Reviews

Mercy Mission: The Rescue of Flight 771 is a tense rescue drama, made-to-order for aviation buffs! The movie starts off by introducing the main character, Jay Parkins, (played by Scott Bakula), as a kind of a rogue, itinerant pilot, unwilling to settle down to the daily grind of an airline cockpit, and preferring to take on risky flying jobs where and when he can find them. Jay and his friend Frank (Alan Fletcher), take on the task of ferrying two Piper Ag Cats, which are crop dusting aircraft, on a long-haul over the Pacific Ocean all the way from San Francisco to Australia. Obviously, the premise is ridiculous, but the movie is supposed to be based on a true story, so somewhere, there had to be two pilots crazy enough to actually try this stunt!

Predictably, problems plague the mission. First, Frank cracks up on take off from Pago Pago, leaving Jay to continue the rest of the trip alone. Then, through a combination of mechanical failures and poor judgment, Jay gets over the Pacific Ocean on the last leg of the trip. Fortunately, both his HF and VHF radios still work, and he calls for help from an Air Traffic Control center in New Zealand. This is where Captain Gordon Vette, played by bad-guy Robert Loggia in a refreshingly non-type cast role, comes to the rescue. Utilizing a very plausible air-to-air search procedure, Capt. Vette and his Air New Zealand flight crew locate Jay, and ultimately help navigate him to safety. I won't give away any more of the plot details, but suffice it to say that as a highly critical aviation movie buff, this movie did very little to annoy me, or insult my intelligence as someone with more than a passing knowledge of aviation. Technical assistance was very good.

The "goofs" note the transformation of the ANZ commercial aircraft from a B-737 to a B-767, but that sort of continuity problem is common and pretty much must be overlooked, since stock footage is cheaper than setting up a location shot just to depict a jet airliner take-off.

The thing I enjoyed most about this film is the likeability of the characters, which were developed just enough to let us get to know them enough to care about them. The real Capt. Vette, an American Ex-Air Force pilot stationed in New Zealand after marrying a local girl, seems to be the ideal of the individualistic, capable, yet compassionate airline Captain -- someone into whose hands you would gladly trust your life. This is what film does best -- portray the human condition in a manner which makes the viewer identify with the characters and the situation. The rest of the plot elements -- Jay's long-suffering wife, who would prefer the financial security of her husband's boredom in an airline cockpit, Jay's side-kick Frank, who wasn't thrilled about the "mission" in the first place, and the people on the ground and aboard the Air New Zealand flight who work together to make the rescue mission work -- are all done just right, and greatly help the viewer enjoy the film!

I give this movie 3 1/2 propeller blades out of four! It is a very interesting movie which I recommend to all aviation enthusiasts!

Strategic Air Command is a very interesting, insightful, and entertaining Air Force cold war propaganda flick. The Air Force obviously provided enormous technical support, including then Air Force Reserve Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart as the lead character, Lt. Col. Robert "Dutch" Holland. Holland was like many other former W.W.II Air Force pilots at the time -- serving a tour of extended active duty after being recalled from inactive Reserve status while in civilian life. This was necessary, at the time, to enable the massive build-up of airpower required to deter the USSR from nuclear aggression in the early days of the Cold War. Holland was forced to set aside a promising career as a professional baseball player in order to serve his 21-month active duty tour.

The film track's Holland's brief, yet colorful, career in Strategic Air Command (SAC) as the aircraft commander of a Consolidated B-36, and later the new, all-jet B-47. The pressure on his marriage to the beautiful but saccharine June Allyson, is portrayed quite frankly, though a bit melodramatically. I believe it realistically depicted the stress in Air Force marriages played out in the family quarters at air bases all over the world.

In the film, we see Lt. Col. Holland deal with problems of crew morale, crisis management, and even life-and-death situations, all with level-headed, sound judgment and a good mixture of humor that could only be accomplished by an "everyman" sort of actor like Jimmy Stewart. Other interesting portrayals in the film are Frank Lovejoy as General Ennis C. Hawkes, the Commander-in-Chief of SAC and an obvious (and accurate) portrayal of General Curtis E. LeMay, the real "CinC SAC" at the time. Harry Morgan plays a Master Sergeant named, I believe, "Bible;" (his character name isn't credited) who serves entertainingly as Dutch Holland's flight engineer and sidekick during the film.

The Paul Mantz-directed aerial sequences of the massive, six-engined B-36, and the sleek, then-new B-47 make this film an aviation buff's delight! There's nothing more going on here than good old fashioned, red-blooded, stick-it-to-the-Commies American jingoism -- and this film doesn't blink or make any apologies! Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. If I had been old enough to join the Air Force at the time this film was released, I would have gone straight from the theatre to the recruiter's office! It kind of makes me wonder if this country could rally the same level of patriotic fervor in this age where personal sacrifice for a noble cause seems to be passe.

I give this film four stars, six jet engines, and six really big propellers! -30-

I'm a fan of aviation-related action/adventure films in general, and the type who sits in the theatre pointing out glaring technical errors as the film unspools. I didn't do that in this movie, mainly because there wasn't anything about the film that demanded any technical realism. This film is pure fiction, pure drama, and pure adventure! The special effects were spot on -- perfectly done, they lent a high degree of believability into totally unbelievable situations!

Probably the one thing I like most about Air Force One is the very "jingoism" that seemed to bother a lot of commentators. These people don't seem to understand the concept of a strong, heroic figure, taking matters into his own hands to regain control of a dangerous situation -- but we Americans, armed with our guns, our courage, and our sense of justice and fair play, can! Which is why films like Air Force One are so popular with us -- they re-affirm all the things that are good about being American in an entertaining manner! If anyone who isn't a patriotic, red-blooded American doesn't "get it," then that's their problem! America is about freedom -- and we need a President that is more like the Harrison Ford character, rather than the type we have now! I also enjoyed Glenn Close's portrayal of a strong, determined, and loyal Vice-President! I'd vote for her anytime!

If there is one flaw with this movie it is in not portraying the "bad guys" more darkly than it did. They should have used some special effects to show the Gary Oldman character actually blowing the brains out of that innocent Press Secretary, to portray the terrorists more clearly as the brutal assassins they were.

We need more "take out the terrorist trash" movies like this! Air Force One may not be "The High and The Mighty," but it served its purpose very well indeed!

My rating: 9.5 out of 10.

The "grandaddy" of aviation disaster films would be The High and The Mighty, starring John Wayne. Airport, however, brought such films into the jet age, and did so in a manner which was at once dramatically exciting, and hilarious! This is a very funny movie!

Burt Lancaster is perfection as Mel Bakersfield, the harried, overworked, wife-harassed General Manager of a great Midwestern Airport, Lincoln International (actually Minneapolis-St. Paul International). They must have actually filmed during a blizzard, or spent a lot of money making it look like they did.

Helen Hayes, as the stowaway Ada Quonset, and George Kennedy, as the rough-and-tumble maintenance chief Joe Patroni, provide most of the humor. The scene with Hayes, Seberg, and Lancaster, where Mrs. Quonset is being interviewed regarding her procedures for stowing away on airliners, is one of my favorite comedy scenes! Joe Patroni's simple, brute-force way of making things happen makes me proud to be an American! The plot is standard, yet we get to care about all the characters, and we get a pretty good sense of closure at the end of the film!

A real challenge to any filmmaker would be to re-make this film and bring it up-to-date, without insulting the intelligence of aviation film buffs like me!

The Cardinal tracks the life of a young priest through an upwardly-mobile career to the point just prior to his being elevated to Cardinal. The historical time frame falls between the beginning of WWI and the beginning of WWII, and this volatile time in our country's history is reflected by the career of Father (later Monsignor, then Bishop) Fermoyle. Fr. Fermoyle encounters many people who touch his life and have an impact on his career which shakes his faith, and even threatens to end it at one point. You don't have to be Catholic to enjoy this film, but it would certainly help!

The location scenes in Rome, Vienna and Boston give this film a feel which helps the viewer really get involved in the plot. The moral values truly reflect the era depicted; I only wish that a return to those values were possible today.

If you like a good, dramatic story that develops characters you really get to know and care about, please see this film!

I have been a trekkie all of my adult life. I was 15 when I first heard the words "Space -- the final frontier." Since then, I've been eagerly enthusiastic about anything Star Trek. The Voyager series has been, for the most part, a welcome addition to the Star Trek "universe." I would, of course, like to see a few things done differently.

First, bring them back home! End the "lost in space" premise by bringing it to it's logical conclusion. Then, allow the characters, the ship, and the series to develop a more "normal" story line, doing what Star Trek does best -- examining the human condition. Let's allow the characters to choose to continue to serve together, with the added excitement of the occasional crew replacement -- possible only if they're "back home" in Federation space.

Second -- Interface the Voyager and DS-9 plot lines. This will create greater interest in both series!

Third -- throw us an occasional "bone" by permitting a character or two from ST:TNG to be involved -- such as Capt. Geordi LaForge, or Mr. Data. Exception -- No Deanna Troi! Kill her off in some gruesome manner and let no character ever mention her name ever again! However, Dr. Beverly! Hubba, hubba!!!

Fourth -- give us some episodes played strictly for laughs! Star Trek always works best when it stops taking itself so seriously -- and ST:VOY takes itself seriously with a vengeance!

Fifth -- lose what me and my Trekkie buddies call "The Beam-of-the-Week syndrome," where there's always some new kind of particle/energy beam, ray, or device responsible for the situation faced by the crew and/or being the crew's eventual salvation. Let's be a bit more creative with how we get our heroes in/out of trouble, without depending on re-inventing various technological wheels every episode.

There you go. Star Trek: Voyager has a lot of potential! Producers-- take my advice only if you want to make money!