HISTORY OF THE EAGLES (2013) – WITH SPECIAL GUEST MOM POST!!

Elizabeth’s mom was in town this past week and watched a couple of movies with us. Here’s what she had to say:

Sandy (aka Elizabeth’s mom)

It was so much fun watching the Eagles documentary with Elizabeth and Chris!  It seems that Chris wasn’t all that familiar with the group or their music.  Not sure how that happened but he is now sufficiently educated!  I’ve always loved their music and heard many things about the personality conflicts.  This seems to cover everything from their most early configurations to the current group.  Some of it was crazy, some of it was funny and some of it was sad.  One thing the documentary makes clear is that from 1972 to 1980: sex + drugs + rock n’ roll = Eagles!

Thank you to Elizabeth and Chris for inviting me to be a guest reviewer on their blog!

Elizabeth

My mom was in town last week, and since it’s because of her that I have any knowledge of The Eagles whatsoever, it was only appropriate that we watch the long and expansive documentary with her. I’m usually nervous about watching documentaries on artists I like, especially musicians, because there are some things I just don’t want to know about. Like how Harry Nilsson was a shitty father and sort of sabotaged his own career by knowingly messing up his voice with cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol. Luckily, though, I was pretty much aware of the alpha male personalities of Eagles members Don Henley and Glenn Frey, so not much of the documentary was very shocking to me. It was, however, very interesting, considering I’ve listened to The Eagles pretty much my whole life and know most of their songs pretty well. I always love the smaller stories that come out of music documentaries, like how The Eagles discovered their band name and overall sound after taking peyote in the desert. I could have maybe guessed that’s how things came together, but it’s entertaining to hear it firsthand. I also wasn’t aware how many members came and left the band; I only knew the lineup as they were when they first broke up. That was a little sad to hear, but the big personalities that can make a band so great usually end up coming at a cost. But let’s just say I have a whole new respect for Timothy B. Schmit . . . poor guy.

History of The Eagles is actually in two parts, both parts together clocking in at over 3 hours, so if you’re not already into the band, this isn’t the documentary you can casually sit down and watch. But it’s cool and reminds you of how many awesome songs The Eagles have, which is always a plus.

Christopher

I’ve never really been a big Eagles fan but we watched this because Elizabeth’s mom is a big fan. I thought the information in the movie was interesting, the filmmaking was just alright, and I was not expecting it to be over three hours. I have to say that I know more about the Eagles now then I thought I ever would but I’m glad I watched it and Elizabeth’s mom did watch a lot more basketball with me than she was probably expecting to.

THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987) – WITH SPECIAL GUEST MOM POST!!

Elizabeth’s mom was in town this past week and watched a couple of movies with us. Here’s what she had to say:

Sandy (aka Elizabeth’s mom)

I’ve always liked this movie!  Kevin Costner and Andy Garcia look so darn young!  Sean Connery was in his Last Crusader-prime.  Patricia Clarkson was as beautiful as ever (I used to bake cakes for her Mom in New Orleans!).  There are several iconic lines and scenes (Kevin Costner & Andy Garcia in the train station for one) and I enjoyed sharing them with Elizabeth and Chris.  I had forgotten how violent some of the scenes are.  I had to look away when Robert De Niro picked up a bat and walked around the dinner table….that’s never a good sign.  My only complaint was that the soundtrack didn’t seem to go with the movie and was WAY too loud.  Or maybe I’m getting older.

Christopher

I think this was my third time watching this movie and I think I enjoyed it the most upon this viewing. For some reason this is a movie I knew so many people loved but I never really got it. What I remember the most about the first time I watched this was that there wasn’t enough Robert De Niro. I remember him only being in one scene but now I see that he’s in it a little bit more.

Although I did enjoy the movie more this time what really sticks out to me as not good about this movie is the soundtrack. It’s funny cause I love Ennio Morricone from all the great western movies but the music in this film is just kind of awful. IT’S SO FUCKING CHEESY! The scene where they are all riding together and the music swells up telling us “these are the best days of their lives” makes you kind of feel like the movie’s almost over.

I wonder if Brian De Palma wanted the music to be so obvious.

Elizabeth

So, The Untouchables is just one of those movies that I had never seen before and, after seeing it, I’m really not sure how I managed to not see it before. It’s really good; the story is good, the direction is good, the acting is good, and everyone looks good (especially Kevin Costner . . . damn). The music was surprisingly not very good, considering it was done by Ennio Morricone, but I guess he gets a pass because of all the other amazing stuff he’s done.

I guess the two scenes that stick out the most to me would be, first off, when Eliot (Kevin Costner) and Stone (Andy Garcia) go to Malone (Sean Connery)’s house, only to find him shot up and dying. They see the trail of blood where Malone dragged himself across the house, and Eliot assumes the dying Malone needs comfort. Malone reaches his hand toward a chain he always keeps with him that has a saint on it and Eliot puts it in his hand, assuming he wants to die holding it. Up to this point, Malone has been a pretty take-no-shit, use-violence-when-necessary, get-the-bad-guy-at-whatever-cost kind of guy. So, it’s not a surprise when Malone tosses the chain aside and keeps reaching, and Eliot realizes he’s reaching for a paper. He gives the paper to Malone, when Malone tells Eliot that it’s the train schedule that will lead them to Al Capone’s bookkeeper, the last piece of the puzzle that will allow them to arrest Capone, whom they were after and was responsible for the death of their other partner, Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) and is about to be responsible for Malone’s death. Malone dies, and Eliot and Stone are pissed and upset. I knew Sean Connery died in The Untouchables but I didn’t know he died in quite such a bloody way, but considering his character up to that point, it was a pretty badass and funny (at least when he tossed the chain aside) way for him to go.

The other memorable scene for me is the shootout in the train station. For being a shootout, it’s really incredibly elegant. It’s also appropriately tense, with Eliot eying a woman struggling to get her baby carriage up the stairs while keeping an eye on the doors as he waits for the bookkeeper. While the woman and her baby don’t end up ruining anything, I thought that this scene had a potential for going in our Kids Ruin Everything movie bank, but I guess they didn’t (this time) . I was also really struck by how awesome/crazy Andy Garcia was; he stops the baby carriage at the foot of the stairs while armed and aimed at one of the Capone guards. He shoots the guard in the head without missing a beat, and I know I’m not a gun person, but the way he was able to hold his arm up in the position he was in without flinching seemed pretty impressive.

When ensemble pieces are good, they are so good, and The Untouchables really is just so good.