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.
For today’s film, I was simply flipping through my guide when I saw that Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring) and Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up) were starring in a film that I had never heard of. So, I took the chance and for today’s film I watched Home Sweet Hell. Don Champagne (Wilson) seems to have it all from the perfect wife, family, home, and he even owns his own business selling furniture. Not everything is what it seems as his wife Mona (Heigl) pretty much runs his life by making decisions and even when they have sex. At his business, Don hires a sexy woman by the name of Dusty (Jordana Brewster) and the two begin to have an affair. When Don finds out that she is pregnant and wants money, Mona will stop at nothing to fix the issue and keep her perfect family together. The film also stars Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting) as Freeman, A.J. Buckley (Disturbing Behavior) as Murphy, Jim Belushi (Mr. Destiny) as Les, Heath Freeman (Skateland) as Benji, Chi McBride (Let’s Go To Prison) as Chief Malcolm Brown, Madison Wolfe (The Campaign) as Allison Champagne, Aiden Flowers (The Big Short) as Andrew Champagne, and the film was directed by Anthony Burns (Skateland).
I have to be honest and say that I was sold on this film the minute I saw the sweet behind of Jordana Brewster. She is so sexy in this film and she does an amazing job playing a seductress. I mean who would fall for her trap? You’ll have to see the film to know exactly what I am talking about there, but this film was pretty enjoyable to watch. Katherine Heigl did such an amazing job playing a really creepy housewife who is obsessed with the idea of perfection. She has everything mapped out in a scrap book that she calls goals. As soon as somebody tries to mess with it, she snaps. She definitely sold her part very well to the point where I believed that she was who she was playing. Patrick Wilson also did a terrific job playing a guy who thinks he’s confident, but when things get real, he’s a bubbling idiot who certainly can’t take confrontations. So, you can definitely tell who wears the pants in that family, but the end will certainly shock you a tiny bit. There are times however that certain events happen that are a little too predictable and you say to yourself that you saw that coming. Jim Belushi does a great job as sort of the alcoholic sidekick that works for Don at the furniture store. The film is pretty decent and it’s certainly worth checking out if you get a chance. It’s airing on Encore as we speak, but for how long I do not know. I am going to give the film an B for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 