Talmarc Productions,

David Carradine, Wes Studi, Michael Parks, Tim Abell, Sarah Aldrich, Irene Bedard, Mark Rolston, Darian Weiss, Masam Holden, Buck Taylor, Tracy Nelson, Rance Howard, Francine York, Brian Libby



Ike (David Carradine) is a highly prejudiced mean old rancher who has a huge chip on his shoulder because with a hatred for all Indians because of a personal loss that he was never able to get over. Meanwhile an Indian family lives in a little house on a homestead property that used to be owned by Ike. He sets his men to drive them off his land. Meanwhile, his daughter is married to an ex-preacher who was never accepted by Ike who despises him and his family. Times are hard for everyone, and yet when a couple tragedies happen, and all are faced with really tough decisions, they must figure out how to work together for the common good. This Western Christmas themed movie is a good family style Western like used to exist in the old days.

This film has a wonderful cast. Right down the line, they are all really good actors. David Carradine is excellent in this Scrooge-like role, and he plays well with Wes Studi who is wonderful as the Native American chief and grandfather of the family. The values and morals of the 1880’s is awe inspiring, and it’s a good movie. For some, it gets resolved pretty quickly, but it has to fit into a 2 hour TV time spot minus commercials, so they did seem to hurry up the ending a little, but still it was very well done and quite well acted. The Chrismas connection is rather week, and it’s another one that stuck a “Christmas” in the title to hopefully pull some more viewers in, but Hallmark did pick up this 2005 film for release in 2006. This is a film with a good message and well worth watching. The violent parts might be a little too intense for younger kids, but I’m sure anyone over about 10 could handle this, and it’s available for streaming on NetFlix so it’s easy to find. If you miss the good westerns of the past, this is a pretty good one.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently No Comments »on this post.

Belladonna Productions, Memento Films International, Uncorked Productions,

Bill Sage, Ambyr Childers, Julia Garner, Wyatt Russell, Nick Damici, Kelly McGillis, Jack Gore, Odeya Rush, Michael Parks, Annemarie Lawless

When Mrs. Parker suddenly turns up dead, the family decides to continue their long held tradition of eating human flesh. Papa Parker puts it upon his daughters to search for and prepare their “food” when the authorities start to suspect something isn’t right and start closing in on them. The children are forced to face their family traditions and determine whether to go along with Dad or not.

This is a very unusual horror film. It’s not really that superb, but it’s not completely awful either. I found that the subject matter was horribly gross, but yet it was not all that awful to watch. If a gore fest like this can be tastefully done, this is probably as good as that gets. There are some memorable scenes, like one in particular early on that takes place in the family cellar that is certainly one you won’t forget anytime soon. But the production values are low, it’s very low budget, but darn it, there are some really interesting parts. All in all, it’s just not up to snuff, but as a fan of horror films, I found myself watching the entire film, then the bonus features on the DVD that talk a lot about how it was made. To their credit, these folks had very little money to work with, and had to do with things as best they could, but they really love the genre and worked really hard to get this on film. So I have to give them credit for their devotion. It’s just hard for me to highly recommend a film with all the production problems that this one has. Now I found it way better than the latest Paranormal Activity:The Marked ones with it’s shaky cam found footage garbage. This is a real movie with actual photography being used. But fans of slick looking high budget horror just isn’t likely to enjoy this. I found myself on the fence and decided to ride on the fence. If you love horror, and are looking for a new viewpoint but don’t mind the low production values, then you’ll probably enjoy this as I did. But if you like production value in your films, then you’ll probably be disappointed. Watch the trailer and decide for yourself.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently No Comments »on this post.

The Weinstein Company, Columbia Pictures,

Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Dennis Christopher, James Remar, Michael Parks, Don Johnson

Django (Jamie Foxx) is an escaped slave who is in trouble. He’s chained and being taken back for sale when German dentist/ bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christop Waltz) shows up looking for him and wanting to purchase his freedom. Django set out as a team to capture the bad guys and turn them in for cash, while Django’s ultimate goal is to find and rescue his wife who was sold to another slave owner and reek havoc all along the way.

This is a homage to the spaghetti westerns of the 70’s from the music and ambiance all the way down to the cheesy titles in the beginning. It truly succeeds at that. I fondly remember the days when these movies were really exciting. This film mixes that genre with the Kill Bill/Pulp Fiction style which is prevalent in other Quentin Tarantino films, and gives the film the unbelievable gun fights that make very little sense and the ultra slow motion views of bodies blowing apart and such. This is exactly what you’d expect from a Tarantino homage to the previously stated films. Jamie Foxx does a pretty decent job of playing the Clint Eastwood guy who’s supposed to be a hero, but that is one thing I think fails a little bit in this film. Clint Eastwood’s hero/good guy thing is perfect because he has a strong understanding of right and wrong, good and bad, and so on. Eastwood is a really hard guy, says little, and still you know and understand his sense of right and wrong. Django, on the other hand, is a little tougher to read. We understand that he’s had a horrible life, and has really been wronged. We also feel for him that he has a right to go after the guys that did him wrong, but somehow there’s just a little too much glee in the revenge angle. He had a bit too much fun killing these guys. Then again, it may be just a bit of resentment I bring to the movie after Jamie Foxx’s Saturday Night Live performance which was so over the line. The whole monologue bit about “I got to kill all the white people! How awesome is that?” bit kind of struck me as a bit over the line. I was a fan of Jamie’s since the In Living Color days which was one of my favorite comedy shows back in the day, but he’s gotten a lot more militant in his “I hate white people” rants in recent years. I’m sorry he hates me so much when I don’t even know him. So perhaps some of that has tainted my enjoyment of his glee in killing white people in this movie.

Christoph Waltz was really good in this film. He brought a lot of humor to the movie, and was a really good, yet quirky guy, that is perfect for the film. I think the homage to the westerns of old is very well pulled off. Certainly Jamie Foxx does a very good job of the hard edged, cool headed angel of death as well. The camera work was very well done, and the setting was very good. For Tarantino fans, this is every bit as good as his other top notch work, and I can see why it was up for so many awards. There is not a lot wrong with this movie, and it deserved all the nods that it got. Remember, however, that if you’re turned off by violence and gore, this, like any other Tarantino work is very graphic. But if you can look past it, this is very well worth watching.

I have not mentioned the original 1966 Django film starring Franco Nero. It’s a similar story, and one many attribute the entire spaghetti western genre. It is a totally different film though, and has no relation to this story at all (other than the general feel to it) so there is no reason to really compare the two. This is not a remake. However, Tarantino says he was researching the director of Django (Sergio Corbucci) and decided to make what he called a “southern” which is a “western” staged in the deep south. Franco Nero, who starred in the original Django actually had a cameo role in Django Unchained.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently No Comments »on this post.

Harvey Boys, The, NVSH Productions

Melissa Leo, John Goodman, Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, Kevin Pollak, Stephen Root, Marc Blucas, Kevin Alejandro, Michael Parks, Anna Gunn

Three teenage boys are discouraged because all the ads for loose women seem to be for gals in New York and Los Angeles. But when they find a local lady offering to have sex with all three of them at once, they jump at the chance. These middle America boys soon find themselves in deep trouble though, as it’s all a setup by a group of fundamentalists who want to use the boys as an example in their compound. But things escalate and the ATF folks show up headed by Joseph Keenan (John Goodman) who is given orders to put an end to the situation at all costs.

This is advertised as a horror film, but it’s not. Granted the boys are held against their will, horror style, but these are fanatical fundamentalists, not crazed insane serial killers. It’s a statement about the government having too much power after the 9/11 attacks and the Patriot Act. Not very realistic, still it’s a good story and well acted. The story grabs your interest, and though it starts out like “Porky’s” it ends up like the Waco story. A few interesting twists and things you probably won’t expect, and it makes itself into a pretty decent story.

It’s got gun violence and some salty language, but in general, it’s your typical action flick. With a lot of slow movies at this time of the year, it’s good to see something a bit original in the new DVD releases. This was a film that missed in the theaters, and as such, it’s a pretty decent rental.

If you’re a fan of action, I would recommend it.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently No Comments »on this post.

Lava Box Entertainment Group, Noble Productions Ltd

Brett Moses, Ryan Hurst, Dominique Swain, Michael Parks, Lee Ann Womack, James Parks, Ron Canada, Wes Brown, Tracy Byrd, James Bobinger

Jimmy Wayne Collins (Brett Moses) is a country star with a career on the rocks. He decides to head bck home to Texas to nurse his dying father, Pete (Michael Parks, and ends up learning a lot about himself and the ties he left behind in his youth. He’s got lots of burned bridges to try to repair as he learns that there’s more to life than fortune and fame and many ways to live an honorable life.

First and foremost, this is a western. But it is much deeper and darker than most. Jimmy has been carrying a secret for many, many years which is eating him alive. When his Dad is really sick, he feels an obligation to take care of him, but neither he, nor his dad, enjoy each other’s company. But he still tries to do what it right. It is clear he is deeply depressed. The secret he is hiding is too much to bear. Plus the stress of being a one hit wonder is pretty tough. This is a well acted morality play of right and wrong. Will Jimmy be able to right the wrong he did years ago and make things right? It’s a deep movie, but pretty good.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 4.0/5 (1 vote cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently No Comments »on this post.