Constantine (released in 2005) - Supernatural, starring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf and Tilda Swinton

If you were able to see demons and other such creatures (along with normal humans), what would you do ? You could try to tell others what you are seeing, and since they cannot see what you can see, there can be a high level of frustration, or maybe you could even be considered crazy. Or you could use your powers for some good, getting rid of demons who have taken over people; all this in the hope that your suicide attempt may be forgiven and you could be considered for heaven. The movie was released in 2005, and was based on a comic book character. The movie was directed by Francis Lawrence (this was his first movie as a director), and starred Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton and Djimon Hounsou. The movie was a big hit, earning around $230 million worldwide, but critics were not so praiseworthy, with some critics not liking the performance of Keanu Reeves as the cynical man who does exorcisms, but is getting tired of all this; other critics did not like the flow of the movie or the end - I liked the movie to some extent, but yes, the end seemed somewhat simplistic, almost like a happy ending (thankfully the hero did not walk off into the sunset with a heroine though).

Keanu Reeves is John Constantine, and suffers from the problems of being able to see demons and other supernatural creatures. As a result, he knows far more than the normal human about the ongoing tussle between God and Satan (Lucifer). He also knows that his future is cooked, since he tried to commit suicide when he was a teenager, and although he was brought back from the dead due to paramedics, he has been condemned to Hell once his life ends - and he also learns that Lucifer is eagerly waiting for him to come to Hell. And to round it all up, due to his long habit of smoking, he also suffers from lung cancer, ensuring that he will reach Hell early. He has tried communication with the archangel Gabriel to let him continue with his action of doing exorcism here on Earth, but did not get any positive reply from Gabriel.

And then he is sought by a LAPD detective, Angela Dodson (played by Rachel Weiz), who wants his help to determine what had actually happened to her sister Isabel (who was reported to have jumped off the roof of a mental hospital where she was staying - this is what telling people that you can see demons will lead you). The weary and cynical Constantine can't be bothered, but when she is attacked by demons right in the street, Constantine is intrigued and starts investigating. He soon learns that both Angela and Isabel had the same gifts that he has, and while Angela has not moved in that direction, Isabel tried to find out more and was committed to the mental hospital.

It turns that this is a damned plot; the son of Lucifer, Mammon wants to have his own kingdom on earth, and the power that Angela possesses will be of great help to him. And helping him is an unlikely candidate, the angel Gabriel who cannot understand why God would help humans who are so undeserving of his love; when they actually see Hell on earth could people begin to understand and appreciate what God is. In the face of such power, there is only one person who could stop them - this was Lucifer himself; but why would he come to help Constantine, all he wants is to take Constantine with him to hell as soon as his life is at an end; but at the same time, Lucifer is unaware of what his own son Mammon is trying and would not appreciate such an attempt. So, it is only Lucifer who can help Constantine, but will not come unless Constantine's life is coming to a closure. What happens ?

That Championship Season (released in 1982) - Starring Robert Mitchum, Martin Sheen, Bruce Dern, Stacy Keach and Paul Sorvino

They met more than decades ago, with the adrenalin pumping enthusiasm of sportsmen, soaring on the wings of their victory - they now meet again to savor the aftertaste. The year was 1957; the basketball team of Fillmore High School in Scranton had won the Pennsylvania State High School Basketball Championship. The School, and the story, though fictional are roman à clef. The original was a Pulitzer and Tony winning play by Jason Miller, which also won the New York Drama Critics Award as the Best Play of the season in 1971-72. The movie is directed by Miller himself. Twenty five years later - George Sitkowski (played by Bruce Dern), James Daley (played by Stacy Keach), Phil Romano (played by Paul Sorvino), Tom Daley (played by Martin Sheen) and Coach Delaney (played by Robert Mitchum) reminisce and celebrate the years they’ve dwelt on their past glory, as life has dealt a harsh hand to some of them.
George, the Mayor of Scranton, is facing a much younger candidate in the election. James is his campaign manager and a high school principal - he hates having to wait hand and foot on George. The election campaign is aided by Phil Romano, an established and wealthy businessman – the arrangement suits both of them, as each gains leverage from the campaign. James' brother Tom is an alcoholic and failed writer who rarely comes to such dos – the four reunite with former coach, Delaney - retired and ulcerated. Nevertheless, he will always remain their guide, a man who believes in "lean and mean" ethics and counsels his team to "never take less than success." Delaney idolizes Teddy Roosevelt.




The film deals with the sensitive issue of time passing by - and how, even the best give in to the vagaries of age. The atmosphere gets maudlin after the initial euphoria of reuniting and reveling in the past settles down. The four men are at crossroads once more, and at loggerheads with where life has brought them - they’re far from contented with their lot and the only respite they have from the drudgery of the present, and the uncertainty of the future - is the familiarity of the past, like a comfortable pair of old shoes in the closet.
On the other hand is grand old man Coach Delaney - who is still brimming with ‘on-the-field’ enthusiasm to buck his former team players along; only this time, they have to win at the game of life, and the clock’s ticking fast before its games up for them! Before you start to feel sorry for them, a bit of insight into their personal lives would have you know that blackmail, racism, cheating - have all ruled the roost at some point of time in their lives. Their frustration stems more from the fact that despite having had the talent and the verve, yet, they have given up so easily in life. Jason Miller wrote the play and script of the film when he was yet unemployed as an actor – perhaps some of his struggle to get to that hallowed stage of fame, may have contributed to the realism in the story.
The ensemble cast of the film was memorable for its performances – each character seemed almost tailor made for the respective actor, especially Robert Mitchum, who replaced William Holden, as the latter had passed away before the actual filming took place. 

Nightkill (released in 1980) - Starring Robert Mitchum, Jaclyn Smith, James Franciscus and Mike Connors

A perfect suburban set up, the sound of shower water cascading, the brief interlude of  a conversation  between two lovers, unbeknownst to whom - the intimate details of which are being recorded. Katherine Atwell (played by Jaclyn Smith) arrives at the airport in Phoenix, afraid she’s late; till she sees her husband Wendell (played by Mike Connors) at the bar at the airport - he got there earlier, after having stashed a whole lot of greens in one of the airport lockers. Their marriage seems ideal to the average outsider, but peel away the façade and what you get is a whole lot of bitterness and anger at Wendell’s end, which he readily unleashes on Cathy. At work, Wendell’s hell bent on shutting down a research lab, as the government sees it fit to do so - he asks Steve Fuller (played by James Franciscus) to be the harbinger of ill news - the loyal sidekick seems not to like being a ‘hatchet man’. Wendell even asks Steve to step into his shoes and be Cathy’s date at an award function - now this, the latter doesn’t seem to mind!
When the three meet that evening at the Atwell’s residence, Steve gets to see the loathsome manner in which Wendell treats his wife, he even insults the housekeeper. As Cathy peruses through papers that her husband insists she sign without bothering to read, while Wendell plays with his caged pet, Steve laces his drink with a sinister looking substance in a vial. Suddenly, he collapses, and Cathy exclaims that he might be having a heart attack - Steve drily remarks ‘No he’s not, I  just killed the b@*t*d - its tasteless, odorless and real fast.’ He stops Cathy from calling the doctor - and the audience now stumbles on the truth about Cathy’s relationship with Steve - he only asks her to trust him, and tells her that he loves her. All the while somebody is recording their conversation.




They conceal the body in a large freezer, even as the family dog whines beside it. The two then go on to alter the pictures of Wendell in his passport - replacing them with Steve’s. The latter intends to steal the dead man’s identity - intending to travel to Washington under this guise. Proving to the police that Wendell went missing on the trip would then be cakewalk. He leaves Cathy to attend an award function held in her honor by two friends - Herbert and Monika Childs (played by Fritz Weaver and Sybil Danning), giving her an alibi. Steve promises Katherine that he will be back the next day.
Seems fine so far, but the efficient secretary at Wendell’s office - reports him missing to the police. Cathy is then questioned by detective Lt. Donner (played by Robert Mitchum), after which she thinks it’s best to dispose of the body - but when she opens the freezer - Wendell’s body isn’t in it - its Steve’s! Apparently, Wendell was aware of her liaison with Steve, and had bribed a detective to bug the house - he was responsible for the recordings. Meanwhile, Monika Child warns Cathy that she must stop flaunting her affair with Steve - how does she tell her he’s dead? Now, it’s his body she has to hide, putting it in a body bag, and driving off, she encounters a road block, due to an accident - she finally rides out into the wilderness, and leaves the body in an abandoned shack, a former building site - the body rolls into the debris. As she plans to fly out to Denver, she hears Wendell Atwell’s name being announced to proceed to the courtesy telephone - stunned, Cathy stops in her tracks. From a distance, she can make out her supposedly - dead husband’s Stetson as he picks up the receiver to speak to someone - she runs hysterically back into her car.
A thriller that seems slow on the pickup, directed by Ted Post, the film still manages to hold your imagination - Robert Mitchum’s performance is great!

The Agency (released in 1980) - Starring Robert Mitchum, Lee Majors, Saul Rubinek and Valerie Perrine

Also known as Mind Games, The Agency is a 1980 Canadian political thriller. It is directed by George Kaczender. The film finds inspiration from the novel by Paul Gottlieb. It was shot on location in Canada. Lee Majors plays Phillip Morgan (a copywriter in an advertising firm - Porter & Stripe). An anonymous millionaire – Ted Quinn (played by Robert Mitchum) buys out the firm, and flushes out old blood with new, not meaning to reduce the head count at the firm, as just as many are hired, that too of the sort who aren’t the ad-mad type, they’re in fact operatives for furthering political beliefs.
The film deals with the controversial subject of the unprincipled usage of the media by political and corporate barons to achieve their own end. Morgan realizes that Quinn is using the firm to line his own pockets by selling just about any product - from formula for kids to drain cleaners! All the while, it is Ted’s vitiated goal to actually ‘sell’ politicians’ images and warped dreams to consumers by lacing the advertisements with subliminal messages. As the audiences respond to these ads, not only would they increase corporate sales, but also give a boost to the evil designs of politicians and power brokers who remain unelected.
When a commercial writer Sam Goldstein (played by Saul Rubinek) and Morgan’s friend confides in the latter that something seems amiss, and in fact the firm is being misused - Phillip thinks he’s just being a little paranoid. However, Sam’s untimely and mysterious death change Morgan’s mind - he gets hold of an audio that the man recorded before he died. This discovery makes him a man on the run throughout the length of the film as Morgan is hunted high and low by Quinn’s men.




The basis for the film is its controversial premise that advertisers use subliminal messages to induce consumers to buy their products - this is an idea that social critic and journalist Vance Packard alludes to in his book The Hidden Persuaders. Quinn is hoping that the subliminal messages he’s planting will sway the viewers’ choice towards the politician he favors - a pro Nazi, anti–Semitic type who, if he gets elected as President of the US, will lead the way to a glorious future, or so Ted is inclined to believe. Apparently, Quinn is an old hand at this sort of thing - having helped out a fellow in Arizona get to the US Senate. With the help of his love interest Brenda (played by Valerie Perrine), a doctor, Phillip Morgan is able to unearth that a message which was placed under a deodorant commercial, was responsible for this key upset in the elections. The man Quinn is totally without scruples as he has stooped to vitiating kiddy commercials as we, with the intention of catching ’em young!
Now this sort of thing was actually capturing the public’s imagination back in the ’80s, the mid and late Seventies were already questioning the sway advertising held over viewer and as result - consumer choices. However potent the subject matter of the film, the film itself was a near -disaster - boring for the most part of it, the movie is a soufflé gone flat! And of course, the entire matter of effectiveness of this kind of subliminal advertising has been questioned a lot in the last couple of decades to the extent that much of it no longer happens.

Breakthrough (released in 1979) - Starring Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum and Rod Steiger

The film is a sequel to the 1977 Eastern Front war flick - Cross of Iron. Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, the film has a new cast in reprise characters. May 1944, the German Forces are retreating from the Eastern Front. Although the two were depicted as having had differences in the Cross of Iron - Sgt. Rolf Steiner (played by Richard Burton) of the Wehrmacht (German High Command of the Army) once more teams up with the  ambitious and cut throat Captain Stransky (played by Helmut Griem) to blow up a railway tunnel thus cutting off the line of supply for the Russians. However, the presence of a Russian tank ensures that the attack is foiled, and Steiner’s squad returns to base, defeated. The Sergeant proceeds to Paris on a fourteen day furlough, to nurse battle wounds and rest his battle weary senses - it is cut short because the Allies have landed in Normandy.
His unit is transferred to a France, in the village of St.Bologne. Unknown to most of the Wehrmacht, there is a conspiracy to overthrow and assassinate The Führer, Adolf Hitler. This he is told by General Hoffman (played by Curd Jürgens), his divisional commander in the past, tells him so, sharing with him the disgruntlement and discontent of the officers and men in the Wehrmacht. Those familiar with the character of Steiner from Cross of Iron are aware that he is a principled ‘soldier’s soldier’- fighting for the Vaterland (Fatherland), he personally harbors no allegiance to The Führer, a good guy caught on the wrong side.
General Hoffman would have the lowly sergeant convey the plan to the Americans across enemy lines of the plan, and that they would like to surrender to them. The men across are Colonel Rogers (played by Robert Mitchum) and General Webster (played by Rod Steiger), who are willing to assist, however Stransky is the spanner in the works - how do they deal with him?




We know from history that the assassination plot went kaputt. All the co conspirators were rounded up and faced a firing squad, or were hung to death by the Gestapo (and this was done painfully, being hung on piano wire). As for General Hoffman, he committed suicide with a bullet to the head.
The Americans advance towards St.Bologne, as Stransky has the evil plan to blow up the village, irrespective of massive collateral damage.
The film received brickbats for not really living up to the stature of the prequel - in fact many critics questioned why there had to be a sequel in the first place? Richard Burton with a Irish-Germanic accent (if at all such, as this, exists) is awkward, and too old for the role - he looks jaded and uncomfortable (he died five years later). His character, that of the ‘good German’ is more a Hollywood creation than one based on real life. The General confiding in a man from the ranks is next to unimaginable, no matter how civil or laissez faire the army! Steiner walks around in perfectly clean uniform (and it isn’t even battle fatigues) through the combat front lines, his helmet sitting awkwardly on his head; an all in all disappointment, with hardly any worthwhile action against the Russians.