Welcome to the 235th Edition of my long-running series. Rehearsals for GUYS AND DOLLS are going very well, I look forward to it starting in June. It's time to get out the Netflix and blockbuster queues and check out my ten for this week.
Iris (2001): This is part one of a two-part Kate Winslet series I have going. There might be three but that is doubtful. This is based on the life of novelist Iris Murdoch and her relationship with her husband John Bayley. This takes a look at their younger days when meeting and in their later days with Iris' battle with Alzheimer's disease. In the younger segments Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville play the parts. In the older segments, Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent play the parts. This is based on the books IRIS: A MEMOIR and ELEGY FOR IRIS written by Bonneville. The four actors are very well cast and do a great job of paralleling their parts from young to old to make the characterizations believable. This is a pretty good biopic that I found on On-Demand at my dad's house where the actors made the film good.
Munich (2005): I bring you another true story where we look at the 1972 Munich Olympics where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered. When this happens, a group of five people are recruited to track down and execute each involved. Eric Bana leads this group followed by Daniel Craig, Ciaran Hinds, Mattieu Kassovitz, and Hanns Zischler where it is top-secret and cannot even tell their families. It also shows the effects of Bana's life where he cannot be with his wife and children. Steven Spielberg directed this tale which questions if what happened was justice or vigilantism. This movie is right before Daniel Craig rose to the part of James Bond. Other actors in this film include Geoffrey Rush, Michael Lonsdale, and Mathieu Amalric. This is based on the novel VENGEANCE: THE TRUE STORY OF AN ISRAELI COUNTER-TERRORIST TEAM by George Jonas. Add this to many good films by Steven Spielberg.
A Farewell to Arms (1932): This is my WWI film for the week. Gary Cooper stars Lieutenant Frederic Henry and Helen Hayes stars as ambulance driver Catherine Barkley who meet and take an immediate liking to each other but find it hard to be together during the war. Henry does everything he can to be with the woman he loves and begins to question the morality of the war. This movie is based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway and dealt a lot with the censor board like with a child-birth scene and possibly the anti-war messages. Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes are very good together making this film work. I watched this one instantly on Netflix.
Fanny (1932): It is not often you see back-to-back films with the same year but this week I do. This is part two of Marcel Pagnol's FANNY trilogy. The first one was MARIUS and the third one is CESAR. This follows after the first one where Marius and Fanny form a relationship but then Marius decides to go out to sea leaving Fanny behind. Cesar is the father of Marius and very close to Fanny. Fanny then learns she is pregnant with Marius' child but in his letters to his father he does not mention Fanny much so she is not sure of his status of coming back. They are also not married which believe it or not was a big deal in those days. She then must contemplate what she wants to do. She considers suicide, the possible return of Marius but not knowing his feelings for her at the time, or even marry a weathy merchant who seeks her hand. She then discusses with her mother, Cesar, and the merchant then makes the decision. This would probably be best watched in the who trilogy. It is a very well filmed and almost like a theatrical production. It is a very interesting look at morality in that era and the power of family.
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957): Billy Wilder directed this inspirational movie based on Charles Lindbergh's autobiography. James Stewart fought hard for the part of the pilot who was determined to prove that a plane can fly from New York to Paris. Charles Lindbergh was one of the pioneers during the rise of aviation and thought it was possible to do a flight from New York to Paris. This starts out with him trying to get the funding together and when that happens, his crew that builds this plane to last long enough. Once everything is together Lindbergh sets off for his historical flight which was over 30 hours long. He is then in the plane by himself with no communication down below. Stewart was an actual air force pilot and was 47 years old portraying a man who was 25 at the time. This was a bit of a miscast but Stewart still brought his portrayal of the everyday person to this part to make it inspiring. I also thought he did a good job carrying the film when he was the only person in the plane.
Cast Away (2000): Director Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks team up once again. Hanks plays the very dedicated Fed-Ex employee Chuck Noland who has everything going for him. Helen Hunt plays his fiancee Kelly. The dedicated employee Chuck then decides to make a flight overseas for his job and tells Kelly he will be right back which if you know what this movie is about was not quite true. Chuck then crashes on an island as the sole survivor and must fend for himself to survive but makes a friend with "Wilson" leading into some really good moments. Tom Hanks carries this movie very well where he is by himself on the island, there is no music score most of the time, just a good script and a good actor who can make us feel we are right there with him.
Sherlock Holmes (2009): I finally see the revamp of the Sherlock Holmes franchise. Guy Ritchie directed this adaptation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic which stars Robert Downey Jr. as the famed detective. For many years such people as Basil Rathbone, Christopher Lee, John Barrymore, Peter Cushing, and many others and we get the idea that Detective Holmes is a respectable, well-dressed man wearing the trademark "deerstalker" hat. In this movie, Detective Holmes is quite the drug addict who really needs Dr. Watson to keep him in line. There are also some scenes where he is in some fight scenes and wins fights knowing where to hit the person. This is really how he is portrayed in the books nor does he say "elementary, my dear Watson" in the books so you won't hear it in this movie. Downey was great as Sherlock Holmes as well as Jude Law who plays Dr. Watson. Usually, the character of Watson in the movies, is a fat, bumbling, old man like Nigel Bruce in the early years of the franchise. However, in the books, Watson is about the same age as Holmes and just as capable as handling himself which he shows in some fight scenes. I loved Downey's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes as much as I did when Daniel Craig played James Bond. Sherlock Holmes is portrayed as human who is gifted at looking at the little things to solve a crime which sometimes gets him in trouble but sometimes needs a cocaine fix to stimulate his mind much to the dismay of Watson. Other actors in this movie include Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, and Eddie Marsan. Mark Strong plays the villain Lord Blackwood who Holmes and Watson do everything they can to bring him down. I know I have barely even touched on the plot but do not feel I really need to here since this is pretty widely known with the new generation getting their own Sherlock Holmes.
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982): This is my western for the week which stars MIAMI VICE alum Edward James Olmos as the title character. This is actually a true story of a man who is a farmer and acquired a horse. Cortez did not know much English and a poor translation from a deputy lead to a huge misunderstanding that caused an innocent person to die and Cortez to resort to means of protecting his family which made him a fugitive from the law. This movie takes a look at the price of prejudice and what it can be lead to. Cortez is a folk hero mostly in Mexico which I'm sure there are a lot of exaggerations like any other folk hero we make up (i.e. Jesse James). There are not much subtitles on Cortez's dialogue which was done on purpose by the filmmakers. This was a pretty decent film and an interesting historical person to read up on.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968): I now bring you this family musical based on the novel by Ian Fleming. Dick Van Dyke stars as Caractacus Potts who is a struggling inventor trying to raise two children. He then comes upon a car that his children wants and makes it into a magical car with his inventing skills. Sally Ann Howes co-stars as his love interesting Truly Scrumptious who comes to admire Caractacus. Baron Bomburst, played by Gert Frobe wants that car in the town of Vulgaria and when the wrong hands get to the flying car, Caractacus, Truly, and the children must go back and get it but not knowing the children are banned in the city. He then sees that there is more to it than getting the car when he finds many children enslaved. The plot here is very absurd but the musical numbers are pretty entertaining and Dick Van Dyke was a lot of fun. Also look for Desmond Llewelyn in the beginning who is most known for playing Q in the James Bond films.
It's a Hap-Hap-Happy Day (1941): This is my animated short for the week from the studios of Dave Fleischer which features the character Gabby. Gabby believes he is a know-it-all and drives the mayor of the town of Lilliput crazy when he decides to go camping with him. On this camping trip, everything that can go wrong does in this seven minutes of animated action. The Gabby character only did about 9 cartoon shorts and when Fleischer studios went out of business, Gabby was never seen again except in the wonderful public domain.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you do not like. Stay tuned next week which includes more Kate Winslet, Eli Roth, Nick Nolte, Federico Fellini, and many others.
FUN LITTLE FACTS
I have not done this segment in a long time but did not do a real thorough search for facts like I have. If anyone finds other facts, go ahead and add them to the comments.
JAMES BOND FRANCHISE
-Judi Dench (Iris) has been the head of the British Secret Service M in the Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig era.
-Daniel Craig (Munich) is the latest James Bond in the 2006 film CASINO ROYALE and the 2008 follow-up QUANTUM OF SOLACE
-Michael Lonsdale (Munich) played villain Hugo Drax in the 1979 Bond film MOONRAKER
-Mathieu Amalric (Munich) played Dominic Greene in the 2008 Bond film QUANTUM OF SOLACE
-Ian Fleming (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang novel author) created the character of James Bond through books.
-Gert Frobe (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) plays Auric Goldfinger in the 1964 Bond film GOLDFINGER
-Desmond Llewelyn (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) plays equipment specialist Q starting with the 1963 Bond film FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE to the 1999 Bond film THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
MARVEL FRANCHISE
-Eric Bana (Munich) plays Bruce Banner who becomes the Incredible Hulk in 2003 film HULK
-Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) plays Tony Stark who becomes the Iron Man in the IRON MAN films in 2008 and 2010
James Stewart (The Spirit of St. Louis) plays Alfred Kralik in the 1940 film THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. Tom Hanks (Cast Away) plays Joe Fox in the 1998 remake YOU'VE GOT MAIL
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