Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon and Liam Neeson in the Richard Curtis movie ‘Love Actually’

In 2003, an ensemble cast combined for a loosely related set of love stories set against the backdrop of Christmas. Richard Curtis wrote and directed Love Actually (2003), set in London, England to the larger point that love is actually all around us.

(From left, Hugh Grant as David, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Martine McCutcheon as Natalie in the Richard Curtis movie Love Actually).

Several intersecting love stories are shown against the backdrop of the narrated perspective that opens the movie. The arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport and the messages from victims of the September 11th, 2001 attacks show love rather than hate. The movie immediately moves into interconnected stories of love, including that of Natalie and United Kingdom Prime Minister David, as portrayed by Martine McCutcheon and Hugh Grant, respectively. Natalie and David seemingly meet on the prime minister‘s first day in office.

(From left, Heike Makatsch as Mia, Alan Rickman as Harry and Emma Thompson as Karen in the Richard Curtis move Love Actually).

Karen is David’s sister, and a mother to two kids with Harry. Mia, Harry’s secretary as the managing director of a design agency, offers suggestive behavior that leads to at least emotional temptation. The story reveals itself through the movie, with the payoff on the evening before Christmas. Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman and Heike Makatsch portrayed Karen, Harry and Mia, respectively. The music of Joni Mitchell is relevant to this story.

(From left, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Sam, Olivia Olson as Joanna, Claudia Schiffer as Carol and Liam Neeson as Daniel in the Richard Curtis movie Love Actually).

An early conversation between Daniel and close friend Karen reveals Karen expressing sympathy for the death of Daniel’s wife. In the presence of that grief, Daniel’s stepson Sam expresses his love for Sam has crowded out grief at losing his mother. Sam attends the same school as his love interest, Joanna, plus Bernie and Daisy, the children of Karen and Harry. Drum playing and travel factor into the love story that unravels for Sam and Joanna, with feelings between Carol and Daniel seemingly developing. Liam Neeson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Olivia Olson, Claudia Schiffer, William Wadham and Lulu Popplewell portrayed Daniel, Sam, Joanna, Carol, Bernie and Daisy, respectively.

(From left, Gregor Fisher as Joe and Bill Nighy as Billy Mack in the Richard Curtis movie Love Actually).

While the story of seeking a top hit for the Christmas season navigates its way through much of the Love Actually story, the subtext of an aging rockstar competing against more youthful competition leads in many different directions. The promotional efforts for putting Billy Mack over leaves Joe metaphorically on the outside looking in. Things take unexpected turns for the pair, with the results bearing relevance for them as well as for the love story of Joanna and Sam. Bill Nighy portrayed Billy Mack as Gregor Fisher portrayed Joe.

(From left, Michael Fitzgerald as Michael, Laura Linney as Sarah and Rodrigo Santoro as Karl in the Richard Curtis movie Love Actually).

The sacrifice of familial love in the face of pursuing romantic love as Harry’s design agency brings about feelings of love. Sarah and Karl have been pining for each other for more than two years when Harry suggests to Sarah that perhaps the time has come to express her feelings to Karl. The agonizing process almost gets there in multiple ways, with the added complication of Sarah’s brother Michael struggling with mental health issues in a hospital. The question of intimacy and boundaries demonstrate interesting complexity for what love can become. Laura Linney, Rodrigo Santoro and Michael Fitzgerald portray Sarah, Karl and Michael, respectively.

(From left, Keira Knightley as Juliet, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peter and Andrew Lincoln as Mark in the Richard Curtis movie Love Actually).

A well-contained love triangle of sorts emerges when Peter’s best man at his wedding to Juliet, Mark, films the wedding. An interesting set of surprises give life to this story, from the wedding ceremony itself to the slowly unraveling truths that reveal the truth. That a different take for who knows what when emerges to the story of Karen, Harry and Mia offers a satisfying difference when considered together. Keira Knightley, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Andrew Lincoln portrayed Juliet, Peter and Mark, respectively.

(From left, Colin Firth as Jamie and Lúcia Moniz as Aurélia in the Richard Curtis movie Love Actually).

Jamie attended Peter and Juliet’s wedding ceremony on his own since his girlfriend, as portrayed by Sienna Guillory, had been ill. Coming home to check on her between the ceremony and the reception, Jamie finds his girlfriend sharing physical intimacy with his brother, as portrayed by Dan Fredenburgh. Distraught, Jamie meets a Portuguese housekeeper named Aurélia where he was staying. That the two didn’t speak the same language didn’t stop that these two might have feelings for one another. Lúcia Moniz portrayed Aurélia. As the movie’s theme played out, the payoff for what comes next arrived on Christmas Eve.

(From left, Abdul Salis as Tony and Kris Marshall as Colin in the Richard Curtis movie Love Actually).

International travel offered success in unexpected ways for Colin and Tony, with Colin having multiple unsuccessful attempts to attract English women. Having failed to convince Mia, Juliet and Nancy, the wedding caterer at Peter and Juliet’s wedding, to date him, Colin decides that his English accent will attract women from the United States. Heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Colin makes his own luck with a bit of positive outcomes for himself and Tony. Abdul Salis, Kris Marshall and Julia Davis portrayed Tony, Colin and Nancy, respectively.

(From left, Joanna Page as Judy and Martin Freeman as John in the Richard Curtis movie Love Actually).

The story of John and Judy, two socially shy body doubles that as characters in Love Actually portray risqué behavior in movies, the two find themselves able to connect emotionally away from the workplace. Portrayed by Martin Freeman and Joanna Page, respectively, John and Judy attend the Christmas pageant that meant so much to Sam and Joanna, Daniel and Carol, David and Natalie, and Daisy. A happy ending for the pair matches a recurring theme for the film, which managed to invoke jewelry salesman Rufus in a pair of key movie moments. Rowan Atkinson portrayed Rufus.

(Rowan Atkinson as Rufus in the Richard Curtis movie Love Actually).

The movie Love Actually is appreciated to a large extent by Lynn of Matt Lynn Digital very much. There are multiple stories that stick with her, though the Harry, Karen and Mia storyline seems to standout more for her than the others. The romantic comedy aspect of the movie set against the season of Christmas also resonates. I personally give Love Actually as written and directed by Richard Curtis 4.0-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, December 17, 2022

The Year 2020 in Movies

With the oddness that has been the year 2020, new movie releases have been few and far between. Matt Lynn Digital continued to look into the past for movies to enjoy and review with you. The year saw us review thirty-six (36) films through the year, which we will share with you by decade, shared from highest rated to lowest.

(Argo starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin and  John Goodman was a 2012 gem that leads the 2010s with 4.5-stars from Matt Lynn Digital).

Argo (2012) leads the way for movies from the 2010s. The film earned 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5 stars, which is the highest rating matched only twice for movies this year. Earning 4.0-stars for the decade were Game Night (2018) starring Jason Batemen and Rachel McAdams, Captain Phillips (2013) starring Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi and The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) starring Matthew McConaughey and, for a second time this decade, Bryan Cranston.

(Matt Damon makes two appearances for the 2010s, the first with the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari).

 Ford v Ferrari (2019) offers the first of two starring roles in the Matt Lynn Digital movie reviews for Matt Damon and Christian Bale. The story of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans earn a rating of 3.75-stars along with The Martian (2015), which starred Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig and Jeff Daniels and Gravity (2013) starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and Ed Harris.

(Tom Hanks returns to our list with the 4.25-stars granted Cast Away by Matt Lynn Digital).

The Robert Zemeckis film Cast Away (2000) starts in the holiday season where the character portrayed by Tom Hanks faces tremendous odds while delivering an outstanding movie granted 4.25-stars. The movie Ray (2004), starring Jamie Foxx in the role as Ray Charles and the Ang Lee movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) starring Michelle Yeoh and Yun-Fat Chow each earned 4-stars in their 2020 reviews.

(The Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York featured among the best portrayals of a movie villain ever delivered by Daniel Day-Lewis. The film earned 3.75-stars from Matt Lynn Digital).

Gangs of New York (2002) leads a stable of five movies to earn 3.75-stars from the decade that began the 21st century. While prominent, the performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson and John C. Reilly held sway in part for where the ranking placed. Other films from this decade gaining 3.75-stars included The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, The Blind Side (2009) starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw, Friday Night Lights (2004) starring Lucas Black, Billy Bob Thornton and Tim McGraw, and Elf (2003) starring Will Ferrell, James Caan and Zooey Deschanel.  The Skulls (2000) starring Joshua Jackson,  Paul Walker and  Craig T. Nelson earned 3.5-stars.

(Fight Club starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter and the Martin Scorsese movie Goodfellas starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Lorraine Bracco lead the 1990s with 4.5-stars granted by Matt Lynn Digital).

The film Fight Club (1999) and the film Goodfellas (1990) bookend the 1990s with a pair of movies earning the 2020 top rating of 4.5-stars offered by Matt Lynn Digital. The football movie Rudy (1993) starring Sean Astin and Ned Beatty is joined by baseball movie The Sandlot (1993) with Denis Leary and the military, political intrigue movie The Hunt for Red October (1990) starring Sean Connery, James Earl Jones, Alec Baldwin and Sam Neill with ratings of 4.0-stars.

(For Love of the Game starring Kevin Costner, John C. Reilly and Kelly Preston lead 1990s films getting 3.75-stars by Matt Lynn Digital).

Baseball and borderline romantic comedy film For Love of the Game (1999) earned 3.75-stars from Matt Lynn Digital in 2020. The film Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) with  Richard Dreyfuss and the Ron Howard film Far and Away (1992) with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman join For Love of the Game with 3.75-stars. Earning 3.25 stars is the film The Usual Suspects (1995), which starred Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio Del Toro and Kevin Pollak.

(The Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone film Scarface with  Al Pacino,  Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Loggia and Steven Bauer kicks off the 1980s with a 4-star rating by Matt Lynn Digital).

The 4-stars earned by the organized crime movie Scarface (1983) is joined by the Steven Spielberg film Empire of the Sun (1987) starring Christian Bale, John Malkovich and Joe Pantoliano and Tim Burton‘s film Beetlejuice (1988) starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton. The Richard Donner film Scroooged (1988) starring Bill Murray, John Forsythe, David Johansen and Carol Kane completes the decade with 3.75-stars.

(Ridley Scott‘s film Alien starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt and Ian Holm earns the best rating of the 1970s for Matt Lynn Digital at 4.25-stars).

Alien (1979) closed out the 1970s with quite the impact, garnering 4.25-stars for a science fiction story that stands on its own. The Martin Scorsese concert goodbye The Last Waltz (1978) with The Band leads three other productions getting 3.75-stars. Joining The Last Waltz with 3.75-stars include the baseball movie The Bad News Bears (1976) with Walter Mathau and Tatum O’Neal, the western movie The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) starring Clint Eastwood and John Vernon and the comedic war movie Kelly’s Heroes (1970) starring Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O’ Connor and Gavin MacLeod.

(The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance and The Lady Vanishes achieved two different things in two different decades to complete the movie reviews by Matt Lynn Digital in 2020).

The John Ford movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance (1962) starred John Wayne, James Stewart, Lee Marvin and Vera Miles in a western that earned 3.75-stars. The Lady Vanishes (1938) put Alfred Hitchcock on the proverbial map with a political commentary in the guise of a thriller starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas and May Whitty. The Lady Vanishes earned 4.0-stars from Matt Lynn Digital.

(Blog friend Cobra reviewed the movies Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight in a single sharing on Matt Lynn Digital).

Matt Lynn Digital also enjoyed sharing a review of Richard Linklater‘s Before Trilogy of movies. Blog friend Cobra reviewed Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013) in a single review. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy explore the notion of relationships a bit more fully and cleverly than often happens with any movie franchise. It is with thanks that we look back to this sharing.

Share the Matt Lynn Digital blog with your friends if you see value in what we are doing. We feel these reviews provide excellent content that we would like to continue offering.

Matt – Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black and the movie ‘Friday Night Lights’

It’s spring and there’s barely any sport playing anywhere. A movie review of decent high school football movie based on an H.G. Bissinger book seemed in order. Friday Night Lights (2004) followed the 1990 book Friday Night Lights and preceded the television show Friday Night Lights (2006-2011). This review looks strictly into the movie.

(From left, Garrett Hedlund as Don Billingsley, Jay Hernandez as Brian Chavez, Lucas Black as Mike Winchell, and Lee Jackson as Ivory Christian in the movie Friday Night Lights).

Lucas Black stars as quarterback Mike Winchell for the Permian High School Panthers of Odessa, Texas in the western part of the state. Odessa offers little economic future for its residents, so high school football offers a subtext of the brief moment of hope for the players that live there. Brian Chavez, a highly motivated defensive end for the team who later attends Harvard and becomes a lawyer, sees success and is played by Jay Hernandez. Lee Jackson as Ivory Christian played middle linebacker. His ambition to become a minister getting replaced by an ambition for football get understated treatment in the film. The heat of expectation for playing state championship level football is a strong motif through the film.

(From left, Derek Luke as James Earl ‘Boobie’ Miles, Billy Bob Thornton as Coach Gary Gaines, and Grover Coulson as L.V. Miles in the movie Friday Night Lights).

A pair of the central story for the 1988 football season revealed in the telling of Odessa and Permian High were the expectations for championship expressed through Coach Gary Gaines and the football dreams of James Earl ‘Boobie’ Miles. Billy Bob Thornton plays Gaines as Derek Luke plays the star football player. The sting of an early season knee injury brings about angst and the lost ambition of college football dreams for Miles. Grover Coulson plays Boobie’s uncle and father figure, L.V. Miles, who serves as an emotional rock through MRIs in Midland, Texas, a city whose football team is a rival to Permian High.

(From left, Tim McGraw as Charles Billingsley and Garrett Hedlund as Don Billingsley in the movie Friday Night Lights).

In the face of the disappointment that seemingly faced the Panthers of Permian High came the story of ball carrier Don Billingsley and his demanding, hard-to-please and abusive alcoholic father, Charles Billingsley. Garrett Hedlund plays the Don, who likes to party yet bears much of the heat of his father’s poorly expressed hopes. Tim McGraw plays Charles Billingsley. The subtext and culmination of this story receives central treatment in the Peter Berg directed movie.

(H. G. Bissinger wrote the book Friday Night Lights, which became the movie Friday Night Lights).

The movie Friday Night Lights has received appreciation by audiences and movie critics in many ways surpassed by the television series that followed it. The takeaway isn’t that the film didn’t live up to its potential, as the drama that underpinned the television series simply was difficult to capture in a film that ran for less than two hours. While I liked the drama and at least appreciated the attempt to give some realism to the savagery of the football as a sport, the sporting action itself left me wanting more of that. Also, the choices around which dramatic stories to emphasize from the source material clearly left audiences wanting more, as a five-season television show seems to suggest. I give the movie Friday Night Lights 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, May 20, 2020