Screenplay: William Monahan (based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd, and Briana Middleton.
Tagline: Publishing is heading towards memoir
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
The Tender Bar is a coming of age story of a little boy named JR (no periods) being raised by his single mom and an assist from his cool Uncle who owns a bar. Affleck plays the Uncle while Ranieri and Sheridan play the boy/man. The movie is well cast and that helps keep interest up as the subplots come and go. Will JR graduate high school? Will he get into Yale? Will he get a good job? Will it work out with his love interest? Will he become a writer? Will he and his dad ever reconcile?
As I said, The Tender Bar is well cast. Standouts include Affleck and Sheridan. Rabe, Middleton and Max Martini as JR’s deadbeat dad aren’t given a lot to do but are very good. The bar patrons are also fun even if they’re mainly there to order the next round. “Back ’em up!”
The Tender Bar isn’t a great film, but it’s not a bad movie to watch with your better half. I rate it 3 of 5 stars.
BulletTrain is an international best seller about five assassins on a Japanese bullet train trying to retrieve a mysterious suitcase before one of the others can get to it. Descriptions of the book that compared it to a stylish modern day yakuza film directed by Quentin Tarantino got my interest. When I learned that BulletTrain was being made into a action thriller directed by David (John Wick franchise) Leitch starring Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt and Zazie Beetz. I was sold.
I went into BulletTrain with high expectations for a fast moving, exciting tale with interesting characters and action. What I got was far from that. The assassins are on the train. They have names like The Prince, Tangerine and Lemon. There’s a subplot about a hospitalized boy in danger. Instead of action we get tons and tons of talk. Some of the assassins (and the main psychopath) are school children. Two that work together (Tangerine and Lemon) spend pages and pages talking about Thomas the Train. The dialogue often seemed forced at best.
I seldom quit a book before finishing it. I’m usually a pretty good judge of what I’ll like. BulletTrain sounded like exactly the type of story I’d love. Sadly it wasn’t.
That’s the cover to Michael Mann’s prequel/sequel novel to his crime classic film Heat. Cowritten with Meg Gardiner, Heat 2 will be released on August 9, 2022. Here’s the synopsis…
Michael Mann, four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker and writer-director of Heat, Collateral, Thief, Manhunter, and Miami Vice, teams up with Edgar Award-winning author Meg Gardiner to deliver Mann’s first crime novel — an explosive return to the world and characters of his classic film Heat — an all-new story that illuminates what happened before and after the iconic film.
Described by Michael Mann as both a prequel and sequel to the renowned, critically acclaimed film of the same name, HEAT2 covers the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Oscar winner Al Pacino) and elite criminals Neil McCauley (Oscar winner Robert De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), and Nate (Oscar winner Jon Voight), and features the same extraordinary ambition, scope, rich characterizations, and attention to detail as the epic film.
This new story leads up to the events of the film and then moves beyond it, featuring new characters on both sides of the law, new high-line heists, and breathtakingly cinematic action sequences. Ranging from the streets of L.A. to the inner sancta of rival Taiwanese crime syndicates in Paraguay to a massive drug cartel money-laundering operation just over the border in Mexico, HEAT2 illuminates the dangerous workings of international crime organizations and the agents who pursue them as it provides a full-blooded portrait of the men and women who inhabit both worlds. Operatic in scope, HEAT2 is engrossing, moving, and tragic — a masterpiece of crime fiction from one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema.
Drew Struzan is on Twitter. He regularly shares art that he created for movies, television and print. Often Mr. Struzan provides rare art from behind-the-scenes like these Escape from New York pieces above. If you’re not following Drew Struzan on Twitter, you’re missing out.
We have the Last Looks poster and trailer. Both look better than expected. This will be a streaming view for me.
Charlie Waldo (Charlie Hunnam) is an ex-LAPD superstar who left the force and now lives a life of simplicity and solitude deep in the woods. Alistair Pinch (Mel Gibson) is an eccentric actor who spends his days drunk on the set of his TV show. When Pinch’s wife is found dead, he is the prime suspect and Waldo is convinced to come out of retirement to investigate what happened. The case finds Waldo contending with gangsters, Hollywood executives and pre-school teachers, all in pursuit of clearing Pinch’s name … or confirming his guilt. #LastLooks
IN THEATERS, ON DEMAND AND DIGITAL: February 4, 2022
CAST: Charlie Hunnam, Morena Baccarin, Lucy Fry, Dominic Monaghan, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Clancy Brown with Rupert Friend and Mel Gibson
I love the energy in “Yo, Adrian! I DID IT!!” by Joel Tesch. Joel posted this on his Instagram page with a few process pics and a video. You can see more of Joel’s art at his site.
Earlier this week I watched The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story, a documentary on arguably the great world’s greatest caricaturist. I wondered if Mr. Hirschfeld had ever drawn Sly Stallone. As it turns out, Hirschfeld did at least twice. Below are the images I found with Sylvester Stallone. If you’d like to see more art, signed books, lithographs and more, click over to the Al Hirschfeld Foundation Shop.
Marlon Brando, Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Dolly Parton, Dustin Hoffman, Sally Field, Richard Pryor, Sean Connery and Gene Wilder.
Christie Brinkley, Billy Joel, Cher, Claus von Bülow, Don Johnson, John Irving, Hulk Hogan, Princess Diana, Sly Stallone, Grace Jones, Ronald Reagan and Madonna. 1985
Sidney Poitier, actor, director, and writer died last night at the age of 94.
Mr. Poitier was the first Black to win an Academy Award for Best Actor. In 1967, had a year most actors only dream about; he starred in three hits (To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who is Coming to Dinner)! In 1972 he directed his first feature film (Buck and the Preacher). In 1977, after a career that saw him with over 40 acting and/or directing credits in 30 years, Sidney Poitier took a break that lasted eleven years! When Sidney Poitier returned he alternated between acting in feature films and television movies.
In 2001, Mr. Poitier retired from acting/directing. He wrote a well-received memoir TheMeasureofaMan:A SpiritualAutobiography. In 2009, Mr. Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
My favorite Sidney Poitier film is In the Heat of the Night. It’s because the character he played was a calm man of intelligence and dignity… and he resonated “cool”. Cool, not as in hip, but cool as in control of himself and every situation. I was always impressed when I heard Sidney Poitier in interviews. We’ve lost a legend.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sidney Poitier’s family, friends and fans.
The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story (1996)
Director: Susan Warms Dryfoos
Screenplay: Susan Warms Dryfoos
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Al Hirschfeld lived a long and interesting life. His career spanned over 80 years and Mr. Hirschfeld continued to create art until his death from natural causes at the age of 99.
At 17, Al Hirschfeld was named the Art Director of Selznick Pictures where he created or oversaw the making of all the company’s movie posters. In his 20s he traveled the world to study and refine his art style. When he returned to the US a chance conversation led to his art appearing in the New York Times. After that there was no looking back.
Hirschfeld went on to become one of the world’s most popular and influential artists. His art appeared regularly in the New York Times (for 70 years), and could be seen in The New Yorker, Colliers, TV Guide, Playbill and Rolling Stone (just to name a few). This documentary does an excellent job of presenting Al Hirschfeld’s life and art — both of which are extraordinary. I really liked The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story and it rates 4 of 5 stars.
The video below isn’t a trailer for The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story because I couldn’t find one. Instead this is a profile from CBS Sunday Morning of a Hirschfeld Art Exhibit.
Peter Bogdanovich died today at the age of 82 from natural causes. Mr. Bogdanovich immersed his life in the world of cinema where he excelled as a writer, director, actor, producer and more.
Like so many others, Peter Bogdanovich’s career began working for Roger Corman. A few years later Corman produced Targets, written/directed by Peter Bogdanovich with Boris Karloff in the starring role. While Targets gave some attention to Mr. Bogdanovich’s talents, it was The Last Picture Show that made him a household name.
The Last Picture Show featured an all-star cast (many before they became well known actors/actresses) directed by Peter Bogdanovich in a story that he co-wrote with Larry McMurtry. The film was a hit with critics, the public and earned multiple nominations and awards from The Academy Awards, The Golden Globes, The Directors’ Guild and more.
After The Last Picture Show, Peter Bogdanovich would go on to write, act, and direct projects that interested him. Some of the films he directed include: What’s Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, and Mask. He also wrote and directed a well-received documentary The Great Buster about silent film star Buster Keaton. Last year Peter Bogdanovich along with TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, began a documentary podcast about Bogdanovich’s life in Hollywood. Mr. Bogdanovich was a hit on talk shows because of his extensive knowledge of film history and his friendships with top Hollywood celebrities.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Peter Bogdanovich’s family, friends and fans.
Pursuit starring Emile Hirsch and John Cusack has all the makings of a fun drive-in movie. I’d watch.
John Cusack and Emile Hirsch star in this action thriller about a troubled cop’s hunt for a ruthless hacker, who’s committing savage violence as he searches for his kidnapped wife.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Director: Lana Wachowski
Screenplay: Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell, Aleksander Hemon
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Jada Pinkett Smith, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Christina Ricci and Freema Agyeman.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
I loved The Matrix. It was a genre-changing film that’s impact spread throughout pop culture. The Matrix was well-written, well directed, featured the perfect cast and told a complete story. Any sequel would be hard-pressed to live up to the original.
The two Matrix films that followed were entertaining but didn’t (couldn’t) match what came first.
Eighteen years later we get a fourth Matrix movie aptly titled The Matrix Resurrections. Thankfully Lana Wachowski (who co-wrote & co-directed the original Matrix trilogy with her sister Lilly Wachowski) returned to co-write (with a new team) and direct The Matrix Resurrections. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, the stars of the original trilogy, also returned. Surprisingly word leaked out that had not Wachowski agreed to return Warner Bros. was still prepared to create a fourth film.
When The Matrix Resurrections begins we find Thomas Anderson (Neo) is a middle-aged man working for an entertainment company. His claim to fame is that years before he created an interactive video game called The Matrix that revolutionized the industry. Now the company wants a new version. (Sounds like film imitating reality, right?)
Wha-? Wait a minute. Neo is a middle aged computer gaming programmer? But? But? And what about Trinity? What about -?
Hang on. All will be explained.
The set-up of The Matrix Resurrections places Thomas Anderson/Neo in a situation where he begins to remember all that came before, but questions the memory’s reality and his sanity. Mr. Anderson is seeing a therapist to work out his issues, but the therapist may not have Anderson’s best interests in mind. As Anderson/Neo comes to grips with true reality, he realizes that his decisions will save or kill Trinity… and perhaps the world.
The Matrix Resurrections is very self-aware with in-jokes and nods to the first films. That along with seeing Neo and Trinity back on the big-screen are the things I liked best about the new film. There are good action scenes and it’s interesting to see how self-referential they’ve made the movie.
The problem for me is I didn’t want to see a film where Neo and Trinity didn’t live happily ever-after. We’ve spent three movies watching them fall in love, sacrifice all for the other and finally got the chance to be together in a more perfect world. In The Matrix Resurrections we learn that sixty years have passed, Neo and Trinity are not together. That’s a pretty off-putting set-up. At this point after three movies we don’t want to learn that all that came before was for nothing. Still, the concept, action, love story and good will the characters have developed over four movies keep me invested.
Over all I enjoyed The Matrix Resurrections. It’s not on the same level as the original, but is as good as the second two films in the series. I rate it 3 of 5 stars.
I like the poster, the tagline and the trailer for Blacklight starring Liam Neeson. Deal me in.
In the tense action thriller BLACKLIGHT, LIAM NEESON stars as Travis Block, a freelance government operative living on the fringes and coming to terms with his shadowy past. When he discovers an undercover team that’s targeting U.S. citizens, Block finds himself in the crosshairs of the FBI director (AIDAN QUINN) he once helped protect. But as Block attempts redemption by enlisting a journalist (EMMY RAVER-LAMPMAN) to get the truth out, his daughter and granddaughter are threatened — and a danger that has existed on the margins.
I like her music/videos and am interested in seeing the Janet Jackson documentary.
It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Night one of #Janetdoc premieres Friday, January 28th at 8/7c.
The four-hour event, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Janet’s first album, Janet Jackson (1982), is set to simulcast on Lifetime and A&E, two of the flagship channels of the A+E Networks portfolio. With full, unprecedented access to the global icon, JANET is an intimate, honest and unfiltered look at her untold story. Producers Workerbee have been filming the incredible documentary for over three years and were granted exclusive access to archival footage and Janet’s never before seen home videos, along with star-studded interviews.
This will be the definitive story on Janet Jackson. One of the best-selling and highest-earning artists in music history, Janet has enjoyed immense levels of success, experienced incredible tragedy, and endured a tumultuous private life in the face of extraordinary public scrutiny. With no stone left unturned, JANET lifts the lid on her private life for the very first time and reveals some of her most intimate moments ever caught on camera.
Keanu Reeves is the focus of a cover story in the Winter issue of Esquire magazine. In the piece Keanu Reeves Shares His List of the Movies Everyone Should Watch. It’s an interesting list with some surprising picks. Here are the movies the chosen one chose (and my thoughts on each):
The Neon Demon: Stars Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks and Keanu Reeves. I’ve not only never seen The Neon Demon, I don’t remember hearing about it.
A Clockwork Orange: is a classic.
Rollerball: There are two versions. I prefer the original starring James Caan (and I’ll bet Keanu does too).
The Bad Batch: Here is another film I haven’t heard of. It stars Suki Waterhouse (?) and Jason Mamoa. Here’s the synopsis – In a desert dystopia, a young woman is kidnapped by cannibals. I’m going to put The Bad Batch on my list of movies to be seen.
Dr. Strangelove: is a classic that gets better with every viewing. Must see.
Seven Samurai: is also a classic that influenced movies worldwide.
Amadeus: I saw Amadeus years ago and liked it.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead: I’ve never seen this one.
The Evil Dead: I’ve seen The Evil Dead and it didn’t like it as much as most folks.
Raising Arizona: is a truly funny movie that just writing about makes me want to watch it again.
The Big Lebowski: is another film I’ve never seen. (I know, I know. I need to correct that.)
La Femme Nikita (the French version): I’ve never seen the French version.
The Professional: is an excellent film that kickstarted Natalie Portman’s career.
Young Frankenstein: A classic that should be seen as part of a double feature with the film below.
Blazing Saddles: A classic that should be seen as part of a double feature with the film above.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail: I’ve seen MPatHG and it had its moments but it doesn’t rate as high with me as it does with most folks.
The Outlaw Josey Wales: Arguably Eastwood’s best western. (Ok. I won’t argue it, but let’s agree The Outlaw Josey Wales is one of his best movies.)
The Road Warrior: Mad Max 2: is an excellent choice for movies everyone should see. Make it a part of a double feature with Mad Max: Fury Road and make an evening of it!
