Legends of the Fall (1994)

Legends of the Fall is one of those films that I kept hearing about, but somehow never saw even though it's over a decade old. Through the magic of DVD's, this deficit was easy enough to fix. The star studded cast includes Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn and Julia Ormond.

This is an epic kind of film, the kind that Hollywood only rarely embarks on these days in this era of sequels, and lower budget fluff (the last film I saw that was truly epic was this one from a while ago). Legends of the Fall takes place mostly in Montana, around the beginning of the twentieth century, which is an interesting time historically as America is assuming her place on the world stage as a serious player, and the industrial revolution is finishing up as the next era is beginning.

Anyway, enough history. The film follows the tale of three brothers, their father, a woman, and some American Indian ranch hands. The father is Colonel William Ludlow, played by Anthony Hopkins giving a masterful performance that makes the film worth watching just for that. He's a retired officer from the Western Indian Wars, and one day chooses to toss his saber and make a home in the wilderness of the American West by the Rocky Mountains of Montana with his three sons. The youngest son, Tristan is partially raised by the American Indian ranch hand, One Stab (Gordon Tootoosis) who is far more part of the extended family than hired help. The conflict occurs early on when son Samuel returns from back East with a potential fianceè to meet the family, Susannah Fincannon (Ormond). While I thought she was coming for a week or two, she moves in for the winter. The three boys, against the severest objections of their veteran father, then decide to join the fight in World War I, and Samuel pays the ultimate price. The two sons return home, but they clearly bear the scars of battle. What makes matters worse is that they both fall in love with Samuel's fianceè, Susannah.

What follows is a tale that is both timeless and classic. As time passes, we see the changes in America first hand impacting the family, and in turn their relationships. The film is also done so well that the characters have a very real sense about them, with layers of complexity and nuance developing them into real figures, and not just actors.

The character of Tristan is quite well developed. While he is not an American Indian, he ends up being a "half breed" of sorts by virtue that One Stab was his surrogate father. Whenever adversity strikes, he goes back to this Indian heritage and training, and becomes the warrior brave- whether it is appropriate or not. He also makes an interesting contrast to another character, Isabel Two. While she is of mixed ancestry, and was raised more as an American Indian culturally, the Colonel educates her in academics, which is the enantiomer of Tristan (ok, I'll admit that I've been waiting for years to use that word and it finally fits somewhere). It is any wonder that these two characters are attracted to each other as they dovetail perfectly in their upbringing.

Legends of the Fall is one of those epic films that most will enjoy, and everybody should see at least once. It works on many levels, including character, costume, scenery, cinematography, and some really great performances by some of Hollywood's best. If you haven't had the opportunity to see it, it's well worth seeking out on disc.

Overall Grade: A+

Reviewed by Jonas

Fracture (2007)

Nobody, (and I do mean nobody!) does creepy quite like Anthony Hopkins. This is the actor who brought Dr. Hannibal Lecter to life in The Silence of the Lambs, and in Fracture he is just about as creepy as he's ever been.

Hopkins is Ted Crawford, a well off (euphemism for "filthy stinkin' rich," seriously, his house is impressive) consultant structural engineer type. His wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz), is seriously younger than him. Jennifer gets involved in an extramarital affair with a police detective, and Ted finds out about it. Now that we have the love triangle, Ted decides to end it, by killing his wife. As there are witnesses to the shots, and he even admits it initially, this is a slam dunk case for the district attorney. Willy Beachum, played by Ryan Gosling, a young hotshot with a 97% conviction rate, takes on the case as his "last hurrah," even though he has one foot out the door at the DA's office as he heads out for greener pastures (with the green being from the cash at his new practice, not from the grass). With the stage set, how hard is it going to be to convict this guy? It gets pretty tough as Ted finds loophole after loophole, taunts Willy every step of the way, and even takes pleasure out of the whole thing as he makes a mockery out of the legal system.

The acting in Fracture is top notch, however the plot has some holes in it. Much of the story focuses on no murder weapon as the gun can't be found. It seemed like a "Scooby Doo" ending when at the end (SPOILER ALERT!) we find out that the gun was switched. How exactly did Ted get the gun back to the police detective without him noticing? And he didn't realize it had been fired recently? It simply doesn't fit together as tidily as I would like it to.

Then there is the medical problem I found that I can add to my list of medical related entertainment issues. Let's review our CPR: Find someone unconscious on the ground,call 911, then two rescue breaths, and check for a pulse. If they have a pulse then no compressions, if no pulse then start the compressions. Pretty easy, no? I guess that Fracture skimped on the medical consultants as we see the wife on the ground, they check for a pulse, state that she has one, and then start compressions. Huh? There's just no scenario where that makes any sense from what we see in the film.

Putting this all together, we have a finely acted film, but a cookie cutter, paint by numbers screenplay that limits this thriller. Fracture is decent, but with some of these issues solved, it could have been a lot stronger. Anthony Hopkins fans should seek it out, and the rest can wait for it to be on TV.

Overall Grade: B-

Reviewed by Jonas

Bobby (2006)

If I was looking for a film that would fill up our tags, then Bobby was the one to do it. The superpower cast includes: Harry Belafonte, Anthony Hopkins, Lindsay Lohan, Ashton Kutcher, Helen Hunt, Emilio Estevez, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Demi Moore, Martin Sheen, Elijah Wood, Joy Bryant, and William H. Macy.

The plot focuses on the day at the hotel before the night that Robert Kennedy was assassinated. Most of this film takes place at the Ambassador Hotel, which was a landmark until it was torn down recently. Bobby attempts to portray the characters of all social levels, from the busboy on up to the owner of the hotel as their live proceed during the day. It also tries to show that their paths intertwine, and that these folks are all related somehow, kind of the "six degrees of separation" thing.

My criticism of this film is twofold. Firstly, I felt that at times,we were reinterpreting the "stormy sixties" of 1968 through our modern times. While I guess this is impossible to avoid, as we all interpret the world through filters, it still doesn't need to be so obvious as it was in Bobby. The other thing was that there was very little of RFK. He finally makes a cameo appearance at the film's end to declare victory in the California primary, and get shot exiting through the kitchen (not much of a spoiler there, I think we all knew how it would end). His other several appearances are all canned newsreel footage of RFK giving speeches that made me feel like I was watching some type of "Kennedy marathon," on the History Channel, and not a major motion picture with this much star power.


Strange as it might seem, the part of Bobby that I enjoyed the most was the setting. The props all looked quite accurate and authentic for 1968. It reminded me of the analog world of the late Sixties, and how the digital revolution would change the world over the next three decades.

The acting performances were all excellent, although with so many characters, I would have liked to know less of them better, and at times I felt that the film lost focus. At least a few of the characters lacked depth, and I wasn't really sure who they were, or what they were doing in the hotel that day.

In summary, if you're a Kennedy fan, than Bobby is probably a great film for you. If you're not, then despite its big name star power, its only average.

Overall Grade: B-

--Jonas

All The King's Men (2006)

With a cast including Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, and James Gandolfini, a movie has to be good, if not great, right? Well, after trying to watch All The King's Men, it just proves (once again) that no amount of star power can save an otherwise dismal script.

The plot focuses on the life and times of Huey "The Kingfish" Long. He was the original power broker from Louisiana, first as their governor, and then after a one term limit, as their senator. He was also attempting to challenge President Franklin Roosevelt's reelection campaign for the '36 election. With his political power, and colorful personality, I'm sure this is fertile ground to make an intriguing film about this character. Interestingly, his first job was as a door to door salesmen, and he spent the rest of his career selling himself to his constituents.

Unfortunately, All The King's Men is quite the dismal film. The plot line is barely nonexistent. The artificial laid on Cajun accents required use of the subtitles. Gimme a break- James Gandolfini's was especially fake. The whole thing moves at a glacial pace, and barely makes sense. It's really sad when the twenty minute documentary in the bonus features has more to impart than the main attraction. Also annoyingly, even though the film is clearly about Huey Long, they insist on renaming the main character played by Sean Penn to Willie Stark. Why you might wonder? I truly have no idea.

In summary, I recommend All The King's Men to no one, unless you have to see Tony Soprano speak with a fake Cajun accent. Run, don't walk...you've been warned! It was truly a waste of good acting talent on such an ill conceived, and poorly written screenplay.

Overall Grade: F

The World's Fastest Indian

The World's Fastest Indian is a film focusing on an intepid tinkerer, Burt Monro, played by Anthony Hopkins. We get a glimpse into this man's hopes and dreams. The Indian is a 1920's motorbike which has been modified just about beyond recognition.

The film opens in New Zealand. We meet Hopkins in his tool shop, and see his practical approach to machine shop practice and motorcycle design. He is aided by a neighbor's son, and a pension clerk. His dream is to “top end” the bike on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The next part shows us a road trip as this "kiwi" from New Zealand overcomes a series of obstacles to get to the salt flats in time for the big event. It is very engaging to watch as folks of all different walks of life lend a helping hand along the way to our persistent protagonist.

The final part shows us the Bonneville Salt Flats "Speed Week" in1967. It was great to see the reproduction of the event, and many of the details involved in this type of racing.

The World's Fastest Indian is a very enjoyable film with broad appeal. Anthony Hopkins is showcased as a master of his craft. It is closely based on a true story, and the DVD includes lots of extra footage, including an interview with Munro.

Overall Grade: A