La Bamba - 5 stars out of 5 stars

Perhaps you've heard of"the day the music died"? Without going into too much history here, that was  February 3, 1959 and Ritchie Valens was but 17 and he and 3 others died in a plane crash that night.This movie is about his short 2 year run to music stardom and untimely early death.It made a instant star out of Lou Diamond Phillips who played him and recognition to the music group Los Lobos which duplicated his music.Released in 1987 and running 107 minutes,it was a huge commercial success and reminded us all of what was lost that day.Again,he was but one of three plus a pilot that died.Another film was made about one of the others and also made a star of the actor who portrayed him and that was"The Buddy Holly story"and Gary Bussie.However this is the film we are reviewing and I'll stick to it.The fact I didn't know about Ritchie was he did NOT speak Spanish.Odd and another reason well done bio-flicks are so rewarding.In todays movies many actors also perform but in this film that didn't matter.See in those days it was lip singing on TV and even in some concerts so to catch the"person"is so much more important than catching the performance which wasn't"live"more often than not back in that day.The whole cast feels right but its Diamonds film.Must see if only to put a face on that time and music for all the young's out there. It's note worthy how many of these great"music"films Joe Pantoliano appears in. Trailer URL follows pix.
Sex,drugs and Rock and Roll.................

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wRCCUVT5jE

For Whom The Bell Tolls - 4 stars out of 5 stars

After viewing and later reviewing HBO's "Hemingway & Gellhorn"I was moved to view the 1943 film based on the novel he wrote while in Spain for their Civil War.I had seen this movie once long ago in lieu of reading the book for a school report.Who amongst us hasn't done that??Well,now I do understand  and consider this movie just a touch below Casablanca as a love story with war as a backdrop. This film is far more intense as a lifetime of desire and hope is condensed into but a few days,unlike Casablanca where lives were haunted for years.Pick your poison,both can kill a heart.Odd that Ingrid Bergman should be the object of such love in both movies.I be lov'in her memory.This movie is quite long at 170 minutes and is slow but for the intense action scenes.Not for todays FX crowd at all.But,if your a romantic and understand that nothing,even love,can be more intense than when death, through the threat of war, lurks in every shadow,than this film is for you.Perhaps those youngins of the twilight ilk might enjoy true angst ??Thus 1 star off.
Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.

Spain in the 1930s is the place to be for a man of action like Robert Jordan. There is a civil war going on and Jordan who has joined up on the side that appeals most to idealists of that era -- like Ernest Hemingway and his friends -- has been given a high-risk assignment up in the mountains. He awaits the right time to blow up a bridge in a cave. Pilar, who is in charge there, has an ability to foretell the future. And so that night she encourages Maria, a young girl ravaged by enemy soldiers, to join Jordan who has decided to spend the night under the stars. Written by Dale O'Connor <daleoc@interaccess.com>

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi162005273/

Krull - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Fantasy meets sci-fi back in 1983 and we are all better for it.James Horner did the sound track and we all know him as one of the best,Star Trek,Titanic ect. Early Liam Neeson small role.Be lov'in me best english character actor Freddie Jones and a good cast down the line.The story is silly enough,sort of King Arthur meets Stargate on the way to star wars or some such nonsense.Thats not important.Its fantasy like Lord of the rings with a lot of good old fashion honor and a true love quest.Running a long 121 minutes and being limited as really a tail for us never growed up kids,I had to take 1 and 1/2 stars off.
Remember its not Earth,Krull is the PLANET of choice for trhis fantasy so go with it if you still a kid and a romantic.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

From the sky will come the Black Fortress. From the Fortress will come the Slayers to devour the planet of Krull. Then shall a girl of ancient name become queen...she shall choose a king...and together they shall rule the planet. And their son shall rule the galaxy. Written by Stanford Sherman  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6i2par2Fv0

They Live - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Whats good and bad about this film are quite the same.What??.It's a John Carpenter film,get it??Thus 1 star off.Released in 1988 and running 93 minutes,its a different sort of film for the master film maker.Sci-fi but with a very today message.Money corrupts and blinds.I'm sure in some small way,"The Matrix trilogy"has some small insperation from this film and todays 99% who strive to be 1%'ers also need to see this. Me?I just love it when some one beats you to within a inch of your life to save it,by forcing you to wear sun glasses.You have to see the film to understand THAT.Roddy Piper,a pro wrestler,was a inspired choice in a  John Carpenter sort of way to be the lead in a so/so cast,but as in all of John Carpenter's films its the message that counts,not the messenger.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

Nada, a down-on-his-luck construction worker, discovers a pair of special sunglasses. Wearing them, he is able to see the world as it really is: people being bombarded by media and government with messages like "Stay Asleep", "No Imagination", "Submit to Authority". Even scarier is that he is able to see that some usually normal-looking people are in fact ugly aliens in charge of the massive campaign to keep humans subdued. Written by Melissa Portell <mportell@s-cwis.unomaha.edu>

http://www.cinemagia.ro/trailer/they-live-they-live-3754/

Bad Boys (1995) - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Nothing really new or special about this film which spawned a few sequels and there are a few other films with the same name.Why see it then? Well the action is ok but I do like "cop buddy"flixs and this is not disappointing.Michael Bay also is very adept at making action films.For me however,its a good chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as the cop buddies and two of my favorite supporting actors have small roles,Joe Pantoliano and Michael Imperioli and I always be lov'in me some Téa Leoni and Tchéky Karyo is a fine as your bad guy.So for those cozy nights you just want some action with witty buddy repartee,this is your film.railer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.Enjoy.

Marcus Burnett is a hen-pecked family man. Mike Lowry is a foot-loose and fancy free ladies' man. Both are Miami policemen, and both have 72 hours to reclaim a consignment of drugs stolen from under their station's nose. To complicate matters, in order to get the assistance of the sole witness to a murder, they have to pretend to be each other. Written by James Hastie <jdh1000@cus.cam.ac.uk> 

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2344091929/

In Time - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Updated idea of "Logans Run"right down to the crazy true believer "sandman"types.What differs is buying extra years,but thats one of the issues I have with this film and thus I took 1 and 1/2 stars off.It sort of adds"Highlander"and "Bonnie and Clyde"to the mix and so goes all over the place plot wise,rather than staying on target of a society choosing to kill itself at a young age unless……………..????Still its a novel idea and for those who like this sort of future hedonist type world will go for it as the cast is attractive and talented but I just couldn't get into a non-blonde Amanda Seyfried as I always love me some of that. Kuddos to Justin Timberlake as well.Released in 2011 it runs 109 minutes.Trailer URL follows pic and a IMDB summary is below.

Welcome to a world where time has become the ultimate currency. You stop aging at 25, but there's a catch: you're genetically-engineered to live only one more year, unless you can buy your way out of it. The rich "earn" decades at a time (remaining at age 25), becoming essentially immortal, while the rest beg, borrow or steal enough hours to make it through the day. When a man from the wrong side of the tracks is falsely accused of murder, he is forced to go on the run with a beautiful hostage. Living minute to minute, the duo's love becomes a powerful tool in their war against the system. Written by Twentieth Century Fox

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi775265305/

Superman - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1978 and running long at 143 minutes with the LONGEST credits both opening and closing you'll EVER see,is why I took 1/2 star off from the greatest superhero movie ever made.There can and are debates about other super hero movies BUT like"Godfather"did for gangster movies,Superman does for superhero movies ( read into that Batman,ect.).Its no coincidence that Marlon Brando was in both movies.However Christopher Reeve WAS Superman and carried the movie.Aided by Brando and Hackman and Ford and Kidder and so on,the cast was amongst the best ever,BUT superhero movies depend on believing the "UN"believable and that was Reeves.If you somehow missed this movie because it is 34 years old,see it because it does stand up.Trailer URL below and a IMDB summary for those who somehow never heard of this,is below.And for you young'ins who loved TV's "Smallville"this movie and the comic it was based on, is what inspired it.

Unable to convince the ruling council of Krypton that their world will destroy itself soon, scientist Jor-El takes drastic measures to preserve the Kryptonian race: He sends his infant son Kal-El to Earth. There, gaining great powers under Earth's yellow sun, he will become a champion of truth and justice. Raised by the Kents, an elderly farm couple, Clark Kent learns that his abilities must be used for good. The adult Clark travels to Metropolis, where he becomes a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet...and a caped wonder whose amazing feats stun the city: Superman! Meanwhile, Lex Luthor, the world's greatest criminal mind, is plotting the greatest real estate swindle of all time. Can't even the Man of Steel stop this nefarious scheme? Written by Gregory A. Sheets <m-sheets2@onu.edu>

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2710307097/

Dolphin Tale - 4 stars out of 5 stars

In this crazy world gone mad with hatred and violence and even worse,apathy,kudos to a film,while corny and not really presenting anything new at all in that respect,updates what can sometimes be lost these days,our humanity and human ingenuity.Based on true events and Clearwater Marine Aquariums own Dolphin,Winter,we get a new spin as real and heart wrenching as the 50,000 + wounded warriors  this country is now home to.Thru a story about a Dolphin we get a allegory of todays sometimes neglected  veterans and the extraordinary medical advancements being made on their behalf.I was drawn to this 2011 film that runs 113 minutes by its cast.Harry Connick Jr.,Kris Kristofferson, and Morgan Freeman,and I always be lov'in me some Ashley Judd.But a movie like this needs good child actors and Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Nathan Gamble are all that.Winter the Dolphin is a good animal/actor to base a story on as well.It can be a "tissue movie"and I recommend it for times like this past weekend when you just want the world to go away.My only issue is that's a corny movie like this works best when the world really sucks and you need hope for better days.Thus 1 star off.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

A lonely and friendless boy finds and untangles a hurt dolphin that is caught in a crab trap. He becomes very attached to the dolphin when the tail must be taken off to save the dolphin's life. The boy believes the dolphin would be able to swim normally if it was given a prosthetic tail. Written by Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1353554969/

50 First Dates - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Adam Sandler is usually not for me and thats why I took 1 and 1/2 stars off + the uneven re-working of the"groundhog day"idea.Still,its a point of view twist that has its moments aided by a wonderfully comic yet poignant performance by Drew Barrymore.Released in 2004 and running but 99 minutes,there are quite a few funny acting turns by others BUT its really the molding together of the characters portrayed by Barrymore and Sandler that is the whole film.Adam starts as the typical childish jerk he always plays yet evolves into a driven hero of sorts as he falls for someone who will not ever remember meeting him the next day.Groundhog day with a tragic twist as those around her can never forget the endless day always being relived.Spoiler ending,Drew gets to re-know Adam each and every day and the fact they are married and have a young daughter at the end of the film in as fine a ending as anything Sandler has ever done or could hope to ever duplicate.Strong recommendation dispute Sandlers infantile beginning as is his custom in all his films.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.


Henry Roth lives in a Hawaiian paradise with the company of endless women with no strings attached. This is until he meets Lucy Whitmore. Both Henry and Lucy enjoy the company of each other and feel the start of a serious relationship occurring. Approaching Lucy the next day, Henry is confused when Lucy fails to recognize him. This is the moment Henry discovers that Lucy actually suffers from short term memory loss and can't remember each individual day. Henry won't let this stop him and is prepared to make her fall in love with him all over again, each and every day. Written by FilmFanUk

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi867434777/

The Help - 4 and 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

What keeps this film from total perfection is it starts very slowly,so much so that after 15 minutes I wanted to move on to something else.That's why I took but 1/2 star off.Well once it grabbed me I went willing along for a emotional "chick flick"ride.Now the 50's and 60's has been explored many times before,in fact,I reviewed a film called"the Painting"and well,this subject has been done 100 times before.Than why rave about THIS film?? Well,first off,its really from a woman's perspective.Best done film from that point of view I can recall.Second,the cast.Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark  does earn her Oscar,however,there are 2 other worthy performances as well.Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson  and I be loving me some Emma Stone as Skeeter Phelan .The rest of the cast are outstanding as well,but,the main focus is these three woman.What did truly surprise me is that Disney made this film.Are they growing up finally??Released in 2011 its a little long at 146 minutes TILL it starts rolling,then its over before you realize it.


Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter (Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives -- and a Mississippi town -- upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Aibileen (Davis), Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up -- to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community. Despite Skeeter's life-long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Aibileen continue their collaboration and soon more women come forward to tell their stories -- and as it turns out, they have a lot to say. Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged and a new sisterhood emerges, but not before everyone in town has a thing or two to say themselves when they become unwittingly -- and unwillingly -- caught up in the changing times. Written by Walt Disney Pictures  

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi809278745/

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Swedish novelist Stieg Larsson wrote a trilogy of books called "Millennium series" ,the first of which was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and all 3 novels were made into films and this one was directed by Swedish Director Niels Arden Oplev.That was in 2009 and this is the American re-make of that acclaimed novel and film.Not having seen that film or read the novel I was drawn to THIS film out of curiosity of the casting of a granddaughter Rooney Mara,of football royalty, in a major role and the Academy Awards nomination she received.BRAVO,but her grandfather name sakes are probably turning over in their graves.Not since " La Femme Nikita"has there been a nastier female role to play and play this one well is the main reason to see this 2011 release.I took 1 star of for low down and very rough dirty sex and length.The plot is also kinda hard to believe,a father and son family of  serial killers and big time corporate greed and secrecy cloaked within a old family of Swedish WW11 Nazi collaborators.Kinda really out there BUT Rooney along with a fine turn by current "Bond"actor Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist ,pull it off.BE WARNED,its a very rough film and not for maybe half of you.Still,its gritty and a dirty pleasure and I be loving me some Rooney Mara about now :)
Trailer URL follow the pix and a IMDB summary below.

This English-language adaptation of the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), as he investigates the disappearance of a wealthy patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined. Written by Anonymous 

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3830160409/

Air Force One - 4 and 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

OK its hard to believe but thats what film fantasy is all about and in this really poor political year of 2012,MAN do we really need a film such as this 1997 release of 124 minutes. Its strength is its weakness thus 1/2 star off.NO President will ever be like Harrison's Ford  portrayal of President James Marshall.This President is more like those who have lost the election for that office than the ones who won.The closest might be Bush 1,but thats a stretch.He's tough and older yet young enough to still fight hand to hand and win !!!He's the right man we never seem to get in the real world.Oh,and the bad guys.Real bad.Gary Oldman plays Ivan Korshunov a loyal follower to a internal squabble between mother Russia and one of the former USSR republics Kazakhstan.Not important because the whole highjacking of air force one that this film is built around is unbelievable.Its the acting and "gezz I wish we had that sort of President "is why I  recommending this film.
President Ford I salute you.


The President of the USA goes to Moscow and gives a stirring speech outlining the USA's new "Zero-tolerance" policy with respect to terrorism. On the flight home, terrorists take over Air Force One (the President's official plane) and take the passengers (including his wife and daughter) hostage. The terrorists plan to execute one hostage every half-hour unless/until their demands are met. However, the President is a former Medal of Honor winner, so the terrorists may be in for a surprise... Written by Afterburner <aburner@erols.com>

 http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1773469977/

The Big Year - 2 and 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 2011 and running 100 minutes I was not amused and thus a 50/50 - 2 and 1/2 star rating.A outstanding comedy cast headed by Steve Martin and Owen Wilson and Jack Black supported by other comedy funny folk led by Kevin Pollak and many ,many others,I expected a lot more. For me bird watching doesn't do it no matter how they try to mix it with the lifes of regular folk and by that I mean regular other than that fetish of bird watching.for me,its a curiosity only.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

In birding, a Big Year is seeing or hearing as many different species of birds as possible in a calendar year. Three men pursue the Birder of the Year title: Kenny Bostick, who's seen a record 732 in a past big year, Stu Preissler, newly retired, and Brad Harris, who narrates the story. Life gets in the way: Bostick's wife wants a baby, Stu's firm needs him for sensitive negotiations, and Brad, divorced and underemployed at 36, has an encouraging mom and a disapproving dad. They criss-cross the U.S. (including a trip to Alaska's westernmost island), follow migration patterns, and head for storms that force birds to ground. Who will win, at what cost, and with what rewards? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi862297113/

Hemingway & Gellhorn - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Another fine HBO film.This years release 2012,at a long 155 gets 1 stars knocked off for  nude love scenes ( Nicole,your better than that,even if it is HBO ) and length and not really telling us more about this tortured relationship.Then why see it?Oddly enough for the very reason that it does take on so much history through this relationship and to learn something about Martha Gellhorn,played by Nicole Kidman,who was the third of "papa's"4 wives.Papa of course is Ernest Hemingway,played by Clive Owen.We all know of papa's service in WW1 and later becoming arguably his generations "larger than life"writer ala Mark Twain.What is lesser known is the relationship with Martha.What is so very interesting and sad at the same time is the fact that both died at their own hands.Papa is shown in the film BUT we are left with Martha still plugging along when in fact she killed herself in 1998.So the history that is shown to fill out Martha's role as a war correspondent is the real interest here.Her bearing witness to wars hell is almost unimaginable.The film doesn't even touch the 30+ years of conflicts she covered after papa's death.Like Nam,the Middle East,Bonia,ect. Those alone would be more than a life's work.These are also events we remember for the most part.However the film starts with the Spanish Civil War.,than Russia's invasion of Finland.Japans invasion of Manchuria where Papa and Martha meet both Chiang Kai-shek AND Zhou Enlai. Than on to the invasion of Europe and ending at the German death camps.More than any human should ever see and perhaps thats why both killed themselves when they couldn't live with each other.Sometimes seeing what should never be seen and than seeing it more intensely time after time,makes for intense love that also can never be sustained in the same sad way.
Trailer URL follows the pix.See it for history that never should be forgotten.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG-ATeTT-R4

Caddyshack - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Again remember, humor is oh so subjective.For me,there are but 2 reasons to see this otherwise low brow, poor taste comedy about the most boring sport there is.First,the late no respect Rodney Dangerfield and second,the spaced out role of assistant groundskeeper charged with killing a oh so cute gopher,played by a young Bill Murray.That is enough to check out this comedy but is it a"classic"like"Animal House",or even "Stripes"( both of which I have reviewed earlier) NO !!!! Released in 1980 and running only 98 minutes I took 2 stars off for being a very simple comedy.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.

An exclusive golf course has to deal with a brash new member and a destructive dancing gopher.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3032219929/

Tomorrow,When the War Began - 4 stars out of 5 stars

To me this is a updated remake of"Red Dawn"( which I already reviewed)set in Aussie land rather than the US.However there are already 2 sequels in the works. "Tomorrow When the war Began" is the First book in the Series known as the "Tomorrow Series", a series of seven books and a further series known as "The Ellie Chronicles" by Australian Author John Marsden,and THAT is what they claim this movie is based on.No matter,it's still "Red dawn"to me and like many other updated remakes its similar but very different.The concept of a invading Army occupying a advanced western country is so WW11 its laughable and that's what you had to suspend belief on to enjoy both "Dawn" and this film.What I did find interesting is the more realistic interactive male and female relationships of this film than Dawn.Very"Twilightish"and the cast is attractive enough and does a fair job.Not as well as Dawn,but they were really future stars and this cast,well,time will tell.I was least impressed with the lead actress Caitlin Stasey as Ellie Linton.She's no Kristen Stewart of "twilight"fame and if they hope she can carry this franchise like she does,well…..
Thats why I took 1 star off.However its good fantasy fun, but if you really like battles and lots of military action,Dawn is more for you.This is more teenage angst in the face of war.
Released in 2010 it runs 103 minutes and the trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.

When their country is invaded and their families are taken, eight unlikely high school teenagers band together to fight.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3928858905/

The Debt - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

This is film is strange indeed,a throwback to the classic cold war thriller days with deep dark secrets. Perhaps I've seen too many of these films because I was strangely unmoved when it was finished.Released in 2010 and running 113 minutes,I was draw to this film because of Helen Mirren.However the entire cast was fine even Tom Wilkinson whom I thought going in ,might be in over his head,he wasn't,and did fine.There were 2 fine plot twists near the end that made it worth while sitting through a rather boring film otherwise.So if you like films about the old cold war days when Nazi war criminals were hunted in secret by Isreali agents, told in flashback to today,you might like this film.
Perhaps I must see it again.Still i resent or should I say doubt the old love"triangle"and "pops there he is"plot twists at the end.Although a desperate 80 something vs a 60 something fight to the death is done in a such a way that it is NOT laughable.So thats why I had to take 1 and 1/2 stars off.I've said enough.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.OH yes,also 2 of todays best young actors also have major roles and do them well,Jessica Chastain and Sam Worthington.

1965, three Mossad agents cross into East Berlin to apprehend a notorious Nazi war criminal. Thirty years later, the secrets the agents share come back to haunt them.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi22978073/

Executive Decision - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1996 and running very long at 133 minutes,I took 1 star off for the mid air infiltration of our special forces unit along with the films length. Everything else rocks.
Fabulous cast,gripping suspense and sadly feels very real.Oh did I mention Halle Berry ?
How many films does Steven Seagal die in?John Leguizamo is cool but its Kurt Russell picture.The rest of the cast is great and boy does David Suchet nails the part of the bad guy.The story is a little far fetched but still scares so please,if you want a thrill,check it out.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below,oh by the way,do you like hockey and did I mention Halle Berry?

When terrorists seize control of an airliner, an intelligence analyst accompanies a commando unit for a midair boarding operation

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4003791129/

The Italian Job ( 2003 ) - 3 stars out of 5 stars

There is a earlier film with the same name,never saw that and I am told this film is NOT  remake.So to it,released in 2003 and running 111 minutes there is nothing wrong with this film.Good action,nice double cross plot,good cast with a really alluring Charlize Theron,be still my heart,so why 2 stars off?The film was just a fun ride,nothing more.I can't see saying you must see this.There are more intense and memorable action/thief films to see.
So if you like action,its JUST ok,ah but Charlize…………….
Trailer URL below the pix and a IMDB summary below.

After being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3086221593/

Cuba - 2 and 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1979 and running 122 minutes this is a 50/50 film.Too long,unclear early plot and vague love story.On the plus side,Sean Connery.Thats about it.Sure its a trip to 1959 Cuba on the verge of Fidel's revolt with all the contrast and interest that brings.yet it is VERY boring.The trailer URL is actual spliced together scenes and a IMDB summary is below.For Cuba romantics and Connery fans ONLY.

A British mercenary arrives in pre-Revolution Cuba to help train the corrupt General Batista's army against Castro's guerrillas while he also romances a former lover now married to an unscrupulous plantation owner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXA-AxBvjq0

5 Days of War - 5 stars out of 5 stars

How can I explain why I gave this film a perfect 5 stars?? Well we will start with the fact this film was released in 2011 and running 113 minutes,about about a War in 2008.That makes it a first film for that war.
Second its about a war few even know happened as it lasted but 5 days and was up against the Olympics in China for media attention.Yes thats true,look it up.
Third its from a smaller film company that spent its budget on location shooting it seems.
Forth,the war involves my ancestral home country of Russia.
Five,it also involved another country with boots on the ground AT OUR SIDE in Iraq,GEORGIA.
Six ,some real interesting casting.
Seven,the story is based on facts.
Eight,its also a story of those forgotten press who live and die to get a story out,literally.
Nine,its combat scenes are as intensely realistic as any I've seen.
Ten,the other 9 reasons make it the kinda gem of a film we live for.
Now to the war itself,this film contributes little to the understanding of why the war happened at all,but,isn't that true in many cases? Really people,BE HONEST !!!!!
The casting,well,I turned in to see Heather Graham and Andy Garcia and Val Kilmer with other unknowns to see how it would mix and i wasn't to optimistic.Damned if Heather isn't killed in the opening scene and Val is little seen till he's killed late in the film,BUT Andy is good as the Georgian President but not really needed as I said earlier,it's really about the press,not politics.
Now the press, thats Rupert Friend playing Thomas Anders, the reporter the story is built around, and he really does grow on you as the film moves along.AH,but Johnathon Schaech as Cpt. Rezo Avaliani ,a Georgian who saved Thomas in Iraq and then in Georgia has some acting career ahead !!!!
As to the war itself,don't look to this movie as truth,as it said itself at the very beginning,the first casualty of war IS the truth.No,this story is as stated before,a tribute to the people who cover it.Trailer URL follows the pix.If your looking for a war gem of a film,SEE IT.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2926681625/

Freejack - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Truly a movie crying out"Remake me NOW"Maybe its the casting,or the the flawed plot,but there is a good idea in this 1992 film that runs 110 minutes.The sci-fi idea is thought provoking.The future holds the ability to snatch someone in the past, a moment before their own death, so a rich old future type can have their own mind transferred into that all but "dead man walking"would have been dead younger body, like a transplant of sorts to continue living.OK,I think you can see both the moral as well as sci-fi aspects of this VERY interesting idea.Sadly,this plot falls very short by making it simply old rich future folks live in a world going bad and still cling to there own fantasy by reliving life in a past ideal.Well,maybe,thats still not so bad,but when you think of alternate timelines and butterfly fly effects,well,my head hurts!!!!
The casting is youth rock and rollish and that also lessens the impact to a large degree as well.Yeah,Jagger shows he can act a little and Rene Russo fits her part well,but Emilio Estevez??? Finally when they turn loose Anthony Hopkins its too late.The rest of the cast are just film fodder and supply a few yucks along the way. Still,kudos for a good idea,now will someone refine it??? 2 stars off for all the negatives I mentioned.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

Auto racer Alex Furlong is snatched by time travel, a split second before a fatal explosion, by Vasendak's 21st-century team of techies, who plan to sell his healthy body to an ailing rich man at McCandless Corporation, for a mind transfer. He escapes, but has no rights in this nightmare future of violence and sleaze. The story concerns his survival, and his attempt to revive his relationship with his fiancée Julie, now 15 years older and an executive at McCandless. Written by Will Briggs <wbriggs@sirius.uta.edu> 

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3416785177/

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 2004 and running long at 119 minutes the ONLY reason to see this film is the cast.Other than that it seems to be a completely far out send up of a Jacques-Yves Cousteau film and voyage with some waked out "do you get it?"in joke.Well I didn't but a cast of Bill Murray,Owen Wilson,Cate Blanchett,Willem Dafoe,Jeff Goldblum,Michael Gambon,Anjelica Huston and Seu Jorge  singing David Bowie songs in Portuguese make it a 50/50 prop to see if your bored.Trailer follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3686859033/

The Painting ( 2001 ) - 5 stars out of 5 stars

Warning,it will be hard to find this film so understand what you are looking for.This film was released in 2001 and runs but 90 minutes and was re-released in 2006 under the new title of "Solders of change"Both titles are somewhat misleading as the story is more then family love of art (the painting) or the Vietnam war(Soldiers of change).Thats why it gets my perfect 5 stars ,for its what I truly search for,that looked over or otherwise missed gem of a unknown film. Perhaps it was my interest in Albert Coombs Barnes's art collection in Philly that led me to this film,again not really similar BUT there are connections in a layered way.Ah,Layers !!!!!This film has many and thats the thing and also maybe a turn off to the great masses.So now that we have 3 layers to draw on,let us begin.
Told in flashback by a soldier in Vietnam we learn of a rich southern white family of the 50's era whose father collects artwork as a passion as he made a good life for himself in Newspapers and hiring blacks workers right as the civil rights movement is beginning.( Barnes in a round about way).He had only one son and his wife dies during a storm, in a car accident while the boy,NOW the soldier,was but a young boy.
The "butler".a black man,is almost more of a father to the boy than his real father who is absorbed in work maybe because he has to be,or because he's alone after the wife's death.
At any rate,the young lad meets the butlers young niece at a black church mass and well,a friendship grows through the next 10 or so years to a love affair.Through that period we see the civil rights violence with no holes bared truth,as the film had a very tame almost whimsy feel to that point.Then it gets a bit more dark as the boy is sent to West Point but is kicked out and then marries his brown sugar and then is drafted as his now wife is pregnant.Here we a few draft era errors like marriage,but they are so small and not labored that you can forgive them.Bottom line is the father has lost him through his own misguided fears and the boy is more principled than any rich kids YOU ever met.Still they do miss each other and wish they had a way to swallow their silly stupid pride and re-connect.Here's were a film error is also made.Film makers should NOT let a character tell a story in flashback unless they say its from the grave or you can tell it yourself early on.The boy you see never comes home or sees his young daughter other than through pictures. Still a forgivable point as his death does set in motion a interesting reconciliation from the grave.Yes I cried at the end.So how can I give a perfect 5 stars with 2 complaints?? The story,for only the rich can make change without a full revolution and that is the legacy of our 1960's.The white middle class in the guise of the children, forced the change as the fires in the streets were beginning to be lit.Interracial love,a taboo,but a powerful tool like none seen before is the true catalyst of that period and this film may be somewhat awkward in trying to show this along with all the other layers on its plate ,but try it does.
So finally why see this film?? Again my 3 layers.One,in this film,blacks will get the art collection finally and unlike in the Barnes true historic story where they messed it up and Philly controls it today.Two,the 60's war in Vietnam was EVERYBODYS war because of a draft,not just the very few who volunteer as in todays wars and finally a love story that ends tragically BUT in the noblest of way.Romance only a few ever attain.
Must see,with tissues and wait,if you let the whimsy pass,you will cry.The cast,lesser knowns for the most part,but they do honor to the heavy ideals of this deep film.Trailer URL follows the pix.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1950286617/

TV Series - Game Of Thrones - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

HBO is known for movies and sports and series that could NEVEN be shown over-the-air broadcast TV.This is definitely one and thats a crying shame.Two season in the books and awaiting a third.Much like "Downton Abbey"from PBS there is much to discover here,but,unlike that series that I reviewed early,its far more graphic and that may turn off many.Thats the only reason I took 1/2 star off.It could have been just another "Lord of the Rings"but by its sexual and violent nature it strove to be so much more.Dare I say Greek or even Shakespeare in nature.Pity,life is cruel and unjust,a series that wants to "tell"a life story must be as well.The story is by no means simple or easy to explain.Like a soap opera,you must give yourself to it.Or as I saw in some nameless movie reference by a nameless character reading like something out of "South Park",OMG they killed Ed Stark"!!!!!!
This series begins by introducing us to the "Stark"clan,Ed being played by Sean Bean and the characters name he portrays is really named Eddard Stark and he is beheaded in the 9th episode.This is a fantasy land that never existed like Lord of the rings.You must remember that at all times because as the story unfolds with new clans and characters,so does new lands and territories.Basically there is a confederation of 7 thrones ruled by one king.Over hundreds of years this included one family that could control Dragons. These various families also inbreed in many cases and arranged political marriages in others.On one level this series is full of violent killing in wars of conquest and also full of sex portrayed as a equally driving force of human nature as conquest is.Sexual or violently territorial ,conquest is conquest.
On another level its a story of families that are dysfunctional and perversive but really,no more than say Michael Corleone's.but more graphically portrayed.
But into this mix is also thrown,witches,warlocks,dragons and "white walkers"which seem to be zombies !!!!! There is also a great wall separating this crazy world from a even darker and colder one of long nights and cold winters that last for years at a time and are populated by savage other humans called "wildings" and the"white walkers"which are enemies of all,the wildings and the families that play that"game of thrones"
It goes on and on.Based on a series of books still being written by George R. R. Martin who has assisted in writing 2 of the episodes in the series.
All I can say is its a great ride if you take the sex and violence and I think most of you can.
I first turned on the series,never hearing of George R. R. Martin and his books,just to see Lena Headey     as Cersei Lannister.I've loved her from the "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles ,but I stayed because of two truly ground breaking and Emmy deserving performances by Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister  who is a dwarf but also as deformed  as all the other characters,only he is more visible as a dwarf. He is also a more honest character than all the others.Amazing !!! Then there is Maisie Williams ,who plays the youngest girl of the Stark clan,Arya Stark.Not since Dorothy  in Wizard of Oz,has a child actress meant so much to a story and played it so well.One hopes she has a better "real"life then Judy had.
There is no DVD's yet but their coming soon and reruns can be seen on HBO.I live for the third season and tell you its must see TV. Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.

Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Political and sexual intrigue is pervasive. Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros, asks his old friend Eddard, Lord Stark, to serve as Hand of the King, or highest official. Secretly warned that the previous Hand was assassinated, Eddard accepts in order to investigate further. Meanwhile the Queen's family, the Lannisters, may be hatching a plot to take power. Across the sea, the last members of the previous and deposed ruling family, the Targaryens, are also scheming to regain the throne. The friction between the houses Stark, Lannister and Baratheon, and with the remaining great houses Greyjoy, Tully, Arryn, and Tyrell, leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war and political confusion, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond. Written by Tfilm78 and Cajunman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ixEWrTLiZg