There is no real way to tell this story. People of fundamental faith may see this as blasphemous as it does not follow scripture 'religiously'. Non-believers might see it as some sort of fantastic tale. Liberal believers may see it as some sort of entertainment based upon the four gospels. Perhaps it is some sort of mix of all these or more. For me (I'll declare my interest - I am a Christian), I saw it as an entertaining (as in I enjoyed it from a cinema-goer's point of view) account of what I read in scripture, giving it a realistic and believable feel. There is no 'over-piety', it does not preach, it does not avoid difficult questions posed by the many characters. Yes, it takes a little license (such as the romantic scenes with Mary prior to Jesus' ministry), but I can take that. I, the Christian, enjoyed this immensely (especially seeing Jesus laugh and have fun). I, the movie watcher, enjoyed a good, albeit difficult, story very well told. Worth watching!
Reviews
5 Reviews
Last of the Summer Wine
(1973–2010)
'Nice', Northern English humour laced with irony and sarcasm - I miss it!
21 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Sitting watching an early episode (with Michael Bates - if you ever watch it, you'll know this really means 'early') sitting in Reno, Nevada made me look at the reviews of this wonderful show. OK, it's not cutting edge (whatever that means), it has no dramatic twists, it has little or no bad language (some of the early episodes did have some), it is devoid of some of the tawdry innuendo of series like Two and a Half Men and definitely does not have the stag-night humour of Sex in the City (but it does have humorous scenes about innocent, nothing-ever-happens relationships featuring Nora and Compo plus Marina and Howard). I started to watch this when I was 21 and thought it brilliant. As I got older I thought it evocative of what was and what would be. Now, as I near 60, I enjoy re-runs the same way as I watch re-runs of M*A*S*H - I watch a comedy which is out of the ordinary. LOTSW relies on human interaction of a type which really exists in Northern England, where political correctness is irrelevant, sarcasm and irony is the norm and no-one expects it any other way. Simply put, LOTSW, is real, 'nice', Northern humour.
Sammy's Super T-Shirt
(1978)
A family legend
6 December 2011
My son loved this movie so much, we had to make a Sammy's Super T-Shirt for him to wear, involving freeze-framing it on the VHS player, copying the picture, then reproducing it on a white t-shirt using wash-proof clothing dyes. He loved it. Why is the movie so good? It is a children's movie, made to capture the imagination of children and demonstrating that within each of us there is an ability to succeed if the effort is put in (which may not be true, but, hey, you'll never know if you don't try). Sammy is no different to Raiders of the Lost Ark, except for budget. You may say this is ridiculous, but I saw the looks on my son's and his friend's faces as they watched a movie made for them. Target market - a 100% hit.
High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane
(1980 TV Movie)
Why oh why?!
15 February 2011
Pernell Roberts left Bonanza because, as a serious actor, there was not enough opportunity for him to show his acting skills. He made this movie? Why oh why?! My wife is a fan of Lee Majors, so we watched this movie! Why oh why?! Everyone knows High Noon was a truly great movie, so they made a 'sequel'. Why oh why?! If you watch this movie before reading the reviews, you too will say 'Why oh why?!' This movie truly deserves the accolade of 'awful'. The story line is extraordinarily weak - an excuse for a final, face-to-face showdown between an ex-hero (Lee Majors) who doesn't like to use a gun and a nasty piece of work (pseudo-lawman Pernell Roberts) who is an expert with a rifle from long distance (note the scene where he pulls his rifle quickly to his eye and shoots a 'baddy' from super long distance without barely a moment to take aim, using a rifle without a sight???) but, according to Kane (Majors), only likes to face up to his victims from a distance. I suffered the pathetic story line hoping for a dramatic ending - it wasn't dramatic, but at least it was an ending! Yes, I watched it all the way through - why oh why?!
The Fastest Gun Alive
(1956)
Sit back and enjoy
21 July 2010
A remarkable western that tells a moral story - a villain with pride (the superb Broderick Crawford) goes head to head with the quiet shopkeeper with a secret and pride (the excellent Glenn Ford) - a worthy surprise ending awaits! Perhaps the scene stealer is the performance by John Dehner portraying Crawford's sidekick.
Ford plays the 'Fastest Gun' and he demonstrates this to the local men when he has a little too much to drink. The exhibition is quite spectacular - and worthy of the 'Fastest Gun Alive'.
Crawford's villain is a little unhinged over his desire to prove that he is the fastest on the draw. Eventually his villainy becomes even too much for his sidekicks who choose to leave him when his obsession threatens a whole town.
Just before showdown time it is revealed that Ford has never drawn against another man and then comes the finale ...!
A western to watch without interruption.
Ford plays the 'Fastest Gun' and he demonstrates this to the local men when he has a little too much to drink. The exhibition is quite spectacular - and worthy of the 'Fastest Gun Alive'.
Crawford's villain is a little unhinged over his desire to prove that he is the fastest on the draw. Eventually his villainy becomes even too much for his sidekicks who choose to leave him when his obsession threatens a whole town.
Just before showdown time it is revealed that Ford has never drawn against another man and then comes the finale ...!
A western to watch without interruption.
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