The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

There are a lot of films that have slipped through the cracks over the years that I have not seen that I am regretfully getting to now. Obviously, if you make the time to view those said films then you have the chance to catch up and the film I chose for today, The Talented Mr. Ripley is one of those films and it was released in 1999 and had the screenplay adapted from the book by Patricia Highsmith and was directed by Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain). The film stars Matt Damon (Jay And Silent Bob Reboot) as Tom Ripley, a New York underachiever who has an unique talent that has carried him through life which is the art of imitation. He is so good at it that he is hired by the Greenleafs, a rich family in New York to track down their son in Italy and to return him home. The only problem is that when the mission fails, Tom has to resort to extreme measures. The film also stars Jude Law (Road To Perdition) as Dickie Greenleaf, Gwyneth Paltrow (Mortdecai) as Marge Sherwood, Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth) as Meredith Logue, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead) as Freddie, Jack Davenport (Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) as Peter, James Rebhorn (Scent Of A Woman) as Mr. Greenleaf, Philip Baker Hall (Boogie Nights) as Alvin MacCarron, Stefania Rocca (Nirvana) as Silvana, and Celia Weston (Dead Man Walking) as Aunt Joan.

The film was actually really good and that surprised me because I didn't know what to expect especially when it was almost an two and the half hour film and one of your main characters is killed halfway through the film. Some films might sink at that point as they try to figure out how to navigate through while also trying to keep your attention and they do a great job here. In fact, I would go as far as saying that is right where the film gets really good because that is when the thrill and suspense begin. Is he going to get caught and what happens if some of Dickie's friends end up in the same place as him? Those were some of the questions that were burning through my mind and it baffles me all the way to the end of the film how lucky Tom Ripley was, but it was an ugly downward spiral for him for sure. The film featured some great performances from the likes of Paltrow, Blanchett, Damon, and Law who were just dynamite all the way through. Davenport and Hoffman were great support for the previous four I mentioned, but they still had really good performance as well. The real star of the film is the cinematography and all of the shots of all the beautiful sights that are found in Italy were the true stars of the film. That was definitely my favorite part of the film and it makes me want to visit Italy for sure. So with all of that being said, I am going to go ahead and give the film an A- for a final grade.

Mortdecai (2015)

There was absolutely no rhyme or reason in why I chose the film that I did for today other than who stars in the film. So with that being said, the film that I chose for today was the 2015 comedy Mortdecai. The film stars Johnny Depp (Murder On The Orient Express) as Charlie Mortdecai, an British aristocrat and a shady part time art dealer who lives a certain lavish lifestyle that has gotten him into hot waters with England. You see Charlie owes the government 8 million in back taxes that have not been paid and he agrees to take a job tracking down a once thought to be lost art piece by Goya that could have some information on it that leads it's possessor to millions. The only problem for Charlie is that other people are after this piece too and he'll have to be quick. The film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man 3) as Johanna, Paul Bettany (Avengers: Infinity War) as Jock, Ewan McGregor (Harley Quinn: Birds Of Prey) as Martland, Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) as Georgina, Jonny Pasvolsky (Picnic At Hanging Rock) as Emil, Michael Culkin (A Very English Scandal) as Sir Graham, Guy Burnet (The Feed) as Maurice, Jeff Goldblum (Deep Cover) as Krampf, Ulrich Thomsen (The Celebration) as Romanov, Paul Whitehouse (Alice Through The Looking Glass) as Spinoza, and the film was directed by David Koepp (Stir Of Echoes).

I actually thought for the most part that the film was a lot of fun and while that might not make the film brilliant, it was enjoyable to sit through for over an hour. I have always been a huge fan of Johnny's and I always have believed that no matter how bad the film, he has rarely ever given a bad performance. I thought the supporting cast was also very helpful in making it what it was, but I was not a fan whatsoever of McGregor's role in the film. I am not entirely sure if that was the point or if I just hated his role altogether, but this was definitely one of my least favorite roles of his. Paul Bettany deserves some credit in this film as he delivers what is his Ponton to the Clouseau like character that Depp plays as the roles almost mirror each other, but the difference is Bettany's character Jock is more loyal and Depps Mortdecai is a little more spineless and they are not cops. I definitely think that without Bettany and Paltrow, I don't think this film would have been that good in the long run, but the film has some fun action and not enough of Jeff Goldblum. That was definitely one of my biggest complaints was that there was not enough Goldblum in this film who you don't even know is in it till it's almost too late. The film is available right now on HULU and while this was not my first choice for the day, I am not entirely disappointed. I am going to give the film an B-/C+ for a final grade.