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DVD First Monday in October
Judicial debate gets a lively cinematic treatment in First Monday in October, starring the odd couple pairing of Walter Matthau and Jill Clayburgh. When a justice of the Supreme Court dies, his appointed replacement is a witty but deeply conservative woman, Ruth Loomis (Clayburgh, An Unmarried Woman, Silver Streak). Loomis immediately raises the hackles of Dan Snow (Matthau, The Bad News Bears, California Suite), a fervent liberal in the minority on the bench. For a while, First Monday in October succeeds in making Loomis and Snow's debates about pornography and censorship lucid and engaging, aided greatly by the actors' obvious intelligence and grasp of the issues. But the movie gets sidetracked by an aimless corporate conspiracy plot and what can only be described as an intellectual romance between the two leads, which never quite catches fire. Still, an interesting effort. --Bret Fetzer
Give me a break! a HEALING break with plenty of laughs, that is.
Hurrah for the comic relief brought to us in "The First Monday in October" - - This movie should be watched by all who have serious business with the Supreme Court: justices, law clerks, picketers among others. Even if this movie were meant to be an art film - or one that snobby critics could cleverly rip apart - Why not decide right now that it is a romantic comedy & perfectly appropriate to watch this "First (Week) of October" for some much-needed healing that laughter will bring?
It is hard to imagine more stressful days in 'our times.' Our sides need to ache from laughter instead of disgust over all the bungling of bureaucrats. The play on which this 1981 movie was based pre-dates the appointment of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to the court, by the way. Who cares that Jill Clayburgh is younger than the current justice-candidate? She is a worthy foil for Walter Matthau who 'nails' the situation when he grumps: "When a man moves into the White House you never know what will happen to his mind." Matthau is Oh! so comfortable in his curmudgeonly role as an outspoken liberal-minded justice.
Among other lines that endear him to me: "The telephone has NO constitutional right to be answered." The opening close-ups -- exterior shots of the Supreme Court building -- are more striking than any shown on newscasts the first Monday of (this 2005) October session. Marble and granite do enhance any serious debates that may follow . . . & I did enjoy the HANDEL, Bernie!
mcHAIKU says "Allow yourself some laughs - - Toast your good health -- and write your senators!"
See the Lysol Lady of Orange County
Long before Sandra Day O'Conner (In 1981 President Reagan appointed her to the U.S. Supreme Court) there was a play about the first woman on the Supreme Court.
This movie "First Monday in October" (1981) chronicles the potential problems of allowing such a radical act to happen. It involves momentum engines and cabals. This is a great supporting cast; try to remember where you saw them before.
Justice Dan Snow (Walter Matthau) and Justice Ruth Hagadorn Loomis (Jill Clayburgh) play off each other as they are politically polarized (not necessarily left vs. right) over several subjects. While banding around they come to realize that they have more in common personally than differences. The story shows how they learn from each other and cope with adversity. We have fun in the meantime watching the interaction.
Be sure to look for blue birds and cherry blossoms.
You may notice that we are also introduced to a large dose of Handle's Water Music. Most Walter Matthau chooses many classical pieces of music for his movies. This music was also played in the Charles and Camilla at the religious blessing.
Worth watching but fails to live up to its potential
Matthau was a veteran actor and Clayburgh was a rising star in Hollywood when this movie was made. This is a lightweight comedy-drama. There is some great verbal sparring between the two and you expect the movie to put them in situations that can take advantage of it but unfortunately the plot is not up to the standard of the actors.
Clayburgh plays the first woman to be appointed to the US Supreme Court. Mathhau is one of the current Justices, a crusty veteran who doesn't get along with anyone else. The plot calls for Clayburgh to beconservative and Matthau a liberal. This helps get the verbal sparring going early.
Unfortunately the plot starts to bog down and is a disappointment after the initial promise shown. The writers create some sexual tension between the two as Clayburgh and Matthau's characters get to know each other and understand where the other is coming from, each develops a deeper appreciation of the other while still disagreeing with the other's viewpoint. Unfortunately this tension is never released as nothing ever happens between the two.
The plot really starts to sag when we find out that Clayburgh's ex-husband's company is implicated in a case that casts aspersions on Clayburgh's professional ethics. There are some elements of the real-life Whitewater case so perhaps the writers ran out of ideas and borrowed from the headlines in the newspaper. In any case this subplot is very uninteresting and the movie ends leaving you feeling it could have been so much better.
Still, its a movie worth watching if only for the first half. Its pretty lightweight so don't expect too much.
Delightful romantic comedy benefits from a top-notch script (by Max Shulman and Julius Epstein-co-writer of "Casablanca"!), and the unexpected chemistry between lovable schlump Matthau and starchy Jackson, who are both fabulous. Affirming once again that true love will triumph over casual sex, "Calls" is a charming, clever romance, with plenty of laughs and heart. Matthau fans should flock to this.
Terrific character story. Great title: not easily forgotten. A paean to ice-cool self-control, about a middle-aged guy who keeps his grip on essentials. Cynical, if you like; but what is life about, anyway? Beautifully laconic --- it's nearly all there in the action, the personalities and the events, without tons of explanatory dialogue (although there is a bit of background exposition in the beginning). Charley is not a fundamentally violent man: he's got unusual common sense, good judgement, no fancy ideas, and he doesn't weep over spilt milk. He doesn't drink or smoke: that's why he's always chewing gum. But he doesn't mind wiping out a couple of no-goods, either, like cream on the last piece of cake, leaving the platter clean, with the dishes washed and everything put away. It all has... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Walter Matthau - Joe Don Baker Director(s): Don Siegel DVD Release Date: Released the 28 December 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Walter Matthau rules in this sentimental film about an elderly man who refuses to be sent to a nursing home and befriends a runaway pregnant teenager.It's a must see!! More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Walter Matthau - Deborah Winters Director(s): Jack Lemmon DVD Release Date: Released the 06 July 2004 Usually ships within 24 hours
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Dog Day Afternoon. Annie Hall. Taxi Driver. In the pantheon of classic New York films, these three take pride of place. But there are, of course, others, some of which have fallen through the cracks over the years, criminally overlooked and unjustly relegated to commercial-riddled Saturday-afternoon TV broadcasts. Joseph Sargent's The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is just such a picture. This taut 1974 thriller about four armed men who highjack a New York City subway train and hold it and its passengers for ransom may be hopelessly dated (it's loaded with ethnic stereotypes, impossibly wide neckties, and bad hairdos--and there are no explosions!), but that's part of the fun. A gruffly sardonic Walter Matthau heads a fine cast that includes Jerry Stiller,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Walter Matthau - Robert Shaw Director(s): Joseph Sargent DVD Release Date: Released the 15 May 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Not short on murder, mayhem, or any other screwball '70s conventions, Foul Play is a wonderful vehicle for Goldie Hawn. She plays Gloria, a librarian "ready to take a chance again," who ends up the target of an assassination ring. Chevy Chase, fresh off of Saturday Night Live, does the closest thing to real acting he would ever achieve (okay, maybe Fletch) as Tony, the cop assigned to protect Gloria. Dudley Moore made an indelible impression on American audiences as Stanley Tibbets, a surprisingly kinky symphony conductor. But it's the quirky things that make this film: the grandmothers playing Scrabble with expletives, Burgess Meredith's snake Esme, the old Japanese couple in the back of the careening limo. From the opening credits with Barry Manilow crooning the... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Goldie Hawn - Chevy Chase Director(s): Colin Higgins DVD Release Date: Released the 16 November 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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