Dog’s Movie House: “Here” & “Juror #2” Latest Works From Legendary Filmmakers With Vastly Different Results!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a look at the latest from two of the most iconic directors of our time. Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”) and Clint Eastwood both have new films in theaters today! Zemeckis reunites with his “Gump” stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright for an interesting, but flawed static camera film called “Here” about the history of a house (more specifically, the front room of said house” over the last hundred years. The ageless 94-year-old Eastwood returns with a tightly wound legal drama that, if it serves as Eastwood’s swan song, is a very good way to go out!
Continue readingThe Kenblog: The Opening Sequence In “Saving Private Ryan” Is The Most Harrowing Way To Honor The D-Day Invasion!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a one way I can honor those who fell during the historic invasion of Normandy, or D-Day, which is marking it’s 80th anniversary this week. A lot of the classic war films of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s had their hearts in the right place, but neither the technology or the inventiveness to make it truly immersive. Then Steven Speilberg comes along in 1998 and knocks our collective socks off with “Saving Private Ryan.” While an excellent movie all around, “Saving Private Ryan” really excells in the opening 10 minute in which Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) and his team land on the beach at Normandy. It’s exciting, enthralling, and terrifying all in equal measure and nothing that follows quite matches it. I can’t think of a better way to honor those who fell than by showing the closest approximation to the terror that those brave soldiers went through. Keep that in mind as you watch this clip! So Sayeth The Kendog!
Dog’s Movie House: “Elvis,” “Black Phone” among the theatrical releases this week!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a look at the two big releases in theaters this week. In between all the cosmic, dinosaur, and superhero hoopla we have for your viewing pleasure a couple of different films for different audiences. The first is Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” a biopic that sometimes benefits from and is sometimes hurt by Luhrmann’s theatrical excesses. The next is Scott Derrickson’s “Black Phone” a highly anticpated horror film from Blumhouse studios starring Ethan Hawke. Of the two, “Black Phone” is the better picture, but “Elvis” is not without its pleasures despite a myriad of problems.
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “News Of The World” A Thoughtful Western Featuring Tom Hanks!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog with a look at “News Of The World” a new western film from Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Series) starring Tom Hanks as a world weary Civil War Veteran charged with taking a young girl of German descent back to her family after finding her hiding on the road. The film’s leisurely pace might turn off some, but those who stick with it will find a compelling story, beautifully shot scenery, and a couple of gangbuster performances from Hanks and young newcomer Helena Zengel.
Continue readingMovie News: Spielberg Rounds Out His Pentagon Cast!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog!
I am an avid fan of Steven Spielberg and I know he’s more interested in pursuing adult material, but the kid in me just wishes he would go back to the masterfully crafted adventures that I enjoyed so much as a kid. Of course, he tried that last year with “The BFG,” and that tanked so I can understand if he’s a little gun shy right now. That said, he’s got a new film in the pipeline called “The Papers” about the Washington Post’s decision to publish the classified Pentagon Papers in 1971. Continue reading
