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Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed (2021)
Benedict Arnold: Patriot or Patsy?
There is a timeless theme to this presentation of Benedict Arnold's life. When the machinations of politics threaten a populist hero, what happens?
This is a recurrent human struggle at least since the time of Christ.
We never know who are those who betray us--
Having grown up near the Saratoga Battlefield and Fort Ticonderoga, I was raised with the narrative that Ethan Allen saved the Revolution by taking Ticonderoga artillery to shell Boston--through the snow, and that Arnold was the consummate traitor.
Now I have to question the narratives told in my primary school days with new information...information that as an educated adult I have to give some credence to. If you can't see the parallels to today's world, it is only to your detriment because you have not learned how we applaud some of the most treacherous people who affect our lives.
The Forger (2014)
Take it as they come; a few good characters, fairly organized.
Unlike other reviewers, I don't tend to blend real-life information into a review. I watch the film first, make my rating, and write. This film has quite a few discontinuities between moments that smack of real acting and convey real emotion--such as when Will says goodbye to Tricia. That one makes sense, and when his grandfather asks about the moment, he tells him basically to get lost. It is a private moment. So, there are several such moments in the movie that stand out, and have nothing to do with Travolta per se. You can appreciate them for what they are, but I couldn't rate it higher because they don't really tie together. There's a part of Boston that looks analagous to Fishtown (Rocky 1), and Will at 14 has gained enough wisdom not to call his mother on being a junkie and a fraud--another realistic moment. The main role of the banner characters is not to get in the way of the real story--which is a coming-of-age drama of a con's son who has severe brain cancer. That's not a spoiler, but it is what the real undercurrent of the movie is. It could have been done without Travolta and Plummer.
No Way Back (1995)
Enjoyable Character Piece !!
Well, this is a surprisingly short film from the bid-90s, when women still had big hair (our stewardess, uh, air hostess, uh, hmmm no gender?). She's a character--true-to-character amateur psychologist meets in-trouble FBI agent with Yakuza prisoner...from beginning to end, you really have no idea what's going on in this film, which has a miraculous ending. You don't see Mary at the end. But, she saved widower Zeck's son's life. Zack comments to that Eric is "spending too much time with that Mary." which completes that circle...it could be considered a sarcastic farce about family relationships, with a little too much blood. That makes it entertaining enough--and kept my attention, which isn't that easy.
Long before Russell Crowe is the Gladiator, the unhinged road-rager, or the charming Captain Jack, he plays a sardonic FBI agent--and this isn't a waste of 90 minutes time by far, if you can remember 1995 )))
Unlocked (2017)
2017? Is this Predictive Programming?
Ok, I watched this movie in 2021. The characters are vaguely interesting, and of course familiar (Michael Douglas, John Malkovich--but they don't have major roles). What is peculiar about this film is that it could have been the same script as "Event 201--2019 to the present". After some time, we realize what the actual plot of the film is--to send virally infected Americans back from a U. S. type football game held in London, to infect the U. S. and thereby alert the 3 letter agencies how "ill prepared" the U. S. is for such an attack. Ill-prepared? Except for the fact that this plot is hatched by our usual squad--jihadis using some Soviet-developed virus, rather than what actually happened at the end of 2019. I think I wouldn't want to be the scriptwriter for this film. In fact, it is a sleeper, and a good example of predictive prgramming for film students.
Red River (1948)
One of the earliest Classic Westerns
This film reminded me of a dictum regarding Westerns--that thanks to lots in Southern California, we all think that Texas looks like southern California--which it most certainly does not. I don't need to spoil any of the plot--we see here many of the later genre of "Westerns" in early roles, but Before we knew the household names. John Wayne, in 1948, is just beginning to see his name emblazoned off of the silver screen. This is enjoyable start to finish, as we see some of the seedings of later classics such as "The Searchers" taking form It is the post-Civil War era, and the U. S. and Texas are beginning to see Manifest Destiny taking shape.
Tombstone (1993)
It hardly seems almost 30 years ago!!
"Tombstone" is probably the best modern western--absent the syrup in the finale of John Wayne's "Alamo", I suspect that even though I have seen several documentaries including well-known western authors, the movie speaks for itself. As a narrative, there seems to be very little out of place here. This is a story about the gritty men who civilized the West, and those who tried to prevent it. Eventually they would clash in some very well-known confrontations, with the OK Corral being among the best known.
The choice of actors is brilliant--even Val Kilmer's marvelous performance as the "lunger" Doc Holliday, spirited as it is, there are luminary performances in every set, especially from the extras who make Tombstone what it was in the 1880s, a boomtown fighting civilisation. When I see movies with these actors around this time period, I'm very impressed at how they got into their roles for this epic movie--the kind you see once in a generation, even with the homage to Charlton Heston! It has been nearly 30 years and there has been no western to compete with this film--and only increasingly dreary and propaganda-filled science fiction movies. That's why Tombstone was one of the last English-language DVDs I've purchased--I don't anticipate a replacement with the advent of "cancel culture."
Z (2019)
.Fair film with greater potential.
I don't want to spoil the film for anyone. I deals with intergenerational entity Z.
Much more could have been done with a demonic fixture, even genetic, but rather common plot twists come into play and one loses interest, about 1/3 of the way through the time I am saddened that there is not more interest inn development of the Demon's character and motives. Finally we are left with something conventional that could have been a gem.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Good summer action-adventure film.
I found this by accident and watched on AP...needed something light to sleep, but it was interesting enough to finish, with some recognizable characters (to me) such as Emil Skoda from Law and Order (a familiar face that I had to look up)...fairly typical special effects as you'd expect, the future monsters had some visible siilarieis to those in Stranger Things...that's not a spoiler, really...
The plot twists were unexpected enough to maintain interest in what was not an exceptional film, but a a good time-filler.
Lawman (1971)
A Great Film with Great Acting!
With an overall rating of 7, I'd have to say that this film was captivating to more than one viewer. I also found it to be this way. This is the end of the Western era--when one man could own a town and command the loyalty one would expect--yet this man witnesses the end of this Western era--the era when a man with a gun could come into town, set the law right--and he would ride out just as he came in. Burt Lancaster plays such a part to the absolute hilt. The lawman who will use violence knows that it is not the killing that defines him, but the law itself. He won't cross the line--no matter what is offered, as his role in such a town defines him. Later, Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood would play such roles, but Lancaster defined it with this fine film.
Gone Are the Days (2018)
Slowly Developing, Excellent Set and Direction
This is a fringe western--which, just like the Wild Bunch, brings us a number of characters who are at the end of the period of the Old West, which truly was over by the time of the motorcar (which makes an appearance)--and this is the "end of the line" for all the characeters save one, who is, you might say, at the "beginning of the line" with a ticket to San Francisco. This is a morality play with a lot of flashbacks and holes that we don't get to until nearly the end, but the good guys have fared well, and the bad guys, well, it may be the last successful old time bank robbery you'll see with Tom Berenger as the Town Sheriff (of Durango no less). On the other hand, Tom Berenger continues to amaze with his character portrayals, and that is one of the best features of this film, which starts out looking wider--like Panavision did....which I believe was gone in the 70s. Unusual and well done.