whidbeydanielg Reviews (30)

Man in the Wilderness (1971)

A beautifully told story

[10/10 · 10 September 2023]

Richard Harris shines in this film, which was based upon a true story.

Starting in the mid-1950s, I attended western movies every week with my father. I continued the tradition on my own, right up until the present.

I have a collection of about 700 of them.

Man in the Wilderness is one of the top 10. It's not The Searchers, but nothing else is.

Richard Harris shines in this film. And his coming to terms with his life and his humanness was masterfully done. It is sweet and moving.

It is a revenge movie, but not really. See it and you will understand. You will be glad you spent an evening with it.

....p.s. The film score is beautiful.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Watch this if you like films about psychpaths

[2/10 · 24 July 2023]

This is supposed to be a great movie. Actually it is a downer. A psychopath, somehow just appearing out of nowhere, is the entire film.

There is nothing funny or redeeming about the film. It is nothing but scenes of killing without remorse.

If that's your idea of fun, this is your film.

The performances? Well, when you are portraying an emotionless psychopathy, just about any 8th grader could do it. Tommy Lee Jones is wasted.

We can't even tell where the money went, which is what provided the (supposed) motivation for the entire thing. I would have paid someone that amount of money to get my evening back that we wasted watching this.

The Coen Brothers can do better, and have.

Lonesome Dove (1989)

One of the two best westerns ever made: powerful, beautiful, and heartbreaking

[10/10 · 9 May 2023]

It's been almost 35 years since Lonesome Dove was on television. I'm finally able to write a review.

Of all of the westerns ever produced on television or on the big screen, I would rate Lonesome Dove the second best....second only to John Wayne's The Searchers.

Lonesome Dove is that good.

What is my basis for this evaluation? As a child in the 1950s my father and I went to westerns every week. It was one of the many things we did together. I have amassed a collection of about 400 western films. I know them all. There are many, many totally outstanding western films that have been made.

So why does Lonesome Dove rate so high? Frankly, because it just does. I can pick apart why it is so good, which I will do, but the total is greater than the sum of the outstanding parts.

First, Robert Duvall as Gus McRae steals the show. The series was 6 hours long, and he's in most of it, and not only do you not tire of him, but you find yourself wishing he lived next door to you. You wouldn't want him to marry your daughter, but you knew that if your daughter was ever in trouble who to call.

And if that's not enough, Tommy Lee Jones, as Woodrow Call, his long-time partner, is perfect. He is a person who feels things deeply, but doesn't understand that he does. You could not do better in life to have a best friend like Woodrow Call.

Lonesome Dove is the story of two old, former Texas Rangers who somehow get it into their heads to do a cattle drive north. That's the plot. For real. Nothing much. What you see, as the drive continues, is that the two Rangers (Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones) never were meant for civilization. And the bond between them only gradually becomes clearer. A bond that neither ever articulates...it's just there. And it's beautiful.

There is all of the usual stuff of westerns-bad guys, rustlers, saloon "ladies," Indians, cattle, horses. But all of that is a backdrop to the real story, which is the life-long friendship between these two men. In contrast to most movies, and all other westerns, the two buddies don't die saving the other one. Nothing that trite. They are just always "there." And showing the utmost respect all the while realizing the flaws in the other person.

Because it is 6 hours in length, there was no need to compress the story. It is the slow details that make this film so outstanding. The supporting cast is practically a who's-who of strong actors and actresses.

Almost all westerns and tv westerns of the 50s had a "climax." A shoot-out of some kind. This one ends in a more real fashion. It ends respecting the life-long friendship of these two men. And showing why these two men, if they could do it, would live their lives over again in exactly the same way. It will tear your heart out and make you cry.

Writing this review makes me wish my dad was still alive. If he was, tonight I think we'd pop the DVD of Lonesome Dove in and spend the next three nights watching it together.

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

Sweet, and asks a question we will all ask ourselves sometime

[10/10 · 6 January 2023]

This film is much more substantive than the title might indicate (name of an old Buddy Holly song).

Kathleen Turner is great in it, receiving a deserved Academy Award nomination. Nicholas Cage is over the top, but he is supposed to be. The supporting actresses and actors are all first-rate, including a number of old timers. The music by John Barry fits the mood of the film perfectly.

In a very sweet way, the film asks us to reconsider our lives, and the decisions we made, and whether we would really want to go back and change things. But it doesn't knock you over the head in doing this. Francis Ford Coppola (yes, him) directed this talented ensemble perfectly.

Something that could be lost without mentioning: The writing was superb. It was often funny in a clever way, funny in laugh-out-loud way. The two writers of the film didn't appear to write very many films, and there is nothing about the on IMDB. But they deserve a shout-out.

It is one of our favorites. It was hardly noticed when it came out, but should have been.

Cowboy (1958)

A competent, and fun, 50s western

[9/10 · 4 January 2023]

Ok, so it isn't Red River, The Searchers, The Wild Bunch, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but so what?

It is a fun and entertaining western. It isn't typical of 50s westerns in that it doesn't end with a gun-fight between the "good guys" and "bad guys."

Instead, it ends with two very different people developing a grudging respect for each other.

Both leads are good, and Strother Martin has a wonderful role that is so very Strother Martinish.

The third lead, next in line to Lemmon and Ford, are the cattle. They actually play an important role.

So, rent it or (like me) buy it and settle into a fun evening.....partner.

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Not a single likeable character in the entire film

[2/10 · 28 December 2022]

Travolta is a violent rapist. Treats everyone like they are worthless, especially the women. His parents are caricatures--they are supposed to be people who give Travolta no respect. But instead they are just over-exaggerated, poorly-acted nincompoops. You can't take anyone seriously in this film. Everybody is so over the top.

It is an ugly film. Even the dancing is ordinary.

The acting is second rate. The characters the actors depict are people you would cross the street to avoid. 11-year-old boys in men's bodies.

What is the appeal of this film? We couldn't wait until it was over, so we could go take showers.

P.s. Disco dancing is a poor excuse for real dancing. Hard to believe it was popular for awhile.

Mein Kampf (1960)

Saw this and became a conscientious objector

[10/10 · 18 December 2022]

My father (who I miss everyday) and I went to movies together a lot when I was a child in the 1950s.

One we saw was John Wayne's The Alamo. After the movie I was going on and on about how great it was.

I remember he was silent.

The next night he took me to see Mein Kampf. He said he wanted me, as a boy of 12, to see what war was really like. (he had volunteered for the Army Air Corps the day after Pearl Harbor, so knew it first-hand).

I was changed.

10 years later I applied to be a Conscientious Objector during Vietnam. As part of my application I mentioned Mein Kampf. I'm proud of what I did. That "war" was a disaster for Vietnam and for our country.

So, to parents out there: take your sons and daughters to see this film. Teach your children well.

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

Newman becomes a diffferent person--his acting is so good

[9/10 · 14 December 2022]

If you ever had doubts that Paul Newman was an actor, and not just a pretty face, then SEE THIS FILM.

He just crawls into the skin of Rocky Graziano. He's almost unrecognizable as Paul Newman. The way he walks, the way he gestures, the way he talks.

And the result is powerful.

I saw this movie when I was 8 years old, and remembered scenes from it. Saw it again in December of 2022.

The acting is superb top to bottom: Sal Mineo, Eileen Heckart, and especially Pier Angeli.

The director puts you into New York City in the 1930s and 1940s. Like you were in a time machine.

The story is based upon Graziano's autobiography. It comes across and real....and moving. You end up liking almost everyone, even though many of them suffered a lot.

The Westerner (1960– )

A very different western hero from those shown on TV in that era

[10/10 · 24 November 2022]

There are only 13 episode.....darn.

As someone who grew up watching westerns on TV and in the movie theater, I can say that this one was different in a very good way.

The "heroes" of western TV shows of the time were all solid, up-standing individuals, with jobs. But the "hero" of The Westerner is a drifter, a usually unemployed cowboy, with no connections except with his dog.

The shows were very adult. I'm actually surprised some were allowed to be shown. One, for example, centered on a nude painting of a beautiful woman. You never saw it, but you saw parts of it. There were a lot of prostitutes.

Brian Keith (an underrated actor anyway) played the part perfectly. He roamed a land without morals, and yet he had standards for himself. He never hurt anybody unless they deserved it.

But he was never going anywhere in life. Just meandering through it.

In this show you see a lot of actors who made it big later. That was fun.

If you like Westerns, you will enjoy this one. And it was created by the genius Sam Peckinpah. What more needs to be said?

Hamish Macbeth (1995–1997)

It is sweet and funny

[10/10 · 31 August 2020]

The main "star" of this series is the people who live in the town. They are all so much fun, and decent. We just end up wanting to live there.

The Constable, Hamish Macbeth, is sort of like Andy Griffith. The show doesn't revolve around him even though ostensibly he is the main character.

The writing is superb. Understated, wise, and funny. Macbeth maintains "law and order" in a wise, but unusual fashion. He doesn't sweat the small stuff.

Apparently the series does not follow the books very well, but we can't think of a reason why that should matter. Maybe the books were great.

But the series is nothing short of delightful.

Light of My Life (I) (2019)

Unbelievably bad writing

[3/10 · 24 May 2020]

This film illustrates the old saying that audiences can believe the impossible but not the improbable.

It is a film about a father protecting his daughter after an epidemic has killed most women.

.....and so he travels around with her

WITHOUT A GUN? Who in their right mind would not get a gun in order to protect one of the few remaining females?

And much of the plot would fall apart if he HAD A GUN!

It was so frustrating to watch. Both my wife and I yelling at the screen: GET A GUN! Protect her!

And the worst part is that it is very slow moving. And you know how it is going to end, and you also know that it would have a more realistic ending if he HAD A GUN!

Night Passage (1957)

Really a nice 50s western

[8/10 · 12 July 2018]

Would I rather watch this film (again) or a recent super-hero film?

Answer: this one.

It is a far-more-than-competent 50s western, with some really great stars and less-known characters (like Oliver Carey, wife of Harry Carey and mother of Harry Carey, Jr.). The music and scenery are great, and beautiful.

The story is compelling and solid.

(and, frankly, Audie Murphy was great in it. He was a far more accomplished actor than he is usually given credit for. He is easy to watch, comfortable in any role, and gives a very solid performance in any film.

Jimmy Stewart could sing, and he could do a decent soft shoe. Do a youtube search and you will find him. Is it OK that I wish he was still alive and making movies? Is it OK that I wish Audie Murphy was still alive and making movies?

The Last Wagon (1956)

A western worth remembering...from the heyday of westerns

[8/10 · 5 July 2018]

Born in 1948 I went to western films every week during the 50s with my father. We both loved them.

I remember this one well. And played it out frequently in the fields next to my childhood home.

I still enjoy it. My wife and I are going to watch it again tonight, maybe the 10th time I have seen it in my life. As with most westerns, it has not aged well, although it is clear that the major story line isn't really about the "Indians" but instead is about "good" white people versus "bad" white people.

To this day I enjoy watching Tommy Rettig. He was the original Jeff in Lassie, and I can still hum the final music to that show.

It was a simpler time, and I miss it. This film is fun, with breathtaking scenery, good acting, and a fine story.

In a Valley of Violence (2016)

Witty, clever, different, and VERY fun

[8/10 · 19 September 2017]

This film is ostensibly a "western." But it is more than that.

For starters, it isn't a modern version of a western, but instead is more akin to the old spaghetti westerns. The music, the sets, the graphics, etc., are both an homage to spaghetti westerns and a humorous take-off on them.

The plot is one you have seen in many westerns. A drifter comes into a small town that is controlled by a psychopath, conflict ensues, and there is a gun battle where the drifter "saves" the town.

On one level that is all this is. On another, it is a wry, and dry, take-off on this old, familiar tale because in this film the drifter doesn't go after the town bullies to liberate the town but because they killed his dog.

That's right. This is a film where the battle-hardened, killer hero is mush when his dog is killed. He cries.

So, right there, you don't have a traditional western or a traditional spaghetti western. In NO OTHER western I have ever seen (hundreds, as I am a die-hard fan) has the hero ever cried. Even Nathan Brittles wasn't crying in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon when he went to his wife's grave.

This guy cries and then exacts his revenge.

Now, Ethan Hawk is great in this. Just a week earlier we had seen the (dreadful) remake of The Magnificent Seven, which he is also in. However, this film, In a Valley of Violence, is far superior. In Mag 7 II, the town "bully" has hundreds of hired gunmen, all of whom meet their deaths in about 20 minutes. It is so absurd as to be ridiculous.

In Valley, there are 4, maybe 5, and none of them are even close to competent, or even scary. There is a bully, his dad, and three guys who just needed a job because they couldn't do anything else.

And the gun battle is hilarious. You realize, while watching this film, that you have been had. It starts off to be a standard western, and slowly evolves into rib splitting humor as you watch the gun "battle" unfold. The dialogue is clever. And the humor doesn't beat you over the head. In fact, it is understated, which makes it even better.

We enjoyed this film. We will watch it again. Just give it a chance. It will be especially rewarding for people who have a history with old-fashioned westerns, as it is a wry, dry take-off on them that pounds you with subtlety and intelligent humor.

Enjoy, pilgrim!

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Should be called Marvel's King Arthur

[3/10 · 23 August 2017]

This is a boring remake of a lovely story. It doesn't hold a candle to previous efforts to tell about the Arthurian legend (such as Excalibur, King Arthur, or even Camelot).

It's actually a superhero movie. Arthur isn't a man wielding a sword but instead is a Marvel Superhero who, as soon as he grasps the sword, can do all manner of magic tricks with it. And has great POWER!!! The story drags. And at times is weird (the bad guy played by Jude Law gets his own super power by, wait for it, killing some woman he loves and feeding her to a giant octopus).

I guess Charlie Hunnam is an acquired taste. I haven't acquired it. He seems wooden, delivering Iron-Man-like witticisms that fall flat. (while we are at it, was Arthur really that witty when facing danger? I didn't know that).

It is a huge spectacle, complete with explosions and a universe that looks more like it was from Lord of the Rings than it was from early England (there are even the same CGI huge elephants from LOTR that must have been laying around the set lot).

We actually paid good money to watch this. But, in contrast to the bad guy in the movie, I'm not going to kill a woman I love so I can feed her to a huge octopus with human faces so I can get a super power to get my money back).

Alexander (2004)

I thought Alexander was a brilliant general: stupid me

[4/10 · 5 August 2017]

In this film you wouldn't know it. He was in battles, but the battles seemed little more than two armies going at it. What I would have enjoyed was learning about his thinking about military strategy, his tactics, his philosophies, how he implemented his ideas on the battlefield.

Instead, we get a (very boring) story of Alexander as being a mama's boy and as someone trying unsuccessfully to please his father. It is the story of a neurotic, not of one of the greatest generals of all time.

There are a few great battles, but after awhile they too get boring. What was happening? All you see is the small picture (guys hacking each other up). You don't see Alexander planning, plotting, strategizing, analyzing, etc. He's just another guy hacking away.

He doesn't come across as a great man.

The decision to jump around in history is puzzling. It makes the film hard to follow and disjointed. We don't get a sense of change in him, or in the world, or in his leadership or his generalship. It's cute, but distracting.

The film is as bad as most people have rated it to be. There is nothing about him that would make me want to follow him. Instead, I'd want to give him a hankie so he would have something to cry into.

Thursday's Game (1974 TV Movie)

Incredibly sweet, funny, and memorable

[9/10 · 4 August 2017]

I saw this on TV in 1974. I subsequently found out it had been completed 3 years earlier, but could not be sold as a movie. Hence it was a throw-away on TV.

WHAT A SHAME! It is one of the sweetest films I have ever seen. Wilder and Newhart lead an all-star cast in a low-key, and funny story about two men who continue to "play" their Thursday night poker game, long after it ends (on a hilarious note).

Really, nothing happens in the film. It is just a story about these two men's marriages.

James Brooks wrote it. He also was responsible for As Good as it Gets, Terms of Endearment, and a lot of well-crafted TV shows. He's the real deal, and so was this film.

I finally located a VHS copy, and now have one to watch whenever I want.

USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)

Very moving; very accurate; a worth-see

[7/10 · 23 July 2017]

For reasons that escape us, this movie has received terrible reviews.

OK, so the special effects aren't mind-blowing. If you need that, go see something in the Star Wars franchise.

But this film does a good job of showing what it was like in the Pacific Ocean after the U.S.S. Indianapolis was sunk---and how it was the U. S. Navy that was at fault. The captain took the blame, but it wasn't his fault.

The film does a great job of showing the tension among the men while injuries, starvation, and sharks rapidly killed off several of them. A horrifying spectacle of what it was like for those young men.

Both my wife and I are glad we saw it. We both have several relatives who were in the military, including in WWII, and this is a story that should be told.

Our advice? Ignore the negativity and watch it. You will learn something and be moved at the bravery of these men.

The Mad (2007)

A different take on the Zombie genre

[6/10 · 11 July 2017]

One thing I learned from this film: Billy Zane is a better actor than I ever thought he was.

We found this film to be thoroughly enjoyable. It was kind of the Airplane of zombie films. You aren't going to be scared, there is no suspense.

Instead, you get a lot of intelligent dialogue, disguised as dumb dialogue. If that makes sense to you, you will enjoy the film.

Maggie Castle was an actress we had never heard of. Sometimes it seems odd as to why some actors and actresses make the big time while others do not. She is actually quite good in her role.

We found the film to be a fun evening's entertainment. It is different and clever.

p.s. The zombies sound like cows. We'll leave you to figure out why.

To the Ends of the Earth (2005)

Sea adventure without battles, but with heart

[9/10 · 7 June 2017]

This is a 4 1/2 hour film about a voyage from England to Australia. On board is a young English gentleman who writes about his voyage.

At first his writings are distant and objective. But as the voyage progresses, and he learns about the sea and about a world he could not imagine (and other people who he had never been around), his writings become more personal.

Nobody is a hero. Everybody just "is." The acting is superb, especially by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jared Harris, the Captain. There is no fake drama on-board. The Captain is not a Captain Bligh.

Instead, it is a creaky old man-o-war trying to get to Australia on its last legs. Months at sea in a cramped space around the same old people.

Because there are no glorious battles the voyage is, in some ways, as slow for the viewer as it is for the sailors and passengers. But never boring.

The series has a heart. It is lovely, exciting, and interesting. Cumberbatch, in an early role, displays the talent that we have come to expect from him in recent years. He carries the show.

It is a must watch. One of the best things we have watched in years.

Chasing Madoff (2010)

Could have been a LOT better

[6/10 · 22 March 2017]

The basic story was ripe for an excellent documentary. It was about how a small group of people tried warning others about Madoff. They failed, but not for lack of trying, and good for them for trying.

However, the documentary itself is far too dramatic. After awhile it was tiring to hear the small group tout itself as being extraordinarily brave. The main guy who stuck with it ended up looking as disturbed as Madoff--living in a paranoid fantasy world where his family was in constant danger.

It runs about an hour and a half. It would have been a very good 50-minute documentary. But it drags on and on, often not getting anywhere.

Too bad. It had a real story to tell.

Also missing is any investigative reporting, after the fact, about why the people who were alerted (looking at you SEC, Wall Street Journal) didn't act? We still don't know why from this documentary.

No Name on the Bullet (1959)

Audie Murphy: In one of his best roles

[8/10 · 20 March 2017]

This film shows a different side of Audie Murphy's acting talent. Instead of the easy-going style that was evident in most of his films, here he is really rather psychopathic.

And he does it well.

The story is that he is a professional gun-man, who has come to town presumably to kill.....someone. But who? His presence creates chaos for the town, as all of the people who have every done anyone any harm are convinced he is after them. A fascinating, and substantive plot---much more than what one usually sees in what is essentially a B-western (the film is only about 90 minutes, clearly intended for a double feature).

It is well acted up and down the line, with a large number of 1950s western character actors in supporting roles.

Anybody who is a westerns fan will enjoy it. And anybody who is an Audie Murphy fan (and everybody should be!) will enjoy it.

Swamp Ape (2017)

It's difficult to say what the worse part of this film is

[1/10 · 24 February 2017]

The acting? Laughable. The dialogue? Unbelievable The monster? Now I know what happened to that old carpet that I threw out onto the curb last year.

In the ratings there are a lot of 10's, fully 30% of them. Then the rest of the ratings seem to hover toward the bottom. Clearly what happened is that they got their friends to rate it highly.

We wanted a throw away movie for tonight, so thought we'd try it. It was one hour long, which tells you all you need to know.

Where to start (I mean after stealing my old carpet)? A bunch of college students go collecting something in the Everglades. They have no idea what they are doing, but one of them fills a stopper with water. The professor does nothing but berate them. We don't even know what he is a professor of.

The monster seems to prefer women who are having their periods, so there are a number of period "jokes." One of the actors, also the director and writer, runs around most of the movie showing off his buff physique in his whitey tighties, the resident Native American (who they call "chief" believe it or not) is so clearly from India or somewhere and not Native American, the gun is a toy, the black woman is supposed to be funny because she eats everything that doesn't move fast enough, and then they start disappearing (but not quickly enough).

It isn't even good in a campy-bad way. It's just bad in every way.

I hope these folks have day jobs.

Goodbye, Miss Turlock (1948)

Very sweet

[9/10 · 21 November 2016]

My mother taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Iowa, in the 1940s. Several years ago we drove to the spot where the schoolhouse was, to find it had been torn down.

Each morning she had to arrive early to the freezing building to light a coal stove for the children who would arrive later.

These schoolhouses were the centers of their communities.

I remember this film when I saw it in the 1950s, as a short accompanying the major feature. It stuck with me, not knowing at the time that my mother taught at one. And so after several google searches I found it, 60 years later, on YouTube.

It is sentimental, of course, but nothing wrong with that. And it contains the stereotype of the "old maid" schoolteacher. My mother wasn't an old maid, as the fact of my existence proves. There were few jobs that women could have all of their lives back then other than teaching school.

We have decided to show this to our grandchildren, to give them an idea of something that their great grandmother did. We think it will mean something to them.

Miss Turlock is presented as compassionate and wise. And a good teacher. It was a life to be proud of.

A sweet little film depicting a part of rural life in the first half of the Twentieth Century.

Paradox (III) (2016)

Wow! Fantastic!

[7/10 · 30 May 2016]

This is a film about time travel, and about a mystery.

It is complex, fast, and not for the lazy of mind. It is too difficult to figure out on first glance.

But it is great entertainment.

Of course, Zoe Bell is awesome. She's great to watch in a movie because she's a good actress, but also she was a stunt double, and exudes a sense of power that most actresses don't.

You have to pay attention.

It's a great evening of fun. A low-budget thriller, well written, and well acted. In a short period of time all of the actors have developed a sense of character. All are good actors, although none are familiar.

and it even has some humor.

Enjoy an evening of fun, challenge, and good movie making.