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ruthlessroddy
*Not that that is easy to do for me.
;)
Reviews
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
"That's my Lama bite!"
Really good movie. Not even a racing fan, but Bale and Damon click from the word go, both with their humor and dramatic skills on display. I also knew nothing of the real story, which made for some surprises. Then ending shot says a lot as well.
Well done!!!
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Would normally say a 9
However, Elizabeth Taylor is the most gorgeous woman ever filmed in this movie. Because she oozes sexual frustration and deep desire as Maggie, who's jockeying for both a stake in the family estate and in Brick's heart, she is all too compelling to watch. And the rest of the cast along with the films message make this a stand-out.
The Favourite (2018)
Bottom Line *Spoiler alert*
Of the three ladies, nobody won, certainly not Abigail, who claims she did near the end by reminding Sarah how she was readying to leave in a carriage, while Abigail herself was about to be brought something called "A Pineapple." Meanwhile, fast-forward to the end, and there's Abigail's working on the Queen's leg, and other anatomy, far from looking like she had 'won', appearing about as happy as Queen Anne looked numb while receiving her offering.
Cobb (1994)
Entertaining, but much of it is fiction
I first saw this movie some 20 years ago and thought what most people probably thought, that Cobb was an amazing ballplayer, and a half-crazy racist. Yet I recently read George Leershen's book 'Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty' and my opinion has definitely been swayed. Mr. Leershen researched Cobb like no other and discovered that much of the things said and written about him (most notably by Al Stump's and his book that the film was based on) were untrue or wildly exaggerated. Cobb never killed a man, he wasn't a racist (in fact his Father, Grandfather AND Great Grandfather were abolitionists if nothing else), he never sharpened his spikes, and never went out of his way to use them on somebody, unless they were in his path to the base. Even that famous picture of him flying airborne into what looks like the crotch of the catcher, was really him knocking the ball out of his glove, which he did, confirmed by the catcher himself. Al Stump was a notorious liar and fabricator who's 'Tale' of Ty Cobb didn't nearly add up to all of Leershen research or even Cobb's Grandson's first hand knowledge of Ty's place in Tahoe, both know more of truth than what Stump was willing to write about, for the sake of telling the story he wanted for the sole interests of making money, which is why he waited until AFTER Cobb died to release it.
Now all that being said, was Cobb an Angel? Absolutely not, but let's look at the facts of what we know for sure. Cobb was relentlessly Hazed by other players before and after his Mother killed his Father mere weeks before his professional debut at 18 years old. And most baseball players back then were poorly educated, alcoholic thugs. Take a look at some of those early Detroit Tiger team photos that Cobb played on, never before does 'A picture speak a thousand words' or hold more truth than some of the faces and personalities you'll see he came up playing with. Cobb himself was educated and liked to read, yet he also loved the game of baseball and overcame a lot to prove what he could do and that he 'belonged', always playing as if his life depended on it. Many players in turn became jealous of his abilities and 'wild-child' ways on the base paths, which only added to his legend of how he was able to do what he did.
Did Cobb have a couple of altercations with people of color? Yes, but make no mistake he had WAY more altercations with whites. Cobb didn't hate black people, I don't even think Cobb hated anybody, but if you got in his way or went up against him, he would have something to prove, black, white or even a handicapped guy in the stands in a wheel chair missing a few fingers. Apparently that heckler in question was pretty famous for it, and had been laying into Cobb whenever he came into town for a while until finally Cobb snapped and went up into the stands to shut him up once and for all. Does anybody know what the guy said to Cobb? Not sure, but you could easily imagine a couple of sore spots in Cobb's life that would potentially set him off. If you add what Cobb endured and had to overcome from others and it explains his behavior a little better. It by no means gives him a free pass, but it put things in a different context.
People love to knock other people, and in case you didn't notice, this goes on today more than ever, in newspapers and social media etc. Ty Cobb was in a league of his own and people either loved or hated him for it. Al Stump took some random stories handed down through the years, twisted them into what he wanted while adding some of his own BS and turned it into a book he thought would sell.. And then they made a movie from THAT book?! Cobb could be a lot of unpleasant things at times, but he too was once an innocent baby who eventually got molded into the man who became one of the greatest to ever play baseball, but at a price. Without the hazing or his Father's untimely death, who knows if those demons would have pushed him to that same greatness? Let alone becoming the ornery, temperamental man he was? A Terrible Beauty Indeed.
Brockmire (2017)
Lewd, Crude and very funny...
I had heard about this show but soon realized I don't get the IFC channel, but I do get AMC and was able to watch it on there (for those who may be in the same boat with IFC). I went through the first 5 episodes in an afternoon and laughed my butt off. Azaria's character Jim is both despicable and lovable at the same time because you just don't know what he's going to say next. Everything that comes out of his mouth is either a story with an immoral 'moral' to tell, or is just his brutal, frank way of being a man who just doesn't give a cr*p what anybody thinks. Peet (AKA Jules) is the team's owner who needs Brockmire's name (albeit disgraced in the public eye) to help revive her bush-league baseball team, in an otherwise would-be small town where most people look like they haven't showered in weeks. The chemistry between owner and announcer is dysfunctional, yet undeniable at the same time. And then there's the young naive intern Charles, pitted in-between them and trying help anyway he can while generally astonished at the behavior of just about everybody around him, including the game of baseball itself which he barely understands. Everything clicks nicely and the laughs are there for the taking, after the initial shock of what is said and done by the many characters involved. You don't have to be a fan of baseball to enjoy this show, but if you are, you will only appreciate the shows humor and setting even more. I hope they can stretch a lot out of this shows concept, because the story line works great, but for how long will only be determined by the quantitative talents of the writers. But for now, so far so funny, very very funny... I eagerly await episode 6...
The Seven-Ups (1973)
A Classic
I was born in '68 with not much parental guidance as far as what I watched on TV (as a kid in the 70's). I always loved this movie (and the French Connection) and would always try to catch it whenever it was on (checking the Sunday TV guide ahead of time). I bought it on DVD a few years ago and have watched it twice since then and I must say, I STILL LOVE IT!!!! Roy S. was a great actor from the 70's (Jaws is one of my all-time favs, Marathon Man etc) and although the 7-ups is not an Oscar-worthy film, it puts you precisely in a time a place (NY, early 70's, as did French Connection) and gives you some tough characters and a glimpse of life as a cop at that time. And yes, the car chase is one of the all-time best.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Why the ending is so moving
I myself, like most people, love this movie and whenever it got to the end where you see Andy and Red smiling and embracing on the beach it always sent chills through my soul, but I realized that in addition to that sequence, where not a word is spoken between the two men, it's that 'deep blue ocean' that makes the ending so dramatic. I think with the exception of a few outdoor scenes in the movie where you see a little sky, the bulk of the movie is shot in the drab gray tones of prison (cause prison is drab and gray), so when that BIG BLUE OCEAN hit's your eyes, it makes the whole experience of their freedom and the fact that they never gave up hope that much more dramatic.
Hope is definitely a good thing and quite possibly, the best of ALL things.
The Black Dahlia (2006)
Man-O-Man did this miss the mark
I so much wanted to like this movie. Even when bad reviews started coming in from the Festival it opened in. I thought to myself "maybe it's just misunderstood to those unfamiliar with Ellroy's novel" But frankly, it just never felt right,,, and then it went more and more uncomfortably wrong; the actors in their roles, the soundtrack vs. certain scenes, the story fumbling it's way around with not enough mention of The Dahlia herself (which really drove the characters in the novel). There were parts of the book that got left out which shouldn't have been, while there we're other parts 'put in' that could've been 'left out'. 'L.A. Confidential' was a longer and more complex book than Ellroy's 'The Black Dahlia', yet Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland knew what was necessary to move the story forward without getting in 'over their heads' in making it a functional screenplay. And that is where this movie fails miserably (along with the other fore-mentioned issues). It is however beautifully shot and lit in many scenes, but even a polished turd is still a turd, and that is essentially what you have here with DePalma's latest offering. This movie could lead to a new future in moving making and subsequent DVD extra's; Alternate Actors, Soundtrack and Screenplay? Because that's the only way this could be saved.
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979)
THEE Man, THEE concert film
This is the funniest man ever with his best 'filmed' stand-up concert. You think of how funny his albums are and then here you see him do the physical aspect of his routine. A classic piece of Comedy.
I made my Mother take me to go see 'Live on the Sunset Strip' in the movies (probably his 2nd funniest stand-up film). She grew up white bred in the 50's and she really didn't want to take her 14 year old son to go see a foul-mouthed comedian. I nagged and begged and pleaded my case about how I "just had" to go see his new movie and she reluctantly gave in and took me. The theater was filled with a rowdy crowd and I remember her looking very uncomfortable, yet as his routine unfolded and everyone else started laughing, I kept catching my Mother smiling or trying not to laugh. It was a victorious evening for youth and rebellion. Someone said Richard Pryor was the Charlie Parker of Comedy in that everything changed after he arrived. It did indeed.
RIP Rich I'll never forget you.
12-12-05