Jason Alexander, Kelly Rowan, Ari Cohen, C. David Johnson, Jayne Eastwood, Kenneth Welsh, Edward Asner
A. C. Gilbert (Jason Alexander) was trained as a physician, but had a love for toys and engineering. He built a successful company on the famous Erector Set, one of the most famous toys of the 20th Century. Then World War I broke out in 1917, and the government took over Gilbert’s factory to make munitions for the war. In addition, in order to support the war, the government asked Mr. Gilbert to speak to the country and cancel Christmas, and instruct people to cancel Christmas and buy war bonds instead of toys. After some soul searching Mr. Gilbert changed his mind, and opened a toy factory in his home to “save Christmas”.
This is a made for TV Christmas movie that seems to be replayed every year. I’m glad, as it’s a wonderful film. The story is excellent, and Jason Alexander does a wonderful job in this film. It’s some of his best work. Ed Asner as Mr. Gilbert Senior is a great “friendly adversary” as well and does a wonderful job. A.C. and his brother Frank are inventors and dreamers and their father is very pragmatic. He is willing to invest in the company with the understanding that he will be hands on and he fights them for every penny spent. Gilbert was one progressive company that provided benefits for employees unheard of at the time. Initially, the Erector Set was a disappointment until Mrs. Gilbert figured out how to correctly market the toy, and as result, it became highly successful. Many inventions were built using an Erector Set as the model. One classic example is the “Soaring Over California” ride at Disney’s California Adventure. The ride mechanism was dreamed up by a Disney Imagineer who pulled out his childhood Erector Set from the attic and developed a workable ride vehicle that could load 3 rows of people at once, yet provide a thrilling hang gliding experience. Many other modern inventions were developed using the Erector Set. This movie is a wonderful story of the early 20th Century and great American ingenuity and business sense. I really enjoy this even though I’ve seen it many times before, and I enjoyed it once again this year! Seek this one out!
James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexis Bledel, Justin Long, Danny Huston, Norman Reedus, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson
Abraham Lincoln was shot, attempts were made on the Vice President and the Secretary of State. John Wilkes Booth was identified as the shooter, and he was captured and killed, but the public knew there was more than one person involved and wanted a trial. Booth and a number of other conspirators met at the boarding house of Mary Surratt (Robin Wright Penn) and her son in Washington. Mary’s son was nowhere to be found, but Mary was arrested under the suspicion that she was a participant in the plan. It was a military trial with no jury and the accused was not allowed to speak on her own behalf. The story is of young lawyer Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) as he defends Mary Surratt.
Directed by Robert Redford, the American Film Company is bringing this, as the first, in a series of factual movies based on America History. This story is one that will haunt you. The story is told in unflinching truth, and from what I can tell is pretty historically accurate. It is a 2 hour labor of love to tell the story of this interesting gentleman and what happens to him when he is called upon to represent a damn rebel murderer. He comes to think that maybe she is innocent, but recognizes that she is not able to get a fair trial and he goes to elaborate lengths to try to convince the military tribunal that what they are doing is wrong. Through his efforts it was decided by the supreme court that american civilians must be tried in a public court and not in military tribunals.
Excellent cinematography and beautiful period Washington D.C. in the 1860’s. The film is rich and vibrant, but also very touching and very, very interesting from start to end. I am really glad I got to see this film, and we all enjoyed watching it very much. I highly recommend this film for all ages, except maybe very small children.
Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Michael De Luca Productions
Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Rooney Mara, Rashida Jones, Brenda Song, Malese Jow, Joseph Mazzello
The Social Network is a biographical drama of the rise of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), a Harvard sophomore who becomes an Internet superstar. Also it examines his relationships with co-founder and friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). Also a major player is Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). This film covers a pair of lawsuits facing Zuckerberg and the claims that he stole the idea for facebook. Also the relationship with his co-founder and a bit of jealousy over his relationship with Sean Parker causes a lot of grief for the partners.
Sometimes a movie comes out with a lot of hype. This is a good example. I was very anxious to get to see this film, and I was quite disappointed. I expected a rollicking good story, and instead I got the documentation of a bunch of smart, geeky, jerks and their no so exciting daily romps with mediocrity. No doubt Mr. Zuckerberg made a lot of money, and there’s not a doubt that he has a lot of talent. But that does not make his story interesting nor is it in the least bit interesting. I read the biography of Bill Gates which was a bit of a fascinating story, but these guys are mostly jerks. Saverin was a pretty decent guy, but Zuckerberg did not come out looking very good in this film. He was a jerk to everybody and deserved to have his butt handed to him. We don’t really get the resolution of how things turned out, but of course Facebook is a phenomenon that may be slightly more interesting than the Zuckerberg story. All we get here is a wise ass college kid stomping on everybody to get what he wants and it just rubs me the wrong way. I don’t see his genius in this story, and he’s not the kind of person I would have wanted as a friend.
All in all, the movie let me down and I was really disappointed. I had expected a bit more interesting stuff and I didn’t get it. Not highly recommended if you ask me.
Catherine Thompson, Nathan Mitchell, Patricia Place, Rick Macy, Tayva Patch, Katherine Nelson
One of the finest stories of Joseph Smith and the founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this is the story of Emma Hale Smith, Joseph’s wife. It begins with an elderly Emma talking with her daughter and reminiscing on her amazing life. It goes into a flashback of Emma of a small child with a strong faith with an unbelieving father who forbid prayer in his home. But that did not stop Emma. She met Joseph and they married without her father’s blessing after giving up on ever winning him over. Emma’s Story shows that she was certainly a strong woman, who had a lot to deal with in her life filled with joy and tragedy, heartbreak and love. It covers the translating of the gold plates through the hard days in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and Missouri.
Very fairly portrayed, with doubts and flaws as well as triumphs, it is a great story. It’s nice to see it all through Emma’s eyes. Certainly she didn’t always know all the plans and schemes, but she was a strong supporter and a muse and guide to her husband. She sure had to put up with a lot.
This certainly is a great story and a strong inspiring American tale of a difficult time in the history of the Unites States. It’s a very good story, even if you know nothing of the LDS history. Certainly above all, it’s a love story. There is no doubt Joseph would never have been able to accomplish what he did without Emma by his side until the end.
Fast Track Productions, Mayhem Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures
Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Scott Glenn, James Cromwell, Dylan Walsh, Fred Dalton Thompson, Kevin Connolly, Nestor Serrano, Amanda Michalka, Carissa Capobianco
Penny Chenery Tweedy (Diane Lane) is the daughter of Chris Chenery (Scott Glen), owner of a horse farm. Chris is in bad shape and unable to function very well anymore. The farm is losing money, but his wife is trying to keep things running. When she suddenly dies, Penny remembers her childhood on the farm, and gets interested in the business. Her trainer pulled a fast one and tried to talk her dad into selling 4 horses at less than half their value to another farm where he also worked. Chris’ wife stopped the sale, but when Penny found out about it she fired the trainer. This gave everyone (except her husband and children) the idea that a woman could save the farm, run the business, and succeed in a world that was only run by men. She needs a new trainer and hooks up with Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich) who is very eccentric to say the least! When they have a new colt “Big Red” that everyone says will never be able to race, Penny decides to “bet the farm” on him.
This is a story based on the true story and events in the lives of Penny Chenery and Secretariat, one of the most unusual and greatest horses that ever lived. Like its predecessor “Seabiscuit”, this is a fascinating true story of an amazing horse. The people in the story are interesting, but it’s the horse race that is most exciting. Diane Lane is wonderful as Penny Chenery, and this is a role built for John Malkovich. He does the nutsy guy better than anyone. Scott Glenn as Chris Chenery is in a small role, but he is very touching as an old man who is losing his wits. He is very good. This is a movie that really knows how to tell a story. It gets right into it and builds and builds to the exiting finish. The racing sequences are excellent, but the lives of the people are very well played too. Disney has a winner with this film. It is the best movie I’ve seen in a long time. Anyone who likes horses will love this, but anyone who loves a good story is going to like it as well.
