Eddie Murphy Movie Review: *** Haunted Mansion (2003)

 Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) is too focused on his real estate business to the detriment of his wife and kids.  So they go on vacation, with a side trip to check out a property, and find themselves mixed with ghosts.  Turns out Evers' wife, Sara (Marsha Thomason) looks like a deceased woman; and they hope to bring the ghost of the woman back.  Lots of ghosts flying around and spooky stuff.   Turns out the butler (Terence Stamp) is the culprit, he killed the original bride not approving of her choice.  And he is manipulating things now as a ghost.  Two ghosts help the Evers, Ezra (Wallace Shawn) and Emma (Dina Waters).  The master (Nathaniel Parker) does not know of the butler's complicity.  

Mildly entertaining but not my favorite Halloween movie.  

John Wayne Movie Review: **** The Horse Soldiers (1959)

 A Civil War era movie as we follow a calvary regiment raiding deep into southern territory.  Colonel John Marlowe ( (John Wayne) accompanied by the surgeon Major Henry Kendall (William Holden) and they don't like each other.  They take a southern woman, Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers) along with them for fear she will reveal their plans.  And so begins the game of hide and seek.  

Very nice calvary action and at one point canon action as well.  This is the movie where a bunch of school kids decide to confront them.  The union soldiers hold their fire or fire over them as they make their escape.  Marlow professes that he has fallen in love with Hunter as he rides away and blows up their bridge and makes his escape.  Kendall stays with the wounded Union soldiers.  

In Theaters: ****^Sense and Sensibility (2026)

Sheri and I made a date of going to the movies today to catch the new Sense and Sensibility.  Many things about this version make it special.  First I noted is the dancing.  It is unlike any dancing I have seen before with very intricate hand movements.  And then the entire hall making the same movements.  I don't know if they are original dances to Britain but they were cool.  Three girls and their mother, Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles), Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and mother Mrs. Dashwood (Caltríona Balfe) lose their home and fortune when their father passes away and the estate is taken over by their older brother, John (Tom Brooke) and his greedy wife, Fanny (Stacy Martin).  She treats the Dashwoods poorly.  Her only redeeming quality is her brother Edward Ferrars (George MacKay).  He and Elinor become an item.  The Dashwoods find a place to land in a cottage in the country of Mrs. Jennings (Fiona Shaw).  There Marianne is pursued by two suitors, Willoughby (Frank Dillan) and Colonel Branden (Herbert Nordrum).  Her emotions carry her towards Willoughby.  But both girls are let down by there men who both travel to London.  They follow, and Elinor discovers Edward is engaged to Lucy Steele (Ceara Coveney) and Willoughby to a woman with money, Miss Grey (Sophie McGibbon).  Marianne takes it much harder than Elinor, even to the point of making herself sick, and then we find who is the real man of the two, Willoughby or the Colonel.  

I really enjoyed myself, but it did drag early on and I almost fell asleep.  This version added a duel which was very well done.

Music Review: Utopia by Romeo Santos

 Utopia by Romeo Santos, Sony Music Latin, 2019.

Twelve songs with an intro that present some very good music.  I especially like the instruments in these songs as they always seem to be racing.  The guitars are really cool.  This is Bachata music with many bachata artists collaborating on different works.  It also includes a single from the reunion of Aventura singing "Inmortal."  Other collaborations include El Chaval de la Bachata, "Canalla," "Payasos" with Frank Reyes, "La Demanda" with Raulín Rodríguez, "Millonario" with Elvis Martinez, "El Beso Que No Le Di" with Kiko Rodriguez, "Ileso" with Teodoro Reyes, "Amor Enterrado" with Joe Veras, "Me Quedo" with Zacarías Ferreira, "Los Últimos" with Luis Vargas, "Años Luz" with Monchy & Alexandra, "Bellas" with Antony "El Mayimbe" Santos and lastly the song with Aventura.  

I found this C.D. very fun.  Most of the songs are men talking about women.

John Wayne Movie Review: *** Flying Leathernecks (1951)

 This movie is about Marine flyers, and developing close air support for troops.  Major Kirby (John Wayne) is the commander of a squadron and Captain Griffin (Robert Ryan) is his second in command--who was suppose to be first but Kirby was brought in.  They do not like each other.  Lots of flying action and deaths and stress on the leaders.  Joan (Janis Carter) is Kirby's wife with a couple kids at home.  He thinks he is going home to a desk job but heads back to battle when a squadron leader is needed.  Griffin goes with him.  Interesting war movie.  It would have been better with less narration.  The supply sergeant Clancy (Jay C. Flippen) has a nice roll and provides some comic relief.  He gets back home after breaking an arm bailing out.  

Clint Eastwood Movie Review: **** Where Eagles Dare (1968)

A very good war and espionage movie as the British are trying to ferret out some spies in their midst.  John Smith (Richard Burton) heads a team to rescue a captured general, Carnaby (Robert Beatty) who is being held at the Eagles's Nest, high in the mountains.  Schaffer (Clint Eastwood) is Smith's inside man as he cannot be a British spy as his character is American and from the outside.  Mary Ellison (Mary Ure) is the girl friend of John Smith and an inside person helping him.  She was helped by Heidi (Ingrid Schmidt) who is an undercover agent.  The commander of the operation, Colonel Wyatt Turner (Patrick Wymarck) has a great interest in the operation as he turns out to be a double agent.  

Lots of action.  Cliff climbing and a gandola in the mountains, and lots of shooting.  I remember this movie from many years ago and wanted to make sure I understood the end, and why the commander jumped from the plain.  He was found as as being the lead spy for the Germans in Britain.  

Best Picture Movie Review: **** From Here to Eternity (1953)

 A Movie at the beginning of WWII.  This movie won the Oscar for best picture.  This movie is about the lead up to Pearl Harbor for troops station in Hawaii.  Sergeant Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster) welcomes Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) to the unit and Hawaii.  Captain Holmes (Philip Ober) has requested him due to his skill at boxing.  However Prewitt refuses to box, having put a friend into a coma when they were sparring.  Holmes insists, and Prewitt refuses.  So Holmes sets up a system of torture for him which is pretty consistent, less leaves, always being held back for physical duty, digging holes, and being confronted over and over.  Warden watches it happen but does not like to participate.  Angelo Maggio (Frank Sinatra) is best friend of Prewitt, but Maggio runs afoul of Sergeant Fatso (Ernest Borgnine) who is over the guard house, and when Maggio is there he slowly beats hime to death.  So Prewitt extracts his revenge.

This movie is a true tragedy as both Warden and Prewitt have girls, Karen Holmes (Deborah Kerr) and Alma (Donna Reed) but the relationships are doomed to failure--especially when the bombs start to fly.  They are both married to the Army.

I enjoyed this movie.  It was fun.  I really liked the character created by Frank Sinatra, the feisty Italian.