Quigley Down Under (MGM 1990)

Thanks for the suggestion Nanc!

Good gun movie here. I guess if you think about it, Quigley Down Under is a complete reversal of Crocodile Dundee.

Here's an interesting fact. Steve McQueen was supposed to star in this movie after he completed The Hunter in 1980. However, the actor became sick and the movie was scrapped until Tom Selleck was given the role.

Here is the review from Wikipedia...

Tom Selleck plays Matthew Quigley, a cowboy and rifleman from America with a keen eye and a specially modified rifle with which he can shoot accurately at extraordinary distances. Quigley's weapon of choice is an 1874 Sharps Buffalo Rifle. He answers an advertisement that asks for men with a special talent in long distance shooting, the job being in Australia. On arriving, he is met by employees of the man who hired him, Elliot Marston (Alan Rickman), and is eventually taken to Marston's station in the Western Australian outback.

Marston is a gentleman infatuated with stories of quick-draw gunslingers from the American Old West, believing himself to have been born on the wrong continent, and amazed that Quigley has actually been to Dodge City. He hires Quigley to come to Australia in the hopes that Quigley will use his sharpshooting skills to help eradicate the native Aborigines. Quigley finds the idea abhorrent and the two men are quickly headed for a showdown.

Laura San Giacomo provides comic relief and a love interest as "Crazy Cora." Having suffered a terrifying personal tragedy some years before the film's story begins, Cora appears to think that Quigley is her estranged husband, Roy.

After Quigley turns Marston down, Marston has his men dump Quigley and Cora in the Australian Outback with no water and little chance of survival. Thanks to the help of a group of Aborigines, Quigley and Cora survive to rescue other Aborigines from Marston's men, including an orphaned baby who helps Cora overcome her tragic past. As the story progresses, Marston loses more and more men to Quigley until the final showdown, which leaves Quigley standing to face a hostile British major.

Here is the trailer...

Return to Me (MGM 2000)

An eight-year-old boy had a younger sister who was dying of leukemia, and he was told that without a blood transfusion she would die. His parents explained to him that his blood was probably compatible with hers, and if so, he could be the blood donor. They asked him if they could test his blood. He said sure. So they did and it was a good match. Then they asked if he would give his sister a pint of blood, that it could be her only chance of living. He said he would have to think about it overnight.

The next day he went to his parents and said he was willing to donate the blood. So they took him to the hospital where he was put on a gurney beside his six-year-old sister. Both of them were hooked up to IVs. A nurse withdrew a pint of blood from the boy, which was then put in the girl’s IV. The boy lay on his gurney in silence while the blood dripped into his sister, until the doctor came over to see how he was doing. Then the boy opened his eyes and asked, “How soon until I start to die?”

I heard this story in church a long time ago, and it has inspired me not only to give blood at the American Red Cross but be an organ donor as well.

This week's film Return to Me is a great film with many outstanding values I think you and your family with enjoy immensely!

And hey...while you're at it this Christmas why not visit the Red Cross and give some blood to folks who really need it? If you're scared of needles, write the Red Cross a check! They need that too!

Here is a review from IMDb...

In this comedy-drama which shows us how the tragic death of one human being can still save the life of another, a happily-married man (David Duchovny) is struck with tragedy when his wife (Joely Richardson) dies from complications of a car accident. In her death, however, another is given life, as another young woman (Minnie Driver) with an ailing heart is given a transplant. Finally able to live a normal, happy life for the first time in years, she joins her grandfather in helping to run an Irish-themed restaurant, where she meets the widower, never imagining that the heart beating in her chest belonged to his wife. They slowly fall madly in love with each other, but when she learns the shocking truth, she is torn by whether or not she should let him know about the transplant she received and who it came from.

Here is the trailer...

King of Kings (MGM 1961)

Who really killed Jesus?

Was it the Jews?

The Romans?

My minister, when asked this very same question, had a very interesting take on Christ's death.

"Who killed Him," he said. "God the Father was the one who killed Him. He was the one who threw the switch on His own Son."

They both knew what needed to be done, he explained, so the sins of the world could have a chance to be washed away...as long you believe in Him....

...and not politicians or government (well, OK, I added that one).

The Conservativeflix Movie of the Week is the classic King of Kings. You all know the story, but this time you have to put your right wing glasses on when you watch this! (If you're a lib and you don't have any right wing glasses ask to borrow some from a real American.) Watch the struggle between good and evil, watch the struggle between justice and oppression, between faith and government!

This is a good family film, although you may have to explain certain things to the little ones from time to time.

The music in this movie is incredible! Miklos Rozsa, one of my favorite all-time composers, did one heck of a job with this score! Performing before you (below) is the 2009 University Of Hawaii Summer Concert Band. It is comprised of students around the state with gifted talent in the music industry. This is the theme for the movie King of Kings.



Here is the trailer...

The Stratton Story (MGM 1949)

OK, OK...I admit it. The timing of this movie (especially when you consider the Plaxico Burress entry below) is a little strange. But mark my words when I say this...Plaxico Burress is no Monty Stratton!

The movie is about Chicago White Sox pitcher Monty Stratton (Jimmy Stewart), who in the 1930s, compiled a 37-19 won-loss record in three seasons. After he became the winningest right-hander in the American League, his major league career ended prematurely when a hunting accident in 1938 forced doctors to amputate his right leg. With a wooden leg and his wife Ethel's (June Allyson) help, Stratton made a successful minor league comeback in 1946, continuing to pitch in minor leagues throughout the rest of the 1940s and into the 1950s. (From IMDb)

I like this movie, of course if you've been a fan of this blog for awhile, I like just about every Jimmy Stewart movie. The Stratton Story is a great example of American courage and triumph.

Here is the trailer...

Henry V (MGM 1989)

My boss introduced me to this movie and said I would enjoy it...and I did! If you enjoy Shakespeare and love a good war flick, Henry V is going to be one you'll remember for a long time.

I have to admit most of the dialogue was way over my head, but the overall story is what was most important to me. A young King, looked upon as a playboy by his enemies, is denied land that he's entitled. What his enemies didn't expect was that the King and his small army would fight for it. But victory is not easy and the King learns what it takes to lead not only his troops, but to lead his country.

A pro-militaty, pro-victory, pro-country film, Henry V is the Edge Conservative Movie of the Week!

Here is the trailer...




Henry V Saint Crispin's Day Speech. This should get you fired up!

The Pride of the Yankees (MGM 1942)

When I was in middle school, I did a report on a book called Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time. I remember coming home from school with an "A" on my paper and proudly showed it to my Mom. She smiled and said, "You know, they made a movie about him too, right?"

My Mom is smart. She knew I would have watched the movie and not read the book.

So, that weekend I remember going down to the local video store and renting Pride of the Yankees and watching it with my Mom and Dad. What a great story Lou Gehrig had and what a tragic end of his life. Yankee fan or not, baseball fan or not, his story is a true American story.

Now, years later, I have a friend of mine who has Lou Gehrig's disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS). Like Gehrig, she is facing this cruel disease with the same courage and faith...something I know I couldn't possibly do. It is a real pleasure to call her my friend and she and her husband are great examples for my life.

To learn more about ALS please visit this website.

Cooper's scene with Gehrig's famous speech at Yankee Stadium...



The whole movie is on YouTube! Here's Part 1!

Battleground (MGM 1949)

If you guys really like a good ol' World War II movie this week (and maybe the first BEST WWII movie), then you need to take a look at MGM's 1949 classic Battleground starring Van Johnson. Here is the film synopsis from IMDb...

We follow a band of American soldiers as they engage the Germans in a snowy, foggy winter near Bastogne in World War II. They're low on fuel, rations, and ammunition; the Germans are constantly encouraging their surrender via radio and leaflets, and most importantly, the pervasive thick fog makes movement and identification difficult and prevents their relief by Allied air support.

It's a great conservative story about pursuing evil and defeating it...no matter what.

Here is the trailer...

Khartoum (MGM 1966)

If you love movies about underdogs facing a great and vicious evil, folks, Khartoum starring Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier is YOUR kind of flick and the Edge Conservative Movie of the Week!

Here's the plot brought to you by IMDb...

English General Charles George Gordon, a devout Christian, is appointed military governor of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan by Prime Minister Gladstone. Ordered to evacuate Egyptians from the Sudan, General Gordon stays on to protect the people of Khartoum, who are under threat of being conquered by a Muslim army. His Christian faith and military command are challenged by Mohammed Ahmed el Mahdi, "the Expected One," the head of the Muslim forces.

Here is the trailer!



A scene from Khartoum.

The Miracle Worker (MGM 1962)

Try something right now at your computer. Try to forget, well...everything. Everything you ever seen, heard, knew...loved. Now, put your fingers in your ears and close your eyes and imagine what you would think the world was like. Total darkness and silence...also known as hell.

OK, open your eyes and take your fingers out of your ears...you look ridiculous.

It's hard to imagine that there are people on this earth who live like this everyday isn't it? It may be even more difficult to imagine that folks like this can have jobs, understand current issues, vote, fall in love, love pizza just like you and me!

The movie that we will be reviewing today my good friends, which is true for those that don't know, is quite honestly one of the most amazing stories of all time...the story of Hellen Keller in The Miracle Worker. However, sometimes I'm not sure which is more amazing Hellen Keller or the determined teacher Annie Sullivan (played by Anne Bancroft in the film). 'Cause folks they don't make teachers and may not make people anymore who were as patient as that gal, let me tell ya'!

Keller, who would be 128 this month, probably would not agree with yours truly that her story would be conservative (apparently she was kinda of a lib). However, Keller's story is an All-American story of faith, patience, hard work and the ultimate love...do we still do that? You bet!

This would be a great family film to watch, so round up the kids for this one! Here is the movie review below from IMDb.

Young Helen Keller, blind, deaf, and mute since infancy, is in danger of being sent to an institution. Her inability to communicate has left her frustrated and violent. In desperation, her parents seek help from the Perkins Institute, which sends them a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl" named Annie Sullivan to tutor their daughter. Through persistence and love, and sheer stubbornness, Annie breaks through Helen's walls of silence and darkness and teaches her to communicate.

Here is the trailer.



Patty Duke did an awesome job in this flick folks!

The Alamo (MGM 1960)

The Alamo has to rank right up there with all of the great American stories of guts and sacrifice; Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Iwo Jima, D-Day, Flight United 93 and countless others. These are the kind of stories that we should pass on to the young ones to help them understand that their freedom was paid for by the courage and blood of others. I am proud to say that John Wayne's 1960 epic The Alamo is Edge's Conservative Movie of the Week! If you have not seen it...SEE IT! It is long, but worth every second!

I just wonder what all those guys would think about our border situation today. Keep that in mind when you watch this film, huh?

And as they say down in the great state of Texas...REMEMBER THE ALAMO!

Again here is the movie review from IMDb.

The legendary true story of a small band of soldiers who sacrificed their lives in hopeless combat against a massive Mexican army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas. To be able to stop them, General Sam Huston needs time to get his main force into shape. To buy that time he orders Colonel William Travis to defend a small mission on the Mexicans' route at all costs. Travis' small troop is swelled by groups accompanying Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, but as the situation becomes ever more desperate Travis makes it clear there will be no shame if they leave while they can.

Here is the trailer.



Music from The Alamo.

Exodus (MGM 1960)

Thanks Elmer's Brother for this suggestion!

The struggle for a people to return to their home, and the rebirth of a great nation; Exodus starring Paul Newman and Eva Marie-Saint delivers with drama, action, and suspense and is Edge's Conservative Movie of the Week! Here is a movie review from IMDb!

The theme is the founding of the state of Israel. The action begins on a ship filled with Jewish immigrants bound for Israel who are being off loaded on Cyprus. An Intelligence officer succeeds in getting them back on board their ship only to have the harbor blocked by the British with whom they must negotiate. The second part of the film is about the situation in Israel as independence is declared and most of their neighbors attack them.

Here is the trailer!



Here is the theme from the movie, also available on Edge's Movie Music!

North by Northwest (MGM 1959)

My Granddad, who passed away last year at the age of 97, had an old saying just about every time I saw him...

So, what have you done for the good of your country today?

I would always tell him that I went to school, to work or to church. His reply was almost always the same...

Hmmmph!

The movie that we will be reviewing today asks that same old question, what have you done for the good of your country today? Hopefully for us it won't go the extreme like Cary Grant's character in Alfred Hitchcock's classic North by Northwest! Here is the movie review from IMDb.

New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill is kidnapped by a gang of spies led by Philip Vandamm, who believe Thornhill is CIA agent George Kaplan. Thornhill escapes, but must find Kaplan in order to clear himself of a murder it is believed he committed. Following Kaplan to Chicago as a fugitive from justice, Thornhill is helped by beautiful Eve Kendall. In Chicago, she delivers a message to Kaplan that almost costs Thornhill his life when he is chased across a cornfield by a crop-dusting plane.

Here is the trailer!



One of the most memorable scenes in movie history!

Doctor Zhivago (MGM 1965)

Just got done watching this conservative flick all the way through (you can do that when you don't have a girlfriend you know). Anywho, this is a good one (and a long one). Here is the synopsis from IMB!

Set just before and in the years following the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the film follows the life of Dr. Zhivago as he marries, raises a family, has his life totally disrupted by first World War One, and then by the Revolution. Shown against the epic of a world turned on its head, his life and freedom are torn from him as the new society makes demands.

Basically, the message in this movie is pure and simple: Communism sucks. It sucks the BIG one. I only have one warning about this movie, it's close to 4 hours long so be prepared to sit for a bit, or break it up and watch half a day! You guys will enjoy it, I know I did!

Here is the trailer!



I got your manhood right here, Commie!

The Best Years of Our Lives (MGM 1946)

A friend of mine suggested that I rent this movie and I had one hell of a time finding it! We have 2 Blockbusters where I live and neither one had a copy! "We don't carry old films no one's heard of," some pimply face kid at Blockbuster told me. Finally I found the DVD at our local Hollywood Video and on the front it says "Oscar Winner for Best Picture 1946." Well, I thought, someone must have heard of this film and trust me when I say it didn't disappoint! Great flick! Again here is a synopsis from Internet Movie Database.

At the end of World War II, a soldier, a sailor and an airman return to their home town of Boone City and must re-adjust to the society they had left several years before. Al Stephenson was a banker before joining up. He is older than your average war veteran and gets home to find that his children have grown up and faces the difficult task of re-establishing an intimate relationship with his loving wife. At work, Al is promoted but now finds it difficult to be the hardhearted banker he seemingly once was. Fred Derry was an Air Force Officer and Bombadier but realizes on his return that he has no marketable skills and finds himself in his old job at the pharmacy working as a soda jerk. He also finds that he had married in haste and that his wife, whom he'd only known for a few weeks when they married during his flight training, isn't quite as enamored with him now that he's out of uniform. Lastly, there is Homer Parrish who lost both of his hands in a shipboard fire. He's become quite adept at using the prosthetics the Navy has provided him but resents the pity he sees in others eyes. He had hoped to marry his childhood sweetheart but is no longer sure he can burden her with his own physical limitations. All three men become fast friends and with Fred Derry's marriage falling apart, he finds himself falling in love with Al's daughter, Peggy. In the end, all three finds ways to move forward with their lives.

I have to admit I take freedom for granted way too much. I have the freedom now to sit here and update my blog to be seen by millions of visitors each and everyday (I wish). And this is all made possible by the sacrifices of men and women right now and days before. There is a strong conservative message with The Best Years of Our Lives...take care of the people who take care of you! How? Click these links to do your part! The Fisher House and My Soldier

Great scene!



And another!

Ben-Hur (MGM 1959)

Whenever I see this movie on TV and it's not in widescreen, folks it's just not worth watching. Go out and rent the widescreen version if you've never seen it before!

This film really depicts how oppressive government can be, and Charlton Heston's character Judah Ben-Hur catches a heavy dose almost from the word GO! The Romans take his fortune, imprision his mother and sister, make him march through a dessert, put him on a slave ship and chain him to the oar! But hey, don't worry too much about mom and sis. The Romans graciously let them go because now the two are leppers. NICE! Oh yah, I almost forgot! This is all being done by Ben-Hur's ex-best friend Messalah (Stephen Boyd) who is a newly appointed Roman goon.

The only hope for Ben-Hur and his family rests with a mysterious rabbi whose fate (and ours) is determined at the film's dramatic conclusion.

Here is the trailer from the film.