12 GREAT MOVIE COLLECTION

First things first, this set has no closed captioning!!!! Booooo!!

Great is a relative term here!! These are, for the most part, TV
movies that have passed on to obscurity, some with truly great
actors/actresses, and some with almost no known name actors!!

Even though they may be obscure, some of these are actually quite
good and well worth the watch! The others, you might want to avoid!!

THE FORGOTTEN MAN(1971)

A pretty depressing movie, this is about Dennis Weaver as a
soldier thought to have been killed in Nam. He's discovered on
a beach in a boat and gets to go back home after 5 years! Seems
like a great thing, where at this point there should be a "happily
ever after", but nope, seems that everyone had given up on him,
which is understandable after 5 years, or they've died, or, in the
case of his wife, re-married!!! But an even bigger problem than that
is having flashbacks to his captured time!! This is one of the finest
movies I've seen with Dennis Weaver in it!!

In this is Percy Rodrigues(Star Trek: TOS episode "Court Martial",
Perry Mason movie "The Case Of The Sinister Spirit"), Andrew
Duggan(Bourbon Street Beat, Back Stairs At The White House),
Anne Francis(Forbidden Planet, Honey West) & James Hong
(Big Trouble In Little China, Blade Runner, Missing In Action)! B

A review from an IMDb.com customer:

Dennis Weaver is excellent as a P.O.W. thought missing in action,
who turns up years later to find his life changed. Anne Francis
plays the same kind of role she did in "Hook Line, and Sinker".
Weaver really shows the confusion and frustration that returning
home from war can bring. - Randy H. Farb

THE DARK SIDE OF THE SUN(1988):

Brad Pitt in one of his really early roles as a boy who has a rare
skin disease that, exposed to light, will kill him! He is in Afghanistan
with his father and invalid mother searching for a cure when he
happens upon an actress in the town doing a show! He falls in love
with her as himself, but she falls in love with him as an unknown
dude in a totally black outfit, including a mask that covers who he
really is! This really could have been a great movie, but the supporting
players, and the singing, are really terrible!! Brad does a great job as
the afflicted boy, and Guy Boyd does good as his father! But the rest,
not so much!!

Some short topless nudity at the beach!! C+

A review from IMDb.com:

The chance to see a very young Brad Pitt and take a look at
the beautiful Yugoslavian countryside before the schism are
the main reasons to see this film. The film itself is fairly mundane.
With only a slight story to tell the film needs a sharp script and
a strong director but gets neither. Pitt (or his double) plays Rick,
a teenager who spends most of the film hidden behind a leather
mask. This does not give him a lot of scope to convey the tragic
nature of his character except through the non-too brilliant
dialogue. Cheryl Pollak is attractive and personable where the
role calls for someone truly charismatic. It doesn't help that,
when he finally removes the mask, Pitt is much prettier than
she is. On the plus side, Guy Boyd lifts the film with an excellent
portrayal of Rick's father. It's probably unfair to judge this 1980s
film by today's standards but, even allowing for that, I can't see
this as anything more than the kind of movie that passes the
time while your lying on the sofa recovering from a bout of
the flu. - ivan_mckeon

DEATH DREAMS(1991):

This is a Lifetime movie, which means that it's either going to be
a feel good move, a statement movie or a woman's movie! Or in
this case, spiritual!! This is all about a woman who's lost her husband,
Father, Mother, and now daughter(through drowning)! She had
re-married after losing her husband to a man who seems to be
nearly perfect! The daughter drowns after this, and then she
keeps coming back in dreams that the woman has, as well as
visions here and there!! The actual story is "how did the little
girl drown"??

Starring the great Christopher Reeve(Superman), who plays
an unusual role here! B

A review from IMDb.com:

This story blows away half of the ghost stories on the big
screen. Death Dreams is a book as well as a movie and both
follow each other quite closely. It is hard for me to think that
any fan of the ghost story genre would not have an interest
in this. It is a superbly written, very unusual and intense story
which probably would have done well on the big screen too.

The movie's tough to watch(as is the book to read) because of
the subject matter but it does make me wonder why there's
so many bad horrors that get released when there are material
like this around.This story's got intensity, great talent in the acting
department, twists and turns and genuine surprises and can be
a bit frightening as well as intense. My thoughts are-if one likes
a really engrossing psychological thriller/ghost story they should
see this AND read the book. - triple8

WILDFLOWER(1991):

Ok, this is a woman's movie, but still pretty good!! While not
action packed, it is basically a love story between an abused
semi-deaf girl and a boy who gets dragged into the picture by
his younger sister who discovers her in a shed where her mean
alcoholic step-father keeps her locked up!! A great little movie
with really good acting by the lead actress, Patricia Arquette!!
Also really good here are Reese Witherspoon and Beau Bridges!

The only drawback in this is the no closed captioning!! Patricia
did such a good job of talking like a true person who can't hear
does that it makes it quite hard to understand her in several
places!! A

A review from IMDb.com:

A touching movie, clean language. I really liked it. It's dramatic,
sensitive, thought-provoking, and has a good ending--an upper.
The actress who plays Alice Guthrie is beautiful and did and
exceptional job of portraying the character. - susandavis309

DAVID'S MOTHER(1994):

A fairly serious movie with light bouts of humor, this has Kirstie
Alley(Cheers, Star Trek II, Look Who's Talking 1 2 &3, North And South -
Books 1 & 2), Sam Waterston(Law & Order, The Newsroom) & Stockard
Channing(West Wing, Grease, Up Close And Personal)!! Kirstie plays
a mom with an autistic son, and has to deal with many difficulties
that come from it, such as a husband who's not supportive, Child
Services who's trying to butt in to their life, and learning to become
a single woman making new relationships!! She does a great job here,
as does Sam, but the stand out actor here is Michael A. Goorjian who
plays David!! A good movie, but the bottom line to this Lifetime
entry is boring!! C+

A review from IMDb.com:

Dealing with an autistic child, his demand for the family's
attention, and their inability to focus their lives on anything
other than this child. Realistic rather than sentimental, an
unpleasant topic successfully presented with first-rate editing,
acting and direction. Kirstie Alley, as the child's harried mom,
comes up with a mesmerizing and utterly convincing
portrayal. - anonymous

THE LEADING MAN(1996):

I expected very little from this with Jon Bon Jovi as the lead!!
Welp, I was pleasantly surprised by how attention grabbing this
movie is!! Basic crux, Jon plays an actor from Hollywood who's
escaped to England and is cast in a play about a hit man! He runs
across the playwright whose marriage is falling apart, mainly due
to his infidelity with the lead actress!! He makes a deal with Jon to
distract his wife while he goes and plays around!! Things don't
always go the way people plan, and this is a case in point!! Very
fun movie!!

Some really great music in this, especially the ending song by Gary
Barlow called "Forever Love"!

Also here is David Warner(Star Trek VI: Undiscovered Country, Star
Trek: TNG episodes "Chain Of Command" Parts I & II, Babylon 5
episode "Grail", Tron & Titanic), as well as a cameo by Nicole
Kidman!!

A little nudity here!! B+

A review from IMDb.com:

The center of this film is the interesting performance of Jon
Bon Jovi as a somewhat mysterious actor who is portraying
a hit man in a play written by Lambert Wilson. Bon Jovi is very
effective and keeps you guessing throughout. Wilson is excellent
as a confused playwright half in love with an ingenue but who
finds, when the chips are down, that he's not quite ready to give
up his wife. With such an attractive cast and wondering about
the motives of Jon Bon Jovi, the movie is quite intriguing, though
draggy in parts. - blanche-2

LIVING IN PERIL(1997):

An architect from Seattle(Rob Lowe) is almost run off the
road while heading to Hollywood to build a mansion for a
very picky customer(James Balushi)! His wife(Dana Wheeler-
Nicholsen), is left at home and is pregnant and in fear for her
life from her ex-husband who's threatened to kill her!! Lowe
makes it to Hollywood and immediately starts having more
problems than one man should ever endure, and he blames
the man who almost ran him off the road whom he got fired!!
This is a who-dun-it and keeps you guessing throughout!!

Dean Stockwell(Quantum Leap) is also in this as the apartment
manager and does a fine job, along with Patrick Ersgaard as the
less than all there German neighbor comedian-wannabe who also
has some pretty great moments, especially when he finally gets to
finish his "how long would a dick on your forehead have to be before
you could see it" joke!! LOL!! I liked this!! B+

A review from IMDb.com:

Poor Walter Woods (Rob Lowe) is having a horrible few
days. He's almost run off the road by a truck driver. his
hole in the wall apartment room has rats, his millionaire
employer doesn't like his architect proposals, and there's
a dead hooker in his bed among other things. Yup, Walter
has seen better days, that's for sure. One of the writers,
Patrik Ersgard, felt the need to act in the film as well and
his character is pretty unbearable. But I guess he does fit
in with the rest of the characters here, as the film practically
reeks of awfulness. With the only tolerable one in the whole
movie being Dean Stockwell, a man who should be above
this kind of garbage.

My Grade: D-

Where I saw it: Showtime Extreme -movieman_kev

BRUNO(2000):

While not a riveting movie, this is still pretty fun! It shows many
prejudices, toward how one looks, dresses or even the music
that they prefer! This shows several people overcoming these
prejudices, especially Bruno!! A-

A review from IMDb.com:

This movie was disturbing, not because of the subject matter
but because of the way it was handled. The extremely overweight
mother (Angela) did not even make it on the cover of the video
case when most of the rest of the cast did. This is not fair but is
a statement in itself. I also notice her picture is missing from IMDb
(maybe her own choice) and it looks like this is her only film ever?
The language in this movie was crude beyond necessity. Watched
with my 10yr old son because it was rated PG in Canada and the
language coming out of their mouths was shameful & disgusting.
Never did appreciate Shirley Maclain like so many others seem to.

LOVE Kathy Bates and always will. Sinese's part was annoying.

The little boy Alex is a great little actor. I'll have to see what else
he's been up to lately.. - cala3

HUMAN TRAFFICKING(2005):

Truly one of the most depressing movies I've ever watched! It's all
about human trafficking(duh) and it involves young girls!! It's overly
long in my opinion, but it has a lot to say!! Donald Southerland does
his usual excellence, and really the girls are quite astounding!! This
was made in Canada, apparently for Lifetime, and as such is quite
gruesome in many parts! Not for the squeamish!! B

A review from IMDb.com:

This movie is a surprisingly well orchestrated little show of horrors.
The movie does not bring new knowledge to the table but it reminds
us, in an utmost graphic way, the most disgusting form of human
exploitation: sex slaves.

The movie presents the path of four different young girls to this
horrible fate and it will keep your consciousness wriggling in pain
knowing that as we speak, these sex crimes are being perpetrated
in our cities. A scary film that will make you want to hold your
children tightly by your side.

The actors play is good and the performance by Remy Girard accurately
pictures the suffering of a parent that has lost a child.

A gruesome yet necessary exposure to the facts of our society.
A definite must-see, preferably not alone. - Julien Huxley

WHO LOVES THE SUN(2006):

Wow, bad music, bad acting, bad script, bad, bad - BAD!!!!
This is one that should put most of you to sleep, if it doesn't,
then you'll find yourself wondering why the Hell did I sit through
an hour and a half of nothing!! And I don't mean the Seinfeld kind
of nothing!! The basic plot is that a man returns after being gone
for five years after leaving after seeing his wife with his best friend!!
This could have been shown in 15 minutes and been a pretty decent
short, because nothing of importance happens before that time! Anyway
there's a small amount of nudity, most of it on a TV being watched!
Save yourself, save your family, save your friends, walk away from this
movie!!!! D

A review from IMDB.com:

You look at the cover of this DVD and you think, " I'm in
the mood for a relationship-oriented independent film".
So you get "Who Loves The Sun" and watch exactly what
you thought you were getting. The actors perform according
to the abilities you have seen them demonstrate before
(although Lukas Haas was a more versatile actor as a child).

The story plays out according to plan, with some hi-jinx,
some romance, some rivalry. Call it a generation Y coming
of age story. It seems like the characters could just leave
and go back to their lives, but they have to stick it out until
everything gets resolved. Because that is what the story
suggests. The cinematography is adequate. The dialog is
up to today's independent movie standards. But wouldn't
it be nice if something interesting happened? - natg520

STEEL TOES(2007):

This is a movie about a horrible subject, bigotry!! A skinhead
kicks a man to death because he threw some water on him by
accident!! A Jewish attorney is selected to be his court appointed
lawyer!! This is not good for the lawyer, and the defendant is not
even near likable!!

This stars David Strathairn(Alphas)!! B

A review from IMDb.com:

The movie is fairly well acted and produced, however the movie
lacks originality, warmth, and anything that would make the tale
necessary to tell.

Forgiveness is the primary theme, but never fully explored. The
interesting plot points, such as the Lawyer's family shunning him
for defending the skinhead, are left unfinished.

The ending leaves you feeling downhearted rather than uplifted.
The skinhead's change of heart is hard to take seriously.

The character's motivations needed to be explored more. This seems
like an empty "After School Special." - chuckroddy

PERSONAL EFFECTS(2009):

If this hadn't been so boring, it might have been good! I think
the length of the movie makes it suffer, as it drags in places that
could have just as well been cut, or not filmed at all!! Ashton
Kutcher does a pretty good job in this drama, as of course does
Michelle Pfeiffer!! Spencer Hudson did a great job as a deaf mute!
But, this is one of those movies that I'll probably never watch again!! C+

A review from IMDb.com:

Ashton Kutcher in a subdued, rather quiet performance
in this film which seems to have a muddled ending.

Both Kutcher and Michelle Pfeiffer are drawn together
when each of them suffers a murder in the family. Pfeiffer
has a deaf-mute son who is brought around by Kutcher's
love of wrestling.

Kathy Bates,as Kutcher's mother, is given very little material
to work with. She is certainly a forceful actress, but her lines
don't allow her to live up to her ability as an actress.

The ending is somewhat confusing. Was the deaf mute son
playing vigilante? Was he the killer of Kutcher's sister? You're
really left in the dark here.

Kutcher seems to have a thing with older women. The film
imitates real life for him. It would have really been something
had Demi Moore played the Pfeiffer part. - edwagreen

COMPLETE LIST OF DVDs
LIST OF MOVIE DVDs
LIST OF ANIME/ANIMATION DVDs
LIST OF BOND DVDs
LIST OF DISNEY DVDs
LIST OF ELVIS DVDs
LIST OF MUSIC DVDs
LIST OF STAR TREK/STAR WARS DVDs
LIST OF SUPERHERO DVDs
LIST OF TELEVISION DVDs

TO PHOTO PAGES OF MOVIES:

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J-K
L
M
N
O
P-Q
R
S
T
U-V
W
X-Z

ANIME/ANIMATION
ANIME SUPERHERO
BOND
DISNEY
ELVIS
HOLIDAY
MUSIC
MUSICALS
OTHER
SERIALS
SETS #-M
SETS N-Z
STAR TREK/STAR WARS
SUPERHERO
TELEVISION A-B
TELEVISION C-D
TELEVISION E-F
TELEVISION G-H
TELEVISION I-K
TELEVISION L
TELEVISION M
TELEVISION N-O
TELEVISION P-Q
TELEVISION R
TELEVISION Gene Roddenberry
TELEVISION S
TELEVISION T
TELEVISION U-W
TELEVISION X-Z
TELEVISION STAR TREK/STAR WARS
TELEVISION SUPERHERO