Well, it’s December 31ST and if you are still with me it could only mean one thing and that is that not only is it the end of 2016, but it is also the end of the challenge. To finish up the challenge, I wanted to check out a film from Carrie Fisher (Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope) as I had done for so many others that passed in 2016. So, I chose The Man With One Red Shoe for today’s film. A major screw up in Morocco puts a CIA director (Charles Durning) in a very bad spot as his rival Cooper (Dabney Coleman) looks to take advantage of the situation during a senate hearing. To keep Cooper busy, he has one of his men set up a poor unknowing violinist named Richard (Tom Hanks) in the middle of it all. The film also stars Lori Singer (Footloose) as Maddy, Carrie Fisher as Paula, Edward Herrmann (The Town That Dreaded Sundown) as Brown, Jim Belushi (Home Sweet Hell) as Morris, Tom Noonan (Last Action Hero) as Reese, Gerrit Graham (Child’s Play 2) as Carson, David L. Lander (Titan A.E.) as Stemple, Irving Metzman (WarGames) as Virdon, Dortha Duckworth (The Honeymoon Killers) as Natalie, and the film was directed by Stan Dragoti (Necessary Roughness).
I never thought that when I started this challenge 366 days ago that I was actually going to finish only because I had tried before and failed a couple of times. Tom Hanks is one of those guys that you can depend on when watching a film because he is money. That is why when I was searching for a Carrie Fisher film and I saw that he was in this, I jumped on the opportunity. The film is listed as a thriller, but it’s mostly a comedy as you watch these CIA agents struggle to get an angle on Tom Hanks character. One of my favorite scenes in the film involves Jim Belushi who goes over to Hanks’s apartment to confront him about an affair that he is having with Carrie. As soon as he sees bodies on the floor in the apartment, he leaves only to see Hanks on the streets. As he tells Tom all about it, they go inside the apartment and the bodies are gone. Belushi goes to the fridge to grab a drink and sees a body, but when Hanks does, he grabs him a drink and now Belushi believes he is going crazy. It’s the kind of comedy I love and there is plentiful in the film as there are some great names of comedy in this film. Carrie kind of had a minor role in the film, but she makes an impact with her scenes. This is one of those early Tom Hanks comedies that he always did before he got serious in the acting game. The cinematography was pretty good in the film especially with scenes like the train stopping scene which was part of a cool chase scene. As we say goodbye to Carrie Fisher, we also say goodbye to the challenge which has been completed. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.
2016 has truly been one of the worst years for celebrity deaths as so many legends of music, sports, and the silver screen have passed away. Well, 2016 has claimed another legend of the silver screen. Some of you may remember her as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope all the way through Episode VII- The Force Awakens which was released last year. Of course, I am talking about Carrie Fisher who passed away today at the age of 60 from the effects of a heart attack she suffered when trying to travel last week from London to Los Angeles. They grounded the plane and took her to a nearby hospital for treatment, but she has passed away. The terrible news was confirmed by her daughter Billie Lourd as a statement was read saying, “It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning.” The statement Lourd wrote also said, “She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”
Carrie Fisher was born on October 21, 1956 in Beverly Hills, CA to entertainers Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. After escaping Hollywood in 19973, she would enroll at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London where she spent her time studying to be an actress. Carrie would return to Hollywood in 1975 where she made her debut in the Warren Beatty film Shampoo before making her jump to play the iconic Princess Leia in the Star Wars films. Besides the Sci-Fi classic franchise, she would star in films like The Burbs, Hannah And Her Sisters, The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally, The Man with One Red Shoe, Wonderland, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, Scream 3, Loverboy, and so many more. In 1983, she would marry musician Paul Simon to which the marriage is often described as explosive (according to People.com), but the couple would ultimately divorce in 1984. She was also very open about her drug addiction in the past which was talked about in a book by her called Postcards From The Edge which was later turned into a film that starred Meryl Streep. No matter what, she will be surely missed by all who loved her work whether it be the films or the one person Broadway stage show Wishful Drinking. She is survived by her daughter Billie Lourd from a relationship she had with talent agent Bryan Lourd. R.I.P. Carrie Fisher (1956-2016).
365moviesin365dayschallenge 