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Movie Review: The Village (2004)

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Synopsis: The blind Ivy Walker lives in an isolated 19th-century Pennsylvania village with her family, living in peace with the other villagers and falling in love with Lucius Hunt. The villagers, however, live in fear of mysterious creatures living in the surrounding woods, attracted by the color red and any attempt to cross the boundary. When Lucius is injured and near death, it becomes up to Ivy to brave the woods and retrieve medicine, a task that results in her learning the truth about the creatures. Who's in it? The movie stars Bryce Dallas Howard , Sigourney Weaver , William Hurt , Joaquin Phoenix Judy Greer and Adrien Brody . Review: My wife is recovering from strep throat (one of the hazards of working at an elementary school) and since that pretty much means we have no plans this weekend as a result, we ended up watching The Village this morning. It had been a while since I had seen the film and as it turns out, it was better than I remembered. Years after last seeing...
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Three Reasons Why Carol and Susan Were the Real Power Couple on Friends

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Even though the season finale aired nearly 21 years ago, the show Friends  remains a fan favorite and, at least in our household, the reruns are watched on repeat.  Typically, you can't have a conversation about the show without mentioning one of the two main power couples - Ross ( David Schimmer ) and Rachel ( Jennifer Aniston ) or Monica ( Courteney Cox ) and Chandler ( Matthew Perry ). Maybe to a slightly lesser extent, you could even mention Phoebe ( Lisa Kudrow ) and her boyfriend/husband in the later seasons, Mike ( Paul Rudd ). I, however, think the REAL power couple is one that doesn't get enough credit, Ross's ex-wife Carol ( Anita Barone in season 1 and Jane Sibbett after that) and her wife Susan Bunch ( Jessica Hecht ). While their lesbian relationship was often portrayed in a comical light (as was often the case in the 90s) and their recurring appearances were reduced in the later seasons, there are three reasons why I'd pick them above any of the couples ...
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Movie Review: 5 Against the House (1955)

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Synopsis: Four college friends, Brick, Al, Ronnie and Roy, stop at a Reno, Nevada casino for a little fun. While Ronnie and Roy wait in line to cash a check, someone attempts to rob the cashier, and the pair are nearly wrongfully arrested as accomplices. Following the incident, Ronnie works out a fool-proof way to successfully commit the casino robbery and convinces Brick and Roy to help him with Al, who is going to Reno to marry his girlfriend, Kay, serving as an unwitting accomplice. When Al learns of the plan, he tries to put a stop to it. However, Brick, a Korean War veteran who has been hospitalized with PTSD, pulls a gun and threatens to shoot his friends if they don't carry out the plan. Who's in it? The movie stars Guy Madison , Brian Keith , Kim Novak , Alvy Moore and Kerwin Mathews. Review: I added 5 Against the House to my movie library a few days ago because the description made the film sound a bit like an earlier version of Ocean's Eleven and I was intri...
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Wisconsin Voter ID Victory is a Double-edged Sword for Republicans

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Yesterday was the climax of a seemingly endless spring election season that saw a very partisan non-partisan Wisconsin Supreme Court race and a slightly less partisan non-partisan State Superintendent race that saw overwhelming victories for liberals. However, one thing the conservatives in Wisconsin (and Washington) could brag about was the landslide victory for a proposed amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution cementing a photo ID requirement for all elections.  For clarification, Wisconsin already has been enforcing this law for years. In fact, when I voted yesterday, I both had to hand the poll volunteer my driver's license and (as further confirmation of who I was) tell them my name and address. The amendment would only make it harder to overturn that law. And for the record, I was among the minority that voted against it. I have yet to see any proof voter fraud is rampant to the point it justifies potentially denying someone their right to vote. Ironically though, while Dona...
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Movie Review: Count the Hours! (1953)

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Synopsis: When farmer Fred Morgan and his housekeeper, Sarah Watson, are murdered during a burglary, farmhand George Braden is arrested for the crime and to protect his wife, Ellen, signs a confession after 16 hours of interrogation. Doug Madison is asked to serve as Braden's defense attorney and initially declines until the pregnant Ellen convinces him of her husband's innocence. Madison remains determined to prove his client didn't commit murder, even after running out of money, having his girlfriend break up with him and Braden is convicted and sentenced to hang. Who's in it? The movie stars MacDonald Carey , Teresa Wright , Edgar Barrier , Adele Mara and Delores Moran. Review: I came across Count the Hours! a few nights ago and decided to add it to my library because I'm always game for a classic crime drama/mystery. I watched it this morning with no real expectations, but it turned out to be a great choice. There are quite a few things I liked about this m...
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My Five Favorite Val Kilmer Roles

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I woke up this morning to the sad news of actor Val Kilmer's passing at the age of 65. As a relatively unsung character actor, even I was a bit surprised when I was reminded of just how many times, he starred or co-starred in a movie I enjoyed. So, I decided it would be worth the time to list my five favorite Val Kilmer roles in his memory. Madmartigan ( Willow , 1988) -  Technically, Warwick Davis is the star of this movie, but Kilmer's Madmartigan is the reason it is one of my all-time favorite action fantasies. He brings a great blend of heroism and comedy to the film that sometimes outshine the movie's namesake. Nick Rivers ( Top Secret , 1984) - Ironically, I was just thinking to myself "it's been ages since I've seen this movie, I should take the time to watch it again." This film was Kilmer's first and his performance as the rock star turned resistance fighter is a big reason why it's a classic. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky ( Top Gun , 198...
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Movie Review: Leprechaun 5: In the Hood (2000)

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Synopsis: Twenty years after discovering a leprechaun's gold, trapping the leprechaun with a magical medallion and stealing a golden flute, Mack Daddy O'Nasses is a successful record producer in Los Angeles. When he turns down three wannabe rappers, Postmaster P., Stray Bullet and Butch, they get revenge by stealing both the medallion and the flute, setting the leprechaun free and putting them in the crosshairs of both the evil creature and Mack Daddy while the flute's magic helps their music career. Who's in it? The movie stars Warwick Davis , Ice-T , Anthony Montgomery , Rashaan Nall and Red Grant. Review: My wife and I were both a bit tired out yesterday evening so I decided to find a movie to watch while we crashed on the couch. Despite quite a bit of hesitation after watching the previous four movies, I ended up picking Leprechaun 5: In the Hood . As it turned out, I probably should have picked a different movie. There are a lot of things wrong with this film, b...
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