Movies
|
Movie |
Description and Commentary |
| Serenity | The movie based on the cancelled SF series,
Firefly. Great characters and great actions. One does not need
to have seen the series to enjoy the movie, but it will probably
inspire you to get a hold of the series on DVD (or visa versa) |
| Lonesome Dove | Actually a 6 hour mini series, it is a western with
great and memorable performances by Robert Duvall and A TV Western
saga (Miniseries) based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Larry
McMurtry. Two former Texas Rangers (Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee
Jones) leave the Texas town of Lonesome Dove on a 3,000-mile cattle
drive to the unsettled ranch country of Montana. The story follows
the Rangers, their companions, and others they cross from their past
and present, including past loves, outlaws, Indians, and pioneers. |
| Unforgiven | One of Clint Eastwood's best efforts, about an
outlaw who has given up his evil ways to raise a family, but rusty
as he is, reverts to the old ways for desperately needed money.
Also stars Morgan Freeman as an old friend and Gene Hackman as an
opposing sheriff. |
| Army of Darkness | A hilarious fantasy romp about a not always so swift
store clerk who ends up in medieval times and agrees to retrieve an
evil book to get him back to his own time. Screwing that up, he
initiates the return of an undead army which he must battle. Bruce
Campbell makes the movie work! |
| Star Trek II (The Wrath of Khan) | Always liked Star Trek, and if there was a movie
with the Gorn...well. This movie has action, humor, and a few plot
twists. It picks up where one of the original series episodes left
off. Kahn, a product of 20th century eugenics, extracts revenge
upon Captain Kirk for marooning him on a hostile planet. |
| Little Miss Marker | Set during the Great Depression, a little girl is
left as an I.O.U. with a bookie (Walter Matthau). Excellent
performances by a number of famous cast members. |
| The Princess Bride | A fairytale story with intriguing characters. It is
laced with witty humor. Ever wonder which character you are most
like in the Princess Bride? Try this little
survey for fun. |
| Starship Troopers | Space action and adventure. Nothing like the
novel. Humans are a war with a space faring empire of giant
insects. Has some logic flaws but overall a lot of action and some
drama. |
| Time of their Lives | Abbot and Costello in a ghost story about two
hapless spirits cursed to remain on a Revolutionary War estate until
they are proven innocent of a crime they did not commit. |
| Big Jake | Vintage John Wayne. With the help of his sons, and
an old Indian friend, Jacob McCandles rescues his grandson from
kidnappers. A classic western. |
|
Lord of
the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. |
The Fellowship of the Ring follows the
first book of Tolken's trilogy rather closely, and since the Lord of
the Rings Trilogy is an excellent read, it turned out well. They
misrepresented Gimli the dwarf, making him less formidable and often
on the short end of the comedic stick. The Two Towers
strays a bit more for dramatic purposes (were there elves and Helms
Deep?). The Return of the King, possibly the most
impressive installment of the three, while having some "logic"
flaws, is very much worth seeing. Many critics complained about the
ending dragging out, but it seemed appropriate to me. Did not
include the "Scouring of the Shire," however. |
| Dragon Slayer | A pretty good sword and sorcery tale with an
excellent dragon, especially considering it was before much of the
digital "magic" available today. One could tell the writer was fond
of Beowulf. |
| Memphis Belle | Good WW II movie. Some lacking in authenticity for
the needs of Hollywood, but still very exciting to the end. |
| Conan the Destroyer | If you like Arnold, and some action, then this one
is for you. Also stars Wilt Chamberlin, who was not too bad in his
part. In the end Conan finds himself pitted against an emerging
demi-god which he mistakenly helped revive. |
| Armageddon | Bruce Willis is pretty good in this one. Some flaws
with plot points and science, but fun to watch. A group of oil
drillers are recruited by NASA to journey to an asteroid on a
collision course with Earth to drill and set a nuclear bomb to
divert the deadly rocks' path. Of course everyone knows that the
asteroid will be destroyed or diverted. |
| Aliens | Better than the first, best in all of the Alien
series. Combines action, and suspense in a hopeless situation.
Even though there are Colonial Marines, you know in the end they
will be no match for the Aliens. If you liked this movie,
Predator will be high on your list. |
| Highlander | From Medieval times to the present day immortals vie
to be the last one standing. The only way they can die is if they
lose their head, and release their knowledge and power to the
victor. Goes to show that even immortality has its drawback...it's
always something. Can good triumph over evil? |
| Beneath the Planet of the Apes | This and the original are the best in the Planet of
the Apes series. The apes invade a remnant population of humans who
long ago took shelter in the ruins of an underground city. The
ending with Charlton Heston makes it a classic. |
| King Solomon's Mine | The original, not the 1980s remake. A good
adventure tale in the dark unexplored regions of Africa, seeking a
lost mine of riches. |
| The Hunt for Red October | Sean Connery in this last of the great Cold War
films. Based on a Tom Clancy novel about a desperate hunt for a
rogue Soviet Missile sub. |
| Monte Python and the Holy Grail | Humor galore, spoofing the Knights of the Round
Table and their quest for the artifact. |
| Ben Hur | What is not to like about this classic? Most at
least remember the Chariot race, if not the epic naval battle. |
| Murphy's Romance | This "love triangle" comedy is about
as a struggling small ranch owner (Sally Field) moving to a small
Arizona town whose relationship with a local pharmacist (James
Garner) is threatened by the arrival of her shiftless ex-husband. |
| Big Trouble in Little China | A fantasy-action film that stars Kurt Russell who
plays hard-boiled truck driver Jack Burton (brash and reluctant hero
who is hysterically out of place in this world of magic potions,
goblins and curses), who gets caught in a bizarre conflict within,
and underneath, San Francisco's Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince
and Chinatown crime lord has kidnapped a beautiful green-eyed woman,
who is the fiancée to Jack's best friend. Jack must help his friend
rescue the girl before the evil Lo Pan uses her to break the ancient
curse that keeps him a fleshless and immortal spirit. Good mix of
comedy, martial arts and fantasy. |
| Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Sean Connery and Harrison Ford? What's not to
like?
Hoping the May 2008 installment is
good as the first and third in the series. |
|
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