hewilson2-72-796868 Reviews

Come Out Fighting (2022)

Difficult to Describe How Bad This Film Is

[3/10 · 8 June 2023]

First of all, there is the basic premise: that there are two types of soldiers.

One type of soldier is always competent and effective. The other type is not only always bumbling and incompetent, but arrogant, nasty and mean-spirited to boot.

Then there is the glaring incorrect portrayals of military protocol and tactics.

In this film, officers routinely salute non-coms and hold the salute until the non-coms return it, not the other way round which is reality.

It depicts an Army without coordination of infantry, armor and artillery. In one scene, artillery and forward armor are both firing on the same position simultaneously while forward motorized infantry are engaging that target in close quarters battle. Insane.

And then there is the decision to have German characters speaking English with German accents. Reminded me of Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther series.

The acting is not terrible but the dialog is amateurish.

It is just an all around bad movie.

Pharaoh's Army (1995)

Realistic Cinema

[8/10 · 4 June 2023]

Pharaoh's Army tells a side story of the civil war. An important and meaningful side story that encapsulates the entire conflict. Down to earth and hard working folks on both sides of the issue - folks who never had anything to do with the central issue of the war yet had their firmly held beliefs nonetheless - were caught up in the violence.

Kentucky was a neutral state politically but of course, politics can never dictate to a strong willed person what he or she should believe or how to behave and the citizens came down on both sides based on their own personal beliefs. In this film, that divide is laid bare. But the humanity of both sides and even their willingness to find some sliver of good in the "enemy" is also explored.

The story is 10/10. The screenplay is well written, the direction solid and the cinematography, while not special, captures the feel of the time and place. The acting is top notch among the key players. Its an engrossing film. Though it lags a bit in the middle, I was nonetheless riveted. I can strongly recommend it.

I am surprised I never heard of Pharaoh's Army prior to now. But in 1995 I guess I was engrossed in in my career.

I never rate higher than 9 and I am giving this an 8/10. Enjoy.

Tender Mercies (1983)

Boy Did I miss Out

[8/10 · 28 March 2023]

I was just a young lad still in med school when this film was released. As a student, I was always broke of course and was tight with my entertainment dollar. I saved my money for movies like Apocalypse Now or The Empire Strikes Back. So Tender Mercies didn't even make it into consideration. In all honesty I am not sure I had even heard of it until much later. As it turns out, it is probably just as well that I waited this long to see it because Tender Mercies is just about the very definition of "understated." There is a good chance that as a lad in my early twenties that I would not have appreciated it. But tonight? Well that is a different story. It is difficult to overstate just how emotive such an understated film can be. The screenplay, acting and direction are all top notch and the film succeeds on many levels. I say watch it.

Devotion (II) (2022)

Overly Long and Largely Boring

[4/10 · 6 February 2023]

There is a nugget of a great story in this film. Unfortunately, that nugget comprises only about 20 minutes of the film's two hours and twenty minutes. The rest is dedicated to developing the characters and their relationship but that isn't very well done. One of the characters, obviously a talented pilot, is filled with self doubt and anger and these emotions prevent, for me, the development of the relationship necessary for the film to work. While the actors seem competent, their characters are nonetheless stereotyped and the performances, stilted. I attribute that to the screenplay and direction. I was disappointed.

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Self Consciously "Artsy"

[4/10 · 15 September 2022]

I understand that certain painful topics are difficult to portray in film and particularly, in an entertaining fashion. But this film had so much more potential. It could have been so much more well done and so much more entertaining though likely not at all enjoyable. But the self consciously, deliberate "artsy" nature of it was not the best vehicle for this important message. The psychedelic/psychotic dream sequences and the prolonged silences severely detracted from an otherwise riveting tale. The acting, cinematography and dialogue were good at worst and top notch at best. But the direction was atrocious. I have a difficult time recommending it. A "do over" is warranted.

The Mighty (1998)

Not Your Average Buddy Flick

[9/10 · 10 September 2022]

There is enough genius in this film to fill a successful studio.

The first bit of inspiration is in the story itself. Very few films successfully portray an adolescent as the protagonist but in this instance, it works. And not just one hero, but two. This is not your average buddy flick.

The film is well cast and well directed. The adult characters are well drawn and the acting good.

There isn't anything spectacular in the cinematography but it is competent of course.

The real wisdom of this movie was in the casting of the "child" actors. Both of the adolescent leads portray their characters exceedingly well. But the magic happens in their relationship. You could put a clip of these two in a dictionary in the entry for "friendship" or "love" and not a word would be needed. Bring a hankie.

Electra Glide in Blue (1973)

I Struggled to Understand This Film

[4/10 · 22 May 2022]

Most movies have an identifiable theme: lost love; unrequited love; joy; sorrow ;the pointlessness of war; revenge. But I struggled with this one. Was it about cops vs. Hippies? Or the internal divisions within the police world? The closest I could come up with is an examination of life in post-Viet Nam America and there is certainly an element of that but it doesn't quite capture it.

I'm not sure if IMDB allows me to quote professional critics but I think a couple of short pull quotes is the nearest I can come to capturing the essence of this movie. David Nusair said "...sporadically intriguing yet pervasively uneven...piece of work..." while Tony Mastroianni said "The picture tends to be free-wheeling to the point of formlessness..."

Despite some stunning visuals and a strong performance by Robert Blake, uneven and formless describe Electra Glide in Blue to a tee. As best as I can determine, there is no overarching theme. It is about post-Viet Nam America, cop culture, hippie culture and the inevitable clashes within. But not one of those is where it's meaning might lie, if it has one.

Angus (1995)

Darned Good Movie

[7/10 · 9 March 2022]

For its genres - which I would assess as Coming of Age, Buddy Film, with a small element of Revenge flick and some comedy but not principally a comedy - I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. Well cast with largely no names (and one big exception), the characters are believable and not entirely as one might anticipate. . The dialogue could have been purely pap but was not at all. The plot, though stereotypical, was not as foreseeable as many and had some nice twists. Overall I found it a highly enjoyable film.

Flight of the Phoenix (2004)

Better Than Average but...

[6/10 · 6 November 2021]

...I feel as if a couple of simple things could have made it better.

I am not a physicist or aeronautical engineer but I have just enough of a hint of a bit of background in those topics to know that if they had found a way to explain a couple of simple things about flight, the screenwriter and director could have made this movie about a point more interesting. But they didn't.

But that said, this is still a movie worth watching. The CG is a bit dated but good for its day. The story is interesting and exciting with enough twists to keep you guessing what is next. The acting is competent.

I say watch it.

Defiance (I) (2008)

An Incredible Story

[9/10 · 30 October 2021]

I'm not sure why I didn't see it in 2008. Probably because my kids were still young and we weren't seeing intense dramas back then. But boy is this film worth watching. If you are interested in or inspired by family, faith, fortitude, courage and commitment, this is a film for you. The story in incredible as I said in the title. Casting, acting and cinematography are top notch. This movie is a great experience and well worth your time.

Dauntless: The Battle of Midway (2019)

Not Great but Certainly Better Than most of the Reviews Here

[5/10 · 22 October 2021]

Let's begin with this: Dauntless is clearly a low budget film and that fact is evident from the beginning. Once one understands and accepts that fact, it becomes an enjoyable film. My biggest knock on it is the quality of the CGI. By modern standards, it just doesn't measure up and that is a bad thing in an action adventure film. The acting is not top notch but is a step up from the special effects. There are a couple of standout performances but our two protagonists portrayed by Jade Willey and John Enick as Dauntless pilot Norman Vandivier and enlisted gunner Lee Keaney respectively. The best part about this film is the story. It is an aspect of Midway and war in general often missed in the big budget action films, the personal experiences of individual fighting men. This film captures one element of that, very well.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Slow Start But....

[8/10 · 14 August 2021]

...it is worth the wait.

First, this movie reminded me just how much I appreciate Marisa Tomei. I had not seen her in some time but here she turns in a typical performance: cute, sexy and smart as a whip. An excellent foil for lead McConaughey.

The slow start sets the stage for the plot twists to come and the development of McConaughey's character. With attention to legal detail and more than one improbable twist, this one will bring you in.

And also a hat tip to William Macy in a supporting role.

Falling Down (1993)

Average Middle Class Working Man Becomes the Bad Guy?

[5/10 · 20 May 2021]

I just watched this movie here in May of 2021 for the first time. I didn't watch it sooner due to all the bad press it received initially back in 1993. The media - and not just the film reviewers but rather the entire news media - picked up the story and in the zeitgeist of the day, portrayed it as the story of an alienated, disaffected racist, sexist, homophobic white man who suddenly loses it and goes on a killing spree. It was presented at a problematic portrayal of modern American middle class life.

Covid lock down - soon over here in California we hope - has me having burned through every other available movie over the past year so I finally broke down and watched it.

In reality, there is a brief appearance by a racist, sexist, homophobic white character who is not the main character and does not represent the beliefs of the main character yet that is what the reviewers chose to focus upon.

The reality is that the movie is about a guy with anger management issues. So much so that his ex-wife has a restraining order on him already. Yeah, he snaps. But given his background, it is not a surprise and his breakdown has nothing to do with race, gender or orientation. It is more of dystopian portrayal of an angry man gone bad in an inner city environment than it is an examination of modern middle class America.

This movie's greatest value is as a a study of the role of media - news media and film media - in the shaping and guiding of American culture.

Mindhunter (2017–2019)

Sudden Change of Direction During Season 1

[6/10 · 16 December 2020]

Early episodes were sharply drawn, intense, focused thrillers. Psychological thrillers, not action thrillers. But then, like seemingly all Netflix series, instead of allowing the story to develop naturally and sticking to the main theme and accepting a natural endpoint, a producer somewhere decides, "You know, instead of X episodes, we could wring X + more episodes out of this" and suddenly the series veers off course into "up close and personal" episodes examining the characters that have nothing to do with the original series concept. Sad. I have seen this pattern repeated in so many Netflix series. In this instance, like others, I dropped it midway through the first series.

War Pigs (2015)

I will be the Contrarian Here

[6/10 · 9 December 2020]

I will stipulate at the outset that this film is neither groundbreaking, outstanding or even excellent. It is however good and worth watching. The script is pedestrian. But the cinematography and the location setting are well done. As for the acting, if you are an NFL fan, this is not Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or Drew Brees. These guys are noticeably a step down. But what do you expect for free, right? Within the atmosphere these guys occupy, the job is well done. The story is simplistic but the characters are engaging and the acting adequate. I am voting better than average!

Alone We Fight (2018)

This Film Takes a 21st Century Look at a 20th Century Reality

[2/10 · 24 November 2020]

If you are stickler for cultural accuracy, you likely will not appreciate this film. The concept of the modern therapeutic culture did not exist in in 1944. There was no Prozac or Paxil and no one other than Hollywood starlets and upper middle class Manhattan socialites had a therapist. Now please, don't get me wrong. I in no way wish to diminish the emotional stress or trauma of combat veterans. Not at all. Never. But this film is a seemingly endless group therapy session between Army Rangers while in a combat setting, a more improbable scenario than which I cannot imagine and which is best exemplified by a scene in which Rangers who have volunteered for a seeming suicide mission, facing an outflanking German counteroffensive, sit loading rifle magazines at a desultory pace, discussing, with no urgency, their fears and motivations. These are the ways in which modern, non-military men would behave. But in this film, such men are transported back to 1944 for a field group therapy session. Not my cup of tea.

Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed (2012)

So Much Potential

[6/10 · 23 November 2020]

I rated this movie higher than its average. The film had problems but the story isn't one of them. It is a good story, worth seeing. The problem is the pace. I'm not sure if it is in the direction or the editing but probably both. But it is just slow, plodding and disjointed. It succeeds though on some level due it's themes of forgiveness and redemption and also via outstanding performances by Corbin Allred as Rossi and Lincoln Hoppe as the German officer Erich Neumann. It is worth watching but frustrating because it could have been significantly more interesting.

The Great War (2019)

This Film Has Gotten a Bad Rap

[7/10 · 23 July 2020]

The major criticisms have some merit but let me say this. The film's story does indeed borrow heavily from more than one other film but one in particular. But despite that, the story is a good one. The acting is not amateurish as has been suggested in other reviews. The cinematography is top shelf. And the climactic scene is well done and period appropriate. Despite the poor reviews, I watched this film anyway and was happy I did.

The Last Full Measure (2019)

Among the Best Films I Have Watched in Quite Some Time

[10/10 · 18 July 2020]

I went into this movie expecting a Vietnam action adventure flick. Instead what I found was a story of love, loss and redemption; of valor, friendship, passion and dedication. I also saw some truly remarkable performances from some "ole dogs" I though were long gone, Christopher Plummer chief among them with Ed Harris close behind. But also William Hurt, Samuel L Jackson, Dianne Ladd and get this...John Savage and Peter Fonda! All of them outstanding. This is not just a great story, but also a parable on love and gratitude; of self doubt, fear and redemption. It has it all. Watch it.

The Long Riders (1980)

Much Better Than Expected

[8/10 · 21 May 2020]

When this film was released, I was in med school, too busy or too broke to go see it. I think the only movie I made the time and spent the money for that year was The Empire Strikes Back. My recollection though is that Long Riders was not well received so even years later when I got my own home theater system it wasn't high on my list of "catch up movies."

Well I watched it tonight and was favorably impressed. The story was realistically told and the acting good. The casting was right on except I think for James Keach as Jesse. I think I've always pictured Jesse as more charismatic and less of a hard ass but heck, that was just an impression I've carried around. Even young Robert Carradine was impressive as Bob Younger. When first I saw him all I could think of was Lewis from Revenge of the Nerds which I had seen in the interim. But he was good enough to make me forget that character and buy into him as Bob Younger.

The cinematography was good especially for the climactic scene which was well done for its time.

Hotel Mumbai (2018)

I am torn writing this review...

[8/10 · 31 December 2019]

I am torn because it was an incredibly well done bit of cinema. Yet it also made me incredibly anxious, sad and angry. I had difficulty sleeping afterward for a few nights. So I hesitate to recommend you watch it for fear of inducing the same in another viewer. Yet I also think the message needs to be heard. The world as it is needs to be understood. Despite the vile, soulless hatred of the attackers, the bravery and humanity of the survivors is the ultimate message. The casting, direction, cinematography and acting are top notch. Choose wisely.

The Highwaymen (2019)

A Good Film Worth Watching But...

[7/10 · 22 December 2019]

This telling of the story of Bonnie and Clyde is more correct in its detail than the 1967 Arthur Penn blockbuster in which Texas Ranger Frank Hamer was portrayed as little more than a bumbling, incompetent old man who was in over his head. This version is darker and more compelling but is missing something. That something is the right actor to play Hamer. He is written in this screenplay as a hard assed, dedicated and determined tracker who feels no compunction about his willingness to kill. There is a scene where Hamer meets someone close to Clyde and this man understands that the life Clyde is living can come to no good end. He looks at Hamer and marks him as a killer. I just couldn't buy Costner as a man easy to mark as a killer. Imagine a middle aged Christopher Walken perhaps. Maybe Joaquin Phoenix. But other than that casting decision, it is a fine film. I enjoyed it and it is worth watching. A good performance from Costner nonetheless and Harrelson made a good sidekick.

Above the Best (2019)

This Could Have Been So Much Better

[4/10 · 24 November 2019]

In order to avoid spoilers, I may be a bit vague here. The overarching story of the bravery of Army air support crews is a good one. It is something I am interested in and it should have been easy for this film to engage me and make me happy I watched it. But sadly, it failed to do that. I say sadly because I was interested and wanted to know more and to understand. Instead I just ended up confused. The film begins with one tale in Afghanistan. A sad and terrible tale. Switches to a stateside tale in Maryland. Then returns to Afghanistan but never effectively ties them all together. The first story gets lost entirely. I still have no idea how it relates to the main thrust of the film. The second and third tales are related but there are huge unanswered questions about how they became connected. I was very interested in this film but ended up disappointed.

When Trumpets Fade (1998 TV Movie)

Can't believe this Film Has Flown Under the Radar for so Long

[8/10 · 6 August 2019]

As "made for TV movies" go, this is among the best. It is actually far better than a majority of modern day theatrical releases. Though historically based, the story line doesn't bog down in historical detail accuracy but rather focuses on those inevitable difficult decisions that war engenders and how those decisions affect the lives of individual soldiers. Where to attack and when. Which decisions in retrospect were good and which were less so. The execution of the battle for the Hurtgen Forest has been roundly criticized in retrospect. This film follows the effect of those decisions on a squad of replacements in late 1944. The acting and direction are top notch, together creating more stress and anxiety than many other films of the same genre in quite some time. It is not a "feel good" film but it is a good film. I enjoyed it and recommend it.

They Shall Not Grow Old (II) (2018)

I went into this film not knowing what to expect...

[9/10 · 9 June 2019]

The film had a limited release months ago and garnered little press attention so I had little idea what to expect other than a positive review from a good friend. But he and I have had a longstanding agreement to not spoil films for one another by giving away essential plot details and also by not giving overly enthusiastic recommendations since these tend to sometimes lead to letdowns. Keeping in that tradition I will only say that viewers will be impressed by modern technological innovations in the film that help bring the reality of the war closer to home and impart what I believe to be a more realistic impression than previously seen. It seems to me to be an historically accurate documentary with good dramatic effect that is not at the expense of reality.