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Ed Bagley's Articles in Movies & Film

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"For a Few Dollars More" Establishes Leone as a Master of Creating Emotion After the unexpected, smashing success of Sergio Leone's direction in "A Fistful of Dollars" with the newly-found presence of Clint Eastwood as the gunfighter who would become The Man With No Name, Leone 's direction in "For a Few Dollars More" was even more successful, artistically and financially. Learn why a film that could not garner a single award in its day has become a classic western film with a faithful following. "Coach Carter" Sends an Outstanding Message About a Coach with Integrity, Honor and Goodness Samuel L. Jackson plays Coach Ken Carter in a good sports drama with an outstanding message for today's high school basketball players who see playing with the pros as their only objective in life. Carter believes that a basketball scholarship and ethics should go hand in hand. This is an incredible story of a coach who will not compromise his values by not compromising his integrity. Four Average Movies That Do Not Get Any Better the Second Time Around Here are four average movies that do not get any better the second time around: Anger Management with Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler, The Emperor's Club with Kevin Kline and Emile Hirsch, The Fast and the Furious (a totally mindless guy flick about macho wannabe men street car racing), and Five Easy Pieces with Jack Nicholson and Karen Black (both Oscar nominees in a depressing film about a guy going nowhere 1,000 miles an hour). "To Kill a Mockingbird" Exposes the Destructiveness of Bigotry Gregory Peck won a Best Actor Oscar in this adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about white lawyer Atticus Finch defending an innocent African American man accused of raping a white woman. This is a story that illuminates everything that is wrong about hate, prejudice, bigotry, ignorance, stupidity, lack of backbone and lack of a heart. "Tipping the Velvet" Is First Alternative Lifestyle Film with an Educational Message - Part 2 Based on Sarah Waters' acclaimed debut novel, Tipping the Velvet was adapted by Andrew Davies, an Emmy award-winning British screenwriter who has also written "Doctor Zhivago", "Bridget Jone's Diary", "Sense and Sensibility", "Vanity Fair" and "Pride and Prejudice". Davies is a very talented heavyweight. "Tipping the Velvet" Is First Alternative Lifestyle Film with an Educational Message - Part 1 "Tipping the Velvet" is what some viewers would consider a terrible film about a sinful, raunchy lifestyle, and what I would consider an excellent film despite any apparent raunchiness. The BBC brought this controversial movie to a 5-millon strong mainstream television audience in England. Tipping the Velvet is an incredibly unusual firm because you rarely, if ever, see an alternative lifestyle movie with a happy ending. "The Quiet Man" Is a Love Story Set in the Emerald Isle of Ireland No one ever said that filmmaking was easy, only that it could be very good and sometimes enduring, as in "The Quiet Man", starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara with legendary Director John Ford. The Quiet Man was the first American feature to be filmed in Ireland's picturesque countryside. Ford earned his 4th and last Best Director Oscar for The Quiet Man in 1952. See the film and understand why this love story will touch your heart. "Nanny McPhee" - An Excellent Movie with Magic and a Message for Children In an entertainment world full of trashy and violent video games and movies, Nanny McPhee is everything good about movies for children. You and your children can watch this film without fear of unpleasant and unwanted garbage rooted in sensationalism for ratings and greed. Nanny McPhee is an excellent film with a wonderful message for all children to recognize and understand. "A Lot Like Love" Is Light Enough to Fly Away and Never Be Missed "A Lot Like Love" chronicles the indecision of two young adults who are misguided and muddled in both their careers and love life. They haul off and do nothing with themselves and then wonder why they are not happy. No wonder they are confused about love. They deserve each other. See this film once and move on. Movie History: If You Thought "Titanic" Was the Largest Grossing Film in the U. S., Think Again A lot of moviegoers think that "Titanic" is the largest grossing domestic film of all time, topping $600+ million in revenue following its release in 1997. Titanic, while No. 1 in actual dollars generated, is only No. 6 when adjusted for inflation. Learn the real No. 1 largest grossing domestic film in moviemaking history in this article. "Lost in Translation" Makes the Meaning of Life Sound Elusive "Lost in Translation" was written and directed by Sofia Coppola and won enough awards to fill a grocery cart. Seeing this film, I would not have guessed it would have won so many awards. I gave this film an average rating rather than a good or excellent rating. I wanted real substance in this film and I was left wanting. Learn why in my review. Nancy Meyers Comes Up With a Winner: A Romantic Comedy that Really Works Christmas is coming soon and everybody is busy getting ready for another holiday season. A movie can be great comic relief. We want to be entertained and interested by a story that keeps us attentive and has a happy ending. Nancy Meyers delivers what we need as the writer/director of "The Holiday", a romantic comedy with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black and Eli Wallach. "Breakfast on Pluto" Is Really Not About an Alien from Outer Space "Breakfast on Pluto" is a gender preference movie about a boy who really wants to be a girl, and settles for being a transvestite trying to find a place in a world that curses his very existence. I endured Boys Don't Cry and Transamerica and am pleased to say I did not have to endure Breakfast on Pluto. I think that Neil Jordan is the reason why. This film is worth viewing for its message: to thine ownself be true. "Transamerica" Transsexual Tale Misses Opportunity to Inform and Educate Viewers There are easier films to review than productions involving alternative life styles, and Transamerica is an example. It is one thing to make a comedy or romantic comedy with no other purpose than to entertain viewers, it is quite another to tackle a difficult, controversial subject without assuming some responsibility for making its presentation a positive, productive impact upon viewers. To do less is entertaining but useless. You Cannot Forget Captain Jack Sparrow, But National Treasure Is One Heck of a Hunt It took an inordinately long time for movie land to bring us a modern day treasure hunt worth watching, but Director Jon Turteltaub delivered big time in National Treasure, the story of a secret treasure that crosses the centuries. National Treasure is full of obscure clues. National Treasure stays focused on the clues with the actors not upstaging the treasure hunt story line. Boys Don't Cry Stirs Our Baser Emotions But Fails Miserably to Increase Our Understanding How can a film produce an Oscar winning Best Actress performance and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination and still be a terrible movie? Easy, just fail to deliver an important message involving understanding and knowledge when you have millions of moviegoers who are glued to your presentation. 2 Weird Films That Have Stood the Test of Time: "Drag Queens in the Desert" and "Rocky Horror" What would Hollywood be without its share of bitchy, catty, gaudy, outrageous and crazy films? Two examples are "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and "The Rocky Horror Picture "Show". Both of these films have a very limited audience because they are more negative than positive and have few redeeming qualities. "The Departed" Is Best Mob Film Since Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" in 1972 Let me get to the most important thing first: Director Martin Scorsese won an Oscar for "The Departed". Scorsese, one of the most accomplished directors of our era, has been nominated for 7 Oscars—5 for Best Director and 2 for Best Screenplay—before winning with The Departed. The Departed is simply the best mob film since Mario Puzo's original Godfather in 1972. Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" Brings the Past Violent Mayan Life into Our Consciousness Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" shows the raw, violent face of the advanced Mayan civilization in its decline, with its rulers insisting that the key to continued prosperity is to build more temples and offer more human sacrifices to their Gods. The result is innocent Mayans being viciously attacked and their communal way of life being destroyed to meet an insane desire. Will they be able to survive the onslaught? Four Average Movies: Two Messy and Two Unpretentious Here are four average movies, two of which are pretty screwed up (The Family Stone with Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson and Rachel McAdams, and Mona Lisa Smile with Julia Roberts) and two of which are unpretentious and easy on the eye (Indian Summer with Diane Lane and Unlikely Angel with Dolly Parton) Despite being pure fluff, I would rate the last two better than the first two. These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama Ocean's Eleven is a confusing film about a $160 million heist of three Las Vegas casinos from an impenetrable safe 200 feet underground. Is Ocean's Eleven supposed to be an action flick, a comedy, a crime story or a drama? The Hours features three depressed women from three different generations trying to cope with life, some Academy Award-winning performances and a story line that is even more depressing and repugnant. Two Films With Tons of Recognition That Leave This Viewer Unfulfilled A lot of moviegoers saw Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as a great picture with great acting and pretty much a shoo-in for a handful of Oscars. I did not see it the same way, nor did the Academy. The Lion in Winter is a 2 Star movie with some 4 Star (Excellent) performances. Both movies stir no emotion in me, foment ill will and breed confusion when clarity should rule the day and resolution should be the result. Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want? What Women Want is a romantic comedy light enough to float away. Helen Hunt is a real talent with real hardware and seemed so on top of her game after the release of What Women Want in 2000. Heck, I figured, move over Julia Roberts and hello Helen Hunt as America's newest sweetheart, but Hunt did Cast Away with Tom Hanks and then returned to Broadway. The two rising stars today are Reese Witherspoon and Hilary Swank. A Romantic Comedy That Works With a Couple of 60+ Senior Citizens Something's Gotta Give is a romantic comedy without substance that works because of Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Keaton is one the few actresses at age 60 who has been able to partner with bankable leading men. She seems to have found the secret to staying young, alive and attractive while Nicholson at 69 and counting appears his age and has not benefited from the passage of time. Keaton is one fine looking 60-year-old woman. Five Movies That Try Hard Yet Still End Up As Terrible Here are five movies that try hard but are rated terrible for the effort. They include Napoleon Dynamite (with Jon Heder), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (with Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp and Salma Hayek), The Notebook (with James Garner, Gena Rowlands and Rachel McAdams), Of Human Bondage (W. Somerset Maugham's novel with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis), and The Prince and the Showgirl (with Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier). Put These 5 Films Together and Spell Terrible 5 Times Here are five more movies you think would be really better than they are, unfortunately for the films, the scripts, the direction, and the actors, they are not. All five get my terrible rating; they include Love Letters, Monster-in-Law (with Jennifer Lopez, Michael Vartan and Jane Fonda), The Fast Runner (about Eskimo life and culture on the tundra in Alaska), Myths and Logic of Shaolin Kung Fu, and Myra Breckenridge (with Raquel Welch). Another 5 Movies You Think Would Be Better Than They Are Here are another five movies you think would be really better than they are, unfortunately they are not. All five get my terrible rating; they include Gods and Generals (with Robert Duvall, Jeff Daniels and Stephen Lang), Mr. and Mrs. Smith (with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie), Just Like Heaven (with Reese Witherspoon), Miracle (the U. S. Hockey Team victory at the 1980 Olympic Games), and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (with Kate Hudson). "Camelot" Is a Magical Movie, and a Primer in Civilized Human Relationships and Growth Camelot, released in 1967, celebrates its 40th anniversary this October, and was based on the 1960 musical play Camelot written by Alan Jay Lerner with music by Frederic Loewe. Camelot became a modern day legend when it was immortalized after President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Camelot the play and Camelot the film were both truly inspirational musical productions. "Prada" Boss Drives Away Everyone and Everything But Blind Ambition Meryl Streep, one of Hollywood's best actresses, carries The Devil Wears Prada like the namesake handbag we see early in this movie, which is about Miranda Priestly, a powerful New York fashion magazine editor who hires Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a recent journalism grad, to be her new gofer. In the end, she ditches the job when she realizes that life without her boyfriend, her friends and family are not worth the price of being exclusive. Hollywood's Most Perfect Actress Had Beauty, Fashion, Grace and Humility Was there ever an actress who combined these four timeless qualities—beauty, fashion, grace and humility—better than Audrey Hepburn? I think not, especially when I see her again in Breakfast at Tiffany's. We shall not see another like her in our lifetime and by then the film industry may be on the way out when some newer, better technology unknown to us today arrives. Audrey Hepburn was a model of grace and humility. An Iranian Foreign Film Fails To Promote Real Understanding Children of Heaven is an Iranian movie with subtitles about a boy who accidentally loses his sister’s worn out shoes after being sent to get them repaired, and must share his own worn out sneakers with her in a sort of relay while each attends school at different times during the day. Unfortunately, Children of Heaven has an unsettling ending. If it were not for this terrible ending, I would rate this film higher. Two Excellent Films That Could Not Win an Oscar Secondhand Lions is a masterpiece of storytelling written and directed by Tim McCanlies (remember the name). Near as I can tell, this film had absolutely no nominations for Oscars. First time French Director Christophe Barratier has given us an incredibly good movie in The Chorus, which was nominated for two Oscars but came up empty handed at the presentations. No matter. It did not affect the effort and excellence of The Chorus. Two Excellent Films With Oscar Nominations A Man for All Seasons poses the question: What would a man sacrifice for his principles? When Henry VIII seeks approval to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn, his new Chancellor and Cardinal - Sir Thomas More - stands in his way. In the end, Sir Thomas becomes the only person in England who will die for his principles. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl becomes the best pirate picture every made, thanks to Johnny Depp. An Independent Film Production That Became an Excellent, Big Fat Paycheck My Big Fat Greek Wedding is simply one of the best movies ever made about close families and their traditions. The estimated $5 million budget for the film generated worldwide revenue of $368 million, making it the highest-grossing independent film of all time, and the the highest grossing movie never to have hit number one at the box office. Five Average Movies That Are Worth a Look, But Only Once Here are five movies that are worth a look, but only once. All five get my average rating; they include The Bourne Supremacy (with Matt Damon), Catch Me If You Can (with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks), The Breakfast Club (with Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy), The Christmas Child, and Arsenic and Old Lace (with a very young Cary Grant).

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