The Fall Guy

Today, on Peacock, while exercising, I finished watching “The Fall Guy,” released in theaters in May but on Peacock in August. My brother told me about this movie and said he liked it, so I decided to check it out.

Hollywood loves making moves about themselves, but such films often have the ability to look self-important or pretentious or generous (or all of that). “The Fall Guy” is the antithesis. This David Leitch film is for the admiration of filmmaking that is just so much fun with no pretentiousness present.

Inspired by the TV show from the 80s, the film is a tribute to action films and credits the stunt performers who make these movies possible.

The story is about Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), a stuntman who quits after a serious accident, leaving behind his career and his crush, camerawoman Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt).

A year and a half later, Colt gets a call from producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) to once again be a stunt double for famous actor Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who is now staring in a sci-fi film that Jody is directing.

Being told that Jody wants Colt to be the stunt double, Colt flies to Sydney, only to find out that Jody never asked for him and is still ticked off about their breakup. Colt suddenly realizes that he was tricked into coming there. Now being a part of a conspiracy, Colt must find out what really is occurring and save Jody’s directorial debut.

The strangely entertaining silliness that occurs is just a lot of action-packed enjoyment.

Sameen Amer credited in her review, “The film references and meta humour are bound to amuse movie buffs. The action is thoroughly entertaining, and you can tell that the set pieces have been shaped by someone who clearly revels in and appreciates the intricacies of the craft; Leitch’s work as a stunt performer makes him the ideal choice to helm the vehicle. The cast is terrific; everyone is so committed to the zaniness of the premise, it’s glorious.”

Amer continued, “Ultimately, its story might not be exceptionally clever and your mind might need to skirt a few plot holes along the way, but The Fall Guy is still a very enjoyable popcorn flick with an excellent cast and crew. Filled to the brim with entertaining action, built around a gentle romance, and wrapped in complete and utter silliness, the film is likely to leave you with a grin on your face (and a Phil Collins song stuck in your head!)”

This is a good film that everyone should see on Peacock. You have the option to pick the theatrically released or the extended version. I chose to watch the extended version, and this film did not disappoint. If you didn’t see this in theaters, I suggest you watch it on Peacock because this film is not one to miss. Check it out and have a great time.

Thank you for reading this blog tonight. Stay tuned next Friday for the continuation of “Kevin Spacey Month.”

L.A. Confidential

Confidential was a magazine of the 1950s, a monthly that sold millions of copies with its unpleasant articles of celebrity drugs and erotic material. Roger Ebert admitted, “I found it on my dad’s night table and read it breathlessly, the stories of reefer parties, multiple divorces, wife-swapping and “leading men” who liked to wear frilly undergarments. The magazine sank in a sea of lawsuits, but it created a genre; the trash tabloids are its direct descendants.”

Ebert continued, “Watching “L.A. Confidential,” I felt some of the same insider thrill that “Confidential” provided: The movie, like the magazine, is based on the belief that there are a million stories in the city, and all of them will raise your eyebrows and curl your hair.” The beginning is narrated by Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito), who publishes Hush-Hush magazine and bribes a cop named Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) to arrest celebrities. Ebert noted, “Jack is photographed with his luckless victims, and is famous as the guy who caught Robert Mitchum smoking marijuana.”

It's Christmas Eve in 1953 and Bing Crosby is playing on the radio as cops pick up cases of free alcohol for their holiday parties. Back at the headquarters, there are three officers who, in their mind, represent the future decisions for the LAPD. Ebert said, “Vincennes, star-struck, lives for his job as technical adviser to “Badge of Honor,” a “Dragnet”-style television show.” Bud White, played by Russell Crowe, is an aggressive young cop who is willing to accommodate the department’s relaxed methods. Ed Exley, played by Guy Pearce, is the straight man, his glasses making him look like a strong accountant – one who might work for the FBI.

Ed is an ambitious man who wants to do everything by the book. His captain, Dudley Smith, played by James Cromwell, kindly explain that an officer must be prepared to lie, cheat, and steal – obviously in the name of being sure the guilty get arrested. Captain Smith likes to call his men “good lads,” and looks wise we can almost believe him as he does little quizzes and explains that advancement depends on being prepared to give the “right answers.” “L.A. Confidential,” released in 1997, has the atmosphere and tradition of film noir, but it doesn’t look like a period picture – it believes its noir values and isn’t just using them for decoration. Ebert said, “It’s based on a novel by James Ellroy, that lanky, sardonic poet of Los Angeles sleaze. Its director, Curtis Hanson (“Bad Influence,” “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”), weaves a labyrinthine plot, but the twists are always clear because the characters are so sharply drawn; we don’t know who’s guilty or innocent, but we know who should be.”

The story is about a series of crimes that occurred during the beginning of 1997. Associates of Mickey Cohen, the L.A. mob boss, become victims of the type of gang executions. There’s a massacre at an all-night coffee shot. One of the victims is a twisted cop, and three black youths are immediately made as suspects, despite there’s thought that someone else is behind the crime.

We meet a millionaire adult filmmaker named Pierce Patchett, played by David Strathairn. He runs a top-notch call girl operation where aspiring young actresses are given plastic surgery to make them resemble movie stars. One of the them is Lynn Bracken, played by Kim Basinger, who, it is said, has been “cut” to look like Veronica Lake. Bud White finds her, thinking she’ll be able to tell about the coffee-shop massacre. (“You’re the first man in months who hasn’t told me I look just like Veronica Lake.”) Ebert admitted, “At this point, perhaps an hour into the movie, I felt inside a Raymond Chandler novel: not only because of the atmosphere and the dialogue, but also because there seemed to be no way all of these characters and events could be drawn together into a plot that made sense. Not that I would have cared; I enjoy film noir for the journey as much as the destination.”

However, Hanson and his co-writer, Brian Helgeland, have everything come together, and as the film goes on, there’s an unlikely camaraderie between two cops who start off as enemies. The film’s thought that despite it being miniscule in free booze and a little fix, there are some things a police officer just can’t do and look himself in the mirror in the morning.

The film is filled in L.A. folklore. Ellroy is a student of the city’s tough streets. It focuses on the town just at that postwar time when it was beginning to become self-conscious about the story. Ebert said, “Joseph Wambaugh writes in one of his books that he is constantly amazed by the hidden threads that connect the high to the low, the royalty to the vermin, in Los Angeles–where a hooker is only a role from stardom, and vice, as they say, versa.”

Ebert said, “One of the best scenes takes place in the Formosa Cafe, a restaurant much frequented in the 1940s by unlikely boothfellows.” Cops arrive to question Johnny Stompanato, a thug who may know something about the Cohen killings. His date tears him apart. “A hooker cut to look like Lana Turner is still a hooker,” Exley tells her, but Jack Vincennes knows better: “She is Lana Turner,” he says with such amusement.

One of the reasons “L.A. Confidential” is so good, why it deserves to be mentioned with “Chinatown,” it that it’s not just plot and atmosphere. There are believable characters here, not least Kim Basinger’s prostitute, whose silent line, “I thought I was helping you,” is one of the movie’s most revealing moments. Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce are two Australian actors who here move believably into star-making roles, and Kevin Spacey uses perfect timing to suggest his character’s ability to move between two worlds while betraying both (he has a wonderful scene where he refuses to cooperate with a department investigation – until they threaten his job on the TV show).

Behind everything, setting the moral tone and pulling a lot of the storylines, is the sharp captain, appearing so helpful. Ebert said, “James Cromwell, who was the kindly farmer in “Babe,” has the same benevolent smile in this role, but the eyes are cold, and in his values can be seen, perhaps, the road ahead to Rodney King.” “L.A. Confidential” is charming and beautiful, sarcastic and twisting, and one of the best films of 1997.

I had heard about this movie for quite some time and I must have been thinking about seeing it for some time now. Then, while I was exercising a few months back, I saw this film on Hulu. The film is not on there anymore. You would have to buy it off of Amazon. However, it is one of those films that you have to see because it is amazing. You will love the crime thrillers of this film because it is just edge of your seat. Check it out and have a great time watching it.

Next week, I will be looking at a film that is quite a strange film that will have you wondering about what they were thinking, but it’s still a good film, in “Kevin Spacey Month.”

Glengarry Glen Ross

For this month, I will be reviewing films that star Kevin Spacey. Yes, I know about everything that he has done, but he still has been in amazing films. Let’s take look at 1992 classic, “Glengarry Glen Ross.”

The untidy real estate office in the film may be one of the movie places we will remember, like the war room in “Dr. Strangelove” or Hannibal Lecter’s cell. It has two parts: a glass area where the office manager lives with his precious “leads” – cards with the names of people who might want to buy real estate – and the rest of the office, given over to the desks of the salesmen, who try to sound rich and confident over the phone, but whose eyes are filled with misery.

Throughout the day, they make calls to sell real estate that no one wants to buy. They are making no money. It is worse than that.

They are about to lose their jobs. Blake, played by Alec Baldwin, the professional jerk from downtown, arrives to give them a lesson on the chalkboard and a warning. There is a new sales contest. First prize is a Cadillac.

Second prize, a set of steak knives. Third prize, they’re fired: “Hit the bricks, plan, and beat it, ‘cause you are going OUT!” The movie is based on a play by David Mamet, who once briefly worked in that type of office. He knows the way these people communicate, and turns their language into a version of his own personal language, where the everyday swears and misery of everyday speech are copied into a sad music. Roger Ebert said in his review, “Their struggle takes on a kind of nobility.”

Look at Shelley (the Machine) Levene, for example. Played by Jack Lemmon, he was once a professional salesman, winning the office sweepstakes every month. Now he is not making any sales, and his wife is in the hospital, and it’s sad to hear his lies, about how he would feel wrong, not sharing this “marvelous opportunity.” Lemmon has a scene in this movie that shows the best work he has ever done. He makes a house call on a man who does not want to buy real estate. Ebert said, “The man knows it, we know it, Lemmon knows it – but Lemmon keeps trying, not registering the man’s growing impatience to have him out of his house. There is a fine line in this scene between deception and breakdown, between Lemmon’s false jolity and the possibility that he may collapse right on the man’s rug, surrendering all hope.”

The other salesman are gathered in a well-balanced cast that practiced Mamet’s dialogue for weeks, getting to know the music of the words while working on the characters. Ebert noted, “Kevin Spacey is the office manager, unblinking and cold, playing by the rules.” The salesmen are played by Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, and Lemmon. They are all in different types of breakdown. There is a part between Harris and Arkin that is one of the best things Mamet has written. They think about the near-famous “good leads” that Spacey has said to have locked in his office. What if someone broke into the office and stole the leads? Harris and Arkin discuss it, neither one really say out loud what they’re thinking.

There are other parts. Lemmon and Spacey have a scene in a car, in the rain, where Lemmon tries to buy the leads from Spacey.

And Pacino and Jonathan Pryce, who plays a possible customer, have an amazing scene in a restaurant booth, where Pacino slightly tries to convince Pryce into buying, by playing on what he feels is hidden gayness.

In “Dead of a Salesman,” Arthur Miller made the salesman into a symbol for the failure of the American dream. In Miller’s play, Willy Loman was out there alone, with a smile and a shoeshine. “Glengarry Glen Ross” is a version for modern times.

Ebert noted, “Produced onstage in the good times of the 1980s, filmed in the hard times of the 1990s, it shows the new kind of American salesmanship, which is organized around offices and corporations. No longer is a salesman self-employed, going door-to-door. Now individual effort has been replaced by teamwork. The shabby Chicago real estate office, huddled under the L tracks, could be any white-collar organization in which middle-aged men find themselves faced with sudden and possibly permanent unemployment.”

Ebert continued, “Having said that, I must not forget to mention the humor in the film. Mamet’s dialogue has a kind of logic, a cadence, that allows people to arrive in triumph at the ends of sentences we could not possibly have imagined. There is great energy in it. You can see the joy with which these actors get their teeth into these great lines, after living through movies in which flat dialogue serves only to advance the story. The film was directed by James Foley (“At Close Range“), whose timing and camera help underline the humor; a line of dialogue will end with a reaction shot that mirrors our own reaction – surprised, blind-sided, maybe a little stunned, but entertained by the zing of anger and ego in the words.” Meanwhile, nobody is buying any real estate, and it is raining, and the L goes by like a mystery train to down below.

What a movie. Anybody who has tried a job in sales could probably be able to relate to this in some way. Spacey’s character is called every swear in the book, which is a joy to watch, especially when Pacino goes off on him. If you haven’t seen this film, you need to see it because it is a classic. You will enjoy the film and seeing these characters interact is the best.

Next week I will be looking at another film that is great to watch in “Kevin Spacey Month.” Sorry for the late response. I got so tired after work that I took a nap.

Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie

Tonight, I watched “Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie,” released on Netflix last month, and I will let you know what I thought about it.

Bikini Bottoms and its famous citizens are celebrating 25 years of being on the air this year. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” series – created by animator Stephen Hillenburg – became famous worldwide. Tara Bennett said in her review, “The goofball sponge and his expanded circle of friends continue to be the poster children for the rare contemporary animated show that has generational legs (“my leg!”).” From memes to spin-off shows and movies, “SpongeBob” remains a huge hit. However, ever since it has been on air, the sponge has never let any of the other characters have the spotlight. Now, we have Sandy Cheeks, the Texan squirrel, get her own movie.

Bennett noted, “Much like 2020’s Sponge on the Run, The Sandy Cheeks Movie embraces 3D character animation for Bikini Bottom’s citizens, and then takes those 3D characters out into the “real world,” where they’re integrated into live-action plates set top-side in the wilds of Texas.”

Now viewers might be asking why would Texas being in a SpongeBob movie? Bennett answered, “Because that’s where Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence) is from, as her twangy accent and murky origin story has forever reiterated. The only outsider to call Bikini Bottom home, Sandy is a marine biologist by profession who wears a dive suit to breathe underwater and study the tiny hamlet of aquatic oddities. But now the brisket is being peeled back on everything Cheeks, as she and SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) are forced to return to the Lone Star State to save their beloved town after it’s literally scooped up and kidnapped right out of the ocean.”

As Bikini Bottom’s only reliably intelligent resident – despite Plankton, voiced by Mr. Lawrence, would argue that he is – Sandy uses science, math, and her own deductive reasoning to find out that the excavator came from BOOTS Marine Biology Lab, the lab she’s been giving data to since she moved into her biodome. Bennett said, “Incensed by her colleagues having anything to do with this travesty, Sandy grabs a despondent SpongeBob to give chase.” She calculates how they are going to get on an airplane so they can travel to the lab’s headquarters in Galveston.

Does it go smoothly? No, it does not, which gives them the ability to create a whole list of hilarious physical comedy. Bennett credits, “While The Sandy Cheeks Movie’s script and tone are typically broad and silly as a SpongeBob movie should be, director Liza Johnson (whose credits are live-action, including What We Do in the Shadows) brings a fresh perspective and sense of humor to the franchise.” Working from an actually funny script by Kaz and Tom Stern, Johnson does an excellent job perfectly placing the hilarious cartoon characters together with the silly “real world” villains: Wandy Sykes’ over-the-top Sue Nahmee, her dangerous dog ‘Cuda, and her vacuous employees, Phoebe (Ilia Isorelys Paulino) and Kyle (Matty Cardarople).

Bennett admitted, “All of that, along with Sandy being given the reins as the prime motivator of the story and SpongeBob just riding shotgun as comedic relief, enlivens the whole adventure. As a long-time fan of all things SpongeBob, the change in protagonist is welcome—if not a bit overdue—considering how well-established the core ensemble is to audiences after a quarter-century. Sandy’s smarts, tenacity and loyalty to her found family makes her a competent, proactive lead for the movie and changes up the usual bumbling, accidental nature to previous stories that typically place SpongeBob and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) front and center.”

As we find out finally how Sandy got the job at the bottom of the ocean. Bennett said, “Each acorn of discovery about Sandy’s past life is rolled out in an appropriately outlandish way—be it Stetson-wearing snakes or acrobatic relatives in a traveling circus—that are both funny and fitting for her outsized personality.” Carolyn Lawrence is clearly enjoying herself voicing Sandy, which adds to “The Sandy Cheeks Movie’s” positive vibes.

Nobody gets pushed off to the sides in this film. As Bikini Bottom’s use is revealed by Sue, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, voiced by Clancy Brown, and Plankton are all given their time. Even Squidward, voiced by Rodger Bumpass, gets a song, doing a very off-key Singin’ in the Rain tribute. “The Sandy Cheeks Movie” does have songs, the best being Sandy’s opening song (sang by Linda Perry from 4 Non Blondes).

Bennett credited, “Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie is a visually clever, character-redefining film for the strongest of animated smart gals, Sandy Cheeks. She is given her due and then some in a movie that rightly celebrates her heart, enthusiasm and grit.” The rest of the characters are not pushed to the side, giving their own part in helping save Bikini Bottom from the villains. It’s a good, funny film in the Bikini Bottom franchise.

If you’re a fan of this series, I would recommend it. As someone who has seen parts of the show, maybe a few episodes, I enjoyed this film. There were a few effects that I found absurd, as Sue Nahmee’s motivation, but still, I liked this film. Check it out on Netflix and enjoy.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Tomorrow I will reveal what I will review this month.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Tonight, while exercising, I finished watching “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” on Max, which came theatrically in May, but on Max on August 16. How is this film compared to the rest of the franchise, especially since this is a prequel to “Mad Max: Fury Road?”

This is a heavily rich film, maybe not for the current viewers, but possibly in the future. Let’s hope that isn’t so.

Because there can only be one woman. Andrea Thompson said in her review, “We already knew her mother was destined to die on the third day, but I guess there’s only room for one tough woman in this tale of mankind going rogue.”

You would think there would be more, and that type of story about a woman coming into her own wouldn’t start with a type of warning about what happens when curiosity takes her too far. Thompson noted, “But when the young heroine-to-be plucks an apple right after being called out for wandering out of bounds, the outfits aren’t going to be the only thing in “Furiosa” that’s Biblical.”

The “Mad Max” franchise has always been more than its villains, however iconic, and this time the statement is said out loud in the beginning, “As the world falls around us, how should we brave its cruelties?” For Furiosa, her greatest advantage may not be her famous fighting skill, however amazing, but rather, her knowledge. It was able for her to keep both her hope and her compassion around. It helps when you not only know there’s a better way, you’ve also lived it.

We get a short look at her childhood paradise of beauty and equality before the child Furiosa is taken from it (Thompson credited, “not to mention Alyla Browne, a child actor so skilled she leaves many an adult thespian in the dust, and not the dystopian kind”) and is forced to watch her mother’s horrible murder done by warlord Dr. Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth, who hovers on being unrecognizable. Then like her, we’re taken on a whirlwind look at this apocalyptic world and what humanity has made of it.

Thompson said, “It’s hardly a surprise that this vision of post-apocalyptic Australia has far more in common with “Evil Dead” than “The Hunger Games,” and things sure aren’t groovy. But much like Sam Raimi’s franchise, which has also remained consistently, brutally effective throughout the decades, there’s another iconic hero who has a signature look to grow into. Who needs Deadites when you have people at their worst?”

Thompson continued, “George Miller hardly needs to prove he still has his very particular set of skills and clout to give the people what they want, even in the era of CGI and now AI, but will he manage to squeeze in a little cerebral detour in the midst of the nearly nonstop action?” How exactly does Furiosa hold onto her humanity, which is dangerously close to being taken for granted? Anya Taylor-Joy may put a tattoo on her of the map home, but it looks like she barely has wives who are the focus of “Fury Road.”

After she becomes one of the woman for Big Bad Immortan Joe, played by Lachy Hulme, there’s no mention of how Furiosa’s intellectual consciousness is kept alive even after years in survival mode, how she manages to bond with other women in a realm where they are given every reason to be divided in their domination, and how they might possibly be the keepers of kindness and history itself.

Thompson noted, “In another movie, this would be a gaping plot hole. In “Furiosa,” it’s more of a nitpick which could potentially slow down the nearly continuous action as humanity fights for slim pickings in the dusty void filled with only most necessary dialogue and amped up tanks and monster trucks.” Actions may speak louder than words, but development is another story.

This is an amazing film. As a prequel to “Fury Road,” this really showcased the story of Furiosa very well. You route for her from the very beginning and you want her to get her revenge and punish those for what they did to her mother. If you have Max, and you have seen and are a fan of the “Mad Max” franchise, this is one that you shouldn’t miss. Check it out and have a great time watching this.

Thank you for joining in on tonight’s review. Stay tuned this Friday for what I will review this month.”