"Leverage?!!!" People said when they first saw the name of the television series when it came out in 2008. I asked myself the same question when I saw the preview for it on TNT, but when I saw that Timothy Hutton was in it I wanted to see it no matter what the name might be. We all know the Timothy Hutton from the Nero Wolfe T.V. show, on which he played Archie Goodwin, who was a smart, wisecracking, and handsome assistant to the detective of the same name. How could Timothy Hutton be in a movie that is about bad guys? I asked myself after looking up to him most of my life. "Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys" which is the motto of the television show. Even though I had my suspicions about it being another profane T.V. show it turned out to be a great show that had great messages in all of its episodes. My brother turned to me one day and said to me about Leverage that "all of the episodes would make great movies!" And now after watching all of the first season and part of the second I am convinced of this statement. Is there bad stuff in this show? You are asking yourself at this point and with good cause, but the answer is: no. There are some innuendos in it, but they are very minor. It is basically what you might call a Robin Hood tale of today. The show is worth the watch and should be enjoyed by everyone from 12 and up. Enjoy! -Duke
Reviews
5 Reviews
True Grit
(1969)
John Wayne is a riot!
24 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
"Who is John Wayne?" People ask when I start talking about the great actor, and I simply answer: "A true cowboy and an 'American Icon'." How else could you explain such a tall standing, rule abiding 'dude'? He paved a path for Americans in their time of need and showed them the way to be true patriots and God fearing men.
This film portrays one of the happier sides of John Wayne, who usually spent most of his weekends with John Ford drinking happily in Mexico. He plays a drunken marshal clearly in search of something better, which John Wayne's Character does not find until this film's sequel.
He plays Reuben J. Cogburn, a marshal whose only goal is to gain money and whiskey. Somewhere, though, in the back of his mind he wants something more, but he has lost all that he thinks he can have. Then Linda Darnell comes, whose character can soon start to annoy you, which would be my only complaint about the film. She comes seeking to avenge her father's death by one of their workers "the man with the black powder burn on his face", who gets into a brawl at a saloon during a game of cards and wants to win all the money he had lost back again. Linda Darnell's character's father wants the drunken man to get out of the game and when out in the street trying to help the drunk is shot down and robbed by him. So John Wayne's and Linda Darnell's characters come to meet. Soon the story turns into a great epic western that should be enjoyable (except for Linda Darnell's annoying character). John Wayne plays a kind of uncle character to Linda Darnell, and Linda Darnell just an annoying girl trying to be a boy. Also in the movie is Glen Campbell who plays a Texas Ranger, pretty boy who is also seeking "the man with the powder burn". All these characters make for a great film, which garnered John Wayne an Oscar, which was his first and only one. There may have been better films John Wayne was in, but this one he definitely played his best character in. So check it out, although it might not be a movie for you just because of its style, but on the other hand it might be, but I don't know you so all I can say is check the film out. -Duke
This film portrays one of the happier sides of John Wayne, who usually spent most of his weekends with John Ford drinking happily in Mexico. He plays a drunken marshal clearly in search of something better, which John Wayne's Character does not find until this film's sequel.
He plays Reuben J. Cogburn, a marshal whose only goal is to gain money and whiskey. Somewhere, though, in the back of his mind he wants something more, but he has lost all that he thinks he can have. Then Linda Darnell comes, whose character can soon start to annoy you, which would be my only complaint about the film. She comes seeking to avenge her father's death by one of their workers "the man with the black powder burn on his face", who gets into a brawl at a saloon during a game of cards and wants to win all the money he had lost back again. Linda Darnell's character's father wants the drunken man to get out of the game and when out in the street trying to help the drunk is shot down and robbed by him. So John Wayne's and Linda Darnell's characters come to meet. Soon the story turns into a great epic western that should be enjoyable (except for Linda Darnell's annoying character). John Wayne plays a kind of uncle character to Linda Darnell, and Linda Darnell just an annoying girl trying to be a boy. Also in the movie is Glen Campbell who plays a Texas Ranger, pretty boy who is also seeking "the man with the powder burn". All these characters make for a great film, which garnered John Wayne an Oscar, which was his first and only one. There may have been better films John Wayne was in, but this one he definitely played his best character in. So check it out, although it might not be a movie for you just because of its style, but on the other hand it might be, but I don't know you so all I can say is check the film out. -Duke
Kings
(2009)
TV has become great again!
22 July 2009
Where is God in television these days? The TV world has gone way down the drain the past twenty years and has not really been producing anything very edifying for the soul, but Kings has brought us a great story. Based off of the Book of Kings in the Bible, which has turned out to be one of the greatest themes for a TV show. Kings is about David, who defeats one of the great tanks of the enemy army, a Goliath, and is proclaimed a hero, and soon it unwinds just like in the book of Kings, into a marvelous story! The king Silas or Saul in the book of Kings, is a border-line tyrant whose only goal it seems at points is to obtain glory for himself. David the peasant boy rises, though, in the charts of the people even higher than the king himself. It seems at times in the show that the king hates David and at others, loves him. So I highly recommend the show it is on Saturday nights. Watch it now! There is a rumor that it is going to be removed from TV after this season! -Duke
Up
(2009)
...and Pixar has done it again!
21 July 2009
Have you ever had a dream? Have you ever wished you could be Indiana Jones, Zorro, or Dirty Harry? If so this film is for you! Dreams are what this film is about it may have a sad beginning, but it takes a swinging happy hit at the end. Pixar with such films as Wall E, Toy Story, and Monster's Inc have always been about following your dreams... and maybe that is what makes their movies so great! Pixar as long as I can remember has never gotten a bad review and I am still a teenager (they were making films before I was born!) they have brought back the tradition of Walt Disney who made films for children. Not the garbage: Hannah Montana, Zack and Cody, or some of the other stuff they play on Disney Channel these days, which is not for kids, but for people whose brains have been ripped from there heads and replaced by pounds of music, movies, and thoughts that mistreating girls or acting like a prostitute is cool. Up has given us a hope that there is a happiness and good spirit in the world and we aren't all bad. Up is something that will be remembered as long as film exists! -Duke
Lonesome Dove
(1989)
an epic western for the cowpoke in all of us
29 June 2009
Robert Duvall is a master actor and did a most excellent job in this film. His personality gave the film zest and happiness while Tommy Lee Jones (another great actor) gave the film a serious side giving a believable story and two lovable characters that will be remembered in film history along with such actors as John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Cary Grant, and James Dean. The film brings Westerns to the height of which they contained during the time that films started and people could only go see movies if they had money on the weekend after working all week that is how great the story of lonesome dove is and if it had been a feature film and not a mini series it would have definitely garnered many Oscars. Larry McMurtry was awarded for the book of which this film is based the Pulitzer prize and as you can see it was well deserved the book and the film are very long, but the fact that they are long goes away after you've watched or read about a paragraph for you just want to read or watch forever because you feel as though you are part of the story and these men's lives because their characters are just so believable and the story is so epic. So if you have not watched the movie or read the book then I know that everyone that has will definitely recommend it. The film is for older viewers fourteen and older would understand the film and enjoy it any younger it is bit over their heads and may possibly be unacceptable at some parts. So please enjoy this film and if you like it check out the next film in the series which is the prequel "Comanche Moon" -Duke
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