Brian's Thoughts on Movies

 Like all film fans I am intrigued by the Academy Awards, though less for who wins or doesn't than for it directing me to films I might otherwise not pay as much attention to.  I haven't seen all of this years' big nominated films but here are some bite size thoughts on the ones I have seen. Oppenheimer I was really impressed by both the technical and dramatic approach Christopher Nolan took with his story of the man who created the atomic bomb.  As usual Nolan uses a single word title and multiple timelines which keeps this complex yet involving tale moving quickly despite the three hour runtime.  Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Robert Downey Jr. stand out in the film that explores the science behind the development, the political cost the once-Communist Oppenheimer paid and the guilt he had to endure afterwards.  The standout sequence is the testing of the weapon in a moment that uses no CGI and is simultaneously horrific and impressive.  ***** Anatomy o...

 After the long awaited Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released and did well at the box office but was not widely loved (and fans' frustration with it seemed to multiply over the years) I think there were mixed feelings about doing another one.  People wanted to see the series end on a stronger note but there was fear that another film might not be good.  For a few years I doubted it might be made since although Ford sounded game, Shia Lebeouf, who played Mutt (Indy's son) had trashed Crystal Skull in the press and was generating a lot of negative headlines with increasingly odd behavior.   In early 2016, with Star Wars: The Force Awakens doing extremely well at the box office, due in no small part to Harrison Ford's delightful return as Han Solo, Kathleen Kennedy of Lucasfilm announced a deal had been made with Ford for a final Indiana Jones film.  A release date of 2019 was announced and Spielberg was planning to direct (though Geo...

 A popular debate that comes out around the holidays is whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie, presumably because it is set on Christmas Eve (feel free to correct me, I haven't watched it in ages).  To that I say, how about Die Hard 2, Lethal Weapon, Batman Returns or The Long Kiss Goodnight?  All of them are all action films (two scripted by Shane Black) set around the holiday season but released nowhere near it.  In the end if the film makes you feel festive, then perhaps it is a Christmas movie but if you can enjoy it at any time of the year then it is probably just a good film.  The sixth James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, has about half of its runtime set near Christmas time.  There is a Christmas carol especially written for the film "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?".  I find the song a repetitive bore as a listening experience but within the film the upbeat theme contrasts perfectly against the tense moment in th...

 There is a new Naked Gun film coming directed by Akiva Schaffer and starring Liam Neeson.  I am both interested and apprehensive about seeing it.  Neeson is a first rate dramatic actor who is also very effective in action roles (though I think he has not been selective enough about his material lately) but I have rarely seen in him a comedy and never as a lead.  But hopefully they come up with something memorable.   Recently I showed my kids the original Police Squad TV series and the trilogy of films which I think are the gold standard of the format the ZAZ (the Zucker brother and Jim Abrahams) perfected.  Their films and shows present plots but as a clotheslines for comedic gags and puns that break all narrative convention.  Their characters are presented as mostly straightforward (but also more than a little foolish) who let the craziness around them define them as opposed to chasing laughs with big acting moments. Spoilers below Police Squad ...

Director Joel Schumacher had an interesting career in the 1990s.  Schumacher released nine films that decade and for me his most interesting film is Falling Down, a thriller starring Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall.  The title could either refer to Douglas' character, a recently laid off defense worker who decides on his daughter's birthday that he has had enough of people telling him no and begins a  dangerous 20-mile journey on foot across Los Angeles to go see her and his ex-wife, despite a court order to stay away from them.  Falling Down may refer to society itself, which is represented through various characters all of whom are struggling in one way or another. Spoilers below: Douglas was originally approached to play Prendergast, the part that went to Robert Duvall, but he wisely noted that the fellow who snapped was a more interesting character.  Although it was a risky role for a star of his caliber once Douglas took the part some of the more extreme ...