Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall in the Francis Ford Coppola movie ‘The Godfather Part II’

Matt Lynn Digital reviewed the Francis Ford Coppola movie The Godfather (1972) in January 2023. Today, we look to Ford Coppola‘s sequel as released in December 1974, namely The Godfather Part II (1974). Both claim the Mario Puzo book The Godfather as source material, with screenwriting credit for Puzo and Ford Coppola.

(From left, Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen and Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in the Francis Ford Coppola movie The Godfather Part II).

The original movie told the story of a clandestine organized crime dynasty’s transfer from an aging patriarch to a reluctant son of the original; the second movie tells of the early life and career of that patriarch from Sicily, Italy to New York City, New York as prequel while showing the son expand and control the dynasty as sequel. This storytelling decision to expand upon the original while speaking to the fate of the Don Vito Corleone’s family broke cinematic ground with meaning while offering satisfaction.

(From left, Robert De Niro as Vito Corleone and Leopoldo Trieste as Signor Roberto in the Francis Ford Coppola movie The Godfather Part II).

The story of Don Michael Corleone within The Godfather Part II opens in 1958 in Lake Tahoe on the California and Nevada border, accepting meetings in that role on the day of his son’s First Communion. Capo Frankie Pentangeli raises dismay about extracurricular behavior in the Bronx by Jewish mobster Hyman Roth’s organization. Meanwhile, Senator Pat Geary insults the Corleones specifically and Italians generally, demanding a bribe for casino operations that Michael aims not to pay. A failed assassination attempt on Michael Corleone leads him, while departing, to confide in consiglieri Tom Hagan that he, Corleone, fears a traitor exists within the organization. Al Pacino, Michael V. Gazzo, Lee Strasberg, G.D. Spradlin and Robert Duvall portrayed Corleone, Pantengeli, Roth, Geary and Hagan, respectively.

(Giuseppe Sillato as Don Francesco in the Francis Ford Coppola movie The Godfather Part II).

The story of Don Vito Corleone starts within The Godfather Part II as nine-year-old Vito Andolini in the Corleone neighborhood of Sicily in 1901. An insult to Mafia chieftain Don Francesco by Vito’s father led to the murder of Vito’s family, with Vito fleeing to New York City with the name Vito Corleone. It was 1917 that Vito loses his job due to interference by Don Fanucci before Vito’s neighbor, Peter Clemenza, asks Vito to hold some guns to avoid criminal consequences. The pair later strike up the beginnings of the Corleone crime empire while we get to meet Vito’s wife, Carmela, and the couple’s four kids. Oreste Baldini, Giuseppe Sillato, Robert De Niro, Gastone Moschin, Bruno Kirby, Francesca De Sapio, Roman Coppola and Louis Marino portrayed Vito Andolini – as a Boy, Don Francesco, Vito Corleone, Don Fanucci, young Peter Clemenza, young Carmela Corleone, Sonny Corleone – as a Boy and young Michael Corleone.

(From left, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone and John Cazale as Fredo Corleone in the Francis Ford Coppola movie The Godfather Part II).

The stories escalate from there, with Michael moving against Geary for political support while aiming for business plans in Cuba. Intrigue with Pentangeli and Roth bring Johnny Ola and Fredo Corleone into clearer focus, while Geary goes to bat for Michael Corleone and the Corleone criminal enterprise against a Senate Committee in Washington DC. When Mama (Carmela) Corleone as portrayed by Morgana King, drama for Michael comes full force with revelations for Connie, Fredo, Kay and the ongoing legacy of the family. Meanwhile with the prequel, a partnership with Salvatore Tessio brings additional friction with Don Fanucci that leads to the initial expansion of the Corleone crime family that many years later becomes the storyline explored with Michael. Dominic Chianese, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Diane Keaton and John Aprea portrayed Johnny Ola, Fredo Corleone, Connie Corleone, Kay Adams Corleone, and Young (Salvatore) Tessio, respectively.

(Diane Keaton as Kay Adams Corleone in the Francis Ford Coppola movie The Godfather Part II).

The Godfather Part II movie raises so many questions and suspense that are resolved with clarity, directness and brutality. Loyalty and betrayal are strong themes running throughout; that the story of Vito Corleone and Michael Corleone have moved from an initial innocence to an assertive, yet seemingly principled criminal philosophy is remarkable and substantial when looked at in parallel. I grant The Godfather Part II as directed by Francis Ford Coppola 4.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, April 6, 2024

Ernest Hemingway and the book ‘To Have and Have Not’

The year was 1937 when Ernest Hemingway gave us the story of a fishing boat captain named Harry Morgan. Having To Have and Have Not pit the ‘have nots’ of Key West, Florida against the wealthy ‘haves’ in Havana, Cuba gives rise to an escalating tale against making an honest living with ever increasing criminality, risk and depravity.

(Alternative covers for the 1937 Ernest Hemingway book To Have and Have Not).

Based in part on the Hemingway written short stories One Trip Across and The Tradesman’s Return, To Have and Have Not is densely packed with commentary of Cuban politics, experimentation of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt United States presidency through the Great Depression, and a sympathy for Marxism from Hemingway that the writer likely picked up while taking sides in the Spanish Civil War.

(Ernest Hemingway wrote To Have and Have Not, which was released in 1937).

That commentary, launched in To Have and Have Not after a three-week fishing trip left Harry Morgan destitute in Havana, Morgan took to criminality of an appalling kind to keep his family afloat, metaphorically. The costs this had between Morgan and his wife, Morgan and those who supported his enterprise, and the direct victims his crimes had gave the multiple points of view this story was shared through depth. The underlying racist language and actions towards many ethnic groups, shown through the raw language, behavior against, and behavior by those groups surprisingly mingles into a distinctly Hemingway brand of maleness coupled with conflicting views of female and male relationships. Views of those using contraband or others fighting at the smallest triggers for sport extends this concept further.

(Alternative covers for the 1937 Ernest Hemingway book To Have and Have Not).

From the point of the book’s release, I can sympathize with there being a sense of unevenness in the storytelling for To Have and Have Not. The commentary was brutal in the distrust of class on a wealth and political perspective, in addition to the deal that was being offered to those categorically being harmed by a system that didn’t seem to care. That the work gave the public a popular, action-driven perspective additionally gave the work an appeal that belied the commentary. For doing these things at seeming cross purposes, I give To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway 4.25-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson in the Jon Favreau movie ‘Chef’

Jon Favreau‘s fingerprints are all over his drama, comedy and adventure movie that he made in the middle of the last decade. Written, directed, produced and starring Favreau, the movie brings the comforting subject of food preparation and family to the table with Chef (2014).

(From left, Jon Favreau as Carl Casper, Emjay Anthony as Percy Casper and Sofía Vergara as Inez Casper in the Jon Favreau movie Chef).

The story of Chef begins with Carl Casper, originally of Miami, Florida, serving as the head chef of Gauloises in Brentwood, California, regionally near San Francisco, enjoying respect among the kitchen and service crew of the restaurant. Carl, portrayed by Jon Favreau, clashes with the owner of Gauloises, Ravi as portrayed by Dustin Hoffman, over offering a consistent menu rather than the innovative dishes in line with Casper’s professional curiosity.

(From left, John Leguizamo as Martin, Bobby Cannavale as Tony and Jon Favreau as Carl Casper in the Jon Favreau movie Chef).

Influential food critic and blogger Ramsey Michel, as portrayed by Oliver Platt, comes to review Gauloises and the work of Carl Casper. When prevailed upon by Ravi to serve a traditional menu rather than the innovation that is Casper’s specialty, Casper relents. A review that questions the absence of Carl’s innovative chops follows, and an embarrassingly comedic sequence of public sparring follows. A second review develops from this, with Casper leaving the conduct of the kitchen to Martin and sous-chef Tony, as respectively portrayed by John Leguizamo and Bobby Cannavale.

(From left, Oliver Platt (from behind) as Ramsey Michel, Scarlett Johansson as Molly and Dustin Hoffman as Riva in the Jon Favreau movie Chef).

Carl escalates the situation at the second opportunity for review, making him unemployable. Carl accepts the invitation, Inez, to visit Miami with her and their son, Percy. Sofía Vergara and Emjay Anthony portrayed Inez and Percy, respectively. Marvin, an ex-husband of Inez, offers a truly dreadful solution to Carl’s passion for making Cuban food that informs much of the remaining movie. Robert Downey Jr. portrayed Marvin.

(From left, Oliver Platt as Ramsey Michel, Amy Sedaris as Jen and Robert Downey Jr. as Marvin in the Jon Favreau movie Chef).

The story takes to the road from Miami with stops in New Orleans, Louisiana and Austin, Texas before eventually landing in Los Angeles, California. Martin casts his lot in a way that was unexpected while Percy offers his own brand of support in learning his father’s trade while offering support that really makes the grade. An uplifting message of family bondage and professional rehabilitation follows, with strong notes of learning to accept help and reconcile existing underneath.

(From left, John Leguizamo as Martin, Emjay Anthony as Percy Casper and Jon Favreau as Carl Casper in the Jon Favreau movie Chef).

The movie Chef offers comedy and drama infused with a sense of adventure and bonding for people at first wrapped up in their emotions. A redemption story follows that redeems the central characters and leads to ultimate success. I offer Chef and written, directed and produced by Jon Favreau 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, February 4, 2023

Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas and Daryl Hannah in the Oliver Stone movie ‘Wall Street’

Many have likely heard the famous line delivered by Michael Douglas in the Oliver Stone directed movie Wall Street (1987). The notion of corporate excess that in some ways defined the political conversations of the 1980s expressed itself as Douglas in his role as Gordon Gecko pronounced in a monologue that “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” The boldness of that full speech, and the conflict within this movie, motivates much of the stakes explored in this movie.

(From left, Charlie Sheen as Bud Fox, Millie Perkins as Mrs. Fox (back seat) and Martin Sheen as Carl Fox in the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

The movie Wall Street, as written by Oliver Stone and Stanley Weiser, includes at its core the notion for buying and selling stock on Wall Street in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. A central question involves how well this can play with creating and managing profitable industry with employment wither with or against the financial and political systems that give people a sense that both can work in combination. The Fox family reflects this question, exemplified through Bud Fox and his parents, Carl Fox and Mrs. Fox. Millie Perkins, Martin Sheen and Charlie Sheen portray Mrs. Fox, Carl Fox and Bud Fox, respectively.

(Daryl Hannah as Darien Taylor and Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

Bud Fox works as a junior stockbroker at Jackson Steinem & Co. in New York City, having the typical difficulty of many folks when making cold calls of making the volume of success that he is after. Bud’s stockbroker friend, Marvin, sees similar ups and downs filling a similar role with the same company in the workstation next to Bud. Marvin is portrayed by John C. McGinley. Bud’s story takes a bold turn when after roughly two-months of trying to land a meeting with legendary stock trader Gordon Gecko, Fox lands a face-to-face with Gecko by bringing Gecko a present of illegal Cuban cigars on Gecko’s birthday.

(John C. McGinley as Marvin and Saul Rubinek as Harold Salt in the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

The fact that Bud Fox made his way into Gecko was a first step into establishing a positive impression. The legitimate analysis that Bud brought wasn’t enough to hold Gecko’s attention, though a decision made on the spot with knowledge about Bluestar Airlines makes the mark. It’s this that convinces Gecko to offer Bud Fox his, Gecko’s, distinct training, clout and industry connections to make an early career really grow.

(Terence Stamp as Sir Larry Wildman in the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

The storyline grows from this premise, with the hustle of youth on the side of Bud Fox. The knowledge Gordon Gecko teaches Bud Fox runs afoul of some of the ethical standards that Carl Gox, Bud Fox’s father, lives by. The first step of building this trust included taking honest, legitimately researched investments suggested by senior stockbroker Lou Mannheim. Hal Holbrook portrayed Mannheim. These investments lose money.

(From left, Hal Holbrook as Lou Mannheim and Charlie Sheen as Bud Fox in the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

Gecko gives Bud Fox a second chance, which involves following British investor Sir Larry Wildman. Terence Stamp portrayed Wildman, who Fox is able to offer is about to make a bid on Anacott Steel. This results in a wildly lucrative yet shady deal to the detriment of both the company and Wildman. Gecko rewards Bud Fox with the willingly offered intimacy services of interior decorator Darien Taylor. Daryl Hannah portrayed Darien Taylor.

(Director and co-writer of Wall Street, Oliver Stone, on the set of the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

This basic action comes with much of what proves useful to Gecko. The education and connections play themselves out, including through the family monologue offered by Gordon Gecko on the merits of greed. How long can this continue to function in this manner for Bud Fox, in an ethical and legal set of boundaries opposite those of his father. The compelling pieces for the larger message of the movie Wall Street rest in these conflicts, in addition to how the movie sets out to answer them.

(From left, actor Charlie Sheen, actress Daryl Hannah, actor Martin Sheen and actor Michael Douglas in a publicity shot for the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

The movie Wall Street represents subject matter that was new in the specific subject matter, inasmuch tackling stocks, economic questions, and a divide between working class and the financial class of the era. That the movie thematically tackled the feeling of class difference, exploitation, ethics and legality were not new fare for Oliver Stone. Overall, I found a compelling movie. I grant the movie Wall Street as directed by Oliver Stone 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, July 30, 2022

Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin and John Vernon in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Topaz’

Inspired by the 1967 Cold War novel Topaz by Leon Uris, the Alfred Hitchcock movie Topaz (1969) looks into the world of espionage and foreign intelligence with a thriller of a decent if something less than excellent quality. The film works against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 with intrigue of countries the like of Cuba, the United States of America, the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) and France all with a hand in the outcome.

(From left, Per-Axel Arosenius as Boris Kusenov and John Forsythe as Michael Nordstrom with a portrait of United States president John F. Kennedy in between. The image is from the Alfred Hitchcock movie Topaz).

As a film, Topaz begins with the defection of high-ranking Soviet Union intelligence agent Boris Kusenov defecting to the West. With the defection occurring in Copenhagen, Denmark, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent Mike Nordstrom learns that nuclear warheads are due to be placed in Cuba. Kusenov and Nordstrom are portrayed by Per-Axel Arosenius and John Forsythe, respectively.

(From left, Roscoe Lee Browne as Philippe Dubois and Donald Randolph as Luis Uribe in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Topaz).

Looking for physical evidence to substantiate the information shared by Kusenov, Nordstrom shares knowledge of the defect Soviet agent to French intelligence André Devereaux to assist. Nordstrom asks Devereaux, as portrayed by Frederick Stafford, to bribe Jose Uribe to provide photographs of documents that confirm the missile bases in Cuba. Uribe, portrayed by Donald Randolph, was a member of a United Nations (UN) delegation for Cuba.

(From left, Michel Subor as François Picard, Claude Jade as Michèle Picard and Dany Robin as Nicole Devereaux in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Topaz).

André Devereaux decides to make United Nations contact with Uribe in New York City, New York in the United States. Using the occasion of the honeymoon of his daughter and her new husband, Michèle and François Picard as portrayed by Claude Jade and Michel Subor, Devereaux brings his wife Nicole and connects with Philippe Dubois to contact Uribe. Dany Robin portrayed Nicole Devereaux while Roscoe Lee Browne portrayed French-Martinican agent Philippe Dubois.

(From left, Karin Dor as Juanita de Cordoba, John Vernon as Rico Parra and Frederick Stafford as André Devereaux in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Topaz).

Uribe, traveling as secretary to Cuban official Rico Parra while in New York, stayed at a hotel in Harlem as chosen by Parra. Dubois uses this fact to make contact with Uribe, conveys the necessary photographic evidence to André Devereaux while revealing Uribe to Parra and members of the Cuban delegation. The delegation gains an awareness of Devereaux in the process. John Vernon portrayed Rico Parra in Topaz.

(From left, Michel Piccoli as Jacques Granville, Claude Jade as Michèle Picard, Frederick Stafford as André Devereaux and Dany Robin as Nicole Devereaux in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Topaz).

Devereaux, despite his wife’s accusations of infidelity, flies to Cuba wherein he meets with his mistress, Juanita de Cordoba. Parra also is romantically involved with de Cordoba, a resister to the communist rule in Cuba. Devereaux asks Juanita de Cordoba, as portrayed by Karin Dor, to get pictures of the missiles in Cuba. Members of de Cordoba’s staff get the photos out of country with Devereaux, despite revealing to Parra the true nature of de Cordoba’s loyalty. This burns André Devereaux, yet not all is lost before things come to full resolution for personnel in French intelligence.

(From left, director Alfred Hitchcock and actress Claude Jade onsite of the Alfred Hitchcock movie Topaz).

While not the traditional fare offered by director Alfred Hitchcock, Topaz does enter into similar territory to the film Torn Curtain (1966). My sense is that Hitchcock brings out the interpersonal relationship between at least a pair of love interests in Topaz to a stronger degree than he did with Torn Curtain; in the case of Topaz, I reference the love interest of Juanita de Cordoba and André Devereaux. The notion of the underlying clandestine intrigue strikes me as more plausible as presented with Topaz, thus offering the film at least a second note of superiority over Torn Curtain for me. As I gave to Torn Curtain, I give Topaz as presented by Alfred Hitchcock 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, February 5, 2022

Al Pacino, Steven Bauer and Michelle Pfeiffer in the film ‘Scarface’

In a recent dinner gathering with a few close friends, Airport Friend made a reference to the 1983 Brian De Palma directed written by Oliver Stone. The film features a pair of Cuban refugees with a criminal past, played by Al Pacino and Steven Bauer, with a criminal past that make their way to assembling a cocaine empire in Miami, Florida. Scarface (1983) in the movie that we portrays the exodus and excess that questions loyalty, trust and the meaning of family.

(From left, Michelle Pfeiffer as Elvira and Al Pacino in the title role as Tony Montana in the movie Scarface).

Al Pacino plays Tony Montana, or the title character of Scarface. Montana earns the nickname Scarface owing to an injury that occurred before the events of the movie begin. The film Scarface itself begins Montana and fellow Cuban expatriate Manny Ribera, portrayed by Steven Bauer, being included with a group of families and prison rejects being permitted the opportunity to emigrate to the United States. A disreputable agreement occurs with Miami drug lord Frank Lopez, as played by Robert Loggia, gains Ribera, Montana, and other criminals green cards to enter the country in southern Florida.

(Steven Bauer as Cuban expatriate Manny Ribera in the movie Scarface).

Ribera and Montana become a cook and dishwasher at an eatery until an arrangement to purchase cocaine is arranged. After the deal goes really wrong in a tragic way for the expatriates, Ribera, Montana, and a couple of friends engineer a recovery that puts the Cubans into exceptionally good graces with Lopez. It is during the beginning business with Lopez that Montana takes notice of the trophy wife of Lopez, namely Elvira. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Elvira.

(From left, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Tony Montana’s younger sister, Gina, and Richard Delmonte as Fernando in the movie Scarface).

As the story of empire growing for Tony Montana and Manny Ribera grow, the introduction to Tony Montana’s mother and sister occurs. It is in this period that we meet Gina, the younger sister of Tony Montana as portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. We also learn something of the relationship between Montana and Ribera in how Ribera helps address an uncomfortable situation between Gina and Fernando. Fernando is portrayed by Richard Delmonte.

(From left, Steven Bauer, Al Pacino and Scarface director Brian De Palma on the set of the film Scarface).

Meanwhile, Lopez sends Montana and Ribera to Cochabamba, Bolivia, which serves to reveal much about loyalty, revenge for perceived disloyalty, and establishes the path towards a couple of significant events that will help resolve the full impact that the movie Scarface ultimately has. The events in Columbia, looking back at the past as well as establishing of a connection between Tony Montana and cocaine kingpin Alejandro Sosa, are decidedly relevant. Paul Shenar plays Alejandro Sosa.

(From left, Al Pacino and Scarface screenwriter Oliver Stone on the set of the film Scarface).

Much of the dynamics throughout Scarface are best experienced firsthand and through the watching of the film. Portrayals of drug use, violence, ethnic and gender stereotypes, and sexual orientation were in ways more cavalier and less inclusive than are similar norms today. These were deliberate elements of Scarface, and in important ways decisive in the way the story of Scarface occurred. Acknowledging these things, my rating for Scarface is 4.00-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, October 24, 2020

Erik Larson and the book ‘Isaac’s Storm’

It was September, 1900 when the prevailing assumptions about meteorological knowledge for the paths of storms were simultaneously less understood than today while also thought to be well understood and predictable. Many factors went into the Galveston hurricane of 1900 being one of, if not the deadliest storms in United States history. Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson, Larson’s first book of narrative nonfiction, looks into that time and the current understanding of those factors.

(Erik Larson wrote Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. Larson tells the story of Galveston, Texas and the hurricane that occurred there in September of 1900).

The experience of the place and time leading to the establishment of credibility for the National Weather Service (NWS) (then called the U.S. Weather Bureau) leading up to the beginning of the 20th century. The existence of a reliable means of predicting weather, let alone understanding the forces underpinning the conditions and potential paths of hurricanes, were poorly understood. Unreliable methods were homegrown before the government weather bureau. Adolphus Greely led the U.S. Army‘s Signal Corps, growing the weather reporting capability. Meteorologist Issac Cline grew scientific experience and came to understand leadership through Greely until the birth of the U.S. Weather Bureau and the forthcoming leadership of Chief Willis Moore.

(From left, meteorologist Isaac Cline and U.S. Weather Bureau Chief Willis Moore).

Moore and Cline saw the conduct of the Weather Bureau differently, which is described fairly well in Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. Evidence of political shenanigans were there, with the resolution an afterthought to the growing economy of Galveston, clear tales of distrust from the U.S. Weather Bureau around forecasting from skilled Cuban meteorologists, and the sales pitch for economic and commercial influence for Galveston over Houston all contributing to the inability of Cline, Moore and the U.S. Weather Bureau to take hurricane predicting before the hurricane in Galveston seriously enough.

(A house tipped on its side, with several boys standing in front, after the 1900 hurricane that struck Galveston in Texas. The original image is the property of the Library of Congress).

Isaac Cline was the chief meteorologist of Galveston, Texas for more than a year before the hurricane struck there in September 1900. Cline‘s meteorologist brother Joseph Cline counseled his brother to order an evacuation before the hurricane hit, yet the chief meteorologist was slow to act. The two would become estranged, never reconciling despite the pair dying within weeks more than half a century later. The trauma of the heavy winds, the storm surge, the mass destruction and loss of life in a narrative nonfictional telling of the near real time experience for many of the devastation that following proved moving, frightening, and much worse.

(St. Mary’s Orphanage after the hurricane that struck Galveston in Texas of 1900. “Ten nuns and at least 90 children were tragically killed despite the nuns’ valiant efforts to save the children by securing them to their own bodies with clothesline.”).

The hurricane that landed in mainland Texas ended what was considered the Golden Era of Galveston, now something more akin to nostalgia. The hurricane, the death of between 6,000 and 10,000 people in Galveston, the intense rebuilding to come, and Houston’s Spindletop oil discovery in 1901 convinced investors to look there for investment rather than Galveston. A seawall and raising of the city greatly reduced the human impact of another hurricane in Galveston in 1915. Hurricane Carla in 1961 led to more than a $100 million in damage in Galveston. While coming after this the publishing of Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History, Hurricane Ike in 2008 came with a greater than $2 billion price tag. Specifically in response to Isaac’s Hurricane of 2001, a commission form of city government originated in Galveston as a means, Larson argued, of combating corruption in the Tammany Hall style of “boss-ist” blend of charity and patronage.

(The 1900 Storm Memorial remembers the hurricane in Galveston, Texas at the Galveston Seawall. The need for this seawall became clear following the human and property cost from the hurricane that struck Galveston on September 8, 1900).

Other relevant, emotionally impactful stories emerged in Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. An additional and poignant personal cost was visited upon Isaac Cline because of the Galveston hurricane of 1900. Cline would go on to have a respectable meteorological career, including a promotion, after missing badly on the call to not evacuate the city. The further careers of U.S. Weather Bureau Chief Willis Moore and meteorologist Joseph Cline are revealed. Whether the full events reveal justice is a question Erik Larson lets readers determine for themselves, with the benefit of feeling and context, which is part of what works in the format of the book itself. I rate Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson at 4.25-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson and the film ‘A Few Good Men’

We go back to the military courtroom drama for today’s review of the film A Few Good Men (1992). Rob Reiner directed the screenplay  written by Aaron Sorkin. The tale of a Navy lawyer who has never seen the inside of the courtroom defending two reticent Marines accused of murdering a colleague, an ensemble cast to rival ensemble casts offers a compelling experience worthy of the four Academy Award nominations the film received.

(Wolfgang Bodison as Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson, left, and James Marshall as Pfc. Louden Downey in the film A Few Good Men).

Marines Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson (portrayed by Wolfgang Bodsion) and Pfc. Loudon Downey (portrayed by James Marshall) face a general Court-martial for allegedly murdering fellow marine Pfc. William Santiago in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. As the military superficially looks for a quick resolution to this matter, Lt. Daniel Kaffee (portrayed by Tom Cruise) is assigned the case owing to his propensity for arranging plea bargains for every case he handles.

(From left to right are Tom Cruise as Lt. Daniel Kaffee, Demi Moore as Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway, and Kevin Pollak as Lt. Sam Weinberg in the film A Few Good Men).

Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (portrayed by Demi Moore) catches the case originally, with the military looking to assign the case to Kaffee. Lt. Sam Weinberg (as portrayed by Kevin Pollak) also is assigned to offer whatever logistical support will be necessary, which initially seems like little to nothing. As Dawson and Downey seek a vigorous defense, the matter will proceed to the full general Court-martial some had hoped to avoid.

(Kevin Bacon as Capt. Jack Ross in the film A Few Good Men).

Opposing council for the proceedings is led by Capt. Jack Ross (portrayed by Kevin Bacon). Ross plays an ultimately straight-laced character who offers sometimes candid advice to his opposing council regarding the severity of the judicial process to Lt. Daniel Kaffee. The larger question of guilt or innocence underpinning much of the drama within this is whether the action undertaken by Downey and Dawson occurred at the behest of Guantánamo Bay marine commander Col. Nathan R. Jessep (portrayed by Jack Nicholson).

(Jack Nicholson as Col. Nathan R. Jessep in the film A Few Good Men).

Col. Nathan R. Jessep is shown through multiple scenes in A Few Good Men to possess a coldly calculating, fierce, and domineering personality that if felt, minimally, to the people under his command. At the heart of the drama is learning the methods and ends of Jessep’s leadership style, as well as whether Kaffee, Galloway, and Weinberg have the wherewithal to go the distance against Jessep through the Court-martial to produce a just outcome for Downey and Dawson.

( J.T. Walsh as Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson, top left, Kiefer Sutherland as 2nd. Lt. Jonathan Kendrick, top right Noah Wyle as Cpl. Jeffrey Barnes, bottom left, and Cuba Gooding Jr. as Cpl. Carl Hammaker, bottom right, in the film A Few Good Men).

Playing more significant supporting roles in moving the story of A Few Good Men to that end are Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson (as portrayed by J.T. Walsh) and 2nd. Lt. Jonathan Kendrick (as portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland). Less significant supporting roles were included Cpl. Jeffrey Barnes (as portrayed by Noah Wyle), and Cpl. Carl Hammaker (as portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr.).

(Screenplay writer Aaron Sorkin, left, and director Rob Reiner from the film A Few Good Men).

The dramatic presentation and emotional depth of the film A Few Good Men made for a compelling experience. Is there justice for all within this film? Do each of the individual characters deserve the fate they received? Could the stakes raised in the film have happened in real life? For that last question, the answer is the real life case the film seems to be based on was more violent. All told, the experience to be had is worth the time and emotional investment. For that, A Few Good Men earns 4.0-stars on a scale of one-to-five stars.

Matt – Saturday, July 20, 2019