Well, It Was At Least Average..."The Ultimate Life"

The Ultimate Life (2013)

PG

Starring Jason Stevens, Ali Hillis, Austin James, Drew Waters, James Garner

Directed by Michael Landon Jr.

The Story:

Jason Stevens (Bartholomew) is at a crossroads in his life.  Being sued by the family for control of the fortune left to him by his grandfather, Red Stevens (Garner).  With the woman he loves (Hillis) set to leave to put her doctor skills to good use in an impoverished nation, will he discover what is truly important by once again turning to his grandfather's journals?

While that is the story, it barely registers as maybe 15 minutes of the running time.  This is what opens and closes the movie.

Instead, the heart of the movie flashes back to young Red Stevens (James) as a teenager who has no desire to be in school, and once war breaks out, joins to save the world.

Then a fast forward to an older Red (Waters) who is struggling to make it as an oilman in Texas.

Red's drive makes him rich, but he realizes toward the end of his life that there are more important things to life than money.

It's a lesson that his grandson figured out, but not the rest of the family.

Of course, Jason will realize that the woman he loves is more important than any fortune, and the movie ties up mostly as you would expect.


Though it does have the odd cliffhanger of whether or not the litigation gets settled in the family.

Ah well.

Final Grade: C/C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd have to let this one go.

Riding Off Into The Sunset... R.I.P. James Garner 1928-2014

Another legend of Hollywood has left us, as actor James Garner passed away this weekend.

It's hard to decide what Garner will be remembered for most:  his work on television or his work on the silver screen?

He was, to me, one of the unsung, quintessential, American actors.

While generations always say "the next James Stewart... or the next Cary Grant..."

What we really should be trying to find is the next James Garner.

Need a charming and charismatic lead? Look no further!

Good looks to play the romantic leading man.

Tough, so that he could be believable in a scrap.

Humorous, with a twinkle in his eyes that let you know he was having fun.

While looking through his list of work, the roles were varied and many, most of the characters he portrayed were seemingly an amalgamate combination of what we had seen from him before.

And there isn't anything wrong with that.

As I've said in many reviews, if you're going to have a role that is perfectly cast for "actor x" you go out and hire that actor.  Usually, they will get it right and it is perfect.

If you want an actor who embodies Bret Maverick or Jim Rockford...

Well, you go get James Garner, and you will not be disappointed.

For television actors, if you can get that one great role, you'll be remembered forever.

Garner did it.

Twice.

First there was Bret Maverick from Maverick from 1957-1962.  I have only seen a few episodes from this series, but they were very smart, well-written, and Garner deserved his stardom from this series.

Returning to the Silver Screen, he played Hendley "The Scrounger" in The Great Escape (1963), probably my favorite World War II movie of all time.  As the guy who could get things, long before Red did the same thing in Shawshank, Hendley was a scoundrel, but as usual for a Garner performance, he had a caring heart.  His devotion to trying to save The Forger who had gone blind crafting forged documents is a touching part of the film.

Then in 1969, he dusted off a Maverick-like performance for Support Your Local Sheriff and a similar retread in 71 with Support Your Local Gunfighter.

Then Garner did something that actors are just now beginning to do again with great frequency:

He returned to television.

In 1974, he brought The Rockford Files and private investigator Jim Rockford to a new generation of viewers.  Again, I've only seen a handful of these episodes, some first run at the end of the series, and I watched the first episode on Netflix.  Again, Garner was a natural at what he does, and that's probably an impossible thing to teach an actor.

Fast forward to the 1990s, and Garner was back on the Silver Screen in one of my favorite television remakes of all time: Maverick.  This time playing Marshal Zane Cooper while he let Mel Gibson take over the title role.  Of course, there was more to the Marshal than met the eye, and it remains one of my favorite movies of all time.  Fun, fun fun!

In 1996, he teamed with Jack Lemmon in My Fellow Americans.  A zany road-trip film that is worth a viewing if you've never seen it, and worth repeated viewings if you have.  Too much fun, and he made a great pair with Lemmon.

2000 saw him team up with Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland and Tommy Lee Jones in Space Cowboys.  An underrated movie that is a real charmer if you've ever seen it.

Finally, I will close with Garner's performance from a decade ago: The Notebook.  While all the fans gush about the Ryan Gosling/Rachel McAdams chemistry from that movie, it's Garner's performance as the man who is so in love with the girl of his dreams that he goes to whatever lengths he can to be with her for when her memory does come back so he can be there for his love.  I dare you not to cry at the end of that movie.  So sweet, so sad, it's a movie I refuse to watch again because I don't want to have to cry at the end.
 

On top of all of his other accomplishments, I would be remiss to not mention his status as a decorated Korean War veteran.  Or that the "Rockford", the J-Turn in evasive driving taught to The Secret Service is named in honor of his driving move from The Rockford Files, which he did on the show without a stunt driver.

His autobiography, The Garner Files is one of the few books I've bothered to even want to read in the last decade.  

Thank you James Garner, for giving me a lifetime of memories that I'm able to share with my family.

You were a class act, and you'll be missed, but never forgotten.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 40 ~ The Great Escape

And the Countdown rolls on!

Thanks to Casey Kasem as I bring this thing home with the Top 40!

My appreciation to those of you who have endured the last 60 days of doing this alongside me.  I do appreciate all of the comments here and on Facebook.

: )



My two favorite war movies, back to back.

The Great Escape is based on a true story by Paul Brickhill (read the book...recommended!) where he amalgamates his fellow P.O.W.s to relate what they went through to escape what the Nazis had determined to be the ultimate escape-proof prison.

So proud and confident of their design, they literally courted trouble by bringing in nothing but the worst of the worst...

All of the prisoners who had previously been a thorn in the Nazi's side were brought together under one roof, to break their will and prove that escape was impossible.

Beware of boasting, as it often leads to "the Titanic Syndrome".

Sure enough, putting all of these eggs in one basket presented the Allies with an irresistible option:

Prove that escape was not only possible, they were going to send more prisoners over the wall...theoretically...than ever before.

The Germans would spend so much manpower and time finding the prisoners, it would help hamper their ability to fight on the front lines.

And, for those who are not aware of the movie, or history...

They were right.

However, the price that they paid to undertake this mission was high indeed.

The undertaking these men shoulder is monumental in scope and impressive in audacity.  That it was actually pulled off is a triumph of willpower and sheer bravado.

If you've never watched it, by all means, see it!

If it's been awhile, watch it again.  The performances by this all-star cast are impeccable.

Steve McQueen gets most of the spotlight, and the cool action sequences, but I am partial to James Garner's portrayal of the scrounger in the film.

John Sturges makes his first of two directorial appearances on the countdown.  We'll visit his second all-star epic tomorrow.

I can't say enough good things about this film.

It could easily make my Top 25, but it's long and I rarely get the time to watch it, or an audience that enjoys it as much as I do.

But that's okay, it still makes the countdown, and I'm okay with that.

Here's to Tom, Dick, and Harry!

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 56 ~ Maverick

Saddle up, and ride back to the Old West...

As seen by a big screen remake of a popular television series!

Generally, by nature, these remakes are frowned upon by movie fans as proving that Hollywood is bankrupt of ideas.  However, when done correctly, they can be quite enjoyable.  One remake that just missed the list, The Brady Bunch movie, took everything that was great about the show, and simply transported them into the modern world.  The world was meaner, but the Brady's were very much, the Brady's.  It was hilarious and fun.

So too, was Maverick.  The essence of the television character was brought forth to the silver screen, with a different actor taking the role.  Thankfully, this wasn't a Legend of the Lone Ranger fiasco.

Richard Donner, arguably my favorite director of all time, hits the countdown once again.  He brings with him an old favorite, Mel Gibson, in the title role of Bret Maverick.

Maverick of course was made famous by James Garner on television back in the "Good Ol' Days" of glorious black and white television.

In an unprecedented move with remakes, where the original star(s) gets a brief cameo or maybe a speaking line, Donner goes out and brings in James Garner to play Marshall Zane Cooper in a fun, meaty role.

Rounding out the the main cast is Jodie Foster as the potential love interest/thieving gambler and Jame Coburn as the Commodore, who schedules the riverboat gambling cruise that is the central point of the whole movie.

The movie, is just plain fun.  It never takes itself too seriously, but never makes fun of the Maverick franchise.

Now, as for the elephant in the room that I've danced around the entire time...

Mel Gibson.

What he said or did one drunken night will not taint the performances he has provided to me as an audience over the years.

Am I disappointed?  Sure.

I'll hope it was more of an accident/one-time thing than try to believe something darker and more sinister about him.

Besides, if I disliked actors/directors/musicians based on politics/religion/bad habits...


The world would quickly become VERY boring.