In his entertaining and insightful piece, Stop this Sketch. It’s Silly, Dave Franklin states Ethan Edwards “drops the ball” at the end of The Searchers. “That’ll be the day.” The Searchers was directed by the great John Ford (a director not much admired by some here at Ruthless. If you have seen the footage of […]
The Late Show (1977)
August 26, 2021 by
Film Title
The Late ShowSynopsis
A P.I.’s search for a missing cat turns up a lot more than a missing pussy
Director
Robert BentonCast
Art Carney
Lily Tomlin
Bill Macy
Eugene Roche
Joanna Cassidy
For those who do not know, the 11:30 spot on KNXT (CBS here in the LA market back in the 60s) was filled with old movies five nights of the week. I saw many of the greats from the 40s and 50s on this, The Late Show. I watched the Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, […]
Ad Astra: Another Look
August 12, 2021 by
This piece began life as an inquiry as to why whose in charge in Hollywood, whomever that might be, seldom if ever employ real science fiction writers to write the story for science fiction movies. Then I happened to see a movie from a couple of years ago titled, AD ASTRA (Latin for: Is this trip necessary?) After seeing it I […]
The Mule
July 29, 2021 by
Film Title
The MuleSynopsis
A 90 year old Korean War Vet goes to work as a drug muleÂ
Director
Clint EastwoodCast
Clint Eastwood
Patrick L. Reyes
Laurence Fishburne
Bradley Cooper
Andy Garcia
Dianne Wiest
Taissa Farmiga
(A tirade in the form of a movie review) Based on a true story. Clint Eastwood plays Earl Stone, a nonagenarian down on his luck. Lucky enough to be alive but homeless and broke at age 90. The internet played havoc on his flower business. He is estranged from his family. The times have no […]
The Tomorrow War
July 5, 2021 by
Film Title
The Tomorrow WarSynopsis
A really stupid story about a man conscripted to fight in a future war
Director
Chris McKayCast
Chris Pratt
J.K. Simmons
Yvonne Strahovski
Sam Richardson
Jasmine Mathews
Edwin Hodge
The sun’ll come out tomorrow Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow There’ll be sun Just thinkin’ about tomorrow Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow ‘Til there’s none Director Charles McKay and writer Zach Dean slathered on the sunblock for this shlock, with the inspired title of The Tomorrow War. (A personal note: This humble […]
All Is True
February 10, 2021 by
Film Title
All Is TrueSynopsis
The final days of the magnificent Bard
Director
Kenneth BranaghCast
Kenneth Branagh
Ian McKellen
Judi Dench
Nonso Anozie
Lolita Chakrabarti
In his autobiography LittleWilson and Big God, Anthony Burgess ( for those of you who did not know, his complete name was John Anthony Burgess Wilson. Furthermore, for those of you who do not know, he was author of A Clockwork Orange, Tremor in Intent, The End of the World News, among many other novels, […]
The Bishop’s Wife: Another Look At The Making Of A Great Film
December 24, 2020 by
The Bishop’s Wife puts you in mind of another bit of magical fantasy, Portrait of Jenny. Both films are based on novels by Robert Nathan and both enjoy the idea that a charming almost magical personality can enter your life at the most unexpected moments. The obviously banal aspects to the story are simple. Bishop […]
An Open Letter to David Fincher
December 22, 2020 by
Mr Fincher, I must confess this would have been a fan letter to your father had circumstances been different. Mank enjoys a superb screenplay bearing the stamp of its subject matter. It gave us a wonderful sense of period, Hollywood, the studios of the 30s. The Paramount writer’s room had the feel of the press […]
Vertigo (1958)
July 18, 2020 by
Film Title
VertigoSynopsis
A traumatized former police detective falls hopelessly in love with a woman who doesn’t exist
Director
Alfred HItchcockCast
Jimmy Stewart
Kim Novak
Barbara Bel Geddes
Tom Helmore
Ellen Corby
“The language of the camera is the language of our dreams.”-James Baldwin. No director was more fluent in that language than Alfred Hitchcock. Vertigo is the most conspicuous example of his fluency. Vertigo is a Pygmalion and Galatea story. The question in this case, who is Pygmalion and who is Galatea? When, is a better […]
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
June 20, 2020 by
Film Title
Heaven's GateSynopsis
The Gate Is Broken
Director
Michael CiminoCast
Kris Kristopherson
Christopher Walken
John Hurt
Sam Waterson
Brad Dourif
Joseph Cotten
Jeff Bridges
Isabelle Hupert
Mickey Rourke
Willem Dafoe
I had just emerged from the hills on highway 93 at the north end Flathead Lake on the way to Kalispell when I saw the first bumper sticker that read, To Hell With Heaven’s Gate. I was soon to see many more. This was August of 1981. Over a year after the film wrapped, ugly […]
