I am 51 years old and can remember watching this as a child. It was a major event in our house. Staying up late to watch the whole movie was a treat. It is still a treat to watch it now. As I sit here watching it on TBS while typing this posting, you can't help but sing along with the songs. I can remember being scared to death by the witch. Her laugh gave me the heebie-jeebies. Movies from this era were so well made. To attempt to make this kind of production today would cost much more than any film made. Today computers make special effects so easy. Back then you had to very ingenious to have believable special effects. This is one of my top 10 movies off all time. It makes you feel like a kid again, and isn't that what a movie is suppose to do, take you to another time and place. Those that don't understand are entitled to their opinions, but they really don't understand the real world. The more advanced the mind, the more need for play (or fun and escape). Just my humble opinion and something to think about.
Reviews
9 Reviews
Outlaw Blues
(1977)
Filmed while I was UT. Some friends and I were extras.
20 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Outlaw Blues was a OK film. Not great, but not the worst ever made. I was a student at the University of Texas at Austin when it was filmed. A friend and I were extras in the movie. The scene when Peter Fonda was in the record store and he was being mobbed was filmed at Dobie Mall, a high rise private dorm with a shopping center on the first two floors. Two friends and I were going to Dobie Mall to buy some film and we saw the movie crew outside, setting up for the shoot. They had closed the mall part of the building, so we just stood on the street and watched. After a while, a man (looked like a director type) walked up and asked how long we would be standing there? One of my friends got smart and said "You can't make us leave, this is a public street." The director type said he was looking for two more extras for the scene. The same friend then asked, "How much will you pay us?" The director said there was no pay and he only needed two guys. The director looked at my other friend and I and asked if we would do it? We jumped at the chance, leaving the other friend standing on the street with a stupid look on his face. We were taken aside and told when the cop came out of the mall chasing Fonda and Susan St James, to get in his way and hold him up. They told us to grab him and just kind of hold him back. We ran through it a couple of times and then they shot the scene. The cop ran out through the crowd, we grabbed him and that was it. From the time we were approached until it was over it was only about thirty minutes. After it was over, we were told "thanks" and they closed the set and left. When the movie came out, we went and waited for our scene. After all of that, all that was showing in the movie was my shoulder and arm. My friends ribbed my about it, but I know it was me. I still have the shirt I wore in the scene. I know it wasn't much of a screen presence, but I was in a movie, even if it was just my arm and shoulder. When it is on TV, it is fun to watch and see Austin the was it was then, how the places looked then, see some other people I knew in college that were in the film, and of course, my shoulder and arm.
McQ
(1974)
GOOD "DUKE" MOVIE...NOT THE BEST, BUT ABOVE AVERAGE
6 September 2004
McQ was one of John Wayne's efforts to move into a new era. McQ was not the best of Wayne's movies, but it wasn't the worst (an old friend who is no longer around once said there were no bad John Wayne movies). Just turning 50 myself, I remember the John Wayne movies of my youth, and Wayne was always "tops" on my list. McQ was "Classic Wayne" in a new era. The 70s were a time when men were starting to become different in the movies. Not like the men of my youth. Wayne kept that "macho" image going. In another post, a comment was made the Wayne used "big weapons" to foil the bad guys long before Rambo did. That is exactly right. It is great to sit and watch an action movie with so many great starts of the past (Wayne, Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur, Colleen Dewhurst, Clu Gulager, and a young Roger E. Mosley). Another thing that is of interest is these so called "movie experts" that watch movies, and don't understand one thing about the movie they comment one. McQ's car was a Trans Am, not an AMC Hornet. It was referred to at a "Green Hornet" in reference to the TV show "The Green Hornet." It was the nickname of his car, not the made or model of the car. His Trans Am was the same color as the Green Hornet's car. This is a good John Wayne movie. Good music, good car chases, good story line. It is a good movie to sit and watch on an rainy afternoon. Enjoy it for what it is. A nice chance to relive some moments from your youth, and see the Duke in action. Enjoy yourself, and have fun. That was the purpose of the movie.
Star Trek: First Contact
(1996)
Song.."Magic Carpet Ride"
28 June 2004
This was a great song for the scene it was placed in. Makes you want to fly. In this movie, (towards the end) Geordi La Forge and William Riker are on the first warp dive starship, and are getting ready to blast into space with it's inventor, Zefram Cochrane, played by actor James Cromwell. Cochrane, just before the liftoff, says he has forgot something and starts hunting frantically for that something. He produces a cassette tape, and puts it in a player in the spaceship. It is "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf. The year is suppose to be 2063. I could see this song, as well as much of the old rock and roll surviving well into the late 21st century. It was the perfect song for this scene in the movie. This song rocks. It is great to see people of the current generation finding out how great the music of my generation is. ROCK AND ROLL OF THE 60s and 70s LIVES ON FOREVER.
Speedway
(1968)
A classic Elvis flic.
11 March 2004
A classic Elvis movie. Elvis sings a song, Elvis gets in a jam, Elvis sings a song, Elvis wins the girl, Elvis sings a song. Today, people may view these types of film boring, but it is classic Americana. The blue racing jacket, with the white stripes is so 60s. In fact, the jacket is currently displayed in the Hard Rock Cafe in Houston, Texas. It is over the booth that I always sit in when I eat there. A great treat for an Elvis fan. Such notable performers as Bill Bixby, Nancy Sinatra, Gale Gordon, William Schallert, and Carl Ballentine make this film fun for anyone and everyuone who is a fan of classic 60s movies. Add the fact of some Elvis songs, and you can go wrong. I recommend this film to everyone. It is not Elvis' best movie, but certainly in the top ten.
A "must see" movie for every athlete.
26 February 2004
A very fine, excellent movie. It was, on the most part, historically correct. The writers took some liberties with the story line. For example: 1) the American team didn't get to Athens during the opening ceremonies, they arrived well in time, and in fact were in Athens almost a full week before the Games started. 2) The American athletes were not as "weak" as most of the athletes from the other countries thought. Most knew of the Americans and their performance prior to the Games. 3) the American swimmer did place, taking second in his event. In spite of a few minor "changes," the movie still is one of the best movies on the start of the Olympic movement. Most people don't know the true story, and that is fine. The movie was a motivational tale, and should be viewed by any athlete who needs that "motivational" push before the big competiton. Few sports movie do that, but there are others out there (Rocky, For The Love Of The Game, Running Brave to name a few). An excellent movie. Don't miss it.
Tour of Duty
(1987–1990)
Great show. Shame it went only three seasons.
18 December 2003
Tour of Duty was a great show. The combination of stories and music was excellent. It is a shame that shows like this never make it very long. The masses want "mindless entertainment" and not quality shows. Oh well, TV goes on.
The Natural
(1984)
One of the best sports movies ever made.
31 August 2003
One of the best sports movies ever made. Although it didn't follow the book exactly, and the screenplay adds other people to the storyline, it was a masterful movie. It is one of those movies that athletes should watch (along with Rocky), before the big competition, to get "pumped up." Redford had played baseball in college (freshman year) but hadn't picked up a bat in 20 years. He copied the style of Ted Williams, and even used Williams number in the movie. He DID look like a player form the era. A movie that everyone (not just sports fans) should see. Really makes you LOVE THE STORY that sports can give you.
Great Film, Very Inspiring
13 March 2002
This is one of my favorite films on the Olympics. Although is doesn't completely tell the true historical story, as in Bud Greenspan's films, it does tell the story very well. The writer, director, and producer do take some liberties with the facts, but the film does show the trials and tribulation of some of the first "stars" of the revival of the Olympic Games. You will see many faces that go on, in their careers, to bigger and better acting roles, along with some old favorites. A great film that should inspire anybody about working hard towards a goal, and how the outcome can benefit you, even if the outcome is not what you desired. This film is on the level of Rocky and other great, heartwarming sport films.
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