JPF Home Page Forums Creative Arts Forums Acting, Theater, Film and TV Forum "Gimmie-A-Clue Review": CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR/T. Hanks/J. Roberts

Ah, for the Good Ol' Days, when you could win a war for a "mere" Billion Bucks, (& let "The Locals" do the fighting!)

"Charlie Wilson's War" takes you back a-ways (early 1980's) to that giddy era of Hot Tubs & White-Powdered Noses. (So leave the Under-13 Kiddies at home, please...) All who DO attend will see the Behind-the-Scenes Scenario that purportedly led to the US "Payback" for what The Soviets did to US in the Vietnam War.

Big Stars make this Movie SHINE! Tom Hanks (as real-life Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson) transitions-well from party-boy to concerned-statesman as the plot unfolds. Guided by Julia Roberts (well-portraying an OLDER..for a change..woman, "the 6th richest woman in Texas", Joanne Herring), Charlie gets steered into anti-communist fundraisers & ends up being the first-ever Civilian honored by a CIA-laden Secret Agents' Society.

Charlie's Saga begins with being a member on a Covert Actions Committee in Washington, & watching a turbaned Dan Rather broadcasting from Afghanistan (while Charlie soaks stateside in a hot tub with ladies of Questionable Virtue) piques his Curiosity in the region.

Charlie gets to know a CIA Operative, Gus Avrakatos (Brilliantly-Done by Phillip Seymore Hoffman), who's not-in-the-best-relationship with his Rather-Conservative "Handlers", but DOES know how to get lots of confiscated Soviet Weaponry into the right Afghan Hands. Wealthy Joanne Herring personally knows the President of Pakistan..& then..Things Get Rolling..with Secret "Assists" from many a Middle Eastern nation.

Next thing ya know, Soviet Helicopters are droppin' like flies from the Afghan Skies. Charlie quietly gets covert operations funding there boosted from $5 Million, to $1 Billion (& the Saudis match every cent) and for once, America's Taxpayers get their moneys-worth, in Spades!

Moviegoers do, too--It's a Wild, Giddy Ride, & the fact that most of it is TRUE is what makes this an "8-outta-10" kinda Movie. Hats-Off to Charlie Wilson (& All who helped Recreate His Story), & "KUDOS" to Director Mike Nichols & "West Wing" Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin for bringing this all to the Big Screen, when America could USE a little "cheering up"!

(Wars ARE Hell, but it's nice to WIN one now & then.) This Movie's a WINNER!

JMO, (Keep-or-Sweepit!)
Big Hugs,
Stan

Thanks for the review Stan! Perhaps at the end of the year you'll have to do your Best of the Year run down for everyone!

Brian

Hey, I hadna thought of that!

I'll be codgertatin' a bit...then get to it! I've missed Many a Good'n over the course of the Year...but I do have a few I think were "Don't Missers"..heh!

Thanks for the Kind Feedback & Encouragement Big Buddy!

Season's Best to You & Yours,
Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

I appreciate you keepin' on without a lot of other participation.. eventually I think folks will catch on and get more involved..

Hi BBStan,

I seem to have been sidetracked to the point of forgetting you were over here doing this wonderful service. Since I'd seen August Rush already, I stopped there first. See that you're gonna warn us now if you give away the details. But, let me say I was totaly amazed at your thorough review. Do you take a notebook with you to the theatre? I miss so many details when I watch a movie. I suppose that's why I'm easily impressed. But, I did agree with ya on the improbable plotline. It was fantastical.

We are planning to see this one so I haven't read your review yet but I will after we see it and chime in here after. I'll warn you though, I tend to forget large portions of movies not long after I them.

Big day after Christmas sissy hugs,
Vanessa

HiDee Bro Brian!

I'm in that "Learn-By-DOIN'" Mode..heh-heh..so I'm not really Crushed when Nobody Says a Thing. (I figger if I REALLY Screw-Up, Yep, I'll hear back..heh-heh!)

But...I've always enjoyed Movies..even some of the Bad Ones..'cuz I realize all the Creativity (& Good ol' Hard Cash) that goes into Each & Every One of 'em. I'm also REAL fond of L.A., & HAVE been inside some of the Major Studios/seen some of the Folks who Make It All Happen. For me, it remains the Most Fascinating Business in the World..tho I aspire Mostly to makin' an inroads in the Music Biz, long-term. (Hank Mancini remains a Personal Hero, music-wise...from my Earliest Days.)

I've got a few Movie Projects in-mind...(A movie on Nikola Tesla is WAY overdue)...but meanwhile, it's Great Fun seeing "What Works" & doesn't...even tho it's Just My Opinion. I'm truly AWED that Hollywood CAN come up with both Ideas and Cash...& Stars..to keep Making The Near-Impossible Happen. They don't call it "Studio Magic" for nothin'..heh! & behind all that "Magic" are people like my chum, Jim Duffy, who got up at 5AM to drive down to the desert, daily, & dress the sets to get "Running Man" made.

Jim started out as Doris Day's Gardner...worked his way Up..ended up a chum of Ron Howard's..did sets for "Coccon"..& I met him here in Tampa. Did "Black Widow" sets..then "Marrying Man"..then "Running Man"...& last I saw of Jim, he'd sold off his nifty Sherman Oaks mountainside home for over a mil, & retired to Hawaii..where I, alas, lost touch with him. He had a Heart Condition from all those years of "Workin' his way Up"...& Googling "Jim Duffy" no longer brings his name up..so I fear the worst. But Jim got me on Paramount Pic's "Backlot" & their Prop Warehouse (you wouldn't BELIEVE all the Antiques!), & on Many-a-Set (Including Spielberg's "Gooneys"..which was Quite-the-Set...even tho it ended up being a
Turkey at the Box Office!)

Anyways, I've seen Behind-The-Scenes in "Tinseltown" more than once..& yeah, I'm both Awed & Appreciative! (& my heart goes out to those Producers who DON'T get that "Hit"...Music's WAY-Cheaper than Cinema to create with.)

Again, JMO, heh!

Thanks for The GREAT Outlet to continue My Learning Curve in, Amigo!

Best Wishes for a Great 2008, & in continuing The Wonderful Things You Do!

One of Your Biggest Fans,
Stan

Hiya Sissy!

Yeah, I got flack from Brian for too-many a "Spoiler" when I reviewed "August Rush"..but was actually RELIEVED that I'd get away with the Barest of Details in a Review, & have TRIED to be Less-"Detailed" ever-since. SOME are really easy to cover...yet Others BEG for a little Plot Give-away to cover what makes 'em tick. Since I doubt I'll EVER have time to Read The Book a Movie's Based-Upon (I read about 1-2 books a year in the Best of Years!) I guess The Movie'd better be Well-Done, 'cuz that's about ALL I'll have to judge 'em by.

I can't claim the Best of Memories, either. I DO try to wait overnight, at least, & pen My OWN review..BEFORE I hit www.imdb.com.....the Independent Movie Board..to get NAMES of all the Stars-involved, & many-a-Detail I've forgotten. I then blend-in what I picked-up-there (& give credit when I DO use them a large bit..like on the "Great Debaters" Review!) I'll also check out Their Ratings (They use up to 10 "Stars"..so we're on the Same "1-10" Scale, tho MY ratings don't very OFTEN "mirror" theirs, & only once-or-twice have I "adjusted" MY ratings a bit-closer to their Scale.) (If I really HATE a flick, but They LIKE it "O.K.", I've notched things "Up" a wee-bit.) I hate to get "typecast" as a Grouchy-Ol'-Dude..so a point or two "Upwards" means I've given a Movie a "5" or "6" that IMO WAS a "4" or a "5"..nothing really Earthshaking. But..at least, "Humane"..heh-heh!

I USED to take a Notebook in...but now find it's NOT that hard to just focus on whether I liked it or not (& "Why")..let it all Digest Overnight..& see what I CAN remember on my own the Next AM. (I also bounce ideas off my wife...she has a LOTS better memory than I...AND...when I'm kinda stuck on-the-fence..she HAS an Opinion, ready-to-Go! Her being French is a Big "Plus" in that category!)

So, Li'l Sis, I Thank You for The Kind Visit, and for Bearin' With Me while I get my Act Together on Movie Reviews~! My only "Credentials" were doin' this ONCE back in High School & watchin' TONS of Movies Ever-Since! My Stepdad was a semi-famous Photographer (Exhibited Award-Winning Stills in Western Reserve Pictorial Society & Cleveland Photographic Society all through my Childhood, & he took LOTS of 8MM Home Movies when he got into Movie-Mode.) I did an Animated Cartoon...once..in HS...TONS of work!

Anyways, I'm using what Little Knowledge I have to see what I can come up with..& so far, it's been Fun & Educational..& a GREAT Excuse to go out & see MORE Movies!

Thanks Again, Sissy, & a Big "Happy New Year" Hug backatcha!
Stan

HiDee Mz Lynn!

Many Thanks for Your Very Kind Poesie..

(I imagine the Pro Critics occasionally get Death Threats from over-leveraged Producers who get Publically-Panned..heh!)

But, I TRY to be Humane at this Game...HAVE passed up the chance to "Nail" a couplea "Stinkers" here...partly 'cuz I didn't expect many here to WANNA go see a (in the one flick I barely remember) a Gal Shoot-em-up-Slasher re-doing Mel Gibson's "Road Warrior." (She turned out to be the rather Fetching Blond in TVs "Heros"..with hair dyed Red.) She DID prove she could Act..on the big screen..BUT the Vehicle, in-essence, had 4 flat tires.

IF ya ever visit imdb.com, you can click on ANY "Star" & search back thru their Bios...& Voila..MANY a Big Star appeared in a (Hopefully) Few Flicks "early-on" they'd LIKE you to not mention.

So I didn't. DID so for Nicole Kidman, tho, when she starred in the Made-for-Mayhem "Margot at the Wedding"...she's an ESTABLISHED Movie Star/(Shoulda known better...)

What IS fun when ya Do those Searches is an "Up-&-Comer'll" have every Commercial they ever shot, every "B" pic, etc...just to show they're workin' their way up. The More-Successful, ya get their Flicks & little-else..& the Longer-the-Bio, the Better!

A memorable minor "Walk-On" in a hugely-successful Hit CAN do your Career better than The Lead in a Big "Turkey"..heh-heh! (I wuz watchin' a Bob Newhart Retrospective on late-nite PBS last night...& Suzanne Pleshette got her "wife" job on his Decade-Long "Bob Newhart Show" 'cuz producers liked her chat as she sat next to Newhart on the Johnny Carson "Tonight Show".)

Yeah, I know that's TV, but Movies are the Same "Breaks", only lots-Bigger. Lots MORE at-stake, too..(I found myself wonderin' How Much those 5 or 6 City Blocks they hadda rent in NYC for Will Smith's "Latest" musta COST his production company...) You look at those Credit Rolls at the end of each flick..& reflect: All Those People..All Those Paychecks!

All invested in-hopes We-uns are gonna love it enough to keep the Stars in their mansions & the Reputations of All-Involved intact.
It's QUITE a Gamble...Each & Every Movie...so I'll never take my Responsibilities "Lightly".

Thanks again for the Upward Thumbs! (I know I'll eventually Blow-a-few Calls, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts!)

Big "New Year's a-comin'" Hugs Backatcha,
Stan

Heya Man the Stan!

Finally got around to seein' this one via Netflix...Thoroughly agree with everything ya wrote back then, and it's eerie to watch it now, especially the last quote on screen from Charlie Wilson himself.

Speakin' of Netflix, I've gone through your reviews and have put all the 7 stars & higher in my que, so thanks for saving me some time!

Midnite

HIDee Midnite!

Thanks for bringing this Oldie Review back to Life, Amigo!

It reminds me I've been SO dern busy remodellin' the Pink Place I've not had Time to DO any of these reviews the last Month or so.

DID see a Flick last Sat...(Yet another Chick Flick..)..which was REAL Close to a "7"...(First I've seen in about a Month, too, alas, that Merited a Near-7.) Lemmie Google IMDB.com, since I've forgotten both it's Name..& it's Female Star..who DID do a pretty good job of playin' the Upward-Bound, yet kinda naive, L.A. Gal Executive sent to this kinda Hicky-Minnesota Town to turn around a Dairy Products Factory. (I hated the SNOW scenes..heh...but Acting/Casting/Characters/Script all worked out kinda-well in The End.)

I'm Honored ya like my Critiquin' on these babies...just WISH there were More "8-10's" to whoop-it-up over...heh!

Thanks Again for your Kind Visit!
Ol' Stan