King_man Reviews

South of Panama (1941)

A bit too much filler for 60 minute movie

[6/10 · 8 May 2022]

When you've only got 68 minutes to make your case, you don't have time for time wasting shots. To me, that's about the only real problem with this predictable but enjoyable romantic spy movie. The plot follows the tried and true mistaken identity approach with reporter Roger Pryor thrown under the bus by Virginia Dale who intentionally fingers him as her inventor brother, a very early role for Hugh Beaumont. From that point on poor Roger is on the wrong side of mysterious circumstances and meets Vale in and out of disguise but for some reason can't figure it's the same person but, well, who really cares in these sort of movies? A new paint is the McGuffin and that would be fine except they take a full 6 minutes, almost 10% of the movie, on meaningless plane sequences.

One could easily envision William Powell in the Pryor role but Vale is a better match for her role than Loy would be; if you know early Powell, you know Pryor's mannerisms. Except for the needless filler, I'd give this 7 stars. You know exactly what is going to happen, when, but it's a painless ride and generally keeps moving along so if you've got an hour to spare, it's a decent movie.

The Golden Arrow (1962)

A movie with everything

[2/10 · 23 July 2021]

Bad, that is. Ludicrous plot, abysmal acting, cheesy production values and special effects, the list goes on. A different reviewer compared it with Steve Reeve movies but Steve never phoned in his performance (or maybe Hunter's range is just that limited that it appears to be phoned in) but while Reeves set the bar for other Italian Sword and Sandal movies, this one would only catch that bar across the middle of its forehead. The only redeeming grace is some of the women are decent eye candy but that's small reward for any time invested in watching this turkey. Watch at your own peril.

The Santa Incident (2010 TV Movie)

Pretty dismal holiday fare

[3/10 · 9 November 2017]

With a Hallmark Christmas movie, you pretty much know going in a lot of the plot elements - a bit of romance, some misunderstandings, the children are precocious and usually quite nice but if not, reformable, and the ending is preordained. TSI follows the pattern but compared to most other Hallmark movies, doesn't manage to creep up to the "average" bar. There really isn't much chemistry between anyone, the Keystone Cop element falls flat, and in a surprise to me in a movie aimed at the younger set, not only are guns pulled but the Feds even threaten children. That last is really odd for a Hallmark movie.

When Hallmark is in the Christmas spirit, there are multiple channels in play so flip past this one and hit one of their other shows. It has to be better.

Death Valley Days: Bread on the Desert (1968) Season 16, Episode 17

An Update of Androcles and the Lion

[7/10 · 17 February 2017]

Making their way to Santa Fe, two Americans come across some starving Indians and share their food with them. A bit later, they cross paths with some renegade (and rabid) Mexican soldiers who capture them, then send them on their way across a desert with inadequate supplies. Not much of surprise how this turns out.

The one notable item in this episode is the participation of Paul Winfield as a freed slave who has a hard time accepting his new status. He and Sam Melville's characters seem many years ahead of their time with their relationship built on respect and friendship rather than social strata. While it doesn't affect anything, I believe the Indians identified themselves as Pawnees. How the Pawnees ended up in Mexico is a mystery to me.

Female Fugitive (1938)

Speedy little drama. What's not to like?

[7/10 · 28 July 2016]

Take a perfect wife, an imperfect husband, and throw in a bit of murder and you have Female Fugitive. Evelyn Venable is beautiful, intelligent, loving, and unfortunately for her, oblivious. Husband Craig Reynolds is a truck hijacker to whom murder is just part of the job. Not exactly a match made in heaven as Ms. Venable comes to realize after unwittingly helping her husband escape the law at the expense of an officer's life. Splitting from her husband and going on the lam (uh, the title anyone?), she ends up in the household of reclusive, troubled artist Reed Hadley.

No surprises in this movie as 58 minutes doesn't provide a lot of time to develop plot turns. Everyone does a serviceable job and director Nigh keeps things moving if for no other reason than to keep within budget. I guess filming 100+ of these low budget films ingrains that in you. And for those looking for something different, it's not often you have a female lead spout Nietzsche when attacked by the philosophy of Schopenhauer. Some fun lines, fast pacing, and Ms. Venable playing a damsel in distress that anyone would fall for make this a decent little vehicle.

The Hangman (1959)

The "Pre-Island" Tina Louise

[7/10 · 22 July 2016]

This is sort of a crossroads film where some on the way up (Lord, Parker, Louise) cross paths with a Taylor whose career is winding down. As a western, it's not your usual "shoot 'em up."

Marshall Taylor, a man on a mission, arrives in town to arrest a murder suspect. The only problem is he doesn't know this man's identity. Enter Ms. Louise as the answer to his problem. Dangling a $500 reward for her identification of the suspected killer, he figures his problems are over. Only issue? They are just starting. With local sheriff Fess Parker and wanted man Jack Lord plus some other familiar faces in supporting roles, The Hangman is much more about dialog and character study than action. The ending was a bit awkward but the journey there an OK ride.

For me, the most interesting element of this film was Ms. Louise. I'd only seen her previously as the breathless Ginger Grant, trapped forever (or it seemed that way) on Gilligan's Island. She is definitely a head-turner in this, her third movie, and does a fine job as a somewhat down on one's luck widow who sees more to Taylor than he sees in himself. One never knows why some actors move up the food chain while others sort of stall out. Between this release and Gilligan's Island were a bunch of Italian movies and some rather nondescript US B-films so maybe getting type cast as Ginger wasn't as career crippling as one might presume. Personally, I'd love to know if her trajectory might have changed if she had avoided the Italian phase and been cast in some mid-level US films instead. She certainly didn't embarrass herself in The Hangman and while we might have had to do without Ginger, I'd like to have seen how she fared in more substantial roles.

Stopover Tokyo (1957)

Too slow by half

[3/10 · 30 June 2016]

Given its location filming and, while not quite A-list, serviceable cast, this film is a major disappointment. The plot is one that normally is associated with a thriller: A government courier's point of contact is murdered and with the aid of a beautiful women whom he has just met, take up solving the murder and stopping the plot behind the murder. But it's not a thriller, not a mystery, not much of anything. With Breen providing both the screenplay and direction, it's difficult to determine in which role he failed more epically. The movie runs 100 minutes but feels interminable, primarily because so little happens in that time. There are numerous plot threads that lead nowhere but eat up the minutes. Principal among these is with the murder victim's young daughter. Wagner meets her at her house and after killing time going room-to-room with her doing small talk, he puts her to bed while giving her a "your father is dead" speech only to have her fall asleep leaving this speech to be repeated later in the movie. Finally Wagner gets to what he intended to do when he arrived, search the house. The plot line finally makes some plot progress when O'Brien shows up just long enough to put Wagner on the scent. So 5 minutes unnecessary setup for that particular scene. And then it's introducing the Koko to Collins and putting her to bed there. And then bringing Koko back to Collins at film's end where Wagner says goodbye to her after again going through the "your father's dead" speech. Probably 15 minutes could have been saved by just eliminating the role and having O'Brien show up while Wagner was searching the house. Having mentioned Collins, her role is equally as irrelevant as written. There really isn't much romance and she's mainly around to make phone calls. Which then gets to Ken Scott. He's in and out of the script and the country as well. He's there mainly to provide the third side of a romantic triangle except there really isn't a triangle because there's minimal romance. Collins heaves Scott over the side for Wagner but accepts neither of them is going to fall for any women because their work is more important to them than any woman. So Wagner and Scott are off to the wild blue yonder leaving Collins and Koko behind with Collins having to deal with what to do with Koko. A fitting ending for a dismal movie.

The location filming and some mid-level stars show this wasn't a tiny budget production but Breen the director couldn't see that Breen the writer had thrown in a lot of needless fat. Dumping the Koko line, adding some intrigue, spicing up the romance and love triangle (or better still, just eliminating Scott's role entirely) and this wouldn't have been a blot on the careers of all involved. With more night shooting and some rewriting (OK, I understand, it has color photography), this could even have been a good noir film. As it is though, it's far too tedious for any enjoyment and an exercise in how to choke the life out of an intrigue / mystery film.

Fort Bowie (1958)

The loudest arrows in the West

[4/10 · 27 June 2016]

The only thing raising this movie to the level of a B-western is Ben Johnson in the unusual casting of being the movie's lead, Capt. Thompson. All other aspects, the dialog, plot, production values, you name it, just don't add up to the low expectations one expects of a middling B-lister.

The plot is standard for this type of movie: A rabid Army officer bent on making a name starts an Indian war. The much more competent (and noble) lower ranking officer Johnson can do nothing to stop it, nor can he stop his colonel from becoming needlessly jealous, believing Johnson is having an affair with his wife. Any sane individual would only need to look at the wife and then at the Indian love interest played by Maureen Hingert to know Johnson would need to be daft or blind to go for the wife (OK, Hingert is Ceylonese, not Indian, but Ceylon is pretty close to India so in that respect, one could argue she's closer to Indian than most actresses in these westerns). Everything comes together in a battle for Ft. Bowie that must be seen to be believed. Like Hitler, forced to fight on two fronts, the Indians are on the fort walls fighting to keep the cavalry out of the fort while also fighting to break into buildings inside the fort. Bodies from both sides pile up on the walls and then mysteriously disappear to make room for more bodies. It's also in this fight that we get to see Jan Harrison turn on her "love switch" as she suddenly realizes her true feelings for her colonel husband (Kent Taylor, soon to be demoted to Captain and become one of the three Rough Riders for one season of TV) who stands fully exposed in front of a window even between shots. This leads to the worst scene in the movie as Johnson and Larry Chance (Victorio, who actually died in Mexico) fight it out forever while Taylor stands with drawn gun refusing to pull the trigger and end our misery.

As for the noisy arrows in the summary... I don't know where these Indians got their bows but they need to buy some silencers for them as the noise they make when they release their arrows would alert a sentry miles distant.

Except for the novelty of seeing Johnson headline a movie and maybe the eye candy of Ms. Hingert, there's nothing to recommend this film. Most Audie Murphy 1950s Westerns are more fun so if given a choice, Murphy is the way to go.

Gunsmoke (1953)

A fun, early Murphy Westerm

[7/10 · 27 June 2016]

While certainly in the mold of a "B" western, Gunsmoke manages to raise itself above its peer group. Good production values, an above average supporting cast that appeared to enjoy themselves, an OK plot bolstered by some spirited dialog, and a young Murphy showing he was incorrect in his self-assessment of "no talent."

The plot is pretty much by the numbers: Gambler Telford (Donald Randolph) wants Dan Saxon's (Paul Kelly) ranch and sends for gunslinger Reb Kittridge (Murphy) to arrange an early departure for Saxon from this earth. Due to the luck of the draw, or more probably Saxon's card skills, Kittridge ends up owning said ranch but has to get the cattle to market to maintain possession. Taking to the trail with Saxon, now a cowhand, Saxon's daughter Rita (Susan Cabot), her possessive boyfriend / ranch foreman Curly (Jack Kelly), and the rest of Saxon's old crew, Kittridge must beat both the elements and Telford who doesn't give up just because he's had a setback.

This could have been a B caliber movie but it's better than that. The plot is predictable but pretty much everything else is a step up. Veteran screenwriter D.D. Beauchamp's script has more life than usually found in this type of movie. Saxon – "He ain't no killer, Doc." Doc –"Well, if he isn't , he's been taking money under false pretenses all the way from Texas to the Canadian line." Later, when Saxon says he's willing to work for Kittridge in the cattle drive, his daughter pounces on him in an epic fail. Rita – "You mean you're going to work for him?" Saxon – "Well, we gotta eat don't we?" Rita – "I'd rather go hungry." Saxon – "I've tried that too. I wouldn't recommend it."

Paul Kelly adds immeasurably in his role as a rancher who sees parallels in Kittridge with his own early life and wants to provide a bit of course correction into the gunfighter's life. His timing is great and his easy going drawl a great counterpoint for Murphy. His scenes with Chubby Johnson are also great fun. While certainly a lot is filmed on sets, there are some good outdoor scenes and some nifty wagon riding down a hillside. The only quibble I have is with Susan Cabot. Somehow she doesn't have quite the presence of some other not-quite-A- list actresses of that era such as, say, a young Piper Laurie, but I guess that's a personal taste.

All in all, this is a better oater than most B pictures and shows an inexperienced Murphy could perform quite well when given good direction and surrounded with a good cast to play off of. Give it a try, you won't regret it.

Arizona Bushwhackers (1968)

Pretty dismal effort

[3/10 · 27 June 2016]

With a well known cast, one would have hoped this would have at least reached the level of a B+ Western. Unfortunately, it struggled to make it to the B- range. The problems were myriad: a very standard plot, a bad musical score that grated, actors with no spark, and a final battle scene that was the antithesis of exciting. Without giving any spoilers, the plot involved various characters with hidden agendas all having converged on an Arizona town in the closing stages of the Civil War. Cowboys, Indians, Rebs, and Unionists all thrown together could have had a bit of life but here, the mix had no yeast and didn't rise. What should have been a climactic battle scene was a visual humor feast. The renegade Indians sat on their horses like targets at a Coney Island arcade but this was countered by townsmen not using any cover as they threw lead. In the usual B-Western tradition, a hero with a 6-gun was much more deadly than a Star Trek red-shirter with a rifle. All in all, it was depressing seeing these actors reduced to showing up for work in an effort like this one.

Supergirl (2015–2021)

Supergirl Season 1 – Earthbound when it should be soaring

[7/10 · 14 June 2016]

In the first episode, Supergirl attempts to fly after not having done so in years. She's up, she's down, she's up, she's down, … And that's the way the first season went except whereas in Episode 1 Supergirl finally soars, the freshman show never quite gets airborne. Supergirl has a strong cast and an exceptional hero yet its ratings weren't high enough for CBS to renew it (it was sent to the CW network). So what went wrong?

What worked:

Melissa Benoist – With the show build around her, casting Supergirl correctly was critical. Fortunately, Ms. Benoist isn't just good, or even great. She is, in a word, – tell me you didn't see this one coming – "Super". As Supergirl, she was completely convincing from her beginnings as an eager, earnest, but inexperienced heroine to the season concluding mature, composed, and confident champion. As Kara, she's a bit klutzy but I guess one has to try something to pretend folks won't realize you're Supergirl's doppleganger. Regardless, she owns the role and hits a home run way, way out of the park.

Relationships – If Ms. Benoist was the heart of the show, relationships were its soul. With its perhaps too large cast, there were more relationships than time to fully develop them but the big three were SG – Alex, SG – Manhunter – Alex, and SG/Kara – Cat Grant. In these, the parties grew and changed for the better. The issues were significant such as the baggage Alex carried from growing up with a demigod or Supergirl coping with a trusted friend (ultimately learning it was Alex) killing one of her two remaining blood relatives or Kara mentoring Cat on family and being mentored on hope. All in all, really good stuff.

The show's tone – This isn't Zack Snyder's universe of dark, morose characters. In fact, the closest parallel to Supergirl might be Officer Hopps in Zootopia. Both are driven to protect and help, they refuse to give in to overwhelming odds or give up after failure, and both are perpetually optimistic or at least don't stay depressed for very long. But this isn't bad. Most of the recurring characters in Supergirl could be role models and while I feel it's certainly a female-centric show, I don't see that it's misandristic. Except for Maxwell Lord (always the sharpest though most bent blade in the drawer), the featured males equal the women as role models.

What doesn't work

James Olsen – In the comics Jimmy, as he is called, is an impetuous, freckled redhead. Mehcad Brooks definitely isn't but it's not his lack of freckles or red hair that's the issue. Rather, it's the same Olsen issue that exists in the comics, that of getting face time with the hero. The comics dealt with this by having Olsen getting into trouble (remember "impetuous"?) and Superman saving him. That clearly isn't going to work on this show. Mr. Brooks is second billed yet is the least defined of the major characters because of his lack of quality screen time. In a superhero action/adventure show, the playground of the hero isn't a place for normal mortals. The DEO field agents are supposed to be highly trained operatives but if their name isn't Alex, they might as well suit up in Star Trek red uniforms. So if not in the field, how does Olsen interact with Supergirl? The writer's appear to be taking the romance tack for more face time but comic writers tried this with Lois Lane for 73 years before finally killing the idea of a Lois – Clark/Superman romance in 2011 because of the problems integrating her into his action/adventure universe. The producers should never have introduced Olsen into the show. Mr. Brooks would have been much better served being cast as Maxwell Lord, National City's morally challenged answer to Tony Stark, who could find ways to participate in fights or disasters without being completely out of place and is intrinsically more interesting than Olsen. As it is, Olsen is a millstone weighing down the show.

The writing – Even Ms. Benoist can't carry a show where the writing doesn't provide some foundation for her to stand on. In what was the most fun episode of the season, the Flash crossover, a second rate villain takes out both Supergirl and the Flash but is then defeated by firemen with a hose. Huh? Or in the continuity department, Supergirl flies into space to say prayers over her Aunt's casket yet in the season finale, going into space is a one way ticket to death since as Alex says, she can't breath, can't fly, can't return from there. Or after building up the Supergirl-Cat relationship, coming back from Christmas break and having Cat go off the rails and out of character by firing Kara for not confessing she is Supergirl. For all these little things, the larger issue was there was no compelling Season 1 story line. Fort Roz appeared intended for this purpose but half the episodes had nothing to do with this line and didn't advance it in any way. And Fort Roz was fatally flawed from the start, at least in terms of logic. Since Roz came to earth with her, why did the criminals wait until she was an adult to make their move? They outnumbered her tremendously but never just tried to overwhelm her? Pretty bumbling criminals.

In summary, Season 1 was OK but not more. The ingredients for a great show are there but the writers need to up their game, come up with more compelling antagonists, develop more than just a "villain of the week" approach, and provide more for Olsen to do than just stand around and respond to Cat's "I want a picture" with, "I'm on it" or be in a doomed romance. But with Ms. Benoist in the lead, there's hope for Season 2.

Limitless (2015–2016)

Season One and Done but worth the DVD for many

[8/10 · 13 June 2016]

Limitless was canceled after its first season. Is a show canceled after one season worth a DVD purchase?

Spoiler Alert for both the TV show and the movie "Limitless". The spoilers are sort of minor for the TV show but major for the movie. Also a bit of crudity follows but nothing that wasn't on the TV show.

Limitless TV is based on the 2011 Bradley Cooper movie of the same name. In that movie, Cooper plays a slacker named Eddie Mora. Mora is given NZT-48, a neuro-enhancing drug with really bad side effects, by his ex-brother-in-law who promptly gets murdered for said drug. Cooper spends the remainder of the movie trying to stay alive while also attempting to succeed in the world of corporate finance. NZT manages to keep him above water in both plot lines. By movie's end he has found a way to cope with the drug's side effects, appears to have straightened out his life and is running for the US Senate.

TV's Limitless picks up four years later when slacker Brian Finch, played by Jake McDorman, is given NZT by a former high school friend. Said friend ends up murdered for his NZT – sound familiar? – and Brian is pursued by an FBI team led by Rebecca Harris (Jennifer Carpenter) which is investigating NZT usage. While trying to find the murderer, Brian ends up suffering both NZT withdrawal and a gunshot but is saved by the now Senator Eddie Morra, again played by Cooper. In addition to having him patched up, Morra gives him an NZT pill, an immunity shot that will prevent side effects for some finite period, and the opportunity to "make a difference" by working for the Senator in some unnamed capacity. Brian's also promised that if he mentions Morra's connection to NZT, he will die in a manner that is beyond the imagination. Apparently Morra's moral compass now has a problem finding North. Solving the murder, Brian surrenders to the FBI which, after running tests on him, discovers he is immune to the side effects of NZT. The FBI wishes to turn him into a lab rat while Agent Harris sees him as a person, one with the potential to provide support to the FBI while they study him. Season 1 follows Brian as he works as an NZT enabled consultant for the FBI.

If Limitless was strictly a procedural, it would be just another take on Sherlock but it isn't.The biggest departure from a standard procedural involves its irreverent sense of humor. This certainly offended a segment of the audience and cost it a number of viewers and should be a major factor in a DVD purchase decision. Sometimes the viewer is put into Brian's mind while on NZT while at others, it involves his interpersonal interactions. In both cases, some might find things off- putting, crude,... Examples illustrate this. In one episode FBI Assistant Director in Charge Johnson, who should be referred to as ADIC Johnson, temporarily takes over Rebecca's field office. Brian, of course, refers to him as "a dick Johnson", an accurate name given the individual, but certainly not a reference all viewers would find acceptable. Lifting Johnson's cellphone, Brian sends out a text to the ADIC's entire distribution list explaining that he, Johnson, has "a micro-penis, a serious medical condition." In another episode, a friend of Brian describes NZT as Viagra for the brain. "Hey, it's a brain boner!" While on NZT one gets to see the workings of Brian's mind. There might be "good" and "bad" Finches, both dressed in appropriate "good" and "bad" clothing, trying to persuade him to take different courses of action. Or the bad guys might be envisioned as costumed super villains. Or the entire cast may show up in a costumed Bollywood dance segment. Add to this that he hangs out with Sinbad, a bong, (he's given dispensation since the FBI doesn't know what in his life causes his NZT immunity) and you have a show that will certainly offend numerous people. If you're in this segment, this show probably isn't for you as pretty much every episode you're exposed to elements of this. But if you either find the above humorous or can at least tolerate the attempts, then a closer look at the show is warranted.

While at the lowest level, Limitless plays out as a procedural "crime of the week" show, it's much deeper. Rebecca's father was an NZT user who ended up an unsolved homicide. This provides her a personal involvement in all things NZT related. Then there's Morra's man on the scene, Jarrod Sands, extremely well played by Colin Salmon. He continually puts Brian in moral and ethical vices with him on one side of the jaws and the FBI and particularly Rebecca on the other. Sands is the principal villain in Season 1 and his story line ends in the last episode so there is no cliff hanger that carries to the non-existent Season 2. There are also several two or three episode arcs where the NZT story line is advanced even though it's not the focus of the arc. Which finally brings us to the top level story line involving Senator Morra. Though only in four episodes, these propel the show forward toward its Season 1 resolution. The Morra story line was left open for a second season as was the possible Season 2 villain's (Brian's romantic interest, a brilliant but slightly megalomaniacal scientist) but having these arcs incomplete isn't in any way a deal breaker.

So, should you buy the DVD? For those who don't find the show's crudity or sense of humor off-putting, I'd say "yes." The cast is uniformly excellent, the chemistry between and ethical issues involving Brian and Rebecca believable and well done, and while certainly not everything in the attempted humor department worked or was every episode strong, I thought Limitless displayed refreshing originality and for me, it worked well.

Rush Hour (2016)

Would be better titled, "Wasted Hour"

[2/10 · 2 April 2016]

Having seen the promo, I decided to check out the pilot even though though the preview wasn't too promising. Unfortunately, the pilot was in keeping with the preview.

When you have a buddy show, there needs to be rapport and chemistry between the characters. Gibson/Riggs and Glover/Murtaugh had it (Lethal Weapon) as did Waltz/Schulz and Foxx/Django (Django Unchained). By show's end, you cared for them and their relationship. While the Chan/Lee and Tucker/Carter interactions in Rush Hour were down a notch, the pair did bring humor, swagger, and presentation skill to the party. But then we get to Rush Hour, TV. It's difficult to say who owns the biggest share of the problem: the uninspired writers/director who provided little framework for a good show, the wooden (Foo) or annoying (Hires) actors, or a show based on the supposition that those of us who saw the movies could erase any memory of Chan and Tucker and replace them with the pale imitations provided. Where Chan is charismatic and his action scenes fast, believable (well, unbelievable but tremendously well choreographed), and fun, Foo comes across as stilted, fighting by the numbers, and for lack of a better word, blah. There's no excitement in his fights, his interactions with his sister were impersonal and nondescript considering the circumstances, and his dealings with Hires sounded like and had the emotional content of a straight script read. As for Hires, instead of Tucker's swagger, one got just a loud reading of a script. Part of the problem was he was given no good lines but somehow, the script writers and director believed his talking louder made the lines funny. A hint to these folks? It doesn't.

There are some shows where I believe mid-course corrections might save the ship. In this case, I think a collision with the iceberg in inevitable. Even if the writers could do a 180 degree turnaround with the scripts, neither Foo nor Hires demonstrated the acting ability to make me care for either them or their relationship or to forget about Chan and Tucker. 2/10 is pretty terrible but RH worked to achieve it. I believe the Good Ship Rush Hour is headed for a watery grave prior to season 2 and will be quickly forgotten.

Taken 3 (2014)

Taken down by the script

[5/10 · 21 July 2015]

I liked Taken and seeing Liam play out of character but play it well. A script that stretched credulity but who cared, and seeing an older action hero was a nice change of pace. Taken 2 was certainly a big step down and then there's 3. The action is still there and Liam again plays his character for all it's worth. But that's the limit of the good side. Others have commented on Whitaker's performance and I'll only second their thoughts. Maybe it was the script or maybe he was trying too hard to be Denzel Washington in "Inside Man" but one thing he wasn't was a believable special investigator. The remainder of the police force, while not completely Keystone Cops, weren't "badge ready." The heavies were a step up but were clearly going to be fodder to Liam's rampaging bull. And so we get to my biggest criticism. I don't know the body count but it was double digits to be sure, all but one at the hands of Neeson. Add to this Neeson assaulting police, carjacking a no-name civilian, destroying public property with gay abandon, and causing a highway pileup where the morgue certainly should be welcoming multiple new residents from carefree drivers yet he gets released by Whitaker with not so much as a dressing down. Earlier Whitaker had said his job was to bring in suspects, not determine their guilt but so much for that position by the end of the movie. All in all, Liam was a plus and there was plenty of action but the minuses brought this down to the very mediocre category. Taken 3 is a sad way to send off the series.

Pretend You Don't See Her (2002 TV Movie)

Painfully bad

[3/10 · 19 October 2014]

I've certainly seen worse movies but this is definitely in the bottom tier. The principals' performances were neither terrible nor great though in a lesser role, Danielle Bouffard's was certainly "fingernails on the chalkboard" for anyone old enough to have memories of that experience. Others have commented on Samms's accent but that was neither here nor there compared to the bizarre behavior of her character. Chased by a known killer, why would she not give the one police officer she trusted any hint of her whereabouts? When she finally figured out what was going on, why didn't she share this info with the police rather than going for confirmation on her own and risking it dying with her? Obviously, because that's what the script called for in the mistaken belief this would build tension. All it did was cause a headache from palming my already palm flattened forehead at the disbelief in the character's stupidity. If you need some neck exercise, this would be OK to listen to while trimming your pet's toenails. You'd be continually burning off calories, shaking your head in disbelief though you could certainly end up with neck muscles that looked like they had too many steroids given how many times they'd get exercised.

Firewall (2006)

The whole is less than the sum of its parts

[5/10 · 12 February 2006]

This is one of those movies where there weren't huge faults with the acting, plot, or dialog yet the finished product was unsatisfying, more so than any particular faults would indicate. Maybe suspense thrillers just aren't my genre but I found myself looking at my watch wondering how long it was going to last.

The plot was pretty ordinary with Bettany holding Ford's family hostage to force Harrison to break his bank's computer security system. While one would hope banks had better security than was shown here, this wasn't fatally distracting. More significant were the overly simplified ways Ford's attempts to alert authorities were thwarted. It really wasn't credible Ford couldn't find a way to get the word out. When the underpinnings of the movie aren't credible, it affects the whole story. A different problem was while it was in character for Bettany to continually threaten (or worse) Ford's family and in particular his 10 year old son, it didn't provide a lot of entertainment. Maybe that's my problem in that in a suspense movie entertainment is defined a different way with which I don't connect. Speaking of connecting, a final point is I never connected with Ford's character. He was as innocent here as in the Fugitive and fighting for everything he held dear yet I was more detached from caring what happened to him than I was for his Dr. Kimble.

With the smoke (literally) settled, I could only give this a 5. Maybe next time, Harrison.

Three Faces West (1940)

Odd propaganda movie from the Duke

[4/10 · 12 January 2004]

Mild spoilers below.

The prospect of war was clearly on the horizon when TFW was filmed. From the opening scene of European refugees to the final prediction that Naziism will be the death of millions of Germans, this movie is as much a propaganda film as the films made after Pearl Harbor. There isn't a lot of entertainment value here though the footage of the dust bowl is interesting to those of us who aren't old enough to remember it. The rest of the plot is pretty forgettable with the Herr Docktor Coburn - with a pretty bad accent - and daughter assimilating into America with Wayne's help. Other than the dust bowl scenes, the only memorable aspect of the movie is one best viewed with hindsight. Coburn's speech comparing Naziism to a malignancy worse than cancer and describing the (then current) successes as a momentary outburst of energy from a patient right before death were eerily accurate and Varno's Dr. Scherer played accurately to post war newsreel footage of unrepentant Nazis justifying their actions.

When viewed from a historical perspective, some aspects of TFW are interesting. If you look at it for entertainment outside of the WWII perspective, you'd have to say this is one of Wayne's less successful efforts.

Cattle Queen (1951)

Even B movies would be ashamed of this one

[2/10 · 10 January 2004]

What do you get when you combine poor writing, directing, and acting? You get Cattle Queen. This is a pretty dreadful mix of everything that can go wrong with a B western. The basic plot is bad guys, good girl, good marshal, and both good and bad ex-cons thrown into the familiar, "Let's take over the girl's ranch" plot. There's nothing remotely unique about this movie except for probably the only group Lord's Prayer scene ever filmed for a western. That one had me shaking my head and wondering if they had a contractual requirement for a certain film length and ran dry on ideas. A quick check will show most of the actors had very brief film careers and after watching this, the reasons become apparent. In one place, an actor starts to say the wrong line, corrects himself, and carries on. Guess they didn't want to waste the film for a re-shoot.

This isn't a movie like "Plan 9" that can be watched for the fun value. Even Ed Woods could do better than this.

The Marshal of Mesa City (1939)

Good cast + literate script + creative direction = six gun enjoyment

[7/10 · 18 June 2003]

A low budget movie about a corrupt sheriff, a pretty school marm, and a drafted marshal is a likely recipe for the routine. MOMC not only avoids the routine but also raises itself above many "A" westerns of the 40's and 50's. The four principals are all excellent and bring life to their characters. Ames is convincingly detestable as the scheming suitor who can't understand "no", all the while maintaining his private gang of hoods. Vale, the co-star of a number of O'Brien westerns, has an appealing vivacity and makes one understand why Ames is infatuated. Henry Brandon has an interesting role as Duke Allison, a gunfighter brought in to handle O'Brien. His entrance in a saloon is a standout. Another nice moment is when he "turns in" his gun to O'Brien. If you look closely, you'll see he isn't completely comfortable handling his six-shooters but this is a minor quibble and doesn't detract from his performance. George O'Brien brings an easy going confidence to his role as an ex-marshal just trying to get on with his life. He's not non-violent in the Destry mold but he doesn't seek confrontation as many "B" western marshals would. I don't know how real western marshals acted but I would expect some would act with the quiet, low key manner of O'Brien's. Much of the credit for the standout moments in this movie go to the writers including the uncredited Academy Award winning writer Dudley Nichols. The script clearly is a cut or two above most movies of this ilk. A good cast and script can only go so far, however, without a director equal to them. As Howard proves, one doesn't need a big budget when provided good ingredients and recipe. He gets the most out of the characters and makes them real people, people with personalities you believe. The climactic showdown in the smoke is an inspired scene that brings a close to this worthy movie.

This isn't the greatest western ever or even a great western. It won't replace Josey Wales in my video library and people won't be comparing it to High Noon. What it is is an excellent example of how much can be accomplished on a low budget with second tier, but not second rate, actors. It is a fine little western, better than many Randolph Scott oaters, and well worth a look.

Border Badmen (1945)

Unfortunately, they missed St. John

[1/10 · 9 June 2003]

Border Badmen had the potential to be an pretty decent "B" western. Multiple heirs, secret chambers, and impersonations make the plot a step above the usual. Unfortunately, Fuzzy St. John single handedly brings this down to the level of the ridiculous. I don't have overly high expectations for a "B" western but his antics just made this movie painful to watch. I compare any movie against all others I've seen, not just against their budget equals. That puts this movie up against movies like N by NW, Schindler's List, The Day the Earth Stood Still, etc. With a Gabby Hayes and without St. John's "humor", this might have made it to a 3. As it is, this was pretty excruciating and among the biggest dogs I've watched. 1/10.

End of Days (1999)

Too gory by half

[5/10 · 5 December 1999]

As I was leaving the theater, I could only think of what might have been. The basic plot, while familiar, was kept moving and the characters were at least O.K. What kept me from really enjoying the movie was Hyams predilection for gross effects. Seeing people crucified with scissors, tongues displayed in bottles, and snakes ritualistically sliced open is not the way I enjoy eating my popcorn. There was really no reason for this excess and I found it detracted from the story. On the plus side were good special effects and Arnold finally getting back on track, even if the track ultimately gets shunted off onto a siding. This isn't what I would call a date movie and certainly not one to bring young children to. 4/10.

The World Is Not Enough (1999)

Bad dialogue, terrible plot. Need I go on?

[3/10 · 21 November 1999]

I like Brosnan and I like Bond. Too bad there was nothing here to enjoy. When I go to one of these movies, the last thing I expect is to be bored. Unfortunately, this movie drags. Not only have we seen the ski sequence, water sequence, etc. before, we've seen them done better. What's to like? Pierce does wear his clothes well. 3/10.