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Reviews
The Founder (2016)
Food for Fraught
The unsavory character of Ray Kroc is featured in this story that is made palatable by the enthusiastic performance by Michael Keaton. The charm of an idealized version of mid-century America belies the realistic portrayal of a man who first exploited, then destroyed, his business partners; traded in his wife for a new model (stealing her from a different business partner); and brought down the longevity statistics for an entire first world nation by the promotion of food products engineered to maximize profits. This is a cautionary tale for anyone who has ever created anything of value in the American marketplace.
Lincoln (2012)
Interesting film, but definitely not the the definitive version that someone has yet to make.
Story focuses on the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation and does not give the viewer a robust sense of who Lincoln was - where he came from, his difficult journey to the White House, etc. The film is very "heady" in that it deals with a continuity of ideas, dialogs, debates, etc. leading up to the passing of the proclamation. I sensed that I was watching a filmed play rather than having a cinematic experience. Very little screen time was given to any sort of visual storytelling. I felt cheated in that regard, but that being said, it was an interesting experience and seemed to have historic authenticity. I found it as entertaining as a great university lecture.
Bright Leaf (1950)
Mildred Pierce with role reversals
I'm a fan of Michael Curtiz and his seminal film, "Mildred Pierce", so I couldn't help comparing the story/plot of "Bright Leaf" to Mildred Pierce, which was a well-received Curtiz film from 1945 - five years previous to the release of Bright Leaf.
The following is my comparison: Mildred Pierce is a woman from humble stock who is spurned by her unfaithful husband and her class-conscious daughter. Mildred determines to prove her worth by obtaining wealth and thereby purchasing both her position in society and the affections of her daughter. Success comes in the form of a chain of popular restaurants. Acceptance into higher society eludes Mildred as her snobbish daughter continues to ridicule Mildred and she is then double-crossed by her business partner/lover, society playboy Monte Barragan. Mildred loses everything for which she worked so hard; her wealth, social status, daughter, lover, etc.
In the film "Bright Leaf", Brant Royle is the son of a poor tobacco farmer who was pushed out of business by the family of Margaret Singleton (played by Patricia Neal), the boyhood crush of Brant Royle. Brant determines to prove his worth and gain revenge on the Singleton family by obtaining wealth and thereby driving Major Singleton out of business. Revenge eludes Brant Royle; however, as he is double-crossed by his business partner/lover, Margaret Singleton. Brant loses everything for which he worked so hard; his wealth, social status, lover, etc.
Although Bright Leaf is not a one-for-one plot-mirror of Mildred Pierce, the similarities to me were startling. Mildred is clearly the better film, in my opinion, due to the more likable and sympathetic main character. Mildred was motivated by a needy sort of "love" for her daughter, while Brant was motivated by a desire for revenge.
The audience is left with sympathy for Mildred who was a victim of the selfish people around her. The audience must; however, place the blame of Brant's demise squarely on his own shoulders, for as Douglas Horton once said, "While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself".
The List (2007)
Lame Film should make Every Viewer Cringe
So, my teenage daughter and I decided to watch this on DVD one lazy Sunday afternoon. We had never heard of it before deciding to watch it. My wife must have picked up an unopened copy of it at a thrift store or else somebody gave it to us for Christmas. Anyhoo, it started out slow, like a movie on the Lifetime channel, but we decided to give it a chance. It had a professional look to it (lighting,sets, etc.), so I thought. maaaayyybbeeee it would find its legs somewhere in the second act, after all, why would someone spend all this money on a pointless production?? Sadly, those legs never unfolded. The principle actors gave good performances, but the supporting actors were weak. The story lacked dramatic turns of any kind. There were many "WTF" story moments where either my daughter or I would shout, "What"? or "I don't get it"?, "That's so lame"!, etc. But the biggest irk was the obnoxious and misplaced use of prayer as battle against the evil forces coming from who-knows-where. The filmmakers must have really had very little respect for Christianity to abuse it in this manner. The viewer has no choice but to conclude that Christian practice is as fictitious and ridiculous as this story/film within which it finds this very absurd expression.