REVIEW: On the Road

Directed by Walter Salles
2012 Drama
2 hours 4 minutes
From IFC Films

Starring
Sam Riley
Garrett Hedlund
Kristen Stewart
Kirsten Dunst
Tom Sturridge
Alice Braga
Danny Morgan
Elizabeth Moss
Amy Adams
Viggo Mortensen

REVIEW: Olympus Has Fallen

Directed by Antoine Fuqua
2013 Action Thriller
1 hour 59 minutes
From FilmDistrict
and Millennium Films

Starring
Gerard Butler
Aaron Eckhart
Morgan Freeman
Angela Bassett
Rick Yune
Melissa Leo
Robert Forster
Dylan McDermott
Rahda Mitchell
Cole Hauser
Finlay Jacobsen
Ashley Judd

REVIEW: Stoker

Directed by Chan-wook Park
2013 Drama Thriller
1 hour 39 minutes
From Fox Searchlight Pictures

Starring
Mia Wasikowska
Matthew Goode
Nicole Kidman
Dermot Mulroney
Alden Ehrenreich
Jacki Weaver
Phyllis Somerville

My First Favorite Irishman

Irish actors have always had it.  Not altogether sure I know what it is but if you got it, I will spot it.  They have an ability to light a fire in others oftimes by doing little more than just standing there.  Many radiate sex, allure, promise, often set off by masculine good looks.  And they know it.  My first favorite Irishman was Stephen Boyd.  It's a good time of year to chat him up.

Lee Marvin: Point Blank

I just finished a new book by that name.  It was well-written by Dwayne Epstein through Shaffner Press.  It is his first movie star biography.  It appears well-researched, very informative and an honest, often painful look into the life of a good actor and a troubled man.

A Home at the End of the World: Favorite Movie #14

2004 Drama

From Warner Bros.

Directed by Michael Mayer

Starring

Colin Farrell

Robin Wright

Dallas Roberts

Sissy Spacek

Eric Smith

Harris Allan

Andrew Chalmers

Ryan Donowho

Matt Frewer

Eleanor Parker

It was my greatest year, 1952, for discovering movies.  Many of the films I hold so near and dear are from around that time.  The same, of course, could be said of actors.  My family held Eleanor Parker in high esteem.  Both my parents liked her.  In 1952 as a family we saw two films with Parker.  One was Scaramouche and the other was Above and Beyond and upon seeing them there was some blustery conversation about whether it was Parker in both. 

The Directors: George Roy Hill

Here we go with our second outing in the field of movie directors.  Raise your hand if you know who George Roy Hill is.  If you do not know the name, most of you will know his films.  Trust me.  His output is not great, only 14, but he has made some memorable films.  Let's give you the entire listing right now... and we'll fill in the details as we go on.