I am a Top Gun movie ('86) aficionado and I must admit, I had some trepidations on how the original storyline would be weaved into this new one. Wow, I was impressed - it worked very well. Many tips of the hat to the original, but with updates that are sure to impress and satisfy the purists. The flight scenes are a spectacle and you will like the characters - nostalgia aside, the Maverick script is better than the original. Cruise is good in the film and his obsession with raising the bar with his filmmaking is apparent. I will see this one again!
Reviews
14 Reviews
The Yakuza
(1974)
Under Appreciated Gem
25 January 2020
This is a great movie. Certainly there are some cliches about Japanese culture, but considering the fact that the film was released in the mid-1970s, the producers do a commendable job of presenting many accurate examples of Japanese life. (I have been to Japan over 30 times and worked there for a period.) I am thankful much of the movie has subtitles when Japanese speak to one another - much more realistic than so many films out there which have German Nazis speaking English with a British accent .
The two main characters are interesting and likable. While both tormented for different reasons, we feel sympathy if not pity for them. Great acting and some really good action scenes. An aging Mitchum delivers a powerful and believable performance, but the best performance comes from Takakura.
This film has never achieved the status and appreciation it deserves. Enjoy!
The two main characters are interesting and likable. While both tormented for different reasons, we feel sympathy if not pity for them. Great acting and some really good action scenes. An aging Mitchum delivers a powerful and believable performance, but the best performance comes from Takakura.
This film has never achieved the status and appreciation it deserves. Enjoy!
Serengeti
(2019– )
Sanitized Africa for today's audiences
2 September 2019
New technology provides some incredible views and angles of the Serengeti. I enjoyed Ms. Nyong'o's soothing voice. I was disappointed that many of the chase, predator/prey scenes are sanitized I suppose so audiences don't have to see blood or violence. The idea of assigning names and made up stories to the animals is novel, but distracting.
Heavy and Emotional
5 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Once of my favorite, albeit, saddest episodes of H50. You just have to feel so bad for the kind-hearted cop who gets shot in the beginning. The scene in the hospital is very intense and better than many of the "hospital/doctor" shows of the day. James MacArthur's acting is much more natural and believable in this episode than his often usual stiff performances. The office involved shooting plot is engaging and holds up well today.
Big fan of LHOP, but not of this episode
8 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
OK, when you are dealing with a Michael Landon directed episode, they are always chock full of dramatics and emotion. But, this episode did not work for me. Picture this: a stranger (Charles) shows up to buy some horses from a guy he does not know and within a day, is tucking this guy's kids into bed and joining the guy's wife on a romantic picnic. I mean, this would never happen, right? Especially back in the 1880's when it was highly inappropriate to spend time alone with a married woman not your own. Charles even puts his hand on the woman's shoulder! I know it's TV, but when most other LHOP episodes give honor to the period, this one is just weird and uncomfortable.
Intense Episode that probably won't work today
17 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
When watching older programs like this, I often ask myself if these episodes could air today. This particular episode focuses on the issue of rape and has several scenes which are intense and brutal. Very close up camera angles...tearing clothes off...punching women, etc. The mid-70s were really the beginning of TV shows selling ratings with what was then called "T n A"...and there is plenty of that in this episode. McGarrett tries his best to be empathetic with one of the rape victims, but when interviewing her seeking information about her attacker, he says it will be her fault if there are any other victims if she doesn't help him. I could see companies today boycotting H50 as being insensitive to women. Entertaining show in that it has fairly good acting and the story was well written and kept moving for the entire episode. It was also interesting to see Danno on screen with his then real wife.
Kenny & Company
(1976)
My 1970's childhood, revisited
11 December 2018
I vividly remember seeing Kenny & Co in the movie theater where I grew up in Pomona, CA. I would have been about 7. The movie matches my recollection of how I grew up as a kid in 1970's Southern California. Skateboards....Kay Bee toy stores....smoggy days...hanging out all day and coming home when the street lights came on. As in the movie, blonde kids were cooler...your friend's parents never were. There is one scene that I remember being particularly sad...and as an adult, it's still sad! Decent acting from a bunch of amateur actors just doing what kids do. This movie is so much better than the terrible trailer - if you were a kid from the 1970s, it's a must see and fun trip.
I remember watching this episode as a child...
11 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This is a unique one among the Little House. I remember it being a bit scary and troubling to me as a child. Melissa Sue's acting was quite good, but as any Little House fan will tell you, she was always a bit over the top. This episode had a story which allowed her to play it up even more. Miss Peel was like a mash up of Ms. Gulch from Wizard of Oz and a character you would expect to see in the movie Deliverance. The actress (Anita Dangler) portraying Miss Peel certainly could act however. There are long stretches in this episode where there is no background music, which is odd given how most LH episodes have an impactful music score that really creates a mood. Overall this episode has a way of making the viewer feel uncomfortable, for example due to the way Mary is verbally abused by the townsfolk...she certainly never experienced anything like that from her Pa! Overall, one of the better episodes from the series.
Easily one of the best H 2 H episodes of the series
28 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I have seen every H 2 H episode at least 3 times and I have always felt this one stood apart. It's not like most of the other episodes which, although entertaining, are usually preposterous. This one really has you on the edge of your seat. No goofy music...no beds coasting down the highway. Just suspense. It really creeped me out how nuts the character played by Mimi Rogers acts...I mean, the viewer is genuinely left feeling she is psychotic. The ending is unexpected, if not a bit touching. This gem was well ahead of its time about 4 years before the Fatal Attraction film, which had every man in America thinking twice about messing around....well done!
Yellowstone
(2018– )
Theater quality programming on Television
20 July 2018
One of the best pieces of television I have seen. Among the ranks with the Sopranos, Mad Men, etc.. Costner fans know he has always been fascinated with the west. Dances with Wolves, Open Range, Silverado. Costner doesn't need to make movies or TV shows anymore. He is a great writer. Given the quality writing and cinematography depicted in Yellowstone, Costner is clearly enjoying making this one. Excellent acting across the cast and the fact that most of the actors are not household names, makes the characters more interesting. I would urge anyone who likes smart dramas to watch this series. If you like westerns, you can's miss it.
Only the Brave
(2017)
Best Movie I've Seen this Year
1 November 2017
For me, a movie is mostly about escapism. I see a movie to forget about a bad day at work or global turmoil. If I can learn something in a move, all the better. This movie achieved both for me. Being from Nevada, I was familiar with the tragedy and I have visited Prescott several times, so I was eager to watch the movie. What I didn't expect was the fine acting in the film. Brolin really played his part well and the other characters are certainly those you will begin to care about and relate to. This movie was not about fighting fires it was about brotherhood and courage. I learned that confronting a fire is similar to being in a war zone and the comradery among the men just as strong. It's a seriously emotional experience, but worth every one of the 134 minutes. See it.
Courageous Episode - well before its time
18 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
As a self-proclaimed original H-50 expert (have seen all episodes at least 5 times), Skinhead is among my favorites. Intense actor portrayals of a sensitive topic that received nowhere near the coverage it does today. The guests actors, particularly Lee Paul and the young lady Miko Mayama are incredibly good. You will hate Mr. Paul very soon; he's a scary individual! And Ms. Mayama appears genuinely traumatized. No hokey dialogue as if often the case in these early '70's shows. As a lawyer, my only complaint would be the trial scene where the judge allows a harsh cross-examination that would not have been allowed in a real courtroom setting. Nice plot twist at the end. Well done!
The Revenant
(I) (2015)
Breathtaking cinematography, well developed characters.
10 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I have been looking forward to this film for some time and I was not disappointed! When I learned the movie was almost 2 hours and 40 minutes in length, I was concerned that the pace might be too slow. Not the case! Certainly with the development of mostly the central character, adequate time will need to be spent doing so, but the majestic scenery and the thrilling sound score made the slow pace not only tolerable, but enjoyable. DiCaprio continues to impress me with the range of characters he is able to play. He is believably tough but sensitive in many spots, too. The film gives respectful homage to Native American culture, but does so in a guilt-free style that truthfully depicts the early 1800's interactions between them and Europeans. The film contains just enough CG to deliver parts of the story line that could only be achieved using special effects, keeping the ASPCA and animal lovers happy. Tom Hardy is someone you will love to hate very quickly and he will be up for awards, too. I predict Leo has finally earned his Oscar...well done.
Texas Rising
(2015)
I wanted so much to like this series...
30 May 2015
History Channel has presented some great historically-based miniseries in the past (Hatfields & McCoys for example), but Texas Rising is not a good example and it's not even interesting. I can hardly watch it...boring, bad acting, bad dialog and accents, even fake-looking "Texas" scenery. When previews began, I could not wait to watch this series, but I felt as though this series was thrown together to meet some kind of internal deadline. Most of the characters are unsympathetic and rigid. The only redeeming aspect to this series and the reason I rated it a 5 and not a 1 is the deliciously evil performance of Ray Liotta. Let's hope the next "History Channel Presents" is better than this one.
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