The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Sometimes imitation  is better than flattery.Sergio Leone made a western as good as anything Ford and John Wayne ever made.Its a real love story to the old west were men and emotions were bigger than the land they saw before them.When they say "they don't make em like this anymore"its this sort of film "they"are talking about.Oh and the music is BETTER than any western soundtrack except perhaps The Magnificent 7.
Anyway the cast has 3 main characters who are the movie.Without them,there is no bigger than life characterizations.     Clint Eastwood as Blondie launched a movie career.Lee Van Cleef as Sentenza / Angel Eyes is at his best.Eli Wallach as Tuco is however my favorite.He also played a Mexican bandit in the classic 1960 Magnificent 7 and does it again 6 years later.Think about it.A jewish boy from the Bronx.Can he act or can he act !!!!
The story is simple enough as the IMDB summary below outlines but there is also a scene with no relevance to the movies plot but all the relevance in the world to US history depicting a worthless wasteful battle for a bridge in the Civil war.Blondie says "Never have so many men been wasted so badly."For history buffs that war remains the biggest loss of life of combatants this country has ever had ,being both sides were us.Sergio is also reminding us,20 short years after WW11 that maybe we finally got it right?Released in 1966 it runs a little long at 161 minutes which is why I took 1/2 star off.

A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yB_vNhxpSE

Ronin ( 1998 ) - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1998 and running a bit long at 122 minutes,this film delivers lots of action after a slow start but very little story.Thats why I took 1 and 1/2 stars off + there's a lot of collateral damage as well.As best as I can make out its a scheme by the CIA to catch a IRA terrorist to facilitate a end to the"unpleasantness".A + cast headed by Robert De Niro as Sam and Jean Reno as Vincent and finally Natascha McElhone as Deirdre ,note first name only characters,deliver fine performances even if the story is murky,but the shoot outs,and car chases are great even though a lot of bystanders bite the bullet.Trailer URL below the pix and IMDB summary below.I know the story of the "Ronin"in Japanese warrior lore,but I don't really get here.

A freelancing former US intelligence agent tries to track down a mysterious package that is wanted by both the Irish and the Russians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGbCQczril0

Green Lantern - 3 stars out of 5 stars

It's hard NOT to like a film that has a scene at a bar when a guy persuades a girl to dance to the tune,Come Softly to me by the Fleetwoods. Sadly ,thats the part I liked the most. DC comics has always been my favorite or Marvel and their heros,but,Green Lantern was one I rarely saw so I didn't really know how true the commix the movie would be.However early in the film we learn that Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern ,is flying F35 fighters for a munitions company doing tests  against drones,we know its a MUCH updated version of the comic IF like it at all.So judging it on the film alone,its so-so.Toooooo much CGI and outer space mubo jumbo kill the earth plot and well,I never liked Ryan Reynolds in serious roles,I just don't believe him.Still,its not worse than most of the stuff out there and it ends on a sequel idea.One will hope THAT will be better as I crave more DC comic heros.They changed Batman actors,they can with Green Lantern too.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

A test pilot is granted an alien ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oazFv302DIM

Brian's Song - ( 1971 ) - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

OK the ultimate TV sports get out your hanky film.Legendary and TRUE.Besides the football theme there is a civil rights theme as well.The first time a black and white roomed together in the NFL.I understand ABC redid this film later but this is the one that everyone saw if you were alive in 1971 and old enough to see TV.James Caan plays the title character Brian Piccolo one year before the release of "The Godfather".What a contrast in roles and cements him as a truly great actor.Sexy Billy Dee Williams plays Gale Sayers with the confidence needed in what may be HIS best role ever.It's a story of"man"love in the best light of competition  and respect.Release in 1971 for TV broadcast its a short 73 minutes and a 2 hanky final.I only took 1/2 star off because it was TV after all,not big budget,but the football clips are priceless.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.SEE THIS FILM !!!!

Gale Sayers joins the Chicago Bears and is befriended by Brian Piccolo, an over-achieving running back. Although they compete for the same spot on the team, and despite the fact that Sayers is black and Piccolo white, they become roommates on the road and very close friends, especially when Sayers is injured and Piccolo helps his recovery. Later, they and their wives must both deal with the harsh reality of Piccolo's cancer. Written by Jerry Milani <jmilani@ix.netcom.com>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnt-BqOjaTQ

The Hunted - ( 2003 ) 3 stars out of 5 stars

First let me say this is a "bad" Rambo fighting the man who trained him,sort of.There was another film of the same name 1997 , but is not the same story at all.Just the name.
Now I took 2 stars off because its real violent and not a nice story at all as well as a very little plot line too.Released in 2003 it only runs 94 minutes to,short for a action film.So why watch it all ?? Because I'm a Tommy Lee Jones butt boy and I enjoy William Friedkin's style of directing.In short,this film is a quity pleasure.It's worth one view but not really anymore. Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

In the green woods of Silver Falls, Oregon, Aaron Hallam, a trained assassin AWOL from the Special Forces, keeps his own brand of wildlife vigil. After Hallam brutally slew four deer hunters in the area, FBI Special Agent Abby Durrell turns to L.T. Bonham-- the one man who may be able to stop him. At first L.T. resists the mission. Snug in retirement, he's closed off to his past, the years he spent in the Special Forces training soldiers to become skilled murderers. But when he realizes that these recent slaying is the work of a man he trained, he feels obligated to stop him. Accepting the assignment under the condition that he works alone, L.T. enters the woods, unarmed--plagued by memories of his best student and riddled with guilt for not responding to Aaron's tortured letters to him as he began to slip over the edge of sanity. Furious as he is with his former mentor for ignoring his pleas for help... Written by Sujit R. Varma 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmUxlhjwVb8 

Pay it Forward - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 2000 and running a little long at 123 minutes, this is the sort of film you see and are glad it was made but disappointed that you wanted so much more.Sadly only 12 years later you cannot re-make this film because we are at war and "Trust"and "Kindness"are always casualties in conflict.This film is NOT about was but rather a idealism that you lose today.Anyway,I took 1 star off for the length and wanting more.
I loved all the cast but thought Jay Mohr  as the reporter Chris Chandler,a major character that follows the story and ties it all together,was in over his head, with the rest of the cast. However Jon Bon Jovi     as typical white trash loser Ricky McKinney,proved he is more than a pretty boy rocker.A+ for him.However the real 3 stars are Kevin Spacey as a disfigured teacher,Eugene Simonet,Helen Hunt as a low class but good at heart mother,Arlene McKinney   and Haley Joel Osment  as her idealist son Trevor McKinney.
Honorable mention to Jim Caviezel  as Jerry ,a troubled junkie.The story gets muddled at times but basically young Trevor believes you can change the world one person at a time and to do this three times change will come IF those three "pay it forward"three at a time.Sort of a GOOD top down "Ponzi"helping hand.Sadley the film is set in the outskirts of Las Vegas and well you just know bad things happens with losers in this sort of dead end environment.It does and the ending rivals Brians song as a tear jerker.Poor Trevor is stabbed and dies trying to help another kid,his third pay it forward,by a bully.That IS timely today even if the idea of paying it forward only lives in insurance TV commercials.
Trailer follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.A must see for your humanity. 

Young Trevor McKinney, troubled by his mother's alcoholism and fears of his abusive but absent father, is caught up by an intriguing assignment from his new social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet. The assignment: think of something to change the world and put it into action. Trevor conjures the notion of paying a favor not back, but forward--repaying good deeds not with payback, but with new good deeds done to three new people. Trevor's efforts to make good on his idea bring a revolution not only in the lives of himself, his mother and his physically and emotionally scarred teacher, but in those of an ever-widening circle of people completely unknown to him. Written by Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pCtXRP1edo

Gnomeo and Juliet - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

I must say up front that I am not a fan of cartoons in general.The reason I watched this one was the re-worked soundtrack of Elton John music and the fact it was a english flick instead of the standard pixar/disney animation.For a little while I found the animation of garden statues interesting than boring.Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story,this is a typical girl and boy will get together no matter what so the "name"is misleading.That said even the re-worked music is a little weak.Thus I rate it 50-50 nearly watchable but a nice change from pixar  or disney if you need that.Released in 2011 it runs a short 84 minutes.
Most of the voices are english with a few americans thrown in like Hulk Hogan.The noteworthy voices include,Emily Blunt,Michael Caine,Maggie Smith,Jason Statham,Ozzy Osbourne and Patrick Stewart amongst others.Trailer URL follows the pix.IMDB summary below.

The neighboring gardens of Montague and Capulet are at war, but the gnomes, Gnomeo and Juliet, are in love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJVHy6uT9XA

Grease - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Travolta made 3 wonderful musicals and I've already reviewed the other two.Saturday Night Fever and Urban Cowboy.This was the biggest hit because its so old school broadway musical-ish. Set in the 50's its a summer romance that carries into the school year as both boy and girl wind up in the same HS.Sex,rock,and cars and great music.The only reason I took 1 star off was I liked the other two better.This is a safe formula film but I liked it anyway. Released in 1978 it runs 110 minutes and has a great cast besides John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as most musicals do.I have to mention Sha-Na-Na and Eve Arden and Edd Byrnes as well as legendary comic Sid Caesar and even Frankie Avalon,all icons from back in the day.The real under appreciated performance however is Stockard Channing as Betty Rizzo that tries to bring a little realty to a otherwise fantasy film.Trailer URL is below the pix and a IMDB summary is below.

Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1jZd94CFHM&feature=fvst

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1982 and running 90 minutes this film is nothing like MY HS days.The film is dated and its upper middle class and suburban where I was lower middle class and urban and 15 years earlier.So i can't relate and I'm sure no one day can ether thats why I took 1 and 1/2 stars off.That said the film is well acted and full of cliches,some funny and some not so much.Sort of a less wild HS version of animal house in some ways but not made to be as outlandishly humorous as that film was.Three standout scenes for all time.    Sean Penn as drugged out surfer Jeff Spicoli ordering PIZZA in Ray Walston as Mr. Hand's class, Phoebe Cates as Linda Barrett instructing Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stacy Hamilton on how to give a BJ using a carrot,and finally Judge Reinhold as Brad Hamilton ,masturbating in the bathroom to a image he had of Linda.All three scenes are worthy of a homage to Animal house.Although the acting works well and the music rocks,the story is like,who cares,get over it spoiled brats.See it once for historical reference.
Trailer URL below the pix and a IMDB summary below.

Follows a group of high school students growing up in southern California, based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe. Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner are looking for a love interest, and are helped along by their older classmates, Linda Barrett and Mike Damone, respectively. The center of the film is held by Jeff Spicoli, a perpetually stoned surfer dude who faces off with the resolute Mr. Hand, who is convinced that everyone is on dope. Written by Rick Gregory <rag.apa@email.apa.org> 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhUfmDGdK7M

Game Change - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars.

Another fine HBO film based on a novel about the last presidential election.Like most films about politics there are different points of view so the only way to truly judge such a film is the way it seems to be as we saw it in the media so we can at least maybe believe the behind the scenes stuff MIGHT have been.In this regard the film succeeds.Julianne Moore     as Sarah Palin is far better than Tina Fey in any SNL scotch,Ed Harris as John McCain is believable and the rest of the actors are fine as we don't know those real people nearly as well as Palin and McCain.All the flubs are there as well as the a portrait of a woman in over her head but  who truly believes what she says. I took 1 and 1/2 stars off because we can never know the truth about the behind the scenes stuff and its a movie that won't be interesting 5 years from now.Politics is very fleeting.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.Released on HBO in 2012 it runs about 2 hours.

Follows John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, from his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate to their ultimate defeat in the general election

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPhh7mch5zo

Dreamscape - 3 stars out of 5 stars

When I reviewed that bust of a picture "inception"awhile back I said I'd review this one at a later date.It's very dated so it doesn't stand up well and the story gets a little confused at times BUT there is a STORY and good acting makes a far better picture but still could have been so much more.Thats why I only give it 3 stars.Dennis Quaid as Alex Gardner heads a cast that includes this years academy award winner for best supporting actor,Christopher Plummer,and always professional Max von Sydow and Speibergs wife or is ex ? Kate Capshaw,oh well,amongst others.Released in 1984 it runs 99minutes.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB review below.

A government funded project looks into using psychics to enter people's dreams, with some mechanical help. When a subject dies in his sleep from a heart attack Alex Gardner becomes suspicious that another of the psychics is killing people in the dreams somehow and that is causing them to die in real life. He must find a way to stop the abuse of the power to enter dreams. Written by Zaphod <aaa@scs.leeds.ac.uk>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRYp3LPL0bc

Flyboys - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

I had a problem with the title of the film and then the point that it was a pure fictional account of the famed Lafayette Escadrille.The title is confusing with a book of the same name about a US WW11 fighter squadron and thus I think many went to see it for that reason.Since there are few pictures made of this war its also sad to see pure fiction even though the Escadrille was real and one wishes a more factual movie would have been made.Thats why I took 1 and 1/2 stars off.All that sad,it may be the best performance by James Franco to date and the rest of the cast is OK.The FX used in the flying scenes were exceptional and I enjoyed the ride once I came to grips that it was not the film I hoped but was ok for what it was meant to be,a exciting imaging of that war and those men.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.Enjoy it for what it is.


Before the United States entered World War I, young Americans went to France to be fighter pilots, joining the Lafayette Escadrille. This fictional version follows a laconic Texas rancher, an eager Nebraska kid, a Black boxer already in France, and a New York swell, as they arrive green for training, get their baptism by fire when German planes ambush them on their first mission, and graduate to heroics. Rawlings, the Texan, falls in love with a young woman he meets at a bordello. Keeping their eyes on them are Captain Thenault and Cassidy, the resident ace, who keeps a pet lion. Can the boys measure up? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

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

The Red Baron - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

I have a couple of thoughts on this film both positive and negative.The positives first reason.WW1 has been largely forgotten or remembered as being in the  far distant past with little relevance.We are but 2 years from the 100 anniversary of the start of that war and many issue of that day remain now and plague us still.Any thing to remind us of that terrible war and the little that it resolved, is sorely needed and should be seen. The positive second reason is anything about "The Red Baron"The only hero of a enemy this country celebrates thanks to the "Peanuts" comic strip character of Snoopy as the Red Baron and a christmas song commemorating that.
Now the negatives.First,Matthias Schweighöfer as Manfred von Richthofen don't have the gravitas to carry out such historical character.he's badly overshadowed in the scenes with Lena Headey     as Käte Otersdorf and even Joseph Fiennes as Capt. Roy Brown who would have been a better choice to play the baron.
Now considering this is a movie and NOT a documentary,its not really important if there was a real romance between Kate and Manfred.It's enough that they knew each other and a dog was there and a character named Doring which I assume is meant to be Goring,the future Nazi leader of the German airfare in WW11,who historically later replaced him and the fact he was killed in the last German offensive of the war,the "Michael".History is told by the winners and facts get "tweaked"all the time.I see no bad tweaks when compared to the facts of depicted of the terrible war.
Just judging it on its merits,the old planes and dog fights are great.The few ground battle scenes are horrific and the illusion of gallantry in the air is maintained as if there were two separate wars being fought.
Sadly the casting of Matthias Schweighöfer as Manfred von Richthofen is the major downer for me.Thats why I take 1 and 1/2 stars off.Released in 2008 it runs 106 minutes.Trailer URL follows below.I do recommend a view for historical reasons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er--DLaG7SM

Pork Chop Hill - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

The Korea war is still the US least remembered war,maybe because it was fought as a "police action"on behalf of the UN with the US as the policeman against North Korea aggression against South Korea between 1950 and 1953.being only 5 years after WW11 and the fact we weren't attacked makes it of little interest to most.However we lost almost 37000 killed which makes it only 18000 less than Vietnam so we bled in this forgotten war.
Few movies have been made about this war and this is the second I've reviewed,"The Bridges at TokoRi"being the other.I took 1 and 1/2 stars off because as a pure combat action film its run of the mill full of cliches.Its filmed in b&w as well.No the value in the film is that it was made at all because like that war itself,the battle was purely political.A bad to see how much each side would expend troops over a objectve that had no military value.The value was a battle of will.You see it was being fought while a cease fire was being negotiated at Panmunjom to end hostilities.Each side showing it wouldn't give a inch while trying to make gains at the negotiating table.The cast is serviceable headed by Gregory Peck     as Lt. Joe Clemons .But the value is for you to want to know more about this conflict as North Korea is still a threat to peace today and we still have 30000 serviceman stationed near its boarder.Released in 1959 the film runs a short 97 minutes.Trailer URL follows the pix.

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

Moby Dick ( 1956 ) - 4 stars out of 5 stars

After seeing this film for the first time since I was a youngster I'm shocked at how much of Ricardo Montalban's dialogue as Khan in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"is out and out copied from Gregory Peck 's dialogue as Captain Ahab in this film not to mention the obsessive mannerism of the acting as well.
That in itself is enough of a reason to see this film.
Based on a novel by Herman Melville who was the but of a joke in the film "animal house"about being long winded and not easily transferred to our time,has merit as well as the subject of whale hunting is a PC no/no today takes 1 star off.Otherwise what a film !!!
For the PC correct,lets remember the whale wins and kills all but one !!!
The story is straightforward.Its 1841 and a young man Richard Basehart  as Ishmael signs on to a whaling ship out of new Bedford Mass.whose captain is Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab whose reason to continue sailing is not to make money on the whale fat from whale kills that are boiled down to oil and brought back to be used much the same as in ground oil is used today,no, its to hunt and kill a white whale that took his leg in the past and scarred his face so he is obsessed with killing it before he dies.That is now his only reason to live.There is a colorful cast but there are really only 3 characters.Ahab,Moby Dick,which is the name given to the whale,and the witness to the obsession,Ishmael.
They wouldn't make a movie about whaling like this today,but that was life in parts of New England back then and it serves better as a metaphor for obsession than some teen sex/slasher film I believe.So do others as it seems it was remade a few times and I'm not sure this masterpiece released in 1956 and running 116 minutes is the first version.
A great action flick for the time and no CGI,FX the way it used to be!!
Trailer URL follows pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_ibjoSB6Xs

Jungle Fever - 3 stars out of 5 stars

One of the best soundtracks of any movie ever.That said,Spike takes a little easy way out by have a middle class black cheating on his wife with a middle class white woman.More likely would have been intense teen relationship with the future at risk,but,still the middle class relationship has its own risks.It's just that I expected more edge from Spike.Another great cast and they try hard.Of note is a small role by Halle Berry as a crack whore and  small role by legendary Anthony Quinn as well as Spike regulars Sam L Jackson,Ossie and Ruby and John Turturro  and a whole bunch of other good actors,including Spike, help Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra pull of the rather tame by Spike standards,forbidden love story.I liked it but it's in the middle of his volume of films.Released in 1991 it runs a little long at 131 minutes.You should enjoy it even if I took 2 stars off for the length  and not as edgy as I wished.Still its a Spike film and no one does it quite as good as Spike.Trailer URL follows the pix and a brief IMDB summary below.

Friends and family of a married black architect react in different ways to his affair with an Italian secretary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ64smS4Lyk

Malcolm X - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Guess we are having a mini Spike movie fest here.Truth is,this flick has one of the great performances by a actor of a formally living person ever filmed.There are a few great performance's of live people where the actor gets a chance to meat the person and hopefully add things accordingly.Its far harder when the subject is dead and all the actor can draw upon is what we all already know.In this case Denzel nailed it. Malcolm X was as important figure as Dr King whether we would like to admit it or not.Even though I am white,I remember the "black"muslims as I grew up however it wasn't till after Malcolm was killed did I know of the rift between him and Elijah Muhammad.Being a muslim in the black community back in the civil rights movement was a big thing.Remember "Cassius Clay"and "Lou Alcindor"? NO?Well then how about Mohammed Ali and Kareem Abdu Jabbar? There were 2 schools of though on the movement,Dr Kings and Malcolm X's.Both widely followed and both had influence.A must see film for your enlightenment of the times,and great acting by all.Might well be the movie Spike is remembered for 100 years from now.Not my favorite film of Spikes because I wasn't a fan of Malcolm's but by far Spikes most"important film.Thus I took 1 star off for the subject and length of the long film.Released in 1992 and runs 202 minutes this film could not be made today because of 9/11 and any attempt to understand Islam.Trailer URL follows the pix as well as a IMDB summary below.


Biography of Malcolm X, the famous African American leader. Born Malcolm Little, his father (a minister) was killed by the Ku Klux Klan. He became a gangster, and while in jail discovered the Nation of Islam writings of Elijah Muhammad. He preaches the teachings when let out of jail, but later on goes on a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, there he converts to the original Islamic religion and becomes a Sunni Muslim. He changes his name to El-Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz and stops his anti-white teachings, as he realises the error of his mistakes. He is later on assasinated and dies a Muslim Martyr. Written by Anonymous

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rfaiu8DbRs

Do The Right Thing - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Arguably Spikes most famous film.I like it but I can't make up my mind if its my favorite Spike film because I like SOoooooooo many of his.Released in 1989 and running a just right 120 minutes I took 1 star off because I disagree that a riot is sometimes justified.That said,sit back and enjoy the flick.Spike played a major role himself as Mookie.He's not in class of some of the other actors but he does't shame himself ether.Danny Aiello as Salvatore 'Sal' Fragione,lends credibility to the story as a inner-city pizza parlor owner and Spike regular John Turturro plays Pino,Sal's son.Ruby and Ossie have roles and the rest of the cast is outstanding especially Giancarlo Esposito as Buggin Out,the instigator of most of the conflicts.Great soundtrack as well.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.FIGHT THE POWER !!!!  

On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=muc7xqdHudI

Rosewood - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

This is a very hard film to review.On one hand it's based on a sad 1923 incident.On another its by a good "black"director,John Singletary. Still more, it has a stellar cast that I don't want to name just a few of.So why does this 1997 film task me?Well for starters its too long at 140 minutes and is very slow to start and thus boring in spots.Finally,and it may be my fault being white,but it comes off as white on black racial" porn". Too many whites making blacks suffer and the great black actors showing that suffering,to the delite of the whites who do not suffer in the film,to me,thats porn for the racial bigoted whites out there.Sure much later the black survivors received compensation from the state of florida,but THAT was 70 years later and the whites who did that deed had fun and were never punished.To me,I'm sorry,if thats not biased porn,what is?Thats why I gave it my lowest but yet,recommended 2 1/2 stars.Trailer URL follows the pix.A IMDB summary is below.See it and make your own judgement.At the very least you will know that such things did in fact happen.

A dramatization of a 1923 horrific racist lynch mob attack on an African American community.

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

Logan's Run - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

If ever a film cried out"re-make me"this is the film. Released in 1976 and running long at 119 minutes,I took 2 and 1/2 stars of for the length and poor production qualities.Lest we forget its unfair to judge too harshly for it was up against a landmark FX film released the same year,"Star Wars".But model trains and cardboard sets,really ???Its bearly watchable today for after you've seen star wars,how can you sit thru what seems a amateur production by comparison.
However it is a good story with a good cast that just sucked as a watchable film.The trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.If you like a good sci-fi futuristic tale than sit thru the production shortcomings.( remember Star Trek the original series?)

It's 2274 and on the surface, it all seems to be an idyllic society. Living in a city within an enclosed dome, there is little or no work for humans to perform and inhabitants are free to pursue all of the pleasures of life. There is one catch however: your life is limited and when you reach 30, it is terminated in a quasi-religious ceremony known as Carousel. Some, known as runners, do try to escape their fate when the time comes and it's the job of a Sandman to track them down and kill them. Logan is such a man and with several years before his own termination date, thinks nothing of the job he does. Soon after meeting a young woman, Jessica-6, he is ordered to become a runner himself and infiltrate a community outside the dome known as Sanctuary and to destroy it. Pursued by his friend Francis, also a Sandman, Logan and Jessica find their way to the outside. There they discover a beautiful... Written by garykmcd

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WUUnc1M0TA

The Mark of Zorro - ( 1940 ) 4 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1940 and running 94 minutes this movie is the definitive Zorro.better than Disney or the movies before and after it.First,the story of Zorro is also the story of Robin Hood.Different culture and times and ethnic devices but really,think about it.Noble,poor,military.Whats really great in this version is the casting of Basil Rathbone as Captain Esteban Pasquale because he also played Sir Guy of Gisbourne,a bad guy in the 1938 version of The Adventures of Robin Hood ,maybe the best version of THAT franchise.Talk about semitry.
Anyway,the only issues with this film is thats its in b&w and a as Hollywood did,cast whites instead of ethnics in major roles.That why I took the star off.That said,Tyrone Power as Don Diego Vega / Zorro ,is brilliant and the rest of the cast excels as well.Still its good vs evil,Zorro vs Esteban. Rob from the rich and give to the poor.All in 1820's spanish california.If you like period adventure this is your movie.Trailer below the pix is a scene since I can't find a trailer,and a IMDB summary below

A young aristocrat must masquerade as a fop in order to maintain his secret identity of Zorro as he restores justice to early California.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKwVFDKWl84

State of Grace - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Sometimes we forget the Irish mob is in NYC as well as Boston and this 1990 film running long at 134 minutes reminds us of the fact there is a "Hell's Kitchen"in the city that the westees irish mob ran back in the day.I had to take 2 stars off because of the length and mixed up undercover cop vs roots theme.However the acting is as good as it gets in these crime films.Start with the maddening crazy Gary Oldman as Jackie Flannery and cool bad Ed Harris     as Frankie Flannery ,his brother and crime boss and Sean Penn as Terry Noonan a boyhood friend of Jackie who went to Boston to become a cop and returns to infiltrate his youth gang,a very young John C. Reilly as Stevie McGuire a poor dumb chump and so many more.Truly the acting and cast rises the film more than the script.Worth your time if you like the current crop of irish mob movies like "the town."
Trailer URL follow the pix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrIEKS1PdfI

Zorro: The Gay Blade - 4 stars out of 5 stars

There is no shame in being poor,only in dressing poorly,so say the gay blade.If you liked Airplane and or Blazzing saddles,than this lesser known film will amuse you.As a BIG Zorro fan I had to see this dispite the fact I am NOT a George Hamilton fan who does a great over acting job as Don Diego Vega / Zorro / Bunny Wigglesworth / The Gay Blade / Ramon Vega,two brothers who are the new Zero.It's 50 years after Zorro and he's died and his two sons will carry on against a new evil in the form of another actor I never liked Ron Leibman  who also over acts as Captain Esteban.That said over acting is a BIG + in this humorous sendup of the classic western spanish version of robin hood.Lauren Hutton as Charlotte Taylor Wilson   tries to be more than eye candy as the love interest and Brenda Vaccaro as Esteban's wife Florinda,brings the jewish wife to the story.It may not be PC but hey its a comedy already !!!Released in 1981 and running 93 minutes,the only reason I took 1 star off was the gay theme that is less PC today than it was at the time the film was made.Still I thought Hamilton nailed it.Trailer follows the pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Ecj81s1_4

Crooklyn - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1994 and running a little long at 115 minutes,I took 1 and 1/2 stars off for length and wishful thinking on Spikes part.My favorite hard ass director goes soft trying to be edgy in this whimsical story of growing up in Brooklyn back in the day.I loved it but not as a Spike picture,rather as remembering what a neighborhood was all about and family and kids and just because they are all black there is a lot I remember like it.About as edgy as it gets is Spike in a small role as Snuffy,gets hit in the head by Zelda Harris asTroy,the real star of this film and gezz I wonder where she went?? Alfre Woodard as Carolyn Carmichael and Delroy Lindo as Woody Carmichael are great as the parents who are trying to raise their 5 kids in Crooklyn but it's hard and there are tragic things that happen and at the end young Troy is now the anchor of the family and it's future is not certain.The soundtrack is wonderful representing music from the 70's,the acting is first rate as Spike always finds talent and the story, while soft by Spike standards ,is still very strong by white standards and sad in many ways besides being hopeful.I'm white and was raised in Brooklyn and I thought I had it easy after seeing this film.Trailer follows the pix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ujdSgxMWpg

Julie& Julia - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Surprisingly better film than I expected.Julie has too much time on her hands,but whatever!!.Thats the only reason I took 1 star off.Released in 2009 its also a little long at 123 minutes.Nora Ephron's humor comes through in her writing and direction and we all know about Meryl Streep who plays Julia Child but Amy Adams is also stellar Julie Powell and the rest of the cast anchored by Stanley Tucci as Paul Child excel.It's a very different kind of"today"film idea,but I bought it.Trailer follows the pix and a IMDB summary is  below.

Julia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjvJHsJD8ic

Pure Country - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1992 and running a little long at 112 minutes I really wanted to like this movie much more than did.As it is however it's only 50-50 and really for die hard George Strait and country fans only.I'm sorry but he is a far better singer than actor and the story is corny as Kansas corn.Also they wast Lesley Ann Warren as Lula Rogers and over use Isabel Glasser as Harley Tucker .But thats just me,you can do FAR worse.Check it out.Trailer follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.

Dusty Chandler (Strait) is a super star in the country music world, but his shows have the style of a '70s rock concert. One day he takes a walk - out of his overdone concerts to find his real country roots. He's helped and hindered by friends and staff, but pushes on in his search for a real music style as well as a real romance. Written by Don Femia <donfemia@csn.net>

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

Fail-Safe ( 1964) - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Yesterday while reviewing Dr Stranglelove I said I would thus review this 1964 release as well,as they are tied at the hip so to speak.Running 112 minutes and also shot in b&w I had to take 2 stars off because of length and b&w and the story has a fatal flaw IMHO.
That said,it is a very serious no nonsense film starring Henry Fonda as The President but really having Larry Hagman shine as "Buck " a translator with whom the president speaks to the russian premium .The rest of the cast is "A"list as well.Here's the flaw.As fascinating as the story is about a US bomber accidentally nuking Moscow,the final resolution would have you accept the president nuking NYC to avoid all out war.
I'm sorry but history is full of wars of accident and a US president  nuking NYC for peace,REALLY?? Anyway,perhaps you might buy in to that,many did and that's why the film is a mini classic.For that reason it's worth your  viewing once.However,I prefer Dr.Strangelove.The acting is equally good in both films.Trailer follows the pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oicYUhgff7Q

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1964 and running only 95 minutes,the film is shot in b&w and is dated as the cold war is over and we won and didn't all die,thats why I took 1 star off,that said,a great film for it's day. Another classic by writer/director Stanley Kubrick and more great acting by George C. Scott as Gen. 'Buck' Turgidson long before his classic role of "Patton".
But the film is really all about Peter Sellers in a tour de force playing three roles,Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove .
Full of line like "we can't afford a mineshaft gap"I can't begin to explain the fabulous sarcastic "black"humor of the absurdity of the times and the cold war that turned hot.It came out around the time of "Fail safe"which I'll review tomorrow and many say it was sarcastic version of that very serious film.I can't say,but it is thoughtfully funny.
Trailer follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.Grade "A+"cast as well as a very young James Earl Jones.


An insane general starts a process to nuclear holocaust that a war room of politicians and generals frantically try to stop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gXY3kuDvSU

Deep Impact - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Standard apocalypse film and that's not my favorite genre but that said,this film is better than most.Released in 1998  and running a little long,I took 1 and 1/2 stars  off because it's like a few other films BUT still watchable.The FX is better than most,even though thats not high on my list of why to watch a film,but the acting is far better than most.Start with Morgan Freeman as President Beck ( 10 years before Obama) continue with a fine turn by Téa Leoni as Jenny Lerner and my old favorite Maximilian Schell as Jason Lerner
her father and the list goes on,"A" or at the least "B+"list of actors as these films demand so you care who lives and dies.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

Unless a comet can be destroyed before colliding with Earth, only those allowed into shelters will survive. Which people will survive?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTkfk4dCnu8

Dear John - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

I am NOT a Channing Tatum fan and his portrayal of John Tyree a soldier,may be his best work.This is a confusing movie that was released in 2010 and runs 108 minutes and I give it my lowest YET ok to see rating of 50-50  or 2 1/2 stars for that reason.Yes it's a "Dear John"letter in the traditional sense but there's a father son issue,and woman with 2 loves issue,a soldiers story and more.Too ambitious for one movie.The trailer follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.By the way,Amanda Seyfried not only did a fine job of playing Savannah Curtis in the film but also sang "little house"on the movies soundtrack.I'm a fan of her's now.

While John is on leave in his hometown, he finds Savannah, a college student visiting the town. Although love was unexpected, it doesn't mean they didn't find it. With the knowledge of John having to leave for the army, their love still lives, until his re-signs on due to the 9/11 attack. Troubles invade and their love put on hold. One cannot bear it anymore; can the other? Written by Fiona Anderson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0fq5dd0C60

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

Released in 1991 and running a little long at 118 minutes a took 1 and 1/2 stars off for the length and a mostly unknown cast over here as it's a UK picture and the accents can also be annoying.That said,its a good,funny irrevrant comedy. White trash Irish meet low down black soul in Dublin and we're off on a fun ride with Star Treks Colm Meaney as the dad who LOVES Elvis as his son is forming this"Black Irish"band.Must see if you want to see something completely different.Trailer URL follows the pix  and a IMDB summary below.

The travails of Jimmy Rabbitte to form the "World's Hardest Working Band," The Commitments, and bring soul music to the people of Dublin, Ireland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3paf2TLrgsg

The Breakfast Club - 4 stars out of 5 stars

My HS days were not like this film in that I was a urban center kid not a suburban,that aside the stereotypes are familiar and thus a worthwhile film to watch if you get nostalgic from time to time.Great acting and the emergence of "The Brat" pack,a follow up to Sinatra's "Rat Pack"of friends in the entertainment biz. Released in 1985 it runs a just right 97 minutes and the only reason to take 1 star off is that it's slightly dated.The brat pack stars are Emilio Estevez and Anthony Michael Hall,Judd Nelson,Molly Ringwald and  Ally Sheedy.Good job by Paul Gleason the guy running detention.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.Enjoy it least once.

Five high school students, all different stereotypes, meet in detention, where they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkX8J-FKndE

Blazing Saddles - 4 stars out of 5 stars

As funny as "the producers".Mel released this film 1974 and it runs 93 minutes and only the fact its a spoof about a now forgotten genre,the western,cause me to take a star off.Also I wasn't that happy with Cleavon Little as Bart .It would have excelled with Richard Pryor instead.Small complaint. Gene Wilder ,who was in the producers now plays Jim ,a gunfighter.Cleavon Little as Bart ,the black sheriff,Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamarr and
    Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp are the main characters but football player Alex Karras plays Mongo in a minor role but he's so bad he knocks out a HORSE !! And the singing around the campfire while eating beans will make EVERYONE watching this laugh.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.Do yourself a favor and see it.

The Ultimate Western Spoof. A town where everyone seems to be named Johnson is in the way of the railroad. In order to grab their land, Hedley Lemar, a politically connected nasty person, sends in his henchmen to make the town unlivable. After the sheriff is killed, the town demands a new sheriff from the Governor. Hedley convinces him to send the town the first Black sheriff in the west. Bart is a sophisticated urbanite who will have some difficulty winning over the townspeople. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLNQv19YpG4

The Producers ( 1968 ) - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Classic Mel Brooks comedy that inspired a smash broadway play and re-make movie and could NOT be made today as new material because of the politically correct world we now live in where its all funny till its about YOU.Released way back in 1968 and running a short 88 minutes,it still stands up well which is why I only took 1 star off.It's a grade "A"cast that include 4 standout performances by Zero Mostel as Max Bialystock and Gene Wilder     as Leo Bloom,Dick Shawn 'L.S.D.' - Lorenzo St. DuBois  ( who plays Hitler)and finally Kenneth Mars as Franz Liebkind (the playwright)also some old-time Vaudeville stage humor is provided by Lee Meredith as Ulla (a pretty girl and nothing else).
If your a prude and politically correct PASS it by,otherwise sit and enjoy one of the funniest movies ever made.The trailer I used is the broadway play scene first part of the production number of "Springtime for Hitler in Germany"and follows the pix as usual.
See the whole plot of the movie is Max is a bad producer who gets a idea from talking to his accountant leo that to end his money problems just produce a BIG flop that closes on opening night !!! All the investors lose their money to HIM that way since he hasn't spent it all yet.How the movie shows this is one funny scene after another as Max must charm old ladies out of their money to invest in his new play and offer the large %'s of future profits like 50% or such !! As long as its a flop so what?So they find this crazy old WW11 german vet who wrote a love story to Hitler and well,I think you can guess the rest.No flop big problems!!! LOVED IT !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYnz5LpLFn0

Road House - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Only took one star off because we have seen this story 100 times and the women in it have 80's big hair making it slightly dated.released in 1989 and running 114 minutes the story is the old one ,man fights the good fight alone and with honor and FINALLY has the showdown with the bad guy after his only friend in the world is killed.Sounds like
"Shane "and many more movies before and since.But wait !! Our good guy is Patrick Swayze and the bad guy is Ben Gazzara and instead of the old west its modern day "road houses"places were people gather to have a "good time"The "cooler"is the lone wolf like sheriff and his "deputies"are the bouncers and the owner is mayor like.The townsfolk are the patrons and business area owners and the "bad"is a rich man who"runs"the towm through violence and bribes and a bad"posse"Silly but this film pulls it off and I LIKE it.A dirty pleasure and my personnel Swayze favorite movie plus the music is good as well.A little nudity but still bad ass fighting, right vs wrong,old style "western" movie.Trailer follows the pix.By the way as folks who have heard of Swayze's character meat him they always say,thought you'd be taller.Like in "Escape from NY,when meeting Snake they would say,heard you were dead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ikfz-S6Tjo

Vera Cruz - 4 stars out of 5 stars

One of the finest old school westerns made back in 1954 and running but 94 minutes.The only issue is the story is out there and thus 1 star off,but the acting !!! Burt Lancaster as Joe Erin and Gary Cooper as Benjamin Trane head a "A" list cast is a sprawling story of drifting americans who go to make some money south of the boarder in Mexico or as IMDB puts it,

During the Mexican Rebellion of 1866, an unsavory group of American adventurers are hired by the forces of Emperor Maximilian to escort a countess to Vera Cruz.

Double cross and revolution and honor reign in a story like they don't make anymore. It is said that the opening scenes have inspired "spaghetti westerns"be that as it may be,I like the interaction between bad guy Joe with his twisted code of honor and good guy Ben with his just defeated southern manners and the bi play between them that you know will come to show down sooner or later.MUST see for western fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5nMP4wTIwQ

Gloria ( 1980 ) - 4 stars out of 5 stars

The late great John Cassavetes wrote and directed and cast his wife Gena Rowlands in the title role of this 1980 thriller thats a little long at 123 minutes and a little dated,thus one star off.FAR better film than the later remake.Look for SNL writer and sometime performer Buck Henry in a early but short role as well.Very different rough and gritty film like very few others.A little gem I recommend highly. Trailer URL follows pix and a IMDB summary below.


Mild mannered Jack Dawn has been secretly working as an accountant for the mob. He, his Puerto Rican wife Jeri, his teen-aged daughter Joan and his mother-in-law, all who were planning on going on the run, are murdered by the mob because Jack was going to inform on them to the FBI. Before they're killed, Jack and Jeri are able to send their six-year old son Phil to Jeri's friend and their neighbor, Gloria Swenson, for safe keeping. Also with Phil is the book which contains all the information Jack was going to turn over. Gloria and Phil have an antagonistic relationship, not so much for who they are but what they are, Phil a kid, and Gloria a strange white woman who hates kids. As an ex-mistress of a mobster, Gloria learns that the people that killed the Dawns are old friends of hers. As Gloria and Phil go on the run both from the mob and from the authorities (who believe she kidnapped Phil) throughout New York City, Gloria has to come up with a plan on how best to save themselves, which is not easy because of their love/hate relationship and the fact that precocious Phil has a mind of his own. That plan includes what to do with the book, but more importantly how to save Phil as the mob would still be after him regardless of the book just in case he knows something about his father's dealings. All through their ordeal, Gloria is not averse to shooting to kill, especially if those who she is trying to kill are trying to kill her and Phil first. Written by Huggo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaRSpR-NUgc

The Bodyguard - 3 stars out of 5 stars

A mediocre movie at best.The story is familiar but still a watchable movie for two reasons.Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston.Released back in 1992 and running a long 129 minutes,I took 2 stars off for seen it all before and length.Still Whitney was ok as a diva who needed a bodyguard and Costner as the guard.Whitney doesn't sing her fabulous version of Dolly Partons,"I will always love you"till the end but it's a tear bringer as the two part ways.For that reason alone,see the film.
Trailer URL follows the pix and a brief IMDB summary is below.

A former Secret Service agent takes on the job of bodyguard to a pop singer, whose lifestyle is most unlike a President's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Kvyw7AEKU

Annie Hall - 5 stars out of 5 stars

Never been a real big fan of Woody Allen because he keeps making the same film over and over,ah,but that first film !!!! Released in 1977 and only running a too short 93 minutes the film covers one side of growing up in NY and the lingering affects it can have on you for years to come.Now thats Woody s take as a Brooklyn born poor Jew but neurosis can be funny and it does start somewhere.God knows NYC is home to pop phycology.
His tagline ,he credits Groucho Marks with,I wouldn't want to join any club that would have me as a member,sums it all up.
As funny as he is and how he plays his failures with women,Diane Keaton is a natural for him.Her character is from the mid west but is as screwed up as he is.Like two ships that pass in the night,they hook up and have a few years till their own individual neurosis forces them apart.It's a darker "When Harry met Sally"but tastes better as the years go by.
Some top notch talent appear in little more than cameo roles, for its Woody's and Diane's film,but,I have to mention a short but scary part by crazy man Christopher Walken. Don't get in a car with him driving !!!
I guess as time goes by I see some of Woody in me so I recommend the film over a Dr's appointment anytime.Trailer URL follows the pix.I think I now enjoy it more than "Forget Paris"and will adjust me favorite comedy pick as a result.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBzHphcc2Jw

Farewell to the King - 5 stars out of 5 stars

One fabulous movie !!! OK it's not Lawrence of Arabia but its a movie based on a novel by Pierre Schoendoerffer so we know it's fiction and nothing more.Ah but what fiction !!
Director:John Milius crafts a fine tale that makes you think as I once heard somewhere else,IF that story isn't true it should have been (film - the cowboys)There was a time Nick Nolte could really act and this film released in 1989 proves it.At  115 minutes I wanted MORE.There is NOTHING not to like about this film.The story of a third party being caught up in the dispute of others is timeless and when that dispute is war and the third party are savages or really just not civilized in the western sense,they only collect heads and live in the jungle,rather than live in comfort based on the exploitation of others,like colonial powers involved in such war,that you have a set up for a Don Quixote as played by Nolte. So don't look for Lawrence but rather a violent but principled Sancho Panza and you will enjoy the film.British,Japanese and Borneo as a battleground works as well as any other setting from WW11 and less done to boot.Fine acting by Nigel Havers  as a Lawrence type,Capt. Fairbourne really complements Nolte as this american deserter from Corregidor survivors after being beached on Borneo and seeing the soldiers he escaped with die.He then survives in the jungle only to be captured by headhunters,and here's the romance.is loved by a native and he thus learns there way and becomes "free"to lead his "comanches"as KING !!!Great stuff if not for that damned old war !!!
The darker issue of re-colonizing after the war is also delved into although not as much as one might wish.Do yourself a favor and see it,for they really don't make um like this anymore. Favorite line after Fairbourne and a "black" african sergeant major are captured by the headhunters and brought before Nolte,Fairbourne blurts,thank GOD he's as white as us. Trailer URL follows the pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXwdnHQ86qk

Windtalkers - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

After seeing "Red Tails"it was time to revisit this release from 2002 running a little long at 134 minutes.Took 1 and 1/2 stars off for that and cop-ing out to mix in a story for Nick Cage that takes over the film at times and lessens the impact of what it should have been, telling the story of Navajo Marines who use their native language as an unbreakable radio cypher. The true story of the heroics of native Americans is as little known as the Black American in that distant war and as the survivors are dying of old age,its a tale that should be documented before its lost forever.This film is a WEAK  first attempt and one can only hope someone like Spielberg or Lucas will honor their memory before its lost forever.
On the surface the film has enough rousing action to entertain and does attempt to tell the story of the code the Japs couldn't break thanks to the Navajo.Still there is only the tease at the racism of the day as Cage is ordered to protect the code even it that means killing his Navajo windtalker rather than let the Japs take him prisoner. Imagine giving a marine such a order today !!! Ever hear of "Fragging"?  Still you should see it if only to known there was more to native americans involvement than the tragic story of "Drunken Ira Hayes "that I trust you already know.Trailer URL follows the pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOmH0_F8_XI

Red Tails - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Lucas gives his action take onWW11 finally after Spielberg and it's worth the wait.The best dog fights i've seen yet including against JETS near the close of the war.Ok,it's full of clichés and stories we've seen before BUT this time it's about the finally getting some credit ,all black Tuskegee squadron that never lost a bomber they were escorting to enemy fighters.Historically this movie may be somewhat exaggerated but what war movie isn't?
The important thing is the true relevance of this unit  at the time,in a segregated military as well as general society.So if it's not 100 percent accurate so what?
I enjoyed it and only took 1 star off because I feel they held back for the box office.You could tell Spike Lee didn't make this film but Lucas did.Released in 2012 its a might long at 125 minutes.Still I hope for more down the road.The acting was stellar with a grade "A" mostly black cast.Special props to David Oyelowo as Joe 'Lightning' Little,a brash role of a angry black man who fights with the best and loves a white woman and well you just know he's not gonna make it.Sad,but you need that in any war movie and he delivered.
Do your self a favor and see it if war movies are your thing.The best I've seen in quite awhile.Trailer URL follows the pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpA6TC0T_Lw

Legends of the Fall - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Far out tale only made believable by the fine acting of Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins.Common a wombed"doing 3 brothers"is in itself quite "out there"but you almost believe it when its done as well as these actors do it.2 stars off for the outlandish premise but still watchable for the feel and scope of a WW1 backdrop that makes little stories seem so,well,little.Released in 1994 and running a little long at 133 minutes,watch it once at least for the period moment.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.


Set in the Rocky Mountains of Montana in the early 1900s, this is a tale of love, betrayal, and brotherhood. After being discharged, Colonel Ludlow decides to raise his three sons in the wilds of Montana, where they can grow up away from the government and society he has learned to despise. The three brothers mature and seem to have an unbreakable bond, until Susanna enters their lives. When Samuel, the youngest of the three, returns from college he brings with him his beautiful fiancée, Susanna. The eldest son, Alfred, soon finds himself in love with his brother's fiancée, and things get worse when he discovers a growing passion between Susanna and Tristan. Colonel Ludlow's favorite son, Tristan is willful and as wild as the mountains. As the brothers set out to fight a war in Europe, suspicion and jealousy threatens to tear apart their once indestructible bond. Written by saunders11@yahoo.com

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

On the Beach ( 1959 ) - 4 stars out of 5 stars

I had to read the book written by Nevil Shute back in HS and this first film version released  in 1959 and running a little long at 134 minutes was the first film by director Stanley Kramer I ever saw.The only issues today might be black and white filmed and a little long and slightly dated.Thus 1 star off.This might be the first REAL post apocalyptic  film ever made.A truly scary and eventual story of the impending death of the survivors of a nuclear exchange who try to live a "normal"life down under in Australia while the radiation slowly approaches to eventually kill them as well.Unlike the fantasy films of today with vast wastelands and comic almost old west good and bad guys trying to live in the new world,this is instead a facade of normalcy hiding the slow inexorable march to death by radiation of untouched survivors of a nuclear war.Grade "A" cast and acting just heighten the eventual doom.Thats why we had to read it back in the day to avoid such a war were the dead of the exchange were the lucky ones.The trailer is actually the opening scene with the acting credits and that fab aussie song Waltzing Matilda,follows the pix.Depressing but still possible.

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

Predator - 5 stars out of 5 stars

Next to "The Terminator"the best work Arnold Schwarzenegger has done to date.Released in 1987 and running 107 minutes this film spawned a few sequels and tie in sort of films but none with Arnold or nearly as well done.A good supporting cast however all killed,round out this fun sci-fi film of a special ops team running into "hunters"from outer space .Scary idea !!!!You got to love ex wrestler and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura as Blain,a member of the team. As I stated,a special ops team is on a mission in central america BUT so is a hunter from space,what happens when the run into each other is the whole story,flimsy but bloody well done and a pure rush.Must see for sci-fi,war,and Arnold fans.Trailer URL below the pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrDsvVKY_d4

The Poseidon Adventure ( 1972 ) 5 stars out of 5 stars

It seems a good time to review the original movie from 1972 running 117 minutes in light of the cruse ship accident off the coast of Italy these days.Perfect disaster film in all ways.I do mean disaster.Picture a luxury line turned upside down by a rouge wave trapping a few"lucky"survivors who have to make it topside which WAS the bottom before.Small idea of the task in store.You have to care about the people in these films because who will live and who will die is the essence of your emotional involvement and this film delivers because of a "A"list cast and great writing.Leslie Nielsen as The Captain is killed off early in this film but his serious acting in the brief time shows why he was cast in the later comic classic film"Airplane".The rest of the cast yields a few surprises of who lives but the story is of heroism and sacrifice and redemption against all odds and you will be moved.A must see for all "disaster"film junkies.Trailer URL follows the pix.To his credit the great comic Red Buttons playing Martin shows again the skill of these actors.He was my favorite in this film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd03qev59Jo

Underworld - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Very interesting film.I had to take 2 stars off because it really made little sense till the second hour of the film and then only if you accept there will be sequels.So much graphic violence it becomes almost comic at times.Still the story of Vamps vs Wolves is fun ( see the twilight series of films) In this case we have my favorite bad ass actress Kate Beckinsale as Selene a  Vamp warrior who hunts and tracks Wolves or as this film calls them Lycan's,to kill them in a 1000 year old ongoing war.Details are confused till the second half and then takes on a almost modern story of slaves and honor killings.Reminded me of the troubled middle east in many ways.If your a real die hard vamp or wolf fan you should check it out or if you like badd ass women warriors in tight black leather than YES.Fine top notch cast as well.Released in 2003 and runs long at 212 minutes,I will check out the 3 more films in this series though this most likely will be the best as the first history tell us.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

Selene, a beautiful vampire warrior, is entrenched in a war between the vampire and werewolf races. Although she is aligned with the vampires, she falls in love with Michael, a werewolf who longs for the war to end.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMYyhBtQ1PU

The King's Speech - 4 stars out of 5 stars

I wanted to give this film my top rating of 5 stars but I had to take 1 star off because we never really get to explore the "back"story of the King's stutter issue.It's only hinted that it dates back to childhood family tough love issues.Also I hate "talky"play like movies as this is.Those 2 issues aside,it's a fabulous film.The King's stutter issue is quite important in the context of the turmoil surrounding him at the time he ascends to the throne as King of England.War with Germany had arrived in 1939 and he must give a speech to the people to fortify their resolve.As he states,he has no power to form a government nor lead a army yet he must speak to the people as their symbol of morality yet he can not speak !!!
The film covers roughly 1934 to 1939 as the future King realizes he must correct his speech issues.Along the way his father the King dies and then his older brother who becomes King abdicates to marry a divorced american commoner.Heavy issues with WW11 on the horizon.
The acting is fabulous by both Colin Firth as King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue a aussie actor who also teaches speech since he first helped WW1 shell shock victims.The rest of the cast is also fine.This by the way was the father of the Queen of England who is portrayed as a young girl by Freya Wilson in a minor role.
The sessions between the 2 are quite interesting considering one is a King and the other is nothing as the King in anger once tells him.If it really happened the way portrays,the Aussie was truly ahead of the curve and the King truly enlightened for the cursing and humiliation both go through is not regal at all.
Maybe I'm in love with all things England again after watching Downton Abbey?
Still released in 2010 and running 118 minutes its well worth the time and 4 Oscars it won.
Trailer URL follows the pix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzI4D6dyp_o

Bad Teacher - 3 stars out of 5 stars

OK it's insulting,vulgar,nasty and totally disrespectful to teachers.Wake up,it's humor !!!
I took 2 stars off because of the drug theme acceptance and no real punishment for the bad teacher.Sheez ,she becomes a guidance councilor at the end !!
Still worth a view for always watchable Cameron Diaz as the bad teacher,a getting better each film he makes,Justin Timberlake as the object of her desire and a very understated but well played role by Jason Segel as the teacher who likes her and finally a pleasant surprise role by Lucy Punch as a good but obsessive  teacher herself.Released in 2011 and running only 92 minutes,I did laugh even though I probably shouldn't have.I recommend 1 viewing.Trailer URL follows the pic and a IMDB summary below.By the way the kids in the movie ROCK.

A comedy centered around a foul-mouthed, junior high teacher who, after being dumped by her sugar daddy, begins to woo a colleague -- a move that pits her against a well-loved teacher.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VihlsPKMh4U