23 - Dear God

Connection To GOD BLESS AMERICA - Larry Miller appears briefly in both.

Dear God's plot can actually be summed up pretty easy - conman forced with jail time or getting a job gets a job in the post office and ends up answering the request of somebodies letter to God, his co-workers end up joining in this good deed even with the legality of it all.

Greg Kinnear is the said conman who does go through the predictable change but it's not a bad thing, I may have watched this on the night, this probably more better suited to the afternoon, a film that's ultimate goal is to give you a nice warm fuzzy feeling about (it's even set around Christmas time - but that's not an overbearing part of the movie), he's always been a pretty decent actor but he only ever touches on a good role every now and again and he is - I am going to go with the overall word that represents this movie - likable...

Yeah, he's likable, everything's likable - it's not meant to threatening - grumpy characters hearts melt, people change for the good - the ending is even crowd cheering the goodness, there's some decent supporting cast including Laurie Metcalf, Tim Conway and in a smaller role Jack Klugman, Maria Pitillo as Kinnear's love interest is not bad per say, she's just not written as much other then be a single mother and be pretty

The film's heart is in the right place as the films message is nice the have-not's doing something for the other have-not's, there's enough that's funny (in a light sort of way - where you'll smile rather then laugh out loud)

Overall, it's say it with me - LIKABLE - The film is not really meant to be anything more I think and so for that reason it's such a short round up this time because they are only some many times you can say that.

22 - God Bless America

Connection To Police Academy 4 - Bobcat Goldthwait 

Dear Mr. Goldthwait,  

I enjoyed you so much as the guy with the funny voice from movies that I love such as the Police Academy films, One Crazy Summer and Scrooged. But wow, as a filmmaker you've really impressed me - I didn't think anybody could make a sweet film about a woman that gives a blowjob to a dog, but you really impressed me with World's Greatest Dad - though it was a trifle unnecessary to see Robin Williams' penis - took a subject and realistically showed how one small lie could go out of control - I am genuinely excited to see God Bless America 

Yours sincerely, 

Me 

P.S. sorry I haven't seen Shakes The Clown, that's why I didn't mention it

That's a short letter I would probably write to Bobcat Goldthwait before seeing God Bless America, for me personally no actor turned director recently have quite impressed me like him, so there's actors who are more flashy, more award friendly (I did like Ben Affleck's Argo), but over the last 10 or so years Goldthwait as being doing some pretty darn good black comedy on the smaller budget scale (you know in comparison). Of the previous Goldthwait films I have seen I have been very satisfied (like that dog) - Sleeping Dogs was good and World's Greatest Dad was better, but anyway onto God Bless America, which I have clearly pretended I haven't watched before writing of all the above.

God Bless America (or GBA I'll call it from now on) feels extremely timely - even as a Brit - I could feel the disenchantment that was felt with the world that is felt with this movie - how people act, the rise of reality TV and who is made famous because of it.

The film opens with a man who daydreams and ends up shooting a baby (which is not seen on-screen), I imagine this could be something that immediately put somebody off the film

That man is Frank (Joel Murray - brother of Bill and a former co-star of Goldthwait), who while at home flicking through the channels he sees a bunch of "reality" shows including something similar to the housewives show which ends up one woman throwing her bloody tampon at the other and an episode of American Superstarz where an handicapped guy is getting humiliated by the judges

he gets fired from his job when the receptionist that he simply nice to puts in a complaint against him and also finds out from a disinterested doctor that he has a brain tumour. Whilst trying to commit suicide a reality show starring a spoiled teenage girl comes on who throws a huge tantrum when her parents get her the wrong colour car and as an Epiphany.

He drives to the girl's school and handcuffs her to her steering wheel and ends up killing her at point blank rage, a classmate of hers Roxy (Tara Lynn Barr) witnesses this, after this he goes back to trying to kill himself in the motel but Roxy tracks him down, convincing him the media will only see him as an obsessed stalker with a crush who killed her, he ends up killing her parents after saying he only wants bad people to die and he ends up taking Roxy along for the ride.

While on paper it could sound like Natural Born Killers updated slightly, we don't end up necessary rooting for the pair and who they kill, because they mostly deserve to be told off rather then be shot to death, what is most scary particularly things like the reality TV shown, they all be fake shows but they are all so very real, Goldthwait as embellished absolutely nothing, the same for the moments of rudeness in people - the horrible cinema goer etc. - you see a lot of people like this in the real world now especially when it comes to technology. 

Murray is great and it's surprise that he doesn't get more roles, even minor, it's seems like he only pops up in roles every now and again, but he really shines, Barr's performance somewhat reminded me of Ellen Page in SUPER, this is not a negative comparison, I loved Page in that movie and to be thought of in the same breath is a compliment.

Overall, a great movie for me but a movie I would imagine would and could divide opinion which many a dark-comedy can, but enough people who will bother to watch this will find that it's a gem.

21 - Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol

Connection To THE QUICK AND THE DEAD - Sharon Stone

I really love the Police Academy movies, these are the words I feel I need to start with, this is not any confessional - I am proud of it, I had them all on VHS back in the day (except the last one which hadn't been made yet), they all must have got watched plenty of times - I always insisted on going to bed at a certain time (strange kid I know) where I would a video, very little of them where actually "kid" movies (though some where) and they would often be comedies such as Scrooged, Spaceballs - stuff like that, stuff that had adult jokes, Police Academy since there was 6 of them, where the kings. I think 2 and 6 where probably my least favourite then, so it was a battle between Miami Beach and the other 3 movies that where admittedly pretty similar.

I think 4 was my favourite though if I had to pick, though it stuck to the formula that already established, I think I enjoyed the mix of the pre-established characters and some of the new faces (Mrs. Feldman, House etc.) and thus it's probably still my favourite of the bunch.

1,3 and 4 basically go like this - new recruits put through, wacky hi-jinks ensure, criminals who wasn't a threat for the rest of the movie became a threat and everybody bands together at the end to defeat them. 1 dealt with the original recruits like Mahoney, Hightower and Jones, whilst the 3rd (Back In Training) had them original recruits be instructors against a rival academy (the city can only keep one open), whilst deals with real citizens in the C.O.P. (Citizens On Patrol) initiative, but let's face it these differences are only there to make the films just a little bit different.

Most of the old favourites get a chance to shine from Zed (Bobcat Goldthwait) to Lassard (George Gaynes), but some are close to just being there and I'm thinking the filmmakers just didn't want them left out. I always liked Steve Guttenberg in these movie, he seems to get a lot of flack but he's a very likable presence.

Harris (G.W. Bailey) is back replacing Art Mertano as Mauser, which for some reason was said because he had an accident that left him in a wheelchair for life (which is true) but that didn't happen until 1989 - who replaced him in the 2nd and 3rd, he's even inherited his lackey Proctor (Lance Kinsey) with zero explanation, I guess they didn't need to explain it since it's there job to be the antagonist. I think I prefer Harris of the two, I just preferred his performance and his comeuppance always seemed more satisfactory.

David Spade makes his debut and he's shockingly with the wise-cracks as a skateboarder saved from jail by Mahoney who gets him into the C.O.P. program, Spade's double for the skateboarding scenes is none other then Tony Hawk while Sharon Stone plays the girl-of-the-week (if this was a TV show) for Mahoney, who is a reporter covering the project, another noticeble face for me Corinne Bohrer as a recruit and Zed's love interest is a very pretty lady and remember her in a short-lived sit-com around the early 90s it might have been called Free Spirit something like, I think she was a witch in that, anyway I digress she also later played Veronica's mother on Veronica Mars.

The random funniest scene for me is Lassard is talking about the C.O.P program and forgetting what it stands for and Zed next to him saying Citizens On Patrol in gritted teeth and then Lassard repeating it in gritted teeth, don't know why that still makes me laugh to this day.

Of these new faces only House would appear in the next movie (and that's it) - which would mark no more Mahoney, as well as Zed and Sweetchuck, Billie Bird (Mrs. Feldman) would appear in the sixth movie but is playing a different character for some reason.

Overall I just like it I can still watch this now (like the other films) and get so much enjoyment out of me, if you hate the Police Academy movies as a rule though I can't see this changing your mind.

20 - The Quick and The Dead

Connection To NIGHTMARES - Lance Henriksen

After watching Nightmares it was supposed to lead onto Maximum Overdrive, per the Emilio Estevez connection, and You Tube had it on ready and all planned but in the meantime it was took off which as taught me a lesson not to plan too far ahead and just take it has it comes, there is a list of stuff I have saved with possible connections but I think that has taught me not to stay so close to that.

Anyway I digress, so that brings me up to the second western in as many days - Sam Raimi's 1995 The Quick and The Dead. This is the first time I've seen it since the 90's (when I was a teenager) and you know what I really bloody enjoyed this.

I was a would-be filmmaker at one point and this is the sort of western I would have come up with if I had the chance, I mean that more not about the plot or anything but it's certainly a western influenced by the western film rather then historical if this sentence makes sense.

The motive of Sharon Stone's character is straight out of Once Upon A Time In The West and that of Harmonica (the reveal scenes are very similar) but even though she is the de-facto star it feels more like an ensemble piece ( 2 of the co-stars Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio where not a-list yet) and it sort of feels like characters inspired from other westerns all mixed together and see if it works - which it does.

Gene Hackman is the bastard bad guy, who holds an annual dueling competition likely in some points to get rid of potential rivals and to show the townsfolk who fear him how dangerous he is, he as the old Freudian excuse which works in showing how much of a cold bastard he is.

The two main support are the future stars - Crowe and DiCaprio -this was Crowe's first US movie (and wouldn't be embarrassing like what was coming up soon for him - Virtiousity) and DiCaprio had the success already of an Oscar Nom for Gilbert Grape and some other well received films both are great in their roles, Crowe as the Reverend who was once part of Hackman's gang forced into the competition and DiCaprio as the Kid, cocky and the son of Hackman.

There's also some cool supporting players such as Keith David and Lance Henriksen, who both have their moments and considering how many duels are in this movie, none of them are ever boring, one even including a cool shot shown from the back of a bullet going right through a head.

Overall a fun western, I don't know if purest will dislike it but for me it was really well done with great characters and performances and it never has a dull moment.

19 - Nightmares

Connection To GOIN' SOUTH - Veronica Cartwright

This was a film I wasn't that familiar too until very recently, it had never been on my radar and was honestly looking through films that where on Youtube in full and this was one so I read up about it, I'm not going to pretend I knew of it's existence before then.

With horror anthology movies I think most people can count them on one or two hands - The Creep Show movies, Twilight Zone Movie, Dead Of Night - most likely perhaps, some will say Body Bags or The Willies among others as well, and I know I'm leaving loads off but the point is I think horror anthology is more something people will associate with television.

The first thing I'll say about Nightmares, is that  the running roughly of 90 minutes just flies by - 4 stories, none of them hidden classics, at least don't wear out their welcome, I swear I thought I'd been watching less then an hour by the time the fourth one finished.

The first story up is "Terror In Topanga" (nobody better tell Cory - I've been holding that joke in since I saw the title come up), I think it's the weakest of the bunch, I was going to say the ending is stole by the movie Urban Legend but then I realized the ending is probably based off the original urban legend.

"The Bishop Of Battle" was made in the 80's don't you know - well obviously the whole film was but this just stands out with the clothing, the walkman, the arcade graphics, Emilio Estevez seems to play the typical 80's douche who's obsessed with getting to Level 13 on a arcade game, fun segment.

"The Benediction" as Lance Henriksen as a Priest who as give up on faith after a child death, it's probably the best acted since Henriksen is a talented guy, this is the one that probably felt it went by quickest to me (but I didn't sit and time each segment).

"Night Of The Rat" is goofy but is fun and features a giant rat ending up terrorising the home of Veronica Cartwright and Richard Masur. As there ever been a feature length film with the same plot, I'd be surprised if it hasn't.

Overall, even though stories verge on the silly, it's sort of fun and like I said the time just flew by, as give me a taste to maybe watch some more horror anthologies somewhere down the line, I recommend it but reviews I've read suggest it wasn't brilliantly recieved.

18 - Goin' South

Connection To CAMP NOWHERE - Christopher Lloyd

Last year I went on a Clint Eastwood binge, this mean't watching a lot of his westerns - seeing many of them for the first time - this is related to Goin' South because it re-sparked my love for the western, it reminded me what I enjoyed so much about these oaters. It's not that I'd gone off the western, it's just being a few years since I got on a roll with them, hell even one of my favourite films is a western (Once Upon A Time In The West).

Anyway this brings me to the 1978 western Goin' South, starring and directed by Jack Nicholson and with a pretty darn cool supporting cast and I think was not successful on original release because it seems somewhat forgotten as far as I know.

Henry Moon (Nicholson) is a robber who is sentenced and to be hanged in Longhorn, but due to bill from the Civil War, that allows a condemned man to be saved from the gallows if an unmarried woman would like to marry him and be responsible for him. Julie Tate (Mary Steenburgen) weds Moon, for him to work in a goldmine on her property, Moon's old gang show up and discover that they are mining gold but Julie and Moon's relationship is changing.

Like a lot of the best westerns you notice how it's shot with a lot of great use of locations, I think this was only 1 of 3 Nicholson actually directed, and none of the films really where too successful at best, his co-star Steenburgen (in her movie debut) plays naive well and has good chemistry with Nicholson and there is enjoyable supporting cast including John Belushi (also making his movie debut technically, this was shot before Animal House but released after), Danny DeVito (whose worked with Nicholson 5 times total I think), Christopher Lloyd (really enjoyed him here), Ed Begley Jr. and Tracey Walter. It's also fun seeing Lloyd lusting after Steenburgen an whole 12 years before the romance of Back To The Future 3.

Overall it deserves to be better known that actually is, Like I said Nicholson and Steenburgen have decent fun chemistry in the leads and have a great cast around them, I'd recommend this for fans of the western genre.

17 - Camp Nowhere

Connection To THE EYE - Jessica Alba

I don't recall ever seeing this before, I mean it could have been on in the school holidays and watched it, but I doubt it because I tend to have a pretty good memory of what I have actually watched, and honestly I think if I would have seen it I would have liked and possibly held even if minor some sort of affection for it.

Yeah, I liked this, the Rotten Tomatoes fresh rating of only 10% just honestly seems a tad unfair, I talked about bad child actors a little bit in the write up for Leave It To Beaver, even mentioning the 1994 Little Rascals (which just this week as had a new Direct To DVD film called Save The Day), but there is none of that problem here, all the kids are likable and none deliver bad performances.

The films plot sees the kids lead by Mud (Jonathan Jackson) realizing they are all facing the same thing - a boring summer camp this year (all of them different) and trick their parents into sending them to the same summer camp (with no counsellers or rules or etc.) with the help of Christopher Lloyd, who they've paid a $1000 too, they end up blackmailing him to run he camp when they soon get bored with the lack of rules.

While it's lightweight stuff - it is a kid's movie after all - it was very enjoyable to watch, Jessica Alba appears as originally an extra but gets bumped up to have a few lines and Smallville's Allison Mack is also among the cast. It dawned on me while watching as well that the red headed girl right at the front on the picture was my the show Hang Time.

I can see while the film as built a loving following. Back To The Future fans should take in that Lloyd shares screen time with Biff Tannen himself, speaking of Lloyd he's great as the "adult" lead role.

Overall fun, funny with an enjoyable cast of child actors. The only problems I really saw is the feeling at the end how the really situation would go down to how it was in this movie.