Reviews (23)

Finally a movie about the TRUE general Custer
I find that son of a morning star is the best cinema work about general Custer and the battle of Little Big Horn of the cinema's history ! All american people MUST see this movie for learning what was really the general Custer. I advise all people to see this movie, it is very very very very very good. If it will be more than 5 stars for rating it, it would have more ! GARY COLE IS WONDERFUL IN CUSTER, THE INDIAN ACTOR OF CRAZY HORSE TOO. ROSANNA ARQUETTE IS GREATLY IN LIBBY, AND THE LITTLE INDIAN GIRL TOO. SIMPLY THE BEST MOVIE ABOUT CUSTER, LITTLE BIG HORN AND THE INDIAN'S WAR !

Well Done!
This is as good a version of the Little Bighorn that has ever been done for film.

Gary Cole is very good- although he does not look like a horseman. Unfortunatly, Rosanna Arquette, who plays Libbie Custer the General's wife, seems just to be interested in collecting a paycheck. She is as wooden as it gets. However, I think David Strathairn, a regular of John Sayles' films, does an excellent job as Capt. Benteen. Although, the horrendous wig he is outfited with detracts from his performance, he does capture, IMHO, the cranky complainer personality of Benteen very well. (Anyone familiar with the writings of Fred Benteen can tell you he WAS angry with the world.)

"Son of the Morning Star" relied on the services of dedicated re-enactors who brought a sense of authenticity to the uniforms and equipment not seen in other Little Bighorn movie re-creations. Unfortunatly, although re-enactors are great at dressing their parts, they don't often look their parts- the 7th Cavarly was not as heavily populated with middle-aged, overweight men as "Son of the Morning Star" would have you believe.

Finally, the outfit Gary Cole is wearing for the Little Big Horn scenes is based on an actual photo. In 1875, a picture was taken of Custer at a picnic near Ft. Lincoln wearing a hat and a white buckskin jacket, which look alot what was depicted in the movie. Of course, we don't know if Custer wore that outfit a year later, but that photo shows that the producers for the movie just didn't make it up. However, the movie's Little Big Horn scenes show Gary Cole with his face shaven and hair immacutely clean, conditioned, and styled. Hardly realistic.

Custer: Symbol v. Human Being.
The purpose of "Son of the Morning Star," both the book and the miniseries, was to show that George A. Custer is not just a symbol, good or bad, for culural/political causes, but a human being with flaws and attributes. A previous review is a perfect example of the failure to see Custer as anything but as a symbol. To some people, Custer is the embodiment of the evils of Manifest Destiny. It's an ironic fate for someone who died in the most spectacular, albeit temporary, setback for Manifest Destiny.

Custer is a fascinating historical figure because of his symbolism. So many people have such strong feelings about him for what he represents, but so few people really know anything about him. Born the son of blacksmith in a rinky-dink Ohio farm community, Custer was no son of privilege. Yet he was a brigadier general at age 23, a major general at age 25, and fought with great courage and skill in America's most horrific war. It never ceases to amaze me how people throw slurs at the officers and men of the Indian fighting army, but ignore that a large percentage of those men fought with undeniable heroism to re-unite this country and free the slaves. Custer, Reno, Benteen, Cooke, Yates, Keogh, Tom Custer, Smith, and a number of other officers of the 7th Cavalry were all Civil War vets.

Attacks on Custer's courage for "fighting women and children" just demonstrates an ignorance of his Civil War combat record and the realities of Plains Indian warfare. Custer graduated college in June 1861 and a month later he saw action at Bull Run. In April 1865, he would receive General Lee's flag of truce near Appomattox. In between, he saw action in almost every campaign in the Eastern theatre of operations. Even after he became a general, he still exposed himself to danger and was often seen fighting in hand to hand combat. At Appomattox, his superior, General Sheridan awarded him the wooden table, upon which General Grant signed the papers of General Lee's surrender, as a gift of appreciation for his magnificent courage and leadership.

Yet people believe that such a ferocious combat commander reveled in fighting women and children! Plains Indians didn't fight like Rebels. They had a different concept of warfare from the U.S. Army- guerrilla tactics, hit and run. To the Army, the biggest difficulty of Plains Indian warfare wasn't fighting the Indians, it was finding them! In 1876, the biggest fear the U.S Army had was that the Lakota and Cheyennes would scatter before the Army could attack them and this mentality was the reason for Custer's decision processes on June 25. The Army had been forced to attack villages because this was the only effective method it had of forcing the Indians to stand and fight. Yes, women and children would die as a result and this was regrettable, but so were civilian casualties at Vicksburg and Atlanta. However, on June 25, 1876, the Army completely underestimated the Lakotas' and Cheyennes' willingness to stand and fight. Custer thought he would be pressing the issue, but instead had the battle dictated to him with catastrophic results for himself and his men. This "arrogance" was a mindset held not only by Custer, but the entire U.S. Army and they paid for it on June 25.

"Son of the Morning Star" was an attempt to present Custer and the Little Big Horn not just as symbols. Another reviewer mentioned "Little Bigman" as being a more historically accurate potrayal. That is absurd. While "Little Bigman" is a very entertaining film, it's as unrealistic as the 1941 movie "They Died with Their Boots On" which starred Errol Flynn. Flynn's Custer was portrayed as the ideal American military hero for a country that was preparing for World War II. In 1970's "Little Bigman," Custer is shown as a symbol of lunatic American imperialism as the country clashed over the Vietnam War. "Son of the Morning Star" was an attempt to show Custer as a human being without World War II or Vietnam era propaganda. This miniseries does take a lot of dramatic license with its subject, but in comparison to previous efforts on the Custer/Little Big Horn story it's refreshing in its candor.

Not the true Custer
This is a terrible and unaccurate portrayal of one of history's most overblown "heroes," George A. Custer.
He was a butcher and a madman who did most of his "Indian fighting" against women and children as the Seventh Calvary rode them down in ambush attacks in their village. Custer was one of the biggest contributers to America's own version of the holocaust which we conviently tend to ignore. Custer is not someone to glorify as this miniseries tries to do on the heels of the Indian freindly "Dances With Wolves." This seems to be more of a PR move to appease those appalled at 'Wolves' notion that the U.S. army at the time were less than honorable.
Rodney A. Grant from that film (Wind In His Hair) plays exceptionally the role of Crazy Horse, but his screen time is cut embarassingly low. Custer on the otherhand, is played up like a Tall Tale from the western drugstore dime novels. Here he's romanticized as a great guy, but this just ain't so.
The novel "Son of The Morning Star" from which this miniseries is supposedly based, gives a more realistic portrayal of the real Custer. His Indian name translation, "Son of the Morning Star," is actually another name for the devil in American Indian lore.
Skip this movie and read the book, or "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown. It's an historical chronicle of the destruction of the American Indian. It's difficult to read because it's so shocking and sad, but every American should read it. "Little Big Man" starring Dustin Hoffman gives a much more accurate version of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and of Custer.

Release this to DVD now!!!!
A very well done production even though two of the main characters were miscast.
One of the best Custer films made but with many inaccuracies and typical Hollywood foul-ups.
But still, very entertaining.
This needs to be released onto DVD uncut and with the making of the movie A.S.A.P. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

" A Great Suspenseful Mystery"!!!
This is one mystery movie that will keep you "hooked" til the end.( no pun intended)
A young boy(played by Elijah Wood) holds the key to the murder of his father by seeing who did it but can't remember who it was. Only by the childrens' story of Peter Pan and Captain Hook (him being Peter Pan and the murderer as Captain Hook) is he to piece together with the help of a child psychologist(played by JoBeth Williams) the mystery of his father's murder. This movie also stars Darren McGavin (Kolchak,The Night Stalker)and Tom Skerritt(Picket Fences). Just a note of TV history for you. This isn't the only time Darren McGavin and Tom Skerritt acted together. If you recall back in 1974-75,Darren McGavin's series "Kolchak,The Night Stalker" episode: "The Devil's Platform" it starred Tom Skerritt as a politician who sold his soul to the devil to get wealth and fame and higher political offices and killed anyone who stood in his way of getting it. In that episode Tom Skerritt was the killer and Darren McGavin was the good guy and in this movie Tom Skerritt was the good guy and Darren McGavin was the killer.( I guess that only seems fair)

A suspenseful mystery that will keep you on the edge.
8-year-old Luke (Elijah Wood) is the only witness in his father's murder, but the horror of the event causes him to have delusions, relating the murder to the classic characters in "Peter Pan." He pictures himself as the forever-young hero, while the murderer is Captain Hook (since his father was indeed murdered with a cargo hook). This suspense mystery is exciting and thoughtful, a look into the mind of a frightened young boy and his therapist (JoBeth Willams), who tries to figure out exactly what he's trying to say. Definitely a movie worth watching, especially for Elijah Wood fans. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

An Epic As Big As The West Continues!
I have seen all the Lonesome Dove movies and although this one is a spin-off from the others, it's still is a great story. Jon Voight plays a very convincing Capt. Call considering what he had to follow up to. I still would have liked to seen him lose his temper and beat somebody up who acted rude. (I mean who can top Tommy Lee Jones's performance?) This film like the others, really portrayed the harshness of the western frontier and the tough men who had to shape it. Although Barbara Hershey wasn't the plainswomen that Anjelica Houston was, her role was admirable as well. I found it fitting that in the end, Call did reveal his paternity to Newt and Newt had to go off on his own to find his dream. Great plot, good bad guys, and a fitting ending make Return To Lonesome Dove a must see for any Lonesome Dove fan.

Following the Impossible
I will admit that it would have been very hard to follow the original Lonesome Dove as a sequel. But to try and do it with mostly all new actors and with a script written by a different person is practicaly impossible. This movie would have been a fine western had it been released first or on its own. But as a follow up to Lonesome Dove it does not cut the mustard. Jon Voight is a fine actor but his portrayal of Cpt. Woodrow F. Call is not on par with Tommy Lee Jones's. With Gus (Robert Duvall) gone the banter and friendship between the two, part of the initial movies appeal, is also gone. So many of the original characters are gone and much of the feeling was lost.

This movie is decent but the original was a hard act to follow.

Not as great as Lonesome Dove but still very good.
Even though it was a big dissapointment not to have Tommy Lee Jones and Anjelica Houston reprise their roles this movie still ranks in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. The other thing I noticed was the location in Montana did not look like the same place they set up their cabins at the end of the first movie. In the first movie there was a big pond by where Captin Call said this is it and in the second movie you never see the pond. Other then those little trival things this movie was good because you did have some returning folks like Rick Schroder, Tim Scott as Pea Eye, Barry Tubb as Jasper Fant. There was also some of the other originals from the first movie plus Jon Voight looked almost just like Tommy Lee Jones did in the first movie. That really helped the movie. I don't care it Larry McMurty had anything to do with this movie because it still gives the viewer a great story line. I say just because of the few little things that doesn't make it seem like a real carry over from the original I give it 4 stars.

Return to Lonesome Dove
Don't overlook this simply because Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones aren't "in the picture." This is a wonderful depiction of the magic of Larry McMurtry and Jon Voight does a great job as Captain Call.
I bought this about one year ago and I'd recommend it to any "Lonesome Dove" fans.

Lonesome Dove
I have watched Lonesome dove about a hundred times, and i still can,t get enough of it. Lonesome Dove is a clean wholesome movie with a story to boot, not just a shoot em up movie but a superb movie
All the actors in the movie to my mind are the best in the world and i don't think that any other actors could play those parts better than Duvall or Jones. I can't wait to view the return to Lonesome Dove, i have allready seen streets of Laredo and could not understand for the life of me how could Lorena be married to Pea !!! what happened to Dish? its like chalk and cheese so untill I view the return to Lonsome Dove all I can say is good work.! Good work!. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

AKA With intent to kill
This TVM feaures a lead role for Holly Hunter as the younger sister of a schoolgirl who has been killed, and the daughter of Karl Malden who has mythologised his late daughter into being a "perfect princess". The home movie we see him watching of them together has the queasy suggestion of overcompensation for Malden's deceased wife. The past is revisited in the form of the return of the boy to town believed to be responsible, released from the asylum he had been sent to since his conviction has been set aside on the basis of "insanity". It seems lithium brings em home. While writer/director Mike Robe errs in the use of a maudlin and reductive music score, what moves the narrative along is the exploration of a crime involving primal motives, and his 3 act dramatic structure. Malden's relationship with Hunter has a Shakespearian resonance - the surviving daughter as disappointment - and Robe ingeniuously exploits Hunter's resemblence to her sister to perversely repeat the identity-destroying dilemma in another relationship. Of course, anyone that doesn't appreciate Holly Hunter as an individual we know to be a fool, even when Robe presents her unflatteringly in comparison to the princess. Hunter plays what might be seen as a moment of character triumphant revenge as a moment of pain, and she holds her own with veterans like Malden and Shirley Knight as the boy's mother, . Robe also does well Alex McArthur (from Madonna's Papa Don't Preach music video) as the boy, Paul Sorvino as his father though it isn't much of a role, and even William Devane as Hunter's boss. The scene where the amnesia is broken and the death is dramatised from memory uses the cliched standard I can see what I didn't see originally, with Robe's clumsy use of the deceased girl's realtime stand-in, and the end is ambiguous and unsatisfying, but he pauses effectively from an objective fired gun, the audience not knowing who has been shot. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

First-Rate Adaption
This is a very good interpretation of the Scott Turow book. 'Burden of Proof' has always been my favorite work from this author. This time Turow makes a lead character out of a terrific supporting character from the previous book ('Presumed Innocent'), the elegant and cunning defense lawyer Sandy Stern. It has a fairly complicated plot which must be handled judiciously in a movie to be understandable, and this movie does it well. The casting is top-notch, especially for Stern and his brother-in-law, who is under federal indictment. This is definitely worth your time.

Surprisingly entertaining
At first glance this looks like a vehicle for between work actors. You spend the first few minutes saying where have I seen that person before. Then all of a sudden you are into the story. You say "Oh yeah I have seen that formula." They give you enough overt clues to predict ahead of time what is going to happen. Then somewhere along the line the actors melt out and the characters are real. Every so often they throw in a ringer or a herring. And just as you figure it out "you are wrong!"

The whole experience is over too soon and your are left thinking what could of happened "if only." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

" A Great Suspenseful Mystery"!!!
This is one mystery movie that will keep you "hooked" til the end.( no pun intended)
A young boy(played by Elijah Wood) holds the key to the murder of his father by seeing who did it but can't remember who it was. Only by the childrens' story of Peter Pan and Captain Hook (him being Peter Pan and the murderer as Captain Hook) is he to piece together with the help of a child psychologist(played by JoBeth Williams) the mystery of his father's murder. This movie also stars Darren McGavin (Kolchak,The Night Stalker)and Tom Skerritt(Picket Fences). Just a note of TV history for you. This isn't the only time Darren McGavin and Tom Skerritt acted together. If you recall back in 1974-75,Darren McGavin's series "Kolchak,The Night Stalker" episode: "The Devil's Platform" it starred Tom Skerritt as a politician who sold his soul to the devil to get wealth and fame and higher political offices and killed anyone who stood in his way of getting it. In that episode Tom Skerritt was the killer and Darren McGavin was the good guy and in this movie Tom Skerritt was the good guy and Darren McGavin was the killer.( I guess that only seems fair)

A suspenseful mystery that will keep you on the edge.
8-year-old Luke (Elijah Wood) is the only witness in his father's murder, but the horror of the event causes him to have delusions, relating the murder to the classic characters in "Peter Pan." He pictures himself as the forever-young hero, while the murderer is Captain Hook (since his father was indeed murdered with a cargo hook). This suspense mystery is exciting and thoughtful, a look into the mind of a frightened young boy and his therapist (JoBeth Willams), who tries to figure out exactly what he's trying to say. Definitely a movie worth watching, especially for Elijah Wood fans. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Movie - Why Not in DVD?
The other reviews here say it very well. So pardon me if I vent a little: Why is a marvelous movie like this not in DVD? What irks me is that so much idiotic drivel (such as "The Real World" or "American Idol") seem to pop right onto DVD, while the best things are often left in the can somewhere in a dusty archive waiting for a building fire.

Go toward the light
This is the most amazing film I have ever watched! Similar to The Cure it is both heart felt and true to life. Everyone can get something from this well acted and scripted drama. I highly recommend it!

The hand of love
This movie had to be the best tear-jerker I have ever seen. It is full of situations that no parent would ever want to be in, but once faced with the delima, what else could a parent do, but give their child "the hand of love". To help thier child go through the transaction from life to death with the comfort of knowing that there is something more and death is just the beginning of life. This movie shows love in the purest and most unselfish sence of the word. Great for the whole family, it will make you want to draw close to each other knowing that everyday is a gift and that we are not promised tomorrow and that our family and friends should be treated and loved as if today was their last day.

An Awesome Movie!
Go Toward the Light is about a Mormon family who learns that their 8-year-old son has A.I.D.S.. This movie was based on a true story at the time when A.I.D.S. patients were only expected to live one year. This was a very inspirational movie with superb acting and a fantastic musical score. I would highly recomend it! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A must have for any Bear fan!
I LOVED THIS MOVIE!

I have been a fan of Bear Bryant ever since I can remember. He was without a doubt one of the toughest college coaches in the history of football. The Junction Boys is about Coach Bryants tenure at Texas A&M. Sure some critics say that this movie focused more on the brutal treatment of player rather than football, but thats is what set coach Bryant apart from other coachs. His practices were brutal, maybe to the point of torture. But maybe his long hard practices are part of what made him one of the winningest coaches in college football history! If your going to cry about this not being a football film, go watch Remember The Titans instead. But if you want a true insite on the icon that is Paul Bear Bryant, and what he was like as a man, this movie is a must have! Roll Tide!

A Completely Wasted Opportunity
Thanks a bunch, filmmakers: You've taken a terrific book, brimming with potential for cinematic presentation, and turned it into a stale old formula rendering of a boot-camp movie. You might as well have hired R. Lee Ermey to be the coach, or perhaps Frank Sutton as Sgt. Carter.

This story should have been told as it was in the book, beginning with the spirit of a college unlike any other in the world, a devotion to a campus with a theme which exists nowhere else: The vision of Texas A&M was the foundation of this tale.

Paul "Bear" Bryant, focused only on football, thought he was taking a mere little coaching job at a small school as just a step on the ladder of his career. Upon arrival, though, he found himself part of a richly woven society, the Fighting Texas Aggies. The place exuded spirit, and Bryant was astounded by the student and community enthusiasm. A complete stranger, he was welcomed to the team, to the family. The magnificent Aggie Band drummed him into the fold, and he realized he had arrived in a marvelously unique setting. Accordingly, Bryant set about to do his job and build a football team.

The film explored none of this -- it simply launched right into boot-camp maltreatment that bordered on criminal, with Sgt. Barnes from Platoon calling the cadence. We saw nothing of the spirit behind the endeavor, the reason for all that work, the motivation to bring honor to the Maroon and White. We just got another bland boot-camp flick, a smattering of awkward jokes, and very little of the complete story.

I wish I could win the state lottery -- I would use the funds to finance a remake of this film and I would do it correctly the second time. Read the book, it's a great book, but don't waste your time watching this insipid version of the tale. It was nothing but the waste of a terrific opportunity to tell a great story. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A must have for any Bear fan!
I LOVED THIS MOVIE!

I have been a fan of Bear Bryant ever since I can remember. He was without a doubt one of the toughest college coaches in the history of football. The Junction Boys is about Coach Bryants tenure at Texas A&M. Sure some critics say that this movie focused more on the brutal treatment of player rather than football, but thats is what set coach Bryant apart from other coachs. His practices were brutal, maybe to the point of torture. But maybe his long hard practices are part of what made him one of the winningest coaches in college football history! If your going to cry about this not being a football film, go watch Remember The Titans instead. But if you want a true insite on the icon that is Paul Bear Bryant, and what he was like as a man, this movie is a must have! Roll Tide!

A Completely Wasted Opportunity
Thanks a bunch, filmmakers: You've taken a terrific book, brimming with potential for cinematic presentation, and turned it into a stale old formula rendering of a boot-camp movie. You might as well have hired R. Lee Ermey to be the coach, or perhaps Frank Sutton as Sgt. Carter.

This story should have been told as it was in the book, beginning with the spirit of a college unlike any other in the world, a devotion to a campus with a theme which exists nowhere else: The vision of Texas A&M was the foundation of this tale.

Paul "Bear" Bryant, focused only on football, thought he was taking a mere little coaching job at a small school as just a step on the ladder of his career. Upon arrival, though, he found himself part of a richly woven society, the Fighting Texas Aggies. The place exuded spirit, and Bryant was astounded by the student and community enthusiasm. A complete stranger, he was welcomed to the team, to the family. The magnificent Aggie Band drummed him into the fold, and he realized he had arrived in a marvelously unique setting. Accordingly, Bryant set about to do his job and build a football team.

The film explored none of this -- it simply launched right into boot-camp maltreatment that bordered on criminal, with Sgt. Barnes from Platoon calling the cadence. We saw nothing of the spirit behind the endeavor, the reason for all that work, the motivation to bring honor to the Maroon and White. We just got another bland boot-camp flick, a smattering of awkward jokes, and very little of the complete story.

I wish I could win the state lottery -- I would use the funds to finance a remake of this film and I would do it correctly the second time. Read the book, it's a great book, but don't waste your time watching this insipid version of the tale. It was nothing but the waste of a terrific opportunity to tell a great story. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

AKA With intent to kill
This TVM feaures a lead role for Holly Hunter as the younger sister of a schoolgirl who has been killed, and the daughter of Karl Malden who has mythologised his late daughter into being a "perfect princess". The home movie we see him watching of them together has the queasy suggestion of overcompensation for Malden's deceased wife. The past is revisited in the form of the return of the boy to town believed to be responsible, released from the asylum he had been sent to since his conviction has been set aside on the basis of "insanity". It seems lithium brings em home. While writer/director Mike Robe errs in the use of a maudlin and reductive music score, what moves the narrative along is the exploration of a crime involving primal motives, and his 3 act dramatic structure. Malden's relationship with Hunter has a Shakespearian resonance - the surviving daughter as disappointment - and Robe ingeniuously exploits Hunter's resemblence to her sister to perversely repeat the identity-destroying dilemma in another relationship. Of course, anyone that doesn't appreciate Holly Hunter as an individual we know to be a fool, even when Robe presents her unflatteringly in comparison to the princess. Hunter plays what might be seen as a moment of character triumphant revenge as a moment of pain, and she holds her own with veterans like Malden and Shirley Knight as the boy's mother, . Robe also does well Alex McArthur (from Madonna's Papa Don't Preach music video) as the boy, Paul Sorvino as his father though it isn't much of a role, and even William Devane as Hunter's boss. The scene where the amnesia is broken and the death is dramatised from memory uses the cliched standard I can see what I didn't see originally, with Robe's clumsy use of the deceased girl's realtime stand-in, and the end is ambiguous and unsatisfying, but he pauses effectively from an objective fired gun, the audience not knowing who has been shot. ... Read more