Welcome to the 387th Edition of my series. Last night, I had an Action Packed Wrestling show and I brought in "Sexy" Sean Casey and Andy Chene who won the tag team championships bringing the APW titles to the Shaun Berkey Talent Agency. I will keep posted on the next show. Yesterday, I tried out for LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL at Muncie Civic Theater so I await casting which I'll find out this week. I will now get to my movies for the week.
Breezy
(1973): I start this week out with this very unknown Clint Eastwood
film. This is the first movie he directed without actually being an
actor. I will be the first to admit I am a big Clint Eastwood I feel
that he has earned the success that he has gotten and then I
find this unknown gem that has been way under the radar. Eastwood
directs this love story and Jo Heims wrote the screenplay. Kay Lenz
plays the title character is a good-hearted hippy. She soon realizes
that a man only wanted to take advantage over her and she gets away.
She soon ends up on secluded property of a middle-aged and divorced
businessman named Frank Harmon, played by William Holden. She
immediately looks to make her way into his life and Frank reluctantly
helps her when he can but slowly begins to really like her to the point
of falling in love. This is the kind of love story that I enjoy. One
of the things I liked was how mismatched they were in terms of age and
personality. Breezy really wanted the relationship and Frank tries to
resist her in every way but soon seems to like her spirit and slowly
begins to fall in love with her. I remember the first time I ever saw
this was a few years ago when going through the free movie section on
On-Demand and coming across this movie I had never heard of and was so
pleasantly by what I saw. This is a simple yet very effective and
touching love story with to very well written characters. Kay Lenz was
great as the title character and it is unfortunate that she has never
been more known and Holden was also very good as Frank. This is
Eastwood's third movie that he directed but the first in which he was
not an actor in the film though has a part as an extra. This is now
available on Instant Netflix and is so worth awatch.
__________________________________________________________________
Gone
Baby Gone (2007): Ben Affleck makes his debut behind the camera as a
director in this film based on a novel based on a Dennis Lehane novel
and the second feature in a row this week where someone better known in
acting directs turning what they do into absolute gold. This is a story
about a 4 year old girl who disappears. Casey Affleck and Michelle
Monaghan star as private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro who
are hired by the girl's aunt Bea, played by Amy Madigan, to find her.
In their investigation, they find far more than they bargained for
leading them into many personal and professional dilemmas. I really do
not want to say any more on this movie plot wise. Morgan Freeman, Ed
Harris, Amy Ryan, and Titus Welliver co-star in this story which has
many twists and turns. Ben Affleck cast his brother because his brother
was perfect for the part. Casey Affleck had quite a year with this
movie and his other great performance in THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE
JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD. Amy Ryan was also good as the troubled
mother of the four year old girl. I went into this not really knowing
what to expect, just knowing some who have told me how good this movie
is which lived up to each expectation I had. This is not a movie for
everyone but can be very rewarding if given a shot.
___________________________________________________________________________
Cannibal
Capers (1930): This is my animated short for the week which was from
Disney after I checked out a dvd of Disney's "Silly Symphonies" and when
analyzing my choices, this sounded rather interesting to me. With this
title, nothing really extreme happens. Watching today, this would be
considered racism unless you can understand this era and many people did
that in those days. This is said to be more of a parody of how
Hollywood portrayed black people of this time. In this short film, a
group of cannibals are doing a tribal dance only to get attacked by a
fierce lion. The caricatures are obvious spoofs and while they are
cannibals, the short is no worse than a lot of the Looney Tunes shorts.
This really should be taken for the silliness it is worth. I always
enjoy visiting older cartoon shorts and was glad to look into Disney for
a change. This can be found on that dvd I mentioned and on Youtube.
____________________________________________________________________________
The
Hunger Games (2012): Gary Ross directed this film based on the popular
novel by Suzanne Collins. This movie takes place in a dystopian
futuristic world where there are twelve districts and each year they
have a big event of the title name. These games are where every
district must choose two people between the ages 12 to 18 years. This
movie's main focus is towards District 12 where we meet the very
resourceful Katniss Everdeen, played well by Jennifer Lawrence, who
seems to be the breadwinner in her home of her younger sister and
mother. Then comes the lottery where now her younger sister becomes
eligible for the first time and is chosen. When this happens, Katniss
steps up and volunteers to take that spot. The male taken from District
12 is a guy named Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, who has always
known Katniss but gets to know her more in these games. The first part
of the movie focuses on their preparation for the game. Woody Harrelson
co-stars as Haymitch who is a previous mentor and while having alcohol
issues, he is caring to the contestants. The second half of the film is
obviously the games where they must fight for surival. Stanley Tucci,
Wes Bentley, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Toby Jones, Donald
Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, and many others co-star. One thing I found
interesting was the main land where the games and coverage took place
was very lavish while the world of District 12 was not much different
than what we would see today. It was also interesting to see the
training and how just knowing how to fight and use weapons is not enough
but they must learn to present themselves and be liked for purposes of
getting sponsors to give them things like food and supplies. This is a
very interesting look at the modern-day gladiator games and have heard
similarities from Battle Royale which I have not seen yet but know I
need to sometime. This is a pretty good film adaptation launching
Lawrence into stardom and would later that year star in SILVER LININGS
PLAYBOOK. This also has a pretty good soundtrack to it having groups
like Arcade Fire involved. I believe this is one of the better action
films from that year.
_______________________________________________________________________
The
Wizard of Oz (1939): I decided to attempt what I had never have and
watch this movie to the Pink Floyd album DARK SIDE OF THE MOON and with
the success of OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, I thought I would revisit
this one. Most people know this story. We have Dorothy, played very
well by Judy Garland, and her dog Toto caught up in a tornado gets swept
into a magical land where she must find a way to get back home to
Kansas to get back to her Auntie Em. She first ends up in the land of
the Munchkins and soon meets the good witch Glinda, played by Billie
Burke, who sets Dorothy on the path to follow the Yellow Brick Road to
find the Wizard in order to get home. At the same time meeting the good
witch, she also meets a very mean witch we know as the Wicked Witch of
the West, played by Margaret Hamilton in a role of a lifetime for her,
who targets Dorothy for those slippers. We later learn that that
witch's name is Elphaba in the book and musical WICKED. Along the way
she meets the iconic Scarecrow, played by Ray Bolger, Tin Man, played by
Jack Haley, and Cowardly Lion, played by Bert Lahr who join Dorothy
into her Journey to see the Wizard in hopes they can find what they lack
while trying to survive the Wicked Witch of the West. Frank Morgan
plays the title character as well as about four other characters and is
very amusing in this film. I don't think I really need to go further
there. This was based on children's books from L. Frank Baum who wrote
many books about Oz and this is not the first movie adaptation but the
one that remains iconic and was the big hype at the time with all the
actors excited to be part of the successful book series. Now to my
thoughts of listening to it with DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. I followed the
instructions where you play the cd on the third roar of the lion. It
was interesting to watch but when cd is half the length of the film so
it was interesting while it lasted but leaving me to wonder if I did
something wrong. In looking further into this, apparently there is a
copy called DARK SIDE OF THE RAINBOW so maybe I need to look into that
one. Either way, this is a timeless classic for the whole family to
watch which I remember my Dad introducing me to the movie.
_____________________________________________________________________________
From
Paris with Love (2010): This is my guilty pleasure action movie for
the week. As you might guess, it takes place in Paris. Jonathan
Rhys-Meyers stars as James Reece who is an aide to the US ambassador but
longs to get out more into the field. He soon gets that wish and is
told to pick up government employee, Charlie Wax, played by John
Travolta, who is looking to stop a terrorist plan from developing. He
finds he got far more than he bargained for when he finds that Wax is
very unorthodox and does not always follow the book. Travolta clearly
had a lot of fun in his role as a ruthless spy. Rhys-Meyers I thought
did a good job in his role. The plot is not the greatest but can be a
fun action film if that is what you are looking for at the time.
__________________________________________________________________________
Monster
(2003): Patty Jenkins directed and wrote the screenplay of this film
that is based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos who was billed
"America's first female serial killer". Charlize Theron plays Wuornos
to perfection. This shows her in the beginning trying to survive. In
real-life Wuornos had a very difficult childhood and ended up alone
while resorting to prostitution to survive. When working, a man raped
her and she killed him to get away which lowered her faith on how people
are in life and then ended up killing six other men between 1989 and
1990. Christina Ricci co-stars as Selby Walls who is a lesbian and
forms a relationship with Wuornos but eventually finds it very difficult
to live with her. Part of this movie is Aileen trying to find herself a
job to support herself and Selby and get out of prostitution but found
with her life it was not very simple. Both Theron and Ricci did a
really good job of altering their usually very attractive looks to play
these parts like gaining some weight and Ricci was very good as Walls.
The real Wuornos gave Patty Jenkins letters and documents she has
written to give Jenkins insight into her life. Bruce Dern, Pruitt
Taylor Vance, and OZ alum Lee Terguson co-star in this film. Look for
Kane Hodder as an undercover cop. This is not a very easy movie to
watch but the movie was very well done with Theron winning a very
deserved Oscar for her portrayal. Below are a couple photos of the
real-life Aileen Wuornos and must say I had a hard time differentiating
between her and Theron. I know the 1st one is her mug shot and I am
pretty sure the second one is Wuornos.
___________________________________________________________________________
The
Mackintosh Man (1973): John Huston directed this thriller. Paul
Newman stars as a member of British Intelligence named Joseph Rearden
who must go to extreme measures in order to expose a traitor named Sir
George Wheeler, played by James Mason. He is recruited by a man of the
title name and Mrs. Smith, played by Dominique Sanda, and then gets
himself arrested to infiltrate the group more. This is a secret mission
and soon Mackintosh dies that makes things more complicated. For
Rearden, nothing is what it seems and must go on the run to clear his
name with the help of Mrs. Smith. This is a much different role than
usual for Newman and is more downplayed than usual so of interest to see
that aspect. I came across this at the library and was worth a look.
Below is a photo of the book it is based upon.
____________________________________________________________________________
On
the Waterfront (1954): Elia Kazan directs this film which stars Marlon
Brando in possibly his best movie. Brando stars as the iconic character
Terry Malloy who is an ex-prizefighter who runs errands for corrupt and
murderous union boss Johnny Friendly, played by Lee J. Cobb. He soon
meets the sister of someone who Friendly kills named Edie, played by Eva
Marie Saint, and slowly begins to realize that what he is doing is not
right. Karl Malden co-stars as Father Barry who is a very courageous
preacher and looks to do everything he can to bring down Friendly and is
part of what convinces Terry to stand up to the corruption. Rod
Steiger plays Terry's brother Charley who is also very crooked. This
movie is quite dark for its time but it is a great film and even
inspirational. This movie has the famous line of "I could've been a
contender". This movie is a classic and is one of my favorites from
this era which stands the test of time and beyond.
______________________________________________________________________________
The
Amateurs (2005): I end with week with this independent and adult
oriented comedy. Michael Traeger wrote and directed this small-town
comedy. Jeff Bridges stars as Andy Sargentee who has just lost his job
and is having a hard time adjusting to his son's "cool" stepfather
Howard, played by Steven Weber. Andy soon gets the idea to produce a
porno film and be the first town to band together to make a full-length
amateur adult film. Joining Andy in his effort are fellow locals played
by Tim Blake Nelson, SOPRANOS alum Joe Pantoliano, CHEERS alum Ted
Danson, William Fichtner, Patrick Fugit, John Hawks, and Brad Henke.
GILMORE GIRLS alum Lauren Graham, Glenne Headly, Jeanne Triplehorn,
Isaiah Washington, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND alum Brad Garrett and Alex D.
Linz also co-star. I was not sure what to expect but I really enjoyed
this movie. I thought Bridges was great and I loved the way he did the
narration. If you are easily offended, this might not be for you but
this movie is more about a town banding together more than anything and
Andy just thought this would be a good way for everyone to be
successful. I actually got a lot of laughs when watching this. I also
thought each character was pretty well-written. Mostly what this this
movie its R rating is the discussion of sex. This movie is available on
Instant Netflix and is a pretty funny comedy.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Kate Winslet, Nathan Fillion, and many others. Continue reading for my "fun and useless facts segment" that I am bringing back for the week.
FUN AND USELESS FACTS
Clint Eastwood (Breezy director) and Morgan Freeman (Gone Baby Gone) have worked together on quite a few occasions and all of which to my knowledge are ones in which Eastwood have directed. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Clint Eastwood (Breezy director) and Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games) worked together in the 1970 film KELLY'S HEROES and were two of the title characters in the 2000 film SPACE COWBOYS.
Clint Eastwood (Breezy director) and Jeff Bridges (The Amateurs) were the title characters in the 1974 film THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT.
Clint Eastwood (Breezy director), Mark Margolis (Gone Baby Gone) and Ed Harris (Gone Baby Gone) were in the 1997 film ABSOLUTE POWER.
Clint Eastwood (Breezy director) and Bruce Dern (Monster) were in the 1968 western HANG 'EM HIGH.
Clint Eastwood (Breezy director) and Michael Hordern (The Mackintosh Man) were in the 1968 film WHERE EAGLE'S DARE.
William Holden (Breezy) and Paul Newman (The Mackintosh Man) were in the 1974 disaster movie THE TOWERING INFERNO.
William Holden (Breezy) turned down the part of Major Gruver in the 1957 film SAYONARA which would ultimately go to Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront).
Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone director) and William Fichtner (The Amateurs) were in the 1998 movie ARMAGEDDON.
Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone director) and Charlize Theron (Monster) were in the 2000 movie REINDEER GAMES.
Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone director) and Scott Wilson (Monster) were in the 2001 movie PEARL HARBOR.
Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone director) and Kane Hodder (Monster) were in the 2003 film DAREDEVIL where Hodder is uncredited
Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone) and Charlize Theron (Monster) were in the 2005 film NORTH COUNTRY.
Morgan Freeman (Gone Baby Gone) and William Fichtner (The Amateurs) were in the 2008 film THE DARK KNIGHT.
Morgan Freeman (Gone Baby Gone) and Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games) were in the 1995 film OUTBREAK.
Morgan Freeman (Gone Baby Gone) and Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games) were in the 2006 film LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN.
Ed Harris (Gone Baby Gone), Bruce Dern (Monster) and Jeff Bridges (The Amateurs) were in the 2003 film MASKED AND ANONYMOUS.
Ed Harris (Gone Baby Gone) and Scott Wilson (Monster) were test pilots in the 1983 film THE RIGHT STUFF.
Edi Gathegi (Gone Baby Gone) and Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) were in the 2011 film X-MEN: FIRST CLASS.
CAPONE GANG
-Titus Welliver (Gone Baby Gone) plays Al Capone in the 1991 film MOBSTERS.
-Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games) plays Frank Nitti in the 2002 film ROAD TO PERDITION.
-Rod Steiger (On the Waterfront) plays Al Capone in the 1959 film AL CAPONE.
Titus Welliver (Gone Baby Gone) and Pruitt Taylor Vince (Monster) were in the HBO tv series DEADWOOD.
Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (From Paris With Love) were in the 2006 film MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III.
Gary Ross (The Hunger Games director) directed Jeff Bridges (The Amateurs) in the 2003 film SEABISCUIT.
Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) and John Haynes (The Amateurs) are in the 2010 film WINTER'S BONE.
Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) and Charlize Theron (Monster) are in the 2008 film THE BURNING PLAIN.
Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) is a fan of Jeff Bridges (The Amateurs).
Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games) cites Paul Newman (The Mackintosh Man) as one of his favorite actors.
Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games) and Ted Danson (The Amateurs) were in the hit 1980s sitcom CHEERS.
Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games) and John Travolta (From Paris With Love) were in the 1998 film THE THIN RED LINE.
Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games) and Charlize Theron (Monster) are friends in real life.
Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games) and Pruitt Taylor Vince (Monster) were in the 1994 film NATURAL BORN KILLERS.
Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games) and Charlize Theron (Monster) are father and daughter in the 2003 film THE ITALIAN JOB.
Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games) and Charlize Theron (Monster) were in the 2004 tv movie THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS.
Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games) and Pruitt Taylor Vince (Monster) were in the 1995 tv series MURDER ONE.
Toby Jones (The Hunger Games) plays Truman Capote in the 2006 tv movie INFAMOUS. Scott Wilson (Monster) plays Richard Hickock which is one of the people Capote based his book upon in the 1967 film IN COLD BLOOD.
Pierre Morel (From Paris With Love director) directed Morgan Freeman (Gone Baby Gone) in the 2005 movie UNLEASHED.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (From Paris With Love) and Christina Ricci (Monster) were in the 2001 film PROZAC NATION.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (From Paris With Love plays Elvis Presley in the 2005 mini-series ELVIS. Scott Wilson (Monster) plays Elvis's father Vernon Presley in the 1993 tv movie ELVIS AND THE COLONEL: THE UNTOLD STORY.
Bruce Dern (Monster) and Jeanne Tripplehorn (The Amateurs) were in the HBO series BIG LOVE.
Pruitt Taylor Vince (Monster) and Paul Newman (The Mackintosh Man) were in the 1994 film NOBODY'S FOOL.
Paul Newman (The Mackintosh Man) was often mistaken for Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront) early in his career.
Paul Newman (The Mackintosh Man) declined the part of Harry Callahan in the 1971 film DIRTY HARRY which would ultimately go to Clint Eastwood (Breezy).
Paul Newman (The Mackintosh Man) cited this week's feature ON THE WATERFRONT as the first movie that had a big impact on him.
Paul Newman (The Mackintosh Man) declined the part of Lucien Wilbanks in the 1996 film A TIME TO KILL which would ultimately go to Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games).
James Mason (The Mackintosh Man) and Marlon Brando (On The Waterfront) co-star in the 1953 film JULIUS CAESAR.
James Mason (The Mackintosh Man) and Eva Marie Saint (On the Waterfront) were in the 1959 film NORTH BY NORTHWEST.
Harry Andrews (The Mackintosh Man) and Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront) were in the 1978 film SUPERMAN.
No comments:
Post a Comment