freddymeister

After starting with a bang and very strong seasons, the show just ran out of steam once Kevin Spacey was fired over his scandal, Due to the nature of things he was accused of doing, I doubt he could have remained on the show as the lead, which is a shame because it just couldn't survive without him.

Rather than review the movie in its entirety (which, as you can see from my rating, I didn't particularly considered to be good), I just wanted to say that I find it funny how some people complain about the low ratings the movie has received because "it hasn't come out yet", but those same people are giving the movie high marks.

How do they know that those who gave it a low rating haven't seen the movie? I know I have seen it and didn't think it was worth its price of admission, but why would you take the time to criticize the ratings that others have given it?

Have we reached that point as a society in which we don't even respect the opinions of others? Just because I disagree with someone else's rating, it doesn't mean that I have to assume they haven't seen the movie; it could be that we just have different cinematic tastes.

I'm a huge fan of the Watchmen comic-book and I loved the movie when it came out, so I think it should go without saying that I was excited when Iearned that they were working on a series.

I should have known better. This has nothing to do with the actual comics and changed the entire storyline. My question is why would you alienate the Watchmen fanbase by creating something that has no connection with it? Was it just to make a few bucks by using the name?

Don't tell me that you're gonna give me a burger and then when I order it you serve me a pizza. I came for the Watchmen and got something different, and to top it all off, it's not even good.

Growing up, there are certain things that you identify with, perhaps sounds, images, or smells; things that make you smile. For me, the one thing that does it all the time, is the musical score for "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". Every time I hear it, all I can think about is Eli Wallach's great grin, Clint Eastwood's stoic gaze, and Lee Van Cleef's evil eyes. All in great fun, Director Sergio Leone's western epic marked the high point for this genre, and showed that you could do a classy movie in which the leading characters do awful things such as: 1) Double-cross each other constantly; 2) Kill more than their share of men; 3) Condone greed at its fullest form.

The movie has the three main characters, Eastwood, a.k.a. "Blondie", as The Good (if you can consider him the good guy in this role), Wallach, a.k.a. "Tuco", as The Ugly, and Van Cleef, a.k.a. "Angel Eyes", as The Bad. All three of them are going after the gold, as Blondie and Tuco, while they were settling some scores between them, happened to have a casual meeting with a moribund soldier, who told them about it, and head in one of the most entertaining journeys in cinematic history. The fact that Leone chose the Civil War as the backdrop for his story, only created a sort of "irony", as there they were, young American men dying for something that they believed in, and here we have our three main characters weaseling their way through one of the battles, in order to get the gold. Truly classic!!!!

The score by Ennio Morricone is in itself a main character of the movie, and it really creates that familiarity that every movie needs to have, in order to make a connection with its audience. The showdown at the end of the movie, has got to be one of the best climax moments ever shot, and ever seen on film (I only wonder how it never makes it into any of Clint Eastwood's highlight reels, during the ceremonies where they salute him). And the ending of the movie, only glorifies it more for its fans.

I have to say, having watched more movies than I count in my lifestyle, that "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly" is one of the Top 5 films that I have ever seen. The movie runs over two and a half hours, and I have seen it over 20 times, yet, it never gets old. This is a true gem, and one movie that is worth watching, if only because it carries the tag of "THE BEST WESTERN EVER FILMED". I know that it is somewhat contradictory to admit that an Italian director produced the best film of this very American genre, but you gotta give Leone his due, because he managed to create a true masterpiece. I LOVE THIS FILM.

In what has to be THE VERY BEST street gang movie ever made, 1979's "The Warriors" is a roller-coaster ride through the streets of New York that you won't soon forget.

Directed by Walter Hill, who went on to become "The Master of Action Movies", as his credits include among others: "48 Hrs.", "Streets of Fire", "Red Heat", "Trespass", and "Last Man Standing", the movie is a non-stop, no-nonsense character study of a multi-racial street gang from Coney Island called The Warriors.

The cast, which only has three actors who went on to become either T.V. or Big Screen staples in Michael Beck, James Remar, and David Patrick Kelly, play their parts in such a convincing way that you may think that Hill grabbed some real gang members to star in the movie. The plot centers around a big meeting taking place with all the gangs, as we are introduced to most of them, and find out exactly who rules the underworld in a city like New York. Cyrus, the ultimate leader is shot to death during his now famous "CAN YOU DIG IT!" speech, and The Warriors are mistakenly blamed for the murder. What follows is one of the most exciting pieces of cinema, as our heroes roam through the streets, subways, alleys, & neighborhoods of the city, running away from everyone, as all the gangs have been notified to bring them to justice.

The Bombers, a gang dressed up as baseball players (complete with facial make-up and everything) are the first ones to swing and miss, and even though The Warriors do suffer some casualties along the way, we find out that they are indeed New York's toughest gang.

Walter Hill's movies have always existed in a world of their own; take 1984's "Streets of Fire", where Willem Dafoe and Michael Paré come down to a showdown in the middle of the street while battling with sledge-hammers; not everything is racially motivated, and race seems to have little to do with the conflicts. The same happens in "The Warriors", as Remar and Beck's characters are in direct competition for the leader-of-the-gang role, and seemingly disliked each other because of the different approaches to leadership that each one has.

If you're looking for a TRUE CULT MOVIE of the 70's, that will both entertain and enlighten you, then "The Warriors" is that movie. If you're a fan of good cinema, then this movie is a can't miss.

In what has to be one of the most under-appreciated "Buddy-Formula" movies of all time, Robert Deniro & Charles Grodin strut their stuff on screen for one of the greatest chase films ever made.

Yes, for those of you who did not know that Charles Grodin actually DID have a successful movie career (i.e. "The Heartbreak Kid", "Heaven Can Wait", "The Lonely Guy", et al.) before getting into the talk show circuit, you'll be pleasantly surprised to catch his performance in this late 80's jewel of a movie.

It stars Robert Deniro as Jack Walsh, a bounty-hunter who sets himself apart because he thinks that he has something that the people in his business usually don't have: "principles". The funny part is that those same "principles" are exactly what links him to the Charles Grodin character, Jonathan Mardukas, also known as The Duke, who has stolen 15 million dollars from the mob, and claims to have done it out of "principles", in order to give the money away to the poor.

Whoever thought of the idea of bringing these two totally different actors together is a genius, as their chemistry is literally palpable on the screen, what with Deniro's intensity and Grodin's non-chalant ways, the blend is outstanding.

The movie is basically a formulaic chase one, since Walsh and Mardukas are being followed by the FBI, led by Agent Alonzo Mosley, in a great performance by Yaphet Kotto, the mob, led by Jimmy Serrano, in a scary/funny turn by Dennis Farina, and another bounty-hunter named Marvin Dorfler, played by the much under-appreciated John Ashton. There are planes, trains, and automobiles in the movie, but it never gets tired, as it all comes to a magnificent conclusion.

We're not used to seeing Deniro play a character like Jack Walsh in a comedy or an action/comedy, as his comedic turns have been more of the intellectual variety (i.e. "The King of Comedy", "Meet the Parents", etc.) or have been ones where he is fully disguised or almost unrecognizable (i.e. "Brazil", "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle"). But what he does here is brave and courageous, and it pays off big time, as he ALLOWS the character of Walsh to GET THE LAUGHS based solely on WHO THE CHARACTER IS, because there is no change in the way he utters out his threats in this movie, from the way he did it in movies where he was far more scarier (i.e. "Goodfellas", "The Godfather Part II", et al.).

"Midnight Run" is a highly entertaining action/comedy movie with a heart, and if you have half the fun, watching it, as the actors obviously had while doing it, then you will have already enjoyed yourself a whole lot more than in any other movie that is "similar" to this one. Recommended as a great entry in the Robert Deniro filmography.

"Midnight Express" is the type of movie that stays with you, that makes you think about the things that you have in your everyday life, and makes you cherish those things. The movie opens with our "hero" William "Billy" Hayes wrapping himself up in aluminum folded hash, as he is preparing to attempt going through customs with the drugs around his waist. It's Turkey in 1970, and as the movie points out, bombs are being planted on aircrafts like flies on syrup. Right off the bat, we can see that Billy does not have the "cojones" for such a task, as the recurrent heartbeat that becomes the movie's trademark, along with its Oscar-winning score by Giorgio Moroder, gets stronger and stronger to the point where that nervousness and lack of cool costs him his freedom. He is searched before boarding the plane, and is taken away into a nightmarish ride.

There's a problem that I have with a character played by "American Graffiti's" Bo Hopkins, who comes in and is very fluent in Turkish, and introduces himself as "sort of a representative from the U.S. Consulate". The problem that I have with this character is that we are never told his name, or why he is even there, but he is certainly a key element in the film, since he is the one who put Billy behind bars after a stupid attempt to escape.

Now, I do agree on the fact that the punishment must fit the crime, and at the beginning, the 4-year sentence that Billy's given seems to be just about right for a federal offense such as trying to smuggle drugs from one country to another, but our "hero" never seems to be able to understand the severity of his crime, and never seems to regret his actions, even coming close to demanding that his father "get him out of there". After his sentence is changed to Life in Prison, Billy goes berserk, and starts a monologue against Turkish justice, and even its people that must have caused quite a controversy back in its day.

The supporting characters are all brilliantly played, namely John Hurt in an Oscar-nominated turn as an English prisoner who has been half eaten by drugs and prison life, and who is left behind by Billy at the end, but we never are told what became of him. Randy Quaid is equally good, albeit, in a more thankless role as a fellow American who was imprisoned for 7 years after stealing a candlestick from a temple.

The movie is not easy to digest, but is realistic enough to make you feel for the leading characters, especially Billy, even though we know that he deserved to do the time, we don't feel like he deserved Life Sentence, and so, that is why the ending is so rewarding in our hearts. Rewarding not in a "Shawshank Redemption" fantasy type of a way, but in a true sense, because unlike Andy Dufresne in "Shawshank", Billy's escape is purely random, and we go along with him for the ride towards freedom, not like Andy, who snuck out the back door, and left us wanting for more. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that "Shawshank" is one of the top 5 movies that I've ever seen, but "Midnight Express" stays with you a little longer. They don't make 'em like this anymore. By the way, this was Oliver Stone's first script to be turned into a movie.

I highly recommend this movie, as it is one of the true jewels of the golden era of Hollywood in the 1970's. Check it out.