The Seven Year Itch 1955 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

What was so daring in the 50's seems almost corny by todays perverse standards.Released in 1955 and running only 104 minutes,this film signifies the "dumb blonde"image that Marilyn Monroe lived off in her screen career.Paired with a rather ordinary,and maybe thats why the film worked so well,Tom Ewell ,they gave us a funny and somewhat poignant comedy of a 39 year old mans mid life crisis.Perhaps its my age but they truly don't make em like this anymore.Even the famed subway grating up skirt scene is so innocently iconic it makes you wonder how anyone else thinks they can do it justice.It took class to pull it of then,not the crass of todays directors.You can also see why Marilyn is today still studied and immortalized.But one also has to credit Toms fine performance as well.Bucket list film for true movie fans.Classic clip URL from the movie ( Skirt scene) follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

With his family away for their annual summer holiday, New Yorker Richard Sherman decides he has the opportunity to live a bachelor's life - to eat and drink what he wants and basically to enjoy life without wife and son. The beautiful but ditsy blond from the apartment above his catches his eye and they soon start spending time together. It's all innocent though there is little doubt that Sherman is attracted to her. Any lust he may be feeling is played out in his own imagination however. Written by garykmcd

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1289397529/

TV Series - Primeval - BBC - 5 seasons - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Considering the BBC was a laughing stock for FX,its truly amazing that this 5 season show,from 2007 - 2011 is "OUT"standing.Yes it starts with Jurassic park,a movie reviewed on this blog,worthy effects both of the past and the future, kinds of creatures as the show explores "strange anomalies in time"as the appear in England and try to keep it a secret from the public even as they become "victims".In the 4th and 5 season they add a DS9 actor as a sort of "bad guy"you have to watch to find out who it is.Hint he was a good guy in DS9.The cast is fine,the storys interesting and FX that fits rather than becomes the show.I took 1 star off because over the long haul I felt the writer really didn't know what to make of the anomalies themselves.Still jolly good fun !!!! Episode trailer follows the picture.Watch it !!!.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1551958553/

The Lives of Others 2006 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Usually I stay away from foreign subtitled films BUT in this case this film released in 2006 and running 137 minutes,caught my attention.Because it is in German and might be considered as somewhat boring,I took 1 star off.However it is a important film if you have a interest of what life was like in a surveillance state,even if you were loyal to it.It plays like a play rather than a movie as it slowly unveils how people were watched and sometimes in error before both Germanys re-unified in 1989.Its hard to explain except that you are watching lives unfold like a reality show only this was how it was back then and not filmed for entertainment value,rather for its informational historic value.If you have a interest in life behind the wall,see it,if you want a good time,don't. Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.

In the early 1980s, Georg Dreyman (a successful dramatist) and his longtime companion Christa-Maria Sieland (a popular actress), were huge intellectual stars in (former) East Germany, although they secretly don't always toe the party line. One day, the Minister of Culture becomes interested in Christa, so the secret service agent Wiesler is instructed to observe and sound out the couple, but their life fascinates him more and more. Written by fippi2000

http://www.moviestrailer.org/das-leben-der-anderen-movie-trailer.html

TV Series - Highlander - 6 seasons - 92-98 - 5 stars out of 5 stars

Maybe the best TV show not named star trek ever made,maybe,can there be more than one??? What do you like in a series?? Romance?? Tragedy??History??Action,Sci fi,adventure??You name it,its here in 5 wonderful seasons,the 6th is mainly bunch of pilots for a future spinoff show called "Raven",so they don't count.I reviewed the movie"Highlander"on this blog,of which this show is itself a spinoff,but its far better in scope and script.Adrian Paul IS the Highlander much as Bill Shatner IS captain Kirk in Star Trek. The show stands on his interpretation of the tormented immortal who can not be killed unless you take his head !!!!We are treated to his loves,adventures and life through flashbacks as he encounters others like himself.It fantastic fantasy entertainment.The opening sequence of the show as a trailer follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.Must see bucket list TV.

Taken from the film, Highlander, Duncan MacLeod, clansman of Connor in the film also finds he is being stalked by not only other immortals trying to kill him before the time of the gathering, but also a secret society of mortals who call themselves 'The Watchers' and also seem intent on killing him. Duncan and the other immortals can only be killed by decapitation and often live for centuries. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi866976025/

42 - 2013 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Everyone knows about Jackie Robinson,but this visual portrayal of mainly his first year as a dodger is still rather striking for younger viewers who have no frame of reference to that long ago time, and for me,that is the true value of this 2013 release that runs 128 minutes.Thus 1 star off since I didn't learn anything that I hadn't already known.However that is also the films value to educate those who only have read about its time and thus aren't still aware of the dangers of history always repeating itself to those less  uninformed.the cast is fine and the story seems fairly close to the truth.So i do recommend mainly for those too young to remember those times.Small note,the "Dodgers"have now been in LA longer than they ever were in Brooklyn and Jackie NEVER was a LA Dodger.My how time HAS marched on.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.Much more than a "Sports"film.

 In 1946, Jackie Robinson is a Negro League baseball player who never takes racism lying down. Branch Rickey is a Major League team executive with a bold idea. To that end, Rickey recruits Robinson to break the unspoken color line as the first modern African American Major League player. As both anticipate, this proves a major challenge for Robinson and his family as they endure unrelenting racist hostility on and off the field, from player and fan alike. As Jackie struggles against his nature to endure such abuse without complaint, he finds allies and hope where he least expects it. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3440617241/

TV Series - Battlestar Galactica - 4 seasons 2004-2009 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

I've had many arguments with my sons who LOVED the original TV series back in the late 70's and 80's which someday I will have to re-watch to review,because they don't like this updated version.But I do love this very dark and nasty remake.Its hard to say but sometimes you think that humanity deserves what it gets,never the case in the original!! That said, the FX is the best EVER on TV even to this day.The stories are trek like in the relevance to today in many cases.The hardest to watch was humans being suicide bombers against other humans!!!!Holy Frak !!! The cast,well Edward James Olmos IS Admiral William Adama and  Katee Sackhoff as Captain Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace,yes a FEMALE, Shocked the old series fan base. But I loved the unholy romance between  Tricia Helfer as Cylon Number Six and  James Callis as Dr. Gaius Baltar,the traitor,as delicious  evil pleasure !!There are many other fabulous actors doing great characters to numerous to mention.That may be the hidden strength of the series.The show ran 4 seasons from 2004-2009 and spun off a prequel .I took off 1 star because the series ending of well,SPOILER HERE,humans and colons intermingling to form US ?? was a little out there.Series opining attack trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.



The second war against the Cylons is over and The Twelve Colonies have been destroyed. Now Commander Adama of the Battlestar Galatica and President Laura Roslin lead a ragtag fleet of refugees in a supposed search for the fabled lost thirteenth colony, Earth. However, the dangers they face are many which compound an already difficult situation. In addition to the Cylons hunting and attacking the fleet in space, their infiltrator units carry out a more subtle plot even as their former unwitting pawn, Gaius Baltar, helps in the hunt for them while hiding both his own guilt and the strange presence that haunts his every thought. If that wasn't enough, the fleet also faces internal political conflict in which the rabble-rousing figure, Tom Zarek, is merely the loudest dissenting voice. In the midst of these trials however, clues begin to appear that suggest that Adama's simple bluff about Earth may be more truthful than anyone could have guessed. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cti9qz3ev1g

The Girl 2012 - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

There are a few films named"The Girl"this one is a HBO-BBC co production about a the relationship between famed director Alfred Hitchcock and actress Tippi Hedren. Now I don't know anything about the directors personnel life,nor Hedrens,however I found much of this unbelievable.The only reason I rate it 50/50 is BECAUSE I don't know,so you be the judge.I also don't like the actors and find them also unbelievable.Still,it does tell a story that many want to hear I guess.Released in 2012 it runs 91 minutes.A trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.For fans of salacious stories about famous people I guess.

When Grace Kelly retires from films to marry Prince Rainier Alfred Hitchcock looks for a similar blonde and finds her in TV model,the little known Tippi Hedren,who will star in his film adaptation of horror story 'The Birds'. Hitchcock is obsessed with Tippi sexually and,when she rebuffs his advances,sadistically puts her through five days of filming where she is attacked and injured by real birds. Hitchcock's wife Alma and his assistant Peggy are appalled but can do nothing. Tippi is resolved that she will not give in to Hitchcock despite the situation giving her nightmares. Hitchcock and Tippi make a second film,'Marnie'. Having admitted that Alma is the only woman he has ever had sex with and that he now finds her cold Hitchcock continues to pursue Tippi, bombarding her with phone calls declaring his love for her yet reminding her that he alone made her famous and she owes him. At this stage Tippi demands that her contract be terminated and an end title states that they never ... Written by don @ minifie-1

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

TV Series - Elfego Baca - Disney 1958 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Televised in 1958 as one of a couple great TV miniseries during Disney's classic TV show,this one stared Robert Loggia as the legendary Sheriff and Lawyer, Elfego Baca, back in 1880's New Mexico.As with the other great series from Disney I have reviewed on this blog,its based on a real life figure of the time and is truly inspirational in the values set forth from that time and the time of its broadcast,unlike the more confusing times we now live in.Very sad indeed and another reason to watch it.Like the other shows,this has a great list of guest stars including in one episode a original Star Trek member,er clue only,also played in another western.You'll just have to watch it.Also a beach blanket Disney mousekater..Only took 1 star off because its corny at times and lacks some true violence,but thats also a good thing.Instead os a trailer,the full first episode URL follows the picture.

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

Quicksilver 1986 - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Strange this film doesn't get more love.Maybe because I'm a city kid,worked on wall street and was a messenger in HS,and road a Bike ALOT as a kid,I see more to this film  than most.yeah the story is a little out there but most of the "characters"are fair enough stereotypes and it was released in 1986 and runs 105 minutes,right at the height or low,depending on your point of view,of the "bike messenger" craze  that hit all the major urban locals in the country.Kevin Bacon starts a little slow but warms to the character,Jack Casey,soon enough and Laurence Fishburne has a small but very powerful presence in the film as a character named"voodoo".Paul Rodriguez is fun as well as a ,you guessed it,Mexican wants a better life type.Its not great cinema at all,but its very watchable and fits that period of time as well as most films of the day.You could do FAR worse.I took 1 and 1/2 stars off because of the above reasons of being out there and it should have been shot in NYC rather than Frisco.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below. 


 Jack Casey ('Kevin Bacon' )used to be a hot-shot stock market whiz kid. After a disastrous professional decision, his life in the fast lane is over. He loses his nerve and joins a speed delivery firm which relies on bicycles to avoid traffic jams of San Francisco, is attracted to a fellow bicycler, Terri, and befriends Hector, a budding entrepreneur. Can Jack regain his nerve and his self-respect, and rebuild his life on a more sound basis? Written by Reid Gagle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPTu2F450sk

TV Series - Person of Interest - CBS Current 3 seasons so far. - 5 stars out of 5 stars

Sometimes a TV show can be SO ahead of the curve its scary good.This is such a show.Running for 3 years now and awaiting a forth,the plot of this show is simple,yet very complicated at the same time.Like the highly politicalized world we live in.The NSA,Postal Service,Police license plate scanners and public street cameras,and who knows what else is yet to be discovered,are used to spy or fix a broader picture of probability on bad things before they happen by observing"patterns"so surveillance can stop terror before it happens.Thats fact NOT fiction and the world we now live in.This IS the world producer J.J. Abrams,yes THAT guy,takes and goes super computer wild on us.Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel are a sort of everyday Batman and Robin on steroids,as the series stars with fine supporting cast and guest stars all over the place each episode.It rings oh so true but can be a little over the top thus 1 star off but if you are a now person and political as well as loves a exciting mystery,its YOUR show.Episode trailer URL below ands a IMDB summary below.

A billionaire software-genius named Harold Finch creates a Machine for the government that is designed to detect acts of terror before they can happen, by monitoring the entire world by monitoring every cell-phone, email and surveillance camera. Finch discovered that the machine sees everything, potential terrorist acts and violent crimes that involve ordinary people. When the government considered violent crimes between normal people "irrelevant", Finch built a back door into the system that gives him the social security number of a person involved in a future violent crime so he could act. Partnered with John Reese, an ex-CIA agent, the two work in secret to prevent violent crimes before they can happen. Eventually their activities lead to being hunted by the New York Police Department, CIA Agents in pursuit of Reese who was listed as dead, a computer hacker named Root who wants access to the Machine, and government officials who want to keep all knowledge of the Machine a complete ... Written by Jones

http://www.thewb.com/shows/person-of-interest-on-dvd/the-deep-end/d5364991-e634-44a0-9b96-0aacfbff5d40

Behind the Candelabra 2013 - 3 stars out of 5 stars

For those of a certain age the flamboyance of Liberace was the first inkling that there were gays out there.Even though he had won lawsuits claiming liable when confronted with the issue he never admitted to and the medical arguments over his cause of death of heart illness vs aids,I believe we all believed he WAS gay.This 2013 HBO film, that runs 118 minutes,leaves no doubt he was.Michael Douglas is sufficiently  flamboyant enough to remind one of Liberace and  Matt Damon as Scott Thorson,a long time lover are the true stars as they seem gay enough after playing a ton of heterosexual  roles in the past.However the film offers no real insight into one of the greatest showmen of his time other than "outed"gayness.Instead the film seems to be more about Thorson which I guess is to be expected since its based on HIS kiss and tell all book.So I took 2 stars offer and only recommend for those who want a inkling of what Liberace was like in performance since the film does show that, but not much else.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.


Scott Thorson, a young gay man raised in foster homes, is introduced to flamboyant entertainment giant Liberace and quickly finds himself in a romantic relationship with the legendary pianist. Swaddled in wealth and excess, Scott and Liberace have a long affair, one that eventually Scott begins to find suffocating. Kept away from the outside world by the flashily effeminate yet deeply closeted Liberace, and submitting to extreme makeovers and even plastic surgery at the behest of his lover, Scott eventually rebels. When Liberace finds himself a new lover, Scott is tossed on the street. He then seeks legal redress for what he feels he has lost. But throughout, the bond between the young man and the star never completely tears. Written by Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi510240281/

TV Series - Babylon 5 - 5 seasons 94-98 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Yes it ran around the same time as DS9,which is reviewed on this blog,but there are far more differences than similarities and it deserves to be seen.I liked it.My only reason for taking 1 star off is uneven acting at times and a ending that smacks of "The Matrix"( or does the Matrix smack of IT )which i have to re-watch before I review.That aside,it is dark and menacing sci-fi and thats a good thing as well.Its also reminiscent of "The New Battlestar Galattica"which I have yet to review.As far as the characters go,i have to say Stephen Furst of "animal house" fame,a film reviewed on this blog,is amongst my favorites here as well as  he plays Vir Cotto,who descends from buffoon to,well,not so lovable…….In fact the alien characters are far more entertaining than the earthlings,at least for me. Episode clip URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.Give it a look,you'll enjoy it I do believe.

 In the year 2258, it is ten years after the Earth-Minbari War. Commander Sinclair takes command of a giant five-mile-long cylindrical space station, orbiting a planet in neutral space. At a crossroads of interstellar commerce and diplomacy, Cmdr Sinclair (2d season Captain Sheridan) must try to establish peace and prosperity between various interstellar empires, all the while fighting forces from within the Earth Alliance. It is a precarious command, particularly given that sabotage led to the destruction of Babylon stations 1, 2, and 3 and 4 vanished without trace. Written by Tony Lammens <lammens@connexus.apana.org.au>

http://www.thewb.com/shows/babylon-5/babylon-5-season-1/b511e97a3e

Sharknado 2013 - 3 stars out of 5 stars

OK all disaster films are silly to a degree,this more than most.However that doesn't mean that laughing in between screams can't be fun.Hey,sharks in a mother fu- -ing,oops wrong film,ha,ha…….Released this year as a SciFy TV movie that runs 86 minutes,its become somewhat of a cult film already,thats why I viewed it.Two stars off for silliness and no BIG stars like the old Irwin Allen disaster films of my youth,like some reviewed on this blog.Still you can do a lot worse with mostly zombie flicks these days.Think of all the horrible tornados and Hurricanes in recent years and add a good dose of Jaws,a film reviewed on this blog,and you have this film for the most part. Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.The ending is really "cutting it"!!!!

When a freak hurricane swamps Los Angeles, nature's deadliest killer rules sea, land, and air as thousands of sharks terrorize the waterlogged populace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwsqFR5bh6Q

Forever Amber 1947 - 5 stars out of 5 stars

While watching "Home Sweet Homicide"reviewed on this blog,there was a reference to the novel this movie is based on,and,oh well I had seen it as a youth and hardly remembered other than I liked it.Time to revisit.What a idea for a novel over 70 years old,set in a period over 350 years old,England under King Charles 11.The story may seem like a pot boiler in todays terms,but for its day it had to be something as I'm sure this movie was,and for me,still is.Forget that Linda Darnell, Cornel Wilde, Richard Greene,George Sanders and a host of other great actors of that day made this fine film,or that Otto Preminger directed.Whats important is the story.Based on a novel by Kathleen Winsor     we have a epic story of a love consummated but never achieved.By that I mean even though the two principals conceive a child on a lonely rainy night the faiths intervene to prevent them from having a true relationship despite the far reaching unbelievable
 attempts of the woman and the seemingly indifference of the man at that moment.Although the faiths are not done with them until………….
Bucket list film for true doomed romance lovers.Released in 1947 and runs 138 minutes.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

1660, England. Amber St. Clair aims to raise herself from a country girl to nobility, and succeeds, but loses her true love in the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LUMuguY1Tg

The Kentucky Fried Movie 1977 - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Before "Animal House"and "Airplane"and with a dead on spoof of "Enter the Dragon"and"Wizard of Oz",all films reviewed on this blog,comes this film.Director John Landis and writers David Zucker, Jim Abrahams,Jerry Zucker got their later gigs based on this work.Urban legend has it that Michael Jackson hired Landis for his "Thriller"video based on liking this film so much.Released in 1977 and running but 88 minutes,its very dated and younger viewers will struggle with much of the references,after all,it is a spoof film and if you are not familiar with is being spoofed,well thats why I took 1/2 star off.That said, for those of a certain age and not afraid to laugh at political correctness right in the face,its FUNNY !!!! Yes there's some nudity and swearing and offensive stuff,but it was 1977 and all kinds of"revolution"was in the air,including comedy.This was and still is a landmark comedy.Full of funny cameos ,including a actor who played James Bond ( no spoiler see it yourself)  and some really funny skits.A fistful of yen was my sons favorite and it is a MUST for Bruce Lee fans,but there were 3 shorted ones that I laugh at just thinking about because I'm a dirty old man,again,no spoiler,but think black and other spoliation films.Bucket list comedy for truly PC incorrect fans who are slightly depraved as I am,HA.HA !!! Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below. 

A series of loosely connected skits that spoof news programs, commercials, porno films, kung fu films, disaster films, blaxploitation films, spy films, mafia films, and the fear that somebody is watching you on the other side of the TV. Written by Parca Mortem <icy_shadow@rocketmail.com>

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

Far and Away 1992 - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

This is the first Ron Howard film that I have seen that is too long and boring dispute the good cast headed by Cruse and Kidman,so I can only rate it 50/50 at 2 1/2 stars.Released in 1992 it runs a very long 140 minutes.My biggest issue is that there are maybe 3 central parts to this long story and Howard should have zeroed in on one of them but he seems to have bitten off more than he could chew. So it is again a fine film  for long lonely nights only.Trailer URL follows the picture.IMDB summary is below.

A young man (Cruise) leaves Ireland with his landlord's daughter (Kidman) after some trouble with her father, and they dream of owning land at the big giveaway in Oklahoma ca. 1893. When they get to the new land, they find jobs and begin saving money. The man becomes a local barehands boxer, and rides in glory until he is beaten, then his employers steal all the couple's money and they must fight off starvation in the winter, and try to keep their dream of owning land alive. Meanwhile, the woman's parents find out where she has gone and have come to America to find her and take her back. Written by Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>

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

Home Sweet Homicide 1946 - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Wise cracking kids,widow,crime novels and a real murder next door,Ingredients to shake than write,then film.As a kid I first saw this 1946 release that runs 96 minutes.The cast is good,story great but the peek into life back in the post war years in priceless.Yes it is not that way today,but nostalgia is one reason to be entertained by a film,STRONG family values is another.Oh yes,Dean Stockwell as a 5 or 6 year old,crazy !!!!Randolph Scott is also believable as a cop rather than his usual cowboy roles.I love this film and TRUE film buffs/historians MUST see.Kids lighting a moms cigarette YES,true,I did that before I knew better,and also had 2 older sisters,though not as happy memories.If you liked the stooges and bowery boys,than see this family style of the same wise cracking.I took only the 1/2 star off for being in B&W.URL link for a scene follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.

Mystery writer Marian Carstairs is hard at work trying to finish her latest novel. Her three children meanwhile are entertaining themselves trying to solve a murder in their own neighborhood. In between gathering clues, the kids play matchmaker by trying to fix up their widowed mom with the handsome detective investigating the case. Written by Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELgsdsmd97M

Foolproof 2003 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Canada continues to amaze at times.This relatively unknown gem combines a few genres into a rather ordinary but well acted heist,youth, the trick turn con arts film.All 4 "leads"fit their roles like gloves.Ryan Reynolds,Kristin Booth,David Suchet,Joris Jarsky are the four but even a small bit part for David Hewlett was a nice surprise.Released in 2003 and running 94 minutes,I took 1 star off because at times,I couldn't follow the tricky plot.You might have to watch it twice,but it was a little gem and I highly recommend for a heist film fans.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.

 Twenty-something Torontonians and friends Kevin, Sam and Rob play a game they call Foolproof: they plan foolproof heists, but without the intention of actually carrying them out. They have a few rules in the game, including the three having the necessary technical and physical abilities to carry out the tasks required for the heist, the plan cannot include loaded guns, and there is no violence meaning that no one gets hurt. They try to be as meticulous if not more so than the best high stakes thieves. The fun is in knowing they could do it if they truly wanted. Their collective lives change when someone breaks into Sam's apartment and steals their latest plan for a jewelry warehouse heist. After the warehouse is hit, the culprit identifies himself to them as Leo 'The Touch' Gillette, a known but never convicted high stakes thief who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He tells them that the break-in at Sam's apartment was not by accident, and that part of his grand plan is to ... Written by Huggo

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4138139929/

Newsies 1992 - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Strangely I didn't really care about this 1992 releases,that runs a long 121 minutes,story or music and that since I am a union man,ex NYorker and love musicals.It just didn't come together for me,so its 50/50 at best to recommend by rating only 2 1/2 stars.A good cast is assembled around a very young and singing Christian Bale and rather sunny singing Bill Pullman are the curious +'s.It's also a period piece set around factual events in 1899 NYC.So I can recommend as a curiosity only on those nights when you are bored stiff,this might help on those nights only.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

July, 1899: When Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise the distribution price one-tenth of a cent per paper, ten cents per hundred, the newsboys, poor enough already, are outraged. Inspired by the strike put on by the trolley workers, Jack "Cowboy" Kelly (Christian Bale) organizes a newsboys' strike. With David Jacobs (David Moscow) as the brains of the new union, and Jack as the voice, the weak and oppressed found the strength to band together and challenge the powerful. Written by Kaitlin Dwyer Rankins

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi44802073/

The Game 1997 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Before you try to punch holes in this film,remember the TV series,"Fantasy Island"and the sci-fi thriller,"Westworld"that I reviewed on this blog ??This is just another version of the rich paying for a fantasy thrill,but with a new and updated twist.Its in real time,in the real world,rather than a adult play world,thereby making in far more dangerous to the "players".If you liked Michael Douglas in,"Wall street"also reviewed on this blog,think of him as Gekco but this time its more personal and on him.Add a fine cast ,although it truly is Michael's film,and hold on after a slow start,thus the one star off.You think you might have figured out the game,but then………..well believe me,you didn't.Released in 1997 and running 129 minutes,its a game i'd never play,but would you???? Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

Nicholas Van Orton is a very wealthy San Francisco banker, but he is an absolute loner, even spending his birthday alone. In the year of his 48th birthday (the age his father committed suicide) his brother Conrad, who has gone long ago and surrendered to addictions of all kinds, suddenly returns and gives Nicholas a card giving him entry to unusual entertainment provided by something called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Giving up to curiosity, Nicholas visits CRS and all kinds of weird and bad things start to happen to him. Written by Anonymous

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3301942297/

The Patriot 2000 - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

When I reviewed Disney's Swamp fox TV series on this blog I mentioned I would revisit this film.While Disney claimed his series was based on one man,Francis Marion,this movie,released in 2000 and running a bit long at 165 minutes,doesn't claim its based on that one but a couple.Be that as it may be,thats why we hope these sorts of movies which are entertainment after all,inspire you to learn the history around the stories. In this case I felt the movie went to far in its depiction of the British.Thus 1 and 1/2 stars off.Slavey was also a after thought and in south carolina,thats hard to believe as well.However if you know nothing of that time,putting the revolution in modern,"darker terms"is better than nothing and should inspire you to learn more.As far as the acting goes,Mel Gibson was
 great,Heath Ledger was a real heart throb and I always love a "good"bad guy like Jason Isaacs and the supporting cast all were great.So in conclusion,Disney was tame,this over the top,and as life usually shows us,the truth might just be somewhere in the middle.Trail url follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.Watch BUT verify as it is somewhat hypnotic in the "historical"web it weaves.

It is 1776 in colonial South Carolina. Benjamin Martin, a French-Indian war hero who is haunted by his past, now wants nothing more than to live peacefully on his small plantation, and wants no part of a war with the most powerful nation in the world, Great Britain. Meanwhile, his two eldest sons, Gabriel and Thomas, can't wait to enlist in the newly formed "Continental Army." When South Carolina decides to join the rebellion against England, Gabriel immediately signs up to fight...without his father's permission. But when Colonel William Tavington, British dragoon, infamous for his brutal tactics, comes and burns the Martin Plantation to the ground, tragedy strikes. Benjamin quickly finds himself torn between protecting his family, and seeking revenge along with being a part of the birth of a new, young, and ambitious nation. Written by Caleb Conser

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi100139289/

The day of the Jackal 1973 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Ah this is what a good movie should be.I hadn't known of it but I decided to see it after reviewing"The Jackal"on this blog and learning it was a updated remake of THIS film.Released in 1973 and running a bit long at 143 minutes,it follows the storyline that a assassin is hired to kill De Gaulle,the president of France back in 1963.History buffs will remember such a attempt was made,although this movie is based on a novel that takes aspects from a free such attempts because,well,learn about the various Algerian conflicts in the 50's,relevant in some ways today. That makes for  a very believable and compelling drama,in almost a cold war spy thriller sort of way. The later version is not so believable but much more action back than this film,thus 1 full star off.Still I do enjoy a intelligent spy sort of thriller and in the end,though the plot fails,the assassin is still a unknown !!!!
The acting is OK although the killer is very tame compered to the later version,and well that just fits more into the cold war sort of thing,very British even though its about France!!!Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.

It is the early 60s in France. The remaining survivors of the aborted French Foreign Legion have made repeated attempts to kill DeGaulle. The result is that he is the most closely guarded man in the world. As a desperate act, they hire The Jackal, the code name for a hired killer who agrees to kill French President De Gaulle for half a million dollars. We watch his preparations which are so thorough we wonder how he could possibly fail even as we watch the French police attempt to pick up his trail. The situation is historically accurate. There were many such attempts and the film closely follows the plot of the book. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2173370649/

High Noon 1952 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1952 this film has a good gun fight ending but the build up to it is what is truly different and a game changer from the run of the mill westerns to date.Oh there is good and bad,honor and sacrifice and even cowardice,but the questions it asks were not asked before and thus we can forgive the rather formulae ending.Also we have a A++ cast including the later to become a real live princess,Grace Kelly,who does a very un-princess like thing in this film.I took 1 star off because its in B&W and I wanted more in the Helen Ramírez storyline played by the enchanting Katy Jurado,as well as more from Lee Van Cleef. However as little as he had in the film,Lon Chaney Jr. was a presence.Still it is a another stoic performance by Gary Cooper that lends the needed weight to this tale real life buried in a western.Bucket list film for true western and Cooper fans.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.

On the day he gets married and hangs up his badge, lawman Will Kane is told that a man he sent to prison years before, Frank Miller, is returning on the noon train to exact his revenge. Having initially decided to leave with his new spouse, Will decides he must go back and face Miller. However, when he seeks the help of the townspeople he has protected for so long, they turn their backs on him. It seems Kane may have to face Miller alone, as well as the rest of Miller's gang, who are waiting for him at the station... Written by Man_With_No_Name_126

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2041381145/

National Treasure 2004 - 5 stars out of 5 stars

Some films age and just take on a whole new meaning with the passing of time.In a scant 10 years since this film was released in 2004 and running 131 minutes,we have such a film.First off,its about historical and patriotic deeds that we seem to ignore in this age of political gridlock where no one can even agree on what a patriot is or isn't.Next,who doesn't love hunting for treasure?Finally what a cast including smaller support roles!!!
Someone once said in a film I reviewed ( the cowboys),and I paraphrase,"if it isn't true,it should be!!"Same can be said for this thrilling and well thought out ,purely fictional,but with enough truism,to hold anyones interest.Now being from Brooklyn and working right across the street from the Trinity Church,at the NYSE,I found the final discovery really wild in a good way.To the acting.Maybe Nicolas Cage's best performance to date as well as Diane Kruger and the list goes on with a special shout out to Sean Bean and the best cameo ever by Christopher Plummer.Great film and leaves you feeling good to be a american.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.Bucket list film.

Benjamin Franklin Gates descends from a family of treasure-seekers who've all hunted for the same thing: a war chest hidden by the Founding Fathers after the Revolutionary War. Ben's close to discovering its whereabouts, as is his competition, but the FBI is also hip to the hunt. Written by IMDb Editors

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3890151705/

Scent of a Woman (1974) AKA Profumo di donna - 4 stars out of 5 stars

After reviewing the american remake on this blog I mentioned it might be worth seeing the italian original and I was right.Released in 1974 and running 103 minutes,I took 1 star of for being subtitled and very adult content.Vittorio Gassman is outstanding as the blind Captain and Alessandro Momo is a real baby face young aide and Agostina Belli is truly too alluring to waste herself on this disagreeable Captain BUT makes its believable anyway.The Italians are far more mature about sex than americans,remember prostitution is legal there but so is the Vatican,seems like a real conflict in morality but thats the italians for you.That said,this is a far more "adult"version than the american and might be too strong for some,but I recommend it for those who liked the american version and want to see what the inspiration was.A italian language trailer URL link follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.Enjoy.

An army cadet accompanies an irascible, blind captain on a week-long trip from Turin to Naples. The captain, Fausto, who wants no pity, brooks no disagreement, and charges into every situation, nicknames the youth Ciccio ("Babyfat"), and spends the next few days ordering him about and generally behaving badly in public. In Rome, Fausto summons a priest to ask for his blessing; in Naples, where Fausto joins a blind lieutenant for drinking and revelry, the two soldiers talk quietly and seriously about "going through with it." Also in Naples is Sara, in love with Fausto, but treated cruelly by him. What do the blind soldiers plan? Can Sara soften Fausto's hardened heart? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf6XujLY6hg

Fantastic Voyage 1966 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Before this 1966  release that runs 100 minutes,there was no innerspace,a film by the way i reviewed on this blog,genre in sci-fi movies. Imagine traveling through a persons body and not only the wonder and horror that might cause,but all the other micro possibilities in other areas.The only issue I had was its story was too cold war-ish and dated in other areas as well.Thus 1 star off.However the cast worked well and it seems Donald Pleasence is in more classic sci-fi/horror films that any other actor I can think of.The special effects of the blood stream and other body parts seems like they are from today rather than almost 50 years ago.Outstanding reason to see this film even today.So if you like a genre maker and good effects in your sci-fi,see it.I might even say its a bucket list film for those film goers.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.Oh,to prove its not a exploitive film,you have a OVER DRESSED Raquel Welch in a role that gives her little chance to show she can act.

Scientist Jan Benes, who knows the secret to keeping soldiers shrunken for an indefinite period, escapes from behind the Iron Curtain with the help of CIA agent Grant. While being transferred, their motorcade is attacked. Benes strikes his head, causing a blood clot to form in his brain. Grant is ordered to accompany a group of scientists as they are miniaturized. The crew has one hour to get in Benes's brain, remove the clot and get out. Written by Brian Washington <Sargebri@att.net>

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4121100569/

TV Series - Texas John Slaughter - Disney 1958/61 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

This series was part of the classic show"wonderful world of disney",as was "the swamp fox"also reviewed on this blog,run back in the 50's and 60's .Like anything else from back then,truth is in the mouth of the teller and reading about the man confirms he was a legend,however was he like the show,doubtful, although many facts are included along with embellishments. What is worth watching is the entertainment ,as a great cast preforms all the values of that day as well if not better than other westerns of the time.Tom Tryon IS Slaughter and many other fine actors of that era pop in and out over the 17 episodes shown for the 3 years it ran on Disney's wonderful world.It covers almost his entire productive years from coming back from the civil war to being shierff  of Cochise county Arizona territory.Along the way,becoming a Texas Ranger,cattleman and apache expert are covered as well as two marriages,if in truthful terms,hum…..Thus the 1 star off.Still its rip roaring fun for western fans and is true to to the old code of the west,however true THAT was.I do recommend if only for the nostalgic value.Hard to find but worth the time.Episode one beginnings URL follows the picture.I liked it !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yrk1BvtLE8

Forbidden Planet 1956 - 5 stars out of 5 stars

Star Trek in all it's many forms is the "gold standard"of sci-fi but even some of it is remanent of this classic.Released in 1956 and running but 98 minutes.One of the things that set this film apart was the special effects that where done by master animator Joshua Meador,on loan from,who else,Disney.However make no mistake,this is no Disney film,not with very alluring Anne Francis and legendary actor Walter Pidgeon as father and daughter stranded on a planet far from earth.However maybe Disney did see something in  a young Leslie Nielsen,average young TV actor playing the Captain of a space ship,he later used in his wonderful world of Disney series,'The Swamp Fox",also reviewed on this blog.
Nielsen was a good enough serious actor before "Airplane"also reviewed on this blog,so much so in this role I think maybe I see of Captain Kirk taken from him by Shatner.The one think the public grabbed from this film immedality was Robbie the Robot which became a iconic figure.But there is a whole lot to like about this film including intelligent science,rare for that time.This is a bucket list film for all sci-fi fans and true cinema buffs because of the high standards it set for future films in this genre.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.Don't miss it !!!


When Adams and his crew are sent to investigate the silence from a planet inhabited by scientists, he finds all but two have died. Dr. Morbius and his daughter Altaira have somehow survived a hideous monster which roams the planet. Unknown to Adams, Morbius has made a discovery, and has no intention of sharing it (or his daughter!) with anyone. Written by Rob Hartill

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi463995161/

Innerspace 1987 - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Mildly entertaining spin on "fantastic voyage",a film I have to review on this blog.Released in 1987 and running 120 minutes,I took 2 stars off for not being sure if this film wants to be a comedy or sci-fi thriller thereby being nether while highly dated in 1980's fashion.What does make it watchable is a fine cast and the interesting twist of concentrating on whats outside the body rather than inside, as the classic sci-fi serious film "fantastic voyage"did.Some "second city"and classic 50's sci-fi actors appear to support the main 3 characters of     Dennis Quaid as Lt. Tuck Pendleton ,who is induced into the body of  Martin Short as Jack Putter and always easy to watch  Meg Ryan as Lydia Maxwell ,Tucks girl.So if you don't mind comedy overshadowing your science than this film may amuse you as its harmless romantic fun.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.


Tuck Pendleton is a cocky pilot, who is taking part in a miniaturization experiment. When some bad guys break into the lab to steal the technology, one of the scientists takes a syringe which contains the miniaturized Tuck and vessel. Now in the vessel is part of the material needed to restore him. But the other part which is the lab is stolen. The scientist's shot but before dying he injects Tuck into Jack Putter, a hypochondriac, who feels that something is wrong with him all the time. When Tuck links himself to Jack's systems, he discovers that something happened. So they go back to the lab, and discover what happened. Now they are told that unless they retrieve the material that was stolen they won't be able to restore Tuck before his oxygen is depleted. Now the government rep decides that the only thing that matters that as long as they have the other half of the material, it is useless to the thieves. So Tuck eggs Jack to go out and find the thieves. They enlist the aid of ... Written by <rcs0411@yahoo.com>

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4136698137/

Solomon 1997 - 3 stars out of 5 stars

There was a 2 part miniseries on TV back in 1997 and this DVD release is it in its entirety running 180 minutes.Unlike most modern biblical recreations this one had a fairly good and recognizable cast that you have seen in far less biblical roles,ha,ha..However its still very uneven and takes a very long time to tell its simple enough tale.Thus 2 full stars off.It's rated PG-13 and I find no reason anyone couldn't watch it and its better than most of this genre.I did enjoy the most famous aspect of the Solomon biblical parable of his wisdom,as portrayed in this film.You know,that of the two women who claim the same baby and Salomon decrees,ah,you'll have to see the film,ha,ha.So if you want a refreshed biblical story,a bit long, with very un biblical casting to make you say,hummmmmm,than by all means see it.You could do worse.Sorry I couldn't find a trailer but there is a IMDB summary below.


David, now an old man, is still king of Israel. Among his sons, the ambitious Adonijah and the clever Solomon. The two young men are fierce rivals, since both are prospective heirs to the throne and only one can be successful. During a hunting expedition, Adonijah challenges his younger brother Solomon to a chariot race. While Solomon, though brave, still retains a modicum of caution, the daredevil Adonijah is eager to win at all costs -- and loses control of his chariot. Solomon takes the seriously injured Adonijah back to Jerusalem. On the way there they meet the attractive Abishag, who despite her youth is versed in the use of healing herbs. She actually succeeds in helping the prince. Adonijah falls in love with Abishag -- but Bathsheba arranges things so that she works for David, hoping that her youth, her beauty and her healing powers will soothe the old king's suffering. Several members of the influential priesthood and also the respected army general Joab, who served David ... Written by Anonymous