Movies, Mom & Me

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    This is a film about which I've heard and read much, over the years, but haven't yet purchased for my collection. Until now. You see, I received an unexpected, magnanimous check from someone this year for my birthday and, suddenly, padding my collection out, a bit, became possible.
    I'm very excited about receiving this, especially since it includes two of my absolutely favorite actors. There is, in the Wikipedia article about this film, an interesting note in the first paragraph of the "Sundance" section of the Wikipedia write-up (the immediately previous link will take you to this section) that has some revelatory information about the business of producing a film, any film, I'd guess. Don't miss it.
    More later, when I've received and watched this film.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Sissy Spacek	Ruth Fowler	Tom Wilkinson	Matt Fowler	Nick Stahl	Frank Fowler	Marisa Tomei	Natalie Strout
  William Mapother	Richard Strout	Celia Weston	Katie Grinnel	Karen Allen	Marla Keyes	Deborah Derecktor	Janelle
  William Wise	Willis Grinnel	Justin Ashforth	Tim Bryson	Camden Munson	Jason Strout	Frank T. Wells	Henry

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2001
    Directed by Todd Field.

Labels: psychological3, sissy-spacek, tom-wilkinson

# posted by gail @ 20:47    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    Since 1938 there have been six movies released entitled "The Patriot".
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Mel Gibson	Cpt/Col Benjamin Martin	Joely Richardson	Charlotte Selton	Heath Ledger	Gabriel Edward Martin	Lisa Brenner	Anne Patricia Howard
  Gregory Smith	Thomas Martin	Trevor Morgan	Nathan Martin	Bryan Chafin	Samuel Martin	Mika Boorem	Margaret Martin
  Logan Lerman	William Martin	Skye McCole Bartusiak	Susan Martin	Jason Isaacs	Col William Tavington	Chris Cooper	Col/Brig Gen Harry Burwell
  Tchéky Karyo	Mjr Jean Villeneuve	René Auberjonois	Reverend Oliver	Tom Wilkinson	Lt Gen Charles Cornwallis	Donal Logue	Don Scott
  Peter Woodward	Brig Gen Charles O'Hara	Leon Rippy	John Billings	Adam Baldwin	Adam Baldwin	Jamieson K. Price	Cpt Bordon
  Jay Arlen Jones	Occam	Joey D. Vieira	Peter Howard	Terry Layman	Gen George Washington	Andy Stahl	Gen Nathanael Greene

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2000
    Directed by Roland Emmerich.

Labels: chris-cooper, heath-ledger, mel-gibson, rené-auberjonois, tom-wilkinson, war3

# posted by gail @ 14:45    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Maybe it's because this is a Roman Polanski movie and I have yet to watch one of his that I don't love, but I love this movie. So well done, so intriguing, great mystery, great thriller. Come to think of it, that's a category I should add, "thriller". I'm sure I've already got some listed that I didn't think of as "thrillers" but, rather "suspense", but this is a good time to add that category, as, no matter how many times I watch this movie, it's definitely a thrill for me.
    Not only was Roger Ebert surprised and pleased by this film, one of his colleagues, Jim Emerson was, as well, and weighed in twice [first article, second article] on Polanski's achievements vis a vis this movie. I can't agree with Ebert and Emerson more.
  Update 6/2/2022:  This post was originally published on 8/14/16 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Ewan McGregor	The Ghost Writer	Pierce Brosnan	Adam Peter Bennett Lang	Olivia Williams	Ruth Lang	Kim Cattrall	Amelia Bly
  Timothy Hutton	Sidney Kroll	Tom Wilkinson	Paul Emmett	Jon Bernthal	The Ghost Writer's Agent	James Belushi	John Maddox
  Robert Pugh	Richard Rycart	Tim Preece	Roy Quigley	David Rintoul	Grieving Father	Eli Wallach	Old Man

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2010
    Directed by Roman Polanski.

Labels: adventure1, drama6, eli-wallach, mystery1, neo-noirC, political2, roman-polanski, thriller2, tom-wilkinson, tragedy1

# posted by gail @ 20:56    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  I've been a shameless fan of this movie since I first saw it, as recommended by one of my sisters. Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson and George Clooney are matchless, especially the first two. The story is pertinent and revealing. The production is perfect. When I subscribed to cable TV I would endlessly search this movie out, no matter how many times I'd seen it. Now, I don't have to do that, which is good since I can't.
    When pulling a search for this movie on RogerEbert.com, I discovered a raft of articles written by many people at many times. This movie has apparently, captured the imagination of so many more than just me.
  Update 6/2/2022:  This post was originally published on 8/14/16 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  George Clooney	Michael Clayton	Tom Wilkinson	Arthur Edens	Tilda Swinton	Karen Crowder	Sydney Pollack	Marty Bach
  Michael O'Keefe	Barry Grissom	Sean Cullen	Gene Clayton	Ken Howard	Don North	Merritt Wever	Anna

  
    Here's the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
    Release Date: 2007
    Directed by Tony Gilroy.

Labels: drama6, legal, mystery1, political2, thriller2, tom-wilkinson

# posted by gail @ 20:54    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  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

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

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  Yet another one of those teaching videos, for Mom. The Mention says it all. Yes, we made it through the entire series before she died. Yes, she was shocked and intrigued at the vaccination and breast cancer episodes; worthy of pauses and further discussion between us. During the breast cancer surgery (which wasn't completely displayed), she speculated, aloud, how lucky MCS (who is a breast cancer survivor) was that "we" weren't living during "those days". The surprising aspect of this was that my mother remembered that MCS had breast cancer several years ago.
  Update 8/2/21:  Well, Whad'ya know! The Washington Post is still allowing access to it's movie reviews, at least. Old ones, anyway. Thanks, WP! Just for that, I'll bold your reference and link to you!
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Paul Giamatti	John Adams	Laura Linney	Abigail Adams	Stephen Dillane	Thomas Jefferson	David Morse	George Washington
  Tom Wilkinson	Benjamin Franklin	Rufus Sewell	Alexander Hamilton	Justin Theroux	John Hancock	Danny Huston	Samuel Adams
  Clancy O'Connor	Edward Rutledge	Željko Ivanek	John Dickinson	Ebon Moss-Bachrach	John Quincy Adams	Sarah Polley	Abigail Adams Smith
  Andrew Scott	William S. Smith	Mamie Gummer	Sally Smith Adams	Samuel Barnett	Thomas Adams	Tom Hollander	King George III

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2008
    Directed by Tom Hooper.

Labels: david-morse, drama7, historical2, laura-linney, paul-giamatti, period3, political3, presidential, tom-wilkinson, TV1, war1, željko-ivanek

# posted by gail @ 19:17    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  We watched this one afternoon on TCM and our interest in it surprised us both. Every performance is a delight. The film of the story is much better than the book, full of character scrutinizing scenes. My mother teared up at the end of the movie; very unusual for her. When I saw a copy of it being sold, I had to have it. We watched it again, the day I bought it. Again, my mother was transported to tears at the end. We'll be watching this again.
    It's notable that Roger Ebert reconsidered his initial two-and-a-half star review of this film. The article in which he talks about this is here, but surrounded by many other opinions on many other movies. Thus, I'm going to quote his reconsideration here:
  
  "I didn't give 'Sense and Sensibility' a favorable review when it was first released. I preferred one of the year's other Jane Austen adaptations, 'Persuasion,' a tougher and more thought-provoking film. But as 'S & S' began to emerge as the Oscar front-runner, I went back to see it again. I enjoyed it, yes, and if I had it to do all over again I might be tempted to give it three stars instead of two and a half. (I wouldn't change a word of my newspaper review, however, which expresses both what I liked and didn't like about the film.)
  "What 'Sense and Sensibility' has, above all, is the image of a high-minded, literate, respectable Oscar winner. It is from Britain (the Academy loves British films and actors). It is attached to Jane Austen, one of the most beloved trade names in literature. It has no negatives like sex, violence, or naughty words. Hollywood can honor it and feel good about itself: See here, it can say, what wholesome films we make!"
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Emma Thompson	Elinor Dashwood	Kate Winslet	Marianne Dashwood	Alan Rickman	Colonel Brandon	Imogen Stubbs	Lucy Steele
  Hugh Grant	Edward Ferrars	Greg Wise	John Willoughby	Gemma Jones	Mrs. Dashwood	Hugh Laurie	Mr. Palmer
  Imelda Staunton	Charlotte Palmer	Tom Wilkinson	Mr. Dashwood	Harriet Walter	Fanny Dashwood	Elizabeth Spriggs	Mrs. Jennings

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1995
    Directed by Ang Lee.

Labels: alan-rickman, emma-thompson, imelda-staunton, period4, romance2, shared-favorite, tom-wilkinson

# posted by gail @ 22:37    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  This is one of my favorites. I think we originally watched it on television without Closed Captioning. Mom isn't as familiar with Shakespeare and 17th century English as I am but I think she'll like this story, once she can read the lines. I love it. To me it's an overview of much of the best of Shakespeare.
    Turns out, I was right. She did enjoy it when she could read the lines, even though she's not a Shakespeare buff. The thing about this movie is that it's colorful, there's lots of action that underlines the plot, and the acting is often, on purpose, so close to the top that it's in danger of spilling over, but, that's so much the better for the kind of movie this is.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Joseph Fiennes	William Shakespeare	Gwyneth Paltrow	Viola de Lesseps	Geoffrey Rush	Philip Henslowe	Colin Firth	Lord Wessex
  Ben Affleck	Ned Alleyn	Judi Dench	Queen Elizabeth I	Simon Callow	Edmund Tilney	Imelda Staunton	Nurse
  Tom Wilkinson	Hugh Fennyman	Daniel Brocklebank	Sam Gosse	Rupert Everett	Christopher Marlowe	John Inman	Lady Capulet actor

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1998
    Directed by John Madden.

Labels: ben-affleck, colin-firth, dramedy2, fantasy3, historical3, imelda-staunton, judi-dench, me-favorite4, romance3, shakespeare, tom-wilkinson

# posted by gail @ 02:28    0 comments    email......this post