by Julian Spivey
Recently I was on Twitter and came across a Variety headline about movie theaters hiring extra security for the release of “Straight Outta Compton,” the biopic of influential late ‘80s hip hop group N.W.A, which opens this weekend.

Movie theaters wanting to hire extra security is certainly a good thing, we’ve seen two movie theater shootings in the last month out of Louisiana, where two women were killed, and Tennessee, where thankfully nobody was killed. This is also just three years after psychopath James Holmes killed 12 people and injured another 70 in a mass shooting at a theater in Aurora, Colo.

It’s hard to argue against extra movie theater security. And, it’s something I’m 100 percent for … except for this instance.

Many movie theaters across the country are hiring extra security for this weekend’s release of “Straight Outta Compton,” and this fact and that Universal Pictures is actually reimbursing theaters for doing so, is blatant racism.

It’s not that movie theaters are scared there’s going to be violence based on the recent movie theater shootings in Louisiana and Tennessee or the terrible tragedy three years ago in Colorado.

If that were the case you would see movie theaters bulking up security during massively popular summer blockbusters like “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Jurassic World,” “Ant-Man” or even last week’s opening of “Fantastic Four” – all of which likely will have drawn bigger first weekend crowds than “Straight Outta Compton.”

These movie theaters are hiring extra security because they simply do not trust large groups of African-Americans viewers, which is the population that will predominantly rush out to see a biopic about N.W.A. on opening weekend. That’s an obvious case of blatant racism. And, I don’t think there’s any other excuse you could make for it.

This is just another example in this country on how the establishment treats African-Americans as lesser human beings than Caucasians. Movie theater owners and staff all around this country trust white filmgoers to buy movie tickets in droves without the threat of violence, despite the fact that all three theater shootings in the last three years have been done by white men. But, let a film come along that’s attractive to a largely African-American audience and that trust is out the window. It’s really an eye opening moment, especially for those who might have previously been blind to the racism still prevalent in this country in one way or another.

Despite Universal’s decision to reimburse movie theaters for hiring extra security the company has also released the statement that “Straight Outta Compton” has been seen by thousands of people already at hundreds of screenings around the country without a single incident reported.

“Straight Outta Compton” is anticipated to have a huge opening weekend at the box office and is projected to be the weekend’s most watched film. According to Deadline.com, 70 percent of advanced tickets sales on Fandango for the weekend have been for “Straight Outta Compton,” which is opening in almost 3,000 theaters across the country.

by Philip Price 
With the release of “Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation” I decided to go back and catch-up on the previous four films in the series. To be honest with you, I've never before sat down and watched the original “Mission: Impossible” all the way through. I'd seen bits and pieces and tried multiple times over the years to make it all the way through, but it never happened for one reason or another. So, in sitting down to watch the 1996 film that started it all I was surprised to find out there wasn't actually too much I hadn't seen. Basically, I hadn't made it around to the climactic action sequence on the train and that was about it — otherwise I'd seen the major set pieces and had enough to go on that I knew the gist of the plot. This isn't just a look at the first film though, as it's probably been the full 15 years since ‘M:I-2’ came out that I've actually sat down to watch it again. I can remember going to the theater to see it as I'd just turned 13 the month prior to its release and it was one of the first legit PG-13 films I saw on the big screen. I'll obviously get into more detail around it later, but to summarize, it holds up better than I expected and though it is definitely the least of the series it still isn't what I would necessarily label as bad. It was also nice to return to J.J. Abrams third installment that I remember really enjoying when I saw it at the early Thursday night show in the summer of ’06 and I've re-watched ‘Ghost Protocol’ so many times since its release four years ago there was hardly any reason to return to it other than the fact it's ridiculously entertaining. When it was announced in January that the fifth ‘Mission’ film would be shifting from its planned Christmas release to the summer movie season in an attempt to clear the way for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” it could seemingly only mean good things for the latest installment. I've been anxious to see where Tom Cruise and producing partner Paula Wagner would take the series ever since the conclusion of ‘Ghost Protocol’ and so to celebrate the newly released ‘Rogue Nation,’ let's take a look back at the adventures that have brought us to this point.

“Mission: Impossible” - In 1996, Tom Cruise was coming off a year long break from the public eye after both “Interview With the Vampire” and “The Firm” were solid hits. ‘Vampire’ fed off the controversy of Cruise being cast in the Anne Rice adaptation while “The Firm” was a John Grisham adaptation directed by Sydney Pollack that only took twenty-three days to make $100 million at the box office. He would also have Cameron Crowe's “Jerry Maguire” coming out later in the year after ‘Mission’ became a summer hit. “Mission: Impossible” was also the first film produced by Cruise and the only film he has ever made a sequel to (that “Top Gun 2” chatter seems as if it's been happening for years while Cruise talking of a sequel idea for “Edge of Tomorrow” on the ‘Rogue Nation’ press tour seems to be just that — talk).

Now that we have the context out of the way, let's talk about the film itself. In the film Cruise's Impossible Missions Force agent, Ethan Hunt, comes under false suspicion of disloyalty and is forced to both discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization. It is funny there is already such a heavy talk of agents being disavowed as the tension level this immediately brings throughout each of the films has always been present. Given the film is nearly 20 years old, it is truly impressive how well it holds up even if the technology doesn't. This is expected though, and in a cool way serves as something of a time capsule, a reminder of what it took to break a case in that day and age as opposed to the advancements made as well as the new threats that have been created. The Brian De Palma film is fast-paced and effortlessly intriguing while setting in motion the idea of being structured around three action set pieces. While the stunts have certainly become grander over the years, the then 32-year-old Cruise blew up a huge aquarium, infiltrated CIA headquarters and hung off the side of a speeding train. Even if these aren't the biggest stunts and the special effects are a bit shoddy in the finale, Cruise is so committed you could hardly tell. Also, remember that one time when Emilio Estevez was Simon Pegg?

“M:I-2” - After largely being out of the public eye for three years after the one-two punch of “Mission: Impossible” and “Jerry Maguire,” Cruise returned to making movies in 1999 with two R-rated, adult-skewing films made by master filmmakers. “Eyes Wide Shut” was an R-rated erotic drama from Stanley Kubrick while “Magnolia” was a 3-hour opus courtesy of Paul Thomas Anderson with Cruise in a supporting role that netted him his third Oscar nomination. Neither of these were ever going to be smash hits or cultural milestones in the way his two prior films turned out to be, but Cruise would return to that territory the very next year with his first sequel ever. At the age of 38, Cruise stepped back into the role of Ethan Hunt and enlisted legendary action director John Woo to take the reins of the second entry in the series.

Largely considered the worst in the series and even the one that almost killed the franchise entirely, Woo's two-hour action extravaganza is as over-the-top as it is relentlessly entertaining. Everything about the film could be considered ridiculous, from the opening scene on the airplane where we're introduced to Dougray Scott's villain Sean Ambrose and prepped for the fact there would be a lot of facial exchanges to the rock climbing sequence that may as well have plastered "Remeber How Sexy Tom Cruise Is?" across the shot rather than the title of the film. There are the doves, the car chase through the mountains with Thandie Newton with an obscene amount of slo-mo and another stunts where Hunt drops through the top of a building only for him to engage in a gun fight before parachuting out that is all topped off by the extended motorcycle chase. Both Woo and Cruise seem to have given little thought to what restraint might mean before going with the shooting script from Robert Towne, but they keep a very serious tone on its toes by allowing Scott's Ambrose to be somewhat self-aware. It should also be noted that Ving Rhames was the only returning cast member here besides Cruise and that seems to always be pretty damn sweaty. Another interesting aspect to the film is the choice to base the action solely in Australia whereas the third and fourth films would become more renowned for their globe-trotting aspects.

“M:I:III” - In the longest break between ‘Mission’ films, “M:I:III” came six years after the release of “M:I-2” (and the first since the release of two Jason Bourne films). Part three also came at a critical point in Cruise's career. Some of you may remember the couch-jumping incident of 2005 when Cruise was on the press tour for “War of the Worlds” (his biggest U.S. grosser to date still). After this, the whole backlash of Cruise being a complete wacko happened and unfortunately, has permanently changed his career trajectory ever since. In an effort to both recover his public image by starring in a surefire hit as well as making him come off as much like a normal human being as possible (Ethan Hunt gets married!), Cruise returned to the world of the IMF after somewhat seeming to have no interest in doing so prior. Between the huge success of “M:I-2” and the somewhat underwhelming performance of “M:I:III” Cruise re-teamed with Cameron Crowe on “Vanilla Sky,” collaborated with Steven Spielberg for the first time on “Minority Report” (one of my personal all-time favorites) as well as spearheading the production of “The Last Samurai” with director Edward Zwick and then teaming up with Michael Mann on “Collateral” before reuniting with Spielberg on ‘War.’ In short, Cruise was bigger than ever and on a damn fine roll both commercially and quality-wise before his public persona went south and his sole franchise was called on to be his savior.

While the box office returns on “M:I:III” might not have been what Cruise and company hoped for, it was still a hit and arguably the best film in the franchise so far. As the feature directing debut of a little known TV-guy named J.J. Abrams, it had been so long since the previous installment that there was a lot of room to move in terms of story. As Cruise was trying to fix his public image Abrams recruited his team of writers including Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to craft a narrative around Hunt coming face to face with a sadistic arms dealer while trying to keep his identity secret in order to protect his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan). Ving Rhames would again return and this is the installment that would also add Simon Pegg to the line-up. When we meet Hunt this time around the guy has essentially retired from active duty to strictly training new IMF agents, but of course gets pulled back into the fray as the threat of Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) grows greater. Hoffman was coming off his Academy Award winning performance in “Capote” and he absolutely kills it in what is easily the best villain the ‘Mission’ series has seen and will likely ever see. Abrams, like his predecessors, keeps things brisk and the action at the forefront, but what this third film did was to add more to the actual character of Ethan Hunt. There was no progression of who Hunt was and what he'd become between the first two films, but here we see this guy as a man just trying to find some normalcy rather than a super spy who we view as indestructible. 

“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - Ghost Protocol” - Five years later, after the franchise was again assumed to be something of a relic of time gone by, Cruise returned to the world of impossible missions for his best one yet. Outside of the franchise Cruise was having little luck getting anything to stick as “Lions for Lambs” was forgotten as soon as it was released, “Valkyrie” being largely perceived as a flop despite being a more than solid WWII drama as well as making $200m on a $75m budget and “Knight and Day” being the actors first out and out flop that featured him in a starring role. I rather enjoyed “Knight and Day,” but the only relief Cruise saw during this period of his career was the glorified cameo he did in Ben Stiller's “Tropic Thunder.” While his appearance as Les Grossman was minor, it was a game-changer. To be able to show the public he could not only poke fun at himself, but his industry showed there was some kind of self-awareness going on in that thought-to-be-crazy head of his. It was self-deprecating, it was outlandish (Tom Cruise in a fat suit?!?! Cursing?!?! Dancing?!?!?!), but most of all it was hilarious and it put the one-time biggest movie star on the planet back in public favor. 

With that, Cruise saddled back into the role of Ethan Hunt, this time bringing in director Brad Bird (“The Iron Giant,” “The Incredibles”) for his first live-action film and going bigger, being more fun and enlisting more of an ensemble than ever before (this is the only ‘Mission’ to not feature Rhames Luther Stickell, but it did keep Pegg's Benji on tap) as the likes of Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner were added to the ranks. There is something about the movie-going experience of the “Mission: Impossible” movies where I find them to be more than genre exercises, but fresh and exciting adventures. I say this because I distinctly remember sitting and experiencing “M:I-2” as the kind of film that made me feel in awe of its scope and then looking over at my then 14-year-old brother’s face during ‘Ghost Protocol’ and seeing that same sense of wonderment. When Cruise as Hunt scaled Dubai's Burj Khalifa (and especially if you were lucky enough to see the film in IMAX) it was a moment of pure insanity. It was as if you were watching a man truly test his mortality as he trusts a single piece of technology to hold him to the side of the building. In a way, I guess you could say Cruise was doing just that as no one expected much from a fourth ‘Mission’ movie. Instead, ‘Ghost Protocol’ has become something of an instant action classic with its Dubai sequence being a piece of filmmaking that's marveled at not only for the risks it involved, but for the thrills it achieved. It's what the movies are all about and Tom Cruise has been working for 30- plus years (20 now as Hunt alone) to bring us that kind of entertainment, those kinds of thrills and the kinds of experiences that allow us to be swept away by spectacle.

by Philip Price
Within the first minute of the latest “Mission: Impossible” film, Tom Cruise is sprinting across the screen. Within the first two minutes, Cruise is walking across the top of an airplane. By the time 125 minutes have passed Cruise has done so many unbelievable things and taken so many insane chances as Ethan Hunt that it's a wonder he's alive and ready to go on any more missions at all (is that a spoiler? Please). Currently, Cruise is a mere four years younger than Jon Voight was when the first “Mission: Impossible” was released almost twenty years ago. Cruise realizes his time as international super spy and man of mystery is running out (why do you think he's so eager to get a jump on the next installment as he's indicated in the press rounds for this film?). Cruise knows his body won't be able to continue doing outlandish stunt work forever and he knows that the time is coming where watching him run, jump and shoot would be more funny than thrilling were he still to be relying on this franchise into his sixties. Cruise has maybe two more ‘Mission’ films left in him and that's if they're more prompt than they've ever been with these movies. This perspective isn't brought up to be a downer or to make audiences more aware of the fragility of time, but simply to say that we won't always have the opportunity to walk into our multiplex and see a Tom Cruise action picture. Cherish this. That Cruise himself clearly pours so much effort and heart into making these movies and that he continues to choose directors who want to make them as authentically as possible while bringing their own unique style to the proceedings is also reason to be appreciative. While there have been, are and always will be movie franchises similar to “Mission: Impossible,” what makes Ethan Hunt different from James Bond or even Jason Bourne is his ability to grow. Hunt is wholly Cruise's character whereas Bond has a roster of representatives and Bourne has to deal with not really knowing who he is himself. Hunt, through the arc of Cruise needing this franchise just as much as it needs him, has come to represent our most intimate connection with Cruise, the actor, given it's the only character he's portrayed repeatedly. Under these circumstances, Hunt's arc from young upstart agent to desperate family man eager to escape his fate to a man who's now accepted what he's meant to be only makes each new installment all the more interesting — and ‘Rogue Nation’ is no exception.

Like “Fast & Furious,” a franchise that was also once thought to be dead and done with and also received a shot of pure adrenaline in 2011, “Mission: Impossible” only continues to mature in ways we never imagined. Seeming fully rejuvenated, Ethan Hunt and his now more solidified and less exchangeable crew once again find themselves in the difficult position of being at odds with their organization. While this seems to be the case with each new ‘Mission’ film (sans John Woo's second installment from 2000) the threat is more real than ever as director of the CIA Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) has taken to the U.S. Senate to argue the IMF should be disbanded and absorbed by the CIA immediately. While Jeremy Renner's William Brandt is stuck defending the need for the IMF in Langley, Ethan Hunt is on the run as Hunley has called for his capture. After attempting to report to an IMF station in London to receive his next orders Hunt is instead captured by a creepy blonde man in glasses (Sean Harris). Hunt is convinced there is a Syndicate of criminals, an anti-IMF if you will, and he intends to track them down. Hunt barely escapes his captors and a near torture session with the help of the very skilled, but very mysterious Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). After being on the run for six months and attempting to piece together any clue he can about the Syndicate, Hunt brings Benji (Simon Pegg) out of his desk job at the CIA to Vienna for something of a covert mission. Hunt is keen on trying to figure out who the creepy guy in the glasses is, how he's organized such an expansive list of employees and where he is getting his funding from. More than ever, ‘Rogue Nation’ makes it clear how much institutions such as these (the CIA, the IMF, the Syndicate), while created in order to protect national security, become vicious circles of their own by creating individuals who have just as much a possibility of coming to resent the reasons for them personally sacrificing so much as those who come to find pride in it. While the plotting of ‘Rogue Nation’ can sometimes be confusing, the ideas are solid and the execution is so simplistic and straight-forward it never feels overwrought.

Like each of the films in the series prior, ‘Rogue Nation’ is structured on its set pieces. That the stunt of Cruise being strapped to the side of the airplane has been the focus of the promotional campaign is all good and well, but that this moment occurs immediately once the movie begins is all the more refreshing. We know to expect it and so once it happens and is out of the way, we're ready for the unknown and possibly what might even top this insane sequence. Needless to say, the airplane stunt isn't the best set piece in the movie as there are plenty more to devour and plenty more that push you closer to the edge of your seat. Even if one has paid close attention to the marketing, we don't really know what we're in for come the second and third acts of the film and I really enjoyed that element of surprise. What is even more fascinating about the screenplay from director Christopher McQuarrie (“The Usual Suspects,” “Jack Reacher”) is that while he still keeps the set pieces in line, he doesn't follow the typical beats of a movie of this genre. Rather than having our protagonist go on a mission to retrieve a macguffin, become entangled in the web of lies and emotions of those involved in that plot to steal and utilize the macguffin while enlisting a dangerous love interest along the way and ultimately outsmarting the bad guy after being kicked down a few more times than the audience expected, ‘Rogue Nation’ would rather explore the psychology of why these kinds of people feel the need to do the things they do. Why they feel the urge to place themselves in such situations and their livelihood in such uncertain circumstances. Sure, there is still a macguffin present in the form of some information on a flash drive, but this is more explicitly used as a macguffin without trying to place any real importance on whatever information it may hold. Rather, the mission is in fact the people behind the plans and their motivations to disrupt the thought process and perceived safety of people all over the world with the double crosses, opera house brawls, the (limited) masks and extended car chases serving as well-executed wrapping on a thoughtful gift.            

That there is effort on this behalf is again something to appreciate as it's rather clear people don't go to “Mission: Impossible” movies for their stories. Instead, it is the element of seeing Cruise perform his signature death-defying stunts while paired with the commitment of his performance. Having harped on the importance of Cruise's role in these adventures what comes to mind more than ever in ‘Rogue Nation’ is Ethan Hunt's addiction to the chase. The third film in the series made it clear his need to rectify would always outweigh his yearning to relegate himself to something more in the range of normal. What Ghost Protocol made infinitely clear was that there was still room for Hunt to grow and learn through the camaraderie he found in those like him. ‘Rogue Nation’ pushes this one step further with the introduction of Ferguson's Faust. As this female super sleuth Ferguson brings the sleekness and allure of any actor who has ever played a Bond girl, but combines it with the suave, effortless ability to make the most complex disarming techniques look effortless. It also doesn't hurt that we never know whether we can fully trust Faust or not. She never becomes something as simple as a love interest, but more a mirror for Hunt to see himself in, a counterpart that suggests normal life might not have ever worked out, but in finding someone with similar sensibilities there could be something of an unconventional happiness for him in the end. The one thing ‘Rogue Nation’ doesn't utilize as much as it's immediate predecessor is the dynamic between Hunt and his team. Renner is largely relegated to walking and talking while Ving Rhames returns as Luther Stickell after sitting the last round out, to serve as Hunt's confidant and right hand man during a time his sanity and loyalties are brought into question. Pegg, on the other hand, makes large strides in terms of where he began and where he is now. Benji is as much a counterpart for Ethan as Stickell is at this point and the energy between Pegg and Cruise make this all the more fun to see play out. While the villains are typically little more than afterthoughts in these films, Harris does well to make as big an impression as he can by being largely subtle in his approach.

Being that we're largely here for the action though, “Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation” does not disappoint. From the inventive hand-to-hand combat fights that take place above Turandot at the Vienna State Opera House to the literal breathtaking scenes that place Hunt underwater for six-plus minutes and over to the car chase that evolves into a stunning motorcycle race through Casablanca, this is top notch stuff deserved of a movie screen. McQuarrie approaches each action scene with a certain precision, a certain rawness that never allows for it to feel less than genuine. We believe Cruise as Hunt is willing to do whatever it takes to make seeming wrongs right again and that this adrenaline junkie can't help himself when it comes to joining the aforementioned motorcycle chase after crawling out of a wrecked BMW. Just like our protagonist's mentality, the action is relentless and keeps the brisk pace of the film intact where it could have easily become bogged down in plotting. McQuarrie keeps things on track and ensures that above all, his entry in the ‘Mission’ canon is one that abides by the pure popcorn action mantra of the franchise as a whole while adding just the right amount of depth and intrigue to keep us coming back for more.

by Julian Spivey
Turner Classic Movies’ annual August tradition of “Summer Under the Stars” is underway. Every August Turner Classic Movies (TCM) selects 30 actors, one for every day of the month, and airs nothing but films featuring that movie star on their day. The television channel dedicated to classic movies doesn’t just choose the biggest stars of acting every year, but also likes to give days to talented character actors like Warren Oates and Lee J. Cobb, who are both featured this year.

Here are the 10 days you should definitely mark on your calendar for this year’s Summer Under the Stars lineup:

Katharine Hepburn (Friday, Aug. 7)

Friday, August 7 features films all day long starring the all-time winningest best actress Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn, considered by many to be the greatest actress in film history. Be sure to catch one of Hepburn’s four Oscar-winning performances in “The Lion in Winter” (1968) at 9 p.m.

Robert Mitchum (Wednesday, Aug. 12)

Wednesday, August 12 features a day of films featuring Robert Mitchum, one of the most masculine actors in film history. Mitchum’s Summer Under the Stars slate unfortunately doesn’t include his greatest performance as Rev. Harry Powell in “The Night of the Hunter” (1955), but be sure to catch him as a fast-driving moonshine runner in “Thunder Road” (1958) at 9:45 p.m.

Groucho Marx (Friday, August 14)

Friday, August 14 features a day filled with movies from one of the funniest men to ever grace the big screen, Groucho Marx. It’s interesting that Groucho is the featured star of the day and not the entire Marx Brothers trio, including Harpo and Chico. If you like witty and sarcastic humor you’d better not miss out on this. Be sure to check out Groucho’s best performance in “Duck Soup” (1933) at 9:45 p.m.

Patricia Neal (Sunday, August 16)

Sunday, August 16 features a slate full of movies featuring Patricia Neal, who is likely one of the most underrated leading women in film history. Neal can be seen in quite the trifecta of “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951), her Oscar-winning performance in “Hud” (1963) and perhaps her greatest performance in “A Face in the Crowd” (1957) starting at 7 p.m.

Lee J. Cobb (Monday, August 17)

Monday, August 17 features films starring Lee J. Cobb, who if you were to make a list of the greatest supporting or character actors in the history of cinema would probably be near the very top. Cobb was particularly adept at portraying film baddies and can be seen doing so back-to-back in the stellar “12 Angry Men” (1957) and “On the Waterfront” (1954) starting at 8:45 p.m.

John Wayne (Wednesday, August 19)

Wednesday, August 19 features a day filled with films from John Wayne, the man who perhaps is the most iconic and larger than life star in all of cinema history. Many of The Duke’s most memorable roles are on the schedule for his Summer Under the Stars date, but the recommendation has to be his greatest role in John Ford’s “The Searchers” (1956) at 9:15 p.m.

Warren Oates (Monday, August 24)

Monday, August 24 is filled with films featuring a man that some novice movie watchers may not know by heart, but absolutely should and that’s Warren Oates. Oates is one of the greatest character actors in film history and one of the great things about TCM’s Summer Under the Stars is its able to bring an entire day of films from a lesser known, but terrific actor like Oates to the forefront. It’s unfortunate his great performance in Monte Hellman’s “Two-Lane Blacktop” (1971) isn’t on the schedule, but be sure to catch him in Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch,” considered one of the greatest Westerns of all-time, at midnight, August 25.

Ingrid Bergman (Friday, August 28)

Friday, August 28 features a day filled with performances from one of the greatest actress of all time and one who’s also somewhat underrated in the stunningly beautiful Ingrid Bergman. Only one of the three-time Oscar winners performances is on the schedule for this day: “Gaslight” (1944), but you should be sure to catch what’s likely her most memorable performance as Ilsa in “Casablanca” (1942).

George C. Scott (Saturday, August 29)

Saturday, August 29 features a day full of George C. Scott movies. George C. Scott was the consummate actor who was at home perfectly in either a larger than life leading role like his Oscar-winning turn in the biopic “Patton” (1970) or as a supporting actor in films like “The Hustler” (1961) and “Anatomy of a Murder” (1959” – all which are featured on his day.

Gary Cooper (Sunday, August 30)

Sunday, August 30 features an entire day of films starring American acting legend Gary Cooper, who always seemed to play endearing heroes on the big screen. Cooper was a two-time best actor Oscar winner, but unfortunately only one of those performances is featured on his day: “Sergeant York” (1941), with perhaps his greatest movie performance as Marshall Will Kane in “High Noon” (1952) being absent. The one film you should be sure to check out on Cooper’s day is his star-making turn in Frank Capra’s fascinating “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” (1936).