Taking Chance YIFY

I saw this riveting film tonight when it premiered on HBO. Both my wife and I were totally into the film from the beginning to the end. We saw it nonstop although with a DVR we could have paused. There was not a single point in the film where we wanted to pause.Like others, we were thankful there was no political bias. It was simply the true story of the respect that has been paid to everyone who died in defense of our freedom.I served in the military on an aircraft carrier on station in the Mediteranean Sea in 1957. We lost 14 people in crashes and an on board fire during our 7 month cruise. About half of them were given burial at sea services. In addition, I have attended the military services of a number of others and even participated in the military service of one of our church members who died at Paris Island in a training accident.In spite of all that exposure, I was totally unaware that KIAs were given the kind of personal respect and treatment depicted in the film. I was very impressed and moved, as I am sure most will be. Many have died, including one of my cousins, to preserve our freedom that has allowed me to live for 75 years so far. I relate more to Kevin Bacon's character as I was a supply officer. Had I the chance, I too would have volunteered for escort duty.A must see movie. If you don't get HBO, look for the DVD sure to follow.

Taking Chance YIFY

It's 2004 as casualties in Iraq climb. Marine Lt. Col. Mike Strobl (Kevin Bacon) is a Desert Storm veteran and hasn't been back to Iraq since. He wonders if his administrative job is worthy as he lives comfortably in the States with his family. He decides to escort the body of 19 year old PFC Chance Phelps back home to Clifton, Colorado which is also his hometown.There is a power to this movie. It doesn't have much drama. There is a very small reveal but that's not its big strength. It's the powerful scenes of respect coming from the people that Strobl encounters. The act of showing returning casualties amounted to an anti-war statement for some people. This is able to show the compelling human respect without taking sides in the war.

Director Barry Levinson ('Diner', 'The Natural', 'Good Morning, Vietnam', 'Rain Man', 'Avalon', Bugsy', etc) has obviously taken a chance with his latest film YOU DON'T KNOW JACK, a cinematic evaluation of the notorious and controversial Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the Detroit pathologist who upon retiring from his career felt compelled to create a manner for people suffering chronic disease, paralytic illness, chemotherapy failures, and those pleading to die with dignity to have a choice as to whether they by law must linger in misery or be given the opportunity to have a doctor assisted suicide. Whether or not viewers react positively or negatively to this film for HBO will probably be tainted with personal convictions about assisted suicide rather than whether the film is worthy or a diatribe. But that is the still ongoing dilemma of the topic raised by the elderly Armenian physician's choices or convictions and one that the film explores well. As for the film itself, it is a tour de force of acting performances: Al Pacino transforms himself physically and technically to bring the personality of Jack Kevorkian to life. It is a role of so many fine nuances that demonstrates ho Pacino truly does inhabit the title of the film. This Kevorkian is shown to be a man driven to be an outspoken activists for human rights - especially the right to die. His sister Margo, played to perfection by Brenda Vacarro, is the lonely Jack's sole source of emotional support, while his old friend and hospital medic Neal Nicol (who technically assists Kevorkian) is made a three dimensional person by John Goodman. Another supporter is the Hemlock Society worker Janet Good, another fine role for Susan Sarandon, and Danny Huston (almost unrecognizable in a wig) is Jack's pro bono lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. The technique used by Kevorkian is to interview people who approach him pleading to end their lives (some have tried regular suicide attempts before), make a video of the patient and family requesting assisted suicide, be sure the family and patient are serious and ready and only then provide the service with a contraption loaded with sedative and KCL that is triggered by the patient. Many of the actual patients are reenacted by a cadre of fine actors in scenes of pleading that tug at the heart. Kevorkian is placed on trial by the courts in Michigan and finally after 133 assisted suicides is sentenced to prison - but not until after frequent jailings accompanied by Kevorkian's hunger strikes have resulted in his being released due to the finesse of his lawyer. Though Kevorkian has a large number of people who feel he is a cruel serial killer, this film presents the more human side of a man motivated to provide an alternative to patients suffering the lingering agonies of medically approved slow deaths. There are several tender scenes in this film, but the one that is a triumph of writing and acting is a conversation between Sarandon and Pacino as to what happened in Jack's childhood that began the idea for his mission. If viewers can get past their personal issues with the subject, then they will be witness to a superb film and terrific acting that will likely lead to an Emmy for at least Pacino. Watch this and learn. Grady Harp

Man Up is inspired by the Richard Curtis rom-coms. It teams up an American star with a British actor. Nancy (Lake Bell) who feels unlucky in love and feeling life is passing her by ends up mistakenly going on a blind date with Jack (Simon Pegg) who is still affected from a recent divorce.Both strike up a good rapport sharing similar interests in music and movies despite Nancy being stalked all evening by a former school friend who she had a chance encounter with at a bar. Meanwhile Jack bumps with his ex wife and her new lover.This is a feel good film with a good blend of comedy, romance and cynicism. The Rory Kinnear character is too obnoxious and I think Pegg is not quite right for this type of rom-coms.

Vote goes to @joewell for showing that Monica can't be harmed by Firelord. however good job to @yify. Honestly if he hadn't said that he learned about Firelord a day ago, I would have thought that he was very knowledgable on the character. 041b061a72