An Unfinshed Life. 2005. Germany.

Jennifer Lopez is the daughter-in-law of Robert Redford. Years before she was driving a car which resulted in an accident and her husband dying.

Her father-in-law blames her. He has a farm/ranch and his old friend (Morgan Freeman) lives there as well.

He doesn't know he has a daughter, and Lopez, fleeing her current man in her life, after he was violent towards her, runs to Redford's character.

Then we have a story of redemption, second chances and healing, very predictable, not bad, but mot something truly memorable either.

Morgan Freeman = 44/57.

Robert Redford = 26/38.

Jennifer Lopez = 12/23.

My rating = 6/10.

Harold. 2008. USA.

Spencer Breslin, (younger brother of Abigail, who was in Little Miss Sunshine) is the lead role as Harold, a thirteen year old boy who suffers from very early male pattern baldness.

Whilst suffering at school he establishes a friendship with the janitor played by Cuba Gooding Jr.

It sounds bad, but is actually very amusing and has a good story and you know the good guys will win and they do!

The movie is filled with great odd ball characters.

A very entertaining romp!

Cuba Gooding Jr = 20/40.

My rating = 8/10.

The Sergei Bonderchuk Awards for May 31 2010 - June 06 2010.

WORST MOVIE: Judge Dredd.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sean Bean (North Country)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Frances McDormand (North Country)

BEST ACTOR: Reece Thompson (Assassination of a High School President)

BEST ACTRESS: Charlize Theron (North Country)

BEST DIRECTOR: Drew Barrymore (Whip It)

MOST SURPRISING MOVIE: Whip It

MOST DISAPPOINTING MOVIE: Bright Star

BEST SHORT MOVIE: The Jedi Hunter.

BEST MOVIE: North Country.

Infamous. 2006. USA.

Some movies are automatically compared to others. Sequels are compared to their originals. Remakes are compared to the original source. In this case it is not either of these but the case where another movie is made treading similar ground to another movie.

Infamous is the story of Truman Capote and his writing of the book In Cold Blood, which had just been filmed the year before with award winning Capote.

So, rightly, or wrongly this movie is compared to Capote and well suffers from that comparison. The biggest problem is the lead role. Toby Jones is no match for Philip Seymour Hoffman, and in the role of Harper Lee Sandra Bullock is nowhere near Catherine keener.

This movie had some interest but with comparison and as a whole, it was average.

Sigourney Weaver = 24/43.

Sandra Bullock = 22/37.

Gwyneth Paltrow = 30/36.

Daniel Craig = 13/29.

My rating = 6/10.

Invincible. 2006. USA.

Mark Wahlberg is a thirty year old man who becomes the oldest ever NFL rookie in this story based on true events.

Disney has made liberties with the story and made it seem a little more incredulous than what it really was, he was not just plucked from the streets but was playing in a lower grade competition and of course the ending was manufactured a bit, however it was true that this man of an age where in sport most would say had done his dash become a rookie and played for three seasons.

Well made and acted inspirational story from Disney.

Mark Wahlberg = 19/24.

My rating = 7/10.

Exit Wounds. 2001. USA.

Steven Seagal features in action film revolving around police corruption and weapons dealing etc.

A bunch of rappers and other actors are in the support cast which lift the movie. The script is surprisingly good and all in all it is an average movie.

Steven Seagal = 08/19.

Anthony Anderson = 16/30.

My rating = 6/10.

The Code. 2009. USA.

A veteran thief played by Morgan Freeman, recruits a younger thief played by Antonio Banderas, to pull a final job to satisfy the Russian mob.

There are many twists and turns along the way. some of them quite ridiculous, but it all fits neatly together at the end in true Hollywood fashion, to make an average story.

Morgan Freeman = 43/57.

My rating = 6/10.

Rosewod. 1997. USA.

Movie surrounding true story of race riot in Rosewood a Florida village in 1923.

The movie is well acted but it has a predictable bent which it cannot escape from, and there is not much to gain from in hope with the movie.

Bruce McGill = 24/57.

Michael Rooker = 13/46.

Don Cheadle = 22/34.

My rating = 6/10.

Ghost Town. 2008. USA.

Familiar story with nice reworkings, as man who does not like people starts seeing dead people who need help to have their issues resolved.

A farcical story is well executed and entertaining, although we are in not much doubt where it is all heading and with that in some parts it did drag its tale.

Overall good.

Greg Kinnear = 22/30.

My rating = 7/10.

Assassination of a High School President. 2008. USA.

A comedy/crime movie with the setting in a High School and the feeling of a film noir movie.
This was done in the last couple of years with the movie Brick, but where they take the subject and in reality themselves too seriously, this is more light hearted and has the ability to laugh at it's incredulous set up.

Bruce Willis lends weight to the cast and is good as the almost insane school principal who is vigilant about gum chewing to the point where other more serious matters seem to go by the way side.

A good feel for the movie, and well acted, lend to an entertaining yarn.

Bruce Willis = 59/61.


My rating = 7/10.

Feast of Love. 2007. USA.

A meditation on love in a number of different expressions is a very good movie, well made, and well acted with an engaging story line, which leaves you with a strong feeling though.

It leaves you with the knowledge that none of these expressions of love are the purest form of love and that can only come from God, we also see that without God as the centre of love then love is really shallow.

Good, but challenging in that the truth is missing at the core of the feast, leaving you ultimately hungry,

Greg Kinnear = 21/30.

Fred Ward = 17/58.

Morgan Freeman = 42/57.

My rating = 7/10.

North Country. 2005. USA.

Charlize Theron heads a big cast in harrowing but triumphant story of woman working in a mine and taking on the system to win sexual harassment case.

The fact that this is based on historical events makes it more intriguing and Theron is excellent in her performance.

The supporting cast is great and although it takes liberties with the story it does a very good job.

Charlize Theron = 19/31.

Woody Harrelson = 21/45.

Richard Jenkins = 35/56

Xander Berkeley = 22/73.

My rating = 8/10.

Edward Blender Hands. 2007. USA.

Short film a parody of Edward Scissor hands sees character with blenders for hands who fails at everything in life, until he discovers he can make alcoholic cocktails.

Pretty silly, but short and engaging on a certain level.

My rating = 5/10.

The Wolfman. 2010. UK.

A visual feast and a great attempt at a homage to movies of this ilk from an earlier age, sadly it all comes across with an aloofness, and we never really get grabbed by the story.

A nice attempt, but ultimately average.

My rating = 6/10.

Star Struck. 2010. USA.

Disney made for TV movie about music star and girl who is not a fan and their relationship.

Hypocritical Disney movie has them preaching stars should be who they want to be and not hide their real lives for that sake of a dollar, when everyone knows Disney controls their child stars lives to an uncomfortable level.

A weak movie.

My rating = 4/10.

Judge Dredd. 1995. USA.

When you want to make a movie adaptation from something which has pre-existing source material, there is always an idea that you should read the source material and use it so that what you make bears some resemblance to the original material.

This is rule number one and this rule is broken by the makers of this rubbish movie.

Stallone is miscast as Dredd and the whole story reeks of Hollywood thinking if we put more explosions in the movie it will be better.

The choice of Rob Schneider was the antithesis of inspired and was a major liability to the movie.

All up a very weak movie.

Diane Lane = 22/40.

My rating = 3/10.

The Jedi Hunter. 2002. USA.

Short movie which is a parody of both Star Wars and The Crocodile Hunter, has some amusing moments but is merely average.

Did win some film festival awards, but was quite awkward in places.

My rating = 5/10.

Nine. 2009. USA.

A musical adaptation of the famous Fellini movie 8 1/2 is a lesser movie than the original but still has its sparkling moments.

It also has the strangeness of the original within it, and really must be viewed after seeing the orignal to make sense of it.

I think the time delay between the two movies, thirty six years meant that a lot of modern day cinema viewers had not seen the original and were probably confused by this adaptation.

Daniel Day Lewis heads the cast and is very good, Kate Hudson and Judi Dench were also good.

Daniel Day Lewis = 11/19.

Kate Hudson = 14/19.

My rating = 7/10.

The Gun and the Pulpit. 1974. USA.

Gunfighter who is falsely accused of crime is about to be lynched, manages to escape, as always, and is on the run being chased by a posse.

He finds a dead minister's body and disguises himself as the minister, going into the local town, which has been taken over by bad guys and he saves the town, through his own means and sparking the life in the town members themselves.

Average western yore, in early seventies made for TV movie.

My rating = 6/10.

Nurse Betty. 2000. Germany.

Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock Aaron Eckhart, Crispin Glover and Greg Kinnear all feature in this movie about fragile woman who wants to be a nurse who after seeing her husband killed by thugs, in shock believes she is a part of the soap opera she watches every day.

One of those movies where the subject matter could either be drama, thriller or comedy, this one is a comedy.

It is a quite amusing, well constructed movie, which was good entertainment.

Renee Zellweger = 16/32

Morgan Freeman = 41/57.

Aaron Eckhart = 11/24.

Crispin Glover = 12/40.

Greg Kinnear = 22/30.

My rating = 7/10.

April Maze. 1930. USA.

Slow meandering Felix the Cat short animated movie.

There are long pauses over scenes, maybe too long, and a basic story, but it is saved by some amazing surrealistic images.

The picture is a still from the movie.

Overall an average Felix short.

My rating = 6/10.

White Sands. 1992. USA.

Willem Dafoe plays a small town sheriff who finds a body in the desert with $500,000 in a suitcase.

He decides to investigate and there we have a plot with mystery intrigue crooked law enforcement officers and twists and turns.

The cast is very interesting, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, in the follow up role after Robin Hood Prince of Thieves is there along with Mickey Rourke, Samuel L Jackson, James Rebhorn, Miguel Sandoval, and the man himself M Emmet Walsh.

It wasn't a great movie, and it was probably more fun picking out all the faces, but it was an average entertaining story.

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio = 10/18.

James Rebhorn = 22/53.

Miguel Sandoval = 15/42.

M Emmet Walsh = 32/105.

Samuel L Jackson = 74/91.

My rating = 6/10.

The Brothers Bloom. 2008. USA.

The story of two brothers (Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody) who are con-men with very elaborate over the top schemes.

A little bit of Dirty Rotten Scoundrel's thrown into a very eccentric plot doesn't quite work, and it drags on fr about twenty minutes to long.

Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi is very good as Bang Bang an explosive character in more ways than one.

In the end it is average and does not live up to its potential.

Mark Ruffalo = 15/38.

Rinko Kikuchi = 03/23.

My rating = 6/10.

The Power of One. 1992. Australia.

Bryce Courtenay novel of boy growing up in South Africa through the rise of Nazi ideology and World War II and into the development of apartheid.

Stephen Dorff and Morgan Freeman feature, and Daniel Craig has his movie debut.

This could have been a really profound experience, instead, it is overblown and the script is a real let down.

In the end it is just average.

Morgan Freeman = 40/57.

Daniel Craig = 12/29.

My rating = 6/10.

Carriers. 2009. USA.

Four friends are travelling in a car trying to escape some sort of virus which has affected most of the USA, and quite possibly the world.

Of course there are dangers on the road, and of course like other 'post-apocalyptic' movies they are headed to the beach, where there will be no problems. Why is that? Who knows.

The biggest problem is the characters are so unsympathetic that you just have no time for them and can't empathise with their journey.

Christopher Meloni from Oz and Law and Order SVU is good in his supporting role, but on the whole it was below average.

My rating = 5/10.

Whip It. 2009. USA.

The directiorial debut of Drew Barrymore is quite auspicious and a real surprise.

Ellen Page, of Juno fame plays the lead role of teenage girl whose mother (Marcia Gay Harden) wants her to be a beauty queen but she secretly starts getting involved in Roller Derby.

Along the way there is issues of friendship, relationships and all sorts of other teen issues.

There are some great performances from Page and a supporting cast, Barrymore herself, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, and in a beautifully understated performance Daniel Stern.

A movie with a predictable story arc, but with such fun on the journey it is a great ride.

Ellen Page = 05/15.

Kristen Wiig = 05/20.

Drew Barrymore = 27/45.

Juliette Lewis = 12/38.

My rating = 8/10.

Bright Star. 2009. UK.

A biopic of English Romantic Poet John Keats, focuses on his relationship with Fanny Brawne.

Has some of Keats works read with vigour but the movie itself is surprisingly void of passion and lacks the energy you would expect.

It could have been done with colour and fire, instead it was merely an average affair.

Highly disappointing.

My rating = 6/10.

The Sergei Bonderchuk Awards May 24 2010 - May 30 2010

WORST MOVIE: Armored.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Brad Pitt (The Favor)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Drew Barrymore (Everybody’s Fine)

BEST ACTOR: Robert De Niro (Everybody’s Fine)

BEST ACTRESS: Elizabeth McGovern (The Favor)

BEST DIRECTOR: Kirk Jones (Everybody’s Fine)

MOST SURPRISING MOVIE: The Favor.

MOST DISAPPOINTING MOVIE: Fun With Dick and Jane.

BEST SHORT MOVIE: Presidential Reunion.

BEST MOVIE: Everybody’s Fine.

Armored. 2009. USA.

The first movie since Broken Arrow where we hate the hero more than we hate the bad guys.

A supposed action movie which for the majority of the movie is bogged down in a single never ending sequence without action or thrills.

Incredible in that the movie is so dull and wastes it's talented cast.

View at your own risk!!!!

Matt Dillon = 16/41.

Laurence Fishburne = 26/48.

My rating = 3/10.

Death Row: The Tournament. 1998. USA.

A nine minute short movie, which felt like it was way longer, seems to be a set up for a feature, which hopefully will never be made.

The only worthwhile aspect was a brief acting cameo from Michael Ironside, another journeyman of the screen.

it is available on You Tube, so as there is no movie poster, I used there picture because they should take some blame for allowing it to be viewed!!!!

My rating = 2/10.

Law Abiding Citizen. 2009. USA.

Decent action/thriller movie which has the plot of a man who feels he has been wronged by the justice system and then decided to take revenge on it.

Leaves the viewer with somewhat conflicting emotions, at first we empathise with him and then we are repulsed. We are at first against the prosecuting attorney for making deals but we never really come on his side.

So the downside of the movie is we never really end up on either side, and so as good as the movie was, it lacks the killer blow for the viewer.

Jamie Foxx = 14/21.

Bruce McGill = 22/57.

My rating = 7/10.

Reservation Road. 2007. USA.

Somewhat harrowing, depressing and en entirely predictable journey of the aftermath of a hit and run accident.

The story is lifted by exceptional acting by Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly and Mark Ruffalo.

It is well made, but I suspect will not be widely viewed as the material is not one which really seeks to entertain.

On the whole he movie is good but bleak.

Jennifer Connelly = 21/30.

Mira Sorvino = 5/29.

Mark Ruffalo = 14/38.

Joaquin Phoenix = 20/23.

My rating = 7/10.

10 Items or less. 2006. USA.

Morgan Freeman plays a parody of himself in this feature movie, which is of a very short length (77 minutes - 9 minutes of end credits = 68 minutes)

It is a gentle comedy/drama which some say has the feel of Lost in Translation.

Is not glamorous, but it is well paced, and well acted.

Danny De Vito and wife Rhea Pearlman do a nice cameo together.

Morgan Freeman = 39/37.

Danny De Vito = 36/72.

My rating = 7/10.

Everybody's Fine. 2009. USA.

Incredible movie, beautiful and with a nice melancholic mood, and De Niro putting in one of the best performances he has in years.

De Niro is supported well by Barrymore, Beckinsale and Rockwell, in this story of a man, a father who never really knew his kids, and now he is widowed he is trying to find out about them.

Some well filmed scenes, especially the way he seems his children through his eyes as compared to reality.

An amazing drama, this is one of the best movies I have seen from the ordinary year of 2009 and De Niro deserved some award nominations for his performance.

Robert De Niro = 45/73.

Kate Beckinsale = 11/23.

Drew Barrymore = 26/45.

My rating = 9/10.

Wrong Side of Town. 2010. USA.

Released on 23.02.2010 in the states this one was direct to DVD in Australia.

It is an action movie starring some wrestlers from WWF, and well that sums up the acting stakes.

The bad guys and the good guys are two dimensional characters and there is lots of action. It was very short at about eighty minutes, and that saved it!!

Not much to go for here.

My rating = 4/10.

The keeper. 2009. USA.

Steven Seagal is back on the big screen. Well this was a DVD but it was not a direct to DVD movie, why not, who knows because it was pretty bad.

Plot? Well Seagal is a retired cop acting as a body guard....

You don't really need to know much more, he acts like a giant tree trunk and the other cast members are pretty bad as well. Special mention should go to Liezl Carstens who was actually worse than Seagal.

Apart from that there was good action sequences and well it was nicely paced, below average but you really need below zero expectations.

My rating = 5/10.

Sea Beast. 2008. USA.

originally titled Troglodyte, this made for TV movie is hilariously bad.

With some great killing scenes by the titled sea beast, including a woman getting her head clean bitten off.

the monster looked like a giant rubber creature and the acting was pretty awful, for all that it did provide some laughs, I am sure most of them unintentional, but that's OK!

My rating = 3/10.

Open Graves. 2009. USA.

The best description of this movie is that it is a combination of Jumanji and Final Destination with a bit of Groundhog Day thrown in for good measure.

Young people find an old game where losers actually die.

The movie is somewhat predictable, but everyone is quite earnest.

Overall though it was pretty bad.

My rating = 4/10.

Fun With Dick and Jane. 2005. USA.

I have not seen the original movie so I can't compare it with this remake.

However, I do hope it was better. There are some really valid points a movie like this could make, but instread each time it went for the cheap and stupid option.

Jim Carrey was Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni was just fine.

That guy actor Richard Jenkins appears as well as prolific actor Clint Howard.

Overall it was below average!

Jim Carrey = 22/31.

Richard Jenkins = 33/56.

Clint Howard = 23/101.

My rating = 5/10.

Presidential Reunion. 2010. USA.

A short movie of six minutes only in length from the company funny or die but with an incredible list of talent present.

It is directed by Ron Howard and stars Will Ferrell as George W Bush, Jim Carrey as Ronald Reagan, Dana Carvey as George Bush, Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford, Dan Ackroyd as Jimmy Carter, Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton, Fred Armisen as Barack Obama and Maya Rudolph as Michelle Obama.

It is similar in theme to A Christmas Carol with Obama getting visited by all these former Presidents.

It is not hilarious, in fact it is only mildly amusing but to see all these faces in one place and compacted into such a short time frame is quite special. A definite one for not what it is about but who is in it.

It can be viewed on You Tube.

My rating = 6/10.

The Cable Guy. 1996. USA.

Low expectations helped with this Carrey vehicle which was panned upon release and was Carrey's first significant movie box office failure.

The problem I think is firstly with the poster which make it look a lot more sinister than it is. There is no doubt some sinister moments in the movie but overall it is about someone wanting friendship and not knowing how to go about it the right way.

Carrey is OK a little over the top, but there is nothing abnormal in that. Broderick is fine as well, maybe miscast in this however.

Jack Black shows up in a smaller role, and if it was made today he would probably be in Broderick's role and Broderick in his.

There are a number of cameos including Eric Roberts, Andy Dick, George Segal, Owen Wilson, and Janene Garofalo.

Overall an average movie, nothing spectacular but better than I expected.

Jim Carrey = 21/31.

Eric Roberts = 14/100.

My rating = 6/10.

The Favor. 1994. USA.

Humorous romantic comedy which is at once unpredictable and predictable.

Features Elizabeth McGovern, Bill Pullman, Ken Wahl with mind boggling mullet, and a young Brad Pitt.

Also features journey man that guy Larry Miller, who is probably best known for his role as the father in 10 Things I Hat About You.

This movie is a great ride about a married woman who wonders if she should have stayed with her high school boy friend and then gets her best friend to look him up and sleep with him.

From there confusion and hilarity ensues resulting in one of those scenes where everyone ends up in the same place mostly with the wrong idea.

Great fun, a little dated, especially the hair and the fashion, but that is part of the charm.

Bill Pullman = 19/53.

Larry Miller = 20/51.

Brad Pitt = 35/38.

My rating = 8/10.

Two Lovers. 2008. USA.

Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw play the members of a love triangle here.

Paltrow plays the same almost insane character she did in Proof a few years back.

Phoenix is the indecisive lover who we are meant to identify with, but we don't really.

Elias Koteas does his 'that guy' routine.

In the end it seems the moral is - hey it is OK to have a back up plan!

Joaquin Phoenix = 19/23.

Gwyneth Paltrow = 29/36.

Elias Koteas = 19/36.

My rating = 6/10.

Lies and Illusions. 2009. USA.

If you ever wanted a movie which shout cliche attack this is it.

Self-help author played by Christian Slater, who looks like he couldn't help himself out of a wet paper bag, is engaged to a woman who suddenly is abducted and appears to be dead, yeah right and then one year later a whole series of action events happen to get us underwhelmed.

The cliches are so obvious that during a chase sequence the good guys get away by running out onto a road where all of a sudden there is a St Patrick's day parade march going on - well that was handy wasn't it!!!

A very silly movie which was below average.

Cuba Gooding Jr. = 17/40.

Lochlyn Munro = 08/52.

My rating = 4/10.

The Road. 2009. USA.

Post apocalyptic movie which is very bleak in its look, feel and outlook.

Some sort of cataclysmic event has blocked the sun, and therefore wiped out all the plants and then the animals and a small number of humans are wandering around either in small groups surviving or as cannibalistic gangs.

Sounds totally awful but is filmed in a quite beautiful style and some great performances from Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron in a small role, and the stand out for me Aussie child actor Kodi Smitt McPhee who really carried the movie.

It was a very good movie, but the bleakness and with no hope of a future evident, even the somewhat uplifting ending was quite muted.

Charlize Theron = 18/31.

Video Ezy May New Releases = 26/32.

My rating = 7/10.

The Haunting in Connecticut. 2009. USA.

Another horror movie which is meant to be based on real events. I really doubt these so called stories and this one, as you watch it you just keep saying words like as if!

Recently a girl at my place of employment had a photo of her phone of what was meant to be a ghost - a girl in hazy outline who was not among the people being photographed. When I expressed my doubts I was told no, no this is true.

People will willingly believe an obviously doctored photograph before believing the truth of the Bible. The same here in what is an obvious crack pot tale and uses the same cliches all horror movies use.

Apparently ghosts bang doors and run around making loud noises, the only thing missing here were the chains being rattled.

The only upside was the acting which was well done by Virginia Madsen and Kyle Gallner and it was good to see journey man actor Elias Koteas, even if his character was the obvious Reverend character, who looked like he had never opened a Bible in his life.

Overall another dodgy based on real events ghost story,

My rating = 4/10.

The Devil's Tomb. 2009. USA.

Hollywood should seriously stop mining the Bible for their stupid horror movies!!!

A story of an elite group of soldiers, (is their any other kind in action movies?) on a covert mission (also any other kind?) to an underground facility (is their any facilities in the open air?) to encounter an evil force (never an ambivalent force) which stems from the verse in Genesis where it says the sons of God lay with the daughters of men. Never mind that this has an altogether different meaning than what the movie makers have assumed but you know why let reality interfere in a story.

The inaccuracy is so bad at some point the character known as Doc who by the end you want to slap says about a quote oh it is in the old testament - Hebrews 9:22 - Hebrews is in the New Testament - small error but telling as well.

Overall this was alternately a dumb and bring movie and what happened to the characters - well we stopped caring long before the credits rolled.

Cuba Gooding Jr. = 16/40.

My rating = 2/10.

A Shot in the Dark. 1935. USA.

A very unspectacular crime melodrama which is quite dull, falls into the camp of interest only for who is in it (the who not what sub-genre as defined by The Outsiders) with a supporting role being played by one Eddie Tamblyn.

Who is Eddie Tamblyn? Well himself, not that much can be said, an actor who mainly appeared in small roles in only 19 movies from 1931 - 1938 and died in 1957.

He was though the father of Russ Tamblyn who was amongst other things in West Side Story and later played the psychiatrist in Twin Peaks, and then his daughter, and Eddie's granddaughter is Amber Tamblyn, famous for being Joan of Joan of Arcadia and now an up and coming movie actress.

So there is a Tamblyn dynasty at work here!!

As for the movie itself, well pretty ordinary murder mystery movie with not much excitement, this was the morning movie on TVS, the community channel, and at lease one channel in Sydney is showing movies on a regular basis.

Eddie Tamblyn = 03/19.

My rating = 4/10.

The Getaway. 1972. USA.

Steve McQueen shows all his cool moves in this slow burning action movie. Not as intense as the publicity machine tells us it is, but nicely crafted and plenty of chase scenes to satisfy an aficionado of them.

Ali MacGraw who was always a model turned actress does fine in her role and the scenes around Texas really are a highlight to the movie.

Slim Pickens in a small role is a scene stealer.

Overall a good solid entertaining movie, if a bit slow at times, and a bit long.

Steve McQueen = 11/29.

My rating = 7/10.

The Yards. 2000. USA.

Melodramatic goings on in slightly overindulged movie of innocent man on the lam and corruption in the railway industry.

Not much of a story but lifted by some nice acting, particularly from Phoenix and from Charlize Theron in a small role.

Overall an average movie.

Mark Wahlberg = 18/24.

Joaquin Phoenix = 17/23.

Charlize Theron = 17/31.

My rating = 6/10.