The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame IV

I've had this movie stored on my dvr for a while now but never got around to watching it. It stars Charlton Heston as a Mexican prosecutor with an American wife (Janet Leigh) who get involved in an investigation headed up by dirty cop (Orson Welles) about the car bombing/murder of a politician and stripper. Alright, alright, alright!

I really liked this movie but it does have a couple things that bothered me. The first was the casting of Heston. Heston as an NYPD detective investigating green food - Yes. Heston as Moses - Yes. Heston as an astronaut landing on a planet of apes - Yes. As a Mexican prosecutor? That's a reach. Everytime he was on screen all I could think about was how much he reminded me of Pat Healy (There's Something About Mary). I think somebody like Anthony Quinn could have pulled it off a little better but he probably wasn't the draw that Heston was. He also may not have matched up as well as Heston, physically, with the oversized, puffy Welles. The second was Janet Leigh's character. Janet was fine as Heston's wife and I'm really coming around on Janet as an actress, it's just that the character was really nothing more than a put her in trouble to make the story work character. I went back and rewatched how she ended up at that hotel and it made me feel a little better, getting it straight on how that all went down, but if I'm Heston, who is also the key witness in an upcoming drug kingpin trial, I wouldn't be sending her off into the middle of nowhere for a couple days or even one, by herself. Finally, the ending. I don't know. If I'm drunk and hobbled I don't think I'm taking a very long stroll to talk to anybody. Maybe if we're heading to another bar I may find the energy but other than that it isn't happening

Orson Welles... Wow! This is a performance for the ages. Easily one of the best/worst characters ever. I put this performance/character right up there with Tommy DeVito, Sgt. Barnes and Harry Powell. He's almost too good as he is the draw every time he's on screen. All the supporting actors are very good to excellent but only Marlene Dietrich, in a small role, matched the on screen oomph of the Big Guy. As director, Welles doesn't pull out all the stops like he does in Citizen Kane (well, there is the famous first shot ) but he's still creating a visually interesting movie and manages to keep all the moving parts, and there's a lot of them, connected. I especially liked a few of the shots where Welles' character is in the foreground giving him this MASSIVE appearance over his partner. I also give him credit for throwing in one final shot of a character who meets an unfortunate end. It wasn't necessary but that kind of stuff is right up my alley.

Doesn't really have anything to do with anything but it would have been kind of funny if Orson could have found a way to have Zsa Zsa, in a great performance, slap one of the cops.

I didn't realize how strong the nominations were this time around. I already know that my number five film will be one of the best movies I see this year.

Heston as a Mexican was a bit of a stretch for me too. As well as a lot of things you mentioned across the board. A very solid film by The Big Guy, Wells.

Also, glad to hear how happy you are about your list

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I watched Harakiri (1962) today. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi, the film stars Tatsuya Nakadai as a man who asks to commit ritual suicide at a feudal lord's palace. As the story progresses, we learn the reasoning and motivation behind his request. This film is very highly rated by critics and audiences and on a lot of film related sites. I think this is a very good film, but I can't help but feel that it is somewhat overrated. A lot of people seem to consider this a masterpiece and perfect film, but I personally do not. I liked the film and there is much to appreciate about it, but I wouldn't consider it one of the greatest films ever.
Tatsuya Nakadai's performance is excellent and the cinematography is beautifully done. For me, the film felt a little too long and dragged at times. There are some great moments, but it didn't always work for me. I'm glad I finally got around to seeing the film and although I may not rate Harakiri as highly as some, I did like it.

Why is Charlton Heston as a Mexican national a stretch? He could be an Irish descendant and still be a Mexican citizen. Not to mention there's lot of Spanish descendants in Mexico who aren't mixed with native indigenous peoples.

Setting aside the discussion about the appropriateness "brownface", there are times that a character (even when played by a race-switched actor) feels "real".

Something about Heston's character never felt quite right to me. (Though I do really love the film and I've seen it on the big screen twice). This is obviously subjective to each viewer, but it's one of those performances that has the energy of "I'm playing someone!" rather than just inhabiting the character.

It's also the case that Heston was cast in the lead when the main character was a man named Mitch Holt. After Heston was cast, Welles rewrote the script, including turning American lead Mitch Holt into Mexican lead Miguel Vargas.

Takoma expresses it rather well. It's just off for me. Great film, seen it a few times and like Takoma remarked, "it's one of those performances that has the energy of "I'm playing someone!" rather than just inhabiting the character.". I can't express specifics, but it does not quite click for me. I don't see an actor portraying a role as I could easily see Heston in other roles, here, for me, it just feels like Heston being Heston with brown makeup.
Again, great film and everyone does great.

True Romance



This truly felt like Tony Scott meets Quentin Tarantino. Unfortunately one I like and one I don't....and that's kind of the way the film flowed for me. I liked a lot of the action sequences, minus the Tarantinoesque violence scenes. The story didn't feel too intriguing and I wasn't a big fan of Slater in this. The score seemed a bit out there, kind of what people think about Scott's Man on Fire score even though I love it. Not all is bad here though- I liked Arquettes performance and the dialogue was mostly engaging to me. Somewhere around a middle of the road Scott for me though with the Tarantino touches being what brings it down for me unfortunately.

I believe it's on the Tarantino box set.

Congratulations Allaby, you are the 3rd member to finish!

Hooray! Do I get a bronze medal? or at least a shiny sticker?

In my HoFs there is only 1 winner. The rest of us are all losers.

This is labeled a crime drama, but it's also a tale of loneliness, and perhaps of finding love in unexpected places. I say perhaps because there's potential ulterior motives in play. It's about a murder investigation and a sad middle aged man who spies on his young hot neighbor, until he doesn't have to spy no more. This is a superb 80 minute French film from the Ebert list. Make it American and take away the subtlety, and we have a movie similar to many in the 80's and early 90's.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Jefferson Smith: I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn't have a little bit of plain, ordinary, everyday kindness and a little looking out for the other fella, too.

Loosely based on the early career of US Senator Burton K. Wheeler, who was falsely indicted when, as a freshman senator in the 1920s, he fought corruption in the presidential administration of Warren G. Harding, this film garnered six awards: Best Movie, Director, Story. Leading Actor and two Supporting Actors with Claude Raines and, playing the President of the Senate, Harry Carey. Not surprisingly, Director Frank Capra had a similar "slamming" by, initially, Government Officials and the Press for how they were portrayed. Go figure.

With a rigged dam to go up in an (unnamed) state out west, the local Senator croaks, and the machinations of the leading graft, Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold) needs a willing stooge to fill in so they can move fast before anyone starts sniffing around the proposed Bill.
What he gets is Jimmy Stewart in all his kind-heartedness and stoic, honest beliefs as Jefferson Smith. Assisted, reluctantly at first, by his assistant, Saunders, wonderfully done by Jean Arthur, Capra creates his usual magic and down-home, grounded philosophy that sticking to our guns in the face of bullies and corruption on their home turf is important. For all of us.

Along with a strong leading cast, this, like many Capra films, has a solid list of secondary performers, quite a number of which can be seen in a number of other Capra films, adding levels of pleasure and enjoyment to this David and Goliath indictment to the "games" being played. Sadly, they never stopped and even sadder, have only grown in strength and number, as well as, it seems, support to do as they f@ckin please while we play with our phones, distracted and unwilling to put forth an effort beyond typing a post in social media.

Sorry about that. An inspirational film such as this will cause a rant or two.
Let's skip the politics and the mirror held up at the time that has become so utterly tarnished and painted over; god only knows how continually worse it has all gotten. Or, maybe, it truly is business as usual and always will be.

F@ck did it again.

Why it has taken me most of my life to watch another of a Director whose love of the nonsensical and the goodness that we should all try a little harder to at least appreciate if not attempt; was my own cynical concern that it would be too naive for me to enjoy as much as I ended up doing. Mimicking Jean Arthur's Saunder's jaded reluctance and her character's turn around, I was also pretty jubilant by the end scene.


So, as is my wont, THANK YOU to whoever nominated this for me!

I liked Mr Smith more as a kid than I do now, but now I like Mrs Smith more than I did as a kid. Go figure.

Don't forget, there's a due date this time!

I haven't seen it in a while, but I remember liking Mr. Smith quite a bit.

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I also love Mr. Smith. So far, everything I've seen from Capra is excellent.

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I watched Hurt Locker today. I'll try to write something up in the morning.

haven't seen Sophie's Choice and haven't heard of Monsieur Hire but being a Quentin fanboy I've always got a kick out of True Romance since first seeing it at the movie theaters.