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Junior Bonner, a review by Jon

Junior Bonner
3 out of 5



Still recovering from being thrown from a bull called Sunshine, Junior Bonner is on his way home to join his family for the annual Frontier Days Rodeo. However, when he arrives, he finds his house abandoned and his father, Ace (Robert Preston) in hospital. Determined to prove that he still has all the makings of a champion, Junior challenges Sunshine once again but this time he is determined to beat the bull so that his father's dream of building a ranch in Australia can become a reality.

Junior Bonner is an uneven film that by the end might seem inconsequential, but you have to appreciate its considerable style, especially with some of the awesome touches Peckinpah brings and the great cast. On the other hand, the director did surprise me with occasional clumsiness, including the dated split screen titles that make it look like a TV movie and a cheesy freeze frame montage at the end.

But let’s focus on the good. Steve McQueen is great in this Autumnal, melancholy role and the chemistry with Robert Preston as his rebellious dad, Ace, is just wonderful. If you don’t know Preston, he looks like Joel McCrea and sounds like Burt Lancaster, with cheek to match either of them.

The dialogue is probably the best part of the production. It’s full of zingers, perfectly styled to the characters, yet has an understated realistic pitch. The whole thing has a laid back style; I liked how McQueen has rivals on the rodeo circuit, but they treat each other as casual friends. There’s no silly, predictable “villain” that McQueen has to beat. Oh, hold on. That is, apart from Sunshine. He’s the BFB...
The rodeo scenes are fantastic. Peckinpah’s use of slow motion and edits is peerless. While it started like a cheap TV film and might have descended into a pseudo documentary where the second unit just wandered around a real event getting stock footage, the tournament scenes have breathtaking power and lift it up a notch. Plus the lighter hearted “Milking” event is both very funny and impressively staged. Add in a classy cowboy barroom brawl, a lively cast, a poignant story and you have a passable couple of hours. And the film might keep coming back to you, despite its humble nature. Another overview I read claimed this was Peckinpah's favourite film of his own. While I think it is far from his best, I can well believe it. It has a good heart.

(From Jon's Alphabet Marathon 2010 on July 23rd, 2010)

All I Wanna Do, a review by Tom

Title: All I Wanna Do
Year: 1998
Director: Sarah Kernochan
Rating: PG-13
Length: 96 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo, French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Spanish

Stars:
Kirsten Dunst
Gaby Hoffmann
Lynn Redgrave
Rachael Leigh Cook
Thomas Guiry

Plot:
Hot young stars Rachael Leigh Cook ('She’s All That'), Kirsten Dunst ('Wag The Dog', 'Interview With The Vampire'), Gaby Hoffmann ('Volcano') and Heather Matarazzo ('54', 'Scream 3') light up the screen in this refreshing, feel-good comedy from one of the acclaimed creators of 'Sleepless In Seattle'! If there’s one thing this wild group of friends at an all-girls high school has learned, it’s how to get what they want! So when word leaks out that their school is about to merge with an all-boys academy, some of the students strike back…devising a hilarious scheme to sabotage the plan! Get ready for a side-splitting lesson in laughter, as the girls wage an all-out assault in on outrageous battle of the sexes!

Extras:
Commentary
Featurettes
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers

Nothing special. I originally bought this movie when I was on my "Rachael Leigh Cook" shopping spree. If anything, this movie is worth for those interested in seeing an early movie of Kirsten Dunst, Rachael Leigh Cook and Monica Keena. Vincent Karheiser (Connor in Angel) also has an early role.

Rating:

(From December Marathons - DISCUSSION AND REVIEW THREAD on December 6th, 2009)

Tom's Random Star Trek Reviews, a review by Tom

VOY 3.11 The Q and the Grey
Writer: Kenneth Biller (Screenwriter), Shawn Piller (Original Material By)
Director: Cliff Bole
Cast: Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway), Robert Beltran (Commander Chakotay), Roxann Dawson (Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres), Jennifer Lien (Kes), Robert Duncan McNeill (Lieutenant Tom Paris), Ethan Phillips (Neelix), Robert Picardo (The Doctor), Tim Russ (Lieutenant Tuvok), Garrett Wang (Ensign Harry Kim), Suzie Plakson (Female Q), Harve Presnell (Colonel Q), John de Lancie (Q)

A stupid episode. Q wants to mate with Janeway. When she refuses, they end up in the Q continuum portrayed as the American civil war. And then even Voyager manages to enter the continuum. I don't know what the writers were smoking while they have written this episode.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Star Trek Reviews on October 25th, 2009)