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One More Shot (2024)
"What's the going rate now for betraying your country?"
I almost turned this off after about fifteen minutes because it seemed like all gunfight and no story. I don't know what it is, but I've seen Scott Adkins in ten movies, and I still wouldn't be able to identify who he is in the next one. When some of the dust settled it became clear that this was about a rogue Homeland Security officer (Alexis Knapp) working in concert with a mercenary (Michael Jai White) to plant a dirty bomb at the President's State of the Union address. That was only a preliminary however, in order to extract high level access security codes from all the top government officials who would be whisked away to the same secure location when the plot was detected. Well guess what, the story ended with CIA agent Jake Harris (Adkins) taking out virtually all the bad guys, but by averting a dirty bomb from going off, the mercenaries from a private military organization named Farbridge still had a team in place to get the more important aspect of their conspiracy done. While the relentless pace of the film most likely will appeal to action fans, I don't see how an incomplete one does justice to anyone expecting a verifiable conclusion. Maybe that'll happen in 'One More, One More Shot', but by that tine, my attention span will have worn out.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: All Good Things... (1994)
"It is time to put an end to your trek through the stars."
One's favorite episodes of a series don't necessarily have to coincide with the best, but in this case, I thought the writers did a commendable job of providing both for this viewer. The only other Next Generation story I've given a rating of '10' to was the third season's "Yesterday's Enterprise", which also happened to be a time travel episode, and for me, it's unusual to pick time travel stories because they usually make my head hurt trying to figure them out. The writers managed to keep this one from being too confusing with Captain Picard's (Patrick Stewart) forays into the past and future as a spatial anomaly directed by Q. (John de Lancie) caused time shifts in the Captain's perception. It was cool to venture with Picard to his first day aboard the Enterprise with Lieutenant Trisha Yar (Denise Crosby) as the security chief, while in the future we learn that the Captain had married and divorced Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden), now in command of a Federation medical supply ship. As events in all three timelines began to converge to one point in space as a result of tachyon pulses engineered by the crew in each one, Picard finally achieved success in saving humanity which was put on trial in a manner of speaking, by the indomitable Q, who always held the Captain in high, if often contentious regard. Feeling more like a Star Trek movie because of its extended run time, I felt this actually could have been released as a standalone picture with little reworking. With enough hints that this would be Next Generation's last hurrah (see my summary line above), the series found a way to go out in style with a cast and crew that pretty much remained stable throughout the years. For this viewer, I appreciated that they made it so.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Preemptive Strike (1994)
"I could use a hand at the controls, and a witness."
At the end of this episode, I couldn't tell who was more disappointed - Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) or myself. I can understand how viewers would sympathize with Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) for taking what was in her mind a principled stand, but in a final analysis, what she did was a betrayal to Picard and the Federation that put her through Starfleet training and on to a career after enduring a troubled past. What one has to consider here is the aftermath. Just because the Maquis withdrew their ships from attacking a Cardassian convoy for the present, it didn't mean that the rogue faction would discontinue their guerilla operations as soon as they were able to resume again. Where would that put the belligerent faction, and by extension, Ro Laren, if it came time to put them down for good? And that doesn't even take into account what the Maquis high command would consider since they had a Federation treaty to abide by. The rogue Maquis would be considered a pariah, and all those involved would face discipline by a Maquis standard. I had to admire the Captain's stance when he advised the recently promoted Lieutenant Laren that she was flirting with a board of inquiry and court martial if she didn't adhere to her mission. It seems that Picard always had the right answer when push came to shove. This time he demonstrated leadership that wouldn't be compromised, even for an officer who felt they were doing the right thing.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Emergence (1994)
"I don't think these folks belong on this train."
If nothing else, this episode takes the use of techno-babble to an entirely new level as the Enterprise crew attempts to regain control of the ship after it's taken over by an emerging intelligence that seems to have its own agenda. A lot of the story's action takes place on the holodeck, where disparate characters from seven different programs appear as passengers on a steam locomotive reminiscent of the Orient Express. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) board the train in order to determine what might be happening, as the transporter and replicator systems of the Enterprise begin merging following an instance in which the ship engaged warp power without a verbal command. To give you an idea how far the scientific gobbledy-gook was taken, just know that the officer crew torpedoed a white dwarf star to create a beam of vertion particles that the intelligence on the ship used to create an entirely new structure that when it was completed, simply took off from the Enterprise, presumably satisfied that whatever had taken control was pleased with its completed task. It felt like the creative team that came up with this story was grasping for ideas and used whatever stuck to the wall when the session was over.
Unfrosted (2024)
"Clearly, it's a fructiferous goo!"
I can't help feeling this was a swing and a miss by Jerry Seinfeld, a good idea wrapped in silliness that overcame what could have been a brilliant parody. As a baby boomer, I did appreciate all the nods to the Sixties and the caricatures of personalities of that era - JFK, Walter Cronkite, Jack Lalanne, et al, but it all felt more tongue-in-cheek than real comedy. Funnier were the sound and sight gags alluding to such references as 'Jackie-O's' and Tang, but if you're of a younger age they'll probably zip right by you. At least there was a cool cast of funny men and women backing Seinfeld up for this project - Jim Gaffigan, Melissa McCarthy, and Amy Schumer to name a few, along with more restrained players like Hugh Grant, Christian Slater and Jon Hamm participating in the mayhem. The cereal mascots were a colorful lot, all coming together at the finale to stage an assault on the Kellogg Company in a parody of January 6th, while moon landing conspirators can point to how the government could have done it and fooled the entire world. Pop culture word of mouth led me to this flick mere days after its debut on Netflix, so it didn't take long to see it and get the itch out of my system. If I'd waited, bad press might have prevented a viewing and I would have missed a silly diversion, as I do like to stay current. Let's just hope that after his first attempt at directing a feature, Jerry doesn't turn into a cereal killer.
Stillwater (2021)
"The last thing you want is to give your daughter false hope."
I was really stunned by the movie's ending. Not so much by the reopening of the case based on the DNA evidence Bill Baker (Matt Damon) entrusted to a retired French policeman, but to the culpability of Bill's daughter (Abigail Breslin) in the death of her roommate and lover. Yes, technically she might have been innocent, but even if she meant for Akim (Idir Azougli) to throw a scare into the roommate, it seems to me that living with that guilt and remorse would have outweighed her profession of innocence. You could tell Bill Baker was deflated by Akim's utterance of the Stillwater necklace given to him by Allison. At that point, Bill might have considered that Akim was lying in order to be set free from the basement, but the effect on him was palpable. When the truth came out there was disappointment, even if the love for his daughter merited the sacrifice he endured with French authorities and the opaque legal system he encountered. I felt bad that Bill's actions destroyed his relationship with Virginie (Camille Cottin) and especially her daughter Maya (Lilou Siauvaud). Real life consequences and the sobering impact of the truth marred what could have potentially been a happy ending.
Dust (2001)
"You'll see at the end."
The movie's dual narrative will prove to be a challenge for most viewers. You best bring an uninterrupted attention span to this one or you'll lose focus very quickly. In fact, I thought the picture was mismatched with its title when it first started with an opening scene in modern day New York, before reverting to an Old West scenario and finally moving on to Macedonia and a revolt by a local tribal leader against the Ottoman Empire. The story is centered on two sets of principal characters, an old woman (Rosemary Murphy) in a city apartment being victimized by a street hood (Adrian Lester), and a pair of gunslinger brothers (David Wenham, Joseph Fiennes) who fall for the same woman, and how their falling out with each other eventually brings the story back home to the present. I'm not going to go into the intricate details of the story because so many other reviewers here have done so with their own takes on director Milcho Manchevskl's overly ambitious effort, except to comment on the fact that the story could not have happened in the way it was presented. All you have to consider is the old woman Angela's (Rosemary Murphy) refrigerator dispensing the profusion of gold coins, even though they were all scattered at the Turkish camp by Luke (David Wenham) when he came for the pregnant Neda (Nikolina Kujaca). The coins were quickly accumulated by the tribe's members, making it a moot point that they could all show up again in one place a hundred years later. I can buy the idea that the baby saved by Elijah (Fiennes) was Angela, but how she got all the gold coins stuffed into her fridge is another matter entirely.
Big Leaguer (1953)
"They've come to play, and everything is baseball."
You take a look at this picture and realize professional baseball has come a long way. What surprised me most was how all the would-be players arriving at the New York Giants tryout camp showed up for their first practice wearing the uniforms of their hometown travel teams. Not one wore civilian clothes, blue jeans or a t-shirt. This was somewhat of an odd vehicle for Edward G. Robinson, who made his mark in the Thirties and Forties in topflight gangster and tough guy roles. Cleared of associations with Communism by the House Unamerican Activities Committee before this picture was made, Robinson found himself in lesser roles the rest of his career, even when at the top of the bill. Playing against type here as the Giants tryout camp coach, his character, John 'Hans' Lobert, is a jack of all trades mentor, disciplinarian, and fatherly giver of advice to the young men who come under his leadership. Not to mention his expertise as a ball player, having played third base for the Giants himself. Which is why he takes a particular shine to the prospect for that position, the imposing and talented Adam Polachuk, portrayed by Jeff Richards. Polachuk also catches the eye of Lobert's niece Christy (Vera-Ellen), whose words of advice when he finds himself conflicted about remaining in camp help him make a life changing decision.
The picture would not have been complete without the typical game defining moment coming in the final inning of a crucial contest that would determine which players would go on to receive contracts to join the minor leagues at a hundred fifty dollars a month. The story offered the opportunity for one of the player's father to sell Polanchuk's own Dad (Mario Siletti) on the idea of Adam becoming a pro ball player. Mr. Polanchuk was dead set on Adam going to school to become a lawyer, but his superb play and Walter Mitchell's (Frank Ferguson) raves about his son helped seal the deal. The game winning homer by Adam helped as well.
Though the film isn't in the same league (no pun intended) as say, "Field of Dreams" or "The Natural", baseball fans will probably find something to like about this decades old flick. It's also a good chance to see Edward G. Robinson in an atypical role, and since he's one of my favorite old-time actors, I had a pretty good time with this one.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
"A poacher who shoots at rabbits may scare big game away."
The teaming of Michael Caine and Steve Martin might not sound so good on paper, but they have some conflicted chemistry here as a pair of con men in a contest to see who can outfox and send the other on their way. Without knowing the earlier provenance, I thought Caine's portrayal and looks made him a reliable stand-in for a David Niven picture, only to learn that Niven himself was in the original version of this story when it was made more than two decades earlier as "Bedtime Story". As for his unwelcome partner, Steve Martin co-stars in a role Marlon Brando had in the earlier film, which now that I know about it, I'll have to satisfy my curiosity.
Though the story has its comedic moments, I've never been thrilled with Martin's overwrought mugging and silliness as demonstrated by his performance as Lawrence Jamieson's (Caine) phony brother Ruprecht. The bathroom gag was a decidedly low point in the story for this viewer. For some reason, the filmmakers didn't bother to explain some very dubious plot holes, like how Jamieson knew the made-up name of Freddy Benson's (Martin) psychiatrist, Dr. Schuffhausen, much less show up as the doctor himself when their intended swindle, Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly) became part of the grift. There was also that mysterious umbrella that popped up on the beach later in the story when Freddy tried to woo Janet - where did that come from?
For all the shenanigans employed by Jamieson and Benson, the picture's twist is one to relish after Ms. Colgate turns the tables on the finagling duo. The closing scene had a bit of "Casablanca" flavor with the forming of what I would guess to be a beautiful friendship. I don't know about Bogart, but I'm sure Claude Rains would agree.
The Gundown (2011)
"Son, you're either a hell of a gunfighter or a damn good liar."
The user rating for this movie here on IMDb is woefully low in my judgment. Now it's no "High Noon" or "Unforgiven", but the story line is decent and the wholesome hero returning to the town of Dead River to exact his revenge on town boss Travis McCain (William Shockley), though derivative, shows some grit and energy in the telling. There's a fairly high body count in this one, beginning with the murder of town sheriff Thomas Morgan, portrayed by the only actor I recognized in the picture, Peter Coyote. Well, his wife too, but I wouldn't have known her name, Sheree J. Wilson as Sarah Morgan. So, for a cast of relative unknowns to this viewer, I thought they all did a credible job. Except perhaps for the overwrought and pouty Dulce de la Rosa (Veronica Milagros), doing her best to look menacing but coming across as a caricature. One thing you usually don't see in a Western is a cowardly sheriff who reverses himself to take on the villain bunch, so the character of Sheriff Deets was portrayed in fine stead by Newell Alexander, until he got his off-screen sendoff by McCain. The story even has a whore with a heart of gold, as Cassie May (Allison Gordon) warms up to Cole Brandt (Andrew W. Walker), a key factor in the gunslinger's decision to turn around after heading out of town on his singular mission to find the outlaws who killed his family five years prior. The stagecoach getaway was something I hadn't seen before, and though you knew it was a set up for the finale, the way this ended took some of the glory away from Brandt when Sheriff's Deputy Newman Hicks (Paul McCarthy-Boyington) put an end to McCain's reign of terror. As one of the outlaw gang, I really wanted to see how Dulce would have been dealt with in a final showdown, but it became a moot point when that stick of dynamite temporarily knocked the baddies down outside the Majestic. Since McCain survived that blast, I'm sure Dulce did too, but I sure would have liked to see her botoxed lips one last time as she met her Maker.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Bloodlines (1994)
"So, you see, there really isn't any point in our getting acquainted."
This episode explores the possibility that Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) might have fathered a son while on shore leave on Earth roughly twenty-four years earlier. That son (Ken Olandt) is now being used as a pawn between the Captain and a Ferengi posing as a DaiMon, intent on seeking revenge for the death of Bok's (Lee Arenberg) son when Picard ordered the destruction of a Ferengi vessel after it provoked an attack against the Captain's prior command, The Stargazer. Bok's son was killed during that encounter, an event that had festered with Bok for fifteen years. Though Captain Picard makes a gallant effort to get to know his 'son' better, Jason Vigo (Olandt) wasn't exactly enthralled with the idea and maintained a discreet distance. However, after Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) established Picard's paternity, a further examination of Jason following a seizure revealed that he had a rare neurological condition contributing to a degenerative disease known as Forrester-Trent Syndrome. This had a bearing on the story's resolution when Bok transports Jason to his Ferengi vessel, with Picard following closely behind to challenge Bok's assertion that he's going to kill the son Picard never knew. In true Ferengi fashion, Bok was using Jason as a ploy to extort a huge ransom for the young man, having resequenced Vigo's DNA to make it look like he was Picard's son. The inherited degenerative disease was a dead giveaway that Jason wasn't Picard's son. Just as in the first season episode 'The Battle', Bok, now exposed for posing as a DaiMon, was arrested once again, to be returned to his home planet for punishment. Considering how cunning and scientifically intelligent Bok was in both episodes, you would think he could have put his skills to better use. Interestingly, two different actors portrayed the disgraced Bok in the separate stories, Frank Corsentino in 'The Battle', and Lee Arenberg in this one.
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #9 (1932)
You can believe it or not...
As I write this review, some of these 'Believe It or Not' episodes are making the rounds on Turner Classic Movies. Robert Ripley actually bows out of this one after introducing narrator Leo Donnelly, whose off-screen delivery is no more compelling than Ripley's himself. Of the few I've seen, this one offers the least amount of 'unbelievable' entries, as most are fairly mundane. There's a quick clip of a fat men's shop in New York City and one of a guy going around town picking up cigarette and cigar butts. Why?? A penny menu of about a dozen items in a New York eatery looked interesting, but for 1932, I guess it wasn't all that unusual. Ancient muskets handed down father to son in Tibet, a kiddie car made from cheap components, and a trio of ladies washing elephants and filing their toenails rounded out this program, making me once again wonder why Ripley's crew couldn't come up with a film short with oddities that were connected or related to each other in some manner. The randomness of the subjects presented was just too perplexing, but for once, the stories weren't all that unbelievable.
7 donne e un mistero (2021)
"There's a knife stuck in his back!"
This film is done in the style of 2019's "Knives Out", but it's nowhere near as clever or engaging. It serves as a murder mystery until the final reveal, and then the story's twist catches one by surprise. For good or bad is for the viewer to decide; in my case I felt a little let down. The picture moves back and forth among the seven women who all have some relationship with the 'murdered' man named Marcello (Luca Pastorelli), all of whom could have been guilty and spend their on-screen time denying they did it. I suppose this could have been a more compelling movie with better writing and more capable actors. The characters of the old grandmother Nonna Rachelle (Ornella Vanoni) and Agostina (Sabrina Impacciatore) came across as caricatures, while the action of some of the players didn't make a whole lot of sense. Why, for example, did Susanna (Diana Del Bufalo) find it necessary to sneak into the house the night before her 'arrival' to tell her father Marcello that she was pregnant? What was the big deal about that? In any event, the picture was mildly humorous at times but not that gripping as a murder mystery. Even the cops weren't called until old Marcello was really dead, and then only as a setup for spinster Agostina to finally get a man.
Caught Plastered (1931)
"Some people are naturally dumb, but you abuse the privilege."
I've only seen one other Wheeler and Woolsey feature - 1934's "Hips, Hips, Hooray!", in which they were marketing geniuses just like in this story. In 'Hips', they were helping co-star Dorothy Lee sell a flavored lipstick, no doubt the inspiration might have come from this earlier flick where they got involved in a drugstore relaunch with a spiked lemon soda that becomes the hit of their Lockville neighborhood. They weren't aware that their Pepo Lemon was tainted with alcohol, a scheme engineered by crooked businessman (Jason Robards Sr.) intended to get the newly renamed 'Sunshine Drugstore' shut down so he could take it over when the elderly owner (Lucy Beaumont) couldn't pay off on a loan. This was a familiar theme of the early B Western genre, relocated here to a more urbane setting and done for laughs.
Dorothy Lee is in this one too, introduced as a girlfriend of outwardly charming Harry Waters (Robards), who soon becomes sweet on Wheeler's character, Tommy Tanner. Tanner is so entranced by Peggy Morton's (Lee) charm that he absently concocts a fountain drink consisting of peppermint syrup, Epsom salts and castor oil. His partner, Egbert G. Higginbothom (Woolsey) knocks it down in a single gulp and immediately makes a quick exit, obviously for a rest room, even if we don't get to see it play out. At least they could have gone for a sound effect.
This one isn't as frenetic as their earlier "Hips, Hips, Hooray!", but it does wind up entertaining during its hour plus run. The vaudeville pair of Wheeler and Woolsey try out a routine on Mother Talley (Beaumont), who cracks up at their hit and miss delivery. As promised, the boys remain true to their earlier vow to the matronly shop owner when they stated - "You know our motto: One good deed every day"! Although the pair can feel grating at times with their schtick, the overall tenor of the picture is amusing enough if you're in the mood for their style of humor.
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976)
"He's betrayed Number Five completely, and himself as well."
I saw this film so many years ago, probably around the time it came out, and I've thought about it off and on ever since. Having been so much younger and inexperienced back then, I thought the scenes of sexual lovemaking and masturbation were unusually explicit and shocking to be seen on screen. The tearoom scene with Anne Osborne (Sarah Miles) and Jim Cameron (Kris Kristofferson) was a step beyond even Meg Ryan's humorous outburst in "When Harry Met Sally". But the thing I remembered best and was most affected by was the dispassionate murder of Kris Kristofferson's character at the end of the story. Particularly when it seemed like young Jonathan (Jonathan Kahn) was seemingly becoming friends with his mother's lover. However, the influence of the sociopathic leader (Earl Rhodes) of Jonathan's school age cohort was too strong and demanding to challenge, except for the single instance when Jonathan got into a scrap with him at school. The 'Chief's' penchant to dissect and take things apart to determine their true nature is given questionable support in that scene involving a cat, disturbing enough by itself to cause squeamish viewers to abandon the film altogether by that point. Taken to its extreme, all five boys eagerly took to participating in the final act that would purge Jim Cameron's presence from their seaside community. The feeling that the film leaves one with is that of conflict and horror at the senseless murder, and if one takes it to the next level, imagining what might have happened when the seaman's disappearance was discovered, especially as it related to the relationship between Jonathan and his mother.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Firstborn (1994)
"You have given me a glimpse into my son's future."
I felt weird about the reveal near the end of the story explaining who K'Mtar (James Sloyan) really was. It felt too simplistic and implausible, even if we've seen time traveling characters in past episodes. One could ask why now and not a lot sooner if the adult Alexander saw a way to change the past and prevent his father, Lieutenant Worf's (Michael Dorn) death at some point in the future. Before the improbable ending, the story was moving along pretty well with young Alexander (Brian Bonsall) becoming familiar with Klingon upbringing, traditions, and warrior training. He actually held his own fairly well during the bat'leth contests before deciding to forego the Rite of Ascension. Which is why it greatly upset K'Mtar when Alexander stated he didn't want to be a warrior, obviously causing him to relive his own conflicted life, while realizing that he wouldn't be able to change the past. For his part, Worf wasn't that concerned about K'Mtar's knowledge of his own death, reasoning that by traveling back to the past, the future was already set in motion for change. The side story of the Duras sisters stealing and smuggling magnesite ore for profit was more filler than anything else, as it had no real bearing on the main story.
Sommaren med Monika (1953)
"It's been a lovely summer, but everything changes starting today."
Perhaps a little bold for 1953, the film left me somewhat disappointed at its denouement due to the selfish disregard Monika (Harriet Andersson) demonstrated when life didn't offer her the freedom and carefree fun she expected when she took up with teenage boyfriend Harry (Lars Ekborg). Even though the young man made an impetuous decision to quit his job and take off on a summer interlude with his girlfriend, his view of reality kept intruding on their relationship, heightened by the priority of Monika becoming pregnant. My respect for Harry grew when he took on the responsibility of caring for his newborn daughter while Monika made a beeline exit to cavort with other men and put the former relationship behind. Though the resolution to the story left me disillusioned, I would extend kudos to Ingmar Bergman for the masterful direction he's been noted for. The filming in black and white lends a somber touch to the entire picture, even as the young lovers find pleasure in escape from the trials of their everyday lives. Brief moments of unexpected desperation, Harry's encounter with the intruder, Monika's theft of a roast beef, lead up to an unpleasant realization that reality at some point must intrude on fantasy. Bergman captures this sentiment well, even if the result is somewhat depressing.
Among Wolves (2023)
"Well Ma'am, we're a lot of things, but good we ain't."
This is a Western you have to stick with beyond the opening where it has the feel of a low budget movie. It picks up when two church ladies arrive at the cabin of a couple desperate looking hombres, Michael (Trace Adkins) and Angel (Jeff Fahey). I really liked the characterization Trace Adkins brought to his bounty hunter type character, speaking in a very low key, guttural voice and making you wonder when he might explode into violence. That eventually happens, but the story keeps you wondering about him and Angel, and when they might eventually take advantage of former prostitute Elizabeth (Victoria Pratt) and her younger associate Kara (Spencer Locke). The two women were forced to flee the town of Ruby when Pinkerton mercenaries led by Thomas Barclay (James Russo) killed the town's priest on behalf of the Miller Colfax Mining Company in response to the local miners striking for higher wages and better working conditions. Accepting the women's offer of murdered Father Callahan's (Tom Berenger) life savings to deliver them to safety, Michael and Angel retrieve their cache of weapons and ammunition to take on an errand of mercy that would result in violence and bloodshed. The story almost lost its way when Michael expressed his doubts about following through with the mission by absconding with the money until his partner reminded him of the code they swore by after Angels' wife and daughter were killed years prior. Angel's resolve is made even more determined by the uncanny resemblance of Kara to his own murdered daughter, a point that could have been exploited if Michael hadn't reminded him that his daughter was really dead. Don't expect a nice and tidy outcome for this Western, as a few things go awry on the way to a final denouement. Though Pinkerton boss Barclay meets his demise at the hands of Michael after one of his henchmen murders Elizabeth, Angel suffers a gut shot that would prove fatal as well. Wounded during an exchange with Barclay, Michael recovers enough to finally bring Kara to safety in a bittersweet ending to this tale of frontier justice.
P. S. For some reason, the character names for Trace Adkins, Victoria Pratt, and Spencer Locke are omitted from the cast list and left blank here on IMDb. My attempt to add them was unsuccessful as the fields to make the correction are blocked.
Robbers of the Range (1941)
"Don't you know there's a law against murder?"
Cowboy hero Tim Holt takes on a dual identity in this programmer in order to thwart a classic B Western scheme in which the bad guys move in to steal the land out from under cattle ranchers and farmers. Perennial villain LeRoy Mason is once again the brains of the bad guy outfit, although he does report to a higher power in the form of Southwest Pacific Railroad boss, Colonel Lodge (George Melford). The only thing is, Lodge isn't aware of all the underhanded shenanigans, and doesn't even enter the story until the final frames. Holt takes on the guise of gunslinger Curly Yantis in order to infiltrate the Rankin gang after the real Yantis (Malcolm 'Bud' McTaggart) was shot in a stagecoach holdup.
Holt is sidekicked in this one by Emmett Lynn as the bushy faced Whopper, along with Ray Whitley as his pal Smokey. Usually in these pictures, the comic relief characters are fairly inept, but this time they really hold their own in helping set up the Rankin (Mason) bunch for a fall. The modus operandi of the outlaws is to kill a rancher and frame his neighbor or good friend for the murder. With cooperating witnesses abounding, it's not too difficult to play the local sheriff (Ed Cassidy) for a patsy, and then move in to steal the deed for the rancher's land. However, in one of the more clever B Western twists, Jim Drummond's (Holt) pals pull off an ambush and grab five thousand dollars that was on its way to Rankin in partial payment to redeem a promissory note, only to apply it to the remaining five thousand outstanding! Now that's thinking on your feet!
To round out their assistance to Drummond's cause, Whopper and Smokey get Rankin's business partner Greeley (Ernie Adams) to sign a confession by faking a working over of Rankin henchman Monk (Tom London). Even though Monk makes a getaway, it's not soon enough to stop a court proceeding under way to bring the land/murder scheme out into the open. In one of the dumbest moves you'll ever see in a Western, (although I have seen it before), Rankin's right hand man Daggett (Ray Bennett) shoots Greeley in a courtroom full of witnesses! My old pal Bugs Bunny would say, 'What a maroon'!
Needless to say, Tim Holt's character saves the day not only for himself, but fellow ranchers of Blue Mesa, who now stand to receive fair compensation for their land from the railroad if they so desire. Since Jim Drummond worked undercover most of the story, he never really got a chance to woo pretty rancher's daughter Alice Tremaine (Virginia Vale). Had this been one of the later Tim Holt Westerns, Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) would have been right there to pick up the slack!
The Out-Laws (2023)
"You can eat my cake anytime."
I can't recall when I've seen a dopier movie, especially with names in the cast like Pierce Brosnan, Ellen Barkin, and Richard Kind. They were the only principal players I was familiar with, and how they got themselves roped into this thing I can't imagine. Adam Devine, the main character, looked like he was emulating Jim Carrey, but he just doesn't have the face, timing or physical mannerisms to make it work. He looked like an idiot, which I understand is his stock in trade. By comparison, with all the buffoonery going on, Nina Dobrev as Owen Browning's fiancée Parker McDermott looked like the only normal one here. And if the flick's primary goal was to cast even worse characters, Poorna Jagannathan as Rehan and Lauren Lapkus as Phoebe King were the most grating on my psyche. There was only one bit that got my favorable attention, and that was when Pierce Brosnan commented on James Bond Number Five in the movies when he said "Oh yeah, that was a good one". But even then, he got it wrong. Along with the script writers, he must have forgotten all about George Lazenby.
Northwest Rangers (1942)
"You're the constable, I'm the guy you're after."
I didn't make the "Manhattan Melodrama" connection while watching this film, having seen that one over five years ago and not calling it immediately to mind. The movie I remember much more readily of two boyhood friends going their separate ways and ending tragically is "Angels With Dirty Faces" starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. That one also had Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan for some real star power, making it one of my favorites of all time.
You don't get the same tension in this story, as James Craig's character Blackie Marshall never really comes across as a bad guy. When he wins The Topaz saloon and gambling joint from Martin Caswell (John Carradine), his first act is to clean up the rigged roulette wheel and put everyone on notice that he's going to run an honest operation. Had he been portrayed as a Snidely Whiplash sort of character like Caswell, the good guy/bad guy dynamic might have been more pronounced relative to his childhood buddy Jim Gardiner (William Lundigan). I would even go so far as to say that the death of gambler Fowler (Grant Withers) was a case of self-defense, since Fowler was positioned to shoot Blackie instead of paying up on a gambling debt. Blackie's attack on Caswell looked a little more ambiguous to me; even though Blackie charged him, it almost looked like Caswell was about to stab him in a quick fadeout.
A few other reviewers here didn't think much of Patricia Dane's portrayal of Jean Avery, the love interest of both Blackie and Jim, but I thought her performance was okay. Blackie made his selfish intentions known once Jean got serious about settling down, so you can't blame her for going after Gardiner, although it did feel like switching horses in midstream. I thought the story could have gone for a better ending, since Jim shooting Blackie in the back while running away had a terrible look for a Canadian Mountie. A classic showdown wouldn't have worked, but Gardiner chasing him down to face a trial would have at least given Blackie a chance to explain himself in front of a jury.
Going through the credits list here on IMDb, I was surprised to see the names of some of the ancillary players. Even though I recognized Keenan Wynn as Blackie's sidekick Slip O'Mara, I didn't place 'Leave it to Beaver's' dad, Hugh Beaumont as Canadian Mountie Warren, or TV's 'Dallas' patriarch Jim Davis as the Mountie serving the warrant. Cowboy star Tim Holt's dad, Jack Holt, had the role of surrogate father to the young Blackie and Jim at the opening of the story, though I would have to question his putting a Mountie uniform back on after he retired.
Leanne Morgan: I'm Every Woman (2023)
"Everybody I know is on a CPAP machine."
It's rare to find a comedian performance on Netflix that doesn't devolve into obscenity, so in that respect, Leanne Morgan was a refreshing change. Like Jerry Seinfeld, she works 'clean', and she can be funny doing it. She called this performance part of her 'Big Panty Tour' though that's not mentioned in the promo for this special. With only a quick mention of that, Morgan goes on to describe elements of her family life, with particular attention to her overachiever husband - "I love him, I just don't want to be with him."
It's all in good fun, as she laments how she gained weight during Covid via Jello salads, while taking swipes against perimenopause and fighting over the thermostat with Hubby Chuck. Her delivery is a bit static, but punctuated with facial expressions and body language that adds some life to the presentation. Her routine may not be laugh out loud funny, but she did get a handful of chuckles out of this viewer, and for that, I'd probably catch a few more of her shows.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Journey's End (1994)
"Maybe I'm sick of living up to rules and regulations."
Well, I never thought Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) would bow out of the Academy and Starfleet the way he did in this story, but with the series coming to an end I guess his departure was as good as any. Like so many other reviewers on this board, I too was not a fan of Wheaton's character, so I'm not at all upset about it. However, there are other head scratchers in the episode as well, such as, how did the unnamed Indian tribe wind up on Darvon V in the first place? The story made it sound like they were searching for a place to live two hundred years prior, but how did they have the means to conduct such an investigation? It's not likely they had their own starship or the financial means to have Starfleet pick them up and place them there. So that, I thought, was a flaw in the premise of the episode.
Oh yeah, one more. It's been pretty well established that Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) was raised in a small rural village in France. So how did one of his ancestors by the name of Javier Maribona Picard lead an attempted Spanish conquest during the 'Pueblo Revolt of 1680'? I actually thought that sounded like it was made up for the program, but a quick internet search revealed that the revolt, also known as Popay's Rebellion, was an uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe, New México. The revolt killed 400 Spaniards and drove the remaining 2,000 settlers out of the province. So maybe the Native Americans in this show were Pueblo Indians, even though that was never mentioned specifically.
The two separate stories merge when a Native American shaman called Latanka (Tom Jackson) takes Wesley on a vision quest to find out what was at the bottom of his unruly behavior coming aboard the Enterprise. When Wesley's father (Doug Wert) appeared to him with a message to follow his own path, it freed the young man to make a fateful decision that would change the direction of his life. As for the potential conflict between the Federation and the Cardassian Empire, that was avoided when the Indian tribe agreed to live under the rule of the Cardassians instead of being forced to relocate to another planet. I wonder why the Captain didn't think of that.
My final observation - Admiral Nechayev (Natalija Nogulich) appeared to be a decade younger than Captain Picard, and I'm curious as to how she was elevated to the rank of Fleet Admiral ahead of someone like Jean-Luc. That would have made for an interesting story, and one that Next Generation might have tackled for fans of the series.
Nic na sile (2024)
"The heiress has arrived."
What you have here in essence, is a Polish Hallmark movie, with apologies to reviewer 'bmvrztvt', as I came to this conclusion on my own before I read their review. The actual idea of the film isn't bad, but it does get hokey with some of the ancillary characters, like the pair of Polish farmers and the female cop Matylda. Yet another reviewer pointed out how the story seems to take place over a couple of weeks instead of the two days Oliwia Madej (Anna Szymanczyk) committed to in order to attend her grandmother's funeral. Turns out that was a con job, and not a very pleasant one if you come right down to it. The simmering romance between Oliwia and Kuba Walek (Mateusz Janicki) felt awkward at best until the latter part of the story, I think it was that bright red lipstick that turned the trick. Hey, I'm of Polish descent myself (both sides), so I'm not making fun, but this was quite an uneven flick. The attempt at comedy overshadowed the romantic angle and the director might have lost focus while attempting to get in a lick about global warming and same sex relationships. For a real treat, take a look at the credits list here on IMDb, and you'll be enthralled by the names of all the Polish actors. My favorite is Angelika Cegielska-Swiatek, the actress who portrayed Matylda. Right there is a mouthful.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Genesis (1994)
"Before I start swinging through the ship looking for breakfast, we better find some answers."
Well, at least they got Reg Barclay's (Dwight Schultz) Terellian Death Syndrome and Symbalene Blood Burn out of the way early, so the story could move on to the Enterprise becoming infected by an intron virus caused by a synthetic T-cell Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) experimented with on Barclay to alleviate his hypochondria. The resultant de-evolving of the entire crew had different repercussions for everyone, with Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) living out the dream fantasy of Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) in the previous episode, 'Eye of the Beholder', and biting her on the neck in a moment of aggressive passion. Right after, Worf began mouth spraying venom to further the infection, with Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) turning into a caveman, or at least like one of those guys in the Geico commercials. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Commander Data (Brent Spiner) had all this to come back to after retrieving an errant torpedo via shuttlecraft, so they missed the initial hysteria. Leave it to Data though, his analytical mind saved the day while the Captain was beginning to succumb to the effects of the syndrome himself, getting increasingly paranoid and on the verge of panic. Hypothesizing that dormant and prehistoric genes in humans and other species were reawakened by the intron virus, he concocted a way to reverse the process and bring all thousand people aboard the Enterprise back to normal. Which was quite a feat in the case of Counselor Troi, who was breathing her bath water with the help of gills that developed in her metamorphosis. Besides the major positive outcome, Dr. Crusher found a way to calm Barclay down following his turn as a spider, and awarded him by naming the problematic virus the Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome. That had quite a ring to it.