HORSES
This is only a wild guess, but I’d say about 99% of the kids who wanted a pony for Christmas didn’t get one. As a not-very-reasonable substitute, how about some of the best movies about horses?
Any discussion of horse movies must start with the marvelous Black Stallion (1979). A young boy is marooned on a desert island with a magnificent black stallion. Their rapport and the photography are both amazing. The second half, in which they are rescued and the boy (Kelly Reno) becomes the horse’s jockey under the tutelage of trainer Mickey Rooney, is ok but not wonderful. But the first half is mesmerizing. Kids love this.
While most of the films in this article are fairly old, 2019 produced an excellent horse movie, The Mustang. Though fictional, it is based on a real program in Nevada in which prison inmates train horses. Inmate Roman has been assigned to train Marquis, only recently brought in from the wild. It doesn’t go well for quite a while, but persistence pays off and the man and the horse become a good team. That’s enough to give you the idea. This is one fine film, but for adults only.
Perhaps the very best horse photography ever is in The Man From Snowy River (1982), an Australian “western” with our own Kirk Douglas and hundreds of gorgeous horses. Their run down the mountain is completely thrilling. Kids won’t much like the love story but the horse stuff is great.
Mickey Rooney showed up 35 years earlier in the fabulous National Velvet (1944). Elizabeth Taylor (already stunningly beautiful at 12) wins a horse in a raffle and determines to make it a racing champion, and to do the riding herself. Fabulous scenery (in addition to Miss Taylor) and excellent horse photography. For the whole family.
Similar and only a step behind is My Friend Flicka (1943) with Roddy McDowell as the lad determined to make a winner of his horse and Preston Foster as his dubious
dad. Faithfully adapted from Mary O’Hara’s beloved book, it’s a pleasure throughout.
More great horse photography. For all ages.
Black Beauty (1994) is often sold and not always well-loved, but his story is compelling. This version is superior to the earlier ones and while it will bring you and the kids at least to the edge of tears, you can count on a happy ending for all.
For grown-ups only, The Horse Whisperer (1997) features Robert Redford as a gentle restorer of damaged horses. The Misfits (1961) has Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift as three misfits who love wild horses. Phar Lap (1984) may be the best story ever made about horse racing. The subject was an Australian national hero who died in a mysterious fashion on a trip to the United States. Great racing photography.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD.
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Sunday, December 15, 2019
The Coen Brothers
part 1
The Coen brothers, film makers of the weird, remind me of some not-so-legendary hitters of my youth, say Dick Stuart or Frank Howard. When they stepped up to the plate they either struck out or hit it out of the park. Their homers, however, tended to be tape-measure jobs.
Fargo (1996) won them an Oscar for best screenplay. Best described as a comic murder mystery, it is their most accessible film and a solid commercial hit. Frances McDormand also won an Oscar for best actress as a pregnant police chief in a small Minnesota town. Wry observations on the local mores, and terrific performances by McDormand and William H. Macy as a two-bit hustler in way over his head.
In Blood Simple (1985) a husband hires a seedy private eye to murder his cheating wife. McDormand, Dan Hedaya and especially M. Emmett Walsh are superb, but the best thing is the intricate Coen screenplay that keeps you guessing to the very end. Unusual camera angles and shots strengthen the Coen’s unique spin on film noir.
Raising Arizona (1987) is a bizarre comedy viewers tend to either love or hate. Holly Hunter and Nicholas Cage are a childless couple who badly want a baby. When they see a magazine article about a couple with quintuplets, they resolve to snatch one for themselves on the curious theory that no one with five children the same age will notice that one of them is gone. Some of the funniest chase scenes ever.
Miller’s Crossing (1990) is a splendid gangster film, topped only by the Godfather trilogy. John Turturo, Gabriel Byrne and Albert Finney head a fine cast in a movie long on style and story. There are the patented Coen triple and quadruple crosses; you’re never sure what will happen. Slow starting, but stick with it, it’s worth it.
Crimewave (1985) is a real mess about thugs on a killing spree. Barton Fink (1991) starts out being about playwright John Turturo going to Hollywood to write a screenplay then halfway through it falls down and can’t get up. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) features Tim Robbins as a know-nothing who mysteriously rises to the top of a heartless corporation. Hard to follow and not worth the effort.
The Big Lebowski (1998) is somewhere between great and goshawful. John Goodman is excellent as a wacky Vietnam veteran; Jeff Bridges is Jeff Bridges. Call it a solid single.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. None are suitable for children under 14.
And as they say on TV, but wait, there’s more! Stay tuned for part 2 on the Coens.
part 1
The Coen brothers, film makers of the weird, remind me of some not-so-legendary hitters of my youth, say Dick Stuart or Frank Howard. When they stepped up to the plate they either struck out or hit it out of the park. Their homers, however, tended to be tape-measure jobs.
Fargo (1996) won them an Oscar for best screenplay. Best described as a comic murder mystery, it is their most accessible film and a solid commercial hit. Frances McDormand also won an Oscar for best actress as a pregnant police chief in a small Minnesota town. Wry observations on the local mores, and terrific performances by McDormand and William H. Macy as a two-bit hustler in way over his head.
In Blood Simple (1985) a husband hires a seedy private eye to murder his cheating wife. McDormand, Dan Hedaya and especially M. Emmett Walsh are superb, but the best thing is the intricate Coen screenplay that keeps you guessing to the very end. Unusual camera angles and shots strengthen the Coen’s unique spin on film noir.
Raising Arizona (1987) is a bizarre comedy viewers tend to either love or hate. Holly Hunter and Nicholas Cage are a childless couple who badly want a baby. When they see a magazine article about a couple with quintuplets, they resolve to snatch one for themselves on the curious theory that no one with five children the same age will notice that one of them is gone. Some of the funniest chase scenes ever.
Miller’s Crossing (1990) is a splendid gangster film, topped only by the Godfather trilogy. John Turturo, Gabriel Byrne and Albert Finney head a fine cast in a movie long on style and story. There are the patented Coen triple and quadruple crosses; you’re never sure what will happen. Slow starting, but stick with it, it’s worth it.
Crimewave (1985) is a real mess about thugs on a killing spree. Barton Fink (1991) starts out being about playwright John Turturo going to Hollywood to write a screenplay then halfway through it falls down and can’t get up. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) features Tim Robbins as a know-nothing who mysteriously rises to the top of a heartless corporation. Hard to follow and not worth the effort.
The Big Lebowski (1998) is somewhere between great and goshawful. John Goodman is excellent as a wacky Vietnam veteran; Jeff Bridges is Jeff Bridges. Call it a solid single.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. None are suitable for children under 14.
And as they say on TV, but wait, there’s more! Stay tuned for part 2 on the Coens.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
A YEAR OF DOCS
If you like documentary movies, this year’s films should suit you to a tee! I count at least eight worth seeing so far, and the year isn’t over.
Maiden is the improbable but true story of a group of determined women who enter the Whitbread Around-The-World yacht race. Tracy Edwards, a cook in her day job, gathers a mismatched bunch of British women to try their luck and skill. They are demeaned and belittled by the yacht racing establishment and the world in general. Undaunted, they brave bad weather, high seas and a sometimes leaky boat in an attempt to complete an incredible feat.
Pavarotti documents the career of Luciano Pavarotti, perhaps the world’s greatest tenor. Even if you don’t like opera much (me neither!) you will love this film. The singing is just super and he was one heck of a guy. Generous almost to a fault, he spread his talent and money freely. And Lord, what a voice! Do NOT confuse him with the disgraced Placido Domingo!
You don’t have to be all that old to remember the glory days of 60 Minutes. And the news terrier who just wouldn’t turn loose was Mike Wallace. Mike Wallace Is Here is about that legendary reporter and the many people he hacked off. I remember him as being used as a threat- watch out, Mike Wallace could cover this!
Toni Morrison went from humble beginnings in Ohio to legendary books, the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am does a good job outlining her life and work. I must confess Beloved and Song Of Solomon are sort of over my head, but she is clearly one of our greatest writers.
Molly Ivins was a Texas reporter and gadfly. She was unequaled in sticking it to the famous and prominent. Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins is a bushel of fun even if you are a reddish person. She famously called George W. Bush “Shrub” and that will give you an idea of her persona.
In 1980 Communist China, in a completely misguided effort to control population growth, enacted a policy of limiting couples to having only one child. Violators were severely punished. The main result was that most people wanted sons, not daughters. The number of female babies killed is an unredeemable scandal. Another result was a dearth of marriageable women for many years. The policy finally ended in 2015. One Child Nation is an eye-opening film about this draconian policy. Strangely enough, it is banned in China!
Other 2019 docs of note include Aquarela, a surrealistic paean to water, and Knock Down The House, the story of the four young women Democrats who changed Congress.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults, but Maiden would be fine for mature young girls.
If you like documentary movies, this year’s films should suit you to a tee! I count at least eight worth seeing so far, and the year isn’t over.
Maiden is the improbable but true story of a group of determined women who enter the Whitbread Around-The-World yacht race. Tracy Edwards, a cook in her day job, gathers a mismatched bunch of British women to try their luck and skill. They are demeaned and belittled by the yacht racing establishment and the world in general. Undaunted, they brave bad weather, high seas and a sometimes leaky boat in an attempt to complete an incredible feat.
Pavarotti documents the career of Luciano Pavarotti, perhaps the world’s greatest tenor. Even if you don’t like opera much (me neither!) you will love this film. The singing is just super and he was one heck of a guy. Generous almost to a fault, he spread his talent and money freely. And Lord, what a voice! Do NOT confuse him with the disgraced Placido Domingo!
You don’t have to be all that old to remember the glory days of 60 Minutes. And the news terrier who just wouldn’t turn loose was Mike Wallace. Mike Wallace Is Here is about that legendary reporter and the many people he hacked off. I remember him as being used as a threat- watch out, Mike Wallace could cover this!
Toni Morrison went from humble beginnings in Ohio to legendary books, the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am does a good job outlining her life and work. I must confess Beloved and Song Of Solomon are sort of over my head, but she is clearly one of our greatest writers.
Molly Ivins was a Texas reporter and gadfly. She was unequaled in sticking it to the famous and prominent. Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins is a bushel of fun even if you are a reddish person. She famously called George W. Bush “Shrub” and that will give you an idea of her persona.
In 1980 Communist China, in a completely misguided effort to control population growth, enacted a policy of limiting couples to having only one child. Violators were severely punished. The main result was that most people wanted sons, not daughters. The number of female babies killed is an unredeemable scandal. Another result was a dearth of marriageable women for many years. The policy finally ended in 2015. One Child Nation is an eye-opening film about this draconian policy. Strangely enough, it is banned in China!
Other 2019 docs of note include Aquarela, a surrealistic paean to water, and Knock Down The House, the story of the four young women Democrats who changed Congress.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults, but Maiden would be fine for mature young girls.
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