Z = Zorro

Zorro: The Mask of Zorro

1998

Directed: Martin Campbell

Antonio Banderas as Alejandro Murrieta

Anthony Hopkins as Don Diego De La Vega

Catherine Zeta-Jones as Elena De La Vega Montero

Action packed variation on the Zorro story. The aging Zorro finds an apprentice who coincidentally is interested in his daughter. It seems Zorro was meant to be a family franchise. The good-rich man who fights for the rights of the populous continues to excite the imaginations of the hopeful.

I loved this movie for several reasons:

Action was reaching but the stunts were amazing. Any regular person would have munched but Zorro prevails. Much to Martin Campbell’s credit, his perfectionism really worked well in this film.

Antonio Banderas plays the poor boy and the amazing Zorro equally as well. Zorro is a continuation of the good bad guy theme like in the film Desperado.

What can be said about Sir Anthony Hopkins? He’s amazing as Don De La Vega. The Englishman playing the Mexican Don works for me. But I’ve admired his work since Magic.

Catherine Zeta Jones rises to the level of the actors around her. She is particularly interesting in this role when she discovers her identify. Raised with one father, she accepts her true identity with grace.

Antonio Banderas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Banderas

Anthony Hopkins http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_hopkins

Catherine Zeta Jones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Zeta-Jones

Y = Yankee Doodle Dandy

Yankee Doodle Dandy

1942

James Cagney as George M Cohan

Irish-American Cagney played the Irish-American Cohan, singing in a half-sing/half-reciting style. The songwriter leaves the family act, is black-listed and had difficulty. Until he teams up with a new producer and he becomes a success.

In the scene where Cohan dances down the stairs, Cagney performed the step down dance with no rehearsal and completed in one take.

More Information:

James Cagney http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cagney

Joan Leslie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Leslie

X = X-File

X-file

1998

Director: Rob Bowman

David Duchovny as Mulder

Gillian Anderson as Scully

The best of ET meets crime drama comes together in X-files the movie. Mulder follows leads that seem to always go to the Cigarette Smoking Man. From the laboratory of the cigarette Smoking Man, Mulder saves Scully but is just too late to document the space ship that flies over him and away.

X-files asks the questions about eternal possibilities, are we alone in the universe? It also provides the moral compass through Mulder to follow your heart, save the one you love, Scully.

More Information:

David Duchovny http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duchovny

Gillian Anderson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillian_Anderson

W = Wizard of OZ

Wizard of Oz

1939

Director: Victor Fleming

Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale

Billie Burke as Glinda

Ray Bolger as Scarecrow

Bert Lahr as Lion

Jack Haley as Tin Man

A most beloved story written by L Frank Baum, the Wizard of Oz was the first film to be both black & white and color film. 

The dull Kansas prairie offers little to the imagination of young Dorothy Gale. But following a cyclone, the girl travels to the colorful place called Oz. She becomes obsessed with going home.

Dorothy Gale meets Glinda the Good who recommends the girl travel on the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard. Along the way, Dorothy finds help in the form of a Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion. The foursome battles the Wicked Witch of the West to find their way to their hearts desire. In Dorothy’s case, she returns home.

More Information:

Jack Haley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Haley

Judy Garland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Garland

Bert Lahr http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Lahr

Ray Bolger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bolger

Billie Burke http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Burke