Will Smith, Alice Braga and Charlie Tahan in the Francis Lawrence movie ‘I Am Legend’

Loosely based on the 1954 Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend, the science fiction horror movie I Am Legend (2007) as directed by Francis Lawrence captures our look today. Writing credits for the 2007 movie rest with Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman. The movie, set in New York City, New York, sees a measles-based virus built to cure cancer go post-apocalyptically wrong. A single man finds himself isolated in Manhattan to develop a cure while fighting virus-infected mutants bent on infecting anyone still healthy.

(From left, Will Smith as Robert Neville, Willow Smith as Marley Neville and Salli Richardson-Whitfield as Zoe Neville in the Francis Lawrence movie I Am Legend).

Set in 2012, three-years after an intended cancer cure has turned lethal, Will Smith portrayed United States Army virologist Robert Neville in I Am Legend. Neville follows a daily routine of seeking food and supplies, experimenting on rats to counteract the lethal disease, and waiting for infected survivors at the South Street Seaport, where a recurring recorded message directs people. We learn of a sad backstory for Neville’s wife and daughter, Zoe and Marley as portrayed by Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Willow Smith, through flashbacks of the evacuation of Manhattan before the current day of the film. That backstory adds depth to Neville’s attempts in the current day, along with his dog Samantha (Sam) as portrayed by Abbey and Kona, to cope with loneliness.

(From left, Will Smith as Robert Neville and Abbey as Samantha (Sam) in the Francis Lawrence movie I Am Legend).

The substance of the action for the movie begins when Robert and Sam pursue a deer into a darkened building, encountering infected people harmed by daylight called Darkseekers. Using a snare trap, Neville captures an infected female bonded to an infected male to take to Neville’s Washington Square Park home for experimentation, seemingly without success.

(From top, Will Smith as Robert Neville and Kona as Samantha (Sam) in the Francis Lawrence movie I Am Legend).

The next day, Robert is snared outside Grand Central Station and, waking near sunset to have an excruciating turn occur when he and Sam defend themselves against a pack of dogs. Neville acts out in grief, with Anna and a young boy named Ethan from Maryland, having come to South Street Seaport owing to Robert’s broadcast. The veracity of Anna and Ethan’s stories of travel through Maryland, Bethel, Vermont, and São Paulo, Brazil worries Robert Neville. At least two separate movie endings exist, with the alternate ending rather than the ending shown in movie theatres reportedly considered canonical for the sake of a movie slated to serve as a sequel to I Am Legend reportedly in production. Alice Braga and Charlie Tahan portrayed Anna and Ethan, respectively.

(From left, Alice Braga as Anna, Charlie Tahan as Ethan and Will Smith as Robert Neville in the Francis Lawrence move I Am Legend).

Other movies made based on the 1954 book I Am Legend have included The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971). I grant I Am Legend as directed by Francis Lawrence 3.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, May 11, 2024

Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll and Lucie Mannheim in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘The 39 Steps’

The mystery, thriller movie The 39 Steps (1935) is an Alfred Hitchcock film loosely based on the 1915 novel The Thiry-Nine Steps by John Buchan. Charles Bennett and Ian Hay garner screenwriting credit for this movie taking place in England and largely in Scotland.

(From left, Robert Donat as Richard Hannay and Lucie Mannheim as Annabella Smith in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The 39 Steps).

This story of The 39 Steps is one of the wrong man, Canadian Richard Hannay as portrayed by Robert Donat, suspected of murder getting mixed up with an attractive blonde, Pamela as portrayed by Madeleine Carroll, while hoping to clear his name. The death in play is that of one Annabella Smith, as portrayed by Lucie Mannheim, who turns to Hannay for help before coming to her end after implicating him; Smith introduces to Hannay the notion of an abstract and unexplained phrase The 39 Steps.

(From left, Madeleine Carroll as Pamela and Robert Donat as Richard Hannay in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The 39 Steps).

The opening confusion with Annabella Smith begins in London at a music hall event featuring Mr. Memory; Wylie Watson portrayed Mr. Memory. It’s while Smith fleeing to Hannay’s bedroom and getting murdered that Hannay retrieves a map of the Scottish Highlands held by Smith; that map leads Hannay to a building labeled Alt-na-Shellach in the village of Killin, Scotland. Hannay first meets Pamela aboard the Flying Scotsman, learning at Waverly Station in Edinburgh, Scotland of his being suspected of murdering Smith. Hannay escapes police custody at the Forth Bridge when Pamela aims to support his capture.

(From left, Robert Donat as Richard Hannay, Peggy Ashcroft as Margaret and John Laurie as John in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The 39 Steps).

The police ultimately follow Hannay to the the croft of John and Margaret, where the couple has granted Hannay an evening of respite. Margaret, as portrayed by Peggy Ashcroft, gives Richard the coat of her husband John, as portrayed by John Laurie, to assist Hannay in making an escape. The notion of an extended police chase in cinema gains an expression multiple ways through The 39 Steps, leading for now to Alt-na-Shellach.

(Godfrey Tearle as Professor Jordan in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The 39 Steps).

It is at the home there that Hannay encounters Professor Johnson and his wife; Professor Johnson and Mrs. Louisa Johnson were portrayed by Godfrey Tearle and Helen Haye, respectively. A bullet meant for Hannay at the home of the Johnson’s misses its mark when a hymnal in the coat jacket of John, as presented to him by Margaret, saves Robert Hannay’s life. Pamela, intending to reveal Robert Hannay to police again, leads the pair on a trip with police impersonators aiming to take the pair to Inverary, Scotland.

(Wiley Watson as Mr. Memory in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The 39 Steps).

Cleverness by Hannay helps Robert and Pamela, handcuffed together, escape their captors once again. The pair make their way to the London Palladium, where the movie comes to a satisfying conclusion. The film’s ongoing chase sequences resolve provided an interesting mix of humor and directorial winking. Owing to the overall enjoyment that was experienced, I grant The 39 Steps as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, May 4, 2024

Brad Davis, Irene Miracle and Bo Hopkins in the Alan Parker movie ‘Midnight Express’

The brutal telling of life in prison far from home, the Alan Parker directed movie Midnight Express (1978) captures our attention today. Based on the 1977 book Midnight Express as written by Billy Hayes with William Hoffer, the screenplay was adapted for the movies by Oliver Stone. This movie review looks at a biopic of part of the life of Billy Hayes, with Hayes portrayed by Brad Davis.

(Brad Davis as Billy Hayes in the Alan Hopkins movie Midnight Express).

The Billy Hayes story, as presented in Midnight Express, offers the story’s protagonist attempting to board an airplane at the Istanbul, Turkey airport with his girlfriend Susan at his side and several pounds of hashish strapped to his chest. After a strip search and the supposed support of a translator nicknamed ‘Tex’ by Hayes, Billy identifies the taxi driver he bought the drugs from and is subsequently arrested by Tex at gunpoint after trying to escape. Irene Miracle and Bo Hopkins portrayed Susan and Tex, respectively.

(Bo Hopkins as ‘Tex’ in the Alan Hopkins movie Midnight Express).

The portrayal of life in a series of Turkish prisons proves brutal, cruel and difficult. Hayes suffers a severe beating by chief guard Hamidou following the ‘crime’ of stealing a blanket to keep warm in a cold prison, for example. Paul L. Smith portrayed Hamidou.

(From left, Irene Miracle as Susan and Brad Davis as Billy Hayes in the Alan Hopkins movie Midnight Express).

Hayes learns that foreign prisoners like himself tend to have a hard time in prison after finding himself transferred to a separate prison. Hayes gains some measure of friendship and advice from Jimmy Booth, Max and Erich, as portrayed by Randy Quaid, John Hurt and Norbert Weisser, while in this new prison.

(From left, Randy Quaid as Jimmy Booth, John Hurt as Max and Brad Davis as Billy Hayes in the Alan Hopkins movie Midnight Express).

A series of escalating cruelty follows for Booth, Max and Hayes that eventually brings the prisoner Rifki into the picture. Rifki, as portrayed by Paolo Bonacelli, spies on fellow prisoners for favors from the prison staff that bodes poorly for the Hayes and his friends. Billy Hayes begins losing connection with his sense of well-being when Chief Guard Hamidou reemerges to grant Billy Hayes his prisonbreak opportunity.

(Paolo Bonacelli as Rifki in the Alan Hopkins movie Midnight Express).

The effort, and dare I say audience manipulation, draws the character of Billy Hayes sympathetically, despite fighting off a man’s rape attempt with lethal force. Movies of the style and substance of Midnight Express are not likely to be filmed nowadays, at least as I see industry trends. I grant Midnight Express as directed by Alan Parker 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder and Dianne Wiest in the Tim Burton movie ‘Edward Scissorhands’

At its core, the Tim Burton directed and co-written movie Edward Scissorhands (1990) is a romantic love story. So much more comes into play in moving this film into the fantastic and the dramatic that the story of love can be lost, however, my perspective is that we should not lose hold of the movie’s core. That we deal in an incompletely built artificially intelligent man amongst a quirky landscape of people behaving badly gives this film charm.

(From left, Dianne Wiest as Peg Boggs and Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands in the Tim Burton movie Edward Scissorhands).

The movie Edward Scissorhands opens with an elderly grandmother telling her granddaughter the tale of a man, Edward as portrayed by Johnny Depp, with the blades of scissors for hands. The film then settles back into the current day with Peg Boggs as portrayed by Dianne Wiest discovering the young man in a crumbling Gothic mansion while selling Avon cosmetics door-to-door.

(From left, Winona Ryder as Kim Boggs, Robert Oliveri as Kevin Boggs, Dianne Wiest as Peg Boggs and Alan Arkin as Bill Boggs in the Tim Burton movie Edward Scissorhands).

Edward is an artificially created man built by an inventor, portrayed by Vincent Price, who had died before giving his creation, the artificially intelligent Edward, hands. Pegs brings the harmless being home to meet her family, including Pegs husband Bill, teenage daughter Kim and young son Kevin as portrayed, respectively, by Alan Arkin, Winona Ryder and Robert Oliveri. Edward comes to love Kim romantically quickly after meeting her.

(From left, Anthony Michael Hall as Jim and Winona Ryder as Kim Boggs in the Tim Burton movie Edward Scissorhands).

The Boggs family hosts a barbecue to introduce Edward to the neighborhood. While Edward is generally befriended by the neighborhood, religious fanatic Esmeralda and Kim’s boyfriend Jim, as portrayed by O-Lan Jones and Anthony Michael Hall prove themselves two notable exceptions. Finding himself unique among his neighbors, Scissorhands sets upon an increasingly ingratiating path of using the blades attached to his forearms to perform yardwork, animal grooming and hairstyling for women of the neighborhood.

(O-Lan Jones as Esmeralda in the Tim Burton movie Edward Scissorhands).

Joyce Monroe, as portrayed by Kathy Baker, toes the line between friend and enemy when at first she attempts to help Edward open a hair salon. Efforts included attempts to find a loan, locate a physical place for the establishment, and finally an unsuccessful attempt to seduce Scissorhands in exchange for her generosity. Monroe lies about Edward’s actions in the aftermath of the third point, lessening trust in Scissorhands and enabling drama the both discourages the future potential for the movie’s protagonist while also enabling those who actively dislike Edward to pursue their ends. It is in this space that the movie’s drama and romantic aspirations become fully realized in a particularly sweet manner for the grandmother sharing a story with her granddaughter from earlier in the movie.

(From back, Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands and Kathy Baker as Joyce Monroe in the Tim Burton movie Edward Scissorhands).

Beyond Tim Burton‘s writing contribution, additional screenwriting credit for Edward Scissorhands rests with Caroline Thompson. Having particularly been taken with romantic sensibility and sweetness for how the character of Edward Scissorhands is remembered within the movie, I grant Edward Scissorhands as directed by Tim Burton 4.0-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, April 20, 2024

Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner in the Clint Eastwood movie ‘Space Cowboys’

Movies based in space have a natural appeal to me, with the Clint Eastwood directed Space Cowboys (2000) being an appreciated representative. Adventure, action and thrills intersperse with a story more than forty-years in the making. Lines blurred at the beginnings of the United States space program’s involvement with the U.S. Air Force and NASA, a story that includes Skylab came into the story set more than twenty-years into the past of the current day.

(From left, Courtney B. Vance as Roger Hines, Tommy Lee Jones as Hawk Hawkins, James Garner as Tank Sullivan, Clint Eastwood as Frank Corvin, Donald Sutherland as Jerry O’Neill and Loren Dean as Ethan Glance in the Clint Eastwood movie Space Cowboys).

The decaying orbit of an old Soviet Union satellite using technology technology designed by Frank Corvin as portrayed by Clint Eastwood and Toby Stephens brings the past into the present day. It is Bob Gerson, as portrayed by James Cromwell and Billie Worley, who seemingly central roles in the distant past and the movie’s present helps introduce the necessary links that initiate the story of getting Frank, who had pined for space flight since the 1950s, into space.

(From left, Marcia Gay Harden as Sara Holland and William Devane as Gene Davis in the Clint Eastwood movie Space Cowboys).

Frank had friends from the beginning storyline who shared similar hopes of becoming astronauts. When the possibility to go to space is introduced to Frank, getting seats on a space shuttle for Hawk Hawkins as portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones and Eli Craig, Jerry O’Neil as portrayed by Donald Sutherland and John Asher, and Tank Sullivan as portrayed by James Garner and Matt McColm becomes job number one.

(From left, James Cromwell as Bob Gerson and Rade Serbedzija as General Vostov in the Clint Eastwood movie Space Cowboys).

The internal workings at NASA, along with the opportunity for publicity, mixes Frank, Hawk, Jerry and Tank into a mission to recover the satellite aboard fictional Space Shuttle Daedalus. Bob Gerson aims to spoil this chance at space for the elder statesmen with a younger set of astronauts poised to learn from Frank and his friends. Ethan Glance and Roger Hines, as portrayed by Loren Dean and Courtney B. Vance, respectively, ride to space with the elder statesmen as part of Team Daedalus.

(From left, Clint Eastwood as Frank Corvin and Barbara Babcock as Barbara Corvin in the Clint Eastwood movie Space Cowboys).

Intrigue is found on the mission in space thanks to intrigue tracing back to the KGB. Powerful ramifications are felt for the men in space as well as for people in ground control. Flight director Gene Davis along with Hawk Hawkins love interest Sara Holland, as portrayed, respectively, by William Devane and Marcia Gay Harden, gain their feet in the second half of the movie; the subterfuge of General Vostove, as portrayed by Rade Serbedzija, is paired with a surprise dance partner that knew full well, along with Ethan, the true stakes in play in space. The departing shot of the movie, accompanied by the music of Frank Sinatra, provides a surprisingly uplifting joyous note to the closing of the movie.

Writing credits for Space Cowboys rest with Ken Kaufman and Howard Klausner. I grant Space Cowboys as directed by Clint Eastwood 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, April 10, 2024

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

Steve Carell, Jason Segel and Russell Brand in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie ‘Despicable Me’

Lightening things up today with a look at the animated movie Despicable Me (2010), we bring to you a movie directed by the team of Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The screenplay was written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio based on a story by Sergio Pablos. The Minions franchise, when considered in timeline order rather than release order, can be watched as Minions (2015), Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) as reviewed here, Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 (2013), Despicable Me 3 (2017) and the pending release Despicable Me 4 (2024).

(From back, Steve Carell as Gru, Pierre Coffin as the Minions, Chris Renaud as Dave and Jemaine Clement as Jerry in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie Despicable Me).

The movie introduces supervillain Gru, as voiced by Steve Carell, with a plan to steal the moon. Gru’s elderly assistant, Dr. Nefario as voiced by Russell Brand, and a host of Minions voiced by Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud and Jermaine Clement, are there both to aid the villainous plan and offer cute comedic and interpersonal shenanigans that simultaneously sidetrack and assist the cause.

(Jason Segel as Vector in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie Despicable Me).

Gru’s own personality additionally factors in on a pair of levels. First there is personal jealousy when a rival named Vector, as voiced Jason Segel, steals the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Second, Dr. Nefario points out that the effort to steal the moon is expensive; this leads to a loan from Mr. Perkins, the director of the Bank of Evil as voiced by Will Arnett. Perkins demands that Gru to steal a shrink ray before being granted the loan.

(From left, Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario and and Kristen Wiig as Miss Hattie in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie Despicable Me).

Adding to the plot is the great aid of introducing familial considerations. The charming introduction included a crossover between Vector and three sisters named Margo, Edith and Agnes, the three sisters voiced by Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher, respectively. Gru devises a plan to adopt the girls with the assistance of Miss Hattie, as voiced by Kristen Wiig.

(From left, Elsie Fisher as Agnes, Dana Gaier as Edith, Julie Andrews as Gru’s mother and Miranda Cosgrove as Margo in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie Despicable Me).

The story of Despicable Me engages on many levels, with the support of Gru’s mother as voiced by Julie Andrews, supporting the adoption storyline. Roles for Mindy Kaling and Jack McBrayer also add charm to an otherwise strong action, comedic movie. The movies and shorts that have come to life following the this first release in the series expresses just how solid of a connection this movie has for audiences.

(From left, Will Arnett as Mr. Perkins and Steve Carell as Gru in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie Despicable Me).

If looking for an animated movie that offers things for a wide audience with family-friendly messaging, my rating of 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5 for Despicable Me as directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud says watch the movie.

Matt – Saturday, March 30, 2024

Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Jean Reno in the Ron Howard movie ‘The Da Vinci Code’

Released as a movie in May 2006, the adaptation of the 2003 Dan Brown book The Da Vinci Code became the Ron Howard directed movie The Da Vinci Code (2006). With screenplay writing credit for Akiva Goldsman, the movie focuses on “art history, Christianity’s origins, and arcane theories,” as mentioned here.

(Jean-Pierre Marielle as Jacques Saunière in the Ron Howard movie The Da Vinci Code).

The movie begins with the pursuit if Louvre Museum curator Jacques Saunière, as portrayed by Jean-Pierre Marielle, in the world famous Paris, France art museum by Roman Catholic, albino monk named Silas; Silas was portrayed by Paul Bettany. Saunière, while coming out of the exchange dead, leaves clues amongst the artwork of Leonardo da Vinci, the namesake for the movie, the book, and the clues embedded in the art around the museum that lead the police to summon renowned Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon to the case.

(From left, Paul Bettany as Silas and Alfred Molina as Bishop Aringarosa in the Ron Howard movie The Da Vinci Code).

Robert Langdon, as portrayed by Tom Hanks, initially is suspected of the murder of Jacques Saunière, by police captain Bezu Fache, as portrayed by Jean Reno. Police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, as portrayed by Audrey Tautou, disagrees that that Langdon should be suspected of her grandfather’s, that is Saunière’s, murder; Neveu and Langdon shake Fache’s pursuit and deduce that Saunière was a grand master of the French founded Priory of Sion.

(From left, Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu and Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon near the Louvre Museum in the Ron Howard movie The Da Vinci Code).

Silas, meanwhile, works for an anonymous to him person he calls The Teacher, which has links to the Bishop Aringarosa led Opus Dei. Aringarosa, as portrayed by Alfred Molina. Circumstances send Langdon and Neveu to Sir Leigh Teabing, as portrayed by Ian McKellan.

(Jean Reno as Police Captain Bezu Fache in the Ron Howard movie The Da Vinci Code).

It was Teabing, a purported expert on the Holy Grail, who introduces a theory contrary to accepted religious canon about a relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus, which motivated much of the subtextual mystery functioning in the movie. Charlotte Graham portrayed Mary Magdalene in The Da Vinci Code.

(Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing in the Ron Howard movie The Da Vinci Code).

The thriller aspects of the movie, along with the intrigue underpinning the mysteries animating the story for the movie, largely worked. That the resolution went in the direction it did was a bit provocative for my taste, though that does not mean the fiction did not work. I give The Da Vinci Code as directed by Ron Howard 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, March 23, 2024

Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel and Barbara Hershey in the Martin Scorsese movie ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’

We travel back five decades for a decidedly personal, humanist, even brave to explore the challenges of the spiritual and physical endured by Jesus of Nazareth in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie was inspired by the 1952 book The Last Temptation of Christ by Níkos Kazantzákis. Screenplay writing credits rest with Paul Schrader, with uncredited rewrite credits resting with Scorsese and Jay Cocks.

(From left, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, Victor Argo as Peter the Apostle and Verna Bloom as Mary (Mother of Jesus Christ) in the Martin Scorsese movie The Last Temptation of Christ).

The movie itself opens with an account of Jesus that deviates dramatically from the tales shared of the holy man and the events surrounding his life as shared in the New Testament of the Bible. We first encounter Jesus, as portrayed by Willem Dafoe, in Judea. The carpenter’s son is confronted by Judas Iscariot, as portrayed by Harvey Keitel, with a mandate to murder his friend for collaborating with the Romans to crucify Jewish rebels. Judging the messianic path in front of Jesus, Judas declines the mandate and spares his friend, warning him away from harming the rebellion.

(From left, Randy Danson as Mary, sister of Lazarus, and Peggy Gormley as Martha, sister of Lazarus in the Martin Scorsese movie The Last Temptation of Christ).

After being baptized by John the Baptist, as portrayed by Andre Gregory, and saving the prostitute Mary Magdalene, as portrayed by Barbara Hershey from a stoning, Jesus begins preaching in accordance with the visions he receives from God. A cursory telling of Jesus‘ preaching yields to a dramatized period of deprivation with temptation by Satan, portrayed in vocal form by Leo Marks. Having passed these tests, Jesus emerges from the desert and his nursed back to health by the sisters of Lazarus, namely Mary as portrayed by Randy Danson and Martha as portrayed by Peggy Gormley. Besides raising his health, the sisters encourage Jesus to follow the dictates of his flesh by settling down, getting married and having kids.

(Tomas Arana as Lazarus in the Martin Scorsese movie The Last Temptation of Christ).

Lazarus, dramatized in being saved from death by Jesus, was portrayed by Tomas Arana. It is with his ministry reaching Jerusalem that the Cleansing of the Temple of Jerusalem followed by the betrayal of Jesus at Gethsemane is dramatized following a dramatized negotiation for such between Judas and Jesus. It is in the court of Pontius Pilate, as portrayed by David Bowie, that Jesus‘ remaining passion is decided, with the aforementioned arrest, visit to Pilate and subsequent whipping, humiliating walk through the streets and crucifixion.

(From left, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate and Willem Dafoe as Jesus in the Martin Scorsese movie The Last Temptation of Christ).

The steps in punishment meted out by the hand of Pontius Pilate are shown, with the story of the moment just before death introducing a new storyline at the moment just before death. A Girl Angel, as portrayed by Juliette Caton, representing herself as a Guardian Angel for Jesus indicates to the savior that he’s suffered enough. Oblivious to the crowd gathered at the crucifixion site, Jesus is taken away to marry Mary Magdalene as God has found pleasure with Jesus and wants him, Jesus, to be happy. This lasts until Magdalene abruptly dies, Jesus living with Lazarus‘ sisters into old age with children, and Paul as portrayed by Henry Dean Stanton proclaiming the resurrection. With the Siege of Jerusalem burning Jerusalem revealed to Jesus among other things, the story has Jesus realize this temptation was indeed a ruse by Satan. Crawling back to the crucifixion and begging to die per the original vision, the temptation of family, marriage and a burning city is rebuffed with Jesus‘ death.

(From left, Juliette Caton as Girl Angel and Willem Dafoe as Jesus in the Martin Scorsese movie The Last Temptation of Christ).

The tug between the spiritual and the physical feels like the full value proposition that the film’s director, and the writers for the source book and the movie, had in mind. To say that exploring this point through the telling of this controversial temptation, as mentioned in the introduction to this summarization and review, was brave is perhaps the best light that I have to place on the emotions I experienced with my screening of the movie. While I understand the choices made in conveying the pull between the wants for spirituality and physicality, that exploration didn’t need to use the leader of what has been passed to us as Christianity to do so. I give The Last Temptation of Christ as directed by Martin Scorsese 3.5-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, March 16, 2024

Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett and Delroy Lindo in the Spike Lee movie ‘Malcolm X’

Directed by Spike Lee with the screenplay written by Lee and Arnold Perl based on the book The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley as written by Alex Haley, the movie Malcolm X (1992) is our subject today. An epic biographical drama of the life of Malcolm X, the movie Malcolm X became a part of the National Film Registry of the United States Library of Congress in 2010.

(From left, Spike Lee as Shorty, Denzel Washington as Malcolm X and Kate Vernon as Sophia in the Spike Lee movie Malcolm X).

The 1992 film Malcolm X begins illustrating the life of the civil rights activist of the same name in rural Michigan with the burning down of the family house. X‘s parents, Earl Little and Louise Little as portrayed by Tommy Hollis and Lonette McKee, are respectively killed in a death called suicide while being committed into a mental institution. Malcolm and his siblings are placed into protective care, with the ambitions of X as a grown man dashed based on the color of his skin.

(From left, Delroy Lindo as West Indian Archie and Denzel Washington as Malcolm X in the Spike Lee movie Malcolm X).

From Boston, Massachusetts as a teenager, X has sex with Sophia as portrayed by Kate Vernon. The pair travels to Harlem, New York City, New York where West Indian Archie, as portrayed by Delroy Lindo, convinces Malcolm X to join the gangster’s criminal enterprise. As a disagreement ensues over money at the hands of West Indian Archie, Malcolm, Sophia, Shorty (as portrayed by Spike Lee), and Peg (as portrayed by Debi Mazar) take to robbery in Boston to earn money. This path leads to incarceration for four members of the group.

(From left, Ernest Thomas as Sidney, Denzel Washington as Malcolm X, Angela Bassett as Betty Shabazz and James McDaniel as Brother Earl in the Spike Lee movie Malcolm X).

Malcolm X is directed through mentorship by Baines, as portrayed by Albert Hall, to take up the teachings of Elijah Muhammad as portrayed by Al Freeman Jr. and learn the ways of Islam while also learning to resent the whites for their poor treatment of blacks. After being paroled in 1952, X meets Muhammad at the Nation of Islam (NOI) headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Six years later, marries Betty Shabazz as portrayed by Angela Bassett, with the pair parenting multiple children. X rises as a prominent speaker in the Nation of Islam, facing the reality that Muhammad had fathered many children out of wedlock and against the teachings of the faith.

(Al Freeman Jr. as Elijah Muhammad in the Spike Lee movie Malcolm X).

X rails against white violence in blaming the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy shortly after Kennedy‘s murder in November 1963. Muhammad suspends X from speaking on behalf of the Nation of Islam, whereupon Malcolm X takes a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, finding a desire to found the Organization of Afro-American Unity to spread tolerance rather than racial separation after making a formal break with the Nation of Islam. Shortly after his house was firebombed, Malcolm X would be shot in the Audubon Ballroom by Nation of Islam followers including Talmadge X Hayer as portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito.

(Giancarlo Esposito as Talmadge X Hayer in the Spike Lee movie Malcolm X).

The film closes with tributes to Malcolm X the man by Martin Luther King Jr., Ossie Davis and Nelson Mandela.  As quoted here, the Spike Lee “biopic of legendary civil rights leader Malcolm X brings his autobiography to life with an epic sweep and a nuanced message.” I grant the movie Malcolm X by director/screenwriter Spike Lee 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, February 28, 2024