Movie Review: **** Zootopia 2 (2025)

 This is a fun animated movie about the animal police forc, and the too rookie police officers, Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman.). There is also the Beaver who helps them, Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster) and the snake they are trying to save, Gary De'Snake (Ke Huy Quan.). And then of course there are the bad guys, the lynx family, Pawbert Lynxley (Andy Samberg) who is sort of a bumbler, but then maybe not.  The rest of the family is much more gruesome.  

This makes for a nice story.  The rest of the police think they are crazy when they tart to defend a snake, but the movie reveals there really is a conspiracy going on.  

Music Review: The Essential James Taylor

The Essential James Taylor (2013) Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings.  The Essential James Taylor has a good compilation of James Taylor Songs.  It starts with Sweet Baby James from Taylor's second album of the same name.  It then includes songs of his albums up until 2002.  It is likely the best compilation album of James Taylor's work, but there were three previous greatest hits albums.  

I cannot get enough of "Fire and Rain" and "You've Got a Friend."  But there are many more impressive songs.  "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," "How Sweet It Is to be Loved by You," "Shower the People" and "Your Smiling Face" are all very nice.  It seems just about everything James Taylor does turns out nice.  He even gives a different feel in "Steamroller" which also works.  

And that is the first C.D.  The second C.D. does not have as many hits but it carries itself.  "Her Town Too" is very nice.  As are the next couple songs, "Everyday" and "Only One."  "You are my only one" keeps going through my head.  I also like "You Can Close Your Eyes."  "I still love you, Close Your eyes, I don't know no love songs, I can't sing the Blues anymore.  But I can sing this song, and you can sing this song."  

Harrison Ford Movie Review: **** Morning Glory (2010)

 Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) is a seasoned journalist who has considerable experience, and feels he is abov doing a morning show; so when they opportunity comes to him he balks, but agrees not because of interest but because of his contract.  Becky (Rachel McAdams) has been hired as the Morning show producer, and wants to prove herself.  Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum) is her boss.  Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton) is the female anchor who has been there for sometime.  She and Pomeroy quickly develop a feud because most stories are beneath Pomeroy who she has to cover.  The movie for the most part is about the developing relationship between Beck and Pomeroy.  The show is scheduled to be cancelled, but because of many antics, and Pomeroy gong out and getting the scoop on a real story, the ratings come up and they get another year.  Becky gets a job offer from a network, and at first she things her current relationships are worth preserving.  But in the end she goes to interview.  Pomeroy does a cooking class.  This is his way of telling her that he would like her to stay, because cooking stories he always considered beneath him.  

I enjoyed this movie.  Harrison ford is actually very good in it.  Rachel McAdams also is very good.  The relationship they develop carries the movie.  

Music Review: Cher and Sunny and Cher: Greatest Hits

Cher and Sonny and Cher appears to have been released in 1998 as a compendium of their music after the death of Sonny Bono.  It includes many of there hit songs, and misses a few.  "I got You Babe" is their anthem and a concert version concluded the C.D.  I would have preferred a studio version because the concert antics got in the way of the song.  The two big hits of Cher were included, "Half-Breed" in which Cher talks about her Cherokee ancestry and "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" which has a very catching beat.  "Crystal Clear/Muddy Waters has a very nice message, one upon which I have reflected in my life.  It is the torrent that clears the muddy waters and sometimes in life it is the fire that heals.  "United We Stand" is also very nice with a relatable theme.  

A couple things missing.  I use to love seeing Cher sing VAMP on the Sonny and Cher show.  Also the son "The Beat Goes On" is missing.  

Movie Review: Flicka

 This is an interesting movie about a young woman and a wild horse.  The young woman loves the horse, but her father is unrelenting, that the horse is dangerous and only good for rodeo bronco.  Father finally sells the horse, but the young woman still doesn't give up.  

Based on the book by Mary O'Hara. Alison Lohman portrays the daughter and Tim McGraw her father.   

Music Review: Buddy Holly from the Original Master Tapes

This is a collection of Buddy Holly songs released in 1985.  Of course they were all recorded earlier as Buddy Holly died in 1959.  This anthology of course includes "That'll Be the Day," an early Holly hit that reached #1 on the charts.  Another successful song was "Peggy Sue" which reached #3 which is also included.  Also included are "Oh Boy," "Everyday" and Rock Around with Ollie Vee."  Buddy Holly accomplished a lot in such a young li ve.  He died the day "the music died" in a plane crash at 22.  One can only imagine how much more music he could have made.  Even so he influenced many subsequent artists including Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and the Beatles. 

Movie Review: **** Cars 2 (2011)

 The sequel leaves Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and McQueen (Owen Wilson) in place but adds a spy movie; Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer).  They are up against a cabal of lemons who want to destroy race car driving.  Sir Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard) heads the bad guys as a double.  He has made a fake fuel which is suppose to be bad because he is shooting lasers at it.  He hopes to take advantage of the oil field he has discovered.  

Entertaining but not as good as the original.   

At the Movies: I Can Only Imagine 2 (2026)

 This movie focuses on a couple of families, and a couple of songs.  It is about the musical group Mercy Me.  The families are first Tim and Hilary Timmons (Milo Ventimiglia and Arielle Kibbel), Tim is the opening act for the band Mercy Me, and he has cancer.  He wants to write a song that makes a difference.  The second family is Bart and Shannon Millard (John Michael Finley and Sophie Skelton).  Bart is lead singer for Mercy Me.  His son Sam (Sammy Dell) has diabetes.  He comes on the trip with his dad, and starts performing with Tim.  Sam doesn't take care of his sugar numbers and has a relapse, and does Tim with his cancer.  Bart starts taking seriously Tim's desire to write a song and asking Bart to finish it.  

The two songs are very similar and both based on the hymn "It Is Well with my Soul."  The first song is "Make it Well."  The second song is the new song written by Tim and Bart, which they sing for the first time at a concert.  Sam sings, and Tim is in the audience having gotten out of the hospital.  "Even If" proclaims you will be my God even if things do not go right.  

I enjoyed this show of faith.  The music is great as is the message.  Tim does not succumb to his cancer and he and his wife now have four kids.  Sam and Bart continued their careers and sometimes sing together.  

John Wayne Movie Review: El Dorado

 Cole Thornton (John Wayne) is a gun slinger.  He is recruited by Bart Jason (Ed Asner) to help him run off the McDonald ranching family.  John Wayne decides to refuse as he would be going against the sheriff, and old friend, J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum.)  However even so he ends up killing the son of the ranchers, (as a reaction to being shot at) and the sister, Joey McDonald (Michele Carey) puts a bullet in him.  The bullet is against his spine and needs a better doctor for removal. 

John Wayne leaves, and hooks up with Minnesota (James Caan) who is good with a knife and not so good with a gun.  The hear that Jason has hired a different gun slinger, Nelse McLeod (Christopher George) and that Harrah has gone to drink over girl issues.  Minnesota and Thornton decide to go back and help.  They helpp rehabilitate Harrah, and take on the Jason men.  Thornton is bothered by the bullet which causes paralysis attacks.  Harrah is shot in the leg.  They are joined by the deputy, Bull (Arthur Hunnicutt.). Jason has kidnapped a McDonald and forcing the father to sign over his water rights.  And our heroes are set for the final confrontation.

Very fun movie.  Similar to Rio Bravo where the deputy is the drunk and Wayne is the sheriff,  In this the sheriff is the drunk and Wayne the deputy.  Maudie (Charlene Holt) provides the female love interest and does a good job.

Omaha Symphony: Stravinsky's Firebird

The guest conductor for this concert was Christopher Allen and the guest violinist was Francisco Fullana. The orchestra first play the overture for Die Fledermaus.  Fullana only played for the first half of the concert, until intermission.  He played with the orchestra Samuel Barber Concerto for violin and orchestra, Op 14.  The violin was bouncing all over the place so it was very fun.  Just before intermission Fullana and the first chair violinist performed a duet which was also very good.  

After intermission the orchestra layed a short piece,  Starburst.  They then played Stravinsky's Firebird.  I really enjoyed firebird.  I guess Stravinky is Russian.  This music told the story of a dark wizard who was holding many people captive as statues.  It was only with the help of the Firebird that they were set free.  A counter charm forced the dark knight to do whatever the hero wanted until he relented to set the people free.  He never relented but eventually he died as did his minions and the people were free.  

This concert was very enjoyable.  The only boring piece, almost put me to sleep, was Starburst which only lasted a couple minutes.  

At the Movies: EPiC Elvis Presley in Concert

 This is a documentary of Elvis Presley with never before seen footage.  It focuses on the Las Vegas concerts but also gives insight to Elvis' youth and his music career based on recorded tapes that were found.  Elvis sings a wide range of music, including several covers of others.  The music is fantastic, the covers and the originals.  Songs include: "In the Ghetto," Can't Help Falling in Love," "That's All Right," Hound Dog," "Polk Salad Annie," "Always on my Mind," "Burning Love," "Are You Lonesome Tonight," "How Great Thou Art," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "You've Lost that Loving Feeling," "Walk a Mile in my Shoes" and "Suspicious Minds."  I really enjoyed the "Polk Salad Annie" as Elvis danced as only he can.  The conversion was also very good into the thoughts of Elvis with regards to his love of music, all kinds.  He refused to answer a question about politics saying he is an entertainer.  He also talked of how he did not enjoy his acting career feeling directors did not let him really act, but just play a caricature.  I loved this documentary.  Directed by Baz Luhrmann.  

DC Movie Review: ****^ The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

 Batman (Christian Bale) has been retired for eight years, and has become a recluse mourning the death of Rachel Dawes.  The city has been doing well, having locked up 2000 criminals based on the Dent laws.  But there is evil brewing beneath the surface.  Batman's old nemesis, the League of Shadows is returning.  Not Ta's Al Ghul, but those who think like him are filtrating the city and government.  Bane (Tom Hardy) in particular is the essence of evil.  He breaks people's necks, or rips out their trachea with his bare hands.  

Commissioner Gordon's (Gary Oldman's) wife has left him, but he continues to protect the reputation of Harvey Dent, and lets Batman take the blame for his crimes.  John Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn) wants to take over Wayne Enterprises and kick Bruce Wayne out.  Cat Woman/ Selina (Anne Hathaway) steals Wayne's finger prints, and sell them to Bane.  They attack a stock market bank, and using the fingerprints are able to wipe Wayne out of money, and Daggett gets his wish, but Bane ends up killing him.  Bane has bigger goals.  

Gordon is kidnapped by Bane's men, but escapes with the help of new police man, John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).  However Gordon is hospitalized from the trauma.  Alfred (Michael Caine) leaves, hoping he can keep Batman from becoming involved again as Batman.  Batman is older and Bane will certainly kill him.  Batman does confront Bane, and Bane beats him in a fight, injuring Batman's back.  Bane keeps him alive but puts him in an Asian prison.  Meantime he takes over Gotham, using explosives so as to isolate it on Gotham island, trapping the police under ground, liberating all the prisoners who are set up as mob rule.  He comes upon nuclear material from Wayne Enterprises, and having kidnapped a scientist to make it into a bomb.  They hold kangaroo courts presided by Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy) in which the put wealthy people to death.

Batman is in the Asian prison for five months, giving his body time to heal.  He is finally able to climb out of the prison.  He finds that a child of Ta's Al Ghoul was also in the prison and escaped.  The child was helped by a protector.  Batman assumes the child is Bane.

Batman returns to Gotham, and takes on Bane with a different result.  He is able to knock his breathing mask which causes great pain.  However just as he is on the point of victory, an ally, Miranda stabs him in the back, literally.  She worked for Wayne Enterprises but turns out to the Talia Al Ghul (Marion Cotillard), daughter of Ta's Al Ghul.  Bane is the protector.  Talia attempt to detonate the bomb but fails as the signal is blacked by Gordon at the bomb.  Thali takes off to go to the bomb.  Catwoman kills Bane with the bat cycle.  The chase Talia, and finally catch her, but the bomb is going to detonate.  Batman takes the bomb in a bat plane out into the ocean where it explodes, ending the threat and Batman.  Batman had said the remote for the plane was not working, but they later discover it was working.

This movie as very good.  I liked it better as the evil characters played their parts well and were truly evil.  Blake is set up to be Robin as he finds the bat cave. 

Movie Review: ****^ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

 This is a fun expose of the two bandits, Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford).  It includes the son, "Raindrops keep falling on my head."  I is a really good view at the relationships.  The outlaws are forced to leave because of the intense pressure placed on them by the railroad company detectives seeking their death.  They move to Bolivia with Etta Place (Katherine Ross).  They go back into the business with some success robbing banks.   Bur they hear the detective from America has come to track them down, so they stop all criminal activity.  However working as guards they have to kill more then at being criminals.  Etta returns to America, and Butch and Sundance face and army.  That is where the show ends because of all the controversy of whether they returned to America or not and are buried in Bolivia.  

I really enjoy this history and this movie is fun.  

Movie Review: ***^ The Dark Knight (2008)

 In the Dark Knight Batman (Christian Bale) gets darker; as does his nemesis Joker (Heath Ledger).  The Joker is without scruples.  He kills even those who for him or with him.  As such he takes over the crime syndicate in Gotham.  He does behave in conventional ways, and this throws Batman off.  Also the district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is being aggressive going after organized crime.  The assistant is Bruce Wayne's interest, Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal).  Joker is very good at getting what he wants.  He takes on the task of killing Batman.  He fails to do this but he does turn turn Dent.  He kidnaps he and his fiancé, Batman's friend Rachel.  He forces Batman to save one of them, and Rachel is killed.  Dent is left as Two-face.  Two-face ends up dead and Batman takes the blame so the people can have a hero in Dent, and the laws against organized crime go into effect.  At the end of this movie Batman becomes the Dark Knight and goes into hiding.

The Joker is really devious and evil, and always seems to be a step ahead.  Hedger plays him very dark.  Michael Cane continues as Alfred the butler and support Wayne and Batman.  Gary Oldman continues as commissioner Gordon.  It is Batman and the commissioner who decide the perception has to be that Batman is evil and Dent is a hero.  Joker had messed with Gordon and his family, kidnapping them.

Musical Movie Review: **** Calamity Jane (1953)

 Calamity Jane (Doris Day) is a western woman who dresses in men's clothing.  She is the guard of the stage, and exaggerates how many Native Americans she has killed.  She rescues Lieutenant Gilmartin (Philip Carey) when he is captured by Indians.  She has a crush on him.  Wild Bill Hickok (Howard Keel) has a thing for Calamity Jane, but would like her to wear woman clothes.  Calamity goes to Chicago to recruit and actress, but gets the wrong woman.  She comes back with the maid, Katie Brown (Allyn Ann McLerie) rather than the actress; but Brown she does the best she can.  Calamity and Brown move in together, and Calamity get jealous when Brown and Gilmartin kiss.  She is so upset she tells Brown she must leave.  But Gilmartin really likes Brown.  Hickok finally proposes to Calamity, and everything ends happy.  

The voices of Howard Keel (baritone) and Doris Day are excellent and their singing really carries the musical.  I especially like the song "The Black Hills of Dakota."  They both sing with lots of energy.  "I Can Do Without You" is also very fun.  

John Wayne Movie Review: ****The Searchers (1956)

 This is a very good movie, and the racism of the lead character spills out all over the movie.  I think this was the point.  Uncle Ethan Evans (John Wayne) has returned home three years after the Civil War ended.  He is caught up in rescuing his nieces who are taken by Comanche.  Their brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter) goes with him but he is not a blood brother, but adopted and has Cherokee blood, which Uncle Ethan doesn't let him forget it.  Pawley has a girlfriend, Laurie (Vera Miles).  Early on they find the older sister murdered.  However the search for Deborah (Natalie Wood and Lana Wood), the younger sister goes on for many years.  Pawley is worried Uncle Evan will kill her as she has been amongst the Indians too long and will be an Indian.  The learn Cicatriz, or Scar (Henry Brandon) has her, but make little progress in finding him.  The first time they come upon Debbie Uncle Ethan does want to kill her, and Pawley intervenes.  However the second time there is a major operation and Cicatriz is killed.  However when Uncle Evan gets to the niece, now about 15 he says lets go home, and it is both he and the niece going home as Uncle Ethan lets go of some of his hate.  

The party would come home from time to time.  On one of these occasions they enter the wedding of Laurie and Charlie McCorrey (Ken Curtis, later Festus).  Laurie had grown tired of waiting and McCorrey had worn her down.  McCorrey and Pawley fight, and there is no wedding.  It is after this fight we hear that Cicatriz is in the area.  Another interesting character is Moss Harper (Hank Worden).  People thinks he is crazy, but it is he who was able to discover the whereabouts of Cicatriz.  Sisters Natalie Wood and Lana Wood portray Debbie, Lana the young Debbie and Natalie the older Debbie.  

I enjoyed this movie.  You have to remember Uncle Ethan's racism is his character form seeing death in the Civil War and fighting against the Native Americans.  

Western Movie Review: *** Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

 This is a Sergio Leone spaghetti western.  It stars Charles Bronson as Harmonica, a mysterious character who is extracting revenge as he goes.  Is ultimate goal is Frank (Henry Fonda), who is a very evil character but who is tied with the rail road, Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) and thereby gets away with it.  He and his men murder a family; but Cleveland (Jason Robards) is blamed.  Frank and the railroad want the property of the man they murdered.  They did not know he had recently married.  His widow is Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale).  Cleveland and Harmonica form an alliance of sorts to keep McBain from being cheated of her estate.  Even Frank and Harmonica form an alliance for a time, as Harmonica wants to be sure he is the person to kill Frank, who lynched his father when he was a boy.  

The movie is very slow at times with periods of violence.  Leone really drags out gun fights.  It is a 2 1/2 hour movie and could have been compressed greatly.  

John Wayne Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959)

 Sheriff Chance (John Wayne) arrests a man Joe Burdette for murder, and his brother Nathan Burdette (John Russell) doesn't like it.  John is a big land owner and is complicit in a murder himself, paying people to do his evil work.  Chance has two deputies, Stumpy (Walter Brennan) who is crippled and Dude (Dean Martin) who has been on a two year bender after things went sour with a girl.  But they do have the fortress of the jail.  There is a woman (Angie Dickinson) new in town, who befriends Chance.  Also a young gun man, Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson) whose boss is murdered by Burdette's men, and becomes a third deputy.  Finally the dye is cast, when Burdette's men kidnap Dude, and arrange an exchange for Joe Burdette.  This sets up the final gun battle.  With the help of some dynamite things do not go well for the crooks.

I enjoyed this movie.  The action was very nice, as was the romance.  The nicest part was a couple of songs the deputies sang while they holed up in the jail where they thought they could defend against the criminals.  One of the songs the Tabernacle Choir has also sung, "Cindy." 

Movie Review: Batman Begins

This is a very good new beginning to Batman, with a lot of pre Batman explanation. like how he learned his fighting skills.  He actually trains with a group that is against crime, to the point of taking it into their own hands.  Bruce Wayne has a falling out with them, and returns to Gotham with a new goal and sets himself up as Batman.   But the past haunts him. 

Ducard is the person from the past who helped train Bruce Wayne.  Alfred is the butler and Lucius Fox is Bruce Wayne's inside man at Wayne Enterprises.  Rachel Dawes is a district attorney and Bruce Wayne's friend from growing up years.  Jim Gordon is a police officer and becomes Batman's liaison.  And Dr. Jonathan Crane is with the gangs and also working for Ducard and his group.  He is the mask man who uses a toxin to make people hallucinate and thereby he gets them off on insanity pleas.  

The gangs have been smuggling the toxin in for sometime, and putting it in the water supply.  They have stolen a water vaporizer and plan to vaporize the toxin in the air and release the poison toxin into the air.  This will create paranoid people killing each other and Gotham will destroy itself.  Only Batman, and Gordon can turn the tide.  

Batman vs Ducard makes very good conflict.  A cute side bar is the president at Wayne enterprises and Lucius Fox.  When Fox becomes the president he asks the former president, "Didn't you get the memo?"

• 

  Christian Bale

  Bruce Wayne

  /Batman
• 

  Michael Caine

  Alfred
• 

  Liam Neeson

  Ducard
• 

  Katie Holmes

  Rachel Dawes
• 

  Gary Oldman

  Jim Gordon
• 

  Cillian Murphy

  Dr. Jonathan Crane
• 

  Morgan Freeman Lucius Fox  

  
  

Music Review: Chicago Greatest Hits 1982-1989

 This C.C. collections starts off with the classic and personal favorite, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry."  The album starts with that violin melody that introduces this number.  It is just beautiful.  Chicago has never shied from using instrumentals in their numbers; in fact that is the trademark.  The use brass instruments frequently.  

Chicago describes themselves as a rock and roll band with horns.  The were formed in the late 60s in Chicago, first called The Big Thing, the Chicago Transit Authority and then Chicago.  Peter Cetera, Terry Kath and Robert Lamm provide most of the vocals.  Their songs seem to be about love and relationships.  "I can't go on if I'm on my own" the sing in "Will you Still Love Me."  In "Love me Tomorrow" they sing "She loves me, and thats all I need to know."

"Look Away" is a good song of the after effects of a break up.  "If you see me walking by, and the tears are in. my eye, Look away!"  Also included are the classics "You're the Inspiration" and "Hard Habit to Break."  These songs continue the general theme, "You're the meaning of my life, you're the inspiration.  

"What Kind of Man Would I Be" ius remixed for this album and is also very catchy.  

I find Chicago to be very pleasing to listen to and as I said before, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" is one of my favorite songs of all time.  

Movie Review: ***^ Surrogates (2009)

 In a futuristic world the characters are almost all surrogates who are controlled by people who stay at home rather than go to work.  With having surrogates the murder rate is down and life is great.  However there are areas where they are people only and the populace do not accept surrogates.  There is a new weapon that not only kills the surrogate, but also the person behind the surrogate.  Several murders are committed, including police men.  Greer (Bruce Willis) and Peters (Radha Mitchell) are police men investigating the murders.  Greer and his wife Maggie (Rosamund Pike) grow farther and farther apart as they never interact as people but only as surrogates.  In their research the visit the creator of the surrogates, Canter (James Cromwell).  He only appears as a surrogate to anyone; but he has several different forms.  

This makes for a very good who done it mystery as they try to track this weapon and get rid of it.  The connections also end up becoming very important, and the world as everyone knows it will be forever changed.  In this movie things are not as they seem, because a surrogate could represent anyone and you don't know who they might be. 

 

Silent Alfred Hitchcock Movie: **Champagne (1928)

 I think this is the Alfred Hitchcock silent movie I like least.  The story is about the daughter (Betty Balfour) of a champagne tycoon (Gordon Harker), whose father refuses permission that she marry her boyfriend (Jean Bradin).  She flies her father's plane to meet her boyfriend who is on a yacht going to France.  Her boyfriend has sea sickness and she meets a mysterious stranger (Ferdinand Von Allen).  She receives a telegram from her father who warns her about marrying him, so she proposes to him.  They argue over her having asked for his hand.  He later regrets this and looks for her to apologize, and finds her playing chess with the stranger, so they quarrel again.  The father meets them in France, and announces the family fortune has been lost.  The boyfriend leaves and the father thinks he is only interested in money.  The daughter is robbed and consequently they are destitute and father and daughter take a dilapidated apartment.  Boyfriend returns again to apologize and she rebukes him saying she is going to take a job.  She works in a restaurant where she sees the mysterious man who hands her a note to contact him if she is in need.  The boyfriend does not approve of the job and they argue again.  Her father also does not approve and says it was a ruse his having lost the family money.  She is mad at both her father and boyfriend, but the mysterious stranger pays for her trip back to America.  Turns out the mysterious an works for her father to keep her safe.  The boyfriend, unaware of this decides to attack him but father intervenes to say he no longer objects to the wedding.  Our couple of love birds now argue about the wedding arrangments as the movie ends.

This movie flounders because it really doesn't have much to say.  

Movie Review: **** In Time (2011)

 Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) is on a mission to undo a lopsided society.  In this society everyone is given 25 years, after which you no longer age.  However then you have to get your own time, and if your time gets to zero, you die.  In this way those with time can keep the world from becoming overpopulated.  When Salas' mother (Olivia Wilde) dies because Salas culd not get her more time before she died, he sets out on this vendetta.  Someone who wants to die gives him 100 years, and this gets him into a richer high society neighborhood.  There he meets Sylvia Weiss (Amanda Seyfried) whose father (Vincent Kartheiser) has benefitted by the system--living at age 25, forever.  His wife, mother and child all appear the same and are all 25 in terms of aging.  He first Salas kidnaps her, sort of but she wants to go with him, and they begin to change the system, by stealing years from banks.  The Timekeeper (Cillian Murphy) tells Sylvia's father she doesn't appear to want to be rescued.  Salas and Sylvia make a pretty good team.  There is always a bigger bank.

This universe has some very intriguing points and nuances which makes a good movie.

John Wayne Movie Review: ***^ Chisum (1970)

 Chisum is a formolaic John Wayne film.  Wayne plays Chisum, who has lived in the area for 25 years and built a ranch with hard work, and Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker) who figures he can do better by taking what is Chisum's and controlling the law in the process.  You add Billy Bonney (Geoffrey Deuel) who is hot headed and explosive and things do not always go as planned.  Things go too far when Murphy's men kill Henry Tunstall (Patric Knowles) who had befriended Bonney.  Bonney takes it upon himself to kill the murderers and the sheriff and Murphy and anyone else complicit in the murder.  Makes for a good feud and war in town.  Ben Johnson plays Pepper, Chisum's long time friend and Pamela McMyler plays Sallie, Chisum's niece.  Glen Corbett plays Pat Garrett.  

Alfred Hitchcock Movie Review: **** Blackmail (1929)

 This is Alfred Hitchcock's  first talkie movie.  It is actually very good.  Alice White (Anny Ondra) has an argument with her boyfriend, Detective Frank Webber (John Longden).  She goes home with an artist she met at the coffee shop, Mr. Crewe (Cyril Ritchard).  He gets her into a different dress to model for him, but he forces a kiss on her and she protests and decides to get dressed and go home.  However she takes her dress, and then tries to rape her.  She happens upon a knife in his studio and kills him during the attempted rape.  She tries to erase evidence of herself in the apartment and leaves, walking the streets all night.  Webber is assigned to the case, and find's White's glove.  He takes the glove to her at the store her parents own and she works, wondering what happened.  At which point another person, Tracy (Donald Calthorp) enters the store.  He has the other glove and saw Mr. Crewe with White together and proceeds to blackmail them.  The tables turn when he turns out to have a criminal past, and he is wanted for questioning in the case.  Tracy panics and runs, and ends up falling to his death.  White goes to the police station to confess, but is intercepted by Webber.  The police assume Tracy did the murder.  White confesses to Webber about the attempted rape and the murder.  She is not arrested.

Enjoyable show.  First few minutes there is no sound, and when the sound starts there is lots of laughing as if this was easier to create.  A silent version was released.  This is credited as the first talkie in England, and was considered the best picture of the year.

Movie Review: **** Eagle Eye (2008)

A movi about when AI gores bad, and identifies people to kill and people to be killed.  Targeted as killers are Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf and  Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monighan).  They are powerless to resist as the AI is into everything.  They have Rachel's son, and Jerry's twin brother just died.  Rachel is recruited for her son, and Jerry for his brother.  On the other side military officer Zoe Perez (Rosario Dawson) and FBI agent Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton) are on their trail; but the AI is able to keep them from being captured, or get out of jail if they are caught.   It is only after a while they begin to understand the goal.  The AI is a US project against terrorism; an it is seeking regime change.

This movie is ahead of its time in terms of AI, which is a big deal these days, 18 years after the movie was made.

Alfred Hitchcock Movie: ** East of Shanghai aka Rich and Strange (1931)

 This movie is a part time silent movie.  It was made during a transition period and consequently has sound and dialogue for some of the film, but not all.  Fred and Emily Hill (Henry Kendall and Joan Barry) are living a mundane life, wanting to do something different.  When a rich uncle gives them money to travel, the Fred quits his job and they take off.  However living in England they must take a boat, and Fred finds he always has sea sickness, while Emily meets an older gentleman, Commander Gordon (Percy Marmont).  Fred also meets a supposed princess (Betty Amann).  They drift apart and spend more time with their new loves.  Emily leaves with the Commander, the Commander confides that the princess is not a princess but just latching on for Fred's money.  Emily returns to warn him, and they fight and then make up.  They are on a boat which hit something and the crew abandons ship.  However Fred and Emily miss this as they are fighting and making up.  The boat is sinking and they appear doomed.  A Chinese Junk pulls to the boat to rescue the Chinese workers who were left. The rescue our couple as well.  

This film was not very well received because of its mixed genre, silent and talking.  

Alfred Hitchcock Movie: *** Secret Agent (1936)

 Alfred Hitchcock presents a spy thriller.  I don't know if this is his first, but it becomes a staple.  An Englishman, Captain Edgar Brodie (John Gielgud) is presumed dead, returns to England.  There he is given a new name, Richard Ashenden and sent on a secret mission.  He is also given a wife, Elsa Carrington/Mrs. Ashenden (Madeleine Carroll).  This film is set in WWI and they are to prevent a spy from reaching Turkey.  They are also given a companion who is a ruthless killer, Th General (Peter Lorre).  They end up on the trail of Caypor (Percy Marmont) as he claims a button they discovered at a murder seen of an informant.  They go with him to the mountains, and the General pushes him off a cliff.  Ashenden watches through a telescope, and Mrs. Ashenden is fed up with the idea of murder.  She leaves the other two with a man, Robert Marvin (Robert Young).  The other note discover a spy message which was addressed to Marvin.  They had killed the wrong man, and are now on the trail of Marvin, who is with Mrs. Ashenden.  They are on the same train, and they manage to catch up with them, but Mrs. Ashenden opposes murder with her gun.  The train is bombed.  Marvin is crushed and is dying but he shoots the General killing him as he dies.  The Ashendens leave the spy business.

It seems there is no moral theme here, other than murder is never good.  This movie does enterain.  

Movie Review: **** Curly Sue (1991)

 This is a cute romantic comedy about a man, Bill (Jim Belushi) and his daughter, Curly Sue (Alisan Porter).  He is a grifter, conman and his daughter helps with his cons.  As part of that he will let himself be hit by a car and then extort money.  He pulls this game, and then the lawyer woman, Grey Ellison (Kelly Lynch) hits him for real a second time.  She feels guilty and takes them home.  They even continue this con as he feels better and could leave, but he feigns still being hurt.  Kelly begins to actually like Bill and Curly.  And this like grows into something more, and as a result Kelly becomes a more empathetic lawyer.  Grey's's boyfriend turns Curly and Bill into protective services, and Curly ends in a foster home and Bill in jail.  Kelly has to pull a few strings to set things right.  In the end Bill is the new boyfriend, and they are now a family of three and Curly Sue goes to school.  

This is a tear jerker romantic comedy.  

Alfred Hitchcock Silent Movie: **^ The Manxman (1929)

 This is an early Alfred Hitchcock.  In this movie there are two best friends, and one woman.  One is a lawyer and very loyal.  Pete (Carl Brisson) is in love with Kate (Anny Ondra).  Phillip (Malcolm Keen) is a lawyer and his trusted friend.  When Pete proposes marriage, Kate's father says absolutely not.  Pete determines to go over seas to get rich, and asks Phillip to keep and eye on Kate for him.  Kate and Phillip love each other, but are loyal.  when they hear Pete is presumed dead, they let go however.  However Pete is not dead and returns, and marries Kete.  However Kate is pregnant with Phillip's baby.  She has a baby girl, which Pete assumes is his.  They continue life until everything reaches a head for Kate.  She is married to Pete but loves Phillip, who is the father of her baby.  She attempts suicide by drowning.  She would like to be with Phillip but his lawyer, judgeship aspirations do not allow this.  But when Kate comes before him for trial, everything falls apart; or comers together based on your viewpoint.  

Early Alfred Hitchcock Movie: *** The Farmer's Wife (1928)

This is a very early Alfred Hitchcock, before he caught onto the suspense genre.  It is a romantic comedy of sorts with the Farmer, widowed, seeking a new wife after his daughter marries, leaving him at home alone.  Howevrer our farmer has terrible luck.  He is helped in his endeavors by his house maid and his handyman, who in the end are as funny as the farmer in his pursuits.  It takes him a while to com to his senses, but the maid and he have been in love for some time.  He is just shy around her.  

As noted Alfred Hitchcock direts.  This is a silent film, except for a serenade song.  

Movie Review: **** Jumper (2008) with Hayden Christensen

 David Rice (Hayden Christensen) has a miserable life.  The brunt of teasing at school, a mother who left him when he was five, and an abusive father.  while being teased at school, he falls through the ice and floats away.  But he doesn't drown, but teleports himself into the library.  He begins oracticing, and realizes he doesn't need to stay home.  He can teleport away, so he does.  He also develops a habit of teleporting into bank vaults, and thereby living a pretty good lifestyle.  However he doesn't show himself to anyone so they think he has died.  Several years later he is quite established.  However there is a secret group intent on killing the jumpers, no one should have such power.  Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) heads this group of Paladins.  He has a big knife he uses, but he slows the jumpers with electricity.  

He returns to his hometown, and looks up Millie (Rachel Bilson) and decides to bring her with on his next trip to Italy.  However in Italy he is attacked, but he also meets another jumper, Griffin (Jamie Bell).  David accidentally follows Griffin to his lair.  In the end they team up and the capture the Paladins without their device that helps them trap jumpers and also move about.  However Roland captures Millie.  david wants to save Millie, Griffin wants to blow u the Paladins.  A fight ensues, and david come away on top.  He rescues Millie and does not blow up the Paladins, prooving he is different from other Jumpers.

This movie jumps around a lot (pun intended).  They travel to sevreral different countries, Egypt and Italy among them.  There is some fine fighting and special effects with electricity.  

John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara Movie Review: **** Rio Grande (1950)

 This is the first of five collaborations of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.  Lt. Col Kirby York (Wayne) is osted on the Rio Grande, and dealing with Apache Indians.  Mrs. Kathleen Yorke (O'Hara) his estranged wife comes to camp after her son, Trooper Jefferson Yorke (Claude Jarman Jr.)  He had arrived in camp a few days earlier as a new recruit.  The relationship between Yorke and his wife evolves during the movie and it is fun to watch, as too the growth of their son.  Other characters are Trooper Tyree (Ben Johnson) who in addition to being a trooper is wanted on manslaughter charges.  Trooper Boone (Harry Carey Jr.) starts in a fight with Trooper York but they fast become best friends.  The movie is also graced with the serenading of the regimental singers (Sons of the Pioneers.)  

Great story telling.  In Black and White.  John Ford directed.

Tom Cruise Movie Review: **** Minority Report (2002)

 This is a science fiction that is a bit hard to understand.  It is a futuristic movie, taking place in 2054.  In Washington, D.C. pre cogs (peope with cognitive functions where they dream of future murders, and are used by the police to prevent future crimes.  Many people have been arrested as a result, and placed in a comma.  The murder rate has dropped to zero.  However one of our police, Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise) shows up on a future crime report, killing someone he doesn't know.  He runs, and eventually gets to the bottom of a murder which was miss handled in the past.  A woman was murdered twice, once prevented by the precogs, but the second did happen, Ann Lively (Jessica Harper) was drowned.  One of the Precogs was her daughter (Samantha Morton).  Anderton steals this precog.  She is considered the strongest. 

Someone has been manipulating the system, and that person is very powerful.  A coworker (Colin Ferrell), rival of sorts, also started questioning and goes to the director (Max Von Sydow), and is murdered.  Anderton's (Kathryn Morris) wife is also involved, and is the person who discovers the true murderer.  

Directed by Steven Spielberg.  Even though this is hard material, with futuristic computers and such, I think is comes off well.  

Movie Review: **** Coach Carter (2005)

 Coach Carter (Samuel Jackson) takes a position as basketball coach even though he knows it is a tough neighborhood and the team has n9t had much success.  He sets some conditions for the players, 2.3 GPA and attend classes and sit in the front and wear a tie on game day.  They actually find a great deal of success on the court, but when the progress reports come to the coach, he realizes most of the team is not fulfilling the conditions of the contract.  He locks the gym and suspends games.  The forfeit a few games as a result; and the community has a conniption.  They go to the school board who overrules the coach and says games will restart.   Coach Carter chooses to resign.  The issue is important to him as too many kids do not go on to colege in Richmond, California where this story takes place.  However the players stivck with him.  They bring their grades up and get back to basketball.  This movie provides some exciting play.  They lose to the best team in the state in the playoffs by a last-second basket.

Samuel Jackson is very good.  Channing Tatum and Rick Gonzalez play basket ball players.  Robert Ri'chard plays Coach carter's son and als basketball player.