Reviews

This movie was not quite what I expected. It is decidedly downbeat. Movies I like the most are ones which have frequent good times in them. This one has mostly stress (about if to make love) in it. So, if you enjoy the psychological frenzy of, should I ... or shouldn't I? this is the movie for you. Tracey Nelson is pretty; Linda Purl is sophisticated, energetic and gorgeous; and Joanna Cassidy is "looking good."

This is an easy-going, light-hearted murder mystery.

There is an amazing chemistry between the Rabbi (Stuart Margolin) and the rabbi's wife (his actual wife). The Police Chief (Art Carney) also has the benefit of having his wife in the movie.

The victim died at the Synagogue. Her purse was in the Rabbi's car, a cute scandal.

If it comes on, try to see it.

This was the pilot for the revolving mystery series (McCloud, Columbo, etc.).

This movie is difficult to categorize. It it unique in many ways. It is a murder mystery (or seems like there was a murder of a patient during surgery, or maybe 2 murders); a stalker movie, but by a woman (or she appears to be a stalker), you see the way it is going.

This movie is incredibly claustrophobic. People have more than one purpose (role). Everything and everyone intersects in different ways (a hard concept to explain, but remember the woman stalker, or is she).

Here is a surgeon. He can't practice medicine anymore because he has panic attacks, while reliving a surgery gone bad. His wife is a medical malpractice attorney who picks up a case from a woman who was her husband's nurse.

It starts out quiet, then it takes you on a roller coaster ride. By the second half, the tension level is at a fever pitch. By the last half hour, I was wishing I had recorded it so I could fast-forward to the end. When it was over, I wish I had not seen it: I don't care for movies that have a high tension level. But ... if you like tension building up and up (with confusion piling up, layer upon layer), this is your movie.

This is a powerful psychological drama (at times). Here is a woman who has been trapped in a loveless marriage. Her husband loved his parakeet much more than her. She lived on almost no money, begging for grocery money, but getting a lecture. My heart bleeds for her, because I knew someone who lived like this.

Hubby dies. But his presence is still felt, over and over, by his widow. He left all of his money to someone else, only dribbling a paltry sum to her. She scrapes up enough money to take a bus trip to see the sights.

Suddenly, people seem to like her (a very difficult thing to handle). She makes friends, and begins to feel like a person, instead of just a useless appendage. Things are bumpy, but, little by little, she feels her strength.

I recommend this movie to anyone who thinks that life cannot ever change. Letting go of a painful past can allow a wonderful present ... the skies the limit.

A housewife suffers a blow to her head. Two years later she hits her head again. She does not know what happened during those years.

In flashbacks, she (and we) discover the new life she lived. She had a new career ... and a new man ... and new enemies.

This is an intelligent movie. Donna Mills carries the show with a strong, sincere performance. I have this one recorded, and have watched it several times over the last 12 years.

Here is a whimsical tale of an out-of-work actress and her other also-situated actors and actresses. Tired of playing the starving artist, she lands the role of maid in a house over-running with thieving employees. She single-handedly cleans up the household, and begins to work on her unloving boss. She soon begins to melt his icy heart, and teaches him the value of things (not money, which he knows too well already).

Her actor friends soon must take on the role of fellow servants, and the rest is hilarious. They over-act their positions, and confuse and confound their new boss.

This is the story of a man who has to try twice as hard to be half as good as others in college. After he becomes a priest, he butts heads with the mainstream, stuck-up parishioners. His bishop has the idea: send him to China, set up a mission, and doctor their bodies and souls.

This spans his 40 years in the mission field. Things do not go well, though at times they do. He stays true to his values, and does not sell out to the vulgar rich, or the vulgar greedy. This is the gleaming quality: keep trying to do the right thing. He does.

I have watched this one at least 12 times over the years. It still holds up well.

A white Christmas approaches. WWII rages on in Europe. A smiling mother cashes in all of her ration-stamps to purchase the best Christmas dinner she can. Happiness is where you find it.

This is a small town. Everyone knows everyone. Tough times bring them even closer.

The one person no one wants to see at his door is the local Western Union man, because most of the news he delivers are telegrams from the War Department: We regret to inform you that your son was killed in the war. Unfortunately, he makes his rounds too often.

One family is safe from telegrams. A very pregnant wife awaits the Christmas Day arrival of her long-away love, at last his hitch with the army is over. Her sister-in-law gets off from her welding job on Christmas Eve, and heads home by bus to reunite with her brother, picking up a soldier with no family of his own, on the way home, and inviting him to have a home-cooked Christmas dinner.

This is one of my favorite Christmas movies. Simple things are the best. Watch this one, and have a Christmas dinner on me. Bon appetit.

In some ways, this is the best of the Death Wish movies. Here, other people get into the act of fighting back against violence.

The bad guys are really bad. The story centers around a neighborhood of mostly old, defenseless people. Mugging and intimidation are rampant. Life is hardly worth living through.

In steps an outsider. He stands up to the tormenting teenage gang members. Then he teaches the suffering seniors to stand up and protect themselves. They all gather together to stand up against the gang.

I found myself cheering the residents on. It definitely is exciting... to watch people band together, and have their perception of life improve.

I heartily recommend this movie. It is a roller-coaster. Just hold on and scream on the big hills!

Double Edge is a view of life in the fast lane of Israel. Faye Dunaway arrives in Israel for a 3-week assignment as a photojournalist. She is sure that the Jews are the oppressors, while the Arabs are the victims.

The movie has the confusing feel of Israel. Arabs can be polite one moment, but blood-thirsty the next. It brought back vivid scenes from when I was there for a vacation. It was a particularly rough month when I visited there.

This is a 2-star movie with a 4-star subject. Everyone should watch this at least once in their life. People in the West cannot fathom what it is like in Israel. Enjoy it.

This is a wonderful film. It moves slowly and surely. There is no last-minute crazed finale. You get what you think you are getting: an innocent, tender love story. I highly recommend it.

The biggest problem with this movie is that it is not being watched on the Big Screen at the local cinema. When the "nine sisters" come alive, it sent shivers up and down my spine. Several other scenes (including the 2 bandstands coming together) are likewise affected.

The music is outstanding. Olivia's voice is at the peak of its form. When she dances with Gene Kelly, it is magic. This is a movie I watch when I want to get lost in the music. The actual plot is a love story, where the couple fall in love, problems (Greek gods) get in the way, and in the end... oops, can't give that away.

Condor works for the CIA, always reading to look for leaks in U.S. security. He finds a spy agency the CIA does not know about. Next all of his co-workers are murdered (while he was literally out-to-lunch). The hitmen follow him to finish their contract. As Condor barely stays one step ahead of death, he (and I) become more paranoid. With the CIA, who is good? Do they look out for their own, or are they more politically operated than Condor hopes? This is an excellent movie.

This mini-series is the quintessence of the entire Watergate story. It lasts 8 hours in 2-hour pieces (with commercials). John Dean was the person who was at the very heart of the cover-up. The movie is based upon his book, also titled "Blind Ambition". The book is seen by most historians as the exhaustive presentation of all the incidents surrounding the break-in and the cover-up. This is riveting, and gives full portraits of the 20 or so characters who were the players in the Watergate story.