Jack in the Box!

The last few weeks, I revisited Jack Nicholson movies.

First I saw Easy Rider, Jack’s first big break into the movies, to get the bohemian feel of the late 1960s. Then, I watched The Departed, the latest offering showcasing a nasty Jack as a mafia boss. What a contrast! I followed up with the melodramatic Reds, the beautiful all-time great Chinatown and the cranky One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Yes, I have seen As Good As It Gets, A Few Good Men, Prizzi’s Honour. The Postman Always Rings Twice and About Schmidt. I have yet to see his famous outings in The Shining, Terms of Endearment and Something Gotta Give.

This three-time Academy Award winner is extremely versatile despite his unique trademark ways. He won the golden statute for Best Actor in the manic-depressive One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the feel-good As Good As It Gets; and the Best Supporting Actor in Terms of Endearment.

A product of a quickie bigamous marriage, this Italian-Irish actor was raised by his mother’s parents and never knew who his father was. How sad! He had a bad start in movies and had to contend with writing for the big screen for a long while. When he came onto the silver screen, he made movie history!

Today in tinsel town, Jack is a consummate actor. He is a pillar of Hollywood society and he has become a living legend and icon. He brings with him that special brand of acting into whatever role he plays and he plays them in full realism. Watch how he raped Jessica Lange with such savage gusto in Postman and the senseless killings he made in The Departed. He was the mean Colonel Nathan Jessep at Guantanamo Bay in A Few Good Men! I am sure you can remember how he hollered at Tom Cruise and Demi Moore - "You can’t handle the truth!” in that giant of a movie.

He sublimely played that arty-farty Eugene O’Neill, the erstwhile spurned lover in Reds. Then, he played the wacky Joker in Batman. On the flip-side, he can also be the comedian. Watch his skills in As Good as It Gets, Anger Management and the Witches of Eastwick and have yourself a good laugh!.

I look forward to watching more of Jack’s movies that I have missed as a kid. Not many are in the local DVD stores. It would be good to get my hands on Five Easy Pieces, Something Gotta Give and Ironweed.

Quote of the Day:

"Some things have to be believed to be seen." Ralph Hodgson

Heartsong