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johnalmquist
Reviews
Head Full of Honey (2018)
Great acting - helps to have seen Alzheimer's face to face
I haven't seen the German original, so this is an unbiased review of the English version only.
If you haven't known anyone in your life that has had Alzheimer's at least this gives you a glimpse into what it's like.
If you have, like I have, this can help you heal, even if just a little bit with the antics that take place. It certainly shows the troubling moments, hardships, and difficulties that people caring for their loved ones go through. It really is a labor of love that we endure - every day - caring for those that we love that can no longer remember us. It helps us to remember how precious our grandparents are to us. To my grandmother for the last years of her life, I was just the "nice man that comes to visit and brings me my wine". God bless my mother for all she did for her.
I thought Nolte was incredible in his acting, though Matt Dillon was just - himself.
The rest of the supporting cast, including the rising Sophia Nolte were incredible.
Many hilarious jokes, moments and some concerning moments about the main theme - but obvious to see how this was a converted foreign film as it doesn't play much like your typical Hollywood movie.
A great movie for Italophiles as well.
On a personal note, I randomly chanced upon a good friend of mine in Venice. A life of lucky coincidence I guess. I happened to stay in a convent for a few days in Catania and this reminded me of that. I've never been treated better for so little in my life. La vita e' bella.
Buona fortuna a tutti che hai un bruschino nell'occhio.
In Pursuit of Honor (1995)
My Conclusion? Great story - TOTAL BS
CONTAINS SPOILERS....
After watching this movie on HBO Go, I absolutely had to look it up and research the topic. I'm a history buff, and couldn't believe the story to actually be true.
I'm going to make this as logical as possible, but first, I had to give points to the acting in the movie. Aside from the historical inaccuracies, I had to tip a hat to Don Johnson for his work in making this film. This quite possibly was his best acting - EVER - and it was in a made for TV movie?? It was THAT good. Way to go man. I give you props 21 years after the fact.
1. THIS IS NOT BASED ON A TRUE STORY! After reading numerous articles and reviews - one written after the release of the film - the BS meter is off the scale. For as young as the internet was back in 1995, people were really upset about this film, the story, the supposed slaughter of the horses, and inaccurate military portrayals of MacArthur and the common Cavalryman, enough to light up their Netscape 24/7 talking about how terrible the U.S. was back in the day to do this to innocent little bunnies - I mean horses. The fact is, this is a TALL TALE - like Paul Bunyan - passed down and told by drunken cowboys with a dash of history (the Bonus Riots in DC and the turning in of the cavalry sabers) baked in to make it just a little bit more believable. I agree with some of the other reviews that HBO has done a much better job in recent past with their historical research. Today, the claim that it is based on a true story would be supplanted with, "This is a story that some guys told me in a bar in Santa Fe. Here is the best article I could find: "In Defense of Honor: General Douglas MacArthur and the Horse Cavalry of 1934", by Bob Seals
2. MacArthur was NOT a horse killer! Just to reiterate, both military and historical records back up the fact that this NEVER HAPPENED, and General MacArthur did not order the slaughter of these horses. Yes, the esteemed General did get a bit loopy later in life, after the Korean War, and was dismissed by Ike, but this was in the 30's! He is in his military leadership prime, and was given a short stick and a black eye. In fact, at the time of this movie, 1934, the U.S. was in the middle of the Great Depression, and there was a shortage of working horses and mules. I've seen figures that state all 500 horses could have sold for as much as a several million dollars in today's money. Didn't happen.
3. The names of the main characters in this film are made up - with the obvious exceptions.
4. There is no "Milk River" dividing the U.S. from Canada. Anywhere. Look on a map. The border in Montana is the 49th parallel. For 1000 miles.
5. They didn't have to go to Canada, or a Native American Reservation in Montana - they went right THROUGH 3 or 4 of them on the map in the film!! If you look at the map in the film, starting from the Sonoran desert, they head north, right through the Apache and Navajo nations, then have the opportunity to dump the horses in one of several, including going right past the Uintah and Ouray reservation in Utah and through the middle of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Finally, in Montana, there are the Crow, Blackfeet, and other reservations with vast swaths of territory that make these guys look like they couldn't find their "you know what" in the dark.
I give this movie 6 stars for good acting and story line, but understandably, the historical aspects and claim that it is based on a true story detract from the appreciation of the better parts of the movie.