Brian's Thoughts on Movies

This film, based on a novel, was released during awards season 2007 as an awards season contender.   Director Joe Wright and Keira Knightly had worked together a couple of years earlier on a terrific adaptation of perhaps Jane Austin’s most famous book, Pride and Prejudice.   Wright’s energetic touches and Knightly’s fully committed performance as Elizabeth made Pride and Prejudice quite a treat, even though it has been made several times before. My approach of films versus books is unconventional.   If given the choice I will often choose to watch the film first and if I enjoy it then I will read the book.   Films and books are different mediums and each have their own limitations.   A script is usually about 120 pages and whereas a book could be of any length.   Much of a book might be a character’s inner monologue but a screenwriter usually has to pick out the most effective way to relay a story visually and that often involves removing key section...

“I don’t feel I have to wipe everyone out, Tom.   Just my enemies”   Micheal Corleone (Al Pacino) in The Godfather Part II As always, there are major spoilers below. Recently Fathom Events held a screening for The Godfather, Part II.   Due to a technical issue the film started with sound but no picture.   In the audience we heard the gunshot that murders of Vito Andolini’s brother during his father’s funeral but did not see it and I recall being more aware than ever of the power of that gunshot disrupting what was already a tragic event.   A community in Sicily is trying to survive but is kept ever oppressed by the local mafia family, headed by Don Cicio, who seems to do little but try to destroy any potential threat to his power.   Eventually the picture was restored and restarted and I had the joy of seeing this magnificent film on the big screen for the first time.   For three hours and twenty minutes I was mesmerized.   Prior to ...

I was always told that there would be someone who came along that was a lot better than me, and you are definitely better than me Jack."  Ed Sheeran in Yesterday Two of the most interesting credits on the film Yesterday would seem to be diametrically opposed: Writer: Richard Curtis and Director: Danny Boyle.  Both men are about the same age and work primarily in the British film industry but there is where the similarities stop.  Most of Curtis’ films are romantic comedies in which an ordinary person ends up with someone who would by societal standards would be considered unattainable.  Often the higher profile person finds his or her better nature by being involved with the protagonist, who has a loyal set of quirky friends.   Usually one friend in particular is a misfit but the protagonist benefits in the end by putting up with him or her.  The climax of these films usually show one party finding the courage to declare his or her love for the...

I am deliberately avoiding lumping these reviews with the specific Phases used by the MCU.   I put Captain Marvel in my first batch as my memories from it were pretty fresh and it took place before all the other films.   Nonetheless these entries will probably stay pretty close to that template.   As always spoilers abound so I suggest watching the films first. Iron Man 3 (2013) Iron Man 3 is a superior sequel than Iron Man 2, with a clear theme and better plot.   Initially I was a little mixed on it, feeling that there were too many suits in the climax and I was less than intrigued by the Extremis effects.   I still agree with a lot of these concerns, in fact I wonder how they even manage the logistics of the sequence of not only this, but each Marvel climax which requires actors to react in odd ways to all kinds of things happening in the air to and around them.   There was a controversial decision to have the popular Mandarin villain from the c...

Ezekiel 25:17   “The Path of the righteous man……. In October 1994 I went to the cinema to watch The Specialist with Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone and James Woods.   The film was a dreary thriller enlivened only by an atmospheric John Barry score and Woods’ energetic performance.   In the opening sequence there is a scene in which Woods pistol whips Stallone and kicks him a couple of times while he is on the ground.   Test audiences hated seeing Stallone lose a fight so an addendum was added in which Stallone gets up, attacks Woods and beats him up badly.   However the second portion of the fight was shot with each actor in different locations and Stallone has a different haircut.   The use of doubles is obvious and as you would expect the result looks jarring.   I found it appalling that something so sloppy could go into a major release.   I have so much affection for the Rocky character that I always route for even non-Rocky Stallone mov...