Last of the Dogmen

Back in 1990, Kevin Costner created Dances with Wolves, a marvel of history and visual beauty. I loved Wolves so much I have since watched it at least ten times. So I am a fan of the Old West White Man-Gets-to-Know-Indian genre.

In 1995, Tom Berenger and Barbara Hershey tried to bring a similar tale to life. While lacking the scope and cinematic oomph of Wolves, Last of the Dogmen is a solid film, except for a few weak moments that require editing.

The story takes place today: In the rugged mountains of Montana, a bounty hunter goes where no one else has ventured. There, he sees images in a haze and witnesses events that make him believe that a long-lost tribe of Cheyenne Indians lives as they did a hundred years ago!

No spoiler, as usual, but I should say that we must do a little suspension of disbelief to get into the movie. Could there be a land so desolate and remote that Indians still survive? Could a tribe thrive in the wild separate from current civilization? What if Indians from the 1800's had decided never to integrate into American life and live alone shunning the outer world?

Tom Berenger and Barbara Hershey, both still young and striking, make a handsome romantic couple on the prowl for the lost civilization. He's a rugged mountain man and she's an anthropologist. Both seek answers to feelings of emptiness in their lives.

Okay, don't laugh. This one is rather gripping. Remove one stupid scene of Berenger on a horse riding through town and you've got a very unusual, interesting flick.

Ride 'em, cowboy!

What Doesn't Kill You

Back in 2008, Ethan Hawke, Mark Ruffalo, and Amanda Peet got together to make a gritty story that takes place in Boston. Many films have portrayed street kids who are born into crime: Al Pacino's Scarface is perhaps the most notable of the genre. But this film is right up there among the best.

No spoiler, of course. Basically, Ethan and Mark play two brothers from south of the tracks who start their criminal careers as kids by running shady errands for the local hoods. Later, the two graduate to bigger feats. They end up in trouble, as you'd expect.

The kicker is that one of the two is married to the beautiful Amanda Peet and has two kids: will his family life keep him from getting into worse hot water?

What makes this film unique is that it is so real and believable. Not once does the script go Hollywood or over the top. You, the viewer, join the two desperate brothers in their rugged, ragged endeavors as young gangsters. You feel as if you are in their shoes.

Of the three, Amanda steals the show. She's so believable as the wife who tries, desperately, to hang onto a husband who is mired in crime. Will her marriage survive? Will she get her husband to go straight? What about money? What about the future. Can one brother make it while the other clings to the gangster world?

Grade of A. This is a top-notch street-punk story, with enough of a punch to keep you guessing!

Blind Trust

Who's the dashing lady in the picture above? None other than the daughter of Kate Capshaw, wife of Steven Spielberg. Kate is an actress, of course, and daughter Jessica joins the tradition. Doesn't Jessica resemble her mom?

Jessica is fantastic in a little known made-for-TV Lifetime Movie Network mystery called Blind Trust. As I've said in previous discussions, whodunnits on LMN are among the best you'll find. I would encourage viewers not to watch much of the other movies on LMN: they mostly involve woman as victims of male abuse...very unpleasant!

But for a good old-fashioned mystery, you may not discover better than LMN! Move over, Alfred Hitchcock!

In Blind Trust, Jessica plays a woman on trial for a double murder. Can't divulge details, because I won't be a spoiler, but let's just say that Jessica ends up trusting the wrong guy! The plot is a grabber: the single woman, who's quite passionate about her new boyfriend, finds him and her roommate dead. Who done it???

Art Hingle, not a major name among actors, is also outstanding as the lawyer. He's smart, clever, truly brilliant in court. But does he have a tragic flaw? He seems a bit sleazy... And what about his assistant?

Ah, so many folks could possibly be bad! Therein lies the wonder of this entrancing crime flick. If you like mysteries, put this one at the top.

Enjoy!

The Outlaw Josey Wales

I have long been a fan of Clint's. Who can forget his Dirty Harry series? Who cannot savor his spaghetti westerns? I consider The Unforgiven to be the best western ever. Question is, for me, how did I miss Eastwood's early work of 1976 called The Outlaw Josey Wales?

Not one to be shy about going back and seeing a film I should have, I viewed the western. Oh my, it is SO good! Clint is pure Clint in the film. He spits to express rage. He shoots pistols with both hands. He faces danger as if it were nothing. He is courageous and strong. He is indefatigable. He is, well, the western hero par excellence!

The plot? Not very complex. The baddies have wronged Clint in a mighty way! They have killed his family! OK, this is enough of an excuse for our hero to go a-huntin' the evil men out there. He does so with zest and thus becomes one of the most wanted men in the wild west.

Great revenge stuff!

I would argue that Clint's later Unforgiven could not have been made, had it not been for the earlier Josey Wales. In both westerns, the hero is an anti-hero: rough, tough, roguish, at times very unsympathetic!

Enjoy this oldie. Be patient. It's a bit dated. But what fun!

Margin Call

Every so often a gem comes along that is so good it defies words. Margin Call is fantastic! With Kevin Spacy, Demi Moore, Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci, and others, the film sparkles.

What's it about? The flick is a thinly veiled portrait of Lehman Brothers, back in 2008, on the verge of spilling the beans. The beans: The brokerage company was over-leveraged with bad real estate mortgages. It unloaded billions of dollars of worthless securities on an innocent marketplace, kicking off the recession that still exists today.

Got your interest?

The tone of the film is very David Mamet. Mysterious. Tense. Looming evil. More riveting than a thriller.

I think what I enjoyed most of all was the extraordinary portrait of capitalism. Is our economic system basically each person for him or herself? Does might make right? Do the ends justify the means? In a Machiavellian world, is there room for morality? Is money what our lives are all about?

So: Meet the executives at the firm! Join them as they stay up all night, meeting in groups, to figure out how best to save themselves at the risk of ruining the U.S. Get into the spirit of amoral ruthlessness!

Great, great movie! A+++ A must-see.

Hugo

There is something to be said for knowing next to nothing about a film prior to seeing it. One sits in a dark theater and just allows a story to unfold. Son, Greg and I went on a magical mystery tour watching Hugo. Set in early 20th c. Paris, (Hear that, David? Hear that, Jenna?) this latest by Martin Scorsese focuses on a young orphan who lives in, and operates, the clock tower of Paris's train station. With themes and references to Deism, post-Industrial Revolution obsession with automatrons, and class injustice, the film, while immediately captivating starts slowly in plot, causing this viewer to briefly wonder, where is this going? And then, the magic gathers steam. Suddenly we have a multi-layered tale stitched together with great care and love. For, in the end, this is a love story of sorts, Scorsese's Valentine to film.

Beautifully filmed, with enchanting color palette and side stories, Hugo is truly different;I enjoyed every moment. I have more to say, but wish to wait until others have seen it. I won't tell you more. But do go see this! And then (but not before!!)research this guy: