Planes 2013 - 3 1/2 stars out of 4 stars

Standard acceptable Disney fair.Released in 2013 and running 91 minutes,this film was released in a 3D version and I saw it that way in the theater.The 3D was average as was the story and animation which was in the case of a Disney film, good enough.Thus a fair 3 1/2 stars  rating by me.I'm a little bias so the best scenes for me involved a aircraft carrier, "Dwight "Yorkie" D. Flysenhower",cool enough for a Navy dad such as myself.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below. Decent.

Dusty Crophopper is a little cropduster plane with a fear of heights and a crazy dream of being a racer. While his friends need convincing, Dusty gets the training he needs from Skipper, a veteran fighter, and qualifies for the Wings Across the World race. In the event, Dusty finds competitors who soon learn that there is something special about this underdog as he is tested to his physical and emotional limits. In doing so, Dusty soon finds enemies, and more importantly friends, who are inspired by his dream. In the face of all obstacles, the winner of this air race will be anyone's guess. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1501275673/

Desperately Seeking Susan 1985 - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1985 and running 104 minutes,I can only give this film a so-so 2 1/2 stars .The acting was good but it was terribly dated and the story was too far fetched for even the great Rosanna Arquette  and Madonna to make believable.However for those who want a "80's"film and are curious how Madonna looked in her heyday,well its worth one viewing,but only once.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below. 

Bored Roberta spots a regular personal ad in the paper titled 'Desperately Seeking Susan'. She heads off to New York, following one of the ads, and finds Susan. When Susan sells her jacket, Roberta - trying to emulate her mystery ad writer - buys the jacket and wears it. Little does she know someon is looking for the jacket - and its owner... Written by Colin Tinto <cst@imdb.com>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGDLAba7XV0

Ruthless People 1986 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Another classic comedy from the Zuckers and Abrahams,you know "Airplane",reviewed on this blog,and others.This film was released in 1986 and ran only 93 minutes.I took 1 star off for being very dated as well as a far out story.The reason to see it,the same far out story and great acting in a cast headed by Bette Midler and Danny DeVito and many many more fine actors.Also one of the great cinema lines"I've been kidnapped by Kmart".
This is one of  my top 10 comedies I think,if not,it should be,ha,ha.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.Just thinking of Beth and Danny married makes me laugh.

 Sam Stone is a clothing manufacturer, who married his wife Barbara, for the money that she was supposed to inherit from her dying father, but her father didn't die for another fifteen years. He is now planning to kill her and he tells his girlfriend Carol what he is going to do. He then on his way home to do just that but when he gets there, she's not there. He then receives a call from someone claiming to have kidnapped Barbara and threatening to kill her if he informs the police, which he does hoping that they do. What Stone doesn't know is that the kidnappers, Ken and Sandy are a couple whose idea for a garment he stole and made fortune off, are not that lethal, as a matter of fact Barbara's more lethal. And what Stone doesn't know is that Carol, has another boyfriend and they plan to blackmail Sam, by videotaping him disposing of Barbara's body. When her boyfriend, Earl goes there to do that, the person who goes there was not Sam but a guy with a hooker, and the guy instructs the ... Written by <rcs0411@yahoo.com>

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

Elephant 2003 - 0 stars out of 5 stars

Big hype,crap story.Why,why why??? Columbine ending with no reason.Poor excuse at teenage angst for a big slaughter payoff at the end.If it wasn't such a big hype of a indy film I wouldn't even waste the space on my blog.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.Its hard to offend me with any film,but this just did.At least with"The Life before her eyes",a film reviewed on this blog,there was a story and purpose to the slaughter in a very strange even esoteric way,and a twist at the end that made me highly recommend it,this on the other hand…………..Released in 2003 it ran 81 minutes TOO long.

Several ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1000538393/

The Last of the Blonde Bombshells 2000

Somehow with a great cast headed by Judi Dench and Ian Holm and even smaller roles by Leslie Caron and Cleo Laine and on and on,I could only give 3 stars instead of the five I had hoped to give.Perhaps its a lack of"chemistry"or direction or just a slow moving back and forth with flashbacks that tempered my take on it but as a HBO film with such a  cast and storyline it didn't deliver as I hoped.Released in 2000 and running only 84 minutes,its still worth your time as the story is unusual yet moving and oddly enough,in a story about older folks I felt that young Millie Findlay as a granddaughter was the real star of the film.I also smiled about roses on drum,you just have to see it.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.

After Elizabeth's husband dies, she begins to play her tenor saxophone again, and remembers when she was 15 and a member of the Blonde Bombshells, an all-girl (with one exception) swing band. Accompanied by the exception and urged on by her grand-daughter, Elizabeth hunts up all the old members of the band and urges them to perform, and in doing so, learns more than she knew about the band, its members, the roses on the drum set, and herself--the last of the Blonde Bombshells. Written by Kathy Li

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2291466521/

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter 2012

Finally a Vampire film without teenage girl angst or role reversal sexy female hunter/killers.
Now the south might view this as northern revenge after the fact for "Birth of a Nation",reviewed on this blog,however lighten up,it just throwing vampires into the mix after the fact in a fictional way without the heroism of the KKK in Birth of a Nation.Released in 2012 and running 105 minutes,I'm sure the timing of the release after Speilberg's film"Lincoln',also reviewed on this blog,was no accident.But this is no cheep knock off.The FX is state of the art and the slow mo martial arts action will please many.I took 1 star off because well,it is a little stretch plot wise with a few holes and it lists Tim Burton as only one of a few producers but it has his handiwork all over it.It also twists a few excepted old school Vampire facts but most new vampire sagas twist some,thus we should now refer to "old school"when reviewing the new stuff for things like going out in the daytime.The cast is B level but fit for their parts and you might enjoy the "leaps"for things we really never knew the true reasons for,like Mary Todds madness amongst other things.All in all,for you Vampire/history fans get the popcorn and hold on.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.

At the age of 9, Abraham Lincoln witnesses his mother being killed by a vampire, Jack Barts. Some 10 years later, he unsuccessfully tries to eliminate Barts but in the process makes the acquaintance of Henry Sturgess who teaches him how to fight and what is required to kill a vampire. The quid pro quo is that Abe will kill only those vampires that Henry directs him to. Abe relocates to Springfield where he gets a job as a store clerk while he studies the law and kills vampires by night. He also meets and eventually marries the pretty Mary Todd. Many years later as President of the United States, he comes to realize that vampires are fighting with the Confederate forces. As a result he mounts his own campaign to defeat them. Written by garykmcd

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3272845081/

The Birth of a Nation 1915 - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Before I give my 2 cents on this 1915 B&W silent film,the second I have reviewed, that runs  165  minutes,let me say that the late Rodger  Ebert,renowned deceased film critic,put if far better than I can,so i have put a link below to his review as you might benefit from his prose more than mine.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-birth-of-a-nation-1915

That all said and leaving the racism that is obvious in the film,I'll give my opinions in other areas.I took 1 and 1/2 stars off for being in B&W and silent ,which honestly half the folks alive will avoid this film for.Also it does glamorize "the klan"a bit too much.Now for the plus's.The first half of the film is a great reference to parts of the civil war.Made less than 50 years after that war,and now almost 100 years after that.Its a marvel of battle seances and the assassination of  Abe Lincoln .Also its a interesting tale of 2 families separated by War yet intertwined in many other ways.There is much to see and gain  insite from,after understanding that racism is not always apparent even to the racist.For even D.W. Griffith stated at the very beginning that slavery would cause disunity.So if your a real student of history and human nature,its a film to be studied and learned from and can be debated on so many levels.After all,isn't that the definition of a classic film??Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.

Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the family Cameron. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln's assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan. Written by Victor Munoz <vmunoz@macul.ciencias.uchile.cl>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9UPOkIpR0A

The Watch 2012 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Most of todays comedies are drug infested sex orgies,this is a liquor induced sex orgy film,sort of.Well more like a frat house bro flick,but strangely I liked it.The 4 stars,Ben Stiller,Vince Vaughn,Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade are just funny enough to pull off a rather lame storyline,thus the 1 star off,could have been a lot worse…..Released in 2012 and running 102 minutes,it has NO science but a few good belly laughs.I know many will think its too silly for serious sci-fi and they would be right.However as a comedy,well I have seen far,far worse and well,I did laugh,more than once.Be warned however,sex situations and foul language abound so no kids film.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

 In Glenview, Ohio, Evan is the manager of the Costco department store and married to Abby. When the Costco night watchman, Antonio Guzman, is mysteriously murdered, Evan organizes The Neighborhood Watch, a watch team with his suburban neighbors Bob, Franklin and Jamarcus to protect the neighborhood and find the killer of Antonio. Soon they discover that the murderer is an alien that is preparing to invade Earth, and they become the last hope of mankind on Earth. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2920589081/

The Full Monty 1997 - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Actors Tom Wilkinson and Robert Carlyle  lend respectability and a sort of curiosity  to get one to check out this odd 1997 film that runs 91 minutes.Its not as good as "The Commitments",a film reviewed on this blog,but its cut from that same jib.There is no total frontal nudity for you the viewer to see because of the camera angle when we do finally see"The Full Monty"which is that nudity,but the characters in the film DO display it to their fans.Its for adults but not a "skin flick"rather a gritty humorous attempt to display the ingenuity desperate men will go to for a few honest bucks.I took the 1 and 1/2 stars off because of the overt adult theme and well it is sort of the commitments stripping,still I did laugh and recommend for a serious adult comedy night.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

 Six unemployed steel workers form a male striptease act. The women cheer them on to go for "the full monty" - total nudity.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi395116825/

Capricorn One 1977 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1977 and running 123 minutes,this just might be the BEST conspiracy film ever made on ANY issue.I had to take 1 full star off because of a few plot loose ends and the fact that many won't see this film today because OJ Simpson is in it.That said,we live in a time when no one believes anything the government says and well back before 1977 when this film was made,many believed the US never went to the moon and it was all faked. Back to the cast.Even though OJ gets a starring billing,it was for box office back in that day,his part is rather small.The 2 stars really who carry this film are both paramours of Barbra Streisand who is NOT involved with the film.They are  Elliott Gould as Robert Caulfield,a bull headed reporter,and James Brolin as Charles Brubaker,a astronaut caught up in a fake landing on the planet Mars.The rest of the cast is really good as well and recognizable as fine actors of that time.Now I DO believe is space exploration but this is a fine fantasy of "what ifs".Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.


 Charles Brubaker is the astronaut leading NASA's first manned mission to Mars. Seconds before the launch, the entire team is pulled from the capsule and the rocket leaves earth unmanned much to Brubaker's anger. The head of the programme explains that the life support system was faulty and that NASA can't afford the publicity of a scratched mission. The plan is to fake the Mars landing and keep the astronauts at a remote base until the mission is over, but then investigative journalist Robert Caulfield starts to suspect something. Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4189847833/

The Terminal 2004 - 5 stars out of 5 stars

In the midst of the current immigration debates its refreshing to see a comedy that comes at you from a very different angle and has a funny and fantastic story to boot.Of course its Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg who are the only ones who could pull off such a upbeat if somewhat unbelievable film.Released in 2004 and running 128 minutes,its both funny,sad,and  a uplifting triumph of a film to boot. Theres even a homage to the famous film of a man against a tank in Tiananmen Square,you'll recognize it when you see it.Highly recommended for those looking for something new and different rather than the same old thing.Trailer URL below and a IMDB summary below.

Viktor Navorski, a man from an Eastern European country arrives in New York. However after he left his country war broke out. Suddenly Navorski is a man without a country - or one that the U.S. cannot recognize, thus he is denied entrance to the U.S. However, he also can't be deported so he is told by the Security Manager that he has to remain in the airport until his status can be fixed. And also Navorski doesn't speak English very well, so he cannot talk to or understand anyone. But he somehow adapts and sets up residence in the airport, which makes the man who placed him there unhappy, as it seems he is in line for a promotion but Navroski's presence might complicate that. So he tries to get Navorski to leave but Navorski remains where he is. Navorski makes friends with some of the people who work in the airport and is attracted to a flight attendant he runs into whenever she comes in. Written by r.g.clark@gte.net

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi351600921/