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jrdwyer-1
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Australia (2008)
Adventure and romance--what's not to like?
Although Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman play the lead characters, I thought the real stars were David Gulpilil (as the aborigine "magic man" King George) and Brandon Walters, who plays his half-caste grandson Nullah. Nullah is the narrator and he does a fine job. This has adventure, romance, comedy, history, and beautiful scenery and cinematography. The story is well-written and the acting is very good.
Das Boot (1981)
A Timeless Classic
In my opinion, this is probably one of the 10 best movies ever made on any subject. It's about duty aboard a German U-Boat during WWII, and shows the cruel absurdity and futility of war with terrifying realism. You feel like you're on board the sub, essentially a submerged coffin, while enemy destroyers are dropping depth charges all around you. The whole cast is excellent, with Jürgen Prochnow a standout as the battle-hardened Captain. A testimony to the steadfastness of the human spirit under the most difficult circumstances, never mind on which side you find yourself.
In Bruges (2008)
One last joyful memory...
The hilarious story of two morally conflicted Irish hitmen who are "exiled" to Bruges, Belgium by their boss after a bungled hit in the UK. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrel riff on each other perfectly in this noirish comedy.
14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)
Awesome
This is one of my favorite documentaries. It's the story of "Project Possible", where a team of Nepalese mountaineers led by Nims Purja summited all fourteen 8,000-meter peaks in a little over 6 months. The courage and physical and mental grit that this effort required are immense. If you're interested in mountaineering or what it takes to fulfill your dreams, even if they seem totally impossible, this is not to be missed. Go humans!
Inspector Morse: Twilight of the Gods (1993)
Someone will get a gong for this....
The best part of this episode is its depiction of various denizens of Oxford. Sir John Gielgud's portrayal of the Chancellor of Oxford University as a pompous, self-absorbed twit is brilliant. His chief concern after witnessing the terrifying shooting of an opera star during a graduation ceremony is the delay of the post-graduation lunch. Sheila Gish plays the Welsh diva whose singing bedazzles Morse and who is the apparent target of the shooting. She's a star of Wagnerian opera, whose sycophantic entourage provides many hilarious moments during their interviews by Lewis and Morse. Another great character is Andrew Baydon (played by Robert Hardy in a scenery-chewing performance), a wealthy businessman who plans to endow a new college at Oxford that includes a ridiculous building in the style of a Moghul palace. He's an insufferable, acid-tongued dickhead who delights in pummeling his secretary (and just about everyone else) with contemptuous insults. He refers to Morse as "that superannuated policeman with a scrap-heap of a car." Superintendent Strange is Morse's boss, who (as usual) is so concerned with burnishing his image that he has little appreciation for the talents of his two detectives. The writing, acting and direction were all well-done.
In the Loop (2009)
To war or not to war
The plot is a fictionalized, behind-the-scenes look at the run-up to the 2003 Iraq war, and the shenanigans by assorted bureaucrats in the British and US governments. It plays as a comedy, riffing hilariously on the policy confusion, incompetence, leaks, backstabbing, and spin that are the stock-in-trade of international relations these days. Peppered with classic, foul-mouthed insults--like watching Don Rickles on a meth binge. Turn the subtitles on to catch the British accents and slang. Highly entertaining. I need to watch it again to savor the juicier quotes.
Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983)
Spy games in the early 20th century
This 12-part series is based on actual events, and depicts some of the shenanigans of the British intelligence service and foreign office from 1900 through 1925, including wrangling with the Russians and the French for control of the Persian and Central Asian oil fields, the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, and the Russian revolution.
Sidney Reilly was born and raised in Russia, spoke several languages, and became a British spy. He was charming, ruthless, a master manipulator, and moved easily among the rich and powerful. The atmosphere, dialogue, politicians, government figures, and operatives of the time are convincingly portrayed. The World War I period in Europe and Russia was fraught with gambits, double-dealing, high-stakes finance, and intrigue, and Reilly was in the thick of it. Reilly despised the Bolsheviks, and at one point was involved in a scheme to overthrow and replace them with a shadow government headed by himself and his colleagues. It nearly succeeded.
The later episodes depicting the power struggles surrounding the Russian revolution, including Lenin and Stalin, is particularly gripping. Highly recommended.
Giant (1956)
A True Classic
Just as timely today as it was when it was first released. An accurate depiction of Texas culture and historical attitudes towards Hispanics. Love the scene where Bick Benedict trashes Jett Rink's liquor warehouse!
Echo in the Canyon (2018)
A magical time
I loved this movie! OK, this was the music I grew up with, so there's that. But the vibe that existed then and the people swept up in it gave us some of the best rock music ever made. It was great to hear some of the original players tell stories about it. I thought Jakob Dylan's covers of the songs were authentic and deeply felt. Is there any place today where this sort of thing goes on? I suppose it's possible--I wish I knew where it was so I could join in. If you're a fan of sixties music and culture, you should enjoy this one.
Spooks (2002)
Excellent series
Although this series originally ran from 2002-2011, it is eerily prescient of recent events: the rise of populism, anti-immigrant sentiment, islamophobia, the use of torture, intelligence agencies jockeying for power and meddling in politics, international rivalry, cutting-edge technology, and ruthless and duplicitous tactics to achieve the objective-du-jour. The writing is whip-smart; and the acting, direction, cinematography, and music is top-grade. In one episode, a Russian mafia dude is upbraiding a corrupt English banker, and calls him a "genitally-shriveled, English pants-pisser." There are few American or British series, current or past, that can top this. If you're considering a career in intelligence, better watch this one. Currently streaming on Britbox under the title "MI-5". Highly recommended.