Quick Blu Review: The Grey Fox (1982)

Robert Farnsworth has always been a favorite character actor of mine. I probably first saw the former stuntman with the gentle demeanor and dollar-size blue eyes as the cowhand Dodger in 1978's Comes A Horseman, a roll that garnered Farnsworth an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor. 

From there came came a stint as Wild Bill Hickok in 1981's The Legend of the Lone Ranger and memorable turns as Wilford Brimley's assistant coach Red in 1984's The Natural and the feisty sheriff Buster in 1990's Misery. And of course his final, Oscar-nominated role as Alvin Straight in 1999's The Straight Story. 

 I thought I'd seen every film worth seeing of Farnworth's but recently was reminded of one in theaters when I was a kid but never saw. That film was 1982's The Grey Fox.

Skillfully directed by Canadian filmmaker Phillip Borsos and beautifully photographed by Frank Tidy (The Duellists), The Grey Fox tells the real-life story of "Gentleman Bandit" Bill Miner (Farnsworth), a soft-spoken, well-mannered 19th-century stagecoach robber who after serving 33 years in San Quentin is released in 1901 to a radically changed world.

Miner heads to British Columbia for a fresh start and does his best to find his place in the new century, digging for oysters, hauling wood for a sawmill, but after catching a screening of The Great Train Robbery one night in town, is inspired to once again don his kerchief and Colt six-shooter and return to his old stick-up ways. 

Miner recruits a co-worker from the sawmill and the pair successfully rob a couple of trains before heading to a small town to to lie low for a few months. Now using the alias George Edwards, Miner becomes a respected member of the community and begins a relationship with feminist/photographer Katherine Flynn (Jackie Burroughs). But it isn't long before the law closes in and jeopardizes Miner's new life.

The Grey Fox is a well-crafted film, small and intimate, but ultimately lacking in satisfying narrative and characterization.While Farnsworth absolutely shines, things feels a bit too one-dimensional and unrealized, like a good portion of the story was left on the cutting room floor to achieve its 92-minute running time.

Newly restored in 4K and released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber, The Grey Fox looks great in high-definition. The native 1.85:1 image is crisp and colors are rich and well defined while maintaining natural film grain. While I've never seen the film on any previous home-video formats, I'm betting this is the best the picture has looked in 38 years. 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track sounds great and both dialog and Michael Conway Baker's score are clear and immersive at minimal levels. 

Extras include a commentary track by filmmaker Alex Cox, interviews with producer Peter O'Brien and composer Michael Conway Baker, a restoration feature and a theatrical re-release trailer.

The Grey Fox isn't a perfect film, but it is a worthwhile entry in an important actor's legacy, one that should be defined by the size of his heart rather than the size of the part.

Greetings From Quarantine 2020

Greetings from the Klipfel Quarantine Zone. It's been a while since I've vistited with all of you. Sorry about that, other things on my mind, as I'm sure has been the case with everyone. 

Rest assured we're all doing okay here. The wife has set up shop at the kitchen table, while I take care of business from the upstairs office. We meet for lunch, then back to our corners until dinner. Somehow we've survived this daily process for the last seven months. It helps to cuddle at night.

 I obviously haven't seen many movies, just a few pre-quarantine releases on disc, so there hasn't been much to write about. But I miss crafting stories so I'm going to try and get a couple of things posted by the end of the year, a disc review or two, a personal essay here and there. So check back once and while as I may just have something new to share. 

In the meantime, stay safe and healthy everyone. We'll get through this.

Matt

Oscar: The Morning After

South Korea's Parasite made history last night at the 92nd Academy Awards, becoming the first foreign-language film ever to win Best Picture.

The Korean-language dark comedy also won Best Director for Bong Joon Ho, Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay, capping a whirlwind year that began back in May when the film won the prestigious Palme D'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

Things had been preceding pretty much as expected last night until the Best Director category late in the show.1917's Sam Mendes was the favorite, having already won the Golden Globe, BAFTA and DGA Award, so when Joon Ho's name was called instead there was a considerable gasp in the audience, one that pretty much translated to "all bets are off" and that Parasite might just have a chance at the top prize.

Granted, should a film competing in the Best International Feature category be allowed to jockey for Best Picture as well? My personal belief is that it should be one or the other. If your film is lucky enough to become one of the ten Best Picture nominees, foreign-language or not, it shouldn't be allowed to also compete in another best feature category. Spread the wealth a bit, give other worthy films a chance to shine and find a broader audience.

That said, Parasite deserves all of its accolades last night. It was my favorite film of last year and should have a place in Oscar's hallowed halls.

Congratulations to first-time acting winners Brad Pitt, Laura Dern and Joaquin Phoenix. I've been watching all three for over 30 years and it's nice to see them get some long-overdue recognition.

And while I enjoyed Eminem's live performance of "Lose Yourself," not sure why we needed to add to an already-too-long broadcast with a song from 2002. Was Lionel Richie not available for "Say You, Say Me?"

Maybe next year they can wheel out host Billy Crystal from 1992.

Oscar Predictions: Can Parasite Overpower 1917?

Below are my picks is the major categories for Sunday's 92nd Academy Awards.

Sam Mendes' WWI epic 1917 and Bong Joon Ho's Korean-language thriller Parasite seem destined to battle it out over Best Picture, with 10 and six nominations respectively.

While favorites Renée Zellweger, Laura Dern, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt and Sam Mendes seem assured to complete their award-season sweep and take home Oscar gold in their respective acting and directing categories. We shall see. Enjoy the show.

Picture: 1917
Director: Sam Mendes, 1917
Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Actress: Renée Zellweger, Judy
Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Supporting Actress: Laura Dern, Marriage Story
International Feature: Parasite
Animated Feature: Toy Story 4
Original Screenplay: Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, Parasite
Adapted Screenplay: Taika Waititi, JoJo Rabbit

Remembering Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas, one of the most charismatic and effortlessly talented actors to ever grace the silver screen, the last surviving star of Hollywood's Golden Age, has passed away at the remarkable age of 103.

Appearing in nearly 100 films across seven decades, Douglas was a pure force of nature, an acting whirlwind, someone who could put a film on his shoulders and carry it for 120 minutes or more as if he were the only person on the screen.

An Oscar nominee for Best Actor within three years of his first screen credit, Douglas absolutely commanded such classics as Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole, Vincente Minnelli's Lust for Life and Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory and Spartacus.

Seriously, I have watched and studied film for over 40 years on this planet and I have rarely seen a more engaging actor than Kirk Douglas. Even when he played a villain or the performances got a little campier in later years, he was always watchable, likeable.

Others favorites of mine included 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Vikings, The Final Countdown and Greedy.

A true Hollywood icon. One to be remembered and studied for generations to come.

Top 10 Films of the Decade

In lieu of a traditional best-of list this year, I thought it more appropriate to showcase my favorites of the closing decade.

Some titles were the best of their given years, others have risen in standing. All are films I've revisited or would watch again down the road.

If you haven't seen or heard of any of the these, seek them out, I think you'll be glad you did.


1. 12 Years A Slave (Director: Steve McQueen; 2013)
2. The Artist (Dir: Michel Hazanavicius; 2011)
3. The Lobster (Dir:Yorgos Lanthimos; 2016)
4. Moonrise Kingdom (Dir: Wes Anderson; 2012)
5. Moneyball (Dir: Bennett Miller; 2011)
6. True Grit (Dir: Joel & Ethan Coen; 2010)
7. Lady Bird (Dir: Greta Gerwig; 2017)
8. Mad Max: Fury Road (Dir: George Miller; 2015)
9. Drive (Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn; 2011)
10. Life Itself (Dir: Steve James; 2014)

Honorable Mentions:

Brooklyn (2015)
Chef (2014)
De Palma (2015)
The Descendants (2011)
Django Unchained (2012)
The Fighter (2010)
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Get Out (2017)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Hugo (2011)
La La Land (2016)
The Martian (2015)
Moonlight (2016)
A Quiet Place (2018)
The Shape of Water (2017)
Super 8 (2011)
Win Win (2011)
Warrior (2011)
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

On to the '20s. Happy New Year!

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker A Satisfying Conclusion to a Saga 42 Years in the Making

Walking out of 1983's Return of the Jedi as a twelve-year-old I was pretty sure I'd seen the last of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo.

It had been an incredible six-year, three-movie run, defining my childhood like bookends, but Darth Vader and his emperor were now dead, the second Death Star and pretty much the entire Imperial fleet had been destroyed during the Battle of Endor. Our heroes had won and restored peace to the galaxy.

George Lucas had talked of another trilogy but that would tell the story of young Anakin Skywalker, the fall of the Jedi and rise of the Empire. No, I was pretty sure if I wanted to know the further story of Luke, Leia and Han, I'd have to make it up myself. And I was fine with that.

Flash forward 32 years later to 2015 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters. It's a direct sequel to Return of the Jedi, the beginning of a new trilogy featuring different, younger characters, but also Luke, Leia and Han in supporting roles. I'm skeptical at first, but by time the closing credits role, I'm on board with this next generation of freedom fighters and excited for the revelations to come.

But then 2017's The Last Jedi is released and quickly erodes all the excitement and hope I had felt with its dysfunctional, polarizing storyline, not to mention killing off its two most interesting characters (Luke and Snoke). Leaving the theater, I seriously had lost all interest in the new trilogy going further.

So, even with the promised inclusion of original trilogy stalwarts Lando Calrissian and Emperor Palpatine, it was with great hesitation and obvious trepidation that I returned for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

I purposely stayed away from spoilers, didn't read any reviews. As I walked into my favorite theater last Saturday afternoon and plopped my self down in my regular seat, I admit I looked forward to what awaited me for the next two hours. But to be honest, I didn't expect much.

And to my great surprise, I actually enjoyed the film for the most part. It wasn't perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than The Last Jedi. I actually cared about the new characters again. Even the wife cried at the end. 

Overall, a satisfying conclusion to a saga that's been a part of my life for 42 years.