Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013) - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Growing up when this whole thing happened I sort of thought this film would give the topic justice.Sadly this HBO film of 2013 that runs 97 minutes only gives us a few clips from then and surrounds them with the story of a bunch of old white men arguing about this issue and the law clerks who serve them.So only the 50/50 recommendation for the very young who don't remember it and then for historic reference only.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

Ali's biggest match, his fight with the US government. A film about the politics and hubris surrounding the Vietnam War and the revenge exacted on America's greatest sportsman of the 20th century because he refused to fight in that war.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L--qbSFx7I4

My Girl 1991 - 4 stars out of stars

It's hard to describe this film.Its life and death and sad yet joyful.I guess in a word"life".
Oh it has humor and a slick sense of 90's humor,after all it was released in 1991 and runs 102 minutes,but it's about a different time as now is. Perhaps a more REAL time.But make no mistake,the punch in the later part of the film is gut wrenching yet totally and sadly believable and even life reaffirming.I took a star off because i'm not sure if its for kids or not.but it is much better than I had remembered from so long ago and did spawn A sequel I haven't yet seen,but will.The acting is A+ headed by that girl Anna Chlumsky and boy Macaulay Culkin and adults Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.You just might laugh AND cry,I did. 

 Vada Sultenfuss is obsessed with death. Her mother is dead, and her father runs a funeral parlor. She is also in love with her English teacher, and joins a poetry class over the summer just to impress him. Thomas J., her best friend, is "allergic to everything", and sticks with Vada despite her hangups. When Vada's father hires Shelly, a makeup expert, in his funeral parlor, and begins to fall in love with her, Vada is outraged and does everything in her power to split them up. Written by Liz Jordan <c9310494@alinga.newcastle.edu.au>

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3719102745/

Age of Heros 2011 - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 2011 and running 90  minutes I first viewed this film because I am a James Bond fan and I was interested in Ian Fleming's (James D'Arcy) true WW11 historical creation of the modern precursor to the  SAS.Nope,only a brief part and more about a mission headed by Maj. Jack Jones(Sean Bean),thus only 3 stars.The story is average at best and only exciting for the insights into commando operations and even that has been shown before.So I can recommend only for diehard WW11 movie fans.Still it is noteworthy that this action novel writer himself lived a sort of action life,if far less glamorous and far more dirty. Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.

Based on the real-life events of Ian Fleming's 30 Commando during World War II this is a story which takes our heroes from the edge of defeat on the beaches of Dunkirk to the mountains of Norway on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines that, if successful, could change the course of the war. Written by comingsoon.net 

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi890019097/

City of Life and Death 2009 - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 2009 and running a bit long at 133 minutes,I took 2 stars off for being in B&W and long and far more narrow in its scope than I hoped and violent in the extreme, yet its still informative because little is ever shown in this country about the occupation of China by Japan in WW11 but we should not forget it happened as both of those nations today still remember it.The story is centered on one part of the city of Nanjing for the most part,that of where there are foreigners who give some temporary shelter to the locals as well as a young Japanese soldier who struggle with what he sees.While the acting keeps you involved,the length sometimes gets very tedious.Still I recommend for the historical perspective and another example of Chinese film making.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary is below.

In 1937, Japan occupied Nanjing, the Chinese capital. There was a battle and subsequent atrocities against the inhabitants, especially those who took refuge in the International Security Zone.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3417376537/

TV Series - The Kill Point 2007 - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Spike TV had a almost perfect miniseries back in 2007 with this gem.Very "adult"but ringing very probably doable in this crazy world we live in.War messages,and lots of sexual tensions as well  as a good old fashion,if very violent,crime story only makes me take off 1/2 star for uneven acting in minor roles,which was for the most part outstanding with John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg leading the way. Its a same Spike hasn't made anything close to this since,that I'm aware of.I also dug the small yet big town touch of a Pittsburg location.So,it you like a out of the way crime story with good action and acting on a movie level,check it out but ONLY if you are over 21.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

People in a Pittsburgh bank are taken hostage when a bank-robbery goes wrong. It's the work of a group of initially masked Iraq veterans, lead by sergeant 'Wolf', who also has secret trump-cards outside. The police lays siege to the bank, with experienced Horst Cali as negotiator, whose authority is however challenged by the D.A.'s office, deputy chief Abrami, a local tycoon leaning politically to save his daughter and the FBI. Written by KGF Vissers

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3068526873/