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Reviews
Sappho (2008)
Better to watch the first version!! Summer Lovers!!
I picked this movie up at a flea market. It reminded me of Summer Lovers with Daryl Hannah and Peter Gallagher in 1982. Many other reviewers said the acting and dialog were wooden and other than the scenery and music, and some good erotic scenes, you should give the movie a pass. I have always loved Summer Lovers (1982) with MUCH better dialog, acting and story, but I wish I could merge the two. Always thought the 1982 version was the perfect erotic movie that just stopped short. The 2008 is the extra but left behind all the class and quality that made the original a good movie.
That's My Boy (2012)
If you are a nine year old and like snot and puke jokes, this one's for you.
The long-lost black-sheep (Being very unkind to sheep here!) father shows up for his son's wedding to a beautiful girl from a wealthy and powerful family. There are the usual "embarrassing moments while the son attempts to keep the black sheep in the closet. There are the usual slips and secrets coming out for both father and son and future in-laws. Nothing particularly new here. But, if you are into racist jokes, disgusting sexual situations, incest, public urination, drug use, sloppy drunken behavior, (SPOILER: as if anything could spoil this absolute horror is a film.) filling your pants and throwing your dirty underwear on someone else's head, vomit and seamen, none of which are presented with any style or class, (as if that wasn't already an oxymoron) and the list could go on ... and on ... and on, then by all means, do not miss this movie. It would even be refreshing if Adam Sandler acted drunk once in a while rather than putting on an accent through the whole movie as if he were a mentally deficient, trying to impersonate the linguistics of a spoiled four year old.
When Adam Sandler did 50 First Dates and Spanglish, (I thought both were funny and insightful, EVEN TOUCHING) I thought maybe he had outgrown his juvenile attempts at humor, but I'm afraid not. I believe he has regressed even farther. If I had not gotten this DVD at a garage sale for $.50, and I now understand why they wanted it out of their garage, I would feel really cheated. In fact, I think maybe I ought to ask for a $.49 cent refund.
The Homesman (2014)
This is as close as you can to history without being there.
My mother was born in a sod house on the prairie of North Dakota and my grandmother was the town mid-wife and abortionist. Homesteading was hard and demanding and Tommy Lee Jones has captured the the gut-level struggle that came with 160 acres and the nearest neighbor five or ten miles away. It drove those without an iron will to insanity. If you are looking for a shoot-um-up western, this is NOT it, but if you love the history of the frontier, and want to get a feel for its tragedy and day to day fight for survival, this is a great movie. Beautifully filmed, expertly acted, wonderfully scripted, I could not have asked for more. I have never liked Hillary Swank, but this was an incredible performance. Tommy Lee Jones was his beautifully curmudgeoned self. I especially liked the accurate use of period firearms and I will not quibble over the availability of 1851 36 caliber paper cartridges in end of the earth Nebraska Territory nor Ms Swank having a wardrobe of new dresses through out the film. The film accurately captured the ethos of the western prairie and gave me a look and a feel into my own grandparents. Thank you Tommy Lee Jones for a classic.
The Horseman (2008)
This movie has more gore per minute than even Mel Gibson's movies
A previous review said that if you like revenge movies, this one is for you. I would say that if you are into the most perverse sadism acted out, over and over and over, then you'll love this very sick movie. A father, whose daughter was used in a porn movie and then left for dead with a drug overdose, sets out to kill those responsible. It starts out simply enough with the man gathering information and then killing the supplier. With each subsequent person, the violence becomes more bloody, more physically shocking, more disgusting. He does meet a runaway who emotionally fills in for his lost daughter and he becomes a fatherly figure in a couple of scenes, between maiming and torturing the men he holds responsible for his daughter's death. There are touching flashbacks of his daughter at a young age, but the rest of the movie is sickeningly overdone with the man getting into one after another altercation with each of his victims while both he and they are cut, slashed, pounded, broken, tortured and eventually killed. Oh, I forgot mutilated. The expense of fake blood for this film must have been huge. If you watch this movie and find it either enjoyable or entertaining, I have serious doubts about your sanity.
Texas Rangers (2001)
The Texas Rangers clean up the bandits in early Texas
This movie has some of the best scenery and photography in a cowboy movie in a long time. I agree with one of the other reviews that this movie could have used another 30 minutes to develop character.
The basic story is better than the usual; a heroic band of new Rangers against the outlaws. The acting was pretty good. Bits of humor added from time to time. The costumes were Hollywood accurate and were as varied as the men in their time. The shootouts were terrific. Well staged and filmed. If you like the old west, this one's for you. I was particularly interested in the accuracy of the fire arms, a pet peeve of mine. If you like that sort of thing, I saw old Sharps, brass frame .36 caliber Confederate pistols, a Henry or two, and the only time I was aware of firearm inaccuracy was when they fired the Gattling Gun more than the clip could hold.
It's nice to see the revival of the Western. Hope it continues.
Palo Pinto Gold (2009)
A movie made by a bunch of friends of the director
This was 90 minutes of plastic acting by a bunch people who must be friends of the amateur director or whoever had access to the equipment. The plot felt like it was written by a high school drama class. The dialog must have been written by a Republican Bible school and was filled with clichés. Just before the big shoot-out, the bartender first expresses his confidence in the evil sheriff and then says, "If you're gonna dance with the devil, you have to pay the fiddler." Under normal conditions, the bad guy should have shot him, to the standing ovation of the audience. And all with the aged Roy Clark and Mel Tillis telling the story. Maybe Roy and Mel owed favors to the parents of all of the actors and director. It is filled with flash backs as the newspaper writer drags the story out of the two old boys with booze and flattery which makes it tedious.
I can say on the positive side that this movie has the greatest western hats I have ever seen in a movie. With the exception of some decent photography, this was equal to a few of the poorer B movie westerns of the 1950's without the nostalgia of having seen it in an actual theater. Even young people are too sophisticated for this drivel. Don't waste your time. Go back and watch something you've seen before ... before you watch this.
Doonby (2013)
A religious propaganda peace masquerading as a thriller movie
I cannot "slam" the acting or plot as heartily as some of the other reviewers. Many of the actors did a somewhat reasonable job and the plot was coherent. I have to say I actually enjoyed John Schneider's singing and playing. But the political and religious motivation of the overall movie was distressing. You have to sit through the whole movie before you find out how horrible the symbolism is and discover the impact of the movie as it rears its' ugly and obnoxious head. I'm sure the positive reviews above come from viewers with a fundamentalist religious background and the negative ones come from progressive viewers who feel manipulated and cheated. This movie is the same con as those programs that often appear at your public school with a "good" message and music and invite you or your kids for the evening performance to then pound you with a religious message.