Double Feature

It's been awhile since my last post and, while I may have needed a break from writing the regular blog entries, I kept on watching and thinking about movies. Two of the films that I rewatched, having not seen either one in a few years, are the subject of today's post. Those films are 1973's American Graffiti and 1986's Stand By Me. These two have a couple similarities that I think make them a good paring. Firstly, they both take place on the west coast and around the same time period (with Stand By Me set in Oregon in 1959 and American Graffiti set in California in 1962). Both are also coming-of-age movies that focus a small story, with all of the events taking place in a short period of time. 

Oh, and Richard Dreyfuss is in both films.

As for an overview of the films, I'll start with American Graffiti. Right from the get-go we're introduced to Curt and Steve (played by Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard respectively), two friends who have graduated high school and are set to leave for college the next day. Steve is ready to leave their hometown and move on to the next phase of his life, while Curt is having second thoughts. The film goes on to follow how this last night on the town unfolds not only for Curt and Steve but also two of their friends. One of those friends is John Milner (played by Paul Le Mat) who is the town's drag-racing king that finds himself challenged to a race by Bob Falfa (played by Harrison Ford). The other is Terry (played by Charles Martin Smith), a stereotypical nerdy character at the start but who ends up having the wildest night of them all by the end. It's a fun light-hearted movie, full of great music and likeable characters.

Next up, Stand By Me. The setup is pretty simple; a group of four friends (played by Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell) hear that there is a dead body that hasn't been discovered by police yet. They figure that if they can find it and alert the authorities then they'll be local heroes... and that's the premise. The interactions between the four kids is really what makes the film worth watching. Some of the heart-felt moments feel a little forced and phony, and a few of the comedic beats miss the mark in my opinion but it's still a good movie.

Overall, I like both of these films and, honestly, you can't go wrong with either one. Both films were box-office successes, feature some strong performances, and were nominated for several awards. I personally like American Graffiti a bit more but, I think both are solid movies that I recommend checking out if you've never seen them. 

I give American Graffiti a 4.5 out of 5 and Stand By Me a 3.5 out of 5

In the Heart of the Sea

Released in late 2015 In the Heart of the Sea, or as I like to refer to it 'Chris Hemsworth vs. A Big Whale', didn't do well with critics or at the box-office. While I do think there are parts of a good movie here, it doesn't completely deliver the goods.

The film is about an old man named Thomas (played by Brendan Gleeson) recounting the story of his survival when he was a young lad aboard a whaling ship named Essex in 1820. Crew of the Essex is played by some pretty good actors like Benjamin Walker as the Captain, Tom Holland as the young version of Thomas, and Chris Hemsworth as Owen the first mate who's accent is inconsistent throughout. There's a lot of sailing around searching for whales early on, and this part of the film could've been trimmed down a bit. However, the whole thing picks up when the crew encounters a Moby Dick-esque whale that destroys the Essex, leaving them stranded on the ocean in much smaller whaling boats. They drift along helplessly with little food or water, and even reluctantly decide to cannibalize the dead. After several weeks stranded at sea a few men who survived are actually rescued. There's also a bit toward the end about the whale oil company trying to deny that a whale destroyed one of their ships, but this didn't add much to the film for me.

Overall, I like a lot of these actors, Ron Howard is a good director, and there are some really captivating visuals. There just isn't enough to push this one over the line from solid movie to great movie.

I give it a 3 out of 5.

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A Look Back At: Apollo 13

"Houston, we have a problem"

 

Released in 1995 and based on real events, Apollo 13 is one of those rare movies that I recommend to anyone and everyone who hasn't seen it.

If you are one of those who is not familiar with the film, it focuses primarily on the crew of NASA's Apollo 13 mission which was supposed to land on the moon. However, after an oxygen tank explosion, the astronauts aboard soon find that their spacecraft is low breathable air, experiencing power failure, and the mission is no longer to land on the moon but to make it back to Earth alive. It's one of those movies where even though you know how it ends, it's still a thrilling road to get there and it's very rewatchable as well.

 In addition to being a very compelling story, the film really succeeds on pretty much every level. Ron Howard who directed the film did a great job, the cinematography is really good, James Horner's score compliments the film perfectly, and the movie it's full of exciting moments, drama, tension, and humor. Add into that some great acting: this is one of the best performances of Tom Hanks' career (This one took the #3 spot on my "10 Tom Hanks Movies Everyone Should See" list that I posted in October) but, in addition to him, Gary Sinies, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, Bill Paxton, and all the other actors in the film are all really solid.

Again, I highly recommend this one and I'd put it up there with some of my very favorite space-based films. I give this one a 5 out of 5.

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