The Movie Journal

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause is a remarkably interesting movie. This movie has received plenty of hype due to James Dean’s ultra-cool image. The movie has more than its looks going for it. It is a story that any teenager can relate to. The story of the rebellious child. We have all been there and done that. This is one of the earliest films to accurately portray what teenagers go through during this phase in life. Sure, life may have been different in 1955 than 2005, but I understand the thoughts and actions portrayed on screen. The characterization is what makes this film stand the test of time. Director Nicholas Ray and screenwriter Stewart Stern understand their characters very well, and so did the actors. The main character, Jim appears tough on the outside and fits the “cool” image from the 1950’s. But in his interior, he has an exceptionally soft heart. There is violent and lonely Plato. All he needs and wants is a friend in his life. ...

Ghostbusters I love Ghostbusters . The movie has always been a major part of life beginning with childhood. I’m very thankful I was introduced to this movie at such a young age. It is no surprise that the film was the biggest hit of 1984 and then some. The theater life was exceptionally long, but that is no big deal for a movie that helped in changing the landscape of feature films. This movie is considered to be one of Hollywood’s first blockbusters. It also proved that special effects and comedy will work well together given the right ingredients (unlike Spielberg’s disastrous 1941 ). These are just two of the main highlights that worked out in the film’s favor. The film was directed by Ivan Reitman, the man behind comedic hits like Animal House and Stripes . He did have a say in the screenplay, which was first drafted by Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd has always been fascinated with the paranormal. His family wrote books on ghosts or were mediums. His first script was more horror...

Better Call Saul: Season 1, Episode 10 "Marco" April 06, 2015 After last episode’s fast-paced nature that featured a shocking revelation, “Marco” ended the first season on a quieter, but still high note. I keep mentioning how gifted Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould are at their craft. They created characters that you could never, ever forget. Peter Gould directed this episode, and it is a work of art. He was very meticulous and patient, because this episode involved a big con that Jimmy used to do. He spent time showing how everything works. It was like Martin Scorsese directing this episode. The payoff is great, the ending is great, and now Jimmy McGill is through with taking crap from anyone. Jimmy is heartbroken over Chuck’s actions and words. He learned that Howard was not the pig he thought he was since Chuck was pulling the strings. Jimmy is now depressed with no clear plan. His bingo affairs at the elderly home is filled with bitterness. He says goodbye to...

Better Call Saul: Season 1, Episode 9 "Pimento" March 30, 2015 Better Call Saul’s ninth episode, “Pimento” is an amazing episode. It is a transitional character for Jimmy McGill. A set of events have been set in notion leading up to the reveal of Saul Goodman. This episode is exciting as it is bleak. There is an ultimate betrayal for Jimmy that broke my darn heart for him. All he wanted to do was get into his brother’s good graces using the law, but that ain’t gonna happen. If you wanted a Jimmy/Chuck teamup, you can throw that thought out of the window. Both Jimmy and Mike have some very excellent storylines-which were expertly written and directed by Thomas Schaunz. Jimmy and Chuck continue to work on the Sandpiper case, but the case is just too big for just the two of them. Their lawyers are pushing out hundreds of documents before Chuck can even review them, plus Chuck still has to deal with his illness (space blanket-lined suits, anyone?) Chuck suggests th...

Once Upon a Time in America (1984) In my humble opinion, Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America might be one of the greatest gangster films ever made, if not the best one. People unfairly compare this movie to The Godfather, but each film is a masterpiece in its own different way. People even say this movie is one of the best films of all time. I would give credibility to those people because I wholeheartedly agree. This film, Leone’s director cut at least, is in my top 100 list. One of the many reasons why this film is amazing is because is a deep, thematic film. Leone created a film about the American Dream. How it will lure you in with its promises and then betray you just as quickly. Sounds familiar, right? The film is also about friendship, loyalty, greed, love, and violence. The situation surrounding the film’s release is a sad story. The film is incredibly long at 3 hours and 49 minutes, but Leone made sure each minute mattered in telling his story. It does r...

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) It has been known that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is my least favorite film from the original trilogy…and only by a very slim margin. Ultimately, the film is a technical triumph, a rousing adventure, and an excellent sequel to 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark . Indiana Jones is at his best when he is fighting Nazis, but I think he does quite well fending off an evil Indian cult. Yes, the sequel (actually, it’s a prequel) is plenty darker than the first film, but it all makes for a very interesting watch. When the film received its initial treatment, director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas were going through turbulent times in their lives mainly through divorces. Those dark moments represent the darker tone of the story. The duo originally wanted Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote Raiders , to return but he felt the story was too dark and unpleasant for his taste. They hired Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck to write th...

Better Call Saul: Season 1, Episode 8 "RICO" March 23, 2015 How does an episode (or a series for that matter) that features so much boring law can be so enticing? This is an episode that probably has a billion law terms scattered throughout, and yet I was gripping the edge of my seat in anticipation. Gilligan and Gould really created amazing characters, didn’t they? This episode is about Jimmy’s rise into the world of law, but also about how everyone doubts him. Jimmy proves he will work his butt off to get what is needed to be done, but no one will care. Will anyone care enough that Jimmy dove into a dumpster to get the necessary paperwork? No, he probably broke the law. The cold open here broke my heart. Jimmy works in the mailroom of HMM and passed his bar exam on this third try. After expecting good news, Howard tells him they will “reassess in six months,” breaking the poor man’s heart. I felt so bad for him. But regardless of any obstacles pushed towards Jimmy, h...

Better Call Saul: Season 1, Episode 7 "Bingo" March 16, 2015 As Better Call Saul grinds itself towards the end of the first season, Vince Gilligan gave us yet another superb episode. How is a prequel series to one of the best shows on television ever is keeping up with that series? It’s just the remarkable gift that Gilligan has. The script, the acting, the music-all outstanding. Gilligan really understands the human condition as we see with James McGill in this episode. After last week’s emotional episode with Mike, the series goes back to the adventures of McGill and company. This episode is all about Jimmy and his shrewd cleverness. It’s also about how he wants to do the right thing, especially in the eyes of Kim Wexler and Chuck McGill. Bob Odenkirk is on his game this episode. In this episode “Bingo,” Jimmy has ideas of starting his law firm and taking Kim away from HMM so they can team up and practice elder law. Jimmy is already looking at offices. Kim has to ...

The Natural (1984) The Natural is my favorite baseball movie beating the likes of Field of Dreams or Bull Durham , and I love those movies as well. Could it be the iconic Randy Newman theme that brings me shivers every time I hear it at a baseball stadium? Could it be the stacked cast that includes Robert Redford and Glenn Close? Could it be the impressive direction from Barry Levinson? Or how about baseball being played with a religious overtone? Whatever is the real reason, its safe to say that I adore this movie with all of my heart. I’ve seen it a good number of times and it never grows old. Ever since hearing the theme played at an independent baseball stadium, my dad showed this movie to me and I’m glad he did. The film is based off a fictional story from Bernard Malamud. Barry Levinson, who smoothly directed the film, always claimed that the movie was not a direct adaptation of the novel. Many naysayers of the film criticized the film for not being faithful to th...

Sixteen Candles (1984) Director John Hughes just might be the unsung hero of 80's cinema. He gave us many teen films that have a unique style. His films are hilarious, fresh, and often relatable. Teen comedies generally loathe their characters, but Hughes treat his characters with respect and compassion. After all, they are only merely human. Aren't we all? Hughes had many teen comedy hits this decade and one of them is 1984's Sixteen Candles. Hughes truly understand the dynamics of high-school life. Sex is on everyone's mind, but they are so inexperienced, and it becomes a big deal. There were cliques in every high school as the whole geek vs. hot girl plot confirms. While this movie has some focus there, it elevates that cliché. There is this one scene where these two characters are in the front seat of an automobile. After Molly Ringwald's character tells the geek to get lost, they both realize that they feel the same; insecure, lost, and afraid. These chara...

Stagecoach (1939) 1939. One of the best years EVER in cinema’s history. There are instant classics such as Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights , and now you can add one more: John Ford’s Stagecoach . This movie is considered the father of modern Westerns. Yes, there have been many Westerns (including some directed by Ford) prior, but they were all seen as B-films. Nothing that would make its mark on cinema. Not until Ford pressured studios to turn the genre from B-films to A-films. This movie is considered to be one of Ford’s greatest films and he made plenty of them. As for my own personal opinion, I loved this film. I can see why it influenced many other Westerns in years to come. It really is a film ahead of its time, especially with that heart-wrenching action sequence. The film is the beginning of a long partnership between John Ford and star John Wayne. Ford has made many silent films to put himself on the map. John Wayne has been in nearly 40 ...

Better Call Saul: Season 1, Episode 6 "Five-O" March 09, 2015 “Five-O” is an amazing episode and a very important episode. It helps if you have knowledge of Breaking Bad because you will need to apply it here. In that second season, we are introduced to Mike, Saul’s cleaner. Mike instantly became a fan favorite and is essential piece for the father series. This episode, directed beautifully by Adam Bernstein, is the episode we have all been waiting for. The backstory of Mike and how he came to be. It is a haunting story with performances you’ll never forget. Mike is a former Philadelphia cop and he relocated to Albuquerque after his son, Matt was murdered. He wanted to be close to his daughter-in-law Stacee (Kerry Condon) and his granddaughter Kaylee. Mike, who possessed poor morals as a Philly cop, was partners with Matt. He said corruption is necessary to survive in the precinct, which ultimately led to Matt’s death. He later seeks revenge on these cops. Mont...

Better Call Saul: Season 1, Episode 5 "Alpine Shepherd Boy" March 02, 2015 “Alpine Shepherd Boy” is the midpoint of Better Call Saul’s first season. It’s a calm, collected, and very informative episode. The pacing is slower from previous episodes, but that’s okay because its essential for the viewers to see Jimmy McGill at practice. I also like the dynamic between Jimmy and his brother, Chuck. With Chuck in the hospital for the majority of the episode, its proven to us how much Jimmy cares for his elder brother. There are moments of hilarity, sweet lines of dialogue, great direction from Nicole Kassell, and an unsuspecting ending. After the publicity stunt Jimmy pulled, he receives voicemails from potential clients. It turns out these clients are not useful. There’s a psycho political client and there’s an inventor who is trying to invent a toilet designed…with a purpose. His last client is an older lady who wants to create a will. Kim offhand suggests to Jimmy...

The Bounty (1984) We all know the story of the H.M.S Bounty, the British ship that was mutinied by the ship’s second-in-command. There have been five film adaptations based on this story: an Australian silent film from 1916, another Australian film from 1933 starring Errol Flynn, the more famous 1935’s Mutiny on the Bounty starring Charles Laughton, and the 1962 remake with Marlon Brando. The latter two films were based on a series of books from Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Our latest film based off the event is 1984’s The Bounty which features Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson. This one also happens to be my favorite. It’s a slower-paced film, but the performances are rich. This is also a more historically accurate film when compared to the others. This particular film is based off the 1972 book from Richard Hough. Hough’s book is meticulously researched and is a deep character study on Captain William Bligh and his second-in-command, Fletcher Christian. Acclaime...

Moscow on the Hudson (1984) I have some interesting thoughts about Paul Mazursky’s 1984 film, Moscow on the Hudson . It is a character study that is way ahead of its time. It’s a patriotic film but with a liberal mind, and you did not see many of those kind of films in the 1970’s or 1980’s. Mazursky filled his film with characters that have different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. That makes sense considering New York City is the country’s melting pot. The city where all cultures can be themselves. This is a sweet, fish-out-of-the-water film that ultimately loses steam as we approach the finish line. I can forgive that because the majority of the film is strong and entertaining. A lot of effort was put into making the film realistic as possible. I definitely appreciate all the realism Mazursky and star Robin Williams brought to the film. The director’s grandfather actually emigrated from Ukraine 80 years prior so there was some family history involved. He also spent a...

Better Call Saul: Season 1, Episode 4 "Hero" Vince Gilligan is a genius! How he is able to come up with these plot points and excellent line of dialogue is either the work of a madman….or a genius. The fourth episode of the first season, “Hero” is yet another work from this Albert Einstein of television. One wouldn’t think that this prequel would ever come close to the adventures of Walter White….well I think it has. This particular episode does play down the drama and ups the comedy, but we are in for a treat. In addition to Bob Odenkirk, Michael McKean as Chuck stands out this episode. He provides many of the comedic lines, but also delivers a very tense running sequence wrapped in a space blanket. Finally, the episode shows you how clever Jimmy McGill really is, pulling off some complicated cons. The episode’s opening starts off with one of those cons Jimmy used to do against people in an alleyway. Very clever, I gotta admit. Then, we roar right back to presen...

Better Call Saul: Season 1, Episode 3 "Nacho" February 16, 2015 Well, “Nacho” is a great episode. Fans of Breaking Bad were hit-and-miss on the first two episodes because of its mandatory setup, plus they thought it was slow and boring. Not me! I thought the first two episodes of Better Call Saul , while capturing the tone of the father series but standing on its own, continues down that righteous path. This episode is engaging, tense, and has a good sense of humor. Once again, the acting remains great as always. Bob Odenkirk really kills it as Jimmy, doesn’t he? The episode is also noticeable for the teaming up of Jimmy and our favorite Mike and really giving us an insight on the show’s main female character, Kim Wexler played wonderfully by Rhea Seehorn. The episode starts off with a cold open. This show is good at those, huh? Chuck visits his brother in prison, and we learn more about Jimmy’s past this way. Flash forward to the show’s present tense. The last...

Romancing the Stone (1984) 1984’s Romancing the Stone is truly a silly, but entertaining adventure. People view this movie as a Raiders of the Lost Ark rip-off, but this movie deserves that statement but in a positive way. It captures the sense of adventure and the humor the Spielberg movie has, although it’s not as good as that classic. It helps that there is intense, sparkling chemistry between Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. It’s one of those movies that shock you when you find out these two actors are not committed to one another in real life, because the chemistry between the two stars is fire! The man behind the camera is Robert Zemeckis. Zemeckis is now seen as one of cinema’s greats especially when it comes to his Back to the Future trilogy. First, he had to prove himself and he certainly did so here. I find it funny that 20 th Century Fox, the film’s studio, thought this film would bomb so hard, so hard that they fired Zemeckis from their next big-budget ...

Racing with the Moon (1984) Racing with the Moon is one of those films that you have unlikely never heard of. It’s a very small film…but it is one that is worth checking out, especially if you like tender, heartfelt dramas. I have never heard of this film until I did research on movies with Nicolas Cage. This is one of his earlier roles, and the movie does have a nice cast attached to it. It’s by no means the best romantic drama, but its heart is too pure to resist. It doesn’t try to be super nostalgic or sugary as it has a more realistic angle to it. The film was directed by Richard Benjamin, who has shown he has a knack of working well with teenagers and also with sensitive material. It took me by surprise to see who wrote the screenplay. Are you familiar with the name Steve Kloves? If not, he is the gentleman behind the Harry Potter screenplays a good two decades after this movie’s release. At least you can tell that Kloves can create well-rounded teens. His characte...

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) “Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.” This quote, the most memorable quote in 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate , is a quote used to describe the brainwashed Raymond Shaw. This satire/drama is a politically charged movie that you will never forget. Nearly sixty years after the film’s release and more than twenty years since the end of the Cold War, this film remains as shocking and prevalent as ever. Perhaps that is a reason why the film was remade in 2004. That said, the film takes no side. Conservative, liberal, independent-the film goes after these parties. I certainly liked the depiction of McCarthyism here. The film does the job showing how the political spectrum works and how the mass and individuals could be brainwashed by this system. The film is based off a Richard Condon novel which has a heavy bite to his words. Condon admitted that he was surprised when wr...

Better Call Saul: Season 1, Episode 2, "Mijo" February 09, 2015 The first season of Better Call Saul is starting off with a bang thanks to a wonderful blend of old and new characters. This episode, “Mijo” notches up the tension a level or two with the events that transpired here. Facing death in the eye, we see that Jimmy is no Walter White. Jimmy trying to bluff his away from a horrible situation is funny….and ultimately pathetic. After an episode solely designed for character building, the episode goes right into the action and excitement. I was clinging to my chair the entire first half due to everything going on. I wouldn’t think that Jimmy would be facing death in Episode 2, but this might be the moment that truly opens the door on his criminal proceedings. Also, do NOT mess with Tuco’s abuelita! When the last episode ended, the skateboarders Jimmy hired to scam Betsy Kettleman were captured and hogtied by Tuco. Jimmy comes along to the rescue and the skat...

Better Call Saul: Season 1, Episode 1 "Uno" February 02, 2015 When AMC announced that there would be a prequel series to the fantastic Breaking Bad , I thought they were setting themselves up for failure. There would be no way they could make this series, especially one that is focused on the pathetic Saul Goodman, anywhere near as good as the father series. People, I was wrong. Not only with this episode but in episodes to come, Vince Gilligan/Peter Gould created a series that while similar to Breaking Bad and features some of the same characters but has its own heart and able to stand on its own. Let’s talk about the series premiere, “Uno” which was directed by Vince Gilligan. The episode starts off in a very cold, detailed open. It’s all black-and-white which you can assume this takes place after everything happened. Saul is now the manager of a Cinnabon in a mall. You catch all the details including the making of the dough, but there is this one guy who has a...