Movie #135 - The Terry Fox Story

"Courage. Heartbreak. Romance. Determination."

One of the greatest true stories of a life that inspired a nation, and now inspires millions worldwide to fight cancer. The story portrays the life of Terry Fox and his determination to raise money for cancer research.

I will not attempt to comment on the compelling life story and tremendous courage, passion, and leadership this many showed fellow Canadians with his Marathon of Hope. However, this movie captured a great deal of that story and did its best to hold true to it.

The movie is cast with Eric Fryer, a real-life amputee who won a Genie award for Best Actor. The Genies are the Canadian equivalent to the Oscars. His portrayal of Fox was spot on and since the film was only made shortly after Fox's death, it must have been difficult to portray such a Canadian hero at the time of production.

The story follows the interaction between Fox and Doug Alward (portrayed by Michael Zelniker). Alward and Fox traveled together throughout the Marathon of Hope and its through the perspective of Alward that part of the story is told. Although Fox is not showcased through much heroism in his treatment of Alward throughout the journey, it shows the pain and suffering Fox had to endure to complete it, not to mention that he didn't intend to be a hero, but just someone who wanted to motivate others and prove a point. I believe he accomplished that as he is known as one of Canada's treasures in history and still impacts the lives of many every September.

There aren't many names in this film as the cast is composed of many Canadian actors. The only true headliner is Robert Duvall, who gives this film credibility and exposure to the U.S. film audience, but his role is more narrative and minimal to the entire storyline. Rosalind Chao (Rika Noda) is probably the only other recognizable name from this cast, known for her minor television roles and appearances.

In the end, I don't think the intent of this film was to make money or win accolades. It was to tell a compelling story, one that everyone in Canada knows about. It did win almost every award available in the dramatic movie categories at the Genies that year, however, telling a brief snapshot of the life and times of Terry Fox was the main reason it was made.

I apologize that I could not find a trailer for this film, but if I do, I will add it to the post afterwards.

Movie #31 - The Godfather

"The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son."

What a way to come back... its been almost 3 months since my previous post and I decide to review one of the greatest movies of all time. I apologize to some of my loyal readers, I have gotten fairly busy recently with a recent visit by my father, a move to a new house, and the start of an online business... however, excuses aside, I'm back.

As for The Godfather, many have claimed this to be one of the top 5 films of all time. Although I do not hold it in the top 3, it does make my personal top 10 list. In actuality, The Godfather II ranks higher in my books than this film, only because it combines the stellar work of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro on the same screen.

If you break this movie down, its a wonderful story of loyalty, betrayal, family, and business. If you look past the violence, the drugs and murder, and the mob storyline, you are treated to a movie that is both well written and well made. The casting of this film from top to bottom is spectacular with such greats as Marlon Brando (Vito Corleone), James Caan (Santino Corleone), and Al Pacino (Michael Corleone).

However, its the side characters - the casting of Robert Duvall (Tom Hagan), John Cazale (Fredo Corleone), and Diane Keaton (Kay Adams); that really make this movie a classic. Without these pivotal characters, you cannot create a film with depth, plot development, and of course, two more sequels.

What's funny about the Godfather is that it has gone through popularity cycles in recent years. During the late 80's and early 90's, mob movies were being shunned for the Vietnam war themed films. With the recent dominance of HBO's The Sopranos, films of this genre have experienced a resurgence. A perfect example of this is in relation to marketing... on your television schedule, any channel that shows syndicated episodes of The Sopranos utilizes the Godfather trilogy to promote the show.

Which comes to the fun part of this review. I made a pact with my wife that whenever I saw one of the three Godfather films on television, I would save $5. This was stated back in April 2008, and quite frankly, I am surprised that I haven't saved any money as of yet. However, back when I said this, the films were being shown almost every weekend on A&E, TLN, Spike TV, CBC, History Channel, and AMC. There was potential for a nice little sum there.

Back to the movie. There isn't much to tell... anyone that I meet who hasn't seen this film or the remaining trilogy has been subjected to constant reminders of a marathon. We are hoping to host a Godfather marathon this summer and hopefully, no one will have to "sleep with the fishes."

By the way... I am no longer publishing articles for Helium.com, so you do not have to worry about the disclaimer at the bottom.