The first film I saw was Frost/Nixon. Ron Howard has scored yet another triumph with this interesting story of David Frost's interviews with former President Richard M. Nixon three years after his resignation in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Frank Langella was outstanding in the role of Nixon and, not surprisingly to me, has been nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the only president ever to resign. I hope that Langella, a favorite of mine, wins.
Michael Sheen played the debonair Frost to the hilt as he wheeled and dealed to garner financial support for the interviews. And Kevin Bacon as reporter James Reston, Jr., who had covered the Watergate scandal, gave stunning performance. Actually, the entire cast was excellent. I got a big charge when I realized that the actress who portrayed Pat Nixon was child star Patty McCormack. It was an excellent film that's been deservedly nominated for many awards and I highly recommend it if y'all haven't seen it. There's a trailer to whet your enthusiasm at the link.
Next on my list was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" -- another film with many award nominations. Based on a 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it chronicles the bizarre life of one Benjamin Button who, by some quirk of fate, is born old and ages backward. Now I'm not a big fan of Brad Pitt but I was impressed with the versatility he demonstrated in this role. Cate Blanchett, his co-star, was also excellent as the little girl who ages normally and grows up to fall in love with Benjamin and has his child. Director David Fincher did a wonderful job managing the many locations and strange timeline. It's an elegant film with lush costumes and locations around the world. I enjoyed it immensely.
The last -- but certainly not least -- of the films I saw was Gran Torino -- produced, directed, and starring Clint Eastwood. I have been an Eastwood fan since his days as Rowdy Yates in the television series, "Rawhide". This film is excellent as he plays a crabby, prejudiced old Korean War veteran/retired auto worker who winds up befriending one of the Hmong families who have moved into his neighborhood. It's typically Eastwood with lots of action and Clint playing an unlikely hero. I like it and I think the mostly elder audience agreed with me. It hasn't been nominated for any awards but for plain old fun and action at the movies, it hard to beat an Eastwood flick!!!!!
And it was the perfect end to a great day!!! I gotta do this again sometime!!!! And oh yeah, just click on the links to see trailers for each film. They might just whet your appetite to go see one or all three!
Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!
You've convinced me that I need to do a movie-watching marathon, too (Joy at Babble On is also doing it).
ReplyDeleteDH wants to see The International with Clive Owen this coming weekend, but I think I'd like to catch some of the Oscar nominees. Maybe we'll go to different movies and compare notes afterwards. :-)
Thanks for the commentary on the films. I don't think that I've ever seen three films in one day, maybe I should try it (smile). I'll wait to see them on DVD, since the dialog is very important to all the films and, unfortunately, all films are dubbed here. Can never understand how they think taking an actor's voice away and filling it with someone else's is going to work.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea and great reviews, too! I LOVE movies, even the ones they call "moo'um pitchers," and I totally dislike movie reviewers who write mostly about how THEY would have done it better.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the movie reviews. I'm dying to see Frost/Nixon and Gran Torino. We usually wait for the DVD but these might deserve an actual theater.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing Frost/Nixon whenever I get myself organized again. Sounds great! I'd like to see the Eastwood movie, too. Thanks for the great movie reviews.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kay. I too need a mini movie marathon. February can dampen our enthusiasm for life, and movies are a great elixir to handle it
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to a movie in so long I've forgotten what they're like....LOL
ReplyDeleteKay;
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to stay at the movie theater all day and see at least three flicks...Maybe i will just have to do that soon!
When I was a teenager my sister and I saw two movies in one day. I don't think I could sit still through three though. Probably wouldn't make it through two now.
ReplyDeleteI have to wait until they are on DVD. The last movie I saw in a theater was disappointing because I couldn't understand half of the diaglog.
Thanks for the revue. I will put Frost/Nixon on my Netflix queue.
That must have been a super day. Did you have popcorn for lunch? I've seen two but Frost/Nixon is still high on my to see list. Hope to get it done before the big awards ceremony. Do this again soon. (At the moment Hubby and I are doing a class at the U on Hitchcock. It's giving us a whole new appreciation for the art of suspenseful movie making by masters such as he.)
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