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TonyLeone32360
Reviews
Man on the Moon (1999)
Bloody Awful
I am always leery of films where the cover has too many accolades as this one did. FILM OF THE YEAR!!! MANIACALLY FUNNY!!! The only thing that would be maniacally funny about this film would be watching me maniacally kick my own butt for even watching it. I really should have known better. I NEVER thought Andy Kauffman was event remotely funny nor did I like cheers. But then to hear other people talk, I thought that maybe I was missing something. Now I know exactly what I missed....ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Except the two hours I spent watching this dreadful piece of malarkey. I would have rather spent two hours watching a Three Stooges Marathon. Moe, Larry and Curly gets boring after a while, but at least they start out funny.
Its been a long time since Hollywood has put out a really good, funny film. Those who thought Man on the Moon would be a break from that will be sadly disappointed. Go catch flies with chopsticks as it will be much more entertaining! I give it a 1 of 10. Only because there was not a zero or negative numbers.
The Champ (1979)
The Champ is a Great film and SO much more!
Some movies touch us in ways that are beyond description. The Champ is such a film. As far as a genre I guess its a sports movie. But really a story about life, human emotions and the bond between father and son. Billy Flynn (Jon Voight) is a former boxing champion who is down but no out. He now works as a horse walker/trainer. When this film was made, you didn't hear of many men being single fathers. Billy is just that. To his dismay he was divorced from his wife Annie (Faye Dunaway) after she left them to pursue a career. He told his son TJ (Ricky Schroder) that she had been killed in an accident and was a now a beautiful angel. Billy is a good man, but like many men he has his faults. He drinks and he gambles. But he is doing his best to raise TJ. One evening he has a $3400 lucky streak and buys TJ a horse, She's A Lady. Now 8 year old TJ owns a race horse. As he was preparing for the filly's first race, unknowingly TJ and Annie meet. She's a Lady is running well and battles for the lead only to fall down the stretch. Annie watches as TJ runs to aid his horse and discovers Billy is close behind. She then figures out TJ is her son Timmy. Annie confronts Billy after the race wanting to know more about her son. But Billy is still bitter and does not feel the need to grant this request. Life goes on with Billy's demons on his back. Old habits are hard to break, during an unlucky streak he loses all his money and owes $2000 more. He has 48 hours to pay or he loses TJs horse. Annie is now wealthy and bails Billy out. However instead of taking the money, the bookie decides he "likes the idea of being a horse owner." This infuriates Billy so much he commits an assault that lands him in the clink. In an intense jail scene, he tells TJ that he is "a pain in the butt, always nagging him, telling him not to drink and gamble." Billy wants TJ to live with Annie but he wants no part of it. Calling his dad a liar gets TJ slapped and sent on his way. But Billy has yet to tell him the real truth about his new friend.
America has bestowed one great gift to the world, Hollywood. Many great films have been made. In my opinion The Champ is one of the best and deserves a MUCH higher IMDb rating than 6.3. If there has ever been a movie to deserve a perfect 10, this is it. Now that I have set the story up for you, take 2 hours of your life and watch. But let me caution everyone, unless you have a heart of stone, this film will not only pull your heart strings. It will tear them out. Young Ricky Schroder gives the performance of a lifetime and is backed up by the stellar work of Jon Voight and beautiful Faye Dunaway.
Its a great at home date movie to watch with a new lady friend. So get a bucket of popcorn, a box of tissues and get ready for a film you will NEVER forget. This is a great story that leaves us sobbing at the end! A 100% definite 10/10!
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
They might be Dirty but they mean well.
This is an EPIC War film, one of the top 10 about WWII. The story is incredible, as was the cast. Sure war is hell and those who wrote critical reviews of The Dirty Dozen have NO business watching it in the first place. The amount of bad reviews really surprised me and can only have come from people that have no sense of the history of how WWII started. Yes it was a tragic time in the world. Yes there was carnage, death, all the NASTY things that come from war. But hey the Allies won and if you don't like that aspect, then don't watch. It is said "to the victors belong the spoils." America didn't want ANY part of that war, didn't start it, but had a huge part in it. Winning WWII gives America Filmmakers in Hollywood the right, Hell the DUTY to make these kind of pictures. While I am NOT in any way a war monger, actually detesting war. I look at WWII films as embellishing the times, celebrating the victory, honoring the men and women who paid the highest sacrifice to bring peace to the world again. Its just history people and The Dirty Dozen is a Great story about what could have happened in war. I have seen many movies about WWII and this one is a Classic!
The Tall Man (2012)
The Tall Man comes up short
After reading the first few pages of reviews which were all good and the fact that I like Jessica Biel, I decided to watch. It started out OK and I expected the storyline to develop into something more. It never did. It just kept dragging on with me expecting something to twist it around in time to make it good and not a total waste of time. But the movie just didn't come together and got worse and worse.
I get the storyline with Biel's character taking kids from poverty and then taking them to a better life with more affluent families. But I am sorry, that just does not happen in real life. Unless the child is an orphan or victim of abuse. But it certainly didn't make good subject matter for an "edge of your seat thriller." Am not sure if this movie is from a book, original or adapted screen play but it just did not appeal to me as a horror film or a thriller. If you can find something thrilling about it, then good for you. If your taste is like mine, you will be disappointed. I gave it a 1/10 only because there is not a Zero!
The Conversation (1974)
The Dull Conversation
I always read a few pages of reviews before I watch a film. Like many, I watched this one because I liked the cast, especially Gene Hackman. He gives a good performance and the plot was intriguing. But for me the story was just never developed into a worthwhile movie. It starts out slow and never seems to gather any speed.
Francis Coppola's direction was decent but not one of his better efforts. The best part of the movie was watching Hackman's paranoia get the best of him. I am sure he enjoyed tearing up his apartment but even this did not lend any substance to the story. One would have to be beyond paranoia into full blown psychosis to do something like that.
While Hackman is and will always be considered a great actor. This is a film that I am sure he even looks back with disdain. If you are a fan like me, then pass this one on by.
...And Your Name Is Jonah (1979)
A truly wonderful film that will touch your heart!
This is just a warm, beautiful story that the entire family will enjoy. I saw it originally back in 1979. Sally Struthers is wonderful in it as Jonahs mother. In the beginning Jonah has been misdiagnosed as being mentally retarded. But he is only deaf. His mother and father (James Woods) struggle to make sense of it all. They blame each other and then themselves. Jonah is trapped in a world he does not understand. Only through love and his mothers determination is Jonah helped to understand this crazy world we live in. It makes you feel for the handicapped and understand how they are misunderstood and discriminated against. Grab the tissues for the end as if this one does not make you cry, you have no heart. I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone!
Reservation Road (2007)
Good Drama with Good Actors
This was a very good drama with a good plot. We all have families that would be devastated with the loss of a loved one. We would all handle it differently and this movie shares one such avenue for justice we would seek. The scenes were set in the northeast and were all very well done. The actor/actresses did a real good job with their characters. I especially liked the dialogue between Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly. One part was quite predictable but did not ruin the story. I found it quite interesting and entertaining. The end was not what I would have done and some viewers may have a similar comment. But overall was an entertaining movie worth 2 hours of your time.