Movies, Mom & Me

• 
  Commentary:  Yes, this is, without a doubt, the worst of the Denzel Washington Equalizer franchise. It may even be one of the worst of this overall genre. You'll notice that the review for this movie from the Roger Ebert website does not spare the criticism (although, curiously, Wikipedia quite likes it) but I have to say, I agree with the Roger Ebert review linked in the title of this post. It's worth it to me to watch it, though, and to collect it as part of this series, even though it's, well, pretty bad. I don't know. There's just something about Denzel Washington as Robert McCall that I find compelling, even when the character is placed in a bad, tired story line. I determined its lack of quality, by the way, long before I bought it. I watched it on streaming. But, I went ahead and added it to my collection, anyway, in part because, if this franchise isn't finished (or, wasn't finished by this episode, and, somehow, I think it wasn't, in part because Fuqua may harbor some guilt about the possibility of ending the series on such a degraded note), I certainly want to collect all the entries, no matter their quality. I'll just consider this movie a description of Robert McCall on a very bad, close to forgettable day.
    If you're going to collect it (probably for much the same reasons I have), either wait until the price drops on the "usual suspect" sellers or find it at a much cheaper alternative source, as I did, upon which I immediately returned my "usual suspects" purchase. I might add, I found it new and cellophane wrapped, so, likely someone saw it on streaming after they'd ordered a hard copy but before the copy they bought arrived. I'm surprised that buyer didn't return it.
    This article, by the way, talks about the issue of the end or the continuation of the Fuqua series and leaves the subject open. It's interesting to read.
    Finally, I'd love to watch Queen Latifa as the The Equalizer in her series based on this character. I don't, unfortunately, have access to her series through any of my [two] streaming sites (sorry, guys, if it's a choice between streaming and physical media, for me, physical media wins hands down) and, being how it is an ongoing series, the seasons are way too pricey for me to buy, right now, and likely will remain so for some time to come.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Denzel Washington	Robert McCall	Dakota Fanning	Emma Collins	Eugenio Mastrandrea	Gio Bonucci	David Denman	Frank Conroy
  Gaia Scodellaro	Aminah	Remo Girone	Enzo Arisio	Andrea Scarduzio	Vincent Quaranta	Andrea Dodero	Marco Quaranta

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2023
    Directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Labels: action4, adventure4, antoine-fuqua, dakota-fanning, denzel-washington, revenge2, super-hero3, thriller4, violence5

# posted by gail @ 10:58    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Chow Yun-fat	Li Mu Bai	Michelle Yeoh	Yu Shu Lien	Zhang Ziyi	Jen Yu	Chang Chen	Lo "Dark Cloud" Xiao Hou
  Lang Sihung	Sir Te	Cheng Pei-pei	Jade Fox	Li Fazeng	Governor Yu	Wang Deming	Inspector Tsai
  Li Li	Tsai May	Hai Yan	Madam Yu	Gao Xi'an	Bo	Huang Suying	Aunt Wu

  
    Besides his review of this movie, Roger Ebert, also conducted a surprising interview with Ang Lee, quite a bit of which was devoted to the technical aspects of bringing the action sequences in this movie to life. Don't miss it, if you've ever wondered how "that was done".
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2000
    Directed by Ang Lee.

Labels: action4, adventure4, wuxia

# posted by gail @ 18:20    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Timothy Treadwell	Timothy Treadwell	Werner Herzog	Werner Herzog

  
    By far, the most interesting and informative review of this movie is an Amazon Customer Review written by Tracy H and posted here. This reviewer wrote a fascinating and detailed analysis of not only the movie, but on the personalities, characters and motivations of the human participants and many others who felt compelled to ruminate aloud about what Timothy Treadwell did, what happened to him and how Werner Herzog packaged the experience. It is the most interesting and thoughtful commentary on this movie that I've read, so far. Thank you, Tracy H.
    By the way, in case you're interested, Roger Ebert's site has several excellent articles about Werner Herzog and this movie. I pulled a search of these by simply typing "Grizzly Man" into the search box on Roger Ebert's site. The articles give extra insight into the movie, one of its presentations and Werner Herzog, if you're interested.
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2005
    Directed by Werner Herzog.

Labels: adventure4, docu-drama, road-movie, tragedy3, werner-herzog

# posted by gail @ 10:24    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G, more than once
  Mentions:  None
  
• 
  Commentary:  Something about the scene in which the invading army comes over a snow ridge. Something else about that "song and dance" number about what it takes to be a man. Something else about it being a Chinese fairy tale. I don't know if Mom likes it for the same reasons I do, but I know she likes it. I've even replayed the "Be a Man" song for her when we are watching it.
    Too, and I don't know if this has anything to do with my enjoyment of the film, when the movie hit the theaters in 1998 Mom and I took my Chandler niece to see it because all three of us were excited about the movie.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Ming-Na Wen	Fa Mulan	Eddie Murphy	Mushu	BD Wong	Captain Li Shang	Miguel Ferrer	Shan Yu

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1998
    Directed by Tony Bancroft & Barry Cook.

Labels: action3, adventure4, animated, coming-of-age2, father-daughter-dynamics, gender-bender, kids, period6, shared-favorite, suspense2

# posted by gail @ 11:30    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Cillian Murphy	Robert Capa	Chris Evans	James Mace	Rose Byrne	Cassie	Michelle Yeoh	Corazon
  Cliff Curtis	Searle	Troy Garity	Harvey	Hiroyuki Sanada	Kaneda	Benedict Wong	Trey
  Chipo Chung	Voice of Icarus	Mark Strong	Pinbacker	Paloma Baeza	Capa's Sister	Kevin Hudson	Crew - Icarus I

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2007
    Directed by Danny Boyle.

Labels: adventure4, nuclear, science-fiction2, space-opera, survival

# posted by gail @ 13:53    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  This movie is the most visually arresting movie I've ever seen. There are set pieces in this film that have stayed with me since my first viewing. It is also one of the most spiritually (that's right, I used "the word") unusual films I've ever seen.
    The film was released for general viewing the year my mother died. I didn't see it that year. By the time it arrived in theaters my mother had expressed her desire to never watch a movie in a theater again. Thus, I'm not sure when I saw the movie, although I know I saw it on some cable movie service. I also remember that, once I'd finished my first viewing, I immediately watched it again. I remember, too, that I was sorry that my Mom hadn't been around to see it. She may or may not have followed the story, but she would have been as enthralled by the imagery as I was and we would have had a satisfying movie watching afternoon, replete with home made popcorn (always a requirement when my Mom watched movies) and cup after cup of coffee. If nothing else, she would have considered it an elaborate, endearing and motivating travelogue (Mom was always up for travel).
    For me, it is simply a movie in which to luxuriate, especially visually, although the story is intriguing, as well. It's an undercurrent story about the confluence of images, adventure, imagination and desire and I can't help but wonder, at the end of every watching, what Alexandria is doing now. It's almost as though I consider that she might have become Wonder Woman, figuratively and literally.
    This is probably one of the most expensive single movies I've ever bought. It's been sitting on my Possibility Shelf forever, more than a decade, now. Today, I was notified it had dropped in price by $10. Suddenly, my hunger for the movie singed my mind, yet again, so, despite its still high sale price, I decided to snatch it up. It's been awhile since it's been available at my local library. They have only one copy in the system and it's been "in repair" for what seems like ages. Time to purchase it, no matter what the cost. As Roger Ebert said in his review of this movie (attached to the title of this post above), "There will never be another like it." I agree.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Lee Pace	Roy Walker/Black Bandit	Catinca Untaru	Alexandria/Bandit's daughter	Justine Waddell	Nurse/Sister Evelyn	Daniel Caltagirone	Sinclair/Governor Odious
  Marcus Wesley	Ice deliverer/Otta Benga	Robin Smith	One-legged Actor/Luigi	Jeetu Verma	Orange picker/Indian	Kim Uylenbroek	Doctor/Alexander the Great
  Leo Bill	Orderly/Charles Darwin	Emil Hoștină	Alexandria's father/Blue Bandit	Julian Bleach	Mystic/Orange picker	Ronald France	Otto/Old Man

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2006
    Directed by Tarsem Singh.

Labels: adventure4, fantasy4, spiritual2, survival

# posted by gail @ 15:40    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    

  Actor	Role
  Shintaro Katsu	Zatoichi

  
  The episodes in this series are:
      
  
  The Tale of Zatoichi
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Masayo Banri	Otani	Ryuzo Shimada	Shigezo of the Sasagawa Yakuza	Gen Mitamura	Hanji of Matsugishi

  
  Release Date: 1962
  Directed by Kenji Misumi.
      
  
  The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Yoshie Mizutani	Osetsu	Masayo Banri	Otane	Tomisaburō Wakayama	Nagisa no Yoshirō

  
  Release Date: 1962
  Directed by Kazuo Mori.
      
  
  New Tale of Zatoichi
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Mikiko Tsubouchi	Yayoi	Seizaburō Kawazu	Banno	Fujio Suga	Yasuhiko

  
  Release Date: 1963
  Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka.
      
  
  Zatoichi the Fugitive
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Miwa Takada	ONobu	Masayo Banri	Otane	Junichiro Narita	Sakichi

  
  Release Date: 1963
  Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka.
      
  
  Zatoichi on the Road
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Shiho Fujimura	Mitsu	Ryuzo Shimada	Jingoro	Reiko Fujiwara	Hisa

  
  Release Date: 1963
  Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
      
  
  Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Shogo Shimada	Chuji Kunisada	Machiko Hasegawa	Ogin	Tomisaburo Wakayama	Jushiro

  
  Release Date: 1964
  Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro.
      
  
  Zatoichi's Flashing Sword
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Naoko Kubo	Okuni	Mayumi Nagisa	Oshizu	Takashi Edajima	Seiroku

  
  Release Date: 1964
  Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro.
      
  
  Fight, Zatoichi, Fight
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Nobuo Kaneko	Boss Unosuke	Gen Kimura	Hyaku	Chikara Hashimoto	Inozo

  
  Release Date: 1964
  Directed by Kenji Misumi.
      
  
  Adventures of Zatoichi
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Eiko Taki	Osen	Miwa Takada	Saki	Mikijiro Hira	Gounosuke

  
  Release Date: 1964
  Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
      
  
  Zatoichi's Revenge
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Norihei Miki	Denroku	Mikiko Tsubouchi	Osayo	Takeshi Kato	Koheita Kadokura

  
  Release Date: 1965
  Directed by Akira Inoue.
      
  
  Zatoichi and the Doomed Man
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Fujiyama Hyakutaro	Kanbi	Kenjiro Ishiyama	Boss Jubei Araiso	Masako Akeboshi	Ochiyo

  
  Release Date: 1965
  Directed by Kazuo Mori.
      
  
  Zatoichi and the Chess Expert
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Mikio Narita	Jumonji	Chizuru Hayashi	Kume	Kaneko Iwasaki	Otane

  
  Release Date: 1965
  Directed by Kenji Misumi.
      
  
  Zatoichi's Vengeance
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Shigeru Amachi	Kurobe	Jun Hamamura	Blind Priest	Gen Kimura	Tamekichi

  
  Release Date: 1966
  Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka.
      
  
  Zatoichi's Pilgrimage
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Michiyo Okusu	Okichi	Isao Yamagata	Boss Tohachi	Hisashi Igawa	Eigoro

  
  Release Date: 1966
  Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro.
      
  
  Zatoichi's Cane Sword
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Shiho Fujimura	Oshizu	Eijirō Tōno	Senzo	Yoshihiko Aoyama	Seikichi

  
  Release Date: 1967
  Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
      
  
  Zatoichi the Outlaw
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Rentarō Mikuni	Boss Asagoro	Kō Nishimura	Suga	Yuko Hamada	Oshino

  
  Release Date: 1967
  Directed by Satsuo Yamamoto.
      
  
  Zatoichi Challenged
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Jushiro Konoe	Akazuka	Miwa Takada	Omitsu	Yukiji Asaoka	Tomoe

  
  Release Date: 1967
  Directed by Kenji Misumi.
      
  
  Zatoichi and the Fugitives
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Takashi Shimura	Junan	Kayao Mikimoto	Oshizu	Kyosuke Machida	Ogano Genpachiro

  
  Release Date: 1968
  Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
      
  
  Samaritan Zatoichi
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Yoshiko Mita	Osode	Makoto Satô	Yasaburo Kashiwazaki	Kô Nishimura	Sosuke Saruya

  
  Release Date: 1968
  Directed by Kenji Misumi.
      
  
  Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Toshirô Mifune	'Yojimbo' Daisaku Sasa	Ayako Wakao	Umeno	Osamu Takizawa	Yasuke Eboshiya

  
  Release Date: 1970
  Directed by Kihachi Okamoto.
      
  
  Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Reiko Ōhara	Okiyo	Masayuki Mori	Dark Lord Yamikubo/Lord Yamikubo	Tatsuya Nakadai	Ronin

  
  Release Date: 1970
  Directed by Kenji Misumi.
      
  
  Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Jimmy Wang Yu	Wang Kang	Yūko Hama	Osen	Michie Terada	Oyone

  
  Release Date: 1971
  Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda & Hsu Tseng Hung.
  → wuxia
      
  
  Zatoichi at Large
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Rentarô Mikuni	Boss Tetsugoro	Hisaya Morishige	Constable Tobei	Etsushi Takahashi	Denjuro

  
  Release Date: 1972
  Directed by Kazuo Mori.
      
  
  Zatoichi in Desperation
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Kiwako Taichi	Nishikigi	Kyoko Yoshizawa	Kaede	Yasuhiro Koume	Shinkichi

  
  Release Date: 1972
  Directed by Kazuo Mori.
      
  
  Zatoichi's Conspiracy
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Yukiyo Toake	Miyo	Eiji Okada	Shinbei of Hitachiya	Kei Satô	Magistrate

  
  Release Date: 1973
  Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the series. The Wikipedia write-ups for the individual episodes are attached to their titles.
    Release Date: 1962 - 1973
    Directed by Various - See each film in the list above.

Labels: adventure4, Criterion6, samurai, super-hero3, tatsuya-nakadai, toshirô-mifune

# posted by gail @ 00:29    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Rita Tushingham	Eve	Oliver Reed	La Bete	Rex Sevenoaks	Trader	Barbara Chilcott	Trader's Wife
  Linda Goranson	Trader's Daughter	Blaine Fairman	Clerk	Walter Marsh	Preacher	Joseph Golland	Baptiste

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1966
    Directed by Sidney Hayers.

Labels: adventure4, goflexB, oliver-reed, romance5

# posted by gail @ 23:47    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    In addition to the very specific write-up of this movie attached to the title of this post, here is a wonderful essay on the legacy of this movie and its subject in the annals of film.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Charlie Chaplin	The Tramp	Jackie Coogan	The Kid	Edna Purviance	The Woman	Carl Miller	The Man

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1921
    Directed by Charlie Chaplin.

Labels: adventure4, charlie-chaplin, goflexA

# posted by gail @ 16:52    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Katharine Hepburn	Jane Hudson	Rossano Brazzi	Renato de Rossi	Isa Miranda	Signora Fiorini	Darren McGavin	Eddie Yaeger

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1955
    Directed by David Lean.

Labels: adventure4, Criterion5, katharine-hepburn, romance5

# posted by gail @ 10:02    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Natalie Portman	Lena	Jennifer Jason Leigh	Dr. Ventress	Gina Rodriguez	Anya Thorensen	Tessa Thompson	Josie Radek
  Tuva Novotny	Cassie Sheppard	Oscar Isaac	Kane	Benedict Wong	Lomax	Sonoya Mizuno	Katie

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2018
    Directed by Alex Garland.

Labels: adventure4, jennifer-jason-leigh, mystery3, oscar-isaac, science-fiction2, thriller3

# posted by gail @ 10:30    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  I've seen this film more than a few times, checking it out of the library. I managed to get what amounts to a free copy of it, just today, 9/24/22. I don't have it, yet, it'll be arriving Monday, reportedly. I could probably start a write-up of it from my memory of watching it, but I think I want to wait, since it's been awhile (like a few years) since I've seen it last, and I need to luxuriate in it, once again, this time knowing it'll be my personal copy, before writing about it. So, consider this post, for the time being, Under construction.
    And, BTW, Roger Ebert reviewed it. And liked it! Not completely, mind you. His lack of a fourth star is explained, in detail, in his write-up, and not only makes sense, especially considering when the movie came out and Roger wrote his review, but it is provocative, thoughtful and timely, even today, 40 years after it was written. Which is probably a good thing, since it's still a lively seller. I mean, here I am, selecting it as a free movie option! Roger's review is attached to the title of this post. You should read it.
    Another group of critics reviewed this movie, Three Movie Buffs. Their results are more than interesting, they are loaded with logistical details about the movie. If you have a "thing" for this movie, you should read their reviews.
    Anyway, we'll talk more when I receive the movie and watch it afresh.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Arnold Schwarzenegger	Conan the Barbarian	Gerry Lopez	Subotai	Sandahl Bergman	Valeria	James Earl Jones	Thulsa Doom
  Max von Sydow	King Osric	Mako Iwamatsu	Wizard of the Mounds	William Smith	Conan's Father	Sven-Ole Thorsen	Thorgrim
  Ben Davidson	Rexor	Cassandra Gava	Witch	Valérie Quennessen	Osric's Daughter	Nadiuska	Conan's Mother
  Jorge Sanz	Young Conan	Luis Barboo	Red Hair	Franco Columbu	Pictish Scout	Akio Mitamura	Mongol General

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1982
    Directed by John Milius.

Labels: adventure4, fantasy4, max-von-sydow, me-favorite4, oliver-stone, spectacle2, super-hero2, sword-&-sorcery, violence4

# posted by gail @ 18:01    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  Although I was doomed to own a copy of this movie because it is a Peter Weir movie, and although both my mother and I have watched it, once, and enjoyed it, my mother, especially, because she was in the Navy, married a Navy man and was a Navy woman/wife/mother, although we wondered throughout where it was going, then, at the end, where it had gone, I have to say, we enjoyed the booklet that came with the movie, as well, for its interesting exposition of life in the Navy "at that time". My mom was riveted both to the screen and by the book. I remember, when the man who was deemed responsible for the doldrums was made to walk the plank, she continued to watch with rapt attention, then said, "Yes, well, I guess they used to do that back then."
    I will probably watch it again, someday, when I'm feeling the need for a Peter Weir fest. My mother may watch, again, by default.
  Update 11/17/2021:  This post was originally published February 6, 2005. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Russell Crowe	Jack Aubrey	Paul Bettany	Surgeon Stephen Maturin	James D'Arcy	1st Lt Thomas Pullings	Edward Woodall	2nd Lt William Mowett

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2003
    Directed by Peter Weir.

Labels: action3, adventure4, historical4, peter-weir, russell-crowe, war2

# posted by gail @ 19:47    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  We even had, the second time we watched it, a Watching Lawrence of Arabia party. Very successful.
    Both my mother and I are surprised at the things we learn about my father knowing that this movie was one of his two favorite movies, the other being Khartoum. He and I saw Khartoum together, a very memorable event, one I'll probably remember as though I'm going through it when I'm old and mentally creative. It happened in Honolulu, probably 1966, the year the movie came out, and involved a long evening stroll along the Ala Wai.
    I have, however, had no desire to see that one again. Lawrence of Arabia, though, sometimes I put the disc in and zone out on it for a half hour or so. My mother doesn't do this, but she enjoys the movie.
    Roger Ebert wrote about this movie twice: first in 1989 and then again in 2001 as a "Great Movie", the review for which I linked to the title of this post.
  Update 11/17/2021:  This post was originally published February 6, 2005. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Peter O'Toole	T. E. Lawrence	Alec Guinness	Prince Faisal	Anthony Quinn	Auda abu Tayi	Jack Hawkins	General Allenby
  Omar Sharif	Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish	José Ferrer	The Turkish Bey	Anthony Quayle	Harry Brighton	Claude Rains	Mr. Dryden

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1962
    Directed by David Lean.

Labels: adventure4, biography2, claude-rains, dad-favorite, dramaC, historical4, me-favorite4, political4, popcorn-and-soda6, war2

# posted by gail @ 19:44    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Blew me away when I was watching this movie on cable, one evening, late, Mom awoke within the first 15 minutes of the movie, I decided to keep it on because I really wanted to see it again and she was riveted. She even likes the end of it, which leads me to believe that she understands the real power of this movie: that it isn't a dirge for the female spirit, but a celebration of it. She has even been heard to mutter, during the semi scene, "Good for them!"
    I actually didn't consider owning this movie until, a couple of times after the above mentioned viewing, when I exclaimed that it was "on", again, Mom always has wanted to watch it.
    Aside from his initial review link to the title of this post, Roger Ebert wrote yet another thought provoking review of the film six months later.
    Twenty-five years later three female journalists write an article about how the film has held up, in relevence, over the last quarter century. They make a point of mentioning that the film has not engendered more women-buddy-movies. I know. I think about this every time I watch this movie, and it's one of those that I watch about once a year. It's like, someone in the male coterie that is still film production, is constantly asking about women-buddy-scripts, "What's the point?" and dropping them into the circular file. This article does, though, increase my desire to see Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road.
    And, I have to ask, considering the plethora of male-buddy-movies made since the beginning of movie history and the ignoring of the fact that women do "buddy up", for all kinds of reasons, what the hell are you guys thinking?!? Do you think, as women, that we should be grateful that at least this movie was made? And, frankly, do you feel that delusionally safe because female buddy movies make up a very, very small percentage of films? Holy goddess! Are you in for a surprise!
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Susan Sarandon	Louise Sawyer	Geena Davis	Thelma Dickinson	Brad Pitt	J. D.	Harvey Keitel	Det. Hal Slocumb
  Michael Madsen	Jimmy Lennox	Christopher McDonald	Darryl Dickinson	Lucinda Jenney	Lena	Timothy Carhart	Harlan Puckett

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1991
    Directed by Ridley Scott.
  Update 5/8/22:  This is a reposting of a previous post dated 2/7/2005 that I managed to recover.

Labels: action3, adventure4, buddy, dream2, geena-davis, harvey-keitel, me-favorite4, michael-madsen, popcorn-and-soda6, revenge2, ridley-scott, road-movie, suspense2, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 17:21    0 comments    email......this post