October 8 - The Straight Story

Today’s motion picture is a drama with a scene that happens on October 8. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.

THE STRAIGHT STORY         

Elderly Iowan Alvin Straight refuses to give up smoking or use a walker, as advised by his doctor. When he learns his bother Lyle, from whom he is estranged has had a stroke Alvin decides to go and visit him in Wisconsin. Since Alvin can’t drive a car, he decides to ride his riding lawn mower. Along the way Alvin interacts with a pregnant runway, cyclists and a woman who has deer problems. On October 8, 1999 [1:00:01 to 1:08:23] Alvin has problems on a hill and almost crashes. While waiting for repairs to be made to his mower, he visits a bar where he reminisces about his service as a sniper during World War Two, when he accidentally killed a comrade. Alvin gets his mower repaired and with the help of a priest and a farmer makes it the rest of the way to meet Lyle, who is glad to see him and they bury the hatchet.

A deceptively simple, yet complex film by David Lynch.

                       

The date is given in the film at 1:06:12.

Producers - Pierre Edelman, Neal Edelstein, Michael Polaire and Mary Sweeney

Director - David Lynch

Screenwriters - John E. Roach and Mary Sweeney

Awards – Richard Farnsworth was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar at the 72^nd Academy Awards.

Runtime -  1 hour 52 minutes

Released – May 21, 1999

Starring –

Richard Farnsworth as Alvin Straight

Sissy Spacek as Rose Straight

Harry Dean Stanton as Lyle Straight

Jane Galloway Heitz as Dorothy

Joseph Carpenter as Bud

Donald Wiegert as Sig

Ed Grennan as Pete

James Cada as Danny Riordan

Wiley Harker as Verlyn Heller

Kevin Farley as Harald Olsen

John P. Farley as Thorvald Olsen

Anastasia Webb as Crystal

Barbara E. Robertson as Deer woman

John Lordan as Priest

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.

October 7 - Time Travelers

Today’s movie is a science fiction film with a scene that happens on October 7. Watch and enjoy this motion picture tonight.

TIME TRAVELERS     

Dr. Clint Earnshaw has been investigating a breakout of the fatal disease XB, when he is approached by Jeff Adams, who reminds him that Dr. Johua Henderson had found a cure to the same disease called Wood’s fever a century ago, but all his notes were lost in the Great Chicago Fire. Adams, who works for the US government introduces Earnshaw to Dr. Amos Cummings, who has created a time machine. Earnshaw and Adams will travel into the past, get the cure and return. However, they miss their target and arrive in Chicago on October 7, 1871 [16:33 to 28:06] the day before the fire. They meet with Dr. Henderson and eventually determine that a substance in the doctor’s home-made wine that he was giving to patients, cured the disease.   They get the last bottle of the wine in a race against the fire. Earnshaw, who had caught the disease and the others are cured. Dr. Henderson and his daughter die in the fire.

The date is given in the film at 19:30

Producer - Irwin Allen

Director - Alexander Singer

Screenwriter - Jackson Gillis

Runtime – 1 hour 18 minutes

Released - March 19, 1976

Starring -   

Sam Groom as Dr. Clint Earnshaw

Tom Hallick as Jeff Adams

Francine York as Dr. Helen Sanders

Richard Basehart as Dr. Joshua Henderson

Trish Stewart as Jane Henderson

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.

October 6 - A Woman Called Golda

Today’s motion picture is a biographical film with a scene that happens on October 6. Watch and enjoy this movie tonight.

A WOMAN CALLED GOLDA            

Golda Meir visits the 4^th street School in Milwaukee, where she once attended school. She tells the students about her life. Her family fled pogroms in Russia to settle in the USA. She agrees to marry Morris Meyerson, on the condition that he move with her to Palestine. They do get married and move to a kibbutz in Palestine. Golda causes controversy by refusing to accept a subordinate role. Eventually they leave the kibbutz. Golda later accepted a position as the secretary of the Working Women’s Council and separates from Morris. She eventually works her way up to the executive committee of the Jewish Labor Union. During World War II, the Jews fought the Nazis, while continuing to resist British attempts to restrict immigration to Palestine. In 1947 the United Nations voted to establish two states in Palestine, an Arab one and a Jewish one.  Golda made an unsuccessful secret trip to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah to try and prevent a war. Golda convinces the cabinet to overrule Ben-Gurion and send her instead of him to the USA to raise $25 million dollars to buy arms.   She returns in time to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence. She becomes minister of labor and then her husband dies. After the Suez War she is made foreign minister. After ten years she retires after she is diagnosed with cancer.  She is successfully treated. Israel wins the Six Day War. When the Prime Minister dies, Golda is selected for the job and reluctantly takes it. The army advises her that the Arabs will not attack. Then on October 6, 1973 [Part 2, 1:14:33 to 1:17:28] Golda is awoken by a call telling her the Arabs are about to attack. In spite of being surprised, after initial setbacks Israel counterattacks. The USA re-supplies Israel. After her cancer returns, she retires as Prime minister. She cuts short her trip to the USA to return to Israel to be present when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visits Israel.     

A good biopic. It manages for the most part to steer clear of melodrama. Sticks to the facts and uses actual news film at some points.

Director - Alan Gibson                         

Screenplay - Harold Gast and Steve Gethers

Awards – The movie won the Outstanding Drama Special, Outstanding Film Editing for a Limited Series or a Special, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special (Bergman) and Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Mixing Emmys. The film was also  nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a limited Series or a Special (Dramatic Underscore), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special (Nimoy) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special (Davis) at the 34^th Primetime EmmyAwards.

Runtime – 3 hours 20 minutes

Released - April 26, 1982

Starring -

Ingrid Bergman as Golda Meir
Ned Beatty as Sen. Durward
Anne Jackson as Lou Kaddar
Robert Loggia as Anwar Sadat
Leonard Nimoy as Morris Meyerson
Nigel Hawthorne as King Abdullah
Judy Davis as young Golda 

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015

October 4 - In the Name of the Father

This film has scenes that happen on October 5. Watch and enjoy this movie tonight.

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER           

On October 5, 1974 [00:38 to 1:13] we see the Guilford pub bombing. Then in an extended flashback Gerry Conlon tells what happened.  He was part of a gang of burglars in Belfast. When he is mistaken by the British Army for a sniper, this leads to a neighborhood sweep. The IRA have to cause a riot so they can move an arms cache that was located nearby. This angers the IRA’s leadership, so Gerry and Paul Hill move to London, where they live in a squatter’s commune. At the exact time of the bombing on October 5, 1974 [19:15 to 25:58], he and Paul are miles away in a park where they meet a homeless man Charlie Burke. One of the commune members talks to the police, who arrest Gerry and Paul.  Paul confesses and implicates Gerry after he’s threatened and Gerry confesses after the police threaten his father, who’s also arrested as a IRA supporter. They are both tried and convicted. In jail Garry and his father share a cell and are the target of violence by other prisoners. The  real bomber is arrested and tells the police he did it, and not Gerry and Paul, but nothing happens. After the prisoners riot and take over the cellblock, Gerry meets lawyer, Gareth Peirce, who agrees to represent him. When a guard is set on fire, Gerry is the only one who tries to help him. His dad dies in prison, but this allows Gareth to review his file. Gerry is moved to a Scottish jail, but by a stroke of luck Gareth is able to review Gerry’s file and inside discovers new evidence. The police had found Charlie Burke a month after Gerry’s arrest and he confirmed their alibi, but the police decided to prosecute Gerry anyway. The cases against the defendants, including Gerry are dismissed.

                       

An interesting story. A wake-up call for those people who believe the police are always straight arrows. Fortunately in Gerry’s case justice finally prevailed, but only after he spent 15 years in jail.

The Troubles: Ireland’s Ordeal 1966 -1996 and the Search for Peace by Tim Pat Coogan (Roberts Rinehart Publishers, Boulder, CO, 1996) at page 191 and the film at 1:12 give the date of the blast

Awards – The movie was nominated for the Best Picture, Best Actor (Day-Lewis), Best Supporting Actress(Thompson), Best Supporting  Actor (Postlethwaite), Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 66^th Academy Awards.

Producers - Jim Sheridan, Gabriel Byrne, Terry George and Arthur Lappin

Screenplay - Jim Sheridan and Terry George

                                                                 

Director -  Jim Sheridan         

Runtime – 2 hours 13 minutes    

Released - December 12, 1993                                                                                                                          

Starring - 

Daniel Day-Lewis as Gerry Conlon                                                                  

Pete Postlethwaite as Giuseppe Conlon

Emma Thompson as Gareth Peirce

John Lynch as Paul Hill

Mark Sheppard as Paddy Armstrong

Beatie Edney as Carole Richardson

Anthony Brophy as Danny

Don Baker as Joe McAndrew

Copyright by Ivan Walters  in 2015.

October 3 - Goodbye Lenin!

Today’s movie is a tragicomedy with a scene that happens on October 3. Watch this film tonight and enjoy.

GOODBYE, LENIN!        

 In 1978 while Sigmund Jahn was becoming the first German in space, the father of Alex and Ariane Kerner flees to the West, deserting his family.  His wife Christine goes into depression and comes out of it by  becoming deeply involved in civic affairs. In October, 1989 Alex gets caught up in an anti-government demonstration. Seeing Alex arrested causes his mother to have a heart attack and she goes into a coma.  Christine is in a coma through the collapse of East German and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. Ariane gets married and has a daughter. Alex starts dating on of his Mom’s nurses, Lara and works selling satellite TV.   Then his mom wakes up and her doctors advise that Christine must avoid any shocks, so Alex sets out to convince his mom she is still living in East Germany. He restores the old décor in their apartment, puts her food in old containers and creates fake newscasts that broadcast from a hidden VCR. Christine is fooled for a long time, even though Alex has to become more creative over time to explain away some odd happenings to his mother as Westerners moving to East Germany after an economic collapse. They go their country  dacha, where Christine reveals that she was supposed to follow her husband to the West, but became afraid and stayed behind, a decision she now regrets. His mother has a relapse and Alex goes to visit his father in the West and convinces him to visit his mother. That day Lara told Christine the truth. Alex persuades a Sigmund Jahn look a like to create a final fake broadcast explaining why the borders have been opened. Alex shows this to his mother on the day before German Reunification Day and she pretends to be surprised. As the tape ends it becomes October 3, 1990 [1:54:32 – 1:55:33] and Alex and Lara view the fireworks  celebrating the event. His mother dies a few days later and Alex uses a rocket to scatter her ashes.  

Producer - Stefan Arndt


Director - Wolfgang Becker


Screenwriters - Wolfgang Becker and Bernd Lichtenberg


Runtime – 2 hours 1 minutes


Released – February 13, 2003


Starring -

Daniel Brühl as Alexander "Alex" Kerner  

Nico Ledermüller as 11-year-old Alex

Katrin Saß as Christiane Kerner

Chulpan Khamatova as Lara

Maria Simon as Ariane Kerner

Florian Lukas as Denis Domaschke

Alexander Beyer as Rainer

Burghart Klaußner as Robert Kerner

Christine Schorn as Frau Schäfer

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.

October 2 - Black Hawk Down

Today’s film is a war movie with a scene that happens on October 2. Watch and enjoy this movie tonight.

BLACK HAWK DOWN       

On October 2, 1993 [3:00 – 19:15] the forces of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid steal UN food supplies. The US decides to arrest Elmi and Qeybdiid, two of Aidid’s lieutenants. The men are captured in a helicopter raid but the ground extraction force is attacked. PFC Todd Blackburn is injured and three humvees sent to take him to friendly territory are cut off. Black Hawk Super Six One is shot down and US forces can’t reach the crash site. Then Super Six Four is shot down also. Although they resist, the forces at the Super Six four crash site are overrun and Michael Durant is captured. Eventually the forces at the Super Six One crash site are rescued.

The Date is given in the film at 3:03

Producers - Jerry Bruckheimer and Ridley Scott

Director - Ridley Scott

Screenwriter - Ken Nolan      

Awards – The film won the Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing Oscars. It was also nominated
for Best Cinematography and Best Director at the 74^th Academy Awards.

Runtime – 2 hours 24 minutes

Released – December 28, 2001

Starring -

Josh Hartnett as Staff Sergeant Matt Eversmann

Ewan McGregor as Specialist John "Grimesey" Grimes

Tom Sizemore as LTC Danny McKnight

Ewen Bremner as SPC Shawn Nelson, a squad gunner

Gabriel Casseus as SPC Mike Kurth

Hugh Dancy as Sergeant First Class Kurt "Doc" Schmid

Ioan Gruffudd as Lieutenant John Beales

Tom Guiry as SSG Ed Yurek

Charlie Hofheimer as Corporal Jamie Smith

Danny Hoch as Sergeant Dominick Pilla

Jason Isaacs as Captain Mike Steele

Brendan Sexton III as Private Richard "Alphabet" Kowalewski

Ian Virgo as PVT John Waddell

Tom Hardy as SPC Lance Twombly

Orlando Bloom as PFC Todd Blackburn

Sam Shepard as Major General William F. Garrison

Eric Bana as SFC Norm "Hoot" Gibson

Ron Eldard as Warrant Officer Michael Durant

           

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.  

October 1 - Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

Today’s movie s a musical fantasy film with a scene that happens on October 1. Watch and enjoy this film this film tonight.

WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY     

Poor Charlie Bucket and his classmates love Wonka’s chocolate, but he rarely has any cash to get any. The Wonka factory is closed up, but candy still comes out. Wonka had fired all the workers, accusing them of being spies for his competitor, Slugworth. Wonka hides five golden tickets in his candy bars, entitling the finder to a tour of the factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate. A media frenzy erupts. Augustus Gloop, a compulsive eater in Germany finds the first ticket. Veruca Salt’s dad gets the workers in his factory to open candy bars until they find a ticket for her. Chewing gum addict Violet Beauregard and television addict Mike TeeVee find tickets. A mystery man whispers in the kids ears.  It’s reported that the last ticket has been found in Paraguay. Charlie finds some money and uses it to buy two Womka bars. He hears the Paraguay ticket was a fake. He opens the bars and the second one has a ticket. He races home, but on the way is intercepted by the mystery man, who says he is Slugworth and offers a large sum of cash if Charlie will smuggle an everlasting gobstopper out of the Wonka factory. Charlie takes his Grandpa Joe with him to the factory on October 1, 1970.Wonka makes all the kids sign a release. Wonka leads them to a room where everything is made of candy. We learn that Wonka imported the short Oompa-Loompahs to work in his factory. Augustus Gloop falls in the chocolate river and is sucked up into a pipe. They sail on the chocolate river and visit the inventing room, where Wonka gives each of them an everlasting gobstopper. When Violet, against Wonka’s advice tries the chewing gum meal, she turns into a blueberry.  They all try lickable wallpaper, while Charlie and Grandpa Joe try fizzy lifting drinks. In the room where geese lay golden eggs, Veruca sings about what a brat she is  and falls down the garbage chute.  The last two kids ride on the Wonkamobile and see a demonstration of Wonkavision, which can transport solid objects. Mike Teevee ends up transported and shrunk. Wonka tells Charlie he gets no chocolate since he violated the contract by drinking fizzy lifting drinks, but Charlie returns the everlasting gobstopper. Wonka’s attitude totally changes. He reveals that ‘Slugworth’ actually worked for him and that the whole ticket escapade was a test to find the child who will take over for Wonka. Wonka, Charlie and Grandpa Joe ride the Wonkavator and sail over the
town. [41:50 to 1:39:18]    

I can’t decide if I like this version or Charlie and the Chocolate  Factory better. In this version Charlie seems more unsure of himself and Wonka is not as vicious, just unconcerned. The special effects aren’t quite as good, but the songs are as good.

Date given in film at 37:00 on the ticket

Awards - The film was nominated for the Best Music (Original Score Adaptation and Original Song Score) Oscar at the 44^th Academy Awards

Director - Mel Stuart  

Running Time - 1 hour 40 minutes     

Released - June 30, 1971

Starring - Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe, Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket, Julie Dawn Cole as Veruca Salt, Paris Themmen as Mike Teevee, Denise Nickerson as Violet Beauregarde, Michael Bollner as Augustus Gloop

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015