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I recently purchased this family drama, based on a novel by Sloan Wilson. It stars Gregory Peck as Tom Rath, an ad man who lives in Connecticut with his wife Betsy (played by Jennifer Jones) and his three young children. Tom is just getting by on his salary at his corporate job, and his wife demands more from him. Her mother has just passed away and left them the family home, but the upkeep is expensive. Tom has frequent & painful flashbacks to his war days in Italy, where he killed many men during combat and also had an affair with a young girl named Maria (played by a very enticing Marisa Pavan). That affair resulted in an illegitimate son, adding a further burden on Tom’s finances for support. Under pressure from Betsy, he takes on a new higher paying public relations job, working directly for the president Ralph Hopkins (played by Fredric March). Mr. Hopkins is a hard charging workaholic who is now paying the price, as his estranged daughter is about to elope and his wife wants nothing to do with him. The film focuses on the stresses of everyday life & how to make it in an increasingly corporate run world. Should Tom give everything to his work like boss Hopkins, or should he draw the line and make time for his family? This is a long film, but it’s visually very impressive. The clothing and office settings are beautifully done, the colours are crisp, and the film is lensed in a wide angle manner that allows a lot into the screen at any time. Peck, Jones & March are very convincing in their roles. The film is without doubt the inspiration for the highly successful Mad Men tv show & its flawed hero Don Draper.
I was impressed by Pratt's performance. In the beginning, he had to carry the entire film by himself (a la Tom Hanks in Cast Away), which is not an easy thing to do. And while he's not quite up to Hanks' level, he does a good job. That's the story of the movie really, everything is good, not great, but certainly not bad like the critics said.
Pratt and Lawrence work well together, which is key since most of the film features just the two of them. The love story part is predictable but there are some moral dilemmas the characters must face that make things interesting. The ship they are traveling on really sparks the imagination and the score provided a good atmosphere.
I'd recommend it as long as you know up front that it's not the most deep or thought provoking science fiction film out there.
Haven't seen it in years and it still holds my attention through it's 2 hour and 20 minutes of running time. Great ensemble cast ; Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds , Julianne Moore, John C Reilly, William H Macy to mention a few.
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
I continue my discovery of the black & white classics with this famous Lana Turner/John Garfield film noir, based on a novel by James Cain. It's the story of Frank Chambers (played by Garfield), a drifter who happens on a diner owned by Nick (played by Cecil Kellaway) and operated by his much younger and very attractive wife Cora (played by Turner, dressed angelically in white for most of the film). Frank is infatuated with Cora's obvious alluring beauty, and she is miserably disappointed by her lowly station (she dreams of owning the diner). The two strike up an affair (seemingly of convenience for her) and plot to kill portly Nick for his money and diner. They fail in their first attempt, but draw the investigative eye of District Attorney Kyle Sackett (played by Leon Ames). Things heat up towards the end, and their eventual fate is a particularly cruel one. I enjoyed this film, and can see what an inspiration it has been for so many films in this genre since. Turner is almost too beautiful, stylish and glamorous to be fully believable as Cora (someone would have taken her out of that hole years ago imho), but she acts very well here. Both Garfield, Ames & Kellaway are great in their roles too. What I found most intriguing is that both Frank and Cora are somewhat hapless and one almost sympathizes with their diabolical plan and plight. That's a credit to the script and performances. This film was remade in the 80's with Jack Nicholson & Jessica Lange (I haven't watched this one).
There are epics, and then there are EPICS. This is definitely the latter. Reportedly the most expensive film ever made at the time by far, it stars Dame Elizabeth Taylor as the eponymous protagonist, Richard Burton as Mark Anthony, Rex Harrison as Julius Ceasar and Roddy McDowall as Gaius Octavian. The film was shot over more than two years, had two directors (the last one being Joseph Mankiewicz, Tom's father) and apparently almost bankrupted 20th Century Fox (it reportedly took The Sound of Music two years later to restore it to profitability). Despite this, it was the highest grossing film of the year. It was apparently originally intended as two films (and probably would have been better as such, given its full run time is 4 hrs), but when Liz & Dick hooked up, the resulting torrid publicity supposedly made the studio compress it into one. There are some wonderful scenes, including the Battle of Actium & Cleopatra's entrance into Rome (both of them). If you don't like the special effects laden films of today, watch this to see what it looks like when it's done for real. The sets are also magnificent and the outfits are outstanding. Alex North's score is uplifting and appropriately majestic. Ms. Taylor is truly something to behold as Cleo. At once regal, commanding & demure, emotional yet calculating, and all the while absolutely mesmerizing. She definitely aged during the lengthy production, looking much like her younger self during the earlier scenes with Harrison than she does towards the end with Burton, when she more resembles her later years. She apparently became gravely ill during the production and required a tracheotomy. Burton is excellent as the love sick (perhaps he wasn't acting) Mark Anthony, Harrison gives off an authoritative air as Ceasar, and McDowall is superb as Octavian. The film is quite talky, but there is some witty dialogue to enjoy, particularly between Harrison and Taylor. I much preferred that earlier half to the more melodramatic later section with Burton, and the film could have done with more action. Having said that, I'm glad I sat through it fully. The money's all up there on the screen. They don't make them like this any more, that's for sure.
Right films, wrong order - Vertigo first, then Psycho. :-)
lets discuss the positives... Thandie Newton is gorgeous Ving Rhames is hilarious and some of the action sequences are cool....
Over all the film is not great. As soon as hunt and crew are in Australia the film kind of slows down for me and the over use of slow mo (john's trade mark) is hilarious rather then interesting..
Also saw limitless and forgot how good this movie is.
Ranking of Mission Impossible films
1. Mission Impossible
2. Mission Impossible 2
Ranking of the films I watched this year so far
1. Mission Impossible (yes even with the stupid twist)
2. Ghostbusters
3. When Harry meet Sally
4. limitless
5. Mission Impossible 2
Hmmmm? Disappointed and the end did not add up for me? Shame really as I am rarely disappointed by a Tom Cruise film. As for Olga?!! :x Nuff said!
Operation Mekong (2016)
This is the latest super badass action film from Hong-Kong director Dante Lam. This film makes Bad Boys 2 and other Expendables films look like Disney films. 2 hours of utter mayhem - insane shootouts, car chases, and fist fights were countless goons die. Non-stop action from start to finish, and the action scenes are very impressive - most of these are quite long and cover large areas involving several dozens characters each time. Once again these asians fellas showcase they are the best in terms of action films.
I've meant to watch this one for several years now and have yet to get around to it. One of the few Nolan films I've yet to see.
Me, Myself & Irene (didn't remember it being this funny. Many laugh out loud moments and I don't often do that. Even when watching a comedy)
SPL: Kill Zone (2005)
I had seen the standalone 2015 sequel with Tony Jaa, which totally blew my mind in terms of the fight sequences. Tonight, finally, I watched the original outing with the super badass Donnie Yen. And oh boy, it did not disappoint one bit. 90 minutes, Donnie Yen/Sammo Hung/Simon Yam, and some insanely brutal and impressive fist fights. The fightone in the alley with Donnie Yen was absolutely fantastic, and it reminded me of what Iko Uwais has been doing in the Raid films in recent years. I hear there is a 3rd 'SPL' coming this year, I can't wait to see it.
"get to the choppa!"
It also contains the manliest handshake in cinematic history.
"I knew these men..Green Berets out of Fort Bragg"
Star Trek Beyond in Ultra HD the end of this film looks awesome, I am in love with Jaylah. @Murdock this film is climbing up the Trek rankings, it is awesome.
Right now, watching The Hustler (1961).
Edited: This film is easily the best Kelvin Timeline film.
@fire_and_ice, there's many books I have that I'd save in a burning building before family, so I get your attachment to objects.
I do believe there are doctors you can see about that condition...
Your doctors?
There are certainly doctors you both can see about that!
I am uptight first break in months, note to self don't come online when pissed off. My apologies