jfg1 Reviews

My Name Is Kate (1994 TV Movie)

All in all,not too bad...

[12 August 2002]

I started watching this movie because I was curious about how trite and formulaic it could get. While it IS trite and formulaic, it's not as bad as I expected. There was the "Great Denial" scene, the "I Don't Belong In Treatment" scene, and the "Family Confrontation" scene, as well as the character that we all root for who doesn't make it. While there is the standard "Happy Ending", there are a few unexpected bumps. All is not "Happily Ever After". After years of supporting a drunk wife 'for the sake of the kids' the husband admits he has found someone else. But, our heroine prevails, and stays sober. Not a great movie, but all in all, not too bad.

Sharky's Machine (1981)

Still great after all these years...

[25 July 2002]

I saw "Sharkey's Machine" when it first came out, but haven't watched it for many years. I found the DVD recently and decided to spend the $10.00. Probably the best $10.00 I've spent for a movie. "Sharkey" is still as tense and realistic as it was back then. It's too bad that Burt Reynolds never made another movie like this one. I prefer it to "Boogie Nights". It's cleaner and simpler. I wore out my cassette tape of the sound track. I wish I could find it on CD. Having grown up in Atlanta, I miss the city in the movie.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955–1960)

Great Childhood Memories

[24 July 2002]

I got to watch several episodes of this show when a local TV station in Atlanta ran it in the early '60's. Very good, rollicking fun, and very different from the later "Robin of Sherwood", which is also excellent, if a bit dark in perspective. Richard Greene played Robin as a hearty, hail-fellow-well-met sort, and the supporting cast was quite good. I still remember "The Adventures of Robin Hood" fondly. It spurred me on to read the stories, which I still love.

Undercover Blues (1993)

Okay, so it's not Alfred Hitchcock

[30 June 2002]

This is not Great Cinema, and it's not supposed to be. It's "I've had a bad day and don't want to think too hard" lighthearted fun. Not only are Dennis Quaid and Kathleen Turner great as Jeff and Jane Blue, but the supporting cast of Stanley Tucci ("that's 'MUERTE', as in 'DEATH'), Fiona Shaw (now perfect as Harry Potter's Aunt Petunia Dursley), Obba Babatunde and Larry Miller as the outclassed detectives, and Tom Arnold and Park Overall as the "normal" couple for balance make the whole cast shine. Park your brain, relax, enjoy, and remember, even GWTW is NOT "GWTW".

Gun Shy (2000)

Neeson, Bullock, Platt. Can't be all bad? Wrong!

[21 June 2002]

I rented this one because of Liam Neeson, Sandra Bullock, and Oliver Platt. Boy was I fooled. Are they really that hard up for a paycheck? This movie must be a dark comedy, as some have stated, because I couldn't see anything watchable about it.

Witchblade (2001–2002)

I wish I had those hours back

[15 March 2002]

I watched Witchblade with great hopes as there is not much in the way of really good Scifi/Fantasy on TV these days, but I was sorely disappointed. Nothing ever got explained, everybody got killed off, and then "They" said "Oops, sorry", and went back to the beginning. Yancy Butler was very good as Sara, and the rest of the cast was worth watching, but all in all I wish I had those eight or so hours back. I could have read a good book.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Breathtaking

[19 December 2001]

I just saw "Fellowship of the Rings". It is absolutely breathtaking, and I am sure JRR Tolkien is smiling. I have waited for years for someone to make a movie of this book, and the wait has been worth it. This movie is what Tolkien's books deserve. Once again, absolutely breathtaking.

The casting is excellent, especially Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Sean Bean as Boromir, and John Rhys-Davies as Gimli.

Don't try to analyze, just let go and enjoy.

Fresno (1986)

Smells like......FRESNO!

[2 December 2001]

If you remember this line out of the opening segment, then you're still laughing, as I am. For those who don't, the line refers to how the town got it's name: the Spanish explorers catching a whiff of a foul odor and asking what the smell is-"Smells like...FRESNO!" From Carol Burnet riding backwards in her station wagon to Gregory Harrison barechested with a white t-shirt stuffed in the back pocket of his jeans, this is without a doubt the finest spoof ever created. I would dearly love to see this movie on VHS. It would be a favorite in my house.

For Ladies Only (1981 TV Movie)

Great movie for nights when you don't want to think too much

[2 December 2001]

Gregory Harrison is great as the naive, hopeful college drama star trying to make it big on Broadway, and Marc Singer is equally great as the disillusioned never-was turned male stripper. Harrison's John Phillips was the star of all the college productions, and he can't understand why Broadway producers aren't breathlessly awaiting his appearance in their theatres. Stan (Marc Singer) has been there already, and lives in a fog of drugs and adulation from the strip club patronesses to forget that the producers didn't want him. Watching John start down the same path, then realize the error of that path is an excellent way to spend an evening. Not terribly intellectual, but very good. Get the European version if possible. It has the parts the American censors cut out.

Pretty Woman (1990)

good escapist movie

[11 November 2001]

This movie is alright if all you want is brain candy, but never take it for anything more than that.

The two best characters, bar none, are Hector Elizondo as Bernard the hotel manager and Elinor Donahue as Bridget the sales clerk. Ralph Bellamy is a close runner-up, though.

While everybody is drooling and fantasizing over Edward and Vivian and their fairy tale does anybody remember the rape scene? Think about it...there is one in there.

Sin & Redemption (1994 TV Movie)

Enough syrup for pancakes!

[10 November 2001]

I left the TV on Lifetime because there was not much else on, and 25 minutes into the movie I had it figured out. Boring, contrived, and enough syrup to choke a cat. Lifetime bills itself as "Entertainment for women". With very few exceptions, I can't see why, unless the women who watch are hooked on victimization movies. Sorry, NO stars on this one.

Mission: Impossible (1966–1973)

The Benchmark for all other series

[10 November 2001]

M:I is probably my favorite tv show; at least the only one I will consistantly watch reruns of. I never play the Hill versus Graves game as each actor brought unique characteristics to the show. The same with Martin Landau as Rollin Hand and Leonard Nimoy as Paris. I will say that though Linda Day George and Lesley Anne Warren are good actresses, they never measured up to Barbara Bain for talent and sheer class. I think my favorite episodes are "A Cube of Sugar", "The Seal" (with the cat as an integral part of the plan, "The Heir Apparent" and "The Mind of Stefan Miklos". It's very hard to pick favorites though, because each episode has its' own quirks and charms.

What made M:I stand out is that it depended not on gimmicks and special effects but on the talent and believability of the actors. The props and makeup were also believable. I think that's why the movies don't measure up to the original series. Add in the ridiculous plot line that Jim Phelps could ever be the bad guy and they've completely lost it. The second movie would have been alright if it hadn't been a Mission: Impossible knock-off. The writers and producers forgot that there was an M:I team, not a single player.

All in all, Mission: Impossible set the standard for all other series of this sort, and few have come close to the bar, and none have surpassed it.

The A-Team (1983–1987)

Don't we all need the A-Team from time to time?

[1 November 2001]

I loved this series the first time around, and now thanks to TVLand I'm loving it again. Sure, it's a bit campy, and sort of escapist, but don't we all need the A-Team sometime in our lives? (I always wondered who was better-Hannibal Smith or Robert McCall of "The Equalizer". Ah, the stuff of fantasy.) At any rate, it's great TV, and the A-Team will always be there for those who need them.

Paradise (1988–1990)

A good Western

[10 August 2001]

"Paradise" was a good western, if a bit predictable. Lee Horsley seems to fit the cowboy/gunfighter-with-a-good-heart role nicely. Probably the one thing that lead to the demise of this show was that Westerns were not what the viewing public wanted at that time. Too bad.

Hawmps! (1976)

Good memories of family fun

[9 July 2001]

I first saw this movie with my Mom and Dad and half the fun was watching them laugh at the movie. I would like to watch it again with my kids. Yes, the plot is silly, and the gags are somewhat slapstick, but it is just a fun movie to see on "family movie night". Don't worry about sex, violence, or language. Get the popcorn, kick back, and enjoy.