Carolyn Hastings

The Martian

January 5, 2016 by Carolyn Hastings Leave a Comment

I don’t often agree with the “Critics.” If they all say it’s great, I tend to stay clear. If the “Audience” ratings are high, I grab my umbrella and head to the theater. The Martian is an anomaly…it received a 93% rating by both. Yup, exactly the same and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that.

I’m not really a huge fan of Science Fiction or Fantasy but this movie just felt more like a true story or maybe a documentary to me. I thought it was credible in a weird kind of way. While I was doing my research for the review I found an article on Space.com titled ‘The Martian’ Might Be the Most Realistic Space Movie Ever Made. Aha! That must be why a moviegoer that isn’t really a fan of Science Fiction or Fantasy thought it played like a true story!

Matt Daman (Mark Watney) is part of a mission team on Mars. It’s not too long before they head back to earth and there is a storm; an outer space size storm. Mark is presumed dead by his team and they have a finite amount of time to escape. The mission commander makes the call and they board their craft and leave the planet, for good.

Mark awakens injured with the realization that he is alone, truly alone. He pulls the a piece of the antenna out of his side, doctors his wound and sits down to figure out what comes next. Damon brings optimism, nerdiness and more than a touch of crazy to this character. Not totally unlike Tom Hanks in Castaway, Damon talks to himself and answers himself (I’ve been known to do that). There are many more characters in The Martian but he is truly alone, not just on a deserted island but “140 million miles away from home” kind of alone.

While NASA tries to figure out how to help him and his crew doesn’t even know he’s still alive, Mark Watney decides it’s pretty much up to him to save himself. He first checks his food supplies; 31 days. He knows a rescue is four years away so he comes to the realization that he will have to “science the shit out of this.” He’s a botanist, the self-proclaimed “Greatest Botanist on this planet!” He sets out to grow his own food from the potato left in his meager food supply.

There is only one moment in time, when everything has gone wrong that Watney sits in his chair, raises his eyes upwards and screams, “God!” He then sits up straight and starts to work once again on his myriad problems.

I found The Martian absolutely fascinating. Each team member had a specialty but underlying that there was this crossover brilliance. I suppose when you are preparing to become an astronaut you have to learn much more than your own little piece of the team (just in case you get left behind on Mars!). To quote the article in Space.com: “A science-fiction film’s ‘accuracy’ or ‘realism’ shouldn’t hinge only on the science and technology, but also on the presentation of scientists and their culture. With that in mind, ‘The Martian’ might be the most realistic (but fictional) space movie of all time.”

I truly enjoyed this film. I am so glad that I saw it on the big screen when I could but all is not lost. It comes out on DVD this month, so if you don’t have a huge screen at home, check out all your friends, see who has the biggest screen and invite yourself for a movie night. The least you can do is bring the popcorn and the Junior Mints!
I look forward to your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com.

I Love Christmas Movies

December 7, 2015 by Carolyn Hastings Leave a Comment

At least once a year I get to shout to the world, “I LOVE CHRISTMAS!”

I love the change in the seasons, the chill in the air. I love the smells; the neighbor’s chimney wafting out the scent of burning wood and cinnamon apples baking in the oven. I love the pine trees, sap and all because they smell like Christmas.

And don’t forget the flickering lights and the brightly clothed packages under the tree. Yup, Christmas rolls around and I’m a goner. So, I will share a secret with you…I’m a schmalzy Christmas movie junkie. If I didn’t have such a busy schedule, I’d probably just put a fire in the fireplace and curl up on the sofa with Christmas movie after Christmas movie after Christmas movie.

Hallmark is the King, or maybe the Queen of “feel good” holiday movies. They started out by adding a few new ones every year. This year they have really stepped up their game and many of the other TV channels have followed suit. Hallmark now has two channels and at Christmas they need both of them just to keep up. UP Channel has some newer holiday movies as well as ION, Lifetime and of course the network channels. I’m sure there are more but you get the picture. (Pun intended).

My favorite of the older Hallmark movies is Season for Miracles. I actually purchased it a few years ago (yes you can purchase Hallmark movies on DVD) so I could watch it in the off season. Last year they introduced North Pole, a fun family movie with a sequel this year called North Pole, Open for Christmas. You might want to grab the popcorn and the grand kids for that one.

You might ask, how do I know when they are showing? Well, it has already started in November! There are so many that there are now calendars online that give you the when and where. Just to name a few, countdownuntilchristmas.com, christmastvschedule.com and chiff.com. Go online and print it off or just turn on the TV and check it out.

I personally believe that The Nativity Story is a beautiful celebration of the season and should be on your list.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the ones that will be in the theaters this year. Get bundled up, let someone else make the popcorn and head to your local theater on one of your days off. You’ll find Love the Coopers, The Peanuts Movie, A Christmas Story and It’s a Wonderful Life in select theaters. Hopefully, somewhere on the big screen you’ll be able to catch one of my favorites, The Polar Express.

Anyway you like your Christmas entertainment fare, Tis the Season for fun, family and food—the Milk Duds and Junior Mints variety. Whether it’s at home or in the theater, Christmas movies are a great way to keep your priorities straight, family, friends and of course the Reason for the Season, Faith.

As always, I cherish your comments and the privilege of writing for you another year. Chastings@rockcliff.com

Taking Chance

November 4, 2015 by Carolyn Hastings Leave a Comment

I consider myself a Patriot (yes, capital P). I don’t usually cry at movies. I didn’t even cry during Beaches or Terms of Endearment. Now I know that probably comes off a little hard core, but before you judge me, I want you to know that I always cry during the Star Spangled Banner or when the American Flag in front of a marching band goes by.

Taking Chance is a truly amazing movie. It doesn’t scream at you, it quietly gets under your skin. The films power comes from a simple word – Reverence. Yeah, I guess that one would have to be capitalized as well. Taking Chance tells a true story, adapting Marine Colonel Mike Strobl’s personal journal of his assignment escorting the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, killed in Iraq in 2004, to Phelps’ family in Dubois, Wyoming. Mike, who served in Desert Storm is now sitting behind a desk stateside and feels guilty for not requesting combat duty in Iraq. Living comfortably at home with his wife and children had been the choice. He often wakes in middle of the night and checks the KIA list. One night while Mike is perusing the list he sees a name listed from his home town. He volunteers to be Phelps’ escort home. It changes his life.

Director and Screenwriter, Ross Katz has done a brilliant job telling the story of one man’s coming home in death and another’s coming to life. It’s a delicate balancing act, keeping focus on both the mourning of Phelps and Mike’s personal journey, neither overshadowing the other.

Kevin Bacon, who plays Col. Strobl, is incredible. He does so much with just his facial expressions. Lean and chiseled, Bacon is the consummate Marine. Slow, deliberate and did I mention Reverent with his actions, Mike’s devotion lends the story great intensity, and his struggles lend it great honesty. This is probably Bacon’s best.

The film also shows how we honor our fallen heroes, a chore revealed in great detail. It is all very informative. From the time Lance Corporal Chance Phelps leaves the battlefield, packed in ice, to his arrival at Dover in the States, it’s an amazing journey. His body is cared for. His belongings are cared for. A new uniform was created especially for him even though it was a closed casket. No detail was left undone. We also see the custom of how the escort salutes the casket every time it is moved from one mode of transportation to another, all working to guarantee that what may look like a giant cardboard box being shipped cross country is truly a “pearl of great price.”

Don’t misunderstand; Taking Chance is no mere documentary about how military remains are transported. It is a story about grieving. It is a story about honor. It is a story of Americans at our finest. No political agenda—no “support our troops” platitudes—just Reverence with a Capital “R” from Dover to Dubois.

Once again, I invite and enjoy your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com or look for my movie archives on CarolynHastings.com

Belle

October 3, 2015 by Carolyn Hastings Leave a Comment

I wish I could be sitting in the same room when you watch this movie. Belle has such texture, such fabric, such color. There have been several worthy movies about slavery; so many are based on true stories mainly because there are so many noteworthy true stories to tell. Many of these stories are told from different vantage points. The 17th century England practically dictated that.

Belle is a film with a unique perspective. Very unique.

Born to an African slave mother and an aristocrat father, Dido was reared as nobility… almost. While young, getting a fine private education alongside her fair haired cousin, Dido’s plight was not as apparent. She and Cousin Elizabeth were playmates; more like sisters.

Belle is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of Admiral Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode). Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle, Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkenson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Dido’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet her status prevents her from the traditions of noble social standing. While her cousin, Elizabeth Murray (Sarah Gadon) pursues suitors for marriage, Dido is left on the sidelines wondering if she will ever find love. Let me stop right here and assure you, this is not actually a love story. It just so happens that marrying either for love or any other reason is one of Dido’s challenges of her mixed racial birth.

Elizabeth is quite literally the belle of the ball until the families of her suitors realize she is the “poor” cousin. Now, wealth is relevant but as fate would have it, the real Belle of the Ball was actually the beautiful, exotic Dido. Wealthy but with a race stigma. Intelligent and strong-willed, she has an ambiguity of position—too high to dine with servants, too low to dine with guests. What would it be like to have power, inheritance and property and not be able to marry for love; to be both aristocratic and scorned?

There is a huge backstory here. After meeting an idealistic young vicar’s son, John Davinier, bent on changing society, he and Dido help shape Lord Mansfield’s role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England through a quite controversial court case.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a unique perspective being played out here. Amma Asante, Director of this amazing work who is also black, said this about the painting that inspired Belle. “Around the time of the 18th century, we really were—people of color were—an accessory in a painting. We were there rather like a pet to express the status of the main person in the painting, who was always white. And for anybody who’s lucky enough to see the painting, what you see is something very, very different. You see a biracial girl, a woman of color, who’s painted slightly higher in the painting, depicted slighter higher than her white counterpart. She’s staring directly out at the painter, you know, with a very direct, confident eye…So this painting flipped tradition and everything that the 18th century told us about portraiture. These two girls were aristocrats. What I saw from the painting was this opportunity, if I got it right, to tell a story that would combine art history and politics.”

Like the film, Amazing Grace, Belle is a fascinating history lesson. With all the turmoil in our world today it brings another historical piece of this puzzle to the forefront. I highly recommend this beautiful movie.

I look forward to your comments as usual at chastings@rockcliff.com.

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

September 10, 2015 by Carolyn Hastings Leave a Comment

A friend of mine just had the privilege of meeting Dr. Carson here in the East Bay. All she could do is rave. Much has changed since I ran the following movie review four years ago. Ben Carson has retired from Johns Hopkins and is now a viable Presidential candidate, so I thought I would brush off the review and give you a peek into the man. Enjoy the movie.

Sometimes you just have to shout about something or someone good. Well, here’s my shout-out about Dr. Ben Carson, the man and Gifted Hands that tells his story. Gifted Hands is a Johnson and Johnson Spotlight Presentation that was originally aired on TNT. Thank you Johnson and Johnson.

Gifted Hands is based on the true story of Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. whose lifelong journey led him to become Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Dr. Carson had a childhood dream of becoming a physician, but he grew up in a single-parent home, with dire poverty, poor grades, a horrible temper and low self-esteem. Struggling to help her sons, Sonja Carson, Ben’s mother, did everything in her power to help pull her family out of its circumstances. When kids at school labeled Ben the “Dummy,” Sonja got his eyes checked (yes, he needed glasses), turned off the television and took the boys to the Detroit Public Library. They embarked on a journey of learning. Later in life the boys would realize that their mother, who had only a third grade education, could not read but that hadn’t stopped her from looking earnestly at their two mother-required weekly book reports.

Dr. Carson attended Yale and University of Michigan Medical School. At age thirty-three, he became the youngest major division director at Johns Hopkins. Early in his career he led a team that was the first to successfully separate conjoined (Siamese) twins. His list of accomplishments is incredible: from being a bestselling author, to winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

I was thrilled to see that one of my favorite actors, Cuba Gooding, Jr. was chosen to play the part of Ben Carson. I find Cuba distinguished and versatile. He often shows his “chops” by taking on roles that are diverse and eclectic, as exhibited by his turns in both independent comedies and gritty dramas. It is rare to find an actor that will tackle both Men of Honor and Cool Running, yet both are worthy movies in their own right.

Sonja was played by Kimberly Elise, herself a two-time NAACP Image Award winner. Her performance is exemplary.

I found that once I had viewed Gifted Hands, I wanted to know more about Ben Carson, the doctor and Ben Carson, the man. After 25 years he is still the department head at Johns Hopkins as well as having been awarded 50 honorary doctorates. He has also achieved the status of Living Legend given by the Library of Congress.

One of his most admirable accomplishments though is founding the Carson Scholars Fund which has awarded more than 4,800 scholarships and is still growing. This man is not only a “legend,” he is a devoted husband, father and yes, son. He mother, Sonja is still alive and well.

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story is a wonderful movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family, but I have to warn you, you’ll want to hit the internet to see what else you can learn about the man with the gifted hands.

As always, I enjoy your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com.

Woman in Gold

July 31, 2015 by Carolyn Hastings Leave a Comment

Woman in Gold is a fascinating true story. I learned some history, some legal, a bit of negotiating and a whole lot about social injustice. Most of all I learned that, at times, justice does prevail. Occasionally, a wrong gets turned into a right.

Woman in Gold isn’t just another Nazi movie and it’s not really about the millions of Jews who were annihilated. It’s about the cultural and financial rape and pillage of a specific group of people.

The movie opens in America decades after World War II, where Maria Altmann’s (Helen Mirren) only sister had passed away. After reading her sister’s will, Maria finds out her family’s painting was stolen by Hitler’s government controlling Austria during World War II. Her family had commissioned famous Austrian painter Gustav Klimt to paint a portrait of Maria’s Aunt Adele. Maria decides she wants to fight to get the painting back and asks her friends son, a lawyer named Randol (Ryan Reynolds), to help.

At first, Randol isn’t excited about the case, but he discovers the painting is worth $100 million. Randol convinces his firm to let him take on the case because of the worth of the painting. So hurt from what happened in Austria, Maria is resistant to going back, but Randol finally convinces her she must go back in order to fight for the painting that was such a big part of her family heritage.

The two arrive in Vienna and each street reminds Maria of her past. Flashbacks to growing up in the family home with Aunt Adele come to Maria as she walks the familiar streets.

Maria and Randol are approached by a young man who had seen in the newspaper that Maria was speaking at the art restoration forum. The man tells them that he can help with the project, even though it will be very difficult to go against the government. The young man is able to introduce them to someone who works at the Belvedere Palace, where the painting has been on display for years and has become a national treasure known as “The Lady in Gold”.

While the government officials tell them they absolutely cannot have the painting back they, over time, methodically go about uncovering wills and documents that eventually support their case against the Austrian government.

There are so many complexities to this film, in my book it’s a must see. I can’t even begin to understand what makes one group of people hate another group of people so very much.

But, I’m here to say, through so much pain and agony, this story is triumphant. I guess I can tell you that Maria and Randol eventual win. The decision brought approximately $325, 000,000 in paintings back to the rightful heirs of the Blauer-Bloch family and a cultural foundation was created with the money. They won at least partial restitution.

Strangely enough, the morning after I watched this movie, I opened my emails to a piece of spam. As I read, my stomach literally churned. This piece was anti-sematic hate at its most abhorrent. I was terribly disturbed by its content but then I was reminded that mankind is a work in progress and we can never let our guard down against hate in any form.

I invite your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com.

Captain America: Winter Soldier

July 3, 2015 by Carolyn Hastings Leave a Comment

Wow Pow Sockem’ Rockem! I thought I was looking for a needle in a haystack when I starting looking for a movie to review this time. I wanted something fun and entertaining for summer but I also wanted something patriotic in celebration of Independence Day. Something, well not Independence Day, which I love but had already reviewed.

I am so sorry to admit that I had never met my new favorite superhero, Captain America. What a man—95 years old and doesn’t look a day over 30! Somehow you don’t feel like a cougar if they really are 95.

I enjoyed this movie immensely. The ultimate good vs evil flick with the suspense of sorting out who the good guys are was amazingly entertaining.

Being a Marvel Comic novice, I decided I was way overdue for a short history lesson on superheroes. Our boy, Steve Rogers was born to Irish Catholic immigrants on July 4, 1920. Raised on duty, honor and humility, when World War II was heating up and with both parents dead, undersized Steve tries to enlist in the military. He was rejected as 4F but was recruited by Operation Re-Birth, a top-secret performance enhancing experiment. With the help of Super Soldier Serum, Captain America is still alive today and fighting the fight for right.

Captain America Winter Soldier is the second of the current generation of Capt films and was released in 2014. The First Avenger was released in 2011 and Captain America Civil War will be released next year (I’ll be in line). There were also earlier versions released in 1944, 1979 and 1990. I still can’t believe I missed all of these.

The special effects on this film were absolutely amazing. Car chases, bombs going off, guys jumping off aircraft in flight or crashing through windows all made for some tense moments, but all great fun.

The cast is stellar. Chris Evans plays Steve Rogers, Captain America. His female counterpart is Scarlett Johansson. Samuel L. Jackson is pretty awesome as Nick Fury and Robert Redford (now he does look 95 but in a good way) plays Alexander Pierce. Other notables in this $260 Million blockbuster are Anthony Mackie and Sabastian Stan.

Disney has put together a complicated political thriller in comic book form and I am duly impressed. While all the action is happening you don’t think much beyond wanting the good guys to win. The problem is, you don’t really know the good guys from the bad guys until the end. For me, it doesn’t get any better than spending a couple of hours watching our American values defended and the Marvel-ous Captain America does that so well.

So, try to pull yourself away from all the politics going on right now with the campaigning heating up. Instead, why don’t you sit your kids or their kids down in front of that Big Screen TV with a Big Bowl of Popcorn and spend some time bonding over some values that are worth pondering. True American Ideals courtesy of Captain America! Let me know if you plan to join me in line in 2016 by emailing me at chastings@rockcliff.com.

McFarland USA: A Movie Review

June 3, 2015 by Carolyn Hastings Leave a Comment

If you loved Cool Running about the Jamaican Bobsled team, you’re going to love McFarland USA. Rated PG, it’s for the whole family, young, old and really old!

Jim White (Kevin Costner) was a teacher who had once again been fired for speaking his mind. Going against the grain was what he did best. In the early 80s, he packed up his family and moved to where there was the only teaching job he could find: McFarland, California.

If you’ve never heard of McFarland, you’re in good company. I’m from the Central Valley of California and I had never heard of it. While it’s a little farther south than where I lived, it was still totally off my radar. This town of 13,500 inhabitants is primarily an agriculture town. Another strategic factor is that you can see the prison from there; close, too close. Most of the people in McFarland work in the fields and try to stay out of the prison.

McFarland is a movie about heart, family and fate. As Jim started teaching and his family settled in he started to look for a way to help the school, the kids and the community. Every day he would see some boys running to school and then leaving the same way, running. His younger daughter commented one day about how fast the boys ran. A seed started to grow. Jim White had never run track, much less coached it but the seed of a plan started to germinate. From that seed to nine, yes nine, State

Championships was quite the journey. It seems that these teenagers were running to and from the fields where they spent many hours a day working in the hot sun helping to support their families.

For the Whites, I’m sure it felt they had moved to another country but they eventually became an integral part of the McFarland community. In order to be on the track team these kids didn’t just stay after school for practice, they still worked in the fields, went to school and on top of that, went to a grueling practice. It wasn’t easy to convince these families to let their kids join the team. Firstly, because of the time away from the family endeavors but also because, for the most part, this was a town without a dream. These kids never even considered going to college, finding a better job or leaving McFarland.

Jim White taught them to “run fast, work hard and to have a dream bigger than picking almonds or avocados, because champions can come from anywhere!” This film is about a Team turning into a Family.

The beautiful part of this story is the result of Jim White’s efforts. I won’t spoil it but be sure to stay till the end! Coach White’s belief that in the end it comes down to who can handle the pain, truly made a difference, not only in his life and his family’s but also a whole community. This movie is for anybody and everybody. Rent or buy it today and give me a “shout out” at chastings@rockcliff.com

Unbroken: A Movie Review

May 5, 2015 by Carolyn Hastings Leave a Comment

Louie Zamperini. Louis died last year at 97 years old having inspired countless millions. Never heard of him? Have I got a movie for you! Maybe two!

Unbroken is a story way overdue to be told. Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie directs and produces Unbroken, an epic drama that follows the incredible life of Olympian and war hero Louis “Louie” Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) who, along with two other crewmen, survived in a raft for 47 days in shark infested waters after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

Director Jolie, began by shooting some of the dramatic and challenging scenes on location far out at sea in Moreton Bay, Australia, with Zamperini (O’Connell) and his fellow airmen, Phil (Domhnall Gleeson) and Mac (Finn Wittrock) having impossibly survived being adrift in the open Pacific for several weeks. Working with cameras on a floating rig in choppy waters and braving the elements, with actors dieting for months to appear as depleted as the characters, Jolie started with the treacherous, rigorous and uniquely challenging scenes and then moved on.

Adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s (Seabiscuit: An American Legend) enormously popular book, Unbroken brings to the big screen Zamperini’s unbelievable and inspiring true story about the resilient power of the human spirit.

While held as a POW in Japan, Louie met a brutal camp guard, played by Miyavi known only to the men as “The Bird.” “The Bird” found out about Louie being an Olympian and brutalized him physically, mentally and emotionally during his imprisonment, getting pleasure out of trying the break him. This cruel man would torment Louie’s mind for many years after his return home.

Leading the accomplished, behind-the-scenes crew, is ten-time Oscar nominated cinematographer, Roger Deakins who deserves much of the accolades for this film deserves. The photography is absolutely stunning.

In the beginning of this article I mentioned a second movie. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the second half of Louie’s story not chronicled in Unbroken. Louis Zamperini: Captured By Grace tells of the horrors in his life after his return. He suffered with alcoholism, night terrors and a failing marriage. After all he had endured, Louis was down for the count. His wife gave him one last chance by asking if he would attend a Billy Graham Crusade in 1949 in Los Angeles with her. He refused. He fought it. He even walked out of the first meeting. The second meeting changed his life forever and he became lifelong friends with Billy Graham. His last 65 years were full and joyous.

I highly recommend both movies. It’s not often that we get to follow such an illustrious man all the way to his death after a life well lived. After Louie had died, his son said to Angelina Jolie that he wished his father had been able to see the completed film. She quickly and proudly told him that after the film was finished, she had taken her laptop to his hospital room and together they watched his story!

As always, I welcome your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com.

The Frisco Kid

April 9, 2015 by Carolyn Hastings Leave a Comment

Have you ever had a movie that you dust off and watch…every year? The Frisco Kid is mine. I used to rent it every year, and then I realized what I was doing and bought it. The Frisco Kid, simply said, tickles my funny bone. Whether I’m watching it with a friend or by myself, I laugh out loud and I don’t do that often.

This is a quirky, inventive saga of a young Polish rabbi who is sent to America in 1850 to take over a congregation in San Francisco and meet his wife-to-be. Now Rabbi Avram Belinski did not finish at the top of his class but he is on his way to a bright new world. After docking in Philadelphia, the rabbi (Gene Wilder) plays Good Samaritan to three roustabouts who later rob him. Avram finds that the ship around the Horn to California has already sailed, and there won’t be another one for two months. He decides to make the trek overland by covered wagon instead. Fortunately he comes upon some Amish farmers who seeing a kindred spirit, give him shelter and money to resume his journey.

After a brief stint working on the railroad, Avram meets Tommy Lillard (Harrison Ford), a bank robber with a heart of gold and a quick temper. An unlikely pair, they team up and the adventure begins. A wild ride across this big country includes an escape from a posse, a trial by fire at the hands of some Indians, a visit to the brotherhood of silent monks, and two violent encounters with the men who robbed Avram in Philadelphia.

The Frisco Kid is an offbeat comedy that manages to convey the sturdy faith of a believer. Avram will not travel on the Sabbath for any reason; he returns his share of the money from Lillard’s bank robbery; he transmits the joy of Judaism to the Indians; and he agonizes over murdering a man in self-defense. Although Avram is duped and tricked on every turn he manages to hold on to his precious and blessed Torah, the holy book he must bring with him to his new congregation.

This is one of the better buddy-comedy Westerns, directed by Robert Aldrich (Kiss Me Deadly, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Flight of the Phoenix, The Dirty Dozen, The Longest Yard). Like most buddy movies, this one relies on opposites attracting. Avram is the humble, mild-mannered man of peace; Tommy is the gruff gun slinging outlaw. But both of them are bighearted, so the combination makes for a kinder, gentler sort of buddy movie. I think you are going to get a big belly laugh at this one! This is Gene Wilder and vintage Harrison Ford at their finest.

As always, I invite your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com or visit my archives at CarolynHastings.com.