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rickz
Reviews
The Long Kill (1999)
Hey... much better than that!!!
I've seen the singers before. Willie is always golden... Kris & Johnny Cash did a real groaner about the last days of Frank and Jesse James, but this is MUCH BETTER than that.
Willie is always fun to watch, because his timing is so good, and Kris is a great outlaw in this one. Kris just looks at people and they think twice about tangling with him.
Waylon is their buddy who gets gunned down like a dog at the beginning, and he narrates a lot after that. (Shades of the Dukes of Hazard.) If you like these guys, you'll LOVE them in this movie. The bad guy is really bad. The "bad guys" -- i.e. "outlaws" -- are really good, and the dialog just rolls along. Not a dull moment -- even Travis Tritt is pretty god, altho he may not be "ten food high and bulletproof." Rick Tombstone, AZ
Down Periscope (1996)
NOT McCales Navy!!!
This is a really good submarine movie, in the tradition of
+DestinationTokyo
+Run Silent, Run Deep
+Gray lady down
Altho the crew is a bunch of "characters" -- just like many war movies -- they are not really a bunch of screw-ups. Kelsey Grammar plays it straight, and he seems to be the kind of skipper we would all like to have. For me, the movie delivered 110% -- I don't have much patience for nonsense anymore, but this one was GREAT!! Settle down and watch it like it deserves.
Rick Jolley Tombstone, AZ
Wanted: Dead or Alive: Ransom for a Nun (1958)
Pretty good... for first season!
Part of this episode was filmed in Old Tucson... I recognize the shot of the Mission (you can see it in /Rio Bravo/ ) The saguaro's are obviously from around Tucson. After you watch a few of these episodes, you learn to recognize the same old town, with a few signs changed to let you know that a) All of these western towns look alike and b) A sign painter could make a pretty good living following Josh around!!
Old Tucson is different. It doesn't have the same old dead-end street!!!
The nun is interesting... sort of flirting with Josh. (Was that fair??) Some of these first episodes have been pretty ho-hum, but I liked this one. (My sweetie didn't.)
Senor Reek, Tombstone, AZ
Batman (1989)
White men can't dance!
Tim Burton's vision of the Batman Saga is wonderful, the cast members generally perform.
Jack Nicholson does about as well as anyone could with the bizarre Joker character, but...he can't dance!!
Every time he tries, he looks terrible.
Tim Burton obviously envisioned the Joker as a 'whirling dervish' but Jack just can't pull it off. Whether he's shooting Grissom, handing out money to the crowd, or dancing in the belfry with Vicky, he just can't dance.
What do you expect? He's a white guy. Like me.
Rick Jolley
Eragon (2006)
I loved it
I was thoroughly enchanted by the movie. Some people say you should try to see things "thru the eyes of a child." Obviously, we have a bunch of children here as reviewers -- who decided (by reading the book) what the movie should look like, and now (sob sob) it's different.
Grow up! Movies are not books. If you can't get that thru your head, give up one or the other.
The flying scenes were the best I've every seen, the dragon (obviously modeled after a young kitty cat) was totally captivating. I loved the scenery (reminded me of places I've been too all over the world) and most of the characters (good guys anyway) reminded me of people I have met, known, and loved.
Too bad, kiddies, that you couldn't see the movie with fresh eyes. And too bad that the reviews seem to have killed it. (It's doing poorly at Box Office.) rz
Newhart (1982)
Bad IMDb Info
I notice that this series & some others that are linked to it -- Bosom Buddies (Peter Scolari) Mary Frann, describe the series has having 3 or 4 episodes, when we know that the show ran 8 seasons. It is hard to figure out who Bob's wife was in the later show ("Newhart") because of this. Mary Frann was in a wide variety of shows, and her entries all seem screwed up -- the same with Peter Scolari, credited with three episodes in "Newhart." William Sanderson -- "Larry" -- a regular (and famous) member of the case -- three episodes??
Are you letting a computer do some of the editing?
Enquiring minds want to know,
Rick Z.
The Dogs of War (1980)
Visit Belize
This movie was filmed in Belize, and I took it with me when I moved there, used to show it to Belizeans, who were hugely entertained! The movie has cameos by Emory King, "The Movie Minister", and a lot of shots taken around Belize City. The assault on the dictator's estate is actually filmed at the old colonial Governor's house. Belize is littered with the bones of old Brit Rover trucks (it used to be British Honduras) so the early combat scenes are fun. Third world countries are all alike, so the scene with the "importation tax" rings true! Rent this movie if you want a quick trip to BZ.
All in all, I loved the movie. See my website belizenorth.com
Waterhole #3 (1967)
The Ballad is the thing
This is one of my two favorite westerns. Years ago, I bought the soundtrack album, with narration by Roger Miller. It is one of the first things that Dave Grusin, fresh from Colorado U. did. Many of the verses in the ballad are unforgettable, and help me to recreate the best movie scenes in my mind.
Lewton Cole is the prototypical Anti-Hero. (Whenever somebody uses that term, I think of Lewton.) "This tale has a hero, his name...Lewton Cole They say he was born with an ace in the hole! They nursed him on bourbon, they teethed him on steel, And his first words were "shut up and deal!"
Everyone gets het up about the rape, but ultimately, Billee gets over it. Roger says "Billee decided that she'd already lost everything she was going to, so she decided to go after her man."
And the last verse of the ballad, sums up the anti-hero riding off into the sunset.
"Old Mexico lies just ahead, so Gambler, move along! They ain't nobody there to care if you done right or wrong. You shot a thief, you found some gold, You stole a kiss or two... And the world's a better place because of you."