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

Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter and Trey Wilson in the Coen Brothers movie ‘Raising Arizona’

With a tip of the cap to comedy based in criminality from just before my teenage years, we visit Raising Arizona (1987) as written, directed and produced by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. The Coen brothers film pokes fun at the notion of competing lifestyles humorously incompatible put into situations where laughter ensues to keep you from crying, should you join in the romp meant to highlight the humor.

(From left, Holly Hunter as Edwina ‘Ed’ McDunnough and Nicolas Cage as Herbert I. (H.I.) ‘Hi’ McDunnough in the Coen brothers movie Raising Arizona).

Raising Arizona opens with repeat offender Herbert I. ‘Hi’ McDunnough getting arrested for robbing convenience stores. At each instance, police officer Edwina (aka ‘Ed’) photographs McDunnough at intake, with an increasing banter between the two leading to an eventual romantic interest following the last arrest. The pair, portrayed by Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter, respectively, get married. Wanting kids and being unable to become parents in the standard way, the pair resort to something more dramatic when they also cannot adopt due to McDonnough’s criminal past.

(From left, Trey Wilson as Nathan Arizona, Sr. and Lynne Kitei as Florence Arizona in the Coen brothers movie Raising Arizona).

As this develops, it becomes known in their Arizona community that furniture magnate Nathan Arizona, Sr. and his wife Florence, portrayed by Trey Wilson and Lynne Kitei, recently had five babies (quintuplets). Figuring that the Arizonas had more than they needed and could make due with one child fewer, Hi and Ed decide to kidnap one of the five Arizona kids. Humorous interactions surround the abduction, which ultimately succeeds and kicks off the core of the story. T.J. Kuhn portrayed the baby, Nathan Jr.

(Front to back, T.J. Kuhn as Nathan Jr. and Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb as Leonard Smalls in the Coen brothers movie Raising Arizona).

Aiming to make the transition to the straight and narrow in the aftermath of the kidnapping, Hi finds the work that he’s acquired structured enough like prison to make things work. The operation takes its first left turn when brothers Gale and Evelle Snoats, as portrayed by John Goodman and William Forsythe, breakout of prison. The pair looks to the newly minted McDunnough family for a place to hideout. Complications arise when the foreman from Hi’s job, Glen, comes to visit with his wife, Dot, and their unruly kids. Sam McMurray and Frances McDormand portrayed Glen and Dot, respectively.

(From left, William Forsythe as Evelle Snoats and John Goodman as Gale Snoats in the Coen brothers movie Saving Arizona).

A storyline develops next to these wherein Leonard Smalls, as portrayed by Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb, seeks to interject himself into the reward process that has opened for the safe return of Nathan Jr. to Nathan Arizona, Sr. and their family. The paths of misunderstandings, criminal behaviors by Smalls, the Snoats brothers and the McDunnoughs, when placed against tomfoolery of Glen and Dot to boot, gives plenty of comedic fodder to the quick pacing of the movie that is Raising Arizona.

(From left, Sam McMurray as Glen and Frances McDormand as Dot in the Coen brothers movie Raising Arizona).

Mostly positive reviews by critics and audiences alike greeted Raising Arizona, as indicated here on Rotten Tomatoes. As I was amused by the movie, I grant Raising Arizona as written, directed and produced by the Coen brothers 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Christopher Eccleston in the Danny Boyle movie ’28 Days Later’

A science fiction based post-apocalyptic horror movie brings us to the United Kingdom with the Alex Garland written and Danny Boyle directed movie 28 Days Later (2002). Garland reportedly took inspiration from George A. Romero‘s Night of the Living Dead (1968), as reviewed here, it’s sequels, and the 1951 novel The Day of the Triffids as written by John Wyndham. The various locations across the United Kingdom countryside, along with the facts underpinning the zombies with skills in a barren land story, owe much to Wyndham.

(Cillian Murphy as Jim in the Danny Boyle movie 28 Days Later).

A highly contagious virus studied in a Cambridge, England laboratory of Cambridgeshire county begins the story of 28 Days Later. A group of ecoterrorists free a chimpanzee infected with the aggression-inducing “rage virus” from this laboratory. Almost immediately, one of the terrorists becomes infected by the freed animal, succumbing to the infection and transmitting it to another terrorist. Within days, the virus induces an epidemic resulting in the collapse of society. Twenty-eight days later, we meet bicycle courier Jim at the abandoned St. Thomas’ Hospital in London as he awakens a coma suffered before the initial outbreak of the rage virus. Cillian Murphy portrayed Jim.

(Noah Huntley as Mark in the Danny Boyle movie 28 Days Later).

Jim wanders the streets of London before survivors Selena and Mark rescue him from infected humans that had chase him, Jim, into a church. The group learns that Jim’s parents had committed suicide during the outbreak when getting to the family home in the Deptford part of London. Before even much of an opportunity to process this blow, Selena must kill Mark upon Mark’s infection with the rage virus. Just moments later upon experiencing this at the frenetic pace of a rage infested zombie, Jim and Selena encounter cab driver Frank with his daughter Hannah at Balfron Tower in East London. Noah Huntley, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Megan Burns portrayed Mark, Selena, Frank and Hannah, respectively.

(From left, Naomie Harris as Selena, Cillian Murphy as Jim, Brendan Gleeson as Frank and Megan Burns as Hannah in the Danny Boyle movie 28 Days Later).

It is news of supplies and the potential safety of a blockade in Manchester, as brought by Frank, that the previously unfathomable grouping take up a drive to a northwestern section of England. The apparent respite offered by this journey quickly gives way to new realities at the abandoned blockade. The fortified mansion under the command of Major Henry West, as portrayed by Christopher Eccleston, gives way to a new and insidious story of a society that’s died and a fresh hell of intended for Hannah. The subterfuge of the blockade giving way to the true intention of a barricade of sex slavery.

(From left, Christopher Eccleston as Major Henry West and Cillian Murphy as Jim in the Danny Boyle movie 28 Days Later).

The angle of Sergeant Farrell, as portrayed by Stuart McQuarrie, and Jim’s opposition to combat the slavery gives 28 Days Later an adventure and humanity that sets the movie apart from the underpinnings one might expect of other more traditional movies with a zombie angle. The introduction of the Private Mailer character, which offers its own inhumane point-of-view, leads to an odd justice for the blockade to round out this particular storyline. The intrigue that brings the storyline to a close in Cumbria, England within earshot of a Finnish jetfighter flying overhead presents the answer to the question of survival raised from the beginning of the movie that this story has raised and the viewer deserved. Marvin Campbell portrayed Private Mailer.

(From left, Cillian Murphy as Jim and Stuart McQuarrie as Sergeant Farrell in the Danny Boyle movie 28 Days Later).

There’s more done properly in the movie 28 Days Later to overcome what points against the film have been raised by critics, for example, on Rotten Tomatoes here. I give 28 Days Later as directed by Danny Boyle 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, October 28, 2023

Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall in the Francis Ford Coppola movie ‘Apocalypse Now’

The Francis Ford Coppola homage to the Vietnam War captures our focus today. The conflict itself had the United States getting between two warring parties in Vietnam; the conflict extended into Laos and Cambodia. The story presented in Apocalypse Now (1979) uses these historic truths to craft a story reminiscent of the Joseph Conrad book Heart of Darkness, as reviewed here.

(From left, Martin Sheen as U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Willard, Jerry Ziesmer as CIA Agent Jerry Moore, G.D. Spradlin as Lieutenant General R. Corman and Harrison Ford as Colonel G. Lucas in the Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now).

The fictional Nùng River supplies the path that the classified mission U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Willard, as portrayed by Martin Sheen, is ordered to take through Vietnam into Cambodia to find and end, with extreme prejudice, the continuing and unauthorized military leadership of one Colonel Walter E. Kurtz. Kurtz, bearing the same name surname as the pursued antagonist in Heart of Darkness, was portrayed by Marlon Brando.

(From left, Sam Bottoms as Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Lance B. Johnson and Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel William ‘Bill’ Kilgore in Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now).

The journey proves itself a path into each man’s heart of darkness, with an escalating sense of naivete growing from one incident to another into insanity. An early example encountered by the river patrol boat included questionable support from a helicopter-based assault unit commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore. Kilgore, portrayed by Robert Duvall, demonstrates a shocking suspicion towards using his command ethically. Supporting Captain Willard’s mission only gains appeal once the surfing prowess of Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Lance B. Johnson is revealed. A famous speech by Kilgore follows the raid, occurring with its own brand of whimsy, with Sam Bottoms having portrayed Johnson.

(From left, Albert Hall as Chief Petty Officer George Phillips and Laurence Fishburne as Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Tyrone ‘Mr. Clean’ Miller in the Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now).

Tensions rise into the continued journey owing to the increasing severity of the philosophical and moral tension Willard and the crew of the patrol boat are under. A scene with a local family trying to protect their dog echoes the rising insanity for the crew of the river boat, with the darkness taking over the spirit of the enterprise. Willard starts challenging Chief Petty Officer George Phillips, as portrayed by Albert Hall, for control of the ship. Sailing beyond the last American outpost on the Nùng River, with echoes of the identical mission of Richard Colby in his head after seeing the horrors of an outpost with leadership. Scott Glenn portrayed Colby.

(From left, Dennis Hopper as an American photojournalist and Frederic Forrest as Engineman 3rd Class Jay ‘Chef’ Hicks in the Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now).

Arrival at the temple compound Kurtz has taken command of is fraught with peril. A photojournalist portrayed by Dennis Hopper serves as a reluctant go-between for Kurtz and Willard. Engineman 3rd Class Jay ‘Chef’ Hicks, as portrayed by Frederic Forrest, serves as a confidant for Willard in this moment, and pays owing to the tactically superior Kurtz. The questions surrounding where empathy, sympathy, duty, judgment, self-awareness and cultural conflicts borne of hearts turned dark are drafted in the human condition; the mask of military service, mandated or otherwise, is a mask many wear in Apocalypse Now.

(Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in the Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now).

Friend of the Matt Lynn Digital blog, Airport Friend, ranks this film among his ten best. John Milius, Michael Herr and Coppola all shared writing credit for Apocalypse Now, a winner of two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs and a Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival. High ratings among critics and general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes also exist. I grant the Francis Ford Coppola directed and produced movie Apocalypse Now 4.25-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano and Ciarán Hinds in the Paul Thomas Anderson movie ‘There Will Be Blood’

An epic period piece filled with drama set during the southern California oil boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries captures our focus today. Based loosely on the 1927 Upton Sinclair novel Oil!, the Paul Thomas Anderson written and directed There Will Be Blood (2007) stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano in the central roles.

(From left, Dillon Freasier as young H.W. Plainview and Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview in the Paul Thomas Anderson movie There Will Be Blood).

This film is outstanding for its ability to portray a series of extended commentary on at least three distinct themes, depending on how closely you observe. One clear path sees the nature of capitalism and greed in the national character of the burgeoning industrial power of the United States. Another takes that notion to say that capitalism creates and destroys the future while focusing on the vanishing American frontier. A third theme notes the threads of faith, religion and family in the larger national conversation of how difficult it has been for America to reconcile the motivations of greed and religion.

(From left, Robert Hills as H.W. Plainview’s Interpreter, Dillon Freasier as young H.W. Plainview and Sydney McCallister as young Mary Sunday in the Paul Thomas Anderson movie There Will Be Blood).

The unfolding of these themes begins with the presentation of Daniel Plainview, as portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis, breaking his leg while prospecting silver in 1898 New Mexico. Pulling himself from the pit to claim a stake in both silver and gold, it was four years later in Los Angeles, California that the circumstances of the story fully begins. It was upon discovering oil that an accident killed a worker at the drilling site, leaving that worker’s son orphaned. Plainview adopts H.W., seeing to his care while now presenting himself as a family man to the world in furtherance of his ambition. H.W. Planview was portrayed by Dillon Freasier and Russell Harvard.

(From left, Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, Ciarán Hinds as Fletcher Hamilton, Paul Dano as one of the identical twins Paul & Eli Sunday, and Dillon Freasier as young H.W. Plainview in the Paul Thomas Anderson movie There Will Be Blood).

It is in 1911 that H.W. Plainview first takes to the notion of a relationship with Mary Sunday, as portrayed by Sydney McCallister and Colleen Foy. The possibility arose when Paul Sunday, a young man who tells Daniel Plainview of an oil deposit under the Sunday property in fictional Little Boston, California. Daniel tries to purchase the property from Paul Sunday and his twin brother, Eli Sunday, for a low price under the auspices of wishing to hunt quail. Eli, the publicly religious brother, questions Daniel’s motives, yet allows Plainview access to the property for a sizable donation to Eli Sunday’s church. An accident at this property defeans H.W. Plainview, setting a trajectory that proves difficult and, in H.W.’s adulthood, severely deteriorates between father and adopted son. Paul Dano portrayed Eli and Paul Sunday.

(From left, Colleen Foy as Mary Sunday, Bob Bock as the Reverend Bob Bock and Russell Harvard as H.W. Plainview in the Paul Thomas Anderson movie There Will Be Blood).

The proselytizing of Eli Sunday, and the greed of both Sunday and Daniel Plainview, is a long burning storyline that lasts past the stock market crash of 1929 that ostensibly signaled the beginning of the Great Depression. An extended dispute over drilling rights around the Sunday property, including circumstances involving the William Bandy property, leading to complications while negotiating with Union Oil of California and Standard Oil. The light of day shone onto individuals and the stereotypes therein portrayed, were powerfully drawn. Hans Howes portrayed Bandy.

(From left, actor Daniel-Day Lewis and writer / director Paul Thomas Anderson on location for the Paul Thomas Anderson movie There Will Be Blood).

Well received critically and by audiences as noted here on Rotten Tomatoes, There Will Be Blood lands as a recommended movie from this corner. There Will Be Blood as written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, with an ending every bit true to the movie’s title, receives 4.5-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, May 27, 2023

Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer in the Michael Mann movie ‘Heat’

An ensemble cast to rival ensemble casts starred in a Michael Mann movie noted for its action, crime and drama. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro starred opposite one another in the movie about crime, law enforcement and the effect these lifestyles have on love in the Los Angeles, California based movie Heat (1995).

(From left, Val Kilmer as Chris Shiherlis, Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley and Tom Sizemore as Michael Cheritto in the Michael Mann movie Heat).

The movie itself begins with professional thief Neil McCauley, as portrayed by Robert De Niro, robbing more than a million dollars of bearer bonds from an armored truck with a crew including Chris Shiherlis, Michael Cheritto, Trejo and Waingro, with the last being new to the crew. Waingro, McCauley and Cheritto each kill someone during the heist, which brings heat upon and within the crew in introducing important thematic elements that will run through the full scale of the movie. Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo and Kevin Gage portrayed Shiherlis, Cheritto, Trejo and Waingro, respectively.

(From left, Diane Venora as Justine Hanna and Al Pacino as Lieutenant Vincent Hanna in the Michael Mann movie Heat).

With the theft and homicides history, the Los Angeles Police Department investigates the crimes. Lieutenant Vincent Hanna, as portrayed by Al Pacino, assesses quickly that the robbery was well planned. We learn quickly that Hanna has a strained relationship with his third wife, Lauren, in addition to difficulty emotionally connecting with his stepdaughter, Lauren Gustafson. Justine Hanna and Lauren Gustafson were portrayed by Diane Venora and Natalie Portman, respectively.

(From left, Ashley Judd as Charlene Shiherlis, Amy Brenneman as Eady and Natalie Portman as Lauren Gustafson in the Michael Mann movie Heat).

Meanwhile, the instinct of professional thieves is to manage the reality or perception of heat in their professional or personal lives. We learn after the heist that Chris Shiherlis was having marital problems with Charlene Shiherlis, as portrayed by Ashley Judd. We see Neil McCauley take a romantic interest in Eady, a graphic designer much younger than he is yet worth a look. Meanwhile, McCauley has a direct interest in putting an end to provocative behavior from Waingro, which becomes an extended storyline for the movie. Amy Brenneman portrayed Eady.

(From left, Kevin Gage as Waingro, Jon Voight as Nate and William Fichtner as Roger Van Zant in the Michael Mann movie Heat).

These relationships simultaneously worsen, suggest potential redemption for, and called for enlightened coercion when McCauley and his fence aim to engage solutions to their criminal and personal problems. In the aftermath of the robbery, Roger Van Zant has his hands in part of McCauley’s criminal plays. As the original robbery victim; Van Zant, as portrayed by William Fichtner, winds up in contact with Nate, the fence, and Waingro with criminal plots in furtherance of the original robbery. Waingro’s plans are pointed more strictly at addressing the heat raised by his actions in and since the opening robbery. Jon Voight portrayed Nate. The ways that each of these threads pull upon one another in resolving the many storylines is well done.

(From left, writer, director and producer Michael Mann, actress Ashley Judd and actor Robert De Niro in support of the Michael Mann movie Heat).

While the movie, as reported by Rotten Tomatoes here, performed slightly better among audiences than critics, there is more to recommend the film than to detract from it overall. The intrigue throughout the story was masterfully done, with the reward landing in the showdown between stars that one had been hoping for from the beginning the show. My biggest complaint was in the final portrayal of the ending, which left me wanting something slightly more in the form rather than the portrayal or outcome of it. Given the largely masterful criminal drama movie, I grant Heat as written, directed and produced by Michael Mann 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volontè and Marianne Koch in the Sergio Leone movie ‘A Fistful of Dollars’

Our sojourn this day takes us to Italy with the first of three Sergio Leone directed movies called the A Man with No Name Trilogy of films. A Fistful of Dollars (1964), first released in the director’s home country, would be released in the United States in 1967. The movie itself deals in action, drama in presenting us a Western.

(From left, José Calvo as Silvanito and Clint Eastwood as Joe, the Man with No Name, in the Sergio Leone movie A Fistful of Dollars).

Popularly referred to as a Spaghetti Western, A Fistful of Dollars opens with the unnamed stranger arriving in the town of San Miguel on the border of the United States and Mexico. The unnamed man, portrayed by Clint Eastwood, meets the innkeeper named Silvanito, portrayed by José Calvo. Silvanito introduces the stranger to the competing smugglers aiming to gain control of San Miguel.

(From left, Gian Maria Volontè as Ramón Rojo and Sieghardt Rupp as Esteban Rojo in the Sergio Leone movie A Fistful of Dollars).

It takes but a little time for the unnamed man to spot the Rojo clan attack and kill Mexican soldiers who had been escorting a chest of gold. The stranger takes a truly unorthodox step with the remains of the massacre, tricking the Rojos and their rivals, the Baxters, into direct conflict at a cemetery. Ramón Rojo, Esteban Rojo and Don Miguel Rojo / Don Benito Rojo were portrayed by Gian Maria Volontè, Sieghardt Rupp and Antonio Prieto, respectively. San Miguel town sheriff John Baxter, his matriarchal wife Consuelo, and their son Antonio were portrayed by Wolfgang Lukschy, Margarita Lozano and Bruno Carotenuto, respectively.

(Antonio Prieto as Don Miguel Rojo (United States version) / Don Benito Rojo (Italian version) in the Sergio Leone movie A Fistful of Dollars).

This gunfight leads to the Rojos kidnapping a member of the Baxter family, with the stranger then approaching a named Marisol. Marisol’s family had been stuck in the middle of the provoked crossfire. The thought here was to untangle a separate provoked conflict instigated by one of the Rojos, thus bringing a just outcome to innocent parties literally at the mercy of the struggle for control afflicting the town of San Miguel. During a Rojo celebration later that night, the stranger provokes the appearance of another conflict between the Baxters and Rojos that puts Marisol, her husband, and their son on the path to freedom. Marisol, Julio and Jesus were portrayed by Marianne Koch, Daniel Martín and Nino del Arco, respectively.

(From left, Daniel Martín as Julio, Nino del Arco as Jesus and Marianne Koch as Marisol in the Sergio Leone movie A Fistful of Dollars).

This provoked conflict prompts a particularly cruel response towards both the stranger and the Baxters, which reveals heinous aspects of the character for at least one of the rival factions in San Miguel. Piripero, the community coffin-maker portrayed by Joseph Egger, aids the stranger in the aftermath of the cruel response, allowing his health to be restored. With news that a just member of the San Miguel community is being treated harshly, the final and morally satisfying resolution to larger conflict, by the narrative rules of the Western style.

(From left, director Sergio Leone, actress Margarita Lozano and actor Clint Eastwood on set for the Sergio Leone movie A Fistful of Dollars).

Higher marks for A Fistful of Dollars have been affirmed on Rotten Tomatoes here than on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) here. I personally find the quality somewhere between the two, granting the viewer the morally cutthroat world with moral clarity one wants from this film genre. I grant A Fistful of Dollars as directed by Sergio Leone 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss and Richard DeManincor in the Sam Raimi movie ‘The Evil Dead’

We queue a film we’ll review here having earned the rating NC-17 from the Motion Picture Association of America. Directed and written by Sam Raimi, The Evil Dead (1981) offers the supernatural horror of five college students vacationing at a cabin in isolated woods when seemingly innocuous actions go madly wrong.

(Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams in the Sam Raimi movie The Evil Dead).

Five college students from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan come upon a cabin in the woods of Tennessee opens the story of The Evil Dead. Things feel strange quickly with the inexplicable movement of porch swings, the drawing of objects around the cabin that affect their operation, and the hearing of voices by members of the group that create fear.

(From left, Betsy Baker as Linda, Ellen Sandweiss as Cheryl Williams and Theresa Tilly as Shelly in the Sam Raimi movie The Evil Dead).

When a trapdoor opens of its own accord during dinner, the group splits up to investigate. Ash Williams and Scott, as portrayed by Bruce Campbell and Richard DeManincor, respectively, investigate the cellar as Cheryl Williams, Linda and Shelly, as portrayed by Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly, respectively, remain upstairs.

(Richard DeManincor as Scott in the Sam Raimi movie The Evil Dead).

The finding of the so-called Naturom Demonto, supposedly a Sumerian version of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, along with the tape recorder of Raymond Knowby, animate much of the storyline that follows. Bob Dorian portrayed the voice of Raymond Knowby as recorded on tape recorder. The introduction of supernatural components through the rest of the horrific experiences of the vacationers are shown to satisfactory effect. The influence of the George A. Romero movie Night of the Living Dead (1968) upon The Evil Dead is clear.

(Director Sam Raimi in support of the Sam Raimi movie The Evil Dead).

The low budget quality of the original The Evil Dead movie is clear from the product. The inclusion of gore and some semblance of black humor initiates some stylistic choices replicated with moderate success later on. As captured by Rotten Tomatoes reviews here, the movie performed better for critics than it did for the audience that has seen the film in theatres or elsewhere. My rating for The Evil Dead as written and directed by Sam Raimi is 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Jon Finch, Barry Foster and Barbara Leigh-Hunt in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Frenzy’

The second to last full-length Alfred Hitchcock movie ever made was Frenzy (1972). The distinctly British production is set in London, England. The Anthony Shaffer screenplay is based on the Arthur La Bern novel Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square. The movie itself is simultaneously the most explicitly risqué and explicitly visceral movie presentation of any in the Hitchcock canon.

(From left, Jon Finch as Richard Blaney and Barry Foster as Robert Rusk in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Frenzy).

The story of Frenzy deals in the underlying subject of the serial murder of women by someone called the “Necktie Strangler”. We in the audience are presented our first primary suspect in the way of Richard Blaney, who until recently had led a squadron in the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom. Blaney is fired as a bartender in Covent Garden, near the produce stand of his friend, Robert Rusk. Covent Garden is located in the City of Westminster, an inner borough of London, England. Blaney and Rusk are portrayed by Jon Finch and Barry Foster, respectively.

(From left, Jon Finch as Richard Blaney and Barbara Leigh-Hunt as Brenda Margaret Blaney in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Frenzy).

Rusk offers Blaney a horse racing tip that Blaney cannot possibly use, given his having just been fired. Displeased, Blaney visits Brenda Margaret Blaney, his ex-wife at her matchmaking agency. Having complained loudly about his overall situation. Brenda sends her secretary to lunch as a means to avoid further embarrassment. Appearances are not in Blaney’s favor when he gets caught leaving the matchmaking agency as the secretary returns. Brenda Margaret Blaney, as portrayed by Barbara Leigh-Hunt, had been murdered.

(From left, Barry Foster as Robert Rusk and Anna Massey as Barbara Jane Milligan in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Frenzy).

That the Necktie Strangler looks like Blaney is clear, which leads Blaney to seek help from Barbara Jane Milligan, as portrayed by Anna Massey. Milligan, a former colleague for Blaney at the pub, makes love to Blaney in a nearby hotel after becoming convinced of his innocence. While later retrieving Blaney’s belongings from the pub, the later rape and murder of Milligan leads to a series of mistakes for the legitimate Necktie Strangler, whose identity was revealed to the audience after the first murder.

(From left, Vivien Merchant as Mrs. Oxford, Alec McCowen as Chief Inspector Timothy Oxford and Michael Bates as Sergeant Spearman in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Frenzy).

The course of the investigation, coupled with the progress being made in identifying the true nature of the killings, leads Chief Inspector Timothy Oxford, Sergeant Spearman and the suspect, Richard Blaney, to be multiple steps behind the reality of who was committing the crimes. The treachery that reveals to Richard Blaney the truth is what gets Blaney charged, and additionally. The extended take with Mrs. Oxford and dinner offers a distinctly British study on the humor of manners. Chief Inspector Oxford, Mrs. Oxford and Spearman were portrayed by Alec McCowen, Vivien Merchant and Michael Bates, respectively.

(Director Alfred Hitchcock, shown in cameo wearing a black hat, in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Frenzy).

The comedic tone of Frenzy as a murder film feels quite deliberately done and executed with clear effect. The film was received with more critical than audience acclaim, as shared here by the folks at Rotten Tomatoes. Overall, I found the movie well executed true to form, though not the best offered by Hitchcock. All things considered, I grant Frenzy as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, August 6, 2022

Paul Newman, George Kennedy and Strother Martin in the Stuart Rosenberg movie ‘Cool Hand Luke’

Set in central Florida of the 1950s, the Stuart Rosenberg directed movie Cool Hand Luke (1967) is a film adapted from the 1965 Donn Pearce novel named Cool Hand Luke. The central protagonist for this anti-establishment prison piece is Lucas ‘Luke’ Jackson, portrayed by Paul Newman.

(From left, Luke Askew as Boss Paul, Ralph Waite as Alibi, Warren Finnerty as Tattoo, Harry Dean Stanton as Tramp and Paul Newman as Lucas ‘Luke’ Jackson in the Stuart Rosenberg movie Cool Hand Luke).

We’re introduced to the character of Luke Jackson as he gets hauled off to a rural jail for a two-year sentence for cutting parking meters off their poles for what amounts to entertainment while drunk. We meet Alibi, Tattoo and Tramp brought into a chain gang prison camp by Boss Paul. Boss Paul, Alibi, Tattoo and Tramp are portrayed by Luke Askew, Ralph Waite, Warren Finnerty and Harry Dean Stanton, respectively.

(From left, Strother Martin as The Captain and Robert Donner as Boss Shorty in the Stuart Rosenberg movie Cool Hand Luke).

The audience meets stern warden, Captain, almost immediately in the prison camp. We meet Walking Boss Godfrey, ‘the man with no eyes’ and floorwalker Carr just as quickly, with Boss Higgins and Boss Shorty coming into the picture as the story moves into establishing the pecking order among the prison leaderships and guards, including Captain, Walking Boss Godfrey, Carr, Boss Higgins and Boss Shorty as portrayed by Strother Martin, Morgan Woodward, Clifton James, Charles Tyner and Robert Donner, respectively.

(From left, Anthony Zerbe as Dog Boy, Charles Tyner as Boss Higgins, Luke Askew as Boss Paul and Morgan Woodward as Walking Boss (aka Godfrey) in the Stuart Rosenberg movie Cool Hand Luke).

The notion of pecking order extends from the guards and into the inmates of the prison pretty quickly. George Kennedy won the Academy Award for role as Dragline in Cool Hand Luke. Luke runs afoul of Dragline immediately, as the top of the inmate pyramid for the chain gang prisoners is Kennedy’s character. It is when Luke is severely outmatched by Dragline in an impromptu boxing match of interest to the guards and inmates alike, followed by a bluffing himself to victory while gambling with a “real cool hand” that cements respect among the prisoners and attention from the guards.

(From left, Paul Newman as Lucas ‘Luke’ Jackson and George Kennedy as Dragline in the Stuart Rosenberg movie Cool Hand Luke).

An incident later with a rattle snake between Luke and Godfrey, aka Walking Boss, strikes a further note of anti-establishment for Luke Jackson the character. Adding the full-throated treatment of Luke’s relationship with his sick mother, Arletta, gave depth and resonance to the internal compassion and conflict that became so striking for the central character and themes explored through the movie. Jo Van Fleet portrayed Arletta.

(From left, Ralph Waite as Alibi and Dennis Hopper as Babalugats in the Stuart Rosenberg movie Cool Hand Luke).

Cool Hand Luke justifiably received much respect for a superior narrative, an indomitable will for a leading character, an ensemble cast of recognizable talent 55-years later, and a commendable anti-hero counterculture approach that fit the life and times of the period when the movie filmed in and portrayed. I grant Cool Hand Luke as directed by Stuart Rosenberg 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, March 12, 2022