Amazon.com

The critical and popular success of the Lonesome Dove miniseries just about ensured a sequel or three. The first spinoff,Return to Lonesome Dove, was rushed out without author LarryMcMurtry's input, but Streets of Laredo, which McMurtry scripted from his own novel, returns us firmly to his brutal West. Legendary Texas Ranger Captain Woodrow Call (James Garner, who steps into the boots left by Tommy Lee Jones with comfortable assurance and understated courage) has turned bounty hunter, and he heads off on the bloody trail of vicious Mexican gunman Joey Garza (Alexis Cruz), a sadistic, angry south-of-the-border rebel without a cause. Lonesome Dove echoes through the story: Call's former trail hand Pea Eye Parker (Sam Shepard) is enlisted in his posse and Parker's wife, Lorena (Sissy Spacek in the role Diane Lane created in the original and the desert-worn soul of this story), follows in their wake with news that the psychopathic renegade Mox Mox (Kevin Conway), who once held her captive, is alive and back on the warpath.

McMurtry's Old West is not a pleasant place, and Streets of Laredo is not for the faint of heart. It's a lawless, racist, brutal world where might may not make right, but it certainly holds sway in isolated desert towns and lonely trails. Yet for all the tragedy and violence, McMurtry finds hope in the love and respect that breaks down racial barriers, holds families together, and creates new ones. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (27)

The Real Sequel to Lonesome Dove.
This is the real, Larry McMurtry written, sequel to Lonesome Dove (not Lonesome Dove II), and it has all of McMurtry's specialities: well-drawn characters, absolutely viscious and unredeemable villains & murderers, and complex protagonists with a hell of a tale to tell.

Tommy Lee Jones was the perfect physical embodiment of hard-bitten Texas Ranger Woodrow Call. A small man, ramrod straight with a ferocious temper and will of iron that made him SEEM like a bigger man. But TLJ didn't make this trip for whatever reason. Instead, we have James Garner taking over as Woodrow, and he IS a big man and inately likeable. No matter, Garner is too good an actor not to win you over, and we quickly adjust to him as an older, more tired, laconic, but still mean as hell Woodrow Call.

Peaeye is now Sam Shepard and Lorena is Sissy Spacek and she has passed by all her would-be suitors and married the taciturn Ranger, become a school teacher, and together they have 5 children. Peaeye is called out of domesticity by Woodrow to chase down a teenage psychopathic killer, Joey Garza, with a sidetrip to chase down another bad bad man named Mox Mox whose specialty is burning men, women, children & animals alive for the fun of it.

And so it begins, with much emphasis on character and wild "characters" and with a casual understanding of the hard lives and brutality of the Texas of that time.

If you liked Lonesome Dove, you will like this. The cast changes were made with excellent people stepping into the familiar roles, and you will soon accept them and be caught up in the story. If you didn't like Lonesome Dove, too bad for you, and you definitely will want to skip this.

Wasted potential
Although cast in the mighty shadow of Lonesome Dove, Streets of Laredo had the potential to be another great Western based upon Larry McMurtry's beloved series. Unfortunately, it failed to live up to that potential. While Lonesome Dove was a sprawling epic steeped in the mystique of the American frontier, Streets of Laredo is a crime drama. Instead of a cattle-drive across a thousand miles of harsh country, we get a hunt for a pre-pubescent brat with a taste for blood. That in itself could have made for some compelling film making if the pace wasn't so slow. There was also the failure of any of the faces from Lonesome Dove to return. This gives Streets of Laredo a disappointing lack of continuity.

No doubt the biggest disappointment was Tommy Lee Jones's failing to return to the role of Captain Woodrow F. Call. Although James Garner is talented, he is too sympathetic, too personable to be such a brooding loner. Shepard's Pea Eye is too smart, too, well, handsome. Cruz's portrayl of the murderous Garza was far too tame, too detached. Big mistake. Randy Quaid's John Wesley Hardin was interesting, but a total waste of film. There was no reason for him to be here. George Carlin was a surprise, one of the few bright moments. Also worth noting is that the sepia tones of Lonesome Dove have been replaced with rich, vibrant colors straight out of the Technicolor Westerns of yore. As far as the DVD itself: much less care was put into the making of this DVD than its predecessor. It's basically bare bones. That pretty much sums up the film itself.

WORTHY SEQUEL TO LONESOME DOVE
STREETS OF LAREDO has taken considerable heat for missing Tommy Lee Jones as Woodrow F. Call. Yes, the film would have benefited from a reprise by Mr. Jones in the role that he created but don't write it off because of that. There are aspects of this adaptation that are actually stronger than LONESOME DOVE.

After reading the book and watching STREETS OF LAREDO numerous times, I have to admit that, in his own right, James Garner does well as Captain Call, bringing his own enterpretation to the part and departing from most of the mannerisms that Jones brought to LONESOME DOVE.

Sam Shepard as Pea Eye Parker is a considerable improvement over Tim Scott, the original Pea Eye. I like Shepard's honest performance as a simple man rather than Scott's as a moron. Shepard's Pea Eye, while simple and slow is nonetheless tough and steady.

Sissy Spacek is terrific as Lorena (Wood) Parker. In fact I find that she fits the role far better than Diane Lane, the original Lorena from LONESOME DOVE and provides a tough and gritty performance as Mrs. Parker here.

Ned Beatty stars portrays the crochety, self-appointed Judge Roy Bean and Randy Quaid is darkly hilarious as the western outlaw John Wesley Hardin.

Other stars include Wes Studi as tracker Famous Shoes, George Carlin as Billy Williams and Sonja Braga as Maria Garza, a good woman trying to keep her world from coming apart while hoping to love her son-gone-bad back into the fold.

STREETS OF LAREDO is a great film. Don't miss it just because it lacks Tommy Lee Jones.

THE HORSEMAN

The Author's Finale
Not only is Larry McMurtry an excellent storyteller, but he's also somewhat of a literary genius. He could've written a sequel to Lonesome Dove that would've been satisfying and cliché, but he left that to Hollywood. I don't know if Streets of Laredo happened because of or in spite of the farce that is called, Return to Lonesome Dove, but Streets is definitely the better offering. McMurtry took the story in a completely different direction. In doing so, he cheated us out of certain things that we'd hoped for after finishing Lonesome Dove. There is no final conversation between Woodrow and Newt about Newt's heritage. The fate of July Johnson is a tragic and useless one. The Hatcreek Ranch in Montana goes bust and that's why Call becomes a bounty hunter. Those who enjoyed the book won't be disappointed in the film adaptation. Many have stated that James Garner's interpretation of Woodrow Call doesn't live up to that of Tommy Lee Jones and I cannot disagree. But Garner is a talented actor and he stayed true to McMurtry's character of Call. McMurtry wisely chose not to do "just another Lonesome Dove." Again, he left that to the shallower Hollywood crowd. While Lonesome Dove was a sweeping epic of a cattle drive, Streets of Laredo was simply the story of a chase to track down a young, brutal killer. McMurtry is a master of authentic dialogue and character development and he doesn't fail to deliver with his vast cast. Judge Roy Bean, Brookshire, John Wesley Harden, Billy Williams, Mox Mox and Famous Shoes all add to the texture of the movie. The most tragic figure is the long-suffering mother of Joey Garza, Maria, who defends her son in spite of his misdeeds. There are some details that are hard to swallow, such as the marriage of Lorena and Pea Eye, but the overall story still stands. This is certainly a darker offering than its predecessor considering that Gus supplied most of the mirth in Lonesome Dove. Still, it's worth watching for those who appreciate McMurtry's ability to tell a good story. The DVD is desolate when it comes to bonus material, but the sound and picture quality are far superior to the VHS version. It's also worth noting that the DVd version is uncut, offering scenes that do not appear in the VHS. No, Streets of Laredo does not live up to Lonesome Dove, but I don't think McMurtry meant for it to do so and the story stands on its own as a good one.

Stay away from this disgusting Western concoction!
Imagine taking the worst of the Spaghetti Westerns,
give it an illustrious cast (James Garner, Sam
Shepard, Sissy Spacek, and on and on) and pour
a heavy dose of gore, rape, and an endless stream
of meaningless sadistic violence: what do you end up
with? "Streets of Laredo"

The above excellent actors and actresses should feel ashamed
of being seen in this awful and disgusting concoction. There
are no discernible redeeming elements in this carnival of
gratuitious violence!

Even you "Lonesome Dove" fans should stay away from this one! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great fun, made even better by bright and talented cast
I first saw Losin' It on HBO in the early 1980's. It seems to have retained a certain something that demands repeat viewings, at least for me. Despite the "name" stars, Tom Cruise (in a pre-Top Gun role) and Shelley (I should have stayed on "Cheers") Long, this fun roadtrip film to Tijuana, Mexico is stolen away from them by Jackie Earle Haley as the sex-crazed, would-be Frank Sinatra, "Dave", who is on a quest for the mythical aphrodisiac, Spanish Fly and John P. Navin, Jr. as the capitalist kid, "Wimp", (my name is "Wendal"!!), who finances the trip in exchange for coming along to buy cheap fireworks to sell back home in California at a premium. One of the funniest scenes in the film takes place during an attempt by "Dave" to buy Spanish Fly in a Tijuana pharmacy. There are all the usual teen sex comedy gags, language and humor and some is unfortunately, quite tasteless and there is some brief nudity, as well. But, the bright and talented cast still manage to shine through and overcome things that might have diminished the efforts of other performers. It's definitely male, adolescent humor and not for all tastes or for those who are easily offended. But, all-in-all, it is a very funny film and is light-years better than other teen sex comedies, such as "Porky's", with it's forgetable cast of mostly unknowns who stayed that way. The exceptional cast of "Losin' It is this film's strength and they carry it. There is also some nice 1950's and 1960's music. I can personally highly recommend it to those who are looking for a fun film.

People think this is funny??
I bought this (luckily used for very cheap) after reading some of these reviews on Amazon. I didn't laugh at anything; the characters were too painfully one-dimensional. Even Cruise in an early part of his career (although post-Outsiders, which was a pretty good performance) was wooden.

The story is pretty standard fare for the "teen adventure comedy" and everything ends on an upbeat note.

A strange thing was that I thought it was set in or around 1983, when it was made - yes, Dave drives a '57 Chevy, but a lot of motorhead kids in my high school (in 1983) did similar. I did notice the Tijuana cop drove a 50's style car (not sure of model) but just assumed that public services in Tijuana couldn't afford anything more modern. But at the end, when they were queued up at customs, ALL the cars were 50s-types. I thought perhaps it was going to be some joke about a classic car rally - but since there wasn't, I can only conclude that this movie was taking place in the late '50s. You wouldn't know it from the story though - only from the cars.

Anyway, even if a TV channel was showing it for free, it's not worth watching. Lame, lame, lame. Watch "The Night Before" starring Keanu Reeves and you will be much more entertained (and intrigued) in a movie that has a similar kind of "high school kids in trouble after hours" feel.

You're Losin' It, Abusin' it if you don't like it
This has to be one of the most underrated teen movies in the 1980's, and I've been a fan of this movie since I was 14 and now that I'm 22, I still love this movie.

The story is about 3 high school seniors Dave (the Frank Sinatra/sex obsessed pal) Woody (the sensitive intellegent person) and Spyder (a tough boy from a broken home) who plan a trip to Tijuana in search of sex, but the plan backfires as Dave's little brother Wendel 'Wimp' comes along with them as well as a runaway bride (Shelley Long)
As they arrive in Tijuana, the boys go out and look for a good time and later they meet the crooked cops, insane marine sailors and junkyard ruffians and they decide to get out of Tijuana and make it across the border.

Even though this movie has a little plot, it's fun to watch this movie and it truly deserves more recognition with today's youth. This movie is alot better than today's teen flicks.

Losin' It loses its widescreen status
A MESSAGE FROM THE WWS:
(THE WIDESCREEN WATCHERS SOCIETY)

What a shame we the public (in this case Shelley Long and/or Losin' It fans) have been ripped off again by getting stuck with the horrible pan-and-scan mode known as "standard screen."

Widescreen has been used by 95% of all movies since 1953, and Losin' It came out in 1983 - yet although it was shot in widescreen we get nothing but standard screen.

Quality-wise, the 5 star rating system regarding DVDs should basically be awarded according to the following levels:

1 star - Standard screen version of widescreen movie, with no trailer or other features.
2 stars - Standard screen version of widescreen movie, with no other features except a trailer.
3 stars - Standard screen version of standard shot movie (most of which were of course done pre-1953.) Trailer and audio commentary could push it to 4 stars.
4 stars - Widescreen version of widescreen movie, with trailer and audio commentary, although maybe not with the cleanest picture or sound.
5 stars - Widescreen version of widescreen movie, with trailer, audio commentary and any other extras, all with perfect artifact-free picture and 5.1 or DTS sound.

Hopefully, Shelley's next movie due out on DVD will at least be in wonderful widescreen. (It is The Money Pit, slated for Feb. 3, 2003.)

And, hey - when are we also going to get a widescreen version of Shelley's masterpiece, Troop Beverly Hills? I think we've waited more than long enough!

~~~

UPDATE: Later in the summer of 2003, Troop Beverly Hills was indeed released on DVD... only in crummy standard screen. Thanks for yet another ripoff, guys.

And for those of you viewers who say you don't like those black widescreen lines at the top and bottom of your TV set, please bear in mind that in the near future all TVs will be widescreen and the big black bars will be virtually gone.

However, when you will try to play a standard screen DVD on the widescreen TV, big black bars WILL appear - this time at the right and left sides, which is a hundred times worse than top and bottom!

Think about it: a massive investment now in standard screen DVDs will in 2015 result in the same scenario as being stuck with hundreds of Beta tapes in 1985!

American teens
"sex and the American Teenager is a dramatic film which unveils the starling effects of the sexual revolution on the youth of America in the 1980's"

"Today's teenagers are more sexually active and begin their sexual life at an earlier age than ever before"

The video lets you see what teenagers think about sex, how they feel that sex will keep the relationship they are in together. It will show how both boys and girls think about it and how their veiws about sex changed from what that thought before they had it the first time to what they know now. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Burt Reynolds plays detective Steve Carella in this 1972 adaptation of an Ed McBain novel, and Jack Weston does his cynical best as Carella's partner, Meyer Meyer. A reflection of its raucous era, Fuzz is as much influenced by the antiauthority high jinks of Robert Altman's M*A*S*H as it is by the unblinking violence of The Godfather or Bonnie and Clyde. The mixed result is a tough-minded crime drama-comedy with one extreme subplot (punks setting sleeping winos ablaze for kicks) and another, more fantastic one (a mad bomber called Deaf Man, played by Yul Brynner, is targeting politicians with his surprise packages). Raquel Welch is also on board as an undercover/under-the-covers policewoman, and Tom Skerritt is the beneficiary of her largesse. Fuzz suffered some brief notoriety when it was linked to some real-life torchings of innocent people. On a happier note, Fuzz affords a rare opportunity to see Reynolds in drag. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Early FUZZ feature -a Sleeper setting pace for TV cop shows!
FUZZ is a forgotten classic.Reynolds is just one of the stars, not the only one in this fun movie. Sets the pace for the early TV cop shows to come. Welch is beautiful and all the cast are wonderful.Edited for TV, the original feature movie had Detectives Skerrit and Welch in a sleeping bag scene in a park as man and wife, as they wait for a crook to show up. She says,"wow, is that your gun?" Another scene when a telephone man is putting in a tap for a black detective and says to him."Yeah, you are a pretty good Ni....,unlike so many others I have known." That is a shocker , especially at the time of the release..the black detective follows the phone man off camera and and you hear a smack, and knockout blow.And Brynner as the main thug boss and Detective chief Jack Weston are both suprises. Fast moving with lots of things going on and one of my all time favorites that was originally slammed when originally released. If you haven't seen it, you are in for a treat!(--and be sure to keep your eye on the painters!)

A must see for fans of the "87th Precinct".
Ed McBain's long running series of mystery novels (from 1957 to this year!) about the quirky cops of an inner city precinct comes to glorious life in this movie.Quite funny in places, with suprising spurts of violence, a very well done movie!Note: When this movie aired on ABC back in the 70's, it recieved a lot of flack for inspiring a real-life violent incident in Boston, causing more nattering about the "violence on TV". ... Read more

Description

The Hollywood night life demands a high price from Michele (Death Race 2000's Leslie McRae), an aspiring dancer who ditches her backwoods job as a waitress to make it big in the land of movie stars and broken dreams. She hits L.A. with her chic gold boots, determined to shimmy her heart out for the demanding crowd at the Go-Go Revue. There, Michele is torn between two men as she confronts the dirty side of fame, a dangerous life filled with crime, greed, lust, and deception! Before Showgirls and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, this unflinching portrait of Tinsel Town rips away the glittery veneer of fame and fortune! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

All That Glitters Is Not Gold!
This movie's plot has more holes in it than Swiss cheese! To make matters worse, there are several skips and even some frames missing, which add a level of unintentional humor to the film. Michele is a waitress in a roadside diner who wants to become a professional dancer. One day, Buz walks in and tells her that his sister is a famous dancer. If she'll provide him with companionship, he'll drive her to L.A. and help her break into show business. Before they can leave they also meet Critter, a charming drifter. Long story short, all three end up at the Haunted House, the nightclub in L.A. where Buz's sister Joan is the head dancer. If you look up the word sleazy in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of the nightclub owner. He's also a big time drug pusher, who soon has Buz dealing for him. He's already got Joan hooked on drugs. "I used to have such a pretty mind" she laments, a memorable line that evokes both sympathy and laughter. Joan is washed up and the nightclub owner wants the younger Michele to take her place. Critter winds up stuck as a janitor and stuck on Michele. He refuses to get involved with any illegal activities, except for the fact that he's a draft dodger! This Elvis wannabe is content to sing sappy love songs and stay on the sidelines. Will Michele stick with Buz and claw her way to stardom, or will she run off with the idealistic Critter to find domestic bliss? Watch the "Girl In Gold Boots" and find out for yourself!

The only good thing was the MST 3K episode that followed.
The only good thing about this movie was the MST 3K episode that followed. The "professional" dancing was a joke, the plot was pointless, and the song that plays in the background of nearly every scene will be stuck in your head for weeks.

it sucks!!!!
ALL I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS MOVIE IS,IT SUUUCCKKKS! I JUST GOT ONE OF THE MST3K EPISODES ON THIS FLICK AND EVEN THEY WERE RUNNING DRY OF JOKES,NEVER,EVER EVER EVER,NEVER GET THIS MOVIE A WAST OF MONEY!!!

IDEOTIC MOVIE!!!!!1
THIS MOVIE TOTALLY SUCKS!!!!I JUST GOT THE EPISODE ON MST3K THIS PAST WEEK,EVEN THEY COULD NOT MAKE FUNNY JOKES OUT OF IT.ALL I CAN SAY IS o/THIS MOVIE SUCKS,IT REALLY REALLY SUCKS,MOVIE SUCKKKKKKKKSSSSS/O ... Read more