Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Harry Brown
- Commentary: I love this movie unreasonably. I love the story. I love the hero's predicament. I love his emotional expressions as he negotiates the predicament. I love what this movie says not only about friendship, but about how horrible circumstances spur some of us to disgust and then, quickly, heroism.
In my opinion, this movie is just an f***ing masterpiece. All the actors, as well, are great, especially Michael Caine. I know he's made splashier and flashier movies, many of which are considered Great Movies. I've seen many of them and have a few of them. But, this one steals my heart. Every time.
Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Michael Caine Harry Brown Emily Mortimer DI Alice Frampton Charlie Creed Miles Terence Hicock David Bradley Leonard Attwell Ben Drew Noel Winters Sean Harris Stretch Jack O'Connell Markey Liam Cunningham Sidney Rourke
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2009
Directed by Daniel Barber.
Labels: michael-caine, revenge2
Thursday, October 27, 2022
The Fourth Protocol
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Michael Caine John Preston Pierce Brosnan Major Valeri Alekseyevich Petrofsky/James Edward Ross Ned Beatty General Pavel Petrovich Borisov Joanna Cassidy Irina Vassilievna Julian Glover Brian Harcourt-Smith Michael Gough Sir Bernard Hemmings Ray McAnally General Yevgeny Sergeyevich Karpov Ian Richardson Sir Nigel Irvine Anton Rodgers George Berenson Caroline Blakiston Angela Berenson Joseph Brady Carmichael Matt Frewer Tom McWhirter
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1987
Directed by John Mackenzie.
Labels: §5, goflexA, michael-caine, ned-beatty, nuclear, spy, thriller3
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Inception - WB 20 Film Collection Thrillers
- Commentary: Okay. I'm really pleased this movie was in the collection. And, the immediately previous mini-review notwithstanding, it's a Christopher Nolan production and it's a peach. I loved it the first time I saw it and will love it many times more.
And, by the way, everyone and their dogs over at RogerEbert.com felt the need to either review this film or comment on various aspects of the film. My search for just the plain review of the movie lead to a group of articles that poured into a second page. That's why I'm posting my search results at that site.
I have to tell you, though, the last article cited on Page 1 of my search, had an intriguing title (intriguing, at least, to someone who writes about movies [me], but, make no mistake, I don't consider that I "review" them): Inception: Block those reviews!, written by Jim Emerson of the Scanners blog. I couldn't help it, I had to click into a title like that! You, dear reader, should too. It explains the profession of Movie Critiquing so thoroughly that I think every potential "every day" movie goer should read this article before reading any critiques of a movie in order to try to decide whether to see any particular movie.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Leonardo DiCaprio Dom Cobb Joseph Gordon-Levitt Arthur Ellen/Elliot Page Ariadne Tom Hardy Eames Ken Watanabe Mr. Saito Dileep Rao Yusuf Cillian Murphy Robert Michael Fischer Tom Berenger Peter Browning Marion Cotillard Mal Cobb Pete Postlethwaite Maurice Fischer Michael Caine Professor Stephen Miles Lukas Haas Nash
Originally published in this journal on 081416.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2010
Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Labels: christopher-nolan, leonardo-dicaprio, michael-caine, neo-noirC
The Dark Knight - WB 20 Film Collection Thrillers
- Commentary: I am still trying to get through this one. I've started it several times and within a half hour I stop it and go on to something else. I'm not sure why, but I remember telling one of my sisters the first time I tried to watch it, primarily because, at the time, it was one of her son's favorite movies and I like to keep up with my nieces and nephews like that, that "Dark" was certainly an appropriate word for the movie and I hoped to get through it. It's weird, too, because I like dark stuff, bloody stuff, violent stuff, and I love a lot of Christopher Nolan's work. And yet ... maybe I'll try again tonight.
Update 1/17/2021: I now have two copies of this movie, the second of which came in The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Update 6/1/2022: After having spent some time watching The Dark Knight Trilogy twice, I have changed my opinion of not only this movie but the entire trilogy and, I think, this particular movie rivals the first, Batman Begins, as my favorite of the trilogy. I don't know how I could not have been smitten, during my first attempted viewing, with Heath Ledger's portrayal of Joker. Perhaps it was the lack of a back story that caused a lag in my appreciation.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Christian Bale Bruce Wayne/Batman Michael Caine Alfred Pennyworth Heath Ledger Joker Morgan Freeman Lucius Fox Gary Oldman James Gordon Aaron Eckhart Harvey Dent/Two-Face Maggie Gyllenhaal Rachel Dawes Richie Coster Chechen
Originally published in this journal on 081416.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2008
Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Labels: christian-bale, christopher-nolan, heath-ledger, maggie-gyllenhaal, michael-caine, morgan-freeman, neo-noirB, super-hero2
Sunday, May 08, 2022
The Prestige
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Hugh Jackman Robert Angier/Lord Caldlow Christian Bale Alfred Borden/Bernard Fallon Michael Caine John Cutter Scarlett Johansson Olivia Wenscombe Piper Perabo Julia McCullough Rebecca Hall Sarah Borden David Bowie Nikola Tesla Andy Serkis Mr. Alley
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2006
Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Labels: andy-serkis, christian-bale, christopher-nolan, michael-caine, mystery3, period6, thriller2
Tuesday, May 03, 2022
Dressed to Kill
- Commentary: I'm finally catching up (including rewatching) with films I haven't yet commented on. This is one of those films.
Frankly, it's hard to say whether or not I consider it a "winner" of my affections. This is not a movie I saw, or of which I was even aware, when it was released in 1980 and caused such a furor. It has some spectacular scenes that I love watching, like the flirtatious museum scene at the beginning, and some intriguing split scene work, but the truth is, when I rewatched the film, all of this caught me by repeat surprise. When I looked at the cover of the movie prior to rewatching it, just before writing it up, I didn't recall anything about the film except Angie Dickinson in the shower and the startling reveal of her character's strawberry blonde pubic hair. Having said this, I have a small number of Brian De Palma films that I both enjoy and consider significant in his career. This is one of them.
Here is a review of the movie 35 years after its initial release by one of the reviewers at RogerEbert.com, which is specifically about the Criterion release, which is the release I have. It is an admiring retrospective that I enjoyed reading and took into serious consideration when deciding whether to keep or cull this movie. I landed, once again, on the "keeper" side.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Michael Caine Dr. Robert Elliott Angie Dickinson Kate Miller Nancy Allen Liz Blake Keith Gordon Peter Miller Dennis Franz Detective Marino David Margulies Dr. Levy Susanna Clemm Betty Luce Ken Baker Warren Lockman
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1980
Directed by Brian De Palma.
Labels: §3, brian-de-palma, erotic, michael-caine, nancy-allen, neo-noirA, thriller2
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
A Bridge Too Far
- Commentary: A couple of years ago my old DVD/VHS player died. I bought a new player, a DVD/BLU-RAY model, on a promotion special that paired it with a random Blu-Ray movie. This is the movie I got. Yes, I watched it. I'm not generally a fan of war movies, although I have a (very) few favorites, most of which, I think, I already own. This is not a movie I would have either sought out or bought. I can't recommend it because I'm not a fan of war movies. I imagine it's okay. I don't really know. I've not watched it again and it remains in my collection only because I forget that it's there. I'm even instituting a new category for this movie: forgotten-movies.
Update 2/6/18: So, I'm cleaning up this website, adding and changing links, and I noted that I had not linked the title of this movie to any kind of explanation. I hopped over to Wikipedia and began reading about the film. The write-up, especially the history of it, was so interesting that I've decided I should watch this again from a renewed perspective. Perhaps I'll have more to say about it, once I've re-viewed (yes, the dash is intentional) it.
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 Dirk Bogarde Lt-Gen. Frederick Browning Edward Fox Lt-Gen. Brian Horrocks Donald Douglas Brig. Gerald Lathbury Michael Caine Lt-Col. J.O.E. Vandeleur Anthony Hopkins Lt-Col. John Frost Ben Cross Trooper Binns Paul Maxwell Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor Ryan O'Neal Brig. Gen. James Gavin Elliott Gould Col. Robert Stout Arthur Hill US Army Surgeon Colonel Robert Redford Maj. Julian Cook John Ratzenberger Lt. Wall James Caan Stf. Sgt. Eddie Dohun Gene Hackman Mjr. Gen. Stanisław Sosabowski Wolfgang Preiss Gen-fd-mrsch. Gerd von Rundstedt Maximilian Schell Gen. der Waffen-SS Wilhelm Bittrich Laurence Olivier Dr. Jan Spaander Liv Ullmann Kate ter Horst Richard Attenborough Lunatic Wearing Glasses Erik Chitty Organist
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1977
Directed by Richard Attenborough.
Labels: action1, adventure3, anthony-hopkins, drama6, forgotten-movies, historical2, michael-caine, period2, robert-redford, war1
Sunday, January 17, 2021
The Dark Knight Trilogy: The Dark Knight Rises
- Commentary: This is my favorite Christopher Nolan Batman movie. The internal battle that subsumes itself into a battle with the evil elements of society in Batman Begins finally has to be faced by Bruce Wayne in this third installment of The Dark Knight Trilogy. He has lost the love of his life and was forced to kill one of his foremost supporters in city government. He has convinced his other government supporter to blame himself for the killings of the other government supporter. Even technical whiz bosom buddy collaborator, Lucius Fox, has become disenchanted with Wayne. Alfred Pennyworth is still loyal but sorely disappointed. Catwoman figures heavily in the movie and it's impossible to tell, throughout most of it, if she is friend or foe.
The movie is filled with a confusion of events, one being Batman's imprisonment, another being Batman's presumed death from his final act to save Gotham from a nuclear bomb and the final being Batman's funeral. Despite all this confusion, the movie has a highly gratifying conclusion, in which Robin figures prominently. It leaves you wondering if Bruce will ever again take on the role of Batman, but it is a satisfying curiosity. Certainly, I doubt that Nolan will extend Batman's story, but, who knows what others will do.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Christian Bale Bruce Wayne/Batman Michael Caine Alfred Pennyworth Gary Oldman James Gordon Anne Hathaway Selina Kyle/Catwoman Tom Hardy Bane Marion Cotillard Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul Joseph Gordon-Levitt John Blake Morgan Freeman Lucius Fox Liam Neeson Ra's Al Ghul Matthew Modine Foley Ben Mendelsohn Daggett William Devane President
Here's the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 2012
Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Labels: action2, adventure2, ben-mendelsohn, christian-bale, christopher-nolan, drama1, michael-caine, morgan-freeman, neo-noirC, political1, super-hero1, thriller1, violence1, william-devane
The Dark Knight Trilogy: Batman Begins
- Commentary: This is an endlessly interesting origin story for Batman. All the major characters that people Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy are introduced, including Batman as a boy and how, exactly, the death of his parents leads him to become Batman. No need to say anymore, except, I'm a fan of the entire trilogy.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Christian Bale Bruce Wayne/Batman Linus Roache Thomas Wayne Sara Stewart Martha Wayne Morgan Freeman Lucius Fox Michael Caine Alfred Pennyworth Liam Neeson Henri Ducard/Ra's al Ghul Katie Holmes Rachel Dawes Gary Oldman James Gordon Cillian Murphy Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow Tom Wilkinson Carmine Falcone Rutger Hauer William Earle Ken Watanabe decoy Ra's al Ghul
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 2005
Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Labels: action2, adventure2, christian-bale, christopher-nolan, coming-of-age1, drama1, michael-caine, morgan-freeman, neo-noirB, psychological1, super-hero1, suspense1, tom-wilkinson, violence1
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Secondhand Lions
- Who's watched: Both, partially
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: Yes, although we haven't completely watched it, we own it. This is the movie with which MCF gifted us and tried to get Mom and me to watch over Christmas. Mom fell asleep on the couch. I saw parts of it and began to understand why they raved about it. I think we will enjoy this movie, too, and watch it again. From what I saw, it reminds me a little of Holes in structure, but I may be mistaken about that. Hmmm...today seems like I good day to watch this for the first time. If anything else strikes me about this movie and/or Mom's reaction to it, I'll be back. Please note, the labeling is pre-viewing.
Update 2/9/18: We never watched it. After Mom died, I didn't watch it, even though I noted that Roger Ebert liked it. Maybe it's the material. Maybe girls-and-aunts is a completely different world than that of boys-and-uncles, although I didn't much like How to Make an American Quilt, either. So, maybe not. I mean, there are plenty of guy-movies that I love, some of which are my favorites. One thing I know, I haven't, and won't, be checking this out of the library,where I took it, out of curiosity.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Haley Joel Osment Walter Caldwell Robert Duvall Hub McCann Michael Caine Garth McCann Kyra Sedgwick Mae Caldwell
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2003
Directed by Tim McCanlies.
Labels: adventure3, buddy, dramedy2, michael-caine, period4, road-movie, robert-duvall
Saturday, November 11, 2006
The Man Who Would Be King
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: I didn't know about this movie version of Rudyard Kipling's story (which I read some time in late high school, I think, in a collection of short stories, and remained haunted by it) until te late 1970's when the sister of a good friend of mine told me of the movie, extolled it's virtues, told me it was her "favorite", that it was showing on television that night and persuaded me to watch it. I was enchanted. Not only did the half remembered story come back to me in full, the movie overshadowed the story, for me, so well is it done. It is a movie I've never forgotten. A few years after I came to live with Mom and we began renting movies, I scoured several video stores before I found it. Mom loved it, too. I've rented it since, a couple of times, so I was thrilled when I ran across a copy of it. I was determined to buy it, cheap or not, as long as it was letter-boxed, which it was.
The presentation is sparkling, but, being a very cheap version, the movie is cut in two; half on one side of the DVD, half on the other. This surprised us wen we watched it this afternoon. "I don't remember it having an intermission," I said.
"I couldn't tell you," responded Mom, "I don't believe I've ever seen this movie."
Good. I can get away with watching it a few more times before she becomes suspicious!
For the curious and uninformed, while looking for links about the movie I came across the original short story here.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Sean Connery Daniel Dravot Michael Caine Peachy Carnehan Christopher Plummer Rudyard Kipling Saeed Jaffrey Billy Fish Shakira Caine Roxanne Doghmi Larbi Ootah Jack May District Commissioner Karroom Ben Bouih Kafu Salim
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1975
Directed by John Huston.
Labels: adventure3, christopher-plummer, drama8, haunting2, michael-caine, period4, popcorn-and-soda3, shared-favorite
