To James Haseltine back at Back to the Viewer,
I must extend thanks in accord
With the fact that he’s offered to little ole me
My first ever blogging award!
When I first began this here film review site,
I thought that my summary rhymes
Would set it apart from the bloggers who write
On films they’ve seen hundreds of times.
I may not be Longfellow or Dr. Seuss,
But I thought it only made sense
For me to accept this award as excuse
To rhyme at my readers’ expense!
The Rules:
From what I have heard and what I understand,
The rules are suggestions and not a demand,
But I am to offer five facts about me
And nominate five other bloggers (you’ll see),
Who then can accept with no need to explain
Or else can continue the nominee chain,
Until every blog with creative creators
Can show off this prize to the infrequent haters.
Stuff about Me:
1. Besides the facts that all can see
(Did you know I write poetry?),
I’ll mention that I’m now attending college, going slow.
One class a season takes a while,
But slowly goes the measured mile.
A job in Web Design is calling once there’s more I know.
2. I used to run a hot dog cart
And worked at it with eager start.
At Hot Dog University, Chicago taught me lots.
A shame it didn’t last for long,
Two months since business wasn’t strong,
But still it gave me insight into mobile food hotspots.
I do still get a kick at parts
Of films that feature hot dog carts.
Most films in New York City have one somewhere in the plot,
Like once in The Avengerswhere a Sabrett comes to naught.
3. My favorite film that always sings
Is Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings.
I’m fairly good at imitating Gollum’s raspy sneer.
In his first scene, he croaks a threat,
“They’re thieves! They’re thieves!”, and you can bet
That I’ll be sneering out his lines whenever I am near.
4. I’m known for, on a frequent basis,
Fitting things in tiny places;
Dishwashers and puzzles never stand a chance with me.
Some may think this talent banal,
Or perhaps I’m simply anal.
I prefer to think I’m thorough, wouldn’t you agree?
5. Of dogs, I’m not the biggest fan;
To me, a better friend of man
Is cats, who never need a walk or slobber, growl, or bark.
I’ve got a sweet feline instead,
The cutest little quadruped
Who can be slightly less cute when her eyes glow in the dark.
My nominees:
These are the bloggers that I nominate;
I’d not be surprised if the five that I state
Already possessed this award, or had eight!
1. A movie connoisseur to rival any blogger you can find, MovieRob’s most likely seen more films than you and I combined.
While anime and horror movies aren’t his chosen cup of tea,
It seems there is no limit to the movies (good and bad) he’ll see.
From blogathons to genre highs to yearly retrospective tens,
Rob is always staying active with his movie-blogging friends.
2. Cinema Parrot Disco is the site where one can be impressed
At all the many musings of a Table 9 Mutant, self-professed.
Beyond reviews, Miss Mutant loves to love her 1980s roots
And dreams up lists of movie rugs and greatest cinematic fruits.
3. Who doesn’t like red-headed Drew who operates Drew’s Movie Reviews?
From write-ups of films old and new to movie quotes that still amuse
To Fave Five lists all worth a view, Drew’s site was obvious to choose.
4. If you have ever thought that the Academy just got it wrong,
Then head on to A Fistful of Films, where you may end up staying long.
There Andrew’s covering each year, both films you love or maybe missed; he’s
Listing, ranking, and presenting his own film awards, the Fistis.
5. Movie Reviews 101 has genres as its backdrop, so
That maybe gives you some idea of just how many films he’ll know.
Reviews by Darren focus on each actor and component part,
Which helps to understand a film when good and bad are a la carte.
Opinion Battles bring together bloggers with their movie picks,
And countless other features help you satisfy your movie fix.
My thanks again to James for nominating me for this award.
(His own reviews are excellent so visit if you’re ever bored.)
I hope to keep appreciating film and poetry for years.
May all of you continue being you and stay creative! Cheers!
It may be September, but here’s my last review for Argumentative August, the courtroom drama blogathon hosted by MovieRob and Ryan of Ten Stars or Less. This is the most recent movie on their list, 2014’s The Judge, an underrated film to be sure. Big thanks to Rob and Ryan for hosting this dramatically fun blogathon!
Argumentative August Supplement #2 – The Judge (2014)
Rob and I would like to once again welcome you to another review for our Argumentative August Blogathon. This next film, one of the supplement reviews, The Judge is being reviewed by S. G. Liput. Let’s see what he thought of this movie…
The Judge (2014)
Hank Palmer didn’t want to represent his dad, the Judge,
A man devoid of sympathy, a rock that wouldn’t budge.
With pain as fresh as years ago, they craved their separate ways,
But when a charge of murder strikes, reluctantly Hank stays.
As past mistakes converge with new and justice vies with right,
A family quick to come apart grows closer in their plight.
________________
Rating: R (solely for language)
Since I reviewed the oldest film on Argumentative August’s list, I thought I should do the most recent as well. The Judge brings together two phenomenal actors and…
In the heat of the night, there is murder;
In the heat of the night, there is crime.
There is prejudice pointing the critical finger
And a murderer biding his time.
One must see where his biases blind him;
One must see where his aptitudes end.
If another can help, shouldn’t one get behind him,
Even if he’s more ally than friend?
There are many who won’t understand it;
There are many who’ll say it’s not right,
But stretching convention may help to expand it,
And pay off in the heat of the night.
__________________
Rating: G (perhaps PG would be better)
Here’s another Oscar winner I can cross off my list of classics yet unseen. In a strong year with films like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Cool Hand Luke, I was interested to see what made this mystery drama so much more worthy of Best Picture and Best Actor (for Rod Steiger). While the film itself is an excellent police drama, it’s clear that it was the right film released at the right time, and even if it ruffled some contemporaries’ feathers, it made history by doing so.
For starters, a police patrol car winds through the small Southern town of Sparta, passing some of the key players, only to stumble upon the dead body of the richest man in town. While Steiger’s Chief Bill Gillespie chews his bubblegum vehemently, a black man waiting for a train is arrested on a groundless suspicion and reveals himself to be Officer Virgil Tibbs from Philadelphia (Sidney Poitier). Now Tibbs and Gillespie must collaborate to solve the crime.
While the setup seems simple enough and many films since have forced black and white characters to work together, not many carry the tension of these two men who clearly hate their present situation. Gillespie wants only to get Tibbs out of town, but he knows this case is beyond him and that he needs the other’s expertise as a forensics specialist. Tibbs likewise cooperates only under orders, but eventually his sense of pride and responsibility drives him to uncover the truth. Gillespie would gladly condemn the first suspect, and Tibbs isn’t infallible either, but the two of them complement each other in ways they don’t fully recognize at the time.
The period and place turn out to be the most challenging aspects, since Tibbs’s race angers nearly everyone in town as he pokes around for the truth. He earns some respect for his deductions, but whenever someone acts hostile or refuses to cooperate, we’re never sure if they’re acting guilty or simply expressing their racism. The film’s greatest and most famous scene is the infamous slap, in which Tibbs gives as well as he gets and leaves everyone shocked. To be honest, I wasn’t aware of the scene and was equally surprised, considering the when and where the film is set. Considering this was the time of Martin Luther King, Jr., who was killed less than a year after its release, this scene really is a brilliant microcosm of the civil rights movement; Tibbs remains calm as he questions the suspect, but when he is struck, he returns in kind, as any equal man would. I doubt anyone could have pulled it off as effectively as Sidney Poitier, and I thought he deserved the Oscar more than Steiger. (Seriously, Poitier had this role, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and To Sir, with Love[my favorite of the three] all in the same year, but didn’t get one Oscar nomination?)
As a mystery, In the Heat of the Night takes its time with the reveal, employing subtle foreshadowing, though the timeline of events on the fateful night could have been better explained. Ultimately, this is a film about respect, hard-won respect between two outsiders who shouldn’t have judged each other too quickly. For a film tackling difficult issues like race and abortion, In the Heat of the Night is both a hard-hitting product of its time and a dual character study that is still relevant today.
Here’s my review for MovieRob’s August Genre Grandeur, this time black-and-white films. I tried something different with the Japanese epic Seven Samurai and found an enduring classic.
Next month’s Genre has been chosen by Sherise of The Girl That Loved to Review. We will be reviewing our favorite movies from the 1970’s. Please get me your submissions by the 25th of September by sending them to 70sfilms@movierob.net Try to think out of the box! Great choice Sherise!
The intricacies of time may never be cracked by actual science, but in the fictional world, possibilities run rampant. Ever since I was a kid reading Frank Peretti’s book The Legend of Annie Murphy (a western mystery with a cool time-bending climax), I’ve loved a good time travel story. Sometimes, it’s simply a device to propel a non-sci-fi plot; other times, it’s the catalyst for some fish-out-of-water humor or a geeky escalation that hurts the head if you think too hard about it. While there are plenty of examples out there, including some that are still on my to-watch list (like The Butterfly Effect and 12 Monkeys), these are my top twelve time travel films thus far. Let me know if you have other favorites, and I may go back in time to update it.
Time after Time (1979)
Starting off much like H. G. Wells’s The Time Machine, Time after Time sends Wells himself (Malcolm McDowall) from Victorian England to the present day, I mean 1979, as he searches for a time-hopping Jack the Ripper (David Warner). Not only does this film have fun with its setting and astute social commentary, it united McDowall and Mary Steenburgen, who married the next year.
While reviews for the big-screen adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s novel were so-so, this is one romance that enthralled me with its time-skipping premise. Eric Bana’s Henry DeTamble is unlikely to forge any lasting relationship, considering his mysterious genetic disorder that randomly displaces him in time, but Rachel McAdams’ Clare falls in love with him. They build a marriage as he jumps in and out of her life, and the result is touching and bittersweet. That fading handprint gets me every time.
While not one of Disney’s biggest successes, Meet the Robinsons balances colorful silliness with deeper themes of belonging. When whiz-kid Lewis is whisked into the future by Wilbur Robinson, he meets Wilbur’s wacky family and faces past and future mistakes that threaten to destroy him. Based on William Joyce’s non-time-travel-related A Day with Wilbur Robinson, the film features plenty of laughs (and tears from my VC) and an admirable message that would make Walt Disney proud: “Keep Moving Forward.”
Mirroring the quiet tone of another favorite anime film of mine, Whisper of the Heart, The Girl Who Leapt through Time has plenty of plot holes that often plague time travel movies, but its sensitive teen drama overshadows any faults. When Makoto mysteriously develops time-jumping abilities after falling into the path of a train, she uses them for fun and realizes too late the negative impact her temporal meddling has on others.
Source Code (2010)
Though Jeffrey Wright specifically explains that his source code is “time reassignment” rather than time travel, the differentiation between the two is minor enough to still earn this a spot on the list. Starting off much like Groundhog Day, Jake Gyllenhaal is tasked with finding a bomber by reliving his last strike on a passenger train. Twists and moral concerns abound, and the finale takes a brilliant detour to an unexpectedly satisfying end.
I didn’t think it was possible for the X-Men franchise to recover from the despicable blow that was The Last Stand, but director Bryan Singer delivered in spades. When Wolverine’s consciousness is sent back to the 1970s to stop events that lead to the mass extermination of mutants, he must deal with the seeds of disaster and unwilling allies with plans of their own. Not only does this latest installment build on the rebooted team with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, but it ties up the earlier trilogy to grant the older characters the happy ending they deserved.
These two classics from James Cameron only employ time travel to bring the killer cyborg/rescuer from the future, but their mission has always been to change the past. Schwarzenegger’s Terminator in the first aims to murder John Connor’s mother before the resistance leader is born, while Arnie becomes a hero in T2 protecting young John from an even more advanced killing machine. Judgment Day is the best and coolest for me, with groundbreaking special effects that still hold up well, but both deserve placement here.
Now from a violent android actioner to a ridiculous dimwit duo! Dumb humor rarely strikes me as smartly as it does in this ‘80s cult classic. Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) may seem like the biggest slackers of San Dimas, but they’re destined for greatness, as long as George Carlin helps them with a history presentation. With a century-vaulting phone booth (which is obviously not the TARDIS), the two valley dudes collect historical figures left and right, only to lose them hysterically. Excellent!
Both the original series of Star Trek and The Next Generation had some great time travel stories (such as The City on the Edge of Forever or Time’s Arrow), but they outdid themselves when they applied this classic sci-fi device to a full-length feature. The Voyage Home isn’t quite on par with Wrath of Khanor The Undiscovered Country, but it’s fun to watch Kirk and the gang in the 1980s as they search for humpback whales to save the planet. Hello, Computer! And First Contact went a far darker route, pitting Captain Picard against the Borg’s preemptive temporal attack and his own demons. It’s easily the best Next Gen film. I suppose the 2009 Star Trek reboot also features time travel, but these two always come to mind first.
One of my original cryfests, Somewhere in Time is a tragedy of star-crossed lovers separated by decades (and a penny). Christopher Reeve hypnotizes himself into traveling to 1912 in order to connect with an intriguing actress (the beautiful Jane Seymour). Coping with her uncooperative manager (Christopher Plummer) and the caprice of time, the two unite for a true tearjerker.
Bill Murray found his greatest role in prickly weatherman Phil Connors, doomed to relive the same maddening Groundhog Day over and over. His responses to this unforeseen phenomenon are priceless as he enjoys, exploits, grows weary, and finally learns from all the repetition. His exchanges with the townspeople and lovely Rita (Andie McDowall) grow comfortably familiar over time, and as often as he relives February 2nd, I never get tired of watching Groundhog Day all over again.
For many, Back to the Future was their first introduction to the idiosyncrasies of time travel, of ripple effects that could change the future, alternate time lines, and overlapping temporal corollaries. The trilogy also delivered all this timey-wimey mumbo jumbo with cool DeLoreans, flux capacitors, classic quotability, and the endearing odd couple team of Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). The first Back to the Future may be Robert Zemeckis’s most beloved film, but I’ve always been partial to Part II, which tied in brilliantly with the first, even if its version of 2015 wasn’t quite accurate. Time travel may be “heavy” at times, but Back to the Future kept it just light enough to be endlessly fun.
_______________
In addition to the alphabetical honorable mentions below, I should also name-drop some great time-hopping TV series, like Quantum Leap, Lost, and several episodes of Star Trek: Voyager (Future’s End and The Year of Hell, for example). I still need to check out more Doctor Who eventually, but I’m sure I have plenty of time.
13 Going on 30 (2004) – A cute rip-off of Big that was better than I expected.
A Christmas Carol(1951, 2009) – This would be much higher on a Christmas movie list. There are lots of good versions out there, but I usually go with the Alastair Sim classic or the Jim Carrey animation.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) – What would happen if talking apes landed in 1970s America? Good question for a good film, sort of like the Star Trek IV of this franchise.
Field of Dreams (1989) – I’m not enamored of this film like many out there, but it’s still enjoyable with a small time-travel fantasy thrown in.
Flight of the Navigator (1986) – This light sci-fi film enthralled me when I was younger with its intriguing alien abduction plot.
Interstellar (2014) – I saw the twist coming, but Nolan’s latest movie gave him a chance to play with an interdimensional tesseract.
Men in Black 3 (2012) – Time travel breathed some new life into the franchise’s last entry, especially set against the 1969 moon launch.
Predestination(2014) – A mind-bending puzzle as only Robert Heinlein could conceive.
The Shining (1980) – This one may not seem like time travel, but the final scene does make one wonder.
The Time Machine (1960) – A favorite of my dad’s, George Pal’s adaptation of H. G. Wells’s novel still holds up all these years later.
Where’er a rainbow touches earth or dives into the sea,
There our share of pain we bear in love most happily.
For as the bow that spans the sky but briefly holds earth’s hand,
So our connections slip away and often end unplanned.
Yet we don’t mourn the rainbow when its brilliant colors fade;
We find those colors elsewhere and remember them arrayed.
When grief and love remind us how the rainbow calmed our fears,
We wait through heaven’s tears for when another one appears.
__________________
Rating: PG
Based on Lillian Beckwith’s novel, A Shine of Rainbows may seem on the same level as a predictable Hallmark film, but it’s endearing enough to give you that warm satisfaction that only a good Hallmark film can.
Early on, young Tomas (John Bell) is adopted by the kindhearted Maire (Connie Nielsen), who ushers him out of the drab, unfriendly orphanage to her Irish island home. While the technique isn’t used again, this beginning mirrors other films like Pleasantville or The Wizard of Ozin emphasizing the contrast of Tomas’s near-black-and-white dejection thus far with the bright and happy colors of his new parent. The rest of the film is full of lush greens and reds and blues that carry an intentional magical quality, making the setting of this Celtic paradise the film’s greatest strength.
I was surprised to learn that John Bell, the little boy who plays Tomas, went on to play Bain, the son of Bard the Bowman in the latter twoHobbit films. Here, he is a shy and sensitive lad, coaxed to happiness by Maire and scared to silence by her husband Alec (Aidan Quinn). Tomas’s intimidation every time he sees Alec grows tiresome after a while, but Maire makes up for Alec’s coldness with warm lessons and stories. After Tomas’s initial introduction to this new family life, there’s the familiar storyline of an indifferent father figure needing to open his heart, and while I could see where the plot was going, it still carried enough heartbreak and warm fuzzies to be engaging.
To be honest, what this film most reminded me of was 2014’s animated Song of the Sea, another Irish family film with Gaelic myths of a stone giant, a distant father, and a climax involving helpful seals. Song of the Sea is much more fanciful, but the Irish accents and some of the themes kept bringing it to mind. Winsome subplots fill out the story, such as Tomas’s friendships with local kids and his care for a cute, obviously animatronic seal. While I enjoyed Song of the Sea more, A Shine of Rainbows is an appealing family drama that should please any lover of Irish scenery.
For Round 9 of Opinion Battles, we all picked the best adapted novels. My choice was the classic Shawshank Redemption, a choice so good that two others picked it too. Lots of great picks, though, so vote for your favorite!
When it comes to adaptation from classic books or novels we get a huge number coming out each year, some a great others are terrible. We are going to look at the ones we think are the best, which ones do you enjoy?
If you want to take in the next round of Opinion Battles we will be doing best Animé email moviereviews101@yahoo.co.uk The deadline will be September 6th 2015.
Darren – Movie Reviews 101
Of Mice and Men (1992)
When it comes to books too movies we have had many classic films come from source material, Shawhank Redemption, The Shining, Harry Potter series the list goes on but I don’t read too many books in fact I think I have only read about 6 books since school and I watch to pick my favourite of the film that read. The list includes World War Z…
Ryan and I would like to once again welcome you to another review for our Argumentative August Blogathon.
This next film, The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) is being reviewed by SG of Rhyme and Reason
Let’s see what SG thought of this movie….
_________________________
Undeterred by voices heard
By quiet, cautious captive Joan,
Rival judges bearing grudges
Fret and threaten from their throne.
Each complaint against the saint
Is useless as they menace harder.
Self-control and strength of soul
Prevail to mark her as a martyr.
______________
Rating: Not Rated (could be PG-13, mainly for the end)
As the oldest film for this Argumentative August blogathon, The Passion of Joan of Arc takes some effort to watch. I haven’t seen many silent films, but the film’s lack of sound or Chaplinesque antics made it somewhat of a chore to sit through. Considering that silent films often rely on…
After counting down a list of 365 movies and a catalog of 50 film scores, I’ve decided to find a nice round number for my future lists – 12! Top tens are everywhere so I’ll go two steps better and make every list a dozen. Lots of good things come in twelves: eggs, doughnuts, apostles, months, Gilbreths (look it up).
For my first Top Twelve, I’ll keep to the musical theme of my last list and recount my top musical numbers from musical films. This is not to say that these are necessarily the best songs, though some are. Rather, I consider a musical number to be the full package of a song: the vocals, the choreography, the cinematography, the physicality of the actors, the overall spectacle of the performance. All of these factors add up to pure entertainment, scenes I could watch anytime. (No animated songs this time; that’s another list and shall be told another time.) It does help that I love musicals in general, and of course this list is the product of personal preference, keeping everything to one song per musical. Let me know what you think, whether you agree or not so much. Let the listing commence!
_________________
“America” – West Side Story (1961)
As popular as it is, West Side Story has never really grabbed me as one of the great musicals. It’s not that I dislike it; I just find it overrated. Nevertheless, I love the song “America,” sung by Oscar winner Rita Moreno and her Puerto Rican compadres. “America” turns a domestic argument over the pros and cons of a new home into an ingenious, toe-tapping debate. Full of witty rhyming come-backs and Latin flair, this is the highlight of the whole film.
As the centerpiece of Disney’s enchanting crossover into live action, “That’s How You Know” puts Amy Adams in the spotlight, while spanning the whole of Central Park. Despite this being the supposed real world, plenty of performers and pedestrians join her like in an animated musical, proving Giselle’s infectious appeal and musical joie de vivre. Patrick Dempsey’s stern confusion is the perfect counterpoint to all the sincerity around him.
I may be in the minority, but I really love the High School Musical films, perhaps because they came out when I was in the perfect tween age demographic. The musical numbers are their key strength, thanks to director/choreographer Kenny Ortega, and I had plenty to choose from. This over-the-top theme, in which Sharpay and Ryan dream big, blows them all away and includes visual cues from other Broadway musicals. While I like the second film best overall, this is proof that HSM reached its big-screen potential with the third film.
Dick Van Dyke probably wasn’t going to find any film to compare with Mary Poppins, but I think he came close with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, at least in the music department. The film overall isn’t nearly as good, but the musical numbers (written by the Sherman Brothers) have the same energy Van Dyke brought to Poppins (and without the fake accent). When his Professor Potts stumbles into a carnival show, he tries at first just to keep up, but eventually leads the whole troupe in some lively choreography while singing the catchiest song about sticks you ever heard.
Simon the Zealot has always been depicted as one of the lesser apostles, but Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar put him in the spotlight for one exuberant song. The zeal of Larry Marshall’s Simon is unmistakable as he goes nuts with a collection of worshipping dancers. Even if he thinks Christ has come to fight Rome, his ballyhoo becomes a genuine song of praise sure to get stuck in your head, while it brings out the head-banging side of my VC.
“Singin’ in the Rain” – Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
A tie here may make this list a baker’s dozen, but in a film full of memorable song-and-dance scenes, these two both rise to the top. “Make ‘em Laugh” is enough to lighten the heaviest moods, and Donald O’Connor’s manic energy is exhaustively entertaining. I’ve heard he had to go to the hospital after filming the scene, and I believe it. On the other hand, Gene Kelly is the star, and the title number is just too iconic to ignore. Classic to the last puddle.
Dick Van Dyke once more takes the stage in the most vigorous number from Mary Poppins. Bert and his crew of chimney sweeps take to the roofs of London to prove their superior choreography. There’s no real reason for all the rooftop hullabaloo, but it’s impressive to watch, and no matter what P.L. Travers said in Saving Mr. Banks, it cemented Van Dyke as “one of the greats.”
Sorry, I couldn’t find a video with the full number, but it’s my favorite part of Barbra Streisand’s inimitable Hello, Dolly! The vibrant dance steps and chipper ensemble wind through the streets of Yonkers as all the main players head to New York to fulfill their dreams. Even robots in 2805 will be humming this tune, according to WALL-E, and I’m glad that Pixar reintroduced this classic number to a new generation. Don’t take my word for it; go enjoy the movie for yourself.
“Barn Dance” – Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
While I don’t remember much of the film itself, it’s hard to forget this centerpiece of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. No lyrics necessary, just a country dance with some of the best gymnastics in any musical, as the Pontipee brothers in their colorful shirts fight for their chosen women in an epic dance-off.
When young Oliver Twist (an adorable Mark Lester) wakes up in a fancy home after knowing only hardships in his life, everything takes on a magical zest. The enticing cries of the street vendors overlap brilliantly, and everyone cavorts with the joy of a new day, from frilly schoolchildren to maids and handymen. It’s hard to top “Consider Yourself” earlier on, but “Who Will Buy?” carries the real wow of the film.
Silence, all you Les Mis haters! “One Day More” acts as the culmination of all the exceptional music that came before. Every character’s theme is fused into a rousing ensemble piece to prelude the next day’s battle. Any vocal weaknesses are covered by the power and quality of the group performance (including Russell Crowe), and even the irritating Thenardiers’ tune adds to the overall impact of this magnificent song.
Nothing could beat the greatest song from the greatest musical ever (just follow the link below). Julie Andrews as governess Maria teaches the von Trapp children how to sing and awakens their dormant musical talent. The streets of Salzburg are an ideal setting for their romp, and the backdrop of the Alps is glorious. Topped like a cherry with that unparalleled high note at the end, this classic scene is easily the king of all musical numbers.
Schools have plenty, I suppose,
Of classmates easy to befriend,
The kind that never give you cause to fret,
But schools are also home to those
Who like to bully and pretend
That they’re the toughest kids they ever met.
If you are having troubled days
With greedy bullies on the prowl,
Get yourself a bodyguard to sturdily defend,
But difficulties still can faze
The biggest bodyguards that scowl,
And even they could use a caring friend.
___________________
Rating: PG
My VC has a habit of recommending films from the 70s and 80s I’ve never heard of, and this is only the most recent. My Bodyguard is a respectable high school film, sometimes cute and sometimes hard to watch.
After starting at a new school and antagonizing the local bully Moody (Matt Dillon), young Clifford (Chris Makepeace) sees a way out of this abuse by enlisting the local scary kid Ricky Linderman (Adam Baldwin) as his bodyguard. While Linderman is the subject of murderous gossip and does the least he possibly can for Cliff, Cliff recognizes him as a boy deeply in need of a friend and reaches out when no one will. Throughout the film, I kept thinking how much this reminded me of a feature length episode of Hey, Arnold!, the Nickelodeon show about a good city-dwelling kid who helps people. The movie shares certain similarities with the show such as the boy’s eccentric grandmother (Ruth Gordon in the film), his family’s business (a hotel in the film vs. a boarding house in the show), and a plot about bullies and misunderstood potential friends that easily could have been shortened to episode length. This comparison isn’t a complaint since I’ve always liked Hey, Arnold!, and it’s interesting to think how films like this might have influenced it.
Having had a little experience with them in the past, I personally can’t stand bullies, the kind who lord their toughness over the weak and ambush the helpless. My Bodyguard doesn’t show bullying at its worst, but there are still several scenes that made me angry at cruel intimidators whom no one will stop. Of course, this is meant to make their just desserts sweet for everyone else, and though the comeuppance was slow in coming, it was realistic enough to be satisfying and encourage viewers to fight their own battles.
My Bodyguard isn’t quite a high school classic, but it incorporates some realistic darker elements to make the friendship between Clifford and Linderman difficult but rewarding. It also serves as one of those before-they-were-famous films, with recognizable young faces like Dillon and Joan Cusack, as well as the debut for Jennifer Beals (in a very small role) and Adam Baldwin (known as Jayne Cobb to us Firefly fans). Baldwin is perhaps the best here, turning in a quietly damaged performance that anticipated good things to come.
Best line: (Moody) “You broke my nose!” (Linderman) “It looks better that way!”
Rhyme and Reason 