Memphis Belle (1990)

Director Michael Caton-Jones recreates the last mission of a B-17 bomber in World War II, populating the film with a likable cast and exciting action sequences. The film opens as Lt. Col. Bruce Derringer (John Lithgow) plans to make the plane's crew heroes when they return from their twenty-fifth and final mission. If you make it to twenty-five, then you are allowed to go home. The young Captain Dennis Dearborn (Matthew Modine) leads an even younger cast of characters. We are used to seeing grown men in their mid-thirties in these roles, it is refreshing to see age-appropriate men in their early twenties here. The cast has quite a few familiar faces including Eric Stoltz, Courtney Gains, D.B. Sweeney, Sean Astin, Billy Zane, Tate Donovan, David Strathairn, and Harry Connick, Jr. The film takes place over the course of twenty-four hours, the most eventful in the characters' lives. Derringer builds them up into believing everything will be wonderful when they return, but the men should be concentrating on their jobs and returning in the first place. The squadron of bombers take off, and the crew run into German fighters, as well as a concealed target that they must make a couple of runs at in a storm of antiaircraft fire. I cannot give away too much of what happens without spoiling the ending, but the crew watches as other American planes are shot down, and suffer through a hungover navigator, a hotshot copilot, and assorted tiffs and fights over lost lucky charms.

My one concern here is that since this is the last mission, the film makers made a whole lot of things happen that otherwise may not have happened. The crew all solve their personal problems on this flight, and enemies become friends again. Caton-Jones captures the English countryside beautifully, and the cramped airplane interiors reminded me of Wolfgang Petersen's "Das Boot." A special kudos would have to go the special effects team, who do an outstanding job. Another great job is done by the actors in the flying sequences, as they must act with oxygen masks over their faces through much of the film. It is hard to convey your feelings using just your eyes and the tone of your voice, but everyone here does an excellent job. "Memphis Belle" is not a filmed history lesson, but an exciting and well done action film, and one of the best aviation war films ever made. I highly recommend it.

Meet the Parents (2000)

I had not been this surprised by a mainstream hit in a long time. Ben Stiller is Greg Focker, who goes home with his live-in girlfriend, Pam (Teri Polo), to meet her parents and attend her sister's wedding. He decides to ask her father Jack (Robert De Niro) for permission to marry her but Greg realizes his could-be father-in-law ain't right. He is a former CIA operative who may still be in the company, and everything Greg does is wrong, wrong, wrong. He also meets his girlfriend's ex-fiancee Kevin, played very well by Owen Wilson, who is the success everyone expects Greg to be.

I think this film works, especially to anyone who has, is, or plans to be married, or is even in a long term relationship. Stiller is hilarious as Greg, being sympathetic without being weak. I read Jim Carrey almost took this role, and I think he would have been all wrong for it. De Niro shows he can do comedy as well as drama, being menacing and funny at the same time. Blythe Danner, as Jack's wife Dina, fades into the furniture whenever DeNiro and Stiller get a chance to play off each other. The script is very funny without going over the top with a bunch of gross-out gags. All the comedy unfolds and makes sense to the story, not like the Farrelly brothers, who seem to make up the disgusting stuff first, then fashion a screenplay around it. Although it veers into Chris Columbus/John Hughes/warm-and-fuzzy territory once in a while, it holds together well. Director Jay Roach has a great eye for suburban comedy, taking a nice, upper middle class family and introducing regular middle class Stiller. "Meet the Parents" is edited together well, and the gags work almost all of the time. Like I said, I was surprised to like such a big hit. When I find out a film like this goes over a hundred million at the box office, I figure the marketing campaign was successful. It is nice to see a film that deserves its audience. Followed by sequels.

The Meanest Men in the West (1974)

This unknown western is actually two episodes of the old television series "The Virginian" edited together, badly, to try to form a cohesive whole. Harge, Sr. (Michael Conrad) is a hard man who wants a son from his invalid wife. He chooses the baby over the mother's life after the difficult birth, much to the horror of little Kalig (Lance Kerwin), Harge's stepson. Kalig kills his stepfather before he can be abused again, and takes baby Harge, Jr. to an aunt's house. Kalig grows up to be an outlaw (Lee Marvin), and Harge, Jr. (Charles Bronson) grows up to be, well, an outlaw. Kalig hates Harge, and gets with a sheriff and tips him off. Harge's bank robbery goes wrong, and Harge blames the Virginian (James Drury). Kalig blames a judge (Lee J. Cobb) for his own imprisonment in a whole other revenge plot. Harge kidnaps the judge's daughter, Kalig kidnaps the judge, and the Virginian must get involved in both abductions, again four years from one plot to the other. In the end, the two brothers meet (not really) for a final gunfight.

Marvin and Bronson did not appear in the same episodes, much less the same season, and the editors try to mesh the stories together, and mass confusion sets in. The editing together of the two episodes was a good idea, if they had originally been a two-parter, or had many more related characters. Instead, lousy special effects, stock footage, and insert shots take over for any flow. The two kidnappings are one too many for the "film" and the amateurish handling gives away its origins. The video box does not mention this little deception, and with the name cast's credits on this, you might be tempted to fall for it. Don't, the only mean men in the west are the money hungry opportunists who slapped this together. Also known as "Bad Men of the West."

Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz (1995)

As a one man acting showcase, "Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz" succeeds. As a theatrical experiment, it succeeds. As a film, it almost succeeds. The film has just one cast member. Leonardo Defilippis portrays four main roles on a closed set. He plays Maximilian, an unnamed friend, the devil, and several Nazis. Other roles are done by offscreen voiceover only. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland and grew up to become a Catholic priest. When he was ten years old, he had a vision of the Virgin Mary offering him a choice of two crowns. The white crown meant goodness for life, and the red crown meant martyrdom. He chose both, and would eventually experience both. Father Maximilian was ordained in 1918, and later contracted tuberculosis. He ministered to those in his sanitarium, despite having just one feebly working lung. He got better, and decided to start a magazine to bring Catholicism to the masses. Nazi power was on the rise as Father Maximilian used a gift of donated land to build a new settlement devoted to the worship of the Virgin Mary. In September 1939, Poland was invaded by Germany, and the settlement took in refugees, Jewish and otherwise. Maxmilian was sent to a prison for priests in Warsaw, then later to Auschwitz. In July 1941, a prisoner escaped from his cell block. In the now famous story, the remaining inmates were made to stand in the scorching summer heat until the escapee turned up. As many started collapsing and dying around him, Maximilian held his ground. The guards then chose ten inmates to be put to death in the starvation bunkers. Maximilian offered to take the place of one of the ten inmates who had a wife and children. He outlasted five of the ten, and was the only alert one remaining when the camp doctor came into the bunkers to administer lethal injections of carbolic acid.

A problem with reviewing religious films is that a critic must separate the acts of the film's subject from the film itself. A positive or negative review does not reflect on the actions of Father Maximilian Kolbe, it is strictly an opinion on the film itself. Director K.C. Lynch does a good job directing what amounts to a one man show. They try to keep the camera moving, but it never overdoes its tricks in order to cover up any boredom that occurs. Leonard Defilippis does a very good job in the myriad of roles he is playing. He changes his appearance and voice enough that I would eventually forget this was the same actor, barring a few scenes here and there. Any drama about Maximilian's vision is lost when Defilippis shows up as a ten year old boy, however, and the scenes where he plays opposite himself do not work in the least. Defilippis portrays the devil, then various Nazis as the devil incarnate. Stock footage is used effectively, but I had hoped for a real photograph of Kolbe in order to compare appearances if any photographs exist. The film does suffer from an overly enthusiastic musical score that literally wells up every time Maximilian is onscreen. Also, in between the interesting points in Maximilian's life are many long monologues that may have read as inspiring, but that quickly make their point and then bore. "Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz" is an average film that will make a viewer want to learn more about this man, or at least wonder why a big screen adaptation of his experiences has not been made as of the writing of this review.

Matinee (1993)

Director Joe Dante, the evil mastermind behind "Gremlins," makes a nostalgic film that is even more enjoyable than his classic monster flick. In 1962 Key West, young teen Gene (Simon Fenton) and his brother sit in the dark theater and see previews for Lawrence Woolsey's (John Goodman) new film "Mant," "half man, half ant, all terror!" Gene's father is absent, floating around in the Gulf of Mexico in the Cuban blockade. Everyone is nuclear-paranoid, as Gene's school holds atomic bomb drills. During one of these, cute Sandra (Lisa Jakub) rails against the silliness of the entire procedure, and catches the eye of Gene. Being a naval base kid, Gene finds it hard to make friends. He does get to know Stan (Omri Katz), who is obsessed with pretty Sherry (Kellie Martin). Sherry has just ended a dangerous relationship with juvenile delinquent/poet Harvey (James Villemaire). With the threat of nuclear annihilation as a back drop, Gene gets involved with Woolsey when he comes to town with his leading lady Ruth (Cathy Moriarty). Woolsey welcomes the missile commotion, hoping to use it to his film's advantage. After Gene recognizes two of Woolsey's actors (Dick Miller and John Sayles) posing as outraged citizens trying to "stop" the film, the duo become friends. Harvey is then hired by Woolsey to both play a guy in a Mant suit, and to run all the backstage effects, including rumbling sounds and shock seats. The film wraps up at the premiere of "Mant."

The script was written by Charlie Haas, and it is fantastic. Dante makes a great teen comedy that does not resort to any stupid, "American Pie" activities. Although I was not born until six years after this was set, I still felt nostalgic for those halcyon days of youth. Dante captures the life of a military kid very well, I have almost two decades of military brat-dom to back up my expertise. Dante uses special effects sparingly, so when they do pop up (an atomic nightmare, Woolsey's film), they are brilliant. John Goodman is wonderful as the William Castle-like Woolsey, he should have earned an Oscar nomination. Cathy Moriarty is a riot as his put-upon love interest. There is a great running gag where she dresses as a nurse as part of the film's publicity stunt, and children come to her with real medical problems. The young cast all do well. Stan and Sherry, and Gene and Sandra, and poor Harvey are teens like we rarely see onscreen- they seem normal. The teen's parents are also refreshingly smart, and I was surprised by this as well. "Matinee" is one of those films I did not want to end when it did. I usually do not like TV series based on films, but I would have made an exception with this one. The film bombed (sorry) in the theater, so a sequel or continuation never happened. I will be happy watching this again, however. It is funny, entertaining, and just plain great. I highly recommend it.

Man Overboard (2010)

I will admit it. I am sometimes a jaded film reviewer. I will be watching a movie, and can accurately guess the plot points. This happens on good as well as bad films, and is the product of seeing thousands of titles in my many years. "Man Overboard," one of those good films, kept surprising me as I watched it. More importantly, it had me laughing. C.J. (Matt Kaminsky) is one of the good guys. He runs a used boat lot, trying to get his lethargic sales team motivated- new guy Kyle (Graham Norris) thinks of his band, and little else. Frank (Floyd Van Buskirk) shows up for the free donuts, never following up with prospective customers. Steve (Jeffry E. Stein) is completely inappropriate, cheating on his wife and happily advertising the fact. C.J. has two kids and another one on the way, and often takes his work home with him, going out of his way to sell his boats. He isn't high pressure, he makes and backs up good deals, but his wife Madeline (a hilarious Brooke Baumer) is beginning to resent the time he spends selling, and not being with his family. C.J. is also busy getting belittled by his former Marine father-in-law Kevin (Bobby Hall), who shows C.J. a house across the street for sale. In the mansion, C.J. the salesman meets his match with Johnny (Mel Fair), a realtor who will also do anything for a sale. Johnny pressures the family into making an offer on a house they cannot afford, and then later shows up at C.J.'s boat lot. Johnny loves to sell, and is still looking for a career to be passionate about. He begins selling more boats than Kyle, Steve, and Frank combined, but does it through playing to the customers' emotions- and lying his pants off. To Johnny, the money is most important. C.J. likes what he sees and promotes Johnny to sales manager, and then Johnny's true colors come through.

The screenplay, by Ashley Scott Meyers and Nathan Ives, starts light and airy, and takes the perfect amount of time until showing us Johnny's dark side. They don't jump in too soon or too late, and this keeps the viewer interested. Once a plot revelation is reached, they wisely don't pound the joke into the ground for half an hour, their characters make totally believable decisions in light of their situations. The characters are all wonderful, and many scenes stand out long after the film is over- Madeline's solo sex scene with a busy C.J., Johnny's over-the-top sales pitches, the scenes in the middle of the end credits. Oliver Robins' direction plays up the comedy and makes us sympathetic to C.J.'s plight. It is refreshing to see a normal married everyday guy as a hero. No shrewish wife, no wiseass kids, no affair on the side- it's all a little hard to believe, so don't wait for C.J. to wake up in Vegas and not remember how he got there or anything like that. Despite the small budget, Robins' scene composition is good, and the actors are all on their game. No one in the cast brings the film down, and aside from Kaminsky as C.J., Mel Fair is sure to get plenty of attention as Johnny. He is darker than Jim Carrey's Cable Guy, but never so dark that you forget this is a comedy. I worked with people like Frank, Kyle, and Steve in my decades in corporate retail, so I can testify that these actors all score as their characters. Despite one or two hiccups here and there, "Man Overboard" is a solid, funny comedy. I came to cheer for these guys, and admire the cast and crew for not resorting to sophomoric shenanigans to get laughs. I am overjoyed to recommend this film.

The Man from Colorado (1948)

This dark little western throws Glenn Ford and William Holden together and addresses the idea of post traumatic stress disorder years before the term was being used. Ford is the unbalanced Colonel Owen Devereaux, and Holden is his best friend and captain Del Stewart. In the opening moments of the film, we know Owen ain't quite been himself. In 1865 Colorado, the men lead an angry bunch of Union soldiers. They corner some Confederates in a gorge, and Owen orders them killed although he sees their surrender flag. After the carnage, Del buries the flag, not knowing Owen saw it. When the soldiers return to camp, they find out the South has given up, but Owen still runs a tight ship, taking drunk night watchman Jericho (James Millican) prisoner for leaving his post to celebrate the war's end. As the men head back to their hometown, we discover they are both in love with Caroline (Ellen Drew). Caroline has eyes for the dashing Owen, who is hailed a returning hero and promptly made the federal judge of the territory, thanks to the big rich mine owner Carter (Ray Collins). Owen makes Del the federal marshal, and everyone settles in for peacetime life. Jericho escapes from the camp and takes a willing guard with him, abandoning his little brother Johnny (Jerome Courtland). As Jericho runs over the countryside, Owen still cannot get the taste of killing out of his blood. He is confronted by a Confederate who survived the massacre in the gorge, and Owen kills the weak, decrepit man. Owen is called crazy here and there, and reacts violently, writing down all of his worries in a diary he refuses to show anyone else. Owen and Caroline wed, with a beleaguered and suspicious Del skipping the ceremony. The pace is set toward a final showdown between the two best friends.

Despite a release date of 1949, Levin's film addresses a lot of issues that are still relevant today. His obvious audience was the post-WWII former soldiers who were having problems readjusting to civilian life after the horror of war. This is a bold undertaking, considering WWII was such a popular, and populous, war when accounting for the number of men we sent overseas. The film does not take an anti-military stance, it presents this story without judgment. Glenn Ford is astounding as the crazed colonel. He is normally the nice guy in his films, but his cool demeanor and flashing violence are very effective. Holden is good as the hero, and the friendship between the two characters is realistic and natural. Ellen Drew's Caroline might be a bit idealized as the perfect woman, but she shows some nice acting ability when she cannot pick between the two men. The supporting cast do well in their roles, despite some clicheed characters (the mean mining company owner, the kindly doctor, the ignorant enlisted men). Levin shot this in Technicolor, and the print is appropriately dark and foreboding. He has great standard direction, and the editing is smooth. Aside from the cliches, the script breaks new ground with its psychology of its characters, and the viewer wishes they could have gone even farther in their exploration of Owen's mental illness. The musical score, by George Duning, is bad. Really bad. This kind of smoldering study is given great big musical cues more akin to a Broadway show. Every line seems to be punctuated by bombastic and showy orchestral product that was the rage then, but unintentionally funny now. Despite the music, I give "The Man from Colorado" high marks for trying to do something decades before the rest of Hollywood caught up.