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Movie: | "Man on a Swing" |
| Character: | Ted Ronan | |
| Costars: | Cliff Robertson, Joel Gray, Gil Gerard | |
| GMR/VMG Rating and Review: | Not Listed | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Rooster Cogburn" |
| Character: | Leroy | |
| Costars: | John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Zerbe | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 3 1/2 out of 5. "OK, so this sequel to True Grit is only The African Queen reworked, with John Wayne playing the Humphrey Bogart part opposite the incomparable Katharine Hepburn, but we like - no, love - it. Watching these two professionals playing off each other is what movie watching is all about. The plot? Well, it's not much, but the scenes with Wayne and Hepburn are, as indicated, priceless." | |
| My Comments: | Rent The African Queen instead | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Network" |
| Character: | Robert McDonough | |
| Costars: | Peter Finch, William Holden, Faye Dunaway | |
| GMR Rating: | 3 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 5 out of 5. " 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore'. Peter Finch (who won a posthumous Academy Award for his performance), William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, and Ned Beatty give superb performances in this black comedy about the world of television as penned by Paddy Chayefsky. It's a biting satire on the inner workings of this century's most powerful medium." | |
| My Comments: | Embarrassed to say that I haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Between the Lines" |
| Character: | Walsh | |
| Costars: | John Heard, Jeff Goldblum, Stephen Collins | |
| GMR Rating: | 3 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 4 out of 5. "Very good post 60's film in the tradition of Return of the Secaucus Seven and The Big Chill. Staff of a once underground newspaper has to come to terms with the paper's purchase by a large publisher. Superb ensemble acting." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. Stephen Collins, however, is married to V's Faye Grant. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Bad News Bears in Breaking Training" |
| Character: | Officer Mackie | |
| Costars: | William Devane, Jackie Earle Haley | |
| GMR Rating: | 1 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 2 out of 5. "Without Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal, and director Michael Ritchie, this sequel to The Bad News Bears is truly bad news ... and rather idiotic. Jackie Earle Haley returns as the team star, and William Devane has a reasonable part as Haley's footloose father. Don't expect much." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Blue Collar" |
| Character: | Clarence Hill | |
| Costars: | Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto | |
| GMR Rating: | 3 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 4 1/2 out of 5. "This films delves into the underbelly of the auto industry by focusing on the fears, frustrations, and suppressed angers of three factory workers, superbly played by Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto. It is the social comment and intense drama that makes this a highly effective and memorable film. Good music, too." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Over The Edge" |
| Character: | Sloan | |
| Costars: | Matt Dillon, Michael Kramer | |
| GMR Rating: | 3 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 4 out of 5. "An explosive commentary on the restlessness of today's youth, this film also serves as an indictment against America's hypocritically permissive society. The violence that was supposedly caused by the release of gang films like The Warriors, Boulevard Nights, and The Wanderers caused this movie's makers to shelve it. However, Matt Dillon, who made his film debut herein, is now a hot property, and that's why this deserving movie is out on video." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "On The Yard" |
| Character: | Blake | |
| Costars: | John Heard, Mike Kellin, Thomas Waites, James Remar | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 2 out of 5. "Subpar prison-melodrama pits John Heard against a prison-yard boss. Some good performances help, but this never gets going, nor does it ring true." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Resurrection" |
| Character: | Don | |
| Costars: | Ellen Burstyn, Sam Shepard, Richard Farnsworth | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 4 1/2 out of 5. "Ellen Burstyn's superb performance is but one of the topflight elements in this emotional powerhouse. After Burstyn loses her husband and the use of her legs in a freak automobile accident, she discovers she has the power to heal not only herself but anyone who is sick or crippled. Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Sam Shepard is also memorable as the young hell-raiser who begins to believe she is Jesus reborn." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "On The Nickel" |
| Character: | Preacher | |
| Costars: | Ellen Geer, Ralph Waite, Donald Moffat | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 2 1/2 out of 5. "Ralph Waite, of TV's The Waltons, wrote, produced and directed this drama about derelicts on L.A.'s skid row. It's a well-intentioned effort that is too unfocused and sentimental to work, though Donald Moffat's performance as a cleaned up drunk is worth seeing." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Honeysuckle Rose" |
| Alternate Title: | "On The Road Again" | |
| Character: | Brag | |
| Costars: | Willie Nelson, Amy Irving, Mickey Rooney Jr. | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 2 1/2 out of 5. "For his first starring role, country singer Willie Nelson is saddled with a rather stodgy film that all but sinks in the mire of its unimaginative handling and sappy story." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Prince of the City" |
| Character: | Tug Barnes | |
| Costars: | Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach | |
| GMR Rating: | 3 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 4 out of 5. "Director Sidney Lumet has created one of the screen's most intense character studies out of the true story of a corrupt New York narcotics cop, played wonderfully by Treat Williams. In becoming a government agent, the cop destroys the lives of his closest friends." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Frances" |
| Character: | Unknown | |
| Costars: | Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard | |
| GMR Rating: | 3 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 4 1/2 out of 5. "Director Howard Hawkes called Frances Farmer 'the best actress I ever worked with'. However, the Seattle-born free-thinker was never allowed to reign as a star in Hollywood. This chilling, poignant motion picture explains why. Jessica Lange is superb as the starlet who snubs the power structure at every turn and pays a horrifying price for it. Kim Stanley is also impressive as Frances' mother, a money and fame-hungry hag who uses her daughter. Sam Shepard is the one person who loves Frances for who and what she really is. An unforgettable film." | |
| My Comments: | Once you have seen this film you will never forget it. Jessica Lange is absolutely amazing as an independent woman in Hollywood in a time when women were completely dominated by the men in the industry. The ending of this film will break your heart. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Soggy Bottom, USA" |
| Character: | Smilin' Jack | |
| Costars: | Don Johnson, Dub Taylor, Ann Wedgeworth | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | Not Listed | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Purple Hearts" |
| Character: | Commander Markel | |
| Costars: | Ken Wahl, Cheryl Ladd | |
| GMR Rating: | 1 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 2 out of 5. "Anyone who can sit all the way through this Vietnam war film romance deserves a medal. Ken Wahl stars as a surgeon in the United States Navy Medical Corps. who falls in love with a nurse (Cheryl Ladd). There's an additional fourty minutes of unnecessary and unoriginal story tacked on. | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Places in the Heart" |
| Character: | Albert Denby | |
| Costars: | Sally Field, John Malkovich, Danny Glover | |
| GMR Rating: | 3 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 5 out of 5. "Writer-director Robert Benton has made a great film. Based on Benton's childhood memories in Waxahachie, Texas, the film stars Sally Field, Ed Harris, Lindsay Crouse, with special performances by John Malkovich and Danny Glover. Field plays Edna Spaulding, a mother of two who is suddenly widowed. Almost immediately she is pressured by the bank to sell her home and the surrounding property." | |
| My Comments: | I've never been much of a Sally Field fan, but I was won over by the brilliant performances in this film. John Malkovich is fantastic as a blind boarder. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Red Dawn" |
| Character: | Mayor Bates | |
| Costars: | Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Jennifer Grey | |
| GMR Rating: | 1 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 3 1/2 out of 5. "Some viewers will undoubtedly feel that right-wing writer-director John Milius has gone too far with this tale of the Russians invading a small American town. But we took this film as a simple 'what-if' entertainment and really enjoyed it." | |
| My Comments: | Though sometimes over-the-top, attempts are made to make the characters and situations three-dimensional. Many of the scenes simply rang true for me. Who can resist Patrick Swayze as the leader of a Resistance? <g> | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Native Son" |
| Character: | Britton | |
| Costars: | Victor Love, Elizabeth McGovern, Matt Dillon | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 1/2 of out 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 2 1/2 out of 5. "In this well-meant but muddled screen adaptation of Richard Wright's 1940 novel, a 19 year old black youth (Victor Love) takes a job as a chauffeur to a wealthy white couple. His hopes for a brighter future are shattered when a tragic accident leads to the death of their daughter (Elizabeth McGovern) and he is accused of murder." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Weeds" |
| Character: | Claude | |
| Costars: | Nick Nolte, Joe Mantegna, Ernie Hudson | |
| GMR Rating: | 3 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 3 out of 5. "Nick Nolte gives one of his finest performances in this uneven but generally rewarding film as a San Quentin inmate doing 'life without possibility' until he secures his release by writing a play that impresses a reporter." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Prison" |
| Character: | Sharpe | |
| Costars: | Chelsea Field, Lincoln Kilpatrick | |
| GMR Rating: | 1 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | Turkey. "An old prison is haunted by the vengeful ghost of a man executed in 1964." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Race for Glory" |
| Character: | Joe Gifford | |
| Costars: | Alex McArthur, Peter Berg | |
| GMR Rating: | 1 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 2 out of 5. "In his quest to be a 'legend in my own time' a talented young motorcyclist (Alex McArthur) abandons his friends for a chance to compete in the international racing circuit." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. Alex McArthur is best known for the "Desperado" TV movies, and as Madonna's boyfriend in the "Papa Don't Preach" video. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Night Game" |
| Character: | Whitty | |
| Costars: | Roy Scheider, Karen Young | |
| GMR Rating: | 1 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 2 1/2 out of 5. "Familiar story of a police officer (Roy Scheider) attempting to track down a serial killer before he can claim another female victim. The predictable ending is a bummer. Good performances though." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Air America" |
| Character: | Senator Davenport | |
| Costars: | Mel Gibson, Robert Downey Jr. | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 4 out of 5. "The cop/buddy formula takes to the air when veteran pilot Mel Gibson teams up with rookie Robert Downey Jr. to fly top-secret missions behind enemy lines in the early Vietnam War-era jungles of Laos. Plenty of action and comedy bits make this a fun romp for the action crowd." | |
| My Comments: | I found this film to be predictable and boring. Even the considerable charms of Mel Gibson couldn't keep me entertained throughout the whole film. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "The Distinguished Gentleman" |
| Character: | Dick Dodge | |
| Costars: | Eddie Murphy, James Garner, Sheryl-Lee Ralph | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 3 1/2 out of 5. "Con man-style takeoff of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Eddie Murphy is a street hustler who hustles a seat in the House of Representatives. The first two-thirds of the movie, with an accent on comedy, are the best." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "My Cousin Vinny" |
| Character: | Jim Trotter III | |
| Costars: | Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei, Ralph Macchio | |
| GMR Rating: | 3 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 4 out of 5. "A fledgling Brooklyn lawyer attempts to free his cousin, who has been arrested on a murder charge in backward Wahzoo City, Alabama. Joe Pesci is terrific, as is Marisa Tomei as his gum popping fiancee." | |
| My Comments: | For the life of me, I don't understand why so many people adored this film. And Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for this? | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "The Mighty Ducks" |
| Character: | Coach Reilly | |
| Costars: | Emilio Estevez, Joss Ackland | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 3 1/2 out of 5. "Fast-living lawyer Emilio Estevez is assigned 500 hours of community service after being convicted on a drunk-driving arrest, and he finds himself coaching a hockey team made up of league misfits. The Bad News Bears on ice." | |
| My Comments: | Despite my best intentions, I found myself cheering on the team and thoroughly enjoying this film. Kids will love it, too. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Son In Law" |
| Character: | Walter | |
| Costars: | Pauly Shore, Carla Gugino | |
| GMR Rating: | 1 1/2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 3 out of 5. "Credit irrepressible Pauly Shore with keeping this hayseed comedy afloat, despite tired sight gags milked to death years ago on television's Green Acres. He plays a spaced-out valley guy who transforms the repressed and conservative parents of girlfriend Carla Gugino. Although terminally silly, the film delivers a solid, family-oriented moral." | |
| My Comments: | Well, Pauly is definitely one of those "love 'em or hate 'em" performers, and I love him. This is by far his best film - alternately silly and touching, with great performances by all involved. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "The Spy Within" |
| Character: | Stephen Hahn | |
| Costars: | Scott Glenn, Theresa Russell, Terence Knox | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | 3 out of 5. "Actor Steve Railsback makes his directorial debut with this effective spy thriller. Desperate agent Theresa Russell tries to escape the clandestine government organization she worked for that now wants her dead." | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "The Scout" |
| Character: | Ron Wilson | |
| Costars: | Albert Brooks, Dianne Wiest, Michael Rappaport | |
| GMR Rating: | 2 out of 4. | |
| VMG Rating and Review: | Not Listed | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" |
| Character: | Ezra Grahme | |
| Costars: | Larenz Tate, Halle Berry, Lela Rochon | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |
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Movie: | "The Hi-Lo Country" |
| Character: | Steve Shaw | |
| Costars: | Woody Harrelson, Patricia Arquette | |
| My Comments: | Haven't seen it. | |
| Your Comments: | None so far. |