Reviews

I think it wins on some levels. The aircraft scary scenes are done well. But overall this is just the usual airplane disaster movie where some survive, and that is nice. I'm not sure any real acting credits come out of this, or any real new plot.

Basically a female remake of "Very Bad Things" from 1998, but not quite as dark. A few laughs here and there. Kate McKinnon is always good. But overall fails as it becomes more and more nonsensical and less funny as it goes on. As comedies go, this is barely funny, but does have a few good moments.

I have seen this a couple/three times before but just recently watched again. Totally engaging, a snapshot of the post 9/11 years. Yes, has some slow spots, but generally is engaging. Yes, Moore is a dedicated liberal, but somehow still makes solid points. He seems to balance some of the opinions about this incident fairly, and the ending is great. I would say the incompetence of Presidential leadership is highlighted here, with no idea it would get worse within 20 years.

This film is important as it represents a lost era of door to door sales. While it is not fine cinema, it does make its point. Documentary style, which makes it realistic though a bit disjointed. Highly recommended as it completely reflects a lost art.

This is probably in my top 10 favorite movies. Brilliantly directed, great script, excellent cast. A thriller that does what thrillers should do, build slowly, always making the viewer less and less comfortable as the film progresses. Less comfortable in a good way as you can't take your eyes off it. Yes, certainly social commentary, but representative of the era. This film combines drama, science fiction, and horror in one quite neat package.

I don't usually like movies less as the years go by, but this one is the exception. TCM is running it again here in '21, and frankly, I find this movie less enjoyable today than I did when it came out some 40 years ago. Today it seems somewhat indulgent and cumbersome with a bunch of idealistic boomers trying to cope with the real world in their 30's. I won't deny the cast is star-studded, (with many who went on to even greater success), and the acting is quite good. The story is too predictable and at times, just boring. The entire cast seems like life revolves around them, and their stories are not very interesting. About the soundtrack...why is the music so loud and the dialog so muted? I guess that was a "thing" in early 80's movie making, but to me it is irritating. Overall, yes this movie is generally recommended by most, but I find it less interesting than I did when I was in my 20's. Perhaps it is just age talking here.

I have to admit I love movies about movies, and this one indeed fills the bill. The combination of MacLaine and Streep is excellent, and they both shine. But even better is the script about how Hollywood makes movies and how they treat their stars. Great behind the scenes look at the movie industry. Gene Hackman has a minor role here, but he is terrific. Mike Nichols direction shines.

I think this is one of the best road movies of the 80's. The entertainment comes from many places...guy loses job, guy and gal dropout of society, run into many inconvenient situations, and then realize they made a major mistake. A common theme perhaps, but this script is actually quite good, and Brooks steals the show. I can watch this over and over and continue to enjoy it.

If you are looking for comedy or action, this is not your movie. But it does succeed as an intense study of a man who has been beaten down and tries to accomodate by swimming in other people's pools. Of course, he is trying to reconcile his failures, but he seems to be meeting some sort of inner need. The ending isn't as pretty, but overall this film is quite a good, and Lancaster is perhaps at his best here.

Hmm, I have always thought this movie has two parts. The first 40 minutes are entertaining, charming, funny, and smart. Then the film falls into the old slapstick crime genre, which I guess some enjoy, but tends to fall short. A nice ending makes it reasonable, but overall, not the best Hughes effort.

I have recently revisited this Las Vegas gambling drama, and it holds up. Lots of twists and turns toward the end, but that is what Vegas brings out I suppose. The lead did a decent job here, but Spacey, as usual steals the show. Particularly enjoyed the soundtrack here, not something I always notice. A good movie about how someone with high ideals and standards can be tempted into a far more risky life.

I must admit this film does a lot of things right. Like paying homage to the original. Many very funny scenes, (my favorites include the back and forth between the boys, the motel scene where Helms tries to help out, and the Four Corners. Also like the river expedition that ended very badly). But overall, one is left with something lacking. The final scene was not very funny, and if that is how you leave with this film, it tends to bring it down overall.

Was this not the inspiration of the ABC series a year later, "The Brady Bunch"? The ABC sitcom seems to follow the same camera angles, the sets, and the general dialogue. If so, this sitcom (while somewhat less edgier than the movie), is the child from from motion pictures.

OK, this film was panned when it came out. I get that. But it seems to have aged well. The cast was so "right on the mark" it isn't even funny. But it is funny. All cast positions were filled to perfection, especially Shelley Long who nailed the Florence Henderson character. The other thing that stands out about this film is it relies on not only new script writing, but complete word for word scenes from the original TV series. This combination is actually quite brilliant, and is what holds the movie together. Either this becomes a comedy classic, or cult classic is unknown, but I think it deserves a spot in one of those categories. Nice cameos from Florence Henderson, Alice B. Davis, Barry Williams, and Christopher Knight.

This was the original "Mad Men". The sets are mid-century modern, the entire visual experience is fascinating. The script was well-written and both Peck and March were terrific. I found some of the flashback scenes somewhat long, but they are important to the story. Toward the end Jennifer Jones (Peck's wife) gets overly dramatic, and the background music is way over the top, but typical for movies of this era. In the end, this movie is about the work/life balance and the expectations that come from that. And that is why it is still relevant today.

When Red Eye first came out I thought it was somewhat cheesy and lacking in any scriptural integrity. However, revisiting this 10 years later has changed my mind. It actually is quite a nice thriller, with the action starting very early, even before they board the plane. You understand the Cillian Murphy character is "off" almost from the outset. Great thrillers offer subtle humor as well, and this one does in droves. While I love aviation movies, most of the action appears after the plane lands. But that is OK, as the movie keeps up the pace throughout. A nice, tight suspense film with (yes, some questionable acting here and there), but overall a nice suspense/thriller.

Yes, as many have said, Jake is tremendous in this. So is Renee Russo as the News Director. I also enjoyed the excellent re-creation of LA news stations, with the help of many actual LA anchors who get credits in this drama/thriller. Only CBS 2, KCBS, offers a real station in this movie, the other stations mainly Channel 6, are fictional.

While the movie starts off a bit slow, you can gain sympathy for the Jake Gyllenhaal character as Louis. That won't last.

The POV of this movie though goes to a different place, and that is an indictment of local TV news, at least in LA. While the character studies are very good, the end result is the "system" is at fault.

It is on Antenna TV tonight. Probably a good place for it. I really liked the opening scenes with Bob Hope opening up the awards, though not sure this was actual footage, or re-created. Then everything goes downhill, from the script to the acting. Nice period piece, but it ends there. Jill St. John was actually OK here, the rest of the cast, well, I always remember my mother saying if you can't say anything nice, then say nothing at all. Really like the 60's feel, and Tony Bennett was "introduced" because though he was already a star, this was one of his earliest movies. The primary coverage seemed to be KTLA out of Los Angeles, but I'm sure a major network also covered it.

Play Misty For Me is one of the great stalker films of all time, with some weaknesses to be described later.

The idea is a small market DJ (who happens to drive an expensive sports car and live in an affluent area along the Northern California coast near Carmel, not typical among low paid small market DJ's, but I digress) who meets a listener who seems to be obsessed with him. The story develops from there with both the DJ and the stalker both proving to make some major mistakes.

Nice location shooting in Carmel and Monterey, CA.

Eastwood is quite good in this departure for him. So is Jessica Walter as the stalker. In fact, really good.

I like this film a lot, except for some extra footage at the Monterey Jazz Festival that really does not add much to the film. I guess this was the era of adding "cool" footage, but it really does nothing for the film, and IMO should have been edited severely.

Overall, a very good first directorial for Clint, and of course, probably an inspiration for Fatal Attraction.

I just revisited this after not seeing it since I was 12 in a theater. I must say, this movie holds up quite well. Yes, it is dated in places, but a 40-year old film naturally will be. Good suspense, a little soap opera fluff here and there, but never gets in the way of the story. Much more serious in overall tone than "Airport" from just a couple years earlier. Brolin is excellent as the crazed ex-soldier, and Heston is very good, in probably one of his last good roles. I would recommend this for both disaster-movie buffs, and aviation buffs, as it delivers for both. Also, gotta love Partridge Susan Dey in probably her first motion picture after her TV success.

This is an under-rated late 80's film that captures the changing entertainment scene of that decade, with much humor and irony.

While the usual "Hollywood is phony" theme exists here, that story is always interesting, and it really scores when it reminds us of how success can be gained and lost quickly.

Martin Short is the uncredited star here, with a couple of hilarious scenes, the best one at the outdoor patio restaurant where he praises Bacon without knowing any of his work. All in all, a nice movie about movies, with some special surprise locations for movie buffs!

The late J.T. Walsh offers a subtle performance here, with one of my favorite (perhaps a somewhat spoiler line, but nothing to do with the plot)...Bacon: "I'm from Ohio", with Walsh's comeback, "my first wife is from Illinois", as in everything outside of LA is one place. Perfect deadpan humor.

McQ is being shown currently by a certain cable network. Very fun and entertaining to see this genre of movie, as it hardly exists today. John Wayne was very good as a near-retirement cop, but this movie definitely has a 1970's feel. From the cool and groovy instrumental soundtrack, to the chase scenes, this is a film that just isn't made anymore. The Seattle locale was used very effectively, and was different from what most movie-goers had been used to seeing. (Of course, now, with Canada taking over a lot of location shooting, it doesn't look that foreign today.) Seattle looked quite a bit different 30+ years ago, but just excellent location shooting! If you like this genre, and you like the Duke, this is a must-see!

Turner Classic Movies is currently showing this, perhaps due to the 35th anniversary, perhaps not. Regardless, I saw this in a theater when it was new, and is making me feel old. But that is the only part of this movie that makes me feel old! The plot is refreshing to both mind and the spirit. What is really interesting to me is how the movie seems to be in that "in-between" period of 1960's conservative family values and 1970's more liberal, experimental type films. It really does feel like 1971. Excellent performances from all, and good action scenes in a movie that really is a non-action movie! Cat Stevens soundtrack helps define the story, and to this day when I hear Cat Stevens music, I think of this film. That is what a soundtrack is supposed to do, and it scores!

I just watched this for the first time on my cable companies free On-Demand. I would say, interesting...complicated...disjointed...but demanding a 2nd view. Jennifer Jason Leigh is somewhat under-stated in this, and the boy is believable at times, totally not at other times. Questions come up at the end of almost every scene, so that's why I probably will view this again. But, can't help feeling I'm watching a "E-True Hollywood Story" about "Family Ties" or "Growing Pains" (what with Alan Thicke in this) at times it feels like an entertainment documentary, with some added drama that I won't "spoil". The fact that this was filmed in Canada is kind of parody of itself in that they make fun of that fact, but yet are also filming in Canada. Ironic.

As a longtime radio broadcaster, it was fun to re-visit this gem from the late 70's. A bit dated, (corporate radio has taken over), but good performances all around that exemplify all the insecurities and ego-ism that existed (and still exists) in the radio biz. One of the best "radio" movies of all time. And a great late 70's soundtrack adds to the fun. So, this site requires 10 lines of content, so what more can I say? Some very good live performances. Martin Mull is in this and does a great job. I particularly like the scene where one of the DJ's gets fired. No other business moves people in and out like the radio biz! Not a classic, but fun, and a good representation of the era!