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French Gene Kelly and the Security Guard

Monday: High Sierra (1941)
          Roy is released from prison. He is immediately given a new job by his boss. Roy will work with some amateurs to rob a resort in California. On the way he meets a young disabled woman who he falls for. He becomes friends with her dad. Once in California he meets with the two amateurs and a woman traveling with them, Marie. As they prepare for the heist Roy isn't sure they can pull this off. He visits his friend and the young woman. He helps her get surgery to fix her foot. Even then she doesn't return his affections. The day of the heist comes and although they have some problems they pull it off. But they are unable to unload their loot. So Roy has to go on the run into the mountains. I thought this movie was ok.

Tuesday: Act of Violence (1949)
         Frank lives a normal life with his family in a small town. He goes on a fishing trip. Frank finds out that a officer who served under him in the war, Joe, is looking for him. He immediately cuts the trip short and races home. There his wife tell him that Joe had come to the house looking for him too. Joe is determined to get to Frank. Frank explains to his wife that Joe suffered a injury during the war and blames Frank. Frank leaves again hoping to out run Joe. Joe comes back to the house. He threatens Frank's wife. He tells her the true story of how Frank betrayed Joe and the other men at a prison camp. Joe continues to chase Frank, determined to get his revenge. This movie is alright.

Wednesday: Soylent Green (1973)
       This movie is set in the future. Pollution and over population have recked havoc on the world. There is very little food left. Most people have to eat synthetic food, and even that is scarce. Thorn is a detective. He gets a case of a murdered CEO. As he investigates he learns some dark secrets. The farther he gets the more danger he is in. This movie is ok. It is an interesting concept. It just doesn't seem to come off right. If I'm going to watch a Charlton Heston (Thorn) sci-fi film I much rather watch Planet of the Apes. 

Friday: Richard Jewell (2019)
        This is based on a true story. Richard has longed to be a cop. He has never been able to achieve this goal, mostly due to his own stupidity. He works mostly as a security guard. Richard gets hired to work at the 1996 Olympics in his hometown of Atlanta. No one takes him seriously. He acts like he is a cop when he is not. Richard notices a suspicious backpack on night at the olympics. He thinks it is a bomb. An expert confirms it. They do their best to get people away before it goes off. Richard is a hero. Then a reporter gets wind that the FBI believe Richard is a suspect. It is all over the news. Richard has no idea what has happened. The FBI bring Richard in for an informal interview. He soon realizes that something else is going on. Richard calls the only lawyer he knows, Watson. Watson knows from the second he agrees to take on Richard that the FBI is going about this all wrong. He does his best to help Richard, even though Richard's stupidity makes it difficult. This is a good movie. At the same time I didn't really enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It's weird to have a hero who is such an idiot. I think I've said this before but I find it interesting to see these movies set in the 90s. I get a little nostalgic. They played the Macarena at one of the Olympic pre-shows. Sam Rockwell (Watson) always surprises me. He is a really good actor. I always just think of him from Charlie's Angels. He just seems like he shouldn't be good, but he is.

Saturday: The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)
       The Young Girls of Rochefort is a French musical. It is about twin sisters. The run a dance studio. They dream of going to Paris. Solange wants to be a composer. Delphine wants to be a dancer. Their mother runs a cafe in the town square. She meets two traveling boat salesmen and a soldier. The soldier is looking for his ideal woman. His drawing of his ideal woman looks just like Delphine. Solange meets with a music store owner who has an American friend in Paris who could help her with he career. The store owner talks about his former love who had two twin girls and once lived in this town. When she picks her brother up from school Solange runs into an American man. He is in town to see a friend. All the connections come together in the end. I thought this movie was ok. I didn't realize it was in French till it started. The reason I picked this movie is because Gene Kelly is in it. Most of his songs and lines are dubbed. I'm not sure how much French he spoke in real life. Not sure why they would put him in this movie if he can't speak French, other than having a big name in it. It is a very colorful and fun musical. It's just a little weird that you have these bright musical numbers and then have the twins be moody and rude most of the time. It's the French trying to make an American musical, and not quite succeeding.

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