This Best Picture winner from 1946, All the King’s Men, has some distinct connections to the present day politics and made me think of a former president of the United States as I watched it.
Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) was running for treasurer in his Southern state, and newspaper man Jack Burden (John Ireland) was on hand to report about the race. Stark lost that race, but he had learned a lot along the way and looked to campaign for the Governor of the state.
This time. Stark does not lose, and he begins to grab power through deals and corrupt plans. Stark became a shadow of the former honest man he was seen to be as he continued to carry through with misbehaviors and criminal dealings.
When his son (John Derek) got drunk and crashed his car, putting his girlfriend into a near death state, Stark arranged for the girl’s father to disappear.
The power that Willie Stark had come to find had corrupted him completely, unable to see the horrendous human being that he had become.
Almost 80 years later, this whole story of this governor (who was reportedly based on Louisiana Governor Huey Long) draws quite a parallel with Donald Trump, right down to the impeachment attempt and the chanting crowd protesting the impeachment.
This made this film even more difficult to watch. It was as if I’d been watching this for the past six years.
Oscar Isaac has entered the MCU with his portrayal of Moon Knight, one of the myriad of characters from Marvel that just a few years ago, seemed to never have his own TV show. Yet here he is, with a huge name star playing him.
We are introduced to Steven Grant (That is Steven with a V) and it is clear that he has been having sleep problems. Little did he know how many problems Steven was going to have.
Steven worked at a museum in London, with an Egyptian exhibit. Steven knew a lot about the Egyptian mythology, but it could not get him any further than the storage room. Steven was a sad, bumbling man who seemed very disoriented. There were moments when he was unsure about things that have happened.
When Steven awakes, face down in a field of grass with a dislocated jaw, he is even more confused. Then, people started shooting at him, chasing him over a gold scarab.
Steven winds up in a group of people who were watching judgment being laid out by Arthur Harrow, a cult-like leader who crushes up glass and puts it into his sandals to walk on in the morning. Harrow had a tattoo on his arm that moved when he was judging a person, not only what the person had done, but what they may do in the future.
Harrow is the avatar of Egyptian deity, Ammit. Harrow pursued Steven back to his museum and unleased a jackal to attack him.
We learn that Steven has D.I.D. (Dissociative identity disorder) and that one of the personalities is a mercenary named Marc Specter, who is a clear bad ass and who jumps back into control of the body when Steven found himself in several major problems.
The DID was shown in serious light. You could see how scared Steven was, how confused he was as the strange things continued to happen to him and he could not explain it.
Oscar Isaac is a sensation actor and he shows it with every scene, not just the over-the-top spots. There was a quiet moment where he had lost time and thought it was Friday night, instead of Sunday. He was supposed to meet a woman at a steak house for a date (a date he did not remember making, by the way) on Friday and he waited for the woman to show up on Sunday, thinking it was Friday. This is an impressive performance in this small point.
Ethan Hawke is sinister too. I can’t wait to see more from him as the season progresses.
The visuals of this show are amazing. There are a lot of practical effects for the show, with a limited amount of CGI/green screen. From that, the show looks wonderful. It is extremely cinematic and some of the shots are exceptional. There are some frightening moments in the show, most dealing with Khonsu, the Egyptian deity that speaks in Steven’s head. Voiced by F. Murray Abraham, Khonsu is incredibly designed and looks just stunning.
The Moon Knight costume, which we do not see until the very end of the episode, is beautiful. It works so well with its practical design. An all white outfit should not work outside of the comic book page, but this costume design is spectacular. The wrapping cloth around Moon Knight is a great visual and brings up an amazing image.
There was so much character development in the first episode, and it did not lack excitement. The car chase scene through the winding mountain was expertly shot and carried out perfectly. Directed by Mohamed Diab, you can see how talented he is with the camera and the visual picture of each scene.
The use of mirrors in the episode is a great way to show the contradiction between the identities. The confrontation between Steven and Marc in the bathroom at the end of the episode was thrilling and led to our reveal of the titular hero. Another key to the episode is that everything was shown through the POV of Steven Grant. Every time Marc would take over, we would see Steven’s eyes go white and the scene would jump ahead to when Steven retook the body. It was very effective and helped to build the character of Steven.
The mystery of the show and what is going on is going to keep the audience guessing and Moon Knight feels like something different in the MCU. It is fascinating that there was no mentions of the greater MCU that usually happens in these shows. It builds a new section of the MCU and I look forward to learning more.
We go back to 1945 for tonight’s DailyView Best Picture Academy Award winner. This is a film noir drama directed and co-written by Billy Wilder. The Lost Weekend not only won best picture but it also won for Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director.
Failed writer Don Birnam (Ray Milland) has been sober for 10 days, but he was finding it impossible to stay on the wagon. After avoiding a trip out of town with his brother Wick (Phillip Terry), Don went on a four day bender where he had flashbacks to his early days as a drunk and his meeting with his girlfriend Helen (Jane Wyman).
Oscar winner Ray Milland is exceptional in this role as the obsessed alcoholic just after his next drink. Watching his spiral into chaos was riveting and powerful. Milland carries it off brilliantly. This film does not work without his epic lead performance, but work it does.
We see the heights to which Don will go to get another drink. The desperation in his face and the shame hidden behind it. The passion of another drink juxtaposed with the anguish and distress of Helen as she struggled to find any way to help the man she loved.
I have to say, the scene with Don in “Hangover Plaza” at the local hospital after he had fallen down the stairs was a frightening scene that made this film almost a horror film. It was about as unnerving as it could be. Fascinating that it did not have that much of an effect on Don, showing exactly how far gone he was.
Having said that, the ending does feel a little pat, with things being ended with a nice little bow. It felt as if the ending was not deserved for this picture. There should have been more of a battle at the end, something more powerful to accomplish what happened. I’m not sure what it should have been, but it just felt as if the end just happened.
While the ending may not have been perfect, there is so much more in this movie that works well. It looked at some of the real horrors that alcohol can bring upon a person and how it can change a person’s path in life.
I am continuing the Oscar winning Best Picture films section of the DailyView in honor of the Academy Awards last night. Today, I watched the 1955 Best Picture winner, Marty, a romantic movie starring Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. It was the directorial debut of Delbert Mann in which he won an Oscar for Best Director.
Marty (Ernest Borgnine) was a lonely 34-year old butcher whose brothers had all gotten married and people were on his back about when he was going to get married. He lived at home with his Italian mother (Esther Minciotti) and tried to think of something to do with his friend Angie (Joe Mantell).
When they go out one night to a club, Marty meets up with a shy teacher Clara (Betsy Blair). Clara was plain looking and called a “dog” by many of the men at the club. However, Marty and Clara connected with their shared low-self images and spend the night talking and walking around the neighborhood.
Marty’s mother, afraid that Marty would toss her aside if he got married, told him she did not like Clara despite only meeting her for a few minutes, and Angie was jealous of the time Marty spent with her and told him she was a dog. With everyone in his life telling him to end this with Clara, Marty was unsure what he was supposed to do.
Ernest Borgnine was great in Marty as he brought a realism to the part. Marty was a character that you could relate to easily, with his doubts and his loneliness. Borgnine would win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in this film.
The story was simple and sweet, based solely on the connection between the two main characters. And I loved the way the ending of the film went.
Marty was a quick watch, only around 90 minutes, and it gives several true life performances of a couple of characters that you can’t help but root for. Marty was a wonderfully charming film.
The third Best Picture winner of the day for the DailyView is the musical An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly.
According to IMDB: “Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly), a struggling American painter in Paris, is “discovered” by an influential heiress (Nina Foch) with an interest in more than Jerry’s art. Jerry in turn falls for Lise (Leslie Caron), a young French girl already engaged to a cabaret singer. Jerry jokes, sings and dances with his best friend, an acerbic would-be concert pianist, while romantic complications abound.”
I have to say that I was not in love with any of the songs in this musical, but the dance routines are spot on, including the long 20-minute dance routine at the conclusion of the movie. The one exception I would include was “I Got Rhythm” with the kids singing the “I Got” part.
Jerry and Lise are also just a pair of jerks here as they string along their own partners as they fall in love with each other. Lise accepts a marriage proposal even while she is secretly dating Jerry. Her fiancé seemed to be a great guy and was a friend of Jerry which makes it all the worse. Am I supposed to support these two people who are downright cruel to the people they are with?
I was entertained with the dancing. The romance does not work as well for me. I did not hate the romance, but I thought they deserved each other at the end. An American in Paris is a classic, and an enjoyable watch.
Continuing the previous Best Picture winners at the Academy Award section of the DailyView, I have come across a 1963 British comedy called Tom Jones, a film that I was unaware of and one starring Albert Finney.
Tom Jones (Albert Finney) was left as a baby in the care of Squire Allworthy (George Devine) by a woman claiming to be his mother, Jenny. Jones became a womanizer, troublemaker but roguishly beloved by many. Tom falls for Sophie Western (Susannah York) but his reputation and behavior causes Sophie’s father to refuse him.
First of all, the plot of this is fairly convoluted. Trying to keep track of the comings and goings around the story is difficult at best. However, Tom Jones, as played by Albert Finney, is charming and easy to like. He is a rapscallion and makes for a strong protagonist.
The film is very funny, filled with the typical British humor we would see in the time period. It is not quite as satiric as Monty Python comedy, but this most definitely has that feel to it. There are weird moments through the film, including some characters breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience. When it happens with Lynn Redgrave near the end of the film, it was kind of jarring. There is a narrator telling us the story as the film progressed.
While I watched this Academy Award Best Picture winning movie, all I could think about was that this is the type of movie that would never win Best Picture today and, in fact, would never even be nominated. It astounds me that the Academy not only nominated this in 1963, but also decided that it was the best movie of the year. In fact, it won despite being in the same category as Lilies of the Field, Cleopatra and How the West Was Won. All three of those films would have a much more likely win with today’s Academy than Tom Jones would. I would like to see the Academy expand their thoughts on what a Best Picture is. Sure, they nominate 10 movies, but let’s face facts. Only about two or three have a reasonable chance of winning, and there are plenty of films that could have been nominated that are great but not considered “Oscar” movies.
Anyway, Tom Jones was fun and had some good moments. Albert Finney was very charismatic even within a story that was really messy. If you like British humor, you should enjoy Tom Jones.
With the Academy Awards tonight, I decided that I would go about a week with watching some of the Academy Award winning films (mostly Best Picture winners) that I have not yet watched. There were quite a few on the list that I had never seen. I decided to start with one that I had seen discussed on Twitter a week or so ago and that I then rented on Vudu. It is the 1942 British classic Mrs. Miniver.
I was unaware of this movie before I saw the discussion on Twitter about it and I was fascinated by the concept. I was going to watch it before I knew it was an Oscar winner, but it fit right in with this week’s DailyView theme.
Mrs. Miniver (Greer Garson) is our lead character and a part of a middle class family in England around the start of World War II. She was married to Clem Miniver (Walter Pidgeon) and had several children, including a grown boy named Vin (Richard Ney). A local man, Mr. Ballard (Henry Travers) created a rose and named it “Mrs. Miniver” and planned on entering it into the local flower competition against the roses of Lady Beldon (May Whitty), the grandmother of Carol (Teresa Wright), the young lady that Vin was courting before he left to join the British Air Force.
If that recap is a bit disjointed, then you understand what the narrative of the film was like. It was more like a series of scenes or vignettes strung together all about the family of the Minivers, instead of a continuous storyline. Despite this unlikely narrative structure, the film really works well. This type of structure fit into the chaotic time in history that Mrs. Miniver took place within.
The film was made in the middle of World War II and used references/scenes including historical moments such as Dunkirk. A German (they do not use the term Nazi) pilot was shot down and came to Mrs. Miniver’s house. The air raids across London during this time really emphasized the terror and the fright being committed against the Brits.
There was some criticism of the film that it was nothing more than a piece of wartime propaganda, but the quality of the movie overcame any questions there may have been about it.
There were some wonderful performances, especially Greer Garson as Mrs. Miniver. She did win an Academy Award for the Best Actress for her role. Garson had the gamut of emotions to play throughout the film as each vignette brought about a new circumstance for the character to dive into. It included easier moments such as rose contests to huddling with her loved ones during an air raid attack.
It is a deserving Academy Award winner and I am glad I got the chance to see it.
The Academy Awards are tomorrow night and I spent some time today watching the shorts that have been nominated in the categories of Live Action and Animated. I went to the theater to see the Shorts.TV program of the Live Action. In past years, they had both the Live Action and Animation together, but that was not how the show went tonight. So when I got home, I went online searching for the animation shorts to watch. I found four of the five, with Boxballet being the only one that I couldn’t find.
So I am going to rank these in each category from my most to least favorite, I will then say which one I think will take the Oscar. I am starting with my favorite in each category.
Live Action
#1. Please Hold. This futuristic satire focused on the police/law enforcement system if automated, using drones and AIs. The film can be frustrating as we are seeing everything through the eyes of Mateo (Erick Lopez) after he is arrested for a crime that he has no idea about, and none of the automatic technology will inform him why he was arrested. There is a racial profiling beat to the story as well. One more step until our AI masters are in control.
#2. The Long Goodbye. This features an amazing performance from Riz Ahmed as his character’s family is arrested and/or murdered by the racist and Islamophobic police in London. The short begins slowly, but the last half is as powerful and crushing as you will find with Ahmed ending it with a monologue of lyrics from his 2020 album of the same name.
#3. On My Mind. A sad, apparently homeless man enters a bar for some whiskey and wants to sing Always on My Mind by Elvis Presley on the Karaoke machine. He wants to sing the song for his love. This is an emotional short that, I don’t mind saying, had me tear up a bit.
#4. Ala Kachuu- Take and Run This is the longest of the shorts at 31 minutes, but it uses its time well. It is a tragic story of a young girl who is just starting her life, taking a test for a scholarship, when she is kidnapped and taken to be married to a man she never met before. This is something that does go on and is accepted by the families. It is a horrific situation, including how the women are expected to be wives to these men. The first half was a little slow for my taste, but the lead performance by Alina Turdumamatova is sensational.
#5. The Dress. Anna Dieduszycka plays Julka, a woman of short stature who worked at a hotel as a chamber maid. The film is about the desire of Julka to find someone to love, but finding out that there is a lot of pain and hatred directed toward her. This short is certainly tragic and difficult to watch at times. Anna Dieduszycka is tremendous in the short.
All five of these shorts were excellent. Any of them could easily wind up winning the Oscar tomorrow night. My guess (and it is only a guess) is that it is going to The Long Goodbye mainly because of Riz Ahmed. My second choice is The Dress because of the situation that Anna Dieduszycka finds herself in. I would be surprised if the other three were to win. I think it is down to these two.
ANIMATION SHORTS
As I mentioned, I was unable to see Boxballet so it is automatically #5 on the list. Three of the remaining four animation shorts are weird and downright inappropriate for kids. The topics involve sex, violence, nudity, animal cruelty and more. My eyes bulged out a couple of times while watching these.
#1. Affair of the Art. This was my favorite one. It was art from the New Yorker and it told the story of a woman who loved to draw and her family who had other obsessive compulsions. It was laugh out loud funny and shocked into silence at the same time.
#2. Robin Robin. This one was on Netflix and is the sole animated short that is safe for a family to watch together. Robin is a bird that has been raised with a family of mice and she is not a very good mouse. There is a good message of finding your own way in the world and it includes Gillian Anderson voicing a particularly evil cat.
#3. Bestia. This one is quite warped. This short followed the life of a Chilean secret police agent and her dog, which does not sound that bad… but… honestly, there were some intimate moments between the woman and her dog… and I do mean intimate. There is violence and nudity and bestiality. No words or dialogue in this short. Just some disturbing imagery.
#4. The Windshield Wiper. Another one with some hugely adult themes going on, The Windshield Wiper may be the most visually stunning of the animated shorts. The narrative is very disjointed as the short is a series of vignettes that explore the concept of love. It would be a very progressive animation short if it wins.
If the Academy is looking for something different, the The Windshield Wiper is taking this Oscar. If the topics scare them away (certainly a possibility) then you will see Robin Robin take the statue. Even though I was not a huge fan of The windshield Wiper, there is little debate that this short is the most original, most groundbreaking animation of the year.
This weekend saw the debut of a new comedy adventure film called The Lost City featuring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. Honestly, the trailers of this film did not fill me with an excitement for this movie, but some positive word of mouth made me hopeful that this would be an enjoying film.
Loretta (Sandra Bullock) is a reclusive romance novelist whose husband died a few years before, causing her to be even further outside of the public. Her new book feels like the last to her. On the book tour, Loretta had to be matched up with her popular cover model, Alan (Channing Tatum).
However, Loretta, after a particularly failed presentation, is kidnapped by wealthy businessman Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe) because he needed her to help him find the real Lost City and the rich stuff. Alan decided to head after her and try a rescue mission along with Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt), a bad ass mercenary he knew through meditation.
This is a movie that is 100% dependent on the fantastic chemistry and exceptional banter between Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. You may not remember how great the comedic timing these two actors exhibit, but it is off the charts. Not only with the banter and dialogue, but also with the physical comedy. Bullock and Tatum carry this movie and elevates it to a level I did not expect.
Daniel Radcliffe is exceptional as well, albeit with a lesser developed character, in Fairfax, the film’s antagonist. His motivations are easy to understand, but feels a little underwritten. Still Radcliffe takes what he has been given and absolutely goes to town with it.
There is actually a ton of practical effects, as the film shot in the actual jungle. It helps give this film a realistic look and stand out against a lot of the other films that are mostly CGI these days.
There is not a lot new in the story area of The Lost City. It is a bunch of plot points that we have seen before, but they all feel fresh because of the excellent relationship between Loretta and Alan. Every review I have seen has made a Romancing the Stone allusion and you can see why that is.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph has a smaller role as the friend and agent for Loretta and she has a few good moments, but her character felt added on.
Oh, and Brad Pitt is absolutely transcendent in his short time in the film. He is fabulous.
The tone of the film is great, the humor is excellent, and the performances are wonderful. It is a big action comedy and a fun time at the theater.
I’ve said before that I like films involving serial killers. Sadly though, there are a whole lot of them that are pretty bad. Suspect Zero is one of those.
Suspect Zero featured Ben Kingsley, Aaron Eckhart and Carrie Anne Moss in a sleeper of a story that sees Eckhart pursuing Kingsley’s character across the country, believing him to be a serial killer of dozens of missing people, only to discover that he is actually killing other serial killers. Eckhart was also being tormented by psychic visions of the future that was making him irrational to the other FBI guys.
Carrie Anne Moss is here for reasons. She was a former flame of Eckhart’s character which is touch upon once where Carrie Anne seemed to be angry at Eckhart and the next scene seemed like she was desperately concerned for him.
The whole psychic flashes were here to just try and build a confusion for the story and build tension. It does not work.
Ben Kingsley was good overall, especially with the garbage that was given to him.
This is forgettable. It was a waste of time and had little to no tension. The final act was laughable and our killer had nothing to him. It is a bad film.
Now that 2022 Movie Trivia Schmoedown season is underway, it is time to officially announce the official opening of the Movie Trivia Schmoedown Wing of the EYG Hall of Fame.
We will be inducting our first class of Movie Trivia Schmoedown competitors/personalities into the Embrace Your Geekness Hall of Fame in 2022. Every year, in February, we will induct 2-3 new members into the Schmoedown Wing. I will cap the inductees for future years at 3 (although it could be two singles competitors and a team or some variation as such). However, the Class of 2022 will be the largest number of inductees that we will have.
I will say that some of the decisions about who to induct this first class was difficult and, since I did not want to have a huge number of inductees this first group, there are a couple of competitors that have been left out of the first class. I understand there are some people who may disagree, but understand any exclusions made are not personal. I have the utmost respect for the players and, if they are on the outside looking in right now, I expect that they will be inducted soon.
So, without further adieu, here is the Class of 2022 for the Schmoedown Wing of the EYG Hall of Fame.
“Dangerous” Dan Murrell. Of course. He is the recognized GOAT and a multiple time champion. One of the most respected players of all time. First competitor to 20 wins.
The Patriots (JTE and Jeff Sneider). The longest reigning team champions of all time. The Patriots won the first nine matches they played. Created amazing antagonists for the crowd to cheer against.
Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis. The creators. The Schmoes. The driving force behind the league. Former team champions as well.
Rachel “The Crusher” Cushing. A powerhouse in three divisions. A leader among the women in the Schmoedown.
Mike “The Killer” Kalinowski. Multiple time Innergeekdom champion and team champion. Always underestimated. One of the top heels in the game.
“The Outlaw” John Rocha. Multiple time champion. One of the first and most successful “characters” in the Schmoedown. Set a tone for what a heel was supposed to be.
Congratulations to the Class of 2022. If your favorite has not been inducted yet, February 2023 is the next opportunity. Good luck.
Episode four of Friday Night Titans was a special pay-per-view episode and what a match highlighted it.
I have to say, I had an inkling, a gut feeling that Marisol McKee, aka “Lady Justice” may lose the title tonight. She has been so impressive with wins over Ethan Erwin (to win the title) and then against Chance Ellison and Griffin Newman that she had made a believer out of me. But there was just something about that match Samm Levine had last week with The Barbarian. It was a feeling.
And we have a new Movie Trivia Schmoedown Champion of the World, “The Inglorious One” Samm Levine.
What a trivia masterpiece this match was as two clear masters battled. Neither person missed a single question, nor did anyone have to check down to multiple choice in round two.
It came down to the speed round.
Samm Levine had made his reputation thanks to the speed round. When he won his first title, he was known to be fast on the buzzer and dominant in the speed round, but that was four years ago, and Marisol McKee is no slouch in the speed round either. Samm Levine showed absolutely zero rust on those buzzers (which by the way I LOVE the new buzzer set up on the set. A++ on that improvement) and he came out aggressive and with attitude.
Jumping the gun on the questions, there was one question that Samm nearly buzzed in too soon with the Evan Almighty choice, but it worked out for him. The speed round was the difference in the match and led to the title change.
Samm and Marisol showed so much class and respect that you could not help but be amazed and impressed with them both. Oh, and I speculated last week about the possible face turn for Marisol’s manager Shannon. This week, it has clearly happened.
Samm Levine has not missed a question in season 9 yet after two matches, and has a streak of 48 straight correct answers dating back to before his retirement. It is also Samm’s ninth consecutive victory in singles competition, tying the Patriots for that record.
Samm played with such emotion and had several times where you could see that he was not quite 100% on the answer but was able to pull it anyway including a 5 point question in Musicals.
The undercard was a entertaining match as well as William Bibbiani defeated Chance Ellison as the match came down to the final question, missed by Chance. “The Beast” had pulled a tough 5-point question in Animated Movies (Gnomeo and Juliet) to put himself the opportunity to win.
It also sounds as if they are starting to set up a team title match for April with Shazam, which includes Bibbiani and “The Kid” Brendan Meyer, in a third time rematch with Korruption, Chance and Mike Kalinowski.
An epic night of movie trivia and the first true 2022 Match of the Year contenders with the Championship match. The final scene indicated that Ben Bateman will challenging someone next week on Titans. Who could that be? Can’t wait to see. Greta night tonight. Congratulations to Samm Levine on his title win and Marisol McKee on her amazing effort.
Elvis Presley made a lot of movies in his career. This is the first film that is not a concert film that I have seen from The King, and many people believe that this was one of the best films in the catalogue of Elvis Presley.
King Creole is based on the novel A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins.
Danny Fisher (Elvis Presley) is a troublemaking 19-year old who has been unable to graduate from high school which caused conflict between him and his father (Dean Jagger). It turned out that Danny could sing and he started to sing for Charlie Legrand (Paul Stewart) owner of the King Creole nightclub. However, local gangster Maxie Fields (Walter Matthau) wanted Danny to sing for him instead.
There is more to the story than that, but it is a little messy. Some of the motives are shaky. I am not sure what Maxie Fields was think through much of the third act of the film, in the final showdown specifically.
However, Elvis was pretty good, Carolyn Jones was excellent as Ronnie, the mistress of Maxie, and the music was great.
King Creole was a fun film even if it is a lesser story. I would guess that this was the best Elvis film around.
Last Flag Flying was another one of those movies where I remember seeing the trailers quite a few times in the theaters, but never having the movie come to the theater so I could see it.
The film is the story of three former Vietnam vets. They had gone their separate ways after the war. Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carell) had served some time in the brig at the end of the war and then got out and got married. Richard Mueller (Lawrence Fishburne) became a recovering alcoholic and became a preacher. Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) became a bar owner and was constantly getting drunk.
Doc came to find his friends to ask them a favor. His son was killed in Iraq and he needed to go claim his body and he asked his old friends to come with him.
Conflict arose between the old friends whose paths had taken such drastic turns. Especially between Sal and Richard. However, as the days pass, the three of them discovered how important they were to each other.
Directed by Richard Linkletter, Last Flag Flying has, at its core, three great performances from three top of the line actors. This may be one of my personal favorite performances from Steve Carell. The sadness of his loss permeated the character and it was painful to watch him. Even his moments of pure joy and laughter had a ring of anguish behind his eyes. Carell was exceptional.
Bryan Cranston had some outstanding moments too, but he felt a little over the top at times. He was such a blunt character that didn’t appear to care what anyone else felt, but his connection to Doc and Richard was different. Lawrence Fishburne had a quieter performance, but shades of the old Mueller Mauler was brought out by Sal’s buffoonery.
There was a scene with a Marine colonel that felt unresolved, but the storyline with the three men and the loss felt by Doc dominated any other possible secondary story arcs.
The strength of this film is clearly the three stars. Some of the story is not as strong, but the three actors really elevated the material.
The documentary on Amazon Prime from filmmaker Kurt Kuenne is a heart-wrenching and powerful love letter to Kurt’s friend, Andrew Bagby, who was a beloved doctor by tons of people. Unfortunately, he was murdered by a woman, Shirley Turner, who he had broken up with. Turned out that Turner was pregnant with Andrew’s baby and she gave birth to Zachary, a beautiful boy.
Kuenne started the film as a way of giving Zachary insight into the father that he would never know, but it turned out to be something considerably more tragic.
Andrew’s parents, David and Kathleen, were at the center of the attempts to try and gain custody of Zachary, but they had to play along with Shirley as she was in and out of jail on bail and as the courts in Canada slowly progressed, Shirley manipulated the system.
The documentary showed the despair from the Bigbys about the situation as well as showing them as two of the strongest people around. And they were going to have to be.
I’m not going to go into specifics about what happens with this story. If you can come into this documentary without knowledge of the case, like I did, you will find this to be a gripping, emotional tale that hits on all of your feelings.
I can’t imagine the pain and the anguish these amazing people suffered, with the knowledge that the woman who had murdered their son was now responsible for the life of their grandson. Still, I was not ready for the way this story went.
The ending of the doc was filled with love and heart. It was a tough one to watch, but the love is obvious and the powerful moments made it worth it.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 