Gladiator (2000)

Yes, it's been 10 years since we were introduced to a classic Roman tragedy. If you skipped it back then, or since because it was too gory or violent, I recommend you watch it with the remote in hand. This movie is about way more than fights to the death. For those of us who have seen it many times, it might be time to see it again for new reasons. If you have not seen it because you were too young at the time - see this one for the pure entertainment values.

Russell Crowe has come a long way since then. Regardless of what you think about his work after this movie, it is good to see how wonderful this performance really is. He earned his Oscar.

Joaquin Phoenix gets my vote here for creepiest film villain, maybe ever. If you have see this movie before, one new reason to see this movie is to focus on Phoenix. Talk about nailing a character.

Richard Harris died just a couple years after this movie was made, but not before he created one of films best-loved wizards, Albus Dumbledore. Yup, same guy. His Caesar Marcus is brilliant and too short on the screen.

Connie Nielsen plays the much-tormented soul caught between love and survival - Lucilla. Her Danish ancestors are no doubt very proud.

Need more reasons to see it, or see it again? Watch for the goofs. The guy in the stable scene wearing blue jeans and a cell phone on his hip who can't walk backwards out of camera view fast enough is still in the movie on DVD. The list of geographic and historic boo-boos is long. Enjoy.

If however you just like to watch one of the top 100 movies made so far, enjoy. If you rent the DVD I highly recommend the "Treasure Chest" from the Special Features.

Watch this movie with someone who needs to learn to make the very best from every situation.

Reservation Road

If you want a statistics lesson in the small number of hit and run crimes which are solved in this country, you may want to watch this movie. If you are looking for a reason to take the law into your own hands, this movie might give you some inspiration. On the other hand, if you find very realistic suffering caused by the loss of a child, maybe this is not the best revenge story for you. If you enjoy a flashy uber-violent ending where the bad guy is eviscerated by the very weapons he used to impose suffering on his innocent and lovable victims, this movie is not for you. No, I did not just spoil the ending.

Now that my warnings are out of the way, and you have a better idea of where this movie fits in the scheme of things, I can get to how well done it is, and how well Director Terry George gets his points across without shouting at us from a soapbox. His work in Hotel Rwanda proved that point as well.

Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly do a masterful job of taking us through the range of emotions parents would go through after an accident like this. They also demonstrate how tough it is for a relationship to survive any traumatic experience that, while being the same on the outside, is internalized differently by each individual. Sometimes that difference cannot be emotionally reconciled by others.

Mark Ruffalo may be the bad guy here but his acting is so good it's almost hard to not like his character. Almost. I like how well he portrayed all the conflicting emotions that would be going on in the mind and soul of such a guilty person.

While the ending is not all that satisfying, it is tidy and believable.

Watch it with someone who will enjoy all the ironies of conflicting emotions and complexities of parent-child relationships.

We Own the Night

Please tell me Joaquin Phoenix (Parenthood, Gladiator, and Walk the Line) is not the new Richard Burton. Dark. Brooding. Playing primarily one type of character. I would like to see more from him.

I know Mark Wahlberg (Perfect Storm, Four Brothers, and The Departed) can play more that just tough guys. Please tell me he is not the new Kirk Douglas. Way too good-looking to play "normal" guys, way too smart to play just one type of role.

Had thus movie starred Richard Burton and Kirk Douglas way back when, it would have been very little different. Some of you may see that as a good thing, and some may say that would be a bad thing. I see it as a good thing. A good story is a good story regardless of who plays the roles. But, casting the wrong people can ruin a good story. In this case, the two big box-office names were brought in and given Producer status in order lend their names to the project (my assumptions and opinions only). But they do make a good story more watchable. But they do not make it a great story.

Robert Duvall (The Great Santini, Colors, and Falling Down) is the glue that keeps this cast together like the old pro he is. The other two play his sons. Yes, be prepared to suspend belief. Though they choose different life-styles, their father is the one constant in their lives. And it is ultimately the father that units the boys again with a single purpose.

I think the thing I liked best about this movie was that the things I expected to happen never did, and the things I did not expect, kept happening. So, either I'm getting worse at guessing, or writers are getting more clever. Hopefully for all of us it is the latter.

Watch this movie with a sibling you've always secretly admired.

Walk The Line - Extended Version

A new special edition, extended version, 2-disc set of this magical movie is well worth the rental or purchase price. The Bonus Features disc alone is an entertaining, education, walk down memory lane.

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be on tour, in a single automobile with Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash? All of them on the Sun Records label and in their early 20's. That is clearly not what the movie is about, but does a super job of depicting that portion of the story.

The bonus features disc is not so much about the movie as it is about the life and times of the characters in the story. Interviews with those who played the roles and those who lived the adventure.

How are your music trivia skills? What monster country music group was the warm-up act for Cash's comeback show at Folsom Prison in 1968? And, what country music legend was part of the incarcerated audience at that show?

The extended version of this movie does exactly what an extended version should do. It makes for a better telling of the story. In a bio-pic, that can be critical. They have done a wonderful job with this version.

Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator, Signs, and Brother Bear) captured the essence of Johnny Cash, and actually had Cash's approval to play the role. But he still had to learn how to play the guitar. Cash was well known for his integrity and honesty in an industry full of folks who prefer the opposite. Phoenix's portrayal of the legend measures up, and will most likely remain among his finest performances. This earned him a Best Actor nominee in 2006.

Reese Witherspoon (The Man on the Moon, Pleasantville, and Just Like Heaven) earned Best Actress honors for her outstanding performance as June Carter Cash. This too will, no doubt, be among her best lifetime performances. She too "became" June, Johnny's personal Angel, anchor, and lifeline.

Many have said the music industry could not be what it is today with the influences of Johnny Cash. Those same people say Johnny Cash could not have been who he was without June Carter Cash. This movie is really about their passion for music and each other.

Watch it with someone who is a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.