andydufresne Reviews

Bewitched (2005)

NOT as bad as I'd been led to believes

[10/10 · 24 June 2005]

When you go to see a SITCOM made into a full length motion picture you go in expecting to see certain things. Almost all of the people involved int the television show are dead now, but I think all of them would have approved of this.

What is the plot? Simple. Nicole Kidman plays Isabella a real witch who wants to leave that behind to be like a mortal. She is cast in the roll of Samantha in a remake of the TV show. It is goofy and silly and nonsensical in places but SO WAS THE TV SHOW! Shirley MC is great as the actress who was a grand actress in past, but placed into a sitcom that doesn't really showcase her talent. DO NOT expect anything complicated from this.

I enjoyed it for what it is. It's light fun. MY main criteria for liking a movie is do I think I got my money's worth and was I anxious for it to end. YES and NO.

MANY of the performances are great. At times Nicole looks JUST LIKE Liz Montgomery and there are plenty of still of Liz and video of her to compare during this film. Michael Caine was excellent and Steve Carell is SPOT ON as Uncle Arthur. I mean SPOT ON! I grew up watching this and was anxious to see if they harmed it's memory. They did not. DO NOT expect a message. GO to laugh a lot and be charmed and you'll have fun.

Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995 TV Movie)

A good lesson but...

[10/10 · 8 February 2005]

I very good telling of the events in the trial. It shows how our legal system can run amok.

BUT....

I have knowledge of a case in my local jurisdiction wherein the prosecuting attorney was Certain of the abuse. There was physical evidence and all the kids told exactly the same story. They were one at a time at different times taken to the basement. There they were molested. There was one problem with that, there was no basement at the pre-school. In investigator in a last ditch attempt to see if he could find something drove my the school. He saw a dump truck. He asked the driver what he was doing. The driver said he was there to fill in the cellar. Turns out that they had a storm cellar that was behind a fence behind the house that THEY called the cellar. Once this was introduced the husband pleaded guilty.

Watching this you can get a good idea of how bad things can get, BUT, we can go the other way also.

LOVED the movie and especially Allison Easton.

The Arena (I) (2001)

Fun with swords, clubs, wooden prisons and T&A

[6/10 · 9 January 2005]

It's not gladiator but it is not bad. The worst thing about this movie is that you constantly feel like you are watching a Japanese film that has been dubbed in English. The voices of the Playmates are the ones that belong to them but I can't be sure of any of the others.

The two main female characters are lovely. AND YES they do get nekkid. In the Featurette for Lisa Dergen she revealed that the guy she was supposed to be having sex with was very nervous, she was not as she had partaken in quite a bit of wine and was dis-inhibited. She said that somewhere in the scene he leaned over and whispered in her ear the he was gay. She laughed. In the editing it just looks like she is enjoying his labors so they left it in.

The sets are not bad but the "cells" where the slaves are kept are pretty flimsy wood. Really not strong enough to keep in what we are supposed to believe are warriors. They did do a very good job of making things look used instead of brand new.

The SOUND other than the dubbed feeling is quite good.

The dialogue oft times written as though it is intended to be sarcastic but rendered with complete sincerity. I wonder if that is due to non-English speaking actors giving dialogue phonetically.

The fight scenes are not up to par with much of anything else I have scene of this type. Editing is used to make up for the lack of good coordination among the fighters but it doesn't quite make up for it.

For an afternoon of fun and a good bit of T&A THE ARENA is a good choice.

Beyond Rangoon (1995)

A message film.

[10/10 · 10 September 2004]

My ex wife and I saw and were intrigued by the trailer for this film. We waited for it to come out but when it did it didn't stay in theaters very long. Several years later I bought it on VHS and I am transferring it to DVD so I can preserve it.

I found it to be very moving. It is about real events in a real country. BURMA got such a bad reputation for the political oppression it created that they changed their name.

I find women with little make-up on to be very sexy. Patricia Arquette is in this movie. Frances McDormand and Spalding Gray are in it only briefly.

After coming home to find her young son and husband brutally murdered Laura (Arquette) is afraid of blood. A bad trait for a doctor. Her sister (McDormand) talks her into going on a vacation to Burma. While there she witnesses a peaceful demonstration and has her passport stolen. In a bold (or stupid) move she asks a tourist guide to show her something off the tourist track. Her guide is injured by soldiers and she spends the rest of the movie trying to get him and herself to safety.

Every time I watch this it reminds me that we in the United States forget that to a peasant living under military rule, SOCIALISM, where at least eating is virtually guaranteed, looks pretty darn good.

The Alamo (2004)

VERY CLOSE to the truth.

[10/10 · 11 April 2004]

If you studied the history of Texas more than about 5 years ago you may not be able to swallow all of this movie. Until that time the OFFICIAL VERSION said that all perished in the battle for the Alamo. Recent revelations have led historians to believe that James Bowie was dying of lung cancer and fought his last fight from his death bed. Davy Crockett was not killed in battle but was captured and later executed. A couple of things that I think were not portrayed well or at all were that Bowie was a scoundral who had defrauded a lot of folks in Louisiana befroe fleeing for Texas. Sam Houston had ordered The Alamo abandoned as he saw that it held no strategic or political value. William Barrett Travis did indeed abandon a pregnant wife but it is (and was) widely believed that she was pregnant with another man's child. There were many political and military divisions within the community of men fighting for Texas. "Volunteer" groups were acting as their own armies and doing what they pleased at the moment. Some believed that The Alamo was the gateway to Texas and that to capture it was to capture Texas. Not all the political leaders approved of Houston as the General of all the armies. Houston was too smart to think that he could whip Santa Anna in a "fair" fight. SAM HOUSTON ended up defeating the Mexican Army the way Washington defeated the British. By getting a little lucky and picking the right time to fight. THAT is why Houston absolutely could not ride to the rescue of those at the Alamo but could not come right out and say so.

IF you have a desire to get a real good take on Texas history of the time check out LONE STAR NATION by H.W. Brands. An Excellent writer. The book is available at any bookstore

As to the movie itself...I fought back tears when Travis addressed the men. Billy Bob was excellent. If Davy Crockett was NOT as Thornton portrayed him he might well wish he was.

Quaid was very good as Houston. NONE of the characters in this movie have enough time to develop their entire backstories and it is not always evidenet why he does the things he does. He was a hard drinker and often drunk but pulls things together when necessary.

As to Santa Anna he was about like he is portrayed. At Goliad he executed ALL those who surrendered. At the battle of San Jacinto they were also yelling REMEMBER GOLIAD. He was cruel. He did things to his own people that were later repeated against Texas.

Daddy and Them (2001)

Not OSCAR Worthy but....

[10/10 · 17 July 2003]

I suspect that your ability to enjoy this movie may hinge on 2 things. Can you take a joke and have you ever lived in the South?

If you enjoy SIX FEET UNDER that will help. At times you think you have things figured out only to realize that you are watching a character's dream or fantasy.

If you have lived in the South you have met ALL these people. From Billy Bob who's wife, Laura Dern constantly reminds him of all the studs she bedded before him to her mother (in the film and in real life) Dianne Ladd constantly trying start an argument between them to the her sister (Kelly Preston) who has never really gotten Billy Bob's character out of her system to the "Out of towners", usually from UP NORTH who think they are SO much superior to the local folk. From the matriarch who is slowly slipping into senility and the patriarch who is Not dealing with that or anything else too well, to the "stud" brother who drinks too much (Jeff Baily) and goes through a lot of cars.

For those NOT raised in the South I can assure you these are REAL PEOPLE. I have known them all in one form or fashion.

ALL the acting is good. A very nice turn by a former Cowboys Cheerleader, Tamara Glynn, in the role of the paramedic, refered to in the move as the "ambulance driver". Also a Little Rock local (last seen advertising A/C and a Jr. College) does an admirable job as the brother who is said to be "screwing everything".

ANDY GRIFFITH- Outstanding character and you have not likely ever seen him like this.

TAKE NOTE of the scenery when Laura Dern and BBT are having the picnic. That is atop Petite Jean Mountain west of Little Rock and is some of the greatest scenery around.

I was still laughing after multiple viewings. IF you take this as a farce you can enjoy it. If you are looking for the deeper meaning as in SLINGBLADE you will be bored and disappointed.

FWIW I did not have anything to do with this movie and don't know any of the folks involved.

Dragnet (2003–2004)

As a BIG fan of the ORIGINAL...

[9 March 2003]

I have listened to the original. YES, listened. Dragnet was originally a radio show. Not that at 45 I'm old enough to have heard it live but I have heard tapes.

The later television show with Harry Morgan as the partner aired every night after the 6 PM news where I grew up. Joe Friday was not cynical he was a flag waving TRUE BELIEVER. There were never dirty cops in the original Dragnet, the crooks were all bad guys and Joe and his partner put as much energy into catching the thief of a Baby Jesus statue as they did in finding a murderer. They didn't worry so much about "civil rights" and TECHNICAL things like that. They were only interested in arresting the crooks. I don't think Joe Friday ever cracked a joke or took a drink. They SAID that all the cases were REAL but I have read that it was partly due to the way you could define "real" in those days.

Ed is playing Joe Friday as at 21st Century cop. There may have been a better choice for Friday but I don't know who. The chemistry between the two leads seems great to me. I love the way Mike Post has updated the theme, One of the most easily recognizable TV Themes ever! The new version sounds like L.A. to me. Frankly just because of that I was willing to give it a chance. It showed some respect for it's predecessor.

I am enjoying the show and I think it will last a while. Sometimes you can go home.

The Road to Wellville (1994)

Not as bas as you've read.

[4 January 2003]

SPOILERS!!!

This is not a film that was made with the Oscars in mind BUT neither is it as bad as you have read here.

Keep in mind it is FICTION....rewritten from a NOVEL. It's not intended to be taken too seriously.

Dr. Kellogg in the film takes on all the quirks of Kellogg, Sylvester Graham(of the graham cracker) and C.W.Post. These men and others have given us many odd ideas. For one they believed that circumcision would hurt a baby boy so bad that it would keep him from masturbating the whole idea was to inflict pain. Some of their ideas such as keeping the diet low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates, fresh vegetable, fruits and grains are good. Others such as the circumcision ideas are very harmful to us as a society.

I am not an expert on this era or the treatments of the time but I have done some reading on it. Most all of the odd equipment you will see actually existed along with the ideas spouted by the characters.

Dr. Kellogg gave himself daily enemas. It likely was the only sexual stimulation he could get. There WERE people that that thought that sex was bad, that masturbation was harmful and that electricity could cure almost everything. Much was based on religious ideas. CW POST invented a cold cereal that he called Elijah's Manna. Ministers objected and he changed the name to what you know it by today. Post Toasties.

The film is funny, satirical, and also a peek at ourselves in our latest health craze. IS the Sears White Star Liquor Cure made of opium any more strange than believing that bee pollen can cure cancer?

Camryn Manhiem was asked to be in the film and told she would need to be nude. She was told that much of the movie was about bodies. Fat, thin, short, tall, healthy and sick. So Camryn did her first nude scene next to Bridgit Fonda.

If nudity and potty jokes and joking about the dead are offensive don't watch. If you like that kind of thing then the milk bath scene with Bridgit is worth watching for. For those wondering also nude are Traci Lind, and Lara Flynn Boyle.

Michael Lerner is funny as a con man, John Cusak is also as the man just trying to make a go of it and Dana Carvey is delightful as George Kellogg.

Don't expect to be moved or motivated The Road To Wellville but you should laugh a lot. If not perhaps you need an enema.

Beyond Rangoon (1995)

Gripping

[10/10 · 8 November 2002]

I first was made aware of this film when I saw a preview before another movie. I was intrigued but it didn't get to see it before it's short run in theaters was done.

It is not an easy movie to watch multiple times. There is much violence inflicted upon unarmed civilians. There are lessons to be learned here. One of Patricia Arquette's lines sums up on. "To Americans if it didn't happen on TV it just didn't happen" There is a lot of truth to that.

Another is that at one point she thinks that just because she announces she is an American Citizen that soldiers will part and let her pass. It doesn't work that way.

The scenery is beautiful. The acting is all decent. THE PROFESSOR is especially good. Mainly though I care about these characters. Francis McDormand and Spaulding Gray are fine but their appearance is short, so they don't matter much. Patricia has guts. In the hands of a lesser actor this could have turned out very badly. As it is love or hate the movie you should still come away with the idea that there still exist military dictatorships in the world in this century, and until one of our own is hurt we ignore their oppression.

Aung San Suu Kyi, is the female political leader in the movie. In real life she won the Nobel Peace Prize. She was only recently released from house arrest. The W. Bush administration, as of the date I write this, is attempting to pressure the military government to engage in talks with her and re-form the government. The Burmize government was under such scrutiny that is changed the name of the country to the Maynamar Republic. The U.S. Government has yet to recognzie the new name.

If you don't wnat a message in your movie don't watch this one. If you don't mind a little educations with your entertainment then it's a fine one.

RFK (2002 TV Movie)

History Remembered

[10/10 · 25 August 2002]

I have for many years now felt that Robert F Kennedy was the greatest of the 4 Kennedy Brothers. This movie did nothing to change that but did give the view that RFK was very much haunted by the memory of his brother John.

While John was driven mostly by his father's desire to see one of his son's achieve greatness by becoming President of the United States. Robert seems almost reluctant to take up that torch and according to this story does so only when he realizes that the only way he can do the things he believes need to be done for the his country is by winning the Oval Office.

Roache does a marvelous job of looking and sounding like RFK. James Cromwell does a good job as LBJ. He is a fine actor just doesn't seem as over the top as the real LBJ was. David Paymer is his usual best and Ving Rhames is excellent in a somewhat small but important part as "Judge Jones".

The movie takes place between the Assassinations of John and Robert. It shows how Bobby goes from concerned to actually caring.

There's some good 60's music in it but you don't notice it a lot.

I'm writing this on Aug 25, 2002. The movie will be re-run next Wed. It's worth your time. At a time when we last had two men who were most interested in being President regardless of whether or not he'd won the election....this movie will make you wonder why we can't have men and women of great ideals and political courage today. Yes my friends there truly was a time when if someone was running for office and said he intended to help poor people he meant it and was held to his promise. If you know little about Robert Kennedy then prepare to be impressed by a great man.

The Perez Family (1995)

An Historic Perspective

[24 February 2002]

Marisa Tomei is wonderful! There is a scene it which she is kneeling down in the water just as her boat arrives at Key West which is as sexy with cloth9ing as anything nude I've ever seen. ALfred Molina is great as the confused political prisoner.

The story begins as Alfred Molina sends his family off to America during a crackdown of the Cuban Communists. The former dictator Batista was very kind to capitalists. The country appeared to flourish but there was much poverty. Fidel Castro came to power and many of his political opponents were jailed or killed.

Marisa Tomei is a young worker in the sugar cane fields. News was difficult to come by there. When she gets to the U.S. she doesn't even know that John Wayne has died. (One of her great desires is to have sex with him)

Late in his administration President Carter declared an open door policy to anyone that was able to escape Cuba. As a result, Castro cleared his jails and hospitals of many criminals and insane people. It is in the midst of THIS that Marisa and Alfred meet. He as a released political prisoner trying to find the family he'd already sent to America years earlier, she as a poor worker trying to get to a better life. In the confusion of the long line at immigration and in order to get placed with a sponsor more quickly she claims him as her husband and an old man as her father in law.

For those of us who's families have been here long enough that we don't remember immigration this movie is a great reminder of why so many people have wanted to come here over the years.

You really can't go wrong with this...I bought it on recommendation of a friend and watch it a couple of times a year. It is among my personal top 10.

Amerika (1987)

A few answers

[11 January 2002]

I was very much into talk radio at the time this minis series was on.

It seemed that it offended everyone. The conservatives didn't think that ANY US president would ever just voluntarily turn over the country to the Soviets and liberals got pissed because the movie depicted the Soviets as using the United Nations as being complicit in the Soviet take over.

I thought that it was actually a very good fantasy story. The ONLY way the "Stars and Stripes" that we now see displayed EVERYWHERE could be displayed was in a flag that combined the US flag with the Soviet Hammer and Sickle Flag and the UN Crest. You should know that it was done during the Reagan Administration when Republicans were calling the Soviet Union the single biggest provider of EVIL in the history of Earth and Democrats were trying to make peace with them. Conservatives on the FAR right have long advocated our withdrawing from the UN and liberals have long been in favor of giving more and more precedence to the UN in world affairs.

I enjoyed Kris and Robert in it but my main recollection was how sexy Cindy Pickett was in it. SHE was Robert's wife and Kris's ex wife. THAT made for some interesting tension.

See if for yourself. With all the flaws you'll read about here it's still worth the time.

The Killing Jar (1994)

Poorly edited, poorly scored, beautiful women.

[8 July 2001]

Pamela Jean Bryant looked very much the Girl Next Door as a Playmate in April of 1978. In this she plays a former porn star the wife of a wealthy criminal defense lawyer who also is a butterfly collector. (the name comes form the jar he uses to kill specimens) He has collected Pamela. She tires of his masochistic sex and then he tires of her. He gets the hots for the girl she thinks is her best friend. He decides to kill his wife...in the midst of all this an obsessed fan of her breaks into the house.

Pamela Bryant and her friend, Alina Thompson, are both lovely. The acting is pretty good if overdone at times and the story is kinda predictable. There is plenty of nudity even pubic hair briefly and a fairly intense imagined rape scene. Fans of Miss Bryant will be pleased to know that she is holding up well. IF you ARE a fan the movie it's worth seeing just for that.

The editing is so bad that at one point there was a test pattern on the video I saw. The score is good but the music reaches climactic points when nothing is happening....I attribute this to editing. You will be constantly aware of the camera. It zooms in and out and pans constantly.

A twist at the end makes it worth watching. I give it 2.5 out of 5.

Almost Famous (2000)

Things I Remember.

[27 September 2000]

The biggest impression this movie made on me was that it was very real. I've never been backstage with Black Sabbath but I do remember when kids did run away from home, and defy their parents because something in the music they were listening to moved them. I also remember parents that banned Simon and Garfunkle....and Jesus Christ Superstar from their houses. I've also met Sweet Sweet Connie one of the queens of groupies. I can tell you from my conversations with her.... they really do take themselves seriously, they don't think they are being used and they really think the musicians like them for things other than sex. The bulk of the movie takes place in 1973. It was a time when I was first beginning to listen to music other than what my parents listened to.

If you didn't like Jerry Maguire and you hate happy endings give this one a pass....BUT after the OSCARS you may find yourself as a serious watcher of movies needing to see it.

Just as Cameron Crowe gave us understanding into the lives of High School kids in Fast Times at Ridgemont High...he gives us insight into the world of Rock and Roll in the Mid 70's. From groupies not beleiving that they are only around to provide sex to rock stars beleiving that they are Gods.....the film is a mixture of good, bad and ugly. From the moment that the sister plays Simon and Garfunkle's America and tell her mom that's why she had to go off and become a stewardess, (really, she said that) I was taken in. As for a message....it may not have one...it may just be a story to be entertained by. But let it entertain you...not everything has to change your life. Sometimes you should just allow yourself to soak in a good story and be entertained. I did and I'm glad.

Frequency (2000)

What's the frequency Dennis?

[16 April 2000]

I saw Frequency at a "sneak preview" last night.

I have been involved in ham radio for over 26 years....so I was looking with a critical eye at that part of the movie. Except for a few wrongly used terms, and one of the characters covering the vent holes of the radio it was all good. Thirty years ago almost ANY ham radio operator would have refused to converse on air with an unlicensed operator.....this was handled in a way believable to me.

The plot involves a fire fighter and his son. 30 years after his father's death the son finds Dad's old Heathkit SB101 ham radio. After plugging it in and trying he can't make it work and gives up. Then something happens. The radio activates itself and he hears someone calling for ANY station. The son answers and eventually figures out he's talking to his deceased father, 30 years backward in time. The son saves his father's life by warning him of a problem at a fire. Then chaos ensues. Turns out everything they do changes the future.

If you can't stand science fiction or if you hated the ending to Sixth Sense, then it's not for you. If you love a good yarn told with compelling characters, see it now.

My ultimate test is this....did I feel like I got my money's worth? ABSOLUTELY!

Better Than Chocolate (1999)

Very Nice Film

[7 April 2000]

Being straight, I think I might have seen the film a little differently. Loved the way the lesbian sex scenes were shot. It was graphic without getting even CLOSE to being obscene. The camera work on the brother peeking scene was excellent. Felt like I was really there walking around that curtain.

Wendy Crewson(Harrison Ford's wife in Air Force One) with the box of toys is a delight.

There were stereotypes...mostly though of the straight characters. Have a few G/L friends but never been to a gay bar but I'm assuming that since they didn't have ONE style of lesbian....all the lesbian characters were different...that they couldn't have done much stereotyping there.

No surprises in this movie and it's not for the prudish but was enjoyable and I didn't think too loaded down with political content. Treated lesbians as normal people. And really isn't that what everybody wants? The list of books in the book banning sequence is pretty realistic of what happens when those that know what is best for us start trying to "help us out".

I bought it.

The Spitfire Grill (1996)

It's what you make of it.

[29 February 2000]

The Spitfire Grill is a touching film. A young woman ex-con who has through her time in prison gained a through knowledge of the state of Maine, chooses the small town of Gilead to start life anew after her parole. Anyone feeling that the suspiciousness of the townfolk is exaggerated has not lived in a small town. The comment from one patron of the diner that "Hanna knows what I'm havin'" Is just the kind of small town put-down a stranger could expect. Gailard Sartain is very good as the sheriff, Gary. Once you get past remembering him in overalls from HEE HAW he really is good.

Elyn Burstyn is crotchety and with reason. She lost her son. Eli, to the Vietnam war. Her nephew Neham was always in Eli's shadow....a new person with new ideas might push him back into the shadows again. ( an number of people in the town have Biblical names)

Marcia Gay Harden is wonderful as the Neham's wife Shelby.

Alison Elliott plays the character, Percy, understated. She comes into town to begin life anew. Making now apologies for her past and hoping only to create a brighter future. Something her mother, we later learn, refused to give her.

As the story unfolds secrets are revealed. Some dark and horrible, some just sad. George Lucas was asked once why the second Star Wars movie got less second time viewers than the other two....his answer: "at the end the bad guys had won". In the this movie doesn't offer perfect salvation for the characters who desperately need it but there is an uplifting final scene.

Some of the plot turns are obvious and expected some are not. In the end it truly is a movie about MOTHERHOOD on several levels. AND the lengths that mothers will go to to protect her child.

WHO SHOULD SEE IT? Spitfire Grill is rated PG-13 for some language and a death scene. There is no nudity or sexual content. You could EASILY watch if with your entire family. If you are hard hearted it's not for you. If you could watch Titanic and feel NO emotion pass this one by.

White Lightning (1973)

The South in the 70's from a Hollywood Perspective

[8/10 · 12 January 2000]

As a 15 year old I watched parts of this movie being made. It was partly filmed in Benton Arkansas (30 miles S of LR). Benton was also the location for Sling Blade. My mom's Volkswagen and my bicycle show up in this movie.

It really is a somewhat accurate view of the South in the 70's from the rejection of hippies by "Good ole boys" to the Corrupt Sheriff, to the home for unwed mothers to the interaction of the races while still staying "respectfully apart". The movie was not intended to be an Oscar contender it was intended to capitalize on Reynolds immense popularity at the time. It did this well. Ned Beaty shaved his head to give himself the proper receding hairline for a Southern sheriff, and many locals were cast. If you like car chases, and "good ole boys" you'll love this. Otherwise you can watch it for it's historical value as a peek at the South through Hollywood colored eyes.

In an interview with Larry King, Ned Beaty said this was the most important role of his career because it kept him from being typecast as a wimp after Deliverance. Diane Ladd and her daughter, Laura Dern are both in this film.