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It’s baseball season! Come in, enjoy..the five best baseball movies of all time. Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd…

5. “Pride of the Yankees”

It may be the Yankees (ugh) but it’s a damn good movie. A classic, touching tale, powered by Gary Cooper’s affecting performance as Lou Gehrig, the famous “Iron Horse” first baseman for the Bronx Bombers who was felled by ALS (“Lou Gehrig’s Disease”). If you don’t cry during the recreation of “Today…I consider myself…”, you may not be human.

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4. “Bull Durham”

A fine, funny picture, Bull Durham captures the comical side of baseball better than any other baseball film ever. It’s a light-hearted love triangle between beautiful Durham Bull groupie Annie (Susan Sarandon) aging veteran catcher Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) and fireballing rookie pitcher “Nuke” LaLoosh (Tim Robbins). It never takes itself too seriously, and captures the mundane and funny minutiae of minor-league baseball perfectly. One problem: Robbins, while funny as LaLoosh, is no pitcher–his delivery brings to mind a chicken having a seizure.

AMAZON

3. “Major League”

The funniest baseball movie ever, focusing on the tribulations of the lowly Cleveland Indians (back when they were the Clippers of MLB) as they come together to win a pennant. Standing out? Flamethrower and Buddy Holly-glasses-wearer Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), future President Palmer Dennis Haysbert as voodoo-loving, “no-hit-curveball” slugger Pedro Cerrano and hysterical broadcaster Bob Uecker (juuuuuusttt a bit outside…).

AMAZON

2. “Field of Dreams”

*Sniff* Again, if you don’t tear up watching this incredible 1989 film, you’re probably not human. Kevin Costner plays a mild Iowa farmer, Ray Kinsella, who follows a mysterious voice out in his cornfields that tells him to plow over his crop to make room for a baseball diamond. The construction of the diamond brings out, amongst others, the ghost of “Shoeless Joe” Jackson (Ray Liotta) and prompts a road trip involving a famous writer (James Earl Jones) an aging doctor (Burt Lancaster) and a reconnection to Ray’s long-lost father. A great, touching film.

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1. “The Natural”

Da-dah, da-da-da-duh. Da-Da, DA-DA-DA-DUH. Go ahead, stand on a baseball diamond and try not to picture yourself slamming a ball off the light tower as that amazing score plays.

This truly is the best baseball film of all time, a rousing and deeply moving adaptation of Bernard Malmud’s novel. A pitching phenom, Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford), shot by an insane stalker as he heads for baseball stardom, comes back years later to the struggling New York Knights as a powerful slugger–caught in the struggle between the malicious Knights owner (Robert Prosky) and gruff manager Pops (future Oatmeal / diabetes pitchman Wilford Brimley). There’s even a lyrical tug-of-war for Hobbs’  heart–between socialite Memo (Kim Basinger) and childhood love Iris (Glenn Close).

There’s a lot going on here, and it’s a deep, smart story–with an amazing, stand-up-and-cheer climax (much more uplifting than the book’s ending). The best baseball, and one of the best sports movies, ever.

AMAZON

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The Movie: “True Romance” IMDB

Release Year: 1993- Directed by: Tony Scott – Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette

Akiro Kurosawa once directed a movie called “Yume”–Dreams–which was a collected scrapbook of the Japanese master’s thoughts and images, in celluloid form. True Romance is Quentin Tarantino’s own Yume–a collection of adolescent fantasies, gunplay, profanity, sex and violence that gets to the very heart of his own pulpy sensibilities. Like all his other works, it doesn’t fail to entertain, and is more human that most, with a strangely touching and affecting love story at its heart.

Clarence (Christian Slater) is practically Tarantino’s alter-ego–a shy guy from Detroit, working at a comic-book store and spending the rest of his time at Sonny Chiba-filmfests in a run-down movie theater. He’s in the middle of one of those marathons when beautiful hooker Alabama (Patricia Arquette) nudges her way into his life, hired by Clarence’s boss to give him a good time.

Somehow, they fall in love–her being won over by his gentle manner and encyclopedic knowledge of Elvis movies.

It’s never that simple, though. Alabama’s pimp (a wonderfully drugged-out Gary Oldman) refuses to let her get bought out by Clarence–so the young man promptly blows him away and amscrays with a suitcase full of the dead man’s cocaine. The two cut a boneheaded plan to head off to California to sell the coke with the help of their inept actor buddy (Michael Rapaport).

Before they can get away, though, there’s a ton of other factors to deal with. There’s a visit to Clarence’s alcoholic father (Dennis Hopper) who is promptly interrogated by creepy mafioso Vincenzo, searching for the missing coke (Christopher Walken, stealing the movie, once again) in one of the movie’s best scenes. There’s the acting buddy’s lower-level movie management associate (Bronson Pinchot) working to sell the coke to a movie mogul (Saul Rubinek). And there’s the cops (Michael Penn, Tom Sizemore) and brutal mafia hit man (James Gandolfini), all chasing Clarence, Alabama and the nose candy.

Oh, and did I mention the ghost of Elvis (Val Kilmer) advising Clarence at every turn?

The movie isn’t that deep, but it never fails to entertain, and the awesome ensemble cast spouting Tarantino’s profane, funny screenplay makes it crisp and moving. Tony Scott (Crimson Tide) has a high-energy style that works well for the movie, and he wisely keeps the focus on Clarence and Alabama, spinning a nice little love story that is quite endearing.

See? For all the bullets and broads in Tarantino’s films, maybe he’s a romantic at heart.

RATING: 9.0/10

THE DVD: Loaded, as Tarantino’s films always are. A few deleted scenes, good director’s commentary, some scene-specific commentary by Kilmer, Rapaport, Hopper and Brad Pitt, commentaries by Tony Scott, Arquette and Slater, and Tarantino, and a bunch of extra featurettes. One of the mediums best releases.

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RATING 10/10

Movie Quote of the Day: “You like baseball? We need lights for the parks, so kids can play at
night. So they can play baseball. So they don’t become burros para los
malones. Everyone likes baseball. Everyone likes parks.
.”

Where’s this from? Click HERE to find out.

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1. The Last King of Scotland — I just talked about Forest Whitaker’s awesome performance in Season Five of The Shield; now, see the movie he won that little golden guy for. Whitaker tears into the role of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, seen through the eyes of a young doctor shanghaied into his service (James MacAvoy). A fearsome, powerful role for one of film’s most underrated actors. April 17th – AMAZON

2. The Queen – Speaking of Oscars. Helen Mirren (still, absolutely beautiful) took home her little golden guy for her own interpretation of a real-life leader–though not a cannibal, like the aforementioned Amin. Mirren is excellent as Queen Elizabeth in this drama depicting life around Buckingham Palace in the days following Princess Diana’s death in Paris. Nuanced and intelligent, The Queen has a great cast (particularly Michael Sheen as Tony Blair and James Cromwell as Elizabeth’s husband) but Mirren, rightly, dominates the film. April 24th – AMAZON

3. Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show — Thank god, it’s finally coming out on DVD. Underexposed through its entire brilliant run on HBO, Garry Shandling’s hilarious inside-look at the life of a late night TV host (Shandling, as Sanders) remains one of the best shows to ever grace the airwaves. There may never be a funnier supporting character ever than Jeffrey Tambor’s brooding, abused hangdog of a sidekick, Hank, matched at every turn by Sanders’ cutthroat boss Artie. Look out for Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe on 24) in a regular role. April 24th – AMAZON

Anyhoo, it’s April, and there’s been a bunch of good DVDs put out on there. Here’s the ones you should invest in:

1. Children of Men — Next to The Departed, the best movie of 2006. An amazing, beautifully-directed road trip through hell on earth. In a future where the human race has mysteriously become infertile, scruffy bureaucrat Theo Faron (Clive Owen) shepherds a miraculously-pregnant young girl through the nightmarish, war-torn streets and country of an Orwellian England. Michael Caine has a delicious, scene-stealing part as a pot-smoking professor. The DVD has a couple good featurettes and commentary by an entertaining professor. AMAZON

2. Blood Diamond – Previously reviewed. Leonardo DiCaprio’s ferocious performance as a Rhodesian mercenary powers this above-average thriller. DiCaprio’s Danny Archer helps Djimion Honsou’s mild-mannered fisherman Solomon Vandy search for his kidnapped son, in return for the location of a enormous, rare pink diamond hid by Vandy–as forces from all sides converge on both of them. A solid thriller with an important message. DiCaprio and Honsou both gathered Oscar nominations. The special edition DVD has a couple featurettes and commentary by director Edward Zwick. AMAZON
3.  The Shield: Season Six — If you haven’t caught up with this intense, incredible series, now’s the time to get into it. Michael Chiklis’ Vic Mackey is the most corrupt, violent, amoral and brutal cop television’s ever seen–and you’ve got to try your hardest not to root for him (a little) as he scams, kills and survives on the bullet-laden streets of L.A. with his fellow “Strike Team” members (David Rees Snell, Walton Goggins, Kenny Johnson). This season sees the introduction of Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker to the cast as an IA detective determined to bring him down, only adding to a stellar group of supporting actors. There’s commentary and deleted scenes on most episodes. AMAZON

The Movie: “Major League” IMDB

Release Year: 1989 – Directed by: David S. Ward – Starring: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger

Sure, The Natural and Field of Dreams are better movies, but I double-dog-dare you to find a more quotable baseball movie than Major League–the funniest baseball film ever made (yes, including you, Bull Durham) and one of the most enjoyable sports comedies ever.

It’s wonderful, as the winter melts away (although not this year, apparently) to pop in the Major League DVD with a group of baseball fans. Part of the appeal, I guess, lies in some of its nostalgia–it comes from a time when Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and Corbin Bernsen could be considered the leads, and Wesley Snipes is supporting; it comes from a time when the Cleveland Indians were putrid, before the days of Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome and Robbie Alomar and a whole bunch of World-Series disasters; and it comes from a time before Dennis Haysbert played President Palmer on 24, providing Bauer-o-philes (like me) of five seasons worth of “Jobu” jokes before his unfortunate sniper-bullet necking last season.

Mostly, though, it’s just a damn funny movie, owing to its wonderful collection of characters. Leading off, there’s the moribund Cleveland Indians new owner–an ex-stripper and gold-digger who has inherited the team from her corpse of a husband, hellbent on moving the awful team out of Ohio and to St. Petersburg once the team plays bad enough. There’s the gruff AAA manger (James Gammon) she hires to let the team lose, a former tire-salesman not above urinating on a player’s contract once he refuses to take infield practice.

Oh, and we can’t forget the players, lead by aging catcher Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger) a veteran on his last legs still pursuing his ex-girlfriend (Rene Russo). Across the diamond, there’s fleet-footed center fielder Willie “Mays” Hayes (Wesley Snipes) who invites himself to spring training and wins an outfield job in his pajamas and prima donna third baseman Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen), the disruptive player who had his contract yellowed.

Batting cleanup we have voodoo-worshipping Pedro Cerrano (Haysbert) who prays to a wooden idol named Jobu, clashes with Christian pitcher Eddie Harris (Chelcie Ross) and thinks his bats are afraid of curveballs. The real star, though, is Rick Vaughan (Charlie Sheen), a flame-throwing pitcher late of the “California Penal” league nicknamed “Wild Thing” for his 96-MPH heater and propensity for beanballs and brawls.

It’s a real motley crew, and their escapades on and off the field as the team starts to gel and challenge for the pennant are pure, hilarious fun. Bob Uecker, the long-time Brewers play-by-play man, has a great role as the team’s Jack-swilling announcer, providing a ton of great lines (go ahead, try playing ball with college students and see who doesn’t break out his “Juuuuuuuustttt a bit outside”).

Here’s the bottom line with this film, and baseball movies in general. If you’re looking cry, try Field of Dreams. If you’re looking to be inspired, try The Natural. If you’re just looking to laugh, grab Major League. Better yet, put all three in some rain-out day and just give yourself to the majesty of America’s pastime.

RATING: 9.0/10

THE DVD: The “Wild Thing” edition beefs up the original release, tossing in a director’s commentary, a few making-of featurettes (including a look at Bob Uecker’s fledgling career and interviews with current Cleveland Indians) and an alternate ending. Solid, and worth your $.

BUY IT! AMAZON

RATING 9.0/10

Movie Quote of the Day: “.”

Where’s this from? Click HERE to find out.

And so, without further ado, let’s cut through the direct-to-DVD crap of his later career and examine the best films of the one, the only, Steven Seagal.

5. Executive Decision

Mainly because of his ridiculously awesome death–getting blasted out of a mid-air transfer hatch while a stealth fighter flies underneath a hijacked airliner. Seagal. in what amounts to little more than a cameo, somehow gets second billing under Kurt Russell (a CIA analyst who manages to survive sneaking on the plane). It’s a good enough airborne thriller, not groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination, but passable enough, and Halle Berry provides some awesome eye candy as a stewardess.

4. Out for Justice

Pretty much the same plot as Above the Law, except set in New York–Seagal is an NYPD cop facing off against a murderin’, drug-dealin’ psycho and his team of fellow muderin’, drug-dealin’ psychos. No big conspiracy here, but an excellent supporting cast–look for Gina Gershon, Dominic Chianese, Jerry Orbach and Julianna Margulies (hey, that’s 1/2 of NBC’s nineties primetime lineup) in small roles. A solid, well-made actioner.

3. Hard to Kill

This gets up here for the immortal, off-quoted line: “I’ll take you to the bank, senator. The blood bank.”

Awesome. Seagal is a cop, buried in a coma for years, who wakes up and begins to avenge his shooting with the assistiance of his beautiful nurse (Kelly LeBrock, who he later married). Some awful dialogue, but Seagal is his normal, bad-guy-killin’ self in it. A good film.

2. Above the Law

Seagal’s whole career was built on a bet–one Hollywood exec bet another that he could turn a nondescript stuntman (Seagal, of course) into a movie star. Well, it worked, starting with this excellent eighties action flick helmed by future The Fugitive and Under Siege director Andrew Davis. Employing some fine Chicago locations, Seagal stars as Nico Toscani, a windy city Narc who uncovers a drug-smuggling ring with some murky ties to Toscani’s Vietnam-era CIA service. It’s amazing how fast and brutal Seagal was as a young action star, looking like a combination of Bruce Lee and Commando-era Schwarzenegger. Strangely enough, this movie also has a ton of young, rising stars in the background–look for a real young Sharon Stone as his wife.

1. Under Siege

His best movie, by a huge, huge margin, but it’s not really due to Seagal’s performance. No, here the credit goes to Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey as the pair of main heavies–Jones as a psychotic ex-CIA agent who spearheads the hijacking of the USS Missouri battleship, and Busey as the ship’s turncoat XO. Both are wonderfully evil and hilarious, massacring sailors in one scene and doing a faux-crazy routine with Pentagon brass in the next. Seagal is also in fine form as the Missouri‘s cook and ex-SEAL commando who teams up with a stranded Playboy playmate (yeah, really) to take back the Missouri. The villains are delightful, and the competent Davis direction cuts through the absurdity of the plot. One of the nineties’ finest action films (avoid the awful sequel, BTW).

CATEGORY – NEW AND NOTABLE

The Movie: “Backdraft” IMDB

Release Year: 1991 – Directed by: Ron Howard – Starring: Kurt Russell, Robert DeNiro

Tell me now, baby, is he good to you, can he do to you the things that I do, oh yeah…Oooh, ooh, ooh, Chicago’s on fire.

Pardon the Bruce Springsteen-paraphrasing, but it’s hard not to be in an I’m on Fire-mood after watching Backdraft, with some of the most astonishing glimpses of the hot stuff ever captured on film. In this movie, it’s a living, breathing thing–hiding behind doors, lying in wait for victims, bleeding up and down walls like water.

It’s funny, because it’s clearly the star, even in such a star-laden, ensemble movie like this one. Kurt Russell and William Baldwin are, ostensibly, the leads–playing rival firefighting brothers in Chicago. Brian McCaffrey (Baldwin) comes back to town, years after their legendary fireman father is killed on a call (in an amazing opening sequence).

Brian has just graduated from the fire academy, after dropping out once before and wandering the world, a polar opposite to his masterful brother Stephen “Bull” McCaffrey (Kurt Russell), a hard-charging hero firefighter whose personal life is a mess. With amusement, Stephen gets him assigned to his fire district–in the midst of a spate of deadly, targeted “backdrafts”–planned, controlled fires that are taking out individuals and firefighters across the city.

The younger McCaffrey can’t hack it at the district, so he soon gets himself assigned to arson investigator Donald “Shadow” Rimgale (Robert DeNiro) who is looking into the backdrafts. Also floating around are a slimy, influential alderman (J.T. Walsh) and his pretty assistant Jennifer (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and old flame of Brian’s (pardon the pun).

It’s a story about brothers as well–Stephen and Brian are still wounded from their father’s death, but too thick-headed to ever really knock out their emotions. It’s soured Stephen’s relationship with his wife (Rebecca DeMornay) and knocked Brian off course. Howard gives a good punch to the McCaffery’s scenes, matching them up to the violence and beauty of the fire calls.

The family story and the fire scenes make the movie, since the plot involving the fire-bombing conspiracy doesn’t really take hold. But it’s secondary to the majesty of the fire, and Howard pulls these scenes off with gusto, especially an amazing finale in a chemical-works plant. Helping out, too, is the majesty of stars paraded by–Scott Glenn, always a welcome addition, has a great role as the district’s chief, and Donald Sutherland makes the most out of his scenes as a psycopathic firebug. Russell is his usual rugged, humorous self, and Baldwin makes a solid case for being the second-most-talented brother in his acting clan (behind Alec and ahead of Stephen).

I first saw this movie when I was about eight, sitting cross-legged in front of the television at my uncle’s apartment in Woodstock, Vermont. When I got home after that trip, I became Fire Marshal Bill from In Living Color, checking all the batteries in every fire detector in the house. If nothing else, the movie leaves you with a tremendous amount of respect for the stuff we can get so easily with a flick of the thumb.

RATING: 8.0/10

THE DVD: There’s a bunch of featurettes and a few deleted scenes. The featurettes, exposing the construction of the fire-fighting scenes, are enlightening, while the deleted scenes are nothing special.

BUY IT! AMAZON

RATING 9.0/10

Movie Quote of the Day: “Everybody’s sin is nobody’s sin, and everybody’s crime is no crime at all.”

Where’s this from? Click HERE to find out.

CATEGORY – NEW AND NOTABLE

The Movie: “Witness” IMDB

Release Year: 1985- Directed by: Peter Weir – Starring: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis

Witness is the best movie involving the Amish ever made.

Okay, maybe that isn’t a real out-on-a-limb statement. I mean, it’s competition is what, Kingpin? Weird Al Yankovic’s Amish Paradise video?

Well, let’s just remove the “Amish” factor from the equation. It’s still one of the best romantic thrillers ever made, directed superbly by the always excellent Peter Weir (Master and Commander, The Truman Show) and with a career-best performance by Han Solo / Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford.

Weir spins his smart, fish-out-of-water story in a location new to celluloid–the beautiful, old-school country around Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  A young, newly-widowed Amish woman, Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis, in her first shot at stardom before Top Gun) brings her child Samuel (Lukas Haas) on a train trip to Baltimore. Delayed in the Philadelphia station, Samuel wanders off and witnesses the vicious murder of a cop from a bathroom stall.

Ford’s street-smart detective John Book holds the both of them in Philly to help him investigate the murder, which soon plunges him into the stock world of police corruption–the killed cop was working to expose a scheme involving Book’s colleague McFee (Danny Glover) and boss (Josef Summer).  They kill Book’s partner and wound him in a garage shootout, leading him to flee with Rachel and Samuel out to Amish country.

Before long, the story turns into an expose of the Amish world–the barn-raisings, cow-milkings, et cetera, and Book’s immersion into the world. It’s absorbing stuff, and made even better with the potential specter of violence invading the peaceful community at any time. There’s a touching love story at work as well, as Book and the beautiful Rachel start to fall for one another.

Weir mentions the fact that he viewed the movie as a western story in the making-of documentary, and it feels like one. One of his best shots in the film takes place when the three bad guys finally arrive–with green, rolling hills taking the place of flat, dusty plains as the evildoers get off their modern horses with their shotguns. It’s very High Noon or Once Upon a Time in the West, transformed a couple hundred miles east and hundred years in the future. Weir is one of the best filmmakers still working today–his career has been nothing but a string of superb, thoughtful films since The Year of Living Dangerously.

This is Weir’s best film, and it’s Ford’s best role, as well. He’s always been underrated as an actor, lost in the action pyrotechnics of Lucas and Spielberg, and this is the only film he was garnered an Oscar nomination for. Ford is cool and unflappable in one moment, emotional, intense and funny in the other. He’s an actor capable of doing anything, and it would be a refreshing change of pace to see him in another role like this, where the Air Force One-style hijinks take a backseat to the story.

McGillis, too, is very good as the widow–it’s a wonder why her career crash-dived after Top Gun and The Accused. The remarkable Alexander Gudonov (a tragic story, if you want to search for it) also makes a tremendous impact as an Amish farmer who courts Rachel.

Witness is one of those rarest of films that works both as a gripping film, and a pseudo-documentary on its community. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself wiki-ing “Amish” when you’re done watching it.

RATING: 9.5/10

THE DVD: Get the special edition, just for the very good making-of documentary. There’s a deleted scene, trailers and a few previews. Very good.
BUY IT!  AMAZON

RATING 8.0/10

Movie Quote of the Day: “I changed my mind. What’s New Orleans like this time of year? Mardi Gras, woooooo! Ha ha ha ha ha! Hoo hoo hoo! Whoooohoo! Look, Meryl! Same road, no cars. It’s magic! Hahaha!“

Where’s this from? Click HERE to find out.

The Movie: “Rocky Balboa” IMDB

Release Year: 2006 – Directed by: Sylvester Stallone – Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young

Da-da duh da da dada da duh da da. Da-da duh da da dada da duh da da! DA DA-DA-DUM-DA-DA-DA-DUM…DA DA!

Rocky’s back! And not a moment too soon!  Because four sequels just weren’t enough, Sly Stallone decided to reach back into the well one last time and throw up an old-school hail-mary to save his career–the sixth, and final (or so he says) entry into the life of Rocky Balboa, Philly’s most beloved pugilist. And you know what? Damned if it doesn’t work. Somehow, Sly’s managed to tap back into that old magic from the first two films and make a heartfelt, good topper to this excellent series.

It’s modern-day Philadelphia, and Rocky Balboa’s in the twilight of his life. Adrian’s six feet under and his son (Milo Ventimiglia) is too busy with work and too buried with frosted-over father-son emotions to have any emotional impact with his dad. Rocky spends his time brooding at Adrian’s grave and chillin’ with Paulie (Burt Young, crusty and hilarious) at his restaurant.

Enter ESPN, and the video-game world. A computer matchup between Ivan Drago-era Rock and reigning champ Mason (The Line) Dixon (Antonio Tarver Jr., making a good acting debut) results in a KO for the Italian Stallion–and a spark for Rocky. The under appreciated Dixon, disrespected by the boxing world for fighting a series of tomato cans, challenges him to a one-off charity fight–setting the scene for training montages, father-son feelings flyin’ all over the place, and that great Bill Conti score, everything you’d expect from a Rocky movie.

What’s most surprising is the deft touch Stallone shows with the movie, taking an almost gentle approach to the film. It’s the most thoughtful of all the Rocky films, and the most personal–it’s clearly his labor of love. A romantic subplot with a bartender, Little Marie (remember her from the first film?) is handled in a touching manner, as well as his mentoring of Marie’s street-urchin son, “Steps” Stephenson.

Of course, there’s the big fight, shot in as compelling a manner as all the other Rocky films were. The result is familiar yet still surprising, a good, fitting climax to one of the giant film franchises.

RATING: 8.5/10

THE DVD: Stallone does an entertaining commentary, and there’s a couple of good featurettes and some deleted scenes. A good release.
BUY IT!  AMAZON

RATING 8.0/10

Movie Quote of the Day: “My father left home when I was 5. That’s why I’m named Jack, as in, “Jack tell your mother I’m just going out to get the paper.“

Where’s this from? Click HERE to find out.

The Movie: “Blood Diamond” IMDB

Release Year: 2006 – Directed by:  Edward Zwick – Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou

Blood Diamond is a perfect example of how a remarkable performance and noble message can transform a so-so thriller into a top-notch Hollywood film. The film has both–a career-best turn by Leonardo DiCaprio paired with a behind-the-bloody-curtain expose of the ruthless diamond trade that has ripped apart Africa.

It’s a good thing those two elements are there. Blood Diamond‘s screenplay isn’t the strongest, and a few good actors are wasted in their supporting roles–but the inherent strength and necessity of the story barrels them over, paired with some truly great action sequences by veteran director Edward Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai).

It’s 1999 in Sierra Leone, wracked by civil war. Fisherman Solomon Vandy (Djimion Hounsou) is captured by anti-government rebels and sent to work in the brutal diamond mines, which funds the rebels effort against the government. Under constant watch and punishment, Vandy sneaks a massive, rare pink diamond out of the camp–just as government soldiers launch an attack and capture him and the ruthless commander of the camp (David Harewood).

At the same time, mercenary Danny Archer (DiCaprio) is shown smuggling his own diamonds into Liberia (in a fascinating method) where he is caught and thrown into the same jail where Vandy and his captor are held. Archer, of course, finds out about the diamond, springs Vandy and makes a deal: the diamond in return for assistance in finding Vandy’s scattered family.

Added into the mix is American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) filling in the love-interest slot for Archer and providing background for him (and the audience) about the murky forces behind the diamond trade, providing help in finding Vandy’s family.
Rule of three, in effect. The trio trek and battle all over Africa, looking for the diamond and the family, which include his youngest son Dia, shanghaied into the child-soldier life. The scenes exposing the violent child-soldier world are remarkably harrowing, and leave the greatest impact out of any part of the film–one wonders how great a movie about that subject could be.

The movie’s subject matter is not one for bluntness, and Blood Diamond slams you over the the head about the forces behind the diamond trade. As the whole film business goes, there’s worse things to do; this is a story that needs to be told, and it does a good job telling it. Helping out, too, is the remarkable DiCaprio as Archer. His youthful looks are still present, but they’re behind a menacing, ambiguious growl, as he bounces back and forth behind helping Vandy and his own financial obligations. It’s a dark, showy role for Leo, and he knocks it out of the park–it’s the best performance he’s ever given.

The other actors don’t come off as well. Hounsou–a wonderful actor in most cases–can’t do much with the character other than scream, although it’s a testament to his talent that he still makes an impact on the film. Connelly, another great actress, looks great but is stuck in an underwritten role.  Arnold Vosloo (the bad guy from 24′s season 4) has a good role as Archer’s mercenary boss.

There’s still a ton of generic thriller stock in here, but Zwick has a better-than-average grasp on battle scenes, especially a Black Hawk Down-esque street fight in Sierra Leone. And it’s got DiCaprio taking over the film and a good story to tell–adding up to a highly entertaining, and heavy-hitting good ol’ African adventure flick.

RATING: 8.0/10

THE DVD: Zwick does commentary, and there’s three interesting featurettes. Best of all is a ground-to-store tracking documentary that focuses on a lone diamond. There’s a lot of opportunity for extra features here, and Blood Diamond has a good package.

BUY IT! AMAZON

RATING 8.0/10

Movie Quote of the Day: “his is blood for blood and by the gallon. These are the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They’re back! There’s no choice left. And I’m ready for war. “

Where’s this from? Click HERE to find out.

Welcome to 007 Week on DVD Honcho, where we’ll be spotlighting the best (and worst) of everyone’s favorite British secret agent. Grab a vodka martini and enjoy.

Tonight, a special edition of The Five–with the Best Bond Gadgets.

5. The “Omega Watch” in Goldeneye

No Casio this, Bond’s “Omega Watch” comes with a sick laser and proximity-mine detonator. Extra brownie points for being included in the N64 game “Goldeneye”, the greatest video game of all time.

4. The “Wrist Gun” in Moonraker

One of the more underrated Bond flicks has a really cool gadget–a wrist-mounted blow gun that shoots out an array of darts. As always, it plays an integral role in the climax, sticking bad guy Hugo Drax into Death By Airlock.

3. The Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me

A nice car that turns into an even cooler submarine–one of Q’s best inventions, complete with missiles and all the other requisite Bond-car additions. Also, a cozy little loveshack for Bond and a comely comrade Russian agent.

2. The Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger

The absolute classic car, and Bond, apparently, got the extra feature package with the bulletproof-ness, machine guns, ejector seat, oil dispenser…amazing. He can get around in style, and his use of the ejector seat is one of the most memorable scenes in the franchise’s history.

1. The Little Nellie in You Only Live Twice

A helicopter that you can unfold out of a suitcase, heavily armed, and able to defeat a whole squadron of bad guys in midair? Sweet. I’ll take two. Q’s greatest invention, bar none.

Tonight, a special edition of The Five–with the Best Bond Girls.

5. Daniela Bianchi as “Tatiana Romanova” in From Russia With Love

Bianchi, an Italian model, may be the loveliest Bond girl ever–which is saying a lot. She’s the gorgeous pawn in a game of deception run by the KGB to trap Bond; predictably, she falls in love with 007, helping him steal a secret Soviet decoder along the way. More than just normal eye candy, she’s an integral part of the film, and helps out 007 with a few well-placed bullets at the climax.

4. Jane Seymour as “Solitaire” in Live and Let Die

Yeah, Dr. Quinn was a Bond girl. Surprised? She was also a great one–playing a virginal tarot card reader seduced by Bond (Roger Moore) in order to defeat her employer, drug runner Kananga (a great Yaphet Kotto). Also, Bond’s conquest of Solitaire (done by replacing all the tarot cards in her deck with the “lover” card) is charmingly distasteful.

3. Ursula Andress as “Honey Ryder” in Dr. No 

Andress–whose accent was so thick it needed to be overdubbed–was no great actress, but people seeing 1964′s Dr. No were probably still too busy thinking about her rising from the sea in that white bikini to judge her talents as a thespian. As a Jamaican shell diver caught up in Dr. No’s nefarious plans, Andress is the first, and, for many, the most memorable Bond girl; her otherworldly beauty and voluptuous beauty set the standard for four decades’ worth of 007′s female companionship.

2. Diana Rigg as “Teresa Di Vincenzo” in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

One of the most unique Bond girls for her unique relationship with Bond and her tragic ending. Rigg (most well known as Emma Peel in The Avengers) played Teresa Di Vincenzo, a countess and social climber with mafia ties who Bond (George Lazenby) falls for while hunting SPECTRE’s Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savalas, this time). A lovely, exquisite entry into the Bond girl ranks, Rigg provided a touch of tragic humanity in the underrated film’s heartbreaking climax.

1. Honor Blackman as “Pussy Galore” in Goldfinger

It’s a close race between Blackman’s “Pussy Galore” and Lois Chiles’ “Holly Goodhead” in Moonraker for the title of Most Blatantly Sexual Bond Girl Name Ever. It’s not even close, though, for the title of Best Bond Girl ever. As the high-flying leader of a group of female stunt pilots employed by Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) in a plan to rip off Kentucky’s Fort Knox, Blackman makes an indelible, highly sexualized mark on the franchise’s history. Incredibly enough, her role was tuned down from the book–where she and the rest of her female pilots were lesbians. Oh, the sixties.

Tonight, a special edition of The Five–with the Best Bond Bad Guys (and girls, too!)

5. Sophie Marceau as Elektra King in The World is Not Enough

If only for gender reasons. we’ll put a villianess on here. Marceau, though, was easily the best part of one of the more underwhelming Bond films, playing a Stockholm-syndrome affected heiress who partners with anarchist Renard (Robert Carlyle) in a plot to control the world’s oil supply. The nearly-ethereally beautiful Marceau is, at once, one of the best Bond girls and best villains–first bedding Bond, and then turning against him. One thing’s for sure: it was easier to root for her than the dim-bulb nuclear scientist played by Denise Richards in the same film.

4. Gert Frobe as Auric Goldfinger in Goldfinger

A plump Frobe plays gold-lovin’ Auric Goldfinger as a cartoonish supervillian in this excellent Bond film. Scheming to nuke Fort Knox to increase the value of his own gold supply, Frobe is a cheerful delight as Goldfinger–especially in a rigged golf match against Mr. Bond.

3.  Richard Kiel as Jaws in Moonraker and The Spy Who Loved Me

As a metal-mouthed assassin, Kiel is perhaps the series best-known henchman–mauling bad and good guys alike with his orthodontic work and massive frame. He shows up in two movies, Moonraker and The Spy Who Loved Me, the two best Roger Moore Bond films, as a nearly-indestructible assistant to the main plotters. His dalliance with a pig-tailed Drax employee in Moonraker, though, is just strange.

2. Robert Shaw as Red Grant in From Russia With Love

A bleached-blond Shaw is cold, quiet and magnificent in From Russia With Love, the second Bond film. As a nearly silent SPECTRE assassin, Grant provided the series with some of its most memorable killings and fights, especially a climactic showdown on the Orient Express.  Shaw–a wonderful, underrated actor–is perhaps best known for Quint in Jaws, but this was one of his best performances.

1.Harold Sakata as Oddjob in Goldfinger

Aha, the gold standard for all the deft-touch baddies in the Bond series. As the henchman for gold-seeking Auric Goldfinger, Oddjob is a quiet killer armed with the world’s coolest hat (a bowler that cuts through statues–cool!) and some otherworldly upper-body strength. He doesn’t have any qualms about killing the fairer sex, either, suffocating one girl to death with gold paint and killing her out-for-revenge sister with that very hat. The best Bond bad guy of all time–and his “shocking” death also gave the series one of its best one-liners.