James-Cromwell Movie Reviews
One of Neil Simon's Best!
"DINNER AND ATE"It's a tremendously "fun movie" - a confusing "whodunnit" with everybody [Sellers,Coco,Falk,Elsa Lanchester, and even Estelle Winwood, and then some]. also zingers like Eileen Brennan to Peter Falk "What are all those pictures of naked men doing in your desk?" Falk [Sam Diamond, pointblankfaced]: "Research!" A delightful work from the mid 1970ies, still available, but not quite surpassed [imitations have followed], and the stars out do each other with comedic timing - don't miss late Alec Guinness as the blind butler, or Nancy Walker as the mute maid. There's a moment when Miss Walker enters the dining room "Screaming", Maggie Smith calmly retorts : "I think she's trying to tell us something....."
A full-screen DVd version would be nice, possibly there might be outtakes in a vault somewhere in town - - good family entertainment for any holiday season.
The rent a few of the originals - "Charlie Chan", "Thin Man", etc.
Funny bones..........
A great movie, with a great cast...
L.A. Confidential--Confidentially, a great film!
Great Film NoirBased on the James Ellroy novel, "LA Confidential" is written and directed by Curtis Hanson, a terrifically talented writer and director. Hanson dives the audience right into the story, engrossing us in the story from the outset. His vision of LA in the 50's feels real- no rose-colored looks at 1950s America here. The crooks are violent, the cops either corrupt or (mostly) well-intentioned, and all is not well in paradise. Los Angeles may be paradise, but there is sure trouble in it.
Give Hanson credit for casting too. The cast is terrific- James Cromwell (one of my favorite actors), Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey (another one of my favorites), Danny DeVito, David Strathairn, and newcomers Guy Pierce and Russell Crowe are outstanding. Crowe in particular does an outstanding job, taking a character that seems at first glance to be a big thug and making him into a complex hero.
Everything else about "LA Confidential" is right on the money. Film noir at its finest.
A great movie, with a great cast...
L.A. Confidential--Confidentially, a great film!
Great Film NoirBased on the James Ellroy novel, "LA Confidential" is written and directed by Curtis Hanson, a terrifically talented writer and director. Hanson dives the audience right into the story, engrossing us in the story from the outset. His vision of LA in the 50's feels real- no rose-colored looks at 1950s America here. The crooks are violent, the cops either corrupt or (mostly) well-intentioned, and all is not well in paradise. Los Angeles may be paradise, but there is sure trouble in it.
Give Hanson credit for casting too. The cast is terrific- James Cromwell (one of my favorite actors), Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey (another one of my favorites), Danny DeVito, David Strathairn, and newcomers Guy Pierce and Russell Crowe are outstanding. Crowe in particular does an outstanding job, taking a character that seems at first glance to be a big thug and making him into a complex hero.
Everything else about "LA Confidential" is right on the money. Film noir at its finest.
A great movie, with a great cast...
L.A. Confidential--Confidentially, a great film!
Great Film NoirBased on the James Ellroy novel, "LA Confidential" is written and directed by Curtis Hanson, a terrifically talented writer and director. Hanson dives the audience right into the story, engrossing us in the story from the outset. His vision of LA in the 50's feels real- no rose-colored looks at 1950s America here. The crooks are violent, the cops either corrupt or (mostly) well-intentioned, and all is not well in paradise. Los Angeles may be paradise, but there is sure trouble in it.
Give Hanson credit for casting too. The cast is terrific- James Cromwell (one of my favorite actors), Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey (another one of my favorites), Danny DeVito, David Strathairn, and newcomers Guy Pierce and Russell Crowe are outstanding. Crowe in particular does an outstanding job, taking a character that seems at first glance to be a big thug and making him into a complex hero.
Everything else about "LA Confidential" is right on the money. Film noir at its finest.
A mile of heart-wrenching emotionThe Green Mile is not a film that can be easily described. All of the characters are important. If there is a plot, it is submerged beneath a dozen important sub-plots. The characters are what keep us entranced during this three-hour celebration of morality. Our point of view is firmly glued to the senior guard on the Green Mile, Paul Edgecomb, played with feeling by Tom Hanks. Paul is a good man, surviving the great depression in a less than attractive job. We are witness to his strength early in the film as he deals with an excruciating urinary tract infection. This strength is displayed in other ways as the story progresses.
Based on a series of Stephen King novellas, we are not surprised when a new inmate arrives who fails to fit into any kind of prison mold. John Coffey, (J.C. - get it?), is a mountain of a man who exudes innocence and peace in equal measures. Every day that he stays on the row, increases Paul's belief that Coffey was wrongly convicted of killing two little girls. It is only after Coffey displays a miraculous healing gift that Paul starts to question the status quo.
But Paul's redemptive efforts, and even his work, are constantly hampered by a junior guard, Percy Wetmore, (Doug Hutchison). Percy is well connected in political circles and uses this form of protection to free his base desires. He likes to humiliate, frighten and hurt other people, never a good combination in a prison guard. Luckily, Percy is well matched by Paul Edgecomb. We have confidence that Paul will eventually master Percy.
Balance seems to be important in the story because just as Paul and Percy struggle on opposite sides of morality, John Coffey is soon introduced to his opposite, William "Wild Bill" Wharton, (Sam Rockwell). Wharton is a thoroughly evil man. Not content with enjoying his own warped hobbies, he seems driven to spread as much suffering as inhumanly possible. Unconcerned with his impending execution, he takes every opportunity to attack the guards. We even feel some sympathy for Percy when he comes within the diseased reach of Wharton.
All the support roles are outstanding, although Graham Green's character, Arlen Bitterbuck, was not so memorable. I'd like to especially praise David Morse, who plays Brutus, Paul's right hand man; and Michael Jeter, playing a Cajun prisoner, Eduard Delacroix, who has a comic dose of eccentricity. Eduard introduces another minor character, Mr Jangles the mouse.
There is a lot of symbolism in The Green Mile. The mouse, eventually adopted by Eduard, seems to represent freedom. He comes and goes without restriction. He can't be trapped and he enjoys life, as expressed through his simple circus tricks. Coffey's healing power clearly represents good or perhaps the power of God. The ephemeral black insects he releases after absorbing disease, imply more than illness. Perhaps sickness is supposed to be an evil of the body. Sadly, Coffey eventually embodies pure goodness in our minds, and then he renounces the world and its ubiquitous evil. We are almost convinced there is no hope in our lives but luckily, Paul's strength shows us that hope can never fully disappear.
In the end, a film that might have centered on the morality of the death penalty, takes us in another direction entirely. Our focus is always Paul Edgecomb. His moral strength and eventual spiritual test are offered to us as a testimony. Hank's performance forces us to examine our own lives. Can we recognize the good in those around us and, more importantly, can we resist the evil?
A Powerful JourneyJohn Coffey, as played by Micheal Clarke Duncan in a beautiful performance, is a man who physically feels the pain of the wrongs people do to each other. "I am tired of all the uglyness people do to each other", he is a man who feels the pain of all humanity's wrong doings. His size is symbolic of that, expressing years of absorbed pain. Now tired, constantly in tears, all he wants in the world is the ability to "take it back", undo everyone else's wrongs.
The Green Mile contains another pleasant surprise, Tom Hanks. After a last couple of years of playing characters with no edge, his Paul Edgecomb is a moraly conflicted man capable of violence, revenge and guilt. Welcome back Tom.
Amazing how this film balances all the different tones it does. One particular sequence involving the rehearsal of an execution will have you laughing out loud, only to be in shocked disbeleif at the actual execution just minutes later. A point of contention about this film is the nessecity of the present day framing sequences, and although I usually don't like this device, I think it works well here giving the story a larger scope, magnifying the effects of John Coffey.
Frank Darabont's last film was The Shawshank Redemption, one of the best films of the 1990s and obviously a hard act to follow. The Green Mile is not as good as that, but it is a moving, powerful and unique film in its own right. Don't miss this.
Wonderful MovieYou have to take my word for this, Green Mile is a GREAT movie.
A mile of heart-wrenching emotionThe Green Mile is not a film that can be easily described. All of the characters are important. If there is a plot, it is submerged beneath a dozen important sub-plots. The characters are what keep us entranced during this three-hour celebration of morality. Our point of view is firmly glued to the senior guard on the Green Mile, Paul Edgecomb, played with feeling by Tom Hanks. Paul is a good man, surviving the great depression in a less than attractive job. We are witness to his strength early in the film as he deals with an excruciating urinary tract infection. This strength is displayed in other ways as the story progresses.
Based on a series of Stephen King novellas, we are not surprised when a new inmate arrives who fails to fit into any kind of prison mold. John Coffey, (J.C. - get it?), is a mountain of a man who exudes innocence and peace in equal measures. Every day that he stays on the row, increases Paul's belief that Coffey was wrongly convicted of killing two little girls. It is only after Coffey displays a miraculous healing gift that Paul starts to question the status quo.
But Paul's redemptive efforts, and even his work, are constantly hampered by a junior guard, Percy Wetmore, (Doug Hutchison). Percy is well connected in political circles and uses this form of protection to free his base desires. He likes to humiliate, frighten and hurt other people, never a good combination in a prison guard. Luckily, Percy is well matched by Paul Edgecomb. We have confidence that Paul will eventually master Percy.
Balance seems to be important in the story because just as Paul and Percy struggle on opposite sides of morality, John Coffey is soon introduced to his opposite, William "Wild Bill" Wharton, (Sam Rockwell). Wharton is a thoroughly evil man. Not content with enjoying his own warped hobbies, he seems driven to spread as much suffering as inhumanly possible. Unconcerned with his impending execution, he takes every opportunity to attack the guards. We even feel some sympathy for Percy when he comes within the diseased reach of Wharton.
All the support roles are outstanding, although Graham Green's character, Arlen Bitterbuck, was not so memorable. I'd like to especially praise David Morse, who plays Brutus, Paul's right hand man; and Michael Jeter, playing a Cajun prisoner, Eduard Delacroix, who has a comic dose of eccentricity. Eduard introduces another minor character, Mr Jangles the mouse.
There is a lot of symbolism in The Green Mile. The mouse, eventually adopted by Eduard, seems to represent freedom. He comes and goes without restriction. He can't be trapped and he enjoys life, as expressed through his simple circus tricks. Coffey's healing power clearly represents good or perhaps the power of God. The ephemeral black insects he releases after absorbing disease, imply more than illness. Perhaps sickness is supposed to be an evil of the body. Sadly, Coffey eventually embodies pure goodness in our minds, and then he renounces the world and its ubiquitous evil. We are almost convinced there is no hope in our lives but luckily, Paul's strength shows us that hope can never fully disappear.
In the end, a film that might have centered on the morality of the death penalty, takes us in another direction entirely. Our focus is always Paul Edgecomb. His moral strength and eventual spiritual test are offered to us as a testimony. Hank's performance forces us to examine our own lives. Can we recognize the good in those around us and, more importantly, can we resist the evil?
A Powerful JourneyJohn Coffey, as played by Micheal Clarke Duncan in a beautiful performance, is a man who physically feels the pain of the wrongs people do to each other. "I am tired of all the uglyness people do to each other", he is a man who feels the pain of all humanity's wrong doings. His size is symbolic of that, expressing years of absorbed pain. Now tired, constantly in tears, all he wants in the world is the ability to "take it back", undo everyone else's wrongs.
The Green Mile contains another pleasant surprise, Tom Hanks. After a last couple of years of playing characters with no edge, his Paul Edgecomb is a moraly conflicted man capable of violence, revenge and guilt. Welcome back Tom.
Amazing how this film balances all the different tones it does. One particular sequence involving the rehearsal of an execution will have you laughing out loud, only to be in shocked disbeleif at the actual execution just minutes later. A point of contention about this film is the nessecity of the present day framing sequences, and although I usually don't like this device, I think it works well here giving the story a larger scope, magnifying the effects of John Coffey.
Frank Darabont's last film was The Shawshank Redemption, one of the best films of the 1990s and obviously a hard act to follow. The Green Mile is not as good as that, but it is a moving, powerful and unique film in its own right. Don't miss this.
Wonderful MovieYou have to take my word for this, Green Mile is a GREAT movie.
A mile of heart-wrenching emotionThe Green Mile is not a film that can be easily described. All of the characters are important. If there is a plot, it is submerged beneath a dozen important sub-plots. The characters are what keep us entranced during this three-hour celebration of morality. Our point of view is firmly glued to the senior guard on the Green Mile, Paul Edgecomb, played with feeling by Tom Hanks. Paul is a good man, surviving the great depression in a less than attractive job. We are witness to his strength early in the film as he deals with an excruciating urinary tract infection. This strength is displayed in other ways as the story progresses.
Based on a series of Stephen King novellas, we are not surprised when a new inmate arrives who fails to fit into any kind of prison mold. John Coffey, (J.C. - get it?), is a mountain of a man who exudes innocence and peace in equal measures. Every day that he stays on the row, increases Paul's belief that Coffey was wrongly convicted of killing two little girls. It is only after Coffey displays a miraculous healing gift that Paul starts to question the status quo.
But Paul's redemptive efforts, and even his work, are constantly hampered by a junior guard, Percy Wetmore, (Doug Hutchison). Percy is well connected in political circles and uses this form of protection to free his base desires. He likes to humiliate, frighten and hurt other people, never a good combination in a prison guard. Luckily, Percy is well matched by Paul Edgecomb. We have confidence that Paul will eventually master Percy.
Balance seems to be important in the story because just as Paul and Percy struggle on opposite sides of morality, John Coffey is soon introduced to his opposite, William "Wild Bill" Wharton, (Sam Rockwell). Wharton is a thoroughly evil man. Not content with enjoying his own warped hobbies, he seems driven to spread as much suffering as inhumanly possible. Unconcerned with his impending execution, he takes every opportunity to attack the guards. We even feel some sympathy for Percy when he comes within the diseased reach of Wharton.
All the support roles are outstanding, although Graham Green's character, Arlen Bitterbuck, was not so memorable. I'd like to especially praise David Morse, who plays Brutus, Paul's right hand man; and Michael Jeter, playing a Cajun prisoner, Eduard Delacroix, who has a comic dose of eccentricity. Eduard introduces another minor character, Mr Jangles the mouse.
There is a lot of symbolism in The Green Mile. The mouse, eventually adopted by Eduard, seems to represent freedom. He comes and goes without restriction. He can't be trapped and he enjoys life, as expressed through his simple circus tricks. Coffey's healing power clearly represents good or perhaps the power of God. The ephemeral black insects he releases after absorbing disease, imply more than illness. Perhaps sickness is supposed to be an evil of the body. Sadly, Coffey eventually embodies pure goodness in our minds, and then he renounces the world and its ubiquitous evil. We are almost convinced there is no hope in our lives but luckily, Paul's strength shows us that hope can never fully disappear.
In the end, a film that might have centered on the morality of the death penalty, takes us in another direction entirely. Our focus is always Paul Edgecomb. His moral strength and eventual spiritual test are offered to us as a testimony. Hank's performance forces us to examine our own lives. Can we recognize the good in those around us and, more importantly, can we resist the evil?
A Powerful JourneyJohn Coffey, as played by Micheal Clarke Duncan in a beautiful performance, is a man who physically feels the pain of the wrongs people do to each other. "I am tired of all the uglyness people do to each other", he is a man who feels the pain of all humanity's wrong doings. His size is symbolic of that, expressing years of absorbed pain. Now tired, constantly in tears, all he wants in the world is the ability to "take it back", undo everyone else's wrongs.
The Green Mile contains another pleasant surprise, Tom Hanks. After a last couple of years of playing characters with no edge, his Paul Edgecomb is a moraly conflicted man capable of violence, revenge and guilt. Welcome back Tom.
Amazing how this film balances all the different tones it does. One particular sequence involving the rehearsal of an execution will have you laughing out loud, only to be in shocked disbeleif at the actual execution just minutes later. A point of contention about this film is the nessecity of the present day framing sequences, and although I usually don't like this device, I think it works well here giving the story a larger scope, magnifying the effects of John Coffey.
Frank Darabont's last film was The Shawshank Redemption, one of the best films of the 1990s and obviously a hard act to follow. The Green Mile is not as good as that, but it is a moving, powerful and unique film in its own right. Don't miss this.
Wonderful MovieYou have to take my word for this, Green Mile is a GREAT movie.
A mile of heart-wrenching emotionThe Green Mile is not a film that can be easily described. All of the characters are important. If there is a plot, it is submerged beneath a dozen important sub-plots. The characters are what keep us entranced during this three-hour celebration of morality. Our point of view is firmly glued to the senior guard on the Green Mile, Paul Edgecomb, played with feeling by Tom Hanks. Paul is a good man, surviving the great depression in a less than attractive job. We are witness to his strength early in the film as he deals with an excruciating urinary tract infection. This strength is displayed in other ways as the story progresses.
Based on a series of Stephen King novellas, we are not surprised when a new inmate arrives who fails to fit into any kind of prison mold. John Coffey, (J.C. - get it?), is a mountain of a man who exudes innocence and peace in equal measures. Every day that he stays on the row, increases Paul's belief that Coffey was wrongly convicted of killing two little girls. It is only after Coffey displays a miraculous healing gift that Paul starts to question the status quo.
But Paul's redemptive efforts, and even his work, are constantly hampered by a junior guard, Percy Wetmore, (Doug Hutchison). Percy is well connected in political circles and uses this form of protection to free his base desires. He likes to humiliate, frighten and hurt other people, never a good combination in a prison guard. Luckily, Percy is well matched by Paul Edgecomb. We have confidence that Paul will eventually master Percy.
Balance seems to be important in the story because just as Paul and Percy struggle on opposite sides of morality, John Coffey is soon introduced to his opposite, William "Wild Bill" Wharton, (Sam Rockwell). Wharton is a thoroughly evil man. Not content with enjoying his own warped hobbies, he seems driven to spread as much suffering as inhumanly possible. Unconcerned with his impending execution, he takes every opportunity to attack the guards. We even feel some sympathy for Percy when he comes within the diseased reach of Wharton.
All the support roles are outstanding, although Graham Green's character, Arlen Bitterbuck, was not so memorable. I'd like to especially praise David Morse, who plays Brutus, Paul's right hand man; and Michael Jeter, playing a Cajun prisoner, Eduard Delacroix, who has a comic dose of eccentricity. Eduard introduces another minor character, Mr Jangles the mouse.
There is a lot of symbolism in The Green Mile. The mouse, eventually adopted by Eduard, seems to represent freedom. He comes and goes without restriction. He can't be trapped and he enjoys life, as expressed through his simple circus tricks. Coffey's healing power clearly represents good or perhaps the power of God. The ephemeral black insects he releases after absorbing disease, imply more than illness. Perhaps sickness is supposed to be an evil of the body. Sadly, Coffey eventually embodies pure goodness in our minds, and then he renounces the world and its ubiquitous evil. We are almost convinced there is no hope in our lives but luckily, Paul's strength shows us that hope can never fully disappear.
In the end, a film that might have centered on the morality of the death penalty, takes us in another direction entirely. Our focus is always Paul Edgecomb. His moral strength and eventual spiritual test are offered to us as a testimony. Hank's performance forces us to examine our own lives. Can we recognize the good in those around us and, more importantly, can we resist the evil?
A Powerful JourneyJohn Coffey, as played by Micheal Clarke Duncan in a beautiful performance, is a man who physically feels the pain of the wrongs people do to each other. "I am tired of all the uglyness people do to each other", he is a man who feels the pain of all humanity's wrong doings. His size is symbolic of that, expressing years of absorbed pain. Now tired, constantly in tears, all he wants in the world is the ability to "take it back", undo everyone else's wrongs.
The Green Mile contains another pleasant surprise, Tom Hanks. After a last couple of years of playing characters with no edge, his Paul Edgecomb is a moraly conflicted man capable of violence, revenge and guilt. Welcome back Tom.
Amazing how this film balances all the different tones it does. One particular sequence involving the rehearsal of an execution will have you laughing out loud, only to be in shocked disbeleif at the actual execution just minutes later. A point of contention about this film is the nessecity of the present day framing sequences, and although I usually don't like this device, I think it works well here giving the story a larger scope, magnifying the effects of John Coffey.
Frank Darabont's last film was The Shawshank Redemption, one of the best films of the 1990s and obviously a hard act to follow. The Green Mile is not as good as that, but it is a moving, powerful and unique film in its own right. Don't miss this.
Wonderful MovieYou have to take my word for this, Green Mile is a GREAT movie.
Bryan Adams last stand
Neat, but also...NOW HERE ARE MY CONS. Remember that I'm almost a horse expert, and although this movie was animated, and meant for little kids, I have a few bones to pick. Like in the opening scene, Spirit's dam (mother) is giving birth in the open while all the other horses watch. Wrong! Horse dams always slip away before a horse is born so no other horses bothers her. Then Spirit becomes a stallion and says "Like my father before me, I became leader of the Cimmaron herd". Wrong again. Stallions always kick the colts out before they become a challenge. Then twin foals (baby horses)--not wrong, it happens, but twins are rare....
Rain's color is so fake. And she's not a Paint, she's a pinto, since paints are a breed and have to be a specific conformaiton. Also, how is the horse smart enough to laugh and make a train engine fall downhill? There's more, but I'll take up space. Bye. P.S I'M REALLY 14, BUT THE ADULT FORM IS LOCKED UP.
Get into the "Spirit" of this great family movie
Bryan Adams last stand
Neat, but also...NOW HERE ARE MY CONS. Remember that I'm almost a horse expert, and although this movie was animated, and meant for little kids, I have a few bones to pick. Like in the opening scene, Spirit's dam (mother) is giving birth in the open while all the other horses watch. Wrong! Horse dams always slip away before a horse is born so no other horses bothers her. Then Spirit becomes a stallion and says "Like my father before me, I became leader of the Cimmaron herd". Wrong again. Stallions always kick the colts out before they become a challenge. Then twin foals (baby horses)--not wrong, it happens, but twins are rare....
Rain's color is so fake. And she's not a Paint, she's a pinto, since paints are a breed and have to be a specific conformaiton. Also, how is the horse smart enough to laugh and make a train engine fall downhill? There's more, but I'll take up space. Bye. P.S I'M REALLY 14, BUT THE ADULT FORM IS LOCKED UP.
Get into the "Spirit" of this great family movie
Being a big fan of mysteries, parodies, and all-star casts, this was the movie for me. The whole cast has a ball and hams it up to High Heaven. I love David Niven and Maggie Smith as Dick and Dora Charleston. Smith especially soars, giving an offhanded, almost nonchalant performance that leaves you rolling in the aisles. Elsa Lanchester is great as Jessica Marbles, and Estelle Winwood, in a very small role, gets a few good lines as her senile nurse. (Watch for their entrance!) James Coco is a comic riot as the always-hungry Monsieur Perrier. Peter Sellers is classic again as Inspector Wang (with every line funnier than the last). He has more proverbs than all the fortune cookies in Chinatown: "Treacherous road like-a fresh mushroom..." Peter Falk is insane as really-not-quite-there Sam Diamond, and Truman Capote gets in a fun cameo appearance as their puckish host, Lionel Twain. Smith, Coco, Sellers, and Falk shine. But two of the best performances are in rather small roles played by a pre-"Star Wars" Sir Alec Guiness (so don't expect to hear the Force theme on his entrance) showing his comedic talent as the blind butler, Bensonmum, and "Rhoda" alum, the great Nancy Walker, as the deaf-and-dumb cook, Yetta. These two have some of the funniest scenes in film history, each playing marvelously off the other's shortcomings. (Watch for when Bensonmun "fires" her--even holding the door open and pointing out--while she looks on, bewildered!)
The classic lines are everywhere. Falk: "I gotta go to da can. Sometimes I talk so much, I forget ta go." Lanchester: "Pardon my language, but it scared the ca-ca out of me!" Smith: (in response) "You know, Dicky, I like her. I really like her." Capote: (chastising Sellers' broken English) "IT! IT! Use your damn pronouns!" Perrier's driver: (About a chocolate bar with almonds instead of nuts) "The man at the store had no nuts." Coco: (responding) "He was short?" Sellers: "Look! Voice come from cow on wall!" But the best line in the whole movie is when the butler has been gone for quite some time and not returned with their meal, and starving Coco, in detective mode, says, "The most important question is: Where is the butler? And why has he not returned...(Screaming dramatically)...WITH OUR DINNER! "
I was in a murder-mystery play last year in which one character was a sendup of Truman Capote; I loaned this video to the actor who had that part. And this week, I'm playing a role in Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians," in which Estelle Winwood (Ms. Marbles' nurse in this film) originated the stage role of Emily Brent in 1944.
This is a really fun movie to watch on a Friday night with lots of friends--for even more fun, watch it back-to-back with "Clue!"