Five Great Movie Dads

Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) – To Kill a Mockingbird

Arguably the greatest on screen Dad ever, Atticus is a man who believes in the word of the law and is willing to defend an innocent black man on trumped up charges, for this his is willing to incur the wrath of the hostile town folk. Meanwhile he’s trying to raise his children single handed and set a positive example for them- through his compassionate actions and his campaigning for justice, Atticus is a father than any child would be proud to call their own, the scene as he exits the courtroom to the respect of African-American town members, you can feel the pride beaming from his daughters face.

Guiseppe Conlon (Pete Postlethwaite)- In the Name of the Father:

Wrongly imprisoned along with his son Gerry (Daniel Day-Lewis) for being one of the alleged Guildford Four bombers, Guiseppe is the very definition of hard working and he is forever appealing for their innocence to be heard despite fighting a terminal illness. Althroughout Gerry scoffs at his wise advise due to his free spirited nature, but before long he begins to realize just how much the old man has sacrificed for him and begins to pick up the fight himself. Guiseppe is the kind of world weary father we can all relate to having and one that we should always listen to because their words may guide us away from trouble.

Henry Jones Sr (Sean Connery) – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: 

Ok, as a young man, Indiana Jones probably didn’t have it easy with Henry Jones Sr due to his reclusive nature and his obsession with the Holy Grail. But you would be hard pressed to find a father you finds a more exciting adventure for father and son than this man! But upon reflection- Indy learns whats a good father Henry was when he says “Did I ever tell you to eat up, go to bed, wash your ears, do your homework? No, I respected your privacy and I taught you self reliance.” In Last Crusade, the two men are continually at odds with each other, but underneath the competition lies a deep and binding love. Just watch the relief and joy on Henry’s face when he sees his son alive.

Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) – The Godfather

A fierce believer in the notion of loyalty and the family, Vito Corleone will go to great lengths to ensure the safety of his own family. In business, there is no length to which he will not sink to get what he wants- cue the horse’s head in the producers bed! But although he has blood on his hands from past events, Vito is unwilling to allow his son Michael (Al Pacino) to get involved in his world and yearns for him to break free and become honest. When his son finally kills for the family, his devastation goes all the way to the core. Though compared to his old man, Michael becomes a great deal worse!

George Bailey (James Stewart) – It’s A Wonderful Life

Forever putting his happiness before others, George Bailey to see his family survive has given up many chances for fortune and glory. But despite having a loving family and many equally caring community members, George still wishes they had never existed and that his family would be better off without him! But when George sees what his life would be without his wife or kids, his desire to get them back again is powerful and the finale scene where they reunite is the perfect example of just how far his love for his children goes and his relief at having a chance to see them grow- despite his mid film rant denouncing them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Thin Blue Line: Review of Serpico

Classic from the Vault

Serpico (1973)

Director: Sidney Lumet

By Alex Watson

When going to the cinema these days, you would demand your money back from a film if Al Pacino didn’t shout at deafening volumes in whatever picture he appears. This new trademark has both made and burdened his most recent efforts. But people how mesmerising he used to in his quieter moments as an actor how he was capable of conjuring so many different feelings without saying word. His talents were perfectly realized in Sidney Lumet tale of an honest cop drowning in a city of corruption in his 1973 effort Serpico.

Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) graduates a young man into the NYPD and proves to make an excellent young officer and quickly makes the rank of detective. But early on he is witness to a vast amount of bribery and corruption among his fellow cops and in disgust he refuses to join but is vilified for being honest. Disillusioned by this fact he will being a one man crusade to bring down corruption in the department, but his mission will come at great personal cost.

Serpico is a fascinating account of one mans struggle against the odds and through  the excellent direction of Lumet, we are given one of the truly great police dramas. Frank’s status an outsider is made clear from the beginning as we begin with an eye opening starting sequence as we see our hero gunned down in the line of duty by what appears to be a set up. The men in his department want him to stop talking and are not against using underhand tactics.

As a rookie Serpico lives by a strict code which he believes is the key to advancement and even refuses to accept free meals from deli owners. As he reaches a major breakthrough working undercover as a hot dog vendor, he gets his wish of promotion, but the proceeding scenes were he sees first hand that the cops in the NYPD he looks up are not so different from the criminals they put away set the tense feel of the film and before long he is met with more than just looks of distain.

Our hero is far from being perfect and this one of the more refreshing aspects of Serpico because his stand off alienates all meaningful relationships he has and prevents him from making true friends in high places. But his unshakable dedication to his moral values endears him to us and unlike his increasingly growing facial hair, he does once reconsider. As he ruffles feathers high up in City hall we can feel change is in the air. But Lumet’s ending my surprise some as we our hero almost broken by his experience but nonetheless victorious and the ending image of him sitting alone on a dock with only his shaggy dog for company is an everlasting moment and perfectly sums up the man himself.

But at the centre of this movie is Al Pacino’s powerhouse performance as Frank and through he gives one of his career best. Serpico is a character tailor made for Pacino and is able to magnificently channel his rogue like status and being the sole (albeit increasingly more violent) voice of opposition and with no other major players to steal his thunder, this is the Al show from the very first reel. A frequently early collaborator with the Sidney Lumet, this two succeed in bring us some of the most original and legendary cinema of the 1970’s.

If this movie isn’t yet lining your DVD collection, then I urge to add it ASAP because Serpico is one of the most exciting and heroic character driven movies you are likely to witness and through the sheer quality of Lumet and Pacino, this an experience you forget quickly. But more than anything, it will make you think conclusively about where your loyalties lie!

Top 10 Movie Speeches

 

Good Will Hunting

Gus Vant Sant’s movie has many moments and speeches that are quotable- but none stand out more than the Park Scene where through one excellent monologue, Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) cuts Will Hunting (Matt Damon) down to size. After their previous session where Will mocked his life- Sean comes back with speech that slices through him like a laser where he points out that outside of his book smarts and swaggering attitude, Will has never been beyond his neighbourhood and knows nothing of the world or the pains that Sean has seen. But the line that hits home most is “I don’t see an intelligent, confident man… I see a cocky, scared shitless kid.” In this moment Will has found his equal and for once he is reduced to being speechless!

Any Given Sunday

Before an all important AFFA playoff game against the Dallas Knights, the Miami Sharks old time coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino) rallies the troops with a speech that is truly inspiring as he encourages them to forget about playing for themselves and “Inch by Inch” learn to play like a team. This fiery and impassioned moment also forces D’Amato to re-evaluate his own life as he confesses that he has driven away everyone who has loved him and made a lot of wrong choices! But as he tells the team to fight for the inches- the hairs stand up one our neck as D’Amato cries “Because we know when add up all those inches, that’s gonna make the fucking difference between winning and losing!”

The King’s Speech

Throughout this superb Oscar winning drama, King George VI (Colin Firth) has had a chronic fear of public speaking due to his stammer (his opening speech at Wembley Stadium is painful personified), but thanks to his unorthodox therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) he has begun to get somewhere. But now comes to the all important address to the nation of the eve of WW1, but unlike his previous attempts, his secret weapon is having Logue standing with him and this gives him the confidence he needs. The speech delivered is one that is truly fit for a King and allows him to become the voice of the war for the nation.

Network

News Anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) has suffered a breakdown and was previous fired due to low ratings- but his reaction even the wisest person couldn’t have predicted. On live television, Beale starts a sizzling rant over his disillusionment with society today at the violence being caused and the generally apathy of the public. But rather than having them riot- he urges his viewers to “get angry” and moments later he delivers the infamous line “I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it and stick your head out, and yell, I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!”- soon the audience follows suit and the stunned executives look on in amazement!

 

To Kill a Mockingbird

Fittingly in this adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) one of cinema’s great heroes delivers one its greatest speeches. Defending Tom Robinson- a black man on a trumped up rape charge, he appeals in vain to the all white jury to set aside their prejudices and instead do the right thing and focus on Tom’s unquestionable innocence, ending with the hard hitting line “In the name of GOD, do your duty. In the name of God, believe… Tom Robinson.” Though his speech ruffles a few feathers in court, Atticus secretly knows he is fighting a losing battle as Tom’s skin colour has already convicted him here!

A Few Good Men

There are plenty of fireworks to be had in Rob Reiner’s courtroom drama, but the big finale occurs when Colonel Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) takes the stand, here whilst being hit with questions like bullets by Lt Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) he demands the senior office gives him the truth over the death of a marine- incensed by this line of question Jessup scornfully says “You can’t handle the truth” and bitterly calls out Kaffee for his cynicism against the marines as they provide the freedom he enjoys and that the action he takes saves lives! This speech is all the more memorable as Jessup cares little for his fate and presses home that all he did was given an order- so there! In a brief appearance Nicholson succeeds in giving Jessup a tiny piece of empathy from us.

The 25^th Hour

This speech by Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) will stand as the most bitter and profanity filled one of the lot as in one lengthy oration, Monty address the audience over his hates about every ethnicity, religion, culture and even his friends and family! But there is far more to this speech than just hate and malice, through this we hear all Monty insecurities, fears and his sheer terror at going to prison for the next seven years- but even he doesn’t get off easily in this speech as at the end his image in the mirror disdainfully mocks him for throwing his life away! A classic Spike Lee moment and a reminder what a god actor Norton can be!

Patton

The very beginning of Patton gives an indication of the man we are about to witness- stood before a giant American flat General George Patton (George C Scott) address his soldiers with a bold and passionate speech about how America will bring victory to the war because it is not in their nature to lose as the nation loves a winner and he quotes “That’s why Americans have never lost, and will never lose a war… because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.” First time viewers may just this as being sickeningly patriotic, but even today it makes us sit up and pay attention and through this one scene, it sets up Patton’s never say die attitude.

MoneyBall

Of the all the lengthy speeches on this list, this moment is perhaps the least talky of them all, but through limited dialogue it brings its point across. After losing yet another game, Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) visits the team locker room, only to find player Jeremy Giambi messing around and distracting the team- annoyed Billy turns off his music and casually asks him “Is losing fun?” upon hearing it is not, Billy says to him “Then why are you having fun?” cue ballplayers hanging their heads in shame as silence hangs on the air! This moment proves pivotal to the teams turnaround later in the film and through these few words spoken- Billy point is struck home like a fastball!

Glengarry Glen Ross

Alec Baldwin’s character Blake is restricted to only one scene in this movie, but his impact is unforgettable. Brought in by the big bosses due to a slump in sales, Blake unashamedly rips a room full of old estate agents to shreds and tells them to follow the ABC’s “Always Be Closing!” and informs them they must have brass balls in order succeed, and through Baldwin suave dangerous feel makes this scene compulsory viewing. Just make sure you don’t refill your coffee mug while he’s talking because “Coffee’s for closers only!” just ask Jack Lemmon!

Battle: Los Angeles: Review of Heat

Classic From The Vault

Heat (1995)

Director: Michael Mann

By Alex Watson

Michael Mann is a film maker who stands out in the modern day for numerous reasons, the first being that none of his movies are ever the same and he’ll always try his hand at something different, for instance going from Last of the Mohicans to the ice cold Collateral. This man in my opinion is the best modern day storyteller because he knows how make an audience member think and has an amazing ability to craft sympathy for even the most unforgiving character.  His talents were best demonstrated with the help of a legendary pairing his stunning film, Heat.

This movie tells the story of two men, Los Angeles cop Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), who is a man so obsessed with his job that has become him. On the other side is career crook Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), who is head of a gang of four robbers whose lives are so organized that they can drop everything in 30 seconds if the pressure gets too much. The crew has recently been responsible for a number of well executed robberies in the LA recently and very soon Hanna is hot their trail!

This piece is Mann’s best film thus far, but it is also one of those films that you don’t know exactly what it is you should praise about it? Is it the legendary (albeit it brief) pairing of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro? Or was it the beautiful cinematography by Dante Spinotti? For me the thing that is greatest about this movie is Mann’s direction and storytelling of the two leads characters.

In its simplest form Heat is a crime thriller but this isn’t your typical Hollywood affair. In fact this is a movie more interested in mind games than action scenes. Here however Mann goes against tradition and gives us something completely different. Instead of crafting your typical good & bad guy’s story he instead rises above to give an interesting insight into the minds of two people chasing each other. All in all it shows that maybe cops and robbers aren’t so different after all.

The psychology between McCauley and Hanna provides the key points of the story because although they are the best at what they do, in reality their lives are in ruins. Hanna is a man so addicted to the chase that he is now on his third marriage, this time to suffering Justine (Diane Venora. McCauley is free of any emotion in the early part of the movie, but that all changes when he meets Eady (Amy Brenneman) because it is during this period that we see a different side to him. But could this be a start of his downfall? The intriguing thing about the two seems to be that these two know each other’s methods so well that they have a grudging respect for one another.

Heat is a definitive movie for a lot of reasons but the most memorable scene through the entire movie is by far the bank heist scene. It starts with McCauley’s crew again doing well drilled heist, this time on a bank, while at the same time Hanna and his fellow officers have been tipped off and are on the scene. Even though the heist is performed effectively, two cops are spotted and within moments a shootout ensue and downtown Los Angeles is turned into a war zone!

It is a memorable so scene for a number of reasons but most notably for the sound quality, the sound of the AK rifles firing sends a shiver down your spine as it echo’s out; we are in this point witnessing a key moment in modern cinema. In this moment the bar is truly raised for shootout scenes as this is no ordinary good guys versus bad guy’s shootout. This scene is the one where pulses raise highest because you are not sure who will live or die in this scene, not even McCauley or Hanna are safe from this.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro both dominate will equal force in Heat, their sole scene in the coffee shop finally gave Hollywood the moment it had been waiting for. And as the pair debates their separate lives- sparks fly as we watch! There are great turns from Tom Sizemore and Val Kilmer as two of the other members of McCauley well prepared crew. In fact you would be hard pressed to find a more impressive set of robbery’s in Los Angeles today!

Heat is one of those movies where you are not exactly sure which part is best to discuss because there are so many, but one thing is for certain, the film world would be a lot worse if there wasn’t a great storyteller like Michael Mann.