Rest in Peace: SEAN CONNERY

 

Sean Connery

Two weeks ago, we were struck by the sad news that another major actor had passed away: Sean Connery had died in his sleep, aged 90. Sean Connery was a man of high caliber, his colleagues and friends say. His working ethics would be an example for many.

Connery had been acting for several years in smaller films when Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli selected him for the role of a British Secret Agent by the name of James Bond. The success in this role made him an international star and afforded him the luxury of having enough financial security to be able to say NO to parts he didn't want. Connery played James Bond in the films DR. NO (1962), FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963), GOLDFINGER (1964), THUNDERBALL (1965), YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967) and DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971).

Connery also selected to step away from the role after a time. Much has been written about the why of it and there is no need to go into that here. But even away from the role of 007, he would play some unforgettable characters in THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, ROBIN AND MARIAN, THE WIND AND THE LION, THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, OUTLAND, HIGHLANDER, THE NAME OF THE ROSE and his Oscar winning performance in THE UNTOUCHABLES. All of these roles exemplify the actor at his best, portraying heroic yet human characters in dangerous situations.

Of course, it was also a unique opportunity to see Connery return to the role of 007 in the inofficial Bond film NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, which had some good moments for the actor. Yet, his age did lead him to older roles, such as in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, THE RUSSIA HOUSE and MEDICINE MAN. After his role in THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, he decided he wanted to retire. (Yes, I know, his words were a little rougher, but let's leave it at that.)

Connery talking to Ian Fleming, 

the writer who wrote the Bond books

during the making of DR.NO

One role I would yet like to mention is that when he played the father of Indiana Jones in INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. Interesting fact is that Sean Connery was only 12 years older than Harrison Ford when he played Indy's father Dr. Henry Jones.

Of course, he was not my first James Bond (I had the good fortune of starting that franchise with THE SPY WHO LOVED ME with Roger Moore). Yet, Connery was the first actor in time to play the part with such success. (No, he also wasn't the first actor as there had been one television version of CASINO ROYALE in the 1950s before but that was not a success.) And although many will debate about who was the best Bond, Connery has always been good friends with Roger Moore. I suppose he would also say: Make up your own mind. 

Sean Connery turned 90 last August. He celebrated in the privacy of his own home, without fanfare, without celebrity fuss. He also passed away in the privacy of his own home. No fuss, no fanfare. How he always wanted it.   

You will be missed, Sean.

Pictures courtesy of EON Productions, Terence Donovan

RIP: Chadwick Boseman : the Black Panther actor, 43

Chadwick Boseman, 43

It has in the meantime been a few weeks since this tragedy struck us but the impact leaves us just as dumbfounded as it did before. When I read, a few weeks ago, that Chadwick Boseman, the actor who so effectively played the Black Panther in the Marvel Movies ( Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame ) had succumbed to colon cancer, I did not know what hit me. Chadwick Boseman was after all only 43 years old. He left a wife and two young children behind. 

Boseman was a complete unknown for me when I heard he was to play the Black Panther for Marvel. I had read he also played in a few other films but the name did not ring a bell. I had not seen any of these other films. But, having seen him only in the role of T'Challa, the Black Panther, I could tell this was not just anybody. Here was a man of some serious acting talent, a man of dignity, humility and caring attention. It was a complete surprise to me that Black Panther was such a big hit. I was at first wondering if people had forgotten about Blade, also an African American Superhero, battling vampires and very nicely played by Wesley Snipes at the time. (I did not care for parts 1 and 3 but part 2 was excellent.) But Black Panther was different. Blade also did not have the prominence as a character in the comics as he had started as a secondary character in Marvel's TOMB OF DRACULA. Black Panther, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the pages of FANTASTIC FOUR, was indeed the first Black Superhero in the pages of Marvel Comics.

Stan Lee congratulating Boseman at the premiere of Black Panther

Black Panther has had a very good history in the pages of Marvel Comics since his beginning in the pages of FANTASTIC FOUR. He has appeared in many series before he got his own comic book series but he has also been drawn by many different artists, from Jack Kirby, to John Buscema, Gene Colan and John Romita Jr.

Marvel Comics, all rights reserved

Chadwick Boseman was most certainly the right actor to play the part. Boseman had played James Brown, (Get On Up), baseball player Jackie Robinson in 42 and Thurgood Marshall in the film Marshall and would have certainly brought us many more good roles in case he had been granted more time.  Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and yet, he told no one but his own direct family and direct friends. He went from one film to the next while at the same time going from chemotherapy to operation and beyond, struggling thru all of this with the dignity of the Black Panther character and even made time to visit sick children in hospital last year, to give them some cheer. Although his last film we have seen so far is Da 5 Bloods by Spike Lee, we still have one film in post production and several TV items that we will be able to hear his voice in. It is a voice that was stilled too soon.  I wish his family and friends all the best in overcoming this great loss.

Rest in Peace: ENNIO MORRICONE 1928-2020

Ennio Morricone

Today the world of the movies is in deep mourning. Ennio Morricone has passed away. He was 91 years old. I have never met the Maestro but he has left us an enormous legacy of more than 50 years of film music. When people ask me, "which one is your favorite?", I usually say THE UNTOUCHABLES. But the truth is with a body of work that massive it is nothing but shortsighted to be able to only see one favorite title. And if I look again at what he has left us, I see so many that are wonderful.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly is a legendary score. So is Once Upon A Time in the West. But I also love My Name Is Nobody and 1900. I love John Carpenter's The Thing and although I have no great fondness for the film, the music of THE MISSION is fantastic. Casualties Of War. Frantic. In the Line of Fire. Wolf. Malena, there simply are too many to mention them all.
Ennio Morricone would even be able to make great music for crappy movies. Exorcist II The Heretic comes to mind but it does not end there. Although we are deeply saddened that he has left us, we rejoice in the musical legacy he has left behind for us.

Grazie, Maestro, Grazie !!!

An EON Production : The Rhythm Section, starring Blake Lively

The Rhythm Section

As we now have to wait a good half year longer for EON's production of NO TIME TO DIE, we do have an opportunity in the meantime to check out another EON production, that failed to score in the theatres, even before the current Corona Crisis. The Rhythm Section, a spy thriller directed by Reed Morano, based on a novel by Mark Burnell, starring Blake Lively and Jude Law. The film tells a story of a young woman, who tries to get revenge after her entire family is killed in a plane crash.

Blake Lively as Stephanie Patrick

3 Years after having lost her entire family, the life of Stephanie Patrick is one of deep depression, prostitution, substance abuse and addiction, when a journalist finds her in a brothel and tells her the plane crash that killed her family was an act of terrorism, covered up by the government. Although she at first does not believe him, she visits his apartment and is dumbfounded by the immense research all pointing fingers everywhere. The journalist tells her the plane was brought down by a bomb made by a man called Reza. Stephanie, in a dazed rage, gets herself a gun and tries to kill Reza at the University cafeteria where he attends courses, but she fails. When she returns to the journalist's home, she finds him to be killed.

Blake Lively and Jude Law

This sets off a series of events that lead quickly from one to the next, trying to engage the viewer in an engagement that never really works. You see, in a time where we have had films like ATOMIC BLONDE and PEPPERMINT, THE RHYTHM SECTION either tries too hard to be much more realistic than the aforementioned films or it simply fails to engage you. Personally, I don't think it is the actors' fault, as Blake Lively and Jude Law are quite good in their roles. But for a person who wants this kind of revenge, it quickly becomes apparent that Stephanie Patrick is NOT a killing machine. As a matter of fact, the only thing she seems to be good at is failing to kill anyone. 

Blake Lively and Sterling K. Brown

I also find it quite strange that one would cast Blake Lively, who in her own blonde look is a stunning beauty, only to subsequently make her look very plain janey, not at all gorgeous, but at best average. The direction is also moving along briskly and the music plays effectively along with the story, of which I do not want to give away too much now. You see, although this film was not reviewed well, I do think it has some merit. Might that be, perhaps, in the fact that the main character is a strong woman, who takes her life back in her own hands in a storyline that could have used some spicing up? Is it possible that in this character, producer Barbara Broccoli saw an interesting person that could possibly headline a good film? I think that is very likely but then I also don't see why there is the need for Stephanie Patrick to have gone off into deep depression, substance abuse, addiction and prostitution at the beginning of the film. Blake Lively does not come off as a believable prostitute, not even in a later scene where she impersonates one.

Blake Lively

I think a lot of decisions were made in the storyline to condense it down to a manageable 2 hour film  but at present, due to a lot of time jumps in order to bring it down to that running length, parts of the story are not clear. Also, with a star like BLAKE LIVELY, you definitely want the main character to look stunning and Stephanie Patrick is not that at all. If you compare her here with how she looks in THE SHALLOWS, that last film is a Godsend. She is gorgeous in that film. We then ultimately remain with a film that does not entirely fulfill any promises, except that it does not get boring. And yes, at the end of the film, you do smile when Stephanie..... aww shucks, I would have almost spoiled it all! Go see it! It may not be PEPPERMINT, but it still is interesting. 

The Rhythm Section was produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, the producers of the James Bond films. 

Star Wars: The Rise (and Fall) Of Skywalker review with spoilers

Due to problems with my eyes that have now been solved, I have only been able to see Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker very late. The film has now almost finished its cinema run and that means I can also mention things in this review that happen in the movie without fear of spoiling it for others. So this review will have spoilers. You are warned.

I have always been eager to see the Star Wars films in a cinema. I do not really consider myself a Star Wars fanatic but only in the cinema will the spectacle fully come to life with a large screen and appropriate sound system. The story and the special effects will take you into worlds never seen before. The music by John Williams has always been a beautiful component of imminent quality of the films. And while John Williams still does a great job in The Rise Of Skywalker, I have to be brutally honest in saying this film is the worst of them all. And that is all due to a very poor story.

When George Lucas did his first two trilogies, he put in a lot of effort to get the stories to work. He wrote for years before he would commit to a locked script that would then be filmed. His two trilogies worked very well with regards to story logic and in the way of cause and effect. Lucas was able to completely explain why and how Annakin Skywalker became Darth Vader and how he came under the influence of the Emperor.  His stories also explain how it is possible for the Emperor to have such vast armies by way of cloning. 

The first cardinal sin of The Rise Of Skywalker is that cloning is now used as an excuse to explain how the Emperor, who was seen falling to his death in RETURN OF THE JEDI, is now again very much alive. The person, who we saw die, was apparently not really the Emperor and this is explained in a very shoddy and iffy way by  no one in particular. Well, I don't think this is the mark of good writing as this fact is simply thrust upon the audience in the opening lines without having had the main characters have the opportunity to find this out on their own. Storywise The Rise Of Skywalker is nothing but a series of moments, some good, some bad, that race from one to the next without any seeming logic or narrative thread. What we see looks very good but the story simply makes no sense whatsoever.

There are some good moments (nice to see Lando Calrissian looking so good for his age) and the appearance of Harrison Ford as Han Solo was a very welcome one but it still does very little to make me feel for Kylo Ren/Ben Solo. Also, what we have seen before does not really make the storyline where Kylo Ren becomes simple Ben Solo again very credible. Had this been done over a few hours, that might have worked better but because this film had to make so many points in only 2 hours and some minutes, the film is simply overburdened with moments that hardly seem connected.

And where the Kylo becomes Ben storyline might seem interesting, I did not find it at all necessary to see Leia Organa die. There are more moments like this that for me do not really work but in the end, all you have is a film consisting of moments that do not really connect with me as the audience. I did enjoy the last scene where Rey buries the lightsabers on Tatooine and told  my grandson, with whom I had gone to see the film, that in 30 years or so those would be found again, to start a new trilogy. But if I then think again, what have we seen here, I can only say that J.J. Abrams fails to deliver a good script as a base for a pleasing film.

Alas, I also thought Star Wars The Force Awakens was unoriginal (it did nothing new) and that The Last Jedi was partially incompatible with what we had seen before and therefor wholly divisive amongst the fans. With The Rise Of Skywalker also failing hard to bring us what previously George Lucas had always done, bring a good dramatic storyline, I can only say my final conclusion is that everything that came after Lucas sold off the franchise to Disney sucks bigtime! In my opinion, GEORGE LUCAS SHOULD NEVER HAVE SOLD OFF THE FRANCHISE ! 

George Lucas

George Lucas was the creator of STAR WARS and wrote the whole storyline before he made his two wonderful trilogies. Sure, the second trilogy had some issues with the characters being less interesting but that was to show how Annakin Skywalker could become the biggest bad guy in movie history.  In terms of story logic, Lucas's films are rock solid. His films are GREAT !!!

J.J. Abrams

J.J. Abrams, the director who was asked to helm the new trilogy a few years ago, at first said no. He should have stuck to that. He may be a competent director but a storyteller, an auteur he is definitely not. Thank you very, very much, Mr. Abrams for fucking up not only one intergalactic franchise but two. ( He fucked up Star Trek before he messed up Star Wars.) I am not a hateful person, Mr. Abrams but I hope you learn from this and become a better director, having let down millions of fans worldwide.