"Sully" Can Be My Pilot Anytime

Sully (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Valerie Mahaffey, Mike O'Malley, Katie Couric

Directed by Clint Eastwood

The Story:

In 2009, a plane carrying 155 passengers and crew was hit by a massive bird strike after take off, disabling both engines. The captain (Hanks) made a decision to force a water landing on the Hudson River as he felt there was not enough time and power in the plane to make it to any of the neighboring airports. Everyone survived the "Miracle on the Hudson". However, as with all crashes, an investigation was underway, and the panel was determined to prove that Sully acted recklessly and could have indeed landed at an airport.

File this one under miraculous true story.

The movie starts with a bang, and never truly lets up.

Yet it is also paced just slow enough to not feel rushed.

Eastwood has settled in so comfortably behind the camera, and his films are usually quiet, yet emotionally impacting, and this one is no different.

The movie uses creative choices for flashbacks to fill you in on the narrative of Sully's life, so it doesn't unfold like a biography.

It helps to build towards the finale when all of the pieces of Sully's life and upbringing come into play when he makes the decision for a water landing, eschewing the normal protocol of turning back or heading to the other neighboring airports.

It will all come down to the mock flight tests that are performed to decide whether Sully gets to continue his aviation career, or if he is grounded, even though he saved everyone on board.

Final Grade: A-

American Hero..."American Sniper"

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American Sniper (2014)

Rated R

Starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller

Directed by Clint Eastwood

The Story:

Chris Kyle (Cooper) grew up in Texas, and all his life he planned on being a cowboy. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Chris decided to be something more and joined the military. His next stop, he became an elite sniper for the Navy SEALS. However, his experiences in battle don't help him adjust very well at home with his wife (Miller) and he finds life in the combat zone oddly more comforting.

This is Kyle's story, and politics and feelings on war aside, it's one worth watching.

Now, how much Kyle may or may not have embellished in his book is up to his critics to decide, but Clint Eastwood takes the work he was given and crafts a beautiful narrative that doesn't glorify war, but gives the viewers a small taste of what it's like to be there and have to make the decisions that can save, or cost lives in a split second.

Cooper disappears into the role and becomes the Texas cowboy who just wants to serve his country, and is tormented over how to be a family man when he comes home. He's amazing in the role and the movie is carried on his shoulders, and he doesn't miss a beat.

Short review, but that's all you need. You know whether this film is for you probably based on the title alone.

Final Grade: Solid B

Oh What A Night... "Jersey Boys"

Jersey Boys (2014)

Rated R

Starring Vincent Piazza, John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Michael Lomenda, Christopher Walken,

Directed by Clint Eastwood

The Story:

Growing up in Jersey, pals Tommy DeVito (Piazza), and Nick Massi (Lomenda) recruit a great singer named Frankie Valli (Young) to join their group. As they get more known in the area, musician and writer Bob Gaudio (Bergen) joins the group and thus were born The Four Seasons.

This is their story.

Odds are good that if you've heard any rock/pop music in your life,  you've heard at least one of the songs by the Four Seasons, whether you knew it or not.

And while this may be a musical, only in the broadest of senses as the songs usually play out as an actual scene where they might be giving a concert or performing a gig or something along those lines.

So if musicals scare you where people randomly break out into song and dance numbers, you'll be perfectly safe here.

At least until the credits roll, then Eastwood has the entire cast do a traditional song and dance number, but it's fun and a nice capper to the end of the film, and is arguably the Four Seasons best known number.

The narrative for the story comes from each of the members as they will break the fourth wall and address the audience for a minute to get the story started. It's an effective device and used minimally so there is little distraction from the story.

All in all, a pretty good tale that makes for an entertaining viewing.

Final Grade: B

Would You Get "In The Line Of Fire" Between A Bullet And A President?

In The Line Of Fire (1993)

Rated R for language and violence

Starring Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott, John Mahoney

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen

The Story:

Secret Service Agents Frank Horrigan (Eastwood) and D'Andrea (McDermott) are working the counterfeiting portion of the Secret Service.  Then one night, Horrigan answers a phone call from a stranger (Malkovich) who informs him that he is going to assassinate the President.  This doesn't sit well with Horrigan, as he has already lost a President once: Kennedy.  He vows he's not going to lose another one.  He lobbies to get back on the Presidential detail, but he's old, cranky, and with the President facing re-election, the Chief of Staff (Fred Thompson) wants Horrigan nowhere near the President.  Will Frank be able to take a bullet to save a President this time, or is he doomed to fail again?

I think this is my favorite Eastwood movie.

Doing a quick rundown of titles, yeah, this and Kelly's Heroes are my two favorite films by Eastwood of all time.

The movie is extremely well written, there are excellent actors in every role, and the tension continues to build as the movie rolls along.

Eastwood plays the aging Agent perfectly.  Still with a love and drive for the job, he plays Horrigan perfectly.  The scene in the break room after his return to the Presidential detail is hysterically funny.

The attempted romance between Russo and Eastwood is handled well and does not overly complicate nor bog down the action and tension that is building in the movie.  It works to give the audience a chance to catch our breath as we prepare for the next stage of the game of cat and mouse.

Naturally, if you're going to give Eastwood a competent adversary, you want one of the best.

Cue John Malkovich as the quietly explosive assassin.  He wants the challenge of beating Horrigan at the game.  Bitter adversaries, yet with equal amounts of respect for what each other does and each work to not underestimate the other, because it will be costly to do so.

I would say it's been over a decade since I watched this one, and that's a shame because it really is an excellent film.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do own it, and I'll have to put a sticky note to remind me not to wait over a decade to watch this one again.

Frontier Justice... "Hang 'Em High"

Hang 'Em High (1968)

Starring Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Ed Begley, Pat Hingle, Bruce Dern, Alan Hale Jr.

Directed by Ted Post

The Story:

Jed Cooper (Eastwood) bought some cattle from a local ranch and as he is moving them towards his homestead, he is surrounded by a vigilante posse that accuses him of rustling...and murder!  Cooper professes his innocence, but the mob lynches him, and leaves him for dead.  Cut down by a passing Marshal (Ben Johnson), Cooper is taken to Fort Grant, Oklahoma to stand trial for his crimes by Judge Fenton (Hingle).  Found innocent, the judge offers Cooper the chance to round up the mob, and any other bad guys, by becoming a Deputy US Marshal.

Coming off the Man With No Name trilogy of spaghetti westerns, Eastwood created his own company, The Malpaso Company which was the home for Eastwood pictures for the next 20 years, with Hang 'Em High being the first.

The story is a fictionalized account of "Hangin' Judge Parker" from Fort Smith Arkansas.  It portrays the hardship faced by the US Marshal service to cover entire territories with few men, low pay, and danger at every turn.

Cooper tries to bring all of the mob to justice, but some resist and wind up being shot instead of hung.

However, when some rustlers are brought in and tried and convicted of murder and rustling, Cooper bristles at the methods that the judge takes.

At the end of the day, he has to make a decision on whether or not it's in his best interest to help the judge bring law and order to the Oklahoma Territory or walk away and leave a vacuum of lawlessness.

They squeeze a love story into the film after the halfway point to make the Marshal's choice a little more difficult, but at the end of the day, justice will prevail.

Pretty good film.  Glad I finally got around to seeing it.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: One viewing was good enough for me.

"Reel Injun" A Look Under the War Paint of the American Movie Indians

Reel Injun (2009)
Documentary Not Rated

Starring: Adam Beach, Clint Eastwood

Directed by Neil Diamond.  No, the other one.

The Story:

This documentary attempts to peel back the layers and expose how the depiction of the Native American on the big screen has shaped the world's perception on the American Indian.

Whether it is the idea that an Indian is an Indian, so in the movies, regardless of tribe, they all wear the same clothing.

They all hunt the same. Live the same. Look the same.

Are the same.

Even though tribes that dressed that way lived hundreds or thousands of miles from where they are being depicted onscreen.

Pretty informative and a nice take on trying to undo a century of cinematic falsehoods...

Even one that Native Americans themselves had a hard time trying to overcome.

Good for History buffs.

Hollywood buffs.

Fans of good documentaries.

Available for streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Probably only needed to be viewed once.

It's Not What You Know, But Who..."The Company You Keep"

Wait, they still have newspapers?

The Story:

Back in the 70s, several Weather Underground activists robbed a bank and killed a security guard.  They disappeared and went into hiding. Over 30 years later, the first (Susan Sarandon) has attempted to come forward to clear her conscious.  A reporter (Shia LaBeouf) tackles her story and begins to peel back the layers and discovers that a local lawyer (Robert Redford) is one of her accomplices.  The dominoes begin to fall as the lawyer begins to run...

But is he running because of guilt, or innocence?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I got this one.  It's got a great cast from leads to bit parts.

Who haven't I mentioned yet?

Nick Nolte. Chris Cooper. Terrence Howard. Stanley Tucci. Richard Jenkins. Sam Elliott and many more.

Granted, the movie falls squarely on the shoulders of Redford and LaBeouf as the two carry out their two stories that weave together throughout the movie.

It was a solid action/drama/thriller.

I won't discuss much more because I don't want to ruin any of the twists and turns for anyone who hasn't  seen it and would like to.

I will say that Redford, much like Eastwood, has developed into a really great director in the latter half of his career.

The main difference, Redford doesn't get the critical acclaim like Eastwood does.

Either way, this was a pretty entertaining movie.

Feel free to give it a spin, I think you'll be pleased with your choice.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not quite as fun as Redford's Sneakers, but not bad.  I could watch it again.

The First Time Eastwood Tackled a President and an Empty Chair..."Absolute Power"

Absolute power corrupts absolutely...

The Story:

Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood, a master thief who is allegedly retired, breaks into a multi-billionaire's home to rob his vault.  His quest for cash is interrupted by a nocturnal visit from the President of the United States (Gene Hackman) and the billionaire's wife. Their drunken affair turns deadly, and Luther witnesses her murder at the hands of the Secret Service (Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert).  He escapes, and avoids the Secret Service for a time, while also keeping the police detectives (Ed Harris) at bay.  Luther is ready to leave the country, until the Secret Service start targeting his daughter (Laura Linney).  Now it's personal...

I really enjoyed this one, and hadn't seen it in ages.

Eastwood was crackling in 1997 (!!!!) as both writer and director.

The movie clips along at a great pace, never too slow...never too fast to keep you riveted to the action and wondering what will happen next.

Eastwood surrounded himself with great actors from top to bottom, and they are allowed to develop given their limited screen time in a movie that begs to be told from many different angles.

It all works out in the end as you realize there is really nothing that the White House couldn't cover up if it absolutely had to.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I haven't bought it yet, but it was a nice film to see again after 15 years or so.  Perhaps if I get the Eastwood collection someday?

With Great Power Comes Great Paranoia... "J. Edgar"

Does this dress make me look manly enough?

The Story:

In a story that jumps between flashbacks and "modern" day, J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) recalls his early days in the Justice Department and how it soon branched into the FBI, which he would head for the rest of his life.  Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer) is promoted to his right hand man, and the two have a lasting relationship until Hoover's dying days.  The movie shows Hoover's penchant for spying on everyone, and having secret files which kept him in a position of power over the Presidents.

Meh.

For a period piece, it's okay.  I thought it would be more engrossing and  involving than it was, at least for me.

I mean, you've got the subject of literally the most powerful man in America for over 50 years, who outlasted administrations that wanted him out of office, yet had no power to do anything about it, as they most likely had a little file hidden in Hoover's office about their misdeeds.

All of the actors do a fine job, especially DiCaprio who basically carries the film through the years in makeup and without.  How his lifestyle contradicted everything people thought they knew about him, and met most of all with disapproval from his mother (Judi Dench) is probably a nugget that the President could have used to get him out of office at anytime in his career.  Of course if your job is to get secrets, it only makes sense that Hoover was probably the most private man in the world.

Clint Eastwood solidly directs as usual.  Again, the movie just never really grabbed me and made me want to watch.  Instead, it simply played, and I paid as much, or as little attention as I felt like as the movie progressed.

Your mileage could vary!

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Nope, I'm good.  2 1/2 hours was plenty.

I Had Absolutely No "Trouble With The Curve".

While I really don't care for baseball, I do apparently enjoy a good movie centered around the sport.


The Story:

Gus (Clint Eastwood) is a scout for the Atlanta Braves.  The problem is, his eyesight is fading.  However that doesn't mean that Gus can't still do his job.  However, as a precaution, his boss (John Goodman) convinces his daughter (Amy Adams) to take some time away from her work and keep an eye on her dad as he scouts a top high school recruit in the Carolinas.  A rival scout from the Red Sox (Justin Timberlake) that Gus scouted for his team years earlier, arrives on the scene to check out the kid, and Gus' daughter!  Can Gus successfully scout the kid and save his job, or is he doomed to retirement?

First, it's nice to see Eastwood in any movies these days.  The man is a legend on the screen, and it's nice that he's still doing what he loves.  For the first time in awhile, he also steps out from behind the camera and lets someone else do the heavy lifting, so you know that has to be daunting to be the first guy to direct an acting AND directing legend in some time in your first time out!  Luckily for Robert Lorenz, he's actually been helping Eastwood for the last few years helming some of his features.

Then we have the plucky Amy Adams as Mickey, Gus' daughter.  While working her butt off to become partner in a law firm for the better part of a decade, she uses these few days off to try and reconnect with her father, and she comes to some realizations about herself and her father.

However, I will save the best for last, and say without a doubt that I am becoming a huge fan of Justin Timberlake, the actor.  He seems very at ease on the big screen, and his persona and demeanor carry him fairly effortlessly through the movies.  I enjoyed his Sci Fi flick In Time, really thought he was hilarious in Friends with Benefits, liked his work in the Social Network, and yes, he even did a great job voicing Boo Boo in the Yogi Bear movie.

So yes, all in all this movie was a very pleasant surprise for me from start to finish.  I went in with no expectations, and was very pleased with the movie I watched.

Could be a contender for the "Best of the Year" listing.

Recommended for a rental, and I could see adding this to the "Purchase to watch again later" pile as well.

Final Grade:  A-