What classics did you see last week ? (9Feb - 15 Feb 2020)

Cimarron (1960)



Surprisingly great, considering it was a box office flop remake of an Oscar winner for Best Picture. In fact, it's much better than the original, in my opinion. Starts off with some truly great land rush scenes, which was one of the best things about the original. The story spans generations in the lives of these Oklahoma settlers. A bit long and drags a bit, but quite worth watching, overall.



Glenn Ford is his usual dependably great self. The late great Vic Morrow is on hand to play a truly scary intimidating villain.

12 Years a Slave (2013)



"Your story is amazing, and in no good way..."



The inhumanity and degradation inflicted upon the people forced to be slaves is almost too difficult to watch in this film, but it's too important a tale not to be seen. It's masterfully done, and it is so immursive I was right there the whole way with the characters.



Michael Fassbender's character is surely one of the most despicable and vile ever committed to film. Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey is definitely one of the all-time most heartbreaking characters I've ever witnessed in any movie. This was a rewatch for me, but it had been awhile, and it slammed into me like a charging bull all over again. If you didn't feel anything while watching this, then I'm afraid to inform you that you are dead inside.



Unforgiven (1992)



"Any man don't wanna get killed better clear on out the back!"



It's become everyone's favorite western over the years, and rightly so. It has the moral dilemmas, nasty villain and Clint in classic gunfighter mode. It's just great cinema, whether westerns are your thing or not. It was Eastwood's final western, and what a great way to end his cowboy career. I mean, how could he top this?



No Country For Old Men (2007)



This is overflowing with Coen brothers awesomeness. Love the deadly serious atmosphere, it looks good on them.



Anton Chigurh is terrifying, bowl cut and all! The whole cast is operating at a peak level (Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly MacDonald, Garret Dillahunt), but there's no denying that Javier Bardem is the engine driving the audience's fascination. Such a worthy Oscar win for him and the movie.



Road To Perdition (2002)



A sentimental but violent story about fathers and sons wrapped up in a mob story. Beautifully filmed and cast with a stack of dynamite actors. Paul Newman is a powerhouse!



The Terminal (2004)



"Ever feel like you're living in an airport?"



Anyone who has ever had their flight delayed or inhaled a Whopper from Burger King can relate to poor Viktor Navorski. ✈🍔

Tom Hanks is once again in lovable outsider mode, and he's quite good. This would be an actor's dream role: foreign accent, in every scene, directed by Spielberg...too bad the general public seemed uninterested when this came out. I think it's charms will win over more people as the years go by, it's very Capra-esque.



Turner & Hooch (1989)Turner & Hooch (1989)Turner & Hooch (1989)



"Are you aware of your drooling problem?"



There may be more saliva than laughs, but there is plenty of heart in this movie. Hanks in comedic mode is so much fun to watch, it had been awhile since I've seen him this way.



The Green Mile (1999)
The Green Mile (1999)


Absolutely powerful and magnificent adaptation of Stephen King's novel. Full of beautiful human moments, and some pretty ugly ones too, this is still Stephen King, after all!



Frank Darabont and Stephen King go together like cookies and milk. Every time he adapts one of King's works it goes on to become a beloved classic. Why doesn't he just do them all?



This was a rewatch for me, and maybe it's because he has passed away since, but Michael Clarke Duncan is so incredible as John Coffey. I didn't appreciate all he brought to the film the first time, I guess. Now, he crushed me. There's quite a few of the cast who have passed away since, I think it added an extra layer of solemnity: Michael Jeter, Harry Dean Stanton, Brent Briscoe, Dabbs Greer, Eve Brent, Bill McKinney...R.I.P.



The running time is long, and yet you will never notice because this movie just envelopes you and occupies your mind the entire time. It's very engrossing and life affirming. You will be thinking about it long after, it's one of those movies. So happy to have this jewel in my own movie collection.



Saving Private Ryan (1998)



It's difficult to remember now, but this star-studded cast was not yet all that famous at the time. This is an incredible onslaught to the senses, especially that opening scene on the beach. It's chaos, it's terrifying, but it's still probably nowhere as terrifying as having been there for real. Still one of the most harrowing war movies ever made.



I've read complaints about this movie, that Spielberg includes "too much of his trademark sentiment." If ever there were a time when one's feelings would be all over the place at once, it would be while fighting in World War II. Maybe if you were there, you would know.



My jaw was open several times, wondering how they did that, or amazed at what they endured. Makes you wonder if you'd be able to do the same if you had been born a few generations earlier. We owe them so much, they gave all for our freedom. Even though this film is about Americans, I say all this for all the good men who fought or died from everywhere.



Great casting for "Older Private Ryan." These bookending scenes had some real emotional weight to them, bravo!



Saving Mr. Banks (2013)



Emma Thompson in crisp, unapproving British lady mode is purely delightful to watch. Who else but Tom Hanks could play Walt Disney, America's male movie sweetheart and a distant relative of Walt Disney himself? Colin Farrell is also in fine form as Mary Poppins author P.L.Travers' drunken Australian bank manager father.



It's just sappy enough, but not too sappy at all. Disney is not sugar-coated and neither is Travers. The movie leads to a very affecting and introspective conclusion. It's great, as a movie lover, to learn how the classic Mary Poppins came to be.



Forrest Gump (1994)



No other movie shows you life like Forrest Gump. We've all lived through history and been through some stuff. This movie eerily mirrors my own life in certain scenes and just gets to me. Probably does the same for the millions of people who love it too. It's a beloved classic that will live on for many more generations to come.



One thing that really stood out on this rewatch was the score by Alan Silvestri. It squeezes you by the feels! Didn't win the Oscar that year, but it was a tight race.



The coconut shrimp at the real-life Bubba Gump restaurants is so good, try it if you get the chance! 👍