jaybabb Reviews

Silver Spoons: Takin' a Chance on Love (1982) Season 1, Episode 5

"Sally Frembel" The two most beautiful words in the English language

[10/10 · 16 July 2010]

If there's one episode that demonstrates Ricky Schorder's talent-this episode gets my vote.

After Ricky has a man to man talk with Edward about why he hasn't gone out on any dates since he moved in with him, Edward tells Ricky what's to expect when he's in love, When he meets Sally Frembel-he goes GA GA all over her.

This is the "woman of his dreams" He can't think straight, remember his own name-and he acts rather goofy in her presence. Ricky is not normally a goofy kid-he tends to be sarcastic at times-but he usually able to keeps his wits about him. But in front of Sally, he's just the opposite.

Derek(Jason Bateman)In his usual fashion, makes fun of Ricky for a love Poam he wrote-and he tells Ricky "Sally is every guys' pally". In this case, Derek is correct-as Ricky discovers.

Ricky resolves to make this relationship permanent and decides to give her his ID Bracelet. At school the next day, Ricky is in for a real heart break. Sally refuses to accept Ricky's ID bracelet-because someone else gave her his. A boy-named Judson saved her from being hit by a car that morning-So she breaks up with Ricky. What a real heart breaker! At an Ice cream Parlor, Ricky is very depressed. Edward tries to comfort him. In the end, as they leave-they see a mother and her daughter walk in and Edward goes for the mother and Ricky is GA GA over the daughter.

I admit the ending is a bit unrealistic-I have no problem with Ricky going for the girl-But what about Edward going for her mother? What if she's married? Sorry Edward-but you just don't put your arms around a woman without knowing something about her first.

What makes Ricky Schorder such a good actor-is that he doesn't over do it-even in this episode. His ability to have different expressions and display all kinds of emotions. In the end, we feel for him at the Ice cream shop.

I think there's an underlying message-not expressed-but implied-just be yourself. I think Ricky would have stood a better chance with Sally-if he wouldn't have acted so goofy in front of her.

When it comes to interacting With Girls, no one does it better than Ricky Schorder. Great episode!

Silver Spoons: The Great Computer Caper (1982) Season 1, Episode 7

80's "Hacker" Culture-silver spoons style

[10/10 · 18 May 2010]

This episode is one of my top ten favs from season one. It is known as a crossover episode-in which a character from another show(in this case-Gary Coleman's character "arnold Jackson" from different Strokes)appears in another show. Here, Arnold is a reporter for his school newspaper "the PS 89 weekly woodpecker" Who has somehow found out about his top notch computer skills{keep in mind that this was 1982-Windows and the Internet as know it today was years away}and that he has won an award at a computer camp.

Ricky uses a rather complex code-consisting of a series of numbers and letters-to hack into a military computer file that has blueprints of a fighter jet. Arnold then publishes them in his paper-and is paid a visit by the FBI. They then stow away on a ship that is helm-ed by caption Stark{John Anderson}-he tells them what's it like on the high seas and they decide to go home and face the music-see episode to see how things work out.

This episode is an example of why Ricky Stratton is one of my favorite characters in any TV show-Even though he is very smart-he is not portrayed as a nerd nor a smart Alec know it all. I can not tell you how many TV shows and movies portray computer whiz kids as computer geeks or nerds. This show is a refreshing departure from that.

Silver Spoons (1982–1987)

Charming is the word for it!

[10/10 · 25 April 2010]

note: This review is based on the first season as it's the only season currently on DVD.

Prior to this show, Ricky Schroder was known for dramatic roles-like the champ, the earthling and the last flight of Noah's ark. Yet it was this show that made him a household name.

Ricky Stratton(Schroder)is a Rich kid who decides after being in military school-to move in with rather goofy father-Edward Stratton the third(Joel Higgins)who owns a toy factory. His "Living room" is equipped with toys, Video arcade games, a computerized chess set-and a mini-freight train! You could call it "The home version of Coney Island" Even the front door is operated by remote control! Ricky has the face of an angel-but don't let that fool ya-he is a regular kid who gets into situations any kid gets into. He can be obnoxious, devious and even sometimes rude-but Ricky is a real charmer! And has the most infectious smile to ever grace the small screen. It's really hard not to like this kid.

The supporting cast includes Jason Bateman-who plays Ricky's arrogant pal Derek and my favorite John Houseman-who plays Edward Stratton the second the cynical father of Edward the third. Also Erin Gray plays Edward's loyal secretary-who he eventually marries.

Ricky Shrorder is the star of this show! He never gets annoying at all. Though I like him in the films I listed earlier-He really shines here.

The show is set in Long Island-and though they live in a mansion, we only see three or 4 rooms.

This show is really funny-with a few dramatic moments here and there. Some of it maybe cheesy-but that is the real charm of this show-it was made before the more gritty "Reality" sitcoms that came in the 90's.

About the first season DVDS: There are no special features at all-and they crammed it all on 3 discs-unless you have a surround system, it can be hard to hear-because of compression. However, at least they didn't put them on duel sided discs which are worse. There are 22 episodes including the pilot. Not the best in Quality sound or picture wise-but I've seen worse. I do have this to Say to Sony-Bring on the rest of the seasons! This set was released in 2007 and so far the first season's been released. If Sony doesn't want to release them Fine, License another company like Shout factory, MPI or Mill creek to release them.

Quiz Show (1994)

TV tends to make the worst out of people

[10/10 · 27 July 2007]

This film was not so much an indictment of TV. It is instead a commentary of how TV tends to make the worst out of people. TV is not the problem itself-but those who run the networks, producers and sponsors. They bought into the philosophy that "The ends justifies the means" Just get the ratings-it doesn't matter how you do it-just do it. So, Enright and company decide to "Just Do it" and they did. And the result was the scandal that that this film documents.

I always liked Robert Redford as an actor and director-even if I disagree with his politics-but here he made a masterful film about the unfortunate true story of game show scandals of the late 50's. It documents Richard Goodwin's(Rob Morrow in a somewhat odd casting)investigation into allegations that shows were rigged. When he dug deeper and deeper he found that it was true.

Once Goodwin appears on the scene, Enright and NBC executives go in "I got to protect myself" mode. By attempting to blame everyone else and pointing fingers at others. Truth is, the blame for this scandal can not be pinned on one person or another. The blame is extended to lots of people.

Herb Stempel and Charles Van Doren are not exactly guys in white hats. They both agreed to accept answers to questions in advance-and when Stempel was asked to take a dive-he did what he was told. I agree they were victims-but only because they agreed to be a part of the scandal and they were later dumped when the fraud was discovered. Van Doren could have been firm and refused to get on the show by dishonest means. Herb Stempel should have done the same thing. He also should have screwed the producers and give the correct answer to the question "What picture won the academy award for best picture in 1955?" "MARTY" That is what his wife wanted him to do but in the end he chickened out.

The question towards the end of the film "Who gets hurt" Redford does not answer the question-but leaves it up to viewers to decide. I think it hurts every one involved in the scandal. Though no one went to jail, they were punished by society itself. I think Van Doren had a lot more to lose because of his family's reputation. He lost his job at Columbia Unisverity and never taught again-he was disgraced for life. He went to work for the encyclopedia Britannica-but he remains in seclusion to this very day. Stempel was hurt too-but he didn't have a reputation to protect. He went to work for the New york city transit department. I come to the conclusion that whatever damage that was done was brought on by themselves.

Has TV learned it's lesson? Not really. I do think the TV audience has learned. I think People now know that not everything in TV Land is what it appears to be. People also know just how corrupt TV can make people-even those with the best of intentions can become corrupt.

Maybe it was a scandal that had to happen to wake people up to the realities of TV-and without proper discipline and checks and balances-just how corrupt TV can become.

Great Film by a great actor and Director-Rent or buy it today!

The Adventures of Spin and Marty (1955)

Spoiled Rich kid comes to the triple R summer ranch for boys

[10/10 · 27 June 2007]

When this first aired on the Mickey mouse club in 1955, I was not even born yet. In fact, it wasn't till recently that I saw this serial in it's entirety on DVD. Wow, what a good show this was! Spread out over 25 11 minute segments on the original Mickey Mouse club in 1955, now we can see this all in one sitting! Spioled rich kid Marty Markum(David Stollery)arrives at the ranch-and he is trouble right from the start. He calls the triple R ranch a "dirty old farm". When Spin Evans(Tim Considine)Puts a frog in his bed-Marty is mad-he does not like the joke-and he wants to knock Spin's block off. Well, the Ranch's Counseler Gives Marty a chance to do just that in a boxing match. Mr. Logan-who heads the ranch, isn't crazy about the idea-but goes along with it.

Marty has a chip on his shoulder the size of the national debt-and it is hoped that boxing match would knock that chip off his shoulder-but Marty puts up a very good fight-better than anyone expected. You need to see this to see who wins.

In time Marty begins to get along with others. He makes friends with "Skyrocket" the horse he's been given for the summer. He must however face himself first. He lies about being a polo player. Before this, he tells Mr. Burnett-The Ranch's Counseler(Harry Carey, Jr.)that he has never been on a horse before. As Mr. Burnett points out "For a kid who's never been on a horse-you sure picked your self a hobby" He is forced to reveal the truth, he tries to runaway.

But Marty Returns to the ranch in style-riding "Skyrocket". He becomes a pretty good rider. He makes friends with "Ambitus" "Al" and Freddie" But when he decides to go on a secret ride, "Skyrocket" encounter a snake Knocking Marty off-breaking his arm. The horse then tramples on the snake-saving Marty's life.

The serial culminates with the rodeo between Tripple R and Northfork-this is perhaps the most fun part of this show. There is some comical moments-Besides the frog incident, There's a scene where Ambitus, Freddie and Marty Fixed Marty's Jeans! Then there's The Ghost trick that Marty & Ambitus played on Spin & 2 others.

This show has everything, there's the fun of watching kids riding horses and wrestling calves(and occasionally each other)It has drama and comedy. Great actors-and great script-all contribute to this show. It takes 4 1/2 hours to unfold on two discs. It's the kind of storytelling that we don't see much of any more. There's a sense of wonderment and joy watching this. I highly recommend it!

The Shaggy D.A. (1976)

Pretty Good follow-up to the 1959 original

[8/10 · 13 April 2007]

This is not a true sequel to the 1959 original starring Tommy Kirk as a teen-aged Wilby Daniels. By that I mean it doesn't continue the same story line. This time, Dean Jones is the adult Wilby Daneils. When his house is robbed-not once-but twice-he decides enough is enough and decides to run for DA.

From the outset Wilby is faced with two problems-first, is to try to defeat the incumbent DA-Honest John Slade(Keenan Wynn). John Slade is anything but honest-he is allowing crooks off the hook by not prosecuting them or letting them off easy. One of these crooks is Eddie Roschak(Vic Tayback-in a much more realistic portrayal of a bad guy than in "No deposit, no Return").

Wilby's Second and much more serious problem-is that the "Borger" ring has been stolen from the museum-and whenever someone reads the inscription on the ring-Wilby is transformed in to a shaggy dog-that belongs to "Tim-the ice cream man"(Tim Conway). THe dog's name is "Elwood" Wilby's Wife is Betty(Suzanne Pleshette)and they have a son, whom I call the wisecracking "Brian"(Shane Sinutko). His wife becomes his campaign manager.

John Slade gets hold of the ring and tries to blackmail Daneils out of the race by threatening to keep reading the inscription on the ring over & over again to keep Daniels as a dog. Of course he ignores the warning the museum curator gives-if you read the inscription too many times-you may turn into a dog your self.

Wilby, Brian & Tim are on a mission to get the ring back from Slade and his gang of crooks. Do they succeed? You will need to see the film to find out.

The pie fight is so funny. There are plenty of funny moments and gags in this movie. This is one of the better comedies offered by Disney in the 70's.

So, why do I vote 8 instead of 10? Well-the movie doesn't answer the questions I have: 1. Why is it that Wilby Daneils is turned into a dog himself? Why not someone else? 2. Does Daneils descend from the Borger Family, and is he a victim of a family curse? I know that in the 1959 original-Daneils finds the ring and he reads the inscription and turns into a dog. That maybe the answer-but the fact remains-not everyone who reads the inscription turns into a dog. I think there must be something else-a family trait or curse or something that only happens to Daniels and no one else.

Overall, this is a real good movie with a fine cast and directed by Disney's Ledgendary director Robert Stevenson.

The Brady Bunch: To Move or Not to Move (1970) Season 1, Episode 23

The haunted Brady House

[10/10 · 25 June 2006]

Lead in this Episode: All the kids--- The kids complain that there is not enough room. They say that they need a bigger house. Mike & Carol take the complaints seriously and put the house up for sale. However.......

......There's something about that house that they love. The girls are discussing how the new tenants would treat the house if they move out. The boys are discussing good memories of past events.

The kids devise a scheme to haunt the house to scare off anyone who is interested in buying the house. They hear all kinds of spooky noises-the kids are pretending to be scared by the noises even though they are the ones doing it.

When the real estate broker shows up with his client, Cindy & Bobby are dressed as ghosts. Greg then reveals what they had done. Greg sums it up thus: "When we learned that haunted houses Arne't selling too good, we decided to haunt this one" I don't know if you would call this a spoiler or not-but we all know what happens in the end-The house is no longer up for sale-they stay in that house-we know this because of the remaining of the series.

Great episode to watch on Halloween!

The Brady Bunch: The Possible Dream (1970) Season 1, Episode 22

Tale of a misplaced diary

[8/10 · 23 June 2006]

Lead In this Episode: Marcia-- Marcia has a secret crush on Delsi Arnaz, Jr-who was a teenage heart throb at the time. She has written many entries in her diary about Delsi. Including wanting to be Mrs. Delsi Arnaz, Jr. Some day.

Carol is giving away a bunch of old books to a book drive and Cindy finds Marcia's diary and gives it to the man who is taking the books for the drive. Cindy is unaware that it is Marcia's diary. When Marcia discovers that her diary is gone, she accuses the other kids of taking it. First, she accuses Jan-but Jan is not the least bit interested in Marcia's personal secrets. She is too consumed with how her hair looks for that.

Then Marcia accuses the boys of taking it. However, they are too much involved in fitness to be reading a diary(They are lifting weights)and Bobby asked "What is a Diary?" Peter gives the answer because after all, inquiring minds wants to know! When Cindy tells her that she gave it to the man who picked up the books, Marcia gets real mad at Cindy. This part is a bit silly. Mike and Carol go on an all out search for the diary. They learn that it maybe in one of the used book stores. Do they find the diary? Watch and find out! Delsi Arnaz, Jr. Guest stars.

The Brady Bunch: The Hero (1970) Season 1, Episode 21

Peter & his Swelled head.

[10/10 · 23 June 2006]

Lead in this episode: Peter--

Christopher Knight who plays peter is by far the most talented actor in the Brady Bunch. He is given some of the most difficult plots-but when he has the lead in an episode, he has total command of his performances. This episode proves that to a key.

Peter is in a Toy store looking at a model airplane. A little girl wants to look at a doll that is on a top shelf. She climbs the shelf in an attempt to reach the doll when the shelf begins to loosen. Peter looks and sees the shelf is about to fall and crush her, he rushes over to her like light ling and gets her out of the way of the falling shelf just in time. The shelf then falls to the floor-but Peter saved the girl's life.

The Local newspaper sends a reporter to the Bradys to do a story on peter. He gets his picture in the paper. At first, everyone is happy about what happened. Alice makes him a super desert(I would get sick if I ate something like that! LOL!)Every one else says nice things to him.

It isn't long before Peter gets a swelled head and begins annoy the other kids. He just keeps on talking about what a great hero he is. He brags to his friends. Things are made more difficult when Mike and Carol are slow to see that there's a problem.

Peter goes back to the toy store because the little girl's mother wants to show her appreciation by buying him something. She decides to buy him everything he wants. When Mike and Carol gets home, they are surprised to find several boxes of toys sitting in the back yard! This is when They decide to have a talk with peter. They allow him to keep one of the gifts-but they make him send the rest back.

Things go from bad to worse-when Peter is honored a second time. This Time, he is awarded the "Hero of the month' award by the paper-along with a $50.00 check. Peter decides to use the money to have a party. Peter invites the family and all his friends, but nobody comes.

Peter begins to see the error of his ways. He finally sees how he got messed up by patting himself in the back. Peter has leaned a hard lesson: Don't allow your 15 minutes of fame go to your head. Mike and Carol just couldn't let the food they bought for the party go to waste. So the family decides to have a party of their own and they invite the little girl and her mother to the party.

I make a few observations about this episode:

1. Peter did a wonderful thing by saving the girl's life. He was at the right place at the right time. 2. The adults should have been quick to see that there was a problem in the beginning. If Mike & Carol would have seen early on that there was a problem-then maybe it wouldn't have gotten so bad. 3. Mr. Driscol, the toy store owner should keep Dolls on the lower shelves or another location where little girls can reach them. That way, accidents like this can be avoided.

Does this episode take the swelled head concept to extremes? I think it does. I think most kids wouldn't allow it to go that far. I think the point of this episode is that-what can happen when you allow your 15 minutes of fame go to your head.

Great episode of the first season-and one of the best peter episodes.

The Brady Bunch: Tiger! Tiger! (1970) Season 1, Episode 18

Tiger, Tiger Where are you??????????

[10/10 · 22 June 2006]

Lead in this Episode: Bobby- The Family's Dog disappears and the Bradys conduct an all out search for their beloved pooch. It is first assumed that Tiger was lured away by would be burglars(There's been several burglaries in the neighborhood already). They offer a reward-which started out to be $25.00, but all the Kids chip in(including Alice)which makes it almost twice as much.

Tiger is eventually found-but did he just run away, or did he have another reason for going away? Watch and find out.

Bobby is Wondefully portrayed by Mike Lookinland, and he is my favorite character of the Brady Bunch.

The Brady Bunch: Father of the Year (1970) Season 1, Episode 14

Marcia gets into trouble

[10/10 · 22 June 2006]

Lead in this episode: Marcia Marcia decides to nominate Mike into the "Father of the year" contest that the local newspaper is sponsoring. In the process, she gets into all sorts of trouble. First, She is given extra chores to do for violating bedtime regulations. Then when she doesn't do them, Mike grounds her for a week. She have stay in her room during that time. Then She reads in the paper that the deadline for entries for the contest is the next day, so she sneaks out the window in the middle of the night to mail the letter.

Mike & carol plan to take the family on a ski trip, but Marcia is caught coming back in the house by the window and now Marcia have to stay with her grand parents instead of going on the ski trip.

Now it all depends on whether Mike wins the "Father of the year" Award or not. Does he win, or will it be the worst year in Marcia's life? Watch and find out.

This is one of the best episodes of the first season.

The Brady Bunch: Katchoo (1969) Season 1, Episode 5

Jan is allergic to something.

[6/10 · 21 June 2006]

Lead in this episode: Jan When Jan begins to sneeze, it is assumed that she has a cold. She is kept home from school. It soon becomes evident that Jan is allergic to something. It is first assumed that she was allergic to Mike, but this is silly of course.

Soon however, Tiger becomes the main suspect. Tiger is given several baths by different members of the family without checking with each other. The Boys give him one, then the girls give him one. Then Carol & Alice give him one. Oh, and don't forget-Mike also gives him one! I counted four baths! Tiger is one clean dog! It appears that none of this has helped-so They may have to get rid of tiger after all? Is it tiger? Or is it something else? Watch and find out.

The Brady Bunch: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1969) Season 1, Episode 4

Alice says she is leaving

[7/10 · 21 June 2006]

Lead in this episode: Alice A little background info is helpful to explain the events in this episode. After Mike's first wife died, Mike hired Alice as the house keeper. We know from this episode that She's been with Mike and the Boys for over 7 years. That means that Bobby would have to have been a baby when his mother died and both Greg and Peter were small boys. This means that a 7 year period passed before Mike married Carol.

Alice begins to get the feeling that she is no longer needed when the boys go to Carol with their problems such as when Greg and Peter get into a fight over a baseball glove, or when they receive a telescope. Alice feels that she is being left out of the family's activities.

Alice decides to leave. She makes up a bogus story about a sick aunt that has asked her to come and stay with her. However, the girls over hear a phone conversation that Alice was having with a friend-they learn that the story is Bogus.

The family enact on a plan to get Alice to stay. Does it work? Watch and see!

The Brady Bunch: Dear Libby (1969) Season 1, Episode 2

Dear Libby, What do I do?

[8/10 · 20 June 2006]

Lead in this episode: All the kids Marcia(Maureen McCormick)is reading the "Dear Libby" advice column in the paper to Jan & Cindy. She comes across one that makes her think that it could have been written by Mike or Carol.

After she shows the letter to Greg, they hold a meeting with the other kids. Bascicly, the letter implies that one of the parents is having problems with the kids and wants Libby's Advice on what to do.

Believing that the writer of the letter is Either Mike or Carol, The kids decides to become do-gooders. They do things without being told-like raking the leaves in the yard or going to bed without being told-that sort of thing.

Then, "dear Libby" shows up and pays the family a visit. Did Mike Or Carol write the Letter? Watch and find out.

The Brady Bunch (1969–1974)

The best family sitcom

[10/10 · 19 June 2006]

The Brady Bunch is a blended family. A lady with 3 girls meets a Man who has 3 boys. They fall in love, get married. This is how they became the Brady Bunch.

Mike Brady(Robert Reed)is an Architect and Carol(Florence Henderson) is a homemaker, and Ann B. Davis plays Alice-the Bradys housekeeper. These are the 3 adults who are in charge of brining up the 6 kids listed below: The boys- Greg(Barry Williams) Peter(Christopher Knight) Bobby(Mike Lookinland) The girls- Marcia(Maureen McCormick) Jan(Eve Plumb) Cindy(Susan Olsen)

Each one of the kids in this show takes turns as lead in an episode. I will be writing reviews for several individual episodes within the coming weeks-but for now I have General thoughts on the whole series.

1. I gave this show a 10 rating because of it's positive outlook on life. The values that this show puts forth is a wonderful thing because they are lacking in todays shows. Some of these include: -Discipline-when one of the kids do something wrong-they are taught that it's wrong. -Work-the kids are taught that "Your allowance is only earned-not a hand out. -Respect-the kids are taught to respect their parents and each other. This is one of the few shows that has parents knowing more than the kids-not the other way around. These are a few of the things that I like about this show.

2. This is not a perfect show. It is not 100% realistic. Here are some things about the Brady bunch that is not Realistic: A. The rosy view it paints of a blended family. The reality is that Blending a family is often fraught with challenges. B. In a blended family, The kids of the mother Do not call the father Daddy and the kids of the father do not call the mother Mom. They usually refer to them by their first names. C. No family who has a stay at home Mother has a live in maid. If Carol was a working mom, then that would be different.

Conclusion: This is TV. And no TV show is ever going to be 100% realistic. This is something that always needs to be remembered. I also feel that some of the user comments are unfair to the Brady Bunch. I think That they criticize this show because they don't like the family values that are well represented in the Brady Bunch. They hate to be told the difference between right and wrong. They don't want to be told the truth such as "There's such a thing called the power of the press-and with the use of that power comes responsibility" (this is only 1 example)

This show went on for 5 seasons-and I AM SO GLAD that they are all on DVD for years of enjoyment. While it is still on TV, On DVD-you get the whole uncut episodes.

God Bless,

Jay

PS: You can access my reviews on individual episodes by clicking on the season links on the main page of the Brady Bunch at IMDb.

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Very moving film-here are my thoughts

[8 September 2004]

I feel that I must offer the reader this disclaimer before I begin. This review is not going to please those who love this film and it won't please those who hate this film. Be warned folks-I know the bible well-and I know what happened to Jesus on the cross-and what didn't happen. I'm a firm believer of this philosophy "Tell all the truth or none at all"

Now that I've seen this film, Here are my thoughts: Is this a bad movie? no. Is it a good movie? No. It's both good and bad-and vice versa. Mel Gibson has created an emotional film-no doubt. I won't fault him for that-anyone who is not moved by this film is a zombie! What Jesus went through on the cross was the ultimate sacfrifice for mankind-he went through this so no one would have to do so ever again. I think Gibson did a great job in that aspect of the film. But...............

I would be lying to you if I told you that this film is 100% true to the bible-it is not. And I so very wish that Gibson would have stayed within the grounds of scripture-other films made on the life of Christ has done so, why not this one? Here is a listing of some of the problems I have with the Film:

**After Judas returns the money he got for betraying Christ, boys are seen tormenting him-this is not in the bible.

**Satan is in the form of a woman in the garden. Jesus was not tempted in the garden. He was tempted for 40 days at the beginning of his ministry-but not in the garden. How did Gibson come up with this? It certainly isn't in the bible.

**After Jesus is nailed to the cross, a raven descends on the cross and stabbed him in the ribs and even more blood is gushed out of his body! I challenge anyone to find THIS in the bible. I've been a Christian for over 20 years and read the bible Quite a few times-and there is no raven anywhere near Jesus at the crucifixion.

**Was it really necessary to turn this in to a blood bath? Yes there was blood I'm sure-but the amount of blood coming out of his body was more than the human body has! It just seems to me that Gibson went way over the top on the blood. Simply put-There is NO WAY WHAT SOEVER that a human body can produce more blood than what the body has! I just don't buy the notion that the passion of Christ(the event, not the movie)has seen this much blood.

There you have it folks, these are my thoughts. Some think that the stuff added to the story is necessary because Gibson needed to fill in the gaps. But this is nonsense! The film would be much better if these things weren't added and staying true to the biblical narrative.

I can predict two reactions to this review-Christians might say that I'm bashing a Christian movie-and non Christians might think that I'm over zealous. I'm not bashing the film's intent or Mel Gibson. If one person accepts Christ as a result of seeing this-then I'll be happy with that. And If I'm being over zealous, it's only because I care about the truth being told.

In conclusion I would like to say this: When it comes to making movies on biblical events-the demand for truth and accuracy is that much greater. Adding and subtracting to fit ones own vision that is contrary to the bible is not acceptable. It may be fitting on other events in history-but not on bible events.

God Bless

Airport '77 (1977)

Airport Part Three

[20 May 2004]

Of the 3 Sequels, this is the best. James Stewart is Philip Stevens, a wealthy man who likes expensive toys. He commissioned a luxury 747 to be built called "Stevens 747."

The inside of the plane resembles a cruise ship and this movie shows why the FAA should never approve one. The plane is hijacked by traitorous CO pilot and two of the stewards. It appears that the CO pilot did not know how to fly this plane because the plane's wing hits a tower and crashes in the Bermuda Triangle.

This film gets a boost from Jack Lemon as well as Christopher Lee. He is the dedicated caption. The plane is below water and they need to get out before the oxygen runs out.

Can the Navy gets these people out in time? See film to find out. There's one note I like to add here: The outfit that the little boy "Benjy" wears in this film is fantastic! Edith Head deserves a little credit for the success of this film because all the costumes are fantastic!

Airport 1975 (1974)

Airport Part two

[19 May 2004]

With the success of "Airport" in 1970, it is inevitable that a sequel will come-hence "airport 1975."

Dana Andrews plays "Scott Freeman" who have to get back to Boise Idaho before morning. He is flying his own small private plane back home. There's one problem: weather problems. When you're up in the air at 10,000 feet-everything counts. Meanwhile, Columbia 409, a 547 jetliner no less is bound for LA but had to change course to Salt Lake City because of bad weather. Little did they know that this change of course would prove to be life threatening to every one on board.

Meanwhile, Scott Freeman has a heart attack in mid air and collides with Columbia 409-killing the CO pilot and the flight officer and seriously injuring the caption, rendering the plane pioltless. This leaves Nancy(Karen Black)responsible at the controls and at the radio.

Alan Murdock(Charlton Heston)is the pilot guiding Nancy at the controls. There is one problem-the terrain in the mountains. The solution? Put a Pilot in 409 in mid air from a helicopter! The first pilot that was sent didn't make it. Alan murdock tries to get in 409. See film to see if he makes it!

This is a good sequel-better than the average sequel they made at the time. Helen Reddy plays a singing Nun-Her acting is Ok, but is a much better singer. Linda Blair is a Kidney Patient on her way to LA for a transplant. Gloria Swanson Plays her self promoting her autobiography-which wasn't published until after her death in 1983.

This is a good example of an all star cast saving the film that could have been better written. I enjoy this film though!

Airport (1970)

Airport part one

[8/10 · 18 May 2004]

This is the movie that started it all!-the birth of disaster films of the 70's. This is the "Grand Hotel of the skies" When you are up in the air at 10,000 feet-the people who live complicated lives always thinks the worst. With this in mind, let us now consider the following:

**Mel Bakerfield(Burt Lancaster)is not getting along with his wife. His wife has got be the most nagging wife to grace the screen. At the same time, he's having an affair with his assistant(Jean Seberg).

**Van Heflin and Jean Stapelton are husband and wife who are low on cash-and He has a plan that will get them out of debt-at the risk of everyone on the plane bound for Rome.

**The caption(Dean Martin)is having an affair with one of the stewardesses, he gets her pregnant. There's only one problem-He's married to Barbara Hale of Perry Mason Fame.

**There are internal problems as well: They got to deal with a Stowaway(Helen Hayes)who has a clever way of getting on a plane without a ticket. She's on the plane to Rome and is seated next to Van Heflin(see film for details). Then There's the Meadowwood suburbs witch happens to be next to Runway 2.2. Every time a plane takes off or lands on 2.2, it causes vibrations to the homes in Meadowwood-and they had it up to here with broken china! And the airport is headed for legal trouble if they continue using 2.2. One problem: There's a plane stuck on 2.9niner blocking the runway and Joe Patroni(George Kennedy) is in charge of getting that plane moved.......because The plane to Rome is on it's way back and they need 2.9niner.

This film entertains in spite of itself. My only problem with this film is it's G rating from MPAA. Why is the movie rated G? This movie deals with Adultery, divorce and other mature themes and uses of words like "hell," "damn" should have earned it a PG rating.

Good Boy (2003)

Man's best friend

[8/10 · 19 April 2004]

This is a film about a boy, whose name is Owen(Liam Aiken)who is a neighborhood dog walker. He even wears a dog walker uniform with a name tag! This gives the appearance that he is a pro dog walker! Now Owen is a lonely boy with no friends except the dogs he walks. He is bullied by two other boys.

But Owen has a good attitude, he respects his parents(Kevin Nealon & Molly Shannon)who renovates homes for a living-and they live in the house they are currently working on. This does not make things any easier for Owen, who has a desire to settle down and stay put in one house. Owen, however takes it all in stride and makes the best out of the situation.

He is awakened by a noise-the sound of something crashing. This will be referred later as a "Sonic Boom" When his parents allow him to adopt his own dog, the one he picks at the pound-is like no other dog. He soon discovers that this pooch can talk. Owen gives him the name "Hubble" but his real name is "Canine 3942" a dog from outer space!

Hubble informs Owen that thousands of years ago, dogs were sent to earth from the "Home Star" AKA "The dog star Sirus" to colonize and rule earth. Dogs were not supposed to be pets! So, Hubble is here on a fact finding mission-to confirm rumors that the dogs have strayed from their original mission. Hubble is here to try to reverse that.

Now, Hubble becomes very fond of Owen-he have to choose between life on earth or the ability to talk. Hubble isn't the only talking dog, all the dogs can talk! When Hubble fails to rally the dogs to their original mission, "The Greater Dane" shows up! She is the "queen of the Dogs" Can Hubble and Owen persuade the "Greater Dane" to let Hubble and the other dogs stay here on earth?

Now I admit that the story line resolving around the dogs is silly! And It's the bathroom humor that earns it's PG rating, however there's so much to like about this film. Dog lovers will love this film! We should be thankful that dogs can't talk! All the Characters is perfectly cast, esp Liam Aiken as Owen and "Flynn" as "Hubble"

Great Film. 8 out of 10.

The Godfather Part III (1990)

There is no way out

[12 March 2004]

The third installment is not as good as the other two. I've always had mixed feelings about Part 3. On the one hand we have Michael wanting out only to be pulled back in. On the other hand, we have the new don-Vincent(Andy Garcia)who wants to strike back on thier enemies-some things never change.

I don't understand this Vatican bank stuff, so I won't go into that. There is also some miscasting here. The girl who played Mary is Sofia Coppola-the Daughter of Director of this film. I don't know how she got into this film, but she just doesn't have any life here at all.

There's more violence here-of course. Violence begets violence. This is a good movie, but not great-it could have been better.

The Godfather Part II (1974)

The best in the trilogy

[10/10 · 11 March 2004]

In Part 2, we see more of the same-more revenge, more murders and more conflicts. This is actually two stories in one. We have the story of the Corleone crime family operations in Nevada. Then we have the early life of Vito Corleone told in flashbacks. Robert DeNiro plays young Vito without a flaw!

There are problems for Michael. To begin with, he learns that his brother Freddo may have betrayed the family to Hymann Roth(Lee Strasberg)who has political connections in Washington which prompts a Congressioal investigation of Michael. This leads to more violence of course.

While this is going on, we see young Vito taking revenge on the man who killed his mom & Dad. There is also increased difficulty between Michael and Kay(Diane Keaton). They end up separating.

This is the best of the trilogy IMHO. Crime is an ugly business-this trilogy demonstrates that!

The Godfather (1972)

In this business, you kill or you get killed.

[10 March 2004]

The hunter becomes the hunted. Those who live by the sword, have better watch their backs. This is the essence of this film(and the other two as well). In the underworld of the most powerful crime families in the 1940's and 1950's violence begets violence.

Revenge is also Rampant. Every body takes revenge on every body-there is no place to hide. I really like the wedding scene that takes place in the first 25 minutes. This sequence took a week to shoot and involved 750 extras!

Marlon Brando plays Don Vito Corleone, the head of the Corleone crime family. No one plays this role better than he does. He gives a powerful performance. Al Pacino is Michael, who takes over after Sonny(James Caan) is gunned down at a toll booth. Sonny was in line to be the next don.

Overall, this film is a good film-but how can it be no. 1 in the top 250 list? This list is determined by the votes people give, but it's not the best movie ever made. Citizen Kane is IMHO.

This film is part of the "Godfather" DVD collection. There is also a bonus disc with bonus materials. On it it tells you more than you ever wanted to know about all three films. It took me about 4-5 hours to watch all this including looking at the photo galleries.

It's my understanding that all 3 movies will be released separately-but the only feature that they will contain is the commentaries by the director. Get the DVD collection if you want other bonus stuff.

American Experience: The Battle Over Citizen Kane (1996) Season 8, Episode 7

Two ambitious egos killing each other.

[8/10 · 19 February 2004]

-Maybe Spoilers herein-

This film is a documentary about the conflict Between Orson Welles & William Randolph Hearst over the movie "Citizen Kane." There are interviews with many of the people involved with the film. Hearst was a powerful newspaper publisher who sensationalized the news. Many of the stories in his papers were made up. Welles was a radio and theatrical producer who also loved sensationalism. His plays & radio programs were like nothing else seen at the time. His "War of the worlds" broadcast scared the living daylights out of people since it sounded so real. Both men had at least one characteristic in common: They both believed that the ends justify the means. This is how they became successful and how in the end-destroyed themselves and each other.

I have two thoughts regarding this battle: 1. I believe that if Hearst wouldn't have raised a racket over the film, The movie would have been destroyed. Because, People would not believe that Hearst was the kind of man Welles portrays. However, since he did raise a racket people wondered if the events depicted in "Citizen Kane" are true. Otherwise, he wouldn't have raised a racket.

2. These two men were their own worst enemies. There lifestyles and The way they conducted business would eventually come back to haunt them and it did. If you fly too high too soon, you will crash-what goes up MUST COME DOWN! The film "Citizen Kane" set these two on a collision course-they did 15 rounds in the ring and killed each other in the process.

Both the newspaper and film industries can learn many lessons.

1. The newspaper industry: Never let one man have that much control. There must be accountability here-It is irresponsible to make up stories about living people. In many cases(As he did with Orson Welles)if he didn't like you it was not pretty. This is not what the founding fathers had in mind when they gave us freedom of the press.

2. The film industry: Never EVER give complete control to one man. While Welles made a brilliant film, it was about a real living person. Regardless how one feels about Hearst, the fact is it is irresponsible to portray him the way he did in the film.

In short-another way of saying this for both: NEVER LET THE IMMATES RUN THE ASSYUM!!

The only winner in this battle is the film itself. Perhaps Welles could have at least a little consolation over the fact-that this film is now considered one of the greatest films of all time. And in this day of the DVD format-this film will be forever Preserved. Thank God for that!

Time Changer (2002)

Coming face to face with our present condition

[10/10 · 26 December 2003]

As a fan of Time travel stories, I was naturally drawn to this film. I wasn't expecting it to be that good-but it's a lot better than I thought. I seen, "Time machine" and the "back to the future" movies. All time travel movies have the same basic premise-a scientist comes up with an invention-a time machine of some sort. Then keeps it a secret from other people-and goes either backward or forward in time at will.

Time changer follows this same basic idea of time travel-but this one is quite different-it deals with a subject that very few like to talk about-eternity.

A bible professor has written a manuscript called "The changing times" The publisher has asked for an endorsement of the seminary's board of directors. But They have a strict policy-everyone on the board must give their approval-or no endorsement. Everyone agrees-except one.

Professor Norris Anderson disagrees with one item in the book. He disagrees that we should teach morality without mentioning the name of Jesus. For example-He believes that we need to tell people more than just stealing is wrong-we need to tell them that Jesus said it's wrong.

I agree with this statement. I think that ignoring Christ in society has been the reason why we have so many problems. I'm not surprised by the 4.4 rating(out of 145 votes as of this writing). Nor am I surprised by the reactions of some reviews I read at IMDB. This movie deals with two important issues. 1: The authority of Jesus Christ and 2: Eternity. Most don't want to deal with these issues. They must be dealt with by all sooner or later.

Some have also criticized the amount of preaching in this movie. I will admit that it's bit excessive. However, I think that some people when they come under conviction-they claim that "He's preaching to me" I think most of the complaints of this movie fall in this category.

Anyway, this bible professor who has written this book is transported from 1890 to 2000-and he sees the devastating effects that his beliefs will lead and is forced to face the future head on.

This film will challenge you to think about some important issues. They can no longer be ignored.

God Bless Jay