John-Carpenter Movie Reviews

Buyers beware that this is a colorized version of "Blue Steel" & nowhere in the www.Amazon.com description does it mention this fact! If you're like me & like many others fans of old movies, you'll be highly disappointed to find that this tape is not in the original B&W. That may be OK for some viewers, but it's not OK for me, & at the very least, www.Amazon.com should have mentioned this in the description of the movie. There's no way I would have bought it if I had known that it was colorized. My rating of 1* is not for the quality of this good John Wayne movie; my rating was given for the colorization of the movie. If you're looking for a green-faced John Wayne, this is the movie to buy!

This movie shows Wayne at his "B-movie" best, but to the average Wayne fan, this unrealistic movie (in plot and action) is just a waste of time and money. On the other hand, it does show Wayne as a character who nobody knows about, and has an excellent and surprising ending that will get everybody who has not already seen it.

George Hayes didn't always look like 'Gabby' in the early Lone Star Pictures productions from the early 1930s, but he does certainly does here in Blue Steel in the role of the mustachioed, chawin' and spittin' sheriff Jake. He is hot on the trail of the Polka Dot Bandit, whose thieving ways are becoming legendary in the area. He thinks he knows who the bad guy is, having seen John Carruthers (John Wayne) messing around behind a recently emptied safe. The two men unexpectedly become partners of a sort, though, when a young lady rides up with a gang of outlaws on her tail. Both men quickly become involved with the travails of the local town, the population of which is without ammunition and almost out of food because of these same outlaws pouncing on every stagecoach that tries to approach with the necessary provisions. One of the town's most upright citizens takes the girl in and generously offers a decent sum of money to those townspeople who choose to leave rather than hang around to starve to death. There's gold in them there ranches, just underneath the topsoil, and a man who owned all of the land could do quite well for himself. Gabby Hayes and John Wayne are a dynamic duo, and the 'surprises' each man holds back from the other one until the end make for some very interesting and somewhat humorous moments. Blue Steel may be your standard early western from 1934, but it is a most enjoyable movie to watch.

Buyers beware that this is a colorized version of "Blue Steel" & nowhere in the www.Amazon.com description does it mention this fact! If you're like me & like many others fans of old movies, you'll be highly disappointed to find that this tape is not in the original B&W. That may be OK for some viewers, but it's not OK for me, & at the very least, www.Amazon.com should have mentioned this in the description of the movie. There's no way I would have bought it if I had known that it was colorized. My rating of 1* is not for the quality of this good John Wayne movie; my rating was given for the colorization of the movie. If you're looking for a green-faced John Wayne, this is the movie to buy!

This movie shows Wayne at his "B-movie" best, but to the average Wayne fan, this unrealistic movie (in plot and action) is just a waste of time and money. On the other hand, it does show Wayne as a character who nobody knows about, and has an excellent and surprising ending that will get everybody who has not already seen it.

George Hayes didn't always look like 'Gabby' in the early Lone Star Pictures productions from the early 1930s, but he does certainly does here in Blue Steel in the role of the mustachioed, chawin' and spittin' sheriff Jake. He is hot on the trail of the Polka Dot Bandit, whose thieving ways are becoming legendary in the area. He thinks he knows who the bad guy is, having seen John Carruthers (John Wayne) messing around behind a recently emptied safe. The two men unexpectedly become partners of a sort, though, when a young lady rides up with a gang of outlaws on her tail. Both men quickly become involved with the travails of the local town, the population of which is without ammunition and almost out of food because of these same outlaws pouncing on every stagecoach that tries to approach with the necessary provisions. One of the town's most upright citizens takes the girl in and generously offers a decent sum of money to those townspeople who choose to leave rather than hang around to starve to death. There's gold in them there ranches, just underneath the topsoil, and a man who owned all of the land could do quite well for himself. Gabby Hayes and John Wayne are a dynamic duo, and the 'surprises' each man holds back from the other one until the end make for some very interesting and somewhat humorous moments. Blue Steel may be your standard early western from 1934, but it is a most enjoyable movie to watch.

Buyers beware that this is a colorized version of "Blue Steel" & nowhere in the www.Amazon.com description does it mention this fact! If you're like me & like many others fans of old movies, you'll be highly disappointed to find that this tape is not in the original B&W. That may be OK for some viewers, but it's not OK for me, & at the very least, www.Amazon.com should have mentioned this in the description of the movie. There's no way I would have bought it if I had known that it was colorized. My rating of 1* is not for the quality of this good John Wayne movie; my rating was given for the colorization of the movie. If you're looking for a green-faced John Wayne, this is the movie to buy!

This movie shows Wayne at his "B-movie" best, but to the average Wayne fan, this unrealistic movie (in plot and action) is just a waste of time and money. On the other hand, it does show Wayne as a character who nobody knows about, and has an excellent and surprising ending that will get everybody who has not already seen it.

George Hayes didn't always look like 'Gabby' in the early Lone Star Pictures productions from the early 1930s, but he does certainly does here in Blue Steel in the role of the mustachioed, chawin' and spittin' sheriff Jake. He is hot on the trail of the Polka Dot Bandit, whose thieving ways are becoming legendary in the area. He thinks he knows who the bad guy is, having seen John Carruthers (John Wayne) messing around behind a recently emptied safe. The two men unexpectedly become partners of a sort, though, when a young lady rides up with a gang of outlaws on her tail. Both men quickly become involved with the travails of the local town, the population of which is without ammunition and almost out of food because of these same outlaws pouncing on every stagecoach that tries to approach with the necessary provisions. One of the town's most upright citizens takes the girl in and generously offers a decent sum of money to those townspeople who choose to leave rather than hang around to starve to death. There's gold in them there ranches, just underneath the topsoil, and a man who owned all of the land could do quite well for himself. Gabby Hayes and John Wayne are a dynamic duo, and the 'surprises' each man holds back from the other one until the end make for some very interesting and somewhat humorous moments. Blue Steel may be your standard early western from 1934, but it is a most enjoyable movie to watch.

Buyers beware that this is a colorized version of "Blue Steel" & nowhere in the www.Amazon.com description does it mention this fact! If you're like me & like many others fans of old movies, you'll be highly disappointed to find that this tape is not in the original B&W. That may be OK for some viewers, but it's not OK for me, & at the very least, www.Amazon.com should have mentioned this in the description of the movie. There's no way I would have bought it if I had known that it was colorized. My rating of 1* is not for the quality of this good John Wayne movie; my rating was given for the colorization of the movie. If you're looking for a green-faced John Wayne, this is the movie to buy!

This movie shows Wayne at his "B-movie" best, but to the average Wayne fan, this unrealistic movie (in plot and action) is just a waste of time and money. On the other hand, it does show Wayne as a character who nobody knows about, and has an excellent and surprising ending that will get everybody who has not already seen it.

George Hayes didn't always look like 'Gabby' in the early Lone Star Pictures productions from the early 1930s, but he does certainly does here in Blue Steel in the role of the mustachioed, chawin' and spittin' sheriff Jake. He is hot on the trail of the Polka Dot Bandit, whose thieving ways are becoming legendary in the area. He thinks he knows who the bad guy is, having seen John Carruthers (John Wayne) messing around behind a recently emptied safe. The two men unexpectedly become partners of a sort, though, when a young lady rides up with a gang of outlaws on her tail. Both men quickly become involved with the travails of the local town, the population of which is without ammunition and almost out of food because of these same outlaws pouncing on every stagecoach that tries to approach with the necessary provisions. One of the town's most upright citizens takes the girl in and generously offers a decent sum of money to those townspeople who choose to leave rather than hang around to starve to death. There's gold in them there ranches, just underneath the topsoil, and a man who owned all of the land could do quite well for himself. Gabby Hayes and John Wayne are a dynamic duo, and the 'surprises' each man holds back from the other one until the end make for some very interesting and somewhat humorous moments. Blue Steel may be your standard early western from 1934, but it is a most enjoyable movie to watch.

I have never met another person in my nearly half century of life who saw this movie in the theaters when it first came out. I was a child of five sitting on the front row and the star who plays the press agent in the movie came out on stage afterwards and asked me to dance with him in front of the packed house at the wonderful, old Metropolitan Theater in downtown Houston. "Tomboy and the Champ" is the story about a little girl who overcomes obstacles to raise a champion angus and features a cameo by the cowboy singer/star Rex Allen. The movie itself is pretty simple and silly at times with somewhat weak acting and dippy interjected songs, but nowhere will you get a better feel for life in the 1950's in Texas. You will see many Houston landmarks which have either been outgrown or torn down (just like the Metropolitan where I viewed this film). The story line includes a bout with the outdated disease polio. Sickly sweet, but definitely a walk down memory lane for retro buffs and any "child" who had the opportunity to experience the Fat Stock Show and climb on the rails at the old Houston Coliseum to shake hands with a rodeo star.

Tomboy and the Champ tells of a teenagers dream and love of animals. The Fat Stock Show and Rodeo is an experience in itself and to realize the fun and excitement they bring. I saw this movie when I was about 9 when the whole town of Katy, it seemed like, rode in a caravan to downtown Houston to see the premere of this show with the stars. What excitement to see the different parts that was shot in the town and then placed into the movie. It was an experience that I will never forget! My Grandfather was in the movie as well as my mom and brothers and seeing us for the brief moment was neat. To see the town now and how it has grown with the highway, mall, and such is what I like to see. This movie would be more for young kids, I would think, who have dreams and to see that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Being at the Astro Dome with the rodeo is not anything in comparison to seeing the show of the kids' champions in the Houston Coliseum and being so close to the events and the stars. What a movie!

this was a very good movie i watched it all the time when i was a little kid

I saw this at a friend's house and was amazed how why anyone would rent it. It wasn't bad enough to be enjoyable as a joke and definitely not good enough to be enjoyable as a movie. It was just plain uneven. He was awful. The lead girl wasn't bad, especially given that she acted against the lead male. Jason Miller, who I am told was the priest in the Exorcist, is really terrific. I wish he had done some more movies of value. And the bad guys were pretty good, especially the lead bad guy who made me feel bad for him, very intense, and may have been the best actor in the film. IT's a late night, nothing to do film at best.

This is a low budget thriller from the director of some of Adam Sandler's funnier films. Even though they spelled my name wrong in the credits and made me BUY my own copy of the movie, I must say it pulled together nicely!

I saw this at a friend's house and was amazed how why anyone would rent it. It wasn't bad enough to be enjoyable as a joke and definitely not good enough to be enjoyable as a movie. It was just plain uneven. He was awful. The lead girl wasn't bad, especially given that she acted against the lead male. Jason Miller, who I am told was the priest in the Exorcist, is really terrific. I wish he had done some more movies of value. And the bad guys were pretty good, especially the lead bad guy who made me feel bad for him, very intense, and may have been the best actor in the film. IT's a late night, nothing to do film at best.

This is a low budget thriller from the director of some of Adam Sandler's funnier films. Even though they spelled my name wrong in the credits and made me BUY my own copy of the movie, I must say it pulled together nicely!

This ineffectual thriller by director Fred Walton features Donald Sutherland sleepwalking his way through the role of a priest who hears the confess of a serial killer but is unable to break the seal of silence the Catholic church imposes on the confessional. The use of the Hitchcock I Confess plot is different since here the confessor does not identify himself, so Sutherland must do some detective work before he finds himself in any compromising situations, since an anonymous confession isn't very useful. This thankfully gets Sutherland doing something and away from the turgid non-affair he is contemplating with Belinda Bauer. Although Charles Durning as Sutherland's pastor has practically nothing to work with, apart from one line about why Good Friday is thought to be good when that was the day Christ died, his scene of righteous outrage over the request for baptism of an unwed mother which reveals him as a hardliner is preferable to Sutherland's stupour. Sutherland may be seen as a more permissive priest when he challenges Durning with "Why can't we be more concerned with peace of mind than piece of ass" - but his performance is probably best defined when in one scene he rests his head on a staircase handrail as he speaks, in self-reflective exhaustion. It's amusing to contemplate Bauer's choice of romantic partner - someone who is the strong silent type and emotionally unavailable. Walton continues the serial killer plot far too leisurley, and while I can accept the numerous rosaries the killer has (his mark is to leave one wih each victim, in spite of the fact that they already have one being all clergy people!) it seems that every murder setpiece has a logical floor. eg the first one is found by Sutherland when the door to her room has been left open for others to see. The idea that someone would leave the suicide scene of a relative untouched for 3 years, complete with broken rope and knocked-over stool, is perhaps taking the room-as-shrine concept a little too far (even allowing for the activities of the worshipper), and I also could have done without Sutherland drinking a Virgin Mary at a bar and the obligatory blowing out of the candle as a victim passes by it. However Durning scores a laugh when he blasphemes, and some suspense is built up in a red-herring sequence with an altar boy falling asleep and dropping a crucifixed pole.

I agree with the previous reviewer: Donald Sutherland acts like he's sleepwalking thru the entire movie. He's done much better work than this. Charles Durning is good, but the problem is that this isn't a very good murder mystery. It is worth a look for a couple of reasons, though. There are some lines that are really funny (unintentionally, I'm afraid).

But the #1 reason to see it: THE A-1 STEAK SAUCE GUY DID IT!!!! I think the actor's name is Jim Murtaugh. I'm not joking, so see it if you're curious. ;)

"The Rosary Murders" is a fairly satisfying thriller. By today's standards, it is almost sedate. It rolls out its tale of a killer targeting priest and nuns in a leisurely fashion. Considering the high number of victims, the gore factor is kept to a minimum. The 'Creepiness Factor', however, is high - lots of dark hallways and uninviting settings.

Donald Sutherland plays a Detroit priest who has the bad luck of hearing the killer's confession. The subplot about the priest's wrestling over the issue of the sanctity of confession is actually more interesting than the main story about the killer and his motive. I am not a Catholic, but I have always been fascinated by the idea that a priest might sometimes be forced to carry around some really dreadful secrets.

Sutherland does a fine job, although his performance seems to be a bit of a rehash of the characters he played in "Klute" [one of my very favorite thrillers] and the 1978 remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" [a fine sci-fi film]. The great Charles Durning doesn't have much to do in his role as a fellow priest. This is Sutherland's movie all the way.

The script was co-written by the great crime / mystery novelist, Elmore Leonard. Anyone expecting the snappy, cynical dialog and eccentric characters found in his books will be disappointed. I looked up Leonard's script credits and, surprisingly, found that he has never written a cinematic equivalent to his works of fiction.