Friday Movie Suggestion Night

"FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT" HAS CONCLUDED ITS RUN!

2008-12-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

On December 19, 2008 "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" concluded it's run. Thank you for 40 wonderful months!

The feature began on September 15, 2005 and produced 170 film write ups over 40 months. So, while this month will be our "farewell", I have selected the Top 25 films that will be archived here for your enjoyment.

Below is mere sampling of the films we have enjoyed together:

32 Short Films About Glenn Gould, Cinema Paradiso, Cool Runnings, Children of a Lesser God, Patch Adams, The Last Waltz, Play It Again, Sam, Woodstock (The 1969 Aquarian Music & Arts Festival), Author!, Author!!, The Legend of Zorro, The Fisher King, Stealing Home, The Graduate, The Horse Whisperer, The Verdict, Junior Bonner, 12 Angry Men, The Towering Inferno, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Last Picture Show, The Pink Panther, Exodus, Sabrina, Dirty Dancing, Scent of a Woman, La Traviata (Zeffirelli-Opera film), Taxi Driver, Cactus Flower, Chariots of Fire, American Graffitti, Brubaker, Let It Be (The Beatles), Beyond the Sea, Casablanca, The Outlaw Josie Wales, The Banger Sisters, A Black and White Night (Roy Orbison Concert Documentary), Atlantic City, The Freshman, Tom Horn, The Electric Horseman, The Getaway, Papillon, Le Mans, The Sand Pebbles, The Great Escape, Never So Few, Standing in the Shadows of Motown (The Funk Brothers' Documentary), Swept Away (Foreign Film), Kramer vs. Kramer, Serpico, Conrack, The Big Chill, Starting Over, Moonstruck, Broadcast News, In the Heat of the Night, East of Eden, Citizen Kane, Someone to Love, Bridges of Madison County, Elvis: Aloha Via Satellite from Hawaii (1973 Worldwide Concert), GIANT, To Sir With Love, Summer of 42', Over the Rainbow: A Performance by Eva Cassidy, St. Elmo's Fire, August Rush, Capote, Nell, Five Easy Pieces, Silver Streak, "10", Miracle On 34thStreet, The Maltese Falcon, Patience, From Here To Eternity, Experience: Jimi Hendrix Live in The United Kingdom, Message in a Bottle, In The Shadow of The Moon (The Apollo Astronaut's Documentary), Coal Miner's Daughter, That's Life!, Good Night and Good News, Driving Miss Daisy, Picnic, Rear Window, Network, Good Morning Vietnam, Key Largo, Round Midnight, Wall Street, The Man Who Loved Women, This Is Elvis (Biography), Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, The Commitments, HUD, Butterfield 8, Moulin Rouge, Grand Canyon, For Your Eyes Only, Belle De Jour (Foreign Film), I Am Sam, High Fidelity, Tender Mercies, The Magnificent Seven, Soldier In The Rain, Annie Hall, Deliverance, Barefoot in the Park, The Sound of Music, Quiz Show, The African Queen, Gigot!, Arthur, Save the Tiger, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, The Cincinnati Kid, Bullitt, The Hunter, The Who Live at The Royal Albert Hall in 2000, Love With The Proper Stranger, The Misfits, Ed Wood, Amost Famous, The Freshman, Frankie & Johnny, Running, Shine A Light: The Rolling Stones Live in New York, 2006, Raging Bull, Across the Universe, West Side Story, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Cocoon, Ed Wood, Elvis: That's The Way It Is (Las Vegas 1969 Concert Documentary), All The President's Men, Straight Time, A Night at The Opera, Say Anything, South Pacific, Pale Rider, An Affair to Remember, Slapshot, 48 Hours, Tootsie, Coach Carter, Cool Hand Luke, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, Hamlet, Harry & Son, Say Amen, Somebody (Documentary), The Manchurian Candidate, Hotel, Stand by Me, E.T., A Touch of Evil, Tucker: A Man and His Dream, Carousel, SOB, Victor Victoria, Stalag 17, M*A*S*H, Easy Rider, Two Mules for Sister Sarah, Dirty Harry, Any Which Way But Loose, Bronco Billy, Blazing Saddles, Chimes at Midnight, Renaldo & Clara (Bob Dylan and the Rolling Thunder Revue with Joan Baez), The Brave One, Say Anything, Dead Poet's Society, Good Will Hunting, Rachel, Rachel, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Country, Crazy People, Teachers.

Thank You for a Great 40 Months!

See You Soon...
Michael Manning
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THE LAST FILM: EVA CASSIDY PERFORMANCE!

2008-12-19T20:18:00.000-08:00

After thinking it over, I reached the inescapable conclusion that there is no video more appropriate to end my feature "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" than this one. This is Eva Cassidy's special rendition of "Over the Rainbow". For reasons that will become obvious, this young lady's gift of music will touch the world forever.

Thank you for 40 great months!

Michael

DEAD POET SOCIETY!

2008-09-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Robin Williams returns for another appearance on "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" for a nice way to close out the waning days of Summer, 2008.

William's genius for me is the sheer scope of his acting ability in both Comedy and Drama. Moreover, his genuine warmth is beloved by millions. If there exists an Actor with a sharper God-given wit for either genre', he or she remains sadly undiscovered. In this film, he is at once a devoted, mischievous professor at a New England prep school in 1959. The school is run by stiff necked administrators. However, Director Peter Weir cleverly combines a respect for the school's history and tradition while fearlessly creating in William's character of Keating as a vulnerable person. Nevertheless, he's not afraid to enlist unorthodox methods to bring the boys in his class out of solemnly accepting whatever is blindly thrown to them without thinking for themselves. It is here where he dares students--seven boys in all--to "Carpe diem, seize the day!" To this end, the film inspires each of us to create something truly extraordinary with our lives. Tom Schulman's screenplay in 1989 was observed by many at the time as addressing the compliance of '80s kids. However, the film avoids becoming preachy and takes us on a wonderful journey of dreams that all too many have abandoned. Keating is the catalyst who encourages us to pick them up and dust them off again for another run at life!

The Cast: Robin Williams is John Keating; Robert Sean Leonard is Neil Perry; Ethan Hawke plays Todd Anderson; Josh Charles is Knox Overstreet; Gale Hansen is Charlie Dalton; Dylan Kussman is Richard Cameron; Allelon Ruggiero is Steven Meeks; and James Waterston is Gerard Pitts. 1990 Academy Awards Oscar WINNER "Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen": Tom Schulman; NOMINATED "Oscar Best Actor in a Leading Role": Robin Williams; "Best Director": Peter Weir; "Best Picture": Steven Haft, Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas.

"10"

2008-09-13T00:00:00.001-07:00

"A temptingly tasteful comedy for adults who can count".
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For newcomers, this is Blake Edwards' ("Breakfast at Tiffany's", "Days of Wine and Roses", and "The Pink Panther") hysterical story of an immensely successful 42 year old Hollywood songwriter, George Webber (Moore) who seemingly "has it all". Moore's business partner and lyricist "Hugh"--played by the late Robert Webber--and his explanation to a then-38 year-old Julie Andrews about "male menopause" will no doubt resonate with some amusement among the women who view this beach scene conversation. Long remembered for the sheer physical comedy and slapstick that later made "Arthur" a successful film, Moore takes the audience along on a wild and unpredictable journey through a severe mid-life crisis, and an unbearable angst about his mortality.

Seated in his Roll Royce at a Los Angeles stop light, he casually glances over at a beautiful young girl dressed in a wedding dress and sitting in a limousine on the way to the church. Moore's character (George Webber) sees "a vision", if not his salvation from his agony in "Jennifer"--the breathtaking Bo Derek. Interestingly, few in the United States were familiar with either Moore or Derek when this film was first released in 1979. The two would remain life-long friends up until Moore's untimely passing in 2002.

The comedic timing that Blake Edwards employs in this film is the stuff hilarity is made of. From the ensuing automobile accident, an agreement with a neighbor across the Malibu Hills to have their telescopes pointed at each other's houses for carnal pleasure, and a performance by veteran stage and screen actor Max Showalter as a minister Moore visits in a (no pun intended)veiled attempt to discover the whereabouts of the Newlyweds. Showalter tries convincing George that he is a songwriter too in a scene among many that is worth the price of Admission. Edward's real life experience in psychotherapy figures prominently in Webber's therapy sessions to resolve his angst over middle age. This is later followed by what has to be the most comical bedroom argument ever committed to film with Moore and Andrews sparring over the definition of the word "Broad". However, before I unleash too many "spoilers", allow me to say that the moments of genuine warmth in this movie provide are inter-woven with comical entanglements of a man who is temporarily lost and desperate when it relates to his identity and purpose in life. Dee Wallace and then-newcomer Brian Dennehy (as a Bartender who plays his cards close to the vest) turn in wonderful performances, and Julie Andrews couldn't be lovelier as Georges' long-suffering singer/actress Samantha Taylor. While this film is not considered ahead of "Arthur" where Moore's talents are concerned, it is a brilliant comedy that has heart.

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Cast: Dudley Moore as George Webber; Julie Andrews is Samantha Taylor; Robert Webber is Hugh; Bo Derick is Jennifer (Miles) Hanley; Dee Wallace is Mary Lewis; Brian Dennehy is Donald the Bartender; Max Showalter is the Reverend; James Noble is the Dentist, Dr. Miles; John Hancock is Moore's Psychiatrist; Lorry Goldman is Bernie Kaufman; Rad Daly is Josh Taylor. Written and Directed by Blake Edwards. Nominated at the 1980 Academy Awards for "Best Music/Original Score": Henri Mancini; LYRICS BY: Robert Wells.

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Remembering Dudley Moore

GIGOT!

2008-09-11T00:00:00.001-07:00

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If ever there was a movie filmed to bring hope to a world that desperately needs it, this is the film to watch!

On the day Jackie Gleason died, it was revealed that "Gigot" was the pride of his life and the most favorite film he had ever appeared in. This is not the Jackie Gleason many of you are familiar with. Rather, this is the man beneath the surface of the last CBS "60 Minutes" interview shortly before his death. Aside from re-runs of "The Honeymooners" and the notorious stories of Gleason as a hard-living, womanizer on Miami Beach, this film reveals the core of a complicated actor, director, dancer, writer, comedian and producer who truly earned the title of "The Great One".

In 1962, Jackie Gleason and co-writer John Patrick ("Teahouse of the August Moon"), A.J. Russell and Frank Tashlin had finished a script that Jackie had hoped his friend Orson Welles would direct and Paddy Chayefsky would pen. However, 20th Century Fox (and others) avoided Welles as an talent who would potentially delay and outstrip the budget. For his part, Chayefsky (who later wrote the film "Network") was simply not interested. In a surprise move, Actor/Dancer Gene Kelley was recruited to direct and filming commenced in Paris, France. The result was a Masterpiece of cinema.

Gigot is the story of a mute Frenchman leading a hand-to-mouth existence as a janitor of an apartment building in the Montmartre district of Paris in the 1920's. He is the target of emotional and physical abuse by main stream society. However, he is beloved by the local children and by animals, whom he feeds often. His dismal existence is unexpectedly transformed one evening when he returns home to find a prostitute named Collette (Katherine Kath) and her young daughter Nicole (Diane Gardner) sitting in his doorway trying to keep dry from the rain. Gigot lets them in to his apartment and befriends the pair. Collette is very suspicious of Gigot, however her young daughter warms to him immediately. Over time, Collette subjects Gigot to cruelty and rejection. The film's ending will astound you!

NOT TO BE MISSED: The scene where Gleason delivers a stunning pantomime inside a church with Nicole present in a difficult struggle to answer her question about the story of Christ. This is the most demanding acting scene I have personally witnessed and it should be shown in Master Class.

The Cast: Jackie Gleason is Gigot; Katherine Kath is Collette; Gabrielle Dorziat is Madame Brigitte; Jean Lefebvre is Gaston; Jacques Marin is Jean; Albert Rémy is Alphonse; Yvonne Constant is Lucille Duval; Germaine Delbat is Madame Greuze; Albert Dinan is the Bistro proprietor; Diane Gardner is Nicole; Franck Villard is Pierre; Camille Guérini is the Priest; René Havard is Albert; Louis Falavigna is Monsieur Duval; Jean Michaud is Gendarme; Richard Francoeur is the Baker; Paula Dehelly is the Baker's wife and Jack Ary is Blade. I have waited for the right time to suggest this film. Two years have passed and now is the hour.

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THIS ONE IS SPECIAL!
ENJOY!

GOOD WILL HUNTING!

2008-09-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

In 1997, I was midway through completing my college degree in night school when I first caught this film one weekend. It was written by actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The story revolves around Will Hunting (Damon) who posseses a genius level ability for solving complex mathematical theorems. His job as an MIT janitor belies a deeply troubled life as an abused foster child who consequently grows up sabotaging professional and emotional opportunities that come into his life as an adult. His bare bones existence in a poverty-ridden neighborhood in Boston begins to change after he solves a math challenge that he notices posted on a classroom blackboard. The math problem is assigned to a graduate class to ponder and solve within the span of a semester. When math Professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) catches Hunting solving the problem during his janitorial duties, he mistakens him for a vagrant and runs him off. After he has discovered the astonishing truth, Lambeau tracks down Hunting and manages, with great effort, to have him released to his custody from a criminal court following a violent altercation. Will accepts the challenge to study mathematics and begin regular psychotherapy as a condition of avoiding hard time in jail. Numerous psychologists come and go without helping him. Lambeau reaches out to psychologist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) and this doctor-patient relationship ranks among the richest character development scripts ever written for the silver screen. Robin Williams gives the performance of his career as a grieving widower who loses his wife-the love of his life--to illness, but encourages Will to try and establish a relationship with a woman whom he meets in a bar named Skylar (Minnie Driver).

Many revelations are uncovered by Maguire and Hunting in the course of their therapy sessions that allows the audience a spyglass view on the subject of risking emotional pain in the course of choosing love. The choices we make in life becomes the focus of the film which takes a surprising turn!

The Cast: Robin Williams as Dr. Sean Maguire; Matt Damon as Will Hunting; Ben Affleck as Chuckie Sulivan; Stellan Skarsgard is Professor Gerald Lambeau; Minnie Driver is Skylar; Casey Affleck is Morgan O'Mally and Cole Hauser is Billy McBride. Directed by Gus Van Sant; Written by Matt Damon & Ben Affleck. Oscar Winner: Robin Williams as Best Supporting Actor; Best Screenplay for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

SAVE THE TIGER!

2008-09-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that I have been waiting for "the right moment" to feature this movie for some 18 months? You may ask why this is so? I hate to put it this way, but while an absolutely excellent film that won an Academy Award, it's NOT for everyone. The opening scene involves what we likely refer to today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD with the central character Harry Stoner (Jack Lemmon) awakening from a nightmare screaming. Filmed in 1973, this film is still relevant. Stoner tunes in his television set about the latest news about the war in Vietnam, takes a shower, makes breakfast and dresses as we all do to begin the day. A World War II Veteran, he is is obsessed by the years of his youth when President Roosevelt was in office, baseball was clean and integrity was the order of the day. This Oscar-Winning performance by Jack Lemmon is fascinating as it takes the audience through a 24-hour period in the life of the film's lead character. In this regard, if there was ever a movie to leave you with something to ponder, this is it.

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Harry Stoner owns a garment factory teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, though no one knows it; he keeps this very "close to the vest". He has all the trappings of success. His daughter is enrolled in a Swiss school; his wife thinks he's nuts; there is a gardener, a maid, a swimming pool service company and even a tree surgeon who all meticulously maintains his home. Psychologically, Stoner is treading water to avoid a breakdown. Lemmon turns in a performance here right after "The Days of Wine and Roses" wrapped. He is trying to make sense of a world that has left him feeling alienated. We see him, for example, cruising along Sunset Boulevard in his Lincoln where he picks up a 20-year-old girl who is hitch-hiking named Myra. Stoner is shocked how quickly she offers him sex-which he immediately declines.

We come to know his employees back at the garment factory including the cutter, Meyer, a holocaust survivor and mentor to Rico, the ambitious young protege. They are ready to kill each other over some arcane issue. Stoner intervenes. That evening, a fashion show is scheduled and Harry has to "talk business" with his associate Phil Greene (Oscar Nominee Jack Gilford). A customer who just placed a large order out of town suddenly dies of a coronary before Stoner can get his signature! Stoner refuses to file for bankruptcy and he definitely doesn't want the Mafia taking over, so arson seems to be an answer he struggles with as the day wears on and he meets with a veteran arsonist to consider the details.

This intense film performance by Lemmon led to him winning the Oscar for "Best Actor in a Leading Role".

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The Cast: Jack Lemmon as Harry Stoner; Nominated as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Jack Gilford as Phil Greene; Laurie Heineman is Myra; Norman Burton is Fred Mirrell; Patricia Smith is Janet Stoner; Thayer David is Charlie Robbins; William Hansen is Meyer; Harvey Jason plays Rico; Liv Lindeland is Ula; and Lara Parker is Margo. Nominated also for "Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced": Steve Shagan and Directed by John G. Alvidsen.

THE AFRICAN QUEEN!

2008-09-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

The film you are about to see was written and produced with a tough athletic-type prose most people would associate with an Ernest Hemingway novel. However, tough-minded director John Huston ("The Maltese Falcon" and "Key Largo") brings to life the 1935 C.S. Forester novel, The African Queen. The book was adapted by Houston, James Agee, Peter Viertel, and John Collier. As for the story itself...

Set in the colonial German Eastern Africa (Tanzania) in 1914, Humphrey Bogart is Charlie Allnut, a hard-drinking river boat Captain who makes a living ferrying supplies to villagers, including Reverend Samuel Sayer's mission and his Christian missionary sister Rose (Katherine Hepburn). After refusing to evacuate the area, despite Allnut's warnings that Germans imperial troops are coming, their worst fears are realized after the Germans arrive and level the church before beating Reverend Sayer to death. Rose Sayer then enlists Allnut to help her escape with his dilapidated steam engine boat. A man with only a modest education, Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) is mis-matched with the snooty, highly educated Rose to make up pair of dualing personalities.

The duo assume a mutual dislike of one another immediately and disagree on virtually everything. With this tension, made worse from their constant bickering, enduring rough waters, leeches, crocodiles, evading German soldiers, and facing yet deeper hardships fate takes an unexpected turn. The film is a combination of adventure and a quest for Sayer to avenge her brother's death by aiding the British war effort as they steam up the Ulana and square off with a German ship that dwarfs "The African Queen" named "The Louisa".

This film was the subject of Hepburns book, "The Making of the African Queen: Or How I Went to Africa With Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind". Indeed, the filming proved to be very hard on the crew with abominable conditions. "The African Queen" earned Humphrey Bogart his only Oscar Award as "Best Actor" with a nomination for Hepburn as "Best Actress".

The Cast: Humphrey Bogart is Charlie Allut; Katherine Hepburn is Rose Sayer; Robert Morley is Rev. Samuel Sayer; Peter Bull is the Captain of "The Louisa"; with Theodore Bickel as First Officer.

As a footnote, the film's tagline is "The greatest adventure a man ever lived...with a woman!"

THE SOUND OF MUSIC!

2008-08-14T00:00:00.001-07:00

I've always enjoyed Julie Andrews and her career is unrivaled for the variety of roles she has played--and continues playing--(including those where real-life husband Blake Edwards cast her--each role a delight). More than a year ago she was reunited with Christopher Plummer in a legendary "live" television stage broadcast of "On Golden Pond".

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Filmed and directed by Robert Wise, who worked non-stop on the films: "The Sand Pebbles" (1959), "West Side Story" (1961), "The Great Escape" (1963) and later "The Sound of Music" (1965), this is the worldwide beloved musical featuring composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse of the real-life events of Maria Von Trapp's memoir, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers". The original Broadway production opened in 1959 and was the final musical project of Rodgers and Hammerstein. While certain liberties were undertaken for the film, Maria Von Trapp is said to have loved the Broadway play, but she hated the movie. Inspired by a 1956 German film about the Trapp Family Singers, stage director Vincent Donohue thought that the play was a perfect fit for the late actress Mary Martin.

Originally "The Sound of Music" was not slated to become either a musical or a film. Broadway producers Leland Hayward and Richard Halliday (real-life husband of Mary Martin) envisioned a non-musical play with music from The Trapp Family Singers. But ultimately all new music was added. The play was not well received by critics and this led Martin to make the comment it was nevertheless "a triumph over the critics". Fast forward to 1965 and a number of songs from both the musical and the movie went on to become standards. They include "The Sound of Music", "Edelweiss", "My Favorite Things", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", and "Do-Re-Mi".

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The role of Sister Maria (Julie Andrews) involves a young girl who dreamed of becoming a nun from childhood. However, reality has a way of revealing that not all is as it would seem, and a rebellious streak finds Maria in conflict with the convent. When a widowed Naval Captain, Baronness George Von Trapp requests a governess to watch his seven rowdy children who have run off several other governesses, Maria is given a reprieve from life at the convent and finds that she has stepped into a household of children whose widower grieving father rules them with the same discipline he uses on his naval ship. Unlike the previous governesses, Maria recognizes that the seven children only need love to change their mistrusting behavior, and she uses her love of music to create bond with them. Through her love, the children learn to find joy in the smallest things --from raindrops on the window panes to life waiting to the beauty of the outdoors.

Baron Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) is a case study in a hardened man who is a pill for Maria. However, the Captain learns to open his heart to feelings he had forgotten through Maria's love of music and its power to transform the children's lives and their own. As the two gradually fall in love, their world is threatened by the 1938 Nazi takeover of Austria, and their demands that Captain Von Trapp assume a position in the German Navy. A great film!

Academy Award Winner, 1966: "Best Director": Robert Wise; "Best Film Editing": William Reynolds; "Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment"; Irwin Kostal; "Best Picture": Robert Wise; "Best Sound": James Corcoran and Fred Hynes; "Best Actress in a Leading Role": Julie Andrews; "Best Actress in a Supporting Role": Peggy Wood. Writing credits: Howard Lindsay (book) & Russel Crouse (book); Screenplay: Ernest Lehman; Maria Von Trapp (book): "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers".

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The Cast: Julie Andrews is Maria; Christopher Plummer is Captain Von Trapp; Eleanor Parker is The Baroness; Peggy Wood is Mother Abbess; Charmian Carr is Liesl; Heather Menzies is Louisa; Nicholas Hammond is Friedrich; Duane Chase is Kurt; Angela Cartwright is Brigitta; Debbie Turner is Marta and Kym Karath is Gretl.

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THAT'S LIFE!

2008-08-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

In December of 2005, (the first year of "Friday Movie Suggestion Night") I featured one of the funniest films I've ever seen with Jack Lemmon and Julie Andrews turning in great performances. The autobiographical "That's Life" is a Blake Edwards film that has Jack Lemmon in the lead role as an Edwards-style protagonist suffering from depression and a life crisis riddled with aches and pains--either real or imagined. As celebrated architect Harvey Fairchild, his life in Malibu is coming apart at the seams. Filmed at the actual beach house of Julie Andrews and real life husband Blake Edwards, the cast also includes their children, Lemmon's son and his wife Felicia Farr.

The plot: Lemmon is Harvey Fairchild, a brilliant Architect who is about to celebrate turning 60--if he survives a series of panic attacks, a ride home in a VW bus full of dope-smoking kids after his Mercedes Benz breaks down, and more. Andrews plays a successful singer, Gillian Fairchild who is his long-suffering wife throughout this crisis. Their lives are further complicated by their three grown children, a ditsy neighbor who sells real estate, a road side fortune teller, and an alcoholic priest, Father Tony Baragone (Robert Loggia). Baragone is an old college chum of Fairchild's from Notre Dame. In a fit of desperation, Lemmon's character enters a church confessional only to discover that he is confessing to Baragone whom he has not seen in years! In a scene not to be missed, the two retire to the rectory to put away a bottle of wine only to get sauced. The following Sunday, Baragone makes sure Fairchild is in church for the first time in years. He summons him to the Altar, putting him on the spot to read a passage from the Bible only to encounter unexpected mayhem (watch the Altar Boy's reactions--hysterical!). Lemmon is outstanding with his trademark sense of timing in this film and he plays off Julie Andrews beautifully. The screenplay is well paced, a requirement about a man struggling with his existential crisis. The film also depicts a tongue-in-cheek look at life in Malibu and the daily relationship interactions of a family with multiple crisis' playing themselves out simultaneously. The film was written on a day-to-day basis at a time when Blake Edward's was not feeling well.

One of the most hilarious motion pictures Blake Edwards has ever produced, it was nominated for an Academy Award despite the fact that it was re-released to a poor initial public showing.

Written by: Milton Wexler and Blake Edwards; The Cast: Jack Lemmon is Harvey Fairchild; Julie Andrews is Gillian Fairchild; Sally Kellerman is kooky neighbor Holly Parrish; Robert Loggia is Father Baragone; Jennifer Edwards is Megan Fairchild-Bartlet; Robert Knepper is Steve Larwin; Matt Latanzi is Larry Bartlet; Chris Lemmon is Josh Fairchild, Cynthia Sikes is Janice Kern; Dana Sparks is Fanny Ward; Emma Walton is Kate Fairchild; Lemmon's real-life wife Felicia Farr plays Madame Carrie; Teddy Wilson is Corey; Nicky Blair is Andre and Jordan Christopher is Dr. Keith Romanis. Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Original Song: Henry Mancini (music) and Leslie Bricusse (lyrics) for the song "Life in a Looking Glass".

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ENJOY!

Remembering Jack Lemmon...

THE MISFITS!

2008-08-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

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Our "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" feature has unintentionally neglected the inclusion of the late Marilyn Monroe. It would be an understatement to say that Monroe was misunderstood in her personal and professional life. The burgeoning number of books on her life at the library all include the specifics about the conflicts and difficulties during the filming of THE MISFITS. In this author's opinion, the best biographical source is "Marilyn Monroe" by Barbara Leaming. This film, sadly, became Marilyn's final film along with that of Clark Gable. What intrigues me with this film is the subject matter of Arthur Miller, a stunning cast including Montgomery Clift, and the fact that the production endured such an unfortunate (and well documented) strain for nearly everyone. Of the major stars, only Eli Wallach continues at 92 to work on stage and in movies.

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Cinematographer Russell Metty captures the breathtaking vistas in the final years of Black & White in the early 1960's. Even without taking into consideration that Marilyn Monroe's life was falling apart, she summons up an outstanding performance as Roslyn Tabler a dancer from the Northeast who flees to Reno, Nevada for a quick divorce. She finds herself in the role as the social conscience among three men involved with profiteering from selling horses to a processing mill to make dog food. Filmed and in fact, set in 1960, Clark Gables' role as Gay Langland is one of a seemingly gruff, care-free cowboy whose career is disappearing as rapidly as his children who abandon him as he seeks quiet refuge from his emotional suffering in alcohol. The brutality of his pain is visceral. His business partner and buddy Eli Wallach as Guido has lost his wife and his path in life. He painstakingly asks Roslyn to save him. Both the Gable and Wallach characters fall in love with Monroe's Roslyn (Gable is the leader in this race) before Montgomery Clift enters the picture. As Perce Howland, Clift portrays a bitter man who is cheated out of his father's ranch by a step-father who offers him only wages. As a sullen and broken-hearted cowboy, Clift is brilliant. Thelma Ritter is the sarcastic Isobel. As 6 Mustang horses become the target of the illegal round up for the processing plant, Roslyn comes to understand this ugly and shocking reality. The Mustangs have much in common, along with the group of broken lives Monroe, Gable, Clift and Wallach come to represent "misfits" in a world that is changing at blinding speed. Director John Huston's decision to allow Gable to do his own stunts (being dragged 400 feet by horses) is believed to have led to his fatal heart attack 11 days later at age 59. The film was itself misunderstood by the public and only recently has received the appreciation as a work years ahead of its time.

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The Cast: Clark Gable is Gay Langland; Marilyn Monroe is Roslyn Taber; Montgomery Clift is Perce Howland; Thelma Ritter is Isabelle Steers and Eli Wallach is Guido in this film of vulnerability and humanity laid bare. Produced by Frank E. Taylor with the musical score by Alex North; screenplay by Arthur Miller.

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ENJOY THIS GEM OF A FILM!

DELIVERANCE!

2008-08-08T00:00:00.001-07:00

This was the film that firmly defined Burt Reynolds as a serious actor. Far too many overlook the fact that Reynolds worked tirelessly for years in television series. He preceded Ken Curtis as "Festus" in "Gunsmoke", and was a Guest Star in television series' such as "Perry Mason", "The Fugitive" and other Quin Martin Productions (including Reynold's own detective series, "Dan August" with Norman Fell). In 1979, he was the number one box office star in the country. But by then he alternated between comedy (he was unfairly panned in "Starting Over" and "The Man Who Loved Women") and what he himself confessed to be film roles that fell into two categories: "mean and meaner" with "Sharky's Machine", "Hustle" and "The Longest Yard".

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Director John Boorman moved rapidly to secure the movie rights of "Deliverance" ahead of Sam Pechinpah, who wanted to direct this film badly. Instead, Pechinpah moved on to direct the intense "Straw Dogs", starring Dustin Hoffman in 1971. Boorman wanted Lee Marvin and Marlon Brando to play the roles of Ed and Lewis, respectively. After reading the script, however, Lee Marvin told Boorman that he and Brando were too old, and that Boorman should use younger actors. An interesting irony, because a young Burt Reynolds was often unfairly compared with Brando in his younger days! Boorman ultimately agreed, and cast Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds. This is definitely not a movie for the faint of heart! While the cinematography, realism (each actor handled his own stunts to save money) and the sparse script is at once well choreographed, shocking and challenging to the audience, this film centers on the instinct of survival involving a group of highly civilized men whose urbanized humanity is stripped to its core by the James Dickey novel.

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The conflict and violence between good and evil reveals the fragility of the urbanized men led by Burt Reynolds as a gung-ho survivalist, Lewis, with John Voight, Ned Beatty (in his first movie role) and Ronny Cox. Beatty and Cox were already starring in a North Carolina playhouse production when they were recommended to the director. The soundtrack contains the hit single "Dueling Banjos"--although Ronny Cox plays a guitar. Actor Billy Redden did not know how to play banjo for the famous "Duelling Banjos" scene, so another boy, who was a skilled banjo-player, played the chords with his arm reaching around at Redden's side while Redden picked. On the soundtrack, musicians Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandel are actually playing. This movie will stun you and reveal Burt Reynold's as one actor who is capable of the raw powered performance given here.

CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD!

2008-08-07T00:00:00.001-07:00

One of the most stirring screenplay's featured on "Friday Movie Suggestion Night", "Children of a Lesser God" stars Marlee Matlin as "Sarah" and William Hurt as "James Leeds"--a dedicated and idealistic teacher of high school students who are deaf. The reasons for choosing this film are many. First, the film is filmed in the scenic Northeast during the Fall, Winter and Summer seasons. It is a beautiful and emotional story of Love involving Sarah, a graduate of the school whose haunted past renders her brilliance to an empty existence as the mute school janitor. Leeds is intrigued by her and sees something more than merely a beautiful young woman who scrubs floors and cleans toilets at the school but doesn't speak. As the secrets to Sarah's past gradually unfold, the film becomes increasingly interesting. James and Sarah later fall in love, however, the battle between Sarah and her inner demons prevents the relationship from developing fully and therein lies the tension within the characters that keeps the audience anxiously "on the edge of their seats". Make no doubt about it. This film is more than a love story; it's a story about Hope.

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The world of the spoken word and the sign language is brilliantly delivered. The character of Leeds speaks what they are saying and this avoids the traditional subtitles we have become accustomed to with foreign films.

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This film was shot in 1986 and earned Marlee Matlin the Academy Award as Best Actress in addition to being the youngest person to win the Oscar for Best Actress category (at age 21). Interestingly, Marlee Matlin did play the stage role of "Lydia" earlier, one of Leed's students, before being cast in the leading role of "Sarah" in the film. This was a highly difficult role because Matlin expressed herself non-verbally. Her body language and emotions were perfectly aligned in every scene. Few others have accomplished this in such magnitude. Only one other actress has won an Oscar for playing a non-speaking lead role (Holly Hunter, "The Piano", 1993). William Hurt performs his role as "James" with extreme dedication and focus. Jame's struggle between loving and his effort to break through the wall of Sarah's defensiveness to earn her love is a dynamic that threatens to bind them or break them apart.

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Hurt was Nominated as Best Actor; Piper Laurie was nominated as Best Supporting Actress; Burt Sugarman and Patrick J. Palmer were nominated for Best Picture and Mark Medoff and Hesper Anderson were nominated for Best Screenplay. Following Matlin's Academy Award, box office demand for this film shot up an astounding 164% nationwide. I have yet to come across a bad review of this movie!

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The music used throughout the film is incredible. Here are two quotes I uncovered about the soundtrack. "Whenever I need to escape the world and find a special place, I play this music". And, "When I heard this soundtrack during the movie I was swept away with its beauty, expressiveness and oddly, its intimacy".

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Lastly, I felt it was time to present a movie of HOPE and perspective. I sincerely hope you'll love this film as much as I do.

Enjoy!

SCENT OF A WOMAN!

2008-08-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Lt. Col. Frank Slade, a highly decorated former aide to President Lyndon Johnson who lost his eyesight with a grenade juggling prank (with the pins out). His life is reduced to living in a garage apartment behind his nieces home in Boston. In order to survive the embittered savage loneliness and severity of his disability, he adopts a modus operandi to hate everyone automatically. Imagine what lies waiting when Frank meets Charles (Chris O'Donnell), a student who was hired to be his caretaker over the Thanksgiving holiday. Charles is laid bare by Frank's dressing down interview--using the the "bastard down his throat" routine. Charlie has his own problems back on campus, where a student prank has left him on the verge of expulsion.

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Slade is blind, drinks two pints a day and is impossible to get along with. Charlie is a Boston prep school senior who is looking forward to attending a fine university. To help pay for a trip home for Christmas, he agrees to take the job of looking after Frank, thinking it would be easy money. He was wrong. The job, which begins as an onerous task performed principally for money, becomes a tour of self-discovery when Slade decides to make a planned visit to New York City. There, amidst all the holiday hoopla, the lieutenant's actions force Charlie into making an emotionally painful - and potentially dangerous decision.

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There are a handful of actors still living that, when they appear in a film, almost invariably signal to the public at large that the production is of high quality. These include names like Nicholson, Hoffman, Hackman, Eastwood, Newman, Redford and Pacino. This is Pacino's "performance of a lifetime".

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For two hours, it is through Charlie's eyes that this film unfolds. Pacino brings Frank Slade to life in a way that few others in Hollywood could. His character is far more complex than his bitter outlook on life and plenty of well-placed "hoo-ha"s. This is a bonding picture where each person has something unique to offer to the other. The emotional realism of the characters, especially Slade, is heartwrenchingly believable. His relationship with Charlie works because Pacino won't let it fail.

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In this gift of a picture, Director/Producer Martin Brest knows how to blend humor with drama to perfection without resorting to cheap tricks. Pacino's "Tango scene" with Gabrielle Anwar is magical and took three days alone to film. The result is unforgettable!_____

Directed by Martin Brest; Writing credits: Giovanni Arpino based on the 1975 Italian film, "Profumo Di Donna": Screenplay for that film by: Ruggero Maccari and Dino Risi; The Cast: Al Pacino....Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade; Chris O'Donnell....Charlie Simms; James Rebhorn....Mr. Trask; Gabrielle Anwar....Donna; Philip Seymour Hoffman....George Willis, Jr.; Richard Venture....W.R. Slade; Bradley Whitford....Randy; Rochelle Oliver....Gretchen; Margaret Eginton....Gail; Tom Riis Farrell....Garry.

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Pacino was helped by a school for the blind in his preparation for this role. He also credits his then-3 year-old daughter for demonstrating her idea of a blind person. The result was Pacino's actions to make himself appear blind by not allowing his eyes to focus on anything. So, with a wonderful edgy script, and a character who though retired, still lives the warrior's life, buckle up for a rollercoaster ride that will find it's way to your heart!

ST. ELMO'S FIRE!

2008-08-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

In 2007, I decided to take another look back at St. Elmo's Fire. This is an unpretentious film that finds its way to the heart. I take exception to those who haven't taken a second look at the seven characters of "the brat pack" since its 1985 release. Against the backdrop of deep friendships, we follow seven characters who have just graduated from college and are staggering to gain a foot hold in the real world. Director Joel Schumacher allows plenty of room for character development. Rob Lowe's saxophone musician character has fathered a child, walked away from marriage, and is scared to death to discover that life is not a fraternity house party. He plays this coy by masking his fear as an edgy playboy buying time until he figures out his way. Demi Moore is the ultra-attractive "party girl" living in denial and sinking in debt by borrowing money to create an image of success. Emilio Estevez is memorably pursuing a "pipe dream" romance with a clearly unavailable girl (Andie MacDowell). Ally Sheedy (who was on the first season of T.V.'s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation loves Alec (Judd Nelson), but has good reasons to hold back and see what his motives are as a political hack. Andrew McCarthy is the lost writer who is in a serious limbo longing for the past and Mare Winningham is cast superbly as the different girl of the group who just doesn't fit in anywhere. But she's a solid and dependable friend. Say what you will. I'll admit that this film is a bit dated, but what many missed the first time around were the issues that real people confront. Unfulfilled dreams, drug use, forbidden love and romantic obsessions. This film really resonates with an ending that is quite unpredictable.

The Cast: Rob Lowe as Billy Hicks; Demi Moore as Jules; Emilio Estevez as Kirby Keager; Ally Sheedy as Leslie Hunter; Judd Nelson as Alec Newbary; Mare Winningham as Wendy Beamish and Andrew McCarthy as Kevin Dolenz. Directed by Joel Schumacher, the film was Written by: Joel Schumacher and Carl Kurlander . I was surprised to find that the film was Produced by Lauren Schuller Donner, whom I once met at a non-profit fund raising event in Los Angeles. Nominated at the 1986 Academy Awards for Best Original Music Score, again, this is just a nice film to watch comfortably from the sofa with hot Cocoa and a roaring fireplace.

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HAVE FUN!

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET!

2008-08-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

With so much cynicism and sarcasm present in our society, I felt that it was necessary to suggest a movie that needed to be seen to touch people dealing with so many of life's challenges. And for these reasons, the plot of this film is made even more realistic for the wonder and child that lives within each of us.

The scene is the Macy's Department Store Thanksgiving Day parade. The actor playing Santa is discovered to be drunk by an elderly bearded man. The all-business special events director, Doris Walker persuades the old man to take his place. The old man proves to be a sensation and is wonderfully given a "break" to become the store Santa at the main Macy's outlet. While he is successful, Ms. Walker learns that he calls himself "Kris Kringle". Moreover, he claims to be the actual Santa Claus! Doris tracks down Kringle's doctor who assures her that he is harmless. But the cynical Doris has managed to insist that her daughter Susan should reject all notions of belief and fantasy. This defense mechanism begins to unravel when the public (and Susan herself) begin to notice there is something special about Kris and his determination to advance the true spirit of Christmas above the rampant commercialism surrounding everyone as he succeeds in improbable ways.

A major conflict erupts when an incompetent and cruel psychologist is enlisted by the department store leading to Kris' involuntary admission to Bellevue Hospital where, in despair, he fails a mental examination to ensure his commitment. I've often said in my writing that "Nobody ever goes it alone". And thankfully that proves to be the case in this movie where all seems lost until Doris' friend, Fred Gaily, reassures Kris of his worth and agrees to represent him in the fight to secure his release. To achieve this, Fred arranges a formal hearing in which he argues that Kris is sane because he is in fact Santa Claus. In this bizarre hearing, people's beliefs are re-examined and put to the test. If you believe in miracles, open your heart to the possibilities inherent in this film. If you don't believe in miracles, I hope this movie changes your beliefs for the best! A 1948 Academy Award Winner: "Best Actor in a Supporting Role": Edmund Gwenn; "Best Writing, Original Story": Valentine Davies; "Best Writing, Screenplay": George Seaton.

The Cast: Maureen O'Hara as Doris Walker; John Payne is Fred Gailey; Edmund Gwenn is the memorable Kris Kringle; Gene Lockhart plays Judge Henry X. Harper; Natalie Wood is Susan Walker; Porter Hall is Granville Sawyer; "I Love Lucy" fans will instantly recognize William Frawley as Charlie Halloran; Jerome Cowan is District Attorney Thomas Mara. This is a movie for all ages and I hope you love it as much as I do!

ENJOY!

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY!

2008-08-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

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This is a movie I welcome seeing again. I believe that Clint Eastwood showed tremendous courage with a film that strays as far from Sergio Leone Westerns and the gritty San Francisco Detective character "Dirty Harry" than any project available to ones imagination.

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Meryl Streep is Francesca Johnson whose husband and children are away at the Iowa State Fair when destiny brings freelance photographer Robert Kincaid (Eastwood) into her life. Kincaid happens upon the Johnson farm and asks Francesca for directions to Rosamunde Bridge after explaining that he is on assignment from National Geographic magazine to photograph the bridges of Madison County. Francesca agrees to show him to the bridges and within the remarkable span of four days, a slowly-evolving love story develops that is bittersweet and all-too-brief.

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To cope with the savage pain of separation from her secret lover and the stark isolation she feels as the details of her life consume her, Francesca writes down the story of this four-day love affair in a 3-volume diary. Where she questioned little about her existence prior to meeting Kincaid, the relationship has Johnson questioning literally everything she believes in during the summer of 1965. The 3-volume diary is found by her children among her possessions alongside Robert Kincaid's after he and Francesca have died. The message the children take from the diaries is one of HOPE that they will do whatever is necessary to find happiness in their lives.

After learning that Robert Kincaid's cremated remains were scattered off Rosamunde Bridge and that their mother requested a similar disposition for her own ashes, the children must decide whether to honor their mother's final wishes or bury her alongside their father as the family had planned. This film was adapted from the novel by Robert Waller. What makes it powerful is the fact that this is the story of love that happens just once in a lifetime -- if we're lucky.

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I have watched Streep interviewed about working with Clint Eastwood. The final scene in the kitchen where both have to come to terms with the people presently in their lives has Eastwood's back turned toward Streep. When Eastwood, as Director, called "Cut!", he turned around and Streep was shocked to see tears rolling down his face. She immediately asked him why he didn't reveal that to the camera? Eastwood replied, "Nobody wants to see 'Dirty Harry' cry". That he knew his audience so well, was a character trait that Streep found admirable. Both actors worked extremely well together in this movie.

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Main Cast and Crew: Directed by Clint Eastwood; Writing credits (WGA) Robert James Waller (novel); Richard LaGravenese: (screenplay); Clint Eastwood....Robert Kincaid; Meryl Streep....Francesca Johnson; Annie Corley....Caroline Johnson; Victor Slezak....Michael Johnson; Jim Haynie....Richard Johnson; Sarah Kathryn Schmitt; ....Young Carolyn; Christopher Kroon....Young Michael; Phyllis Lyons....Betty; Debra Monk....Madge Richard Lage....Lawyer Peterson; Michelle Benes....Lucy Redfield.

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The Cedar Bridge, where Francesca meets Robert, was sadly destroyed in a fire on September 3rd, 2002. Francesca's House was burned in an arson fire on October 6, 2003, almost a year after the Cedar Bridge was destroyed.

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The farmhouse used in the film had been abandoned for over 30 years and was completely restored by production designer Jeannine Claudia Oppewall and her art directors Charles Breen and William Arnold.

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ENJOY!

SUMMER OF '42

2008-07-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

A summer vacation on Nantucket Island in 1942, is the setting for this week's tender 'coming-of-age' story for young Hermie and his friends Oscy and Benjie. As World War II rages on, Oscy's main worries center on losing his virginity. The story takes a huge turn from the normal preadolescent obsessions and horsing around when the young Hermie sincerely falls in love with a young woman awaiting news of her soldier husband's fate as an Army pilot. When tragic news arrives, life changes for the young woman and Hermie (whom she turns to for comfort) forever. The young woman, Dorothy is played by the lovely Jennifer O'Neill.

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This is Herman Raucher's autobiographical tale of a summer vacation with his parents and buddies among sand dunes as a preadolescent kid watching GIs depart for war. Hermie (Gary Grimes) and his two buddies Oscar (Jerry Hauser) and the nerd Benjie (Oliver Conant) are consumed with hanging out, eating ice cream, and trying unsuccessfully to act grown up around awkward girls they take to the movies. Director Robert Mulligan paces the film slowly and beautifully as the viewer is welcomed into a story of tenderness with Michael Legrand's famous music score. This film catapulted Jennifer O'Neill into stardom and also features Christopher Norris and Walter Scott. Producer Richard Roth and Director of Photography Robert Surtees produced this Oscar-Winning film for "Best Music, Original Dramatic Score". The film received Oscar Nominations for "Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material", "Best Cinematography" and "Best Film Editing" in 1972. This is one movie that stays with the heart.

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Enjoy!

DIRTY DANCING!

2008-07-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

"That was the summer of 1963 - when everybody called me Baby, and it didn't occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles came, when I couldn't wait to join the Peace Corps, and I thought I'd never find a guy as great as my dad. That was the summer we went to Kellerman's". ---Jennifer Grey (Frances "Baby" Houseman's narration)

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The tagline for this movie when it was released in 1987 was "Have the Time of Your Life". This film was planned and executed on a shoe string budget. One of the most astnishing facts I learned after watching "The Director's Cut" was that it was a miracle that the film was made at all! To belabor the obvious, it is beyond imagining that anyone other than Jennifer Grey could have handled the role of Francis "Baby" Houseman. The new DVD version of this film contains outtakes and Jennifer's actual audition for the role, which was quite impressive. She is a first-rate actress. I only hope we get to see more film projects with her. Jennifer, by the way is the daughter of Broadway dancer Joel Grey.

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Here's the Plot: Basically, it's time for "Summer Family Camp" in the Catskills during 1963. Frances "Baby" Houseman and her family are on vacation. In a "coming of age" story with romance and drama in good measure, "Baby" falls in love with a frustrated but talented dance instructor named Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). The concept of "Summer Camp" by this time has begun to tarnish, as it's target audience has shifted it's attention to other forms of entertainment and this is likely the final season for the camp destination: Kellerman's. The movie's plot along with the actual dancing and the irresistible soundtrack of Rock and Roll including the movie's Theme song (performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes) is irresistible.

"Baby" discovers that when Castle isn't teaching at the camp, he keeps his sanity in check by "Dirty Dancing" with the other dancers in the entertainer barracks. When fate deals a jarring blow, "Baby" makes an admirable decision to help Johnny. As the summer season comes to a close, "Baby" and Johnny must come to grips with love, responsibility, expectations and where life will take them from here.

In the scene where Johnny and "Baby" are practicing dancing, and Jennifer Grey keeps laughing when Patrick Swayze runs his hand down her left arm, this was not scripted. She was actually laughing and Swayze's frustration was genuine! The Director chose to leave it in because it was effective. One improvised scene that became famous occurred when where Johnny and "Baby" are practicing their dancing and they crawl towards each other on the floor. This was intended as a warm-up for the actors and wasn't originally intended to be part of the film.

During the filming of the final dance, Swayze injured his knee badly after landing a jump, and yet continued on as if nothing was wrong. He was in agonizing pain. Filmed in Virginia and North Carolina, the film is an amazing testament to the esprit de corp of Director Emile Ardolino, Choreographer Kenny Ortega and Assistant Choreographer Miranda Garrison with Actors Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze and Cynthia Rhodes. Finally, Jennifer Grey was 27 years old when this film was made. For the audition of the role of "Baby", she was allowed only 5 minutes to transform herself into a 17-year old girl.

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The intimacy of the dance steps was riske' for early 1960's era camp goers and thus, the sexiness of the movie itself with the body language and the driving rhythms of a great soundtrack will win you over and allow you to "forget" about your troubles for an hour or two! Directed by Emile Ardolino; Written by Eleanor Bergstein; CAST: Jennifer Grey....Frances 'Baby' Houseman; Patrick Swayze....Johnny Castle; Jerry Orbach....perfectly cast as Dr. Jake Houseman; Cynthia Rhodes....Penny Johnson; Jack Weston....Max Kellerman;Jane Brucker ....Lisa Houseman; Kelly Bishop....Marjorie Houseman; Lonny Price....Neil Kellerman....Max Cantor.

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Awards: Grammy & Oscar for "Best Music/ Original Song": "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", [Music by" Frankie Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Makowitz. Lyrics by Frankie Previte]. Performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.

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While a 1960's era movie, some of the music from the 1980's is used to great effect! "Hungry Eyes" performed by Eric Carmen and "She's Like the Wind" performed by Patrick Swayze also emerged from the film as hit singles. I hope you sincerely enjoy this movie---one and all!

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Remembering Jerry Orbach 1935-2004

Patrick Swayze 1952-2009

THE LAST PICTURE SHOW!

2008-07-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

"Friday Movie Suggestion Night" resumes with The Last Picture Show. Directed by then 31-year old newcomer Peter Bogdanovich, it was widely viewed as a racy movie for it's time, given the skinny-dipping swimming pool scene with Cybill Shepherd.

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The Plot: In tiny Anarene, Texas nothing changes. It is 1950 and the U.S. is between World War Two and the Korean Conflict. Sonny and Duane are best friends adjusting to adulthood. The two cope with this phase by focusing on the local movie house, basketball, and girls. Jacey (Shepherd) is Duane's steady, wanted by every boy in school, and she knows it. She comes from a rich father and a loose mother. While never spoken, it's rather obvious that whoever wins Jacey's heart will enjoy life on "Easy Street".

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But the town of Anarene is dying a quiet death. People are migrating to the big cities to make their livings and raise their families. The boys in town are bewildered and torn between a future "somewhere out there" beyond the borders of town where uncertainty lies, or remaining in a run-down town with a sad pool hall and a deteriorating movie house -- the legacy of their friend and mentor, "Sam the Lion" (Ben Johnson).

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High school graduation approaches and the next phase of their lives deal some hard lessons in love, loneliness, and jealousy. Patrons stop attending the second-run features at the movie house and the time comes for is billed as "the last picture show". With the closure of the movie theatre, the boys feel that a chapter of their lives is closing too. They stand uneasy and frightened on the threshold of their futures.

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The movie was adapted from the novel by Larry McMurtry. The well-documented real-life romance between Shepherd and Bogdanovich began during the filming and the movie was among one of the most talked about stories throughout 1971. Peter Bogdanovich was formerly a stage actor and film writer/critic who had previously directed only two other smaller feature films, the low-budget Targets (1967) with Boris Karloff cast as a horror-movie star, and the frankly terrible Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968) with Mamie Van Doren.

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This was Bogdanovich's first major film, and the first mainstream Hollywood feature film shot in Black & White since the early 1960s, with Cinematography by Robert Surtees. The film was the director's tribute and homage to the classic films of legendary directors Howard Hawks (Red River (1948)), John Ford (The Grapes of Wrath (1940)), and Orson Welles himself (Citizen Kane (1941). Old-time western film star Ben Johnson, who had starred in many classic films of the genre, including Ford's She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Shane (1953), and The Wild Bunch (1969), played the role of an old-time cowboy in the film. Orson Welles suggested to Bogdanovich that he should film the movie in Black & White (Bogdanovich later authored a book on his mentor, Welles' after his death in 1985). In fact, the film's theme is similar to Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) - about the passing of an earlier way of life due to the advent of the automobile at the turn of the century.

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This film was shot on location over an eleven-week period in Archer City, Texas (McMurtry's home town) with rich character studies. Using a non-star cast, the film depicts two generations of aimless townspeople with frustrated and shallow lives (middle-aged adults and naive adolescent teenagers) who cling to the dying and barren town, and try to find solace and escape from boredom in lost dreams, drinking, temporary (and manipulative) sexual encounters where every one's activities are public knowledge.

The Cast: Starring: Jeff Bridges (a likeable, high-school athlete and senior); Timothy Bottoms (a quiet, serious friend); Sam Bottoms (a mute friend); Cybill Shepherd (as the teen aged "hottie"); Ben Johnson (as an ex-cowboy); Ellen Burstyn (as a once-beautiful, lonely, alcoholic, philandering rich wife); and Cloris Leachman (as a ruthlessly neglected, middle-aged coach's wife).

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The R-rated film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards including 4 for its ensemble cast with 2 Oscars for Ben Johnson as "Best Supporting Actor" and Cloris Leachman,"Best Supporting Actress". The other six nominations included: "Best Picture", "Best Supporting Actor" (Jeff Bridges), "Best Supporting Actress" (Ellen Burstyn), "Best Director" (Peter Bogdanovich), "Best Cinematography" (Robert Surtees, known for his work on The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)), and "Best Adapted Screenplay" (Larry McMurtry and Peter Bogdanovich).

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The film's sequel "Texasville" (1990), was also directed by Bogdanovich, and featured Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd reprising their original roles with much of the original cast. Ellen Burstyn did not wish to reprise her role. Interestingly, Sal Mineo gave Peter Bogdanovich the Larry McMurtry book, "The Last Picture Show" but felt he was too old to play in a role. Mineo is thanked in the closing credits of "Texasville".

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IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT!

2008-07-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

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This movie epitomizes the term tour de force. In 1967, this was a groundbreaking movie that directly addressed the ugliness of prejudice in America--and it was bold.

A wealthy man planning on building a factory in Sparta, Mississippi is savagely murdered. The Police Chief Bill Gillespie (probably the greatest role of the late Rod Steiger's career) is pressured to find his killer quickly. Philadelphia native Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) who is merely passing through town is picked up at the train station with a substantial amount of money found in his wallet. Gillespie jumps to the conclusion he has his killer (because Tibbs is African-American) but is painfully embarrassed when he learns that Tibbs is actually a highly respected Philadelphia homicide detective who had been visiting his mother. After this treatment, a disgusted Tibbs wants nothing more than to leave Sparta as quickly as possible. But fate deals a hand when the victim's widow (Lee Grant) recognizes the detective's expertise and threatens to stop construction on the much-needed factory unless he leads the investigation. Gillespie then talks Tibbs' captain into lending his services. The "dramatic tension" between these two characters is palpable, to say the least! What is absolutely amazing about this movie for me is how the character of Gillespie begins to gradually transform from a gum-chewing racist to a person with a conscience. The two men ever so gradually come to respect each other as they are forced to work together and solve the crime. If you hang tight with this movie, I promise you will be rewarded with a masterpiece!

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In the Heat of the Night is based on the John Ball novel published in 1965. In 2002, the United States Library of Congress deemed this film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. The quote, "They call me Mister Tibbs!," was listed as #16 on the American Film Institute's "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes".

The movie would later become the basis of a television series of the same name starring Carroll O'Connor, Howard Rollins, Hugh O'Connor, (sadly all three are deceased) Alan Autry, David Hart, and Anne-Marie Johnson. It's worth noting that Carroll O'Connor said that the role of Police Chief Bill Gillespie and the television series was the "best role of my life and the series made me prouder than anything I have ever accomplished".

Part of the movie was filmed in Sparta, Illinois where many of the film's landmarks can still be seen. This was also one of the first U.S. films where a black person slapped a white person on screen (watch Rod Steiger's reaction in this scene).

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The Cast: Sidney Poitier : Detective Virgil Tibbs; Rod Steiger : Police Chief Bill Gillespie; Warren Oates : Officer Sam Wood; Lee Grant : Mrs. Leslie Colbert; Larry Gates : Eric Endicott; James Patterson : Purdy; William Schallert : Mayor Webb Schubert; Beah Richards : Mama Caleba (aka Mrs. Bellamy); Peter Whitney : Officer George Courtney; Kermit Murdock : H.E. Henderson (banker); Larry D. Mann : Watkins; Quentin Dean : Delores Purdy; Anthony James : Ralph Henshaw.

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Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture; Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama; New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Picture; Academy Award for Best Actor - Rod Steiger; Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama - Rod Steiger; Academy Award for Film Editing - Hal Ashby; Academy Award for Sound - Samuel Goldwyn Studios; Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay - Stirling Silliphant; Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Stirling Silliphant; BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor - Rod Steiger; BAFTA UN Award - Norman Jewison; Edgar Award - Best Motion Picture Screenplay - Stirling Silliphant; (Ball's book also received an Edgar, for Best First Novel).

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ENJOY THE MOVIE!

KRAMER VS. KRAMER!

2008-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep give outstanding performances here in a movie based on the novel by Avery Corman about an advertising executive husband (Hoffman) whose wife (Streep) is slipping deeper and deeper into feeling emotionally insignificant. Blind to her need to find her identity and gain some stability, the wife leaves behind her husband and son (Justin Henry) and disappears to get some professional help, while the husband is suddenly dealing with multiple shock waves of not seeing this crisis coming. The intense demands of his career and finding himself in unfamiliar territory--caring for a son alone is a shock. A subsequent courtroom battle ensues when the wife returns after 18 months seeking custody.

The Cast: Dustin Hoffman as Ted Kramer; Meryl Streep as Joanna Kramer; Jane Alexander as Margaret Phleps; Justin Henry as Billy Kramer; Howard Duff as John Shaunessy; JoBeth Williams as Phyllis Bernard; Directed and Written by Robert Benton (who offered Hoffman a shared screenplay credit, as Hoffman was newly divorced and brought forward the emotional authenticity to this film, but Hoffman declined); Cinematographer: Nestor Almendros; Editing: Gerald B. Greenberg. Producer: Stanley Jaffe. Jane Alexander as Streep's neighbor and gal-pal discovering Jo Beth Williams' cameo scene will bring a smile! Also, we have the late Character Actor Howard Duff as Hoffman's defense attorney whose mere presence reminds me what a real actor is--quite apart from much of today's fare. This is a story of one man dealing with his world coming apart at the seams while trying to desperately hold it all together. Anyone who has ever found themselves looking for work will relate to Hoffman's desperate job hunt during the Christmas Holidays forcing a brutal industry to recognize his abilities. A damn good film that still holds up.

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Academy Awards, 1979: "Best Actor" (Dustin Hoffman), "Best Adaptation to a Screenplay and Best Director" (Robert Benton), "Best Picture", "Best Supporting Actress (Meryl Streep).

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ENJOY!

WALL STREET!

2008-07-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

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The speech in this film that intones the mantra that "Greed is good" is based loosely on two controversial real-life characters: arbitrageur Ivan Boesky who gave a speech on "Greed" at the University of California in 1986, and corporate raider Carl Icahn. Icahn wound up in a hostile bidding war in 1985 with the notorious airline CEO Frank Lorenzo when the two men fought to acquire the now-defunct Trans World Airlines. Soon after taking over control of TWA, Icahn took to the microphone at a shareholder's meeting and shocked the evening's guests with a number of comments. Among others, "If you want a friend buy a dog". By the time Icahn concluded his speech, the room was said to have fallen into an eerie quiet. A colorful TWA marketing executive, Stewart Long, resumed his place at the podium after Icahn sat down and told the crowd, "Well, all I can say is 'woof, woof". The comment literally brought the house down. Icahn fired Long the following Monday morning. But it was largely through watching video tape of Icahn that Douglas was able to gather the necessary subtext for his role in Wall Street. Here we are 20 years later, and the American Film Institute has named the fictional Gordon Gekko # 24 of the Top 50 movie villains of all time.

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Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) is a young stockbroker who desperately pursues a meeting with Gekko and is eventually introduced to the testosterone-driven world of greenmailing and insider-trading (a practice outlawed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) woven into a story of seduction, romance, power and corruption. The film earned Michael Douglas an Academy Award in 1988 for "Best Actor in a Leading Role". Directed by Oliver Stone, the film is said to capture the power and greed of the self-absorbed 1980's. It may as well apply to the present day. This is a cautionary tale about the dark underbelly of unscrupulous people who sell their souls to commit unethical acts in the business world. Fast forward to the worldwide recession of 2008 and the 2010 release of the follow film, "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps".-

The Cast: Charlie Sheen is Bud Fox; Tamara Tunie is Carolyn; Franklin Cover is Dan; Chuck Pfeifer is Chuckie; John C. McGinley is Marvin; Hal Holbrook is Lou Mannheim; James Karen is Lynch; Leslie Lyles is Natalie; Michael Douglas is Gordon Gekko; Faith Geer is Natalie's Assistant; Frank Adonis is Charlie; John Capodice is Dominick; Martin Sheen is Carl Fox and Daryl Hannah is Gordon Gekko's girlfriend/model.

WEST SIDE STORY!

2008-07-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

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Still riveting after all these Years! Since many of us were not born when this movie was made, allow me to fill you in briefly about the epitome of the word "Classic". That is what this movie really is! The scene: New York City of the late 1950's. The tale is a virtual updating of "Romeo and Juliet". Only instead of two feuding families, we have brawling street gangs: the Anglo "Jets", led by Riff (Russ Tamblyn), and the Puerto Rican "Sharks", led by Bernardo (George Chakiris). At a dance, Tony (Richard Beymer), former leader of the Jets and Riff's best friend, and Maria (Natalie Wood), Bernardo's little sister, see each other across the room and it's love at first sight. Tony and Maria meet secretly and their love grows deeper. However, the gangs are plotting one last rumble, a fight that will finally end the battle for control of the streets.

This is a relevant story that rings true about violence in today's society and how it destroys the lives of people around them. This is a young, talented cast, a terrific music score and dance sequences that are unequalled.

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I realize that many of you reside in New York City. So I thought you might find the filming locations interesting: 8th Street, Manhattan, New York City; 10th Street, Manhattan, New York City; The Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Hollywood Studios, 1041 North Formosa Avenue, Hollywood, California, USA. Natalie Wood's singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon. Even though dubbing Natalie Wood was Marni Nixon's chief assignment, Nixon also did one number for actress Rita Moreno, which required a relatively high vocal register. Having dubbed Wood as well as Moreno, Nixon felt she deserved a cut of the movie-album royalties. Neither the movie nor the record producers would bow to her demands. Leonard Bernstein broke the stalemate by volunteering a percentage of his income, a gesture of loyalty since Nixon had been a performer-colleague of his at New York Philharmonic concerts. He ceded one quarter of one per cent of his royalties to her (a generous amount). Richard Beymer's singing voice was dubbed by Jimmy Bryant.

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The opening dance sequences were shot on the Upper West Side of Manhattan where Lincoln Center stands today. This area was condemned and the buildings were in the process of being demolished to make way for Lincoln Center. The demolition of these buildings was delayed so that the filming of these sequences could be completed. The script was originally intended to be a Catholic boy falling in love with a Jewish girl. The working title was "East Side Story". After a boom of Puerto Rican immigration to New York in the late 1940s and 1950s, the story was changed. Director Robert Wise hired New York gang members to control crowds on location, and fought to shoot on location in New York City.

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Film rights to the play were bought for $375,000. The interior sets were built six feet off the ground to allow for low-angle shooting with large 70 mm cameras. The boys' jeans were dyed, re-dyed and "distressed," using special elastic thread to allow for the severity of the choreography. Robert Wise's original choice to play Tony was Elvis Presley. Audrey Hepburn was offered the role of Maria, but she turned it down, because she was pregnant with Sean H. Ferrer at the time. And finally, Choreographer Jerome Robbin's propensity for filming and re-filming scenes as he strove for perfection led to the movie going over budget and behind schedule. Robbins was fired by Mirisch Pictures, the production company, when the shooting was about 60% completed, and director Robert Wise completed the filming alone (the original arrangement had been for Robbins to direct all of the song and dance sequences and Wise to direct everything else).

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I saw the play performed on stage in 1996. Then as now, it left me with a lump in my throat. This is a wonderful film. Academy Awards results for 1962: Winner "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" George Chakiris ; "Best Actress in a Supporting Role": Rita Moreno; "Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color": Boris Leven Victor A. Gangelin; "Best Cinematography, Color": Daniel L. Fapp; "Best Costume Design, Color": Irene Sharaff; "Best Director": Robert Wise Jerome Robbins (This marked the first time a "Best Director" award was shared). "Best Film Editing": Thomas Stanford; "Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture": Saul Chaplin Johnny Green Sid Ramin Irwin Kostal; "Best Picture": Robert Wise; "Best Sound": Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD) Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD); Nominated Oscar for "Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium": Ernest Lehman.

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ENJOY!

DRIVING MISS DAISY!

2008-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

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This week, I wanted to bring you a movie synonymous with the summer season, as I recall first seeing this wonderful and warm story in the summer when it was released. Viewing it now reminds me how much I miss seeing the late Jessica Tandy on the big screen. I guess, a summary of the film would be: "If this movie doesn't touch your heart, check immediately for a pulse!" Our pick for "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" --"Driving Miss Daisy" is more, much more than two separate paths that intertwine--between a black man (Morgan Freeman) who takes the job of a chauffeur, and a stubborn and proud elderly Jewish woman. For each of these seasoned actors, I find this film to be among the best performances of their careers.

The story is set in the early 1950's in Atlanta during the early civil rights movement, and how the passing years lends itself to a lengthy friendship that eventually grows with the stubborn Miss Daisy (Tandy), and the patient if not amused character of Hoke (Freeman). When Daisy reaches the point where she can no longer drive safely, her son, Boolie (Dan Aykroyd) a successful textile mill owner, steps in to hire a professional driver for his gracefully aging mother. This role is beautifully carried off by Aykroyd, whom American audiences have for too long associated with mere comedy roles. The film is directed by Bruce Beresford. The story, written by Alfred Uhry actually had its humble beginnings in a small theatre, then onto a larger stage long before it was developed into a motion picture in 1989. The director allows us to see history literally through the lenses of the times, and to sense closely the prejudices and potentially incendiary attitudes of a nation on the brink of violent revolt from the 1950's through Vietnam and into the early 1970's. The late Esther Rolle (of TV's "Good Times" and "Maude") has a small role as Miss Daisy's maid. When this movie came out in late 1989 it was guaranteed many Oscar nominations. The sheer humanity of Love and Patience and Truth is borne out in a way very few scripts are capable of delivering. "Driving Miss Daisy" swept the Oscar's in February, 1990.

WINNER: "Best Actress in a Leading Role": Jessica Tandy (Jessica became the oldest winner of a competitive Oscar, at nearly 81, surpassing the late George Burns); "Best Makeup": Manilo Rocchetti, Lynn Barber and Kevin Haney; "Best Picture": Richard Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck; "Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium": Alfred Uhry. NOMINATIONS: "Best Actor in a Leading Role": Morgan Freeman; "Best Actor in a Supporting Role": Dan Aykroyd; "Best Art Direction-Set Decoration": Bruno Rubeo and Crispin Sallis; "Best Costume Design": Elizabeth McBride; "Best Film Editing": Mark Warner. Here's a film of the heart that will stay with you.

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ENJOY!