Reviews
Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
Beautiful movie , but overlong
I have seen a lot of movies made in many different decades and I think this is one of the most beautifully filmed movies I have ever seen. John Ford always filmed his westerns well in Monument Valley, but he reached his peak with this one in my opinion. The vistas are magnificent and the shots of the cavalry riding across the desert landscapes are unparalleled.
My criticism is that this movie is too long, well over 2 1/2 hours. While I am a big fan of Jimmy Stewart , it seems as if his whole Dodge City act should have been cut. It simply doesn't fit with the rest of the movie. That would have cut 20 minutes right there.
While the movie is a little heavy-handed at times, it makes its point without being as politically correct as a more recent film might.
Overall, good movie, beautiful to look at, compelling story, but a bit long.
Rogue Cop (1954)
Exciting , hard-boiled film noir
Robert Taylor plays Chris Kelvaney, a dirty cop on the take with the mob in this exciting police drama. Taylor goes on a campaign of revenge against those very mobsters, who decide to kill Kelvaney's brother, also a cop, for witnessing something that could incriminate the mob leaders.
The biggest surprise here is Robert Taylor's performance as the dirty cop. We have seen him play many rather stiff heroic types such as in "Ivanhoe", but here, he is tough and gritty as the dirty cop, and very believable. The dialogue in this movie is sharp and well written and similar to a Raymond Chandler detective novel. There is also a good fist-fight between Alan Hale, Jr. ( yes! the skipper on Gilligans Island) and Robert Taylor. A top notch supporting cast rounds out what is an overall good movie , especially for those who like the old hard-boiled detective stories.
The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
A motorist's worst nightmare
I saw this movie recently for the first time on Turner Classic Movies. This is a tough and suspenseful little movie. The killer is a truly evil character; no ambiguity about his character as you might expect in a more recent film. It must have been considered a brutal film when it was made, though its mild by today's standards. The location setting in the bleak desert adds to movie's atmosphere and tone. And, it was directed by a woman, rare today, and even more rare in the 50s.
Exciting, fast-paced, and never boring.
Comanche Station (1960)
Your basic solid western with a twist ending
A magazine article recently cited this movie as an underrated western. I certainly agree. Randolph Scott made his best westerns in the latter part of his career, and this is one of those. The movie examines the old west moral code of right v. wrong and raps up with a surprising twist ending that gives cynicism a kick in the rear end. Not a big splashy western, but a solid little one.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Movie lives up to Star Wars reputation
The Phantom Menace delivers. This movie is good, maybe not quite as good as the originals, but I would say its 90% of the way there, which makes it much better than most of the crap Hollywood puts out. Episode 1 moves along at a fast and entertaining pace and is never boring. The special effects are great but they are not the best reason to see the movie. It's the story and action that is really good. The critics are way off base calling this a "major disappointment".I will definitely go see it again.
Duel at Diablo (1966)
An action-packed exciting western
James Garner is a good lead in this rousing Cavalry v. Indians western. There are very good battle scenes between between the outnumbered soldiers and the attacking Indians. The underlying issues of prejudice add an interesting touch to the movie as well with James Garner's character struggling with the death of his Indian wife and the Bibi Andersson character struggling with raising her baby fathered by an Indian brave.
As in any good western, the scenery also plays an important part and the southern Utah settings are particularly striking. The musical soundtrack is a little off-beat for a western, but also very good. Dennis Weaver, Sidney Poitier, and Bill Travers all add to the movie with good supporting performances.
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
Jimmy Stewart flies a model plane out of the Sahara desert
Jimmy Stewart leads an entire cast giving good performances in this exciting movie about oil workers stranded in the middle of the Sahara. When they all discover Hardy Kruger's plan to rebuild the downed plane is based on the model planes he builds for a living, the reactions by the other characters are very funny.But, the heart and soul of any movie with Jimmy Stewart is....Jimmy Stewart, and ,of course, he is great as usual. A fun movie with a satisfying ending.
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
Symbolism over substance
For those people who are into movies that don't make sense and aren't supposed to, I guess you will like this movie. For a more down to earth person like myself, this movie is a waste of time.I will agree with the director , Peter Weir, on one thing. He's right, I really don't care what happened to those girls at the end, because I just wanted the movie to end.
I understand all the social criticism that is really at the heart of the movie. It takes a harsh and very critical view of the repressed Victorian era these girls were raised in.Lots of observations about sexual repression, etc. We've seen all that before.One might wonder if things were really that bad. No doubt, the director, Mr. Weir, and the screenwriter, Mr. Green,are pleased with all the "progress" of sexual liberation today resulting in broken families, illegitimate children, etc.Maybe, in another 75 or 100 years, someone will make a movie about the society girls are being brought up in today. It might even be as critical of this time as Picnic at Hanging Rock is of the Victorian era.
This movie is also another example as to why movie critics can't be relied on. They all love it. But, it violates the first principle in making a movie, that is, telling a good story.
Having just trashed the movie, I will say one thing in it's favor. Mr. Weir is a talented craftsman and that shows, as the movie is well made.
Il mio nome è Nessuno (1973)
A movie that should get more notice.
Henry Fonda is an aging gunslinger who just wants to retire and keeps being annoyed by a young gunfighter who worships him and just wants to see him in action in one of the funniest westerns I've ever seen.
This movie is really clever and has some good action as well. You will really get a kick out of the twist ending.I especially like the soundtrack. I guarantee you will be whistling that tune long after the movie ends.
Offbeat and lots of fun.
Ride the High Country (1962)
They don't make 'em like this anymore.
Ride the High Country is one of the best westerns ever made, although you will rarely see it listed as such. That is odd, considering most critics do give it very good reviews.
Two aging gunslingers hire on to bring a shipment of gold down from a mining camp in the high country to a bank in a small western town. This is the pretext for a morality play that examines age old conflicts of good v. evil and right v. wrong. It does this in a way that Hollywood would have great difficulty doing today with all the moral relativism and situational ethics that they saturate contemporary movies with. Joel McCrea's character is a genuine good guy, the Hammond brothers are genuine slimeballs and Randolph Scott's character (to me, the most interesting in the movie) is a man who must decide between doing the right thing or the wrong thing.
On top of all of that, it is also a really exciting movie with great action scenes. The final shoot-out between the two old gunslingers and the evil Hammond brothers is one of the best ever. Randolph Scott charging the Hammond brothers on horseback, guns-a-blazin' is great too and a fitting way for him to go out in his final movie after a long career making westerns.
If you love westerns, and even if you don't, see this movie. You won't be disappointed.
The Green Berets (1968)
A movie that's better than the movie critics say
Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide gave this movie a rating of BOMB.That is just so ridiculous. Clearly, too many movie reviewers let their anti-Vietnam war politics color their review of this movie. It has some pretty good action scenes and holds your interest the whole way through the movie, although the movie is a little long.This is not a great movie by any means, but it doesn't deserve the absolute ridicule that the mostly left-wing movie critics have given it. Even if you don't like the politics in the movie, I think you can still enjoy it as an action/war film.
One final thing about the movie. The movie critics enjoy making fun of the final scene where John Wayne and the Vietnamese boy walk on the beach as the sun sets in the east. It is patently unfair to single out this movie scene as bad movie-making. Hollywood takes artistic license with movie scenes all the time. Most ignorant actors don't even know how to give a proper military salute when they play a soldier. Settings and locations in movies often have no resemblance to the places they are trying to portray in real life.
In short, forget the politics and just enjoy this decent war movie on its own merits.
The Postman (1997)
Not great, but better than the critics said
Listening to the critics, you would think this was a pretty bad movie. However, I was never bored with it. It has some good action scenes and an unusual vision to it.The climax, however, is a little anti-climatic, but still the ending is a relatively happy one.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Silly philosophical narration detracts from otherwise powerful war movie
This movie had some excellent battle scenes that take place about an hour and a half into the movie. These scenes, plus the overall mood of sadness makes this a powerful movie that I would recommend. However, the doctoral philosophical narration by average soldiers doesn't ring true and gets to be downright silly and annoying as the movie goes on. I think this was a bit of self-indulgence by the director.Despite that, I was never at any time bored with this picture. It definitely holds your attention.