M: The Family/The Wizard of Lies

two films I've watched in the month of June; one is a biopic of notorious Wall Street Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff helmed by Barry Levinson, and the other a crime/comedy affair about the Mafia by Luc Besson. Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer star as husband and wife (partners in crime?) in both films. two of my favorite actors at the tail end of their careers, and to this movie buff, everything that they decide to do movie-wise from here on out is just the icing on the cake of their careers.

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M: Eye of the Needle

In high school, I became acquainted with Ken Follett when I chanced upon his novel Eye of the Needle at the municipal library, but I was not aware of its movie adaptation until I came across it while checking MGM On Demand's offering on Xfinity. Full disclosure: for some reason, when I was a kid I hated Donald Sutherland's eyes as well as his manner of speaking. I still do.

M: The Architect

* this rom-com's weak foundation crumbled from the get-go.

M: Enemy at the Gates

Having read William Craig's 1973 book "Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad," on which the film is based, as well as David L. Robbins' novel "War of the Rats," the sniper duel between the film's protagonists was very familiar and easily captured my imagination as my mind went back and forth to the scenarios printed in the pages of said books and the unfolding scenes in the film. I have watched 'Enemy at the Gates' numerous times before and in the eyes of this military enthusuast it never really gets old. Yes, I have seen the movie on blurry VHS tapes while on a bus trip from Bicol to Manila, on a pirated VCD bought in Quiapo, on a brand new DVD from Best Buy and tonight on Showtime cable TV. Thus, to this day "Enemy at the Gates" is easily one of my favorite movies and I always made it a point to watch it or record it on DVR for later viewing whenever it came up on cable TV. In a way it became my de facto companion especially...

B.M.S.

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