The Summer of ‘42

Actors: Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser, Oliver Conant, Jennifer O'Neill, Katherine Allentuck, Christopher Norris  

Rating: 7 out of 10, A nostalgia piece written about the Nantucket adventures of a trio of adolescent friends confronted with coming of age in the shadow of World War 2. This one has suffered a little bit with the passage of time mainly because the time depicted in the film is so much longer ago now. The interaction between Oscy and Hermie still rings true as 15 year olds discovering their interest in girls with some of the usual associated hijinks. Houser was so good as Oscy paying the lout to the sensitive Hermie but he seemed a lot funnier when I first saw this so long ago. What hasn’t changed is the luminescent beauty of Jennifer O’Neill as the object of Hermie’s worship. The sound track is memorable in its own right and the attempted softening of what would have gotten O’Neill’s character arrested nowadays is somehow sweet. Grimes was a little too annoying for my taste  but overall the movie still works as a period coming of age piece

MVP: O’Neill as the beautiful, war bride Dorothy 

The Eiger Sanction

Actors: Clint Eastwood, George Kennedy, Jack Cassidy, Vonetta McGee, Brenda Venus

Rating: 8 out of 10, This movie actually stands up to time fairly well. It’s fairly routine spy thriller until they get to the Eiger and the photography there is nothing short of amazing, especially since it was obvious Eastwood was doing his own stunts suspended off the side of the mountain, well before CGI was around. Eastwood plays a college professor who whacks the occasional spy as a side job to pay for his art collection. George Kennedy is around in his garrulous sidekick mode which is always fun to watch. Venus playing the silent mountain climbing daughter could get me to climb a few mountains as well; easy to understand Henry Miller’s late life fascination with her.

MVP: Eastwood as Prof Hemlock, mountain climbing assassin with incredible lady luck 

The Accountant

Actors: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J. K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor, John Lithgow

Rating: 9 out of 10, Affleck finally has a part perfect for his wooden style. He plays John Wick as a highly functioning autistic savant. He's ably assisted by a superb supporting cast but this is truly Affleck's film and he's great. As an accountant to the nefarious underworld his character slowly emerges through some very well done flashbacks. It's the movies folks so don't get too wound around the axle about this ever being possible - it's a great story and Affleck pulls it off with a lot of nuance and style. I really liked the movie.

MVP: Affleck as Christian Wolf, a very dangerous numbers cruncher

Deepwater Horizon

Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O'Brien, Kate Hudson

Rating: 8 out of 10, a very interesting movie. It involves the true life story of the heinous BP oil spill in the gulf and certainly pulls no punches when it comes to BP. It, of course, has the 20-20 clarity of hindsight to view but the short cuts BP used and hoped to get away with are painfully exposed. This movie is more about the heroism of the entire crew fighting desperately to save lives and control the disaster. Director Peter Berg has carved out a nice little niche with bringing true life events to the screen and highlighting the extraordinary actions of those involved. I found my jaw actually dropping at the action scenes as the well blew up. The rig itself becomes a character in the movie trying to consume desperate survivors. Extraordinary film.

MVP: Kurt Russell as Mr. Jimmy, trying to stem the disaster at every turn

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Actors: Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, Jonathan Winters.

Rating: 9 out of 10, That rarest of all commodities – an epic comedy film. This boasts literally all of the comedy stars from the early 1960s and holds up very well despite the intervening years. It’s also a cameo-a-palooza with virtually every bit part featuring a celebrity, ranging from Jack Benny to Jerry Lewis. I can remember my parents laughing uncontrollably at this when it first came out and it’s still a very funny movie. A group of motorists witness a car crash in the California mountains and the dying driver (Jimmy Durante) sets them off on a wild chase across California to find some buried loot. Waiting for them is none other than Spencer Tracy himself. Ethel Merman shouts her way through the movie as the mother in law from hell with no redeeming value whatsoever. She may have been the single most important reason the number of marriages declined in the 1960s. A great ride along with these lovable idiots and I had forgotten what a smoke show Edie Adams was.

MVP: Jonathan Winters as Lennie, the moving truck driver

Little Big Man

Actors: stars Dustin Hoffman, Chief Dan George, Faye Dunaway, Martin Balsam, Jeff Corey, Richard Mulligan

Rating: 8 out of 10, Another visit to the movies of my youth and while this hasn’t aged as well as some others it’s still a lot of fun to watch. Hoffman is superb as the 121 year old Jack Crab recounting his adventures being raised by the plains Indians and then watching their culture destroyed over the course of his life. There’s a lot of subtle humor woven throughout the script and it truly soars when Chief Dan George is on the screen. It’s virulently anti-military which is understandable at the height of the Vietnam War. Hoffman moves chameleon like through a wide variety of life callings, running into some of the old west’s biggest names in the process. The funniest parts are the Cheyenne brave whose life is defined by trying to outdo Crab only to fail.

MVP: Chief Dan George as Old Lodge Skins

Hawaii

Actors: Julie Andrews, Max von Sydow, Jocelyne LaGarde, Gene Hackman, Richard Harris, Carroll O'Connor, Manu Tupou, Ted Nobriga, Elizabeth Logue, Torin Thatcher

Rating: 8 out of 10, a true epic in scale and story with a cast that ably delivers. I remembered this mostly from my adolescent days for the topless island girls but its aged well and provides an excellent insight into modern Hawaii and their feelings about haoles. Von Sydow plays possibly the most unlikable lead in epic history and truly out kicks his coverage in the wife department landing Mary Poppins herself but he provides enough nuance to at least understand if not agree with his life choices. LaGarde truly dominates though as the head of the Hawaiian society coming to terms with the white man religion and culture. She’s warm, welcoming, but at the same time totally in charge.

MVP: Jocelyne LaGarde as the Aliʻi Nui, steel eyed softness

Magnificent 7

Actors: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, Peter Sarsgaard

Rating: 8 out of 10, I guess this is the year for remaking iconic movies from my youth. They do much better job here than certain biblical chariot race movies earlier in the year. Of course the movie has to be updated for millennials as six white and one Mexican heroes simply wouldn’t do for millennials. So we have Asian, indigenous, Latino, and an African-American included in the seven this time out. They also moved the conflict out of Mexico because we all know they can solve their own criminal problems without Caucasian help. I really liked this movie because we all know Denzel can do anything and he carries this movie with ease as the leader of the seven. I think they erred when they made this more of a revenge flick than a rescue of an oppressed village. The lofty ideals of the original were sacrificed on the altar of required body counts. Still, the action is extremely well choreographed and the exterior shots impressive. The final battle is long and full of unrelenting action. All of the seven got their piece of the pie. Sarsgaard as the main villain was okay, but he’s no Eli Wallach. I finally got what was missing most when the end credits rolled and original theme started playing – amazing what movie music can do.

MVP: Washington as Sam Chisholm, leader of the seven

Triple 9

Actors: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Clifton Collins Jr., Norman Reedus, Teresa Palmer, Michael K. Williams, Gal Gadot, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet

Rating: 7 out of 10, A very gritty crime film set in Atlanta featuring one of the best casts I’ve seen in a while. That could be part of the problem because while everybody was good, Kate Winslet and Woody Harrelson always left me wanting to see more of their scenes. I didn’t even recognize Winslet who played a Russian crime lord, of all things, and was more menacing than I’ve ever seen her. I had a bad night for actor recognition because it took me almost half the movie to realize Aaron Paul and Casey Affleck were different characters. That goes straight to the editing and the lighting which were challenging at times. The plot revolves around corrupt cops brought into an elite robbery team which is held in thrall by the Russian mob. There’s circles within circles as each of the cops, on both sides of the law, are dealing with their own demons. I ended up liking the movie a lot when I figured out who everybody was but again, that was more of a struggle than it should have been. There were some great action scenes, expertly staged and a climax that was singing with tension. It’s not Heat but a very enjoyable crime drama.

MVP: Mackie as Marcus Belmont, a conflicted corrupt cop

The Devil’s Brigade

Actors: William Holden, Cliff Robertson, Vince Edwards, Andrew Prine, Jeremy Slate, Claude Akins, Jack Watson, Richard Jaeckel, Bill Fletcher, Richard Dawson

Rating: 8 out of 10, A favorite movie from my early years recounting, with severe artistic license I later learned, the exploits of a joint US/Canadian special forces unit in World War 2. While a bit cliché ridden there’s an excellent story with extremely capable actors led by William Holden, one of my favorites from old time Hollywood. The musical score is equally impressive and my love of bagpipes may have been born when I first saw the scene of the Canadians marching into camp. The movie has held up well over the years, a neat snapshot back into 1960s film making.    

MVP: Holden as Colonel Frederick, the devil himself