Brian's Thoughts on Movies

Sir Ridley Scott is, as of this writing, 84 years old, and he released two big productions within about six weeks of each other in 2021, The Last Duel and House of Gucci.  A few years ago I wrote about how Scott recast J.R. Getty about a month before the release of All The Money in the World and reshot all the scenes that were originally filmed with Kevin Spacey with his replacement, Christopher Plummer.  In this case The Last Duel was filmed partially before the pandemic and then picked up later in 2020.  House of Gucci was made entirely in 2021 but it still is impressive to make big budget period films back to back and be able to release them so close together. I think part of Scott's proficiency is that like, his fellow elderly directors like Steven Spielberg and Client Eastwood, Scott continually works with a lot of the same crew so he saves time on hiring and has developed a shorthand.  Both Last Duel and House of Gucci were photographed by Darius Wolski, had th...

  The Rocky movies are one of the longest lasting series in movie history and possibly the longest franchise with a sports theme at its center.  The basic concept, that any person who is struggling can get an opportunity to make the most of themselves, resonates with audiences and their investment in the character and his loved ones has kept the franchise going. Sylvester Stallone has had three other franchise characters by my count (Rambo, Escape Plan, and Expendables) but in the U.S. at least Rocky is the one people truly embrace as he embodies the best of us.  Rocky is a streetwise character with a good heart who is nice to everyone.  As Rocky Stallone goes sometimes goes to depths as an actor that he often stays away from in other roles.  As the writer on the series Stallone has used Rocky to comment on life and as a way to relate his experiences.  I've enjoyed Rocky so much that I often refuse to dump on Stallone when one of his other films do not work...