Give 'em hell Pike!

One day in Hollywood directors Sam Peckinpah and John Woo were talking about idea's for new films. You know Sam I am sick of all these cop films I have always wanted to make a western. What about you? Ever since Bonnie and Clyde came out I have wanted to make a film like that with the slow motion death scenes and lots of blood. You mean  like The Magnificent 7 but with  bloody slow motion shootouts.  Ya kind of like that.  You know what that does not sound bad. And this turned into the wild bunch. A Bloody western starring William Holden, Ben Johnson, Warren Otes, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan and Edmond O'brien who are all great in the film. I thought the opening seen with the scorpion and the ants was good and it set the tone for the whole movie. In a way it is kind of like the Magnificent seven because they are fighting a group of bad guys who are robbing from a small Mexican town. And there is a final shootout in which all of the gang dies except for a few. It is one of the best westerns ever made.

Y-You are the... Duke of New... New York. You're A-Number One.

Escape from New York is one of my favorite John Carpenter film's. The cast is great he teams up with Kurt Russell and a who's who of veteran actors like Lee Van Cleef, Harry Dean Stanton, Ernest Borgnine and Donald Pleasence who plays the president. The film also stars Isaac Hays as the main villain the Duke of New York who is pretty bad ass in this film. I think this has to be one of the strangest casts in a movie When Carpenter and Russell join forces you know it's going to be a good film. At the start of the film it says that in 1997 the crime rate rose 400%. So to control all of the criminals they turn the United States biggest city in one large jail. First off where would all the people of New York be re located. They don't really tell you why the crime rate is so high. One of my favorite Carpenter films and my second favorite of the Carpenter/Russell films.

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.

Frank, I never thought I'd say this again. I'm getting the pig!

Last night I watched Red a action/comedy based on the DC comic. It has an all star cast including Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich,Richard Dreyfus,Karl Urban and 93 year old Ernest Borgnine which was so cool to see. It had some good laughs including Helen Mirren shooting an M2 Browning. Willis was just about the same as he is in most of his movies as was Malkovich.  Mary-Louise Parker was also good.This movie is fun for the whole family.

You want another life? Then take me!

Today as part of my week long Hackman fest I watched The Poseidon Adventure Directed by
Ronald Neame(23 April 1911 – 16 June 2010)RIP. It also has an all star cast including Hackman,Red Buttons,Ernest Borgnine and Leslie Nielsen as the captain. It takes place on new years eve and a large earthquake is recorded. Then the lookout spots a huge wave coming right at them.It is too late for the ship the wave smashes into the boat overturning it and killing many on board. Gene Hackman who plays Reverend Frank Scott tries to get every one out of the dining room but only a few will go. Minutes later there is shaking and the Reverend looks to see water pouring into the dining room and within ten minutes most of them are dead. Then 10 people Hackman,Borgnine,Buttons and a few others have too go around the ship looking for a way out. In the end they are finally saved but with only 6 instead of 10. It is the best of the disaster films of the 1970's Towering Inferno and Airport.