The Movie Journal

  Rambo III (1988) Like Rambo: First Blood Part II , Rambo III fails to capitalize on the goodwill that First Blood left with audiences back in the day and a more contemporary audience such as myself. It does have more action than the last film (and some of it does entertain), but Sylvester Stallone’s script is awful and his performance as the beloved John Rambo does not work as well. Not to mention all of the behind-the-scenes drama. I felt like this was just violent for the sake of being violent as the script does not have any levity outside of being forced. True fact: The movie had the highest body count until it was surpassed by the far superior sequel twenty years later. The basic premise is good, but the script and characters fail to bring the premise alive. I can barely even remember most of what happened right after watching it. Not good, folks. Did I mention behind-the-scenes drama? The original director, Russell Mulcahy was replaced two weeks before the start of production.

  Willow (1988) Ron Howard’s Willow , a vision from Star Wars creator George Lucas, is a fantasy film that has lots of heart, a committed performance from Warwick Davis, and breakthrough special effects. That said the screenplay from Bob Dolman, which has its positive merits, is very simple in its storytelling method with predictable story elements from start to finish. At times, it seemed like the story is being outdone by the special effects. It does not matter because the film ended up being a cult classic with strong home video sales, and people spent years clamoring for a sequel. It looks like people got their wish with the upcoming Disney+ series thirty years after the original release. Personally, I love fantasy/sci-fi films, so I knew this type of movie would be up my alley. I had lots of fun getting to know these characters from the mind of George Lucas despite its simple story that may or may not have been influenced from Star Wars . Lucas conceived the story idea in 1972

  Pope John Paul II (TV-Miniseries, 2005) 2005 is a year known for the many John Paul II biopics. There have been at least three or four mini-series detailing the life of one of the most popular popes. This one, Faith: Pope John Paul II is probably the best one in the eyes of critics and viewers alike. In fact, Jon Voight was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal. The pope sanctioned this mini-series himself before his passing, which makes sense because he was portrayed as a saint. In a sense, he was a saint and was revered by millions around the globe. The pope had a big hand in important historical events to close out the twentieth century including the fall of the Berlin Wall. The performances throughout the mini-series, which consisted of two episodes, are great. Jon Voight deserved his Emmy nomination. Cary Elwes played the younger Karol Wojtyla and also delivers a fine performance, even if I felt he was a little old. The supporting cast, led by Christopher Lee and James Cromwel

  Electra Glide in Blue (1973) 1973’s Electra Glide in Blue is a movie that only could have been made in the early 1970’s. It is a meandering film that features striking cinematography (from future Oscar-winning Conrad Hall) and tells a story about one’s disillusionment, this time within the police force. Eventually, the film would become a cult classic despite some production woes and gave more people an opportunity to discover Robert Blake. Despite the prodding pace, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Blake delivers a fine performance. The powerful ending was unexpected as it came out of nowhere, but it does fit the theme of the film regarding disillusionment and how people can be completely different people than what you expect them to be. This project was directed by first-time (and last) director James William Guercio. He is better known as the producer of hit musical band Chicago. Some members of the band, such as Peter Cetera, actually make an appearance throughout. He was an ine

  Colors (1988) Twenty-one years after Dennis Hopper wowed most people with Easy Rider (except for me, apparently), the actor returns behind the camera with Colors . Before films like Boyz-N-The-Hood or tv series like The Shield gave us gritty representations of gang life, Hopper’s film gave the audience an unflinching, realistic take into the mechanics of gang life. In the past, gang films were mostly romanticized (looking at you, West Side Story ) or seen from the outside as outright evil. Hopper tries to humanize these gangs by giving us accurate representation. Nothing is black-and-white as it seems. This part of the film interested me the most. Other than that, the film is about a rookie and a veteran cop learning how to work together. That is straightforward and nothing new had to be say despite Robert Duvall and Sean Penn playing their respective roles well. Before the film moved to its final setting in Los Angeles dealing with gang life, it was originally set in Chicago foc

  Bright Lights, Big City (1988) In 1988’s Bright Lights, Big City , Michael J. Fox goes out of his comfort zone to deliver a strong performance unlike anyone has seen from him before. Sadly, that is the only thing interesting about the movie. It is a tale about finding life’s bottom and from there, the film meanders. Sometimes, booze and cocaine does not always make for primetime viewing even if it is Mr. Fox on the receiving end of these drugs. The characters, even if the actual performances from the actors are fine, did not interest me. The screenplay was on the weaker side, and I did not care for the ending. In the end, I was disappointed because director James Bridges has potential. He tackled a similar story with his 1980 film, Urban Cowboy . In both movies, the script underwhelmed wasting the talents of John Travolta in the aforementioned film and Fox here. The film is based off a bestselling novel from Jay McInerney. People of the 80’s say the book spoke to their generation. It

  Peaky Blinders: Season 1, Episode 6 September 30, 2014 The season’s finale is a perfect ending for this hit BBC series. Season finales tend to be divisive, but I think most can agree that director Tom Harper and writer Steven Knight put together a winner. This is a bittersweet ending. Tommy almost completed his redemption arc for it to fall apart in the very last scenes. On the flip side, Inspector Campbell had a falls-from-grace arc as he goes from Bible-thumping agent to murderous prostitute killer. That final scene where he pulls a gun on Grace came out of nowhere and completed Campbell’s season one story. Each of the characters had a chance to shine this episode as they had all season. Cillian Murphy has undoubtedly been the season’s MVP. In addition, Helen McCrory is majestic as Aunt Polly who fought her own demons. Annabelle Wallis gave Grace a sense of guile and delicacy. Sam Neill made sure you were invested in every single line of dialogue. Everyone delivered strong perfor

  Peaky Blinders: Season 1, Episode 5 September 30, 2014 The penultimate episode of Peaky Blinder’s first season is a fiery episode with gut-wrenching scenes that will stay with you. Paul Anderson takes the limelight this episode as “the head of the family” Arthur Jr. He goes through some intense daddy issues as he tries to prove himself but all for naught. His response is a suicide attempt that will make your heart stop because you feel so much for the guy. That and the tension that builds between Tommy and IRA agent Byrnes who declares to be Tommy’s “judge, jury, and executioner.” This really brings out the best of Cillian Murphy who nailed every scene. Not to mention that Tommy and Grace finally are in love with one another. If I did not know better, I felt like this could have been the first season’s finale as many storylines seem complete, but we still have one more episode to go! A father comes home! After a decade away from the family, Arthur Senior (played brilliantly by Tomm

  High Noon (1952) Before Fred Zinnemann made classics like From Here to Eternity and A Man for All Seasons , he made one of the most recognized Westerns in history, High Noon . Gary Cooper’s career has been in decline for years, so this film helped him put his career in turnaround. He actually won an Academy Award for his performance, and I can say he delivers a powerful performance. The movie also receives credit for being an early “revisionist” Western. In other words, this movie does not play out like traditional Westerns which surprised many people. The build-up towards the explosive ending works very well, and I also liked how feminist the film is when compared to other Westerns. The women (including the great Grace Kelly) are given juicy but significant roles. The making of film features some exciting drama. The production was beginning in the midst of another Red Scare, so communism was on the minds of many Americans. The screenplay was written by Carl Foreman, who apparently