THE FORGOTTEN WAR- 70 YEARS LATER

Unbelievably (to me, anyway) this year marks more than 70 years since the Korean War began in 1950. While nowhere near the fertile movie ground of WWII or Viet Nam, Korea did spawn a hand full of excellent films.

M*A*S*H (1970) has a much darker, manic tone than the popular TV series. It starred Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman, Tom Skeritt, Gary Burghoff and Bud Cort. They were virtual unknowns. M*A*S*H is director Robert Altman’s breakthrough film. Its bloody O.R. and irreverent wisecracks are a microcosm of the war.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is a good political thriller that features heart-pounding suspense and some neat plot twists.  Frank Sinatra is good as a government agent as is Angela Lansbury, uncharacteristically venomous . Some wag has said Lawrence Harvey was typecast as an automaton, but he makes a good one. Harvey was a POW of the North Koreans, and they have tried to program him into the perfect killing machine. Can Sinatra reprogram him?

A James Michener story is the basis for Men Of The Fighting Lady (1954) with Van Johnson and Walter Pigeon. The Lady of the title is the aircraft carrier from which dangerous raids are launched into North Korea. The battle footage and special effects are so good that the Pentagon called Film Editor Gene Ruggiero on the carpet to explain how he got this footage. The answer was, standard war footage and painted backdrops, skillfully edited. It was good enough for the Pentagon and good enough for an Oscar, too.

Another Michener tale is the backbone of Sayonara (1957) which garnered Supporting Actor Oscars for Red Buttons and Miyoshi Umeki. Marlon Brando, James Garner and Martha Scott complete the cast of this tale of interracial love during the Korean War. Frankly, it's a little dated, but has its moments.

The Steel Helmet (1951) was actually made during the Korean War.  It is directed by a virtual unknown, Samuel Fuller, and the best known cast member is Steve Brodie. And yet, it probably comes about as close as any movie to showing what it was really like in Korea. This is a very good sleeper.

Pork Chop Hill (1959) was an actual place in Korea, and this fine movie portrays an American unit's order to hold the hill against the advancing Chinese hordes at all cost. Gregory Peck heads a stellar cast that also features Rip Torn, George Peppard and Harry Guardino. Hard-hitting and authentic, it has a decidedly dark tone like most movies about the Korean War. 

All of the movies in this column are available on DVD. None are suitable for children under 12.

                                                             The Best of 2020

After several requests to post my best films of the year for 2020, I decided to go ahead with it. I have not darkened the doors of a movie theater since February 2020. That means that all of these films have been watched at home, and to me that’s a rather large grain of salt to add to this list. I have no idea on what system I saw them. I also watched a bunch of series (so did you, right?) and I have tried to weed those out and proceed with single shot movies. And there are still well-reviewed 2020 films I haven’t been able to see but hope to before too much longer. No 10s this year but some good movies anyway. So here goes: 

1- Nomadland:  9

2- News of the World:  9

3- Driveways: 9

4- Promising Young Woman: 9

5- The Father: 8

6- Soul: 8

7- Supernova: 8

8- The Trial of the Chicago 7:  8

9- Dick Johnson Is Dead:  8

10- Alone:  8

11- One Night In Miami:  8

The sevens are in no particular order. 

Sylvie’s Love 7

Enola Holmes 7

Rebecca 7

The Trip To Greece 7

Emma 7

Ammonite 7

The Way Back 7

Collective 7

Mulan 7

Let Him Go 7

Da 5 Bloods 7

The Photograph 7

Mank 7

The Old Guard 7

Onward 7

The Midnight Sky 7

Stray 7

Minari 7

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom 7

I don’t usually include the 7s but the list seemed skimpy without them. A number of films on this list will show up in 2020 sleepers articles, which cannot be far behind!

                                                         CELEBRATING AMERICA

While it’s true that some folks still see America as The Great Satan, the fact is that most of them like us individually and we are still the hope of the world. Let’s indulge in some movies that celebrate our country!

Never doubt that America has The Right Stuff (1983). This celebration of the early days of the space program and the heroism of the astronauts and the ground staff justifiably fill our souls with pride in our country. Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Sam Sheppard and Dennis Quaid lead a stellar ensemble cast in the true story of one of mankind’s greatest adventures. 

It’s hard to pick just one war movie, but my choice is The Great Escape (1963) a prison camp film featuring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Garner and James Coburn. The ingenious methods concocted to escape and the indomitable will to do so carry this excellent adventure. McQueen topped his career in this one. Also highly recommended is The Big Red One (1980), showing the unique qualities of the American soldier.

It would be hard to find a sunnier, happier, more American story than Oklahoma! (1955), Rogers and Hammersteins love song to our country, brought gloriously to the screen. Gordon McRae and Shirley Jones are in wonderful voice, leading the cast in one of the best scores ever written. What an upper! And in this category, Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) with James Cagney as the legendary George M. Cohan, is another winner.

     Somewhat off the beaten track, but a stunning portrait of what’s right with America, is Grand Canyon (1991). Danny Glover, Steve Martin, and Kevin Cline headline a fine cast in Lawrence Kasdan’s entertaining study of some of the problems we have and how we help each other through them. This is a life-affirming anthem to America without overt sentimentality

.America, America (1963) is Elia Kazan’s love song to his adopted land and is a wonderful film about the experience of Greek immigrants to our shores, including an unforgettable trip through Ellis Island. 

Just as good is Barry Levinson’s superb Avalon (1990) about Jewish immigrants to his beloved Baltimore. The importance of family, and the impact of the new land on it, are the core of this fine film. 

One of the greatest things about America is our talent for innovation, our ability to break through patterns and find new ways. In Apollo 13 (1995) those abilities are sorely needed in this gut-wrenching, true account of a lunar mission that almost jumped the tracks. Both the engineers and the astronauts broke the mold and found a way to deal with unprecedented problems. The fact that you know how it turns out doesn’t detract one whit from the suspense. This is a real white-knuckler. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Gary Sinise head a good cast.

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are suitable for kids 10 and up.

                                                                NED BEATTY

        He took a big risk and it paid off. He was asked to play Bobby,  the victim of a horrible sexual attack, and he played it for all it was worth. It was worth a career of working constantly and appearing in many movies and tv shows. Ned Beatty died at 83 with more projects still in the can. He said he didn’t mind not being a leading man, didn’t want to. He preferred playing many different characters, not being put in a box. His filmography certainly bears this out. 

Deliverance (1972) provided his big break. A quartet of urban friends decide to canoe down a remote river in northern Georgia before a dam spoils it. Ronny Cox, Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds portray the other three friends. The film is taken from a story by James Dickey, who also plays a sheriff. Two of the friends get separated and are set upon by rednecks, who rape Bobby and tie up his companion. They are rescued by a bow and arrow shot and proceed down the river. Drew (Cox) dies in rapids they encounter. The other three close ranks and vow secrecy. The local sheriff doesn’t believe their made-up story of what happened but can’t prove otherwise. 

In Robert Altman’s magnum opus Nashville (1975) Beatty is Delbert Reese, a good old boy with a failing marriage and a  wandering eye. He is the lawyer for country star Haven Hamlin (Henry Gibson) and the local campaign chairman for presidential candidate Hal Phillip Walker. This film was nominated for four Oscars, but won only for Best Song (I’m Easy, sung by Keith Carradine). The sprawling movie contains 24 major characters, at least an hour of music and numerous plot lines. It runs 2 hours and 41 minutes, but it is worth the time spent viewing it!

Network (1976) was nominated for 10 Oscars and won four ( Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay). Ned Beatty was nominated for Best Supporting Actor but lost to Jason Robards for All The President’s Men. Peter Finch plays Howard Beale, a lunatic news anchor who goes off the deep end and gets a ratings spke (remember “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take it anymore”?). Beatty is Arthur Jensen, a smarmy corporate CEO who buys out Beale’s network and pushes it to banality. This film is a cautionary tale that foretold the future of TV. 

Superman (1978) is the film that started all the super hero flicks. Ned Beatty is quite good as Otis, bumbling sidekick of super villain Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). Beatty has the same part in Superman II (1980). Both films are good of their kind.

Ned Beatty plays an undercover FBI agent in Silver Streak (1976), as Rudy’s father in Rudy (1993), and as Sheriff Lester Boyle in Cookie’s Fortune (1999). He can also be seen to advantage in Wise Blood (1979) and The Big Easy (1986). 

All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults.

                                                           CHARLES GRODIN

He was good enough to get leading man roles, but he rarely did. He was unremarkable looking and he had a convincing deadpan delivery of his lines that landed him lots of work. Charles Grodin was a staple character actor, mostly in the 70's and 80's. 

I think his best role was as Jonathan (The Duke) Mardukas in Midnight Run (1988). The Duke stole money from the mob and is on every criminal’s hit list. Meanwhile, bounty hunter and ex-cop Jack Walsh (Robert DeNiro) is hired to bring The Duke back to Los Angeles. The Duke fakes a panic attack on a plane and the duo is required to travel by train. Lots of funny stuff occurs and the FBI gets involved. Walsh and Mardukas get nearer and nearer to becoming friends and there’s a surprise ending.

In Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Grodin plays Dr. Hill, the only good person in the whole movie outside of Rosemary herself. Dr. Hill is Rosemary’s personal physician and tries to help her as her mysterious pregnancy moves along. Grodin’s plain looks and demeanor play nicely against the other characters. Are the other residents of their apartment house members of a Satanic cult? Did they have something to do with the pregnancy and the resulting baby? Well, most of the world knows the answers already, but it’s still scary as hell. 

Grodin is the main character in a really good heist movie: 11 Harrowhouse (1974). Grodin plays Howard Chesser, a small-time diamond merchant in England. He is unexpectably given the chance to cut a large diamond owned by wealthy Clyde Massey (Trevor Howard). When the diamond is stolen, Chesser has to organize a complicated heist of raw diamonds to pay Massey back. His idea seems nuts but it might work.

The plot of Heaven Can Wait has been used many times using lots of titles. The 1978 version features a rookie guardian angel making the mistake of sending an NFL quarterback to heaven before his time. He has to be given another chance so another body has to be found for him. Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty) is offered the recently deceased body of millionaire Leo Farnsworth, who has just been killed by his cheating wife (Dyan Cannon) and her sleazy boyfriend (Charles Grodin). Everyone is totally confused by the new Leo, whose body is now occupied by Joe Pendleton. After that it gets complicated. 

Charles Grodin may also be seen to good effect in The Lonely Guy (1984), Dave (1983) and The Woman In Red (1984). The only thing these films have in common is the presence of Mr. Grodin. All of them are pretty good.

All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.

                                                                                JFK

One of the momentous events in my life, and of most everyone over 50, was the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This November it will have been 58 years (unbelievably, for me) since that terrible event. Hollywood has done very well by JFK and his story. There aren’t many films, but the ones we have are good.

We start with the powerful documentary, John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums (1964), directed by Bruce Herschensohn. There are  extraordinary things about this film. First, it came out only one year after JFK’s death, and has never been improved upon. Second, it was commissioned by a governmental agency (the USIA) which obviously gave the director his head and he came through magnificently. Archival footage of JFK’s childhood and youth, his storybook marriage and meteoric rise to the top, and the crushing blow of his untimely death are all there, and unbelievably moving. I watched this great film again recently and was freshly reminded of just how much our country lost on that awful day in Dallas. The image of three-year-old John Jr. saluting as his father’s casket rolled by is one we will never forget. 

A horse of an entirely different color (and species) is Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991). The movie is hugely entertaining and you don’t have to buy into all his theories to enjoy it. Kevin Costner, Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland are only a few of the outstanding actors featured. The photography and editing of JFK are marvelous.  

Much closer to actuality, and producing incredible tension, is Thirteen Days (2000), the film story of the Cuban missile crisis. There is exactly one actor herein you will ever have heard of (Kevin Costner as presidential adviser Kenny O’Donnell). President Kennedy is played by unknown Bruce Greenwood and Robert Kennedy by equally little-known Steven Culp. This is effective, and although we know World War III did not break out over the crisis, and that the Russians backed down, we’re still on the edge of our seats through the last half hour. 

Finally, there is PT 109 (1963), with Cliff Robertson doing a good job as Navy Commander John F. Kennedy, whose heroics in World War II helped catapult him to political glory. This movie is apparently pretty close to the truth ( in a Hollywood sort of way). JFK’s bravery and coolness under fire are amply demonstrated in a movie that is unashamed to admire a hero.

All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are fine for 10 and up, though JFK will puzzle young viewers.

                                                                 IRANIAN FILMS

It is about the most unlikely place you can think of that would be cranking out excellent movies. And yet, Iran, that backwater of Muslim fundamentalism and nuclear power wannabe, is that place! How these movies got made in that hidebound country is a mystery to ponder. 

A Separation (2011) won the American Oscar as best foreign film. While the plot is quite complicated, it is an astonishingly good look at another culture. It shows how messy domestic squabbles are everywhere, and it kindles a realization that these people are very much like us!

A Time For Drunken Horses (1999) is about the Kurdish people of Iran (and several other countries). The family makes a meager living smuggling goods into Iran. The little boy Madi is afflicted with dwarfism and is 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. This is a great film.

In Offside (2006) the Iranian national soccer team is playing for the world cup in Tehran. Girls are fans too, but, girls are not allowed to attend the game, even wearing a burnoose and accompanied by a chaperone. Iranian teen-age girls are just as feisty and inventive as any, and they’re determined to see the game. The various tricks they use to get in, what happens when some of them get caught, and the interaction with the police and soldiers are both humorous and touching. Not surprisingly, you can’t see this one in Iran!

Baran (2001) is a most unusual love story. A goofy Iranian construction worker constantly makes fun of an Afghani refugee. Then he discovers that she is a woman, and a very pretty one at that. The director’s nice light touch serves the actors well. 

Marjane Satrapi is an Iranian girl who just wants to be a real person in the unusual Persepolis (2007). Done in black and white animation, it is a cautionary tale about political changes which aren’t always for the better, and growing up female in a culture that demeans women. This film is very dark, but worth the effort to stick with it.

Iran nominated Children of Heaven (1997) for an Oscar as best foreign film, and while it didn’t make the final cut, it is certainly worthy. A little boy’s careless mistake  causes the loss of his sister’s precious pink tennis shoes. He undertakes a seemingly impossible search for them through the crowded city. This is a real crowd-pleaser for all ages.

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. Persepolis and Drunken Horses are for big people. The rest are fine for all ages.