Backdraft review
Fighter pilots have “Top Gun.” Race car drivers have “F1” and “Days Of Thunder.” What movie did firefighters have up until 1991 to put their heroics on full display? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, until a director, mostly known for making comedies, decided that firefighters finally get their day in the sun. That director was Ron Howard and the movie that helped the aura of firefighters burn so bright is the movie I’m reviewing in this episode of Movies Merica. That movie is “Backdraft.” Kurt Russell and William Baldwin play Stephen and Brian McCaffrey, two brothers who grew up in a family of firefighters in Chicago. To put it mildly, they don’t like each other very much. Stephen is a veteran firefighter and Brian is his younger brother still trying to carve out his niche in life. Brian decides his latest venture is to go into the family biz and fight fire too. Add to the family friction, a series of mysterious deaths due to fires, that may or may not be murder. Many of you have seen this classic, but for you of those who haven’t, is it worth checking out? Watch this episode of Movies Merica to find out! “Backdraft” also stars Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Glenn, Rebecca De Mornay, Jason Gedrick, J.T. Walsh, Tony Mockus Sr., Cedric Young, Juan Ramirez, Kevin Casey, Jack McGee and Mark Wheeler.
Eden review
In the new Ron Howard movie, “Eden”, a group of disillusioned Europeans settles on a remote, uninhabited island in the Galápagos. They’re inspired by a man, played by Jude Law, who came to the island and supposedly found happiness. They soon discover that their greatest threat isn't the brutal climate or deadly wildlife, but one another. Human nature is what it is after all. Sinful. As tensions spiral and desperation takes hold, a twisted power struggle unfolds, leading to betrayal, violence and death. Is it worth a trip to the theater to find out all that happens? Check out this episode of Movies Merica to find out! “Eden” also stars Ana De Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Bruhl, Sydney Sweeney, Jonathan Tittel, Felix Kammerer, Toby Wallace, Ignacio Gasparini, Richard Roxburgh and Paul Gleeson.