Genre: Thriller

Year: 1984

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Geneviève Bujold, Dan Hedaya, Alison Eastwood, Jenny Beck

Director: Richard Tuggle

My Review: Clint Eastwood plays Wes Block, a New Orleans police detective with a bit of a dark side. His sexual appetite makes him perfect prey for a serial killer. Wes isn't the focus for the killer's murderous plans, but he'll be the fall guy if this psycho gets his way. While Wes concerns himself with the investigation and his own personal life, the murder victims start to pile up, and they're getting closer and closer to Wes's own family. Can Wes figure out who this killer is before the next victim falls? It's a pretty good movie, but the plot was far too predictable. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer. His victims are young and pretty women, which he rapes and murders. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his daughters are threatened.

Genre: Drama

Year: 2010

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Ashley Greene, Shiloh Fernandez, James LeGros, Brett Cullen, Haley Ramm

Director: Anthony Burns

My Review: Far better than I thought it would be. Here's another 'coming of age' movie set in Texas. I'm such a sucker for this 'niche genre'. The cast was fantastic. Shiloh Fernandez (playing Ritchie Wheeler), Ashley Greene (as Michelle Burkham), Heath Freeman (as Brent Burkham - cowriter), Melinda McGraw (as Debbie Wheeler), and many others. The characters, acting and character direction were awesome. The story was an excellent tribute to small town 80s. The music, the culture, the icons, the attitudes that clearly defined this generation. A fitting salute to writer/director John Hughes. 19 year old Ritchie Wheeler is on the verge of adulthood. He's just out of high-school and the rest of his life lays ahead of him. The only problem? He hasn't got a clue. He doesn't know where to go, what to do, what path to follow. To make things even more difficult, his parents are divorcing, and the local roller rink is shutting down! Outstanding writing and an awesome sound track. Did I happen to mention an outstanding sound track? Ritchie needs to make up his mind. This outstanding period piece has captured the era so perfectly that I can't imagine another 80s film as true to the moment as this one. Despite the low budget and indie roots, this one wins a big thumbs up from me. 5 out of 5.

Summary: An iconic tribute to a culture, place and state of mind that defined small town America in the early 80s. It is a universal moment in time, when everything you know to be true starts fading. The story is personal, yet familiar, set against a visually arresting landscape of music and vistas of Americana.

Genre: Action

Year: 1987

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitch Ryan, Tom Atkins

Director: Richard Donner

My Review: A great cast - Starring Mel Gibson (Martin Riggs) and Danny Glover (Roger Murtaugh), this buddy cop movie has some great pacing, writing, direction and spot on acting. Roger Murtaugh is ready to retire, but he's not done yet. When saddled with a new partner, he does his best to adapt to this crazy cop with a 'death wish'. With excellent character direction and development, the story isn't neglected. A pretty good plot about drug smugglers, a conspiracy, and a group of fanatical special forces bad guys. The pacing and editing keeps your adrenaline pumping and the climax isn't disappointing. Glover and Gibson had great chemistry together and this movie is a classic cop buddy movie which spawned numerous sequels. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Summary: A veteran detective is partnered with a young detective with a suicidal death wish.

Genre: Thriller

Year: 1974

Country: UK

Rating:

Starring: Jon Voight, Maximilian Schell, Maria Schell, Mary Tamm, Derek Jacobi

Director: Ronald Neame

My Review: Released in 1974, starring John Voight, directed by Ronald Neame. An excellent thriller. Well paced, a little long. John Voight plays a young German reporter just after WWII. He stumbles upon a secret organization who's goal it is to protect and relocate Nazis. He begins tracking a former concentration camp comandant. This thriller is well balanced between characters and plot. Lots of drama, action, and mystery. An espionage thriller with a considerable twist at the end.

Summary: After reading the diary of an elderly Jewish man who committed suicide, freelance journalist Peter Miller begins to investigate the alleged sighting of a former SS-Captain who commanded a concentration camp during World War II. Miller eventually finds himself involved with the powerful organization of former SS members, called ODESSA, as well as with the Israeli secret service. Miller probes deeper and eventually discovers a link between the SS-Captain, ODESSA, and his own family.

Genre: Action

Year: 1979

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Chuck Norris, Anne Archer, James Franciscus, Lloyd Haynes, Dana Andrews

Director: Ted Post

My Review: Wow - I thought I had seen the worst Chuck Norris movie ever when I watched 'Silent Rage'. If that's true, then why did I buy a copy of 'Good Guys Wear Black'? Amazingly bad acting. Chuck Norris is actually one of the best actors in this bomb. The other actors do their best to 'recite' their lines, but they can't even get those right. In this movie, Chuck Norris plays John T. Booker (best part of the movie is his character's name), former commander of an elite special forces team (working as CIA operatives - of course!) sent into Vietnam towards the end of the war in order to rescue American POWs. Unfortunately for Booker and his crew, it's a set-up. They're marked for death. After miraculously escaping, we flash forward to present day (1978?). Apparently someone didn't get the message and the Vietnam war is still on. Someone is out to kill all of Booker's former squad members. While Booker teams up with some bimbo reporter, the bad guys are methodically picking off the former commandos one at a time. Until the get down to Booker. That's when he teaches them to mess with Chuck! … I mean John T. Booker. The special effects were poor, the editing terrible, the writing abysmal, and the acting… I give this a 1 out of 5.

Summary: An ex-US Army commando must find the reason why his comrades from his unit are being systematically murdered before he is next.