Cinema Rewind

1968 — Rated PG
Director: Sergio Leone
Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Claudia Cardinale

    When it comes a rainin’ all day like it did this weekend, one of my favorite movies to watch is Once Upon A Time In The West. Truly Sergio Leone was one of the greatest directors of our time. In his hands silence, emptiness, voids, wide open spaces become integrel characters. Once Upon A Time In The West is in my opinion his greatest work. The opening sequence at the depot with its austere silence, coupled with the extreme closeups, sets the tone for this exceptional film. Leone’s use of music in his films obviously sets him apart from his peers. In Once Upon A Time… each of the main characters has thier own musical theme which is set up in layers culminating in a rich full orchestral sound by the films end. Leone’s selection of Fonda (one of the iconic good guys of the American screen) as a villain is pure genious. Robards, Bronson and Cardinale flesh out this film in perfect fashion. A lengthy film Once Upon A Time… is mesmerizing from start to finish. Leone’s best work.

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2005 — PG-13
Director: John Stockwell
Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan

Sharks, skin, SCUBA and sexy sirens - what more could you want from a film! Into the Blue is a film that above the surface is all bright colors and sunlight with scintillating scenes of a scantily clad Jessica Alba and hunky golden boy Paul Walker living the good life in the islands. Below the surface, however, Into the Blue is an examination of the dark side of life, or rather how money and greed can corrupt the good life.

Paul Walker is Jared, a environmentally friendly SCUBA diving, treasure hunting die-hard who makes ends meet working as a part-time dive guide for tourists. Jessica Alba is Sam, Jareds very hot girlfriend, who works as a naturalist at a local tourist attractions shark exhibit. In their off time Jared and Sam are treasure hunters who are more in love with the romance of treasure hunting than the actual finding of treasure.
Enter Bryce (played by Scott Caan), a good friend of Jared’s who is an attorney stateside, and his just-met-last-night girlfriend Amanda (Ashley Scott). Bryce and Amanda accompany Jared and Sam on a diving trip where they discover not only a shipwreck but also a drug plane that recently went down in a hurriane. The shipwreck offers the possibility of gold and wealth while the plane wreck offers the instant wealth through the cocaine on board. The ensuing clash of morals and ethics pits Jared and Sam against Bryce and Amanda.
Walker and Alba are two of the hottest stars on screen today and together they are a formidable and enigmatic pairing. Into the Blue is beautifully shot on location and the long continuous underwater shots of Walker and Alba free-diving is breathtaking to say the least and brings to mind another wonderful underwater film (The Big Blue) that I’ll tell you about in the future. Keep Into the Blue in mind as the cold winter months approach - it’ll warm you up immensely.

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2005 — PG-13
Director: Breck Eisner
Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, Penélope Cruz, William H. Macy

If you’re a fan action/adventure author Clive Cussler you might not want to see Sahara the theatrical version of his popular book of the same name. But if you are an action/adventure junkie then you’ll get a kick out of this one.

Matthew McConaughey tackles the lead role of Dirk Pitt - Cussler’s oft-beaten-up-but-never-beaten hero. Mac plays Pitt with abandon, just the way Cussler wrote him - in his earlier novels. One big departure the film takes with the book is Pitt’s age. Cussler has aged his protagonist over the years with each successive novel. The film adaptation however, portrays a more exuberant and youthful Pitt. Mac’s portrayal also lacks the deep introspective characteristic that Cussler paints him with in his books.
Sahara, the movie, follows the exploits of NUMA’s (National Underwater Marine Agency) chief explorer Dirk Pitt and his “side-kick”/best friend Al Giordino, played as comic relief by Steve Zahn. Pitt is in search of a fabled lost civil war ironclad that legend says crossed the Atlantic to Africa with a cargo of confederate gold, never to be seen again.
Along the way Pitt crosses paths with a dark haired beauty (Penélope Cruz), a doctor who works for the United Nations and is tracking down the cause of a spreading disease. Pitt and Rojas (Cruz) join forces as they continually encounter an enemy bent on destroying them.
Sahara is a fun ride and a good way to pass a Saturday morning before the games come on.

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2006 — G
Director: Matthew O’Callaghan
Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, Frank Welker

   I took my 6 year old niece to see this film when it came out in theatres and I was pleasantly surprised. Having read Curious George as a child I was curious to see how the animators had treated this icon of my youth. The animation is as simplistic as the original books and the storyline, which follows the adventures of the Man in the Yellow Hat (voiced by Will Ferrell) as he begins his journey to Africa in search of a lost legendary statue. Through a serious of mishaps, Curious George meets the Man in the Yellow Hat, follows him back to his ship, then stows away for the journey to America. Once, in the big city, everything goes awry for Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat. Of course, in the end all is well with the two and the Man in the Yellow Hat’s girlfriend (voiced by Drew Barrymore). With a wonderful soundtrack, Curious George is a wonderful animated film that parents will love to pop in the dvd player for the younger kids. Most animated films marketed towards children are embibed with adult jokes and double-entendre’s that are really not suitable for children. Curious George is pleasingly devoid of such fixtures making it a rarity in this day and age.

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1962 — Not Rated
Director: Howard Hawks
John Wayne, Red Buttons, Hardy Krüger, Elsa Martinelli

    In honor of the recent loss of actor/comedian Red Buttons, this weeks Cinema Rewind film is the John Wayne, Red Buttons action/adventure film Hatari!.

    Set in the plains of Africa, John Wayne and this ensemble cast are modern day wranglers with a twist - they capture wild African animals to export to zoos around the world. The film as a whole is average fare but it is an enjoyable view, especially if you get a lazy rainy Saturday. Red Buttons as “Pockets” almost steals the movie from the stoic John Wayne. Hatari! is probably more notable for its Henry Mancini score, a soundtrack which features the tune “Baby Elephant Walk.” But the opening score is really dynamite, “Sounds of Hatari” is nothing but percussion, starting out slow and working its way up to a frenzied cacophony of beating drums. On the soundtrack album the tune lasts only six minutes and fortyone seconds though it seems like fifteen (an enjoyable fifteen) and it leaves you breathless.
    Hatari! was also the vehicle that brought German heart-throb Hardy Krüger to American audiences. Hardy was so smitten with the beauty of Tanganyika (now Tanzania) where the movie was filmed that he bought the film’s location and built a home for himself and a bungalow hotel for tourists to see the animals.
    The ensemble of characters represent a varied and wide-ranging group who because of the nature of their work have bonded together almost like a tight-knit family. Wayne is his usual rugged self, with a light-hearted demeanor, but the comedic capers of Buttons gives you the chuckles.

    The true stars of this film though has to be the animals themselves. With rhinos, elephants and lions, to ostriches, monkeys and goats, Hatari! is a wonderful action adventure film set in an awe-inspiring world an ocean away.

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2003 — Rated R
Director: Thomas McCarthy

Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Paul Benjamin

    This jewel of a film is one of my top movies of 2003. Peter Dinklage (from TV’s Threshold) is Finbar McBride, a man born with dwarfism. McBride leads a quiet life in the city until his best friend dies. Inheriting a small abandoned train depot in Newfoundland, NJ, he is determined to live an isolated existence. As the film progresses he encounters a small group of local characters from whom he tries to keep his distance, both physically and emotionally, but to no avail and eventually he befriends the quirky ensemble.
    Though this film would lack its punch without the dwarf storyline, it does not pander to silly stereotypical short jokes. In fact, the story rarely touches on McBride’s size, choosing instead to delve into the intricacies of the different characters personalities and relationships. Dinklage’s performance is stunning. His skill at conveying every emotion with just an expression is remarkable. Add to that a powerful storyline and a quality supporting cast and you’ll begin to see why this film was nominated for just about every film award there is and won Dinklage a Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.
    Light at times, sad at times and perfect from start to finish, The Station Agent is well worth renting, but even more so it is a powerful addition to anyones movie library.

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1995 — Rated PG-13
Director: Alfonso Arau
Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Giancarlo Giannini

    Though I thoroughly enjoyed Keanu Reeves performance, it pales next to the casting of the other characters and the cinematography. Aitana Sanchez-Gijon as Victoria Aragon and Giancarlo Giannini as her father Alberto are mesmerizing on screen. Aitana fairly well limits her films to European (Italian) movies so appearances to U.S. audiences is very limited and that is a shame. Both her talent and her beautiful looks are duly missed on this side of the ocean.

    Set in the immediate post-war era of the wine-country of California, A Walk In The Clouds follows the story of an un-wed, pregnant Victoria as she returns home to face her strict traditional hispanic father who owns one of the premier vineyards in California. Keanu Reeves character befriends Victoria on a bus and on the spur of the moment decides to pose as her husband for a short time. Reeve’s character, Paul, is married to a woman (played by Debra Messing in her first film role, though it is a small part) he only met briefly before shipping out to war. He is not in love with his wife, but his sense of honor demands that he try to work at the marriage. What began as a good deed for Paul, quickly turns into a tortuous conflict within himself as he begins to fall in love with Victoria and in one climactic scene after stomping the grapes of the harvest the two come face to face with the powerful realization of their love.
    Though Victorias un-wed pregnancy is not admirable, the way the two resolve their feelings is - especially for Paul. In this day and age when pre-marital and extra-marital sex is rampant in films it is nice to see a movie that reaches back to a by-gone era when morals were higher and honor was regarded higher than just about anything.
    A Walk In The Clouds is beautifully filmed and acted. In his last major film role, Anthony Quinn’s role as a soft-hearted jovial grandfather is endearing. A Walk In The Clouds is the third incarnation of this tale, the previous two were Italian films.

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1996 — Rated PG-13
Director: Ridley Scott
Jeff Bridges, Caroline Goodall, John Savage

    Based on the true story of the school ship Albatross and its ill-fated last voyage. It is the summer of 1960 and Captain Christopher Sheldon and his wife Alice who is a doctor take on a new crew of teenage boys with varied backgrounds to go to sea on the Albatross to learn how to sail. Part of that experience is to become a crew through learning to work together as well as respect on another. Towards the end of the summer the Albatross encounters a rare phenomenon at sea known as a “white squall.” During the ensuing battle at sea against the elements the boys become men as they struggle to save their foundering ship.

    Jeff Bridges plays “Skipper” Sheldon with great conviction, yet with a subdued undertone that allows the film to focus on the ensemble cast of boys/crew. Part of the beauty of this film is that the boys playing the crew are not A-list actors and this fact aids in accepting the characters as they struggle through adolescence while taking on duties and responsibilities usually ascribed to grown men.
    For those who love the ocean and sailing, this is a first-rate film that stays true to its subject and gives the viewer a realistic look into the world of sailing.

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1995 — Rated R
Director: Jay Roach

Russell Crowe, Hank Azaria, Burt Reynolds

    Before Russell Crowe took the world by storm in Gladiator, he was a star in his native Australia. I first noticed him as the gunslinger-turned-preacher in 1995’s The Quick and the Dead with Sharon Stone. I went to see Mystery Alaska because I wanted to go see a movie that night and I had already seen everything else at the theatre, so I said what the heck and bought a ticket. Sometimes serendipity is fortuitous because this is a gem of a movie that almost got by me.
    Mystery, Alaska is a town that revolves around it’s weekend ice hockey matches. In a town that is snowed in for much of the year, the townspeople talk of little else and find their identity in the weekly matches amongst themselves. When Charles Danner (Hank Azaria), who has left the humble burg for the big city arranges to have a professional hockey team come play a match against the Mystery team it requires the townspeople to set aside their differences and pull together to beat the big league boys who aren’t taking them seriously.
    Burt Reynolds as the towns judge and stoic critic of the home team has a engaging performance. Alongside Crowe’s role as the town’s police chief and the team’s captain is a bevy of character actors that really flesh out this movie and make it an enjoyable experience - even if you are not a hockey fan!

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2001 — Rated PG13
Director: Jonas McCord
Antonio Banderas, Olivia Williams

    This suspense thriller isn’t necessarily the best film in the genre that I have ever seen, nor is it Banderas’ best work, though he still carries the film on his shoulders quite well. What makes this film one worth watching is the entire premise it is built around - an archeological dig that discovers the skeletal remains that date to the first century and fits perfectly with the description of the crucified Christ. The obvious implication of the physical body of Christ being found would cause the destruction of the worlds greatest religion - Christianity - if proven to be true. Banderas as a priest sent by the Vatican to investigate is wonderful to watch as he unravels the mystery and fights to retain his faith in the face of the mounting evidence. Well worth watching just for the whole concept.

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