Thoughts on Living the Life Creative
Tropic Thunder (2008) - Through a set of bizarre circumstances a group of actors shooting a big budget Viet Nam war movie suddenly discover themselves in a real shooting war. They're over budget, behind schedule and their newbie director dies in an accident. The actors assume everything is more of the director's attemtp to create... Continue Reading →
Fail Safe (2000) - Set at the height of the Cold War, a computer glitch launches American nuclear bombers toward the Soviet Union. Because they have passed the "fail safe" point (a precautionary stage designed to avoid these kinds of accidents) they can not be recalled. The President of the United States faces an unimaginable... Continue Reading →
Swing Time - (1936) Dancer and gambler Lucky Garnett (Fred Astaire) gets tricked out of marriage by his fellow performers. His father-in-law to be will let him try again if he can go to New York and raise $25,000. Once Lucky gets there he crosses paths with aspiring dancer Penny Carroll (Ginger Rogers). Dancing and... Continue Reading →
Z (1969) - A political thriller following the assassination of a leading left wing politician an investigator tries to find the truth. The authorities insist that the death of Z (Yves Montand) was the result of an accident but the investigator (Jean Louis Tritignant) refuses to be distracted. He pursues the truth to the very... Continue Reading →
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) - The fictionalized life story of one of the great American songwriters, George M. Cohan. Starring James Cagney in the lead role the movie goes from Cohan's early days as a cocky young star in a family act to the days of Cohan as a great American musical treasure. Filled with... Continue Reading →
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - A soldier's wife (Lee Remick) is raped and he (Ben Gazarra) kills her rapist. The former local prosecuting attorney (Jimmy Stewart) agrees to defend the husband. His client is just a bit too slick and the wife is just a bit too much of a party girl. Both of... Continue Reading →
Grand Prix (1966) - Headstrong American driver Pete Aaron (James Garner) makes a rash move at Monaco which injures his teammate Scott Stoddard and results in Aaron being released by the team. While Stoddard is recovering Aaron begins an affair with Pat Stoddard (Jessica Walter). Elsewhere in the paddock Ferrari veteran and two time world... Continue Reading →
Blue Like Jazz (2012) - The fictionalized story of author Donald Miller's adventures as a Southern Baptist from Texas at the very liberal Reed College in Portland Oregon. Sometimes called "the most godless college in America" the culture at Reed will challenge Miller's belief in God and in himself. Based loosely on the best selling... Continue Reading →
Two movies this week but they really deserve to be together. They follow the lives of Simon Grim (James Urbaniak), his sister Fay (Parker Posey), and a bombastic but vastly untalented writer with a mysterious past Henry Fool (Thomas Jay Ryan). Written and directed by Hal Hartley the movies are both funny and deeply serious.... Continue Reading →
White Heat (1949) - James Cagney stars with Virginia Mayo and Edmond O'Brien in one of the great gangster movies of all time. Cody Jarrett (Cagney) is a psychopath with mother issues. He leads a gang of robbers and murderers on an extensive crime spree with his girlfriend Verna (Mayo). Ma Jarrett is Cody's only... Continue Reading →
