redwhiteandblue1776 Reviews

The Detour (2016–2019)

Season One Great, then straight downhill.

[3/10 · 21 August 2019]

I found season one original and funny. After that, the writers tried too hard and went too over the top. In addition, Also, the audio seems very hard to understand. It's like the director tells the actors to speak their lines as fast as they can. Don't worry if the audience can't keep up and follow along. Same when subtitles are shown. Unless you are a speed reader, forget it. I doubt very many people can read 14 words flashed across the bottom of the screen for 8/10s of a second. Then you throw in a Russian accent and why bother. I keep trying but it's just not getting any better. It's too bad because the show could be funny, but watching is too much work.

Robbers' Roost (1955)

Typical 1950s Western dribble...bad

[2/10 · 19 August 2019]

Where do I start? The time period is about 1860 but the costumes are 1950. Men wearing hat styles that didn't exit, "jean" jackets that hadn't been produced. The ranch own's sister just happens to be the hottest chick in the west and the clothes she wears is ridiculous. (Wondering around the ranch is a white ball gown fit to wear to an opera.) And I don't think she ever wore the same thing twice. Nobody's clothes ever get dirty and guys wear silly little frilly pointless scarves. It's just dumb! And of course the shooting. George Montgomery actually shoots a gun out of a bad guy's hand. That was certainly realistic. As was a whopping $5000 reward offered. The cattle were all polled Herfords, a breed that hadn't been developed. I just don't understand why more effort wasn't made to make these 50's westerns a little more realistic..

Gunfight at Black Horse Canyon (1961 TV Movie)

My wife asked, "How can you watch this?"

[2/10 · 15 July 2019]

Real amateurish movie. Nothing realistic at all. About every time Dale Robertson rides his horse, he take off at a full gallop. Poor horse. Guns are shot at close range and no one even flinches. Dialog is terrible. Maybe this was the writers and directors first movie. None of Robertson clothes are anywhere period correct. The whole thing is just so poorly done. The poor sheriff spends the whole movie taking orders from the Wells Fargo agent rather taking charge of law enforcement. Not good.

The Rider (2017)

This story really struck home.

[10/10 · 8 June 2019]

At age 70, after a life time of riding, competing and training horses, being kicked in the knee ended my riding for good. I could totally identify with Brady, selling saddles, stock trailer and equipment. The realism in this movie brought up a lot of emotions making it hard to watch through the tears. When Brady was driving home from the rodeo and stopped his truck on the road, I really lost it. But like his dad said, at some point you just have to let it go. But it's hard.

Backlash (1956)

Great sets and Arizona landscape.

[5/10 · 19 May 2019]

54 miles from any civilization or help and Donna Reed dismounts never bothers to tie up her horse. Not too smart. She must also have been the best dressed gal in the west, always in new, clean clothes. The various "cowboys" clothing is right out of 1950, not 1850. Good scenery and atmosphere, but pretty corny.

Into the Badlands (1991 TV Movie)

Not a western, not a horror show, just bad.

[2/10 · 15 April 2019]

Yikes! I just kept waiting for something to happen. Never did! The old western atmosphere was the only thing worth anything. No story line, no plot, characters that go nowhere. You have to wonder what ever makes actors, a director or movie production company think this is going to be something worth spending money, time and talent on.

The Hunter (1980)

First realistic reaction to gun fire ever filmed.

[7/10 · 10 February 2019]

I think this is the first time ever does someone cover their ears to avoid the sound of gunfire. Guns are load but in the movies no one ever reacts that way. Whether in a building, in a vehicle or even outside actors are shown totally ignoring the sound, which Is so unreal. A shotgun blast within any kind of enclosed space could easily cause permanent ear damage. Pistols are no better and the norm for movie actors is to not even flinch. Good for Steve McQueen, a real reaction at last. Or I should say, a real reaction at blast.

Tales of Wells Fargo (1957–1962)

About as unrealistic as you can get.

[2/10 · 2 February 2019]

I read some of the glowing reviews and can't believe some folks actually thought this show depicted the "real west." Dale Robertson's neatly cleaned and pressed clothes were a joke, his hat was right off the shelf at the local Western wear store. One bad guy got shot in the leg and instantly fell over dead. Bad guys stood out in the open during a big gun fight, and of course got shot, killed with one shot. In short there seemed to be no attempt to be realistic. Even the dialog was filled with all the standard movie clichés. Really sad.

The Star Packer (1934)

Horses were killed or crippled, but otherwise ok.

[5/10 · 30 January 2019]

Several reviewers have praised the stunts. I hope they are referring to stunts done by the actors and not the horses. These were the days of trip wires being used to cause horses to fall. While running full speed they make dramatic falls on camera, but they often crippled or killed the horse. Fortunately, for the most part, the practice was stopped in the early 50s. (But I did see movie made in 1952 where a trip wire was used.) Other than this criticism, it was pretty standard early John Wayne stuff.

Black Beauty (1971)

Don't judge the movie by the book.

[7/10 · 16 January 2019]

Most of the reviewers giving this movie a low rating do so because they don't think it followed the original book. I didn't read the book, but watched the movie. It was fine, with action, adventure, some violence, humor and sadness. Even a touch of romance. So anyone reading this who has not read the book or seen the movie yet, it's good entertainment, but probably not for real young children. For those who have read the book, don't judge the movie on your misguided thinking that movies have to mimic the book. They can be different and both be good.

The Shadow Riders (1982 TV Movie)

Now much realism involved here.

[6/10 · 11 December 2018]

The "bad guys" were presumably hired because of their ability to shoot straight and protect their nasty leader. But when it comes to a gun fight, these guys can't hit anything. It's pathetic. And of course the "good guys" can't miss. Still targets, moving targets, riders on speedy running horses at a great distance. Doesn't matter. They hit them all. And do it with old black power pistols at that. And I know the big name movie stars can't take risks on the set, but sometimes the doubles just don't look much like the heroes. And wearing the same clothes doesn't really help. This is an entertaining movie and that's what its all about. I just wish Hollywood would try a little harder to add some realism.

Get the Gringo (2012)

Sub-titles are a problem.

[4/10 · 12 September 2018]

Sub-titles are a big problem for me. In this movie, many of the sub-titles were flashed on and off so fast that I doubt that most people could read them. Film makers must think movie goers are the fastest readers in the world. And of course while your attention in on trying to read the sub-titles you miss the action on the screen. Kind of a dual problem. It also seemed the plot was really hard to follow. There were so many bad buys at different levels of the "organization" it was hard to tell who did what to who and who was double crossing who. But since pretty much everybody in the movie was a bad guy it didn't really matter. If you like big time shoot'em ups and unbelievable action type stories, it a great movie.

Jericho (2000)

Wow! Some ratings of 10. Some of 1.

[7/10 · 3 August 2018]

It's amazing to see how different people can have such varying opinions of the same movie. One rated it a 10 and called it a great "family" film. I guess they missed out on the scenes about the man getting his head blown off with a shotgun or the rape or the hanging. And some rated it a 1. Come on! It wasn't going to win an academy award, but it was entertaining. I think it was somewhere in the middle. I just found interesting that Jericho could make it through all he did, spend all that time on the trail and remain so good looking and clean shaven.

Pandas (2018)

Nice, family friendly film

[8/10 · 20 July 2018]

There is one review here who rated this movie a 3. Apparently he can sees little value in a film with no violence and cuss words. He also states, "this film over emphasized and exaggerated the American experts' role in the actual project." With just a little research he would learn that the idea behind the project came from Drexel University environmental scientist James R. Spotila . So the reviewer who rated it 3; not much credibility. See the film. OK for kids. It leaves some unanswered questions, but is an interesting film.

Boston Legal (2004–2008)

Liberal, left wing political promotion show

[3/10 · 9 June 2018]

I recorded the series and it started out ok. But by season two it became clear that the main (some could argue the only) reason for the program being aired was to promote left wing, liberal causes. I am kind of middle of the road political guy but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the producers and writers of Boston Legal politically are way out in left field. Each episode pushing a different liberal belief. All characters who show any conservative leanings, any Republican or government official was shown to be slow minded, idiots or at least pretty whacky. (ie Denny Crain) The Democrats and liberals are portrayed as smart, clever and very capable. And of course of the court cases handled by the left leaning lawyers (who always win) give them the opportunity to preach the lefts political point of view.

If it weren't for the quirky charters, the show would be pretty boring listening to pure talking points from the Democratic Party. After all, both side present their cases in court and then the attorney from Crain, Poole and Schmit gets up and give a brilliant closing argument and wins.

Aside from that, the men in the law firm seem to be quite successful in their sexual exploits with beautiful young women. So it's a mystery why they all want to bed Sherley Schmit played by Candice Bergen. Come on! She may have been very attractive in her earlier years, but Boston Legal wasn't filmed during her earlier years. When this show was made she was 20 years older than the other women on the show who run around the law office flaunting their stuff.

The law firm is portrayed as being very successful and taking in vast amounts of money. Yet most of the clients that are represented have little or no money. I found that odd.

Apparently there is no HR department at this firm to handle sexual harassment complaints. Yikes! Of course most of the harassed women give a mild mention of it then end up having sex with the guy anyway. It all makes for fun and games, but certainly appears to be a bit over-the-top when it comes to office romances and sexual funny business. It appears the sexual escapades are exploited to attract viewers, and then they are clobbered with the left wing's political hammer.

The Space Between Us (I) (2017)

Why creticize a fun movie?!

[8/10 · 30 April 2018]

Those giving this movie low ratings, seem to think all movies are made trying to win academy an award and bash any movie that is just good fun. That's just dumb. This is just a fun teen, romance, adventure movie. Sure there are parts that are totally unbelievable, but that's true of all adventure movies. These same critics would probably rate a Bruce Willis film where he jumps off a 10 story building into a swimming pool full of man-eating sharks, fights off the sharks with his pocket knife, climbs back up the outside of the building, creates a bomb from a potato and throws it at an incoming helicopter to save his girlfriend at the last minute as a great movie. Sometimes movies are just supposed to be fun to watch. This is one of them.

Desperado: Badlands Justice (1989 TV Movie)

So many things wrong.

[4/10 · 25 February 2018]

In an area of mining and (apparently) cattle ranching, why are so many men just wandering all over town rather than out working? Saddles of the period were pretty plain with high cantles (backs). In the movie they were low backed with Cheyanne rolls. I had no idea Mexican bad guys left their horses tied up all night with their saddles on and cinched up. Nice how the hero runs into the one woman in the territory and she's the hottest female in the west. Why would anyone wear heavy bulky gloves when handling a firearm? And when everyone else is wear light clothing, why does the hero always wear his heavy long coat? When a revolver is fired, the hammer moves forward striking the firing pin. Our hero fires, then somehow physically lowers the hammer. Very strange. I could go on, but you get the idea. There are just so many things wrong with this film, I don't see how some reviewers rate it so high.

Warlock (1959)

My "4" rating is real generous. It's pretty unbelievable.

[4/10 · 22 February 2018]

How could anybody rate this higher than a 5? It's totally unrealistic. My wife wishes she had the unbelievably fancy dresses the women had in this dusty little western town. I swear they never wore the same dress twice. Oh, and she's also like the name of their hair dresser. And I wish I could keep my clothes as clean and ironed as the men. Never a spot of dirt or wrinkle. Give me a break! And some people rating this say it is the best western of the 1950s while Richard Widmark runs around in a blue denim Levi type waist length jacket. Only these were not produced until the 1940s. I know that in "reviewing" movies, I should be all artsie and comment on the acting and character development and such, but I just think movies should have some resemblance to reality. I'll be generous with a "4".

40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967)

Typical Western movie errors all over the place.

[3/10 · 20 February 2018]

I have ridden horses all my life and when you are out in the middle of nowhere and dismount, the last thing you do is turn your horse loose, you tie them up. In this movie, several times, people just dismount and leave the horse to wonder off. REALLY! How stupid! Gee, it's only thirty eight miles back to the fort, I don't have any water or food so I think I'll just turn O'l Buck loose. How unrealistic.

It's a good thing they're making a movie and the horses get breaks along with the actors or they would keel over dead from all that running. And after all that running, they don't sweat. Strange too they can be ridden all day and never seem to need to eat. Or poop.

Guns are LOUD. Yet no one ever flinches or even reacts to the noise. And rifles are discharged just inches from horse's heads and they don't even react. Either the horses are completely deaf, or those runs are really quiet.

I could go on. I can never understand why a movie producer or director will go to all the trouble and spend mucho dollars and end up with a film with so many obvious errors.

The Spoilers (1955)

Typical 1950's western.

[4/10 · 11 February 2018]

The first scene gave me great hopes. The miner's dirty clothes, the looks of the town and the muddy street. Then my hopes were dashed when the lady showed up. This was Nome, Alaska in 1899 and she show up wearing a dress, hat and feathers that would be more appropriate at a San Francisco opera. During the rest of the movie, all the major characters wore clothes that were always clean, pressed and way too fancy for the time and place. I've never understood why directors would allow a movie to be made with such obvious flaws. Makes no sense. The movie had a pretty good plot but for me, the 1956 style acting, script and special effects could have been done so much better with a little more thought.

American Outlaws (2001)

Yikes! So Unrealistic

[2/10 · 30 January 2018]

If you like unrealistic Westerns, you will love this one. It has every stereotypical "Western" cliché they could throw in. The hero can pull off stunts that would make any Hollywood stuntman proud and has the most beautiful girl friend in the west; the "good guys" are all crack shots, have guns that don't recoil and never run out of bullets; get-away horses that just magically appear when needed; their horses can run and run and run; "bad guys" all wear black and of course are just nasty; and it just would not be complete without good hangin', train wreck, several gun fights, a few explosions, incredible escapes from danger and some fancy horse riding. This movie has it all. But if you don't see it, you won't miss much.

The Girlfriend Experience (2016–2021)

Season Two - Boring, not sexy, dull

[2/10 · 21 December 2017]

About the only thing duller and less interesting then the program are the sets. The political "story" is a total flop. Boring from the very start. Not sure what the director is try to do with the no furniture, no pictures (or anything else) on the wall, white everything and somewhat attractive girls running around with no makeup. Maybe the director is trying to match the flat people and sets with the flat plot. Hey it worked. About 3 shows and it just never got any better so I quit. Big waist of television air time. Why this show hasn't been cancelled is a mystery.

The Legend of Ben Hall (2017)

Finally a realistic period movie!

[9/10 · 11 December 2017]

Excellent detail in costuming, guns used, saddlery, style of buildings and scenery. Unlike most "westerns" the shooters in this movie actually missed more often than hit their targets and the black powder guns blew smoke and recoiled. And I liked the way they were shown having to make their own bullets. Another realistic fact of the period. Very well done. Another thing that made this movie realistic was the riders didn't run their horses everywhere. They walked. I appreciate the fact that the film makers actually went to the trouble of making everything look real. Gritty, dirty, a hard life and certainly not glamorous. Very well done.

Winchester '73 (1967 TV Movie)

Amateurish western, pretty embarrassing film

[2/10 · 6 December 2017]

There must be a terrific laundry in this town. Every actor's clothes are perfectly cleaned and pressed except for John Saxon. Appears the costume lady just went down the movies studio's "cowboy clothes" department and pulled out something from the 1950's for everyone. Secondly, I take part in shoot competitions and have never seen anyone who could shoot as well as these guys. Totally unbelievable. Thirdly, the depictions of "Indians" is an insult to real native Americans. It's hard to understand why movie studios would put money into this kind of amateurish film. I gave it a 2 only because it had some nice scenery.

American Outlaws (2001)

Entertaining, but totally unrealistic

[2/10 · 4 December 2017]

Fun to watch, if you suspend reality. Wow! So much action that could only happen in the movies, not in real life. As shooters, my wife and I both just cracked up at the accuracy of the "good guys". Of course, the bad guy aren't so good. I just can't understand how some people could rate this movie 10. They must really have a warped view of the old west. Ever notice directors think horses lope (run) everywhere? It's a good thing they're making a movie and the horses get breaks along with the actors or they would keel over dead from all that running. Strange too they can be ridden all day and never seem to need to eat. Or poop. When a gun is fired, it recoils or jumps back and up. In movies they pretty much don't even wiggle. Guns are LOUD. Yet no one ever flinches or even reacts to the noise. Shots inside a room, building would be deafening. Firearms only hold a given number of bullets yet some guns never seem to run out without being reloaded. Locks were shot open with no problem and the bullets never ricocheted. Saddles of the period were pretty plain with high cantles (backs). In the movie they were low backed and Cheyanne rolls right out of the 50's. (1950s)