Reviews

When I heard that Director, Peter Jackson, was indeed going to film his version of King Kong...I was so excited. When the film came out, some of the reviews were not as positive as I expected. Once I saw the film..I was overwhelmed by its beauty and power. I was crushed and confused and dumbfounded, when the film was not nominated for Oscars...for..Best Director, Best Picture, etc. What happened? There must be a lot of jealous feelings in Hollywood, towards Mr. Jackson. He won so many Oscars for the.. Lord of the Rings.. trilogy, that I guess they felt he had enough. It is pitiful. King Kong.. deserved to win the Oscar for, Best Picture and Best Director. Peter Jackson rocks!...he makes better movies than anyone else in Hollywood. I don't go to the theater much anymore. It is easier to watch films, rented, from the local video store but, I would go to see any film with his name attached to it. What a genius. Keep making movies that folks want to see, Mr. Jackson. I also buy your films so that I can watch them over and over again. You are making classics!

I really enjoyed the storyline..but, of course, it would be interesting to see if the old boyfriend still loved her if she had not looked like, Lisa Hartman, who....ANYONE..would want to reconnect with!. Seriously, I like Dale Midkiff because..(yes, he IS handsome)..but he knows how to be vulnerable in every role that he plays. You can't help but notice his charming good looks and then he keeps you interested in the story, simply because the man is a good actor. Is it me?...or does he possess an 'Elvis' quality that is pure magic... Whatever it is...Mr. Midkiff..you have convinced me. I am a big fan now. Keep on making those lovely, family-oriented films on Hallmark...stick with Michael Landon,Jr....who, himself,is following in his father's remarkable and capable footsteps. June Robertson...Memphis.

How wonderful to see the re-runs now of "Cheyenne". Clint Walker was my mother's favourite western actor. She loved the way he looked and the way he talked and his soft-spokeness. I don't think she would have cared if Mr. Walker could even act because he was so 'gorgeous' to her. Fortunately, he was terrific in his role and we never missed an episode. Those were the days of real television..the 'Golden' days, I think they call them and you can see why. Families could sit down and watch such great shows together and not worry about bad language or overt violence. Since I was growing up in England, I learned a lot about America and the old western days. It was fascinating and gave me the courage to come over and see it,years later. It is still fascinating and thank goodness we can all see these shows again and truly realise how great they were.

This film is absolutely terrific!..so good, in fact, that I bought several copies when it came out on VHS. I watch it all the time and recommend it to other Elvis fans. A lot of them haven't even heard of it. Thanks to the Director..who is always the 'Captain of the Ship"..for a wonderful presentation of an amazing story. There are a few moments in the film that I was uneasy with..particularly, when Elvis is alone in his hotel room and becomes morose..we cannot try and imagine what his private moments were and it is unfair to him. Other than that, I was riveted. Rick Peters did an outstanding job..the best of anyone who has tried to portray our hero. I wish Rick had been offered the job in the recent mini-series, "Elvis", because the only flaw in that film was the actor portraying him..(and he won a Golden Globe award?). This film had lots of humor and it truly gives new generations of Elvis fans a glimpse into the man himself..his love of laughter and his generosity and tenderheartedness. Elvis 'took off' a couple of times in his youth. He was only 6 years old when he tried to hitchhike from East Tupelo to Tupelo Proper..he was looking for his hero, Mississippi Slim. Another time, he reached the Fairgrounds..at the tender age of 11 and sang in a contest there..he was quoted as saying that he."came in 5th place, not 2nd as has been said". I believe there was another time, when he entered a contest in Mississippi..country music singing..and actually won!. I think he loved the adventure of doing something totally impulsive and secretive. His adventures in Washington D.C. are just a part of that. Yes, he would have made a great policeman or detective but, I'm glad he chose to entertain us instead. There will never be another like him. Too bad, because we need another Elvis.

As far as I am concerned, "Charro" is a great movie. I am a lifelong fan of Elvis Presley and love actor, Victor French, who has appeared in a lot of television westerns such as "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza". I was thrilled to sit down and watch a film with them both in it. Imagine my surprise and delight to see another of my all-time favorites..Tony Young! When I was a young girl, growing up in England, my parents loved Westerns above all else on television. "Gunslinger" was fantastic and I hadn't seen a man as handsome as Tony Young, since I discovered Elvis. I am also a lover of Western films and think that "Charro" is a darn good movie..great storyline and characters and the music is just great. In fact, the song, "Charro" is one of my favorite Elvis songs and I always play it in the jukebox when I go to a certain hamburger restaurant in the Graceland Plaza area near the mansion, in Memphis. I am saddened to think that all three of these gorgeous men died relatively young. They left so much behind and made a lot of people happy. May they rest in peace.

As a lifelong admirer and advocate of Elvis Presley, I wish to say that the story was quite enjoyable and would have educated younger generations of people as to what Elvis Presley achieved in his life up until the 1968 "Comeback" Special. Generally, the actors were terrific. I feel that the two most powerful performances came from Camryn Manheim, who gave an extraordinary and sympathetic portrayal of Elvis' mother, Gladys Presley..and from Randy Quaid, who was equally convincing as the greedy "Colonel". Also, Robert Patrick, was fine in his role as Elvis' daddy, Vernon Presley. Sadly, Elvis' strong-willed and much-loved Grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley, was virtually invisible in this story and, to me, the actor who took on the challenge of playing the world's greatest entertainer, failed miserably. Realising it is impossible to capture the beauty and the magic that was Elvis, I nonetheless found the portrayal to be "wooden", predictable and unconvincing...in an otherwise, good film.