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Reviews
Red Scorpion (1988)
Action!
OK now I'm not going to try and say that this film is by any means a true classic, BUT it is a type of classic.
in so much as that it has the man Dolph, mostly half nude, and it has guns, and some really nasty ones at that. so the plot is really weak, nobody is going to buy into the fact that one guy can save a nation but thats not the point, its really just a vehicle for Dolph to do his thing, which is to look tough and sound funny in a monotone kinda way.
i really like the torture scene where the guy is sticking large needles through Dolphs anatomy, actually looks pretty realistic considering its not a big budget film, and also i like the scarification that Dolphs little tribesman friend does for him while he is drugged.
the highlight of the film for me is probably the goofy relationship that is forged between Dolphs character and the little bushman, its really fun. the language barrier is well played out but the writers and actors have enabled this element to flow very well and their means of communication is really very effective at translating the messages of the relationship for the film.
so do yourself a favor and go rent the DVD as it has at long last been released, and sit back and enjoy some cornball action for all its worth.
just don't expect any special features cause their isn't any.
The Hustler (1961)
Paul Newman is excellent
Because of his tragically erratic, often interrupted career, Robert Rossen is rarely put into the pantheon of great Hollywood directors. However, he produced three films which deserve a permanent place among the classics, All the Kings Men( probably the best film about American politics), Lilith( one of the greatest films about mental illness) and this, a movie which DESERVES to be ranked with the hundred greatest, and possibly the fifty greatest, American films. It is superbly acted, brilliantly photographed and edited, and directed with clarity and assurance. In a just world ( if there is such a place), an special Oscar would have been bestowed on Newman, Laurie, Scott, and Gleason AS A GROUP. Piper Laurie was unforgettably poignant, Scott unforgettably sleazy, and Gleason... well, Gleason simply IS Minnesota Fats. Paul Newman almost certainly deserved the Oscar.It was an amusing irony, perhaps a little joke by God, that the bartender in the movie was played by none other than Jake LaMotta.
The Big Green (1995)
Love family films like this!
This movie is great for kids, and any kid should see it. Many teens and adults may find this movie wasteful, but anyone who keeps an open mind and makes efforts to "read between the lines" can really see that there is a lesson to be learned.
As in reality, there are many towns such as the fictional rural town this movie takes place in. In such towns (with closed industrial mills and no jobs,) you will find kids with too much time on their hands like in this movie. At the beginning, the kids didn't see a point to their lives and just didn't care. Sheriff Tom Palmer (Guttenberg) didn't have much of a life either. Anna Montgomery comes to town as the school teacher and really turns them around. She really teaches them to believe that they are no less of people than anyone else and that with hard work and persistence, one can achieve their goals. They don't even know how to play soccer in the beginning, but it goes to show that hard work, heart, persistence, belief, and teamwork can go a long ways. Anna Montgomery is a terrific teacher, coach, and leader. Towards the end, anyone can tell that they are changed for the better and learn to believe in themselves on and off the field, thanks to true leadership.
I admit, this is not a movie with tons of adventure and excitement. Though it may not be a classic like Forrest Gump or Citizen Kane; it really is a great family movie and really goes to prove a point. I recommend it to anyone with a family and a heart to see the good that can come with good leadership and teamwork.
Suing the Devil (2011)
Shades of Walt Disney
This relentlessly feel good movie strives and succeeds in all it sets out to do. It reassures us all that not only is all well with the world, it really is a pretty wonderful place. Walt Disney would be proud.
Disney's family fare of the sixties portrayed characters as totally one dimensional. The mean were mean, the kind were kind, etc. etc. Characters simply had no inner conflicts or doubts. Audiences, particularly children, found this spoon fed story telling very enjoyable. If only life were that simple.
Well in "Suing the Devil" life is that simple. The characters in the movie are unashamedly one dimensional. This good natured family doesn't bat an eyelid about suing the devil.
There is nothing wrong with movies reaffirming the basic goodness of mankind. We all know there are enough that have succeeded in proving the opposite.
Malcolm McCowell does with the role exactly what he's demanded to do and that really is not very much in the way of an acting stretch. We've seen his evil nature shine numerous times before.
Still, this was a good film. It was a Walt Disney film. No complaints about that.
I give it 7 out of 10