Christmas Movie Review: *** A Holiday Romance (1999). AKA A Song for the Season

 A made for tv movie in which a school administrator, Cal Peterson (Gerald McRaney) comes to town to save the school from financial ruin, and he has closed music department when given this task in the past.  He brings his daughter, Fern (Alison Pill) and he meets the music teacher, Lily Waite (Naomi Judd) and they start to fall in love.  They move in with his father, Jake Peterson (Andy Griffith).  Of course the inevitable happens, music department scheduled for deletion.  But the secret is they go ahead with the concert, and Fern sings a solo.  With donations from towns people and associates of Lily the school music program is saved, for at least a couple years, and Cal and his daughter are staying.

Entertaining TV movie.  

Music Review: 70s Greatest Hits

 70s Greatest Hits: Original Artists, Original Recordings, BMG Music, 2002.

I am a child of the 70s, and love 70s music.  THis has a wide selection of songs, but they never repeat an artist.  Included are Gladys Knight and the Pips, Hall & Oates, Tony Orlando and Dawn and many more.  Songs include "Put our Hand in the Hand," "Coconut," "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" and "Candida."  Lots of fine songs but I don't things this C.D. found my favorites.

Clint Eastwood Movie Review: **** Firefox (1982)

 This movie is Clint Eastwood directed.  He also plays Mitchell Gant, pilot who also speaks Russian.  Firefox is a new MIG fighter which also has stealth capabilities and armaments fire through thought, in Russian.  People who help Gant are Kenneth Aubrey (Freddie Jones) with intelligence; Pavel Upenskoy (Warren Clarke) who is on the ground in Russia; and scientist Natalia (Demitra Arliss), Peyotr Baranovich (Nigel Hawthorne) and Semelovsky (Ronald Lacey).  

I really enjoyed this movie, and remember enjoying it many years ago.  Very good spy action and political intrigue.  Clint Eastwood does very well as the pilot with PTSD from being a POW in Viet Nam.

In Theaters: ***^ Runner (2026)

 A very good action film from Angel Studios.  The action revolves around the delivery of a liver with a soecial blood type which has been matched to a little girl who will die without the organ.  However the local mob wants the organ for mob mother who is also dying.  This movie is very violent with lots of explosions, crashes and gun fire, and murder abounds.  The excessive violence sets the movie apart, but also makes it unpalatable, even in the hospital and involving the mother of the girl.  

• 

  Alan Ritchson

  Hank Malone. The runner who is ex seal
• 

  Owen Wilson

  Ben Bishop. The transplant man
• 

  Rodrigo Santoro

  Damián Zaldívar. Zaldivar's son who initiates most of the violence
• 

  Leila George

  Kate Baker. The mother of Ellie
• 

  Kate Box

  Dr. Ainsley. The transplant doctor

• 

  Cecilia Toussaint

  Donna Zaldivar.  Mob Boss who needs the liver
• 

  Geraldine Hakewill

  Monica. Malone's ex wife
• 

  Scarlett Crabtree

  Ellie.   The little girl
• 

  Gyton Grantley

  Iggy. The boss who set up the job and ends dead

Movie Review: ***^ Ocean's 8 (2018)

 Ocean's 8 is a spin off of the Ocean movies following Danny Ocean's sister, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) who is released from prison and she is out to get revenge on her ex, Claude Becker (Richard Armitage) who set her up for the fall in a con game.  And so she recruits her team: Lou (Cate Blanchett) is her friend and co-planner, Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter) who is a fashion designer who must have a necklace for an extravaganza, Amita (Mindy Kaling) jewelry maker), Tammy (Sarah Paulsen) fence, Constance (Awkwafina) pick pocket, Leslie Jordan (Rihanna) computer hacker and Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) who is a mark to wear the necklace but becomes part of the team when she realizes what is happening.  They succeed getting the necklace and replacing it with a fake.  They then break it up and part is planted part on Becker.  John Frazier (James Cordon), insurance investigator discovers this.  This show is entertaining.  It has a bit of a twist at the end making it more profitable for those involved.

Movie Review: *** I'll Be Home for Christmas (1997)

Sarah Gladstone (Ann Jillian) is the mayor of a town whose doctor has passed away.  Dr. Greiser (Robert Hays) is an MD coming home to visit his father (Jack Palance) after he has been away for many years.  He left to school and never returned.  His wife died of cancer, and the doctor was unable to save her.  This is causing him to lose confidence.  Turns out the mayor is acting as the doctor as a veterinarian and she and Dr. Geiser were high school sweethearts.  If not for the doctor thing maybe they could get back together.  Dr. Geiser has a daughter, Jilly (Ashley Gorrell).  He feels pressured to be a doctor and doesn't know if he can; So he returns to the city and father joins them for Christmas.  Very similar to other made for tv Christmas movies where something happens to get them back to the right track.

James Stewart Movie Review: **^ The FBI Story

This movie approaches being a commercial for the FBI like Strategic Air Command was and advertisement to promote SAC.  However this movie has some interesting stories, including the trelling of the Osage Indians in Oklahoma, who were being murdered left and right.  This was to get their oil money of which many people were jealous.  Stewart was undercover in this movie.  Another story was that of taking on the mobs and reducing crime in the country in general.  There was also a spy movie section, and the capture of people selling state secrets.  There is also the story of how working in the FBI can effect a marriage.  His wife is portrayed by Vera Miles.  Good action and good stories taken individually; but the movie is definitely too long.