Welcome to the 248th Edition, on Monday we have review night for
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE so that will be our first audience and then
performances starting Thursday. This week I pay tribute to the late
Robert F. Boyle. Tonight I am performing a dramatic reading called
WANDERING...FROM KENTUCKY at the Muncie Civic Theater at 7:30.
James
Dean (2001): This is my tv movie of the week which was on TNT and you
guessed it, this is a biopic of the infamous method actor who died very
young. He did not live real far from where I live. About a half hour
away in Fairmount, they have a James Dean museum and every year, people
from all over the world go see the James Dean car show. Now enough
about him so now the movie. James Franco plays the title character who
had a very difficult home life and runs away deciding to become an
actor. The producers and directors kind of embraced his strange
personality and got many parts on tv shows finally getting his big
break in EAST OF EDEN and then onto REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and GIANT
eventually leading to his untimely death. Franco was great as Dean and
has gone onto do other great things. Michael Moriarty plays Dean's
father who does not like Dean's career decision. This is a pretty good
tv movie.
Avatar (2009): This is my very first Blu-Ray that I
bought with a $25 gift card from Wal-Mart. This was the big budget
visual feast brought to us by James Cameron where he and many other
people working under him created quite an animation scene. Sam
Worthington stars as the paraplegic marine Jake Sully who is dispatched
to Pandora and is promised to walk again if he will infiltrate the
Na'vi land as an Avatar. He eventually falls in love with their native
female Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldona. He then becomes more immersed
with the Na'vi and questions the motives of his own people which sparks
quite a war. Other actors include Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver,
Stephen Lang, and many others. The only other thing I really remember
Lang in is GODS AND GENERALS where he was so light in his performance
as Stonewall Jackson and is the exact opposite here as the war hungry
Colonel. Yes, it is a variation on things like DANCES WITH WOLVES and
THE LAST SAMURAI but the imagery was so beautiful it could be
forgotten. I know some did not like this and I really did not see this
as Best Picture. This is my favorite Sam Worthington film.
Buchanan
Rides Alone (1958): This is my tribute to Robert F. Boyle who was the
art director for this film and I also might turn this into a multiple
part series for western hero Randolph Scott. I actually prefer him to
John Wayne. In this one, he plays the title character Tom Buchanan who
riding home to West Texas and stumbles into the town of Agry where he
finds himself in a feud between the Agry family and in helping a
Mexican seeking revenge, he gets more than he bargains for. Pretty
light western and a pretty good storyline.
The Architecture of
Reassurance (1999): This is one of two short films for this week and
this one is the debut of Mike Mills who would go onto direct some
decent indie films like THUMBSUCKER. This 22 minute film focuses on a
young girl who hates her home life so she travels around to other homes
and imagines herself in the situation and even imagines them a lot
happier than what they are. She has quite an imagination and some
pretty amusing dialogue. This was on the dvd of last week's feature ALI
ZAOUA: PRINCE OF THE STREETS.
The Paper Chase (1973): I found
this one On-Demand. Timothy Bottoms stars as law student James T. Hart.
He has a big challenge with the stern professor Kingsfield, played very
well by John Houseman, and his fear of possibly failing. He then starts
an affair with a girl named Susan, played by Lindsey Wagner, only to
find out she is the professor's daughter but he continues to see her
while struggling his way through the class. This is a very good story
of the challenges of trying to make it in the world. Timothy Bottoms
was the star but the focus on covers is usually the professor showing
he is a very important part to the film. Edward Herrman also co-stars
in the film. This is not a star-studded cast but there is no need for
one.
Goldfinger (1964): I now bring 007 into this edition where
Connery stars as the legendary British agent. This movie is what many
say is the best Bond film of all time. James Bond must stop a plot to
contaminate the gold supply at Fort Knox. Gert Frobe co-stars as the
gold-obsessed title character Auric Goldfinger who is the head of this
plot. I don't know if this is my absolute favorite Bond film but I do
believe this has some of the most memorable moments in the series like
the "Golden Girl" Jill Masterson, the Japanese Henchman Oddjob who has
a deadly hat, the gold laser that gets close to Bond, Bond girl Pussy
Galore, and many others. AVENGERS alum Honor Blackman plays the
character Pussy Galore and Shirley Eaton plays Jill Masterson. To this
day there are rumors that Eaton died from skin suffocation and died
during filming which is not true, she is still alive.
Intermezzo:
A Love Story (1939): This is actually a remake of a Swedish film which
stars Ingrid Bergman. Bergman makes her American debut in this remake
of her own movie she starred in but for American audiences. Leslie
Howard stars as concert violinist Holger Brandt who is married and has
a daughter, played by Ann Todd. His daughter is learning the piano and
becoming very good. Holger then takes to his daughter's teacher Anita,
played by Ingrid Bergman. He really likes Anita and they begin to play
together where Holger soon leaves his family to be with her and perform
with her. Holger then must decide what he loves most. This is a very
moving film where America is introduced to Ingrid Bergman. David
Selznick produced the film and makes Leslie Howard associate producer
if he agrees to be in a certain movie later in the year. Howard would
go onto play Ashley in GONE WITH THE WIND, one he did not want to do
but did because he got to be associate producer for this one.
Gun-Shy
(2003): This is my foreign film for the week which focuses on a loner
named Lukas whose life consists of getting meals to elderly people
working for "meals on wheels". He then meets a strange girl named
Isabella who Lukas forms a friendship with her but learns of a sexual
relationship she is having with stepfather who becomes obsessed with
killing him. Christoph Waltz co-stars in this film and most will know
him from INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. It is a rather strange movie but I found
it watchable, especially to see something else with Waltz.
Around
the World in California (1947): This is a very rare thing where I have
two short films in one edition but I decided upon this when I really
needed to finish this and could not find much else to fit this one and
that the other short was from a totally different era and I like to
emphasize the importance of a short film. I found this on TCM On-Demand
and this is part of the Traveltalk series of shorts from that era.
James A. FitzPatrick narrates this ten minute video tour showing some
great parts and landmarks of the state including the Chinatown area.
The
Land Before Time (1988): I was looking to end this week with an 80s
film and looked over On-Demand where I decided to focus on this
animated dinosaur film which has spawned thirteen sequels, a brief tv
series, and some other sing-along videos and no I have not seen any of
the others. I had not seen this since it first came out and went with
my dad to see it at the theaters. This is a great Don Bluth film where
many orphaned dinosaurs led by Littlefoot must band together to get to
the "Great Valley". All five dinosaurs are a different breed and have
some tension, especially with Triceratops Cera who insists she does not
associate with "longnecks". There are some pretty sad moments in the
film like the earthquake in the beginning resulting in the death of
Littlefoot's mother. Just a little sad trivia I have learned while
researching this film is that Judith Barsi who did the voice of Ducky
was murdered by her own father at the age of 10 who then shoots
himself. This movie also focuses on acceptance of being different and
how different is okay. Don Bluth has not done a lot but really makes
his mark on the world of animation when he does do something.
Well,
that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you hate. Stay
tuned for next week which so far includes Kate Hudson, Kevin Bacon,
Paul Newman, Lon Chaney Jr., and many others.
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