Movie Review: ***Turbo (2013)

This is an animated Dream Works film which has a snail as a fast race care; albeit still very small.  You can see where he is as he is so fast he leaves a track of light where he goes.  How he is allowed to race is beyond me, but a co race driver is determined to not lose to a snail, even if he has to squish the little thing.  I watched this with the two-year-old grandson.  Entertaining but still kid's stuff.

Movie Review: ****The Undefeated starring John Wayne (1969)

This is on of my favorite John Wayne movies, and one he shares center stage with Rock Hudson.  Wayne portrays a Federal Colonel Thomas, just after the war, while Hudson portrays a Confederate Colonel Langdon.  Thomas and his men resign, and head to Texas to round up wild horses to sell to the government.  Langdon and his men, and family are headed to Mexico to continue the war if they can.  When the government agents balk at giving a good price, Thomas and his men come to terms with representatives of the Mexican government and drive the horses to Mexico.  These two groups meet, not as enemies but as allies.  The Yankees help the Confederates hold of a bandelero group.  The Yankees come to camp for dinner and dance, and fight.  Wayne's adopted Indian son falls for the daughter of the Colonel Langdon, and stays close to protect her.  The Confederate group is lulled into a trap, and taken captive by a group of Mexican rebels, with the promise of execution if the Americans don't bring the horses in ransom.
This story features Merlin Olsen as Little George.  Maybe that is why I enjoy it.  My dad's favorite football player. 

Movie Review: ***^Seventh Son

This movie is based on the characters of the book "The Spook's Apprentice" by Joseph Delaney.  This is the only book in the series I have read, although there are many more, and much of the movie must have been from the sequel books, as it wasn't in the book I read.  Jeff Bridges portrays the Spook, Gregory.  Julianne Moore portrays the wicked witch, who once loved the Spook.  The Apprentice, Tom Ward is portrayed be Ben Barnes.  The niece of the evil witch, Alice,  is portrayed by Alicia Vikander.  The jest of the movie is the witch escapes years of captivity by the Spook because of the blood moon which has arrived, restoring her powers.  She kills the first apprentice, and creates a need for a new apprentice.  However, they have to hurry as in a week the witch will regain all her powers and be unstoppable.  Alice is caught between, spying for the witch, but also loving Tom.  She betrays them both, stealing a witch's amulet from Tom, which was given to him by his mother, a good witch, but then in the end, stealing it back from the wicked witch.
This is a classic good vs. evil, with witches that change into dragons or other evil creatures thrown in.  It makes for some good fun.

Book Review: Time Travelers: Book One of the Gideon Trilogy (2006)

Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer:  Sometimes a book just doesn’t appeal to you, and this is one of those times.  I just couldn’t really get into this book.  A couple of friends who are thrown back in time, to late 1700s England.  Perhaps my problem was with the little digs such as, Charles Darwin discovered people come form apes.  That is what the book ays, but I thought this was his theory not a discovery.  Things like that, science vs God bugged me about this book I had a hard time reading it.  It is the first of three; but I don’t think I will seek out the other in the series.  

Movie Review: 1966 ****The Good the Bad and the Ugly

This movie is a classic Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western.  This bits three con-men style bandits against each other and thus the title has three characters.  The Good is portrayed by Clint Eastwood; the Bad by Lee Van Cleef and the Ugly by Eli Wallach.  It is set against the back drop the Civil War in the West, with desert and battles and prison camp all mixed in.  Blondie (Eastwood) has come by a piece of information yo find a stash of goldl which is shared with Tuco (Wallach).  However Angel Eyes (Van Cleef) is also intent on finding the gold, and willing to kill to get it.  This meets for one of the classic three-way gun fights.  Seems like Tuco is always yelling for Blondie, and this is how the movie ends.  Great fun.  This movie is confusing, as there is an R rated  version.  However no inappropriate sex,  but there is violence.

Peter Sellers: Actor

1979 *This is one of the movies I wish I had not watched.  The ending is just gross.  The idea of misjudging someone who doesn't read for an economic genius gets old pretty fast.  Stars Shirley MacLaine and Peter Sellers.

Director: Sergio Leone

Movie Review: 1966 ****The Good the Bad and the Ugly

This movie is a classic Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western.  This bits three con-men style bandits against each other and thus the title has three characters.   This movie shows one of the classic three-way gun fights.  Great fun.  This movie is confusing, as there is an R rated  version.  However no inappropriate sex,  but there is violence.

1970:  Two Mules for Sister Sara: Maclaine stars as Sister Sara and Clint Eastwood as Hogan.  This is set around the French invasion of Mexico, and the repulse by the Mexicans.  (See Cinco de Mayo which was in 1862.)  It is a Sergio Leone film and has that feel.  MacLain starts as a nun, but in reality is much different.  The face the French with a group of Mexican soldiers.

Actor: Clint Eastwood

1959 Rawhide: Incident of the Tumbleweed

There are eight seasons and at least 216 episodes of Rawhide  This is the first.  We are presented to trail hand Rowdy (Clint Eastwood) and Trail Boss Gil Favor (Eric Fleming.)  In this episode, tumbleweed refers to a prison wagon that they run into along the trail.  There are seven prisoners inside, one of them being the girlfriend of a notorious outlaw, and also a couple of his gang. 
This episode was entertaining.  I didn't watch Rawhide as a youth. However this film had plenty of action, and the prison wagon was very interesting the way it was portrayed.  Very enjoyable.

Movie Review: 1966 ****The Good the Bad and the Ugly

This movie is a classic Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western.  This pits three con-men style bandits against each other and thus the title has three characters.  This provides a vehicle for one of the classic three-way gun fights.  Seems like Tuco (Ugly) is always yelling for Blondie (Eastwood), and this is how the movie ends.  Great fun.  There is an R rated  version.  However no inappropriate sex,  but there is violence.

1976 ****The Outlaw Josey Wales  This film again is Eastwood at his best.  It isa post Civil War film, and pits Eastwood against Indians and against the federal government as they try to bring him in after the war.  Chief Dan George plays a special part in this film.

1969  Musical Movie Review: ***Paint Your Wagon 

This is not your blockbuster musical, but it does have its interesting parts.  This is a Lerner and Loewe musical (Alan Jay Lerner book and Frederick Loewe music).   Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood star as partners (Ben Rumson and Pardner) in the gold business, and then they take on a third partner, as Rumson buys a wife (Jean Seberg) from a Mormon polygamist. 

1970  ***^Two Mules for Sister Sara:
Maclaine stars as Sister Sara and Clint Eastwood as Hogan.  This is set around the French invasion of Mexico, and the repulse by the Mexicans.  (See Cinco de Mayo which was in 1862.)  It is a Sergio Leone film and has that feel.  MacLaine starts as a nun, but in reality is much different.  They face the French with a group of Mexican soldiers.

1972 ***^Joe Kidd
Classic Clint Eastwood in his roll as the competent cowboy.  He is hired to go after a man, but in the end sees things differently and goes after the man who hired him.

Actress: Shirley MacLain: Movies

1970 ***^Two Mules for Sister Sara: Maclaine stars as Sister Sara and Clint Eastwood as Hogan.  This is set around the French invasion of Mexico, and the repulse by the Mexicans.  (See Cinco de Mayo which was in 1862.)  It is a Sergio Leone film and has that feel.  MacLaine starts as a nun, but in reality is much different.  The face the French with a group of Mexican soldiers.

1979 *This is one of the movies I wish I had not watched.  The ending is just gross.  The idea of misjudging someone who doesn't read for an economic genius gets old pretty fast.  Stars Shirley MacLaine and Peter Sellers.