Ron-223 Reviews

The Corn Is Green (1979 TV Movie)

Overlooked Gem

[9/10 · 3 February 2012]

I remember watching this many years ago and to this day I am quite taken by the performances given. While it was a "Made for TV" movie, to this day it still leaves an impression. The musical score by John Barry was quite good and added to the film in a superb way as well.

Kate Hepburn is surely missed as she was a great actress. She led up an overall fine cast of actors that provided a lasting impression. The young man who she tutored out of an otherwise menial existence was a great actor too.

I only wish that more such productions were still made today.

I guess that the only thing that gets the green light are reality shows that are soon forgotten.

Battlestar Galactica (1978–1979)

Classic SciFi

[10/10 · 2 April 2009]

While there are flaws in the series from the view of today, it IMHO stands up better than most before it.

BSG when it aired, offered the viewers an epic journey of mankind forced into the unknown void of space in search of a new home.

They were fighting for their lives against a foe that destroyed all that they knew.

What more can anyone expect is more central to their survival?

At all cost, the fleet of humans, went into the cosmos to search for a new home.

What more could be a more fitting story?

Skyward (1980 TV Movie)

Uplifting film

[9/10 · 5 March 2009]

I remember watching this many years ago. I remember that it was very uplifting to see someone reach literally higher from their confines.

I remember this as a "made for TV" movie of the time. As my father was a pilot who was rebuilding old planes in our garage, it brought home something extra.

While watching the video, I was immediately hooked into the drama of a wheelchair bound girl wanting to learn to fly.

Added to that was the performance of Bettie Davis along with Suzy Gilstrap as the girl.

The icing on the cake was the Christian Eagle plane depicted in the movie. IMHO, there could have not been a better all around showing.

Iron Man (2008)

Much better that I expected

[9/10 · 21 February 2009]

I am not someone who followed comics as a child. Yeah, I enjoyed the Superman and Batman universe for what they were.

I could watch the old Superman reruns when they were on TV. I watched the 60's Batman series on reruns and could enjoy them for what they were, but never got into a cult loving sense of them.

I watched the Superman and Batman movies when they were released. Of the two, I personally got into the Batman movies more as they seemed to have a much greater depth to them. IMHO, except for the first, the Superman movies were really bad.

I thought that the Batman movies were presented with a better story that appealed to me. For a short time, I even considered it would be cool getting a Batman tattoo. This was around the early 90's when it was in vogue.

Fast forward to Iron Man. I had already seen all of the other super heroes movies released as I am a movie nut. I was not expecting too much as I had been let down from releases in the past.

Boy was I wrong. The story, visuals, music, editing, plot, characters and a mix of humor were a true joy.

I can't wait the the sequel that is surely to follow. They set a very high bar with Iron Man. I only hope that they can continue with a story arc that is as good as the first installment.

Rudy (1993)

Like a fine Wine

[9/10 · 30 January 2009]

I am someone who does not especially like college football. Nor do I like Notre Dame over any other college team.

That said, I will state that I found RUDY to be inspirational in many aspects. The fact that he did not quit or give up when all seemed futile.

Watching the movie, almost anyone would have thought that his chances at actually playing in a game were about the same as hitting the mega lotto.

I was saddened that any football program would "use" guys as little more than tackle dummies in practice. Watching the movie, I was actually surprised that any team used "walk-on" guys to make the "real team" prepared for the game.

Watching the character take the repeated hits, day after day, I found that I was rooting for him to get his chance.

I found that the team actually wanting him to suit up for one game a real joy.

It was an added bonus when they were ahead and chanted for him to actually play at the end. Personally, I found it somewhat a turn off to have the coach portrayed as someone that "had" to be pressured by the crowd and other coaches to play when it was assured that no matter what, they could not lose.

Maybe I was just thinking about my thoughts of my own HS coach who was a hard ass that I would NEVER want to run till I dropped like in the movie. That is why I told him "not interested" when he begged me to play ball. Yeah, and this was the same guy that acted like a DI the day before in gym class.

Oh well, in any case, RUDY is a film that is really good. This is coming from someone that does not especially like football movies.

Galactica 1980 (1980)

Feldercarb

[2/10 · 5 August 2008]

I am a die hard SciFi fan, but even as a young boy, this 'remake' was IMHO truly a waste of my time. I do not say this lightly as I love SciFi, but this effort is crap to put it in its best light.

Even putting aside everything else, one thing even as a youth 'jumped the shark.' I remember where two characters were arrested. What do you know, but they did NOT have any fingerprints. I remember earlier that Starbuck and Apollo in the original series had to have their prints scanned to enter a secure area.

Now this may be nit picking, but this IMHO is a glaring gaff. Add this up to the sorry acting in this follow on and it truly sucks.

The Island (2005)

Underrated SciFi Movie

[8/10 · 14 August 2005]

I went to see The Island after reading reviews by the professional guys and was not expecting too much. I was in for a surprise indeed...

The Island is a mix of Logan's Run, THX-1138 and The Matrix too.

I was really taken by the visuals in the opening scenes depicting The Island. I found the set design very cutting edge. The attention to detail of the atrium and elevators used in the movie the best that I have ever seen. I can understand how they spent a reported $150 million on the production.

Yes, there are a few holes in the plot here and there. One that pops up that most will not catch is the scene with Lincoln starting the car. Lincoln comments that his insurance policy really is an exact copy where he starts the car by having the same thumbprint. This may be trivial, but clones will not have fingerprints that are identical to their donors, nor anyone else for that matter. Also, kinda a stretch to have 'tri-keys' used to allow the escape instead of biometrics like fingerprints. But, hey that is a plot device that is needed for the film.

I wish that the movie had explored the awakening sexuality between Lincoln and Jordan more that what is shown.

The plot and story are very thought provoking indeed. The action is very good for a Michael Bay film. I especially loved the freeway scenes with the locomotive wheels rolling off the flatbed.

As a guy, however, I could not help but noticing that the women shown in the film are some of the hottest that I have seen in a movie. I was especially taken by the community announcer played by Noa Tishby. She has a face on screen that is really striking and has stayed with me even now.

Jordan 2 Delta, played by Scarlett Johansen is a joy to watch as well. I look forward to seeing her in future productions.

I really enjoyed this movie. If you give it a try, I hope that you will too.

Where can I get my own Jordan 2 Delta? :)

Strategic Air Command (1955)

Both a recruiting film and history on the big screen

[6/10 · 30 April 2005]

While I can see today, from the span of 50 years, that it was mainly a recruiting film, it has several redeeming traits.

This is one of the few films that show the B36 and B47 in actual operations!

I have seen the planes at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, but this film gives extra meaning to what it actually meant to fly them at the time.

While the film reverts to a recruiting film in several places, it still holds up after all these years fairly well.

I thought that the scenes of June Allison crying about Dutch wanting to stay in SAC were pretty lame, but otherwise not a bad movie given what the global implications were at the time. Think the Cold War with the Russians about to Nuke us at any moment...

If you have not visited the Air Force Museum yet, or not for many years, I highly recommend it. I bet that you will highly enjoy the trip and it is free too.

WarGames (1983)

Hey it was 1983...

[9/10 · 21 September 2004]

Come on guys, it was released in 1983 after all...

You have to have been around then or think back to what the 'state of the art' was then. C-64s and Atari boxes were the norm. The IBM PC was one year old.

I believe PC-DOS was still on version 2.0 or something very close. Windows was something only viewed at the PARC on a XEROX. The original MAC OS was over a year away after viewing it there sometime before. (google 'fire in the valley' for background information)

I guess you have to be old enough to know what a daisy wheel printer was to really appreciate what this film was when it was released.

We have come a long way in many respects, but not too far in others with todays operating systems from what was the 'norm' in 1983.

Anyone remember CP/M? In many respects, a very capable OS. It could load in only 4 KILOBYTES if I remember correctly...

Today, in 2009 we now have 64-bit Operating Systems with the computational power of multi core CPUs that make the computers of 1983 seem laughable.

The Apollo computer that sent man to the moon would be dwarfed by any cell phone or even a microwave oven today.

Moore's law of advances in computing power largely hold true today. What is cutting edge today will be almost certainly laughable in a few years time too.

From the Earth to the Moon (1998)

Making the impossible possible on a slide rule...

[10/10 · 6 July 2004]

Frankly, every time that I watch the series, I get choked up. The dedication and bravery to make a mandate possible...

Yes, it was a political mandate, but it seemed to be more in my view.

More a quest to prove that it could be done. Never before has anything been undertaken quite like it. Perhaps the Manhatten Project would come close, but it did not have 400,000 people working together as one.

To me, it is totally amazing that it was done on the tools available: Slide rules and rudimentary computers.

They went to the moon on a computer that had a whopping 32K of memory if I remember correctly.

Most home appliances, cell phones (not to mention computers) have much more processing power than what they used to send Apollo to the Moon.

Truly an feat that will be remembered for all of history, at least I hope so.

Lesson for today is to remember that given a 'impossible' task that almost anything can be accomplished if you set the human mind free and believe.

I wish that in my lifetime, mankind will return to the greatness that was attained during Apollo and surpass it as we must.

If not, a true shame for all mankind....

Kelly's Heroes (1970)

An enjoyable movie...

[22 February 2004]

I really enjoyed the movie. While the plot seems implausible, it is still enjoyable to watch. I especially loved the accuracy in the tanks portrayed in the film. I also loved the actor Karl-Otto Alberty who due to this, and other films of the era, portrays a perfect German soldier.

I would have hated to be him on holiday visiting England or the US in the '70s or '80s and coming across a veteran who didn't separate reality from fiction.

Patton (1970)

The Best WWII Movie to Date

[12 October 1999]

Quite simply the best movie of its genre...

It is an insight into the man and the time.

Thank God that the Allies had him to fight the war. enough said.