Reviews

Watched this at the assisted living facility with some of the residents. We were supposed to watch a different movie, but this is the one that got queued up. It moved quickly--I wish they'd put more time reference in to know just how long it took her to recuperate, etc... One of the ladies watching had had back surgery years earlier so she knew all about the different therapies and procedures.

Now, it's cheesy in some spots, pretty predictable--especially if you know it's an autobiographical piece. I got a bit annoyed at the turn on a dime mood swings from despair to determination that seems to run through the film, but at the same time, I understand that it takes time to get determined and sometimes you've got to fail to succeed. I was hoping there was an update about her and the boy from Montana, but it wasn't at the end of the movie.

This is a good family story. It's real life scary in a spot or two, and I had to go get some tissues because no one had any. Inspirational without being preachy.

I've never read the book--but I might have to now that I've seen the movie. I liked Jack Black, I liked Cate Blanchett, I liked Owen Vaccaro, I liked Colleen Camp. Was the acting superb--no. Was the dialogue award winning--no. Were there poop and pee jokes--yes, but hey, it made it cute. I didn't really find it scary. Certainly Harry Potter had much scarier moments, especially the dementors. Perhaps the part I had the biggest issue with when showing to children was the insult banter between Johnathon and Mrs. Zimmerman. Now, as an adult, I learned a few new insults, but I could see children getting the wrong impression and thinking it was okay to insult people the way they did. So, is it appropriate for small children, depends on how small and depends on how much the parents want to discuss the film with their kids later on. I don't recall my mother ever giving me talks about the appropriateness of characterization and stereotypes in films, she just let me watch movies and paid no attention to whether they were appropriate or not.

I pretty much dread whenever the 20th season of Gunsmoke starts because Amanda Blake is no longer with the series. But, out of 635 episodes, "The Fourth Victim" is a top 10 favorite. We see Matt Dillon doing what detectives or law enforcement would have been doing--slogging through clues and information to try to stop a killer. The acknowledgment of Chester Goode and Quint Asper while going through old court documents is wonderful since those two characters--as well as Kitty and Thad Greenwood--just disappeared without a reason or a trace. The only character we heard get an instant nod was Sam the bartender and that was after Glenn Strange died during the 19th season. Anyway, "The Fourth Victim" has suspense, creepy music, a palpable sense of alarm throughout the episode and keeps you wondering until the end. Even when you've seen it over a dozen times, like I have, you find it's still enjoyable to watch and how to get any clues to the killings. I really do wish they had done more episodes with this style of forensic clue hunting and less of the fast draws that the show was famous for.

This version, to me, takes Washington Irving's classic tale and really brings it to life in a family friendly, lighthearted vein. It's not a horror movie, it's not even suspenseful because you know who is doing what, but there is an element of wonder and the superstitions of the rural communities in upper New York make it a lovely treat to watch. If Jeff Goldblum was born to play a role, this was it. He is the scrawny, hawk-faced beanpole sort that you picture when you read Irving's classic. Meg Foster's simply beautiful in this version. I like the fact that they added another female character to give Katrina someone to play against even though it's not in the original. I love the setting with the deep snow and the bare trees. So many times shows 'pretend' to be set at a certain time of year but if you pay attention to the surrounding trees they are lush and green when they should be bare or it should be dreary and it's sunny and bright. It says it was filmed in Utah so it would be easy to build the primitive rural structures required for the shoot. The use of John Sylvester White as a confidante for Ichabod is wonderful. He is best known for his role as Principal Woodman in "Welcome Back, Kotter" and this role allows him to be gruff and comedic but not ridiculous. Dick Butkus is likewise perfect for his part. He is big and kind of dumb--a bit ox-like--but he's not without sympathy. You can easily see him bullying people in the area and being possessive of the fair Katrina Van Tassel. Still, he isn't so horrible that you want him to get hurt or killed. You simply want him to stop being so mean. The other members of the supporting cast: Paul Sand, Laura Campbell, James Griffith, and Tiger Thompson just add more layers to a well-known story.