Secretariat -- 2010

Secretariat
(2010)
Rated: PG

Diane Lane
John Malkovich
Amanda Michalka
Graham McTavish
Kevin Connolly
Drew Roy
James Cromwell
Nelsan Ellis 
Fred Dalton Thomson
Dylan Walsh

When Lydia told me this was a good film my first thought was, "Another horse racing movie?" I have watched a few of those: Black Beauty, The Black Stallion, both My Friend Flicka's, National Velvet, The Man From Snowy River, The Horse Whisperer, Hildalgo, Danny, All the Pretty Horses, quite a few Roy Rogers and other old westerns. The main horse in the movie always wins in some way. I thought I'd seen enough.

But I was wrong. Today, I decided to bite the bullet so I could write home and tell my sisters that I'd watched Secretariat. From the first minute of the movie, I was into the story. Have I ever mentioned how much I love movies set in the 1960's? :-) This is indeed a horse movie but you cannot help but admire the characters in this story. The strength. The sheer will to do what was right, even if those closest to you don't agree with it.

Synopsis:
When Penny Chenery received the phone call of her mother's death, she had no idea how much her life was about to change. When she and her family (husband and four children) arrived at the farm for the funeral, she finds the house crowded with well wishers. She tearfully reunites with her brother, friends and neighbors and with Mrs. Ham. The latter is her father's old secretary who is now taking care of her employer as his mind deteriorates from Dementia. Mrs. Ham sends her back to her father's office, where he now sits alone. As Penny talks to him, memories begin presenting themselves to her. Happy memories of better days when she was a child and her father's mind was sound. Reveling in her love for horses and a desire to know everything, he had taught her what he knew about horses and the horse breeding business.

At the funeral, a few people who were very influential in her father's life spoke to her and she was heartened that there were still some friends on whom she could count on. The next day, she came face to face with the trainer. She had heard some rumors and had done some searching. She discovered that the man had tried to pull off a fast one on her dad. She told him what she knew and fired him. When her brother found out, he was incensed. He wanted to sell the farm and he knew they wouldn't get a good price unless they had a good training program. To his dismay, Penny told him that she didn't want to sell, insisting that she would see to the farm. So began the years of many airplane flights back and forth from "home" to "back home" to the farm in Virginia.

Her father had made two smart choices when it came to horses. One: he had known that there is just as much value in a good mare as in the stallion, therefore had invested in mares. Secondly, he had made a deal with Ogden Phipps. Mr. Phipps' best stallion stallion Bold Ruler was bred to two of the Chenery's best mares Something Royal and Hasty Matilda. When it came time for the mares to foal, the two owners would flip a coin to see who got which colt. Bold Ruler was a fast horse but he did not hold up over long distances. Because of Hasty Matilda's young age, she seemed like the better choice. But Penny had done her homework once again and had discovered that Something Royal's bloodlines bore the heritage of stamina and endurance. So when it came time to flip the coin, she was pleased when Ogden Phipps chose the foal of Hasty Matilda.

So was born to Meadow Farms the horse Secretariat, Big Red to those who loved him, who would one day... well, I don't want to give it away! But this movie is about Penny Chenery and her horse as much as it is about Secretariat's rise to fame. Because without Penny stubbornness, willingness to endure hardship and her gentle but "hard as nails" personality, the world would have never been inspired by this story of greatness.

What I Liked:
1: The story was well told and ran smoothly. It was very believable.
2: The acting was great. I really felt like I knew the characters.
3: They didn't change the story too much for the original. I appreciate a film mostly based on fact.
4: Penny's strength was amazing but even more amazing, she never lost her femininity. People would mistake her femininity for weakness and she would set them right.
5: You appreciate the hardships she goes through to follow the dream she had for her family, the farm and Big Red. You sympathize with her tears and hurt. You laugh with her. You get angry with her. You feel despair with her.
6: Lucien was so, so adorable. I laughed so hard. John Malkovich is always so strange and brilliant.
7: The humor was quite well done.  

Things to Know:
1: Brief mild language.
2: Watch out for the very strong lady. She is inspiring and ladies might find themselves emulating her.

Space Cowboys -- 2000

Space Cowboys

(2000)

Rated PG-13 for language
My Rating: 4 Stars

Clint Eastwood
Tommy Lee Jones
Donald Sutherland
James Garner
James Cromwell
Marcia Gay Harden
William Devane
Loren Dean
Courtney B. Vance

“You have a nice life.”

Summary:
Team Daedalus was made up of four men who trained and tested and experimented with the first equipment developed for space travel. They were there when “rockets were born”. But all the hours of effort and hope were for naught when the US government chose a chimpanzee named Maryanne to go to space instead of human beings. Thus, team Daedalus was put in the closet and left there to rest for 40 years.

NASA has a problem. Russia's primitive, deorbiting Russian satellite, Ikon is going to crash into planet earth. For some reason, their superiors do not want it to come out of space but NASA can't find anyone  who understands the ancient technology of it's system to keep it in space. Except the man who wrote it.

Frank Corvin is still embittered at shelving of Team Daedalus. He had never stopped dreaming about going. So when NASA came to him with the news that his guidance system was on a Russian satellite that was coming down, Frank's mind began work. Sensing how much NASA needed the satellite to remain in space, he played on it and refused to do anything to help... unless he and his team were sent to fix the problem themselves.

In the position they were in, NASA agreed but with terms: Team Daedalus had to be in the same physical condition as all other astronauts. Team Daedalus was 40 years older than most astronauts. But sometimes the wisdom of the years prevails when all else fails.

“You noticed how everyone seems dead lately?”

There was a question that everyone was asking, however: How did a Russian satellite end up with a US guidance system... during the Cold War? Something doesn't feel quite right...

What I Liked:
1: Watching these actors of many years experience was amazing. It felt right... the way they moved/spoke/conducted themselves.
2: The story was interesting but typical. It was a nice mixture.
3: The details were mostly there.
4: Score... there were some really nice melodies.
5: I liked that there was a romance but that it was kept very light.
6: It was pretty clean, despite the language... and a couple scenes that didn't thrill me.
7: Everything was said or done for a reason. It did all fall together.
8: Hawk's sacrifice. It made me sad.

What I Didn't Like:
1: The language.
2: Beginning scene with the magazine and dirty picture. (It is in black and white and pretty quickly off the screen but still...)
3: Jerry is quite the playboy and there are many references to it.
4: Scene in the room with the female doctor. Back nudity of all the guys.
5: Some of the lines seemed to be repetitive. Other than the Hawk and Sara, I wasn't surprised by anything in the movie.
6: Some of the details were skimmed over. For instance, how in the world did they climb aboard that Russian missile while it was floating away at how many thousands miles an hour? Ok, I do have an idea (from other scenes in the movie) but it seemed very detached. Suddenly, there they are, working on it.

 I can certainly tell that Clint Eastwood is used to being the tough guy... the star of the movie. I would now like to see him act in a western... the part seems like it would fit him well.

This film I rated 4 Stars because I did enjoy it and I keep re-watching my favorite parts. But there are things I have only seen once and I intend it to stay that way. Lol!

For mature viewers. :-)

The Sum of All Fears -- 2002

The Sum of all Fears

(2002)

PG-13 for violence, brief strong language

My Rating: 4 stars

Ben Affleck

Morgan Freeman

James Cromwell

Liev Schreiber

Alan Bates

Philip Bakerhall

Ron Rifkin

Bruce McGill

The reason I rented this movie is because I saw it was based on a Tom Clancy novel. I read his “Hunt For Red October” and was impressed with all the detail and research he included. I hoped this movie would be similar. I was even more hopeful when I began watching it and saw in the introductory credits that Tom Clancy is the Executive Producer of this film. I figured that if he had anything at all to do with the making, the movie had to be at least a little bit good. :-)

It was a lot good.

Summary:

Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) is just a historian. Well, a little more than that. He researches living people, too. And since he's done his history and paid attention to character and scenarios, he can usually give a good guess at what comes next.

In this case, he predicted it. No one paid any attention to his prediction until his prediction comes true. When attention came, he was hired by the CIA and swept into a world of intrigue, politics, terrorism...

Coming at a time when The Cold War threat was still lukewarm, terrorists strike America and from all appearances, the U.S.S.R. did it. They claim innocence. The President and his staff aren't sure. And when a second attack occurs, this time definitely from Russia, they are certain they must take counter measures. Through it all, Jack Ryan claims the Russian government had nothing to do with the attacks on America and that someone else has a plan in mind. But can he stop counter attacks in time?

The most memorable line in this film for me was this: “People say Hitler was insane. He was not. Hitler was stupid. You don't try to fight Russia and America. ...but if you can get Russia and America fighting each other...”

For the record, I think Hitler was insane. Unfortunately, he had just enough genius to become one of the most infamous murderers in history.

What I Liked:

1: Very well done... story, filming, sequence of events, psychology, acting, etc, etc. I can't praise it enough. The actors who had the chance to be in this movie have a right to be happy with it. Bravo.

2: Morgan Freeman. He is such a great actor. The subtlety of his facials features, way he stands, walks, sits, speaks... it all makes for an incredibly rich actor. A treat for the viewer.

3: Liev Schreiber. Something about watching this man embody his character left me wishing he had more scenes. Excellent work.

4: The score. Great music. Bravo to the composer, musicians and conductor.

What I Didn't Like:

1: The bed scene. Nothing too graphic but enough to let you know where it would have headed if the phone hadn't rung. (Thank goodness for the phone!)

2: Language. Mostly happening when the President (James Cromwell) got excited.

I recommend this movie. :-) Enjoy it.