Death Race (2008): This is the 33rd link on The Chain and this link continues with Joan Allen. This is a remake of the 1975 film which starred David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone. Jason Statham stars in this film as Jensen Ames who is in a prison for a crime he did not commit and is forced into a very deadly race to get his release from prison. Joan Allen co-stars as the corrupt warden who puts the race together. This movie is very violent but a very fun action film that takes place in the future where prisons are owned by the private sectors. I prefer the original film but this one has its own image and if you are not too reliant on plot and want to action, this might be for you. Roger Corman produced this version just like he did the 1975 version. Next week's link on The Chain will be one of the actors, actresses, or director from this movie.
The Gravy Train (1990): This is my mini-series for the week which stars Christoph Waltz who is now most known for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS so I thought I'd include some early work. Waltz plays Hanz who is taking a job in Brussels and a very naive and idealistic employee. He then finds himself at the center of corruption and fraud even becoming a fugitive looking to clear his name. This is a BBC mini-series and is mostly worth to see a younger Waltz. These dvds are available on Netflix.
Love in the Hamptons (1975): This is actually considered Mickey Rourke's first movie and is my short film for the week. He plays a man looking to get out of where he is and also takes a liking to a waitress who has clearly been abused. This movie shows Rourke in a more romantic leading role that he is used to but shows a great vulnerable yet tough side that he always portrays. We see a pretty good performance out of him leading into his great career. This is not a movie that is listed in imdb and it is something I actually found out on Youtube. I learned about it in a book called STAND ALONE: THE BOOKS OF MICKEY ROURKE by Saurav Dutt. If you're a fan of Rourke like I am, this is worth the 24 minutes and great to see an early role from Rourke. Rourke will be playing my father in THE RISE AND FALL OF SHAUN BERKEY.
Cheaper by the Dozen (1950): I admit this is the first version I have seen and have not seen the remake and the sequel to the remake and have no idea how good those are or even how similar the films are to each other. This is a true story of the Gilbreth family lead by patriarch Frank, played by Clifton Webb, and matriarch Lillian, played by Myrna Loy. They are then joined by their 12 kids. Frank has some very interesting ways to keep order and has a hard time adjusting to his oldest daughter growing up. This is a pretty good comedy focusing on a real-life large family in the '20s with Frank being strict but still a very warm person.
Seventh Heaven (1937): I must
have found this on TCM. James Stewart stars as a Parisian sewer worker
named Chico who longs to be married and move up in the world. Simone
Simon stars as a prostitute named Diane whose sister uses her and he
ends up rescuing her from a beating from her sister and the police. He
reluctantly takes her home with him but soon falls in love with her.
However, when things are getting great, Chico is sent to war. It is the
love for each other that keeps them going. This is a rather different
part for Stewart but a pretty good performance and Simon is most known
for CAT PEOPLE but makes her mark here.
Toy
Story 3 (2010): All our favorite toys are back for the conclusion of
what makes one of the greatest trilogies of all time. The last movie
was in 1999 and now we are back with Andy all grown up and going to
college. The toys then become concerned with what might happen whether
they get put in the attic, maybe even being thrown away. Andy opts to
put them in the attic but his mom mistakes them as trash making them
think Andy does not want them anymore and when escaping they opt to go
to a daycare much to the dismay of Woody. When going to the daycare,
they find the room they are have the much younger children who do not
know how to take care of toys. This is a very bittersweet film and
rather disturbing at times especially with a big teddy bear. Woody does
not go with them but soon learns the harsh conditions of this daycare
center and rushes to save his friends. So I guess the big message here
is for the kids. Take good care of your toys because the TOY STORY
trilogy has shown that toys have feelings too. Randy Newman returns
with a couple new songs and a good music score. We have the same voices
for the toys in parts one and two including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen,
Wallace Shawn, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, and many others. We also have
new voices from Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, and even former James Bond
actor Timothy Dalton whose portrayal of 007 leaves me in the minority of
those who like Dalton as Bond. This is available on Instant Netflix.
The
Killing (1956): This is my heist film for the week and an early
directorial effort from Stanley Kubrick. This heist is planned for a
horse racing track and is masterminded by Johnny Clay, played by
Sterling Hayden. Most of the movie is planning the heist and appears to
be a foolproof plan but tension and greed within the group complicate
things. Besides, all heists are supposed to be perfectly planned in the
movies but it just never happens that way. This was a pretty
compelling film and I have always liked Stirling Hayden so I was able to
enjoy this film. It is also credited for being an influence to other
heist films. This is available on Instant Netflix.
Ip
Man 2 (2010): I was looking for something to watch on Instant Netflix
through my dad's Blu-Ray player and I saw this sequel is now available
which was not for awhile. I watched part one of this series on Instant
Netflix and included it about a couple months ago on a blog. Donnie Yen
plays the title character who was a real-life person and known as the
mentor of Bruce Lee. This movie takes place upon his migration to Hong
Kong and the new troubles he has and must adjust to. Ip has a hard time
supporting his wife, son, and unborn child and has students who he
teaches but cannot pay. The community also makes it very difficult for
him to have his school who is lead by Sammo Hung. Hung plays a more
serious part than what I am used to seeing. I guess I have not had much
exposure to Hung but know that whenever I see him he does more comedic
martial arts. He then has a couple good fight scenes with Yen but they
must align when people from the Western world are coming in with their
boxing and claiming that Western boxing is better than the Chinese
martial arts. I really liked this series and hope this can get Donnie
Yen more American Exposure. Yen is known for his very fast fighting.
This was also great to watch on my dad's High-Definition big screen
television.
Macao (1952): I found this one on
TCM On-Demand. Robert Mitchum stars as Nick Cochran who has traveled
many places and is undercover to get a crime boss goes from Hong Kong to
the title Asian country. Jane Russell stars as nightclub singer Julie
Benson who meets Nick aboard the ship and forms a relationship. She
then becomes involved in a business at the casino that Nick is trying to
uncover. The performances keep this movie going and seeing a movie in
an Asian country but not very many Asians and some of which are
obviously white but that was more acceptable in that era.
The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007): This is
part one of a two-part series with Casey Affleck. I end this week with
this film that I watched on my dad's high-def screen and one I have
cited on many occasions as being one of my favorites. It is also one in
which I feel is very underrated in which there should laws against a
movie like this being so far from the radar. When telling people about
this movie, many take the title the wrong way and may say something like
"I'm not really into westerns" which makes me cringe. This is not
really a western but for fans of westerns, you might be a little
disappointed. This is more than anything a drama and even character
study on Bob Ford. The title gives a lot away but it is not a hard
piece of information to find in our information age we live in today.
Casey Affleck stars as Bob Ford who we meet when he is 19 and has grown
up idolizing Jesse James because of dime novels that are written on him.
He wants to join his brother Charley, played by Sam Rockwell, in the
James Gang. Sam Shepard plays Frank James but is only in the beginning
as he retires from the gang after one more heist. Brad Pitt plays Jesse
James who is living with a wife and two kids under the name Thomas
Howard. As Bob Ford gets more into the James Gang, he sees that Jesse
James is not this "Robin Hood" figure that he has been reading about in
the dime novels which soon leads into the title as many saw Ford as a
big coward for shooting their hero Jesse James. In this film, it
conveys that the hero that many see Jesse James for being was surrounded
by hype and that he was really just a cold-blooded and ruthless killer.
Pitt was very good as James and Affleck was phenomenal as Ford. I do
not usually comment on the cinematography but the work from Roger
Deakins was absolutely beautiful. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis write a
great music score and Nick Cave even has a cameo as a bar singer later
in the film. I once saw Cave at a Lollopalooza with Nick Cave and the
Bad Seeds who shows his range here in the music industry just like Randy
Newman for this week's feature TOY STORY 3. For me, this movie works on
every level. The narration done in the film is brought in at the
correct times and the music score is brought in at the correct times.
The performances were great in this film. Andrew Dominik directed and
wrote the screenplay for this novel from Ron Hansen. My favorite parts
in the film come after the assassination and Ford's life afterwards
where he reenacts the shooting in theaters with Charley which was done
in real-life. It also shows what he thought would have fortune but was
disappointed. For those of you that are still convinced of Jesse
James's heroism, you may be disappointed. It also does not have much
action in it so if expecting that, you may be disappointed. If you're
looking for a good script, and good acting this may be for you. This is
the one I really want on the radar so if looking for a movie, give this
one a shot. People in my area, I would be willing to arrange to bring
my DVD to your home for a viewing. For my biopic, I have considered
Daniel Craig to play me but the more I observe Affleck, maybe he would
be good to play myself in THE RISE AND FALL OF SHAUN BERKEY.
Well,
that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you do not
like. I see I focused on a couple sequels but each sequel I featured
shows how to do one. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes
Kirsten Dunst, Hugh Jackman, James Cagney, more Casey Affleck, and many
others
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