Sully

This was a good movie that could have been a great one. Hanks' Sully was acted to perfection, and Eastwood's direction, particularly in the action sequences, was very good. However, I think one Netflix reviewer put it perfectly when they said it felt like the plot was continually circling itself in a holding pattern. That's very accurate - it feels like the story is going nowhere for most of the film. We see a couple of flashbacks to Sully's youth, but we learn nothing. We see the crash a few ways, and the same sets of reactions from the same sets of people over and over again. The repetition got to me, and the lack of forward motion in the plot felt stagnant. I really felt the film should have been longer, taken more time to explore Sully's character, and to get a sense of how he managed to be so calm in the face of such peril. In my mind I keep comparing this film to "Flight" with Denzel Washington. I will remember "Flight" for the rest of my life, but I think I won't remember much about "Sully" six months from now, which is sad to me. 3.5/5

Sully on Netflix

J. Edgar

I actually found this "bio pic" of Hoover & DiCaprio's acting in it quite solid & interesting throughout. 3.5/5


J. Edgar on Netflix

High Plains Drifter

Even as a Eastwood Western hater, I really enjoyed this avenging-angel-wreaking-havoc Western adventure. 4/5

High Plains Drifter on Netflix

Million Dollar Baby

This is just a spectacular film - perfectly acted, directed & written. Poignant, heartfelt, inspirational. 5/5

Million Dollar Baby on Netflix

For a Few Dollars More

Better that "Fistful" but nowhere near "High Noon". I even liked Clint alright and Van Cleef was great. It's definitely a genre issue - I'm just not that into spaghetti westerns it seems. I'll see "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" but if that doesn't change my mind I might call it on spaghettis and stick to classic westerns At least I got to see Klaus Kinski - totally bonus for me. I do love how different ways that man could play crazy. ;) 3/5

For a Few Dollars More on Netflix

A Fistful of Dollars

Sorry Jim, but this did nothing for me. Plot? Character? Motivation? Sorry, not in this film. Seriously, there were plot-holes I could drive a truck through & it wasn't nearly pretty enough to forgive all the weaknesses. 2/5

ADDED: Okay, to break this down a little more. I wanted to know something about The Stranger. I found out next to nothing. I wanted to understand the two sides of the battle. I found out next to nothing. I wanted to know what drove the characters. Naw, not that either. REALLY thin on the motivation front, which for me is always important in a film, and that was my biggest disappointment. The logic flaws really killed me. How did The Stranger know the shortcut back from The Small House when the Rohos didn't? If your enemy family was THAT easy to kill off, why hadn't they done it already, especially since not a one of the Rohos had any sort of conscience? If shooting a guy in the heart seven times isn't killing him - AND he's taunting you about it - why not try the head? I mean come on! And I'm sorry, I really did try, but the bad over-dubbing really got to me, as did Eastwood's acting. I've never been a fan of Clint's acting and I'm still not. I can't really explain it but he just rubs me the wrong way. This, sadly, was no exception.

Was it pretty? Sure. But I've seen so many better shot movies that it simply doesn't make up for everything I found lacking. Hell, I saw at least two films in the last two weeks that were shot FAR better than this was. I'm hoping that I'll have a better reaction to the next in the series but honestly I'm not holding my breath.

Oh, and Jim, for the record, I was right about the visual similarities to Herzog - they definitely shared a vision. Leone loved his deserts and Herzog adored his water. But, for my money, this was on par with Herzog's weaker works and Eastwood was never and will never be a Kinski. I'd put this up against Herzog's "Cobra Verde", which is IMO the weakest of his Kinski collaborations. Both Herzog and Kinski were well off their game and it showed, so while it was beautiful it suffered from the same logic and character flaws this film did. So, in your opinion, if this is Leone's "Cobra Verde", what's his "Fitzcarraldo"? Where does Leone shine the most and have his best collaborative work? That I'll be curious to see.

A Fistful of Dollars on Netflix

High Plains Drifter

 From the "There are no good guys" school of film, a shoot-y, rape-y tale of (angelic? demonic?) revenge. 4 stars.

Follow-up - When I say shoot-y & rape-y, I mean the Stranger rides into town, finds a bar and buys a beer. Less than three minutes later he shoots three men, grabs a woman, drags her into a barn and rapes her to teach her some manners. And hes the hero. Jesus allegorical Christ this movie ain't easy to like. But that's not the point, liking it or liking the Stranger. The point is don't let corruption and greed lead you to sell your soul, or someday someone might use that very thing to destroy you and everyone with whom you collude.

High Plains Drifter at Netflix

For a Few Dollars More

Maybe a better film, albeit less ambitious, than Good/Bad/Ugly. Tense. Wish this one was restored too. 4 stars.

Follow-up - I saw this trilogy in pieces on TV years ago, and  now recently, but out of sequence. In a way I wish I had seen "Few Dollars" before Good/Bad/Ugly. It would have made Angel Eyes even more...sadistic? Bad? More...something. Anyway...Leone had an eye that comes only once in a generation or three, and if you hate his editing and his love of cheesy bit players and his obsession with faces...watch his movies anyway, you won't find a better example of slow, deliberate direction done well. And such majestic scenery, used to frame and in some cases tell the story. Good stuff. Rent 'em all.

For a Few Dollars More at Netflix - All Sergio Leone movies at Netflix

A Fistful of Dollars

Leone had 200k to make this (like 1.4mil today) Solid "gunfighter comes to town and cleans up" story. 3.5 stars. How does Clint Eastwood look tough wearing a Mexican rug? Not even Chuck Norris could pull that off.

A Fistful of Dollars at Netflix

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Incredible visuals. Leone could tell a story. 4.5 stars. Watch the extras! (This pertains to the reconstructed/restored version on Blu-ray. Worth buying!)

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly at Netflix

A Perfect World

A fascinating look at the nature of violence. Deft, subtle, gritty, & powerful. A magnificent film. 4/5

A Perfect World on Netflix