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Reviews
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
OK, but does not work as well as the original
Johnny and McCroskey work much better in the first outing; here they seem rather tired and disconnected and Johnny (stephen stucker) seems stuck with one lines that are not nearly as funny as the original. There is more nudity in the beginning, but the freshness of the concept is dated and the one liners don't come across as humorous. On a brighter note, William Shatner does relatively well as the whacked out Murdock at the lunar base. Even the jive character in the courtroom scene seems forced and is nowhere nearly as funny as the pair in the first movie. Secondly, the flightcrew is barely present in the film. At least in the first film, we saw Kareem argue with a young kid and the Captain Over crack stuff about gladiators and Turkish prisons. Nothing here to raise so much as a chuckle.
Robin Hoodwinked (1958)
A decent late effort from HB
As was the case with most cartoon studios in the 1950's, Robin Hoodwinked shows obvious and dramatic cost cutting. If you notice in the credits, only Ken Muse is the animator from the glory days. Not to slam the other fellows, but when compared to the 1940's and early 50's shorts, this one falls down in terms of style, animation quality, and overall appearance. Its a good story though and its been done countless times both in animation and film. As would be the case with future HB efforts, this one has dialoge. Lots of it. This would be a hallmark of HB in the 60's onward as the animation quality was in a state of irretrievable decline. Keep in mind that a T&J cartoon from the 40's cost nearly 60K to produce! Obviously with the advent of television and the decline in movie attendance, MGM was not keen on shelling out big bucks to produce these cartoons. Thus, when Fred Quimby left in 1955, HB took over both direction and production. Faced with declining budgets, animation quality suffered. Still, this cartoon is entertaining. The faked English accent gets a bit unnerving and Jerry is reduced to a bit part role in this outing. Its quite a departure from the earlier cat vs. mouse conflict that served T&J so well. In later shorts such as Tot Watchers, we even see T&J buddy up as a team. Again, the formula would work if only we hadn't known T&J from a bygone era.
The Karate Kid Part III (1989)
Lame attempt to cash in on the franchise
This movie reminds me of the cute puppy that we all fall in love with only it grows up and loses some of its "cuteness". That, in essence, is the KK part 3. Actually, the title itself is way off base here. Daniel-san is no longer just a kid, but here we have Ralph Macchio playing it just like he did in 1984! A better name could be perhaps the Karate Kid Wannabe, circa 1989. At any rate, the viewer is treated to clichés, plot lapses, and a simplistic script that wastes the talents of the actors. One would assume that since Daniel-san idolizes Myagi that Daniel-san would remember the old sage's advice and not turn to the so called "dark side" of Karate. As such, we see Daniel sucked into the dark side, all to easily it seems, and that makes me question Daniel-san's true roots and commitment to Myagi. Of course, without this character flaw, there would be no movie and that is just as well. Still, the character of Terry Silver provides some interesting moments. The final match, All valley under 18, (ahem!) is weak, obtuse, and overwrought with emotion. Naturally, Daniel-san has to win to give some thread of legitimacy to the plot but a neat twist would have him lose then spend at least 15 minutes of movie time figuring out why he lost, then set up a rematch for KK part 4 "the new beginning" or something like that. The franchise did just fine with the first two. They were fresh, unique, and realistic. The third was an obvious attempt to cash in and it shows from the storyline all the way to the anti-climatic ending.
Boys Town (1938)
Makes you think long and hard about what is important
"No race that does not take care of its young can hope to surviveor deserves to survive." -Father Flanagan I've seen this movie several times and each time it leaves me humbled. All too often we are caught up in the gotta haves of today without realizing what the true gotta haves are. And that is children who are loved and nurtured. Father Flanagan performed a wonderful service during his 62 years on earth and we should be grateful for that self sacrifice. Thanks to Father Flanagan, the world is a better place and children are cared for in the way that they deserve. Because without well adjusted children, how can we expect to be surrounded by well adjusted adults? Bottom line, this movie will make you think and perhaps re evaluate what is truly important in life.
Blue Chips (1994)
Stereotypes abound
If you know the doings of Bobby Knight, then you'll quickly notice that coach Pete Bell is modeled after the IU legend. Even down to the kicking the basketball in the stands. His "teaching" of the games, emphasis on defense, and heretofore clean program could have been lifted from "Season on the Brink" by John Feinstein. And if you enjoy seeing Tark the Shark, Jim Boeheim, Bob Cousy, and even Knight himself, you will like this film. If you are looking for continuity, character development, and basically a reason for filming this monstrosity of a jock movie,then you will be disappointed. True, it was filmed in Indiana, my native state. True, Larry Bird makes a cameo appearance but the rest of it is so clichéd that you'll wonder why the screenwriters didn't inject a bit of originality. This type of story has been done dozens of times previously and it could work again. But when the producers are overly reliant on big name sports stars and lame acting from all, you have a very predictable flick that is good for little more than killing 90 minutes of tube time.