Saturday, October 19, 2024
Truth
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Cate Blanchett Mary Mapes Robert Redford Dan Rather Topher Grace Mike Smith Dennis Quaid Col. Roger Charles Elizabeth Moss Lucy Scott Bruce Greenwood David Heyward David Lyons Josh Howard Mark Wrolstad John Benjamin Hickey Stacy Keach Bill Burkett Dermot Mulroney Lawrence Lanpher William Devane Gen. Robert Hodges Connor Burke Robert Mapes
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2015
Directed by James Vanderbilt.
Labels: biography3, cate-blanchett, journalism, political6, robert-redford
Sunday, October 06, 2024
Traffic
- Commentary: Under construction.
It's been almost one and a half decades since I first saw this movie, the year it came out. One of my nieces encouraged me to see it, then watched it with me when it was first available for rental. Frankly, it wasn't what I was expecting, considering who recommended it to me. It was gritty, ethically and politically ambiguous. Nothing I would have expected my niece to enjoy, well, except that it was so well-acted, full of stunning performances, large and small. She's an actor and she was drawn to the performances in the movie, the way they expertly intermingled with the subject matter and with each other.
Bits and pieces of dialogue and gestures from this film have melded with my thoughts. It's one of those movies where, when I watch it, yet again, I find these continue to bring up memories of past movie moments, including those of much more recent movies. Puts me in mind of wanting to watch this movie yet again. Perhaps, I'll do that, when my own personal copy arrives later this week.
Obviously, more later.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2000
Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Labels: Criterion9, neo-noirD, political6, violence5
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
All the King's Men
- Commentary: Under construction.
I am one of those who went to high school during the time when the book upon which this movie was based was commonly read in class. In my case, it was a "comp lit" class. Yes, the movie had long since been released by the time our class was assigned to read the book, but since I was in a written literature class, bringing in a copy of the movie was never mentioned. At any rate, considering that I attended high school on Guam, it's likely there was not a copy of the movie to be had in our area.
At the time I read the book, my father expressed an interest in it and read the book, too. I was a fast reader and, anyway, I had been assigned it for class, so I put him off until I'd read it. When he and I got around to talking about the book, which was discouraging to my politically naive mind, I discovered that the book depressed him even more than it had me. I wasn't really surprised by this. My father had a temperament that found life absurd and bleak. He was not unfamiliar with politicians like Willie Stark (and, aside from being a southerner and having lived in Louisiana, also had a clear memory of Huey Long), their ambitions and their tactics, so the book hit him hard. Still, we had some pertinent discussions about the book, the man and the issues. Although I also inherited (or learned) a talent for wallowing in the dregs of life, my propensity for this was not nearly as pronounced as my father's was. None the less, Willie Stark's (Huey Long's) story has stayed with me, in detail, and I have not trusted any politician since reading the book.
I'm really looking forward to watching this movie. I'm sure Broderick Crawford was the right actor to play this character. This being an election year, for the first time in my life as a voter I am contemplating whether I'm even going to vote, this year. It's possible that I won't. Some of that decision will likely ride on how this movie hits me. Watching the movie may even prompt me to read the book, again.
I will likely report back, again, later.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Broderick Crawford Willie Stark John Ireland Jack Burden Joanne Dru Anne Stanton John Derek Tom Stark Mercedes McCambridge Sadie Burke Shepperd Strudwick Adam Stanton Ralph Dumke Tiny Duffy Anne Seymour Mrs. Lucy Stark
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1949
Directed by Robert Rossen.
Labels: political6
Friday, December 08, 2023
The Other Side of Hope
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Sherwan Haji Khaled Ali Sakari Kuosmanen Waldemar Wikström Ilkka Koivula Calamnius Janne Hyytiäinen Nyrhinen Nuppu Koivu Mirja Kaija Pakarinen Mrs. Wikström Niroz Haji Miriam Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon Mazdak
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2017
Directed by Aki Kaurismäki.
Labels: Criterion7, immigration, political6
