Michael-Bay Movie Reviews

This was a nice cheerful family film with great scenery and cute bears. The plot was a bit predictable though and the acting was rather canned. Still overall I think our family enjoyed it although I don't think I would watch it again I think my children would enjoy a repeat viewing.

A Concerned Christian Mom

This mid-70's Disney film is a mild (as Leonard Maltin calls it)but competent family film. Starring Patrick Wayne, son of John Wayne (and notice Patrick's walk!), as a Vietnam veteran going to see the father of a fellow soldier killed in action. Chief Dan George protrays the late soldier's father. Also stars Michael Ansara in another ethnic role, Robert Pine of CHIPS, and solid character actor Andrew Dunagan.

Wayne's character protects three orphaned cubs. This action causes friction with the local Indian tribe who view the bear as their brother. Further trouble is caused when the US government decides to build a National Park on the property that the Indians are settled on. Maltin describes the film as Wayne trying to settle the problems between the Indians and the "white bigots", but there is NO scene or language of bigotry in the film. It is a matter of property rights and the rights of indigenous people.

The film is predictable as it is a Disney film, but it is very enjoyable. Wayne narrates the story in the first person. The scenery is breathtaking. The interplay of the bears is charming. The lessons learned at the end of the film are valuable. Fun fare for the family.

A side note: John Denver wrote and sung the title song "Sweet Surrender" for the film.

I remember reading the paperback by Robert Franklin Leslie before seeing this film -- and the film did live up to the book. (It's a true story, by the way!) Actor Patrick Wayne, son of the late John Wayne, does a superb job in the lead role. The story centers on a man, prospecting for gold in Canadian north woods in the 1960s, who adopted three orphaned bear cubs and prepared them for the perils of living free. It's similar to "Born Free" in some regards. Very recommended.

This was a nice cheerful family film with great scenery and cute bears. The plot was a bit predictable though and the acting was rather canned. Still overall I think our family enjoyed it although I don't think I would watch it again I think my children would enjoy a repeat viewing.

A Concerned Christian Mom

This mid-70's Disney film is a mild (as Leonard Maltin calls it)but competent family film. Starring Patrick Wayne, son of John Wayne (and notice Patrick's walk!), as a Vietnam veteran going to see the father of a fellow soldier killed in action. Chief Dan George protrays the late soldier's father. Also stars Michael Ansara in another ethnic role, Robert Pine of CHIPS, and solid character actor Andrew Dunagan.

Wayne's character protects three orphaned cubs. This action causes friction with the local Indian tribe who view the bear as their brother. Further trouble is caused when the US government decides to build a National Park on the property that the Indians are settled on. Maltin describes the film as Wayne trying to settle the problems between the Indians and the "white bigots", but there is NO scene or language of bigotry in the film. It is a matter of property rights and the rights of indigenous people.

The film is predictable as it is a Disney film, but it is very enjoyable. Wayne narrates the story in the first person. The scenery is breathtaking. The interplay of the bears is charming. The lessons learned at the end of the film are valuable. Fun fare for the family.

A side note: John Denver wrote and sung the title song "Sweet Surrender" for the film.

I remember reading the paperback by Robert Franklin Leslie before seeing this film -- and the film did live up to the book. (It's a true story, by the way!) Actor Patrick Wayne, son of the late John Wayne, does a superb job in the lead role. The story centers on a man, prospecting for gold in Canadian north woods in the 1960s, who adopted three orphaned bear cubs and prepared them for the perils of living free. It's similar to "Born Free" in some regards. Very recommended.

this Film is Cool in it's Musical Productions.not much of a story.I caught it on BET Starz's the other Night.it did show the Shady Business Manager.Good for some Laughs.

To enjoy this movie, you cannot take it seriously. Just enjoy the music, forget about the plot. I think of it as a cult type of movie. It has 40's type of music in it.

Not only is Harry Williams a great singer, he has great acting skills.
This movie does wonders for the soul. It is rich of life and laughter.
It is one of the first musicals that had a semi-black cast.
Big UPS to Bloodstone!
Love Nikki!
hi harry!

"Groundstar" is a top-secret government space project, whose security has been breached, by Welles, one of its employees (Michael Sarrazin). Escaping the facility with secret information, the man is severely injured, and when captured has no memory of who he is. George Peppard is Tuxan, a hardened, single minded, government investigator in search of answers. Nicole (Christine Belford) is a bystander drawn into the situation, as Tuxan attempts to unlock the secrets within Welles's mind.

The film has a made for TV look and feel, with a plot that is not really original, or particularly credible. The script doesn't contain much action, or well-written dialog. The atmosphere of big brother government is pervasive. Tuxan, who routinely travels in a helicopter, is full of bluster, and attempts to orchestrate much of the action, yet doesn't actually do much that is impressive. The resolution to the story is rather unsatisfying, and implausible. Unless you enjoy heavy-handed government tactics, you can skip this drama.

Groundstar was released while Peppard was doing the TV show Banacek. Fans of that program, should be prepared for quite different type of character. The same applies to Christine Belford, who also had a reoccurring role on Banacek. There are no warm scenes with witty conversation between them. Michael Sarrazin has the most challenging role, and his performance while serviceable, is hampered by having to deliver some very bad lines.

George Peppard plays a character named Tuxan, who is responsible for uncovering the break in and theft of highly classified information at a government facility called Groundstar. He uses any and all means necessary to do this, including hidden cameras, hidden microphones, and 24 hour surveillance. He has complete control most of the time, and absolute authority to find the information he needs in order to protect the United States against foreign interests that may try to undermine the government by stealing precious secrets.

That being said, this movie plays out like a cheesy 70's TV melodrama. I tried hard to like this movie, but it was a hard sell. The movie starts out with multiple explosions at some facility, and one character managing to make it out before the whole place goes up. We see this character running down a corridor, being chased by other individuals, and then the picture freezes at a dramatic moment to allow for a credit to be displayed on the screen. This happens about four or five more times, and becomes quite tiresome, but if I recall, this was a device used quite a bit in the 70's, on movie but more so on TV. This movie really has a 'TV' feel to it, so I am wondering if the director was primarily a TV director...well, I was right. The director is Lamont Johnson, and he has an extensive career directing TV, and it shows here. Anyway, one character escapes before the whole place goes blammo, and it's Michael Sarrazin playing Welles. This is one of those actors who you may not recognize the name, but you'd probably recognize his face. He was fairly popular in the late 60's through the 70's. This slender, dark haired actor seemed to be on the verge of becoming a major star, but has since been relegated to mostly TV roles.

Well, he escapes, and we find out later that he was the only survivor of the explosion. His face badly damaged from the explosions, he manages to make it to the house of Nicole, played by Christine Belford, and actress with a solid television background and a few parts in some features films. The role I remember her from was the over protective mother to Arnie Cunningham in John Carpenter/Stephen King's killer car classic 'Christine' from 1983.

Well, we soon find out that that Welles, the soul survivor of the explosions, was also the one who caused the explosions. Apparently he used false credentials to get his position within the ultra top secret facility, then stole vital information, and caused the destruction of the facility to cover his escape. He remembers none of this, as he has lost his memory along with his face in the incident. We learn all this information from Tuxan, who is now investigating the situation.

There is a conspiracy, and it does follow though. The rest of the movie has Welles trying to put the pieces back together, recall what happened, if he could have killed those people and done the things Tuxan says he did. Nicole provides a haven for Welles, and seems sympathetic to his plight.

The most memorable line comes from Tuxan (what kind of name is that?) and is in response to Nicole berating him for invading her privacy by having hidden cameras and microphones in her house. He says something like 'murders are planned in private, assassinations are planned in private' etc. I don't remember the exact line, but it showed a great deal of the motivation behind the character.

The movie plays out, the conspiracy unfolds, and we are treated to a shocking ending. Well, not so shocking, really, but whatever. It was kind of hard to swallow, though. My main problem with this movie is I never really felt the tension that should have been there and the acting seemed kind of wooden. I enjoy a good conspiracy theory, but I had a hard time buying off on this one. The thing to keep in mind before you buy this movie is that it looks like a TV show. This was made in 1972, and prior to that, George Peppard had a somewhat promising movie career with Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), How the West Was Won (1962), and The Blue Max (1966) to name a few. Then around 1971, the movie roles seemed to dry up and he went into TV. He did make a number of movie after 1971, Damnation Alley (1977), Battle Beyond the Stars (1977), but none seemed to really have the prestige of previous movie roles. The same could be said for Michael Sarrazin. And the other main character, played by Christine Belford was primarily a TV actress. Given the director's history in TV, this all adds up to making this look like a high budget TV movie. I think once some directors immerses themselves in a particular medium, it's difficult to expand beyond the boundaries proscribed by that medium, and it shows here. I felt like the director was trying to exceed his grasp, and couldn't quite do it. Not a bad movie, for TV, but not a great movie for the big screen. I'd say 3 stars for a TV movie, 2½ stars for a theatrical release.

A good film, Peppard as Tuxan in a role that would resemble 2 of his roles on TV (Thomas Banacek that year, and Hannibal Smith of The A Team, 10 years later). The ending is that of a classic suspense film. The DVD version by the way is cheaper than most stores are offering the VHS copy (if you can find it) so get it while you can. Note Christine Belford, the woman down the road who falls for Sarazin also starred in Banacek, coincidence?

This movie set out to demonize the Weavers and did a great job of it. Far too many inaccuracies to even begin. While I understand the need to condense for the sake of a movie,this was too much. Saying this is based on the book"Every knee shall bow" is about like saying "Ben Hur" is based on the Bible.

Having just recently watched this on TV in Australia i would like to add my thoughts on this movie .Firstly i am not an expert on what happened here, having not read any books on the subject nor any significant media coverage so my knowlede thus far has been gained from watching this movie.With that in mind i know what has been portrayed here will not be entirely accurate.

The movie does a good job in building a profile of the Weaver family their Christian fundamentalist beleifs which in their case incorporates Anti Govt views,mixing with Neo Nazis,there own kids wearing Swastikas on their arms,teaching of hatred to their kids of others that do not look like them (ie non whites) & the belief that you can never have too many guns lying around the house.The family become isolated even from Vicki Weaver's parents & sister their views of things like the end of the world as we know it are too much for even for them.

Some have said this movie paints an unflattering portrayal of the Weaver's i did not find this.If anything i found it too much skewed against the FBI & the ATF.

The issues of responsibility of the Weaver's own actions are not addressed here.What happens when a man & his wife take their kids to an isolated location have little contact with the outside world,teach their kids hatred of others& their own govt?.Cople that with Fundamentalist beliefs that blind you to reason & understanding of others who do not share your views. Well the answer is not good & you can see them on a collision course with an unhappy ending.

Let's get to the bottom of this Right wing Ant Govt feeling.All of us in 1st world western countries can get get annoyed at our govt but we have avenues where we can channel our frustration IE voting,attending political meetings,working for a party or a person that beleives in the same things as you do,forming your own political party or if that is not enough run for office youself At local,state or Federal level.There is no excuse for people living in countries like the US to hold the anti govt views like the weavers did.Those that do should be booted out of the country & go to places like (if they even know these countries)China,Nth Korea,Iraq,Iran & coutless others where they can experiance for real brutal dictatorship & human rights violations by the truckload.
We have all seen what happens when hatred of Govt,ignorence & intolerance gets mixed together- April 19th 1995 Oklahoma 169 innocent Americans killed.

Enough Said

I have read several books about the Ruby Ridge murders. I also have an amature video with footage taken during the siege. This made for tv movie is about 75% accurate. That is pretty good for Hollywood. The story told in the film is not complete and I urge anyone to read "Ambush At Ruby Ridge" by Alan Bock first.
The movie has some mistakes. Randy Weaver was a short man and Randy Quaid was a poor choice to play him. He was a former Green Beret and not a slacker as he is sometimes portrayed in the movie. Laura Dern is made up to look like Vicki Weaver very well. Vicki was a strong woman but not the domineering type as she is sometimes made to be in the film.
Kirsten Dunst played Sara Weaver very well and was true to the character for the most part.Her performance in the second part of the movie alone is worth the price of the video .
There was no Confederate flag in front of the Weaver's cabin as is shown in the movie. There was never any real evidence that Randy broke the law and this is not shown well in the film. The shoot-out that took the lives of Vicki and her son was very well done. The part of the movie that shows the shoot-out and what followed is very accurate. In fact, the second part of the movie shows just how in the wrong the government was in what it did.
This August 21 will be the tenth anniversary of the Ruby Ridge murders. Read the book I mentioned and then view the film. Only then will you understand the danger our country is in from overbearing and power hungry tyrants.

You could probably watch this movie a dozen times and still be unable to completely follow the story. For some reason the continuity and artistic merit that were present in the original "Graveyard Shift" are completely lost. The story is a bizarre tale of the return of Baisez, the vampire who was introduced and supposedly destroyed in the original movie. Baisez is doomed to walk the earth as a ghost-like being until he can find a body he can posses. Sounds simple enough but the story jumps all over the place, taking place on a movie set. The thread of continuity completely unravels through the course of the movie and by the end you are left completely unclear as to what exactly happened. The bizarre part is the movie is nonetheless interesting. I would only recommend it for diehard fans of the genre.

The Understudy: Graveyard Shift 2 is a haunting study of lust, love, and how some people would trade their immortal soul for one shot of fame. Camilla Turner is a young aspiring actress who, while talented, seems to only be able to get bits parts in low budget horror movies. On the set of her first starring role(Blood Lovers, about a vampire pool player), She meets a mysterious, seductive young man named Bezzai, who tell her he can make her star...... for a price. Camilla manages to get Bezzai cast in the lead role, and from then on, she and the other cast and crew mem-bers start exhibiting strange behavior. and the events that take place behind the scenes begin to echo the plot of the movie they're shooting. When Matthew, Camilla's fiancee' and the film's editor slowly figures out Bezzai's true nature, then the race is on to save Camilla before it's too late A first rate cast, crew, and director, plot, and film within a film scenario makes this independent gem a cut a bove the average low budget horror film.

The Operator is a decent B-movie quality film. The film walks the tightrope between erotic thriller, and comedy, never quite coming together or deciding which way it may go. The Operator played by Jacqueline Kim, is little more than a mysterious voice spouting fake Asian philosophy who tortues the leading man, always just out of his reach. Michael Laurence turns in a lack lustor performance as the philandering, gambling lawyer who lands himself into a peck of trouble. Decent film to rent if you are bored on Friday and Saturday night and want something or someone to laugh at. Don't waste your money, rent it instead.

A very smart film. Great writing. I totally disagree with another customer/reviewer who said that the operator in the movie spouted fake zen philosophy. The writing was in total respect of eastern philosophy and it was crucial to the telling of the story. I was constantly surprised and delighted by the twists and turns in this movie. I also thought that Michael Lawrence in the lead role was fantastic. What a tour de force. There aren't many male actors working today who could have done a better job and so I'm surprised that I haven't seen Lawrence in any other films. It was great to see a few veteran film actors on the screen. The casting was nothing short of perfect. Brion James was a total creep and Stephen Tobolowski was a hoot as the bookie. Christa Miller from The Drew Carrey Show was perfect as the wife. I've never seen her act like this on the sitcom. I hope she does more meaty roles like this more often. I highly recommend this film to anybody who loves movies and wants to be entertained. It's a creepy thriller with lots of humor that's smart not stupid.

The Operator is a decent B-movie quality film. The film walks the tightrope between erotic thriller, and comedy, never quite coming together or deciding which way it may go. The Operator played by Jacqueline Kim, is little more than a mysterious voice spouting fake Asian philosophy who tortues the leading man, always just out of his reach. Michael Laurence turns in a lack lustor performance as the philandering, gambling lawyer who lands himself into a peck of trouble. Decent film to rent if you are bored on Friday and Saturday night and want something or someone to laugh at. Don't waste your money, rent it instead.

A very smart film. Great writing. I totally disagree with another customer/reviewer who said that the operator in the movie spouted fake zen philosophy. The writing was in total respect of eastern philosophy and it was crucial to the telling of the story. I was constantly surprised and delighted by the twists and turns in this movie. I also thought that Michael Lawrence in the lead role was fantastic. What a tour de force. There aren't many male actors working today who could have done a better job and so I'm surprised that I haven't seen Lawrence in any other films. It was great to see a few veteran film actors on the screen. The casting was nothing short of perfect. Brion James was a total creep and Stephen Tobolowski was a hoot as the bookie. Christa Miller from The Drew Carrey Show was perfect as the wife. I've never seen her act like this on the sitcom. I hope she does more meaty roles like this more often. I highly recommend this film to anybody who loves movies and wants to be entertained. It's a creepy thriller with lots of humor that's smart not stupid.

If you like time-travel movies, and cow-boys, and professors, and antiques nuts, you will like this one. Emotion and fun are there too. I can't wait a new release of this video: HURRY.

You can tell this was made for TV. Yet there are a lot of good made for TV movies. This movie has all the elements of future present and past. There are a lot of "what if's" and some old fashioned gun play. Someone from the future is determined to change the past which of course changes the present. This is not nice and must be stopped.
Lauren Hutton plays the pivotal character Georgia Crawford who must see that the perpetrator Klaus Kinski of Nosferatu fame does not do the dastardly deed.

It is quite obvious that "Going Undercover" was not a box office hit and rightly so. The movie holds your interest at first but then the plot gets lame shortly after. The script is weak and so is the performance of the actors. Lea Thompson did not do a good job playing Merrigold. (What kind of a name is Merrigold)? I have seen Lea Thompson in much better movies than this one.

I really like Chris Lemmon as an actor, and in this, he is the star. This video really showcased his talent for drama, comedy and action.

THIS IS A FAIRLY GOOD MOVIE ALTHOUGH THE STAR IS NOTHING COMPARED TO HIS FATHER AS AN ACTOR,THE LATE,GREAT JACK LEMMON.LEA THOMPSON WAS SUPERB IN THE MOVIE!!