Reviews

Great light action/comedy (if there is such a genre). Better each time we watch it, which is the true measure of a good film. Heche is a wonderful comedienne and Schwimmer almost (but not quite) steals the show with his remorse. Ford? -- Always good. Much was made of the difference in his and Heche' ages. So what? But a minor goof you may want to enter: In returning, they are flying a "Japanese Float Plane" and the airspeed indicator is in English.

This is a story of two men, both having strong convictions about their abilities. One man feels he has to succeed because of his rejection by others because he is Jewish. The other man feels he has to succeed because God has given him the power to do so and it would be a testament of his faith. The Jewish man is backed by a woman in love with him who urges him to continue to run in the face of what he considers defeat. The religious man has to prove to his sister that he must do God's work on the track before he becomes a missionary. It is a rare film these days for the majority of its characters are principled, although others question how those principles should be applied. No violence. No profanity. A refreshing movie.

The Wind and the Lion is not being recognized for what it really is. First, it is a well-told tale with beautiful cinematography and excellent character delineation. But there are two things that the critics missed. It is a woman's story -- a determined woman who stood up for what she felt was right and fought a "man's" battle. The feminists missed this one. It is right down their ally. Too, it is a historical perspective of the gunboat diplomacy of its day. Very good acting by all.

This is good comedy. Furthermore, it is an imaginative plot with characters that are well drawn and identifiable. Given what we know about Turner' fastidiousness, I would question the ease with which Mare Willingham gets him into bed, but that seems to be the way with screenwriters think life is. There are a number of good comedic incidents from the coralling of Hooch, to the chase with the car they commandeered from a kid entrusted with his mother's auto, to the "conversation" Turner has with Hooch on the stakeout. Incidentally, this was John McIntire's last film. He was the voice of the March of Time radio show in the 30's -- if anyone reading this is as old as I am, they'll be impressed with that. And my goodness, so few (if any) f-words. Bruce Willis' writers take notice!

The original (Babe) was a charming, low-key movie. The sequel has taken Babe to the city, but ignores the charm of his naievity which made the original such a success.. Instead, we're treated to animals being run over by trucks (almost, but scarey), drowned (almost, but frightening in the possibilities) plus a chase scene that goes on forever and in its length becomes pointless. How much nicer it would have been to have Babe be awestruck by the sights and sounds of the city--and how much funnier. After having seen this I would not take a child to this show. An adult daughter walked out and I suspect others did, too.