Reviews
American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950)
Good movie!
I caught this movie on the Fox Movie Channel last week. A shame that the DVD is not available as this one would be a keeper. If you like WWII era movies this one is a good one. It documents insurgency activity against the Japanese during the war. A rag-tag group of people including some Americans separated from the rest of their detachment lead locals in a courageous and sometimes complex scheme to keep the enemy unaware of their activities.
This was an easy movie to get into and one I would add to my collection if available. It is in color as well and features some spectacular shots.
Submerged (2005)
Not good
I am a fan of Steven Seagal but this movie is not good in my opinion.
This movie is not unlike an episode of the "A-Team". It is just corny, confusing, and not easy to get into as it seems so unreal. The villain is comical. The "brainwashing" concept and technique is weak. The introductions to the members of the "team" at the beginning are not a good thing.
In the past, I have felt that any Steven Seagal movie is a fun movie - we all know what they are. This calls that into question.
I won't stop watching Steven Seagal movies but I will not watch this one again.
The King's Guard (2000)
Pretty Stupid
Eric Roberts is too good of an actor to waste time with this kind of crap.
It's funny at times but this is a weak movie.
It revolves around an incident that takes place as a princess travels to be married in a neighboring country. She is without family, and a new guard and a small entourage accompany her for the journey.
They fall victim to ambush and take refuge in an abandoned house.
A battle of wits and swords follows - something like "The A-Team" with swords.
The entire movie takes place at this one location - obviously saving on the old budget 'eh?
Clever at times but basically just stupid. Roberts, a great actor, deserves better.
Hitman's Run (1999)
Not that bad but no award winner
I recently purchased this movie as I am an Eric Roberts fan. As usual, he makes the best of whatever character he is playing. But, without his presence, this movie would rank lower than the worst episode of Starsky and Hutch.
Lots of bullets fly and some stuff just is not to be believed. I mean, we're talking A-Team stuff here at some points. But, at other times, it is not so bad. The kingpin's son reminds me too much of Howie from The Fall Guy to be credible as a real bad guy but what the heck...
There are bad holes in this but Eric Roberts keeps you watching.
Spoiler....
There's way too many smiles at the end. All the bad guys are dead, the girlfriend's kid just saw people getting brutally killed, but they are all happy and ready to head off to Dairy Queen. And, the computer hacker kid and his long lost father are ready for the father-son picnic now.
C'mon. With a little work (or brains) this could have been pretty good but at times, it's just stupid.
As stated earlier, Roberts does a good job and that is the one redeeming thing that makes this worth watching.
Das Rattennest (1988)
Excellent, really!
I first saw this a few years ago when I could not find anything good (and new) at the rental store one day. I recall being surprised at how good it was and recently purchased it on DVD on eBay.
Brian Dennehy plays a high school sports coach. His daughter is an airline flight attendant who is working her first flight to Europe. Upon arrival she immediately becomes a kidnap victim - along with the rest of the crew of the plane she is on.
Feeling negotiations and diplomatic solutions are going nowhere, he (Dennehy) decides to take a more personal approach to solving the problem.
Runaway Train (1985)
It's put together right
This movie has a simple but powerful story line and has been well described by other reviewers.
Everything flows well in the movie. It doesn't lose your interest or confuse you and the characters are well-developed.
This movie is deserving of your time!
Red Dawn (1984)
Awesome!
This movie was way ahead of its time. Note the poor reviews from non-Americans which should tell you how good it is.
This is the story of high-school kids resisting invading Russian forces. It is an uplifting, awe-inspiring story and will make you proud to be an American - unless of course, you aren't one (which will make it hard to understand this movie).
Without a doubt, one for the personal collection and to be watched often.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
One of the funniest ever!
Pretty much everyone who was anyone in 1963 (the year of my birth) is in this movie. It really is comic genius!
It's laughs from beginning to end with this wacky cast. I can't recall any other movie from this time period that is so funny.
A big production from the early 60's and near the top of my collection of DVD's!
La Cucaracha (1998)
La Cucaracha - El Magnifico!
This is an interesting movie. Not the normal type of role for Eric Roberts but as usual, he does a perfect job.
Things start off interestingly with Walter running for the local cantina for some beer and it gets even more interesting from there.
Robert's character Pool seems a bit shallow at times and leaves me wondering about his wanting to be a writer. I wonder what he would have written?
Good movie - don't miss it.
Race Against Time (2000)
A TNT Original ... not too bad
This is a TNT original made for TV movie. Like "Stiletto Dance" - also starring Roberts, it was filmed in Quebec.
This is a cool idea, sort of a "Die Hard" meets "The Running Man." Of course, it's not perfect. There are dialogue problems, there are continuity problems, there are acting problems. But hey, it was made for TV.
It looks futuristic as it is set in 2008. In some ways, I would think it might be a bit advanced for 2008 and in other ways the CHEESY computer graphics and such look right out of the early 1980's. So you have some exceptional work and some that is not good.
In one case, our main character busts the controls off of an elevator and instantly uses a wire touching a resistor to control the movements of the elevator. A bit too far fetched and this is not the only example of such.
Also, too much firepower with guys dressed in black uniforms. It becomes mundane when you constantly see black uniformed thugs constantly firing at our hero. C'mon now.
The basic premise of the movie is a good idea though: Selling your body for cash now and the delivery of body organs later. Unfortunately, this causes your death - and of course, the company that "buys you" intends to collect on what they purchased. That part is interesting.
So, what can we say for this? Well, it stars Eric Roberts and as far as I am concerned this guy can't really do anything wrong. Even in a bad movie, he makes it good. This guy should be starring in blockbusters as far as I am concerned. His acting and presence in this movie is excellent.
It's fun to watch and Eric Roberts is in it. Overlook the obvious flaws and it is 90 minutes of entertainment.
Stiletto Dance (2001)
Not a bad movie
I like Eric Roberts and found this DVD on eBay cheap so I figured I would give it a try.
This is a violent movie - so, not for everyone. But, it is well-acted enough for my tastes and the story never lost my interest. The villan (Anton) is easy to hate. Eric Roberts character is easy to like but he's rough around the edges.
The action is not predictable - at least it wasn't for me, and that makes watching fun.
It's no blockbuster epic but it is worth watching. Without Eric Roberts this would not be as good but with him, it's kicked up a notch.
The Newton Boys (1998)
I like it!
This is the story of the most successful bank robbers in the United States.
It is well acted and the violence is not over the top.
Slight spoiler: They never killed anyone during the course of robbing many banks.
Watching this movie is just plain fun and worth the time. Sometimes we root for the bad guys and this is one of those times.
One of the neatest things in this movie comes at the end. If you are the type of person that shuts it off as soon as the credits start to roll, don't do it this time!!!
Sling Blade (1996)
A great movie
My first exposure to this movie was when a friend told me about it and went on and on about the plot and so forth. It did not sound interesting. "It's about this retarted guy in Arkansas....." Yeah, right. Sounds like as much fun as a root canal.
I was turned into a captive audience when a VHS tape was popped into the VCR. Within minutes, I was hooked and although I had planned to be doing something else, I could not get away from it.
I'm a guy that likes action moves but this is a GREAT movie. It was the first DVD I purchased and I watch it from time to time.
To me, this movie was a stroke of genius.
Quiz Show (1994)
Don't know how it could be any better
I like action movies. This is not an action movie. This is a GREAT movie.
If you like parachuting yourself into another point in time and learning about events in history then this is a must see. No, it won't blow you out of your seat with thrills and chills but the acting is top notch and it never lost my attention for a moment. Actually, I've seen this 5 times or more and I never tire of watching it or introducing it to a friend.
If you want to go back in time to see the quiz show scandal of the late 1950's, then this is a perfect 10 in my book.
J-Men Forever (1979)
Very clever
I first saw this when broadcast on USA Network's "Night Flight" program in the early 1980's. I was so struck by it at that time that I wrote a letter to the USA Network trying to find out how to procure a copy. They never answered.
I recently discovered it for sale and although my humor has changed a bit in the last 20 years and I had forgotten most of it, it is still a riot and I am glad to have it in my DVD collection.
The idea of stringing together various black and white footage and changing the dialogue is great. This was all done with analog equipment obviously, but it would be a great project to do now with the digital stuff.
Some folks, whose humor would run counter to this, would be put off by it but if you like something funny and different, this is really unique.
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
A classic
I don't know what people are expecting from this movie but it is what it is. It is not the fluffy disco movie that people think it is.
This movie leaves many issues unresolved and is actually the snapshot of a period of time in the lives of the characters. They are dysfunctional - they have loads of problems. That's what makes it real.
Saturday Night Fever is a great movie from a great period of time. The music serves as a backdrop to a time in the lives of the people in the movie.
If you've never watched the movie and you get the DVD, watch the VH1 "Behind The Hits" presentation on the DVD before watching the movie to make it even more real.