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Reviews
Forbidden Nights (1990)
Phenomenal movie, should be on DVD
Although it was a made-for-TV film, I always thought Forbidden Nights was really impressive. The autobiographical story of Judith Shapiro's experience teaching in China was amazing. The chemistry between Melissa Gilbert and Robin Shou really made this movie shine. In Shou's case, it was a shame he didn't return to the U.S. until five years later for Mortal Kombat, because I thought this was his greatest non-martial art work, that showcased his acting ability more.
Warner Bros., if you read this, please release Forbidden Nights on DVD. For a made-for-TV film, this film has great quality, acting-wise, story-wise, and production-wise. I would also to hear Melissa and Robin talk about their experience shooting this film, either in commentary or as a special documentary.
Rockabye (1986)
Excellently executed!!!
I remember seeing the film, Rockabye, numerous times between 1996 and 2000. I wish a lot of channels, and you know who I'm referring to, should start airing this film a little more often, as it doesn't get airplay nowadays, which really sucks.
Anyways, let's get back on topic here. Rockabye stars Valerie Bertinelli (in one of the very first films that she was blonde) as a woman visiting New York City with her three-year-old son. During the visit, she was maced and her son was mysteriously kidnapped. She pleaded to the police for help, and they didn't help her at all. It seemed that all hope was lost until a newspaper reporter, played by Rachel Ticotin, decided to help her find her son.
During their search, Bertinelli and Ticotin discovered a black market ring, selling young children. There also some action scenes, where there was a shoot-out that killed Ticotin and Bertinelli killing a couple men with a handgun.
This film defines an awesome crime drama film, and I, for one, hope it comes out on DVD in the near future.
Pancho Barnes (1988)
Excellently executed!!!
I remember seeing this film around 1988-1989, while living in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany, when I was a small kid (4-5 years old). Looking back, I always thought Valerie Bertinelli's portrayal of Pancho Barnes was excellently executed in every detail. And the aerial scenes in that film were awesome. And the backstory reveals a lot about her upbringing, how she got her nickname, etc.
Personally, I feel Pancho Barnes was always overshadowed by Amelia Earhart in some respects, but after seeing this film over 20 years ago, it gives me a lot more perspective on women flying high. I hope this film comes out on DVD in the near future, as well as a lot of Valerie's films.