Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Romancing the Stone with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner


Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) is an extremely successful venturesome romance novelist---who lives in New York City---with her cat Romeo. Joan writes about action, adventure and romance just as she desired to experience it. 

Full of thrills, titillating romantic adventures which changes within a heartbeat, into the abyss of excitement; which Joan lacked in her life. However, she could write about it and bring it to life in the pages of her books.

She is totally different from her character Angelina, who is beautiful, sexy; self-reliant and loves her hero Jessie. It was her imagination and with her typewriter she brought her hero Jessie to bigger than life in every novel. Joan---an excellent writer who lived through her novels---to give it more ambiance; enjoying every second until she typed her last word.

Excitement did not reign in her life as a writer's she had little time to socialize; because of her dedication to writing. Her small circle of friends included her agent Gloria (Holland Taylor); whom she had a meeting with in a local bar to deliver her just completed novel to her.

Gloria tried to get Joan interested in some of the men in the bar; but to no avail. Joan let her know they did not interest her. Gloria said: Why not because they are not Jessie? Joan replied: I know there is someone out there for me. It seemed to Joan they has this same conversation each time they met.

Joan worried about her sister Elaine (Mary Ellen Trainor) who is in Columbia where her husband was recently murdered. She probably thought about this as she opened the door to her apartment and found it burglarized, and before she could call the police to report it her sister Elaine called. She asked Joan if she received an envelope from her husband and did it contain a treasure map?


Ralph (Danny DeVito) and his brother Ira (Zack Norman) kidnapped Elaine and stood by her side as she telephoned her sister Joan. Joan verified she received the package and her sister asked her to bring it to Columbia. 

So Joan is now on her way leaving her cat with her agent until she returned. Joan arrived in Columbia and luckily missed connecting with Ralph who was there to drive her to her sister Elaine. But Joan boards a bus to Cartagena or so she thinks. She got on the wrong bus because she accepted assurance from the same man who burglarized her apartment, and killed her super in New York City and is stalking her for the map.

The bus accidentally runs into a parked truck filled with birds. The other passengers leave to walk the bus route; while the wicked stalker talked Joan into waiting for the next bus. And, while she waited patiently sitting on her suitcase, the man who wanted the map pointed his gun at her.

This is the moment Jack Colton (Michael Douglas) a Soldier of Fortune showed up on the hilltop, and the stalker with a gun shot a hole in his water pouch. Then a gunfight breaks out as Jack chases the bad guy away sending his bullets flying over his head as he runs away.

Then Joan asked for Jack’s help to get to Cartagena and offered to pay him. Jack asked for $500.00; but settled for $350.00 in travelers check. And, then the adventure of Joan’s life is born; and so is our movie entertainment. 

We can travel along with them through the jungles, mudslides and Crocodiles. We watched as their relationship developed on a closer level; and Joan starts to enjoy her adventure. 

So, the once mousy Joan becomes a real beauty as her journey continued and she blossomed into a woman who likes having fun.

Joan’s true life adventure out shined her character Angelina’s in her novels, and Jack emulated
Jessie’s character so closely it is chilling.

I became a fan of Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner from this movie, and I am still one of their greatest fans, today. I hope you enjoyed my review and please return for more. Thanks.



© BEPH 2014 All Rights Reserved

PurvisBobbi44 is the sole author of this Blog and if it is seen anywhere

else on the Internet or in print it was taken without my consent. 

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Uncommon Valor---Gene Hackman, Patrick Swayze & Robert Stack (1983)


Rare courage is what the men in this movie had and they went above and beyond what our own United States Government would not do to bring MIA’s home to their families.

Marine Colonel Jason Rhodes (Gene Hackman) discharged because of his adamant determination to get our government to search for the missing MIA’s that everyone knew were still being held prisoners by Vietnamese. 


Even ten years later all anyone in government would say is they were negotiating with the Vietnamese government. And, we all know they did not try, because none of their sons were MIA and it is doubtful any of them even fought in the war. 

Besides, this was not a popular war when it was going on, so they mainly just wanted to keep it quiet and not let anyone make waves to draw attention to a war that North Vietnam won.

Colonel Rhodes finally acquired evidences of where the P.O.W. camp’s location---after his son Frank was a MIA---for ten years. MacGregor a wealthy business man financially backed the mission because his son was MIA and fought with Colonel Rhodes son Frank (Todd Allen).



So he begins recruiting the guys who served with his son’s platoon. It was a slow at first, because some of the guys had families and were reluctant to give up their lives after ten years of being home in America.
Finally, he obtained the men he needed for the mission, Blaster (Reb Brown), Sailor (Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb), Kevin Scott (Patrick Swayze), Charts (Tim Thomerson), Johnson (Harold Sylvester) and Wilks (Fred Ward).


All the men had weapons experience and skilled in combat to stay alive in the war. All the men but Kevin Scott; who’s a Former Force Recon Marine and sharp shooter skilled in hand to hand fighting, but no combat experience. Kevin trained the men in a refresher course to get them ready to hit hard, fast and get out with the MIA’s.

Sailor gave Kevin a hard time at first until Colonel Rhodes told the men the reason he was helping. Kevin’s father was a MIA from the Vietnam War, his helicopter was shot down. Then a new respect for Kevin from all the men developed.


The US government spied on the group while they were being trained in Texas and listen in on their conversations; and even had the CIA take their weapons and truck away, but that did not stop them. They used the money MacGregor gave then in Texas before they left from home.

They hired a guide with horses and he brought his two daughters with him to help. The trip was not always easy going through the jungle; but they never complained.  They just made their way until they reached the P.O.W. Camp.

This is an amazing movie---but any movie Gene Hackman is in---is always special. These actors are the “Cream of the Crop” of action actors and some of my very favorites.


© BEPH 2014 All Rights Reserved
PurvisBobbi44 is the sole author of this Blog and if it is seen anywhere else on the Internet or in print it was taken without my consent. 


Monday, January 13, 2014

Mark Wahlberg in Shooter (2007)


Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) and best friend and spotter Donnie Fenn (Lane Garrison) were on a clandestine Ethiopian mission. Bob earned the title as one of the few supreme marksmen on earth and that is why he was high on a mountain overlooking the road. To protect their military convoy as they drove to their destination.

They were in constant contact with the command post and the top ranking officer in charge. When a surprise group of well-armed Ethiopians came in behind the American military convoy a battle began with Bob and Donnie doing a great job of eliminating the enemy.


Until an enemy helicopter surprised them---to take them out--- they called the command post for help. The top ranking office had closed the command post down as the fighting escalated. The officer in-charge did not want to get caught being in a foreign country without the knowledge of his superiors so he pulled the mission and left Bob and Donnie to fight and get home the best way they could.

And, that is when bullets ripped through Donnie from the helicopter and Bob shot it down. But that did not bring his friend Donnie back; and after he made it home he retired from the military.

That happened three years before and now Bob lived alone in the Rockies with his dog Sam. Bob enjoyed the quiet beauty of his winter wonderland and the peacefulness. He made a few close friends who helped each other out on occasion.

Suddenly, his quietness deteriorated as a black SUV drove down his road, with Colonel Isaac Johnson (Danny Glover) with two of his men, Jack Payne (Elias Koteas) and Louis Dobbler (Jonathan Walker) who came to see Bob on a mission.

Bob avoided any government connection and his dog Sam did not like them either, especially the man name Jack, when Sam growled for them to stop walking near the house, he put his hand on his gun. Bob stepped out and told him to stop with his hand on his knife.

Colonel Johnson called his man off and he and Bob went in the cabin to talk. Long story short he wanted Bob to scout out three different cities the president would be visiting and advised them which city would it be possible for a sniper to take a long-range shot.

The Colonel and his men left without Bob’s answer---he thought about it and then called a friend to stop by and feed Sam for him a couple of days, and then he started on his trip.

Bob found two unlikely sources who helped him and they became friends one was Sarah Fenn (Kate Mara) Donnie’s widow and Nick Memphis (Michael Pena) a FBI agent. They believed in his innocence and helped him until the end.

This movie's exploded with action, mystery, revenge, betrayal, murder; however, some good came out of all the pandemonium. Anyone who missed it at the theater can buy the DVD like I did, and then watch it anytime you want an action movie night alone or with friends.


© BEPH 2014 All Rights Reserved


PurvisBobbi44 is the sole author of this Blog and if it is seen anywhere

else on the Internet or in print it was taken without my consent.