Movie Review: ****Enemy Mine (1985)

 Two space warrior enemies become stranded on a distant planet.  Davidge (Dennis Quaid) is a human fighter pilot in the future war with the Dracs.  Jeriba (Louis Gossage Jr.) is also marooned on the planet when their ships collide.  They at first continue to b enemies but soon discover they are each other's best resource for survival.  They also have to learn each other's language.  The Dracs have a very distinctive language.  It is made with gurgling sounds.  Jeriba and Davidge  survive many perils.  Over time the become friends.  Jeriba becomes pregnant as Dracs are just one sex.  Somehow Jeriba knows that something is wrong, and that he may not survive.  He teaches Davidge his genealogy in song and has Davidge swear he will take his child, Zammis (Bumper Robinson) to his home world and recite the genealogy.  

However there is a group of illegal miners on the planet lead by Stubbs (Brion James).  They shoot Davidge and leave him for dead, and the child is taken as a slave to work in the mines.  Davidge is rescued by a patrol ship.  He returns to rescue the child.  In doing so he effects a rebellion amongst the slaves, and the alliance he is a soldier for also helps and the miners are destroyed.  Davidge takes the boy to the Drac world.  

This is a very good movie about getting along with others and finding that differences are not always as large as they appear.

At Theaters: ***^ A Dog’s Journey

***^ A Dog’s Journey   In the case it is actually dogs with the same spirit.  The dog, Bailey (Josh Gad) belongs to Ethan (Dennis Quaid) and Hannah (Marg Helgenberger) is tasked to care for Ethan’s granddaughter when circumstances cause them to be separated.  In fact there are several versions of the dog, who keep being born in different dog bodies.  Some of them actually live with the granddaughter, CJ (Kathryn Prescott) and some have this as their goal but do not meet up for whatever reason.  One version the dog is trained in detecting cancer.  This is useful in another version as CJ’s friend Trent (Henry Lau) has undetected cancer.  The early intervention saves his life, and they become partners.  Finally CJ makes her way back to her grandparents (mother had lied, saying they took her money and kicked them out).  The reunion is doubly confirmed as CJ’s dog knows the same trick the original dog use to do.  Very touching.  Lots of jumping from one dog to another kept together by the same voice. 

In Theaters: *** Intruder (2009)

Intruder (2009)  Annie and  Scott Russell (Meagan Good and Michael Ealy) are moving up.  They purchase their dream home in the country and move in.  The unfortunate part is with the previous owner (Dennis Quaid).  He  makes like he moves out; but really doesn’t.  He keeps showing up.  Annie invites him for Thanksgiving.  Things just keep getting progressively worse.  He even becomes infatuated with Annie.  And then everything hits the fan.  A bat can do some serious damage.

Movie Review: The Alamo (2004)

This is a historical movie based on the real events of The Alamo in 1836.  Santa Ana, emperor of Mexico had a very much larger army. The Texas army was not yet prepared to engage them.  The men at the Alamo were sacrificed to give them that time.  Billy Bob Thorton does an excellent job of portraying Davy Crockett.  He is a very interesting character.  In this version he is not killed in the attack on the fort.  He was captured and given a chance to plead for his life. Instead he asks for the surrender of the Mexicans. Dennis Quaid portrays Sam Houston, who is not talked into attacking early but waits for Santa Ana to make a mistake.  When he does the Mexican army is destroyed in 18 minutes.