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Reviews
A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)
Better than I expected
I wasn't expecting much when I rented this from Vudu since I didn't like Ted very much at all, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is actually a very funny movie and is well acted by everyone concerned. I'm giving it an 8 out of 10.
I'm not a big fan of Family Guy and only find it occasionally funny but I think McFarlane has taken big strides forward with this latest offering. He has done a good job in his triple role as actor, producer, and director.
I liked the cameos by Christopher Lloyd and Gilbert Gottfried as well. I hadn't seen either in a while and it was nice to see them again, if only for a brief time.
Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971)
Okay but not as good as it's predecessor
This movie, while funny in many places, pales in comparison to the earlier Support Your Local Sheriff. The first movie, with much of the same cast, is a solid 10 but I can only give this one a 7 at best. All of the actors who were in both movies did a better job in the first one and Joan Hackett was surprisingly better than Suzanne Pleshette.
They just aired them back to back and the superiority of Sheriff was glaringly apparent. Sheriff flows along smoothly with great dialog but this one seems to stutter and try too hard. The premise of the first movie is also better and the opening scene sets the tone for the hilarity that follows. Again this one just doesn't do that as well. I always liked Garner and he was brilliant in both movies but maybe they should have quit while they were ahead and never made this one.
Dexter (2006)
Great show
I agree that this is a great show. I just started watching it and have just gotten started on Season 4. I think the writing is excellent and the show is much better than Michael C. Hall's previous efforts on Six Feet Under. I like all of the characters except for one, Dexter's sister. She is so crass and boorish that she loses almost all credibility. I also find the fact that every guy that meets her starts hitting on her is not believable since to me, she looks like a walking skeleton. She's an okay actress but not up to par with the others and certainly no sex symbol. Dexter's character is perfectly done, Batista seems like a flawed but inherently good guy. Vince is just a total boob but a brilliant one and La Guerta is also done very well. The one I really like is Rita who is totally engaging and believable. The guest stars have been consistently excellent and the cameo appearances by people like Max Gail and Adrienne Barbeau have added moments of enjoyment for those familiar with television history. All in all a terrific show and I hope it continues for many more seasons.
The Stand (1994)
For me, better than the book
The Stand is not one of my favorite King novels. I thought the original version was about 300 pages too long and would have benefited by about that amount being deleted. Then, they go and make it longer.
I am a die-hard King fan. I think he's the best author of our day. His character development and attention to detail is fantastic. In my opinion, works like IT, Salem's Lot, Children of the corn, The Shining, all are better than The Stand. Therefore, I thought that this movie,with the necessary deletions due to time constraints is actually better than the book. It does a good job of focusing on the main events and characters and bringing them to the forefront which I felt the book didn't always do.
Easy Rider (1969)
One of the worst ever
This movie is right at the top of my list of the worst ever made. In there with others like Cuckoo's Nest, Clockwork Orange and the totally historically inaccurate Dances With Wolves. There is not one character in this waste of film who isn't a total low-life with no redeeming qualities. The leads are drug smugglers and all the people they meet on their journey are no better than them. They range from drunks to prostitutes to vicious rednecks who end the run of the drug dealers. I'm sorry, but I felt no sympathy for or empathy with anyone in this movie.
I can find no reason to recommend seeing this trash except as a statement on how low people can sink.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Very Bad
Another remake that should have never happened. Depp is horribly boring in this part and even the lavish sets can't save this disaster.
I was hoping the ship would sink in the chocolate sea with the entire cast lost. The music is bad, the acting worse, and the chocolate probably stinks too.
Christopher Lee probably regrets having his name in the credits. If he doesn't, he should.
The original with Gene Wilder wasn't one of my favorites, but it far outshines this total waste of film.
I have enjoyed most of Tim Burton's work in the past (hated Scissorhands though), but this has to be his weakest effort. I actually give it a rating of 1 because that's as low as it can go.
Sgt. Bilko (1996)
Another Mistake
Steve Martin should quit trying to do remakes of classic comedy. He absolutely does not fit this part. Like the woeful remake of the Out Of Towners, this movie falls flat on it's face. How anybody ever thought Steve Martin could even come close to Jack Lemmon's wonderful performance is beyond me and the same is true for this movie. Dan Ackroyd could have played the Bilko part better. Martin is great when doing his own original characters but fails miserably trying to recreate other people's classic work. It's a sad statement when the funniest part of a movie is contained in the first line of the credits when the movie is over. The line "The producers gratefully acknowledge the total lack of cooperation by the United States Army" was just about the only line that actually made me laugh. If you want to see the real Bilko, get hold of the original episodes of the Phil Silvers Show. Those are guaranteed to make you laugh, unlike this mistake that should never have happened. I put this movie in the same category as the aforementioned Lemmon classic and the remake of Psycho. None of them should ever have happened.
Firewalker (1986)
I disagree with the one who said Pathetic
I actually think this movie is Norris's best effort to date. I enjoyed it. The interplay between him and Gossett was good stuff and it didn't have much of the martial arts nonsense I hate so much. I give it a 9 out of 10. I liked the story and to me, Chuck was funny. He's a far better actor than Seagal, but then, who isn't? It's kind of a pity Chuck didn't continue along the lines of this movie and went in other directions. None of which, in my opinion, were as entertaining. As a rule, I never watch any movies made by Martial arts people turned "actors" but I made an exception for this one and was pleasantly surprised. Not a classic by any means, but worth watching.