In this episode of my new podcast, I discuss movies like Hydra and The Fatal Raid. I also mention other DVDs/Blu-Rays that I picked up in the last few weeks. Finally, I also go over some September movies that I’m looking forward to seeing. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy this one. I will see you all in the next one.
This is going to be a short post, but I just finished recording what will hopefully be the first of many podcasts. Take it easy on me, it’s my first time:
Trust me, I’ll get better at this. Promise. Cross my heart and all that.
I think we can all agree that the world can be a dark and depressing place. The last year and half have proven to be unforgiving. Wherever there is darkness, light isn’t too far behind. Sometimes it’s hard to see, but it is there. Movies, for me at least, offer a light that can be missing in day-to-day life. They are a way of escaping the doldrums and the harshness of reality. For two hours, one can get wrapped up in a good story and it can affect your mood for the rest of the day. This is one of the many gifts that movies can offer people. While I’m definitely the kind of guy that loves dark, gritty, and depressing thrillers, there are times when I just need to smile at the end of the movie. That’s where these “feel-good” movies come in. Sure, the story can take some dark turns, but if the result of the journey ends up being something optimistic and hopeful, then it’s a journey worth taking. Sometimes you can’t get to the light without stepping into the dark, but the light at the end of the tunnel can shine ever so brightly. Okay, that’s pretty cornball thing, I admit, but you get what I’m saying: There are times we just need to feel good about who we are and the world we live in. These movies can help with that.
Field of Dreams
There’s something inherently magical about baseball that speaks to us as Americans at least, and certainly to those that love and appreciate the game. Field of Dreams isn’t about the game per se, but rather what baseball represents: Our past. The spirit of the game touches every one of us, even those of us who rarely watch baseball anymore. There is something pure about seeing two teams take to a large field, throw around a ball and hit it over the fence. Field of Dreams is about one man’s attempt to reconnect with his past, especially his father, and the final moments of the film are some of the most emotional and uplifting moments I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in a movie. What would we do to spend one more day with the ones that we loved and lost? That’s the question that drives the movie, and it’s magic.
The Rocketeer
I just reviewed this one yesterday, but The Rocketeer deserves a special mention on this list. As I said in my review, this movie is a throwback to the old adventure of the 30s and 40s, especially the ones that starred Errol Flynn. It’s just an honest-to-God high-flying adventure. You’ve got memorable characters and a great cast, especially Timothy Dalton who plays the film’s villain and Alan Arkin who is the comic relief and Cliff Secord’s best friend. It doesn’t do much more than what it advertises, but it doesn’t need to. The idea of strapping a rocket to your back and flying like a bat out of hell is a childhood dream. While we can’t actually get our hands on a rocket pack like this, The Rocketeer is the next best thing. With an iconic score from the late James Horner, The Rocketeer is an adventure that will your send your spirit soaring through the sky.
Star Wars Original Trilogy
The battle between good and evil is a tale as old as time itself, and has taken on many forms in terms of books, video games, and movies. But George Lucas’ Star Wars took to a whole new level. While on the surface, it follows the Hero’s Journey to the letter, it’s done in such a way that captures the imagination unlike anything else. Even though Empire Strikes Back is the darkest entry in the original trilogy, it still managed to be a ton fun with lots of humor and great characters, and those characters are what drive this trilogy. In fact, the dark second chapter allows the final film to achieve a cathartic and emotionally resonant ending when Luke redeems his father, Anakin who had become Darth Vader. The original Star Wars trilogy ranks among the greatest films in cinema history and I would not be the movie buff that I am without them.
The Impossible
Sometimes in our darkest moments, the one thing that we have to hold on to and is not always easy to find, is hope. The Impossible takes place during the Boxing Day tsunami which struck Southeast Asia in 2004, resulting in the deaths of nearly 230,000 people. This film follows the true story of one family that managed to survive the catastrophe. This family was separated when the wave struck and they had no idea if their family was still alive, but they kept going. It’s an intense movie that’s brutally realistic in terms of what happened and the chaos that followed. I guess for some people this might not be a feel-good movie, but when you see people look out for each other in the midst of a cataclysmic disaster, it gives you hope for the best in people, even if the end result isn’t a happy one. The Impossible is a powerful look at the human spirit and what we can achieve for each other when we have hope. That’s why it’s a feel-good movie for me.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
I’ll be truthful with you, The Voyage Home is NOT my favorite Star Trek movie. In fact, it’s the one I watch the least. I was not a fan of turning Star Trek into a comedy. That said, it was very funny because it’s well written and superbly performed by everybody involved. Talk about fish out of water, almost literally. This is a feel-good movie because of the message involved. The story involves the crew of the Enterprise trying to redeem themselves by saving the world again, but by going back in time to save two whales that could communicate with an alien probe. It’s a simple set up, but the way it unfolds is hilarious, yet it stresses the importance of not letting certain species go extinct, because we have no idea how important these creatures are to our future. It’s a strong, positive message that’s wrapped up in a spectacularly funny entry into the Star Trek franchise.
The Princess Bride
What? You were expecting a Best Feel-Good movies list without The Princess Bride? Inconceivable! No movie is perfect, but The Princess Bride is as close to perfection as you can get. Yeah, it has all the trappings of a romantic swash-buckling adventure, but it also pokes fun at those conventions by breaking up the movie with interludes with a kid and his grandfather. It’s brilliant in how it all comes together. The characters are very interesting, likable, and flawed. It’s got great cameos from folks like Billy Crystal. The Impressive Clergyman is one of the goofiest characters I’ve ever seen, and it’s awesome. The sword-fights are spectacular, and the comedy is flawless. Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, and Andre the Giant make for some of the best characters in any movie. It’s a classic in every sense of the word, and I can’t recommend it enough. Oh, yeah: It’s endlessly quotable too. Always remember: Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line.
Apollo 13
This is the second movie on this list that deals with real events. The Apollo 13 mission was famous for nearly stranding three astronauts in space when an oxygen tank blew. It was a story that was ripe for telling on the silver screen, and Ron Howard was more than up to the task. The film is also quite accurate too, although some liberties had to be taken to make it more dramatic. This is the story of the best that humanity had to offer in order to bring three men home, and succeed they did. The mission was called a “successful failure” in which they failed to reach the moon, but succeeded in getting home alive. Apollo 13 is one of the greatest movies of its kind, and it’s inspirational, hopeful, and shines a light on the indominable nature of the human spirit. The acting is fantastic and the visual effects are out of this world, literally. It’s a movie that you can watch again and again, and feel nothing but pride for the men and women of NASA.
There are a lot of other feel-good movies out there that I haven’t mentioned, but these are the ones that stand out to me in the best ways possible and are the reasons why we go to the movies. Never underestimate the power of a good movie. It can change your outlook on many things. If nothing else, it can help with a bad day, and there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, it’s exactly what the doctor ordered.
Released: June 1991
Director: Joe Johnston
Rated PG
Run Time: 108 Minutes
Distributor: Disney
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cast:
Bill Campbell: Cliff Secord
Jennifer Connelly: Jenny
Timothy Dalton: Neville Sinclair
Terry O’Quinn: Howard Hughes
Alan Arkin: Peevy
Paul Sorvino: Eddie Valentine
Jon Polito: Bigelow
Nostalgia is a powerful emotional force. When you yearn for something that no longer exists or the way certain things used to be, the memories of those times can be overwhelming. Nostalgia is not a bad thing. By remembering the way things used to be can sometimes help you prepare for what’s coming next. For movies, nostalgia is really important, as older movies are a window into a world that has since passed into memory, for better or worse. These movies allow you to relive those moments that you cherish so very much. Nostalgia is not going to be the same for everybody. For people who were born in 50s, 60s, or 70s, looking back at these times can remind people of their formative years. Even kids who were born in the 90s and the early 2000s are going to have THEIR idea of what nostalgia means. I was an 80s/90s kid, so movies from those decades have a lot of meaning for me, especially the early 90s. 1991 was a banner year for film, regardless of what generation you grew up in. 1991 had some of the biggest films ever released: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, Hot Shots!, The Addams Family, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day just to name a few. But there was one movie that never got the attention that it deserved, and it was one of the best movie experiences of my life: The Rocketeer.
The Rocketeer follows pilot Cliff Secord and his mechanic, Peevy as they prepare for a national aero-plane competition. When Cliff spots some runaway gangsters, he’s shot down, ruining any chances of competing. The gangsters had stolen an experimental rocket pack, designed by the legendary Howard Hughes, and hidden it in Cliff’s hanger. This rocket pack is sought after not just by the feds and Huges, but also gangster Eddie Valentine and movie star Neville Sinclair, who holds a secret of his own. With Peevy, Cliff tries to save his girlfriend, Jenny and the world from Hitler’s finest. If that sounds cheesy, that’s because it kind of is. It’s a comic book movie, so there’s an inherent amount of cheese involved. But the story is very B-movie material that, like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars, is a throwback to the serials and Errol Flynn-style adventure films of the 30s and 40s. It’s a perfectly decent story that keeps moving that moment it takes off(pun slightly intended)and doesn’t stop. As a kid, this movie sent my imagination into the stratosphere. How could it not? You’re strapping a rocket pack to your back and blasting off without needing wings or a plane. It’s literally a high-flying adventure that reminds me of the best kinds of movies that I loved as a kid. Seeing it again 30 years later brings back memories. The good kind. As goofy as it is, I can’t fault The Rocketeer for its over-the-top story.
The Rocketeer has an outstanding cast. Bill Campbell plays Cliff, the down-on-his-luck pilot. Campbell never got the big break that he should have, because he’s fantastic as the lead actor here. Alan Arkin is brilliant as Peevy. Jennifer Connelly plays Cliff’s love interest, Jenny. I’ve got to admit, I’ve always had a bit of crush on Ms. Connelly when I was younger. She was(and still is)stunning, but she’s also a talented actress in her own right. While her character is the stereotypical damsel in distress, she does get her moments where she holds her own. Terry O’Quinn absolutely nails it as Howard Hughes. But the real standout performance here is Timothy Dalton as actor Neville Sinclair. I always loved Dalton as James Bond, even though he had only two movies as 007, but he was excellent. He brings the same level of charm and sophistication to Sinclair, except the Sinclair happens to be a Nazi spy, so Dalton’s playing an evil version of James Bond, so to speak, but he does it so well. He also doesn’t go over the top the way that most actors would in a role like this. No, he keeps it simmering just below the surface. You like him, but when he turns, you really want to punch him in the face. Timothy Dalton is one of the greats, and he steals the show.
The Rocketeer is an old-school action-adventure in every aspect, from the visual effects to the stunt-work. While James Cameron was pushing visual effects forward with CGI, The Rocketeer takes its cue from the old action movies of the early 80s and 70s. If there was any CGI, I didn’t see it. There’s a lot of practical effects going on the gun-fights, car chases, big explosions. It all looks real because it was. There are a couple shots here and there that don’t hold up as well, specifically the matte shots where it is obvious that the actors are in front or above a blue screen. Oddly enough, however, that actually adds to the charm of this film. It’s not perfect, and it shouldn’t be. This was Industrial Light and Magic at the top of their game pre-CGI. The use of miniatures and actual locations was brilliant. The film also offers an explanation for why the Hollywood sign no longer has “land” in it, even the truth is far less entertaining. My favorite sequence, though, is when Cliff tries to rescue former pilot Malcolm as he takes Cliff’s place in a show without Cliff knowing about it. It’s edge-of-your-seat exciting and incredibly spectacular.
Special mention has to be made for the late James Horner’s masterful score for The Rocketeer. It’s a very classical kind of musical score that reminds me of Indiana Jones. It’s very memorable. From the moment the film starts, the music itself takes you on an adventure. It’s a high-spirited score that makes your soul soar into the heavens. James Horner has always been one of the best composers in film history. He earns his place among the greats like John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. In fact, I daresay that Horner has almost as many iconic soundtracks to his name as Williams does. It really broke my heart when I learned that James Horner had passed away in a tragic accident, yet his legacy and his music tell the story of his life and his career over the decades and continues to inspire. I can’t imagine The Rocketeer without James Horner’s music. That’s how powerful and amazing it truly is. The best music and best scores can hold up decades after their release, and The Rocketeer‘s soundtrack ranks as one of the best and most recognizable scores in movie history.
The Rocketeer was Joe Johnston’s second film as a director, and it’s incredible that it turned out as well as it did. It’s one of the reasons why Marvel picked him to helm Captain America: The First Avenger. He has a real great eye for classic adventure story-telling that few directors have. He also directed movies like Hidalgo, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids(his first movie), Jumanji, and The Wolfman remake(I liked it, sue me). While The Rocketeer isn’t a perfect movie, it is an outstanding film that hearkens back to the old adventure films that defined the industry in its early days. Sadly, the film barely made back it’s 40 million dollar budget at the box-office, so Disney’s attempt to make a franchise out of it crumbled, although, there’s been talk of a sequel over the past decade, but there’s nothing to show for it. Apparently there IS an animated series, but it’s not being well-received at all, especially by fans of the original movie, but I digress. The Rocketeer is a feel-good movie that stands the test of time with great performances, interesting characters, and a musical score that is epic. It’s mostly family friendly, so I would actually recommend this movie to ANYBODY who loves adventure movies. When it comes to nostalgic movies, The Rocketeer soars.
