"The whole thing is a goddamn meat parade. I don't want any part of it."

Alfred Hitchcock

Cary Grant

Anthony Perkins

Dennis Hopper

Ennio Morricone 

Martin Sheen 

You only Live Once

Aldrich

Will Smith

Arthur Penn

Richard Burton

Dan Duryea

Sergio Leone

Peter Lorrie
Tony Curtis

Claude Rains
James Mason
Howard Hawks
Edward G. Robinson  
John Sturges
James Garner
Steve McQueen
Kirk Douglas
Peter Falk
Ray Harryhausen.
Brad Pitt
Harrison Ford
Tom Cruise
Glen Close 
Liam Neeson
Ralph Fiennes
Johnny Depp
Leonardo DiCaprio
Will Smith
Micky Rooney 
Harvey Keitel
Peter O'Toole
Gary Oldman
Christopher Plummer
 Max von Sydow
Viggo Mortensen 
Brian Donlevy

 Tonight we will honor these great men none of who have ever won an Oscar.



George C Scott and Marlon Brando will also be remembered as actors who stood up to this big joke by not accepting that gold painted piece of crap. Hats off to you both.  The quote up top is what Scott had to say about the show.

We got a warrant sworn for attempted murder for them that tried to kill the boy who's laying over there at the Doc's, trying to stay alive. Swore out another one for them that murdered the big fella you had in your cell. Only ours ain't writ by no tin star, bought and paid for, Marshal. It's writ by us, and we aim to enforce it.

I just finished watching the western film "Open Range" directed by and starring Kevin Costner. The film also stars Robert Duvall as two cattle herders that had a good friend killed and another badly hurt. The men must get revenge. While they are getting revenge Costner falls in love with the doctor's sister. Then they finally shoot it out in this great western. I have not seen many new westerns but for the most part I thought it was a good western. I thought the shoot out was great as well. It was like the Hospital scene in "Hard Boiled" except in a western.  Duvall kicks ass in this film.

I never had no mother. We was too poor.

I just finished watching "Royal Wedding" from 1951 starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell as a brother and sister dancing team that are going to London to open their new musical show. But while in England they each fall in love. Powell with Rat Pack member Peter Lawford and Fred with Sarah Churchill. Fred Astaire has many great dancing such as where he dances on the ceiling and the wall. The dance number with the coat rack on the boat is also superb. The film was directed  by the great musical director Stanly Donen who also directed such classics as "On the Town, Singin' in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Pajama Game" and many other classic musicals. I liked the film it was a very good musical.

And I am *not* intoxicated... yet!

 "McLintock!" is a low point in John Wanye's career. McLintock is one of the few comedies that is not funny. I don't think anyone in their right mind would want to watch 127 minutes of John Wanye and Maureen O'Hara yelling at each other. When he's not yelling he's drinking. At least it has good old Bruce Cabot which is the only thing it has going for it. The mud fight is the best scene in the whole movie. But as far as John Wanye fights and movie fights in general this one is really bad. Stay far far away from this one.

Take "Frankenstein, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Wolf Man, The Blob" and just about every other 50's horror film, then take a human sized "King Kong" and a town who's police and citizens are just as dumb or dumber then Moe, Larry and Curly, put them together and you get "Scholck."

"Schlock" was relased in 1973 and was the debut film of John Landis who directed such films as "Animal House, The Blues Brothers" and "An American Werewolf in London"  to name a few. Landis is also the the man in the ape suit. The scene when Landis rips apart the car would later be used in Clint Eastwood's worst acting job in the film "Any Which Way but Loose". The movie is just pretty much similar to "King Kong" but with comedy and the movies up top. It can get repetitive at times but overall he did good for his first film.

Any man failing to report to duty will be promptly hanged. Amen.

Last night I watched the film "Drums along the Mohawk" from 1939 directed by the great John Ford and stars Claudette Colbert, Henry Fonda and John Carradine. The film is set during the later years of the Revolutionary War. Fonda and Colbert play a newly married couple that go to up state New York to live on a farm he's built. But that all soon changes when Indian and British forces attack. This attack forces them to move closer to the local fort. Carradine plays the main villian who wares an eye patch on his right eye. The film was produced by 3 time Oscar winning producer Darryl F. Zanuck known for "The Grapes of Wrath" and "The Longest Day" both of which star Henry Fonda. It was slow at times,but overall it was a good film.

This war was NOT started for your private gratification, and you can be damned sure its not being run for your personal convenience, either!

This week I watched one of my favorite movies,The Dirty Dozen a war film starring Lee Marvin,Robert Ryan,Jim Brown,Donald Sutherland,Telly Savalas,Charles Bronson,Ernest Borgnine and George Kennedy.The film is about 12 prisoners who must go on a secret mission behind German lines. The film involves many of the same people from Flight of the Phoenix. including Borgnine and Kennedy, director Robert Aldrich, composer Frank De Vol and screen writer Lukas Heller.This is also in my top five war films along with The Great Escape,Where Eagles Dare,The Longest Day and Bridge on the River Kwai. Classic Film!!!

The people here could die for lack of water, and you took it?

The Flight of the Phoenix has to be one of my favorite movies. It has an all star cast including James Stewart,Richard Attenbough,Ernest Borgine,Peter Finch and George Kennedy to name a few. These men and 7 others must fight to survive. Two of the men one of who is the directors son William Aldrich are killed when the cargo crushes them. With very little water they must rebuild a new plane out of the old one.But after being warned several times  about not going out into desert by Jimmy Stewart 3 men Finch,Borgnine and Alex Montoya go out. Only Finch returns.The other two die from lack of water. then as the film goes on three more die including a man wounded in the crash.

One thing I noticed was that they had a tribute To The Day the Music Died because of the 7 men that died they only buried 3,the 3 whose deaths were caused by the crash. It is one of Borgine's and Stewart's best performances. I also liked the dramatic music composed and conducted by De Vol who conducted some of Aldrich's other films such as the Dirty Dozen. I also really loved the main title it is very dramatic. This would be the start of George Kennedy's long career with planes starring in all 4 Airport movies and later a small role in The Delta Force. Stewart also starred in other airplane films such as  Strategic Air Command and The Spirit of St. Louis. But later on during the filming Stuntman Paul Mantz and one other flier were testing the plane when it crashed. The  crash would kill Mantz. This would have to be my favorite airplane movie.

RIP John Barry

Today I am saddened by the passing of English  composer John Barry. John Berry who won five Oscars over his career is most known for composing the Bond films from Dr. No to the Living Daylights. Barry also composed the music for Dances with Wolves,Midnight Cowboy,The Knack …and How to Get It,Some Where in Time,Out of Africa,Zulu and the Black Hole. Black Hole and Zulu are what I know him for most outside of Bond. I also very much liked his score for the Knack. John Barry was 77. John will be missed.