Moviefone Editorial

Category: Eight Great

8 Great Christopher Plummer Performances

Christopher Plummer accepting the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at the Academy Awards for ‘Beginners’

This week marks one year since we lost legendary film actor Christopher Plummer. Best known to several generations as Georg von Trapp in ‘The Sound of Music,’ Plummer’s acting career spanned over 70 years before the actor died last year at the age of 91.

The actor has appeared in countless movies including ‘The Man Who Would Be King,’ ‘Dragnet,’ ‘Malcolm X,‘ ‘Twelve Monkeys,’ ‘A Beautiful Mind,’ ‘Syriana,’ ‘Up,’ ‘The Last Station,’ ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,’ and 2010’s ‘Beginners,’ for which he won Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.

With the anniversary of the late actor’s passing upon us, let’s look back at eight of the greatest performances of Christopher Plummer’s long and acclaimed career.

The Sound of Music

Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in ‘The Sound of Music’

The film is set in the years before the Second World War and follows Maria (Julie Andrews), a tomboyish postulant at an Austrian abbey who becomes a governess in the home of a widowed naval captain (Plummer) with seven children. Before too long, Maria reintroduces the love of life and music into their home.

This is the role that made Plummer a household name, and the music from the movie is still iconic to this day. However, the actor technically doesn’t sing in the film, as his voice was dubbed over by musician Bill Lee.
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The Return of the Pink Panther

(L to R) Herbert Lom, Christopher Plummer, Peter Sellers, and Catherine Schell in ‘The Return of the Pink Panther’

The forth in the series, and widely considered the best, ‘The Return of the Pink Panther‘ features star Peter Sellers also returning to the role after an absence. The famous Pink Panther jewel has once again been stolen and Inspector Clouseau is called in to catch the thief, who he is convinced is his old rival, the Phantom. Plummer plays Sir Charles Litton, also known as the Phantom, a role previously played by David Niven in the other films.
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Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country

Christopher Plummer in ‘Star Trek VI: The Undiscoverd Country’

Plummer was no stranger to genre movies, having starred in ‘Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country‘ opposite original cast members William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.

The film’s plot serves as an allegory for the Cold War, with the Federation and the Klingon empire on the verge of peace, when an unexpected attack puts everything in jeopardy. Plummer plays Chang, a one-eyed Klingon general, and is widely considered (right behind Ricardo Montalban) as one of the best villains ever to appear in a Star Trek movie.
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The Insider

(L to R) Christopher Plummer and Al Pacino in ‘The Insider’

In this 1999 movie from director Michael Mann (‘Heat‘), Plummer co-stars with Russell Crowe and Al Pacino as ’60 Minutes’ host, Mike Wallace. The movie tells the true story of the CBS news series’ exposé of the tobacco industry, as seen through the eyes of whistleblower, Jeffrey Wigand (Crowe). The movie went on to earn seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.
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Inside Man

(L to R) Denzel Washington and Christopher Plummer in ‘Inside Man’

One of director Spike Lee‘s best movies, ‘Inside Man‘ follows Denzel Washington as Detective Kieth Frazier, who must negotiate with a bank robber (Clive Owen) that has taken hostages at a Manhattan bank.

But no one is who they seem, including the Mayor’s mysterious friend (Jodie Foster), who is a little too eager to help Detective Frazier with the situation. Or the bank’s shady owner played by Plummer, who is keeping some deep, dark secrets of his own.
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Beginners

(L to R) Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor in ‘Beginners’

Directed by Mike Mills, this is the film that finally earned Plummer his long overdue Academy Award. He won Best Supporting Actor for playing Hal, a man that comes out of the closet at the age of 75 after his wife’s death. Ewan McGregor plays his son, and the film is told from his point of view in flashbacks, after Hal’s death.
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All the Money in the World

(L to R) Christopher Plummer and Mark Wahlberg in ‘All the Money in the World’

While it did earn Plummer his third and final Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, ‘All the Money in the World‘ is infamous for how and why Plummer received the role. The movie follows the story of the real life kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III, the grandson of billionaire Jean Paul Getty, who refuses to pay the ransom.

The role of John Paul Getty was originally played by Kevin Spacey. When his scandal broke, just months before the release of the film, director Ridley Scott decided to recast the part with Plummer and reshoot a large amount of the movie.
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Knives Out

Christopher Plummer in ‘Knives Out’

One of Christopher Plummer’s final film roles was in director Rian Johnson‘s extremely successful mystery-comedy, ‘Knives Out.’ The movie tells the story of renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Plummer), who is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday.

Enter the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. Blanc begins questioning Harlan’s dysfunctional family, and with the help of Harlan’s nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas), who has a physical condition that will not allow her to tell a lie, he eventually discovers the true murderer.
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January 31, 2022
8 Movies Referenced in ‘The Last Letter From Your Lover’

Based on Jojo Moyes’ 2012 novel of the same name and now on Netflix, Augustine Frizzell’s cozy romance ‘The Last Lover From Your Lover’ follows a set of star-crossed lovers in 1960s London and the French Riviera and a contemporary journalist uncovering their love story.

Moviefone recently sat down with the director to talk about the film’s visual inspirations. Frizell shared that, “all the stuff in the Riviera was one set of references, and the stuff in London that was another.” As amnesiac 1960s socialite Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley) traces her past, we follow her story to the French Riviera.

To bring this era back to life, Frizzell listed several films, “there’s this great old film called ‘Bonjour Tristesse’ that was a big reference and then the original ‘Purple Noon’ and also ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ was some of it. ‘To Catch a Thief’ was a big reference. Just these very glamorous portraits of the French Riviera in the 60s. ‘Bay of Angels,’ even though that is black and white, some of the shots and the way that that was framed.”

We also see Jennifer’s life back in London with her cold and controlling husband Laurence (Joe Alwyn). For this shift in setting, Frizzell’s references included everything from Alain Resnais to Paul Thomas Anderson to Wong Kar-wai.

Of these influences she said, “I had this favorite film called ‘Last Year At Marienbad’ and something about the way that they used texture, it’s also a black and white film, but they used texture and pattern and the costumes. I took a lot of inspiration from those costumes. I felt I wanted to do something similar. For the home, ‘Phantom Thread’ was a big influence. I thought it was just so soft, and I wanted that softness. There were parts, for instance, the stuff where they’re dancing at the club and the stuff where they are in the hotel room ‘In The Mood For Love’ was a big influence. The bright colors and the wall patterns and textures.”

Let’s take a look at these eight films that inspired the look and feel of ‘The Last Letter From Your Lover.’

‘Bonjour Tristesse,’ 1958 (dir. Otto Preminger)

Adapted from a novel by Françoise Sagan, this lush Otto Preminger drama was shot in exquisite Technicolor. The French Riviera never looked more alluring, but like Frizzell’s film, it’s dark plot acts as a wonderful antidote to the sun’s charm.

Jean Seberg plays Cécile, the carefree 17-year-old daughter of a playboy (David Niven), whose jealousy over his new girlfriend (Deborah Kerr) could mean disaster for everyone involved.

‘Purple Noon,’ 1960 (dir. René Clément)

The first of two adaptations of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’. Alain Delon, possibly the hottest man ever to emerge from French cinema, plays American Tom Ripley who is sent to retrieve Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet).

Seduced by the glamour of the Riviera, and obsessively drawn to Philippe’s girlfriend Marge (Marie Laforêt), Ripley instead decides to take over the man’s life.

‘The Talented Mr. Ripley,’ 1999 (dir. Anthony Minghella)

Directed by Anthony Mighella, this second adaptation of Highsmith’s novel sees Matt Damon take over the Ripley role. Jude Law received his first Oscar nomination for his performances as the charismatic jazz musician Dickie Greenleaf.

This version leans even further into the homoerotic undertones of the novel, and features a killer ensemble Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Jack Davenport, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

‘To Catch A Thief,’ 1955 (dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

One of Hitchock’s most stylish films, this cat-and-mouse caper follows Cary Grant as a retired cat burglar who attempts to find an impostor preying on wealthy tourists in the French Riviera, including cinema siren Grace Kelly.

‘Bay of Angels’, 1963 (dir. Jacques Demy)

After young banker Jean Fournier (Claude Mann) wins a small fortune playing roulette he takes a vacation to Nice where he falls for a divorced single mom Jackie (Jeanne Moreau), who warns him her passion for gambling will likely tear them apart.

‘Last Year At Marienbad,’ 1961 (dir. Alain Resnais)

Directed by Alain Resnais from a screenplay by Alain Robbe-Grillet, this twisty film stars Delphine Seyrig and Giorgio Albertazzi as a woman and a man who may have met the year before and may have had an affair. The film’s non-linear structure highlights the ambiguity of time, space, and love.

‘Phantom Thread,’ 2017 (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)

Mostly set in 1950s London, this romance follows Daniel Day-Lewis as an haute couture dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock who falls hard for a waitress named Alama (Vicky Krieps), who becomes his muse. Alma challenges Woodcock in every way possible, pushing against his controlling nature, proving that love is never easy.

‘In The Mood For Love,’ 2000 (dir. Wong Kar-wai)

Featuring a sumptuous color palette and an evocative soundtrack, this romance set in 1962 British Hong Kong follows a man (Tony Leung) and a woman (Maggie Cheung) who collide unexpectedly after their spouses have an affair, and find their lives irrevocably altered.

July 25, 2021
Eight Great Summer Vacation Movies

Meatballs

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Sometimes overlooked in favor of other “slobs vs. snobs” comedy classics from the same era, like Animal House and Caddyshack, this was Bill Murray’s first starring role, and the feature directorial debut for Ivan Reitman. Murray stars as Tripper, head counselor at Camp North Star, a bargain-basement summer camp in Ontario. Murray takes the lonely Rudy (Chris Makepeace) under his wing while still overseeing a group of oddball counselors-in-training as they have their own romances, pull pranks on the camp’s director, and take on wealthy Camp Mohawk in a yearly tournament. It’s ultimately a sweet story, without ever getting quite as crass as some of the era’s other films starring Saturday Night Live alumni. ‘Meatballs’ would turn out to be hugely successful, spawning three mostly unrelated sequels and countless knockoffs.

Wet Hot American Summer

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If ‘Meatballs’ saw plenty of lesser imitations, ‘The State’ alumni David Wain and Michael Showalter stepped up with a satirical take on summer camp movies. Although it bombed at the box office, it’s since become a cult classic, spawning two series on Netflix (one prequel and one sequel). There’s an amazing cast here, including Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler, Judah Friedlander, Janeane Garofalo, Christopher Meloni, and David Hyde Pierce, plus other alumni from ‘The State,’ such as Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, and Joe Lo Truglio. There’s a plot here about the camp putting on a talent show, counselors in love, and a falling piece of Skylab that threatens everyone’s lives, but it’s really just an excuse to see some stars and future stars show off some great comic chops.

Dirty Dancing

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For those that haven’t gotten around to seeing this classic, it’s easy to write off ‘Dirty Dancing’ as sappy romance. But that would be wrong. It’s an emotionally satisfying coming-of-age story about Frances “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey) and her steamy summer romance with dancer Johnny (Patrick Swayze). The dancing is terrific, Grey and Swayze have terrific chemistry. Written by Eleanor Bergstein and based on her own summer trips to the Catskills, Baby’s adventure starts because she and her family are taking a summer vacation at Kellerman’s a tony resort. Baby sees hints of classism between some of the staff, and she finds herself drawn more to the working class staffers instead of the Ivy League-bound waiters. The film subversively gives Baby agency, letting her pick her own friends and make her own choices in her sex life; she has a summer fling with a sexy dancer and isn’t punished by fate for it. That was fairly groundbreaking in 1987, and is (sadly) might still be considered unusual in some corners even now.

National Lampoon’s Vacation

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This is another film that started a franchise, but the original version is still the best. Based on screenwriter John Hughes’ own National Lampoon story about a disastrous road trip, the movie focuses on the Griswold’s drive from Chicago to California for a visit to a thinly-veiled version of Disneyland called “Wally World.” Chevy Chase puts in a legendary turn as Clark, the increasingly obsessive patriarch of the Griswold clan. Clark is going to have a great road trip with his family whether they like it or not, and if he becomes Ahab in a station wagon, then so be it. Beverly D’Angelo hits just the right notes as Clark’s wife Ellen, as does Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron as their children Rusty and Audrey. Chase and D’Angelo would return for sequels, and it became a running joke that Rusty and Audrey would be recast in every subsequent film. This first adventure sees car trouble in the desert, an unwanted passenger, a temptress in a Ferrari, and a visit with Cousin Eddy (a reminder of when Randy Quaid was funny). It’s filled with laughs, but it will definitely make you think twice about future family road trips.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

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Based on the best-selling YA novel by Ann Brashares, this is the story of four teen girls, best friends since childhood, who are about to spend their first summer apart. But before three of them leave town, the quartet go shopping and find a pair of jeans that magically fit each one of them. The four decide that they’ll share the pants for the summer, and while each of them have these mysterious jeans in their possession, their individual summers are upended. Blake Lively, America Ferrara, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn play Bridget, Carmen, Lena, and Tibby (respectively). The movie captures the charm of the novel, in no small part because of the charisma and chemistry of the stars, and it’s ultimately a heartwarming tale about female friendships and the bonds young women make that can last a lifetime.

Girls Trip

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The annual Essence Music Fest takes place in New Orleans every 4th of July, and that’s the backdrop for Ryan Pierce’s (Regina Hall) attempt to reunite with three of her friends from college. Pierce is a bestselling author and lifestyle guru, poised to be “the next Oprah.” She’s scheduled to speak at the festival, so she invites her college friends to join her, in the hopes of rekindling their friendships. These other three have lives of their own now; Sasha (Queen Latifah) is a celebrity gossip blogger, Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) is a working single mother, and Dina (Tiffany Haddish) is still party-girl Dina, all these years later. These four actors are great together, but Tiffany Haddish is a revelation here, stealing the movie and never giving it back. The film isn’t afraid to remind us that women can and do party hard, but it doesn’t lose sight of these friends repairing burned bridges and reaffirming their love for each other.

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

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One of the casualties of quarantine is that this film didn’t get a proper theatrical release. That’s a shame, because as funny as this movie is, it would have been even more side-splitting with a big audience. Make no mistake, this movie is straight up bananas from beginning to end. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo wrote the script and star as Star and Barb, two middle-aged best friends that talk a bit too much, they can be both clueless and timid, but once they hit Vista Del Mar, the movie all but explodes into mayhem. To describe too much would be to take away some of the stunningly insane jokes packed wall-to-wall across the entire film. But suffice to say you may never look at Jamie Dornan the same way again.

The Endless Summer

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This is one of the first and probably still the best surf movie ever made. Director Bruce Brown follows two surfers, Robert August and Mike Hynson, as they leave Southern California and travel to surf spots around the world, including South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Tahiti, Senegal, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Australia. Brown’s breezy narration is a far cry from the stiffer voices heard in most documentaries at the time, and it lends an inviting tone to the gorgeous cinematography of the both surf action and the local landscapes. This documentary might help non-surfers understand the appeal of surfing more than any other film ever made, and the idea of an “endless summer” means its welcome on any day of the calendar year.

June 7, 2021
8 Great Movie Presidents And 1 That Wasn’t

Hollywood likes high-stakes stories, so making a movie about a US President immediately fits that bill. We’ve put together a list of eight great movie Presidents that have done everything from balancing budgets to stopping alien invasions. And just by way of comparison, we’ve thrown in one president that maybe wasn’t so great. All of these movies are currently streaming, so pick your favorite movie President and give yourself an Executive Order to watch their movie.

Dave Kovic: Dave (1993)

Kevin Kline in ‘Dave’

“Hail to the Chief, he’s the one we all say hail to.” It’s no wonder Dave (Kevin Kline) is singing, since being a dead ringer for the sitting President is a pretty good side gig–especially when the President’s staff approaches you to work for the White House directly. But when the President suffers a stroke, Dave takes over the Oval Office and all the responsibilities that come with it–including being the husband of a very angry wife (Sigourney Weaver). Dave is charming, warm, and totally un-Presidential, so it’s no surprise that everyone ends up loving him.
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Thomas Whitmore: Independence Day (1996)

Bill Pullman in ‘Independence Day’

Bill Pullman is the Prez in charge when the world gets invaded by pushy aliens who have a fondness for blowing up landmarks and people holding signs of welcome. He’s more of a rough-and-tumble guy, and even withstands a psychic attack from the aliens in Area 51. But once he knows their plan, he helps mobilize forces against them, and gives an unforgettable speech that is even more badass than how he hops into a fighter jet of his own right after wrapping it up.
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James Marshall: Air Force One (1997)

Harrison Ford in ‘Air Force One’

Harrison Ford, at a fancy dinner in Moscow, declares that the United States will not negotiate with terrorists, and that the capture of Russia’s dictator Ivan Radek (Gary Oldman) was just. That’s all it takes for Radek to enact his dastardly plan for his team to take over the President’s plane with himself, his staff, and his family still on it. As a Medal of Honor winner and veteran, Marshall is not one to back down from a fight. And even though the space on a plane is limited, somehow this movie manages to be a riveting cat and mouse game, with Marshall (and the writers of the screenplay) delivering one-liners that land with…well, the force of an explosion on Air Force One (too soon?).
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Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho: Idiocracy (2006)

Terry Crews in ‘Idiocracy’

Say what you will about President Camacho’s intellect, but man, can that guy wear a puffy red white and blue blouse. Terry Crews plays this President leading a troubled, dumb-as-rocks United States as they face a critical food shortage in 2505. Bleak times don’t stop Camacho from wowing the crowd with a State of the Union address, though, that we secretly hope is how they go down in 484 years. Or next year. Whatever.
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Mays Gilliam: Head of State (2003)

Chris Rock in ‘Head of State’

Plenty of people can get behind the idea of comedic genius Chris Rock being President–especially in the form of Mays Gilliam, a Washington D.C. alderman who turns hero and Democratic nominee for the highest office in the United States. Of course initially, the Dems thought they had already lost the race and chose Gilliam as a token candidate, but as soon as he starts spouting truths that the people want to hear, his campaign picks up steam, and audiences are left with rousing speeches yelling “That ain’t right!” on their couches.
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James Sawyer: White House Down (2013)

Jamie Foxx in ‘White House Down’

In the second Roland Emmerich-directed film on the list (the German fellow has a real thing for American patriotism), Jamie Foxx plays the President that terrorists are actively hunting within the White House walls. Only one man stands between them: the guy from Magic Mike (Channing Tatum). But Sawyer is no shrinking violet: he can scale elevator shafts, handle a rocket launcher, and keep any bad guy’s hands off his Jordans.
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Matt Douglas & Russell Kramer: My Fellow Americans (1996)

James Garner and Jack Lemmon in ‘My Fellow Americans’

Two, two, two Presidents in one! Kramer (Jack Lemmon) and Douglas (James Garner) have a long-standing history of duking it out for the Presidency. As they seem to be entering the twilight of their lives, spending time writing books and doing pointless speaking engagements, Kramer is asked to investigate a series of bribes under code name “Olympia” as a favor. Well, no good deed goes unpunished. The plot keeps thickening and thickening, drawing in Douglas, and threatening both of their lives. The banter is off the charts in this one, as is the convoluted plot that has a surprising ending.
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Richard Nixon: Dick (1999)

Dan Hedaya in ‘Dick’

This film explores how Woodward (Will Ferrell) and Bernstein (Bruce McCulloch) “really” got all their inside information during the Watergate Scandal from two teens named Betsy (Kirsten Dunst) and Arlene (Michelle Williams). Every noteworthy event during that period of time in the administration, including Vietnam peace protests and the Nixon-Breznhev accord, were accidentally masterminded by these two girls who just liked walking the President’s dog and accidentally baked marijuana into their cookies. Dan Hedaya plays a great Richard Nixon, but the movie is much more about the two teens that bring him down in the name of what’s right. Since he was known as “Tricky Dick,” we stand by our choice.
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February 14, 2021