Hellfighters

John Wayne stars as a firefighter named Chance Buckman in this 1968 film. 

It's not regarded as one of Wayne's best but, there aren't many films I've come across that are about people fighting oil well fires so, at the very least it's something different.

Chance is the head of an oil-fire fighting team and one day after containing a fire there is an accident that puts him in the hospital. Worrying that Chance may not make it, one of his men from his team Greg Parker (played by Jim Hutton) sets out to find Chance's daughter Tish. Despite getting off to a rough start, within a matter of days, Greg and Tish fall in love and get married. Shortly after, Chance, Greg, Tish, and Chance's ex-wife Madelyn (played by Vera Miles) are all out celebrating the marriage when a call comes in that there is a fire. So, it's back to work but now the dynamic between the two has changed with Chance knowing full well that the dangerous job is what caused Madelyn to leave him. While on their next job Greg's foot gets trapped under a collapsing steel structure and Chance rushes in to save him, and afterwards Chance decides to leave firefighting in favor of a office job. He and Madelyn try to give their relationship another shot but, when a fire in Venezuela gets out of hand, Greg calls up Chance for help and he doesn't hesitate to jump back into action.

Overall it's not great but, especially if your a John Wayne fan, it's pretty entertaining.

I give it a 2.5 out of 5.

Have a suggestion for a review?

Leave it in the comments below.

Today's Movie: Dr. No

Before all the fancy gadgets and huge action set-pieces would become common-place in Bond films, there was a simple but entertaining spy movie that would kickoff the James Bond franchise. That movie is 1962's Dr. No.

The film is based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name and it's one of the few James Bond stories that I actually have not read so I won't compare the two, but as far as the film goes plot is pretty simple: James Bond (played by Sean Connery) is sent to Jamaica after a British Intelligence radio transmission regarding the disruption of rocket launches from Cape Canaveral is unexpectedly interrupted. Once in Jamaica he learns of this mysterious guy named Dr. No (played by Joseph Wiseman) who owns an island called Crab Key. No one who ever goes to Crab Key comes back alive, but since it seems that Dr. No may be behind the rocket launch tampering Bond goes to the island. Of course Dr. No is the bad guy and he works for the evil organization SPECTRE. In the end, Bond foils Dr. No's plan, kills him, and gets the girl in the end.

So, with 24 Bond films to choose from why does this one stand out? First off, Sean Connery (the best Bond in my opinion) is really good in the film. Also,Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) is one of the most iconic of all the 'Bond Girls'. Now, like I stated before, the film doesn't get caught up in all the fancy (and sometimes stupid) gadgets: there's no invisible car, rocket cigarette, or alligator submarine. Sure, one could argue that Dr. No's plan is kind of dumb, but there are far more convoluted and idiotic evil schemes in other Bond films.

Overall, I think this one is a fun, entertaining, and it's one of my top James Bond flicks.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Have a suggestion for a review?

Leave it in the comments below, and if you enjoyed this post please share it on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

Western Wednesday: Shalako

This 1968 Western stars Brigitte Bardot and Sean Connery, and was one of the films that just barely missed the cut on my "10 Sean Connery Movies Everyone Should See" list (you can check out that list here).

The film starts off with a group of wealthy Europeans who are on a hunting trip in New Mexico. For whatever reason they've ventured into Apache territory, and that proves to be a terrible idea.

 A French countess named Irina Lazaar (played by Brigitte Bardot) wanders off and she is soon confronted by some Apaches. Luckily for her she is rescued by Sean Connery wearing cowboy hat... I mean, "Shalako".

Shalako is a former Civil War cavalry officer and has been sent by the Army to get the party out of Apache territory. However, the leader of the party, Frederick von Hallstadt refuses to leave and the Apache soon raid the party's camp. To make matters worse, the party's guide Bosky Fulton takes off with the stage coach, guns and ammunition, and supplies, leaving the party stranded. But they have Shalako, and he's gonna to lead them on foot to an Army fort. Along the way, some Apaches catch up with the hunting party and there is a one-on-one spear fight between Shalako and the Apache chief's son Chato. Shalako is about to win and kill Chato, but the chief intervenes and offers to let the party go on their way safely to the fort if Shalako will agree to spare his sons life.
So, they get to the fort, the hunting party is safe, and Shalako and The Countess ride off together.

Overall, it's not great but it's a decent movie and pretty entertaining. I like Brigitte Bardot in the film and Sean Connery, though not someone you'd typically cast in a Western, is still good.

I give this one a 3 out of 5.


Have a suggestion for a review?
Leave it in the comments below.
 

Western Wednesday: True Grit (1969)

It's Western Wednesday! Last week's review was of a slightly lesser known film River of No Return from 1954. (you can check out that review here: http://onlyinthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/western-wednesday-river-of-no-return.html) However, this week's title is one of the most famous Westerns, and one of my all-time favorites, 1969's True Grit. There was a decent remake of this film in 2010, and I may do a review of that one at a later date, but today my focus is on the original.

The plot is pretty simple but enjoyable. After her father is murdered by a man named Chaney, Mattie (played by Kim Darby) seeks out an aging, U.S. Marshal named "Rooster" Cogburn (played by John Wayne) to bring her father's killer to justice. It takes some convincing but Cogburn eventually agrees, and they set out to capture Chaney. They soon come across, and join forces with a Texas Ranger, named La Boeuf (played by Glen Campbell), who is also pursuing Chaney. So, all three of these people are off to track down the 'bad guy', and each has slightly different motivations, but it works well. And, of course, they eventually find Chaney, Cogburn shoots him, and Mattie's father's killer meets his end.

There's a lot to like about this movie, I find all the characters likable and memorable, the chemistry is solid, and the movie overall is very entertaining. It's also one of the all-time greatest John Wayne performances, and it even won him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

True Grit is a true classic, and I give it a 5 out of 5.

Have a suggestion for a review?

Leave it in the comments below, and be sure to check back for a new review every 'Western Wednesday'

A Look Back At 'Psycho' (1960)

One of Alfred Hitchcock’s great cinematic masterpieces (and I would even argue his best) is 1960’s Psycho. I had previously placed it on my ’10 Movies to Watch in October’ list (which you can check out here: http://onlyinthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/10-movies-to-watch-in-october.html) but I still felt like I should have given it a little more of a in-depth review.

 This is not only a great psychological horror film but a great film overall, with iconic moments, a great score, solid acting (particularly Anthony Perkins) and wall-to-wall suspense. It’s spawned a couple of sequels, a remake, and TV show. Much like Hitchcock urging theater owners not to let people to enter the theater late, because it would ruin the experience, I’ll give the setup and end it there just in case anyone reading this has not seen the movie.

The Film starts out in Phoenix, Arizona. During a hotel rendezvous while on her lunch hour, a secretary at a real estate office named Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh) discusses with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis (played by John Gavin), why they can’t afford to get married because Sam is in pretty substantial debt. When Marion returns from lunch, a client comes by the office and drops off a $40,000 cash deposit for a property. Her boss asks her to deposit the money in the bank, and she asks him if she can take the rest of the afternoon off afterwards. But, she doesn’t go to the bank and instead decides to steal the money to give to Sam. So, Marion heads out of town and toward California where Sam lives. That evening, she pulls over on the side of the road and falls asleep, only to be awakened in the morning by a state trooper. He asks her a couple of questions and is suspicious about her nervous behavior but lets her to drive on anyway. Shaken by the run-in with the officer, Marion stops at a dealership and trades in her car for another and then continues on her way.

Later during her travels, it starts raining pretty heavily so she decides to stop for the night at the Bates Motel where she meets Norman Bates and the whole film take a sudden and violent turn.

Like I stated earlier, I think this is one of the all-time great films and it’s always especially good to watch around Halloween. So, if you’re one of the few who hasn’t seen it -or- if you just haven't watched it in a while, go check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

I give this film a 5 out of 5.

Have a suggestion for a review?

Leave it in the comments below.

...and for some more good reads check out this Book, Video game, and Comicbook blog:
Boredenthusiast.blogspot.com