A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Die Hard (1988) Directed by John McTiernan Written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza Based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp Starring: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Alan Rickman, Reginald VelJohnson, William Atherton, Alexander Godunov, Paul Gleason Hans Gruber : [addressing the hostages] I wanted this to be professional, efficient, adult, cooperative. Not a lot to ask. Alas, your Mr. Takagi did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life. We can go any way you want it. You can walk out of here or be carried out. But have no illusions. We are in charge. So, decide now, each of you. And please remember: we have left nothing to chance. Although action films have been around since Edwin S. Porter’s The Great Train Robbery (1903), the genre became dominant in the 1980s with the success of summer blockbuster like Raiders of the Lost Ark, 48 Hrs, First Blood, and Lone Wolf McQuade. Though these films have different

On June 7, 2016, Paramount Home Media Distribution released “Star Trek II: The Director’s Cut,” a one-disc Blu-ray (BD) edition of Nicholas Meyer’s 1982 box office hit that pits Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise against their deadliest foe, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban). Unlike its 2002 DVD predecessor, the BD re-issue not only contains the slightly longer (by three minutes) version of Meyer’s movie; it also includes the 113-minute-long edition as it was seen in theaters back in 1982. One of the most celebrated and essential chapters in Star Trek lore, “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” is now presented in this spectacular Director’s Cut from legendary filmmaker Nicholas Meyer. On routine training maneuvers, Admiral James T. Kirk seems resigned that this may be the last space mission of his career. But Khan is back, with a vengeance. Aided by his exiled band of genetic supermen, Khan – brilliant renegade of 20 th Century Ea

Ice Station Zebra (1968) Directed by John Sturges Screenplay by Douglas Heyes, Harry Julian Fink, and W.R. Burnett, based on the novel by Alistair MacLean Starring: Rock Hudson, Patrick MacGoohan, Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown John Sturges'  Ice Station Zebra , based on Alistair MacLean's novel and written by Douglas Heyes Harry Julian Fink, and W.R. Burnett, is a Cold War-era "restoring the balance of power" film.  It focuses on a mixed bag of Navy and Marine personnel, a Russian defector, and a mysterious British agent on a risky mission to the Arctic Circle to retrieve the contents of a crashed Soviet spy satellite's cameras.  On paper, this 1968 technothriller looks promising, considering it features a U.S. nuclear sub (the USS  Tigerfish ), a noteworthy cast (Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick MacGoohan, and ex-football great Jim Brown), and one of those race-the-Russians-to-the-gizmo plots that would later be the heart of such novels as

Apocalypse Now (1979) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Written by John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola Narration written by Michael Herr Based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness Starring: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, G.D. Spradlin Kurtz: I've seen horrors... horrors that you've seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that... but you have no right to judge me. It's impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. Horror... Horror has a face... and you must make a friend of horror. Apocalypse Now, director Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War epic, is one of the greatest films ever made. Winner of the 1979 Palme d’ Or award at the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for Best Picture at the 1979 Academy Awards, Apocalypse Now was also a com

Most historians agree that the most ethically challenged Presidential administration were those led by Presidents Ronald Reagan, Richard M. Nixon, Warren G. Harding, Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew Jackson. To be fair, Presidents Grant and Reagan were not themselves corrupt, but were unlucky enough to have been surrounded by unscrupulous staffers and con-men. Both men were fairly honest, but their administrations were marred by a long series of scandals. The other Presidents on the "most corrupt" list were indeed shifty. Nixon was forced to resign as a result of the Watergate scandal, but he had also authorized the infamous break-in into Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office; Harding was a womanizer who, as a senator, was blackmailed by his mistress, who threatened to "tell all" if he didn't vote a certain way. Harding is also infamous for his participation in the Teapot Dome scandal. And Andrew Jackson? Per attn.com : 

" A house divided against itself cannot stand....." - Abraham Lincoln, June 16, 1858  Illustration credit: xkcd, (C) 2016 by Randall Munroe It's twilight in America.  Since the beginning of President Donald J. Trump's Administration on January 20, the mood of the nation is ugly. The President's ultra-conservative base, perhaps unaware of the irony, seems to be perplexed by the dismally low approval ratings of Mr. Trump in his first two weeks as our Chief Executive. I say, with no small amount of sadness, that it's ironic that the true believers of Make America Great Again simply don't understand how hypocritical their "Give him a chance" pleas sound to those of us who don't like Mr. Trump or his policies. Have they not forgotten that the Republican Party proudly proclaimed itself the "Party of No" when Barack Obama became President eight years ago?  Have they such a selective memory that they don't recall Rush Limbau