Tag: Drama

The Lusty Men (1952) starring Robert Mitchum

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The Lusty Men_poster

One ‘o the things that’s wrong is all the books and rules on success is written by successful men.  Now that’s wrong.  Fellers like you and me’d get a lot more help if the books and rules on success was written by a failure. That’d make sense.  -Jeremiah, the humble, old, bachelor farmer who lives in Jeff’s former family house explains (in a sort of epilogue to the main story)

This is a film that seems tailor-made for Robert Mitchum; it has drama, GREAT dialogue, a love triangle, and plenty of action/thrills (involving the rodeo)!  I just learned that it was directed by the prolific Nicholas Ray (In a Lonely Place, Rebel Without a Cause, King of Kings, etc.)  After he sustains a rodeo injury, star rider Jeff McCloud (Mitchum), returns to his hometown after many years of absence. He signs on as a ranch hand, where he is befriended by fellow ranch hand Wes Merritt (Arthur Kennedy, a strong supporting man, esp. of the Western genre) and his wife Louise (Susan Hayward in a strong/engaging performance).

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Louise: Wes tells me you once made three thousand dollars in one day, rodeoin’.

Jeff: That’s right.

Louise: And threw it all away.

Jeff: Oh, I didn’t throw it away. It just sorta’… floated.

The Merritts seem like a solid, happy couple, though they also have ambitions for their own little farm.  Wes thinks that rodeo winnings (fast money) could help finance it.  Wes convinces Jeff (who is a BIT reluctant) to coach him, but Louise has strong doubts.  She thinks that the couple should just keep saving slowly.  But, despite his easygoing/humble demeanor, Wes has a lust for adventure!

The Lusty Men_truceThere never was a bronc that couldn’t be rode, there never a cowboy that couldn’t be throwed. Guys like me last forever.  -Jeff says to Louise

It turns out that Wes is QUITE good in the events he signs up for in his first rodeo, impressing his new peers on the circuit.  Of course, the money is GREAT, so he decides to go on the road (BEFORE checking w/ Louise).  She is surprised by this hasty decision, BUT goes on the road w/ her husband and Jeff.  How will Wes and Louise deal w/ their new success/lifestyle?  What will become of Jeff… and his burgeoning feelings for Louise?  Watch this film to find out!    

AFI Latin American Film Festival: Marshland (Spain)

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NOTE: This is a SPOILER-FREE review.  DC area folks can see this film tomorrow (SAT, 9/19/15) at 9:15PM at AFI Silver.

Marshland shows us a world where everyone is out for themselves.  -Gareth Wood (Maverick Film)

We’re quite familiar w/ the set-up already: missing girls, small town w/ secrets/corruption, and two VERY different homicide detectives (from the big city) brought in to help solve the case.  However, this film is set in Spain in 1980, soon after General Franco was overthrown and the country (struggling economically) became a democracy.  The missing teens are two sisters, Carmen and Estrella, who were known to “have a reputation.”  The cops from Madrid are idealistic father-to-be, Pedro (Raul Arevalo), and jaded, hard drinking Juan (Javier Gutierrez). 

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Some frames of the film are based on photographs of Atín Aya, whose work impressed the filmmakers when they knew his work in a retrospective exhibition. -IMDB

I recommend this film for fans of Southern Gothic stories, character dramas, and those who like suspense (NOT only action).  Don’t worry, there are a FEW well done action scenes. On the way, the cops are assisted by Jesus (a local guide), who provides some of the humor in his dark tale.  Jesus gets caught hunting a deer (“Bambi,” he jokes) w/o a license.

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The cops work together, BUT also on their own following different leads.  The cinematography in this film is VERY good, as my friend commented.  The location is almost like a character in the story- we see desert, marshes, rivers, and (in the climax) a rainstorm.  If you liked HBO’s True Detective (S1), this is for YOU. 

 

Home from the Hill (1960) starring Robert Mitchum

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home from hill_posterKind of man that walks around with nothing in his pockets, no identification because everyone knows who you are. No cash because anyone in town would be happy to lend you anything you need. No keys ’cause you don’t keep a lock on a single thing you own. And no watch because time waits on you.  –Wade (Robert Mitchum) explains to his 18 y.o. son Theron (George Hamilton) about the kind of man he should aim to be

“Wow, what a speech!”  My dad commented.  Plus, who doesn’t LOVE Robert Mitchum!?  He was the quintessential “man’s man” (NOT unlike George Clooney is today).  If you read this blog, you know that I’m a BIG fan of Mitchum’s acting!  In this (dysfunctional) family drama set, he plays wealthy, womanizing, and hard-drinking Texan- Capt. Wade Hunnicutt.  (Warning: It’s a LONG film, but has some VERY fine moments!)  I saw it on TCM last month; you can check it out for $2.99 on Amazon Instant Video.  This film, b/c it came out in 1960, could pull the cover off topics which were hidden/NOT directly mentioned in previous decades.

home from hill_denHe’s got a mind of his own. I gave him that. Don’t think he’s gonna come to heel like one of your hunting dogs at the snap of your fingers.  -Hannah (Eleanor Parker) explains to Wade about Theron

Mitchum suits his role VERY well, BUT he’s well-matched by onscreen wife Eleanor Parker.  (The actress, best known for the playing curvy/glam/ independent baroness in The Sound of Music, passed away almost 2 yrs. ago at age 91.)  But unlike that iconic role, Parker has a VERY different look in this film- she’s thin, dressed prim/proper, yet also a fighter (in her own way). 

home from hill_dateTheron (a bright, kind, sensitive, yet sheltered young man) has to navigate his parents, falling in love (first time), and more.  For most of her son’s life, Hannah has kept him away from his father and his bad influences.  One Summer, Wade decides that he must teach the boy “how to be a man.”  In time, Theron discovers a BIG secret about his family!

Grace and Frankie starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen & Sam Waterston (Netflix)

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Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin) mourn their former lives at the beach.

NOTE: This review contains MILD SPOILERS for Season 1.

Sometimes the friend you DON’T want is the one you get… and realize you NEED!  This is the set-up of the Netflix comedy series starring former 9 to 5 co-stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.  The show is funny (BUT w/ serious undercurrents), smart, sensitive- a MUST-SEE!  After their husbands, Robert (Martin Sheen) and Sol (Sam Waterston), leave them for EACH OTHER (becoming NOT only law partners), WASPy perfectionist Grace Hanson (Fonda) is thrown together w/ Jewish hippie Frankie Bergstein (Tomlin).  These ladies had dealt w/ each other over the past 30 yrs, BUT never been real friends until BOTH refuse to leave the SoCal beach house that their families invested in together. 

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The two opposites share a lovely beach house.

Grace is VERY angry/embarrassed by the situation- how could Robert so something like this to HER!?  What will PEOPLE think, she often wonders?  Eventually, she realizes that there WERE clues around that he might’ve been gay.  Grace goes about creating a new life for herself, which includes online dating (MANY viewers of all ages will relate to this)!  

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Grace has lunch w/ an overeager online suitor.

Frankie, on the other hand, is sad and retreats into herself.  She burns incense, meditates, and creates vlogs about how she’s feeling.  Frankie keeps in touch w/ Sol; they seem like a couple that was best friends (unlike Grace and Robert).  Of course, above these strong/capable women’s heads is the (VERY real) possibility of living their remaining years alone.  

Robert and Sol are VERY much in love, live together, and plan to wed soon. They don’t want to hide anymore.  Their four grown-up children are surprised, BUT also have dramas of their own to deal w/, as we eventually learn.

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The younger gen doesn’t have it ALL figured out either!

Grace and Robert’s daughter Mallory (former model Brooklyn Decker) has some serious history w/ Frankie and Sol’s eldest son Coyote (Broadway actor Ethan Embry).  There is also Brianna (June Diane Raphael), who has taken over Grace’s cosmetic line.  Coyote’s younger brother Bud (up-and-coming comedian Baron Vaughn) is ALSO a lawyer and has his life together; he is helping out Coyote (recently got out of drug rehab).

With such a GREAT leading cast, you’re bound to also get some FAB veteran actors as guest stars: Corbin Bernsen (LA Law),  Sam Elliott, Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Christine Lahti, Joe Morton (most recently on Scandal), and Craig T. Nelson (Coach). 

What Should I Watch NOW?

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  • The Affair (Showtime) – My 2nd blog post on S1 Eps 6-10 will be up soon.  S2 premieres SUN, OCT 4th- YAY!
  • Alpha House (Amazon Prime) – 2 seasons are now up; you can’t go wrong w/ John Goodman; fans of Homicide (like me), will get a treat in seeing Clark Johnson.
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The leads of Alpha House: Who knew REPUBLICANS could be so much FUN!?”
  • Aziz Ansari Live at Madison Square Garden (Netflix) – Who DOESN’T love this guy!?
  • Being Mary Jane (BET/Netflix) – 2 seasons are now up on Netlix; this is a MUST-SEE drama starring the (always FAB) Gabrielle Union; better and even more realistic than Girls & SATC) read my review of S1 here.
  • Black Mirror (Netflix) – Read my review here.
  • Broadchurch (BBC/PBS/Netflix) – Read my review of S1 here.
  • Catastrophe (Amazon Prime) – This show is INSANE… and insanely good; see it RIGHT NOW!!!  Carrie Fisher has a recurring role, too!
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Catastrophe is written by Sharon Horgan (Irish) & Rob Delaney (former theater actor/comic).
  • Daredevil (Netflix) – It’s more like a cop show, NOT a typical superhero one.  This is a MUST-SEE for L&O: CI/Vincent D’Onofrio fans!
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In Daredevil, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) is the supervillain who’s awkward w/ women.
  • Empire (FOX/Hulu) – Read my review here.
  • The Fall (Netflix) – Read my review here.
  • Fruitvale Station (Netflix) – A slice-of-life film about Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a young dad who was killed by a transit cop in San Fran; his mom is played by Octavia Spencer.
  • Grace and Frankie (Netflix) – Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen & Sam Waterston (WOW, what a cast!) star in this SMART/FUNNY life-after-divorce comedy.
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Grace (Jane Fonda) tries online dating… & meets an overeager beau in Grace and Frankie.
  • Happy Valley (BBC/Netflix) – Read my review here.
  • House of Cards (Netflix) – 3 seasons are now out; def check out S1 (if you don’t have a LOTTA time)!
  • Orange is the New Black  (Netflix) – MUST-SEE for anyone who wants to see diversity/women/& just LOL.
  • The Politician’s Husband (BBC/Netlfix) – A UK miniseries that shows us a V different side of David Tennant, who gets caught up in his ambitions, along w/ his wife, played by Emily Watson.
  • The Slap (Netflix) – I watched the original Aussie version of this miniseries; it’s got a large/diverse cast incl. two FAB ladies: Sophie Okonedo (Brit; Hotel Rwanda) & Melissa George (Aussie; In Treatment: S1).  Each ep is told from a different perspective.
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Essie Davis, Melissa George, & Sophie Okonedo play lifelong pals in The Slap.