![]() The other writers, Ivan Moffat and Kenneth Ross, penned Giant and The Day of the Jackal, respectively. The guy was certainly no slouch at plot construction, dialogue, and adaptation. Most famous is Ernest Lehman whose versatility can be seen in films like Sabrina, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, West Side Story, Sweet Smell of Success, and North by Northwest. That may be due to the fact that the script is credited to three writers who each have their own pedigree. There seems to be no intentions to demonize, but there is a condemnation for violence of any kind. Hell, even the tagline is “It Could Be Tomorrow!” Yet, somehow it feels like it rises above that fray to be a rock-solid potboiler with a real sense of empathy for all of its characters and a priority of saving innocents. The perceived success of that task will likely vary - I would understand anyone’s objections to it as a piece of xenophobic fear-mongering. ![]() By focusing more on Iyad and Lander as a two-man operation without the support of her government, it tries to skate around the Israel/Palestine conflict. What’s most impressive about the movie, likely obvious from the plot description, is that it combines pulpy spy thriller elements and incredibly complicated geopolitical politics and somehow threads the needle. Produced by the legendary/notorious Paramount exec Bob Evans, it starts to make a little more sense how they were able to get the approval of both the NFL and Goodyear to use their names and logos. Also in the cast are character actors Michael Gazzo (Oscar-nominated for The Godfather II), Fritz Weaver, and William “Mr. Robert Shaw is absolutely dialed in as an Israeli agent whose reputation for finishing every job by any means necessary has earned him the nickname “The Final Solution.” It feels like a combination of what are likely his most iconic roles as the clever and ruthless agent of action Red Grant in From Russia with Love and the world-weary but vindictive and obsessive Shaw in Jaws. Working with the FBI to prevent the attack that they know to be imminent are Mossad agents David Kabakov (Robert Shaw) and Robert Moshevsky (Steven Keats from a personal favorite The Friends of Eddie Coyle). A testament to the characterization of the movie, it’s a manipulation that also comes from his infatuation and her pity that turns toward genuine care. We see that Iyad has directed Lander’s bitterness in life from having been presumed dead and left by his wife toward her cause. The mission is headed by Dahlia Iyad (Marthe Keller from Marathon Man) who enlists the help of former POW Michael Lander (a crazed but sympathetic Bruce Dern) to use his position as the pilot of the Goodyear blimp which films the games. ![]() #Spectacle rock botw movieThis past weekend, my starved appetite for big budget, well-crafted movies was satiated with an under-the-radar espionage thriller from 1977: Black Sunday.īased on the novel of the same name by Hannibal Lecter scribe Thomas Harris, the movie is about the Palestinian splinter group Black September organizing an attack at the Super Bowl. I can always rewatch class-A comfort food like Fury Road or Point Break, but the hunger for new surprises persists. I especially lament not getting to see something that promises big action but clever construction like No Time to Die seems to have considering the directing and writing talent attached. ![]() I’ve never turned my nose up at more bombastic popcorn fare (much to my friends’ dismay, I’m a known defender of Michael Bay), and I feel myself especially longing for a parade of big, loud blockbuster fare. ![]() For the most part, the blockbusters like Fast 9 and Black Widow got pushed back until theaters were viable options while others like Godzilla vs Kong will undoubtedly lack the impact a massive kaiju fight demands when I stream it from my couch. In the past year, I’ve seen a fair number of terrific movies, but most of them have been smaller indie fare that would benefit from the shared audience experience of being in a theater, but don’t strive for the awesome spectacle that demands theater sound and picture. ![]()
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