William Friedkin 

    The genius of director William Friedkin, who died recently at 87, is sometimes overlooked. Car chases are now standard movie fare, but most could learn from this master.

He won the directing Oscar for the totally entertaining The French Connection (1971). The car chases through the New York City streets crowded with people, vehicles and elevated railway braces have never really been topped, and these were real- no computer chicanery involved. Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Cloudy Russo (Roy Scheider) are narcotics cops out to nail drug kingpin Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey). A complicated story ends with mixed results, but there’s a lot of action getting there. A sequel in 1975 isn’t bad, which I guess is damning with faint praise.

Another film showcasing William Friedkin’s skill at directing car chases is the dazzling To Live and Die In LA (1985). The highlight is a long nail-biting chase with the pursued and pursuer driving the wrong way on LA’s crowded freeways. William Petersen and Willem Dafoe portray LA cops working together but often at cross purposes. There’s also lots of gunplay, double-crosses and skulduggery.

Moving from cars to horror, William Friedkin directed the totally scary The Exorcist (1973). I watched this once, but never again! Linda Blair plays the poor possessed child Regan, Ellen Burstyn plays her totally puzzled Mom, and Max Von Sydow is the priest called in to exorcise the demon. The film was banned from many theaters, led to audience members getting ill, and scared the #*^@# out of everyone. Friedkin was actually nomianted for directing, but lost to George Roy Hill for The Sting.

    Fifty years ago there were very few movies that were fair to gay men. The Boys in the Band (1970) changed that. Taken lock stock and barrel from Mart Crowley’s Off-Broadway play, it features a cast of actors you’ve probably never heard of. Okay, maybe Leonard Frey. The plot revolves around a birthday party where one of the games is to draw guys out of the closet. Friedkin’s direction is shaded and kind. This film may have altered many people’s perception of gays. 

The Brink’s Job (1978) is an interesting heist movie based on true events. The robbery itself is rather straightforward and what happens after is what often happens- the gang unravels and people talk. Peter Falk, Paul Sorvino, Peter Boyle and Warren Oates portray unlikely colleagues.

Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party (1968) is dark and puzzling, but got a 78% following on Rotten Tomatoes. Robert Shaw and Patrick Magee play the same characters they played on the London stage. 

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for grownups. The Exorcist may require a doctor’s note.

                                                               Frederic Forrest films

I doubt if a face pops into your head when you hear his name. In fact, you might have to Google him to remember what he looks like. Frederic Forrest was a go-to guy for lots of casting directors. He had lots of work and always did a solid, professional job. He died recently. He was 86. He was in many good movies. 

    The summit of his movie career was in the frankly awful The Rose (1979). It’s billed has a biopic of Janis Joplin. Okay by me; I didn’t like her or this movie. Anyway, Forrest was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Dyer, The Rose’s romantic interest. And he was, as usual, unspectacular and solid.. I guess the Academy liked him afer seeing Bette Middler and Alan Bates chew the scenery down to the nub. BTW he lost to Melvyn Douglas for Being There.

The Frederic Forrest performance I liked the most isn’t in a movie, but it’s in one of my all-time favorite TV series: Lonesome Dove (1989). If you’ve never seen this, do yourself a favor and check it out. With retired Texas Rangers Gus (Robert Duvall) and Call (Tommy Lee Jones) leading a cattle drive from Texas to Montana, there’s lots of excitement and trouble and fun along the way. Forrest portrays the murderous villain Blue Duck, and he is an Indian that will give you nightmares! There are lots of follow-ups to this series, some quite good. But none AS good.

In Francis Ford Coppola’s monumental Apocalypse Now (1979) Forrest is Chief, one of the crew of a Navy patrol boat navigating up the Nung River to perhaps “terminate with extreme prejudice” Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando). Martin Sheen plays the officer in charge, and is later aided (?) by Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall). Based on Conrad’s classic Heart Of Darkness, this is one of the best movies ever made.The film’s famous tagline “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” is intoned by the perhaps deranged Kilgore.

In Hammett (1980) Frederic Forrest portrays the title character, a gritty private detective in 20's San Francisco.. Based somewhat on Dashiell Hammett’s detective stories, it is about as noir as you can get. Forrest is good as the PI. 

The Stone Boy (1984) is a little film I liked way better than the critics. A family is torn asunder when the youngest boy  kills his older brother in a horrible accident. The little guy is so stricken he doesn’t speak any more. Really, Wilford Brimley steals this thing as the kid’s grandfather. Forrest is good as a sympathetic friend.

Frederic Forrest can also be seen to good advantage in One From The Heart (1981), Where Are The Children? (1980). and Falling Down (1983).  All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults. 

                                                    REMARKABLE REMAKES

                                                            Part 2

Hey, it worked great the first time! Let’s make it again. It happens way too often. And usually does not end well. But- as said in a previous article- there are a few remakes worth your time.

Cape Fear (1962) features an innocent Mom (Polly Bergen) and her daughter fleeing from extremely scary and menacing Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) who is out to kill the entire family to revenge a prior prison sentence. Dad (Gregory Peck) tries to hide the family but Cady finds them. The 1991 version is directed by Hall Of Famer Martin Scorcese and features Robert Deniro as Max, Jessica Lange as Mom and Nick Nolte as Dad. Which one is better? I call it a dead heat. You decide. 

John Steinbeck’s marvelous novel about life on a California farm was made into a superb movie. Of Mice and Men (1939) stars Burgess Meredith as George and Lon Chaney Jr. as his mentally retarded sideckick Lennie. Chaney was known for playing in horror films as a wolfman and vampire. Also playing out of position is the old cowboy Bob Steele, on hand as the villainous Curley, son of the ranch owner .His sexy wife Mae (Betty Field) causes trouble by flirting with the ranch hands.  George and Lennie’s dream of owning their own ranch is doomed when Lennie’s unaware strength kills Mae. BTW, Aaron Copland did the music for this film! The 1992 version is at least as good. Gary Sinise plays George and directed. John Malkovich is just great as the child-like Lennie. Both Chaney and Malkovich are made to appear much larger than they really are by costuming magic. 

Shakespeare’s magnificent Henry V has been filmed at least three times. The 1944 version with Sir Lawrence Olivier as the king is thrilling cinema. Sir Lawrence also directed this stellar version. Kenneth Branagh did double duty in the 1989 version, both directing and appearing in the title role. He won the Oscar for his performance. In both versions, when Henry delivers his stirring speech before the Battle of Agincourt with the French, it made this former colonist want to take to arms for England and St. George! The later movie is a little modernized, but I think no harm done. 

The original Ocean’s Eleven was filmed in 1960 and starred the famous Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra (Danny Ocean), Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and Joey Bishop. Maybe not the greatest heist movie ever made, it’s still a bunch of fun watching these show biz icons rob a casino. The ending is a hilarious surprise! The 2001 edition is just as much fun and has just as many stars: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Andy Garcia. In both movies, the gang hews closely to Danny’s three rules: don’t hurt anybody, don’t steal from anyone who doesn’t deserve it, and play the game like you’ve got nothing to lose.

Unfortunately the later production didn’t know when to quit and branched out into Ocean’s 12, 13, 14, etc. Which are ok, but pale sequels. All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults.

                                                                     Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991. It usually affects older people. Fox was only 30. Terrified that it would be discovered and end his career, he managed to conceal it for many years. He continued to get work and to flourish as an actor. This, even though he had to hide the uncontrollable tremor in his left hand, which he managed by keeping his hand in his pocket or using that hand to twiddle a pen. He is now 52, still young by most standards. He “came out” in 1998. His incredible story is well told in the documentary Still (2023). 

He is mainly known for two very successful TV sitcoms. In Family Ties (1982-89) he starred as Alex, the conservative straight-laced entrepreneur who is odd man out in a family of hippies. In Spin City (1990-2002) he is Mike Flaherty, NYC Deputy Mayor, who actually runs the city. 

Now for a quick look at his movie career. It really begins with the very successful Back to the Future (1985). Fox plays Marty McFly, who is accidently sent back to 1955 in Doc Brown’s (Christopher Lloyd) DeLorean. He encounters his parents and his teen-age Mom falls in love with him instead of his future Dad. From there it gets complicated. This is a really fun movie and  Fox is just right as Marty. Alas, it became the franchise that would not die, going into versions 2,3,and 4 as well as video games. Stick with the original!

In Casualties Of War (1989) Michael Fox plays Eriksson. His squad captures and rapes a Vietnamese girl. Eriksson is the only one to protest, but to no avail. This horror stays with him forever, making him truly a casualty of the war. His comrades later are tried and sent to prison. 

Fox is spot on as Doc Hollywood (1991). He portrays a newly minted physician who is on his way to California to interview for a job with a famous plastic surgeon, one who works with famous actors. It will be his dream job. On his way, he wrecks his car trying to avoid a cow in a small South Carolina town. While his Porsche is being repaired, his credentials are discovered by the town folk. They want to hire him to replace their only doctor, who is retiring. He decides to go west and take the dream job, only to find he is unhappy in that milieu. There is a wonderful happy ending I will not reveal here. 

When Fox told his high school advisor he was dropping out to pursue an acting career, the teacher told him “you won’t be cute forever”. He replied he hoped to be cute long enough. Well, he was!

Michael J. Fox can also be seen to good advantage in the original Bright Lights, Big City (1988) and he has a nice, if minor, part in The American President (1995).

All of the movies in this article, and the TV shows, are available on DVD. All are for adults. 

                                                                         Alan Arkin

                                                                            Part 3

Herewith the last article about the incredible Alan Arkin. This one contains two more Oscar nominations and his only win. He seemingly could do anything relating to show biz. He wrote the Harry Belafonte hit Banana Boat Song, the Christmas song It’s The Best Time of the Year, and many others. He recorded an album as lead singer. He won two Tony awards. He won a fistful of Emmys. And now, his final big movies:

    Jakob The Liar (1999) is pretty much Robin Williams’ movie. In the Warsaw ghetto, Jakob hears good news over a forbidden radio and spreads the news around. This goes so well he starts making up good news. Alan Arkin has a nice turn as a ghetto resident commenting on Jakob’s efforts and the Nazis’ efforts to stop him.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) is a hoot from start to finish. The Hoover family would make most dysfunctional families seem normal. Alan Arkin, the foul-mouthed grandfather who was kicked out of his retirement home for snorting heroin, almost steals the thing. And he won his only Oscar. Abigail Breslin (Olive) is superb as the kid going to California to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine contest. The whole crowd piles into their aged VW bus and hits the road. The bus stalls repeatedly and the only way to get it started is to push it til it reaches 20 mph, then jump back on. The cast includes Brain Cranston before he was famous, Steve Carrell, Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette. 

Argo (2013) won the Oscar for Best Picture. In 1979 Islamic militants storm the US embassy and take everybody in it hostage. But six personnel have evaded capture and are hiding out in the home of a friendly Canadian. A plot is hatched to convince the Iranians that the evaders are filming a Canadian sci-fi movie. Yeah, it sounds nuts, but just wait and watch. Alan Arkin plays Hollywood agent Lester Siegel. Arkin was nominated for Best Supporting Oscar but lost to Christoph Waitz for Django Unchained. Oh, and this zany story is based on a true event!

And finally, another weird true story on the screen in Million Dollar Arm (2014). Two failing American sports agents realize that Indian cricket players can really throw hard and bring the best to the US, hopefully to make the major leagues. They go from place to place to try out. They really can throw hard, but tend heavily to wildness. Their encounters with American mores are hilarious. Alan Arkin is good, of course,  as a reluctant major league scout. 

Even though Alan Arkin was featured in three Mr. Movie articles, I left out scads of other good films. All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults. 

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                                                           Alan Arkin movies

                                                                Part 2

        Here’s another bunch of good movies from the storied career of the late Alan Arkin. 

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) has an A-list cast that includes Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey and Alan Arkin. Skillfully adapted from David Mamet’s Tony-winning Broadway play, it is the story of desperate men doing desperate things. They are real estate salesmen who try to make deals from leads they are furnished. They are told that only the top two salesmen will be retained after the current period. Not many gentlemen in sight here.

Alan Arkin is the star of the hilarious The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1996). A Russian sub ventures too close to a tiny New England island and runs aground. Lt. Rozanov (Arkin) is sent with a detail of soldiers into town to try to find a boat to dislodge the sub. Their comedic encounters with the townspeople runs into more and more trouble. They rob a dry cleaner and steal the clothing, trying to “blend in”. And then a small boy’s dilemma unites them all in a peaceful solution. Arkin was nominated for an Oscar but lost to Cliff Robertson for Charly.

Arkin is the baddest of bad guys in the bite-your-nails suspenser Wait Until Dark (1997). Blind Susy (Audrey Hepburn) is beset in her apartment by three thugs looking for a doll that contains heroin. Roat (Arkin) is the worst of the bunch. He kills the other two and goes after the desperate Susy. A tip: In total darkness, the blind have an edge. This film is on Bravo’s Scarest Movie Moments list. The title is instructive...

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) is an extremely dark comedy with Dan Akroyd (Grocer) and John Cusak (Martin) as competing hit men. Alan Arkin has a good turn as the psychiatrist of the very twisted Martin.  Minnie Driver chips in as the clueless, ever hopeful, high school sweetheart Martin still has a thing for. 

Alan Arkin undergoes yet another complete change of character in the humorous Slums of Beverly Hills (1998). His role is Murray, father of a couple of renegade kids who don’t help his efforts much. He moves them from cheap apartment to cheap apartment in a comical effort to assure they can attend Beverly Hills’ superior public schools. He is an extremely unsuccessful Oldsmobile salesman during an energy crisis. 

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. Only The Russians Are Coming is suitable for all ages. The rest are for grown-ups. Wait Until Dark is only for those with a strong heart. And there’s just enough in the trunk for one more Arkin outing.

                                                                       Alan Arkin

                                                                    Part 1

Alan Arkin died recently at 89. He was a true Renaissance man and his movie credits are long and noteworthy. He was nominated for Oscar four times and won once.

His first important part in a significant film was in the heart-breaking The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter (1968). Updated to the 60's from Carson McCullers’ great novel, it is the story of people who are damaged in various ways trying to connect and make a life. Arkin plays Singer, a deaf mute. His only friend is mentally challenged Sprios, who gets committed to an institution. Singer moves into the Kelly household to be near his friend, and tries to make friends with their teen-age daughter Mick. Arkin’s performance is just stunning. He was nominated for Oscar but lost to Cliff Robertson who won for Charly.

Alan Arkin has the starring role as Yossarian in Catch-22 (1970), adapted by Mike Nichols and Buck Henry from Joseph Heller’s dark comedy about World War II. The adaptation was a herculean task because there are so many characters and so many stories. On the whole, I think it succeeds and Arkin is in good company with Bob Balaban, Martin Balsam, Richard Benjamin, Art Garfunkel, Bob Newhart and even Orson Welles. Catch-22 has become a modern idiom for can’t win situations. 

Little Murders (1971) is a difficult film from a difficult book by Jules Feiffer. Alan Arkin directed this film and appears in a minor role as Lieutenant Practice. It chronicles life, and death, in NYC where people try to live and seem to get dead for no apparent reason. Elliott Gould is featured as a man who apparently can’t feel pain- or pleasure. This film is not to casually dip into, but worth the trouble if you stay with it. 

Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972) adapted from Neil Simon’s Broadway hit, stars Alan Arkin as a stumbling middle-aged husband trying in vain to have an affair. It’s not a great play, or movie, but has some laughs and Arkin is good as a guy who just does not get it (pun intended!)

The In-Laws (1979) stars Arkin (as Shelly)  and Peter Falk (as Vince Ricardo). They are fathers of a bride and groom-to-be. The plot is the classic innocent man getting involved in shenanigans as Vince ropes the helpless Shelly into increasingly bizarre, and dangerous situations.  Shelly tries in vain to convince his daughter not to marry into this questionable family. You can find out if he was right!

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are really for grown-ups. And oh yes, there are lots more Arkin movies. Stay tuned.