The details of this trip through Irish's beautiful country castles and houses has the possibility of being truly beautiful. But the quality of the 1993 Videotape (and whatever production techniques they used to make the video) makes it not so enjoyable. It is flat, unable to capture color or dimension, leaving everything unidimensional and greyish. What is left is not able to capture Ireland's incredible vibrancy and shimmering color. It is actually depressing to see. The highlight is Angelica Huston's narration. She's one of the best and most intelligent readers in the business (from one of the most gifted families in America--or in her case, from Ireland). You end up wishing she could have done some of the narration on your audio books.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Pilgrim's Progress
(1978)
Incorrect Cast Listing
28 February 2012
The cast listing on this picture is incorrect. Peter Thomas is not Worldly Wiseman, he is Pilgrim/Christian. Liam Neeson is both Jesus Christ and Evangelist (his first film experience, and Ken & Max Anderson were a geniuses at talent-scouting). Liam was also in "Christiana", the sequel ("Christiana's Progress" was also Bunyan's sequel to "Pilgrim's Progress"). I believe Maurice O'Callaghan was Worldly Wiseman, who was also Apollyon in Christiana, where Peter Thomas was Pilgrim again and Liam Neeson was Greatheart. Peter is the son of the great Christian preacher/teacher Major Ian Thomas, who wrote "The Indwelling Life of Christ", and founded the Capernwray Schools and Lodges, and began the Torchbearer ministry in churches. Peter is now the National Director and Principal of Capernwray New Zealand (http://www.capernwray.org.nz/AnnouncementRetrieve.aspx?ID=38817) which is a great school, and an all-around great guy, just like his father was.
Conagher
(1991 TV Movie)
A classic winner
26 September 2010
This is one of the best "true Westerns" ever, a tribute to the faithfulness of the makers to the book, and the labor of love done by the makers (Sam Elliott and Catherine Ross themselves). Sam and Catherine stuck to the text for the script, despite PC pressures to change some scenes.
The depth of love and respect for the original is also conveyed by the gracious touch of having Louis L'Amour's daughter portraying the starting-over former saloon girl stuck in the Indian battle at the stage station. The casting is near-perfect, even if most of them were the Elliott's good friends (and several were in Sam's other films).
The realistic look at ranch hand life strikes chords of memory with Monty Walsh. The action scenes were more reality-based than the 50's through 70's Westerns, such as the primitive look of the final saloon fight scene. And the costumes look straight out of a Matthew Brady photo book of a Western settlement, with the characters showing the dirt and grit which true pioneers experienced.
The developing love story between Con and Evie is beautifully captured by the camera, often without a word, as "the eyes tell the story". Ross plays the part perfectly of the dutiful, faithful frontier wife. And you "feel her pain" as she struggles with loneliness, and his as he struggles with an identity crisis and feelings of inadequacy to be the husband of a woman so noble. Sam deserved the Golden Globe for Best Actor he won, with a quietly powerful portrayal of the honest cowpoke.
All in all, a delightful and classically beautiful story of the Old West. I grew up in one of the last Western towns to "go modern", a real cow town which experienced some of the last (and biggest) gun battles in US history. This movie made me proud to be from my home area.
The depth of love and respect for the original is also conveyed by the gracious touch of having Louis L'Amour's daughter portraying the starting-over former saloon girl stuck in the Indian battle at the stage station. The casting is near-perfect, even if most of them were the Elliott's good friends (and several were in Sam's other films).
The realistic look at ranch hand life strikes chords of memory with Monty Walsh. The action scenes were more reality-based than the 50's through 70's Westerns, such as the primitive look of the final saloon fight scene. And the costumes look straight out of a Matthew Brady photo book of a Western settlement, with the characters showing the dirt and grit which true pioneers experienced.
The developing love story between Con and Evie is beautifully captured by the camera, often without a word, as "the eyes tell the story". Ross plays the part perfectly of the dutiful, faithful frontier wife. And you "feel her pain" as she struggles with loneliness, and his as he struggles with an identity crisis and feelings of inadequacy to be the husband of a woman so noble. Sam deserved the Golden Globe for Best Actor he won, with a quietly powerful portrayal of the honest cowpoke.
All in all, a delightful and classically beautiful story of the Old West. I grew up in one of the last Western towns to "go modern", a real cow town which experienced some of the last (and biggest) gun battles in US history. This movie made me proud to be from my home area.
Die Hard
(1988)
Wrong Date Listed on Die Hard
25 October 2008
You've put the wrong Release Date. This movie was released in early 1986. I saw the trailer on a TV in a Chicago hotel on Sunday, February 2, 1986 the same day as the Pro Bowl and the NBA All-Star game that year.
Often the videos of the originals go through different versions, depending on what additional content or modifications are needed (director's cuts, cleaned-up language-versions, etc .). The Release Date you have is probably from a later video revision/version.
Or, it could have been from an HBO or Showtime rendition.
The broadcast debut was on FOX in early 1991.
Often the videos of the originals go through different versions, depending on what additional content or modifications are needed (director's cuts, cleaned-up language-versions, etc .). The Release Date you have is probably from a later video revision/version.
Or, it could have been from an HBO or Showtime rendition.
The broadcast debut was on FOX in early 1991.
The Equalizer
(1985–1989)
One Great Series
10 January 2007
For years, The Equalizer was TV's best series. Employing the great British actor Edward Woodward as a combination of the Knight Errant, Don Quixote and the Existential Hero was a stroke of genius. Woodward's Shakespearean style and personality, overlaid against the grimy, ugly business of problem-solving in urban America, made his character and dialogue stand out even further in bold relief. And having the City of New York as the Extra Player gave each episode a grittiness, pressure, suspense and excitement all its own.
There have been lots of spy series and CIA shows, but never one about a repentant agent until this. Demonstrating that repentance by helping the needs of Everyman was the heart of the show. But each segment retained the "espionage flavor" by using current "agency" personnel, protocol and paraphernalia.
That repentance presupposed moral absolutes, and the segments are replete with a high view of right and wrong. Right is heroic, and sleaze is truly scuzzy. Indeed, this tension forms the basis for Robert McCall's involvement with his clients. After mortally wounding one adversary who still won't reveal a kidnapped victim's whereabouts, McCall asks the dying man about to slide into eternity, "What if there is a God?"
But successful people (and shows) tend to stop doing the thing that made them successful. So later episodes of the series began delving further into the bizarre to try and retain viewer interest. Those experiments didn't work (and never do).
Yet Stewart Copeland's early techno compositions, rhythm work and "Police" chord progressions kept the interest level high, even when the scripts waned at times.
Thankfully, the other genius element was the casting. Kevin Spacey, Ray Sharkey, Will Patton, Patricia Clarkson and many others (like Copeland himself!) got their first crack or big break through The Equalizer. And veteran actors like Tovah Feldschuh, Dennis Christopher, Edward Binns and Robert Lansing came back to the tube via the series. The only problem was, that, next to Woodward, even our best actors sometimes paled (and the scripts were weighted to his lines, and didn't always do the other actos justice).
But the current episodes on air (it was a Universal series, so Universal/NBC has run it on Sleuth and Universal HD networks) are some of the brighter spots on the TV day. Thanks for that!
There have been lots of spy series and CIA shows, but never one about a repentant agent until this. Demonstrating that repentance by helping the needs of Everyman was the heart of the show. But each segment retained the "espionage flavor" by using current "agency" personnel, protocol and paraphernalia.
That repentance presupposed moral absolutes, and the segments are replete with a high view of right and wrong. Right is heroic, and sleaze is truly scuzzy. Indeed, this tension forms the basis for Robert McCall's involvement with his clients. After mortally wounding one adversary who still won't reveal a kidnapped victim's whereabouts, McCall asks the dying man about to slide into eternity, "What if there is a God?"
But successful people (and shows) tend to stop doing the thing that made them successful. So later episodes of the series began delving further into the bizarre to try and retain viewer interest. Those experiments didn't work (and never do).
Yet Stewart Copeland's early techno compositions, rhythm work and "Police" chord progressions kept the interest level high, even when the scripts waned at times.
Thankfully, the other genius element was the casting. Kevin Spacey, Ray Sharkey, Will Patton, Patricia Clarkson and many others (like Copeland himself!) got their first crack or big break through The Equalizer. And veteran actors like Tovah Feldschuh, Dennis Christopher, Edward Binns and Robert Lansing came back to the tube via the series. The only problem was, that, next to Woodward, even our best actors sometimes paled (and the scripts were weighted to his lines, and didn't always do the other actos justice).
But the current episodes on air (it was a Universal series, so Universal/NBC has run it on Sleuth and Universal HD networks) are some of the brighter spots on the TV day. Thanks for that!
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