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X-CURSION'S       GUIDELINES       FOR       POSTING      YOUR      MOVIE    REVIEW

Read   some    of    the    reviews   ALREADY    posted    at     www.bradleyphoenix.com/moviereviews.html
(These   posted   reviews   from   movie-goers like you   can   give   you   an   idea   of   how   to   compose   your   review).

Review     any     movie  (DVD,   VHS   in    theatres)   past   or   present     rated   G   through   R.
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on   their    movie      review.   Movie   critics   are   human;   they make mistakes.  

Was      the     movie     too   long?     Too     short?   Good    acting?    Bad   acting?   Did   it   have   a   satisfactory ending?
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Provide   your   first   name   and    last   name   (or initial of your last name, for example:     Bradley   P.)   along   with   your
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Invite     your     family,     classmates,      and     friends     to      check    out        YOUR   posted   movie    review.       J

Movie reviews posted on this website  are the opinions of each individual author and do not necessarily reflect
the views of X-Cursion Media.

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*  HAT   (High-school   Audio  Theatre)    will  introduce  high school students to the following:

The art / medium  of   contemporary  AUDIO  theater
How  to  write  audio play  scripts
Voice acting  which will help them with oral reports  and public speaking
The importance  of  sound effects  in  audio  (radio)  theater   and  the  role of  a  "sound-effects  artist"   or  foley artist
Related  careers  of  audio theater such as doing voices for animated characters for movies, commercials, etc.
Performing  audio theater on STAGE at the Babylon Town Annex and other venues
Productions  for  audio CDs for audio plays to air on radio stations  AND the internet
Performing    ORIGINAL  scripts of various genres:   Twilight Zone-type plays, suspense, sci-fi, comedy, satire, horror, and DRAMA

Audio theater can be performed  on  four venues:

1.   On  STAGE     -   the actors  stand in front of  microphones and perform     (performances can be videotaped and shown on television or made into DVDs).
2.   In recording studios   (in order to commit the performance(s)  to  audio CDs,  audio cassettes,  or   IPODS.
3.   Live  over the  internet  via  web-casting.
4.   Live  over the  radio airwaves   (commercial, public, college, or high school radio stations).

Audio  theater  is  one of the most  inexpensive  forms  of  theater.    
Memorization of  scripts is NOT required because you act while READING the script.
Audio theater is related to audio books and dramatic readings, but microphones are required.
Elaborate costumes and sets are  NOT required in audio theater.
Blocking  is  NOT  required.

X-Cursion   Media   has   original   scripts  to  lease  (schools, churches, colleges, businesses, etc.):      www.bradleyphoenix.com/lease.html

How  many  original  scripts  has  Bradley Thunderbird  Phoenix  written?        SEE       www.bradleyphoenix.com/playlist.html

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         BILLY    JACK    GOES     TO    WASHINGTON         (1977)                                                

Billy Jack Goes To Washington    an  X-Cursion  Media   movie  review  www.bradleyphoenix.com/moviereviews.html                                                                                    *  REVISED  8/21/2005
                                                                                                       10/22/2004, 12/24/2004, 2/23/2005, 3/17, 8/10, 8/14/2005     
                                                                                                                                                                             
by     Bradley  Thunderbird   Phoenix
African   American  &   Native    -    Founder of  X-Cursion  Media   and  Montage Radio Theatre    -    www.bradleyphoenix.com 
 

For the first time, since 1977, I've experienced the entire film: "Billy Jack Goes to Washington" starring Tom Laughlin as Billy Jack and Dolores Taylor as Jean Roberts.   Some of the actors from the original "Billy Jack" movie and the "The Trial of Billy Jack" were also in this movie.  I  saw prominent actors such as Pat O'Brien  (from many John Ford movies), E.G.  Marshall,  and  Sam Wanamaker.  There's  Dick Gautier,  who  has  acted in  many movies and  television
programs  ("Get Smart"  being one of them).  You'll   recognize  a  lot  of  actors  in  this movie  from  television programs from the 1980's and  90's.   Jack Webb's daughter  and  Walter Cronkite's  daughter  are  back.   I  had seen "Billy Jack" as a sophomore in high school and fell in love with its pro-Native sentiment, Freedom School  (I wish I  attended that kinda school!),  and the anti-government-corruption message.  I  was fascinated by the martial arts of Billy Jack because martial arts movies were not prominent in those days (we're talk'n early 1970's).   We had Bruce Lee  in the "Green Hornet" and the "Longstreet" television series, and not  much else on the small screen or the silver screen.

The early 1970's was a spill-over from the late 1960's.  I  remember those radical years. The hippie years. Flower  children.   Free  love.  Love-ins.  Right-on!   Long  hair. Large afros  (I   had  one).   Paisley shirts. Bellbottoms.   Wide belts.   The Brady Bunch.    President Nixon.    J. Edgar  Hoover.  COINTELPRO.  Revolution rhetoric.   The  Cold  War.  The Vietnam  War.  Counterculture. Conservatives. Radicals. Militants.  Mainstream  media  lies. Anti-war protestors. Civil Rights struggles.  National  Guard  vs.  College  Students.   The Firesign Theatre. Soul  music.  James Brown. Motown. The Supremes.  The Temptations.  The Jackson 5.  Rock-n-Roll.  The Doors.  Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. Pot-smokers.  Draft dodgers.  Vietnam. Those were troubled times and colorful times, and then came Billy Jack, a fictional movie hero.

I have all the Billy Jack DVDs except for the first Billy Jack film: "Born Losers".  A lot of my generation saw "Billy Jack". I  think a lot of high school and college students were moved by the 2nd Billy Jack movie ("Billy Jack").  Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!  and I  graduated from Bay Shore High School, Long Island, NY;  she graduated  two years after me.  Maybe Amy saw the Billy Jack films (especially  "The Trial  of  Billy Jack")  and  it  inspired  her to  get  involved  with  journalism  and independent media, but that's pure speculation on my part (it's interesting that both of us wound up in radio and public access television).  I  didn't desire to get involved with journalism, but to make movies that would touch lives above and beyond the noisy formulaic special effects-drenched Hollywood movies. The Laughlins definitely had an influence on me, but especially Stanley Kubrick., my favorite motion picture director.  Then came "The Trial of Billy Jack".   Billy Jack is released from prison.  It's preachy.  A little too long.   But that's OK because  the  story was intensely interesting to me.   College students were "executed" on college campuses by government-backed forces.   The  movie showed the power of television stations and independent media  not controlled by the government or major corporations.  Agent provocateurs.   Native  mysticism.  But we loved to see many of the characters back in this sequel.   In this movie, we were able to see the man who trained Tom Laughlin in martial arts, Bong Soo Han  (1931 - 2007).  We saw Jean, a pacifist--you don't hear that word much anymore--studying martial arts!  Jean could even throw Billy Jack to the mat.  During the commentary on the DVD for "The Trial of Billy Jack", Tom Laughlin said if he had done it today, he would have shortened the movie.

Sometime in the mid-1970's,  I  read somewhere that there was going to be another Billy Jack sequel, and I was thrilled!   Thrilled as  if  another  James Bond movie was  about to come out.  I  found out the title of the movie: "Billy Jack Goes to Washington".   I  waited...and waited...and waited...wondering  if  I  had missed it.  I didn't miss it.  It was never theatrically released!  Twenty-seven years later in October 2004,  I  finally saw "Billy Jack Goes to Washington".   Not in a movie theater, but ON DVD. With commentary from Tom Laughlin and Dolores Taylor, the producer-stars of this movie (that made it even more worthwhile). It wasn't released in movie theatres back in 1977, but all the Laughlin's other movies were released including,"The Master Gunfighter".  Ahhh, but "The Master Gunfighter" wasn't a political movie; it was an action western movie and a pretty good one. Also in 1977, you had these big  movies:  "Star Wars", "A Bridge Too Far",  "Oh God",  "The Spy Who Loved Me", "Saturday Night Fever", "King Kong",  "Close Encounters of the Third Kind",  "Eraserhead", "A Star is Born", and  "Smokey and the Bandit". Both  the  Star Wars movie series  and  James Bond  movie series  eclipsed  the  Billy  Jack  movie  series.   My generation had new  movie series  to focus on.     In 1977,  the  momentum of  the  Billy  Jack phenomenon  was  grinding   to  a  halt   for  my  generation.

Perhaps  in their 30th year anniversary of "Billy Jack Goes to Washington" the Laughlins will talk about what happened to some of the actors that were in their past movies and maybe even let them have a commentary track or interview them in a documentary. Tom Laughlin and Dolores Taylor had there daughter in all three Billy Jack movies and she was definitely a plus. Teresa Laughlin is a talented person that should have had a successful career as an actress.   Instead, she is  a successful fashion designer in NYC. There's no reason why she couldn't do both: be a fashion designer and act in films from time-to-time.   She could have become a costume designer in the Entertainment Industry.  And what of Frank Laughlin, the son of Dolores Taylor and Tom Laughlin?  What happened to him? Where  are all the people who made the Billy Jack movies today?

"Billy Jack Goes to Washington" opens.   There's narration over the eagle-eye shots of the institutions and monuments of Washington, DC:   The Washington Monument, the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, etc. Who's voice is that in the opening narration? Is that Pat O'Brien?   It sure sounds like'em.   I  figured the movie would open with Jean's voice, but it didn't. I enjoyed the role Pat O'Brien played in "Billy Jack Goes to Washington".  What  a
coup for the Laughlins who secured this wonderful veteran actor along with E.G. Marshall.  The entire cast was good.  Keep in mind that  I  had no idea some
big stars were in this movie; it was all a pleasant surprise for me as the film unfolded.

Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, made her acting debut in "Billy Jack Goes to Washington".  Ms. Arnaz did a fine job.   This movie exposes government corruption. It's not pornographic. No bedroom scenes. No one takes off their clothes. Foul language in this movie is practically non-existent, in contrast to many of the movies of  today, and  THIS  MOVIE WAS NEVER RELEASED???   Why not?   Who is stopping this movie from being released? What are the practical steps to get "Billy Jack Goes to Washington" released in movie theaters around this country and the world? Who do we write?  The Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences? Our congressional representatives?  Hollywood has released some of the bloodiest and goriest movies, such as: "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Exorcist" (didn't the  demon possessed girl use a cross in a sexual way?).   Some  years  back,  there was a movie about  a man dressed up as Santa Claus hacking up people...AND THEY CAN'T RELEASE "BILLY JACK GOES TO WASHINGTON" because it raises consciousness  of  political  malfeasance?

Once again, Tom Laughlin and Dolores Taylor had the wisdom and courage to bring another  movie about social injustices to the screen, always balancing
out their films with humor, action, and an almost documentary feel. There's plenty of political material for the Laughlins  today:  The Oil Pigs which can never get
enough petroleum.  The war profiteers who rake in billions of dollars from manufacturing weapons of mass destruction and the spoils from invading militarily weak countries.    In "Billy Jack Goes to Washington", politically corrupt Senators rake in millions of dollars off the construction of nuclear power plants.  Just like some politicians are profiting off the construction of a natural gas and oil pelines in the Middle East today.   In order to rob and control foreign countries:   first  they demonize'em  (through the mass media),  then they invasion-nize'em (invade weak countries (notice  they  haven't  invaded China), and then they democratize'em; they force fit'em into a mold of  their concept of democracy.  I  was gonna   say  they  "Christian-nize'em",  but  that's  almost  synonymous with their  "democratize'em"  process.   Of  course the rules of democracy and international laws never apply to THEM  because  that would cut into their profits.  "Them" refers to the plutocratic money vampires,  the guys  who tell the political gargoyles how to think, what to do,  and  how to  chew their food.   The political  gargoyles are the lying politicians who cling to  the  un-holy Temple of  Corporate Greed.  Construction contracts to rebuild Iraq's cities and maintain Iraq's oil fields costs the American taxpayers billions of  dollars.  Whenever billions of dollars can potentially pour into the construction industry trough, the corporate money hogs can't wait to feed.  Ask The  "Argyle Group", "Uno-pal", and "Helliburton" (I changed the names to protect the guilty).    "Pigs  get  fat.   Hogs  get  slaughtered."    This  was  one  of  the  lines from  "Billy Jack Goes  to Washington".   I  like  that  line  a  lot,  but  you  need  to watch  the DVD  to  see  how  it  fits  into the story.   

Politics makes strange bedfellows and enemies.   The  Laughlins  and  their crew were harassed  by certain elements of  the government during  the filming of
"Billy Jack Goes to Washington".  Some of  the corrupt  political guardian angels didn't want  this film released.    I  was impressed with "Billy Jack Goes to Washington".   You get to see Jean defend her life using martial arts.  You  get an  idea  how  backroom political  deals  are  made.   You see a fine performance from E.G. Marshall.   No  dubiety  in my mind that  Mr. Marshall would  have  received an  Academy Award  nomination  for  Best Supporting  Actor  for  this  role.   Sam Wanamaker created a despicable serpentine villain, far more menacing than the Posners  in  past  Billy Jack films.  But you see a powerful performance from Tom Laughlin. 

I  had anger after seeing "Billy Jack Goes to Washington".  Not because the film was inept in any way, but because there's no reason why this film was not released in theaters.  Tom Laughlin commented that after a private screening, a member of Congress yelled at him and told him that this movie would NOT be released. "Billy Jack Goes to Washington" was the "Fahrenheit 9-11" of its day.  Not  in  the sense  that  it's a documentary  like  Michael Moore's  films,
because  it  isn't.   It's  a  fictional story that exposes political corruption.   In  1979, "The China Syndrome", starring Jack Lemmon and Jane Fonda, also
exposed political  corruption and greed regarding nuclear power plants.  There's  one  thing  those  who are  politically corrupt  try  to avoid  with  agonized  desperation:   The  Spotlight  of   Truth.

When "Billy Jack Goes to Washington" was NOT released in 1977,  it seemed the Billy Jack movie series had died.  The 1980's came.  During that decade, 
I  read somewhere to my amazement that "Billy Jack in New York" couldn't be completed because money for this movie ran out.   And  then...the  Laughlins disappeared!   New martial arts heroes came on the scene:  Jean-Claude Van Dam, Stephen Segal, Chuck Norris, and others.   Bruce Lee look-a-likes.  
Bruce Lee wannabees

If we have movies like "The Panama Deception", "Outfoxed", "Bowling for Columbine", "Loose Change", "Fahrenheit 9-11"--these are movies you should see--we can certainly welcome Billy Jack, the next generation of films. Have the Laughlins considered audio theatre? Audio theatre is the fraternal twin of audio books.    There's no visual components in audio theatre, just the human voice, sound effects, and music. Why not?  Tom Laughlin and Dolores Taylor may be a little  older, but they sound the same as they did when the Billy Jack movies came out in the early 1970's.   I  see actors  Bob Hastings and Will  Hutchins perform  at  the Friends  of  the  Old-Time Radio Convention in  Newark, New Jersey every  year ( http://www.lofcom.com/nostalgia/fotr/  ).  These actors sound the same, just like  when  I  was a kid back in the 1960's watching Mr. Hastings  on "McHale's Navy"  and  actor  Will  Hutchins on  "Sugarfoot"   
(SEE   www.bradleyphoenix.com/photogallery.html       to see photos of me and Mr. Hastings and  Mr. Hutchins ).

So, what happened to the Laughlins?   Their  website said they were busy lecturing and teaching.  Maybe out  in California or the West, but  I  haven't heard the Laughlins lecturing in New York City?   Their major voice seems to be their website.  I  saw  a  documentary on Tom Laughlin a few years ago. The last I heard about Tom Laughlin was that he ran for President of the United States in 1992. He did what?!  Ronald Regan was a Hollywood-actor-turned politician, who became  a   U.S.  President    Fred Dalton Thompson was  a  politician  and  actor;  he  became a  Republican U.S. Senator.   So  did whats-his-face:  Arnold  Swartzenegger,  who became  Governor  of  California  (you have to say Arnie's  last  name very carefully around us black folks   :)  )    I  think Tom Laughlin could have become an effective  progressive Congressman IF he had only kept making more movies...any genre. So, what of the fate of the Billy Jack character?   Who could play Billy Jack today? Tommy Lee Jones? Richard Gere? Steven Segal? What about a Billy Jack television series with the Laughlins as executive producers? Can you hear the new Billy Jack throw out a line like this to George W. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfiwitz, and Ashcroft,"Why the hell would I want to go to a heaven with you in it?"        Why  haven't  the Laughlins  made  movies  inside  Hollywood?   

Wait, there's breaking news! As I write this article, the Laughlins are saying that they are coming out with a NEW Billy Jack film that will tie up a lot of loose ends such as: Did Billy Jack and Jean ever get married?  What happened to some of the characters in the Billy Jack films? And much much more!  This was a complete surprise to me!   I  thought we would never see another Billy Jack movie.  So, I'm looking forward to seeing their new film.   I  think  the  first  one
is supposed  to  be  released  Memorial Day 2007.   I  hope  that  the Laughlins get all the artistic and financial support they need.   If   I  can help in anyway to raise awareness of  their latest film project...I'm there!    I've been e-mailing progressive organizations and individuals to tell them about the Laughlins new upcoming movie  AND  their  End The War  in Iraq  Project.    It  seems   Billy  Jack  is  back!      It's all  at   the Laughlin's  website:   www.billyjack.com

       May the Almighty Creator  bless   Dolores   Taylor,   Tom   Laughlin,   and   the   Laughlin   family. 

                                                                                                                                                           --    B.  Phoenix 
 

Billy   Jack   Enterprises
P.O. Box 840
Moorpark, CA  93020

Phone:  (877)  253-4567   US    toll free,   Canada:   (805)  553-9015

Fax:      (877)  491-2802

info@billyjack.com

                                           
                                                                         Bob Hastings is  on the extreme left of this photo                             
                                                                          McHale's  Navy  television series  1962 - 1966

                Bob Hastings, actor of  stage, television,  and  film    and    Bradley Thunderbird Phoenix   -  2002
     at  the annual  Friends of the Old-Time Radio Convention  (FOTR)   in Newark, New Jersey,  held  every  October.



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Matrix  Revolutions
2003
Directed by the Wachowski Brothers
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Laurence Fishburne
Reviewed by WENDELL V. of Bay Shore, Long Island, NY - 6/4/2004

The Matrix Revolutions is the final chapter of the Matrix trilogy. The concept of the movie is bold and captivating. It brings the saga to a rousing conclusion. As most of you know or will know, Revolutions picks up at the precise point where Reloaded finished. Neo (Keanu Reeves) is trapped in of time line between the real world and the Matrix, unable to escape.

As far as the plot is concerned, the action scenes in Revolutions are just as good as the other two. I must admit that the brief action in Reloaded was awesome, and there's much more in Revolutions. The final battle between man and machines was breathtaking, one of the highlights for the whole trilogy. The final battle between Neo and Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) is also nicely done. However, they are some exaggerated moments in the fight scenes; when they start fighting miles up in the air like Superman. Agent Smith's role in the trilogy never really developed though, he was awesome in Matrix 1, but in the last two he was just there to fight Neo and play the bad guy. Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) on the other hand, was an agile and powerful fighter in Matrix 1. Now she hardly does anything except be a liability to Neo. Trinity is just there to complete the love story I guess. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) is shadowed after an amazing performance in the Matrix 1. Like Trinity, he never really does to much as the film mostly focuses on Neo and Agent Smith.

The beginning and the ending of the final chapter were complicated for me. I first saw Neo trapped between worlds in a train station run by an aggressive mad man with no teeth (not quite the start I was expecting). It became even more complicated when an Asian family talked to Neo and a little girl befriended him. I really didn't get that scene and it was poor. Even more bizarre was the nice cushy Hollywood style ending. The Oracle was sitting down with the little girl from the beginning scene (I wonder why?) and she paints a nice vanilla sky over the city. While the Oracle says "I'm not sure Neo will like it. Kinda weird isn't it?

I know everyone (including myself) that saw Matrix Revolutions was expecting a perfect finish to the Matrix Trilogy. It's not absolutely conclusive. I believe the Wachowski Brothers could have done a better job wrapping things up, but it does leave the door open for future productions.

 

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
2003 
Directed by Peter Weir
Starring Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany
Reviewed by Lynn M. Islip Terrace, NY

Master & Commander, an exceptional movie and a must-see. The person who views this movie will either love it or despise it. It's difficult not to be captivated by the thrilling fight scenes, as well as taken into this different time period (during the Napoleonic Wars). Russell Crowe didn't just play the role of Captain Aubrey, but was Captain Aubrey. If you loved Crowe in Gladiator, you will find he is perfectly cast for this part. His character is almost sickly obsessed with conquering a French ship, in which he risks his own life as well as his crew. Although a bit odd and eccentric, Crowe's character is very likable and absorbs the viewer under his command.

During the movie, aside from the battles between Captain Aubrey's ship and the French ship, there is major crew interaction. I was able to get a feel for each character but the main emphasis was placed on Doctor Maturin, played by Paul Bettany. The friendship between him and Captain Aubrey seemed somewhat out of place in this movie yet at the same time, appropriate. (Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany also acted together in A Beautiful Mind).

Aside from the dialog being sometimes difficult to understand, this movie is superb. It showcases bravery, friendship, and loyalty. The exciting battle scenes and the threatening weather conditions are amazing and very realistic. In my opinion, the movie is near flawless and captured my interest from beginning to end. 

 

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    "I'm  the  African  American - Native  version  of  Rod Serling  for  audio  movies  (audio drama, science fiction, and  fantasy)
    with  original  scripts  that   can  be  produced   for  movies  on  the  radio,  television,  and  motion picture industry."
                                                                                                                                                                                      --  Bradley  Thunderbird  Phoenix

   Some of  my   COPYRIGHTED   scripts  /  plays:

The Gods in the Pentagon  (Dr. Strange-body):    Dr. Strangelove-type military black comedy  (performed  live over WUSB radio station   (2002)
Thinning  the  Herd:     Red-neck hunters  fight against the ghosts in a forest and their co-conspirators   (performed ive over WUSB-90.1 FM    (2001).
Don't Take It Out on Me!:   New Age tale of  supernatural horror as certain objects grow arms and feet and come to life (performed live over WUSB  (2001).
Remember Me?:   Professor  Memory  can remember anything...except  his own....   (performed this as a radio play live over WUSB    (2000).
When Dimensions Collide:    Sci-fi....parallel  universes   (performed as a radio play on stage at the Student Union Auditorium, Stony Brook Univ. (1996).
I Wanna Live Too!:   A deadly alien that can absorb and imitate any physical lifeform  (performed as a radio play on stage at Stony Brook University  (1997).

* Skeleton  Crews:    Super-intellectual  mammals invade a  space station  (Did NOT perform this live over the radio as intended  (2001   -   55 minutes).

           Original   scripts   that  can  be  made  into  motions  pictures   OR   television  shows  or  miniseries          GO   TO:
 
                                                www.bradleyphoenix.com/playlist.html

 

War  of  the Worlds   (remake):    Shhh-piel-berg-ized   remake  with  Tom Cruise.  This  story wasn't as  strong as the version with 
                                                   Gene  Barry,  who  was in this movie.   Heavy on the special effects.   Story  could have been stronger. 
                                                   The Barry version  had  more emphasis on the military trying to figure out a way to destroy the Martians. 
                                                   Such  as  the scene when they dropped an atomic bomb on the Martians is great filmmaking!  In the  Barry 
                                                   version,  you had  Gene Barry's  character  hugging the leading lady in the church during the final scenes of 
                                                   the movie,  and  then the  aliens  die.    It's a  powerful moment that most  Spielberg movies lack  (with the
                                                  exception of  Schindler's List  (a  powerful  4-star  movie  and  triumph of filmmaking).      Most  Spielberg
                                                  movies  have  good effects and  decent  cinematography, but  weak stories.   A.I.  didn't  move me 
                                                  emotionally, but  Robin Williams in "Bicentennial  Man"  did.    1941  was   a  comedic  mess.   E.T.
                                                  was  cute  sentimental  oatmeal.     During the  first  10 minutes,  I knew where the story (This   "War of
                                                  Worlds"  re-make)   was  going.    Tom Cruise is legally separated from his wife.   The  children are 
                                                  split between their  biological father and their step dad.   But magically at the end of the movie,  they
                                                  have all bonded due to the alien invasion crisis and all will live happily ever after.   At one point in the
                                                  movie, Tom Cruises's character lets his son go because there's something he has to do;  his son is
                                                  becoming a man!    What is  his  son going to do  that  trained  men and women in the U.S. military
                                                  can't  do?   The  boy has no training.   No combat experience.   No weapons experience, unless you
                                                  want to  count  PlayStation  and  other video games.   And  his  father, Tom Cruise,  makes the BIG
                                                  BIG  decision  to   LET    HIM   GO   SO  HE  CAN  BECOME   A   MAN.    Stupid  nonsense!
                                                  The  aliens  implanting  their  warship  under the  ground  was  a  dumb idea.   If  you  have  force fields
                                                  around  your  war machines  then  why  bury them deep  underground?    Just  show  up  and  start  attacking.
                                                  Tim Robbins's  character  in the movie didn't  really do  much  for  the movie;  it  wasn't  even  necessary.   
                                                  Although the  aliens  playing  hide and seek with the main characters  in  the  basement  was  interesting.  
                                                  The  aliens  captured some family members inside one of their spaceships  was  the most interesting scene in  the
                                                  entire movie.   But  for  my money, "Independence  Day"  is  a  better movie than  Spielberg's  "War of the Worlds".
                                                  "Independence  Day"  had enough  corny moments in it, but  it  was  more emotionally satisfying  and  better
                                                  made than  Spielberg's  "War of the Worlds".     The  1950's  version of  War of the Worlds with Gene  Barry
                                                  remains  the  best  version   to  date.               Brad's  movie  rating:    **      (two  stars)

The Fantastic Four:     I'm so tired  of  these movies  saturated with special effects with weak stories.   They're  eye candy  and   no-brainers.
                                  When  will  these  Hollywood  producers  ever  learn  that  the  real  special  effects  are:   HUMAN    EMOTIONS.   
                                  To  be  able to  cry, laugh,  express joy, sorrow, anger, pity,  curiosity...the whole spectrum of emotions, that's  the best
                                  special effects of  them all.     They need  a  movie where  they tell  us  how the super hero got their powers in a  quick
                                  flashback, and then  move on with the story and the growth  of the super-hero character.    

                                 Allow me to  digress a little please:  I  noticed in the DC comic books  (yeah, I  love graphic novels), that  there's an African American
                                  man  as  the  new  Green Lantern.   That  would make a good TV movie.   Learning from the old Green Lantern:  Hal Jordan,
                                  an aging white man.    A  troubled  black man who came up from poverty.    The Guardians, understanding his troubled
                                  background born from a restless sea of racism  and white supremacy.   I  can  write the screenplay right now!    But not
                                  dwelling on HOW  he became the new Green Lantern, just tell that in flashback.    Then have the Guardians give the new
                                  Green Lantern a mission on  another....   Hey, I don't  want to write the screenplay now!    One of the mistakes about
                                  these movies dwelling on how the super-heroes became super is  they don't include OTHER super heroes.   Note in the
                                  Superman movie with Christopher Reeve...no Justice League.    In the X-Men movies with Patrick Stewart...no Fantastic
                                  Four, Dr. Strange, and other Marvel super heroes.    Same in the Michael Keaton Batman movie.   They focus all their
                                  attention on  one or a  small group of super heroes  instead of connecting them to a network of super heroes--BIG  MISTAKE.
                                  Hollywood  is so doggone busy trying to tell us about the origin of  how this person became a superhero.   The  real  human  story
                                  is:   how do they feel about their powers?   About  themselves?   About the world?    The animation movie,"The Incredibles"
                                  is about how I  would approach the subject.   "The Incredibles"  is  a  much better movie than "The Fantastic Four".
                                  The  rating  for  the  Fantastic  Four  movie:       Brad's  movie ratings:   **                       [August  23,  2005] 

                                  *   I  have   an   idea  for  a   TV  movie that would  be  just  as  interesting  as  "The Incredibles".     I  also  have 
                                       an  idea  for  a  television series  entitled,"Jump  Dogs".     SEE    www.bradleyphoenix.com/playlist.hmtl

Batman Begins:    Christian Bale is  the new Batman!   "Batman  Begins"   is  the  best  Batman movie to date.   I  liked Michael Keaton, but 
                            this story fleshed out the Batman/Bruce Wayne character.   It was intelligently made.   It had some flaws. 
                            Lifting a man up with one arm  when that person is dead weight  is ludicrous.  Try  lifting a  man who is heavier than
                            you with  one  arm  hanging off a  cliff  with  hundreds  of feet  between him and the ground--dead weight.   You would
                            have to be  crazier than a  New York  City  rat.    And why did the entire Wayne  mansion have to be burned  to the
                            ground?    That was unnecessary.    In this story you understand why  he  becomes Batman.   You understand  where
                            the Batmobile comes from.   The  discovery  of  the  Batcave   is  engrossing.   Except for a few "Hollywood-isms" 
                            this is  the best Batman movie  so  far.            Brad's  movie  ratings:   *** 1/2 

Equilibrium:    Starring Christian Bale, now the new Batman.  This movie is pure excitement and intelligently  directed by Kurt Wimmer  
                     (screenwriter-turned-director)      I  believe  Kurt  Wimmer  will come out with  some  really great films in the years to come. 
                     I  highly  recommend  this  movie.   Get  it on  DVD!     The  plot, acting, and  fight scenes  are  well  done.    This  is  a
                     a   story  set  in   super-tech  future.          Brad's  movie  ratings:    *** 1/2

The Island:    Loved the  actors.   Reminded  me  of  some  other  movies:   THX  1138,  1984,  and  Logan's Run.   The  cinematography  was
                     very good  in  some  spots.   I  didn't buy  two people running for a long time through the hot desert...clones or no clones.   And  I  
                     didn't  buy  the   clones  trying  to  find  the persons  they were cloned  after.    What's  the point?    The  purpose of  the 
                     of  their  (clones)  existence  was  to  supply  body  parts.    Rather,  the  story  should  have  been  to  expose  the  cloning  genetic 
                     farms,  and  not  having the clones  trying to find  their  genetic "parents".        Brad's  movie ratings:   **

Badlands:     I   like  the  director:   Terrence  Malick.    His  movies  are  fascinating, poetic, and powerful.    He  did "Days of Heaven" 
                   starring  Richard  Gere.    Recently, he did "The Thin Red Line".     "Badlands"  has  wonderful  poetic  images and  music.   
                   Martin Sheen  and  Sissy Spacek  are  excellent.     There  was   a   lot  of  years  between  "Days of Heaven"  (1978) 
                   and  "The Thin  Red Line"  made in the  1990's.    What  the  heck  was  Terrence Malick doing all those years?! 
                   Why did he stop making movies???     Well,  he resumed  making  films, and boy is the film world better off!     
                   Brad's  movie  rating:   *** 1/2

It's a Wonderful  Life:     It's  a  classic!     How can you not like Jimmy Stewart in anything?    Donna Reed is  very attractive and perfectly cast. 
                                      This movie has the feel of a  long  Twilight Zone  episode.    It's on television every Christmas.   Please  see  this 
                                     movie  if  you  haven't  already;   it'll   make you  feel  good.         Brad's   movie  rating:  ****

Harold and Maude:    Fine  black comedy about a  rich young man that torments his mother with fake suicides.    Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon 
                                  are  superb.    Released  in 1971.     Director  Hal Ashby went on to direct other good movies before his  premature death. 
                                  What  is  Bud  Cort  doing these  days?    IF you want to find out  what an actor is doing, just go to the IMDB  website.
                                  Brad's  movie   rating:   *** 1/2

Mission  Impossible 2:    High  praise  for the  director,  John Woo,   and  for  the entire cast.   Strong villain.   Tom Cruise's  sidekicks  are 
                                      for laughs  and  to make  Cruise look good as the leading man.   After all,  Cruise is the handsome leading man. 
                                      You  can't  have  sidekicks  that  are  better looking than  the  leading man!   The leading lady is  attractive and  turns in 
                                      a  good performance.      Woo  is  a  strong  action director.   "Broken Arrow" was good (even though it has a
                                      corny  Hollywood  ending - the  good guy gets the girl in the end).     I  think  John Woo would  be great to  direct
                                      a   James  Bond  movie.     But  will the  allow an Asian to direct a James Bond movie?       Brad's   movie  rating:   ***
 

Batman  Beyond:   The  Return of the Joker:     This animated adventure takes place in the future.  Batman / Bruce Wayne is in his 70's or 80's. 
                                                                        But he  employs a young high school student to be the new Batman.   This new Batman can 
                                                                        can  fly  and  become invisible.   This new Gotham City  has  flying  cars and futuristic technology. 
                                                                        This is all based on the television series:  Batman Beyond.   This was a really good series with good 
                                                                        animation and solid stories.   OK, so the Joker--who was supposed to be dead  years ago--has returned.    
                                                                        This  is a  suspenseful  engaging story  and  the  folks at  Warner Bros.  gave  us  a  fine  production. 
                                                                         I  highly  recommend  this  DVD.     If they wanted to bring Batman Beyond  as  live action to the silver 
                                                                        screen,  that  would  be  exciting to see.   I think the fans of  Batman would  love Batman Beyond.   
                                                                        Brad's   movie  rating:    *** 1/2

Fracture:    Good crime story.   The movie was paced a little too slow.    Anthony Hopkin's character, a mastermind, should have figured out
                  the laws of double jeopardy   AND  possibly being videotaped entering someone's apartment.     Brad's rating:   * * *

The Condemned:    A movie in the same vein as "The Running Man".   The hero of the movie, Steve Austin,  tried to carry the movie as a strong-silent
                              type...the powerful hero with very little to say...a man of action.   Another Arnold Swartzenegger or Sly Stallone  he's NOT.
                              The movie tries to have a conscience and heart, but the leading man, Austin, doesn't carry the movie in my opinion.   Brad's rating:  * *

Full  Metal Jacket:     A  good  Kubrick  film.    During the basic training scenes the main  Drill Sergeant has fangs of verbal violence that
                                 is both horrifying and fascinating.    The de-humanization process  (something Kubrick seems to be fascinated with in his
                                 films)   of  the  civilian turning into a Marine  is  like a  person turning into a werewolf.   Some movie critics said that this
                                 movie was the best war movie ever made.   I disagree.   I love Kubrick as a film director, but  I'll take "The Bridge On  the
                                 River  Kwai"   and  "Stalag 17"   (note both movies had actor William Holden)  any day.   Some believe that "Full  Metal  Jacket" 
                                 was  two films.   The first  half was  basic training  and the  second half was combat in Vietnam.   I draw your attention to the
                                 sniper toward the end of the movie  (the one that was "picking off"  the  Marines one at a time).     Unless I  missed something
                                 (it's possible),  I would have written the story so that  the Vietnamese prostitute  they met earlier  in the story would have been the
                                 sniper at the end  (the one who rode in on a  motorbike)   It would have made for a stronger  script.    In the film, I don't think they 
                                 had any connection.    Before I saw this movie, I guessed correctly that the combat scenes  would be similar to the combat  scenes
                                 in "Dr. Strangelove".   In  other  words,  Kubrick  focuses  on  combat   among   war-battered   buildings  and  Oliver  Stone in  his
                                movie,"Platoon",  focuses  on combat  in  the  jungle.    I  just had  a sneaking suspicious that  Kubrick would do that.
                                
                                 Full Metal Jacket refers to the casing surrounding a bullet for the M-16 rifle.    It symbolizes the "straight  jacket"  the military
                                 has  placed  over the minds  of  new recruits  as they turn them into "angels of death praying for war"  or  fighting machines.
                                 I  was in the U.S. Army and we  never had to sleep with our rifles.   The Marines are definitely hard core.   I  have  no problem
                                 with  soldiers and Marines being combat ready;   I   have a  problem with U.S. military troops being  USED as  human  cannonballs
                                and  catapulted  into  UNJUSTIFIED  wars  for  the  corporate greed of corrupt politicians.    The war in Iraq  was  not  necessary,
                                just  like  Vietnam.     How many billions of dollars can we keep pouring into these wars and ignore universal healthcare,  education
                                for our children,  the war against crime  here in the USA,  and other vital national  issues?     Greedy  war profiteers  and  their
                               political puppets  want  to  place  the entire  USA  in a   full-metal   jacket.       Brad's  movie  rating:    ***