sundayatdusk-97859 Reviews

The Chaperone (2018)

A Unique & Unpredictable Ending. . . .

[8/10 · 6 May 2024]

This is the second movie I've seen where I really liked Elizabeth McGovern; unlike in "Downton Abbey", where I tend to dislike her. In this film, she portrays Norma, a typical well-off woman from Kansas in the 1920s, who goes to New York City as a chaperone for a local 15-year-old dancer. The dancer is Louise Brooks, who would quickly become a major star in silent films.

Norma has her own personal reasons for wanting to go to New York. As a young child, she was in an Catholic orphanage there, before being put on an orphan train, and placed with a loving family in Kansas. Who was her mother? Was she still alive? Why did she leave Norma with the nuns?

As Louise is attending dance classes and flirting with local boys, Norma goes to the orphanage to hopefully find the information she seeks. As predicted for the time period, the head nun refuses to disclose anything. Norma then turns to a widowed handyman named Joseph at the orphanage for help. He is a WWI German war refugee whose young daughter lives at the orphanage.

In flashbacks, the viewer sees that there is a serious problem with Norma's marriage. This leads to her developing a relationship with Joseph. Will Norma stay in New York, as Louise is going to? Or will she go back to Kansas, back to a loveless marriage, to keep up appearances? How the matter gets resolved was a total surprise, and certainly unusual for that time period.

The Burial (II) (2023)

Exceptional & Entertaining, Especially For An Amazon Movie . . . .

[10/10 · 1 May 2024]

This film was so good that I can't believe it was an Amazon one. The Amazon ones I've seen on TV are usually ones I turn off shortly after turning on. They have agendas or gender issues or inappropriate dialogue and scenes. This one had none of that and was well worth the two hours watching it.

In some ways, Jamie Foxx reminded me of Tyler Perry. I loved his character and thought he was phenomenal. Very funny at times, too. Tommy Lee Jones also did a wonderful job as a southern funeral home owner, who refused to be taken down by a corrupt Canadian corporation. In addition, Mamoudoe Athie was noteworthy as the quiet unsung hero of the story, whose dedication to never-ending research saved the day and the court case.

One of the movie's standout theme and scenes involved long-term marriages. Both of the main characters had been married to their wives for years, and the support from their wives kept them strong and dedicated. They had someone they had known forever who they could talk to and express their concerns about the case. They had someone who unequivocally loved and supported them, just as they unequivocally loved and supported their wives.

Those viewers who think race discrimination had nothing to do with the story, or should not of had anything to do with the story, are in denial. It had everything to do with the story. The Canadian corporation was buying up funeral homes in the South so they could take advantage of blacks, who did not have the means or time to shop around for coffins and burial plots. They were making billions cheating individuals distressed about relatives who died. They saw Southern blacks as easy targets, as less educated and poorer than the general population.

The movie also showed prejudice against white by blacks, too, such as by Willie Gary's associates. So, there was some balance to the race issue. Moreover, while Willie E. Gary was as rich as can be now, he wasn't always, and he and Jeremiah O'Keefe had some things in common. Enough things to turn them into friends and fellow warriors in a fight against injustice.

Finding Faith (2013)

Finding More Than One Faith . . . .

[6/10 · 28 April 2024]

This is not a typical sort of movie, but I made it to the end with no problem. Faith, who looked way too old to be a 14-year-old, is kidnapped in Virginia by a predator/sex trafficer after talking online with him, where he was posing as a cute teenage boy in Florida. She provided way too much personal info on herself in an online chat group.

The local sheriff, played by Eric Estrada, teams up with what I think was the The Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (SOVA-ICAC), and they desperately try to track down Faith's abductor. Timothy E. Goodwin is a fellow law enforcement officer who excels at his job, but is also emotionally sickened by all the missing children. Both actors did a very good job.

Liberty University was involved in the making of this film, or maybe it was totally their film to make, so there is a heavy religious theme to it. Not a problem with me, but may be to those who don't like movies with overtly Christian messages. It's a good enough story, though, about how teenagers need to be aware there are sex trafficers out there, need to stop thinking everyone online is who they claim to be, and need to stop telling online strangers where they live.

The Untouchables (1987)

No Highwaymen . . . .

[2/10 · 28 April 2024]

I usually avoid gangster movies, but after watching "The Highwaymen" (2019) and "Dinner Rush" (2000), I have been more open to watching them. Particularly after seeing "The Highwaymen", which I thought was outstanding. Kevin Costner starred in that, too, so would this movie be as good?

Not quite. Not even close. I wished I had never watched it. Although I fast-forwarded through some of the most violent scenes, it still was too sad and bloody seeing the good guys killed. Kevin Coster, who was so good in "The Highwaymen", seemed like a really out-of-place crime stopper, too.

Sean Connerly also seemed out of place, like he was magically teleported from the UK to Chicago. Then there was Charles Martin Smith who went from being a mild-mannered accountant to an expert shooter in no time at all, with no lessons at all. (All I could do was wish, when he was in the elevator, that he could be magically teleported to 1962 Modesto, California.)

The beginning of the movie was slow, after the opening explosion. The ending scenes with the trial and the baby carriage were ridiculous. The soundtrack by Ennio Morricone wasn't bad, but it certainly was no "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly". Hey, that would have been a perfect title for this movie!

The Perfect Mate (2020)

Yes, That Is Jackée Harry . . . .

[2/10 · 27 April 2024]

Hardly made it through the first 30 minutes or so. I'm giving the film two stars because I did like Jackée Harry as the mother. I haven't seen her, however, since the 1980s, so couldn't figure out who she was at first, even though I saw her last week on an old "Amen" episode.

Overall, this movie was a waste of time, which is why I gave it so little time to prove itself watchable. Protagonist Hope is as unlikable as can be. Her sister Cherish even more so. Fake fiance Jesse is too timid. The absolute worst character, however, was Hope's minister father.

Obviously, the makers of the movie didn't want him to seem like all the other minister fathers in movies like this one. He is an absolute wacko, and not an amusing one. Plus, they kept doing close-ups of his menacing face. That was it for me. Time to find something else to watch. Bye, Jackée, it was nice to see you again.

Hiding Victoria (2006)

A Tribeless Young Woman . . . .

[7/10 · 23 April 2024]

It appears a lot of the reviews here were written by those who knew the makers of the film, or saw it at a private screening. For the record, I watched it on my TV at home, streaming from Amazon. I almost turned it off soon after I started watching, too.

Victoria was totally obnoxious. In addition, she had a full-face tattoo that was highly distracting. Oddly, no one seemed to think it was odd, either, or made comments about it. (Well it did bring out the blue in her eyes.) It was the tribe type of tattoo, which was ironic, since Victoria lost her "tribe" as a young teenager.

Even odder, she not only gets in the door to interview for a job as a caregiver for a wealthy woman in Palm Beach; where she acts totally obnoxious during the whole interview; but gets the job. Only in the movies! I stuck with the film, however, because I liked Victoria's probation officer Sara, and liked Althea, the wealthy woman who hired her.

Moreover, the film starts off showing a young teenager on a farm, obviously having a happy childhood with her parents and younger brother. Was that Victoria? How did such a child end up a runaway and a hooker?

It is eventually revealed why her life took such a bad turn, and it was a typical reason why innocent girls run away and make very bad decisions. Only, in Victoria's case, a tragic incident happened even earlier, which made her whole life start spinning. Would kind-hearted Althea change Victoria and help her to become less bitter and less obnoxious?

Althea has some painful secrets of her own, but Althea has rock-hard faith in God. This is not a "preachy" film, however. It's a film about not giving up on someone, regardless of how hard she tries to make others give up on her.

P. S. At the end of the movie, the viewer sees why Victoria's full-face tattoo was a nonissue with everyone who encountered her. Not worth the distraction, in my opinion.

My Sailor, My Love (2022)

Boats Against The Current . . . .

[8/10 · 22 April 2024]

Howard is a retired Merchant Navy captain who lives alone on the sea in Ireland. His wife drowned years earlier, and his daughter Grace visits when she can get away from her job as a nurse. On one of her visits, Grace is overwhelmed by the messy house, and hires an older caretaker named Annie.

Annie turns out to be more than a caretaker and housekeeper. She brings light into Howard's dark world and they eventually fall in love. This terribly upsets Grace. Why? Because she is a classic martyr. Due to her turbulent childhood, caring for a depressed mother, while her father was out to sea, she sees her life solely as a dedicated caregiver.

The only thing is, like all martyrs, she lies to herself and to others about her motives. She does not want the best for her father. She does not want to see him having fun with Annie and Annie's family. She wants to see him in a nursing home where his life is totally controlled by nurses, like herself, and the end would obviously be not too far off. She would also constantly visit, and ask many questions about his care, to try to prove to others, as well as herself, how much she truly cared about her father.

Her father, on the other hand, is aloof with Grace because she stopped meeting his ships as a child, and he blames her for that; because he then doesn't have to blame himself for staying away from his mentally ill wife, as much as he possibly could. Annie notices how he treats Grace and questions his behavior, but she truly loves him and wants him to be happy. He makes her happy, too.

Unfortunately, Grace does not realize until it is too late that Annie may have helped her deal with her repressed anger, and may have provided a happier ending for everyone. But then martyrs don't really want happy endings, don't want to see all conflict resolved. If that happened, they would have to give up their martyrhood, and their entire life would seem meaningless. The parting shot in this film is the wild and beautiful sea, as it should have been.

The Miracle Club (2023)

A Sunday Afternoon Chick Flick . . . .

[6/10 · 22 April 2024]

Many viewers will probably call this movie a chick flick, and it would not be unfair to do so. It is also a pleasant Sunday afternoon film. Lilly, Eileen and Dolly are hoping to win a Church contest where they get a free trip to Lourdes. Another friend was going, but she sadly died before the trip. When her daughter Chrisse comes home to Ireland for the funeral, after being away for 40 years, Lilly and Eileen are shocked that she intends to go on the trip.

Long before it was revealed in the movie, it was easy to figure out why Chrissie had been gone for so long, and was estranged from her mother, Lilly and Eileen. At Lourdes, all four women deal with their pasts and with their current religious beliefs. Are miracles real? Is Lourdes real or a money-making tourist trap? Can you ever be truly forgiven for past mistakes? Can you forgive yourself? Not a bad movie, but not a particularly memorable one, either.

Bob the Butler (2005)

Don't Worry, Bob The Butler Behaves Himself . . . .

[6/10 · 21 April 2024]

While searching at Amazon for a movie to watch on my TV, I came across this one. I didn't notice who was in it, however, and fast-forwarded through the opening credits. Shortly after starting the film, I wondered if the actress playing the mom was Brooke Shields, so I did a quick search on it here at IMDB on my cell phone. Yes, it was Brooke Shields, and Bob the butler was Tom Green. Tom Green? Wasn't he a notorious dirty comic who was once married to Drew Barrymore for only a few months? Oh no!

I then was about to go find another movie to watch, but first read a couple of reviews here, and saw it was not offensive in any way, shape or form. It's actually a somewhat sweet and unique story about a guy, with a pet hamster, who can't keep a job. He thus goes from one job to another as if he is a career job switcher. Having finished a 5-day class on butlering, he becomes a butler at Brooke Shield's house. She is a workaholic single mother with two kids who need more guidance. Bob provides that guidance, and Brooke provides him with a new future he never imagined.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024)

A Dark, Dirty World That Was No Secret To So Many . . . .

[4/10 · 16 April 2024]

Before watching four episodes of this documentary, I knew little about Nickelodeon. Now I feel like I know everything, and can't bring myself to watch Episode 5. Enough is enough. What tasteless Nickelodeon shows created by a woman hating, child abusing glutton! His abuse appeared to be strictly emotional abuse, however; except for the fact he expected others, including children, to give him neck massages; and made some children act in obviously obscene scripts.

It's no surprise, though, children were emotionally abused, as well as physically harmed by at least two pedophiles. The TV and filmmaking world is filled with such incidents. Perversion is a norm for so many of those working in the industry. It always has been and, until recent years, has always been the norm to keep quiet about it, and not allow it to become public.

As this documentary shows, one reason the pervs are allowed to get away with their crimes is because victims and their parents do remain silent about the abuse. The kids want so much to be stars, and some end up financially supporting their parents. The parents want their kids to become stars and don't want them losing their jobs. It's a totally disgusting situation. Moreover, obviously adult viewers of Nickelodeon shows did not scream loud enough, or at all, about the obscene sketches on some of the episodes.

The only light in the sordid darkness here is that the Me Too Movement has greatly helped to put the brakes on sexual abuse of children and women in the entertainment world. No longer do individuals like Daniel Schneider get to feel invincible and untouchable, with no worries at all about the studio heads, the courts and law enforcement agencies.

It's time for Hollywood to pay the piper; for children and their parents to stop coveting a type of fame that will leave a child emotionally damaged and physically abused; for viewers to protest loudly whenever children are being tainted by those who hate to see childhood innocence.

Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (1999 TV Movie)

For Those Who Idolize Godfathers . . . .

[7/10 · 15 April 2024]

By golly, if you watch this movie, you will end up thinking Joseph Bonanno was the most moral and fairest of men, who spent his Mafia days talking others out of killing. No joke. Now, here at IMDB, I see why. This writing credits for this film go to Joseph Bonanno and his son Bill Bonanno.

Toni Nardi, who plays Joseph Bonanno, from ages 35-61, is as likable as can be. (I think he also narrates it, but am not sure.) Why Martin Landau got top billing is beyond me. He plays Mr. Bonanno in his 90s, has few scenes and no lines! Why didn't they just make Mr. Nardi look much older? I'm sure a make-up person could have easily done so. Moreover, why is Toni Nardi not even pictured on the movie poster? He carried the whole film!

Mr. Nardi is a perfect Mafia boss for those who wish to believe Mafia godfathers are great family men, out to help others succeed in life; certainly not the criminals law enforcement agencies want everyone to believe. In the beginning of the movie, his wife is shown, as is his daughter. His wife is an intelligent, interesting person.

After son Bill becomes an adult and part of the Mafia, however, his mother and sister are no longer seen in the movie. Why did they become non-existent characters? They didn't die in real life! Is this suppose to be strictly a guy movie? It does have some very violent scenes, which I fast-forwarded through.

Finally, one highly interesting part of the film concerned the assasination of JFK. According to this story, JFK was killed by the Mafia. Lee Harvey Oswald was nothing but a patsy, and Jack Ruby was working for the Mafia when he shut him up. They were furious at Kennedy because of the Valachi hearings, and because Joseph Kennedy told them his son would be a friend to the Mafia if elected. So, they worked to get him elected. He did not become a friend. They had him shot dead.

A Family Thing (1996)

Uneven . . . .

[6/10 · 7 April 2024]

This could have been a truly great movie, but an uneven story and cast kept it from being so. James Earl Jones and Irma P. Hall are outstanding in their roles. Robert Duvall is not. His character Earl is terribly unlikeable and totally unbelievable. (Mary Jackson, however, did an excellent job portraying his dying mother in the beginning of the film. It was a most realistic death-at-home scene.)

In addition, it was strange at times what Earl was doing while in Chicago. The oddest scene being when he is in a high-class restaurant, that obviously was only patronized by blacks formally dressed. Here he is a redneck dressed in jeans sitting in the bar area. How did he get in?

Earl then sees what is obviously a birthday celebration going on at a table. He walks over, congratulates the birthday woman and asks her to dance. Here she is a beautifully dressed woman with her husband and others, and, to be polite, she agrees. Sure.

Next, we see him sitting at their table after the dance boring them with his drunken ramblings. Sure. He is eventually thrown out by the maître d' and a bouncer, both also impeccably dressed, for not having money. Once again, how was he ever allowed in and allowed to disrupt a birthday dinner in the first place?

Another big problem with the movie was never-ending profanity. Realistic? May be, but why alienate a large group of viewers who don't swear like that and don't want to hear it? It may be the main problem with this story is it strived to be "realistic", when it should have strived more to be watchable and memorable.

The Bad Seed (1956)

More A Psychological Picture Than A Horror One . . . .

[9/10 · 25 March 2024]

I saw this movie for the first time this weekend, and am surprised I never saw it before; although I have heard "bad seed" jokes, and now wonder if they were referring to this movie. Many label it a "horror" movie, but I can't see it as that, not even a psychological horror movie. Maybe back in the 1950s it would have fit that description, but not today.

The film is about three murders committed by a young child, yet none are shown. Two are described and the viewer can hear the screams of the third victim caught on fire, but it's still not totally terrifying. I'm wondering, though, if I had seen this movie as a child or teenager, would it have terrified me? It starts off like a "Twilight Zone" episode, but what happens is not paranormal. It is highly abnormal, however.

The film presents a frightening idea about madness and killers. Namely, that they can be born that way. Nothing can change them. Patty, the child killer, is being raised in a loving home by loving parents, and she appears to be totally normal. She's more than normal. She is exceptional in so may ways. Yet she kills with no remorse. How is that possible?

Her poor mother eventually realizes something is wrong, and her beautiful, sweet daughter even confesses to the killings, imploring her mother to understand it was not her fault she had to kill her victims. They wouldn't give her what she wanted! What other choice did she have? Her father is away on assignment in the military, and her mother finds it impossible to tell anyone what her daughter has done.

This begins to drive her mother over the deep edge. How is it possible nurturing didn't make her daughter a normal, loving child. She was a normal, loving person, even though her own biological mother was not. Did it skip a generation? Her mother takes action one night. She sees no other way. It was surprising, though, she did not choose the same way both times. Why was that? The ending was exceptional, in my opinion.

Moreover, introducing the actors after the story was over was probably done to help show the audience it was a movie. The characters, including Patty, were actors and actresses. There was nothing to fear in real life. Yet would a child viewer think she or he could be born "bad", or might suddenly go "bad" one day, like the fear of waking up blind one morning? I wish I had seen this movie as a child or teenager, instead of as an adult. Or maybe not . . . .

Ride the Wild Surf (1964)

Remember The Late Movies On TV In The 1970s?

[7/10 · 25 March 2024]

Tubi had this movie and it certainly brought back memories. I watched it a couple of times when I was a teenager at like 3AM. This was before cable TV and there were only three VHF channels and one UHF. One of the VHF channels would show late movies all night long on Friday and Saturday nights. (Two channels would alternate doing so.)

The story is more of an adult beach movie, not one of those totally silly Annette and Frankie movies. Three guys have come to Hawaii to surf, and all three apparently need a change in their lives. They, of course, meet three girls who do change their lives, so this is one of those movies where girls are only romantic partners. There are no girl surfers. (Sorry, Gidget.)

In addition, there appears to be only one Hawaiian surfer. (Sorry, only white American guys and one Australian.) This was a 1960s movie. There are lots of great surfing shots on some really huge waves. Viewers do learn some real stuff about surfing, as well as see some fake stuff. Jan & Dean's hit "Ride The Wild Surf" is played at the end.

P. S. For a look at surfing in Hawaii from an Hawaiian point of view, watch the ESPN "30 for 30" documentary "Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau" (2013).

She Says She's Innocent (1991 TV Movie)

More A Mother Love Story Than A Murder Story . . . .

[5/10 · 22 March 2024]

This film was watchable, but not memorable, except for the twist at the end. Mother Susan is pregnant, but getting a divorce from her cheating husband. Daughter Justine is having friend and boyfriend trouble. One night, after fighting with friend Vicky about her boyfriend Ryan, the fight spills out into the night, where Vicky is killed. Justine and her best friend Ashley apparently are the only ones who know what happened, and swear to each other never to tell.

There are some very unrealistic parts to the movie, such as the local newspaper prints stories that Justine is charged with the murder, yet there's only one unfriendly encounter with other students at her school, where she continues to go. (Yes, this was before the internet!) In addition, while one of the detectives on the case is a high school friend of Susan's and is seeing her, he is not taken off the case, even though he says he has to take himself off the case.

While this is a murder story, it's more like a mother story. It's a story about unconditional mother love. That began to really irritate me, too. Susan ignores proof Justine was involved in the crime. She seems to conveniently forget Justine came home the next morning after the murder with blood on her face, due to an earring being ripped out of her ear. In addition, she ponders what she should do with evidence that proved Vicky was at her house the night of the murder.

Is it right and moral for a mother to cover up for her daughter, even if it becomes apparent her daughter is involved in a murder? Does unconditional mother love ace everything else in the world, including justice for a murder victim? How would she feel if her daughter was killed and another mother was behaving as she was behaving? Should a mother keep telling her daughter she totally believes her even when she does not? This film does make the viewer think a little, but only a little.

P. S Note the twist at the end really has nothing to do with anything the movie is focusing on. It obviously only exists to make the crime hard for the viewer to solve.

Clover (1997 TV Movie)

If A Marriage Lasts Less Than A Day, Are You A Family Member?

[7/10 · 18 March 2024]

This movie was better than I thought it would be. Not being a fan of Elizabeth McGovern, due to the way she acts with her eyes on "Downton Abbey", I wasn't sure I'd even stick with it to the end. Alas, her acting was fine as widow Sara Kate, and there was even an interesting supernatural happening throughout the film.

Gaten, her husband and father of Clover, is killed on the night of his wedding in a car crash, but appears to Clover and Sara Kate as a spirit. No, he doesn't look like a ghost, but like a live human, and it's like they are talking to him in their minds or out loud to themselves. Sometimes, too, it's like they catch a glimpse of him. Nevertheless, this movie does not focus on his after-death presence, but on what is said in the conversations.

The film also does a good job of dealing with prejudice against whites by blacks. Mostly, it's Gaten's sister-in-law Everleen who expresses nasty stereotypes about white women. That conflict between the two women eventually gets resolved, however, in one scene that seemed to be a bit too pat. Everyone is pulling together for the sake of Clover.

Zelda Harris, as pre-teen Clover, does an excellent job portraying a confused, angry child who wants nothing to do with her new stepmother, and blames herself for her father's death. This can be considered a movie for children, except there are two romantic scenes between Sara Kate and Gaten after his death, à la "Ghost" (1990), which makes it seem more like a movie for adults and older teens.

My Louisiana Sky (2001 TV Movie)

The Summer Of Hurricane Audrey . . . .

[9/10 · 12 March 2024]

This is a true family film and an exceptional one at that. Tiger Ann is a 12-year-old living in a rural town in Louisiana, with her parents and grandmother. It is the summer of 1957 and the family is celebrating her grandmother's birthday. The viewer soon notices there is something odd about Tiger Ann's mother. She acts like a child! Her father, too, obviously has some developmental problems, but holds a job at a nursery, and is considered the best employee there by his boss.

When Tiger Ann's aunt comes from Baton Rouge for the birthday, she notices the conflict between her and her grandmother. She also is becoming more aware of how other kids view her mother, and how the family has less money than others. Her glamourous aunt, on the other hand, is a working girl, with a beautiful car and apartment. Tiger Ann wants to be like her, instead of the hard working farm girl she is in the summer, where she has to take care of chicks, as well as pick fruits and vegetables.

Tragedy strikes that summer in two big ways, and Tiger Ann might get what she wishes for, but is it truly what she wants? While all the actors in this film are great, I thought Chris Owens was the most exceptional one of them all. As Tiger Ann's father Lonnie, he created a memorable character impossible to ever forget. This is the type of film you fear is going to be either too depressing or too sugary, but it turns out to be neither, and you are so glad you saw it.

Love Field (1992)

On The Road Again . . . .

[4/10 · 11 March 2024]

Lurene is a Dallas beautician who is obssessed with Jackie Kennedy. She has a notebook filled with newspaper and magazine clippings about Jackie and Jack. She sees their marriage as the ideal type of marriage. Her own marriage to a local guy is dull and childless. (She miscarried months earlier.) When the Kennedys are coming to Dallas in 1963, Lurene is thrilled and has no intention of missing the chance to see them in person.

Of course the day ends up being tragic, and Lurene is now obsessed with being at JFK's funeral. Her husband tells her she is crazy obsessed and he's tired of it. Thus, Lurene sneaks off to the bus station in the dead of night. On the bus she meets Paul and his daughter Jonell. Paul is black. Lurene is in the last white row before the black section, where Paul is in the front row.

Paul tries to be aloof, because talking to a white woman on a segregated bus can be dangerous. But Lurene won't shut up for a minute and she is being kind to young Jonell, who strangely does not speak. So begins the journey of Lurene, Paul and Jonell. When the bus goes off the road due to a crazy car driver, that journey becomes one thing after another. Yes, unfortunately, it soon became tiresome wondering what was going to happen next.

I even fast-forwarded through parts where Paul is attacked by rednecks, and when the three end up at the home of one of Lurene's co-workers' mother in Virginia. The story obviously had good intentions, but it didn't stay captivating enough. The very end was laughable, too. A year after the trip, Lurene had gone from a Jackie Kennedy hairstyle to a Carol Brady one. (This was years before Carol Brady, mind you.) In addition, she made a decision no woman in Texas would make unless she definitely had plans of moving out of the South very, very soon.

Summer of My German Soldier (1978 TV Movie)

A Truly Outstanding 1970s TV Movie . . . .

[10/10 · 6 March 2024]

This was one of the best TV movies ever made. It is a shame it has never been released on DVD, and no one at the current time has it available for streaming. It would be perfect for Prime Video, where so many 1970s TV movies are being rewatched by baby boomers. This film lacks the typical sentimentalism of similar type stories, so there's no feelings about how it seemed a lot better when you watched it in your younger days.

Patty is a 12-year-old growing up in the South during WWII. Her family is Jewish in a town that is of course predominately Christian. Her father owns a clothing store and is very abusive towards Patty. He obviously hated his mother and sees his oldest daughter as a replica of her. Moreover, he had to marry Patty's mother because she was pregnant. He hates Patty and believes she hates him, when she does not. That aspect of the story alone made it unusal for a 1970s made-for-TV movie about a pre-teen.

When a German POW escapes from a farm where the POWs are working, he encounters Patty and she hides him in an old barn at home, which is her beloved secret hideout. She knows it is wrong, especially as a Jew, and knows it is dangerous, but she is desperate for a friend to talk to, and desperate to be liked and understood by someone. This is not an illicit affair or anything of the sort. It's a friendship between two trapped souls trying to make sense of the world.

Both Kristy McNichol and Bruce Davison do outstanding jobs portraying the Jewish girl and the German soldier, but the most outstanding character in the film is Esther Rolle, as the family maid Ruth. She does everything she can to protect Patty from her father's wrath, and to help her understand she is unfairly "paying full price" for her "irregular" parents. The end of the film is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Hopeful Patty will heed Ruth's words and learn to hold her head up high at all times, regardless of the cruel words or thoughts of others.

Down in the Delta (1998)

The Great Migration Wasn't That Great For Everyone . . . .

[9/10 · 2 March 2024]

Al Freeman Jr. Does an outstanding job portraying Uncle Earl, the relative down in the Delta who agrees to host his niece Loretta and her children for the summer. They live in Chicago where Loretta's mother Rosa is convinced her daughter is heading for a tragic ending, due to booze, drugs and unemployment. Grandson Thomas may be heading towards a violent future, too, simply because of the state of his neighborhood.

Down South, life is slower, safer and quieter. Earl proves to be a grand teacher of what is important in life and what is not. Loretta learns how to stick with a job, how to appreciate employment, and how to quickly acquire new skills. She also learns the importance of family and ancestry. Thomas learns shooting a camera will probably provide a much better future than shooting a gun ever would.

What will happen at the end of the summer? Will they stay down in the Delta or go back to Chicago? What about Rosa and the important family heirloom she possesses, which Earl firmly believes belongs back with family members in the South? Why is that heirloom so special? The ending of the movie was both satisfying and sad. Sad not only because it explained the history of the heirloom, but sad because it was the end of the movie.

The Waltons: The Departure (1974) Season 3, Episode 12

John's Unbelievable Mid-Life Crisis . . . .

[2/10 · 29 February 2024]

This is an episode that should have never existed. John Walton having a mid-life crisis was totally out of character for him. At least it was because he leaves Walton's mountain to take a job in Norfolk, VA. This wasn't due to desperately needing money, but needing to get out of a rut. The man would never have left his family for that reason.

In Norfolk, his life is ridiculous, too. He finds a boarding house that could have fit right in at Walton's mountain. A genteel type woman runs it and her female boarder is a retired libarian. The other boarder, however, is a Greek sailor! He is in love with the boarding house owner and eventually feels threatened by John's presence.

Why they even end up fighting in a bar! It's a ridiculous fight, and John Boy is even there visiting his father when it happens. One notable thing about the conflict with the Greek sailor, though, is the sailor asks John why he is in Norfolk, if he is so happy with his wife and life back home. Good question! All attempts by John to answer that question showed how ridiculous this episode happened to be.

The Waltons: The Woman (1975) Season 3, Episode 23

A Longtime Couple & A Short Time Couple . . . .

[2/10 · 29 February 2024]

This is one of the episodes that misses the mark. Olivia decides she wants to have a wedding ceremony where she and John repeat their vowes. The only problem with this is that sort of ceremony didn't exist until the 1950s in the United States.

John is reluctant, but eventually agrees and he goes and buys a dress for Olivia for the ceremony. I thought it was an ugly dress. He should have got the red one, instead of the dark green one. (Michael Learned, however, looks pretty in anything she wears.)

Meanwhile, John Boy is having a fling with a visiting poet, who will only be at the university for two days. She is older and famous, as poets go, and he is head over heals in love with her, staying in her hotel room for two nights. (He told his parents he was staying in the dorm.)

When it's time for her to leave, he decides to go with her, but eventually decides to stay with his family. You must be a hopeless romantic to find the scenes between him and his poetess touching or even vaguely interesting.

The Sweetest Gift (1998 TV Movie)

Thoughtful & Enjoyable . . . .

[8/10 · 26 February 2024]

This is a wonderful family movie that shows the lingering racial prejudices in a Florida town. When people list states with a lot of past racism, southern states like Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia come up, but many don't list Florida, when they definitely should! The prejudice shown in the film is not done in a heavy-handed way, however, but is expressed in more subtle ways.

Two familes are portrayed. There is the black Wilson family, consisting of a mother, father, adult daughter, young grandson and visiting adult son. There is the white Martin family, consisting of a mother and three children. The Martin family is having a hard time because Mr. Martin abandoned them, and their mother is having to run their dairy farm seven days a week. The Wilsons are dealing with their directionless daughter, but are truly happy she is back home with their grandson.

I was truly surprised to find out all the actors playing the Martin children are Canadians, particularly the youngest son. Both he and the daughter sounded like true Southerners to me! There are various Southern traditions shown, as well as fun goats and ducks, and dangerous alligators. (There was a cute little dog, too, but he gets eaten by an alligator early on in the movie. There is no blood or yelping. He is simply gone. It was very sad.)

All in all, this is a movie that makes viewers, both young and old, think of prejudices and discrimination, and realize the importance of family, neighbors, and owning land to pass down to future generations. In addition, it stresses how hard work and dedication gets you what you want in life. Finally, it shows how things have changed for the better over the last few decades when it comes to prejudices held by both whites and blacks. There is still stereotying and discrimination going on, but nowhere near what it was in the past.

The Mad Room (1969)

Strickly For Stella & Shelley Fans . . . .

[2/10 · 25 February 2024]

You apparently need to be a fan of Shelley Winters or Stella Stevens or both to appreciate this movie. It's a waste of time watching it for the story or the "twist" in the story. A typical, intelligent viewer will know what the "twist" is long before it becomes obvious.

The storyline is interesting at first, however. Stella's two younger siblings are being released from a mental hospital after being committed for 12 years for killing their parents. No one knows which one killed their parents or if both did so. They were little kids at the time, not a teenager like Stella.

Stella is their only living relative and is asked to take custody of them. She is about to get married, too, to a man with a wealthy mother who doesn't like her. All end up back at the mother's house, except the son who apparently lives elsewhere. Soon there is another murder! Yes, this could have been an interesting murder/mystery movie, but unfortunately it's a bloody mess and often boring to boot.

A Home of Our Own (1993)

Way Too Much . . . .

[4/10 · 24 February 2024]

The movie poster for this film has Kathy Bates smiling. Don't be fooled. Kathy Bates' character rarely smiled in this movie. She is a stern, dead serious, obsessive mother who thinks children can be treated like slaves. When the children were opening gifts on Christmas morning, I almost stopped watching the film. No mother would be so stupid as to give a child one present like a box of nails or a hammer, unless she had a mental problem.

Plus, the oldest son who went to school, worked on a dairy farm, and spent all his free time working on the house, wasn't even allowed to get one new t-shirt for gym class, after his was turned pink in the wash. In other words, this movie was way too much. The child actors were likable, though, especially Edward Furlong and Clarissa Lassig. Soon-tek Oh also created an interesting and unique character.

The end of the film was supposed to be uplifting, but Kathy Bates' character even ruined that by telling the neighbors they could only rebuild the house to the point that it was built, before it burned down. On my, what pride! I was hoping a wall frame would fall on her. Her kids would have been better off being raised by Mr. Munimura or even raising themselves.