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Reviews
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
This Movie Is Not About Nerds!
We all remember the nerds when we attended high school. This movie is not about nerds. This movie is about a mentally handicapped teenager. The lead character "Napoleon" is beyond being a nerd and in reality is retarded! Most of the others that he interacts with on a daily basis whether it is his family or his friends are also portrayed as retarded. There is no way that this movie has any meaning or sub-plot. No normal, intelligent adult would be able to sit through this film. I cannot begin to convey how bad this movie was! Reading some of the reviews of IMDb members who said their college friends loved it, says a great deal of what attends our colleges today. The writer/director of this mess is Jared Hess. If you look at some of his past credits, you will see that he has for the most part of his career been an "assistant" of one kind or another. He should stay within his capacity as an assistant
"a men's room assistant". Do not waste your money by renting this movie. If you wish to watch this fiasco on cable, leave your brain at the door, this way you will have a better chance of sitting through this terrible, pathetic piece of garbage.
Red Headed Stranger (1986)
Red-Headed Stranger is definitely - "STRANGER"
Let's get two things straight before we begin.
First - Willie Nelson is a great singer, writer, and composer of music. Second - Willie Nelson cannot act.
This inability to act can be seen throughout the movie as the director cuts away from Mr. Nelson's facial expressions during so many of the scenes. The director William D. Wittliff probably saw the expression on Willie's face as he waited for his next line and the look of confusion at the end of each take while going through the dailies. This would explain the camera cutting away from Willie's face so quickly after he says his lines. Any one who even bothers to write a detailed review on this movie's meaning or values, should get a reality check. There are none! Two words for this movie: "Don't Bother" It is without a doubt a waste of good film, makeup, costumes, and realistic looking sets. There is absolutely no legitimacy to this movie what so ever! Not even a comic book adventure is as far fetched as this debacle. Here we have a so-called preacher (Willie Nelson), come to a town and try to make right of the wrongs that he sees (the town needs water). He preaches and he is "holier than thou" at this point in the movie. Then he loses his mind and kills his wife. Thereupon, he becomes docile again and meets Laurie (Katherine Ross). Are we to believe after the preacher kills his wife and her boyfriend that the character of Laurie would just put that to the side and have anything to do with this schizophrenic. Let's get real here. Next, we have sheriff Reese Scoby (R.G.Armstrong) track Willie down and shoot him. After that, they become best friends. Now the preacher becomes violent again. He can now go back and can kill everyone who he did not kill in the beginning of the movie. DUH!!! William D. Wittliff tries to pass Mr. Nelson's character of Reverend Julian Shay as a hero, but in reality he is just a "psychopath". Anyway, you get the point. "What we've got here is... failure to communicate" (I apologize, I could not resist taking that line from "Cool Hand Luke") The failure is definitely on the part of William D. Wittliff and his inability to write and direct. I would suggest that the reason Mr. Wittliff had a success three years later with the magnificent epic, "Lonesome Dove" was due to the exquisite writing of Larry McMurtry and the masterful directing of Simon Wincer.
Falling Down (1993)
"Falling Down" Real Life Feelings
Falling Down is a movie which stars an excellent Michael Douglas, as a Los Angeles man who cannot cope with the every day pressures many people experience during their lifetime. While stuck in a traffic jam, William Foster/D-Fens (Douglas) gets out of his car, and leaves the car right where it is. He starts walking through Los Angeles. When Foster first starts out, he seems to be lost as to what he wants to do and where he is headed. Then his journey becomes a quest to get a birthday gift to his daughter. He must get from Point "A" to Point "B". As the movie progresses and he makes his way towards his ex-wife's house, we see that some of life's simple things become more important to him. We see him enter a fast food restaurant and order a breakfast meal, only to be told that he is a few minutes late and they won't take his order for that meal. What takes place in the following scene is Foster's drastic solution to a simple problem, giving new meaning to the old Burger King slogan " Have It Your Way". The plot has Foster go through a series of everyday challenging situations and solving them in an unconventional way. Actor Fredrick Forrest's performance as Nick the racist surplus store-owner is exceptional and convincing. Joel Schumacher does an impeccable job directing this particular scene. In fact, the entire film shows Schumacher's expertise in the directing field. As the movie progresses, you will get to know the character of Foster, and even though you realize he is no longer rational and on a rampage, you find yourself rooting for him as he deals with some of the mutants of today's society. Robert Duval is superb in portraying Prendergast, the Los Angeles's detective who tries to figure out which direction D-Fens is headed. Falling Down's writer Ebbe Roe Smith shows how Foster and Prendergast each deal with the future of their lives. He allows us to feel the frustration of becoming obsolete and dispensable. Keep an open mind and you will see this movie represents real life feelings in today's world. When viewed from that perspective, it can be a more rewarding film than what is portrayed at surface level. This movie provides good entertainment and is well worth seeing.
Open Range (2003)
Excellent "Must See" Movie
This review will be brief and to the point. In general, "Open Range" moves along at a slower than average Western Movie tempo, but the final showdown at the end of the movie makes the wait, well worth it. Newer and younger viewers to Westerns might think there is too much dialog, but give this movie a little breathing room, settle into its pace and you can't help but stay glued to the screen. Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall are superb in this film.They definitely have an on screen rapport.The scenery shots and camera angles used by Kevin Costner are magnificent. A sequel to Open Range would have fans anxious for its release.This movie has a straightforward plot, and its message of old time justice will satisfy any Western Movie fan, whether new or veteran.
The Journeyman (2001)
What a mess!
Rate this Western film as terrible! It is a "B" movie at best. The storyline is just moronic. The flashback which comes too late in the film attempts to bring this confusing tale together. What was James Crowley, (writer and director) thinking about? What's the point of having one of the characters being a transvestite? The story jumps thirteen years with no explanation of how the characters developed into what they are. James Crowley never gives an explanation as to why the main character (Morphinist) became a cold-blooded killer. What is the purpose of the character role that Dash Mihok plays as the double-crossed bank robber, and why is it important in this film? You can drive a Mack truck through the gaps of continuity in this film. Crowley had better try his hand at something else. Westerns are definitely not his genre. Boring would be the best way to describe this mess. The feeling you get after watching this movie is:
why did I sit through this? Trust me, just skip this one.