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The Shootist, a review by Antares

The Shootist (1976) 84/100 - As I've been moseying through this marathon of John Wayne westerns, I'm finding myself more enamored with the evolution of the Wayne iconic mystique towards the end of his career and life. More grandfatherly than grandiose, Wayne has finally come to realize that a bit of subtlety can go a long way. The Shootist is the film that John Wayne was destined to make, when he first strapped on a pair of six guns back in the early thirties. All the bravado, the swagger and arrogance of youth has withered away, leaving a man who must meet his fate in the twilight of his years. This has to have been a deeply personal film for Wayne because the essence of his character, J.B. Books, was being played out in real life by Wayne himself. After having a whole lung removed in the mid-sixties from cancer, Wayne could empathize with a man who was tired and wanted to go out on his own terms. In other westerns from his later period, he was hampered by weak co-stars, but in this outing, he's surrounded by a formidable ensemble. Lauren Bacall has a chemistry with Wayne that is both touching and deeply heartfelt. James Stewart, in a small role as the doctor who diagnoses the gunfighter, imparts a wisdom in his bedside manner than goes against the common advice of someone from his profession. And finally, Ron Howard, who I thought was miscast decades ago when I first watched the film, impressed me more this time as I paid close attention to him in key scenes with Wayne. But this is Wayne's film and he does not disappoint. You know what's going to happen to him and your sad to know that he won't be coming back, both on screen and in real life. If I had to recommend a film to someone on this planet that's never watched a John Wayne film, I'd most definitely start with this one.

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on February 28th, 2015)

A Nightmare on Elm Street , a review by addicted2dvd

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia New Line Home Video Director: Wes Craven Writing: Wes Craven (Writer) Length: 91 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English

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Stars:
John Saxon as Lt. Thompson
Ronee Blakley as Marge Thompson
Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson
Amanda Wyss as Tina Gray
Nick Corri as Rod Lane
Johnny Depp as Glen Lantz

Plot:
From modern horror master Wes Craven (Scream, Scream 2) comes a timeless shocker that remains the standard bearer for terror.

Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) is having grisly nightmares. Something monstrous wants to kill her. Meanwhile, her high-school friends, who are having the very same dream, are being slaughtered in their sleep by the hideous fiend of their shared nightmare. When the police ignore her explanation, she herself must confront the killer in his shadowy realm.

Featuring John Saxon (Enter The Dragon) and Johnny Depp in his first starring role and mind-bending special effects, this horror classic gave birth to one of the most infamous undead villains in cinematic history. Reportedly naming Freddy Krueger after a kid who had bullied him in school, writer-director Craven hatches a shock-fest from hell that "goes straight to the heart of terror" (Seattle Times).

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Production Notes
• DVD-ROM Content

The A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise has always been one of my favorite. And this first one always been my favorite in the franchise. Matter of fact... I would even say it is one of my favorite horror movies of all time! This has a couple actors in it that I am very familiar with. Of course there is a young Johnny Depp. And then there is Heather Langenkamp... who I remember well as one of the children on the sitcom Just the Ten of Us. While still sarcastic... in this one Freddy Krueger is played a bit more straight... as they didn't add as much comedy to the character as the later ones did. Though I do like the later ones as well... I prefer him like he is in this movie. I have watched this movie so many times that I basically know it by heart... but yet I still enjoy every minute of watching it. I have seen this movie many times before I bought the DVD set... and since I bought it... tracking it in DVD Profiler... I have seen it 14 times. I have had the DVD set since it was first released in 1999. So that is 14 times in the last 12 years alone.




(From TV Stars in the Movies: On-Going Mega Marathon on June 9th, 2011)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Bionic Woman: The Complete Series (2007/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Pictures, Universal Playback (United Kingdom) Length: 324 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

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Plot:
Join one of TV's most stunning breakout heroines as the action-packed series Bionic Woman leaps onto DVD! From executive producer David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) comes this gripping re-imagining of the universally beloved character.

Jamie Sommers is a hard-working woman struggling to take care of her younger sister. But after a serious, life-threatening accident, Jamie is saved by a top-secret procedure that makes her much more than just an ordinary woman... it makes her superhumanly bionic. Starring hot newcomer Michelle Ryan, as well as Miguel Ferrer (Crossing Jordan), Molly Price (Third Watch), Will Yun Lee (Witchblade), Lucy Kate Hale (How I Met Your Mother), and guest stars Isaiah Washington (Grey's Anatomy) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), it's a non-stop thrill ride unlike anything you've seen before!

Bionic Woman
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Laeta Kalogridis (Writer)
Director: Michael Dinner
Cast: Michelle Ryan (Jaime Sommers), Miguel Ferrer (Jonas Bledsoe), Chris Bowers (Will Anthros), Molly Price (Ruth Truewell), Will Yun Lee (Jae Kim), Lucy Hale (Becca Sommers), Thomas Kretschmann (The Man), Mark A. Sheppard (Dr. Anthony Anthros), Aaron Douglas (Prison Guard), Katee Sackhoff (Sarah Corvus), Conrad Coates (Doctor #1), Alicia Thorgrimsson (Doctor #2), Jenn Forgie (Nurse), Heather Doerksen (Mother), Roan Curtis (Little Girl), Leela Savasta (Shawna), Crystal Lowe (Jessica), Dominic Zamprogna (Med-flight Tech #1), Jacqueline Samuda (Med-flight Tech #2), John Mann (Drug Dealer), Craig Lobzun (Sleazy Bar Patron)

I saw the pre-air pilot when it first appeared on the net and I was not overly impressed with it. So I never bothered watching the series. But after Pete's recent reviews I thought it may be worth checking out (and it was cheap). The pilot is better than I remember it being (I don't know if it is different than the pre-air pilot). A good start to what looks like it could be worth following.

Rating:


(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 23rd, 2011)