Richard Jewell is the biographical drama directed by Clint Eastwood who was wrongfully accused of masterminding the bombing at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996.  Billy Ray is the scriptwriter who adapted most of the material from an article by Marie Brenner and a book by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen.  The cast includes Sam Rockwell, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, Kathy Bates, and Paul Walter Hauser. Hauser takes on the title role as the well-meaning yet awkward Richard Jewell.  Rockwell plays the well-meaning yet much more intimidating attorney, Watson Bryant, who comes to Jewell’s aid.  There has been some controversy swirling around the depiction of Wilde’s role of recklessly ambitious reporter Kathy Scruggs.  It was rather heavily suggested that Scruggs had used her feminine wiles on a source to get information about who the FBI were considering as the culprit behind the bombing.  Her newspaper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has weighed in their displeasure about how their contribution to the brouhaha at the time was presented.  Scruggs herself is deceased, so she doesn’t have the opportunity to share her thoughts in the matter.  I would imagine she would raise all kinds of hell if she could.

Anyway, Eastwood once again comes up with a very compelling story to relate.  The movie is pretty captivating in spite of the questions of authenticity surrounding it.  It does appear that Rockwell’s character is some kind of composite fictional character since I can’t seem to find a badass attorney named Watson Bryant on Google.  That’s too bad because it’s a great name.  The performances are all really powerful.  Of course, with Rockwell, that’s not surprising.  Bates also deserves some mention here for her presence playing Jewell’s mother.  She’s also reliably compelling in whatever role she takes on, so that’s also not a shocker either.

There were some times I thought Scruggs came off as a bit of a caricature of an overzealous reporter, but that may have more to do with the writing than Wilde putting in a poor performance.  Some of the more egregious acts by the FBI in the film were apparently true.  I did some checking on the how some of the actual moments went down, and the film doesn’t appear to veer too far into the realm of utter fiction.  In spite of the hurt feelings being reported by some of the actual players or entities involved, the film still held my attention.  The film does well with pointing out the hazards of a rush of judgment and that sometimes even the press could use a critical eye when judging the veracity of what is reported.  It is terribly sad that Jewell himself did not live too many years after being essentially vindicated from suspicion.  He likely still would never have gotten the respect he deserved for his heroic contribution in saving some lives on that terrible day in 1996.  He did come out on top when it came to the lawsuits filed against the news agencies that contributed to his difficulties afterward.

Anyway, my recommendation is to check this film out and make your mind up.  Eastwood is closing in on 90 years old and can still put together a decent piece of work, so that’s also worthy of some respect.

 

The Dark Planet is a Doctor Who audio drama released by Big Finish Productions and is an episode from the range known as The Lost Stories.  Brian Hayles was the initial writer, however Matt Fitton adapted the story for audio.  William Russell and Maureen O’Brien reprise their roles as Ian and Vicki, respectively, and share in narration duties.  John Banks and Charlie Norfolk are the guest performers pitching in.  Ken Bentley directed this story as well.

So this is a story that was apparently submitted or considered for broadcast during the second season of the series around 1964 or 1965.  It ended up not being made for the television series which had the late William Hartnell in the lead role at the time.

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki arrive on a planet during the early years of the universe and discover that the sun is dying.  It appears abandoned except for crystalline statues peppered on the surface.  They find that it is not that deserted when the find a war has been occurring among the people of Light and Shadow.

This a six part story, and that’s just too many parts for this one.  I don’t mind lengthier stories generally, but I had some trouble staying too interested in this one.  That is not the fault of the performers though.  O’Brien and Russell are both compelling narrators and actors in spite of their rather lengthy life span.  I think this was one of those stories which I found harder to visualize than many.  It may have been too costly to bring it to life on the small screen at the time.  I am not too familiar with the background of this particular story since no cast interviews were included in this release.

I guess I didn’t find anything too unique in this one, but I am glad this was released since my affection for the First Doctor era has increased in recent years.  I am just going to hope I grow to enjoy this story more once I slip it back into the CD player.  It has some interesting ideas, but it felt too long.  Also, this may have been one of the harder ones to realize fully just on audio in spite of the narration.

The Irishman is the latest mob film directed by Martin Scorsese and tells the story of Frank Sheeran, played by Robert De Niro, who was a hit man for a mobster named Russell Bufalino, who is played by the great Joe Pesci.  Pesci hadn’t acted in several years and apparently has lost none of his instincts.  Al Pacino takes on the role of Union Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa, who disappeared in 1975 under some notorious circumstances.  Other cast members include Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, and the compelling Harvey Keitel.  A favorite comedian to many, Sebastian Maniscalco, also lends his talents to this project.  The film was written by Steven Zaillian, which was adapted from Charles Brandt’s book, I Hear You Paint Houses.  Apparently, “painting houses” is a mob euphemism for whacking someone.

Anyway, the film explores what may have happened to Mr. Hoffa.  It is told from the perspective of Sheeran and much of it is presented in flashbacks.  The assassination of President Kennedy is in the backdrop as well as Bobby Kennedy’s desire to go after the Mob.

The performances are all quite strong, which is not surprising considering the plethora of talent involved here.  The film is quite good, but it goes on for well over three hours and it doesn’t always avoid feeling like it.  There are some moments where it feels slow and plodding.  Also, I had some trouble shaking the sense of we’ve been there and done that.  Scorsese’s past films exploring the culture of organized crime were Goodfellas and Casino, which employed several of the same actors.  I guess it’s fine to do that, but I didn’t feel as much new ground was broken with this movie,

In spite of that, the critical acclaim is still well deserved.  The film does deserve an audience, but it does require a bit of patience at times.  It has Joe Pesci in front of the camera after many years of absence from the screen, and his presence was appreciated.  He plays a mobster but a rather different sort than the barely contained psychos in his previous roles.  The chemistry between De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino makes much of my criticisms easy to forgive.

It took some effort to stay focused sometimes, but I think Scorsese fans are not likely to be disappointed.  I also think just plain film aficionados such as myself are also in for a largely enjoyable if macabre experience.

Molten Heart is a Doctor Who novel written by Una McCormack. It features the current Doctor on television portrayed by Jodie Whittaker.  Graham, Ryan, and Yaz are the companions who have joined her in the TARDIS.  They have arrived on a planet known as Adamantine in which a civilization lives underground.  The citizens are strange lifeforms made out of rock-like substances.  They are also named after rocks such as Quartz and Emerald. Anyway, the Doctor learns that the environment is unstable and leads an expedition to find a lost scientist with the help of his daughter, Ash.  The planet is about to be destroyed, and the Doctor must find a way to the surface to seek the answers as to why and what she can do to help.

I am really not on board with the producer’s decision to change the Doctor’s gender and the reasons behind it, but it is what it is.  The novel wasn’t bad though.  The banter among this TARDIS crew seemed a little more clever and authentic than what is seen onscreen.  McCormack presents the story well enough.  There isn’t much that stands out in her writing style, but it gets the job done.  It’s an enjoyable if unmemorable contribution to the range.

Next up, Michael Connelly pairs up two formidable detectives in Dark Sacred Night.

Dark Waters is a legal thriller that is based on the true story of attorney Robert Bilott’s efforts to sue the corporation, DuPont, for tainting the waters of a community in West Virginia.  It is based on a 2016 article by Nathaniel Rich published in The New York Times Magazine.  The screenplay was written by Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan.  Todd Haynes is the director.  Mar Ruffalo plays intrepid and determined corporate attorney, Robert Bilott.  The cast includes Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, and Bill Pullman.

There have been plenty of films in recent years about some crusader going against the irresponsible big company that ends up poisoning some town’s water supply.  Not much new ground is broken here.  It’s still a pretty good film if a little slow at times.  The cast all did well, although some of the Southern accents seemed a little too thick at times.  I found this was a story that may have needed a little more room than what was afforded in a two hour film.  Maybe a limited series would have provided a little better breathing space for the story to unfold.  Anyway, Ruffalo does well enough in the lead role.  The case actually has gone on for years, and apparently Bilott is still a thorn in the side of DuPont to this day.

Even if the story seems a little too familiar at times, the movie was presented well enough for me to not hold a grudge over it.  I think most of the flaws the movie has is more due to the complex nature of these lawsuits than much else.  The ending scene has a very simple yet rousing moment that I appreciated, but I won’t spoil it.

“The Third Doctor Adventures Volume Five” is an audio play box set from Big Finish Productions the returns the fans to the era in which the late Jon Pertwee starred in “Doctor Who”.  Katy Manning reprises the role of Jo Grant.  Since Pertwee is still deceased, Tim Treloar provides the vocal performance of the Third Doctor and continues to represent the era quite nicely.  The late Nicholas Courtney was best known as Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart and of course is unable to reprise his role, however Jon Culshaw, perhaps Britain’s best known impressionist, is on hand to pitch in with his talents, so the Brigadier lives again.  I love the Third Doctor, but I was never a fan of the decision to have most of his tenure grounded on Earth. Saying that, I was very impressed with the efforts to recreate the dynamic as best as possible with several major performers deceased.  The while thing works quite well.  There are two four-part stories in this set as customary with this range and both are worth the time.

John Dorney kicks off with “Primord” which follows up on the catastrophes of the television serial “Inferno”.  Daisy Ashford takes on the role of the Doctor’s former assistant Liz Shaw, which was originally portrayed by the late Caroline John.  The touching little bit is that Ashford is actually Caroline John’s daughter and was reportedly very pleased with the idea of allowing fans to revisit Liz again.  Liz Shaw was a scientist as well and often was not quite as lost as other companions when the Doctor spewed forth his overly complicated explanations.  It has been a bit since I have watched an episode with Liz, so I am not sure how close Ashford actually is to sounding like her mother, however she is good enough to make me not care that much.  I liked Liz, so it was great to have her presence represented regardless.  I was also pleased that Michael Troughton was part of the guest cast as an overly ambitious general.  He is of course the son of the great Patrick Troughton, who is best known as the Second Doctor.  The story effectively revisits elements of “Inferno” and still offers a new take on the Primords.  Also, Liz sort of ends up not being quite the woman the Doctor remembers and that adds an interesting dimension to her participation.  Finally, the fans get the pleasure of hearing two of the Doctor’s friends who never met onscreen interact finally.  If there are more adventures to represent this era, I certainly would not object to hearing more Liz Shaw, as played by the original actress’s daughter, Daisy Ashford.  I certainly don’t object to John Dorney continuing to contribute his talents as writer as well.

“The Scream of Ghosts” is the second piece brought to us by another long-time Doctor Who contributor, Guy Adams.  This one sees the return of Sergeant Benton, as played by John Levene, who is still very much alive.  Guy Adams also is part of the guest cast alongside Dominic Wood, Rosalyn Landor, and David Dobson.  This story delves into what could have been the early days if experimenting with portable communication, in other words, mobile phones.  This story is set in the 1970’s, so this would have been a revolutionary invention at the time.  The Brigadier and Jo are asked to evaluate the progress of the work being done by a scientist named Coldicott, played by Landor.  Benton comes to the Doctor asking for help when an old friends reports hearing strange voices coming through CB.  All kinds of strange voices and sounds are emerging from the radio waves, and Coldicott seems to have made extraordinary breakthroughs in her efforts to master the problem of instant communication.  The Doctor finds that there’s a dangerous intelligence behind the strange events in the English village, and the danger also ends up being rather familiar as well.  It’s a good story, but I may have to listen to it once or twice more to imagine what was intended to be conveyed.  It’s a little harder to follow than Dorney’s contribution, however I found plenty to enjoy anyway.

The release pretty much stoked my sense of nostalgia for this particular era of the series as a whole.  Even though I may have some disagreement with some of the creative decisions at the time, the Third Doctor and Jo as main protagonists are still quite compelling and charming.  Even though some of the original performers are no longer with us, Big Finish put a lot of thought on how to recreate this particular era and it shows.  Culshaw’s talents are amazing.  I enjoy listening to the cast interviews which are included in the CD releases, and Culshaw seems to enjoy showing off his vocal talents in this set, but I did not mind a bit.  I also loved Katy Manning’s reaction in the interviews when she talks about how her memories of Jon Pertwee and Nicholas Courtney are brought to the forefront.  Her affection for her cast mates and her friends is very evident and makes her all the more charming.  The chemistry among the actors and the characters is recreated very effectively as well as providing new stories for them.  I hope news of the sixth volume of Third Doctor adventures breaks very soon.

“This Gun For Hire” is a crime drama released in 1942 and is apparently quite the gem in the film noir era.  Albert Maltz and W.R. Burnett are the screenwriters who adapted this piece from the novel by Graham Greene.  Greene’s novel was entitled “A Gun For Sale”.  Frank Tuttle is the director and does a pretty good job.

The film stars Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, and Alan Ladd.  Although Ladd has fourth billing, he is apparently the star here as Phillip Raven, a hit man on the run after he was betrayed by his most recent employer.  There is also a chemical formula on the black market that is key here, but I didn’t really care about that.  Anyway, Raven’s path crosses that of Lake’s character, Ellen Graham, a nightclub singing magician who is also the girlfriend of the police detective who is on Raven’s trail.

It sounds pretty confusing, and it is actually kind confusing, but it still manages to be a good film for the most part.  Ladd makes a formidable presence as the stoic, cynical gun for hire.  He and Lake seem to have an impressive chemistry that led to the studio making it a bit of a habit of casting them together.  The plot is a little complicated and rather implausible but not unforgivably so.

I could see why this film was a hit when it came out back then, and it should be one that any other classic film watcher would want to catch.

“A Man Called Ove” is a novel written by Swedish author, Fredrik Backman and centers around a curmudgeonly widower who finds that new neighbors aren’t always a bad thing.

Ove always struggled with liking or connecting with people, but he does find someone to love which is revealed in some flashbacks scenes peppered throughout the book.  Not long after his wife’s death. Ove meets his new neighbors after they back an RV over his mailbox.

Ove is an interesting fellow, but I have a soft spot for literary curmudgeons. He is quite the tortured soul who ends up being of some help to people without quite meaning to. I guess one could call him the quintessential study in contradictions.  The novel shifts back and forth between scenes of some hilarity and moments for sorrow.

A novel of this sort isn’t my usual genre of choice, but I rather liked this one.  If I had to express some disappointment, it would be that Backman really doesn’t get much into showcasing any real unique facets of Swedish culture.

It’s a pretty charming novel with more than a bit of poignancy to it as well.  Long live the curmudgeons!

Next up, I will be returning to one of my favorite series, although the TARDIS’s journey didn’t start between the pages of a novel.  It’s time to see what Una McCormack can do with latest TARDIS crew in her latest Doctor Who novel, “Molten Heart”.

“The Hitch-Hiker” is a 1953 film noir which was directed by Ida Lupino.  She also shares screenwriting credit with Collier Young and Robert L. Joseph.  This film has an interesting background in that it is based on the true story of how a psychopath named Billy Cook was captured after he had taken two men captive and forced them to help his escape from federal authorities.  The names were changed in order to avoid giving Cook some satisfaction over his notoriety. Cook himself was executed in California in 1952.

Anyway, the film stars Edmond O’Brien and Frank Lovejoy as the two buddies whose fishing trip is interrupted by notorious murderer, Emmett Myers, played by William Talman.  Talman is best known as Los Angeles District Attorney Hamilton Burger of “Perry Mason”.

Ida Lupino appears to be the only woman who directed a film of this genre in the 1950’s and she does a pretty good job with it.  It’s a pretty compelling movie, although it does seem a little implausible that the two men were not able to overpower Myers a little sooner.  They were together for several days before the climax of the film.

Talman displays some versatility as an actor with a his menacing depiction of Myers.  O’Brien and Lovejoy also work well together.

The other interesting aspect of this film is that there are no female characters in it.  It’s a pretty fascinating film when it’s all said and done.

I thought the film was quite compelling for the most part.  It was great to see Talman in such a wicked part.  He makes a pretty convincing psychopath.

The movie has both a compelling screen presentation and backstory.

“Knives Out” is a mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson.  All sorts of eminent actors are in this.  Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Toni Collette, and Christopher Plummer are part of the cast.  I guess I should mention Michael Shannon as well.  It seemed to be a bit of a spoof as well.

Craig plays this famous private detective with the unlikely moniker of Benoit Blanc who is asked to look into the gruesome death of very successful mystery writer.  Blanc .is at first the silent observer who is privy to the interviews the police are conducting into the dubious and shifty family members.  The only trustworthy soul is a nurse to the old man, played by Plummer, who has the inconvenient affliction of vomiting anytime she attempts to lie.

The movie takes a bit to get going, and the story doesn’t unfold in the most linear fashion.  Flashbacks are employed quite liberally.  In spite of this being a bit of a spoof of some classic murder mysteries, the puzzle at the center of this piece is actually pretty intriguing. Blanc turns out to be a wonderfully eccentric sleuth, although the accent Craig chose to employ was a little hard to identify.  I wasn’t actually sure if Blanc actually knew what he was doing, however he did end up being a lot sharper and more engaging than was first apparent to me.

It was pretty cool to see Don Johnson on the big screen.  It just seems a while since I have seen him in anything all that significant.  The cast over all was quite good, even the ones with whom I was less familiar.

Although I had to muster a bit of patience to get used to the style of how this story would be told, I ended up enjoying this quite a bit.  I think it would be fun to see Craig pick up the strange accent again as Blanc solves another case or two on the big screen.  Since Craig has confirmed that he is done with the James Bond franchise after the next upcoming film, a different sort of crime fighter could pique his interest.  Maybe Rian Johnson has another case in which to engage the services of Benoit Blanc.