Actors, Actresses and Films

My wife and I like going to the movies. But you already knew this. Memory serves that I mentioned this a week or so ago. We usually go on Friday afternoon. If you get there around 4 pm a person can save a buck or two. We're both in our early sixties so we look for the "seasoned citizen" prices. It's getting easier to say, "senior rate, please". When I first hit the Big 6-0 I usually forgot to tell the ticket taker. The same went for anyplace I visited that offered discounts. Now, I've got it down pat. Normally, Liz and I alternate weeks for a show selection; it keeps peace in the family. I like shows with sophomoric humor that make me howl with laughter. Two guys I don't care for, though, are Will Farrell and Ben Stiller. They're too goofy. Vince Vaughn is a good actor. I laughed during The Wedding Crashers. I think I'd like to hang out with a guy like Vaughn.
I'm a James Bond addict. I have to admit that Roger Moore's character began wearing on me but the latest guy, Daniel Craig is the best, after Sean Connery. Craig's first film, Casino Royale, in my opinion, was the best of all the Bond films AFRWL(After From Russia With Love)).
Christian Bale is a good actor. Elizabeth and I thought the Batman movie, The Dark Knight, starring Bale was the best film we saw in '08. We first saw Bale in an avant garde movie titled: The Machinist. He lost around eighty pounds to play the role. Too bad Heath Ledger who played The Joker lost his self control. His performance should have been something better than Best Supporting. He controlled the Batman movie.
The press, post World War II, used to cover up all the personal baggage actors carried around with them. I'm not sure there are starlet actresses as glamorous and like able today as when I was a kid. I thought Mitzi Gaynor was just It. Rita Hayworth was a Wow. June Allyson was the girl I wanted to marry along with every man in the western hemisphere. In the films, she must have married a thousand different guys and no one ever complained. Who knows. Maybe these actors and actresses were nutty but the press did protect them. If not, we would have known that Rock Hudson and Raymond Burr were guy guys.
Early on I used to think Ashey Judd could walk on water until I saw her on C-Span speaking out for Planned Parenthood. From then on our relationship became like the song; D-I-V-O-R-C-E! I'm one of those weirdos who won't go to a movie if someone in it is a"flaming" liberal. Sean Penn, no; Robert Duvall yes! It's my prerogative. If I like them I'll spend the money. If not, well, then I'll go hit golf balls.
We saw the movie, Gran Torino, last Friday. You know, the Clint Eastwood film. He's 78 years old. I remember him when he did the Spaghetti Westerns in the 60's. They were great. My buddy and I would dress like Eastwood did in the film. We actually went to a costume shop, rented replica costumes for the film, then sat in the movie this way. And we were juniors in college. Life was very, very different in those days or, we were. The Torino movie was vintage Eastwood. The amazing thing about his performance was that he was in every scene. Liz pointed this out to me. She's smart that way. I've never acted in a movie but I'd think this amount of acting would wear a person out. With Eastwood one always knows what they're going to get; low voice, measured words, threatening monologue if harassed. He plays the same character. One of the things I thought interesting in the movie was that it was acceptably politically incorrect. There were four groups represented: Whites, Hispanics, Blacks and Asians. Except for the "N" word pretty much every racial slur known to man was used.
I wondered about the reception from minorities in other theaters. From what I've read it isn't a problem.
Jack Nicholson is the same type of actor as Eastwood. Remember the restaurant scene in Easy Rider where he wanted a sandwich his way? Well, check out any scene in The Bucket List; same persona, same attitude, same Nicholson. It's this way for all his movies.
I think I do have a favorite actor. I don't know much about him personally. I've never googled him. What if he's a transvestite? Worse than that, what if he's a "flaming" liberal? I'd never be able to go to his movies again. His name is Nicholas Cage. He's done any number of films and has played a different character every time. I've seen him as a psycho crazed killer, a loving husband, and a treasure hunter. He can be hated, liked or loved. Yeah, I like him a lot. Call me incorrect but I feel the movies today are more about story line that they are about actors. If I'm wrong then George Clooney would have blockbusters instead of duds? Ever listened to Brad Pitt do an interview? He's a poster boy for stupid.
The biggest problem with movies today is trying toqtfigure out the ratings. Personally, except for some of those films I've mentioned we have more fun at a Shrek film. In these we don't have to take a chance on being embarrassed and insulted. Why do you think we walked out on Dumb and Dumber?