Lord of the Rings, Return of the King – The finale of the series directed by Peter Jackson and based on the books of J. R. R. Tolkien. The film shows the hobbits finally reaching Mordor as Sauron unleashes his attack on the kingdom of Gondor.
It is considered one of the best, if not the best, fantasy film of all time. At the 76th Academy Awards, it won all the eleven awards for which it was nominated among them Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay.
My personal favorite line in the film was by actress Miranda Otto. As she moves in to kill one of Sauron’s demonic generals the demon warns her: “no man can kill me,” to which Otto flips off her helmet and replies: “I am no man” and thrusts her sword into his face… Put her in SFAS!
The Godfather – The best mob film of them all, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based on Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel. The film features an ensemble cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton.
The film follows the Corleone crime family in New York City from the early 1940s, at the outset of World War II, through 1955. The Corleone family run by Don Vito Corleone (Brando) gets involved in a gang war that will encompass all of NY’s crime families.
The Irishman …I Heard You Paint Houses – is a fantastic mob film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese. The film stars an ensemble of the great mob film actors of the 70s and 80s: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, with Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Jesse Plemons, and Harvey Keitel.
The story of the film takes place over several decades. We reviewed it on SOFREP earlier this year and it’s a must-see film.
You’ve Got Mail – This along with “Pretty Woman,” is the go-to chick flick for many women. Directed by Nora Ephron and starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan it was inspired by the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László. This film employs the excellent on-screen chemistry between Hanks and Ryan who have also appeared together in the awful “Joe vs the Volcano” and “Sleepless in Seattle” another popular chick flick.
Ryan is the owner of a small corner bookstore that was started by her mother. Hanks plays Joe Fox whose dad (a great, but small role for Dabney Coleman) owns a fleet of mega-bookstores and is opening one right around the corner from Ryan’s in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. At first, Ryan hates him because he’s putting her out of business, but soon the sparks start to fly between the two… and you can guess the ending.
Failure to Launch – Our second chick flick, a romantic comedy directed by Tom Dey, and starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The film is about a 35-year-old man (McConaughey), who lives in the home of his parents and shows no interest in leaving the comfortable life his parents, especially his mother, has provided him since birth.
His mother, played by Kathy Bates, eventually hires Parker, an expert on supposedly getting men to move out of their parents’ homes (I never knew such a profession existed). Predictably, the interaction between McConaughey and Parker develops into something more.
The Searchers – Of all of John Wayne’s westerns, this one is arguably the best. Directed by OSS veteran John Ford it stars Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood, Harry Carey Jr., Vera Miles, Ken Curtis, and Hank Worden.
Set during the Texas-Indian wars shortly after the Civil War, the film was beautifully shot in the Monument Valley of Arizona/Utah as were several of Ford’s westerns.
Wayne and Hunter are on a multiple-year search for Wayne’s niece played by Wood, who was kidnapped and raised by the Comanche.
Television Shows:
Some of our favorites include
Band of Brothers – especially episodes “Day of Days” and “Points.”
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – a hilarious comedy with Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shaloub, who is fantastic as her father. I admit I didn’t want to watch it, but I loved it.
Diablero – A Mexican sci-fi, fantasy series. My son loves it…but both of his parents think it is awful… shhh, don’t tell him.
Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul – Both of these series by Vince Gilligan are continuations of the same story and they are outstanding.
Fauda – An outstanding Israeli television series about a Special Operations unit that goes undercover in Gaza. Both the creator and main star were actually in the IDF’s Duvdevan Unit. We have also reviewed the series for SOFREP.
Home Town – My wife turned me on to this television show set in Laurel, Mississippi. A husband and wife team, Ben and Erin Napier are trying to reinvigorate their hometown by renovating old beat-up homes and getting people to move back into the historic part of Laurel.
One of the more interesting aspects of the show is how Ben repurposes much of the wood that they tear out of the older homes. After watching this show for the past few months, I’m ready to move to Mississippi… on the condition that Ben and Erin do one of their makeovers for me… Are you listening, Ben?
My bulldog and I burned the midnight oil a few nights ago when I couldn’t sleep. So we watched a couple of old favorites of mine, “Who Shot Liberty Valance” and the Vietnam film, “The Green Berets.” The bulldog really likes MSG Muldoon’s character. Every time she heard his voice, she’d stare at the screen.
That’s what we’ve got so for now. So, what are you all watching?
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