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2023 Movie Diary, Part 17

49. TENDER MERCIES (1983)

Is Robert Duvall the greatest actor this country has ever produced? I think so. Exhibit A — this unassuming slice of life about a washed up, boozy country singer trying to turn his life around. Duvall’s performance is a thing of honest, plain-spoken beauty. Plot-wise nothing really happens, but also Everything does. Here, as in real life, the sacred is all about the mundane.
Verdict: Remember when they bothered to make movies like this, with stories about real humans that were done with subtlety and art?

50. THE RED SHOES (1948)

The melodrama dial goes to 11 in this story about the self-destructiveness of obsession, in the case, obsession with Art and Creativity.  The ballet sequences are glorious, and the performances are vivid, but the  cinematography is the real star here:  it’s staggeringly beautiful and creative and it’s worth seeing the movie for the visuals alone. 
Verdict: Stunning to look at, but I’ll bet you’ve never seen a movie that featured more unstable characters in it. There is literally no one psychologically normal on screen at any time.

51. SOUND OF FREEDOM (2023)

A taut, well-made, excellently acted character-driven thriller that manages to be entertaining in spite of its very heavy subject matter. Now that we’ve gotten the review out of the way…what makes people in certain quarters attack and/or seek to discredit the film and the people who made it? To ask the question is to answer it. A pox on them.
Verdict: A good movie worth seeing on its merits, of which there are many.

2023 Movie Diary, Part 16

46. THE PATRIOT (2000)

Pretty bad as history goes, but still a rousing good time.  This is due largely to a very committed, intense and relatable performance by Mel Gibson and a snarling villainous turn by the always excellent Jason Isaacs. There’s a lot of very bloody violence, but it’s a Mel Gibson movie and a war flick and, well, war is hell, as they say.
Verdict: If the movie’s total indifference to fidelity to historical events doesn’t bother you, it’s well worth a watch.

47. JAWS (1975)

This is what the meeting of popularity and art looks like. Except that last bit with the rubbery shark. But other than that, this is flawless film-making.
Verdict: Inductee, Laurie’s Cinematic Hall of Fame

48. HONOR AND GLORY (1993)

This tale of kickass international spy sisters, has big hair, bigger shoulder pads, lots of Jane Fonda-esque workout gear, half-assed martial arts mysticism, and a outrageously amusing eye-popping scenery chewing villain.  Unfortunately, the only scenery there is to chew belongs to dying strip malls, and houses with such bad decor they seem unfit for human habitation.  Depressing.
Verdict: For a good laugh, see the Rifftrax version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWYw2j_AgDc

Book Review: Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry

Now that I’m done reading government-ese for a living, I’m turning my eyeballs to some of my favorite childhood authors, and some kid’s classics that I somehow missed growing up. Because I’ve found that the storytelling and care in writing is frequently better in children’s books.

“Justin Morgan Had a Horse” is the story of the Morgan horse breed, excellently told by one of my favorite childhood authors, Marguerite Henry. She wrote primarily about famous horses and is most famous for “Misty of Chincoteague.”

“Justin Morgan” is a historical novel, immersing the reader in Revolutionary War-era America, as it follows Little Bub, a spunky foal, who comes under the ownership of singing schoolmaster Justin Morgan. Befriended by one of his students, the story tracks boy and horse through their lives, as they take their different paths through life, until finally — spoiler alert — they are finally united.

It’s a lovely book, written evocatively in language suitable for a young audience, while introducing historical elements and figures that give the story significant depth. Excellent all around. I’m picked it up at a used bookstore, and it’s a keeper.