He writes a compelling chase narrative

The American Civil-War era remains captivating to many people.  I have met few people who show little interest.  No person commands the field in this area more than our 16th President.  Released in 2011, author James L. Swanson's Bloody Crimes: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis, narrates two disparate journeys, doing so in a well-written, fast-paced, manner.  The facts and theories surrounding Lincoln's assassination are well-known.  Less so is the story of his funeral procession on a designated train from Washington, D.C., to his hometown of Springfield, Illinois.  The description of the stops en route and the respect and reverence exhibited along the way support Swanson's central thesis that this uniquely American period of national mourning transformed Lincoln from a President who was loathed by some, underestimated and underappreciated by many, and grudgingly accepted by most, into a national icon and, perhaps, our greatest leader.  Far less well-known is the dogged effort of Jefferson Davis to keep the Confederate States of America alive to fight another day after the surrender of General Lee and the evacuation of its capitol, Richmond, Virginia.  Swanson humanizes Davis in the narrative.  In so doing, support is found for General Lee's post-war assessment that Davis was the best person to serve as the President of the Confederacy at the time, and that no other person could have done as good or better as he did in this role.  Davis is in charge of a lost cause, on a train bound for his eventual capture and trial.  Side-by-side, these twin narratives tell very different, if interconnected, stories making for a quick read.  For an excellent account of the flight and capture of Lincoln's assassin, read Swanson's CManhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, published in 2009.

Not exactly a Christmas movie

You will need to look for it and either buy or rent it, but once found, Seven Times Lucky (2004), will not disappoint.  Written and directed by Gary Yates, with one of my favorite actors, Kevin Pollak, in a leading role, this gem, clocking in at 83 fast-paced minutes, will leave you smirking.  Filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, it is a tale of small-time con-artists crossing and double-crossing their way through the pecking order of local organized crime.  The plot moves so quickly, a second or third viewing will enhance the experience.  It has a great look to it, with the bleak winter drudgery backdropping the dismal lives of its characters.  Labels oversimplify, but fans of film noir and the Coen brothers will appreciate this film.

I found this film several years ago on the Independent Film Channel.  It is set during the Christmas season, and the soundtrack adds quirky elements.  Hearing a cheerful, familiar tune while dark and desperate events are portrayed put me in the fan club.   Great Christmas movies abound this time of year, and everyone has their favorites. 'Tis the season for holiday movies, but you will not find this movie on the Hallmark Channel. 
Go find it or ask to borrow mine.

He found his destiny

But for the fact that the movie has been around for decades before Charlton Heston became the public voice of the NRA, I would need to issue a spoiler alert.  "Planet of the Apes" (1968) contains one of the most visually shocking endings in film history.  Taylor, the astronaut played by Heston, leaves The Forbidden Zone on horseback with the lovely Nova after learning that the planet upon which his craft has landed was once ruled by an ancient human civilization pre-dating ape dominance.  Meandering along an ocean beach, clues appear until the scorched remains of the Statute of Liberty fill the screen. Buried in the sand, protruding in silent protest, Lady Liberty bears witness to the cataclysmic self-destruction of the human race.  Welcome home, Mr. Taylor.

World War

Historians posit that an understanding of World War II cannot be grasped without a comprehension of the aftermath of what World War I ("The Great War" initially) wrought.  Into this breach, thrust by events, opportunity, and political terrorism, the Austrian Corporal ascended.  "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich:  A History of Nazi Germany," written by journalist and war correspondent William L. Shirer, was a fixture in our house when I was growing up, but I did not read it until all these years later.  Checking in at nearly 1200
pages (1990 paperback edition) probably had something to do with that, and the extensive footnotes and small-type quotations from captured documents, diaries, and testimony from the Nuremburg Trials make it a much longer read.  It is invaluable, however, for its contribution to the above-described understanding.  It is not a history of the war, and surprisingly little is written therein about its battles and leaders.  Rather, it is a chronological treatment of the Nazi regime and its capacity for bloodlust that unleashed genocide, mass murder, global war and destruction that would be incomprehensible if untrue.  The iconic stories of World War II are indelibly stored in our collective consciousness.  Yet, I still found it hard to believe that Nazi Germany, a relatively recent clear and present evil, did, in fact, exist.  Shirer's monumental work documents the undeniable and horrible truth.

Philip got it down cold.

I remember Truman Capote from his appearances on "The Tonight Show" back in the 70's.  He was an exotic character, meaning he was unlike anyone I knew back then.  He was effortlessly funny, savagely witty and cleverly sarcastic.  Sadly, that is what he was known for at the time of his frequent talk show appearances.  He had been a promising writer, first achieving notoriety as the author of "Breakfast at Tiffany's."  He truly broke with the publication of "In Cold Blood," a true crime novel about the murder of all four members of the Clutter family in Eisenhower-era Kansas.  This book won many awards and established
Capote's place among the great writers and their works.

In his portrayal of the man in "Capote" (2005), Philip Seymour Hoffman is brilliant.  I like Hoffman in all roles
(e.g. "The Big Lebowski," and the emotionally wrenching, little known, must-see "Love Liza").  "Capote" is a great film with a dual focus on the author and his relationships, as well as his research and immersion into the irredeemably brutal quadruple murders.

Odds? What odds?

Tales of dumb courage in a hopeless cause get me every time.  In Southern Illinois, notorious gangster and bootlegger Charlie Birger was publicly executed in 1928.  It is said that his death was the last public hanging in the state.  From the gallows, Birger smiled and uttered his last words: "It's a beautiful world."  By all indications, Birger bore his condemnation with resigned bravery from the dates of sentencing to hanging.
Whether the real desperadoes Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid bore up as well in the fleeting moments before their demise at the hands of Bolivian soldiers is pure speculation.  However, it makes for a memorable final scene in the movie as portrayed by Paul Newman and Robert Redford.   Butch and Sundance are surrounded by soldiers who have the high ground on all sides of a walled plaza.  After a penultimate shootout, Butch and Sundance retreat into a small room.  The only way out is through the open plaza, a hail of bullets, and certain death.  Pausing to reload their guns, exhausted, bleeding, and doomed, Butch asks Sundance if he saw Joe Lefors among their pursuers.  Lefors is the incorruptible and indefatigable lawman who led the posse trailing Butch and Sundance in the long chase sequence that culminates in the famous leap from the rocky ledge into a whitewater river.  'No,' Sundance replies, and no such leap is an option for Butch and Sundance now.  Butch's reaction is the stuff of movie legend: "Oh good.  For a moment there I thought we were in trouble."  With that, Butch and Sundance run from the room, out into the plaza, six-shooters blazing from each hand, leaving the rest to the imagination.

Captain Kirk's birthday

Not exactly a party, but a spectacular opening sequence to 2009's "Star Trek," directed by J.J. Abrams.  The movie begins as Captain Kirk's mother is going into labor.  However, her starship is under attack, and she, along with all cast, crew and passengers, are abandoning the doomed starship aboard small, retreating, vessels.  Kirk's father remains on board, fighting off the attack long enough to allow some people to flee to safety.  In the midst of the fight, before his destruction, Kirk's father sees his newborn son and his wife on a ship-to-ship viewing screen.  He lives long enough to see this and to tell his wife to name their newborn son after his father-in-law, Jim.  Kirk's father dies a tremendous hero, but this will be little consolation to James T. Kirk initially, and then the rest is, as they say, history, if not a popular culture phenomenon.   With all due respect to the Star Trek franchise, I think this opening scene tops it all.  It is a great action sequence full of light flashes, explosions and frenzy.  Yet the emotional impact of a father in his final moments, calm, steady, courageous, and duty-bound, facing his destruction to be witnessed by his wife and newborn child, is overwhelming.  A very good, underrated movie, overall.

His day was made a long time ago

Clint Eastwood is an accomplished director, with credits including two top-shelf westerns ("Unforgiven" and "The Outlaw Josey Wales"), as well as "Million-Dollar Baby" and "Gran Torino."  Unlike these films, Clint does not appear onscreen in "J. Edgar," his most recent film, starring Leonardo Di Caprio as John Edgar Hoover, the legendary FBI Director.  "J. Edgar" is an excellent film, with fast-pacing moving back and forth between the end of Hoover's life and a chronological treatment of some of his experiences.  The pacing is so effective that the movie flew by, and I was left wanting more, which is nice, as Carl Spackler would say.  If Hoover could have kept a file on the fictional Carl, he probably would have, what with his apocalypitic fixation on gophers and all.  But back to Clint; he makes good movies.

The public career of J. Edgar Hoover has been well-covered elsewhere.  However, "J. Edgar " briefly treats his accomplishments and controversies. It establishes his steerage of the FBI through its infancy to the mammoth crime fighting agency that it became, incredibly surviving 8 presidents and countless politicians and bureaucrats along the way.  Without his commitment to scientific methods of evidence gathering and analysis,
"CSI" could be a very different show today.  Controversially, the fact that Hoover improperly used his position to enhance and maintain his power is alluded to in the move.  As a result, "J. Edgar" is a fine example of intelligent filmmaking; the audience either brings enough knowledge to the film to understand or leaves with the opportunity to conduct reconnaisance into the life and times of this very private of public men.

Where "J. Edgar" shines is in the treatment of the private life of Hoover.  His relationship with the women in his life (mother and secretary), is fascinatingly portrayed by Judi Dench and Naomi Watts, respectively.  His mother pushed him to achieve and to maintain an iron will.  DiCaprio's Hoover seeks her approval at all times.  No less steely is his secretary, who also has Hoover's back without fail.  However, the  depictions of the complicated and close relationship between Hoover and his Assistant Director, Clyde Tolson, sustain most of the film.  These private glimpses are what "J. Edgar" is all about, and the entire portrait results in another winner for the High Plains Drifter.

The Most Interesting Man in an International Beer Commercial

If you see a movie in a theater over the holidays, you may see the long form commercial for Heineken.  The short form is running on television.  The commercial is a short film, and, though it looks and sounds cool, it trys too hard to be avant-garde.  In fact, it lacks originality.  The theme throughout, with a man taking a woman by the hand and embarking from the kitchen for adventure on the floor of a nightclub is reminiscent of the long Copacabana sequence in "Goodfellas."  Therein, Ray Liotta, hand-in-hand with Lorraine Bracco, moves from the street, through a back door, proceeding to the floor of the Copa, as if the gangster owns the place and does this all the time.  With Ronnie Spector singing "And He Kissed Me" in the background, the scene is a long, seamless shot from street to floor, beautifully filmed and directed by Martin Scorsese.  It is one of the best scenes in cinematic history.  So, if you want to see the long shot, check out "Goodfellas," and have a Heineken.  It is good beer.

Collaboration

I recently watched the AFI Master Class episode in which Steven Spielberg and John Williams discussed their collaboration on such films as "Jaws," "E.T." and "Schindler's List."  Spielberg commented that the musical score provided by Williams has taken his films to another level.  The impact of suitably placed music
in a film is readily apparent.  Who can forget the tension and terror evoked upon first seeing "Jaws" heightened by the perfectly themed score?  Music enhances documentaries as well, perhaps most ably demonstrated in the work of Ken Burns.  The tone set throughout by "Ashokan Farewell" attracted new audiences to his masterpiece on the Civil War.  Symbiotically, interest in the song and the events spiked.  Many people, myself included, mistakenly believed this waltz to be a traditional, 19th century work, that may have been played in campgrounds between 1861 and 1865.  In fact, it was composed by Jay Ungar in 1982, some eight years before Ken Burns conquered PBS.  It may well be the star of the film. 

Homer and the western tradition

Not Homer Simpson, but Homer, to whom The Iliad and The Odyssey are attributed.  The phrase "bite the dust" has been around for awhile, several thousand years before Freddie Mercury and Queen sang about another one.  It's in the Iliad like so many other fragments of honor, duty, bravery, and heroic adventure that form the basis of countless stories we all have seen and heard.  Read both works and count the number of times a passage triggers something you have seen in a movie or read about in another work.  You may be surprised how many references add up until "another one gone, and another one gone."