DHWay75 Reviews

The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)

revolting

[2 March 2007]

I grew up watching "the Dukes", as I'm sure many reading this did as well. My parents never had to worry about me seeing or hearing anything on the show that was inappropriate for a kid my age (which was about 4 years old when the show started). Being grown now with kids of my own I'd never let mine watch this trash. Everyone involved ought to be ashamed. Aside from that, everything about this film was wrong. Bo was a smooth talking ladies man on the show. In the film he passes out when he encounters women. All Bo was in the movie was the same old dumb dufus Sean William Scott plays in every movie. Daisy, on the show, was not only nice to look at, she was a smart, independent, resourceful woman. She was also a woman of high moral virtue. Jessica Simpson came across as a total white trash, tramp/bimbo. Uncle Jesse, on the show,(though a moonshiner) was a man of the highest moral integrity. A real country gentleman. Willie Nelson played a foul mouthed, reject hippie. Rosco, on the show, though corrupt, never wanted to hurt anyone because he wasn't evil. He was in the film. And whoever cast Burt Reynolds as Boss ought to have their head examined. The discrepancies there are too numerous to list. Knoxville wasn't too bad as Luke, but that wasn't even close to being enough to redeem this piece of trash. I hated just about everything about this film

After the Thin Man (1936)

If you like the first film ( & who couldn't? )

[9 October 2006]

AFTER THE THIN MAN has got to be one of the best sequels ever made. It captures the same blend of humor, suspense, & charm as it's predecessor ( & that says a lot), while managing to gain it's own identity. Far too often sequels turn out to be rehashed material & plot from a previous film. Not true here. The film does pick up right where the first left off mind you ( the first was set around Christmas, this one is New Years), but the story itself doesn't borrow anything from the first. It only makes mention of the events of the first film a time or two. The plot is great, the cast is great (Powell & Loy excellent as before, along with a young James Stewart playing a masterful role), & the humor is to die for. If you like THE THIN MAN then this film is a must see. I would say that this is the best of the 5 sequels, but in my opinion that honor goes to the 3rd film ANOTHER THIN MAN, which rivals the original as best of the series.

The Thin Man (1934)

A Masterpiece

[10/10 · 21 September 2006]

I got hooked on the THIN MAN films as a kid because my parents were big fans. I've since read the novel several times & actually feel that the movie is a little better. Hammett's novel is great, but the book's Nick Charles is nowhere near as entertaining as William Powell makes him. Myrna Loy is equally entertaining & the 2 actors seem to feed off of each others charm & wit to create arguably the best on screen combination/couple in the history of film. The film itself is wonderfully entertaining to watch for both laughs & suspense. It spawned 5 sequels starring both Powell & Loy, & all 5 are good, but the original & the 1st 3 sequels are the best, (probably because until the 5th film they were all directed by the legendary W.S. "Woody" Van Dyke). The films are usually characterized as comedy but in my opinion deserves mention with any good murder mystery films ever to come out of Hollywood. I would recommend this film to any audience & to all ages. It is a true gem.

Street Fighter (1994)

maybe I was wrong...

[7 August 2006]

I wrote a review for DERAILED (also a Van Damme film).In it I seem to remember saying that it was perhaps the worst film I'd ever wasted 2 hours of my life watching. Then I got to thinking about it. It's not even the worst Van Damme movie I've seen. This has got to be it. You've really got to hand it to everyone who contributed anything to this film. It really takes a lot of effort to make a film with no redeeming value at all. Like another reviewer I read said of another film, "Look ma, No Plot!". It's really too bad that such a talented actor as the late Raul Julia had this blot to any actor's filmography as one of his final films. I hope he got paid a whole lot of money for it.

Red Scorpion (1988)

Not terrible, but not what it could have been either

[4/10 · 5 August 2006]

I remember when Red Scorpion came out & remember thinking then that it basically looked like a Rambo knock off with "that guy from ROCKY IV". When I finally saw it years later I was really disappointed. This was obviously a vehicle to propel Lundgren into action super star status the likes of Stallone, Schwarzenneger, or Van Damme. No such luck. In all fairness, it isn't a terrible film though. I just feel that it is not what it was portrayed to be. Take RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART 2 for example. Whether you love it or hate it you have to admit it's full of action from start to finish. There were a number of films that rode in on the coat tails of the Rambo phenomenon that were likewise action packed, like Schwarzenneger's COMMANDO for example. RED SCORPION on the other hand, while it is an action movie, is rather slow moving. Most of the action sequences are at the beginning & the very end, with a nice little moral lesson about doing the right thing set against the back drop of the atrocities of the Soviet/Communist red army. I'm a big fan of the whole "one man army" style action films like the Rambo movies, COMMANDO, & Segal's UNDER SIEGE films, & unfortunately RED SCORPION just doesn't rank very high on that scale. Many reviewers often take every opportunity to slam Lundgren as an actor, but he's not bad & this film isn't his fault. The story is just lacking & isn't at all what it could have been.

Derailed (2002)

I can't think of a bad enough word to describe this film.

[1/10 · 10 April 2006]

This is honestly one of the worst films I've ever wasted time watching, & I'm somewhat of a fan of Van Damme's. I've seen some bad Jean Claude films, (you know, not very believable action & no plot what so ever), but Derailed takes the cake. I feel sorry for the man, that a once big box office draw is forced to do this kind of crap. It was so bad that I refuse to waste any time writing a lengthy review telling why I felt it was so awful. For those that don't heed my warning & watch it anyway, the one thing of note that I can say for the film is the toy train wreck at the end (a blatantly obvious model, that when it derails it falls off the tracks in one piece)is pretty funny to watch. Poor Jean Claude.

Ray (I) (2004)

A Good movie

[6/10 · 25 January 2006]

Ray is a good movie. As far as bio-pieces go it's got all the right elements. It's both informative & dramatic, has an excellent cast, all of whom deliver first rate performances, & it's subject, the late great Ray Charles, definitely had an interesting life & overcame a lot of obstacles to achieve success. His is definitely a story that needed to be told. As I said previously, it's a good movie. But in my opinion, not great, at least not on the levels of greatness that I'd heard prior to seeing it. I'd been told by quite a few people that it was the best movie they'd ever seen. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion & I respect that, but I didn't think the film was THAT great. Don't get me wrong, if you've yet to see it, it's a good movie, definitely worth seeing. I felt WALK THE LINE far superior to RAY however, & here's why: RAY is about Ray Charles's life, with 90% of the film being about his rise to success & his life once he had achieved it. His career is the focus of the film. WALK THE LINE on the other hand is about Johnny Cash's life, & while most of it occurs during his rise to success, it's about Cash's life in general. His music & success are the back drop of the story, not the focus. If you liked Ray & you should definitely see WALK THE LINE, if you haven't yet. Sill, RAY is a very worthy film that I would recommend to anyone.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

a wonderful, inspiring movie

[24 January 2006]

This is the first movie my parents ever took me to see as a kid. It was 1979, I was 4 & it was the film's original theatrical run. I liked it so much that when it was re-released later on that year we went to see it again. This may be my favorite film. It's a hard call for me to sum up every film I've ever seen & pick a #1, but this one would be close. I'm not one of these people that says that STAR WARS changed or in any way defined my life, but I am a really big fan of the whole star wars universe (the films, the "fan" films, the novels, etc.). I myself am an aspiring film maker & I'd have to say my inspiration to produce my own film stars here. If I had to sum up my biggest director/filmmaker influences there would be 2, & George Lucas is one of them (Sergio Leone is the other).

As for the film...It's amazing. It's one of the greatest achievements ever made in the history of film making. It's the stuff of legends. I figure everybody's seen it by now so I'm not going to write a lengthy review on what it's about. If you somehow have never seen it, no offense intended, but you can read someone else's review. There's probably at least 10,000 of them out there.

Breakdown (I) (1997)

Intense!!!!

[9/10 · 24 January 2006]

This is, in my opinion, an incredible, intense movie. Arguably Kurt Russel's best. This film is so intense & keeps you on the edge of your seat so much that I had stomach cramps after I watched it the first time. I'd almost go so far as to say it is a stressful experience watching this film. I can agree with something someone else said about the film, it's almost as if YOU the viewer have gone through the whole ordeal when it's over. Hats off to Russel. His performance is amazing. He really conveys an emotional charged performance. Forgive me for my excessive use of the word "intense", but that's just what he is. He just comes unglued in this film, seemingly on the verge of having a break-down himself. And once the bad guys get him mad...thoroughly convincing as a man pushed over the edge (which can also be taken literally in this movie). Likewise to both M.C. Gainey & the late J.T. Walsh. The both gave excellent performances as the baddies.

I myself am happily married & each time I watch this movie I wonder as to what I'd do if I were in that kind of a situation. This brings me to (what I'd say) is the only flaw in the film. If my wife & I ever broke down in the middle of nowhere (or even in our own neighborhood for that matter) someone would have to physically beat me senseless before I'd let her go riding off with a complete stranger. Subsequently, after watching the film herself, SHE said someone would have to do the same to her to make her go.

White Comanche (1968)

Quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen.

[1/10 · 15 January 2006]

I was raised on Star Trek re-runs, Star Trek films, & The Next Generation. I've been a fan of the franchise most of my life. As a result, I'm a pretty big Shatner fan, & not just for his years of playing Capt. Kirk. I've seen him in many other roles where I thought he was great. This is not one of them though. The film is terrible & Shatner is awful. A lot of films that I watch & end up hating will usually have at least one thing in them that I like. One good scene, or an actor that gives a great performance...something to give the film some sort of redemption. This movie has NONE!!! Shatner plays dual roles as half white/half Commanche brothers, one who embraces the white way of life, the other Commanche. His scenes as a Commanche are particularly terrible (if not scary). I watched the film only once & now am deeply saddened that I wasted 2 hours of my life that I can never get back. Take my advice. Don't waste your time with this one. Be afraid, be very afraid!

Conagher (1991 TV Movie)

The great Sam Elliott in a great Louis L'Amour

[9/10 · 14 January 2006]

As far as books that become movies go, this is arguably the most faithful adaptation I've ever seen. This film follows L'Amour's novel of the same name so close that most of the dialog is word for word with the book. Like HONDO, also a L'Amour, the only parts left out of this film are minor pieces that had to be omitted because the film would be 4-5 hours long if every single scene was included. Even HONDO though, which is a wonderfully faithful adaptation doesn't follow as close as CONAGHER. The parts from the book that are left out are explained rather than shown.

That being said, the film is in my opinion one of the great westerns of all time. Not THE best, but definitely worthy of mention among the best. Sam Elliott & real life wife Katherine Ross are excellent, as is the supporting cast, comprised of a who's who of western actors, including Barry Corbin, Buck Taylor, James Gammon, & Ken Curtis (who was actually one of John Ford's "boys"). I can't think of anything but praise for this film. If you're a fan of great westerns it's definitely for you, but also anyone who likes a good film of any kind where we have a hero not trying to be a hero, but rather just doing what he has to, you'll like it too.