duke1907

According to Hollywood legend Paul Newman had the main character's name changed from Lew Archer to Lew Harper because he had better luck with movies that began with H for example Hud and Hombre. I also read that the main character was changed because the movie studio wasn't able to get the rights to Ross MacDonald's books. I prefer the first story. This is a great movie. It has Newman's best performance as the world weary detective. He is quick with a quip and a gun. He is just as tough as Bogart or Dick Powell or Mitchum. It has a great supporting cast. Lauren Bacall, Strother Martin, Robert Wagner, Shelley Winters< Pamela Tiffin and Janet Leigh as his long suffering ex wife. It has a complicated plot, but the action moves quickly. Jack Smight directs it with a light touch. It typifies everything about Southern California in the late 1960's. This movie is quick like a rollercoaster while the sequel The Drowning Pool (made several years later) is slow and plodding> I like to watch this several times a year. I highly recommend it.

I miss the good ol' days when Stallone starred in classic action movies like Cobra and Judge Dredd (I know they were terrible, but at least they were fun) now he tries to play Lee Marvin to a group that isn't quite a dozen and not very dirty. The main problem with this film is the action sequences if it's an action movie shouldn't you be able to see the action sequences. All of the fight scenes were so dark that it was hard to tell what was happening. There was no chemistry between the two best friends Stallone and Statham instead it seemed like they had just gotten together to make a movie and that't it. Of course Stallone wrote and directed the movie so there is tough guy dialogue through out. I think he is 60 years old now so by now he should have learned how to write decent dialogue. At least every character while in a fight scene puts up their dukes and tells their combatant "Come on!" That get's pretty boring after awhile. I also don't like celebrity cameos. Arnie and Bruce Willis really have no place in the movie. Their scene feels like something that was put in as an after thought. It was good to see Charisma Carpenter again since I was just thinking about her, but there isn't any time for women in this film. It's all about muscle bound macho guys. Film critics will be studying the gay subtext of this film just like they do with Top Gun. Stay away from this movie. Do yourself a favor.

Watch this movie for one reason only and that is to see an actress named Yaya Dacosta she is excellent in the film. She is the only thing good in the film and the only character that seems real plus she is stunningly beautiful. The previews make it seem like it is a feel good comedy which it is not. The directing is lazy and there are plot developments that are never explored. Julianne Moore is really good also, but she always is. I wanted to punch the Annette Bening character right in the face she was so annoying and both of the kids (who are supposed to be alright) are so unbelievable. Mark Ruffalo is OK, but someone needs to tell him to speak up and stop mumbling. I was very disappointed with the film and I don't encourage anyone to watch it.

Oliver Reed was one of the all time great drunks in fact he died of a heart attack in a bar after finishing 3 bottles of Captain Morgan's Jamaica rum, 8 bottles of German beer, and shots of Famous Grouse whiskey and Hennessy cognac, while also beating 5 Royal Navy sailors at arm-wrestling. He was 62. I was thinking of this the whole time I watched the movie because during the film he looked like he needed to get drunk in the worst way. I thought he was excellent as Jim Wilson a Canadian police detective on his last day who has to deal with a hostage situation. He looked like a cop. His hair had a little gray, but he still had that famous Oliver Reed barrel chest. What was good about the film is he isn't a Dirty Harry type of cop who shoots first and doesn't bother to ask questions. He is thoughtful and doesn't care for violence. Raymond Burr is good, Susan George is cute, and veteran John Ireland is excellent too. Doanld Pleasance gives a poor performance as does Stephen McHattie, but I recommend this film. It's not a great movie, but it"s good.

This isn't a classic like Friends or Cheers, but a funny show with an appealing cast. The first two episodes had more laughs than the last 2 seasons of The Office. NBC should just cancel that show and put it out of it's misery. Sophie Winkleman is beautiful and very funny. I fell in love with her the second that I saw her. I also like Smith Cho. She is cute and her character is very funny. I don't understand why they need a laugh track, but it doesn't bother me. I enjoyed the first two episodes.It's a good summer replacement show. It is better than another Tough Love or Real Housewives show. I hope that it gets a chance. With all the problems going on right in the world right now it is just nice to forget about everything for a half hour.

I just thought of this film today because the lead actor Sam Bottoms passed away from a brain tumor. I always laughed when I heard his last name, but he was good in several different films, but unfortunately this wasn't one of them.When I majored in film at San Francisco State the director was one of my instructors. He showed the film to our class one day and I was embarrassed for him. He taught a course on Latin film and he was so passionate about movies that I found it hard to believe that he made this awful film. At least he had made a film though, ten years later I'm working nights as a security guard and writing during the day without having accomplished anything. The chick is hot, but this movie is not worth watching.

A few years ago I was working at Blockbuster Video and bought this movie brand new for $1.00 on VHS. It was worth it. Most people don't like this movie, but I have a certain fondness for it. I am a huge Elmore Leonard fan and also a Burt Reynolds fan so I liked it. I admit that it has flaws like Candice Bergen's wooden performance. But it has two great acting jobs by Charles Durning and the late stuntman Dar Robinson as the albino hit-man Moke. His performance is truly terrifying. It is terrific when Burt taunts him as Bunny Eyes. Durning is also great as a red haired drug dealer. There are a few good action scenes at the beginning and then at the end. The middle of the film drags. If only the intensity of the beginning could be kept up to the finish this would have been a great film.

I wanted to see this movie in 1980 when it first came out and couldn't. When I saw that it was coming to DVD I got really excited. I finally watched it last weekend. I couldn't believe that I had waited 26 years to see such a bad movie. The premise is great-a radioactive cloud turns children into zombies, but the acting and directing bring the film down. Towards the end it just becomes silly. There was a little nudity and some gore. The effects are horrible. There wasn't a single scene that was scary. There is a "surprise ending", but any horror fan can see it coming a mile away. Overall the movie is a waste of time. I did chuckle when the pregnant lady lit a cigarette, patted her stomach and said "I'm sorry" to her unborn baby.

Burt Reynolds had made bad films before this one, but he was always able to bounce back with films like Sharkey's Machine (1981) or City Heat (1984), but there was no recovering from this turkey. It took Burt all the way to 1997's Boogie Nights to make a decent film. This film has all of the usual elements, but just not put together correctly. Wayne had Ford and De Niro had Scorsese I guess Burt couldn't make a decent film without Hal Needham. If Hal would have done this he could have at least made the action scenes exciting and Burt could concentrate on being Burt. So if Burt makes a good movie every ten years we should see one pretty soon. Not a Dukes of Hazzard or The Longest Yard, but a real Burt Reynolds movie. One bad thing is the Burt I know would wear a toupee, but would never have undergone that wretched plastic surgery(Clint didn't need one). Come on Hal,if you're still kicking get together and bring back the good ol' Burt Reynolds.

I remember being very upset when Farrah left TV and started making movies. It was before VCRS and DVDS so once she was gone there was no way to see her every week. The movies that she made once she left didn't help with getting your Farrah fix. She still looked beautiful, but they didn't capture her personality the way her TV show was able to. This is a starring role for Farrah Fawcett (her second film after leaving Charlie's Angels) but it is Joan Collins who turns out to be the sexier of the two and who steals the film despite her small role. Charles Grodin is seriously miscast and makes the film hard to watch. Luckily the scenery is beautiful and so are the two women. This was the movie that made me realize how sexy Joan Collins really is. Watch her vamp it up in her Pre-Dynasty days.

I rented this movie based on user comments and was disapointed. It was OK, but I guess I expected more. I expected something along the lines of Fright Night or The Lost Boys. The title pretty much sums up the plot. John Carradine had a funny cameo, but everyone from Howard Duff to Henry Gibson are wasted. There is a funny shower scene with a nude Stella Stevens that is worth watching. To me it was the highlight of the movie. It was also interesting to see a young Paul Walker of Fast and Furious fame as a nerdy kid named Professor. 2 stars out of 4 and that is only because of the shower scene.

This is one of my favorite films along with She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, It's A Wonderful Life and Casablanca. It's hard to say why, but I just feel that everything in this movie is perfect. I am never bored when I watch it and I laugh at the same things over and over. I have watched Albert Brooks in other movies hoping that he would capture the magic of this film, but I don't think that he has. Sometimes it is hard to explain why you love a film. You just do. Anyone who hasn't seen it should. That's it plain and simple. I feel that it is one of the best films ever made.

Here are the top five private eye films in my opinion. The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Chinatown, Harper and The Long Goodbye. Two of them are based on Raymond Chandler novels. If you are a fan of the books then you might not appreciate this film. Instead of the tough, wisecracking P.I. we get a bewildered, chainsmoking detective who never seems to understand what is going on. The characterization is great. Robert Mitchum had just played Marlowe in Farewell My Lovely as a period piece, he was good, but seemed too tired. Gould is perfect. The film is more about him being an outsider in a modern world. He drives an old car, and his values seem out of step in the 1970's. Marlowe is lost in the LA of the seventies among hippies and all night supermarkets. He is a lonely man and the film captures that perfectly. Towards the end of the film we see that Gould is just as tough as Bogart, Mitchum and all of the other famous detectives. This is a great film. Check it out.

I am old enough to remember when Traci Lords was arrested for being under aged and starring in adult films. She is the first adult film actress to successfully cross over to the mainstream even though her movies have not always been Oscar caliber. In most of her roles she has played the femme fatale or bad girl. In this film she gets to play the nice girl next door and does a great job. There are times in this film when she smiles or dances and I felt myself falling for her. She was believeable in this movie. It was the first time that I didn't see the porno star, but a real actress. Overall this film is good, probably a B+. The story is funny and Tim Matheson is great (does that guy ever age). The director and star Stephen Burrows is very likable. Hopefully he will do more and use more of Traci Lords. I really liked this movie and I think you will too.

I watched this movie one Saturday night on Creature Features when I was about 10-years-old and it scared the hell out of me. I had to climb in bed and sleep with my mother for the rest of the night. I didn't scare easily, I had watched The Exorcist, The Omen and every other horror movie of that day, but this one did it to me. It was the shot where Barry Sullivan reveals his face and it is burned and scarred. It truly was a scary moment for me. I bought the DVD a few years ago and rewatched it. I was 35 and didn't have to go sleep with my mother, but it was still creepy. This is a pretty good movie to seek out. Even 25 years later it still had the ability to creep me out.

This is the best porno movie ever made. It has hot chicks and great action. It's really hard to describe this movie, but if you are a fan of adult films I strongly urge you to see it. Do Not Let This Movie Slip By.

I haven't seen this film in almost twenty years, but it stands out in my mind as one of the best I saw when it was released. The story is simple. Street gangs mess with Charles Bronson and Charles Bronson kills them all. This is a movie where you can really root for the good guy. The acting, directing and musical score are all excellent. If you are a fan of Charles Bronson and the Death Wish series then I would reccomend seeing this movie.

In the late seventies and early eighties Burt Reynolds was the biggest box office star in the world and this movie demonstrates why. Burt probably only made two true classics Deliverance and Boogie Nights, but while he was in his prime most of his movies were fun and entertaining.

In Sharkey's Machine he plays at Atlanta cop trying to clean up his city. It is extremely violent, but has good action sequences and a great supporting cast especially Brian Keith and Bernie Casey. Rachel Ward is Dominoe, the 1000 dollar a night hooker that Sharkey falls in love with. She is beautiful and the most classy part in this most. Burt also directs this movie and fills it with great action and fight scenes. He doesn't try to steal the show and lets the other actors shine. One bad thins is that he is fond of extreme close-ups that sometimes work and sometimes don't.

This was Burt's last big hit before he started making drivel like Stroker Ace and became the hasbeen that he now is. If you are looking for the ultimate Burt Reynolds movie then try this. It's too bad that he couldn't keep it up

Having just watched Ringu and the Ring back to back it's easy to see which film is superior. While both are very good, Ringu doesn't have the sense of urgency or foreboding that it's American counterpart has. It just kind of meanders along to it's conclusion. The heroine Reiko (Nanako Matsushima) is not a strong a character as Naomi Watts is in the remake. The American version has some truly chilling scenes and seems to flesh out the characters more. It looks like the filmmakers saw the problems with the first one and were able to fix it. Overall this is a good movie though and should be watched by any horror fan.

James Woods is a great actor and this is one of his best roles. It's nothing more than a B picture, but Woods is great as Lloyd Hopkins a bad cop in a bad city. He's the kind of cop who picks up on the bad guys girlfriend after he shoots him dead on the street. It's got a lot of good scenes with Woods at his best and a knockout ending. It also has sexy Randi Brooks and Charles Durning for support. Lesley Ann Warren also does a fine job as a chainsmoking Lesbian poet. This movie is highly reccommended. Put it in the VCR and hold on.

This is one of Pacino's best performances. He really looks the part of an alcoholic, burned out cop. In most of the scenes it actually looks like he is fighting a hangover. The plot is ok (people who answer personal ads are being killed while the song Sea Of Love is playing), but it's actually the characters and atmosphere that make the film enjoyable. John Goodman puts in a good performance as Pacino's partner and Ellen Barkin is very sexy. Look for Samuel L Jackson in a brief role at the start of the film.

This actually a combination of two Spillane books "I the Jury" and "The Body Lovers" This is not a great film, but good. The action and plot are pretty good and Assante gives a decent performance, but the thing that I remember the most is just how damn sexy Barbara Carrera is in this movie. I watched this movie with my mom on cinemax one night when I was in junior high school and I had to sit with a pillow on my lap. She blows away Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. She's very tempting at the end when she confronts Mike Hammer and he's got to make a life and death decision. This movie belongs to her. She has been good in other movies, but this is her best performance. It's worth watching for any fan of Barbara Carrera and sleazy action movies

This movie may have more f-words than any other during the eighties. It's a decent flick with both Jeff Bridges and Rosanna Arquette giving very good performances. There is a sense of danger throughout the entire movie that never lets up. Andy Garcia is also good in one of his earliest roles as the bad guy Angel. The script was written by Oliver Stone before he became famous and isn't bad. The worst part of the movie is probably the direction by Hal Ashby, while a great director it just seems like he wasn't sure about what sort of movie he was making. LA looks sleazy just like it should in this sort of movie. The sun is bright and the sky is gray and cloudy with smog. This is a good movie to rent, but don't try and watch on regular TV because most of the dialogue will have to be cut. It would turn into a silent movie. Still I recommend this to any fans of film noir and detective movies.

This is the worst of the Bond series making Moonraker look like From Russia with Love. From the opening precredits sequence with Bond snow boarding to the Beach Boys to the boring climax atop the Golden Gate Bridge this movie is awful. The best thing about this movie is Tanya Roberts. She seems to be the only one trying to inject any life into the movie. The action sequences are rushed and edited poorly. Roger Moore is too old and Grace Jones wasn't used to her full potential. It would have been great to see a hand to hand fight with her and Bond, but by that time Roger Moore would have lost. The other highlight is the theme song by Duran Duran. Being an avid James Bond fan I don't even consider this to be part of the series and it is not included in my collection.

This is the worst of the Bond series making Moonraker look like From Russia with Love. From the opening precredits sequence with Bond snow boarding to the Beach Boys to the boring climax atop the Golden Gate Bridge this movie is awful. The best thing about this movie is Tanya Roberts. She seems to be the only one trying to inject any life into the movie. The action sequences are rushed and edited poorly. Roger Moore is too old and Grace Jones wasn't used to her full potential. It would have been great to see a hand to hand fight with her and Bond, but by that time Roger Moore would have lost. The other highlight is the theme song by Duran Duran. Being an avid James Bond fan I don't even consider this to be part of the series and it is not included in my collection.