Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Entertainment Rating: 5 of 5

With the recent passing of Elizabeth Taylor I thought I’d look for a movie with her in it on Netflix. I didn’t remember ever seeing anything with her in it before and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was well praised and had garnered some awards at the Oscars in its day, so I thought I’d add it to our instant queue. The few plot summaries I read weren’t terribly interesting so I was a little hesitant to spend two hours of my time watching it. The hesitancy continued a little way into the film, but quickly dissipated as the story unfolded and the relationships between the characters became more intense. I’d have to say this is now one of the best movies I have ever seen. I’m not sure how close the film is to the Tennessee Williams play, but on its own this was one heck of a movie. You should go out of your way to see this, but expect to have to think pretty deeply.

Moral Rating: 5 of 5 - World Shaker

Don’t look at the names of the characters and judge the movie, just laugh and keep on reading. It really is a good show.

Big Daddy (Brick and Gooper’s father) has cancer and is not expected to live much longer. He’s got 28,000 acres of land as part of his legacy that he plans on passing on. Gooper’s wife, Mae, insists that they are the ones who deserve it since they’ve actually got kids (Brick and Maggie don’t have any yet), Gooper is a hard working man, and Brick is nothing but an irresponsible drunk and a has-been pro-football player.

Big Daddy really wants to leave his inheritance to his younger son, Brick, but can’t find any logical reason to. He then sets out to find out the truth behind Brick’s drinking and persists beyond Brick’s superficial initial response that he’s sick of all the lying and cheating (mendacity) in the world. Brick later reveals that he’s really disgusted with himself. Big Daddy feels that he’s done nothing but loved his family by giving them everything they ever needed or could want and they haven’t appreciated one ounce of it. Brick eventually helps his father realize that love is not made up of things. You can’t buy love. Love comes from memories made together, time spent together, and happiness and trials experienced together.

Big Daddy and Big Momma have been married for 40 years and they no longer seem to love each other. They put on a show as if they do (at least Momma does). Big Daddy says some pretty harsh words to her that break her heart, but Brick’s talk with him down in the cellar seem to make Big Daddy realize how much he really does love her.

The relationship between Brick and Maggie is on the breaking point and Brick doesn’t seem to want to do anything to make it better, except drink (which supposedly makes it better to him, since he can’t think straight about it.) Brick has recently lost a “good” friend who played football with him. Brick is seen with a lot of crutches (literal and figurative) that he’s been leaning on, but the one person he should have leaned on all along was his wife. He’s never appreciated her or loved her as he should and that’s part of the reason he feels so guilty and has taken to the bottle. Maggie’s undying love, support, and defense of her husband throughout the film helps Brick realize the type of person she is and that no matter what he’s done, she’ll be there for him - as long as he learns to trust her.

There are more intricacies in these and other relationships throughout the movie that I won’t spend time on here. Generally when when one of our reviews is longer than normal, it’s either because the movie was deplorable, or, in this case, amazing. Let me know what you think once you see it!

A Man For All Seasons (1966)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

It seemed that this film probably used the same script the play used, so the movie wasn’t terribly visually engaging, but the dialog was intense. I wasn’t even aware of this film (unless it’s one that I fell asleep watching for English extra credit in high school) until I read Orson Scott Card’s list of favorite movies, and this one was number one. While A Man For All Seasons still isn’t better than On the Waterfront (still my favorite), it is pretty darn good.

Moral Rating: 5 of 5

The story is supposedly a little one-sided when it comes to historical accuracy (portraying Thomas as a saint, and not displaying any of his negative attributes); even so, I think we can learn a lot by focusing on the positive and not be distracted or discouraged by any negative truths that might make the history more accurate.  By trying to live our lives according to a pattern of perfection we can expect to become closer to perfect than if we attempt to live according to a skewed pattern of “less-than-perfect” truths. (For more on patterns of perfection check out this address.)  The same goes with only showing the virtues of somebody, instead of revealing his faults as well.  In some instances the faults make the person/hero more human, more able to relate to, while without faults or weaknesses the hero doesn't seem to be one of us or someone who we could ever dream of becoming like unto.  Only focusing on positive traits is good.

I don’t know that I can adequately summarize the plethora of moral messages presented in the film. The primary one expresses the importance of having standards and not bending them for anything or anyone, no matter the cost.  One of my favorite scenes occurs after Richard Rich leaves the presence of Thomas, his wife, daughter and son-in-law after the King’s “surprise” visit.  Roper, Thomas’s son-in-law, asks if Thomas is not going to prevent Richard from leaving back to the scheming Cromwell.  Rich could very easily cause a lot of trouble for More's family, but More doesn't have any proof that that is what will happen and so he can't really be detained legally.  Roper compares letting Rich go to letting the Devil go, and mocks Thomas’s defense of doing so because of the “law” (emphasizing the fact that there is no evidence for which to detain Rich). The following dialog ensues:

William Roper: [addressing Thomas] So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Sir Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
William Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Sir Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!

Another remarkable scene occurs earlier in the film when More tries to convince Rich (when More still had some influence over him) to become a teacher, worrying about his potential to be corrupted if he pursued a position with the State:

Sir Thomas More: Why not be a teacher? You'd be a fine teacher; perhaps a great one.
Richard Rich: If I was, who would know it?
Sir Thomas More: You; your pupils; your friends; God. Not a bad public, that.

Later, Thomas is approached by Norfolk, a close “friend”, who sincerely wishes Thomas to give in and accept the King’s marriage as lawful. Everyone in England has been required to sign a statement saying they support the King in his marriage or else be thrown in prison. Norfolk tries to appeal to a non-existent desire in Thomas to be accompanied by “friends” in tough situations.

Norfolk: Oh, confound all this.... I'm not a scholar, as Master Cromwell never tires of pointing out, and frankly I don't know whether the marriage was lawful or not. But damn it, Thomas, look at those names.... You know those men! Can't you do what I did, and come with us, for fellowship?
More: And when we stand before God, and you are sent to Paradise for doing according to your conscience, and I am damned for not doing according to mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?

I could go on with plenty more scenes I enjoyed, but you'll just have to take my word for it and treat yourself to an educational and enlightening movie.  Your local library should have a copy of it, or you can check Netflix.

Roxanne

Synopsis

An adaptation of the Edmund Rostand play Cyrano de Bergerac. Steve Martin plays the lead role as firefighter C.D. Bales who is beleaguered by his large nose. At the beautiful Roxanne's request, C.D. consents to help Chris (one of his firefighters) muster up the courage to meet her. Chris's debilitating nervousness causes him to resort to sending Roxanne letters which he asks C.D. to write for him due to his lack of skill with words. How long will C.D. be able to hide his true feelings for Roxanne behind the guise of being Chris's mentor? (taken from an IMDb Synopsis)

Entertainment Value - B

This was a fun romantic-comedy, but definitely not for young audiences. The PG rating came before a PG-13 was widely used, and so quite a bit of language and innuendo end up here. I thought that C.D. working at a fire department was a nice addition to the story (the play actually had a war going on, but the fire department added a nice comic element to the movie).

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 3

This adaptation displayed a good message on looking past physical appearances when associating with people. The original play was a hundred times better for the following reasons:

1. In this version Christian was a shallow idiot who wanted nothing but to sleep with Roxanne and in the play he was actually a moral character who was going to tell Roxanne that the person writing the letters was really Cyrano De Bergerac (C.D.), but died before he got the chance.Steve Martin was the only true-to-script character.
   


2. In the original, Cyrano got Christian to get his first kiss, and in the movie C.D. actually got Roxanne to sleep with Chris! (A huge negative mark against the show). For someone who seemed to have high standards (well educated, somewhat resistant to letting her feelings get in the way with what's right, etc.), Roxanne sure let herself get seduced quite easily, even after being grossly offended (though the offense couldn't have hurt her that much).

The film shows that Roxanne acted too much by impulse on looks at first, but learned to love the inner person more than the outward appearances.

Chicago

Synopsis

Two ladies on death row must compete for the hearts of the corrupt Chicago people in order to gain their freedom.

Entertainment Value - A

Great music that was more than just song and dance, it cleverly moved the story forward. All the performances were well done, the plot was great.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 4

At first glance I was rather leery of what this movie would portray. I had already walked out of Moulin Rouge, and this didn't seem like it would be terribly different. What changed my mind about seeing this was Orson Scott Card's short reviews of the movie. The reasons for this not getting a higher moral rating from us is that it is not a show for young kids; the themes presented are for a more mature audience. Be aware that there is some language, sexuality, and a lot of revealing clothing presented in the movie (and no ClearPlay filter available at the date of this posting, and I'm not sure how they could create one without mutilating the musical numbers in the film). This content, however, adds to the overall message of the movie; and by the end it is quite clear that this film is a commentary on our social and legal system, not a promotion of murder, sex, and greed.

One of the biggest ironies in the film is seen in the character of Roxie's husband, Amos. He seems to be the only moral character in the film, portrayed as being both an innocent and a faithful husband, but gets trampled on as if honesty is going out of style. In addition to his goodness not being accepted/noticed, he's portrayed as a rather dim-witted person, clueless to how the "real-world" works. This juxtaposition strengthened the satire of the film through the mockery of moral values.

The scene I enjoyed most was the puppeteer number. It displayed how easily the media can be swayed one way or another if the facts are manipulated just right. All of a sudden a criminal becomes a hero because of the background he or she came from (always blaming the current conditions of the person on someone else other than him/herself.)

The movie makes you wonder if truth really matters to some people, or if the world is only always looking for fame and fortune. Nothing in this world comes easy. Those who rely on the world for their emotional support will never be happy. The press loved Velma one day, then Roxie the next, and then someone else, and then back to Roxie, and on and on. The world cannot ever provide the emotional stability needed to live a genuinely happy life, it gives you a false sense of worth and then drops you flat on your face (sounds similar to a scripture in the Book of Mormon.

Does the fact that these two murderesses got off Scott-free make this a less moral movie ("You can like the life you live and live the life you like.")? I don't think so, partially because the way the trial at the end was portrayed (like a circus, with a tap dance able to pull off the unthinkable) I found myself laughing at the absurdness of it all.

You Can't Take it With You

Luke
Rating: 5, World-shaker

This was an excellent movie! My parents told us how much they enjoyed it and that sparked our interests. It's a Frank Capra film, so I expected it to be as good as his other films (It's a Wonderful Life, Meet John Doe, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, etc.). It was better! Maybe only because this was the first time I've seen it and I've seen all the others a dozen times, but it is definitely a world-shaker in my books.

The film displays the importance that family and friends are over one's career. It stresses that money can never buy happiness, and that happiness comes from doing what you enjoy. We should be happy with what we're doing, if we're not, something needs to change (unless you're an odd ball that likes being unhappy).

The importance of strong familial relationships (particularly father/son) is depicted. We see how humility can help strengthen or reforge those bonds if they've been damaged by pride and selfishness.

There was a bit of a similarity to The Bucket List when Mr. Kirby's ruthlessness to his customers ended him up in jail (Nicholson's character was similarly ruthless and he ended up, though coincidentally, a patient in his own poorly accommodating hospital.)

I'm not sure what the whole IRS situation had to do with anything, if anyone has any insights, I welcome them...

I was waiting for several moments in the film to turn "corny" or laughable, but every scene was genuinely entertaining and endearing. You'll miss out on a lot if you pass this one by.

Carr

Rating: 5, World Shaker

Wow! This movie was absolutely amazing! It is now my all-time, number one, favorite movie ever! Not only does it have an uplifting and valuable message, but it achieves it through good, clean humor. My favorite character is the grandpa who could seem a little bit crazy at first, but proves to be the most sane person of them all. While kind and good to everyone, he proves his humanness when he breaks down and chews out the selfish and greedy Mr. Kirby. Instead of being inhumanly patient, he gives the man what he really deserves: a severe chastisement. (Who doesn't need a good lecture now and again?) Not without apologizing after, of course. It was this tongue lashing that made a difference in Mr. Kirby's life. MILD SPOILER: Of all the names he was called, the one that really gets to him is that he was a bad father. Of all the rotten things he had done, hurting his son was what hurt him the most.

The son (Tony Kirby) is also a great character because he is not interested in making money and being high up in the business world. He respects his father (Mr. Kirby) and desires to please him, but luckily his heart is still young and pure. In him we can see hope for the father, perhaps that he was once young and innocent before his corruption set in. The son falls in love with the daughter of a carefree family who always does just exactly as they please. Since Tony is from a rich family, the girl (Alice) is naturally nervous and knows that she will not easily please his family, particularly since her family can be a bit peculiar. She wants to put on a show to really impress his parents, but Tony just wants his parents to know the girl that he loves, all appearances aside. He could care less that they are somewhat strange or poor, he enjoys their company and he loves her. It makes him kind of a hero. Except that it is this honest desire that creates major problems...but there wouldn't be a movie without the problems, right? :)

It has several valuable messages, but basically it's what the title says. You can spend your whole life trying to make money and it won't make much difference in the end because when you die, you can't take it with you. But even more than that, each day of our life is important and having good friends makes us rich, no matter how poor we are materially. We should spend our time building lasting relationships through kindness, service, and humor instead of cutting people down on our climb to the top. This movie makes the point that life is to be enjoyed. Why go to work every day at a job you don't really like? Find something that makes you want to get up in the morning and brings a smile to your face. Most importantly it emphasizes the importance of family. When consumed by greed and a desire to be number one in the corporate world, family relationships can suffer. In the end, what's more important? What can you take with you when you die?

I love that the movie ends up well, but by taking a different path than expected. It keeps it unpredictable. I recommend it to everyone of all ages. It's totally clean and fabulous; no filter needed. It will definitely be a family classic in our home!