Working Girl (1988): Mike Nichols directed this movie centering on the rough corporate world from a female perspective. Melanie Griffith stars as Tess, who has a rough time finding a job and she finds a job as a secretary working for Katherine Parker, played by Sigourney Weaver. Tess wants to forge ahead and has some good ideas but seems to get held back. Katherine breaks her leg and Tess sees the change to get her idea off the ground. Enter Harrison Ford who plays Jack Trainer who she poses as the boss of the company and slowly falls in love with him. Things get complicated upon the return of Katherine. It's quite an opening sequence showing the big city and playing Carly Simon's song LET THE RIVER RUN. Griffith has her best performance in my opinion as the timid female who must break through her shyness. Other people in this movie include Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Kevin Spacey, and Oliver Platt. It's a good look at the corporate life and trying to survive in the ruthless world but still upbeat.
Too Far to Go (1979): This is in tribute to the late John Updike who wrote the short story novel this is based upon. Michael Moriarty and Blythe Danner are a couple getting a divorce after 20 years so we see the days leading up to the divorce and the troubles in their marriage through the years with the use of flashbacks. This is actually a tv movie which also features Glenn Close as a family friend. The leads do a good job and it kept me quite a bit through their ups but many downs.
The Truman Show (1998): I chose the Facebook profile of my friend Adam this week and decided upon this modern classic. Long before the reality tv show craze hit, we had this movie of one man's life and the actors around him. Jim Carrey stars as Truman Burbank, an insurance salesman whose life has always been a tv show. Laura Linney plays his wife and makes subtle advertisements within the show. Truman then starts to wise up to everything around him. Ed Harris plays Christof, the producer of the show and the set around Truman. He almost plays a warped version of God but does not see anything wrong in what he is doing. This movie was quite ahead of its time and a breakthrough for Jim who actually tones down his comedy and has
that nice medium between comedy and drama.
Garden State (2004): I found this one on IFC and I was not sure what I would think of this. SCRUBS star Zach Braff directed, wrote and starred as an emotionally unattached actor named Andrew who returns home for his mom's funeral. He has an uneasy relationship with his psychiatrist father, played by Ian Holm, who has him on all kinds of psychiatric drugs. Andrew decides to not take that medicine and experience life. He then meets Sam, played by Natalie Portman, who is flawed but is very content in her life and teaches Andrew a lot about living life. I admit, I have always had a place in my heart for Natalie and always enjoy her when I see her so some may go run for the hills when hearing that name that I have used a lot lately. This is a good effort from Braff who I think is being featured for the first time in this blog and makes his directorial debut.
Super Fly (1972): This is my Blaxploitation film for the week so not for everyone. When watching this, you will see some stereotyping and even racism but just try to understand that this was the genre in that time period which gave employment to many black actors who had a hard time finding work. Ron O'Neal stars as Priest, a ruthless drug dealer who decides he wants out but knows that it will not be easy by the people around him and must find a way to get out of the business and stay alive. This is considered one of the best of this genre and has a great music score from Curtis Mayfield to keep it going.
Barnyard Bunk (1932): This is my animated short film for the week which consists of an old farmer lets his farm go and is taken over by the farm animals and the mice and hear music from a lot of magical saxophones in this big extravaganza. This is billed as Tom and Jerry but the cat and mouse are not present but is still but to watch.Eyes in the Night (1942): This was an nice, early effort from director Fred Zinneman in this entertaining crime drama. Edward Arnold stars as a blind detective named Duncan Maclane, and along with his seeing eye dog investigate a murder only to stumble upon a Nazi plot. Ann Harding and Donna Reed are good as stepmother and stepdaughter who are not on the best of terms. This is a pretty entertaining mystery and pretty short.
The Invincible Iron Man (2007): This is the animated version of the superhero and I believe came out before the live-action hit starring Robert Downey Jr. This is a different take on how Iron Man came to be where Tony Stark is held captive and creates a suit to escape. He is help captive by an ancient Chinese group and becomes part of a prophecy that Tony Stark must fulfill to stay alive. It is not as compelling as the live-action film but from what saw, more like the comic book and a pretty good take on the character.They Shall Have Music (1939): This is a pretty decent film which I'm sure was buried in the big year of film. Gene Reynolds stars as a troubled boy who runs away from home and ends up at a music school which takes in poor children. He learns that the school is suffering from hard times and is determined to save it. He then meets real-life violinist Jascha Heifetz and tries to get him to play at their recital. However, it is not an easy process to get him there. Frankie goes through a lot with the help of his friends. Joel Mcrea also stars as one of the people who runs the school and does what he can to save the place including putting hopes in everyone's head that Heifetz will play. This is a great tribute to Heifetz and the important programs for inner-city youth.
Bandalero (1968): I now end this week with a tribute to late actor Clint Ritchie who recently died. James Stewart and Dean Martin are brothers who team up to evade the law and to go against a group of Mexican bandits. Raquel Welch first unwillingly becomes part of their gang but then takes a liking to the brothers, mostly Dean which makes him consider leaving crime. George Kennedy plays the sheriff who is determined to catch their gang. I believe this might be the first movie I have ever used Raquel Welch in this blog. It was also good seeing Stewart in a later role and it was also something different for Dean Martin.
FUN LITTLE TRIVIA
WORKING GIRL actors Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin have played Jack Ryan, a character in many Tom Clancy novels.-Harrison Ford played the role in in the 1992 film PATRIOT GAMES and the 1994 film CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
-Alec Baldwin was the first to play the role in the 1990 film THE HUNT FOR THE RED OCTOBER which I understand that Ford turned down. Baldwin would later decline PATRIOT GAMES.
-Both actors turned down the role of McCabe in the 2001 film VANILLA SKY
-Baldwin turned down the role of Richard Kimble in 1993 film THE FUGITIVE
Harrison Ford (Working Girl) and Glenn Close (Too Far to Go) were President and Vice President in the 1997 film AIR FORCE ONE
Harrison Ford (Working Girl) played outlaw Han Solo in STAR WARS episodes 4-6. Natalie Portman (Garden State) played Padme Amidala, who would have been Han's mother-in-law in the prequals in STAR WARS episodes 1-3
Sigourney Weaver (Working Girl) played Paulina Escobar in the 1994 film DEATH AND THE MAIDEN and my facebook friend Lysa played it in a version at the Muncie Civic Studio Theater.
Sigourney Weaver (Working Girl) and Ian Holm (Garden State) both tried to defeat and alien in the 1979 film ALIEN.
WORKING GIRL actors Oliver Platt and Kevin Spacey were both on each side of a murder trial in the 1996 film A TIME TO KILL. Platt was one of the attorneys and Spacey was the prosecutor.
Oliver Platt (Working Girl) played the role of Porthos in the 1993 film THE THREE MUSKETEERS. My facebook friend Ed is cast to play the role in an upcoming Muncie Civic Theater production.
Kevin Spacey (Working Girl) plays Lex Luthor in the 2006 film SUPERMAN RETURNS. Jim Carrey (Truman Show) plays fellow DC comics villain The Riddler in the 1995 film BATMAN FOREVER.
Kevin Spacey (Working Girl) made an appearance on BBC TV's PARKINSON and did impersonations of Jack Lemmon (The Odd Couple) and James Stewart (Bandolero!) and cites Lemmon as a role model.
Glenn Close (Too Far to Go) and Natalie Portman (Garden State) were mother and daughter in the 1996 film MARS ATTACKS
Jim Carrey (The Truman Sh0w) played the Grinch in 2000 film HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. My facebook friends Eric and Joe played the role in different versions of SEUSSICAL: THE MUSICAL.
Paul Giamatti (The Truman Show) had a very small part in the movie he is featured in but would go onto doing much bigger movies with TRUMAN SHOW stars Jim Carrey and Laura Linney.
-Giamatti and Carrey would star in the 1999 film MAN ON THE MOON where Carrey played Andy Kaufman and Giamatti was Kaufman's best friend Bob Zmuda.
-Giamatti and Linney would star in the 2008 mini-series JOHN ADAMS where he played the title character and Linney would play the wife of the 2nd president John Adams
Ian Holm (Garden State) was Puck in a 1968 version of A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT'S DREAM. My facebook friend Corey played the role in a version at Muncie Civic Theater.
Joel Mcrea (They Shall Have Music) played Wyatt Earp in the 1955 film WICHITA and James Stewart played the role in the 1964 film CHEYENNE AUTUMN
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