"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-

S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Early Years? "The Nanny Diaries"

The Nanny Diaries (2007)

Rated PG-13 for language

Starring; Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, Chris Evans, Nicholas Art

Directed by Shari Springer Berman

The Story:

Annie (Johansson) has graduated college, but is unsure what to do with her life.  When she saves a little boy (Art), she is mistaken for a nanny and employed for the summer by Mrs. X (Linney).  A demanding, east-side New Yorker, she demands much from Annie as they prepare the boy for a privileged life that Mr. X (Giamatti) demands.  But Annie isn't sure that the X's have the best interest of their son at heart, and with the eye of the Harvard Hottie (Evans) in the building as well, Annie's life is spiraling out of control.  However, before the summer is over, a lot of people are going to learn a lot about life, all thanks to Annie's being a part of it.

I hadn't seen this film since it was released.

I remembered it was pretty cute, but not much else.

Watched it recently again, and yep, it was a pretty enjoyable experience.

Based on a book by the same name, the storyline seems a bit extreme in a few instances, and yet...

This is New York.  So perhaps, it's not nearly as out-there as we might like to imagine.

:)

From what I gather, the book spanned a year, the movie-makers wisely condensed it to a summer.

Johansson and Evans make a wonderful pair.  If they aren't friends in real life, then their onscreen chemistry is really good acting, as the duo have worked together in several different films, long before they donned the spandex and saved the world, in the Avengers.

All of the cast does a great job.  It's hard to feel any sympathy for the New York socialites who use nanny's to raise their kids for them while they shop. 

Must be nice, if you don't want to interact with your children.

Nanny's meltdown at the end is pretty powerful stuff, and changes the lives of all the characters for the better.

The film is currently streaming on Amazon Prime if you are a member.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I would have no problems adding this to the library, or watching it again in the future.  Like I said, pretty cute film.

Bet You Haven't Seen This One In Some Time..."A Simple Twist Of Fate"

A Simple Twist of Fate (1994)

Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Steve Martin, Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Catherine O'Hara

Directed by Gillies MacKinnon

The Story:

Michael McCann (Martin) lives alone making furniture for a living.  Into his life toddles a little one, and Michael adopts the child and names her Mathilda.  He uses an unconventional parenting style, but Michael and Mathilda form a loving bond over the years.  However, local politician John Newland (Byrne) is the girl's real father, and since he cannot have children with his own wife (Linney), they decide to sue for custody of the girl.

That's a simplistic narrative for a story with much more complex layers than that.  Based on the novel Silas Marner by George Eliot, Steve Martin adapted the story for himself to bring to the screen.

What he brings is a heartwarming dramedy where he plays a role unlike any he'd ever played before.

He's not wild and crazy. He's not tossing jokes left and right.

There are a few fun situations he falls into along the way, so it's not without humor.

However, it's a story of love and redemption that is worth a viewing.

Instead, the meat of the story takes place after Mathilda has grown and the court case to decide if she should stay with Michael, or go live with her real father who can provide for her in ways that Michael could never dream.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the film, it had been about 15 years since I last saw it.

It still holds up very well in my eyes.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I already own it, I simply must not let so much time pass between viewings next time.

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?