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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)

Life as We Know It, a review by addicted2dvd

Life as We Know It (2010/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Warner Home Video Director: Greg Berlanti Writing: Ian Deitchman (Writer), Kristin Rusk Robinson (Writer) Length: 114 min. Rating: Rated PG-13 : Sexual Material, Language and Some Drug Content Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Stars:
Katherine Heigl as Holly Berenson
Josh Duhamel as Eric Messer
Josh Lucas as Sam
SophieAlexis Clagett
Brynn Clagett

Plot:
Holly (Katherine Heigl) is an up-and-coming caterer and Messer (Josh Duhamel) is a promising network sports director. After a disastrous first date, all the have in common is their dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter Sophie. But when they suddenly become all Sophie has in this world, Holly and Messer must set their differences aside. Juggling career ambitions and competing social calendars, they'll have to find common ground while living under the same roof. Josh Lucas, Christina Hendricks, Hayes MacArthur and Jean Smart costar in this tart and tender romantic comedy directed by Greg Berlanti (TV's Brothers & Sisters and Everwood).

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes

When I picked this one up at the library yesterday I thought it was one I never seen before. But it turns out I did see it. Not sure where... probably either through Netflix or on cable. I grabbed it because of Katherine Heigl... as I been a fan of hers since her Roswell days. She was also great on Grey's Anatomy. I really enjoyed this one quite a bit. I found the storyline to be entertaining... and thought everyone in it did a good job. If you never seen this one before I recommend checking it out.



(From What Movies I Been Watching on December 1st, 2013)

"Due South" marathon, a review by Tom

2.17 Red, White or Blue (1996-05-16)
Writer: Paul Haggis (Created By), Paul Gross (Story By), John Krizanc (Story By), Paul Gross (Screenwriter)
Director: George Bloomfield
Cast: Paul Gross (Constable Benton Fraser), David Marciano (Detective Ray Vecchio), Beau Starr (Lt. Harding Welsh), Tony Craig (Detective Jack Huey), Catherine Bruhier (Elaine), Camilla Scott (Inspector Margaret Thatcher), Kenneth Welsh (Randal Bolt), Raye Birk (Francis Bolt), Alex Carter (Agent Ford), Gary Reineke (Judge Brock), Ellen Dubin (States Attorney), Mark Melymick (Agent Deeter), Shawn Wright (Mountie Trainee), Norm Spencer (Agent Shorren), James Allodi (Asst. States Attorney), Maria Ricossa (Vivian Richards)

A good episode. I love the scene, where Ray and Fraser have a conversation with each other without being in the same room. It's a throwback to an earlier episode. This shows how well they know each other and can tell exactly what the other would be saying to them. I also find it nice that they have some small moments between Fraser and Thatcher showing us, that their "contact" on the train is not entirely forgotten.

Rating:

(From "Due South" marathon on September 1st, 2009)