Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson in "The Bucket List"
courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment
“A To Do List Of Sorts”

Some movies make an impact when they are first released and others build their reputation over a longer time. “The Bucket List” is a film that seems to gain fans as the days go by. I have heard people talking about making a “bucket list” and I didn’t hear that when the movie first came out. Maybe the initial aversion to talking about death and dying has been overcome by time and maybe the two stars of the movie make the idea more palatable.

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are two of the top male actors in Hollywood. Put them together in a movie, any movie, and you have movie magic. As the co-stars of "The Bucket List" they use their irrefutable charm to make a story of death and dying a film that will touch your heart and fill your entertainment quota.

At the start of the movie you hear via narration that Edward Cole, Jack Nicholson's character, has died. You then flash back to the time when he is first diagnosed with cancer. He ends up in the hospital sharing a room with Carter Chambers (Freeman). He too has terminal cancer. The two men decide to take a trip and check off items on their "bucket list." This is a list of things they wish to do before they kick the bucket.

Carter's wife Virginia (Beverly Todd) can't believe that Carter is going to desert his family, so to speak, in order to go off on a trip with Cole. Carter however feels that after being a faithful husband and father for many, many years he is entitled to one last fling. So using Cole's wealth the two men travel the globe seeing sights they had always dreamed of seeing. Along the way they also become best friends and help each other find some joy in their lives.

The friendship demonstrated on screen between Carter and Cole is totally believable. They seem to be enjoying each other so much that the audience responds with enthusiasm for watching them. Nicholson is blustery and excitable while Morgan is mostly calm and droll.

It is a big "if" as to who will want to see a movie, and now the DVD, about two middle-aged men dying. Sean Hayes and Rob Morrow are also in the cast but it is Nicholson and Freeman's show all the way. There is humor in some of the situations but for the most part the focus is on how to live a life that is satisfying and how to accept the finality of death.

Director Rob Reiner keeps a tight reign on his stars and never allows their personalities to overshadow their characters. He also keeps a good balance between the seriousness of the situations and the humor that is allowed to creep through.

In the end it is Nicholson and Freeman who make the movie worth seeing. They could read the phone book and still be entertaining. This script is better than a phone book but not anything to write home about. You know basically what it is going to happen in the story from the first moments on. So know the film is going to be a tad depressing as soon as you slip the DVD into the player.

“Army Wives” has just started its second season on Lifetime, and appropriately the DVD of “Army Wives: The Complete First Season” is now available. This show about the spouses of military men and in one instance a female military officer quickly became one of the most popular shows on TV when it premiered last year.

Kim Delaney heads the cast and she is amazing. She gives the show its heart, just as she did on “NYPD Blue.” Catherine Bell of “JAG” fame is also very good. The other female members of the cast are Sally Pressman, Brigid Brannagh and Wendy Davis. The males in the cast include Brian McNamara, Drew Fuller and Sterling K Brown.

The acting on the show is great but it is the storylines that hold you glued, from the opening story about who and what everyone is till the last one about a bomb blast at a local bar. The new season picks up just where this first one leaves off.

“Army Wives” is a good, solid entertaining show. Pick up this DVD and get ready for the whole new season.

NASCAR is the new hot sport for millions of Americans so any movie with a racing background has something extra going for it. Such is the case with “Finish Line: Unrated,” a new movie about the racing world and some bad characters involved in it.

Frank Chase (Scott Baio) is a millionaire who offers Mitch Camponella (Samuel Page) a chance to enter the rarefied world of racing. But Chase has some problems with the law and Mitch gets dragged into them. In the end the two men go head to head and who will cross “the finish line” is up for grabs.

The acting in this movie is mediocre but the racing background makes it worth seeing. Plus you get Taylor Cole as Chase’s daughter and a love interest for Mitch. 

More violent is the DVD “The Razor Eaters” about a gang that takes over a neighborhood. Richard Cawthorne stars in this story that is based on true events. It is harsh and graphic as the gang goes berserk and wreaks terror wherever it goes.

The fact it is based on true events make sit even more horrifying. As you are watching it you keep thinking this couldn’t have really happened - but it did!

Finally there is “Home Improvement: The Complete Eighth Season.” This was also the final season and because of that this DVD is even more poignant. In these episodes the boys have grown up. Once a cast regular, Jonathan Taylor Thomas comes back for a “guest spot.”

Tim Allen, Richard Karn and Patricia Richardson show why they were one of the best ensembles ever featured on series TV. They interact with each other in a way that makes the jokes funnier and the emotions more heartfelt.

My eight year old granddaughter came to visit this past weekend and watched the entire season over the course of the weekend. She was totally fascinated by it and wanted to see more. The next time she visits I will have to pull out the first seven seasons.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

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