Classics Old and New - Movie Famous

I first saw this movie in the theater when it was released in 1979. Admittedly, my main reason for wanting to see the film was not a keen interest in football but the stars of the film. I liked Mac Davis, who plays the quaterback Seth Maxwell and my roommate at the time idolized Nick Nolte, who play Phil Elliot.

The movie was made from the semi autobiographical novel "North Dallas Forty" by Peter Gent. Gent was a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys in the late 1960's and is said to have based the characters in the novel on many of the notable Cowboy players of the era.

The story depicts a wide receiver, Phil Elliot (Nolte) who is at the peak of his career. His body is battered by game injuries, and he is dependent on various pain medications and other drugs prescribed by the team doctors. Mac Davis plays Seth Maxwell, the star quarter back who, unlike Elliot realizes that a key element to keeping his career on top is pandering to the team owners. There is a conflict between the stance the owners take toward recreational drug use among the players and the pills and shots of medication provided by team doctors to keep the players in peak condition. Nolte's character is used by management to convince a reluctant teammate to shoot an injured hamstring full of medication so he can play in a championship game. The results cause Elliot (Nolte) to realize that in the eyes of management the players are as disposable as any other piece of equipment.

Charles Durning turns in a memorable performance as the assistant coach who gulps down liquid antacids while trying to ensure that the team is ready for the championship game.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I watched this movie for the first time because I liked Mac Davis. I outgrew my crush on him but I still watch the movie every now and then on Sunday afternoons. It is a fascinating study of one side of professional football. If you have an interest in American football, this is one you should consider looking up.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Classics Old and New

Email this Post to a Friend

Top 10 Chick Flicks cont.

June 16th 2009 15:50

This is the rest of the list I started yesterday of my favorite chick flicks. If you haven't seen these or haven't seen them lately, check them out.

5. "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982), Debra Winger stars as Paula Pokrifki, a working class girl who attends functions on a nearby Naval base in hopes of meeting an officer in training. Richard Gere is Zach Mayo, an young officer in training to be a Naval aviator.

4. "Green Card" (1990), Gerard Depardieu stars as Georges Faure, a man who enters into a marriage of convenience with Bronte Parrish, played by Andie MacDowell. When they are forced to move in together to prove to immigration that the marriage is valid, the situation changes. Depardieu is so charming as the oafish Georges it is impossible not to fall in love with him.

3. "Pretty Woman" (1990), Julia Roberts is Vivian Ward, a street walker who is hired by Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) to be his escort for a week while he conducts business in Los Angeles. A modern fairy tale for those who still want to believe in fairy tales.

2. "Dirty Dancing" (1987), Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Gray) is spending the summer with her family at a vacation resort. She meets and falls in love with the dancing instructor, Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). The dancing in this movie is reason enough to love it. This movie is fun to watch at a sleepover with mature teenagers.

1. "Steel Magnolias" (1989), The story of a close knit group of friends who regularly congregate at Truvy's Beauty Shop. It stars Julia Roberts, Sally Fields, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah and Olympia Dukakis. The women are from different backgrounds and are at different stages of their lives but they are bound by their friendship. This really is a woman's movie, the male characters are pretty much in the background. But there are good performances by Tom Skerritt and Sam Shepard. This movie will touch even the hardest heart.

Looking at the list you would think I hadn't seen a movie in this century. I have of course. More recent movies that deserve to be on the list include "Bridget Jones' Diary"(2001), "Love Actually"(2003) and "Mona Lisa Smile"(2003).
If there are others that I've forgotten that you think should be included, let me know.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Classics Old and New

Email this Post to a Friend

Top 10 Chick Flicks

June 15th 2009 20:19

Chick flicks are great for those nights you have the house to yourself, either by chance or by design. These movies are best enjoyed with a bowl of popcorn or a pint of Ben & Jerry's, alone or with your best friend. Generally speaking, the man in your life won't be thrilled to share these with you. Guys just seemed to enjoy action and adventure more than sentiment. A few of these are hard to find on DVD but show up on television from time to time. These are my personal favorites, in no particular order.

10. "An Affair to Remember" (1957), Playboy Nickie Ferrante (Cary Grant) meets Terry McKay (Deborah Kerr) on board a ship sailing for the United States. Though both are involved with other people, they agree to meet on top of the Empire State Building. Fate steps in and the meeting never happens. The ending of this film is a real crying festival. I love this movie, the final scene never fails to move me

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Classics Old and New

Email this Post to a Friend

Can Eddie Murphy Be Upstaged by Newcomer? Imagine That

June 12th 2009 21:55

The thing about Eddie Murphy is that when he is good, he is outrageously good and when he is bad he is awful. There are some Eddie Murphy movies that you can watch over and over and enjoy every viewing like it was the first. "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Coming to America" are vintage Murphy that I personally enjoy. More recent offerings like the "Shrek" films and "Daddy Day Care" have found their way into my personal collection because they are good fun that I can share with my children. Others, like "Norbet" were so mean spirited that it made me cringe.

So it makes me wonder what this weekend's release of Eddie's latest "Imagine That" will bring to the table. The story revolves around a financial executive that is more involved with his Blackberry than his 7 year old daughter.(Does anyone else hear Cat Stevens singing?) According to the movie's website, Murphy's character experiences a "crisis of confidence" and his career starts to tank. He finds the solution to all of his problems in his daughter's imaginary world

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Comedies

Email this Post to a Friend

Can Land of the Lost Find Its Audience?

June 6th 2009 20:17

It's funny the way things from your childhood stay with you. I remember when Saturday meant watching cartoons from early in the morning until sometime around noon. Throughout the 70's and into the 80's, Sid and Marty Kroft created some very memorable programming. On of my favorites from the Kroft brothers was a show called "Land of the Lost".

The premise was simple enough. A widower and his two children are on a rafting trip when an earthquake occurs. The earthquake some how opens a rift in time and they are transported to a land populated by dinosaurs, ape man and an evil race of lizard like men called Sleestacks. The series revolved around the family trying to get back to their own time while exploring the land of the lost. Despite what you might think about the plausibility of the plot, the series survived for two years. Even more implausible, during one season, the father somehow disappears (presumably back to his own time). A short time later, the children are joined by their uncle, who had been searching for the family

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Comedies

Email this Post to a Friend

The Passing of an Icon

June 4th 2009 17:23

This morning actor David Carradine was found dead in his hotel room in Bangkok where he was filming a movie. The 72 year old actor was best known for his portrayal of Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine, in the television series "Kung Fu". More recently though, he portrayed Bill in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill", Vols. 1 and 2.

For those too young to remember "Kung Fu", the series followed the adventures of Kwai Chang Caine, the orphaned son of a Chinese woman and an American man. Caine was raised by in a monastery by Shaolin monks and trained to be a Shaolin master. In the pilot, Caine's mentor Po is murdered by the nephew of the Chinese Emperor. Caine kills the nephew and is forced to flee to avoid the Emperor's assassins. He goes to America where he searches for his half brother in the Old West, arrned only with his skill in martial arts. The series was very popular and Carradine was so identified with the role that he recreated Caine in a feature length film, "Kung Fu:The Movie" ( 1986) and in the series "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues"(1993-1995). Both the television series and the movie are available on DVD and are well worth checking out

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote