Tag Archives: Melissa Benoist

DANNY COLLINS (2015): A Memorable Bobby Cannavale Performance…

Danny Collins (2015), Bobby Cannavale, Al Pacino
Danny Collins (2015), Bobby Cannavale, Al Pacino

Danny Collins is a well told story of a less than ideal father/ son relationship. This is of course not all that the movie is about but it’s the part that appealed to me the most. The film is moving, engaging and for want of a better phrase, a relaxing watch thanks to the well played characters and the healthy sprinklings of humour.

Danny Collins (2015), Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Garner
Danny Collins (2015), Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Garner

Directed by Dan Fogelman of Crazy Stupid Love (2011)Bobby Cannavale’s part as the ‘abandoned son’ of a rockstar father is one of my favourites of his roles. Al Pacino is, as always very watchable,  as is Christopher Plummer and my dear ‘Lady Bening’. That’s Annette Bening to everyone else. I also really appreciated Jennifer Garner’s performance as the ‘very good wife.’

Since Pacino is a musician in this role, is the music any good..?, you may wonder. It’s by no means  a key reason for tuning in; though it isn’t completely terrible either. Watch it for the charm, humour, the story of a difficult father/ son relationship and that of an ageing rocker on a mission to change his life for the better.

Happy Film Loving

G

THE LONGEST RIDE (2014): The Good & Bad Things

The Longest Ride (2015), Britt Robertson, Scott Eastwood
The Longest Ride (2015), Britt Robertson, Scott Eastwood

The Longest Ride is a drama / romance directed by George Tillman Jr and based on a book by Nicholas Sparks.

Starring Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson, the film follows two couples, one young and the other much older whose paths cross one night in North Carolina.

As I watched The Longest Ride, I found myself thinking, ‘enough of this older couple’s story, more of the other, please!’ but their story does get a little more interesting.

The film is quite long and there  are some moments where the dialogue didn’t sound great but I do like what happened at the auction at the end.

Overall, I definitely prefer Dear John (2010) or The Notebook (2004) to this film adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks book.

As for any reasons to watch, you’ll learn a few things about bull riding and you may even find yourself taking note of some of the country music in the musical score. The main reason I tuned in is a curiosity about Scott Eastwood (son of Clint). The good news is, he’s definitely not terrible.

Happy The Longest Ride 🙂

G