My Favorite Movies

I was there..Best US Police procedural ever made even to this day...Famous for the extreme car chase through San Francisco's hills, McQueen did his own stunt driving. A solid cast, gorgeous Jacqueline Bisset is the hesitant girlfriend and Robert Vaughn plays against type as an evil politician and carries the part off flawlessly. The director was such a stickler for realism, actual SFPD crime scene murder photos were used as references for camera setups and FX work. Combining 1968 "modern" style with "Dragnet" pacing. Although this film has action, it is not an "action" film but a police procedural in the same vein as the similar San Francisco film "The Laughing Policeman", which also used real SFPD Officers and locations. Awesome music here by Lalo "Mission Impossible" Scifrin. Notable for including Black Actor Georg Stanford Brown (TV Show "The Rookies" w/Kate Jackson, Ex-Husband of Tyne Daly) when Black Actors in serious roles were uncommon on screen. Still worth the time for those interested in a hardboiled cops vs. hitmen story with great location exteriors and an actual story (based on the book "Mute Witness") where you actually have to use your brain, rather than mere mindless action (i.e. the dimwitted short attention span crowd need not apply)...

This story is based on real people and events, from the first Vietnam/Indochina war to the Algerian quagmire, the multicultural French Colonial Paratrooper "Maroon Beret" units & Foreign Legionnaires (many of them ex-WW2 German SS Nazi "anti-Partisan" fighters unable to go home for fear of war crimes trials. Entire units enlisted en mass in the Legion...) fought and died bravely "Mort De La France". Although a "Hollywood version" of events, this film is unique, and has been used in military training classes to show examples of combat tactics, the accuracy is that good, with actual army troops as extras adding to the excellently directed action. The story stays close to the book ("The Centurions" By Jean Larteguy) and is about the all too real pride & prejudice lurking in the backstabbing politics of the French military. Dashing Colonel Raspeguy (Quinn) is not a "real" Frenchmen, but a looked-down-upon minority Basque of peasant stock, who has only advanced to such a high rank by being a hardened (as his lover calls him), "Beautiful Beast of War". His men love him because they know he is looking out for them at all times and that he is "of" them, no pretentious political officer type A-hole. Raspeguy loses his command in the wake of the withdrawal from Indochina/Vietnam (Burt Kwouk, known as "Kato" from the "Pink Panther" series, turns up as an arrogant but hapless Viet Officer here), but with behind the scenes politics, get a last chance for glory (and a General's star) by being given command of the newly formed group of hard cases, criminals, & miscreants of the "10th Parachute Regiment"(known as "The Lizards" due to their special camouflage pattern uniforms and billed caps), being sent in to the "dirty war" breaking out in French colonial Algeria. The film details both the heroic and shameful actions that ensue. Raspeguy recruits many of his former Vietnam comrades to stiffen up his new unit, all bored with the calm life in metro France & still looking for adventure. Captain Esclavier (Delon) is the soulful but naive intellectual & conscience of the group, while Cpt. Boisfeuras (Ronet) is his evil avatar, a sadistic vietnam raised french war-lover with psychopathic killer tendencies and a love of the knife. Unusual for the day, there is featured a strong & silent Black Officer as the unit Doctor. Lt. Mahidi (Segal in dark makeup) is their comrade gone wrong who snaps and joins the terrorists after returning home from Nam' and sees what has become of his family. Actress Claudia Cardinale stands out as the college girl sister of Mahidi who dons high-heels and tight skirts as a faux-hooker to help the terrorists by manipulating the gullible Esclavier. Cardinale makes the most of her role as the innocent but sexy "It" girl here, while Michele Morgan as Countess De Clairefons, is the war-widow who beds and helps Rapseguy get his new command. Her ice-queen aristocratic beauty and style intrigue here. Despite these diversions of sex & politics, this is at heart an action film, and succeeds on that level. The film has an excellent and stirring soundtrack arranged by Franz Waxman. There is an "evil twin" of this film, Pontecorvo's "Battle of Algiers", that unlike "Command", blatantly takes the side of the terrorists, showing them as the heroes of the piece, and significantly was used as a "training film" for 1960's Red radicals such as the Black Panthers, Puerto Rican separatists & murderous Weather Underground radicals, all who killed people in real life terror attacks in the USA. (The serious filmhead should see both of these and decide for themselves). All this is particularly interesting considering current events in the Middle East (and the descendants of these 1950's Algerians transplanted to France that are now fighting the Police and rioting in the streets of Paris as criminals & Terrorist sympathizers). The now independent Algerians are still fighting and dying in the continuing war against their own anti-government fanatical fundamentalist Muslim terrorists even today. Things did not turn out as expected from the hopes for "peace" after the French, who lost so many brave warriors in the fight, de-colonized and left Algeria...With this in mind, One can only reiterate the french canard "Ce'st La Vie, Ce'st La Guerre"...Grab the buttered popcorn and check it out!...

The beauty of feminine muscle! This depicts the origin of female bodybuilding and the sleek physiques on display are a far cry from what female bodybuilders look like today. People seem to forget that female pro-bodybuilding is a relatively recent phenomena, and this film shows it's early proponents, plus many of the confusions and emotionalistic reactions that still crop up even today. Female bodybuilding has split into 3 General camps: Bodybuilding, Figure, & Fitness. This is a result of the controversy exploited in this (biased) psuedo-documentary, namely the "How much is too much muscle" debate. Todays Figure & Fitness women look very similar to the original female bodybuilders portrayed here: sleek & toned with basic definition of the muscles. These women are in no way "monsters", as some ignorantly accused back then. On the other hand, today's female pro-bodybuilders, even compared to the largest most muscular one depicted in the film (Bev Francis) make her look small by comparison. Because of the fracture, the gloves came off. Today's Pro-Women are relatively huge, hard, dense and defined, holding no water or fat under the skin, just as their male counterparts seek to do, and they train hard & heavy. This does not make them "look like men" as those with untrained eyes reflexively spew venomously, they look just like what they are: muscular, athletic, strong, females. The same "Greek God" ideal applies to the women as does the men (The question remains, however, to look like the statue of "David", or the statue of "Hercules"). Strict dieting and cardio burns off most of the bodyfat, which tends to harden the facial lines and eliminate most breast tissue (unless the woman is genetically pre-dispositioned to have larger breasts) and this illusion is the reason for the comparison to males, but it is an illusion, nothing more. This also accounts for the high number of breast implants used today. This film, like it's big brother, the original Pumping Iron with Arnold, indulges in the same setups (good vs. bad, behind the scenes trickery, hero vs. villian, etc) to create tension and conflict, but it is up to the viewer to figure out how much is real and how much is setup here, and that requires an open mind and some intellect, and without these qualities, the viewer likely will not quite understand just what is going on here and miss the full benefit of the film. You have to get past any predjudices to actually see how beautiful these women really are. (Particularly the stunning future ex-wife of Jean Claude VanDamme, Gladys Portugese). This film remains highly recommended as a companion to the Gaines/Arnold Pumping Iron (I) and, despite the hype, has a place in history for showing the origins of the "Golden Era" of female bodybuilding, a world that no longer exists in this form. One quote from the film (By Rachel McLish, on being teased by the men) seems to sum it up for me when she retorts (paraphrase) "I never denied being a Powderpuff, but I'm a really STRONG Powderpuff!"...

Staring down Racism in it's ugly face, Peckinpah's historical fiction adventure has it all: Indians, Confederates, Yankees (including Black "Smoked Yankees"), Mexicans, Cowboys, German Fraus, French Lancers and Moroccan Infantry; every ethnic group in the area during the time is represented, and how many Directors had the stones to deal with this subject matter, especially then during the hotbed of the Civil-rights era & a hot war in Vietnam? Peckinpah!!. Both cuts have their merits, simply choose to appreciate the good scenes and ignore the claptrap! This film is brimming with great memorable scenes and performances by it's talented cast. Heston's rote "Principles of Combat" speech...At the scene of the massacre: (Major: "I hope he was dead when they did that to him", Sergeant:"If he was dead they wouldnt have bothered"), Coburns pithy comment about the price of being in the Cavalry; Harris chewing out his weaselly "Red-Necked-Peckerwood"; The toothy cameraderie of Warren Oates & Brock Peters evaluating the fighting merits of the French Troops; Tim Hutton's fetish for Artillery and the beautiful brass "Baby howitzer" itself; The mounted singing duel; The look on Peters face when called out by the Peckerwood and the deadly confrontation when Confederate Sergeant Ben Johnson takes offense, and of course all the battle scenes are excellent, particularly the concluding fight against the Lancers; this film is packed with these and more if you can get around all the hype and just grab the popcorn and enjoy them!. Heston, Harris & Coburn are obviously enjoying themselves here, & you should do the same. I count this as one of Heston's best roles. A personal favorite of mine & tough guys worldwide. A "flawed materpiece"? Yes, but still a masterpiece of the genre nonetheless...

Regarding filmmaker Christopher Bell: If you are anti, you'll say he is pro; and if you are pro, you will say he did not go far enough. Bell's alleged "moral dilemma", (that his/our so-called "heroes" were flawed for using PED's/Performance Enhancing Drugs) often comes off as childishly simplistic and overwrought, merely an affectation to advance the plot. It comes off as more sly wink, with his own smarmy brand of humor, than true righteous indignation. I have extremely serious issues with his portrayals of how "easy" it is to obtain steroids and how to manufacture bogus "legal" supplements. These segments were both misleading and downright irresponsible, particularly in light of the crackdown on those attempting to obtain steroids. There are now a vast number of people doing hard time and some have even lost their lives (the ultimate "unintended consequence") in this new "war on testosterone", yet Bell does not once mention this and treats the issue as a lighthearted joke. I consider this a major fault in this film, an omission that undermines the rest of the content by effectively leaving the viewer ignorant of the serious consequences facing the "little guy" (rather than rich sports/Hollywood figures who can afford expensive legal resources), and avoids taking to task the law enforcement arms who would rather make a "safe" steroid arrest than take the personal risk of going gun to gun against violent armed drug gangsters pushing serious drugs that actually are a menace to society, unlike steroids. Greg Valentino is brought in for shock value, and again, it is left for the viewer to assume his distorted arms are the result of steroid use, despite the fact there is no other person shown with a similar look (synthol oil), yet the segments with Jay Cutler and Will Harris were cut from the film(?). The segments with John Romano and Dr. Yesalis, who have something constructive to say, should have been expanded over the Valentino footage. Bell also dropped the ball regarding the Sylvester Stallone incident in Australia, reinforcing the impression that Stallone was physically arrested for "Steroids", when in fact the compound was HGH, was legally held by Stallone under a prescription, and that Stallone never spent any time in handcuffs or in jail. The beef was strictly an importation issue, nothing more (until the biased media got hold of the story, that is). Stallone's comments about HGH ("It's nothing") and pro-testosterone comments ("Improves the quality of life"..."May be sold over the counter in 10 years") regarding mature men and HRT are not mentioned. Let me point out the hypocrisy of actress Suzanne Somers freely championing hormone therapy for women without a peep heard from the media, while Stallone is loudly reviled for doing the exact same thing for men, an outrageous display of the double standard gone wild. Bell's love-hate relationship with bodybuilding and powersports provide him with a dragon to both ride and slay at the same time in his quest for fame, but it is a shame he feels it necessary to step on both the "innocent and the guilty" in his juvenile tantrum against Catholic style disillusionment (Was it really necessary, for example, to dog Arnold by pointing out the winner of the Arnold Classic had a steroid related arrest history?). I could go on, but the intelligent reading this will "get my drift", while the close-minded fanatics cannot be helped anyway. At least he did cover the positive use of steroids in medicine, and included the HIV+ subjects comments, and makes the point that steroid use is no "shortcut", and users in fact train as hard or harder than alleged "naturals". The film does more good than harm in the total scheme of it's subject matter, but is very far from definitive for the general public. The film is vastly superior to the Documentary "The Man Whose Arms Exploded", which was rife with misinformation and was designed to be an anti-Steroid/PED propaganda piece (Curiously, both films feature many of the same people). It may be better to simply man-up and produce a blatantly pro-PED piece rather than claim to be evenhanded and fail both sides in the process. Nonetheless, I still highly recommend seeing the film and let the chips fall where they may, although it still leaves the burden on anyone sporting an above-average physique to defend themselves against those who have seen the film and now fancy themselves "experts", but remain hostile on the subject. Two steps forward, and one step back for "Bigger, Stronger and Faster".

Glorifying the 1950's Era USMC as only the detail-freak genius Jack Webb could, this is a worthy cornerstone to his legacy. With some of the most memorable lines ever written for a military film, and painstaking detail as expected from Webb. You can tell that he is having a ball portraying this character, and he takes advantage of the opportunity to the maximum, even down to fanatical details of uniform fit and finish for himself and the cast. This film is a cult classic that still makes subsequent films on the same subject quail in comparison, good though they may be (i.e. "Boys in Company C", "Full Metal Jacket", "Take The High Ground" - a film not on the Flixter database as of this writing-"Officer & a Gentleman", etc) and Webb's character T/Sgt. Moore does it without uttering a single profanity(!), unlike the others. The cast is 95% actual Marine NCO's. Though the story bows to Studio conventions of the day (i.e. subcurrent love story, of course with mind-bogglingly beautiful women picked for the roles, especially Webb's enamorata and the Southern-Belle club singer. These sexy babes were not scared of wearing tight skirts and spiked-Heels!. Webb favorite, Actress Virginia Gregg turns in a short but effectively soulful performance here as a Marine mother, and of course a few joke setups that were seen as corny even then), with well shot scenes of sharply uniformed Jarheads partying down at the local illegal booze carrying "Slop-Chute"(with an interestingly realistic fight scene), this film would either inspire one to join up or frighten others in terror of such tough training and discipline, as I am certain it has done over generations. The "murder" of a Sand Flea incident is worth the price of admission alone, and the aforementioned lines, superior to anything Tarantino has done, will ring in your head long after the credits roll. The response to being surrounded by a superior enemy force is pure classicism. Taken in proper context, you may well find, as I have, a little spot of respect and affection for this well-crafted military melodrama that I never tire of watching. I cannot recommend this film highly enough, 1st class buttered popcorn time is to be had here. A double feature of this one followed by "Pork Chop Hill" would make an effective "Yin&Yang" of the era. I have yet to see the DVD transfer, and will update when I finally aquire a copy.

The "Pre-quel" to "Zulu", watch this one first..A must see film IMVVHO especially for MilHistory buffs. "pete36" from Belgium at IMDB had these comments about the film which I agree with..."In fact, a prequel to 'Zulu' (1964) directed by Cy Endfield who was also a major collaborator on ZD. As 'Zulu' is about the battle of O'rourke's drift, one of the most celebrated victories in British military history, ZD deals with one of the biggest defeats of the British army by an indigenous force. It happened just a few days before the events in 'Zulu'.

ZD is sheer heaven for history buffs : everything is recreated into the tiniest detail : the uniforms, entirely filmed on location in South-Africa Natal province , the famous Martini Henry rifles, even including some kind of prehistoric rocket launchers, so no cost or effort were spared to recreate the conditions of the battle.

The Brits are represented by the cream of English actorsgild : Peter O'Toole as the too self-confident general, Simon Ward as the green lieutenant, Bob Hoskins (just before his breakthrough role in "the Long Good Friday") as a hardasnails sergeant and Denholm Elliot as one of the ignorant troop commanders.

Also a large Boer party ( settlers mostly from Holland as 'Boer' is the Dutch word for farmer) took part in the battle, lead here by none other then Burt Lancaster ! In 1879 the Boers still sided with The British against the Zulus. Twenty years later, after having defeated the Zulus, the Brits and Boers turned against each other and became involved in a struggle for the diamond-rich Natal province. A very bloody three-year war followed, simply known as 'the Boer war', where the British army was nearly defeated by the much smaller number of unprofessional Boers soldiers.

Director Douglas Hickox ( Entertaining Mr Sloane, Sitting Target, Sky Devils,etc..)does an excellent job and turns in a classic-style, immaculate and spectacular epic. Sadly ZD was a big flop at the box-office and marked the end of the old-style colonial epics, up until the recent remake of 'The Four Feathers'.

It also marked the end of the career of director Hickox in feature-length movies and he was forced to work for TV, condemned to churning out superior 'schmalzy' series as 'Mistral's Daughter', 'Sins', etc...

But as historical epics go, they do not come any better than this. I rate it 8/10.

If you like this try also 'Khartoum' (1966)". So there you have it. Break out the popcorn and get into it, Kids!!!

And watch this one second, for a micro view of the "sideshow" battle (the small victory out of the larger defeat shown in Zulu Dawn). A Must See...(Also, outstanding music by John "James Bond" Barry, get the soundtrack CD!)...

Interracial Sex? First H.Wood movie to exploit it w/Gorgeous Raquel "Tejada" Welch & Big Jim "Dirty Dozen" Brown doing the deed as star-crossed lovers during the hellish times of the Mexican Revolution era, this movie has it all: Outstanding Music by genius Gerry Goldsmith so awesome it was nicked and used in another above-average western ("The Last Hard Men" w/Coburn, Heston, Rivero). Hans "Eric Braeden" Gudast and Fernando "Father of Lorenzo" Lamas turn in excellent villainous performances here, but the real heroes other than Goldsmith are the 2nd Unit, cinematographers and editors, who take max use of the beautiful panoramic vistas handed them and director Gries always shows interesting camera angles to tell the story. Tons of well-staged action ensues which shows the cruelty of the Mexican Revolutionary era without the Peckinpahish' realism. You will love the scenes regarding the Priestly dilemma with death. One of the few films of its genre that deals with the now exterminated Mexican Yaqui Indians, which are integral to the plotline. This historically accurate fiction yarn is pleasing on so many levels, yet deals with a heavy subject "lightly"...Enough good points to merit watching, and after all, it's got Rocky Welch in her prime (Hell, she still is lookin' pretty damn good these days, she ages quite well and stays in shape, probably on HGH...Just kidding!(Not! /;-)...Rugged all the way, between Burt Reynolds clowning and Brown's serious ex-10th Cavalry Pony-Soldier/Lawman persona, plus the incomparable face & awesome physique of warrior princess Rocky to drool over, you can't miss here: a definite testosterone man's type of flick, (unless you are offended by Interracial sex scenes, and this is very tame and sanitized, after all it was the first one shown in a big Hollywood production)...100 Rifles stands proudly in the "Badass MoFo" genre of hard ridin' western films, with memorable scenes, lines, visuals, and violent action. Grab a big tub of the 30 weight & salted popcorn and enjoy the ride!...

I was there...Ranger-Airborne!...Unique among Vietnam war films, since the war was still in progress when this film was made. Haters like TV Guide still to this day insult this film (and Wayne's politics) in their listings, but in fact 90% of the soldiers in the film were real vietnam combat veterans, experts in what the war was all about from the ground level!. The G.I. slang used is the real deal also ("Wouldn't want to get a writer Greased"...Need a larger "Killing Area" on the perimeter, That's the patrol that got "Zapped" by "Charlie" etc). The battle sequence assault on the A-Team Camp, which is based on an actual fight ("Gooks in The Wire"), is notable for what was left out of the film because it was so gruesome, ("Hit the Fougasse!"!) but was recreated in detail to the standards of censorship of the day. George "Ghey" Takei ("Star Trek"'s original "Sulu") is outstanding as the ruthless SVN-SF Officer wanting to kill his way home to Hanoi. Former leading man Aldo Ray is predictably tough as the bull-necked Top Sergeant. Master actor David Janssen shines as the soulful, world-weary hard drinking writer who is reborn to a higher cause after seeing communist viet-cong brutality first hand. Football player Mike Henry is short on acting skills, but adequate to the task of the reliable tough guy. The charming charismatic Jim Hutton provides the tragi-comedic edge only an actor of his skill could muster ("I'm not a Marine, I believe in my comfort"). John Wayne used a stable of familiar faced Hollywood character actors, such as Jack "Barney Miller" Soo, The gorgeous Irene Tsu as the glamorous Double-Agent. The ridiculously handsome Jason Evers ("T.H.E. Cat") as the A-Camp Captain, Luke Askew as the blue-eyed intense professional soldier ("You're a Heavy Weapons Specialist? Not if I can find a light one, Sir") worried about his legacy, and former leading man Bruce Cabot (original "King Kong"). Old School corny in some places, but realistic in others, vets will understand and appreciate what Wayne was trying to do here, and realize that this film was a labor of love & respect ...Notable for showing Black troopers in an era where Black males in heroic roles were rare on screen. Raymond "Cotton Comes To Harlem" St. Jaques plays the Medic, and there are several real Black Paratroopers & Green Berets shown in the film. Wayne was so impressed by the Black SF Troopers, he made it a point to show them in the film. He was so impressed, he actually changed his attitude about what the Black man was capable of, and publicly stated that he felt that qualified Blacks were as good as any man, which was a controversial statement at a time when blatant white racism was still overt and common in much of the USA (For example, look for the scene when Janssen arrives at the A-Team camp, where a Black Beret Sergeant walks away, then turns and asks Janssen if he needs a hand with his gear. This scene was intentionally scripted by Wayne to show that the Black sergeant was NOT Servile, but equal). The film features an avant-garde musical score by Miklos Rosa, with a stirring macho rework of the "Ballad of the Green Berets" theme, and incorporation of oriental instruments (that some found annoying). There is no CGI here, all stunts & SFX are done the old school way, and with the inherent limitations, of 1960's technology. Though it is still, after all this time, fashionable in some quarters to bash this film and the military values of heroism and virile masculinity it embodies. These nattering Nabobs of negativity are too cowardly to admit that it is these "fighting soldiers" that go and do, who provide the freedom that enables such unappreciative pencilnecked punk psuedo-intellectuals, to run their mouths in the first place...(and the same is true even today as American soldiers, as said in the film "Go...to emergency areas of the world... and fight who they are told to fight")...In the 60's/70's, real men wore olive drab, not love beads....

Ruthless battle action glorifying the US Infantry against Nazi forces in WW2. Based on actual battle reports from the infamous "Murder Ridge" on the notorious "Sigfried Line". Director Siegel does his best with a strong cast of current and future greats even though he has to bow to studio pressures and slip in some comic relief via Superstar crooner Bobby Darin and urbane Bob Newhart. James Coburn is a standout here, showing his toothy handsomeness against "Flint" type as a low key mechanic who goes ape-nutso in the infamous flamethrower scene, and Big Fess Parker is convincing as the Top Sergeant, plus egotist actor Nick"The Rebel" Adams typically tries to steal as many scenes as he can. Mike Kellin makes the most of his doomed character, and Siegel uses the Hitchcockian "God" camera angle to it's most terrifying effect in his death scene, shockingly realistic. The final panoramic battle scene was incorporated from an actual Army training exercise, so there is the proverbial "cast of thousands" being put to use here, no phony CGI. McQueen's characterization of the stripped-of-his- stripes-Butcher-knife carrying "Reese" is compelling, as a war-lover who, as the irascible Captain haplessly describes as not being able to understand a soldier "Who cracks up when the pressure is off". Reese lives for the adrenaline rush of combat. He drinks and whores enough to be a screw up when not "on the line" killing the enemy. I saw this film as a kid with my Korean War Veteran uncle who gave it a thumbs up and I'm sure it helped shape my persona somewhat, so it remains a nostalgic favorite of mine and an overlooked McQueen performance arguably as strong or even better than in "Bullitt", 'The Great Escape" or "The Sand Pebbles", because unlike those other roles, "Reese" is 110% hardcore. His only weakness is booze & cheap broads. It's obvious Reese was a killer long before he volunteered for the Army, (probably to stay out of prison), which is why he can't keep his stripes. Although this film has it's flaws (Even "Citizen Kane" is not 100% perfect) this is still seriously worth some buttered popcorn time for movie buffs with an open mind, who can appreciate one of the better examples of the "War Is Hell" (& "Badass MoFo') genre...

Oscar Winning Performance by Borgnine cheated because of the "rules", as this film was shown as a TV Movie in the US and a Movie in the rest of the world, the classic "Cliff-Notes" version for those who were not forced to read the book in school is compelling and closer to the book than the earlier version. Sir Lew Grade, of that generation, spared no expense to "get it right", and so many years & wars on, tells the specifically timeless tale of the horrors of WW1 (gas attacks, trench warfare, mindless Prussian militarisim which was to return under Hitler, etc)...Veterans will appreciate the gritty realisim...This may be the only war-oriented "date movie" you can watch with your babe of choice, assuming she has enough brains to deal with the materiel....Not to be missed...(PS: I created a skin dedicated to this film)...

Oscar winning, I first saw these in college film class, used as examples of how to edit a film the right way. Genius Capra used captured enemy film against the Axis in a masterful way. In one (of many) examples, he superimposed Nazi tanks in a scene with massacred French civilians in a way so subtle you might not notice it if you are not looking really close, straight into the subconcious mind. Then there is the notorious "shooting gallery" scene, where he shows Hitler, Mussolini & Tojo, over a track of carnival music while throwing in the line "If you ever meet them, don't hesitate"!. Just brilliant stuff all the way. (Don't forget, these were made for U.S. troops before being released to the general public) This is blatant propaganda for sure, but you will enjoy being manipulated and shake your head with amazement at just how good (and effectively) this stuff is put together, and on top of all that, all of it is true!. I never get tired of watching these, I'm always catching some cool bit I did not notice before. A must see series for the serious filmhead...

US Infantry vs. Fanatical oriental Communist forces in blood-soaked battle: 1953 Korea! ("They're not just Orientals, They're Communists!!"). Ranks with "Lost Command" for showing accurate military tactics. The actual person Pecks persona is based on was the technical adviser. This film recreates actual events, and with hardcore but antiwar Ukrainian Director Lou Milestone at the helm, we know we are getting the real deal here. Awesome musical score and solid cast of future greats & solid character actors makes this a must-see that veterans will appreciate as being damn near as close as it gets without real bullets and artillery flying at you...Notable for including Japanese-American & Black actors in the cast, a big deal at the time of it's making, portraying them as Men rather than stereotypes: showing the improved Army after they had proved themselves in WW2 & the then new abolishment of racist segregation in the military, which only added to the realism the film effectively projects. A Great time-capsule (before Peck, a'la Eastwood, caved in to the Hollywood SAG "politically-correct" crowd who never grasped what this essentially anti-war film, was all about, preferring the overly-simplistic "America is Evil" line personified by "Racist with credentials" Oliver Stone and similar ilk). Pork Chop Hill and director Milestone's vision stands firmly in the face of such faddishness and still gets to the point as directly as a kick in the genitals-even today!. Grab a tub of buttered popcorn and get into it...You will be a better person for the effort...Don't miss it!

The Big Bore Revolver shooters fave flick, Rogue Army Vet Cops wearing the traditional (pre- facistic) uniform of the SFPD Motorcycle Squad, kill-off several criminal scum, until things get out of hand and innocent bystanders and fellow cops begin to start dropping like flies. Tons of (stylized) Police firearms handling for aficianadoes with sexy camera angles and framing used for effect. Notable for the naked breast shots of cute future Blonde Bombshell Suzanne Sommers (no implant artificial fillers in the 70's, Sonny!), also star beginnings of the late Robert Urich (got him the job on TV's SWAT), and David Soul (got him the job on TV's Starsky & Hutch). With great San Francisco exteriors, the Cops lament has not changed since this movie was made, as the Courts, DA's & Politicians still let criminals get away with murder (witness the recent murder of SFPD Officer Espinoza, where the DA outright refused to seek the death penalty for the killer before he was even arraigned!...And they wonder why violent crime is out of control in S.F. even today?) Since John Milius wrote the story (and received a presentation S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum as tribute) all the firearms details are accurate, including "Dirty Harry" clearing up the myth that he uses .44 magnum loads for carry, he in fact uses the classic, .44 Special load for manhunting, something few real-life departments would ever approve, but great & fits the mood for this Police action drama. "Dirty" Harry is a different breed from (McQueen's) Lt. Frank Bullitt, but I can imagine the two fictional SFPD Detectives swapping shop-talk and beers at the no-longer-politically-correct Cop bar...(they really don't make em' like they used to, and for the record, such young cops cannot join the motorcycle squad, that is for senior officers only)....Also: Sounds by musical genius Lalo "Mission Impossible" Schifrin, cool jazzy beats here, a fave of "Clint the Squint", Get the soundtrack album...

Cult classic, stylish action, good acting, atmospheric musical score, & classically inspired story. Much has been said about this film, so I'll keep it short and to the point. Grab a copy of the director's cut for the full monty, the behind the scenes stuff, interviews, and recut is worth it...Debbie Van Valkenburg and James Remar stand out, as does David P.Kelly as the noxious bad guy. The skilled Remar (and the delectable Mercedes Ruehl) appear to be the only actors currently working in film...

Bloody personal combat with cold steel is the theme, adapted from a Joseph Conrad story ("Heart of Darkness" aka "Apocalypse Now") and masterfully arranged by Ridley Scott, you can't call yourself a fan of his work and have not seen this. Indoor and outdoor scenes are like the paintings of the Old Masters, and the swaggering Military Fashion of the era is painstakingly reproduced to the most minute detail. This goes for the ladies in the story also, who all are natural beauties. Scott balances visual beauty and violence with nary a slip. (In fact you can watch this one with your babe of choice and not get flak for it). Actor Morgan Sheppard puts in a memorable cameo as a fight instructor. A must see for the serious flimhead...

Smoking, drinking hard liquor, and bad guys dropping dead from automatic weapons fire: 2 out of 3 actions never seen on the classic TV show ain't bad!. The kills are clean (no dwelling on blood splatter), the booze is whiskey & Bud, and the smokes are cigars; all making a politically incorrect statement about what this more violent hardcore update of the "A-Team" is all about (doing what could not be done under the originals television censorship rules, which is a good thing, and re-set from Vietnam to the Middle East). As expected, this film is action oriented, with the required shootouts, vehicle chases and airborne daredevil stuntwork being the engine, rather than the plot. Neeson and Co. play their characters faithful to the originals and the film succeeds on this level. In rock and roll, certain bands like "AC/DC" have one vein they mine repeatedly and the audience knows what to expect and do not want any suprises. This film is like that. You get what you expect and that is more than good enough. Military/Police/Vets will approve of the exotic firearms hardware on display (Including the signature "Mini-14") and the attention to correct detail taken with the military uniforms. Part of the setup is "soldierly virtue" vs. 'mercenary ruthlessness", with the bad guys (one clearly sporting a German flag on his gear, with all that implies) being a thinly disguised version of the notorious "Blackwater" combat security company (ironic, since in reality 95% of these operators are ex military) and rogue CIA agents. The beauty of Jessica Biel is showcased more on her glorious face rather than the magnificent physique she is known for (the original show also cast beautiful women, so this is expected, since Stephen J. Cannell's influence is strong in this film, he appreciates fine women, firearms, and gets twisted humor points for naming one of the bad guys "Tuco", a riff on Eastwood's GB&U). Cameos are reserved for the end. Don't hold this to being anything more than an action film, because that would make you a fool if you do. It does not make excuses for what it is and puts on no airs of being "classic cinema". If you are a fan of the "blood & thunder" genre, "A-Team" gets the job done as a roller-coaster ride with a dash of silly comedy/drama and serviceable visuals heavy on the CGI. Grab the buttered popcorn and have a go...

IRON MAN RULES!-(No Spoilers):They got it about as correct as possible for a Hollywood film, Marvel being in full control for the first time really shows & shines here...Marvel Universe aficianadoes will appreciate some of the little touches dropped in here. Ancients who remember the 1960's TV (badly) animated Iron Man, will recognize the reworked music theme slipped early in to the film, a very cool nod. Stan Lee has a hilarious cameo, and the advent of "War Machine" is alluded to, as is the budding international law-enforcement agency S.H.I.E.L.D.(!). Paltrow does no scene without her strappy spiked-heels on (Yum!). Bridges plays against his usual type here, you may not even recognize him at first (Though I may have problems with Bridges & Paltrows politics, they do first class work here). I have only 2 highly personal nitpicks:A tad more battlesuit action would have been nice, & R.D.jr. could have gotten in the weight-room and buffed up a bit for the role (He has no excuse, he already has a personal chef and reportedly eats right and supplements - Being over 40 just doesnt cut it as an excuse these days either, just means it's a little tougher getting in shape. He should look up Supertrainer Chas. Glass at Gold's Gym SoCal). Other than his lackluster physique, he is perfect cast as Tony Stark (after all, he has real world experience with substance abuse, as does the fictional Stark, except fictional Stark is driven to maintain a muscular physique to support his heart implant. I cannot help liking Stark, he reminds me in some ways of myself, Hah!). Otherwise, 1st Class popcorn time is to be had here. The crowded house I saw this with were very enthralled and appreciative of the film, laughing & cooing in all the right places, despite not being aware of the backstory. I'm glad I saw this on the big screen, it works well. One last thing, do not leave before the end credits if you are a Marvel Universe familiar, there is a great little teaser treat for you there that will leave you with a smile...

One of the best 007 flix period! Honor Blackman is excellent as is Gert...

Heavy action packed with a solid cast of top talent, and outstanding musical score, this was originally written for Connery and Lazenby does good journeyman work as a tough and muscularBond, but his credibility suffered in the UK because he had done TV adverts for Heinz baked beans and the press wouldnt give him a break on this. In comparison to the Roger Moore version of Bond, one can look back an appreciate this film as better than any of Moore's, tougher and closer to the spirit of Ian Flemings books. Notable for having 2 beautiful women from the TV hit "The Avengers" in the cast, Diana Rigg and Joanna Lumley, not to mention the great Savalas as master criminal Blofeld...

Black Pilots in WW1?. Notable for including an avatar of the real life Black Aviator Eugene Bullard, who flew for France when the US Military would not permit it! In fact when all US Pilots were transferred to the US Army Air Force, Bullard was grounded, told that Blacks were incapable of flying planes even though he had been doing it! Racism SUX!!. Though a Hollywood version of events, the FX are very cool and tell the story well of an era hard to grasp by people today, which is why I forgive the filmakers, who were forced to give it a pass to present stupidity and go for the action/glory aspect just to get an audience. Superfluous love scenes are expected, so this one is a great 30 weight oiled popcorn fest, do it as a double feature with the Borgnine version of "All Quiet On The Western Front" with your babe of choice and after all this horror and stimulation, getting laid will be in the cards!/;-)

Making of a Black Regiments true story handled well in terms of our Civil War History, including showing the difference between the 54th vs. locally raised black troops, and the quality of the white officers commanding them. (An Oscar winning performance by Denzel Washington)....

A testament to the legacy of Director Ivan ("Hogans Heroes") Dixon(RIP), the tough excellent & subversive novel on which it was based was vastly superior to this film version, largely due to budget constraints. In fact it is amazing this film was made at all. It was rumored for years that the FBI/CIA obtained all the original prints of this film to keep it out of circulation, but there was one copy that made underground showings, usually at night in local churches nationwide. This film is still capable of shocking the viewer, once they realize where the plot is going and what could have happened if circumstances had aligned as shown. There were 2 other novels released at around the same time ("The Seige" & "Civil War II", one written by the later to be famous "The Executioner/Mack Bolan" author Don Pendelton) both depicting a future where the US Forces are "all-volunteer" and largely Black, where a military coup ensues, basically a patriotic flip-side to the "Spook" storyline (there was also "Barber Shop" speculation these were backed by secret government money to defuse the fallout from "Spook"). This film is non-racist (in comparison to extremely racist fiction like "Turner", that were favorites of terrorists McVey, Franklin, and the murderous thugs of "The Order"), the theme being more "disillusioned patriot" than Marxist, despite the hopes of the leftists. A must-see film (now that it is on DVD) both from historical & artistic standpoints, as well as a warning of how close we came to anarchy at a time of rampant political fratricide, the ripples of which we are still suffering from even today (think Clinton/Pelosi/Obama/Carter/etc)....

Hard muscled mean old bastard Bronson, showing ripped abs & a lean vein etched physique at over 50 years old (that puts to shame most half his age), takes his shirt off and lays the smackdown over several opponents who underestimate him because of his age. A street fighting counterpoint to the flood of flashy asian martial arts films released at the time, the message was that a western knuckled knockout punch to the head may not be pretty and artful, but gets the job done by knocking the M.F. the F' out!. Director Hill ("The Warriors") gets effective low-key work out of master actor James Coburn, the reliable Strother Martin, and the camera loves the English rose beauty of Jill Ireland. Noir atmosphere, two-fisted violence with a testosterone edge and a realistic nod to the desperate lives lived during this hardscrabble era of people doing what they may not like but have to do to survive (prostitution and cage fighting being 2 edges of the same sword) makes this one a "thinking man's" version of the "Bad-ass-mofo" genre....

An anti-war film for war film buffs who know better, it rode the wave of it's time, basically explaining how the Allied cooperation in WW2 devolved into the decades long "Cold War" era, if you cant grasp this concept you will be frustrated watching this film. Notable for actually showing racist assault on Black troopers trying to have fun in Europe which is realistic for the era. Great cast, with memorable work by young George "Hannibal" Peppard and handsome G. Hamilton. Memorable scene not to be missed of Maurice Ronet as ruthless French Commando leader who schools American troopers on how to take a Nazi machine-gun nest. Not for the easily bored/short attention span crowd, this is "thinking man's" war exploitation cinema....

Heavy Firearms action lovingly crafted as only someone not allowed to own them could do, this one is notable for the female cast that drive the story (many look like fashion models) with particular kudos to a brunette version Marjorie Monaghan, and the drop-dead gorgeous perfect bodied green-eyed Debbie Shelton, who Director Pyun apparently convinced to show off her weight-trained abs, vascularity and lucious breastworks. Her mouth-watering scenes alone make this worth watching. Cute Merle Kennedy, in her boots and shorts is like a pint-sized Lara Croft. Gruner, Thomerson, Brion James & Tagawa turn in servicable work, and despite a few glitches and continuity errors, this is still worth popcorn time for fans of sci-fi ultraviolence...

Derek Flint:The CIA's answer to Bond, kicks ass and takes names...Coburn at his dashing best. I hate the fact that they did not get an interview with him for the DVD before he passed on, and hate the stupid cover art tie-in to the Austin Powers "comedies", it's degrading IMVHO...

10/2010-I've finally gotten my hands on the box set of the complete series, repackaged by A&E in slim 2 disc cases. I'm working my way through methodically, and so far can report these are even better than I remembered, unlike the exaggerated antics of James Bond, UNCLE, and Flint of the time, these stories are more realistic, compact, and swank. Full report when I'm done. Young McGoohan as Agent John Drake: tight smiles & suits, blue eyes, cigarettes & cool-cat swagger (even the occasional gunplay, Drake uses brain more than his JiuJitsu, but doesn't hesitate to shoot when necessary, and knows his guns too). "Prisoner" stinks, this is the real deal!!. I'm really enjoying this excellent stuff...(previously, months ago, after watching the trailer posted here,I wrote):
Now THIS is the music theme I remember from "Danger Man"!!!...I was going a bit nutso, thinking I might be delusional, since Set#1 of A&E U.S. version of this show on DVD did NOT have this theme...I was beginning to wonder if I had imagined it, same as the great music for another "lost"show of the era with a bold but swingin' theme:"International Detective"...

(No Spoilers!) Grecian style Heroic tragi-comedy with a retired gunfighter theme spiced with coming of age classicism, this film satisfies on all levels, though many viewers wont pick up on some subtleties at first viewing, and some will never get it. Eastwood's love of hard bop jazz translates to this film which improvises with riffs from his previous work, especially the "Dirty Harry" series, "Outlaw Josie" & "Heartbreak Ridge"s hardened Korean War veteran Sergeant. Snappy & profane, yet subdued language, both modern and vintage, make Tarantino's riffs look pompously artificial in comparison to Clint's jazzy chops. Eastwood gets away with murder on the dialogue, simply because everyone with a brain knows in real life he is the most non/anti-racist professional artist out there, with a consistent track record in all the films under his control (and effectively put foot to ass on Spike Lee's fatmouthing, when Clint pointed out that he filmed "Byrd" when no Black director would, "Spike" had to shut the "F" up and back off like the little New York ego inflated Black Woody Allen chump he is). I was startled by the "ways guys talk" riff, when I realized that this was something my crowd did at high school age, unwittingly learned from the male role models around us (most of whom were WW2 & Korean War Vets), a bittersweet mind-blower that brought a nostalgic crooked smile to my face, and makes for good fun here for those who understand. Another scene where the young Hmong girl is accosted by a pack of Black street Homies, and her verbal responses, were reminiscent of 1940's actresses Myrna Loy, Lauren Bacall & Carol Lombard, in sarcastic tough-broad-beyond-her-years bite, Clint & her playing off each other to best effect, riffing on a Callahan-ish improv jam. The only criticism I might consider is the weakness in acting chops in the mostly young unskilled cast, but Clint manages to force adequate performances out of them (combined with skillful editing) that makes this not too glaringly obvious for the most part. Although the packed crowd I saw this with were visibly and vocally disappointed with the ending, they did not seem angered about the irony, seeming to understand Clint had an agenda here and was trying to make a point. This film will do good on DVD, it begs seeing more than once. Add this to your deck of post-summer movies to see, I doubt you will regret it...

A muscular, lean, & ripped older Chas. Bronson goes on the warpath against a lynching Posse of rapist/racists seeking him for killing a "lawman" in self-defense. The reliable Palance and a cast of stalwart hollywood character acting experts are in in this period revenge tale. Director Winner ("Death Wish") outdoes Stallone by making the most of Bronsons athletic, hard, vein etched cut muscles & shredded rippled abs, shown as a metaphor for his pure warrior character vs. the degenerate mix of true criminals and disillusioned innocents drawn into the hunt, but turn out being the hunted to pay for their atrocities. Predictable? Yes, but still worth watching how the events unfold, thanks to the talents of the cast. Good stuff for fans of the "Bad-ass-mofo" genre of action films...(Note: Created Flixter skin dedicated to this film)

From the twisted, drug addled mind of Robert Downy Senior, watching this will explain why his son is such a masterful actor and such an emotional drug-dependant wreck. Notable for enabling the resume of Antonio Fargas, the majority of the actors never devloped much beyond this project. While an anti-racism screed, the ultimate message is Blacks are their worst enemies and given a chance will screw things up (the first I agree with, the latter has been proven not to be the case). Bizarre in content, there are some uncomfortably hilarious scenes here that the open-minded will enjoy very much, which makes it a must see for the serious filmhead...

Police procedural based on the Swedish novel reset to San Francisco. I have read the original book, from a series of Detective fiction by Maj Sjowali & Per Whaloo, and some details work others dont (in the book, it is explained easily how the bad guy obtained a machinegun: a leftover WW2 Suomi gun used by anti-Nazi resistance fighters, in the movie, the villian just happens to have one. There is some mumbling about a Korean War era .45 Cal. "Grease Gun" but the one used is a 9mm Smith & Wesson copy of the Danish Madsen 9mm SMG). Some scenes are filmed in the actual real SFPD locations (In fact, the real SFPD SWAT team is used in one scene), such as the Homicide Bureau at the main Police HQ at 850 Bryaant St.; In the film, it accurately, and creepily, refers to the shady still-then-shocking pre-AIDS underground Gay culture, including Male "Go-Go-Dancers" and Beautiful "Lipstick Lesbians', in San Francisco as part of the story, again, something not in the original novel. Great second unit stuff showing location shots of 70's San Francisco (the no longer existing Embarko Freeway, Enrico's on Broadway which was also used in "Bullitt" for the scene with McQueen & "Rat Patrol" actor Justin Tarr; the Mission & 3rd St East Bay Terminal station with the cheap plastic pay mini-televisions and the old Green & white Muni Bus colors are memorable), and the story is interesting enough to make it worth some time with a jug of popcorn for fans of gritty Police Procedurals, just don't expect the action found in "Bullitt" or a "Dirty Harry" yarn, but this one ranks high up there with them as an SFPD set piece whodunnit'. Solid cast, with vets like Anthony Zerbe, and then newcomer and future Oscar winner Louis Gossett. I have never understood the appeal of the nasal-talking Bruce Dern, but he dons the big moustached 70's sexist Cop persona and lets his acting skills take up the slack. Matthau is as expected, excellent. The Babe Quotient is extremely high here, with drop dead-gorgeous bow to the Goddess auburn haired Joanna Cassidy flashing those high cheekbones & big baby blues and is still as fine as frog hairs, unlike the then Blonde beautiful & not well kept now skanishk Cathy Lee Crosby in the mix...The music holds up well also, not coming off as too dated...

Authentic Porn Stars in a big budget mainstream film for the first time, all Cameo shots. Stalwarts such as Ron Jeremy and Jamie Gillis hold up the male side, and gorgeous babes of the era abound, some only long enough to be recognized by aficianadoes (i.e. Miss Sharon Mitchell), others getting more face-time (i.e. the super-cute heartthrob Miss Amber Lynn). Director Frankenheimer chose to utilize these pros for authenticity (and probably for a little action on the side from such a plethora of hot-to-trot beauties in the area!/;-) Drop dead gorgeous pre-Jesus Freak "Vanity" gets nekkid' with class opposite the late master actor Scheider, and similarly gorgeous Ann Margaret appears. Clarence Williams III is sinister in the best sort of way. Servicable work by the actors under Frankenheimer's whip hand keeps the film from being too pedestrian and the musical score is approprtiate. This one has enough going for it to merit some popcorn time for fans of the blackmail/suspense genre, and reveals by comparison what crappy hack work we are bombarded with on these (canadian) cable late night TV shows that limply attempt to purvey this type of fare. Ultimately, this is a must-have archive for those who appreciate the guild member "A-List" porn stars of the era, who prove they did not have to do hardcore sex scenes to turn in a good performance in front of the camera lens...

The process of how war damages the emotional state of man is the theme here, based on the book by James Jones, this version is much closer to it than the useless later version which was in name only. Jack Warden epitomizes the brutally hard Sarge, and Dullea works as the enigmatic, Fruedian-named "Doll". Shockingly, for 1964, some subcurrent regarding homosexuality is touched upon. Despite some innacuracies regading firearms, the battle scenes are claustrophobic and straightforward. Read the short story "The Pistol" by James Jones, where he uses the same characters as TRL. This is "thinking mans" war exploitation genre'...

WW2 Uniform fashion show as action vehicle for Sinatra to show his acting chops and do a little revisionist history for the Italians. Edward Mulhare and Trevor Howard stand out here. This is more roller-coaster ride than serious documentary, so action fans will love it, purists will turn up their noses with distain.
Solid action directing by Marc Robson, who also helmed the superb "Lost Command". Get the butter out for your popcorn and get to crunchin'...

Not living up to the original pulp fiction stories and marred by the camp influence of the TV "Batman" series, this film can only be judged as what it could have been vs. what it was: A high-concept betrayed by the producers of it. Personally, influenced by my WW2 veteran school shop teacher who had read the original books in his youth, I became a huge fan of the reprinted paperback series of novels, and by comparison this film was a major disappointment. Although the basic elements are similar to the original story ("The Man of Bronze"), it becomes evident after the first 30 minutes that the production fails, falling into a way to make a quick buck rather than maintain the integrity of the materiel. What could have been a "blood & thunder ripping yarn" adventure (similar to the "Mummy" & "Indiana Jones" ripoffs) degenerates into undeserved mediocrity. Tall, handsome, built but still under-muscled Ex-"Tarzan" Ron Ely cannot save this, and the CGI of the time does not help either. Hopefully one day we will see Doc & his crew done proper justice, but I have no illusions this will happen unless someone who really loves the characters is willing to mount an effort. We will need someone of Spielberg's level to get it done right. I guess we can all hope...Doc deserves better than this. See it for the adventure at the least. This is not on DVD, but is regularly shown on Spanish language channels as a feature film, but even non-Spanish speakers can watch and enjoy what little fun can be pulled out of this film, so just do it....

More of a "Thinking Man's" War flick, the Hispanic heritige of the hero is never mentioned in the film, and the real Guy Gabaldon was not the tall, blue-eyed, painfully handsome specimen as portrayed here by the great Jeffery Hunter (there's the hollywood studio system of the time for you! Note:The real Guy Gabaldon was the technical advisor for this film). It's been several years since I've seen this one, but impressions remain. How Gabaldon esentially "went psycho" after seeing his buddy's skull split wide open by a Japanese Officers Katana sword, how he used his mastery of Japanese language to first hunt down and exterminate the enemy, then later using the same skills to save lives when he realizes with horror that the enemy are telling civilians that the Marines are going to rape/kill/slaughter their children and these hapless people begin throwing the babies off the cliffs and then comitting suicide. This is real stuff that actually happened, in fact there is documentary footage filmed on Saipan of civilians killing themselves. An interesting take on how mixing cultures can have unexpected results, and a servicible combat film based on actual events, I say grab the popcorn & check it out, I'm going to have to get the DVD for my collection and watch this one again. I might change this review after that however! we will see...(for more info see-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Gabaldon

Basically a remake of "Hell Is For Heroes" , this time in the air with the mighty U.S. 8th Air Force, McQueen playing a less admirable, morals lacking psychopath version of HIFH's "Reese" against clean and handsome Robert Wagner as they clash over the girl who can't decide between the Bad Boy and the Good Boy (Sounds like NYC or L.A. on a Saturday night, Eh?). Dumb requisite love story detracts from the action, but this is more psychological thriller than "War Is Hell" genre like "Hell Is For Heroes" or "Pork Chop/Hamburger Hill". A movie you can share popcorn with your Babe of choice, she gets the love story and you get to enjoy the heroic danger of the air action, not to mention the charisma of the great McQueen & Wagner...

Lauren "Baby" Bacall at her slinky hot green-eyed barely legal best ("You know how to whistle?"-A line often mistakenly attributed to Mae West)...Bogie was asked during a roast about him bangin' Baby. His response? "Just lucky, I guess"...Whotta' Man!...See this for the interactions and WW2 era atmosphere. Walter Brennan is amusing here, you can see why he was to be cast as the irascible "Grandpappy Amos" in later years, he is a character actors role model. This is required viewing for students of romance noir and those curious about the older man/younger woman scandalous relationship between these two. It will answer most of your curiosity about their chemistry, we should all be so lucky...Bacall is basically irresistible, with her fine-as-froghairs, bad-self. Point of interest for James Bond 007 fans: Musician Hoagy Carmichael has several scenes here. Ian Fleming described 007 as looking similar to Carmichael, but with more cruel facial features and attitude (yet another reason why Daniel Craig is one of the worst Bonds). Some of my favorite lines to watch for: "It's even better when you help", "Get a shave" & "Well who is she?"...When you see this, you will understand why. Worth the time...

Notable for including a Black actor as one of the Gangsters, as John Dillinger(who Bogart as Duke Mantee is clearly modeled on) broke out of jail with the help of a Black criminal in for murder, and this has been regularly overlooked in movie versiions of the story, in fact, the only other film where this is shown is the John Milius directed "Dillinger" with Warren Oates, also an excellent gangster film mostly accurate to events. Curiously, this same actor turns up as the Professor in his other film "Red Dawn"....

Stereotype packed, the Black actors at least get a showcase for their skills, and many have gone on to bigger things, but this film has it's niche appeal as a time capsule of an era where the US Army was not at it's best, and intentionally sought to rid itself of the Black street hoodlums it needed desperately to fight in combat in Vietnam. Welcomed into the ranks to fight, and discarded pitilessly when that war war declared a no-go...(I know about this from personal experience, as I was a Military Policeman during this era working the jail/stockade detail..and it not only sucked, it blew!)...I can say that, despite it's myriad flaws, it was better to have this film made than not, if only to let the viewer get a small glimpse into the mindset of the era, as sanitized as it is in this film. I have a problem with such anti-military individuals as the Sheen/Estevez Axis creating such stuff, revisionist history mind-control and all that rot, but viewing this with your BS detectors on full can still make an interesting film experience, at the performance level (the cast all do their best), so grab the salty buttered oiled popcorn and check it out...

Martial arts fights at it's best in a well shot epic. John Saxon, who was slated to be the star of this film and the only actual schooled American actor here (the majority in this film are real martial arts practitioners, look for a young Sammo Hung and Yang Tse) pulls off his part with ease (and was an actual karate brown belt to boot). Kelly cant act his way out of a paper bag, but his flashy OkinawaTe is great to watch. But we all know it's Lee's scenes we want to watch and he of course pulls off his ballet of combat skills that launched millions of martial artists in his wake, ultimately giving us the most ugly, mindless and brutal form of fighting, so-called "Mixed Martial Arts", which is certainly mixed but without any "art" whatsoever. Bruce is doing at least 1000 rpm in his grave about now. Watch it to his memory instead of UFC then wonder where it all went so wrong....

Flying fist action & ego driven camera angles, this movie has at least 3 different versions out there (for example, the china version has scenes cut from the US release, and the Euro version is different still). In short, watch this to see the master in deadly balletic action fight setups., period...Notable for giving a clumsy point-karate champ a career in film (Carlos Rey Norris). and the famous lat-ab flex balcony scene. Remember and take note: A short, skinny, nearsighted little shrimp might just kick your ass so be careful who you mess with when you are drunk leaving the bar at 2AM looking for a fight because you didnt get any action from the Chix', Foos'!....

Action Commando Raid opening sequence is top notch (Notable for having a clean shaven Richard "Paladin" Boone as a Nazi Afrika Korpsman with an arrogant attitude) but the film devolves into a biopic from the British point of view, basically giving respect to the guy that gave them several good kicks in the slats and was never a hardcore Nazi. Rommel was more the pure warrior, and his WW1 history is not covered here, which skews the story somewhat. Rommel had a series of books about his exploits in WW1 as a (true and actual) "Stormtrooper" Commando and was famous long before the "Ratzis" took over, which is why A.H. sought to exploit his reputation for their own twisted purposes (and also explains why they had to ice him later). Still, a wwell made movie worth some 2AM popcorn time...

Notable for covering the clash of colonial powers in Africa during WW1 and the high powered cast. The title is known more for the song by Motley Crue by most than this film they copped it from (during a drug induced haze while broadcast on late night TV). Excellent receation of the era with great panoramic on location filming with a huge cast of extras, including Askaris and massive props. But the project suffers from the direction since the film cannot seem to decide if it wants to be a serious actioner or a light comedy. Semi-entertaining enough to be worth a look however, particularly for fans of Moore, Marvin & the delectable Parkins...

Cult classic, excellent musical score by Gerald Fried is a standout here. Seen the original episodes but not this cut, so it would be unfair to attempt to rate it until then, but I am familiar with the musical score as mentioned above, which was part of a 2 CD set put out by Turner Classic Movies Silver Age Classics (FSM Vol5N0.18). Full review when I get to see this recut...

Skeletal Gladiators?, Titanic Bronze warriors?, Canibalistic Cyclops?. These and other horrors await in this SFX version of the classic Greek tale of adventure, and a nostalgic favorite of mine. Though posers may sniff at the FX, one has to understand they were state of the art when this film was made, and with that in mind, hold up very well even today, built by the detail obsessed artist Ray Harryhausen and his tedious "stop motion" technique, such hard work should be appreciated rather than smack-talked by those who wouldnt know a real hard day of work in their lives to begin with. This is a major fun popcorn movie, and if you have kids around, this will give em' a few thrills (and maybe a nightmare or two), but overall not to be missed by those who appreciate the classics in more ways than one....

Good CGI, hard to follow the Korean oriented story though...Fun...

This was no "Propaganda movie of the 80's" as all too many shallow thinkers purport. Director Milius had an agenda no doubt, however it is the same agenda as for his other film "Dillinger": To make a blood & thunder action film with historical riffs. I love the beats he slips in throughout. The visual nod to Teddy "Strenuous life" Roosevelt's "Rough Riders" (who were saved in battle by Black Cavalrymen). The allegory with American Revolutionary War martyr Crispus Attucks, when the history professor (Frank McRae) is the first to buy the farm...The radio messages being the same as used by French Maquis partisans in WW2 (as portrayed, and lifted from, the film "The Longest Day"), and the knowing smites at American firearms infingements, when we see the enemy commander (A dashing beret & mustachioed Ron "Superfly" O'Neal) order his troops to grab the BATF "Form 4473"s from the sporting goods store so they know the names and addresses of everyone who owns guns in the area so they can be "dealt with" (paperwork forced on citizens with threat of prison by the Fed Gov to legally buy a firearm, a wink by Milius who knows there are many in our own government that would love to do the same with this paperwork as the communist tyrants portrayed in this film)....and of course the scene where we literally see a Soviet paratrooper wrest a 1911A1 Government Model .45 from the "cold dead fingers" of a fallen citizen militiaman. "Red Dawn" is simply a cracking good "shoot-em'-up" with melodramatic interludes and nothing more, as was "Dillinger". Milius wanted to make a combat movie, earned the right, and this is it. (It is also the reason he is blackballed in hollywood to this day). So drop your snobbish pretensions, take it for what it is, grab the salted & buttered and have fun with it...

Sky Soldiers in realistic action, Vietnam's version of "Pork Chop Hill" (although all the soldiers look like underwear models)..The story of the fight is shown warts and all with not so "Friendly Fire " incidents and Bone-headed Commanders trying to direct the battle from helecopters. One of the legendary 101st Airborne's bitterest battles since the night drop on Normany in WW2 (See "The Longest Day) and start for "Law & Order actor Courtney Vance as the compassionate Medic, and the excellent Don Cheadle, Dylan McDermott, Boatman & Weber are standouts here. I actually ducked at the beginning of the film when I saw this on the big screen due to the dolby surround sound's repoduction of the sounds of flying bullets...(Did the same at "Glory", a little too realistic there!)...Like "Green Berets" the G.I. slang language used is accurate to those days....

The Black soldiers of the 761st Tank Battalion were outraged when this film was released, as their contribution was completely ignored, and their veteran's association lodged public protests. To add insult to injury, the one lone Black soldier in the film is Patton's Valet, a position some viewed as servile. Coppola and the production company had a chance to rectify this, since they ignored it during the time of the original release, with the 2006 Patton Special Edition DVD release but did not consider it important enough to make an effort (how hard would it have been to add a few minutes of film & commentary on the Special Features disc?). Even Patton himself displayed more class than Coppolla & Co.. "Patton, not originally fond of the idea of black armored units, welcomed the 761st with these remarks: 'Men, you're the first Negro tankers to ever fight in the American Army. I would never have asked for you if you weren't good. I have nothing but the best in my Army. I don't care what color you are as long as you go up there and kill those Kraut sons of bitches. Everyone has their eyes on you and is expecting great things from you. Most of all, your race is looking forward to you. Don't let them down and damn you, don't let me down!'".This is fact! This is just another example of Hollywood revisionist history and a slap at America's Black Warriors. Coppolla & Co. had the chance to do the right thing, but chose not to do so. They will have my everlasting contempt and hostility for this gratuitous insult to the honor of Black soldiers & all veterans of the U.S. Military!. (For links & info on the 761st, go to: http://www.talkingproud.us/HistoryBlackPanthers.html)

If you are not familiar with the Terminator universe, this film will make no sense to you. Rent the DVD's and catch up before seeing this, then you will fully enjoy this entry to the series. I heard many gripes from the audience I saw this with about Bale as Connor, so it goes. If you want action, this will not disappoint. CGI cameo by Arnold is most cool, would have liked to see it extended, it is just a teezer', but a good one. Grab the buttered popcorn and enjoy..

I lift...Arnold, Nubret and Franco at their best...Notice the great shapes and tight midsections they had back then (The "V" shape), unlike most of todays pro-bodybuilders (The "X" shape). The 25th SE has some great outtakes and a reunion scene not to be missed, especially when Arnold sees how big Lou still is!. Anyone who watches how hard these guys hit the weights puts the lie to the haters out there that try to claim it's all about AAS(steroids), which were legal back then anyway, and only taken in small amounts to hold on to hard-earned muscle while dieting off stubborn bodyfat. The fact is that most people are woefully ignorant at what professional bodybuilders do and how hard the diet and exercise is. Most are too cowardly to deal with the pain and too soft to deal with such strict eating patterns, and therefore reflexively talk smack and put-down those who forge themselves by the iron discipline they realize they do not have. Seeing these guys in action = Inspiring! I've got my protein shake ready and am on the way to the weight room now!...

Superior to the original, Director Troy Duffy takes advantage of casting Julie Benz as a 10 times more intense "Clarice Starling"-esque Ball-Busting FBI Agent in Christian Louboutin Spiked Heels & seamed stockings, form fitting dresses, and sub-compact satin finished 1911A1 pattern single action pistol carried in a custom front abdominal holster. Duffy caressingly films her, lovingly showcased in tight close ups, slow-motion glamor shots, and fabulous classy outfits. (It's obvious he has just as big a crush on her as I have had since her "Buffy" days, Benz just gets better looking as she matures, as does her acting skills; the dream sequence of her as a leather cowgirl shootist is worth the price of admission alone). The film serves primarily as an action vehicle update leading to a possible 3rd segment, and the action is filmed in the Peckinpah/John Woo/Matrix stylized vein, pleasing to the eye ballet choreographed violence presented as no less than performance art. Firearms enthusiasts will lean forward noting all the various weapons and carry methods presented (including the SFX longslide Desert Eagle twins prominently displayed). Replacing Willem Dafoe's repellent transvestism with Julie Benz's alluring beauty is the best single improvement over the original film. Clifton Collins overly stereotypical "Mexican" character is more questionable, serving as the "Stephen Fetchit" to the Twins equally stereotypical hard-drinking psychotic Irishmen. Time shifting story elements advance the context of the plot. Action packed with little drag, rampant smoking and drinking, atmospheric alternate reality a'la "The Warriors", and an interesting performance by Peter Fonda reminiscent of Brando in the "Godfather" series, Boondock Saints II, gets the job done for fans of the "Shoot-em-up" genre of macho action films with a noir-ish edge. Grab the popcorn and enjoy. (Note:Firearms fanciers will notice the Springfield Armory satin finish compact 1911A1 carried by Benz, turns up displayed closeup in the recent film "Edge of Darkness" also. Product placement or simple coincidence?)

1949 version of good clean fun (for kids) with the required car chases, gun-play and fist fights (including then exotic Judo/Jujitsu shoulder throws used by The Batman), with cliffhangers and vacuum tube era sci-fi effects, this 15 part serial has all the low-budget standards common to all serials of the era, and is similar to the serial version treatment of Marvels Captain America made around the same time. This would be banned by the meddling panty-waists of today for being "too violent" for the kiddie set. Narrow minded or ignorant viewers will carp about issues like Batman's jacked up looking cowl (with Devil-like pointed "ears" and satanic extra long pointed nose) and the "Batmobile" being excused off as Bruce Wayne's borrowed Chevrolet convertible (which was in fact a powerful "muscle car" in it's day), or The Batman pulling out impossible items (like a full sized Blowtorch!) from a rather fey looking "utility belt" that has no pockets (??!!). Unlike most versions, Bats & Bird-Boy get their butts kicked by the bad-guys on more than one occasion. Smoking and drinking is normal behavior throughout. The women (Jane Adams as Vicki Vale) all are feminine, wearing their high-heels no matter the situation, and the musical score, though generic, is exciting counterpoint driving the action. A few familiar character actor faces show up in bit parts here also. This stuff is rather cool in it's own over-the-top way, (because unlike the wretched 1960's TV series, they are not trying hard to be "camp" by making fun of the material, but playing it straight in deference to the material, which is as it should be). Rather than being a lazy snob picking this apart, it's best to take a more open-minded view, get in the mood of the era and enjoy this for what it was intended to be: Fun!!...and it is if you get off your high horse and let it, you Jive Monkey-Heads!!

Action film with Tommy Lee Jones breakout role as a Vietnam vet with good intentions that go wrong. Excellent Yaphet Kotto again plays a Police Officer, this time the head of the NYPD "ESU/SWAT" (Trivia point: Yaphet's son is a real Cop with San Jose, CA PD!). This was intended to be a breakout role for Canadian actress Helen Shaver (who shows a gratuitous breast shot here), but apparently failed. Everyone here are smoking cigarettes and cursing to give "edge" to the film, something rarely seen today due to "political correctness". Technical inaccuracies: swapping magazines from blanks to real ammunition in the same weapon(in this case an AK-47) is impossible, and would cause the firearm to explode in your face. This stunt was also used in one of the "Die Hard" films, and the idea may have come from this film. Jones basically does a Rambo#1 to the NYPD, ambushing and outsmarting them at every turn, and the director sets up the elite NYPD ESU as rubes, bullies and boobs, going so far as to dip into racism by having one of the Black cops openly say he used to sell marijuana/reefer in his pre-cop days (we all know better since 911 however) but this is understandable and necessary to push the plot forward, despite being a bit cheezy. There are several great gems in this film, especially for the military/veterans who know the code. Jones gleeful laughing as he sets off mines is a hoot, as is the reverse when he feels betrayed and sends several 40mm grenades at the cops with his M-79 while screaming at them for being "lying motherfuckers". One specifically hilarious scene is the reaction Jones has when he realizes that a renegade NYC politician has sent in a mercenary "hunter-killer team" (armed with Swedish-K 9mm submachineguns, a silent code to Vietnam vets who know who carried that specific gun in Nam:, maroon paratrooper berets and a cheap shot "Soldier Of Fortune" reference are here also) to take him out, screaming about them "sending the Viet-Cong in here to kill me?". Great stuff. As a Vietnam era veteran, I probably enjoyed this more than most, as it caters to that generations revenge fantasies, but this film stands on it's own as a statement, as it is based on a book of the same name that had underground cred with veterans, and was serialized in Playboy magazine. All melodrama and action, "The Park Is Mine" remains a must see film for all who can appreciate the "War is Hell" and revenge genre of action films. Get it and see it, you will not be wasting your time. As far as I know, this film is not out on DVD, so you will have to see it online or by VHS tape, but seeking it out will be worth it. Grab the buttered popcorn and...Just do it! - (BS2)