Michael-Duncan Movie Reviews

When I was on vacation, me and my sister turned over to PAX TV to see what was on, and it was none other than 'Miracle of the Cards.' I saw Kirk Cameron, so I had to stick around to see what it was about. . . I'm sorry I ever did. Not only is the story completely bland and uninteresting, but the acting is, by far, some of the worst I have seen in recent memory. All the performances are blocky, uninspired, and insipidly tireless. We get one yelling session after another from the boy's mother, and his father just stands by and says "Yes dear. . ." Then we get to the doctor, who is nothing more than a hapless dope who doesn't know what the heck he's doing. The boy, too, is a hopeless case as a little actor as he tries to act out sympathetically, but ends up grating on your every nerve. And don't even get me started on the lifeless, derivative score, terrible useage of pop songs throughout, and the pitiable direction of Mark Griffiths (who can't seem to make even a decent film yet) all contribute to this phenomenally bad film which drags on and on and on. . . The hypocrisy in the film is also ver "in your face," with a mother who claims to be a good loving, Christian woman but curses anyone who annoys her and says that the "miracle of the cards" was a "miracle of the world," completely shattering her "miracle of God" image and statements throughout the film. You almost get the feeling it doesn't WANT to end. Skip this movie at all costs! Don't rent it, don't watch it at a friends, and most certainly don't even give it a second thought! A complete waste of good film and talent (or lack thereof).

I may be a bit biased, because the reason I turned it to PAX and watched this movie was because of my 'obscure welsh actor obsession'. I loved the movie, it was a cute story that makes you wonder... and Peter Wingfield is in it, what more could you want?

The acting begins on the solid footing of an adorable "poster child" eight-year boy who develops a deadly brain tumor. This boy's charm alone would have garnered the film three stars.

The mother and father could have been his real parents--they played their parts so naturally. Mom won't give up when treatment becomes more aggressive and less likely to succeed. Dad believes it is best to be realistic and make the boy's last days comfortable and peaceful. Additionally, the struggle over pursuing "the miracle in the cards" was most realistic.

The main physician, Dr. Middleton, proved a master at being a compassionate but professional medical man, while communicating with a mother who believes he is destined to save her apparently doomed child.

Richard Thomas may not conjur up an image of brain surgeon in most people's minds, but he did play the role of counseling the sick child and his parents well. Perhaps he came across more as a hospital chaplain than a surgeon. Nevertheless, the role worked, and rounded out the story smoothly.

Finally, there is Kirk Cameron as the skeptical "hard news" journalist assigned to a feature story. He seems most comfortable in the role of feature journalist--much more than his attempts at hard news, such as in the Left Behind movie. He does not pan out as much of a skeptic. Nevertheless, his role added a sweet touch, that closed the film nicely.

Concerning the plot, there is a fair amount of tension in this film--though it aims more to inspire than tease. Towards the end, I started to wonder if there was ever going to be an upward turn in this downward spiraling medical tale. Then, right at the end there is the abrupt medical update...one I will not divulge. My one complaint is that the ending came rather suddenly--though the actual story may have been the same.

The bottom line is that this is a sweet, inspirational tale of a rather unique miracle. The acting is realistic, and you will conclude your viewing with a smile.

This movie was wonderful! I watched it several times during the weekend. Duncan Regehr is a great Zorro and the supporting actors play their parts well. Watch it. You'll love it!

This is the second Zorro episode from the 1990 series that I've seen (the first is "The Legend Begins". This is almost as good an episode as "The Legend Begins", thanks to the performances of the actors, especially James Horan as Gilberto Resendo and -- again -- Duncan Regehr as Diego/Zorro. Horan is an appropriately menacing villain with a psychological twist -- he is a villain because he was stolen from his true parents and twisted by the woman who stole him. This brings complexity to his role, and some sympathy -- but not much.

Regehr once again does wonders with Diego/Zorro. While there is less emphasis on the scientific aspects and on his sense of humor, there's plenty of action and a good scene of Diego dancing with Victoria. Also, his swordfighting scenes with Resendo are terrific!

Though there isn't as much humor surrounding Zorro this time, there are a couple of funny scenes involving Sergeant Mendoza. The first one is a scene where he has to go into a cave -- with a bear in it! The second one is where he is trying to bring a bucket of hay to a captured Toronado -- and the horse dumps the bucket on his head! Those are really funny scenes! James Victor does a good job of making him funny but likeable.

The only thing that keeps me from giving a higher mark is the fact that the video makes several errors in the chronology of the series. The most notable is the fact that the video says that the events of much of the story take place in 1824, but it had to have taken place before 1822, when California became part of Mexico! Still, that doesn't take away much from my enjoyment of this worthy Zorro story!

Belle Book

This video is full of slapstick hilarity that will keep you laughing from start to finish. John Hertzler makes it a great pic with terrific sword fighting a la Shakespear's finest.

This movie was pretty good, and I speacially like how they had Billy not drink much in the beginning. Sadly, they did the traditional thing and made Billy have very few partners. In the movie, Billy and Tom kill Brady and one deputy, in actuality, Billy, Jose Chavez Y Chavez, and 4 other regulators killed Brady and 3 deputies. I also hate how they skip the entire Lincoln county war.

Kilmer did good as Billy, but they made him too cold blooded. I admit, Billy wasn't a romeo or a Robin Hood, but Billy was not cruel! Every man he killed had it coming to them. In the movie they made Billy get mad fast and in the end he drank alot, where as in reality he didn't drink and he wasn't easily angered(or there'd have been alot more people killed by him).

There was Young Guns 1 and 2, which were certainly much more funner to watch, and then there's Val Kilmer's take on Billy the Kid. This movie is rather lackluster, but all in all, a pretty good western. Val does a good job portraying the Kid, and Duncan Regher plays a convincing slow and lanky Pat Garret. The thing I liked about it was that the history of the Kid and other characters is pretty darn accurate, more so than the Young Guns movies. A good watch but I don't know if you could get into it more than twice.

If you are going to watch only one movie about Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett,this is the one.Pat Garrett is unusually central as a character.We are left with a lot of new thoughts and feelings about him and his relationship with the outlaw Kid when the movie is finished.The movie has a very special,almost haunting atmosphere-you watch it...and the ever unresolved conflict of loyalty versus duty comes to life,along with the magic of the time and the place...and you`re there.

A filandering club-owner and his lusty, but distant, wife learn a hard lesson about the value of their marriage. A minor, but solid offering from the Meyer canon. Features superb photograpy, editing and a small cast of stunning ladies as usual. In this reviewer's humble opinion, Anne Chapman may be the sexiest starlet Meyer ever worked with, and that's saying alot.

Finders Keepers is Russ Meyer's deliberation on the strength of a marriage as both spouses are tempted by others.Not as brilliantly enthralling as other Meyer classics,but excellent just the same.

Regretfully, the actions depicted by the South African secret police in the Wilby Conspiracy were only too true.

Via overt racist laws and covert actions, they were given a free hand to maintain the racist status quo and kill whoever tried to stop them, which several have admitted to having done.

It amazes me that so little attention has been paid to this witty adventure-drama. Created and made long before anti-apartheid struggle bacame "vogue" in the mainstream culture in mid-80's, it was rare insight that gave us the sinister faces of the dreaded South African sercret service, the "BOSS". Remember this was made long before "New South Africa". Long before the release of Nelson Mandela. Before Soweto and Biko murder!!

Firepower is a surprisingly good late 70's thriller with James Coburn and Sophia Loren. All of the key elements are here--"faceless" billionaire a la Howard Hughes, the saavy renegade in James Coburn, and Sophia Loren looking as striking and stylish as always--while making you wonder what side she's on. The plot--bringing the billionaire to justice--is a so so one...but the aforementioned elements as well as several exotic Caribbean locales make this a worthwhile thriller with a good ending.

A charming romance that has been one of my favorites from the first time it aired on TV. Sharon Gless and Richard Thomas show that the basis for a relationship doesn't have to be fire and passion, but understanding of each others needs. This film will make you feel good for the times when life was a little less complicated.

Gavin Maxwell's wonderful book can be tough going for children, though my 10-year-old enjoyed having it read aloud to him, with some paraphrasing of the gnarlier bits of prose. The film, only loosely based on the book, is a good alternative, with lots of footage of otter frolicking in a beautiful setting, and just enough plot to keep things interesting. Warning, children will find the death of Mij unsettling, and may not be completely soothed by the upbeat conclusion of the film.

Ring of bright water is a British film full of the images and sounds of the late 60's. It is a wonderful story about a writer (Graham) who acquires an orphaned and much out of place young otter named Mij (pronounced Midge). Graham decides to move and take Mij from the heart of London to a more natural setting, the coast of northwest Scotland. This story works on so many levels there is the relationship between Graham and Mij as each learns from the other about being friends. There is also the relationship between the two newcomers (Graham and Mij) and the locals. The film takes you through a whole roller coaster of emotions. This movie will make you laugh, smile and cry. The end of the movie almost verges on letting you decide how the film really ended. Hope and belief is a wondrous thing.

This film is a highly fictionalized version of what was actually a true story in the book of the same name by Gavin Maxwell. As fiction, the screenplay takes dramatic license in ways both entertaining and trivializing. But what the film does most compellingly depict is the beauty of the Scottish shore, the uniqueness and remarkability of otters, and the life-changing relationship between a man and his otter. I was one of the children who grew up watching the movie, "Born Free." Those not of this generation may not be able to relate to the effect the movie ("Born Free") had on our culture and our awareness of animals as conscious beings (probably had a big part in giving rise to the enthusiasm for animal rights and the animal liberation movement that occurred some years later). I found "Ring of Bright Water" equally moving, albeit not for the same reasons, but for that same way of depicting animals with dignity and humor. In the more than ten years since I've seen this movie, I never forgot it and eventually bought a copy of my own [....])

Gavin Maxwell's wonderful book can be tough going for children, though my 10-year-old enjoyed having it read aloud to him, with some paraphrasing of the gnarlier bits of prose. The film, only loosely based on the book, is a good alternative, with lots of footage of otter frolicking in a beautiful setting, and just enough plot to keep things interesting. Warning, children will find the death of Mij unsettling, and may not be completely soothed by the upbeat conclusion of the film.

Ring of bright water is a British film full of the images and sounds of the late 60's. It is a wonderful story about a writer (Graham) who acquires an orphaned and much out of place young otter named Mij (pronounced Midge). Graham decides to move and take Mij from the heart of London to a more natural setting, the coast of northwest Scotland. This story works on so many levels there is the relationship between Graham and Mij as each learns from the other about being friends. There is also the relationship between the two newcomers (Graham and Mij) and the locals. The film takes you through a whole roller coaster of emotions. This movie will make you laugh, smile and cry. The end of the movie almost verges on letting you decide how the film really ended. Hope and belief is a wondrous thing.

This film is a highly fictionalized version of what was actually a true story in the book of the same name by Gavin Maxwell. As fiction, the screenplay takes dramatic license in ways both entertaining and trivializing. But what the film does most compellingly depict is the beauty of the Scottish shore, the uniqueness and remarkability of otters, and the life-changing relationship between a man and his otter. I was one of the children who grew up watching the movie, "Born Free." Those not of this generation may not be able to relate to the effect the movie ("Born Free") had on our culture and our awareness of animals as conscious beings (probably had a big part in giving rise to the enthusiasm for animal rights and the animal liberation movement that occurred some years later). I found "Ring of Bright Water" equally moving, albeit not for the same reasons, but for that same way of depicting animals with dignity and humor. In the more than ten years since I've seen this movie, I never forgot it and eventually bought a copy of my own [....])

What a mess! There was way too much that was not explained, for starters. The kid (Jesse) needs some acting lessons. Some special effects were OK, others were terrible - the outer space scenes were a joke, and when the bank blew up I swear that the guys on the balcony were in mid-air *before* the explosion *started*. Sheesh. The virtual game machines were ludicrous as well, and it was some coincidence that Jesse could just hop in and operate a seemingly complex control panel like an expert. Overall it was very difficult to follow, especially how the main characters memory appeard to be selective depending on what time they were in. The story had potential but the poor execution made it one of the worst movies I've ever seen, if the THE worst.

This has to be one of the best low-budget films of all time! Michelle Williams, Michael Dorn and Pat Morita are awesome! Jesse needs acting lessons, though he is sufficient for the film.

I don't think that many people will see this film. I rented it after I saw it in the video store. I have no idea why it is [$$] bucks..., maybe because it is hard to get, although I haven't tried looking for it hard.

This is a cool movie about a boy who travels through time to try and stop an evil plot by Dorn to destroy the Earth for a game. The game is kind of hard to explain. It is played for a life-giving substance called 'Blue.' Blue gives it's bearer eternal life, but if you stop taking it you die.

Pat Morita enlists Jesse to stop this game and save his parents from being prisoners of the game. The plot is very complicated, you'll just have to see this movie. It's one-in-a-million. I give it 5 stars.

I love this movie even though it needed work it was a great science fiction film. The actors did good for being kids. It was great and the title just pulled me in.