My Favorite Comfort Movies – Part 6

November 12, 2021

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a planner.  Those people that know me best (or had to suffer through working with me) are nodding sadly or rolling their eyes.  Hey, we all have our strengths (or faults, depending on your perspective).  So, it’s probably not a surprise to hear that I plan out my blog posts many weeks in advance, especially if I have to watch (or re-watch) some movies, or do extensive research on a topic.  Yes, I do have the next few months mapped out, at least at a high level.  Spoiler alert: This little writing experiment might come to a screeching halt if the well of ideas continues to be as dry as the setting in Dune.

Where am I going with this?  Well, I originally had planned to do a two-part post on the best of Tom Cruise, in conjunction with the release of the Top Gun sequel, originally planned for November.  It was recently pushed to next May.  Now, of course I could have still done the Cruise piece, but I’d like to line it up a little better with his new film’s release.  So, we’ll do that one in the Spring.  So, with two weeks open, I was scrambling for ideas.  Luckily, the Halloween post popped into my head and gave me a good excuse to explore the scary movie genre.  So, that left me with one more topic to find and I decided to go back to a favorite recurring topic – my favorite comfort movies.  No rhyme or reason or common theme among these films, except that if I happen to stumble upon them, chances are I’m going to stop looking for something to watch, and dive right in.  That’s exactly what happened with my first movie this week.

The Best of Bond – Skyfall (2012)

As I noted above, sometimes I’ll do a deep dive on the filmography of an actor or director before writing a post, like I’m doing right now for upcoming posts about a legendary director and one of my favorite actors working today.  With last month’s release of No Time to Die, the newest James Bond film, I could have gone through the Bond pictures and done a top ten list.  But to be honest, it didn’t really interest me.  When I became an avid movie fan in the 1980s, Roger Moore was my first exposure to the Bond films and they were…..fine.  I’m sure if I rewatched them now, they would probably feel pretty campy and corny.  A few years back, I watched the early Sean Connery films and found some that I liked more than others (Goldfinger stands out), but let’s face it, those movies are pretty dated now.  And I never watched the Dalton or Brosnan entries in the series, and they really don’t interest me.  Now, the Daniel Craig version of the Bond movies is a much different story.

A few weeks ago I was looking around to see if there happened to be any good movies on, and I saw that Skyfall had just started on one of the cable channels.  I told myself I would watch the first portion of the film, which is fantastic.  Before I knew it, I was in for the whole thing.  And that’s the classic definition of a comfort movie.  Of the five Bond pictures in which Craig starred, this is clearly my favorite, with his debut (Casino Royale) a close second.  While we’re here, a few words about the new installment, No Time to Die.  I thought it was very good and absolutely loved parts of it, particularly the action sequences.  It was a wonderful sendoff to Craig, as this was his last Bond film.  That being said, it dragged in a few spots and certainly should have been shorter (It’s two hours and 45 minutes for God’s sake), but overall, a good entry in the Bond franchise.  It will be interesting to see who they hire to take on the role of 007 for the next iteration.

Anyway, back to Skyfall.  Like most Bond movies, we open in a foreign country (this time, it’s Istanbul), where Bond is trying to secure a confidential list of MI6 agents from a target.  An insanely exciting and creative chase ensues and Bond is seriously injured after a friendly fire shot from a fellow agent.  Cue the opening sequence with Adele’s theme song.  And what a fantastic theme song it is.  Anyone else excited for Adele’s new album next week?  Did you see how Taylor Swift moved up the release of her new album to today when she found out Adele’s was coming out the same day as hers?  Only one album can be number one each week, after all.  Smart move, Taylor. And let’s see if Adele can break Spotify like Taylor did at midnight last night when Red (Taylor’s Version) was released. 

OK, back to the movie.  Bond goes into seclusion after he is presumed dead and comes out of hiding when there is an attack on the MI6 headquarters and head of the agency, played by Judi Dench.  Bond is forced to shake off the rust, get back into secret-agent shape and pursue the villain responsible for the attack.  What makes Skyfall so fun is the spectacular action sequences, a creative plot that pulls in nods to past entries in the 007 franchise and Bond’s childhood, along with a top-notch cast helping Bond and an all-time villain.  Javier Bardem plays the evil genius with a past connection to MI6 looking for revenge and he has all of the weapons and plans to be one step ahead of Bond every time he thinks he has his target cornered.  From Shanghai to Macau to the streets (and subways) of London, Bond and his foil play a wonderful game of cat and mouse until the climactic endgame at Bond’s childhood home on a Scottish farm.  While I haven’t seen all of the Bond movies, I think it’s safe to say, Skyfall is the best.

A 1980s Masterpiece – Broadcast News (1987)

I recently watched this movie for the umpteenth time and a thought hit me – with the dramatic change in the nature of television news (and television in general), to someone born after 1990 Broadcast News might look like what Citizen Kane looks like to someone my age.  Written and directed by James L. Brooks (a television legend and Oscar-winner for Terms of Endearment), this picture perfectly captures the height of television networks debating the conflicting nature of news vs. entertainment.  When a local sports anchor (William Hurt), is given the chance to join the Washington bureau of a major network, it’s clear he’s been hired for his movie-star looks, and not his journalistic prowess (of which he has none).  He attaches himself to the coattails of a producer with the bureau (Holly Hunter), who is simultaneously attracted to him, but repulsed by his representation of everything that is wrong with television news.  Albert Brooks is smack in the middle of this dilemma, playing a smart journalist in love with Hunter, but lacking the charisma and good looks needed to be an anchor, a job he desperately wants.

What I love so much about this movie is the way that James Brooks mixes in various storylines (characters with moral dilemmas and conflicting feelings, the difficulty in creating a network news show, and the impact of big business on journalistic integrity) with winning characters that we care deeply about.  There are moments of friendship, romance, conflict, drama, and in a few instances, slapstick comedy.  I also love how the story is constructed with the introduction scenes of our three characters when they are kids, along with how the ending ultimately plays out.  James Brooks doesn’t take the easy, typical path in finishing these characters’ stories.  It not only works for storytelling purposes – it feels real. 

The film features wonderful performances by the three lead actors, along with a deep supporting cast.  Now, say what you want about the star power wattage of William Hurt and Holly Hunter (and they are megastars), this movie is absolutely owned by Albert Brooks.  He plays the lovable loser who is sometimes too smart for his own good.  At times, he ridicules Hurt’s character to the point of coming across as a sanctimonious asshole.  But when he gets his shot at the evening news and gets some pointers from his rival, he sees that maybe he doesn’t know everything.  Speaking of which, the way he plays the scene (with an incredible case of flop sweat) is a perfect demonstration of comedic acting at its finest.  Brooks is usually great in anything that he appears in, but this is probably my favorite of his roles.  After more than 30 years, Broadcast News ranks up there as one of the best journalism movies ever made. 

Too Many Secrets – Sneakers (1992)

While the other movies in this week’s post are probably obvious picks, this one might not be.  I discovered Sneakers a long time ago, probably shortly after it came out, when it ran on a cable channel.  It features an all-star cast, a crisp and fun story with twists and turns, and an underrated soundtrack from Oscar-winner James Horner (Titanic) and featuring Branford Marsalis, the talented saxophonist.  Robert Redford leads a merry band of hackers, all with questionable pasts, including himself.  Back when he was in college, he narrowly escaped arrest for wire fraud, while his best friend was sent away to prison.  They were determined to upend the capitalist system, including illegally moving money from powerful organizations to more charitable endeavors.

Flashforward twenty-plus years later and his team runs jobs (“sneaks”) to test the vulnerability of businesses to computer hacks and thefts.  When government agents stop in to hire him for a job (actually blackmail him by threatening to reveal his true identity and send him to prison if he refuses), he is forced to take on the task.  They set out to steal a code-breaking box from the scientist who invented it.  When they discover what the box can really do, and who is really after it, all hell breaks loose.  I have always loved this movie because it’s a clever cat and mouse heist mystery with some good-natured laughs along the way.  But more so, the supporting cast around Redford is top-notch.  You have Sidney Poitier as an ex-CIA agent, Dan Aykroyd as an electronics expert (and bona fide conspiracy theorist), the always talented David Strathairn as a telephone hacking specialist, and River Phoenix as a young computer hacker.  The way this group of misfits come together to get the job done, bust each other’s chops and share a few laughs makes for a fun comedy-drama.   

A Perfect Movie – Moneyball (2011)

As a life-long New Englander, I’ve had the pleasure (misfortune?) of being a Boston sports fan my whole life.  Granted, the last twenty years have been more than I ever could have hoped for, but let me tell ya – those first thirty years were BRUTAL.  I was only a casual fan of the Celtics and Bruins (and still remain that way today).  My teams were the Red Sox and Patriots.  And while I don’t spend as much time watching baseball as I did twenty years ago, I still follow how the Sox are doing and definitely jump on the bandwagon when the pennant race heats up in September.  If you haven’t lived through the tumultuous 70s, 80s, and 90s as a Red Sox fan, it’s hard to describe what those seasons did to you.  The one-game playoff loss in 1978.  The gut-wrenching loss in 1986.  I still vividly remember watching Game 6 at my friend John’s house and staring dumbfounded at the TV after it ended.  I had to wake up at the crack of dawn the next day to deliver Sunday newspapers and seeing the headline was just another kick in the stomach. 

The next decade was a blur of mediocre teams and no potential.  That was until Pedro came to town and things started to look up.  Then we got to Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS when Aaron Fu&king Boone ended the season.  And another kick in the stomach.  Every year that ended in heartbreak was another reason to say “That’s it.  I’m done.”  Especially after that loss – I mean, I was absolutely exhausted – physically and mentally from rooting for this team.  You’d joke that rooting for the Red Sox could kill you, but that October, I actually started to believe it.  But every Spring Training, you’d get sucked back in.  And we all know what happened in 2004.  The greatest postseason run in baseball history.  17 years later, it still gives me chills thinking of that magical run.  As a character in our next movie puts it so eloquently, “How can you not be romantic about baseball?”  And as it turns out, a major career decision by that character had a direct impact on the Red Sox ending 86 years of futility.  But we’ll get to that….

The landscape of managing baseball teams and player development changed in the late 1990s and early 2000s as teams started utilizing cutting edge data to understand how to get every possible edge in winning baseball games.  As they studied one hundred years of data, it became clear that certain stats that once seemed important didn’t significantly impact wins and losses.  And other stats, which weren’t even tracked, were a better indicator if a player would be successful or not.  Not only did player development change, but in-game strategy changed as well.  We now regularly see shifts in fielding positions, based on a batter’s tendency to hit to a certain part of the field.  Stolen bases and bunts are no longer valued as much as they were forty years ago.  Analytics changed the national pastime and author Michael Lewis wrote about this phenomenon through the lens of one team’s season – the Oakland A’s in 2002.  The book was Moneyball, and it opened the world up to what was baseball’s inside secret on how to win differently.

In the film adaptation of Lewis’s book, Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, the A’s general manager, who has to try to build a winning team on a shoestring payroll.  Oakland does not generate the same revenue as the big city teams (New York and Boston, for instance) and thus they simply can’t afford the same high-ticket payroll.  Beane discovers Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a stats guru with an Economics degree from Yale, who has cracked the code on how to win differently by finding undervalued players.  He hires him to join his mission and through frequent battles with his manager, scouts, and the media, they set out on a course to change the game forever.  The film captures the ups and downs of the season and is a wonderful combination of comedy, drama, and heartwarming scenes of that baseball romance, especially as the A’s broke the record for most consecutive wins by an American League team.  There are also some nice scenes with Beane and his daughter, who worries about her dad’s job security when she reads on the internet that he might get fired.  His response, “Well, don’t go on the internet.”  Ah, remember how innocent life was in 2002?

I may be overly-sentimental to this story because I love a good baseball movie that feels realistic, even if there are a few details the filmmakers changed or left out.  For instance, there was no mention of the loaded pitching staff, which was probably the biggest reason the A’s were so successful in 2002.  But make no mistake about it, given the combination of screenplay (co-written by Aaron Sorkin), performances by Pitt and Hill (both nominated for Oscars), and a rollercoaster of emotion throughout the film, I consider Moneyball a perfect movie.  Now, about that “decision” at the end.

After Beane’s successful run in 2002, he was offered the general manager job (and a truckload of cash) by the Boston Red Sox.  He accepted the job and then a few days later, decided his heart was still in Oakland, and he stayed with the A’s.  He is still there today, serving as a senior leader in their front office.  Scrambling to find a new GM, the Sox turned to a 28 year-old Yale graduate who had been with the team for a year.  He had embraced the strategy that Beane was utilizing and was building out his own team of baseball analytics gurus to adopt the “Moneyball” strategy.  We all know how this turned out.  Theo Epstein was the architect of the 2003 team that almost made the World Series.  A few weeks after that devastating loss, he went to Arizona to convince Curt Schilling to join the Sox over Thanksgiving dinner.  After a few other signings (hello Keith Foulke) and one major trade (goodbye Nomar), Theo built the team that embraced fun-loving baseball, shrugged off stupid curses, and asked “Why not us?”  So, thanks to Billy Beane for opening up the door for Theo to deliver our World Series and remind us, “How can you not be romantic about baseball?”

That’s all for this week.  I’ll be back next week for a look at one of my all-time favorite bands.  You’ve probably heard of them.  There is a new documentary coming Thanksgiving weekend on Disney+ that takes a look inside one of their last studio sessions, where they try to find magic one more time before calling it quits.  Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe here.