her.
The Pajama Game (1957) is a somewhat dated comedy about workers in a textile factory, their loves and losses and especially their annual picnic and hopes for a raise. John Raitt (great singer) and Doris Day (good singer and cute) are the stars. The songs are still really good.
Are you old enough to remember when the New York Yankees always won the pennant? I sure am and so was Douglass Wallop, who turned The Year The Yankees Lost The Pennant into the stage play and movie Damn Yankees (1958). Tab Hunter plays the sincere but rather slow-witted Joe Hardy, a Washington Senators fan who sells his soul to the devil’s disciple (Gwen Verdon, the sultry siren Lola). He becomes the best baseball player ever much to the delight of Washington fans.
Now- about that title. I didn’t write about Stanley Donnen’s Oscars because he didn’t win any. It gets worse. HE WAS NEVER EVEN NOMINATED FOR BEST DIRECTOR! And I consider that the worst gaffe ever made by the Motion Picture Academy. They did give him one of those Lifetime Achievement deals and he was characteristically gracious about it.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and fine for all audiences
Sunday, March 17, 2019
YEAR OF THE DOCUMENTARY
Mr. Movie is calling 2018 the Year of the Documentary and with good reason. It was an extraordinary year for docs. My only two 10-rated films are docs, and there are plenty of others.
I admit to being a sucker for Mr. Rogers ever since my kids were little and he kept them entertained in a wholesome and uplifting way at the magic (fussy) hour of 4 p.m. Won’t You Be My Neighbor is a really good film about how he started, caught on, and enchanted children and adults alike for many years. It even has a segment where he was castigated (by Fox News, of course) for encouraging children to be comfortable with who they are. Unless you hated Mr. Rogers (and how could you?) you will enjoy this film.
Another 10 point film from last year is the little-known, but splendid, Far From The Tree. Director Rachel Dretzin chronicles four families with children that society calls abnormal, and how they deal with it. One family refuses to let their son be defined by Down’s Syndrome. Another strives to communicate with and help their severely autisitic son. One has a daughter who is the only family member who is a dwarf. And finally a family deals with the ordeal of loving a son who has committed an unspeakable crime. The incredible courage and tenacity of these families is awe-inspiring.
Strangely enough, the only documentary nominated for an Oscar that I have seen is RBG, which didn’t even win. Free Solo won and since it is about a guy climbing El Capitan without any tools, and I’m scared to death of heights, I will probably never watch it! Anyway, RBG is the incredible story of the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She has done enough in her life for six or seven stories and against incredible odds. On The Basis Of Sex is a slightly fictionalized movie about her early years and is a nice companion piece to RBG.
Three Identical Strangers is the unbelievable story of three identical triplets who were separated at birth and discovered each other in their 20's. A movie full of surprises chronicles how this separation took place and how their reunion occurs. It does not work out all that well for any of them, nor for their parents.
They Shall Not Grow Old takes vintage footage of World War I and updates it in a chornological order. It’s not that different from all the dead guys and horses we’ve seen before, but somehow knowing it is real is a kick in the gut.
On a sunnier note, The King is a wonderful documentary about Elvis Pressley’s Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and its journey through Elvis’ America.
Beloved Saturday Night Live alumna Gilda Radner is the subject of Love, Gilda. And whether you were a big fan or can’t really remember her, this a glowing tribute to her talent and her life.
Finally, there is Michael Moore’s Farenheit 9/11, much loved by the French, not so much by American audiences. It contends that the Iraq war and much that follow is the fault of American corporations and their captive media. Mr. Moore is never lacking for opinions!
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.
Mr. Movie is calling 2018 the Year of the Documentary and with good reason. It was an extraordinary year for docs. My only two 10-rated films are docs, and there are plenty of others.
I admit to being a sucker for Mr. Rogers ever since my kids were little and he kept them entertained in a wholesome and uplifting way at the magic (fussy) hour of 4 p.m. Won’t You Be My Neighbor is a really good film about how he started, caught on, and enchanted children and adults alike for many years. It even has a segment where he was castigated (by Fox News, of course) for encouraging children to be comfortable with who they are. Unless you hated Mr. Rogers (and how could you?) you will enjoy this film.
Another 10 point film from last year is the little-known, but splendid, Far From The Tree. Director Rachel Dretzin chronicles four families with children that society calls abnormal, and how they deal with it. One family refuses to let their son be defined by Down’s Syndrome. Another strives to communicate with and help their severely autisitic son. One has a daughter who is the only family member who is a dwarf. And finally a family deals with the ordeal of loving a son who has committed an unspeakable crime. The incredible courage and tenacity of these families is awe-inspiring.
Strangely enough, the only documentary nominated for an Oscar that I have seen is RBG, which didn’t even win. Free Solo won and since it is about a guy climbing El Capitan without any tools, and I’m scared to death of heights, I will probably never watch it! Anyway, RBG is the incredible story of the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She has done enough in her life for six or seven stories and against incredible odds. On The Basis Of Sex is a slightly fictionalized movie about her early years and is a nice companion piece to RBG.
Three Identical Strangers is the unbelievable story of three identical triplets who were separated at birth and discovered each other in their 20's. A movie full of surprises chronicles how this separation took place and how their reunion occurs. It does not work out all that well for any of them, nor for their parents.
They Shall Not Grow Old takes vintage footage of World War I and updates it in a chornological order. It’s not that different from all the dead guys and horses we’ve seen before, but somehow knowing it is real is a kick in the gut.
On a sunnier note, The King is a wonderful documentary about Elvis Pressley’s Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and its journey through Elvis’ America.
Beloved Saturday Night Live alumna Gilda Radner is the subject of Love, Gilda. And whether you were a big fan or can’t really remember her, this a glowing tribute to her talent and her life.
Finally, there is Michael Moore’s Farenheit 9/11, much loved by the French, not so much by American audiences. It contends that the Iraq war and much that follow is the fault of American corporations and their captive media. Mr. Moore is never lacking for opinions!
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.
Sunday, March 10, 2019
ALBERT FINNEY
Part Two
Another chapter in the career of the late Albert Finney, who died recently.
Who better to play an aging bombastic Shakespearean actor lording it over everyone than Albert Finney? In the role of Sir in The Dresser (1983) he is exactly that and Tom Courtenay is the hapless servant who accedes to his boss’ every need. It quickly becomes clear that each of them cannot live without the other. A high point of this, or any film, is when Sir commands a moving train to STOP. And it does! The director (Peter Yates), Messrs Finney and Courtenay and the film were all nominated for Oscar but none of them won.
Miller’s Crossing (1990) is one of the excellent gangster films that came out in the 90's. Albert Finney appears as the Irish mobster Leo O’Bannon. An Italian gang seeks to replace him as head of the city’s rackets. The title comes from the spot where an assassination is supposed to take place, but doesn’t. Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gray Harden and John Turturo add to the fun. This is, rather strangely, a delicate mob film.
While Erin Brokovich (2000) is largely about the title character, charmingly played by Julia Roberts, Albert Finney has a good turn as her boss, attorney Ed Masry. Erin’s spectacularly inappropriate workplace attire draws the ire of her fellow workers, but she doesn’t care. Assigned a simple case of land purchase, she digs deeply into the problems of the owners and their neighbors. She finds that Pacific Electric & Gas has been polluting the water supply for years, endangering the lives of its customers. A big lawsuit develops, thanks to Erin, and PE&G gets socked with a big verdict. Erin is rewarded with a monumental bonus.
Traffic (2000) is Stephen Soderberg’s 3-hour take on the drug trade. It won four Oscars and sired a so-so TV series. Albert Finney is on board as the White House chief of staff who seems as clueless about drugs as the modern version.
Albert Finney has a role as the possibly evil Dr. Hirsch in two of the highly successful Bourne films, 2007's Bourne Ultimatum and 2012's Bourne Legacy. He can also be seen as Kincade, gamekeeper of James Bond’s home, Skyfall (2012).
In the fantasy-comedy Big Fish (2003) Mr. Finney appears as dying patriarch Edward Bloom. His tall (?) tales of his early life as a traveling salesman are a highlight of the film.
In Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) Albert Finney has a principal role as Charles Hanson, who isn’t satisfied with the investigation of a botched robbery involving his sons and resulting in the death of his wife (played by Tar Heel Rosemary Harris). There are twists and turns not hard to follow. This was the last film directed by the legendary Sidney Lumet.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.
Part Two
Another chapter in the career of the late Albert Finney, who died recently.
Who better to play an aging bombastic Shakespearean actor lording it over everyone than Albert Finney? In the role of Sir in The Dresser (1983) he is exactly that and Tom Courtenay is the hapless servant who accedes to his boss’ every need. It quickly becomes clear that each of them cannot live without the other. A high point of this, or any film, is when Sir commands a moving train to STOP. And it does! The director (Peter Yates), Messrs Finney and Courtenay and the film were all nominated for Oscar but none of them won.
Miller’s Crossing (1990) is one of the excellent gangster films that came out in the 90's. Albert Finney appears as the Irish mobster Leo O’Bannon. An Italian gang seeks to replace him as head of the city’s rackets. The title comes from the spot where an assassination is supposed to take place, but doesn’t. Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gray Harden and John Turturo add to the fun. This is, rather strangely, a delicate mob film.
While Erin Brokovich (2000) is largely about the title character, charmingly played by Julia Roberts, Albert Finney has a good turn as her boss, attorney Ed Masry. Erin’s spectacularly inappropriate workplace attire draws the ire of her fellow workers, but she doesn’t care. Assigned a simple case of land purchase, she digs deeply into the problems of the owners and their neighbors. She finds that Pacific Electric & Gas has been polluting the water supply for years, endangering the lives of its customers. A big lawsuit develops, thanks to Erin, and PE&G gets socked with a big verdict. Erin is rewarded with a monumental bonus.
Traffic (2000) is Stephen Soderberg’s 3-hour take on the drug trade. It won four Oscars and sired a so-so TV series. Albert Finney is on board as the White House chief of staff who seems as clueless about drugs as the modern version.
Albert Finney has a role as the possibly evil Dr. Hirsch in two of the highly successful Bourne films, 2007's Bourne Ultimatum and 2012's Bourne Legacy. He can also be seen as Kincade, gamekeeper of James Bond’s home, Skyfall (2012).
In the fantasy-comedy Big Fish (2003) Mr. Finney appears as dying patriarch Edward Bloom. His tall (?) tales of his early life as a traveling salesman are a highlight of the film.
In Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) Albert Finney has a principal role as Charles Hanson, who isn’t satisfied with the investigation of a botched robbery involving his sons and resulting in the death of his wife (played by Tar Heel Rosemary Harris). There are twists and turns not hard to follow. This was the last film directed by the legendary Sidney Lumet.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Mr. Movie’s Best of 2018
Here’s the article you’ve all been waiting for (okay, maybe one or two of you). I thought 2018 was a mediocre movie year. Mr. Movie logged 74 films released in 2018 and rated two 10s and two 9s. The top 30 are listed below. There are 27 films rated 7 (out of 10) not included, but I will send upon request. I disagreed with most of the Oscars except Best Movie, which nobody else liked as much as I did. Films rated 8 and up are listed in order below. Comments, even from those who dare to disagree, are welcome!
1-Won’t You Be My Neighbor? 10
2- Far From The Tree 10
3- Searching 9
4- Green Book 9
5- Christopher Robin 8
6- Can You Ever Forgive Me? 8
7- RBG 8
8- On The Basis Of Sex 8
9- The Wife 8
10- Vice 8
11- The Old Man and the Gun 8
12- First Man 8
13- Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot 8
14- A Star Is Born 8
15- Shoplifters Jap 8
16- Blackklansman 8
17- Ben Is Back 8
18- The Rider 8
19- On Chesil Beach 8
20- The 12th Man 8
21- Eighth Grade 8
22- Equalizer 2 8
23- Farenheit 9/11 8
24- Love, Simon 8
25- Mission Impossible: Fallout 8
26- The Favourite 8
27- The King 8
28- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society 8
29- The Hate U Give 8
30- What They Had 8
Here’s the article you’ve all been waiting for (okay, maybe one or two of you). I thought 2018 was a mediocre movie year. Mr. Movie logged 74 films released in 2018 and rated two 10s and two 9s. The top 30 are listed below. There are 27 films rated 7 (out of 10) not included, but I will send upon request. I disagreed with most of the Oscars except Best Movie, which nobody else liked as much as I did. Films rated 8 and up are listed in order below. Comments, even from those who dare to disagree, are welcome!
1-Won’t You Be My Neighbor? 10
2- Far From The Tree 10
3- Searching 9
4- Green Book 9
5- Christopher Robin 8
6- Can You Ever Forgive Me? 8
7- RBG 8
8- On The Basis Of Sex 8
9- The Wife 8
10- Vice 8
11- The Old Man and the Gun 8
12- First Man 8
13- Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot 8
14- A Star Is Born 8
15- Shoplifters Jap 8
16- Blackklansman 8
17- Ben Is Back 8
18- The Rider 8
19- On Chesil Beach 8
20- The 12th Man 8
21- Eighth Grade 8
22- Equalizer 2 8
23- Farenheit 9/11 8
24- Love, Simon 8
25- Mission Impossible: Fallout 8
26- The Favourite 8
27- The King 8
28- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society 8
29- The Hate U Give 8
30- What They Had 8
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