Battleship / Transformers ... Quicksilver / Flashdance ... No matter the decade, Hollywood always tries new ways on working ideas. In this case, the latter two have more in common than the former do to their origins. Contrary to the early review, this film starts off and runs through most of the film staying close to the bike messenger world of its namesake. From some of the opening scenes to the name of the messenger service nearly everyone in the film works for, the Quicksilver theme is present throughout as much as half of the film. While not the bike film of "American Flyers" or "Breaking Away", the film follows more in the footsteps of Flashdance in following Jack and a select few of the other messengers as they either rebound or shoot higher for a better life.
Reviews
9 Reviews
The Manhattan Project
(1986)
Definitely underrated, but also definitely not a comedy...
25 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This movie probably belongs on a lot of lists, but this belongs in the category of being a comedy, the same way that baseball should be extended to eighteen innings to better compete with golf. One list that this movie would be on would be "If it weren't for another movie, this one wouldn't have gotten made". The movie that opened the door for this one is "WarGames" which this movie has one theme in common, "How close to Armageddon are we, really?". While I did have problems with some of the movie's minor points as to how the bomb came to be built, the choice by the editors to edit out some of the more dated comments that occurred after the science fair was a good move, especially in the post-9/11 world, given the Science Fair was held in New York City.
Once Upon a Honeymoon
(1942)
RE: Good "what If" story, now when you look back at the time...
18 May 2009
When Leo McCarey made this film, America was only a number of months into WWII. The events leading up to the start of the war (at least in Europe) were known to some, with most of America still getting their news from the newsreels at the theater or radio. This film is a great way for people to learn about how the opening of WWII began, especially now where some schools are limited in their ability to cover the events. Two "average Americans" moving about Europe, sometimes steps ahead (or behind as in the Polish through Low Countries scenes) of the events which changed Europe. The time in the Polish Ghetto, as well as in Paris, allow for the audience to get to know the characters, without having to gather the facts as the story goes along. Just as National Treasure teaches about American History while entertaining, this movie belongs in the same group, as it tells a "You Are There" version of 1939-40 European History.
Something Is Out There
(II) (1988)
Missed the Nielsen/Arbitron boat...
5 November 2004
I remember seeing this mini-series and some of the series episodes that followed. What I remember most about this series overall is that it was the the way most Americans got to see the latest Bond girl (Living Daylights) in a non-Bond role. The downside to that fact was that Maryam was still playing the smart attractive sidekick to a dark-haired rough-edged leading man. Not exactly much of a stretch. I think this is why NBC followed the Nielsen/Arbitron crowd and abandoned its support for the series (not the last time the network would take that course, of course). Considering that both the Sci-Fi Channel and the Movieplex channels have aired this movie/series more than once tells me that there is something that sets this apart from a similar themed show on NBC in the past (...Matthew Starr). Now that even short lived TV shows/TV movies of the recent past are showing up on DVD, maybe this one will show up soon as well.
For All Time
(2000 TV Movie)
Richard Matheson's black sheep
26 April 2002
The reason I called this by the above name is that Mr. Matheson was a major writer for the Twilight Zone, and is also well-credited with writing a time-travel story of his own, "Bid Time Return". Some of you may know this story better by its Hollywood nom de voyage, "Somewhere In Time".
Speaking of that other movie, in 2000, when this movie was released to the viewing public, it was one week prior to SIT's 20th anniversary Re-release on DVD. While some other networks rushed through production their own story that matched the general theme of SIT, this Canadian-filmed release seems to at least incorporate the main points of the established film. There was a watch, a choice, and a love story. Since SIT was set at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, the railroad connection was a bit of a reach, as The Grand Hotel was originally a railroad hotel.
All in all, this movie was an excellent production, due in no small part to the ability of its main characters to work within the framework of the script. Mark Harmon's moment of indecision on his last train trip does not come across a man who is lost, but a man who is taking stock of what is most important. the same can be said for Ms. McDonnell's performance in the film, as her embodiment of a woman of the time is well played.
All in all, A good film to watch when you can.
Speaking of that other movie, in 2000, when this movie was released to the viewing public, it was one week prior to SIT's 20th anniversary Re-release on DVD. While some other networks rushed through production their own story that matched the general theme of SIT, this Canadian-filmed release seems to at least incorporate the main points of the established film. There was a watch, a choice, and a love story. Since SIT was set at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, the railroad connection was a bit of a reach, as The Grand Hotel was originally a railroad hotel.
All in all, this movie was an excellent production, due in no small part to the ability of its main characters to work within the framework of the script. Mark Harmon's moment of indecision on his last train trip does not come across a man who is lost, but a man who is taking stock of what is most important. the same can be said for Ms. McDonnell's performance in the film, as her embodiment of a woman of the time is well played.
All in all, A good film to watch when you can.
Switching Channels
(1988)
Smutless fires...film at 7 & 9 p.m.
25 March 2002
Anyone can make any sort of commentary on how this film didn't live up to its heritage as the "umpteenth" remake of the movie "His Girl Friday", or the original "The Front Page", but in this case, I prefer to take the film on its own merits, especially in light of how things have been since its release.
First of all, no one has to get on a soapbox and talk about how the chief supporting actor of this film (Chris Reeve) has been in the time since its release. The movie "Speechless", with Mike Keaton and Geena Davis in my opinion stands as a much better reference point, if one is looking for one, for Mr. Reeve's work before his accident. Instead, I like to look at his role in this as seeing how he was moving away from his Superman stereotype. The man has worked with some of Hollywood's A & B list leading men over the last twenty years, ranging from Michael Caine to Morgan Freeman. While he was no Ralph Bellamy in this film, I don't recall anyone saying he was supposed to be when the film was made. After all, he was only supposed to play the type of character Ralph played in the earlier remake, and if they had wanted Ralph's nod on the film, (Especially since he was the only surviving castmember) why didn't they get him to play the Network Owner's part?
Then there is Burt Reynolds' character. While I don't think they gave him the best lines they could have in some scenes, I felt, and still feel that he played the part of the Station Manager/ex-husband in a role that was not out of range for him. However, if you want to sit there and compare him to Cary Grant's role, I ask that you do one thing before you do so. Go out and rent "His Girl Friday", and then fast forward to the scene where Cary goes "Oh, Walter!", and then try to imagine how easy it would have been to get Burt to do that scene in the same way.
Finally, but in no means last, there is the heroine of the movie, played by Kathleen Turner. Ms. Turner has always played capable women who can be independent when they need to be, and continued to do so here. One scene of note in this movie is her reaction to the story about kazoo players and the President of the United States at the beginning of the film. When you consider the fact that Hollywood has repeatedly told us that modern broadcast journalism's motto is "if it bleeds, it leads", and they seem to be living up to that on the local news broadcasts, I as a viewer would want the person giving me the news to crack up on a story about Kazoo players, long before they ever did about someone going postal at a Luby's Cafeteria.
The point in the movie where one can draw a strong similarity between the original remake and this one begins in the the interview at the prison. The scene here does not play out as a remake of the same lines and dialogue as the original said by new people, and one does have to admit that you can't exactly go in too many different directions with that as part of your storyline.
Also, in my opinion, the story does demonstrate much more detail about one thing that the Grant-Russell movie only touched on. There is a changing of the guard going on in the business. The older seasoned journalists in the main story have or are changing positions. Sully has moved on to Producer, and is now fighting a constant battle over lead stories, rather than deadlines. An example of this is where he makes the comment to his boss, in jest, about having a team going all over Chicago looking for "Smutless fires". Christy is also following the "grass is greener" principle, as she is leaving SNN for a job as morning anchor in New York, a show with a Willard Scott-type weatherman and fake furniture.
In my opinion, the only ones who really weren't well-developed as well as they could have been were Ned Beatty and Charles Kimbrough's characters. While it was interesting to see a man who would later go on to play a television journalist in a long running TV series (Kimbrough was "Jim Dyle" on Murphy Brown), the portrayal of them as a simple-minded Governor, and a crooked-dealing DA both running for governor seemed to me to be a mixed message over which story should have been covered. Everyone likes a good political debate, but at what cost, or should that be whose cost?
First of all, no one has to get on a soapbox and talk about how the chief supporting actor of this film (Chris Reeve) has been in the time since its release. The movie "Speechless", with Mike Keaton and Geena Davis in my opinion stands as a much better reference point, if one is looking for one, for Mr. Reeve's work before his accident. Instead, I like to look at his role in this as seeing how he was moving away from his Superman stereotype. The man has worked with some of Hollywood's A & B list leading men over the last twenty years, ranging from Michael Caine to Morgan Freeman. While he was no Ralph Bellamy in this film, I don't recall anyone saying he was supposed to be when the film was made. After all, he was only supposed to play the type of character Ralph played in the earlier remake, and if they had wanted Ralph's nod on the film, (Especially since he was the only surviving castmember) why didn't they get him to play the Network Owner's part?
Then there is Burt Reynolds' character. While I don't think they gave him the best lines they could have in some scenes, I felt, and still feel that he played the part of the Station Manager/ex-husband in a role that was not out of range for him. However, if you want to sit there and compare him to Cary Grant's role, I ask that you do one thing before you do so. Go out and rent "His Girl Friday", and then fast forward to the scene where Cary goes "Oh, Walter!", and then try to imagine how easy it would have been to get Burt to do that scene in the same way.
Finally, but in no means last, there is the heroine of the movie, played by Kathleen Turner. Ms. Turner has always played capable women who can be independent when they need to be, and continued to do so here. One scene of note in this movie is her reaction to the story about kazoo players and the President of the United States at the beginning of the film. When you consider the fact that Hollywood has repeatedly told us that modern broadcast journalism's motto is "if it bleeds, it leads", and they seem to be living up to that on the local news broadcasts, I as a viewer would want the person giving me the news to crack up on a story about Kazoo players, long before they ever did about someone going postal at a Luby's Cafeteria.
The point in the movie where one can draw a strong similarity between the original remake and this one begins in the the interview at the prison. The scene here does not play out as a remake of the same lines and dialogue as the original said by new people, and one does have to admit that you can't exactly go in too many different directions with that as part of your storyline.
Also, in my opinion, the story does demonstrate much more detail about one thing that the Grant-Russell movie only touched on. There is a changing of the guard going on in the business. The older seasoned journalists in the main story have or are changing positions. Sully has moved on to Producer, and is now fighting a constant battle over lead stories, rather than deadlines. An example of this is where he makes the comment to his boss, in jest, about having a team going all over Chicago looking for "Smutless fires". Christy is also following the "grass is greener" principle, as she is leaving SNN for a job as morning anchor in New York, a show with a Willard Scott-type weatherman and fake furniture.
In my opinion, the only ones who really weren't well-developed as well as they could have been were Ned Beatty and Charles Kimbrough's characters. While it was interesting to see a man who would later go on to play a television journalist in a long running TV series (Kimbrough was "Jim Dyle" on Murphy Brown), the portrayal of them as a simple-minded Governor, and a crooked-dealing DA both running for governor seemed to me to be a mixed message over which story should have been covered. Everyone likes a good political debate, but at what cost, or should that be whose cost?
High Society
(1956)
Not much more to add, but...
26 December 2001
The comment left by the viewer from London pretty much sums up everything that I wanted to, except for one minor segment of the movie. That segment is the rare opportunity to see both Crosby and Sinatra sing a duet together on film.
These two were the top of the charts singers of their time (at least as far as wide-appeal singers go). Hollywood, still cranking out the dreams at the time, occasionally threw out some perceived competition between the two. I say perceived, because I never saw anything on the record about a rivalry. But even if there was no competition, the situation certainly could bear out the truth.
Mr. Sinatra was young, "hip", and had a voice that drew the young theater-goers in droves to concerts and performances in record numbers. His brand of music, while new, was tolerated by the older set, who had been exposed to Mr. Crosby's performances (there is a reason his "White Christmas" was the most popular song of all time, and not solely because of it being available for purchase for so many years.). Therefore, the young had their movie hero, and the adults had theirs, and Hollywood had its "rivalry" to bring in the both of them.
On a much lighter note, I would like to add one last bit of commentary: Some say that the sincerest form of flattery is to copy it. For those of you out there who have seen them, you may want to track down a Warner Brothers' "Looney Tunes" cartoon (High Society was released by MGM) with Porky Pig as the title character.
The story takes place with Porky as a chicken farmer with a problem, his chickens stop producing (passive reference to the WWII war effort may be inferred) when they hear one rooster ostensibly named "Frankie" sing. True to WB's spirit of letting you know who they mean without officially stating it, Frankie is a tall, lanky rooster with Frankie's appeal wooing the chickens to produce in some ways best depicted by animation (For instance, the one hen who expels a mound of eggs in two seconds, ending with a "whew").
Frustrated by this lack of production due to Frankie's singing, Porky fights fire with fire, holding auditions for singing birds (giving WB another chance to possibly lampoon some of the era's best-known signing talent), until (Bing) shows up, with his trademark pipe and bub-bub-bub-boo. So is born the war of the singers, with the end result being an overproduction of eggs that block out the sun, as well as a final scene with both singers singing a voice test duet which causes Porky to lay his own pile of eggs.
Lastly, I have to add this one comment. While I agree with some that Mr. Sinatra didn't take a back seat to anyone in many things, some I have heard talk about this movie and its predecessor say that it was one notable instance where he took a back seat to another member of Hollywood's greats, namely Mr. Stewart. My opinion on that is Mr. Sinatra was not encumbered with having to establish himself as a supporting cast member, with all the other stars he shared the screen with, and could (and did) make the part his own.
These two were the top of the charts singers of their time (at least as far as wide-appeal singers go). Hollywood, still cranking out the dreams at the time, occasionally threw out some perceived competition between the two. I say perceived, because I never saw anything on the record about a rivalry. But even if there was no competition, the situation certainly could bear out the truth.
Mr. Sinatra was young, "hip", and had a voice that drew the young theater-goers in droves to concerts and performances in record numbers. His brand of music, while new, was tolerated by the older set, who had been exposed to Mr. Crosby's performances (there is a reason his "White Christmas" was the most popular song of all time, and not solely because of it being available for purchase for so many years.). Therefore, the young had their movie hero, and the adults had theirs, and Hollywood had its "rivalry" to bring in the both of them.
On a much lighter note, I would like to add one last bit of commentary: Some say that the sincerest form of flattery is to copy it. For those of you out there who have seen them, you may want to track down a Warner Brothers' "Looney Tunes" cartoon (High Society was released by MGM) with Porky Pig as the title character.
The story takes place with Porky as a chicken farmer with a problem, his chickens stop producing (passive reference to the WWII war effort may be inferred) when they hear one rooster ostensibly named "Frankie" sing. True to WB's spirit of letting you know who they mean without officially stating it, Frankie is a tall, lanky rooster with Frankie's appeal wooing the chickens to produce in some ways best depicted by animation (For instance, the one hen who expels a mound of eggs in two seconds, ending with a "whew").
Frustrated by this lack of production due to Frankie's singing, Porky fights fire with fire, holding auditions for singing birds (giving WB another chance to possibly lampoon some of the era's best-known signing talent), until (Bing) shows up, with his trademark pipe and bub-bub-bub-boo. So is born the war of the singers, with the end result being an overproduction of eggs that block out the sun, as well as a final scene with both singers singing a voice test duet which causes Porky to lay his own pile of eggs.
Lastly, I have to add this one comment. While I agree with some that Mr. Sinatra didn't take a back seat to anyone in many things, some I have heard talk about this movie and its predecessor say that it was one notable instance where he took a back seat to another member of Hollywood's greats, namely Mr. Stewart. My opinion on that is Mr. Sinatra was not encumbered with having to establish himself as a supporting cast member, with all the other stars he shared the screen with, and could (and did) make the part his own.
Stick
(1985)
Burt Reynolds returns as Stick!
15 December 2001
This movie is based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name, but for those looking for the novel while waiting for the movie to reappear on television or on order from Amazon, don't bother, unless you're a fan of Elmore Leonard's work. While Mr. Leonard should be given more than due credit for his adaptation to movie, the real work was done by Mr. Reynolds, who plays the character true to form.
I have to admit that one reason I love this film is because of its leading lady. Ms. Bergen seems to be able to play her own character in this film, rather than playing off Burt's character. Two of the best scenes are the one where she sums up the movie producer's porposal as fraud, and of course the intimate scene in her bedroom with Burt's character.
I am old enough to remember when this movie came out in the theaters. One review in a popular men's magazine at the time panned the movie, largely faulting Burt's performance (as I interpreted the review). Having been a fan of Mr. Reynolds films for many years, I was glad to see that he didn't seem to take such reviews to heart at the time, and continues to entertain us, even today.
I have to admit that one reason I love this film is because of its leading lady. Ms. Bergen seems to be able to play her own character in this film, rather than playing off Burt's character. Two of the best scenes are the one where she sums up the movie producer's porposal as fraud, and of course the intimate scene in her bedroom with Burt's character.
I am old enough to remember when this movie came out in the theaters. One review in a popular men's magazine at the time panned the movie, largely faulting Burt's performance (as I interpreted the review). Having been a fan of Mr. Reynolds films for many years, I was glad to see that he didn't seem to take such reviews to heart at the time, and continues to entertain us, even today.
The Boyington's are Born
15 December 2001
The Flying Misfits is the feature length opener to the Baa Baa Black Sheep/ Black Sheep Squadron television series which aired on NBC in the late 70's and currently can be seen (with limited commentary from star Robert Conrad and surviving members of the real squad) on the History Channel.
The movie covers the story (with a little Hollywood magic) of how Major Boyington left the Flying Tigers in China and arrived in the South Pacific. The scene where he bypasses red tape by getting Admiral Nimitz to clear the way for his rightful rank is both interesting and an excellent way to foreshadow the lengths Conrad's Boyington is willing to go to get what he wants. Simon Oakland and veteran actor Dana Elcar demonstrate with their characters the two sides of military brass that Boyington had to deal with.
A good "companion" piece to the series is co-star Larry Manetti's book on his time in Hollywood. He and Conrad became good friends on the show and Larry gives some great insights on his time with the series. Also. for those who thought John Larroquette started with "Night Court", this movie/series is a good chance to see some of his early work.
When the History Channel started airing the series around 1999, they aired the movie a few times. Since the movie made only extremely rare appearances on The Encore movie networks prior to this, this was a good chance for me to see what I missed, since I used to watch it when WOR-9 aired the syndicated repeats about ten years ago. The aerial scenes are great, as are some of the landing scenes, especially when you consider the island landing area was actually an airfield in Southern California.
The movie covers the story (with a little Hollywood magic) of how Major Boyington left the Flying Tigers in China and arrived in the South Pacific. The scene where he bypasses red tape by getting Admiral Nimitz to clear the way for his rightful rank is both interesting and an excellent way to foreshadow the lengths Conrad's Boyington is willing to go to get what he wants. Simon Oakland and veteran actor Dana Elcar demonstrate with their characters the two sides of military brass that Boyington had to deal with.
A good "companion" piece to the series is co-star Larry Manetti's book on his time in Hollywood. He and Conrad became good friends on the show and Larry gives some great insights on his time with the series. Also. for those who thought John Larroquette started with "Night Court", this movie/series is a good chance to see some of his early work.
When the History Channel started airing the series around 1999, they aired the movie a few times. Since the movie made only extremely rare appearances on The Encore movie networks prior to this, this was a good chance for me to see what I missed, since I used to watch it when WOR-9 aired the syndicated repeats about ten years ago. The aerial scenes are great, as are some of the landing scenes, especially when you consider the island landing area was actually an airfield in Southern California.
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