Movie Review: *** How the West Was Won

This is a good western epic following the lives of two sisters, Eve and Lilith Prescott (Carroll Baker and Debbie Reynolds) and their husbands, Linus (James Stewart) and Cleve (Gregory Peck).  This movie is overflowing with famous actors.  Karl Malden portrays the father of the girls.  George Peppard as the son of Eve.  Henry Fonda as Jethro Stuart a mountain man dealing with changing times.  Andy Devine in the Civil War scene as a corporal, Robert Preston as the wagon master who wants to marry Lilith, John Wayne as General Sherman and Harry Morgan as Ulysses S. Grant.  There are some portrayals that are racist--depiction of Native Americans, and no Black people in the west at all.  But it has good action and drama.  And Debbie Reynolds can really sing.  She is the thing that makes this movie move.

Movie Review: *** Shadowheart (2009)

 After his service in the Civil War, James Connors (Justin Ament) returns to his home town to capture the man who murdered his father.  Connors is a bounty hunter and there is a warrant out for Will Tunney (Angus Macfadyen).  Tunney had murdered Connors' father (William Sadler) and claimed self defense.  He went on to force people to sell him every business in town.  He owns the town, and several bad criminals including Spider (Dean Alioto).  However Connors does marry his former girlfriend (Mary Cooper) before Tunney can force her to marry him.  

In the final confrontation he has the help of a couple Native Americans, Miakoda (Tonantzin Carmelo) and Washakie (Michael Spears).  

An OK western movie about revenge vs redemption, and how much do you take before it is acceptable to kill someone.  

James Stewart, John Wayne Movie Review: ****^ The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

 The West is in its last days, and a lawyer, Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) comes to town.  He meets Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) on his way to town as Valance beats him with a whip during a hold up of the stage coach.  Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) collects him of the trail and brings him to town.  Doniphon uses a gun for his talking, and Stoddard law books.  Valance also uses guns and violence.  Stoddard has a couple more run ns with Valance.  The sheriff, Link Appleyard (Andy Devine) is ineffectual.  Doniphon has a girl, Hallie (Vera Miles) at least he claims her, but she takes a liking to Stoddard.  Stoddard teaches her to read.  

The territory is going through a struggle for statehood.  Stoddard and Valance are on opposite sides of the issue.  He represents the ranchers who want to keep things open and wild.  Dutton Peabody (Edmond O'Brien) the newspaper editor writes a derogatory story about Valance.  He gets himself a beating for his efforts. Valance issues a challenge for Stoddard.  Something has to give.

Very good movie with an interesting twist at the end.  Different philosophies collide and Doniphon is a dying breed.  Pompey (Woody Strode) is Doniphon's sidekick.  

Movie Review: ****^ Remember the Titans (2000)

 A very good depiction of the 1971 football team for T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria Virginia.  A black school and a white school were ordered to be segregated this year.   In a political move a Black coach, Coach Boone (Denzel Washington) is hired to take over the football program, replacing Coach Yoast (Will Patton).  Yoast's daughter, Sheryl (Hayden Panettiere) is very upset about the move.  She loves football.  Some of the players include Julius Campbell (Wood Harris) and Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst).  A very good show of race relations and racial prejudice and how the team helps the community overcome their prejudices.  They go on a camp to come together.  Ryan Gosling has a small role.  

James Stewart Movie: * Strategic Air Command (1955)

 This is by far the least enjoyable James Stewart movie I have ever seen.  Seemed like it was a commercial for the Air Force rather than a movie.  it is like nothing happened and Lt. Col Dutch Holland (James Stewart) and his wife Sally (June Allyson) argue about his career, Air Force vs baseball.  In the end and injury forces Holland out of the Air Force.  Some pretty impressive planes.  The command was in Texas, before coming to Offutt in Bellevue.

 

Movie Review: ****^ World Trade Center (2006)

 We watched World Trade center for 9/11.  Pretty gruesome story of survival, especially since so many did not survive.  John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) is a sergeant of police.  Will Jimeno (Michael Peña) is an officer who follows him into the building.  They were in between the two towers when the first collapsed.  McLoughlin yells, get to the elevator shaft, and that is where they are trapped.  The story also tells the story of their families.  Their spouses are Donna McLoughlin (Maria Bello) and Allison Jimeno (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who is pregnant.  Incredible story of their survival for hours under the rubble.  But the part of the story that makes it real are the families reaction to tragedy.  Story was written by the four main characters.  They were found by a couple Marines who were scouring the area.  

Musical Movie Review: **** Annie (1982)

 Annie is a delightful musical.  Several of us in the family have been in the musical, so we are always comparing the movie to the musical; why didn't they do this song or that one? etc.  Annie (Aileen Quinn) lives in an orphanage whee Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett) is in charge.  Annie has it coming as she ran away, and came home with a dog.  Grace Farrel (Ann Reinking) shows up to select an orphan to stay with Daddy Warbucks (Albert Finney), the billionaire for the weekend.  Where Annie is by the office, she makes sure she is selected.  Rooster (Tim Curry), Miss Hannigan's brother and Lily (Bernadette Peters) enter the scene as con artists intent on stealing the reward money Daddy Warbucks has offered for Annie's birth parents.  With the help of Miss Hannigan, and an old necklace, they actually pull it off; but the plot is foiled when the other orphans arrive to the mansion to say, "they was bad people."  This movie relies on technology more than the musical with a helicopter, and security guards from different lands.  As I said it is a cute, delightful musical.  And of course Annie sings "Tomorrow."  Edward Herrmann plays President Roosevelt.