toadwriter's Reviews

50 First Dates (2004)

8/10

4 May 2024

In the beginning, this has a bit of a corny feel with a playboy picking up on and lying to women. They're setting the stage obviously as that leads him to a girl sitting by herself building a waffle house. They have a moment, and the next time they meet, she's clueless as to who he is.

The movie meanders for a bit, but then this girl has a bad day. What ensues is a day of enlightenment and the movie suddenly gets a lot more serious.

As the day comes to a close, the Father asks this playboy if he might not want to stick around, saying he's earned a couple of beers.

At that point, the movie turns and it just keeps getting better. I found it fascinating, because many movies get to the midpoint and they don't always go in a favorable direction. But instead of fighting things, the Father is on board and it leads to a really wonderful ending where you see how they've essentially mastered this seemingly impossible situation.

So that's about the best way that I can describe the movie without getting specific and blowing it for anyone. Granted the movie is some 20 years old, so there shouldn't be any spoilers anyway.

I find it hard to believe anyone will be reading this review prior to watching, but I want to mention this one scene. There's a moment where Lucy's in the evening sun, Henry looks at her and says, in this lighting, man o man, you look... disgusting. She does this sort of cat hissing thing and the whole scene felt so real and natural, like really good improv. I think Drew and Adam are so great together and this movie is much better than The Wedding Singer.

Needless to say, I love this film. If the 1st half were better, it might be worth 9 or 10 stars.

One warning: When I watched on MTV, parts of scenes were actually cut so they could make more time for commercials. It's also censored; when one person flips someone off, it looks like a fist. So if you want your kids to watch, roll with it, otherwise I suggest you buy it or look for it on a real movie channel.

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The Martian (2015)

9/10

Great movie - 1 bad scene

2 May 2024

I have seen this multiple times and I'll continue to watch it. There's drama, humor, intrigue.

I like everything that happens on Mars and I like the Mindy Park character; how she sees that he's alive and her role in the movie was fascinating to me. I looked forward to her scenes. I also felt Jeff Daniels was good in this, because - while I know he's been in a lot of films - I mostly remember him from Pleasantville and Dumb and Dumber, and I thought he was dumb in that. So seeing him in a more dramatic role, I thought he did good.

The one part of the film they really could have done without was the character Rich, when he came in and did that whole corny scene that essentially was in reference to the free-return trajectory from Apollo 13 (slingshot around the moon). Donald Glover's character was not necessary. I typically fast-forward that scene any time I watch.

And one problem with the movie is when the Chinese help launch a rocket, nothing ever becomes of it. It's weird. They made it out to be a lifesaver of a mission, then it never dropped supplies, I guess. If it did, they didn't show it. They do show Mark eating a bowl of what looks to be oatmeal or something different, but yeah, what happened with that? Anyway, it's a nitpicky thing, but it's still bad writing, editing or something.

I do think if Mark's ever stranded on Mars again, maybe he'll think twice before drowning his potatoes in ketchup.

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Road House (2024)

5/10

My idea is a series of films featuring Jake as Dalton

26 April 2024

I agree with others. I was really into the first half of this film. I thought Dalton was really cool, funny, tough. I liked the first road house a lot and I liked the new setting and different bit of background and such, but when Knox showed up, I felt the movie slipping right away. I couldn't understand his thick Irish accent, he acted like he was on crack and they really went overboard.

My idea - if nobody's giving thought to this in Hollywood already - is to make a series of films featuring Jake as Dalton and go from city to city. I like the idea of a new setting, slightly varying stories. It'd be a bit like Mission Impossible I suppose, maybe not as good, but if they can come up with original things to Dalton's character, as in the way he approaches different enemies. I loved when he held up his left

the guy paused - then he clocked him with his right. Or when he slapped JD Pardo across the face. That stuff was funny and even a bit original. Give Jake some credit, I thought he really pulled off a different version of Dalton well. He was very cool in this role.

I do believe this could work as a film series (in the mold of Mission Impossible). Maybe he'll have a love interest. Not the girl from this movie, but someone, eventually. I also like the idea of past acquaintances showing up in future movies. Maybe he pays a visit back to the Keys and visits the people at the shop and those at the bar.

I would definitely watch any sequels. I believe Jake could carry this series. He would carry on Swayze's legacy. I like it. Sell it.

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The Babysitter (1995)

4/10

I'm on the fence on this one

29 March 2024

I actually remember a preview of a film that had - I thought - Alicia Silverstone poolside flirting with someone, but that scene wasn't in this movie, so I was wrong about this film. I knew nothing about it when I began watching.

Overall I'd say Alicia didn't do a bad acting job. She even comes off as a little seductive at times, but mostly the film doesn't deliver, anything. And I'm not just talking sex. I mean, there was no real build up, no real plot.

The movie is essentially about guys who like the babysitter. She's the fantasy. And the film constantly cuts into these fantasies, which really get distracting after awhile.

Jack is the boyfriend that hooks up with an old friend, who's sort of the Rob Lowe from Bad Influence.

So I don't know what I expected from this film, but the film gets ridiculous, bouncing back and forth from the parents' party to where the babysitter's at, and her boyfriend is outside the house looking at her through the window with the x-friend he doesn't even like. That made no sense and actually was really stupid. I get that Jack had been drinking, but I imagine myself at his age when I was drinking and I'd still never be stupid enough to spy on my girlfriend, let alone with a guy I didn't even like. Hello?!?

I mean, in that regard, the ending is fitting. What was he thinking? He was pretty cool and level-headed early on, but his character just went downhill. Bad writing.

That's the other thing. The ending. I can't say I saw it coming, but talk about irony.

I know this movie's old, so there shouldn't be any spoilers, but I don't want to give it away just in case.

I'll say after giving it some thought, I really feel this film would have been better if the ending were the hook. Imagine the torn relationships and all the drama, agony. I'm more interested in a sequel that focuses on the aftermath than the babysitter. I mean, this movie wasn't even about the babysitter in all honesty, it was about all the twisted people around her. Nobody's got their ish together. It's a mess that she happened to end up in the middle of.

Part of me liked aspects of this film. But that's why I'm on the fence. All the fantasy scenes, cutting back and forth, the guys outside the house, the parent's party ... there's a lot of garbage here. For what it is, I'd say 1-5 stars. It needed better writing and better direction. A lot of the movie is lost and a lot of decent actor's are wasted as a result. This could have been a lot better. I think this was back in the day when Silverstone was a hot ticket, so maybe anything she did was diamonds and pearls, but this movie didn't do it for me. So I guess I'll lower my rating from a 5 to 4, maybe less the next time I give it some more thought.

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Organ Trail (2023)

1/10

terrible film

28 March 2024

This movie isn't about organs (neither the instrument or your innards), it's not about the Oregon Trail, and while it happens in the Old West, this isn't any kind of Western film. They say in the caption this is "inspired by one family's true story of survival", but I would be willing to bet it's drawing from nothing.

First off, it's not a family's survival, because everyone in the family is slaughtered in the beginning before the title of the film even displays. So that's not a spoiler, it's just an early fact. There's 1 girl who gets away and she has a commonality with another girl whose been under the control of a small group of losers.

There doesn't seem to be any sort of story here. They don't really go into why the guys do what they do. I thought maybe they were hoarding bodies and - based on the title of the film - selling their organs. But it seems they're just losers with no real ambition or goal. Nothing drives this story.

The further I got into this film, the more I realized there really wasn't a plot. Ya basically want this one girl to get away and when she falls into the frozen waters, well, I thought she was committing suicide. No way anyone survives that, but she did.

To top it all off, the acting isn't good.

This film is classified as horror, but I'd put it in the utter stupidity genre. Ridiculous waste of time.

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The Winning Team (1952)

8/10

Pleasantly surprised

21 March 2024

I knew nothing about this film coming in. I've just been recording anything with Doris Day, so I began watching her films, oldest first. The Winning Team is not a film I'd heard of, so when I saw it was based on the life of a real baseball player, and Ronald Reagan was starring opposite Doris Day? Well, that's reason enough to watch this gem.

I loved this movie. I don't have a reason to compare or judge this against anything, because I don't know Grover's true life story, nor did I live that era. But I love baseball, I love Doris Day, and I thought her and Ronald made a great couple. I liked their chemistry.

I mainly wrote this short review for myself, in case I'm ever afforded the opportunity to see this again and have forgotten what I thought about it. I will surely watch this again. In fact, I'm not going to delete it from my DVR. I'll recommend it to others and watch it with them.

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Yellow Rose (I) (2019)

3/10

The writing isn't good

4 March 2024

I'm writing this review to remind myself of how I felt about the film, should I be faced with watching this again down the road.

The story is about a young girl who likes to sing, but doesn't have the guts to sing in front of others.

The mom and daughter are illegals, but they don't go into that history.

There's a lot of holes in the story or aspects the writer didn't feel were important.

Atop that, I didn't like the girl's singing and I felt like she made poor decisions. Her immaturity shined. I'm sure I was meant to feel bad for the girl, but I didn't. I blame the writing and acting on that.

The movie could have been written a lot better. It's just not that good.

There was a part when the girl saw a picture of Dale Watson with Johnny Cash and that got me thinking I'd like to see a movie about Dale Watson. I'd be more interested in that. Good job Dale.

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Inherit the Wind (1960)

1/10

I couldn't stand this courtroom drama

14 February 2024

This review is moreso for my remembrance, should I be faced with the option of watching this film again many years down the road. I want to remember what I thought of this film.

First off, this is a case about the evolution of man and how a teacher is reprimanded for teaching such in his classroom. What ensues is a court case about what should be allowed to be taught in classrooms.

The part that bugs me the most is all the objections and explaining themselves to the judge, why this or that shouldn't be allowed and many times it was trivial stuff that they just dribbled on about for drama's sake. It got so annoying to me.

Later none of Drummond's witnesses could be used for ridiculous objections. More of the same.

I'd hoped to learn something, but this was very much a philosophical film.

In one massive scene Brady's on the stand getting grilled by Drummond and Brady goes off on a tirade (one of many in the film); he's made to look like a crackpot, which is honestly how he acted most the film in my opinion, raising his voice, acting very close-minded.

I was annoyed by this film. Reviews were good, people praised the clash of these titan actors. But I didn't like the casting in this film...

I didn't like March as Brady I didn't like Akins as the Reverand.

Donna Anderson flipped out on the stand and it was just hard to watch. I mean bad acting hard to watch.

Gene Kelly IMO was a waste of a character. I liked that he wasn't dancing and singing, but he may as well have been, because he really didn't provide any value to the film. He just seems to want to look how he looks to appeal to the masses. I didn't get his casting in this role.

Everyone talks about the masterful acting of Spencer Tracy and, yeah, I did like his acting (for the most part), but it wasn't magical. He just looked disgusted by the system and his character was written pretty intelligently. Good dialog.

But overall, this did not feel realistic. It felt over the top and I really felt they missed the boat. Meaning, they could have really focused on what the case was about, but this movie was about courtroom theatrics.

It's not a movie I care to see again.

This was a rather long reminder of what I thought of this film, but I don't get why the ratings are so high. Well, maybe I get it, because of the subject matter and some of the writing is well done, people like Tracy and March, but I simply didn't care for the acting and with all the philosophical banter, the story got away from them. That's the main thing. The story got lost in the drama.

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San Antonio (1945)

7/10

This is a decent little western

13 February 2024

The story here isn't bad, and that's really what drives the movie. Errol Flynn plays Clay Hardin, who's recently returned to Texas from Mexico, only to find out there's been some rustling going on.

Typical of older movies, there's a love interest (in this case Alexis Smith as Jeanne Starr), who reminds me of Greta Garbo, the look, laugh. The two of them have pretty good chemistry.

Jeanne is a saloon singer / performer and she brings a breath of fresh air to this film.

I particularly like her manager, whom nobody seems to understand. He's peculiar, which is interesting to me.

After Clay's friend Charlie Bell is murdered, he gets 24 hours of support to get to the bottom of it all.

The movie is predictable and nobody particular looks (or acts) like a real gunslinger. A couple guys don't even look like they know how to hold a gun, yet it's funny how 1 guy can nail 3 guys with 3 bullets then miss the main guy they want to kill with 3 or 4 shots. That's a bit hokey to me. But it also gives the film a bit of a light-hearted feel.

It's entertaining to me. Sure, it could be better, but I'm an Errol Flynn fan, I like the story here, and it kept me interested.

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By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)

1/10

On Moonlight Bay II

1 February 2024

My thoughts: The movie began and I thought I was watching On Moonlight Bay. This movie has mostly the same cast. The movie plays out nearly the same way. They changed some of the scenes, songs, but there really wasn't much difference.

I was wondering why they made this film. It doesn't work as a sequel. It was very odd to me. There were too many scenes with Wesley (young brother) and the father. Stella had her typical dry sense of humor and instead of the door being slammed open on her, it seemed people were slamming into her. That whole shtick didn't work. There was too much singing, and many aspects of this movie were irrelevant, unnecessary, or too familiar.

I've been watching a lot of Doris Day films lately and this is the one I like the least. Maybe if I hadn't seen On Moonlight Bay, I'd feel differently, but there was nothing original here. I was really disappointed.

I won't watch this again.

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Starlift (1951)

7/10

pleasant surprise

31 January 2024

I'm a #SummerUnderTheStars fan and Doris Day was featured in 2023. I am not an old soul, but I'm learning to appreciate the classics. Needless to say, just about anything I watch on TCM is probably going to be the first time I've seen it.

My "reviews" are really just a reminder to myself as to what the film was about, what I thought of it and if I care to watch it again if that day should come.

Starlift is a movie that kept me interested. It's a story about how some Hollywood stars came to pay homage to our troops, thanking them for their service and lifting their spirits. That underlying theme is really what I liked about the film.

There were some really good scenes. I liked when Ruth and Doris were entertained by a piano player when a soldier opened the curtains, so a lot of boys about to depart for war got to enjoy their presence. I liked those moments. There were many such scenes, like when one guy was on the phone talking to his friend who didn't believe Doris Day had just walked in, but she got on the phone and sang to him. That was great.

The Gary Cooper skit was great.

Phil acting like he was a bad card player to help donate a little cash. Yeah, everyone thought he had a gambling problem. Surprise.

Honestly, this is a movie that could have been 5 hours long, just so everyone could have had bigger roles and done a lot more to entertain the troup's; to do more skits together.

I would watch this again, but it's not without its flaws:

Sgt. Mike Nolan (played by Dick Wesson) is really obnoxious. He's the kind of unfunny guy that people have to humor, because he doesn't realize he's not funny.

Many of the roles were simply too small. Cagney was in the film for maybe a few minutes. Gary Cooper did 1 skit with Phil Harris.

Ya don't see Doris all that much after the first hour or so.

It took me 3 (work) nights to finish and it's what I looked forward to every evening before falling asleep. It's a feel-good movie.

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Calamity Jane (1953)

5/10

I'm on the fence...

27 January 2024

My first thought before ever watching this film was that Doris was going to be drinking and singing a lot, maybe both. I wasn't that interested in watching this film, but I'm trying to watch all her films. This review is mostly for personal reasons, to remind myself later what I thought of it, in case I might be crossed with the thought of watching it again.

Will I watch it again? Maybe.

As I begin to write this review, I toggle between a rating of 3, 5, and 7.

A rating of 3 would be that there's too much singing and there's really not much about Calamity in this film that reflected her life.

A rating of 5 would be that this film looks to take place before she was with Bill, so maybe before she had children, but I was led to believe she had relations with more than just Bill, so was there no history before Bill? No love interests?

The whole story about Chicagee and this gal Katie is facetious as far as I know, so maybe the point is not to take this as anything factual at all. Yet it's in Deadwood. There are characters portraying those in real life.

Story aside, the acting isn't bad. The setting, attire, ya know, it sort of works.

The reason I consider a 7 is because Doris does show some grit in this film. In fact, about halfway through, I was thinking this is better than I expected.

What brings the film down for me is there's just too much singing and I truly hated when she was acting like a child later on, bawling like a baby. Spouting off at Bill, wanting to kill Katie. Honestly, I hated the movie at that point.

My thought is maybe I need to watch it a 2nd time and pay more attention to her and Danny, because first time around, I didn't see any real sparks. I didn't see a connection. I was uncertain why she'd throw such a tantrum as she did.

Overall, for now, I'll give this film a 5.

I understand that this was an era in which a handful of western musicals were made, and some people really like this sort of thing. I personally don't, but I need to watch Seven Brides again and Annie Get Your Gun. I'm not an old soul, so I haven't watched all these western musicals. I remember Kevin Kline singing Oklahoma in Dave, but I haven't seen that musical either. Still, having seen, enjoyed, or disliked those films has no bearing on how I feel about Calamity Jane, except to say, Doris in a Western worked a bit better than I thought. Overall, I felt this film was a bit corny and the ending was abrupt in that she never seemed to like Bill, one little kiss and suddenly she's in love. I suppose I'd like to see the sequel with their kids, so we could maybe learn something about the real Calamity.

Bottom line: This didn't work that well for me. I'm leaning more towards a 3 than a 7, but for now I'll stay on the fence.

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My Dream Is Yours (1949)

4/10

consolation prize

26 January 2024

This review is mainly for me, in case this in on TV again, I want to remind myself of what happened and what I thought of it.

My main thought is there's a lot of singing. Gary Mitchell is the big ticket in town during The Hour of Enrichment. His x-agent is trying to get Martha Gibson to move into that role, or any role really, so she sings a lot and nobody's particular fond of her.

She ends up liking Gary and when Gary is blackballed for making a fool of himself in a drunken stupor, Martha does take his spot during The Hour of Enrichment. Gary falls off the map. But Martha keeps writing, hoping he'll respond.

When her agent proposes, she says no, so he tracks down Gary and they end up performing together. Rather than gratitude, he's arrogant, only thinking of himself, doesn't thank anyone, and goes off to party with a group of worshippers.

This is the odd thing in the movie. Martha is asked to sing and while singing, I guess she discovers that she does want to be with Doug (the agent).

I feel like she settled, like Doug is the consolation prize. Not that I wanted her to end up with Gary, but there were no sparks with her and Doug. So that was a rather strange ending.

This is not a movie I'd care to see again.

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On Moonlight Bay (1951)

7/10

A personal reminder

25 January 2024

I am using imdb to write personal reviews so that I can remind myself what I thought of the films I watch. I don't mind others reading my thoughts.

I've seen quite a few Doris Day films now and I feel like they're all pretty much the same. There's a love interest and singing. Swap out the main man opposite Doris, change the words to the songs, make the setting and story slightly different, but overall, I don't see much difference between Romance on the High Seas, The Glass Bottom Boat, and this - On Moonlight Bay.

I like On Moonlight Bay in that her little brother is pretty smart and conniving. The Father causes some conflict. And I like that Doris is a tomboy. Her future husband doesn't realize she's a girl the first time they meet and that was funny.

The relationship is off and on, because the Father is doing what he thinks is the right thing. It takes a slingshot for him to realize he's become cynical in his old age.

Typical ending.

Overall I feel I'd watch this again, but there are others of hers I want to watch (for the first time) before watching this again.

I rate this a 7 I suppose because the story moves forward and it kept me interested. There were parts that I didn't care for, like when Gordon's singing on the bus, well, any time he sang. He was mocking the song, which wasn't bad.

Aspects like that didn't really work, but overall the story does.

I rate this a 7, but I think that reflects my current mood, because I think I liked Glass Bottom Boat better and I gave that a 6. I may change my mind on that. Swap.

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Romance on the High Seas (1948)

5/10

It's Magic

25 January 2024

This review is really a reminder to self if I ever consider watching this film again. I have recorded a lot of Doris Day films and this apparently was her first. In an interview on TCM, she talks about this beautiful song they scripted for her to sing: It's Magic.

So this movie is about a woman who thinks her husband's cheating on her. She's been trying to schedule an anniversary vacation ever since they were wed, but he keeps having excuses - something always comes up at work. When he hires a new, sexy secretary, the wife suspects something's up, so she schedules a vacation (cruise) and when he tells her to cancel b/c of something at work, she decides to keep the vacation, and let's Doris go on it, so she can stay back and spy on her husband.

Only he now suspects something, because she's making excuses about why she doesn't want him to go with her.

On the cruise, Doris has to act like her. She meets a guy who's supposed to be investigating her, only it's not her, so yeah, you can see how this story is a bit crazy. I'd call it a screwball comedy RomCom, but I'm not sure what it is.

The story is OK, but I like it better later when things start to come together. And when Doris sings It's Magic, the little hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I see what she means, because the song is gorgeous, she's gorgeous, and if for no other reason, I'll watch this movie again for that scene. Show stopper.

She did pretty good for her first performance. I wish there were less singing and I also wish the story wasn't so crazy. It felt a bit disconnected, but it's ok.

Recommendation: If I'm flipping through channels and this happens to be on, sure, I'll watch again. But there's definitely better films and I'd prefer something else she's done. I wasn't a big fan of glass bottom boat, but I might watch that before this. I'm about to watch On Moonlight Bay again and I have others of hers I've yet to see, like Calamity Jane, My Dream is Yours and more, so it may be awhile until I watch this again.

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The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)

6/10

Entertaining screwball comedy

25 January 2024

This review is really a reminder to myself in case I ever am faced with watching this again and forgot what I thought of it.

This movie stars Doris Day and Rod Taylor. This is a screwball comedy. RomCom. Doris works as a tour guide - or something - at a NASA plant. Rod is a big whig that apparently run things at NASA, which I believe makes him her boss. That's not necessarily relevant except that they meet when she's going to swim under a glass bottom boat as a mermaid and she gets caught on his fishing line.

They bump into each other when her heels get stuck in some dust dump. He likes her, he offends her. And so the story goes. There's corny comedy like when some maintenance guy gets his foot stuck in the trash, which has a cake in it, and they both end up a mess. It's odd, over-the-top, but that's this movie.

There's the scene with the runaway boat that rod's controlling from a remote control probably miles away. Much of the scene looks really fake, but it is what it is.

This movie feels like they're trying to do what was done in arsenic and old lace, but it's not as good.

Still, I am a fan of Doris and her temperament sometimes lends to dry humor, so it's entertaining to me.

I didn't care for the singing scenes, but there wasn't that much and that's good, because it's not a musical.

Doris is taken for a spy, and that's when the movie turns a bit. Doris overhears Rod saying that she's too dumb to be a spy.

In the end, they get married and that's weird, because it's like his whole thing was an act, she's beneath him, she hears him acting all condescending, calling her dumb, yet after all the corny spy stuff subsides, the movie abruptly ends with them married and zipping away in a boat.

Overall, this movie wasn't as good as I was led to believe. During SummerUnderTheStars, TCM talked about what a great film this was. I think Doris did a fine acting job and I like the chemistry with Rod, but this movie is lost in a corny story and strange attempts at humor.

There are better movies to watch, but if I'm in the mood for a Doris movie, I might pick this or watch her sing It's Magic in Romance on the High Seas.

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From (2022– )

6/10

compelling but garbage writing

5 November 2023

This show - without spoiling anything - really feels like a recreation of Wayward Pines.

"From" has something out of this world going on. A mystery, like a blackhole leading to the unknown.

I imagine the script is a page turner, because I'm curious what's going to happen next. There are essentially 4 questions everyone wants answers to:

1) Where are they 2) How did they get there 3) What are they doing to get out 4) When will they get out, will they, and how. I guess that's 3 questions in 1.

The problem with this show is the writing is horrid. They're stretched thin trying to include aspects of about 20 different peoples' lives and so all we're left with are scattered pieces and no well written characters. The most we know about is Jim, a bit about his family, and Sheriff Boyd.

Bottom line is this is a decent story, with (mostly) B actors and B writing.

I would propose they REMOVE Tian, Bakta, Jade, Mari, Fatima, Ellis, Tabitha, Tillie, Julie, Ethan, Elgin (and everyone from the bus) from the show. Once they're gone, the writers wouldn't be stretched so thin, we wouldn't have 30 minutes of every episode spent wasting our time with irrelevant dialog. I swear, this show forgets it's in the HORROR genre.

I don't know why lesbians and all this garbage is necessary in a horror show. I don't tune in to get updates on their relationships like this is Days of Our Lives. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tighten the writing, stick to the plot, move forward with the plot, and get rid of all the pointless storylines.

My disappointment is that this could be better and it's going to get cancelled for much of what I've mentioned. Maybe I'm in the minority and others feel different. Maybe they like the lesbians, and Jade's manic BS, Ellis's Schizo crap, and his stupid marriage to Fatima.

I think back to the commercial where people make stupid decisions in horror movies and that's what I think of with this show. A night hasn't gone by without someone dying, but then we have lesbians in their underwear on a bed, a 14 (or so) year old daughter wanting to kiss a woman, 2 characters we hardly know or care about getting married. They do nothing for the show. There are manic people - which I get - but much of it completely over the top, everyone acting sad at some point and nobody actually crying. No real tears. Just horrid acting. And the worst part is - because the writing is so bad - I am not emotionally invested in these characters to care. I don't want to know more about their lives at this point, I just want to progress with the plot. Get to the point. If they would eliminate the pointless garbage, get rid of about 15 actors, they (the writers and remaining actors) could get serious with this situation. Move forward. Get rid of the fluff. I imagine Kristi's girlfriend will probably die, so then she'll go back to trying to figure out if she wants to be straight with the deputy. OMG. Really?

I lose IQ points watching this ridiculous show, but I'm still curious if we'll ever see them get out of this situation.

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At Close Range (1986)

9/10

left a lasting impression at a young age

22 October 2023

Through my life I have seen some films that have left a serious impression on me, so much so that I have not forgotten those films.

Off the top of my head they include Fire In the Sky, Scarface, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and At Close Range... to name a few.

I recently watched At Close Range again, having not seen it since the 80s and it was still fresh in my head. The thing that got me was when I found out that the movie was loosely based on a true story. They don't use the names of that crime family, in fact Christopher Walken's character is simply referred to as Brad Senior and his son Brad Junior.

The story revolves around a crime family who are subpoenaed to testify in front of a Grant Jury. Brad Sr. Trusts nobody, not even his own kids, so he wants to see to it that he's not incriminated.

From the last time I saw it (4 decades ago), I still remember the main members of the cast: Christopher Walken, Sean Penn, his brother (in real life and in the movie) Christopher, along with Sean's girlfriend Mary Stuart Masterson.

Watching it again I saw Millie Perkins (Diary of Anne Frank), David Strathairn, Kiefer, Crispin, and Tracey Walter. I did not know them or remember them from the last time I saw it. But this is a solid cast, they act their parts great, and the subject matter had me captivated.

The vividness of this film is what engrained it in my brain, I mean, the coldness of Christopher Walken, the pain of Sean Penn, naivety of his girlfriend, and overall the brutality of this film. It just stuck with me. Watching it this 2nd time around, it was as powerful as the first time. Sean Penn got to me when he testified against his father and couldn't get the words out - he didn't want to admit - that "he's my father". Feeling his pain, knowing his father had killed his brother, had his girlfriend whacked, and tried to have him killed. Brutal.

I honestly don't know why I don't give this film 10 out of 10. I'll have to give that some thought.

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His Girl Friday (1940)

4/10

gave me a headache

21 October 2023

The acting in this film is superb; it's very much so dialog-driven. There's a lot of fast talking, talking over one-another, concentrating on what others are saying while simultaneously talking on the phone (or pretending to). The script must have been a massive page turner, because this film moves fast. If you like dialog-driven films, movies about Journalism, Howard Hawks' films, and/or if you're a Cary Grant fan, then you should watch this.

The story revolves around a woman that is looking to get out of the business; she doesn't want to be a reporter anymore. Her X (played by Cary Grant) still likes her, so he's not only trying to get her to NOT remarry, but is trying to keep her from walking out the door.

This film does work on many levels. I get why people like it so much.

The biggest problem I have with the film is that I didn't much care about the subject matter. Plus, there was so much noise and commotion that I actually got a headache. I didn't laugh at anything and nothing surprised me.

I imagine people will say my review is not helpful, simply because my rating is on the low side, but that is a personal preference. I mean, the subject matter seems fresh and I do think the writers did a great job. I'm just not a fan of the film. That's not to say you won't love it; it's just not for me.

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Camille (1936)

2/10

I was disappointed

14 September 2023

I am a SummerUnderTheStars fan. For the past 2 years (in August), I have recorded a hoard of films. Right now I have over 150 in my classics folder to watch.

That said, I found Camille to be anti-climactic.

First off I want to say that there should be no spoilers for a movie that's nearing 90 years old. But if you are reading this review before seeing the film, then you'll probably want to stop reading now.

Early on in the film, Camille meets a guy she thinks is the Baron de Varville. When she finds out she's wrong, Armond should have left and never come back into her life. He's supposed to be this charming chap, so where are the other women in his life? Why does he demean himself with this woman that mistook him for someone else?

That didn't make sense. It made me feel like he really is a loser.

Then when the Baron does meet her, she's apparently already in love with Armond, so she leads him on, why, because she can't tell the truth to the great and mighty Baron?

On that note, the Baron's character isn't built up to where we even understand or care about his title.

Later there's a scene when Armond's dad (played by Lionel Barrymore) tells her not to see his son, for some cheesy reasons. She decides to honor his request and Armond never finds out.

This movie is just awkward on many levels.

Then to rickdumesnil-55203's point - which I agree with - Greta Garbo doesn't do a masterful job of acting. She's constantly tilting her head. Is it because that's her way of being romantic, or is she sick, both? I couldn't tell if she just always wanted to kiss who she was with, but it was really peculiar. Most times when she tilted, she laughed, and her laugh was clearly fake and very annoying. And I also agree in that this film didn't make me feel anything. I wasn't cheering for her to be with either guy, and when she died in the end, rather than sadness, I felt relief that the film was over.

It's too bad. I wanted to like this film. Even in the beginning when everyone was having fun, I thought it was obnoxious. This film did nothing for me except waste a couple hours I could have spent watching something better.

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12 Mighty Orphans (2021)

10/10

Luke Wilson's best performance ever

30 December 2022

There are many layers to 12 Mighty Orphans. It is the story of orphan boys playing football, but it gets into abuse, stereotypes, corruption, coming of age, and also the evolution of football.

Rusty Russell is the football coach for the Masonic High Orphans football team in Texas and Rusty is in the Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame. He is known for developing the spread offense and I love how this is depicted in the film. They run trick plays and use deception to fool defenses.... the early days of play action.

The one aspect I truly love about this film is Luke Wilson. I guess I need to watch more of his films, because I've never known him to be such a good actor. He plays his role excellent. I love his demeanor.

I think Luke makes this film what it is. In my opinion, it wouldn't be as good without him. He really seems in his element in this role.

I like the football players. Even though a few didn't look like football players, they worked in their roles. I loved some of the hard hitting in the games. Back in the day they didn't have all the rules to protect players, so clothes-lining players wasn't frowned upon. Texas football has always been tough, and that's one aspect they don't shy away from in this movie.

I think there are many reasons to watch this film and I didn't see any reasons to dock any points, so I give it 10/10. I'll watch it again.

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Warrior (2011)

6/10

This film is worth seeing, but it's not great

14 October 2022

I think Tom Hardy's a better actor when he's not talking. I don't think he's as good an actor as he's given credit, but I do like his fight scenes in this film. His shoulders are huge and he clearly looks like a guy whose either done some fighting or trained well for this role.

And that's what people like most about this film. When he tunes up Mad Dog - and then does it a 2nd time at Sparta - those are a couple of the (shortest and) best scenes in this whole film.

But how realistic is this film?

Tommy doesn't look or act militant, so I didn't buy the whole storyline of him saving the lives of the trapped soldiers. And in the scheme of things, it didn't seem necessary in the film. Atop that, I really got sick of Tommy spatting with his father. He respects him as a coach, hates him as a father and he constantly reminds us. But Dad apparently longs for his love so much that he'll deal with it in hopes that he'll win his affection.

I get it, the movie needs a story, but all anybody watches on youtube are the fight scenes. Nobody cares about anything else.

And from a realism standpoint, are the brothers so good to end up in the final match at Sparta? If you like the story, then praise the film, give it 10 stars, but I've seen the movie a bunch of times and I find myself fast-forwarding a lot to get to the scenes I like. Outside the fighting scenes, I do like when the students find out their teacher is a bad ass.

I know, it's a movie, no point over-analyzing it, but like I said, the best scenes are the fighting scenes. There isn't much beyond worth watching, so fast-forward the daddy downer and brother blues crap. Get to the good stuff and watch that over and over. Tuning up Mad Dog never gets old.

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New Amsterdam (2018–2023)

4/10

Used to like this show...

1 May 2021

I was a big fan of ER back in the day, so when New Amsterdam came along, I was excited. In the beginning, it was pretty good, despite me not believing that Max is a good actor. He comes off as nervous on screen, not cool, not the type of guy I'd expect to be the director of a hospital.

But I got past that and I looked forward to the show, until this year when Max said he wanted to end systemic racism, at which point I pushed stop on my remote and deleted the episode. I then noticed online that episode - and subsequent episodes - were getting lower than usual marks.

Far too often shows feel the need to be proactive in changing the world and it's the wrong choice to make. Shows should be for entertainment purposes and they need to stick with what makes the show great, not use it as a platform to send a message. There are other means and ways to shed light, but it seems everywhere we turn, people are dealing with the popular issues of the day and it has become overbearing. I don't want it in the shows I love, because the shows I love are an escape from life... a chance to relax.

Well, New Amsterdam has now become too political for its own good. I wish they'd just stick with the drama of their hospital and deal with cases. But this is an example of another show - whether feeling the pressure to do so or not - has decided to try and change the world with their political crap that has no business being on the show.

Others may like it, but based on reviews, I'd say there are many that agree with me. I have enough other shows I can watch, so regretfully, I'm done with New Amsterdam. Nobody cares, I won't be missed, but the show should listen to me b/c I think I have an opinion that's reflective of others. My mother stopped watching the show before me and that's not an easy thing to do as she's in front of the TV 10 hours a day.

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The Good Doctor: Waiting (2021)

Season 4, Episode 15

2/10

an episode about mothers...

1 May 2021

Warning: Spoilers

This episode is called Waiting, and it's all about the mothers in the waiting room; the choices they made and the effects of those choices.

One mother didn't want her boy to be at a protest that her son wanted to be at. The other mother was essentially forcing the hand for something her boy had no interest in.

Life changes in an instant and now they have to live with those choices.

That's the drama of this episode Waiting.

If you like that emotional aspect of the show, then you'll probably like this episode. It can be intense and I felt the acting was alright. There was a little too much bickering, bonding, bickering, bonding, and Dr. Murphy's girlfriend - in my opinion - was completely out of place. She had a look on her face the whole time like she'd lost her puppy. I personally didn't like any of the moments in the waiting room. To top it off, the only time the doctors came into the waiting room was to give them disappointing news to make it seem like it was inevitable their sons would die. For 45 minutes, that was nearly all that happened. Attempts at bonding, bickering, depression.

The worst part is this episode did not feel authentic to me. It felt contrived and unbelievable. I know people grieve in different ways, but overall I wasn't drawn in to this episode. For the most part, I felt like turning it off, deleting it from the DVR, but - despite many pauses - I got through it. I remember this girl - one of the mother's - from a Keifer show. Designated Survivor. I haven't seen her since. She's an alright actress. But I wasn't feeling either of the moms' grief.

The underlying theme are the choices they made, but I guess a part of me knew the boys wouldn't die either, so I wasn't feeling it. Further, the message was all over the map. They were bashing Trump, protesting protests, putting women in the spotlight, well, I'm not sure the main goal of the episode, but honestly it was a total mess. They didn't have any of the regular aspects of the show we've come to expect.

The best part of the show was when Dr. Park had an epiphany about removing the bullet. That was a pretty good scene.

I really like when The Good Doctor focuses on medicine and coming up with solutions. I love when Dr. Murphy stands back and thinks about things, how it all ties together, then there's that euphoric moment.

Unfortunately, in the episode Waiting, the great majority of the episode focused on the reactions and temperament in the waiting room.

Forget about the protest and politics; this episode wasn't written or acted that well. It was a real downer for me. Granted, I do like aspects of the show and I feel compelled to watch each week, but this was one of the worst episodes - if not the worst - so I felt compelled to complain about it.

The Good Doctor needs to stop sprinkling in political issues and get back to medicine. I wish Dr. Brown's character were rewritten. She's always acting like a 50-year old who has all the answers and I'm pretty sick of her opinions. It's as if she wants all her fans to like her. I think some acting lessons would behoove her. I believe the show made a mistake letting Melendez go and they should be writing Glassman into the script more. I don't care about his personal stuff, but I like when he's a decision maker at the hospital. Dr. Lim is easy on the eyes, but her character is limited; she doesn't really act like a chief anymore. I love Reznick's brute honesty and especially the thought-process behind it. Her character is one of the most intriguing, but it can be overbearing, which is why I liked her relationship with Dr. Park, but the show doesn't seem to want to go there. I like their relationship much more than any other relationships in the show, but in all honesty, I wish all relationships would go away. Less personal life, more hospital drama.

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The Santa Clause (1994)

6/10

I look forward to this every year

14 December 2020

Let me get this straight, when I grow up if I want to be Santa, all I have to do is push you off a roof?

That's funny.

I like TSC pt1, because it's the story of how Santa came to be. This is a vibrant, magical movie with a lot of really good moments. I like the reindeer, elves, story, and it's a festive movie that I look forward to - and watch multiple times - each year.

All said, the critic in me has to say that Tim Allen (Scott Calvin aka Santa Claus) wore on me. He spends much of the movie in denial about what's already happened and what's happening, despite the writing on the wall. Then his kid had to keep reminding him that we can't let the kids down.

I don't understand what more needs to happen to convince him, but honestly I feel like if he would have just believed it, he could have had a lot more fun with it.

Parts 2 and 3 seem funner because he is Santa and wants to stay Santa.

As other reviewers have said, don't take it so seriously. The positives out-weigh the negatives, but I typically record it to my DVR then fast forward the manic stuff.

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