Monday, January 01, 2024
Vanya on 42nd Street
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Wallace Shawn Vanya Julianne Moore Yelena Larry Pine Dr. Astrov Brooke Smith Sonya George Gaynes Prof. Serebryakov Phoebe Brand Marina/Nanny Jerry Mayer Telegin/Waffles Lynnn Cohen Vonenskaya/Maman
Adapted from Anton Checkov's play by David Mamet
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1994
Directed by Louis Malle.
Labels: julianne-moore, play-adaptation
Sunday, December 31, 2023
Far from Heaven
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Julianne Moore Cathleen Whitaker Dennis Quaid Frank Whitaker Dennis Haysbert Raymond Deagan Patricia Clarkson Eleanor Fine Viola Davis Sybil James Rebhorn Dr. Bowman Celia Weston Mona Lauder Michael Gaston Stan Fine
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2002
Directed by Todd Haynes.
Labels: historical5, julianne-moore, romance6
Thursday, October 13, 2022
The Fugitive - WB 20 Film Collection Thrillers
- Commentary: I saw this when it came out, really enjoyed it, but haven't yet watched it a second time. I'm sure I will. I remember it, but it was never a stand-out movie for me.
Although rarely does Tommy Lee Jones not turn a part into standout role, I think this is one of his standout-standout roles.
Update 2/7/18: I watched it again recently. Good standard. Glad I own it.
Update (sort of) 8/12/21: I chanced across this review, written in 2017, on Roger Ebert's website, that gave me taylor-made reasons to reconsider this movie and rewatch it soon. Thanks, Matt Zoller Seitz! Good points!
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Harrison Ford Dr. Richard Kimble Tommy Lee Jones Dep. US Marshal Sam Gerard Sela Ward Helen Kimble Joe Pantoliano Dep. US Marshal Cosmo Renfro Jeroen Krabbé Dr. Charles Nichols Andreas Katsulas Fredrick Sykes Daniel Roebuck Dep. US Marshal Bobby Biggs Tom Wood Dep. US Marshal Noah Newman Julianne Moore Dr. Anne Eastman L. Scott Caldwell Dep. US Marshal Erin Poole Jane Lynch Dr. Kathy Wahlund Dick Cusack Atty. Walter Gutherie
Originally published in this journal on 081416.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1993
Directed by Andrew Davis.
Labels: harrison-ford, joe-pantoliano, julianne-moore, tommy-lee-jones
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Short Cuts
- Commentary: I saw this movie a long time ago, shortly after I became my mother's companion, during the period when she and I pursued our separate lives (mine included work, at that time) and lived together for her emotional comfort and to my enjoyment (my mother and I have been friends since I was a young adult). I didn't see it when it was first released, but a few years later at an art house theater. My memory of it is fuzzy, but my memory of my reaction to it has been very clear ever since that viewing. I think of it as a kind of Dazed and Confused for the "more mature" set. Since I began to investigate my mother's collection of movies on DVD, I've sporadically tried to hunt it down, not knowing if it had even been burnt to disc. Suddenly, today, as it turns out, I watched this video by Daisuke Beppu and, low an behold, there was my movie! Not only that, but he talked about not only the most recent release, but the old one with a booklet of Raymond Chandler's short stories, the edition for which I've been searching all these years!
Criterion no longer carries their original release of this film (with the booklet). The last place I considered looking was Amazon, but when I ran a search through my favored search engine, that's where it turned up! It's winging it's way to me, as I write, and should arrive a week from tomorrow. Its page indicates that the movie, itself, is "new", which I didn't expect at all, so I'm very excited!
I have to admit, it's more expensive than the movies I usually buy, but not for a Criterion movie (which I only buy during sales at reduced prices from other places besides Criterion) but, frankly, I consider its price a bargain, considering everything. It is still cheaper than your average, off-sale price of a Criterion movie sold at the Criterion website.
It's done in what has become known as Robert Altman's style (like Nashville, which I own and love and watch semi-regularly). As is true of a typical Robert Altman work, it features loads of actors, famous, not-so-famous and infamous, and sets each of them in situations which play to their acting strengths. There is an overall "theme", but not like Nashville.
It's been a long, long time since I've seen it, so watching it will be akin to my memory surprising me over and over. I'll be back, later, to catalog my reaction to seeing it again.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Andie MacDowell Ann Finnigan Bruce Davison Howard Finnigan Julianne Moore Marian Wyman Matthew Modine Dr. Ralph Wyman Anne Archer Claire Kane Fred Ward Stuart Kane Jennifer Jason Leigh Lois Kaiser Chris Penn Jerry Kaiser Lili Taylor Honey Piggot Bush Robert Downey Jr. Bill Bush Madeleine Stowe Sherri Shepard Tim Robbins Gene Shepard Lily Tomlin Doreen Piggot Tom Waits Earl Piggot Frances McDormand Betty Weathers Peter Gallagher Stormy Weathers Annie Ross Tess Trainer Lori Singer Zoe Trainer Jack Lemmon Paul Finnigan Lyle Lovett Andy Bitkower Buck Henry Gordon Johnson Huey Lewis Vern Miller Charles Rocket Wally Littleton Michael Beach Jim Stone
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1993
Directed by Robert Altman.
Labels: §5, Criterion4, dramedy3, jennifer-jason-leigh, julianne-moore, matthew-modine, robert-altman, robert-downey-jr, tim-robbins
Tuesday, March 08, 2022
Safe
- Commentary: I watched this movie today, 3/21/2022. The experience was somewhat unsettling for me, for a few reasons. I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, but when I watch a movie that has a soundtrack of popular music from an era through which I lived and in which I paid particular attention to that popular music, I find it disquieting. This doesn't happen often. Luckily, I don't end up obtaining many movies that have vivid sound tracks with which I personally identify. In the case of this movie, for me, because I was so familiar with the soundtrack and associated it with a very specific time in my life in which I was in my car a lot, listening to the radio, traveling from job to job, hearing the soundtrack took me out of the movie and whipped me back to that time.
Other than that, I thought Julianne Moore's performance was astonishing, the character she played was even more astonishing, and, although I've never lived through such a character crisis, had circumstances been a bit different in my life, had I, for instance, gotten married, kept a home for a family, lived in an environment with very strict behavioral codes, I could imagine myself adopting some of that character's behaviors, just in order to remain standing. This surprised me, as it made me aware of the differences between expression of one's self and the expression of other's expectations of one's role that continues to plague women 35 years after the period of time this movie portrays and 27 years after this movie hit the screens. Todd Haynes, himself, has referred to this movie as a horror film. I would have to agree, and a damned subtle and intriguing horror film, at that, which continues, in my opinion, to seem applicable to the lives of women.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Julianne Moore Carol White Peter Friedman Peter Dunning James LeGros Chris Susan Norman Linda
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1995
Directed by Todd Haynes.
Labels: Criterion4, dramaE, horror1, julianne-moore, psychological1, women's-movie2
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Magnolia
- Who's watched: only G
- Mentions: *1*
- Commentary: I don't know whether my mother will ever see this movie. I saw it in the theater when it first came out. It was a case of 12 Monkeys all over again. Lots of hype and lots of delivery but no delivery that matched the hype.
I picked up a cheap copy when I turned some videos in because I wanted to see it again, now, some years later, for reasons I explain in the "Mentions" link above. I was surprised that I found myself liking individual achievements spectacularly well: Macy's performance, his character: Exquisite. The Cruise vignettes: Amazing. So, I decided to keep it.
Why is it possible that Mom won't see this movie? It think it would bore her and she would wonder, out loud, why it is considered to be "apocalyptic". Which, actually, I also wonder.
I also, by the way, consider this the third in my category of "caregiver" movies. If you've seen it, you'll know why.
Roger Ebert reviewed this movie twice, once on the regular and once as a Great Movie, linked to the title of this post.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jeremy Blackman Stanley Spector Tom Cruise Frank T.J. Mackey Melinda Dillon Rose Gator April Grace Gwenovier Luis Guzman Luis Philip Baker Hall Jimmy Gator Thomas Jane Young Jimmy Philip Seymour Hoffman Phil Parma Ricky Jay Burt Ramsey/Narrator Emmanuel Johnson Dixon William H. Macy Donnie Smith Benjamin Niedens Young Donny Alfred Molina Solomon Solomon Julianne Moore Linda Partridge John C. Reilly Ofc. Jim Kurring Jason Robards Earl Partridge Melora Walters Claudia Wilson Gator Henry Gibson Thurston Howell Felicity Huffman Cynthia Patton Oswalt Delmer Darion
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1999
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
Labels: caregiver, drama8, fantasy2, jason-robards-jr, julianne-moore, tom-cruise
Monday, November 14, 2005
The Big Lebowski
- Who's watched: G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: What can I say? The Coen Brothers. Jeff Bridges. John Goodman. John Turturro. Steve Buscemi. The characterizations are over-the-top excellent. The humor is right up my alley. I can watch this one in whole or in part and never get tired of it. This is my definitive Up in Smoke movie.
In the Development section of the Wikipedia write-up, third paragraph down, there's a list of all the actors who were solicited for this film and turned it down. No snide remarks, here, just noting this and wondering, if any of them experienced, you know, regret, after the movie took off and became a literal classic.
I also want to mention The Nihilists, Peter Stormare, Torsten Voges, and Flea as Uli Kunkel/Karl Hungus, Franz, and Kieffer, as they are, depending on your outlook, key to the film, but I didn't have enough room above, so many were the actors who I thought deserved to be recognized for their performances in this film.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jeff Bridges Dude Jeffrey Lebowski John Goodman Walter Sobchak Julianne Moore Maud Lebowski Steve Buscemi Donny Kerabatsos David Huddleston Big Jeffrey Lebowski Philip Seymour Hoffman Brandt Tara Reid Bunny Lebowski John Turturro Jesus Quintana Sam Elliott The Stranger David Thewlis Knox Harrington Ben Gazzara Jackie Treehorn Jon Polito Da Fino
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1998
Directed by Joel Cohen.
Labels: buddy, jeff-bridges, john-turturro, julianne-moore, me-favorite3, neo-noirA, popcorn-and-soda5, satire2, steve-buscemi
