Tag Archives: Movies

Movie Wisdom – Charlton Heston Edition

5 Oct

In the last post, I mentioned a character played by, among others, Charlton Heston. Then, I flipped through the channels and caught a few minutes of Will Penny, which stars Charlton Heston. If that is not a sign, then I do not know what a sign looks like. Obviously, it is time to check out words of wisdom from the movies of Charlton Heston.Charlton Heston

From The Greatest Show on Earth

When things go up, they must come down.

From The Ten Commandments

Ambition knows no father.

Nothing from some is more than gold from others.

A charging chariot knows no rank!

From The Big Country

Take a bath sometime.

You don’t shoot an unarmed man.

From Ben-Hur

Live your own life.

The world is more than we know.

A grown man knows the world he lives in.

From Will Penny

We don’t all have the same choices.

No self-respectin’ cowhand’d be caught dead milkin’ a cow!

From Planet of the Apes

Some apes, it seems, are more equal than others.

You can’t trust the older generation.

From The Omega Man

There’s never a cop around when you need one.

From Soylent Green

People were always rotten.

You’re bought as soon as they pay you a salary.

From Tombstone

Wearing that badge don’t make you right.

From True Lies

Seconds count.

 

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Movie Wisdom – Robert De Niro Edition

1 Oct

My stepdaughter saw The Intern and came home talking about how much she liked it. As she talked, I wondered if she had ever seen a Robert De Niro movie before. As we older folks know, he has appeared in some great films.

I do not know if I will see The Intern, but I have seen a lot of his movies. With that in mind, I figured that we should look into those movies and see what words of wisdom we can find.De Niro

From Bang the Drum Slowly

Everybody knows everybody is dying; that’s why people are as good as they are.

From The Godfather: Part II

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

Good health is the most important thing. More than success, more than money, more than power.

From The Deer Hunter

When a man says no to champagne, he says no to life.

From The Untouchables

Never stop fighting till the fight is done.

If you’re afraid of getting a rotten apple, don’t go to the barrel. Get it off the tree.

From Goodfellas

Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.

From Cape Fear 

If you hold on to the past, you die a little each day.

Every man has to go through hell to reach paradise.

From Casino

When you love someone, you’ve gotta trust them.

Take chances and drive fast.

From Heat

I say what I mean, and I do what I say.

From Ronin

Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt.

Either you’re part of the problem or you’re part of the solution or you’re just part of the landscape.

There is something outside yourself that has to be served.

Everyone’s your brother until the rent comes due.

All good things come to those who wait.

At the end of the day, we are likely to be punished for our kindnesses.

From The Good Shepherd

Everything is a secret.

Friends can be enemies, and enemies friends.

You have to look behind the words to understand their meaning.

From Silver Linings Playbook

The world will break your heart ten ways to Sunday.

 

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Movie Wisdom – Richard Jaeckel Edition

14 Sep

The other night, I caught a few minutes of the original 3:10 to Yuma. I have seen it before, and it is better than its remake from a few years ago. Of course, originals are usually better than remakes. The first one has better actors in several roles, but I definitely think that Richard Jaeckel is better than Ben Foster in the role of Charlie Prince.

Jaeckel shows up in a lot of movies, and I figured this would be a good time to look for words of wisdom in those movies. As in all Movie Wisdom posts, I must have seen all of the movies, but the words can be spoken by any actor in the movie.Richard Jaeckel

From Sands of Iwo Jima

You gotta learn right and you gotta learn fast.

Don’t get blind, staggerin’ stinkin’ falling down drunk.

From 3:10 to Yuma

It seems terrible that something bad can happen and all anybody can do is stand by and watch.

Funny, some men you see every day for ten years and you never notice; some men you see once and they’re with you for the rest of your life.

Squeezin’ that watch ain’t gonna stop time.

Borrowing isn’t begging.

From 4 for Texas

A secret whispered in a coffee house is as confidential as a headline in a newspaper.

From Chisum

No matter where people go, sooner or later there’s the law.

From Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

Comes an age in a man’s life when he don’t wanna spend time figuring what comes next.

From Starman

Red light stop, green light go, yellow light go very fast.

From Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection

Most mountains have four sides.

 

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Movie Wisdom – Dean Jones Edition

4 Sep

I read with great sadness about the death of Dean Jones. He was Disney’s go to guy for live action movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Some of the movies I saw in their first run, and others I saw in their second. Disney has always had a habit of releasing their movies to a new generation of audiences. Great marketing that is.

Anyway, Dean always played the mild-mannered lead who found himself in funny predicaments. At the end, he always fixed the issues and saved the day.

In honor of Dean Jones, here are words of wisdom that can be found in his films.Dean Jones

From Jailhouse Rock

Do unto others as they would do unto you, only do it first.

There comes a time when you gotta take a hand in things.

From That Darn Cat!

Lie down on the floor, there’s usually more air down there.

From Blackbeard’s Ghost

Beware all wenches.

From The Love Bug

Everything explains itself one way or the other.

Money serves to ease the pain.

From Beethoven

Words for parts of the body make very good names.

Dogs obey so much better than children.

From Clear and Present Danger

It’s always a friend who hates you most.

 

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Know What You Are Talking About Before Bringing It Up On The Radio

1 Sep

Several months ago, I was listening to the afternoon show on our local sports talk station. They call themselves 3HL because they used to be on around lunchtime. For those outside of Nashville, 3HL is supposed to stand for 3 Hour Lunch. Anyway, they are no longer on at lunch, and the name does not stand for anything.

On this particular afternoon, the discussion, as it often does, turned away from sports and toward something that could be considered historical.

For some strange reason, they were talking about Ernest Borgnine. I like Ernest Borgnine, but I wonder how many listeners have ever heard of him. Anyway, they started talking about some of his roles and remembered the made-for-television movie that he made about the explosion of Mount St. Helens. They knew that the man he portrayed stayed on the mountain and was never found. However, they could not remember his name.

I decided to help them out. We had just returned from a trip to Oregon and Washington and had visited the mountain.IMG_2917

I tweeted the show and told them that the man’s name was Harry Truman. I knew this because of our trip, but I also remembered it from when the disaster happened. Truman was on television all of the time, and, for obvious reasons, his name stuck out.

They read my tweet on the air and immediately brushed it aside with comments like:

“Harry Truman was president.”

“He must be thinking about another Borgnine movie, Harry and Tonto.”

I was livid. Obviously, they did not know that I just visited the mountain, but they could have read my Twitter profile. It plainly states that I am a historian. In other words, I know a little about what I am talking about.

Finally, somebody called in and said that I was right. The man on the mountain was Harry Truman. The radio guys acted shocked at this information and could not believe that I was right.

I have pretty much stopped listening to 3HL, but I have some advice for radio hosts throughout the land.

If you are going to talk about history or pop culture, then you should know what you are talking about.

If you do not know what you are talking about, then you should listen to people who do.

By the way, there is this thing called Google.

 

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Movie Wisdom – Harry Dean Stanton Edition

24 Aug

I am still in the process of breaking my writer’s block, and I am still creating easy posts until it completely goes away. Today’s easy post is part of the Movie Wisdom series that I often use to get through such times.

In the past, we have looked at words of wisdom from leading men, leading ladies and character actors. This time, we are exploring the works of one of time all time character actors, Harry Dean Stanton. The Kentucky native has been in some classics.Harry Dean

From How the West Was Won

There ain’t much glory in trompin’ behind a plow.

It don’t pay to eat too much on an empty stomach.

There ain’t much glory in lookin’ at a man with his guts hanging out.

From Cool Hand Luke

Sometimes nothin’ can be a real cool hand.

Things are just never the way they seem.

From Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

Comes an age in a man’s life when he don’t wanna spend time figuring what comes next.

From The Godfather: Part II

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it is that you can kill anyone.

Good health is the most important thing. More than success, more than money, more than power.

From The Missouri Breaks

The closer you get to Canada, the more things’ll eat your horse.

From Red Dawn

Far better it is to dare mighty things, than to take rank with those poor, timid spirits who know neither victory nor defeat.

No one can ever go home again.

From Pretty in Pink

If somebody doesn’t believe in me, I can’t believe in them.

If you give off signals that you don’t want to belong, people will make sure that you don’t.

From The Last Temptation of Christ

Change will happen with love, not with killing.

From The Green Mile

People hurt the ones they love.

Sometimes the past just catches up with you, whether you want it to or not.

You can’t hide what’s in your heart.

From Rango

No man can walk out of his own story.

Stay in school, eat your veggies, and burn everything but Shakespeare.

Control the water, and you control everything.

Sometimes you have to dig deep to find what you’re looking for.

It’s the deeds that make the man.

 

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Movie Wisdom- Robert Mitchum Edition

15 Aug

Several months ago, I put together a Movie Wisdom post based on the films of John Mitchum. Now, I have decided to write one about the movies of his more famous brother, Robert Mitchum.

The idea developed as I watched Thunder Road, a movie that I had never seen. Robert Mitchum wrote it; starred in it; and co-wrote the theme song. In other words, it was a movie that he was passionate about.

Thunder Road is about moonshine running in Appalachia. After watching the movie, I looked up its filming locations. When I was a kid, I heard that a movie like this one was made nearby, and I wondered if this was the one. It was not, but I am going to figure out that mystery.

Anyway, here are some words of wisdom that can be found in the movies of Robert Mitchum.Robert Mitchum

From River of No Return

There are lots of ways to die. Starving to death isn’t my favorite.

The longer you last the less you care.

From Thunder Road

If you want to bray, go find yourself a barnyard.

From The Longest Day

The thing that’s always worried me about being one of the few is the way we keep on getting fewer.

You can’t give the enemy a break.

From El Dorado

A man can’t shoot good when his horse is jumping.

Faith can move mountains, but it can’t beat a faster draw.

From 5 Card Stud

A man don’t work, he ain’t respectable.

The funeral is for the living.

From Scrooged

Sometimes the truth is painful.

That’s the one good thing about regret: it’s never too late. You can always change tomorrow if you want to.

From Cape Fear

If you hold on to the past you die a little each day.

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Movie Wisdom – Ward Bond Edition

9 Aug

There have been several Movie Wisdom posts. Some of them have focused on leading actors, and others have focused on character players. This one covers the movies of one of the all time great character actors.

Ward Bond appeared in a ton of classics, but this list only includes the ones I have seen. Let us see what wisdom can be found in the works of Ward Bond.Rio Bravo

From Gone With the Wind

Tomorrow is another day.

With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.

From The Grapes of Wrath

A fellow ain’t got a soul of his own, just little piece of a big soul, the one big soul that belongs to everybody.

Seems like the government’s got more interest in a dead man than a live one.

Maybe there ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue, they’s just what people does.

Well, a woman can change better’n a man.

Takes no nerve to do something, ain’t nothin’ else you can do.

From The Maltese Falcon

Talking’s something you can’t do judiciously, unless you keep in practice.

The best goodbyes are short.

From It’s a Wonderful Life

No man is a failure who has friends.

Youth is wasted on the wrong people.

From Hondo

A man oughta do what he thinks is best.

Everybody gets dead.

Women always figure every man comes along wants ’em.

From Johnny Guitar

There’s only two things in this world that a ‘real man’ needs: a cup of coffee and a good smoke.

When a fire burns itself out, all you have left is ashes.

A man who can’t hold on to a glass should drink like a baby from a bottle.

From The Searchers

Figure a man’s only good for one oath at a time.

From Rio Bravo

Man gets shot that’s got a gun, there’s room for reasonable doubt.

 

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A Steel Magnolias Kind of Weekend

5 Aug

I have never seen Steel Magnolias. However, this weekend brought two of its stars to the stages of Nashville, and we saw both of them.

Friday night, we saw Dolly Parton at the Ryman Auditorium. It had been over a decade since she played a concert in Nashville, but a local charity brought her back to town. The place was packed with music industry insiders, politicians and regular people. Despite the strange mixture, there was an electricity running through the crowd. This was not just a concert. It was an event. I have written about seeing Elvis Presley in concert, and, although I was young, I can remember a similar feeling.

I guess that was fitting because Dolly came out in a white suit that brought to mind something Elvis would wear.image-46

Writing a sentence using only first names brought something else to my mind. It is a rare level of fame when people know someone by their first name.

Anyway, the show was awesome. Dolly played a bunch of her more famous songs and played a bunch of instruments along the way. However, I enjoyed her stories. She talked about growing up in Appalachia and the struggles that her family faced. She talked about coming to Nashville as a teenager and eventually reaching superstar status. Despite that transition, she never forgot where she came from.

Dolly is a true entertainer who writes songs, sings and acts. However, it is her charisma and connection to the crowd that caught my attention.

Thursday night, we went to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center for a completely different kind of show. Shirley MacLaine was there to talk about her life and her career.image-47

It was also a strangely mixed crowd with those who wanted to hear stories about Hollywood and those who were there to be close to their spiritual guide. I knew that the latter would get what they wanted, but I was hoping there would be more about the inside workings of the movies.

It was an interview format with Ann Patchett, author and Nashvillian, doing the asking. I think she wanted to psychoanalyze Shirley MacLaine because the first question went straight to reincarnation. It was something about how playing different lives in movies may have opened her mind to the possibility of living different lives.

Well, Shirley MacLaine was having none of that. She knew that she had fought in the Civil War long before she was in a movie.

There was some discussion about her career, and some interesting stories were told. However, the spiritual realm dominated the night. That is fine. I expected it. However, I would have asked some other things like:

How did someone who grew up in Virginia make it to Hollywood?

What did your family think of that decision?

Who was your favorite dance partner?

I could go on, but I would rather talk about when the audience asked questions. There was a good question about the Rat Pack that led her to talk about the time John F. Kennedy decided not to stay at Frank Sinatra’s house.

Then, there was one questioner who said that he could see his deceased grandmother in the eyes of his cat. That led someone else to talk about the hierarchy of the cat world. There was also some talk about how we are living multiple lives all at once.

At some point, I told my wife that I was going to the restroom and that I may not come back. People can believe what they want. Heck, I am probably strange, too. However, I had enough mystical talk for one night.

Dolly Parton and Shirley MacLaine worked together in Steel Magnolias, which made the two shows kind of cool and connected. As I wrote, the shows were completely different. In one of them, I got up and threatened not to come back. In the other one, I did not want to miss anything.

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If These Movies Are On Television, Then I Will Watch Them

30 Jul

The other day, I wrote a post about the BBC and its list of the 100 best American films, and a commenter said that I should provide my own list of top movies. Unfortunately, I am not a movie critic and cannot delve into the intricacies of acting and directing. I only know what movies I like and do not like.

With that in mind, I decided to take this challenge into a different direction. When I am scrolling through the guide, there are some things that I will automatically click on and watch for a while. This includes a few movies with different levels of quality. If I cannot make a list of the greatest movies of all time, then I can make a list of the 10 movies I will always watch if I see them on the television guide.

They are coming at you in the order that I thought of them.

Manhunter (1986) – This was on last night and led me to write this post. It is the first movie about Hannibal Lecter and is directed by Michael Mann. In other words, it is Silence of the Lambs meets Miami Vice. You may have seen its remake, Red Dragon, but this one is a lot more entertaining.

Flash Gordon (1980) – Let Dino de Laurentiis try to capitalize on the Star Wars phenomenon, and this is what you get. It has some great actors and some not-so-great actors, but they are all having a good time. It would have been awesome to been in the room when Flash attacked Ming’s guards by playing football. On top of that, Ornella Muti is there in all her glory.Ornella

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) – Two stars of the 1980s, Don Johnson and Mickey Rourke, try to make their transition into the next decade. They ride motorcycles. They go after drug dealers. They act cool. Well, acting might be too strong of a word. I have already written about this one and will move on down the line.

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) – When I become king, a new law will make its way across the land. As a testament to its greatness, everyone must watch this movie. Clint Eastwood is awesome, and it is filled with awesome quotes. I should know because I have them all memorized. In the early days of this blog, I wrote an extensive post about this one.

Smokey and the Bandit (1977) – As with the previous movies, I have already written about this one. Burt Reynolds is at his peak. Jackie Gleason is hilarious. I saw it five times when it was in release and can never watch it too many times. The only problem is that television cleans up the language and, in the process, destroys a lot of the laughs.

El Dorado (1966) – I could have listed a ton of John Wayne movies, but I think I click on this one more than any other. It could be because this one is on regularly. Anyway, it is a script that was filmed several times, but it never gets old. Oh yeah, there is one other thing. As I have written before, it is a poetic movie.

The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) – This is a terrible movie. Klinton Spilsbury never made another movie. Heck, he did not really make this one. James Keach was brought in to dub his lines. However, it has some redeeming qualities. Merle Haggard sings the theme song, and part of it was filmed in Monument Valley.

Logan’s Run (1976) – I am a big fan of dystopian movies, and this is one of my favorites. How can post-apocalyptic life be bad with scantily clad women everywhere? On top of that, a push of a button can make one of the scantily clad women appear instantly in your apartment. The only thing that could go wrong is that Carrousel ride at the age of 30. On second thought, it would probably be better to live with a bunch of cats in a destroyed Washington, D.C.Cats

For Love of the Game (1999) – This is a movie that used to hit me on a deep emotional level. As the years pass, it does not have the same effect. Despite that, it is still a good movie. Kevin Costner has made a bunch of sports movies, but this is my favorite one. It could be because Vin Scully is calling the game.

Legends of the Fall (1994) – This is another movie that reaches me on an emotional level, but it is also interesting in a historical sense. Obviously, it is about a family that goes through years of heartache. However, it is also about rum-running during Prohibition. They talk about the Volstead Act and smuggling alcohol across the Canadian border. I could go deeper into a historical analysis, but I may need that for another post.

Now, let us analyze the list by decade.

1960s – 1

1970s – 3

1980s – 3

1990s – 3

Interestingly, nothing made in the past 16 years has knocked a movie off this list. I wonder what that means.

Then, there is this. Over half of the list was filmed between 1976 and 1986. Those must have been formative movie years for me.

Anyway, those are the movies that I will always watch if I find them on television. What are a few of the movies that would make your list?

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