The Princess Bride

Prince Humperdink plots secretly to start a war against the neighboring kingdom of Gilda by having his fiancée Buttercup kidnapped and killed; however, the Dread Pirate Roberts ends up rescuing his fiancée and turn out to be her long lost love Westley. Buttercup & Westley flee from Humperdink until finally cornered; Wesley is taken prisoner & Buttercup is taken back to the castle to continue with her wedding. Meanwhile, Fezzik & Inigo plot Westley’s escape and Humperdink develops a new plot for Buttercups murder and the framing of Gilda.

The Princess Bride is one of the single most unique films I’ve ever seen, and definitely one of my favorites. This movie sustained me in my childhood. Next to the Star Wars trilogy I think I’ve seen this film more than any other movie. I can quote most of it line for line.

What is perhaps most memorable of The Princess Bride is perhaps part of what makes it so unique – the grandfather reading the story to his grandson. I think that perhaps this storytelling device is one of the most unique devices in history and Fred Savage & Peter Falk’s banter are the perfect amount of levity to add to a very over-the-top story that help put some reality in the craziness. William Goldman’s decision to use the grandfather and grandson to move the story forward is brilliant.

I know that everyone is in love with Inigo Montoya but I think that perhaps my favorite character in the film is Miracle Max. Amongst a cast of extraordinary characters Billy Crystal managed to create a character and performance that stands out from the pack as the bitter magician who wants to crush Humperdink for firing him. Miracle Max is a character to be remembered.

I genuinely think that anyone that has never seen The Princess Bride needs to give it a chance. I really think you’ll like it.

Director: Rob Reiner
Writer: William Goldman
Westley: Cary Elwes
Inigo Montoya: Mandy Patinkin
Prince Humperdink: Chris Sarandon
Count Tyrone: Christopher Guest
Vizzini: Wallace Shawn
Fezzik: Andre the Giant
The Grandson: Fred Savage
Buttercup: Robin Wright Penn
The Grandfather: Peter Falk
Miracle Max: Billy Crystal

Westley: I told you I would always come for you. Why didn't you wait for me?
Buttercup: Well... you were dead.
Westley: Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.

For Your Consideration

Home for Purim is a little drama filled with a fine cast who have all put their time in and are well seasoned actors. They are dedicated to making the best film they can but think nothing of their little movie – until an internet rumor about Marilyn Hack getting an Oscar nomination starts. From there the buzz really begins, soon two of the other lead actors get Oscar buzz as well and suddenly the little movie explodes into a potentially big movie and everyone in the cast, crew and press gets caught up in the Hollywood rollercoaster.

Christopher Guest has had a very long string of quirky comedies to his name and For Your Consideration is one of the most biting of his films. This is a film about the razor edge of Hollywood, it’s the dark underbelly that is self-obsessed, and self-serving. Guest manages to bring humor and satire into the Hollywood mentality; he shows that while most actors say they act for the art of it a greater part of them than they’d like to admit really wants the fame and the accolades.

The fun and somewhat unexpected part of For Your Consideration is that it shows the full cycle these actors go through from production, to publicity and the reception of their film, when the nominations are released and the after. It covers everyone from the producers, the hair-brained director, the writers, to the entertainment newscasters.

If you’ve never liked any of Guest’s other films then I should say that you really won’t enjoy For Your Consideration. But if like me, you have an appreciation for Guest’s humor and especially if you love movies about movies then you need to see For Your Consideration.

Director: Christopher Guest
Writers: Christopher Guest & Eugene Levy
Marilyn Hack: Catherine O’Hara
Sandy Lane: Ed Begley Jr.
Morley Orfkin: Eugene Levy
Victor Allen Miller: Harry Shearer
Corey Taft: John Michael Higgins
Whitney Taylor Brown: Jenniger Coolidge
Callie Webb: Parker Posy

Corey Taft: In every actor there lives a tiger, a pig, an ass, and a nightingale.