July 7 - The Amazing Howard Hughes

Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on July 7. I hope you will watch this film tonight and enjoy it.

THE AMAZING HOWARD HUGHES          

When his father dies in 1924,  Howard Hughes has himself declared a competent adult, even though he’s underage and takes over the Hughes Tool Company. After hiring Noah Dietrich, who gradually becomes his main gopher, Hughes moves to Hollywood and starts producing movies. He learns to fly and starts the Hughes Aircraft Corporation. He films Hell’s Angels, but after sound is introduced, Hughes re-shoots the entire film as a  talkie. Hughes starts to become obsessive about his health and breaks the world airplane speed record.  Hughes meets Katherine Hepburn and flies around the world. He films The Outlaw with Jane Russell and makes millions during the Second World War through government contracts. On July 7, 1946 [1:00:47 to 1:04:08] while test flying the FX-11, Hughes crashes and is almost killed. Congress investigates Hughes’ wartime contracts. Hughes accuses Senator Brewster, who‘s spearheading the investigation of corruption. Hughes says Brewster told him that if Hughes would merge TWA with Pan-Am, the investigation would go away. Hughes says that if the ‘Spruce Goose’ won’t fly, he’ll leave the country. It does fly. Hughes refuses to give Paul Jericho a screen credit because he thinks Jericho is a communist.  Hughes recruits a group of Mormon men to act as his bodyguards and aides and eventually fires Noah Dietrich. Hughes becomes a complete recluse only emerging to show that Clifford Irving’s alleged biography of Hughes was a fake. Hughes died in 1976.    

                     

An interesting film. However it is a gloss and not a complete bio. Many, many details were omitted or just touched upon. Should either have just concentrated on a period of Hughes’ life or been longer to allow for a more detailed story.

Howard Hughes-Aviator by George J. Marrett (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 2004)

    pps. 73-78

Producer – Herbert Hirschman

Director - William A. Graham

Awards – The film won the Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing for a Special Emmy. The film was also nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Makeup Emmy at the 30^th Primetime Emmy  Awards.

Screenplay -   John Gay                          

Runtime – 3 hours 35 minutes  

Released – April 13, 1977                                                                         

 Starring –

Tommy Lee Jones as Howard Hughes

Ed Flanders as Noah Dietrich

Lee Purcell as Billie Dove

Sorrell Brooke as Mayor LaGuardia

James Hampton as Wilbur Peterson

Howard Hesseman as Jenks

Tovah Feldshuh as Katharine Hepburn

Marla Carlis as Jane Russell

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.

July 6 - The Audrey Hepburn Story

Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on July 6. I hope you will watch this film tonight and enjoy it.

THE AUDREY HEPBURN STORY     

The film is a series of flashbacks by Audrey Hepburn while she is filming Breakfast at Tiffanys.  In 1935 Belgium, six year old Audrey has to deal with the break-up of her parent’s marriage. She goes to dance school in England, but moves to Holland when the war breaks out as her mother thinks it will be safer. This is a mistake, as the Nazis invade and occupy the country. Audrey acts as a courier for the Dutch Resistance and is very ill as the war ends. After the war her dream of becoming a prima ballerina comes to naught, but she gets a bit part a Jerome Robbins  musical review and has an affair with the show’s piano player. Audrey gets a one-line movie role and meets James Hanson, who becomes her fiancée. While filming the movie Monte Carlo Baby, Colette selects her to play Gigi on Broadway. She films Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck, but has problems in doing Gigi, as she’s not a professional actress. She breaks up with James. Audrey works with Givenchy to develop her signature style for the movie Sabrina.  She develops an attraction for her co-star, William Holden. On July 6, 1954 [1:34:13 to 1:36:14] she films a scene in Sabrina with Humphrey Bogart. Later Holden offers to divorce his wife and marry her, but she refuses when she learns he cannot have any more children. Audrey meets Mel Ferrer who persuades her to star in Ondine with him on Broadway.  She wins an Oscar and marries Mel. She films The Nun’s Story while pregnant.  In the hospital for exhaustion, an argument with her mother after discovering her mother had concealed letters to Audrey from her father causes a miscarriage. She goes to see her father and later does have a child. Mel persuades her to do a film called Breakfast at Tiffanys.

                      

A good biopic. I like it because it mainly sticks to the real facts about Hepburn’s life. Hewitt is very good as Audrey. However the film only tells the story of the first half of her life.

Date given in film at 1:35:41

Producers - Kay Hoffman, Steven Robman and Jennifer Love Hewitt

Director - Steven Robman

Screenplay - Marsha Norman

Runtime – 2 hours 55 minutes

Released - March 27, 2000

Starring -

Jennifer Love Hewitt as Audrey Hepburn

Frances Fisher as Baroness Ella Van Heemstra

Keir Dullea as Joseph Hepburn-Ruston

Gabriel Macht as William Holden

Peter Giles as James Hanson, Baron Hanson

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.

July 5 - Nancherrow

Today’s movie is a period drama with a scene that happens on July 5. I hope you will watch this motion picture tonight and enjoy it.

NANCHERROW                 

In February, 1947 Col. Carey-Lewis dies. He leaves his house, Nancherrow to his daughter Loveday Trevelyan, who wants to immediately move into the house, whether her farmer husband Walter wants to or not. Loveday’s friend Judith Wells who’s married to Dr. Jeremy, suffers her third miscarriage. In London Loveday sees a former love,  Gus Cullendar, an avant garde artist and they have a one night stand. The summer ball is held at Nancherrow. Loveday learns her father’s lawyer embezzled all her money, but the death taxes still have to be paid. Loveday divorces her husband and Gus moves in with her at Nancherrow. On July 5, 1948 [1:07:43 to 1:08:46] Dr. Wells makes a speech on the first day of the English National Health Service. Expensive repairs have to be made to Nancherrow, as it has dry rot. Then Jess, the younger sister of Judith Wells turns up pregnant by Simon Travis the young protégé of Miss Catto, the headmistress at Jess’s school. However she and Simon get married. Loveday has to open Nancherrow for public tours to help pay the bills. Judith stars teaching English at Miss Catto’s school, while her husband gets more involved in community affairs.   Loveday and Walter have a big fight over their son Nat’s desire to board at school and go on to Eaton. Will, Jess and Simon’s son gets polio and dies. His parents move to Australia for a fresh start. Diana, Lovday’s mother persuades her cousin, Viscount Berryann to invest in her friend, Nikko Bernhoffer’s motorcar company, but Viscount Berryann advises her that she must stop helping Loveday with the cost of running Nancherrow or she will be broke in two years.  Gus, upset by Loveday’s refusal to even consider selling Nancherrow leaves.  Judith, who had apparently been indifferent to the death of her nephew, reveals that she deeply loved him, when she has a breakdown in front of her class. When her husband’s medical partner makes a pass at her, but is stopped by her husband, the couple reconcile. Loveday finally decides to sell Nancherrow and she persuades Gus to return to her. The last house versus village cricket match is held. Nancherrow is auctioned off, but everyone is surprised when Gus, who unknown to anyone had recently made a lot of money on sales of his paintings buys the house.  To compound the good news Judith and Jeremy have a child and Gus and Loveday get married.

A passable British melodrama. A good character driven story. It keeps you interested. The house Nancherrow almost seems to be a character in the story. 

Never Again by Peter Hennessy (Pantheon Books, New York, 1993) at page 143 gives the date of the start of the National Health Service

Producer - David Cunliffe    

Director - Simon Langton           

Screenplay - John Goldsmith                 

Runtime – 3 hours         

Released - April 4, 1999                                                  

Starring –

Joanna Lumley as Diana Carey-Lewis

Katie Ryder Richardson as Loveday Carey-Lewis

Lara-Joy Körner as Judith (Dunbar) Wells

George Asprey as Jeremy Wells

Susan Hampshire as Miss Catto

Patrick Ryecart as Tommy Mortimer

Philipp Moog as Gus Cullendar

Tristan Gemmill as Walter

Robert Hardy as Viscount Berryann

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.

July 4 - My Girl

Today’s movie is a comedy-drama with a scene that happens on July 4. I hope you will watch this film tonight and enjoy it.

MY GIRL                             

In 1972 eleven year old hypochondriac, Vada Sultenfuss lives with her widowed father Harry, who is a mortician and her alzheimer inflicted Gramoo. Her father  can’t relate to her, so he ignores her. Then one day free spirit Shelly DeVoto gets hired as a makeup artist at the mortuary. Vada’s best friend is a boy Thomas J., who’s allergic to everything. Vada has a crush on her English teacher, Mr. Bixler.  As the summer progresses Harry and Shelly begin developing an attraction for each other, which is not appreciated by Vada, even though Shelly tries to act as a mother towards Vada. Vada takes a summer writers class led by Mr. Bixler. On July 4, 1972 when Shelly’s ex-husband shows up to try and take her motor home, Harry threatens to plant him in the front yard if he ever comes back. [53:06 to 59:21] One day Thomas J. and Vada knock down a hornet’s nest and she loses her prized mood ring. Later, Vada decides to run away from home because she is upset about the developing relationship between her father and Shelly, but when she returns no one has even noticed she had left. Vada has her first period and Gramoo interrupts a funeral service.  Vada and Thomas J. kiss. Thomas J. goes back to find Vada’s mood ring and is stung to death by the hornets. Vada is devastated and retreats into herself, but has an emotional outburst at Thomas J. ‘s funeral. She runs away and becomes even more agitated after she meets Mr. Bixler’s fiancée.  Vada returns and confesses to Shelly that she stole the money to pay for the writing class from her. Vada and her father are able to reconcile and move on.  Thomas J. ‘s mother gives Vada the mood ring found on his body.

A bittersweet film. Has some very funny moments, but also teaches some important lessons. Vada learns not to hold things inside. Her father learns that you can’t shield children from the world and the longer you try the more you can hurt them.

This is an Independence Day party, which is this date as per Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays by Robert  Myers, Doubleday & Co., Garden City, NY, 1972) at page 188. The calendar at 10:23 a few days previous shows the month as June, so it is not Memorial Day.

Producers -  Brian Grazer, Joseph M. Caracciolo and David T. Friendly

Director - Howard Zieff                   

Screenplay - Laurice Elehwany                         

Narrator - Anna Chlumsky    

Runtime – 1 hour 42 minutes                             

Released – November 27, 1991

 Starring - 

Anna Chlumsky as Vada Sultenfuss            

Macaulay Culkin as Thomas J.

Dan Aykroyd as Harry Sultenfuss

Jamie Lee Curtis as Shelly DeVoto

Richard Masur as Phil Sultenfuss

Ann Nelson as Gramoo

Griffin Dunne as Mr. Bixler   

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.

July 3 - The Doors

Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene set on July 3. I hope you will watch this film tonight and enjoy it.  

THE DOORS                           

In 1965 Jim Morrison is a film student at USC until criticism of one of his films causes him to quit. He meets Pamela Courson. Morrison starts writing songs and with Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore form a rock band, The Doors. They start performing and soon reach the top of the LA bar scene. This leads to a recording contract. The Doors become hugely popular. They appear on Ed Sullivan, ignoring a request to change the lyrics of their song, “Light My Fire”. Morrison becomes obsessed with his own image as “The Lizard King” and with sex and drugs.  He meets Patricia Kennealy, a journalist who’s into witchcraft and they begin an affair. The band gets tired of Morrison’s alcoholism and drug abuse, which causes him to disappear for days on end and show up late for concert performances. At a concert in Miami, Morrison’s onstage antics get him arrested for indecent exposure. He was convicted and many of the bands shows were cancelled.  Morrison moved to Paris with Courson and on July 3, 1971 [2:04:19 to 2:06:33] she found him dead.

              

A strange movie about a strange guy. I must confess I have never been a fan of Morrison or the Doors. This movie goes in for the hallucinogenic style of filmmaking, with visions and symbols showing up throughout. However, I do appreciate that the movie doesn’t try to sugarcoat Morrison’s life. His abuse of alcohol and drugs and the problems it caused him and others are clearly presented. 

Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend by Stephen Davis (Gotham Books, New York, 2004) at pages 442-445 gives his death date

Producer - Brian Grazer, Bill Graham, Sasha Harari and A. Kitman Ho

Director - Oliver Stone

Screenplay - Oliver Stone and J. Randall Johnson

Runtime –2 hours 20 minutes

Released – March 1, 1991

Starring -

Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison

Sean Stone as young Jim

Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson

Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek

Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger

Kevin Dillon as John Densmore

Kathleen Quinlan as Patricia Kennealy

Floyd Red Crow Westerman as Shaman

Billy Idol as Cat

Josh Evans as Bill Siddons

Michael Wincott as Paul Rothchild

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.

July 2 - Sphere

Today’s movie is a science fiction film with a scene that happens on July 2. I hope you will watch this film tonight and enjoy it.

SPHERE                             

On July 2, 1998 [2:53 to 13:23] Norman arrives at the site of what he thinks is a plane crash in the Pacific Ocean. Instead he learns there is an alien spacecraft that crashed 300 years ago and that he and the team are there because of a report he wrote years ago about how to handle first contact. Besides him the team includes marine biologist Beth" Halperin, astrophysicist Ted Fielding and mathematician Harry Adams. The team along with navy Commander Barnes and two technicians descend to an underwater habitat that has been placed to serve as headquarters for their investigations.  They soon discover the ship is American and from the future. The last event in the log is ‘Unknown Entry Event’, apparently a trip into and through a black hole.  They find a large perfect sphere that reflects images of everything, except people. Harry concludes they are fated to die under the sea. He reasons if they had returned the ‘event’ would not be unknown. Harry enters the sphere and this prevents their evacuation prior to the arrival of a typhoon, so they are stuck in the habitat. Numeric messages appear on the computer coming from an alien named “Jerry’,  from inside the sphere they presume. One tech is killed by jellyfish and another by a giant squid. The squid returns and attacks the habitat and both Ted and Barnes are killed. Norman finally deduces that Harry’s trip into the sphere gave him the power to manifest his dreams and nightmares and that is what caused the deaths.  Beth’s suicidal thoughts trigger explosives she had planted on the spaceship and they are barely able to get away in a minisub. The three decide humanity is not ready for this power and collectively decide to forget the power and what happened, as the sphere returns to space.

                       

A very interesting psychological sci-fi  movie. Presents a very suspenseful mystery. The ending is not as clear as I would have liked.

Sphere by Michael Crichton (Ballantine Books, New York, 1987) at page 4 gives date of Norman’s arrival

Producer - Barry Levinson

Director - Barry Levinson

Screenplay - Kurt Wimmer, Stephen Hauser and Paul Attanasio

Runtime – 2 hours 9 minutes

Released - February 13, 1998

Starring –

Dustin Hoffman as Dr. Norman Goodman

Sharon Stone as Dr. Elizabeth "Beth" Halperin

Samuel L. Jackson as Dr. Harry Adams

Liev Schreiber as Dr. Ted Fielding

Peter Coyote as Capt. Harold C. Barnes

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.

July 1 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Today’s movie is an action fantasy film with a scene that happens on July 1. I hope you will watch this film tonight and enjoy it.  

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX  

Harry Potter is moping about in Little Whinging when he and his muggle cousin are attacked by dementors, the wraith-like guardians of Azkaban who suck out your soul. The attack is witnessed by Harry’s goofy neighbor Mrs. Figg, who is revealed to be a squib, or non-magical child of magical parents. Harry is taken to 12 Grimauld Place, London, the home of Sirius Black and headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, the anti-Voldemort group. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge and his supporters try to discredit Harry and Dumbledore’s story of Voldemort’s reappearance as they think Dumbledore wants to seize power himself.  Thanks to the testimony of Mrs. Figg Harry is acquitted of illegally using magic in front of a muggle in repelling the dementor attack. At Hogwarts Harry is introduced to the quirky Luna Lovegood, who like Harry can see the normally invisible flying thestrels that pull the carriages to the school. He is punished by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge, a supporter of Fudge, for saying Voldemort has returned. Harry starts having disturbing dreams. Umbridge is appointed “High Inquisitor” and fires Professor Trelawney. Hermione Granger organizes “Dumbledore’s Army” (the DA) to train students in the use of magic to fight Voldemort. Neville Longbottom finds the room of requirement, which will only open for people who need it, which the DA uses as a training ground. Harry has his first kiss with Cho Chang and he has a vision of Mr. Wesley being attacked and this helps save Mr. Wesley’s life. Snape tries to teach Harry occulmancy, the art of closing his mind to magical attack. Hagrid returns and there is a break-out from Azakaban prison. Umbridge gets in the room of requirement after using truth serum on Cho Chang. Dumbledore goes on the run and Umbridge is made headmaster of Hogwarts. Hagrid shows the trio that he is keeping his giant half-brother, Grawp in the Dark Forest. Harry learns why Snape hated his father and the Weasley twins leave the school.  Harry has a vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort. When they try to use the magical flue network to get to London, they are caught by Umbridge and have to use  Grawp to escape. They use the thestrels to fly to London. There in the Ministry of Magic’s Department of Mysteries Harry finds a prophecy about him that is wanted by Voldemort. The Death Eaters attack Harry and his friends. The Order of the Phoenix shows up but Sirius is killed. Voldemort and Dumbledore show up and engage in an epic magical battle, which ends with Voldemort fleeing after Fudge and his supporters see him, forcing them to agree he has returned. On July 1, 1996 [2:07:02 to 2:08:15] Harry, Ron and Hermione walk to the Hogwarts Express and go home.

The most action packed of the Harry Potter films. If you’re a Potter fan the synopsis is clear. If you’re not a lot is probably confusing. However, without giving a five page brief, there’s really not anyway to explain everything if you’re not familiar with the Potterverse. I apologize. 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (Scholastic, Inc., New York, 2003) pages 864-870. We learned in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at page 430 that the students go home on July 1.

Producer - David Heyman and David Barron

Director - David Yates

Screenplay - Michael Goldenberg

Runtime – 2 hours 18 minutes

Released – July 11, 2007

Starring –

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter

Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange

Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid

Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick

Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort

Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore

Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody

Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley

Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy

Gary Oldman as Sirius Black

Alan Rickman as Severus Snape

Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley

Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall

Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge

David Thewlis as Remus Lupin

Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney

Julie Walters as Molly Weasley

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014