| Title |
Quotes |
My
comments, links |
| The 300 Spartans
(1962) |
"'Oh, Stranger, tell the Spartans that we lie
here obedient to their word.' This last message of the fallen
heroes rallied Greece to victory... But it was more than a victory for Greece. It
was a stirring example to free people throughout the world of what
a few brave men can accomplish once they refuse to submit to
tyranny." (Narrator) |
The story of Thermopylae, made in the days before CGI
Persians were possible, and one of the great epics of the 60s.
Richard Egan plays a strong Leonidas, Sir Ralph Richardson shines
as Themistocles. It's a story that should be told. I'd love to see
a new version based on Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire. |
| 300
(2006)
|
Messenger:
A thousand nations of the Persian empire descend upon you. Our
arrows will blot out the sun!
Stelios:
Then we will fight in the shade.
Xerxes:
Imagine what horrible fate awaits my enemies when I would gladly
kill any of my own men for victory.
Leonidas: And I would die for any of mine.
Persian Officer: Spartans, lay down your weapons.
Leonidas: Persians! Come and get them! |
A worthy successor to the above. I wasn't sure
how an attempted simulation of Frank Miller's graphic novel would
work. It worked very well. It's not about plot (it's a
simple story), it's not about character development (Leonidas
already has what it takes), it's just guts (graphically) and
glory. Tyler Bates' soundtrack
is perfectly suited to the action. |
| The Alamo
(2004) |
David Crockett (as the Mexicans are about to execute
him): "You tell {Santa Anna} I'm willing to discuss the terms
of surrender. You tell him; if he'll order his men to put down
their weapons and line up, I'll take them to Sam Houston and I'll
try my best to save most of them. That said, Sam's a mite twitchy,
so no promises." |
The "Thermopylae of the West", with the
stand-out performance Billy Bob Thornton's Crockett -- not the
coonskin cap-wearing Fess Parker version, but "simple David
from Tennessee." Jason Patric was also great as Bowie,
Randy Quaid as Houston, and Patrick Wilson as Travis. Ends with
the Battle of San Jacinto -- as it should. |
| Sergeant York
(1941) |
"Well I ain't
never learned, Sergeant, folks back home used to say I could shoot
a rifle before I was weaned. But they was exaggeratin' some."
(York)
|
One of the two best
movies about the First World War. Gary Cooper got the Oscar for
Best Actor, Alvin York got the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Site
maintained by the Sgt. York Patriotic Foundation
(includes text of his diary) |
| Wings
(1927) |
What can I say, it's a
silent movie. But Norma Desmond was right. "We didn't need
dialog. We had faces." Starring the faces of Richard
Arlen, Buddy Rogers, and Clara Bow. |
The other of the two
best movies about the First World War, Wings won the first Best
Picture award given by the Academy. The aerial photography of the
dogfights is breathtaking. |
| Alexander
(2004) |
"His tragedy
was one of increasing loneliness and impatience with those who
could not understand him, and if his desire to unite Greek and
barbarian ended in failure...what failure? His failure towered
over other men's successes." (Ptolemy) |
I could speak of my increasing loneliness and
impatience with those who could not understand the film. My
lengthy comments.
Note: The
Director's Cut is 8 minutes shorter than the theatrical
version. |
| Troy
(2004) |
Odysseus: [voiceover]
"If they ever tell my story let them say that I walked
with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these
names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of Hector,
tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of
Achilles." |
My lengthy comments. |
| Lonesome
Dove (1989) miniseries |
Woodrow Call:
"Augustus ..."
Gus McCrae (dying words): "By God, Woodrow, it's been one
hell of a party." |
The definitive Call (Tommy Lee Jones) and McCrae
(Robert Duvall). The best Western on film of all time, based
on the best Western novel of all time. |
| Return
to Lonesome Dove (1993) miniseries |
Unlike the rest of the series, Larry McMurtry had
nothing to do with this installment. Teleplay by John
Wilder. |
Jon Voight as
Call. He actually does a pretty good job of impersonating Tommy
Lee. |
Streets of Laredo
(1995) miniseries |
"{Doobie
Plunkert} was well liked in the town. I liked her myself even
though I only met her once. That's why I let my whores sing at her
funeral. Now, I kept two back for business. They had scratchy
voices anyhow." (Tinkersley) |
James Garner as
an older, retired Call turned bounty hunter. Alexis Cruz was
outstanding as his quarry, the sadistic, beautiful young Mexican outlaw
Joey
Garza. I was especially delighted with Sissy Spacek taking over
the part of Lorena. |
| Dead
Man's Walk (1996) miniseries |
(At the hasty funeral for two of their company):
Bigfoot Wallace: "If
anybody knows a good scripture, let 'em say it. We got to
skedaddle. I don't fancy another fight with Buffalo Hump."
Long Bill Coleman: "There's that scripture about them
green pastures."
Bigfoot Wallace: "So say it then, Bill."
Long Bill Coleman: "Well ... them there's green pastures
... that's all I recall." |
McMurtry did the teleplay for this one, as he did
for Streets of Laredo. Call and McCrae as young Rangers,
signing up for the Santa Fe Expedition, confronting disastrous
leadership, Apaches, starvation, the Mexican Army, Comanches, a
bear attack ... and it gets worse.
Jonny Lee Miller plays a tolerable Call, David Arquette becomes
a younger version of Duvall's McCrae. Patricia Childress as Mattie
was a bonus. |
Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of
the Ring (2001)
The Two Towers
(2002)
The Return of the
King (2003) |
Frodo - "I
can't do this, Sam."
Sam - "I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't
even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr.
Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger,
they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because
how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way
it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a
passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day
will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something,
even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr.
Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots
of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going.
Because they were holding on to something."
Frodo - "What are we holding onto, Sam?"
Sam - "That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo...
and it's worth fighting for." |
What an
undertaking, and what an achievement. One of the most
perfectly cast cinematic endeavors of all time. When I first heard
of the deal, I immediately pictured Sir
Ian McKellan as Gandalf. They were reading my mind. Every
single actor was outstanding. If I could single out one other in
particular who became the character I envisioned when I first read
the trilogy 40 years ago, it would be Bernard Hill as Theoden. The
attention to detail was amazing, from makeup to costumes to sets.
I've read that the Battle of Helm's Deep was edited down from 20
hours of footage. I would have been willing to watch the unedited
version. The Extended
Editions are very much worth the price -- over two hours of
additional footage plus commentary tracks and other bonus
features.
Obviously, I loved the films, but
(there's almost always a but).... My
lengthy comments.
|
| I, Claudius
(1976) Masterpiece Theatre series |
Minester - "Permit
me to introduce myself. My name is Minester, I'm an actor. Most
people have heard of me."
Scylla - "My name is Scylla, and I'm a whore. Everybody's
heard of me." |
This series truly is a masterpiece,
especially of faithful adaptation of a book. With such a huge
cast, it's difficult to single out particular performances, but
Derek Jacobi (Claudius) and Siān Phillips (Livia) were superb. I
would also mention Patrick Stewart as Sejanus. And John Hurt did
such an outstanding job that I had to fight the temptation to like
Caligula. |
| Secondhand Lions
(2003) |
"Sometimes the things that may or may not be
true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That
people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean
everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing;
that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember
this, that love... true love never dies." (Hub McCann) |
I rented this movie because Robert
Duvall stars (along with Michael Caine), and that's enough
reason for me to see a movie. I was also drawn to it because Billy
Joe Shaver has a small (very small) part. Haley
Joel Osment plays a boy whose floozy mother dumps him on the
doorstep of his eccentric great-uncles (Duvall and Caine) in
Texas. He doesn't want to be there, they have no idea what to do
with the child, but a bond forms that affects young Walter and his
uncles.
Official movie site
|
| Babe (1995) |
"Christmas?
Christmas means dinner, dinner means death! Death means carnage;
Christmas means carnage!" (Ferdinand the Duck) |
What was the
Academy thinking when they gave Braveheart the Best Picture
Oscar over Babe? (Since I mentioned it ... my
Braveheart rant.) Yes, it's a movie about a talking pig. And
yes, it's that good. |
| Zulu (1964) |
Lt. John
Chard: "The army doesn't like more than one disaster in a
day."
Lt. Gonville Bromhead: "Looks bad in the newspapers and
upsets civilians at their breakfast." |
Some license
taken with history, but not enough to send me off on a rant. Chard
of Engineers finds himself in command of a British outpost
numbering some 139 men, about a third of them commissary troops,
medical personnel, and hospital patients. 4,000 Zulu warriors
descend upon them. (Zulu Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi portrays Zulu
King Cetshwayo.) A stirring depiction of the Battle of Rorke's
Drift, which holds the record for the most Victoria Crosses
awarded to a single regiment in one battle. |
| Highway (2002) |
"When
you think about it, the world is divided into two groups... pandas
and alligator boys." (Pilot Kelson) |
Two best
friends (played by Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhaal) on a roadtrip
to Seattle, fleeing the thugs who are after Jack. They meet
interesting characters along the way, take plenty of drugs, and
play a delightful "pop quiz" game that dates from their
childhood. |
| Master and
Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) |
Capt. Jack
Aubrey (toasting): To wives and sweethearts!
Officers: To wives and sweethearts!
Capt. Jack Aubrey: May they never meet. |
Russell Crowe as Lucky Jack? Absolutely. Paul
Bettany as Maturin? Not quite the Maturin of the novels, but the
film is not quite the novel it's based on either. Still, it's great
entertainment. Standout performance by 14-year-old Max Pirkis as
Blakeney. I said at the time he had great potential. He now stars
as Octavian in HBO's Rome.
The World of
Patrick O'Brian
|
| Gods and Generals
(2003) |
"...my religious faith teaches me that God
has already fixed the time of my death; therefore, I think not of
it. I am as calm in battle as I would be in my own parlor. God
will come for me in his own time." (Gen. Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson) |
This is as
much the story of Stonewall Jackson (Stephen Lang) as it is the
story of the opening years of the War Between the States. Robert
E. Lee is wonderfully portrayed by Robert Duvall, a direct
descendent of Lee. (For a lousy portrayal of Lee, see Martin
Sheen in Gettysburg). A highlight -- the Union and
Confederate Irish brigades facing each other across the stone wall
at Fredericksburg. |
| Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(1975) |
Large Man with
Dead Body: Who's that then?
The Dead Collector: I dunno, must be a king.
Large Man with Dead Body: Why?
The Dead Collector: He hasn't got shit all over him. |
I'm a
difficult customer for comedy, because it takes a lot to make me
laugh (not smile ... laugh out loud). I laughed almost all
the way through this one. Out loud. It's very, very silly -- but
intelligently silly. As King Arthur himself says, "On second
thought, let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place." |
| Hidalgo
(2004) |
"Nobody hurts my horse." (Frank T.
Hopkins) |
A 3,000 mile
endurance race across the Arabian Desert contested only the
noblest lines of Arabian horses, owned by the greatest royal
families, and ridden by desert-hardy Bedouin. That is, until a
sheik visiting America invited cowboy Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen)
and his mustang Hidalgo to participate. For Hopkins and his horse,
it becomes not so much a matter of winning the race, but of
surviving it. |
| Ivanhoe
(1997) |
Brian de Bois-Guilbert: [lying defeated on the
ground, to Ivanhoe] In Austria, I was not brave enough to die
for Richard... but for her
[turning his face
to look at Rebecca] Do it! |
A faithful adaptation of a book -- for a change. (But
...) Fortunately this was a miniseries, thus there was time for the
whole story. The cast is excellent, if a bit overly-wigged. Best
scene: Queen Mother Eleanor (the amazing Siān Phillips) dresses
down her quarreling sons King Richard and Prince John. |
| The Outlaw Josey Wales
(1976) |
Josey Wales: "When I get to likin' someone,
they ain't around long."
Lone Watie: "I notice when you get to dislikin' someone they
ain't around for long neither." |
Clint Eastwood
plays a farmer whom fate turned into a Confederate guerilla. The
fact that he refused to surrender when the war ended made him an
outlaw. Orson Welles said of it: "When I saw that picture for
the fourth time, I realized that it belongs with the great
Westerns. You know, the great Westerns of Ford and Hawks and
people like that." Indeed, Eastwood is people like that. |
| Rasputin
(1996) HBO production |
"Before we can repent, we have to sin." (Rasputin)
|
Alan Rickman as Rasputin,
Sir Ian McKellan as Tsar
Nicholas II. Both won Golden Globes, as well they should
have. Nobody can chew scenery like Rickman. |
The
Mummy
(1959) |
"I've
seen the likes tonight that mortal eyes shouldn't look at."
(Poacher) |
Christopher Lee as Kharis, the Mummy, Peter Cushing
as his nemesis John Banning. One of the great Hammer Horror films.
Christopher Lee makes the Mummy into an actual character, not just
another movie monster.
The
Peter Cushing Association (tribute to a great actor)
|
| The Mummy
(1999) and The Mummy
Returns (2001) and The
Scorpion King (2002) |
Evelyn: "Look, I... I may not be an explorer,
or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr.
O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am."
Rick: "And what is that?"
Evelyn: "I am a librarian." |
Excellent
casting -- Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah in the
first two -- and the truly inspired casting of pro wrestler The
Rock as the Scorpion King. The special effects are amazing. A
horror adventure set with comedic moments. |
| Brokeback Mountain
(2005) |
"Tell you what, we coulda had a good life together!
Fuckin' real good life! Had us a place of our own. But you didn't
want it, Ennis! So what we got now is Brokeback Mountain!"
(Jack Twist) |
As I looked
over pre-production details, my confidence in the ultimate product
soared, knowing that it would be touched by both Larry McMurtry
and Ang Lee. My only doubt was the ability of Heath Leger to do
justice to the role of Ennis Del Mar. I was wrong to doubt. And the closing shot is one of the most
brilliant images ever captured on film. |
| Ride with the Devil
(1999) |
Southern
Gentleman: "That's Pitt Mackeson, ain't it? I hear he'd
soon as kill a man as mash a tick."
Jake: "My, what a scary fellow he is." |
Tobey
McGuire is superb as Jake Roedel. Skeet Ulrich as Jack Bull Chiles
shows why he should have had the part of Inman in Cold Mountain.
(Jude Law? What were they thinking??) It's a hard show to
steal, but Jonathan Rhys Meyers does it as Pitt Mackson. Yes, the
book by Daniel Woodrell is better -- which just tells you how
truly good the book is. Great directing by Ang Lee. |
Open Range
(2003) |
Boss Spearman:
"Sounds like you got it all worked out."
Charley Waite: "Yeah, except the part where we don't get
killed." |
A Disney
movie, directed by, and starring Kevin Costner? Could have been
steamy heapy poo. Don't worry, it's no The Postman. They do
make 'em like they used to, and this is one of 'em. Robert
Duvall dominates his every scene as Boss. |
| Unforgiven
(1992) |
"All
right now, I'm comin' out. Any man I see out there, I'm gonna
shoot him. Any sumbitch takes a shot at me, I'm not only gonna
kill him, but I'm gonna kill his wife. All his friends. Burn his
damn house down." (Bill Munny) |
Only three
Westerns have ever won an Oscar for Best Picture; this is the most
recent. Clint Eastwood plays Bill Munny, a reformed killer who
returns to his old ways when he accepts a bounty in order to save
his farm. The bounty is meant to achieve justice for a disfigured
prostitute -- or is it? Gene Hackman is Little Bill, the villain
-- or is he? There are no absolutes in this one. |
| Rough Riders
(1997) miniseries |
General Joe
Wheeler: We've got the Yankees on the run!
Lieutenant Wheeler: Spaniards, sir; and they're falling back
onto prepared positions.
General Joe Wheeler: Don't spoil it, son.
|
The story of the Spanish-American War's most famous
unit, the 1st Volunteer U.S. Cavalry, a/k/a Roosevelt's Rough
Riders ... a motley army of
cowboys and Indians, Ivy Leaguers and outlaws, whipped into shape
by Bucky O'Neil (Sam Elliott in one of his finest roles). Tom
Berenger absolutely nails the part of Teddy Roosevelt. Gary Busey
steals the show as Joe Wheeler. |
| The
Aviator (2004) |
"I
want ten chocolate chip cookies. Medium chips. None too close to
the outside." (Howard Hughes)
***
Howard Hughes: "Do
you know those men? Do they work for me?"
Noah Dietrich: "Everybody works for you, Howard."
|
Leonardo
DiCaprio as Howard Hughes? Are they mad? So I thought, until I saw
it. I've read that DiCaprio in no way resembles the real Hughes,
that the time-line of his various Hollywood relationships was
radically altered, that the movie isn't really about anything.
It didn't matter. The character Howard Hughes -- however much he
is or isn't like the original -- captivated me. Well done,
Leo. |
Sharpe (1993 -
)
series of made-for-TV movies |
"You
can't stop Captain Sharpe, sir. You can walk away from him or you
can stand behind him, but don't ever try and get in his way."
(Patrick Harper)
|
Based on the Bernard Cornwell books, Sean Bean stars
as Richard Sharpe, who, as an officer promoted from the ranks,
begins with neither the respect of his fellow officers nor of his
troop of riflemen. He ends as a legend.
The
Sharpe Appreciation Society
The
Sharpetorium (fan website)
|
| Gone
With the Wind (1939) |
"There
was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South...
Here in this pretty world Gallantry took its last bow... Here was
the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of
Master and of Slave... Look for it only in books, for it is no
more than a dream remembered. A Civilization gone with the wind..."
(Title Card)
|
Breathes there a Southerner with soul so dead, who
never to himself hath said "This is the greatest freakin'
movie ever made"? A hero who is a rogue, a cynic, a gambler,
a smuggler ... a heroine who is vain, selfish, conniving and
manipulating. And yet, in both cases, so much more. The book and
the film captivated America in the 30s. Time has not diminished
the appeal. |
| The Lord of
War (2005) |
"There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide
circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the
planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?" (Yuri
Orlov)
|
Nicolas Cage is outstanding as arms dealer Yuri
Orlov, as is Jared Leto as his brother Vitaly. Ethan Hawke plays
the Interpol agent who wants to nail him. Most viewers seemed to
think this film was about morality. It's about
responsibility. |
| American
Outlaws (2001) |
Jesse James: "See,
that's your problem, Frank, by the time you're done figurin' out
stuff, I'm already finished doin' it."
Frank James: "No, Jesse, your problem is you're always
doin' stuff before I'm finished figurin' it out."
|
Jesse James
mythology, told with humor and dynamite action. Timothy Dalton is
wicked as pragmatic villain Allan Pinkerton. Colin Farrell and
Gabriel Macht star as the James boys, with Scott Caan as Cole
Younger. Pay no attention to the critics who panned it, it's a
delightful film. |
| Longitude
(1999) |
George Graham: Mr. Harrison! Summer and winter...
how is it done? How is it done, the compensation?
John Harrison: I use a pendulum of different metals that work
against each other.
George Graham: Impossible. Doesn't work. I've tried it.
John Harrison: It is possible. It does work. I've built it.
|
Two stories in
one: in the 18th Century, carpenter turned clockmaker John
Harrison labors for decades to win the prize offered by Parliament
to the man who can solve the problem of determining longitude at
sea. In the 20th Century, Ruport Gould pursues an obsessive desire
to restore Harrison's timepieces. |
| Cobb
(1994) |
Louis Prima: With all the great players playing
ball right now, how well do you think you would do against today's
pitchers?
Ty Cobb: Well, I figure against today's pitchers I'd only
probably hit about .290
Louis Prima: .290? Well that's amazing, because you batted over
.400 a... a whole bunch of times. Now tell us all, we'd all like
to know, why do you think you'd only hit .290?
Ty Cobb: Well, I'm 72 fucking years old, you ignorant son of a
bitch.
|
Tommy Lee
Jones plays Tyrus R. Cobb, the "Georgia Peach", with the
same ferocity that Ty himself played baseball. The film focuses on
the relationship between Cobb and Al Stump, the sportswriter Cobb
chose to pen his biography. The screenplay is based on Stump's
second book -- the one he didn't intend for Cobb to see, the one
that revealed all of Cobb's character flaws. Nevertheless, I find
myself agreeing with Cobb on one thing -- he really was the
greatest player ever. Especially if you think of baseball as a
contact sport. |
| Posse
(1975) |
Jack Strawhorn (to Howard Nightingale):
Honest men stay honest only as long as it pays. That's why I'm a
thief and you're a liar.
|
Marshal Howard Nightingale (Kirk
Douglas) is politically ambitious. He hopes to boost his
career by capturing the notorious outlaw Jack Strawhorn (Bruce
Dern). But this is not the typical good guy vs. bad guy
confrontation. Just who is the good guy? The
final scene is a gem. |
| ffolkes
(North Sea Hijack) (1979) |
Admiral Brindsen: I suppose you're one
of those fellows who does the Times crossword puzzle in ten
minutes.
ffolkes: I have never taken ten minutes.
|
Rufus Excalibur ffolkes (pre-Bond Roger
Moore) leads his commandos against baddie Anthony Perkins'
terrorists who have taken over an offshore oil rig and production
platform. When ffolkes isn't doing needlepoint or taking care of
his cats, he's saving the world. And unlike Bond, he doesn't
like women. |
