The Monuments Men sees George Clooney and company tasked with tracking down artwork stolen by the Nazis during World War II. After 2008’s Leatherheads, Clooney took a brief break from period films to write, direct and star in The Ides of March. After that, he went back to the past for another period piece. This time around, he gathered an ensemble cast to hunt stolen artwork in a film that is based on a true…
"The Monuments Men – A George Clooney Retrospective"Tag: George Clooney
George Clooney follows up two very strong films by taking it to the gridiron with a screwball romance in Leatherheads. A romantic comedy in football’s early days is probably not the first thing I’d think of when it comes to following up Good Night, and Good Luck. I’m not sure anyone expected Clooney to go in this direction. It’s certainly an interesting choice and he does a solid job with storytelling. The film probably offers…
"Leatherheads – A George Clooney Retrospective"
The Oscar-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck stands out as being the best film that George Clooney has directed to date. Clooney’s second film sees the actor-filmmaker back in the TV world. His second outing focuses not on game shows but on the world of news. This is a world that the filmmaker is all too familiar with as his father, Nick Clooney, was a TV journalist and anchorman for many years. The elder Clooney…
"Good Night, and Good Luck – A George Clooney Retrospective"
After a number of years acting in front of the camera, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind marked George Clooney’s directorial debut. Going into the early 2000s, the Kentucky native had never planned to direct a film. Everything changed upon reading Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay. He put in the work when it came to directing and as we all know, it wasn’t a fluke. Clooney had a vision of what sort of film he wanted to make…
"Confessions of a Dangerous Mind – A George Clooney Retrospective"
Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar-winning Gravity remains a visually stunning space thriller as the film marked its tenth anniversary. This is a film that was made for the big screen experience. The audience finds themselves sitting at the edge of the seat, full of eerie tension. Will Matthew “Matt” Kowalski (George Clooney) and Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) make it home? Or will their mission end in certain doom? One hopes not, of course. This doesn’t even…
"Gravity: Oscar-Winning Space Thriller at 10"
Hail, Caesar! isn’t just a love letter to the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age but a brilliant satire about the 1950s studio system. “Would that it were so simple?” – a line that Hobie Doyle struggles with in a sophisticated costume drama Hail, Caesar! had been some ten years in the making by the time of its release in 2016. Things reached a point where George Clooney messed with them by listing the film…
"Hail, Caesar! Is A Love Letter To The Hollywood Studio System"
Intolerable Cruelty, the Coen brothers vehicle starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones, marked its 20th anniversary in October. My apologies for getting to this anniversary review so late. My schedule was initially hectic because of the holidays and then October 7 happened. Better late than never as they say. The gist of the film is that divorce attorney Miles Massey (George Clooney) and gold digger Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones) fall for each other. Ironically, Miles…
"Intolerable Cruelty Celebrates 20 Years And Still Captivates Audiences"
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a genius 1930s Mississippi satire that is both heavy in folk music and uses the Odyssey for its plot. In a perfect world, I would have reviewed the Coen Brothers classic for its 20th anniversary in 2020. I apologize for missing the anniversary but am rectifying the situation now as I kick off something of a George Clooney retrospective series on Solzy at the Movies. I reviewed a number…
"O Brother, Where Art Thou? Is Another Coen Brothers Masterpiece"
George Clooney does it again as he brings Washington’s 1936 underdog rowing team to the screen in The Boys in the Boat. Being a Kentucky native, I’m always excited whenever I hear that Clooney is directing a new film. Watching the film is how I spent my Thanksgiving evening. It was my first Thanksgiving weekend watching a new Clooney film since 2005’s Good Night, And Good Luck. The University of Washington rowing team competing in…
"The Boys in the Boat: George Clooney Does It Again"
Ticket to Paradise is now available for audiences to bring the George Clooney and Julia Roberts comedy home on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital. What follows is my original review with some modifications: Ticket to Paradise reteams George Clooney and Julia Roberts as they try and stop their daughter’s wedding in the new romantic comedy. If you’re expecting to see Paradise from the classic John Prine song, I’m sorry to disappoint you. This film has nothing…
"Ticket to Paradise Arrives on Blu-ray, DVD"