Save the Tiger - 1973

God broke the mold when he made Jack Lemmon, and I mean that as respectfully as one can put in writing. Lemmon's only Best Actor Academy Award came from this gem. The last time a performance had that big of a depressing effect on me was after I watched it was the movie Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf- which you liked as well.

Jack plays Harry Stoner- a man filled with every emotion that a middle aged man possibly could have. His only child is away at college, his marriage is dull, his business is not what it used to be and is financially tanking, he can't get rid of the PTSD episodes from a war he fought in Italy, he thinks about his childhood obsession of baseball, he daydreams, etc. Life shouldn't be this hard for someone that did all the right things. 

Jack owns a clothing line company- they sell to retailers. Jack resents the fact that he has to hire prostitutes for buyers and is frustrated that he can't make payroll that it tempts him to burn one of his factories down to collect on insurance.

 Jack's reasoning voice is Phil Green, played by the late Jack Gilford. Gilford received an Oscar nod for his performance- and it was incredible. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie. It is for movie buffs. It is different and leaves you thinking about a lot of things.

This movie makes my top 100 list and is very moving. It is rated R for pot smoking, taking of the Lord's name in vain about 35 times, and adult themes. There is no nudity but prostitution is discussed and other adult themes. One of the most powerful scenes in the movie takes place in a pornographic movie theatre- it only shows the actors faces as the talk, but still the setting isn't for kids. If this movie was released today it would be PG-13. It does show Jack Lemmon's butt as he gets in the shower- so I guess that is nudity.  What an incredible film.

I had a hard time getting this film on Netflix over the years, it was always on hold- luckily I got it at the library.

Hellcats of the Navy (1957)

Ronald Reagan is a naval captain in charge of disrupting the flow of supplies from China to Japan during WWII. He gets distracted by his future wife Nancy Davis, and must balance work and personal life at the same time...At least this is what I got from the cover art. To say that this movie was lame is an understatement, I fell asleep about 20 minutes in to it. I do have one thing to say though and that is, Ronald Reagan had perfect hair. I remember people saying that he was the great communicator, no, I do not believe it was his words that did the speaking, but in fact it was his hair that impressed people into action. This is a definite miss.

Tom Horn - 1980

By 1979, 49 year old Steve McQueen was fighting for his life from Mesothelioma Cancer. It was believed that he developed this type of cancer from his years of breathing in exhaust from race car driving and motorcycle driving. McQueen was recently re-married for the third time and wanted to make a couple of movies before he died- this was one of them. He passed away in 1980 just after the release of this movie- which was a total disaster at the box office. McQueen plays "Tom Horn" a real life cowboy figure - and gun for hire - located in the last frontier in Wyoming around 1900. Horn doesn't really know how to fit in with the new civilization that is forming, he only knows how to track down bad guys and blow their heads off with his Winchester rifle. He has excellent precision with his rifle from long distances - similar to Tom Selleck in Quigly Down Under. Horn is hired to scare off some rouge ruffians who are stealing cattle- he does it the way he knows how, which is to kill them. In the end he ends up losing his life from a court convicted hanging because Horn is to stubborn to admit he didn't kill a child. He doesn't want to give the prosecution the satisfaction of saying he didn't do it. The film doesn't flow well, and ends up being a dissapointment. It is rate R for one F word. I would not recommend this movie.

The Bishop's Wife - 1947

Cary Grant plays an Angel named Dudley who comes down from heaven to spend time with a Catholic Bishop and his family. Dudley is an answer to the Bishop's prayer, although the Bishop didn't really see it that way- he wanted his prayer answered differently. I loved the dialogue and acting. The film reminded me of "It's a Wonderful Life"- not just the storyline but also the setting because it was Christmas time during the movie. David Niven plays the Bishop. An Autobiography I read about Grant talks about how Niven and Grant had a gay relationship during their adult years- they were great on screen together. Loretta Young is always great and she does a good job as the Bishop's wife. Just a fun movie with a fantastic message for all ages. Hollywood doesn't make Christain based movies anymore so enjoy this one- a little silly at times but I liked it a lot. 4 stars.

Sound City (2013)

This documentary was directed and produced by David Grohl (Drummer for Nirvana, and lead singer for the Foo Fighters). It is the story of the recording studio in Sothern California that had no right to be so popular. It made no-name groups super stars because of the sound board it had. This is a must watch for Rock'n'Roll fans.

Rambo: First Bood II (1985)

We find John at the beginning of this movie doing hard labor in a rock quarry for the crimes he committed against society. He seems at ease because he knows what is expected of him and there is a routine. Col. Trautman shows up to offer him a new mission with a possible commuting of his sentence if the mission is accomplished. The mission is go back to the jungles of Vietnam and find POWs. Rambo accepts the mission; let the laughter begin. Really? Could they make the jungle look more like a local plant store with its lights out? Could he make anymore noise breaking into the POW camp? Could the government entity "supporting" his mission look more thuggish? I must admit there were some cool Special Forces scenes, especially when he was covered in mud. It was cool also when this potential chick flick found the heroin being shot to death moments after swapping spit with Rambo. This show was predictable from the opening credits, but I must give it props because it was better than the first movie. To make a long movie short, he rescues the POWs, beats up the thugs, and prepares the audience for a third installment. Ugh...too melodramatic.

The Hangover (2011)

I must admit that lame comedies that walk the lines of decency are a guilty pleasure of mine, but I would not recommend this for anyone to view. Four guys go to Vegas for a Bachelor Party, get wasted, lose one of the friends, have no memory of the night before, have to retrace their steps, and eventually make it to the wedding. I laughed a lot, but would not suggested this as a good watch.

Mr Lucky - 1943

Cary Grant and Laraine Day star in this unmoving romantic comedy. Day was an active Mormon her whole life and was a very popular movie star in the 40's and 50's. This is the first time I have seen one of her films but I have heard of her. She was born in Roosevelt, UT and died in 2007 in Ivans, UT. The movie wasn't great- 2 stars. Just a cheap movie that took probably 10 days to shoot.

Once Upon a Time in the West

I am so glad you blogged about this movie- it gets 5 stars from me. I loved everything about it. The style the director took was magnificent- slow moving and long pauses on the actors faces. Charles Bronson looks like a skin cancer advertisement- he is bronzed over and looks like a weathered tough guy. Henry Fonda was great. Jason Robards is fantastic in every movie I have ever seen of his and Claudia Cardinale is just drop dead gorgeous. What a wonderful movie, I will watch it again. I was left guessing right up until the end. I had no idea that Jason Robards had been shot in the stomach until the end of the movie. I fast forwarded the love scene with Fonda and Cardinale cause I had kids in the room, so I couldn't tell if it was mutual or if he was raping her. What a great western, I can't believe I had never seen it.

War Hunt - 1962

I wanted to see this movie because it was the film debut of many famous actors- Robert Redford, Sydney Pollack (who of course became a famous director), Gavin MacLeod, & Tom Skerritt. The film addresses the dark side of the Koren War- meaning an American GI who has gone rouge and each night sneaks past enemy lines to stop innocent Korean civilians. Not much to see here it is an okay film. 2.5 stars.

Little Caesar - 1931

This is a famous film- Edward G. Robinson's breakthrough- a successful mob movie which led to other motion picture studios to make the decision to make mob movies - etc. Yawn...... 1 star for me. BORING!