I wonder if Shauna knows that that’s what we’ll be doing? Oh well. I’m sure we’ll find some time for the beach and maybe a round or two of golf. And of course we’ll have to visit the many fruit stands as well as take a tour of the local micro-brewery. I think we will be swinging by the used bookstore also and possibly having a dinner a couple times at a few of the nice restaurants in town. And we’ll likely just do some sitting around, relaxing, sleeping in. You know, vacating.
Ok, so maybe I won’t have as much time for movies as I think. Regardless, I won’t be around to update the blog so here’s a brief rundown of the films I’ve been watching lately. Enjoy!
Although Apocalypse Now has been hailed as a war-classic for many years, I had never actually seen it until about a month ago. While I’m glad I got a chance to finally watch it, I’m not sure it has stood the test of time as well as some other classics. It’s obvious that the film is trying to convey the horror of war and uses Vietnam as its canvas, but the pacing feels as stoned as most of the characters. The only real shining moments are those scenes that feature Robert Duvall and the famous helicopter attack. The Redux version is particularly lengthy and drawn-out and I found myself simply waiting for the film to be over so I could finally say I had seen it. Although credited as a ‘must-see-before-you-die’ movie I really don’t think you’re missing too much if you skip this one.
Despite the fact that Tom Cruise has lost his mind recently I still think he is a good actor. At the very least he has been in some very good films. A Few Good Men is certainly among the best. His courtroom performance with Jack Nicholson is one of the most memorable in film history. Who hasn’t, at one time or another, raised their fist and firmly stated “You can’t handle the truth!”? Director Rob Reiner has an impressive resume, including The Princess Bride and Stand By Me, and A Few Good Men is just another fine example of his ability to draw the audience in and tell a great story. Definitely a must-see.
Every year Shauna and I add the Best Picture nominee films to our list of movies to see. Sometimes it takes a while to get around to actually seeing them but we finally caught Good Night, And Good Luck on DVD. This is a really interesting look at some events that took place during some big communist hunt in the States a while ago. Ok, I could probably have given a much better description of the film but I can’t really remember all the details. The performances were really good and I enjoyed the film; I just can’t tell you what it’s exactly about. But it’s good. No, really.
Another Academy Award nominee, Munich is a gripping look at a country’s retaliation against a group of terrorists who murdered the 1972 Israeli Olympic team. Eric Bana gives an incredible performance as one of the assassins secretly hired by his government to carry out the executions. The film is not only entertaining purely from an action/suspense point of view, but is also an incredibly intense look at justice and revenge. There seem to be a lot of Academy Award nominees that are best on true events and Munich does a superb job of retelling those events and the terrible consequences they had on everyone involved.
I’m a big fan of John Cusack’s films. I really like his acting style and the characters he plays are both entertaining and intriguing. Runaway Jury is no exception. Based on the John Grisham novel, Runaway Jury is about a couple who con their way onto the jury of a Federal gun case and attempt to offer the verdict, for sale, to either the prosecution or defense. Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman give incredible performances and Cusack keeps the audience guessing his true motives throughout the film. I really enjoyed this flick and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good court room suspense/drama.
Believe it or not, Shauna actually wanted to watch this one. There are only a few Adam Sandler films that we both like and for some strange reason Happy Gilmore is one of them. It’s just really funny. Adam does what he does best and takes a simple concept, in this case an ex-hockey player who has an incredibly long golf drive, and makes it interesting and hilarious. Filled a number of those wonderful, quotable lines (“That’s your home, ball. Why didn’t you go home? Are you too good for your home?!”) Happy Gilmore is a ton of fun.
My history-teacher friend, Dave, recommended that we watch Battle of Britain not too long ago. I had never seen this film classic and I was looking forward to learning more about this brief period during World War II when England faced desperate odds while defending their country against countless German air raids and bombings. The film boasts a huge roster of famous actors and it was fun to see them in their prime. While the special effects are a little dated the film itself has stood the test of time well. The pacing seems to accurately reflect the actual battle and gives the viewer an in-depth look at how battle unfolded. If you have any interest in WWII, I highly recommend it.
The Red Violin is definitely one of Shauna’s favourite films and it’s not hard to see why. Filled with beautiful music and encompassing an epic span of time The Red Violin follows the life of a magnificent violin and its numerous owners. This is a relatively unknown film that was actually produced in Canada and should be seen by anyone who has any love of music. My only complaint is that the film has been released in three separate DVD versions and two of them are horrible. I originally owned the first horrible one, sold it and replaced it with what I thought was the good version. Nope, horrible version number two is now in my collection. A good chunk of the film is in other languages and so the film has numerous subtitles. But for some reason this version of the DVD leaves the subtitles out, so the only way to understand the film is to turn on the closed captioning which gives you subtitles for everything; foreign language scenes, English language scenes, even sound effects and music cues. I can’t tell you how annoying it is. If you ever see the Lion’s Gate or Atlantis releases of The Red Violin, avoid them like the plague. If you ever see the original Universal release immediately buy two copies; one for you and one for me. I’ll pay you back. No, really.When I get back from my wonderful vacation I’ll update you on some of the other films I’ve been watching. In the mean time don’t forget to have a look at the movie actor/character quiz that was posted last week.
I wonder if Penticton has good prices on DVDs…
I think the main draw to seeing this film has to do with Redford and Newman. If you’ve ever seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, you know what I’m talking about. Of course, if you’ve seen The Sting then you would know what I would be talking about if I was talking about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The point is that Redford and Newman are an impressive duo and their chemistry on-screen is unparalleled. You can tell that these actors not only enjoy working together but that they are likely very good friends in real life. Shauna was telling me that Paul Newman is old enough that he is probably only going to do one more movie and he has indicated that he would like to do it with Robert Redford. Watching them play off each other in The Sting is impressive and incredibly entertaining. They have a way of drawing you into their scheme and making you feel like you’re a part of it all.
The Special Edition DVD of The Sting is a wonderful treatment of this classic film. The first of two discs contains the feature film in a beautiful 1.85:1 Anamorphic transfer. The sets and costumes might look dated (the film is set in the 1930s) but the picture quality is anything but. Colors are sharp and crisp, detail is incredible and there are no image artefacts or scratches to be seen. Universal has done a fantastic job of cleaning up The Sting and they even include a DTS 5.1 sound track! The film doesn’t really make much use of all that 5.1 can offer, but it certainly goes a long way toward drawing you into the movie. Voices are clear and the music is perfectly balanced with the action on-screen. Again, for a movie that is over 30 years old this DVD is a truly impressive presentation.
