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Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Professional 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars
Often I find a movie that's story is not outstanding but the acting alone is,this is such a film.Released in 1994 and running a far 110 minutes,it's been done before.OK maybe not exactly like this but the basic story of bad guy meets stepped on girl and they seek salvation together.Right?? You have seen that before.Well in this flick that theme is really stretched and ONLY outstanding acting can save it,let alone even believe it ,a little.Not only is it stretched but it borders on pedohilia if not for great acting.
Briefly the story is about a middle age eccentric "cleaner"named Leon played wonderfully by Jean Reno who lives alone and befriends a 12 year girl named Mathilda played as well as can be played I think by very young Natalie Portman.Mathilda is abused by her family and Leon takes pity on her and even saves her by allowing her to enter his apartment after her family is wiped out and the killers are still there,as if she lived with him.The killers are bad DEA thugs led by Stansfield, a great physcotic performance by Gary Oldman.
Both Leon and Mathilda bond in strange ways.She teaches him to read,he teaches her to fire a rifle from a rooftop to hit someone jogging in the park,with paint,not a bullet,but she wants to use BULLETS next time.They play a dress up guess who I am game where she is Madonna and Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin and finally Gene Kelly,the only one Leon can guess.Leon tries John Wayne,she guess's Clint Eastwood.Get the idea?
She's still a kid though and when they are staying at a hotel where the desk clerk thought they were father and daughter ,she gets them kicked out by later stating he was her lover.
This was a risky plot to attempt and they do fall in love but no sex.Leon is to strong for that or is he just to dumb??The story shows him as a true professional killer but lacking in both social skills and being so introverted you doubt he's know what to do with her.Mathilda however has fallen hook line and sinker.I don't want to really go into the action/killings other than to say they are violent,but not gratuitous in the context of the story.The ending shoot out rivals "The Terminator"police station shootout.
So if you want to see a pedestrian script saved by truly great acting as well a early Portman,see the film.I had to take off 1 1/2 stars for the script only.Trailer URL follows pix as usual.
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2744254745/
Briefly the story is about a middle age eccentric "cleaner"named Leon played wonderfully by Jean Reno who lives alone and befriends a 12 year girl named Mathilda played as well as can be played I think by very young Natalie Portman.Mathilda is abused by her family and Leon takes pity on her and even saves her by allowing her to enter his apartment after her family is wiped out and the killers are still there,as if she lived with him.The killers are bad DEA thugs led by Stansfield, a great physcotic performance by Gary Oldman.
Both Leon and Mathilda bond in strange ways.She teaches him to read,he teaches her to fire a rifle from a rooftop to hit someone jogging in the park,with paint,not a bullet,but she wants to use BULLETS next time.They play a dress up guess who I am game where she is Madonna and Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin and finally Gene Kelly,the only one Leon can guess.Leon tries John Wayne,she guess's Clint Eastwood.Get the idea?
She's still a kid though and when they are staying at a hotel where the desk clerk thought they were father and daughter ,she gets them kicked out by later stating he was her lover.
This was a risky plot to attempt and they do fall in love but no sex.Leon is to strong for that or is he just to dumb??The story shows him as a true professional killer but lacking in both social skills and being so introverted you doubt he's know what to do with her.Mathilda however has fallen hook line and sinker.I don't want to really go into the action/killings other than to say they are violent,but not gratuitous in the context of the story.The ending shoot out rivals "The Terminator"police station shootout.
So if you want to see a pedestrian script saved by truly great acting as well a early Portman,see the film.I had to take off 1 1/2 stars for the script only.Trailer URL follows pix as usual.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Life Before Her Eyes 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars
Very different film.I had to take of 1/2 star only because the story telling was a little uneven.Still hard to fault a film that ends with"I never saw THAT coming"
The reason I choose to even check this film out was because it starred Uma Thurman,but like much of this film that was a deception.There are actually 2 actress playing the lead roll of Diana.Uma as a adult and Evan Rachel Wood as a younger teen version.This Ms Wood was a pleasant surprise as was much else in the film.What almost turned me off was the Columbine type beginning,but it is the talisman of the film so you have to accept it as distasteful as that might seem.You see the film opens with two teen girls trapped in a bathroom at the high school as a shooter is killing people in the halls and rooms.The two girls are Diana and Emma played by also talented Gabrielle Brennan.As the shooter is approaching we see flash backs and forwards of Diana life up to 15 years in the future.Like many soldiers of many different times and wars,Diana seems to suffer from surveyors guilt and as we later see through the flashbacks,perhaps guilt that her BEST friend Emma was the good girl who deserved so much more out of life and Diana was little more than the neighborhood slut.That in itself makes for compelling drama but as in many a war movie, we have seen all that before.However listen to the dialogue especially about the strongest mussel is the heart and there is a clue to a much different film.The only other clue I'll give is this was worthy of a M. Night Shyamalan film BUT its not.Credit goes to Director:Vadim Perelman Writers:
Laura Kasischke (novel), Emil Stern (screenplay).Released in 2007 its a short 90 minutes.
Trailer URL is below pix as always.Also I'll add after seeing the ending,it's not really a teen movie but a camouflaged war film in my humble opinion as far as why men die for their fellow man.Wait this is about two teen girls,how can that be??
SEE THE FILM !!!
The reason I choose to even check this film out was because it starred Uma Thurman,but like much of this film that was a deception.There are actually 2 actress playing the lead roll of Diana.Uma as a adult and Evan Rachel Wood as a younger teen version.This Ms Wood was a pleasant surprise as was much else in the film.What almost turned me off was the Columbine type beginning,but it is the talisman of the film so you have to accept it as distasteful as that might seem.You see the film opens with two teen girls trapped in a bathroom at the high school as a shooter is killing people in the halls and rooms.The two girls are Diana and Emma played by also talented Gabrielle Brennan.As the shooter is approaching we see flash backs and forwards of Diana life up to 15 years in the future.Like many soldiers of many different times and wars,Diana seems to suffer from surveyors guilt and as we later see through the flashbacks,perhaps guilt that her BEST friend Emma was the good girl who deserved so much more out of life and Diana was little more than the neighborhood slut.That in itself makes for compelling drama but as in many a war movie, we have seen all that before.However listen to the dialogue especially about the strongest mussel is the heart and there is a clue to a much different film.The only other clue I'll give is this was worthy of a M. Night Shyamalan film BUT its not.Credit goes to Director:Vadim Perelman Writers:
Laura Kasischke (novel), Emil Stern (screenplay).Released in 2007 its a short 90 minutes.
Trailer URL is below pix as always.Also I'll add after seeing the ending,it's not really a teen movie but a camouflaged war film in my humble opinion as far as why men die for their fellow man.Wait this is about two teen girls,how can that be??
SEE THE FILM !!!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Gunga Din - 4 stars out of 5 stars
This film was very popular but we live in a political correct era and as such this film may not be what you deem "correct"thus and the fact it's black and white and fairly dated I forced myself to take off 1 star.Made in 1939( arguably the best year for volume release of GREAT films in Hollywoods history) and runs 117 minutes.What may or may not be politically correct has its roots in this case,within the colonial empire mentality of Great Britain.Rather than go into a long winded explanation of colonial superiority passed off as parental guidance lets just look at the film.Based on a poem by Rudyard Kipling who glorified the empire in his works,this story is very simple and filed with heroism as well as a example of the power of personality cult leadership rapped in religion as we still face today.We follow three good old boy brawling soldiers from different backgrounds as they struggle with life around them and their job in the service of the Queen as well as loyalty to each other.Into the mix we add a water boy,Gunga Din,who is teased by others but respected or better yet,treated loving as a pet by our 3 soldiers.Din repays that treatment as any loyal dog would by laying down his life for his master and as such is rewarded with a human burial.Thats the politically incorrect story.
The film story skirts around that with the development of Din wanting to be a English soldier but not allowed to until his brave death awards him that which was denied in life.
The story is how two of the soldiers try to keep the third in the service before he can leave to get married.However a large fanatical religious based rebellion is underway let by a charismatic leader to wipe out the English soldiers and control India within their own grasp.Sound familiar??This film has historical roots in the fight against the"thuggies"of the "Cult of Cali"which was a historical enemy that the Empire did face in India.
The three soldiers face all any soldiers always face and alert the main forces to the threat BUT the Cult had planned on that and sets a trap for the approaching army to wipe it out to the last man.Only the brave bugle blowing by Gunga Din, who has to expose his safe hiding position to do so,saves the day and allows the army to defeat the thugs.
The cast is brilliant with the three soldiers played by Cary Grant,Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as well as Sam Jaffe as Din and the Thuggie Guru by Eduardo Ciannelli.The supporting cast is good as well.Trailer URL below pix as always.
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1516766489/
The film story skirts around that with the development of Din wanting to be a English soldier but not allowed to until his brave death awards him that which was denied in life.
The story is how two of the soldiers try to keep the third in the service before he can leave to get married.However a large fanatical religious based rebellion is underway let by a charismatic leader to wipe out the English soldiers and control India within their own grasp.Sound familiar??This film has historical roots in the fight against the"thuggies"of the "Cult of Cali"which was a historical enemy that the Empire did face in India.
The three soldiers face all any soldiers always face and alert the main forces to the threat BUT the Cult had planned on that and sets a trap for the approaching army to wipe it out to the last man.Only the brave bugle blowing by Gunga Din, who has to expose his safe hiding position to do so,saves the day and allows the army to defeat the thugs.
The cast is brilliant with the three soldiers played by Cary Grant,Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as well as Sam Jaffe as Din and the Thuggie Guru by Eduardo Ciannelli.The supporting cast is good as well.Trailer URL below pix as always.
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Soldier - 4 stars out of 5 stars
After watching "Salt"i got nostalgic for one of my favorite real cold war movies back in the day.Released in 1982 and running 96 minutes this film co starred one of my favorite actresses Alberta Watson as Susan Goodman and starred Ken Wahl as"The Soldier"with a few surprise support roles of now big stars including a Country Western singer.You want to know,see the film.(Joaquim de Almeida,Klaus Kinski,George Strait )
A truly contrived plot is hatched by the Russians to force Israel off the West Bank or risk having the Saudi Oil fields NUKED by a bomb planted by terrorists,really the Russians in a attempt to destroy the West's economy under the guise of a Arab-Israeli conflict.
Of course there are many tricks and traps along the way including a elaborate plot by which KGB agents landing in Canada and cross the border to steal nuclear material as if they were terrorists to lend credence to their plot.I have crossed that border many times back in the days before 9/11 and this movie being released in 1982 was a cold slip in the face of just how easy it was to smuggle things across the worlds longest"unguarded border" as it was known back then.A US border guard stops the KGB agents car which is full of weapons in the trunk and ask what their business was and they reply vacation and believe me,thats the way it truly was back then.The film also opens with a rather shocking shooting scene that at first seems like a terror attack but is really a counter terror attack.This film was sounding a large warning that no one heard till after 9/11.
There is also a ski chase scene that is amongst the best ever filmed anywhere.A great car chase and a good old boy bar fight.Alberta gets to"shoot"a guy in the face but is really a ruse of great makeup to get a terrorist to talk.Talk about enhanced interrogation techniques !!
The real scary part is I half believe the premise of the movie.My son once asked my"Does art imitate life,or life imitate art?"Good question.Would the US attack Israel to protect Saudi oil?Would the US NUKE Russian to protect Israel ?These are questions asked in the film.I took 1 star off because well it sometimes feels low budget,manly in the adverse acting.Still a must if you like cold war intrque with a touch of prophecy.URL for trailer is below the pix as usual
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UuWv_4RrRU
A truly contrived plot is hatched by the Russians to force Israel off the West Bank or risk having the Saudi Oil fields NUKED by a bomb planted by terrorists,really the Russians in a attempt to destroy the West's economy under the guise of a Arab-Israeli conflict.
Of course there are many tricks and traps along the way including a elaborate plot by which KGB agents landing in Canada and cross the border to steal nuclear material as if they were terrorists to lend credence to their plot.I have crossed that border many times back in the days before 9/11 and this movie being released in 1982 was a cold slip in the face of just how easy it was to smuggle things across the worlds longest"unguarded border" as it was known back then.A US border guard stops the KGB agents car which is full of weapons in the trunk and ask what their business was and they reply vacation and believe me,thats the way it truly was back then.The film also opens with a rather shocking shooting scene that at first seems like a terror attack but is really a counter terror attack.This film was sounding a large warning that no one heard till after 9/11.
There is also a ski chase scene that is amongst the best ever filmed anywhere.A great car chase and a good old boy bar fight.Alberta gets to"shoot"a guy in the face but is really a ruse of great makeup to get a terrorist to talk.Talk about enhanced interrogation techniques !!
The real scary part is I half believe the premise of the movie.My son once asked my"Does art imitate life,or life imitate art?"Good question.Would the US attack Israel to protect Saudi oil?Would the US NUKE Russian to protect Israel ?These are questions asked in the film.I took 1 star off because well it sometimes feels low budget,manly in the adverse acting.Still a must if you like cold war intrque with a touch of prophecy.URL for trailer is below the pix as usual
Sunday, May 15, 2011
TV Series - The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars
This is actually a TV miniseries but is available as a 190 minute released in 1981 and therefore I am reviewing it as such.There is a actually movie remake released in 2005 that is not half bad for a remake as most remakes really suck.This however is the original mini series that was made by BBC in the UK.The folks who gave you Monty Python so you get a little idea of where their coming from.Not your Star Trek or Star wars by any means.
The story is quite involved and steeped in sarcasm.The science is minimal at best but makes the real story more palatable.That story is who are we and isn't it amazing we have come so far while achieving so little.So say I anyway.
It starts with the destruction on Earth and ends with the repopulation of a NEW earth with the same old sorts and will they be condemned to repeat the same old story so to speak.Sounds like the Matrix and other NEW sci-fi doesn't it?1981 people !!!
Short story is that Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass by a Vogon Demolition Fleet while Arthur Dent,played by Simon Jones is trying to stop his home being demolished to make way for a highway bypass.You should get the metaphor that the miniseries becomes from that point on.Its to long to explain all the cynical jokes and wonderful cast along the way.There is the depressing robot Marvin,voice supplied by Stephen Moore,as well as the editor of the book Hitch Hikers Guide,who saves Arthur,Ford Prefect played by David Dixon as well as the voice of the book who is really the narrator of the series,Peter Jones and finally my favorite Colin Jeavons as Max Quordlepleen host of the Milliways, the Restaurant at the end of the Universe.There are too many others to list but pretty much all are good.My favorite joke is about a whale and a pot of flowers that come into being while falling to a planet.You have to see it to get it.DON'T PANIC is the catchphrase and the amazing question that caused the creation of the planet Earth to begin with is,Life, the Universe and Everything,oh and the answer of course after millions of years of calculations is ( earth is nothing more than a super computer to expand on the following answer but is destroyed before it can ) 42.YES 42
I never heard yje radio show or read the book this mini series is based on,UK after all,but it stands alone just fine.If you didn't get Python's humor,you might not like this,otherwise indulge.I only took 1/2 star off because the space ship scenes were DR WHO like cheesy,other wise the effects are fine.Trailer follows pix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8z4JAenBPo
The story is quite involved and steeped in sarcasm.The science is minimal at best but makes the real story more palatable.That story is who are we and isn't it amazing we have come so far while achieving so little.So say I anyway.
It starts with the destruction on Earth and ends with the repopulation of a NEW earth with the same old sorts and will they be condemned to repeat the same old story so to speak.Sounds like the Matrix and other NEW sci-fi doesn't it?1981 people !!!
Short story is that Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass by a Vogon Demolition Fleet while Arthur Dent,played by Simon Jones is trying to stop his home being demolished to make way for a highway bypass.You should get the metaphor that the miniseries becomes from that point on.Its to long to explain all the cynical jokes and wonderful cast along the way.There is the depressing robot Marvin,voice supplied by Stephen Moore,as well as the editor of the book Hitch Hikers Guide,who saves Arthur,Ford Prefect played by David Dixon as well as the voice of the book who is really the narrator of the series,Peter Jones and finally my favorite Colin Jeavons as Max Quordlepleen host of the Milliways, the Restaurant at the end of the Universe.There are too many others to list but pretty much all are good.My favorite joke is about a whale and a pot of flowers that come into being while falling to a planet.You have to see it to get it.DON'T PANIC is the catchphrase and the amazing question that caused the creation of the planet Earth to begin with is,Life, the Universe and Everything,oh and the answer of course after millions of years of calculations is ( earth is nothing more than a super computer to expand on the following answer but is destroyed before it can ) 42.YES 42
I never heard yje radio show or read the book this mini series is based on,UK after all,but it stands alone just fine.If you didn't get Python's humor,you might not like this,otherwise indulge.I only took 1/2 star off because the space ship scenes were DR WHO like cheesy,other wise the effects are fine.Trailer follows pix
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Rollerball - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars.
Released in 1975 and running a little long 125 minutes,its not to be confused with a later version released in 2002.The only thing they share is the game but not the real larger story.
Ah the story.Remember this film was made in 1975 so there is a clear message.However its up to us all to decide what it was.To me it was that the Vietnam War was caused by corporate greed and we were willing partners and must never allow it again.
Now the movie.Again remember the time of the films release.Roller derby,not wrestling was realty sports king.Roller skating was a date night destination.Basketball was beginning to expand as was all team sports.Finally everyone loved the motorcycle and the open road it represented. So put it all together and you get a made for the movie sport called Rollerball and some might argue that today we are heading for some such sport combining Baseball and Football and Hockey to a blood sport hybrid as depicted in rollerball.Now the story is not so much about the hybrid sport of rollerball as it is about control of the people and rollerball is the ultimate "opium of the people"to that end.
I had to take off 1 1/2 stars because from the tech end of the film,it looks like it was made in 1975,not the future it portends.Still it begs a remake along its lines not the trash of 2002 that only focused on the game as you would on the trove of racing movies made since 2000.
James Caan plays Jonathan E.,the superstar of the sport but he has lost his wife to a executive and learns that what the corporations want,they get.The world is now run by corporations rather than nation states and as such divide the world along their own special interests.True global corporations in every sense of the word.The rest of the cast is adequate especially John Houseman as Bartholomew whose corporation owns the team Jonathan plays for. The rest of the film is a battle between Bartholomew and Jonathan with Jonathan winning the finale.Or does he??The ending,to me,is in doubt,but thats why we all live day to day………….
Trailer URL is below pix as usual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-NtHe1UIg0
Ah the story.Remember this film was made in 1975 so there is a clear message.However its up to us all to decide what it was.To me it was that the Vietnam War was caused by corporate greed and we were willing partners and must never allow it again.
Now the movie.Again remember the time of the films release.Roller derby,not wrestling was realty sports king.Roller skating was a date night destination.Basketball was beginning to expand as was all team sports.Finally everyone loved the motorcycle and the open road it represented. So put it all together and you get a made for the movie sport called Rollerball and some might argue that today we are heading for some such sport combining Baseball and Football and Hockey to a blood sport hybrid as depicted in rollerball.Now the story is not so much about the hybrid sport of rollerball as it is about control of the people and rollerball is the ultimate "opium of the people"to that end.
I had to take off 1 1/2 stars because from the tech end of the film,it looks like it was made in 1975,not the future it portends.Still it begs a remake along its lines not the trash of 2002 that only focused on the game as you would on the trove of racing movies made since 2000.
James Caan plays Jonathan E.,the superstar of the sport but he has lost his wife to a executive and learns that what the corporations want,they get.The world is now run by corporations rather than nation states and as such divide the world along their own special interests.True global corporations in every sense of the word.The rest of the cast is adequate especially John Houseman as Bartholomew whose corporation owns the team Jonathan plays for. The rest of the film is a battle between Bartholomew and Jonathan with Jonathan winning the finale.Or does he??The ending,to me,is in doubt,but thats why we all live day to day………….
Trailer URL is below pix as usual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-NtHe1UIg0
Friday, May 13, 2011
Salt - 3 1/2 stars out of 4 stars
Finally saw this flick and I recommend it for at least one viewing but I don't own it.It was released in 2010 and runs 100 minutes of pretty much none stop action.My issues with it is that the cold war is over and as much as we long to fight the Russians again its Islam we have to worry about and the story itself is based on the old CIA fear of"Ivan"that is a deep "mole"or if you will,secret agent plant that will come alive when called upon.This idea has been dealt with before in "Telefon "and "no way out"to name but a few.It's action and threat of a covert nuclear attack has also been done as well and I KNOW you know many of those like "Twilight's Last Gleaming"and "The Soldier" again to name but a few.That's why I had to take off 1 1/2 stars.There is really nothing new in this movie except Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt .She's as cool smart and sexy as any man.I give her the honor of comparing her to James Bond.The only difference is she is no slut.In fact the death of her love makes her a avenging angel that "Arnold" would be proud of. I know some hold her personnel life against her BUT as I love Brad,I love her acting.Always worth a view when they are in a film.The movie ends with the hint of a sequel.Bin Laden is dead however and only he would have been a real challenge for Salt. So I won't try to explain the plot as all cold war era plots are full of red hearings and twists and double twists and this film is a homage to that genre and doesn't disappoint but in fairness I had figured it out halfway in and just went along for the thrill ride.Trailer URL is after pix as usual.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
The Suburbans - 1/2 star out of 5 stars
I was only going to review movies worth seeing but as a public service message I am warning you,AVOIDE THIS MOVIE LIKE A PLAUGE.
I do this because the cast might lure you in to waste 81 minutes of your life you will never get back as I did.Released in 1999 it is a terrible movie that others at IMDB can explain better than me.So there are a few reviews of theirs below.There is also a trailer URL below the pix if your masochistic enough to sit through torture passing as comedy.
there are just some things Long Islanders love: good pizza/bagels, mafia movies, the beach, and hearing shout-outs to towns and landmarks on our beloved home. Goodfellas takes care of the mafia movies and the shout-outs, and the Suburbans basically use the latter to keep me watching the sorry piece of film. I was practically jumping out of my seat when they said "sunrise mall" and the house that was in Wantagh... so all that being said, that was the only part of the movie that was in any way enticing or watchable. And Will Ferrell was pretty funny, but definitely needed to be featured better. Forget this movie. Oh wait, you've never heard of it and never will....for God's sake im only watching it cause it's on some secondary HBO channel and they know no one's watching.
"The Suburbans" is part comedy, part drama and all misfire - in 1981 the band of the title scores its one and only hit, and in 1999 the members are talked into performing at a wedding for a fan in the Navy. A representative for entertainment company EVI later approaches them about making a comeback...
Co-writer/director/co-star Donal Gardner Ward's movie positions the group as one-hit wonders who most people don't really want back, but the group itself is more problematic than intended; if their song had been either good (like the Wonders' "That Thing You Do" from the movie of the same name) or at least a believable 1980s pastiche, their status as one-hit wonders from the Neon Decade would have been plausible. Unfortunately neither is the case, particularly the latter - as well as being a limp rock track, it sounds way too 1990s to be passable. This proves to have a knock-on effect on the movie; the person who brings them to EVI turns out to have had an obsession with one of the Suburbans since she was seven. The trouble is, she's played by Jennifer Love Hewitt - who looks as if she was barely out of Pampers in the early '80s (and she was, since she was born in 1979).
The band members are universally uninteresting, the music's boring, and it's impossible to see what the point of it all is - it looks like a home movie, it's almost never funny, it's never dramatic, and the appearance of A Flock Of Seagulls at the end marks the only true taste of/nostalgia for the 1980s in the entire movie. The appearances of Robert Loggia as the father of the bride, Antonio "Huggy Bear" Fargas as a club owner, Ben Stiller and Jerry Stiller as EVI bosses, J.J. Abrams (creator of "Felicity" and "Alias") as a journalist, and JLH (whose display to Amy Brenneman in the kitchen is, to be honest, the highpoint of the movie) liven things up, but not enough to raise the movie's level.
At least the last time Jennifer Love Hewitt and Bridgette Wilson were in the same movie was "I Know What You Did Last Summer," which wasn't boring.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Cursed - 3 stars out of 5 stars
Normally I won't review pictures I don't own and this is only the 3rd film but it had a really interesting cast so I will.Rated it only 3 stars because the story is nothing spacial in fact it is just a combination of many films we have seen before.What saves it is a believable mix of humor into the story by a top notch cast.So rather than actually tell you about the pedestrian story line I will just list the actors who they play.
First lets start with the director.Wes Craven has made some very violent and sadistic films so to see HIM direct this cast was interesting indeed.Yes there is blood and gore but less than you would expect from a Craven film and some of it comical thanks to the cast.
Oh,you want to at least know something of the plot??OK,brother and sister are bitten by werewolf and don't want to become one.THATS IT !!!!throw a ton a cliches from other horror and teen angst films and you have the story.
The movie was released in 2005 and runs 97 minutes and the year is important because only one actor was big at the time.The rest were up and coming.
Now to the cast.
The star both real and in this film is Christina Ricci as Ellie and a young Jesse Eisenberg as Jimmy her brother.Milo Ventimiglia as Bo,a rival of Jimmy.Joshua Jackson as Jake a love interest of Ellie and a werewolf.Judy Greer as Joanie friend and a little bit more of Ellie's.And Michael Rosenbaum as Kyle in a small uncredited role.Thats about it.
Worth a look for this knock out cast.Trailer URL is below pix as usual.
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi400425241/
First lets start with the director.Wes Craven has made some very violent and sadistic films so to see HIM direct this cast was interesting indeed.Yes there is blood and gore but less than you would expect from a Craven film and some of it comical thanks to the cast.
Oh,you want to at least know something of the plot??OK,brother and sister are bitten by werewolf and don't want to become one.THATS IT !!!!throw a ton a cliches from other horror and teen angst films and you have the story.
The movie was released in 2005 and runs 97 minutes and the year is important because only one actor was big at the time.The rest were up and coming.
Now to the cast.
The star both real and in this film is Christina Ricci as Ellie and a young Jesse Eisenberg as Jimmy her brother.Milo Ventimiglia as Bo,a rival of Jimmy.Joshua Jackson as Jake a love interest of Ellie and a werewolf.Judy Greer as Joanie friend and a little bit more of Ellie's.And Michael Rosenbaum as Kyle in a small uncredited role.Thats about it.
Worth a look for this knock out cast.Trailer URL is below pix as usual.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Enemy at the Gates - 4 stars out of 5 stars
Released in 2001 and running a bit long 131 minutes I took 1 star off for the length,and as much as I like Jude Law,his accent was getting to me after a while as the part he played was a RUSSIAN soldier from the farmland no less,English accent is therefore annoying.
That said there is little else not to like about this film.It sort of tells the story of the battle of Stalingrad fought in WW 11 in late 1942 and early 1943,considered the turning point of the war as the German advance was halted and from that point on it was a war of attrition with Germany slowly retreating back until the US opened the "second front"in june 1944.
What makes this film so extraordinary is you sense the magnitude and desperation of the battle early on yet the film condenses it down to a battle of snipers on a very intimate and personnel level like NO movie I have seen before or since save the ending of a lesser movie called Anzio,and that was THAT films only real value.
The story as set is Jude plays Vassili Zaitsev,a young untested soldier sent to Stalingrad as reinforcements for the protracted deadly battle of attrition Stalingrad had become.First he boards a overcrowded ferry with the rest of the replacement soldiers to ferry across the lake to the city.Maching gun and artillery fire rake the ferry killing maybe half before they reach the other side.Then he and the others are told there is not enough rifles for everyone so they are to be paired in twos and when the rifle bearer falls the other pick up his rifle and continue.So a ill conceived yet common sort of attack in these sort of desperate attrition situations is launched and almost everyone is killed,if not by the German,than by Russian troops behind them that won't allow a retreat.Vassili survives by hiding under others soldiers dead bodies by a water fountain in a large square. At this point on,the movie becomes a smaller story of individual combat set agonies the larger scope of the continuing battle.
Joseph Fiennes playing Commisar Danilov is trying to drive past the battleground but his jeep is stuck by artillery fire and he is thrown into the fountain where he finds Vassili.Danilov wants to leave but Vassili talks him into being a "spotter"for him and then he shoots DEAD four Germans including 3 officers who thing that area is now empty of live soldiers,as the senior most was going to take a shower.
In the Russian Army each unit hs a "Political Commisar"and in Vassili,Danilov sees a way to write the story of a hero that will rally the badly demoralized troops as well as further his own carrier.Enter into this story is the love interest played by Rachel Weisz as Tania Chernova a female sniper and Bob Hoskins as Nikita Khrushchev now in charge of the cities defense,although some historians actually challenge if he was even there.But Ed Harris as Major König the King of German snipers who runs a school specifically to teach that"art"steals every scene he's in as the prime example of German precession,sent to KILL Vassili ,as he has now started to demoralize the Germans being that he only kills officers.
The movie is awesome and although there are other complaints,my point is how many movies have YOU SEEN about the Russian side of the war.Yes we all grew up in the cold war when they were our childhood enemy ,but in THAT desperate earlier war they bought US time to mobilize and finally help win the war.It's about time we have some idea of what it was for them.They lost 20 million in that war.
But again the movie is the thing.Finally,Gabriel Thomson plays young shoe shine boy
Sacha Filipov,who plays a dangerous game of trying to help Valssili by feeding information to Major König and visa versa,with tragic results.
The trailer URL is below the pix.
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1218773273/
That said there is little else not to like about this film.It sort of tells the story of the battle of Stalingrad fought in WW 11 in late 1942 and early 1943,considered the turning point of the war as the German advance was halted and from that point on it was a war of attrition with Germany slowly retreating back until the US opened the "second front"in june 1944.
What makes this film so extraordinary is you sense the magnitude and desperation of the battle early on yet the film condenses it down to a battle of snipers on a very intimate and personnel level like NO movie I have seen before or since save the ending of a lesser movie called Anzio,and that was THAT films only real value.
The story as set is Jude plays Vassili Zaitsev,a young untested soldier sent to Stalingrad as reinforcements for the protracted deadly battle of attrition Stalingrad had become.First he boards a overcrowded ferry with the rest of the replacement soldiers to ferry across the lake to the city.Maching gun and artillery fire rake the ferry killing maybe half before they reach the other side.Then he and the others are told there is not enough rifles for everyone so they are to be paired in twos and when the rifle bearer falls the other pick up his rifle and continue.So a ill conceived yet common sort of attack in these sort of desperate attrition situations is launched and almost everyone is killed,if not by the German,than by Russian troops behind them that won't allow a retreat.Vassili survives by hiding under others soldiers dead bodies by a water fountain in a large square. At this point on,the movie becomes a smaller story of individual combat set agonies the larger scope of the continuing battle.
Joseph Fiennes playing Commisar Danilov is trying to drive past the battleground but his jeep is stuck by artillery fire and he is thrown into the fountain where he finds Vassili.Danilov wants to leave but Vassili talks him into being a "spotter"for him and then he shoots DEAD four Germans including 3 officers who thing that area is now empty of live soldiers,as the senior most was going to take a shower.
In the Russian Army each unit hs a "Political Commisar"and in Vassili,Danilov sees a way to write the story of a hero that will rally the badly demoralized troops as well as further his own carrier.Enter into this story is the love interest played by Rachel Weisz as Tania Chernova a female sniper and Bob Hoskins as Nikita Khrushchev now in charge of the cities defense,although some historians actually challenge if he was even there.But Ed Harris as Major König the King of German snipers who runs a school specifically to teach that"art"steals every scene he's in as the prime example of German precession,sent to KILL Vassili ,as he has now started to demoralize the Germans being that he only kills officers.
The movie is awesome and although there are other complaints,my point is how many movies have YOU SEEN about the Russian side of the war.Yes we all grew up in the cold war when they were our childhood enemy ,but in THAT desperate earlier war they bought US time to mobilize and finally help win the war.It's about time we have some idea of what it was for them.They lost 20 million in that war.
But again the movie is the thing.Finally,Gabriel Thomson plays young shoe shine boy
Sacha Filipov,who plays a dangerous game of trying to help Valssili by feeding information to Major König and visa versa,with tragic results.
The trailer URL is below the pix.
Monday, May 9, 2011
North Dallas Forty - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars
At 119 minutes,this 1979 release is one of the best sports movies of all time and my personnel favorite.I risk reviewing it now because its 32 years old and treats the game like the owners and players still treat it today,NO RESPECT.
Today billionaires battle millionaires forcontrol of the nations primal sport and nether respect the game.Back in the day of servitude and blind subservience to the owners,no one respected the game ether.
There is a line in the movie when the rich owner of the team,Steve Forrest as Conrad Hunter,is consoling the son of a recently deceased fellow wealthy friend with a line like"When a man of your daddies wealth dies of cancer you know theres no cure"That sets the tone for the owners absolute power over the players.When a player thinks to himself I wish he would drop a pass so I can play,shows the disregard of the players for the team idea,that is just that,a idea.NO RESPECT.
Pete Gent a 3rd string receiver who held on for a few years wrote a "tell all"book but changed the facts JUST enough to avoid a lawsuit,but its clear this is the 1970's cowboys.
That said,its still a fine story of a aging veteran wide receiver Nick Nolte playing Phillip Elliott,who knows the"game"and does what it takes to hang on.The GM in a fine turn by Dabney Coleman as Emmett Hunter,quips as he's trying to scare Elliott that a rookie might take his job "Hows your Canadian?" And Mac Davis as a aging Don Meredith type QB named Seth Maxwell when taking the side of a big offensive lineman against Elliott,"You keep me on the sports page,but he keeps me off the obituaries."
The dialogue is sharp and snappy.Elliott and Maxwell pop pills and guzzle beer while they piss in a trainer whirlpool to the trainers dismay while commenting they are enjoying"The breakfast of champions".
BUT this is not frat house banality.The movie is sharp and a insult to Tom Landry and all the Cowboys stood for.Even a Stauback type rookie backup QB fumbles a PAT to lose the championship game.I LOVED Dayle Haddon as Charlotte Caulder ,romantic interest of Elliott.I only took off 1/2 star because the movie doesn't "age"as well as others,still a MUST SEE.Trailer URL follows the pix as usual.
http://www.videodetective.com/movie_trailer/NORTH_DALLAS_FORTY/trailer/P00001763.htm
Today billionaires battle millionaires forcontrol of the nations primal sport and nether respect the game.Back in the day of servitude and blind subservience to the owners,no one respected the game ether.
There is a line in the movie when the rich owner of the team,Steve Forrest as Conrad Hunter,is consoling the son of a recently deceased fellow wealthy friend with a line like"When a man of your daddies wealth dies of cancer you know theres no cure"That sets the tone for the owners absolute power over the players.When a player thinks to himself I wish he would drop a pass so I can play,shows the disregard of the players for the team idea,that is just that,a idea.NO RESPECT.
Pete Gent a 3rd string receiver who held on for a few years wrote a "tell all"book but changed the facts JUST enough to avoid a lawsuit,but its clear this is the 1970's cowboys.
That said,its still a fine story of a aging veteran wide receiver Nick Nolte playing Phillip Elliott,who knows the"game"and does what it takes to hang on.The GM in a fine turn by Dabney Coleman as Emmett Hunter,quips as he's trying to scare Elliott that a rookie might take his job "Hows your Canadian?" And Mac Davis as a aging Don Meredith type QB named Seth Maxwell when taking the side of a big offensive lineman against Elliott,"You keep me on the sports page,but he keeps me off the obituaries."
The dialogue is sharp and snappy.Elliott and Maxwell pop pills and guzzle beer while they piss in a trainer whirlpool to the trainers dismay while commenting they are enjoying"The breakfast of champions".
BUT this is not frat house banality.The movie is sharp and a insult to Tom Landry and all the Cowboys stood for.Even a Stauback type rookie backup QB fumbles a PAT to lose the championship game.I LOVED Dayle Haddon as Charlotte Caulder ,romantic interest of Elliott.I only took off 1/2 star because the movie doesn't "age"as well as others,still a MUST SEE.Trailer URL follows the pix as usual.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
At First Sight 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars
I don't own this film ether but it's worth one look at least.I took 1 1/2 star off because even though it supposed to be based on real a real life situation I fear the writers took a few to many liberties for dramatic impact and therefore fizzled the film a little.There was a film called Awakenings released 9 years earlier that was sort of similar except the affliction was different.Its hard not to judge this film against that and so it comes up short therein.That all being said its ok for a few viewings,you could do far worse.The acting is stellar and the references to Rangers hockey are cool as well.The basic story goes something like this.
Mira Sorvino as a little burned out architect Amy Benic goes to a upstate NY resort to chill out and meets a blind masseur, Virgil,played by Val Kilmer and falls for him.He's been protected all his life by his sister Jennie Adamson played by(Not your top gun sort of) Kelly McGillis Its hard to believe Amy can get Virgil to come back to NYC for MORE eye surgery but I guess even good blind sex can accomplish this.Heres where the film does get interesting.The surgery does work and Virgil CAN see.But like,a child since he went blind at age 1,he can't process fully what he sees.Scenes of him trying to talk to himself in a mirror and almost getting hit by cab as he tries to understand depth perception are intelligently yet funny done.Sadly however his genetic induced illness returns after a short time and he is blind again.Unlike in the film Awakenings,there is a good as can be expected under the circumstances ending.So check it out if only for Kilmers best acting performance and the too rearley seen Mira Sorvino.The trailer URL follows the pix.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvTPHUrc30g
Mira Sorvino as a little burned out architect Amy Benic goes to a upstate NY resort to chill out and meets a blind masseur, Virgil,played by Val Kilmer and falls for him.He's been protected all his life by his sister Jennie Adamson played by(Not your top gun sort of) Kelly McGillis Its hard to believe Amy can get Virgil to come back to NYC for MORE eye surgery but I guess even good blind sex can accomplish this.Heres where the film does get interesting.The surgery does work and Virgil CAN see.But like,a child since he went blind at age 1,he can't process fully what he sees.Scenes of him trying to talk to himself in a mirror and almost getting hit by cab as he tries to understand depth perception are intelligently yet funny done.Sadly however his genetic induced illness returns after a short time and he is blind again.Unlike in the film Awakenings,there is a good as can be expected under the circumstances ending.So check it out if only for Kilmers best acting performance and the too rearley seen Mira Sorvino.The trailer URL follows the pix.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvTPHUrc30g
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Leaves of Grass 3 stars out of 4 stars
This is the first movie I'm reviewing that I don't own.Let me say up front I do NOT like "stoner"or"black"comedies.I also said CGI is not that big with me.Aside from ALL that this film is quite interesting.Released in 2009 and running 105 minutes,I took off the 2 stars for the reasons I mentioned plus if I was from Oklahoma I might feel a little insulted.So why review it and recommend it??
First Edward Norton ,a fav of mine,plays twin brothers (theres your CGI) Bill Kincaid / Brady Kincaid.
Second I like contrast in characters and these 2 brothers are as far different as you can be or are they really??
Finally I like stories with a purpose and I believe in the old saying "that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger"
Now Bill is a refined "hot"looking author and professor at Brown university who is being courted by Harvard university and female students in his class.So much for light comedy.
Bill it seems has been running from his red neck small town hick past all his life.Now his brother Brady on the other hand has embraced that to the point of developing state of the art hydroponics for growing pot plants indoors. The stoner aspect.
I wont explain in detail the "black"comedy aspects or redemption aspects other than to say brother Brady doesn't survive.The rest of the cast including Susan Sarandon as mother of the twins,Daisy Kincaid and Richard Dreyfuss as Pug Rothbaum and Tim Blake Nelson as Bolger head a rather large but well cast group of actors to add depth to a complex emotional yet simple story of "breaking the world,and putting it back together".
The trailer URL is below the pix as usual.
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi68289561/
First Edward Norton ,a fav of mine,plays twin brothers (theres your CGI) Bill Kincaid / Brady Kincaid.
Second I like contrast in characters and these 2 brothers are as far different as you can be or are they really??
Finally I like stories with a purpose and I believe in the old saying "that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger"
Now Bill is a refined "hot"looking author and professor at Brown university who is being courted by Harvard university and female students in his class.So much for light comedy.
Bill it seems has been running from his red neck small town hick past all his life.Now his brother Brady on the other hand has embraced that to the point of developing state of the art hydroponics for growing pot plants indoors. The stoner aspect.
I wont explain in detail the "black"comedy aspects or redemption aspects other than to say brother Brady doesn't survive.The rest of the cast including Susan Sarandon as mother of the twins,Daisy Kincaid and Richard Dreyfuss as Pug Rothbaum and Tim Blake Nelson as Bolger head a rather large but well cast group of actors to add depth to a complex emotional yet simple story of "breaking the world,and putting it back together".
The trailer URL is below the pix as usual.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Kahn - 5 stars out of 5 stars
I couldn't wait any longer,I had to do a Trek film so we start with the one I believe is the best,Wrath of Kahn.This is the second movie made and based on a episode from the original series.In the series,Kirk played by Bill Shatner,maroons Kahn played by Ricardo Montalban,on a planet with his followers and the episode ends.The movie begins with a scientific expedition 15 years later to a planet called Ceti Alpha VI.However that planet has been destroyed and they are really orbiting Ceti Alpha V.That is the planet Kahn had been marooned on.Still with me??
Well when CAPTAIN KIRK left Kahn on the planet he seems to have forgotten them and when Ceti Alpha VI is destroyed Ceti Alpha V's orbit is changed and the planet becomes very inhospitable and many of Kahn's group die.When Kahn learns that Captain Kirk is now ADMIRAL Kirk and knows nothing of the planets change,he plots his revenge for Kirks never having checked on their wellbeing in all those 15 years and maybe could have saved some of them including his wife.The over acting by Shatner is mocked by comedians over the years and Montalban delicious equals him for the battle of overacting like none have seen before.Kahn has the line that has become part of our lexicon,"Revenge is a dish best served cold"
Now that is the basic story or as some as said the battle of middle age as Kahn is from the youth of Kirk,noe forced to face again in middle age.There are a few other interesting thing.A female vulcan protege of Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy,named Lt. Saavik,played by a very young and slim Kirstie Alley,corrects Kirk on regulations and questions his passing of the "Kobayashi Maru"Starfleet Academy test,which she just failed as well as everyone who ever took it EXCEPT James T Kirk.( we learned he cheated)
Its also interesting to note that when Kahn captures the scentific expedition he recognizes Mr. Chekov,played by Walter Koenig,who also recognized him. Truth be told,the character of Mr. Chekov was added AFTER that episode,aw so what for Star Trek Bible purists.
Oh there is also the sub plot of a new planet building machine called Project Genesis headed by a old flame named Dr. Carol Marcus played by Bibi Besch.But wait,she had a son by Kirk she never told him about !!!He also here Dr. David Marcus played by Merritt Butrick .Now of course Kahn learns of the project and as something can create life from nothing on a dead planet,so can it DESTROY life on a live planet.
I think I gave you enough to wet your appetite.I'll just add that all space movies tend to resemble WW11 movies in space when it comes to battles therein.The fighting between Kahn and Kirks 2 starships is true to that theme but in a nebula that renders useless their senors to detect each other,the battle takes on a never before homage to the subs vs destroyer battles of that war rather then the more familiar aircraft carrier and battleship vs fighter planes of most space movies and shows.Just one more reason to see the film.Released in 1982 its a too short 113 minutes.Trailer URL follows pix.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The Horse Soldiers 4 stars out of 5 stars
I know some of you just will never watch a John Wayne movie and thats a shame.Forget his politics or a few really bad movies,he did make some real good ones and since he's dead,you only hurt yourself by not checking some of them out.
I took off 1 star because the movie seemed to be a little like "Gone with the wind"meets "Santa fe trail"in the sense of the glory of the south is violated and a woman struggles against it and war splits fellow friends onto opposite sides in a fictional build around of real actions and incidents.That said,its jolly good fun !!!
John Wayne as Col. John Marlowe is picked to lead a Union calvary incursion deep into the south to destroy railroad facilities at Newton Station.Col.Marlowe is forced to take William Holden as Surgeon,Maj. Henry Kendall to care for wounded if any.Now one of the sub plots is that Marlowe hates Drs of all kinds and blames them for his wifes death.
Along the way they are forced to bring along Constance Towers as Miss Hannah Hunter of Greenbriar and her house slave Althea Gibson as Lukey or they will tip off the Rebs of their presence after stopping at their plantation and learning that Hannah had overheard their plans.
Their is also a funny turn by Hank Worden as Deacon Clump who plots a passage through the swamps for the Union calvary as well as a very funny scene when a "Boys academy"tries to attack the column.
A serious and poignant side is added by Carleton Young as Col. Jonathan Miles, CSA who had been friends with Marlowe before the war but now as a one armed defender leads a counter attack to stop him.
Some say the reason this isn't a bigger hit is because the director and friend of John Wayne,The Legendary John Ford, wanted to make a different film,one about General Grant but had to settle for this script.That may be so,but both he and Wayne give it their all and its shows as a fair film for its time on a issue that still resonates today,the 150 anniversary year of the start of the worst war in our countries history.Released in 1959 and running a good 115 minutes it stands well for a 52 year old film.VERY well.Trailer URL is below pix.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
House of Games 4 stars out of 5 stars
Tough to say why I liked this movie.Easier to say why I didn't.The end is not totally justified and is extreme however satisfying it may seen.Thus minus one star.The story is that of a grifter and his mark.Lindsay Crouse plays Margaret Ford a psychiatrist who becomes the "mark"of a smooth,and to her,very exciting grifter.Joe Mantegna plays Mike,the grifter who weaves a scheme by "planting"a patient in her office.This leeds her to believe the patient Billy Hahn played by Steven Goldstein,will be killed by a bookie.She goes to bar with him to pay off the bookie who turns out to be Mike.Mike talks her into watching him play cards and how to spot a "tell" in a card game.Of course it all goes wrong and she has to write a check to bail everyone out.However she realizes its all a scam and is furious but falls under Mikes spell and her own boring life.Falling in love with him only sets up a bigger scam against her.Then we learn that was the plan all along.Like a fish on a line she was slowly drawn into the elaborate scam by a totally heartless grifter,easily the lowest in movie history.However her boredom really allowed her to fall for it and well,I'm sorry as a educated "shrink"she should have seen it coming.It proves the old adage that theres always someone smarter than you so beware,especially in matters of love and money. In the end like "Hanna poring water on a drowning man"she just as coldly kills him with no remorse.The URL for the trailer is below the pix as usual. Release in 1987 it runs 102 minutes.
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1275987737/
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1275987737/
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Warriors 5 stars out of 5 stars
Can you dig it……………Cyrus (Roger Hill )yells to ignites the crowd and the ride begins.This is what scares urban dwellers.Armies of the night,unchecked and unchallenged and YOU are but possible collateral damage as you ride the subways to and from work.Forget terrorism,forget muggers and the urban homeless.The gangs can and will rule IF they stop fighting over their precious piece of turf,because its All their turf.
One gang can rule the city if it unites all the gangs and their affiliates to a army of 20,000 strong so says Cyrus the leader of a Bronx gang called the Gramercy Riffs to delegates from all over the city held at Van Courtland Park.Funny thing happens to the would be king in the middle of the speech , Cyrus is shot by Luther (David Patrick Kelly ) leader of the Rogues who then blames the Warriors.The movie then becomes a "Odyssey"of over 50 miles for the 9 Warriors delegates to get back to their home turf of Coney Island while every gang in the city is after them for killing Cyrus. This film is a too short 92 minutes and released in 1979.It came under much condemnation as in some cities real gang members came in their"colors"and had fights in the theaters.In reality its based on a book written by Sol Yurick who some say took took the idea from Xenophon's Anabasis, the story of Greek mercenaries march to Persia to take the throne and the march back. Since I haven't read ether book I can just say,like all good urban fiction and legend,its scary good. There is really too much to describe like a gang called the baseball Furys ,baseball clad face painted and bat welding,who "bob"with the warriors,but"struck out"and a female gang called "The Lizzys" and so on.Finally they make it home to the big "C" only to find The Rogues waiting.One of the great scenes and lines is Luther clicking 3 glass coke bottles on his fingers crying out,"Warriors come out and play !!"over and over.Having lived in NY,I will attest to the subways stations used in the movie that give it the believability it commands.Trailer URL is below the pix as usual.
Oh yes,if you ever wondered why young people listened to the boom box radios of yesterday,this movie gives you a idea……..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV4cgs-bPic
One gang can rule the city if it unites all the gangs and their affiliates to a army of 20,000 strong so says Cyrus the leader of a Bronx gang called the Gramercy Riffs to delegates from all over the city held at Van Courtland Park.Funny thing happens to the would be king in the middle of the speech , Cyrus is shot by Luther (David Patrick Kelly ) leader of the Rogues who then blames the Warriors.The movie then becomes a "Odyssey"of over 50 miles for the 9 Warriors delegates to get back to their home turf of Coney Island while every gang in the city is after them for killing Cyrus. This film is a too short 92 minutes and released in 1979.It came under much condemnation as in some cities real gang members came in their"colors"and had fights in the theaters.In reality its based on a book written by Sol Yurick who some say took took the idea from Xenophon's Anabasis, the story of Greek mercenaries march to Persia to take the throne and the march back. Since I haven't read ether book I can just say,like all good urban fiction and legend,its scary good. There is really too much to describe like a gang called the baseball Furys ,baseball clad face painted and bat welding,who "bob"with the warriors,but"struck out"and a female gang called "The Lizzys" and so on.Finally they make it home to the big "C" only to find The Rogues waiting.One of the great scenes and lines is Luther clicking 3 glass coke bottles on his fingers crying out,"Warriors come out and play !!"over and over.Having lived in NY,I will attest to the subways stations used in the movie that give it the believability it commands.Trailer URL is below the pix as usual.
Oh yes,if you ever wondered why young people listened to the boom box radios of yesterday,this movie gives you a idea……..
Monday, May 2, 2011
Path to Paradise 3 stars out of 5 stars
Took 2 stars off because docudramas are rarely excellent using actors to portray whom we all really know unless they are all dead and the event or peoples lives was long ago and we ONLY have the actors to draw on.That said this movie is very prophetic and as such makes it more than docudrama,its a unheeded warning.Thats why when we celebrate Osama's death we dare not forget what the WTC attack he organized was planned earlier and failed and this film is THAT story.The lesson is targets of opportunity in a free society are know to all who wish us harm,not just the mad leaders like a Osama.I won't therefore review it like I usually would since the story should be well know.Instead I'll just say that as Ramzi Ahmed Yousef played by Art Malik is in custody and being taken to a detention area via a helicopter over the WTC he remarks,"next time we will bring them both down"Bravado,yes,but this movie was made in 1997 and the event happened in 1993.HBO is to be commended for a gutsy call to show a very scary threat they was fulfilled.The movies 91 minutes.A brief plot for those who have forgotten.Written by Bob Farnsworth
The incredible story of the events leading up to the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York and the capture of the terrorists. The amazing thing is that the FBI had an informant among the terrorists, but refused to pay him $500/wk for more information. They eventually had to pay $1 million and place him in the witness protection program. A story of incompetence on all sides.
I'll just add that the attack is shown intermixed with actual media footage. Trailer URL is below pix.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/4198753/path_to_paradise_movie_trailer/
The incredible story of the events leading up to the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York and the capture of the terrorists. The amazing thing is that the FBI had an informant among the terrorists, but refused to pay him $500/wk for more information. They eventually had to pay $1 million and place him in the witness protection program. A story of incompetence on all sides.
I'll just add that the attack is shown intermixed with actual media footage. Trailer URL is below pix.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Quigley Down Under - 5 stars out of 5 stars
I wasn't a big Tom Selleck fan till this movie.Sometimes a role fits like a glove.This is such a role.Tom plays cowboy Matthew Quigley who answered a add from a Australian rancher Elliott Marston played by that great villain Alan Rickman but doesn't realize what the ad really was requesting.Quigley is a sort of reverse Crocodile Dundee but in a much more serious way in the true sense of good and evil in the old west.It seem Marston want the Ausie version of indians,aborginals, cleared from his land.Of course Quigley is no cold blooded killer and clashes with Marston and is left to die in the rough western like outback.Quigley had met a sort of crazy lady American when he landed and now reunites with her Crazy Cora played by Laura San Giacomo,whom we later learn was not as crazy by rather in a sort of shock induced refusal to accept reality because of a terrible deed she was involved in years before. When that deed is revealed it is moving and understandably powerful and we see her slowly begin to heal.But thats just another reason to see the movie.There is a star of another sort in the movie.Sort of a early sniper rifle called a Sharps rifle with a 34 inch long barrel, four more than normal. It has been modified to shoot a .45 caliber, 110 grain metal cartridge with a 540 grain paper patch bullet. It has a double set trigger and a Vernier sight marked up to 1200 yards, but "This one shoots a mite further." according to Quigley.This makes him a very dangerous foe to Marston as any soldiers reading this would gather.The film also delves into,in a around about way,the dirty secret that Australia kept about their treatment of the aborginals up until 1971.In some ways if you examine THAT story it is maybe worse than americas slavery.But being white it's not my place to judge degrees of bad to blacks.Bad is bad.
Anyway,there is a OK corral sort of ending that is much better and just version of old west justice.If you like westerns and want just a touch of exotic enhancement,THIS is your film.
As usual trailer link below pix.The film runs 119 minutes and was released in 1990.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xebFl_liB1E
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