Movies, Mom & Me

• 
  Commentary:  The Roll Dance, a piece of music written for, and from, this movie, perfectly encapsulates what I love about this movie. For me, it doesn't just reflect the scene in which it's played. It reflects the entire ambience of this bio-pic: upbeat, with a hint of the unsettled, a hint of trauma, a hint of being provoked simultaneously to a need to be uplifting while also acknowledging the tragedy that dogs one's footsteps throughout life.
    Robert Downey, Jr., in my opinion, was the perfect actor to play Chaplin. He has the same tendency as Julia Roberts, to be "Robert Downey, Jr. playing ... ", but, while this irritates me in Julia Roberts it delights me in Robert Downey, Jr. Robert Downey, Jr. is, for instance, Iron Man, as he says in the movie Iron Man. He is Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder. And, he is Chaplin in this movie.
    Granted, it is a bit disturbing to see Robert Downey, Jr. in the sequences where he is playing Chaplin as an old man; something about the make-up job. It's not bad and it's not good, but I guess aging make-up hadn't been perfected at the time of this production. Nonetheless, I believe him as old Chaplin.
    Finally, it is impossible for me to watch this movie and not be transported by the scintilating perfection of its production. I've been wanting to own this movie forever. I've had it for about three months, now, and, call me crazy, but I've watched it at least three times since I received it. In fact, I think I'll watch it again, tonight!
    A bynote: Roger Ebert (who's review is linked to the title of this post) did not like this movie. He considered it an insult to the man it portrayed. I have no quibble with his criticisms, but, damnit I really like the film. I've watched it a lot. I'm not opposed to Ebert's criticism, but neither am I swayed by it.
  Update 6/9/2022:  This post was originally published on 1/16/2021 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Robert Downey Jr.	Charlie Chaplin	Marisa Tomei	Mabel Normand	Geraldine Chaplin	Hannah Chaplin	Paul Rhys	Sidney Chaplin
  John Thaw	Fred Karno	Moira Kelly	Hetty Kelly	Francesca Buller	Minnie Chaplin	Nancy Travis	Joan Barry
  Anthony Hopkins	George Hayden	Dan Ackroyd	Mack Sennett	Penelope Ann Miller	Edna Purviance	Kevin Kline	Douglas Fairbanks
  Matthew Cottle	Stan Laurel	Maria Pitillo	Mary Pickford	Milla Jovovich	Mildred Harris	Kevin Dunn	J. Edgar Hoover
  Deborah Moore	Lita Grey	Diane Lane	Paulette Goddard	James Woods	Joseph Scott	David Duchovny	Roland Totheroh

  
    Here's the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
    Release Date: 1992
    Directed by Richard Attenborough.

Labels: anthony-hopkins, biography1, charlie-chaplin, dramedy1, historical1, james-woods, kevin-kline, period1, political1, reflective, robert-downey-jr

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

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  This is one of those subtle, quiet movies that I love and Mom endures. I've only watched it with her once. At the end of the movie she said, "Why did they go to the Grand Canyon?"
    I started to explain in my best 'student of film' answer. A few sentences into my answer I noticed she was fidgeting and realized that she may have been thinking something eye catching was going to happen at the Grand Canyon, like in Thelma & Louise, but thought she'd missed it. So I asked her if that was the problem. Yep. "No," I said, "you didn't miss any of the movie. The Grand Canyon is a metaphor."
    "Oh," she said, with that ironic side glance that tells me she's thinking, "This is one of those movies you have to work at. No thanks."
    As a bonus, Gerardo Valero has written a consideration of this movie at the Ebert site that you should consider reading.
    Final personal word, this movie continues to intrigue me. I probably watch it once a year.
  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
  Danny Glover	Simon	Kevin Kline	Mack	Steve Martin	Davis	Mary McDonnell	Claire
  Mary-Louise Parker	Dee	Alfre Woodard	Jane	Jeremy Sisto	Roberto	Tina Lifford	Deborah

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1991
    Directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

Labels: danny-glover, dramaC, kevin-kline, me-favorite4

# posted by gail @ 19:36    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  This is one (of the many) that Mom never has any recollection of watching, yet we watch it a lot, usually during a cold, stormy afternoon/evening binge of this movie and The American President, of which she has a somewhat better memory. She likes feeling hopeful about what's best in the U.S., so do I, and both of these movies help, while the love stories provide comedy relief.
    As a footnote, may I add that I am a West Wing freak; my mother is not, but she tolerates me. No, we have not bought any collections of West Wing episodes. I have forbidden myself to do so. When, for instance, would I watch them? I watch little enough of what we have, and then, usually, only peripherally, now. It's been a hard lesson to learn that if only I like it, my indulgences in it will be few and far between. I'm okay with this; it's just been a hard learning.
  Update 11/2/08:  I was given the entire West Wing series for Christmas a few years ago by a friend of mine; see the link.
  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
  Kevin Kline	Dave Kovic/Pres. William Harrison Mitchell	Sigourney Weaver	Ellen Mitchell	Frank Langella	Bob Alexander	Kevin Dunn	Alan Reed
  Ving Rhames	Duane Stevensen	Ben Kingsley	Vice Pres. Gary Nance	Charles Grodin	Murray Blum	Laura Linney	Randi
  Bonnie Hunt	White House Tour Guide	Anna Deavere Smith	Mrs. Travis	Faith Prince	Alice	Tom Dugan	Jerry

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1993
    Directed by Ivan Reitman.

Labels: ben-kingsley, comedy2, kevin-kline, laura-linney, political5, popcorn-and-soda6, presidential, shared-favorite, sigourney-weaver

# posted by gail @ 19:10    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  Pure delight for both Mom and me. One of my favorite aspects of this film is the presentation of each song. These presentations are specfically suited to the song by performer and setting. It seems fitting, since Cole Porter was a popular entertainment song writer. This is a keeper and one we'll watch frequently. Alanis Morissette is one of these performers.
  Update 2/7/18:  Although I rarely update one of these blurbs to include another link, I'm going to, this time. Roger Ebert wrote a lovely (yes, lovely), meticulous review of this movie which I always remember whenever I think of, or watch, it (yes, I continue to watch it; sometimes, nothing else will do). Check it out in the title to this post.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Kevin Kline	Cole Porter	Ashley Judd	Linda Lee Porter	Jonathan Pryce	Angel Gabriel	Kevin McNally	Gerald Murphy
  Sandra Nelson	Sara Murphy	Allan Corduner	Monty Woolley	Peter Polycarpou	Louis B. Mayer	Keith Allen	Irving Berlin

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2004
    Directed by Irwin Winkler.

Labels: biography2, historical3, jonathan-pryce, kevin-kline, musical1, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 17:11    0 comments    email......this post