"Falling Down" (1993)

We all have those days where we feel as though we are going to lose it being stuck in traffic. Well, this film starts off that way, but it quickly escalates to something more.

Michael Douglas portrays D-Fens, the man who begins an odyssey to get home to his wife (Barbara Hershey) and child. It seems simple enough, but soon everything begins to go wrong for him. First, he gets involved in small things such as destruction of property but it grows to murder. He just keeps digging himself deeper and deeper and soon you find yourself wondering if he was always like this.

We learn from his wife why she left him, and that she even has a restraining order against him. She is completely petrified for her and her daughter's safety when it comes to him. It's with good excuse too.

One of the incidences that involve him is in a fast food restaurant. He completely loses it because all he wants is breakfast and sadly the place had stopped serving it. Most people would be angry but just get lunch and go on with their day. Instead, he flips out. Pulls out a gun, hold the entire place hostage until he gets what he wants. Then, he changes his mind and just goes with the lunch menu.

Let me just say, as someone working in this field right now this is probably one of the things I worry about. At first sight this guy appears harmless and he's just being difficult, but it changes so quickly that you're afraid to push him any more.

Robert Duvall plays Prendergast, a detective who is retiring making this his last day of work. He is the complete opposite of D-Fens. He doesn't showcase his anger. Instead it seems as though he bottles it up. Especially when it comes to his wife, who might be depressed among other things. He's a really good contrast to D-Fens.

"Paris Trout" (1991)

Picture this. A small town. In the deep South. In the mid 50's. A tragedy strikes as a young colored child is murdered after trying to protect her brother and mother. As the trial begins the murder's lawyer, the murder's wife, and the murder all have their lives changed and molded.

Paris Trout (Dennis Hopper), the man accused of murdering the young girl, is very disturbing. For the public he puts on a happy, proud, well respected face. He owns the general store where everyone comes for supplies, and the occasional loan. Under it all though, he is cruel and shows no remorse for any of his actions. He verbally and physically abuses his wife (Hershey).

Hannah Trout, is such a strong and smart woman that it really does make you question why she stays with Paris. I found myself asking this question when ever she is on screen because she really does seem like she has no love for this man and just feels sorry for him. Sorry that he feels like he can "get a thrill" off her emotional and physical displeasure.

I found it hard to watch their scenes together because I've seen relationships like that in my own history and I've always question and can't understand why. Why do women (and men) put themselves through this much pain and embarrassment? She was a teacher. She was smart enough to lock herself away to keep him from hurting her; even though the smarter thing would have been to leave and get as far away as possible.

Being conflicted by all of this is Trout's lawyer, Harry Seagraves (Ed Harris). Going in he has no problem with proving what Trout did was completely out of self defense. Yet, as he digs deeper and deeper it becomes a moral conflict upon himself. He knows that Paris is guilty. He's heard him speak of it as if he would do it over and over again because he just doesn't care. Paris lives by his own moral code, and it's a huge conflict to Harry. Also adding to his displeasure is the fact that Harry uncovers what Paris had done to Hannah.

No one is pure in this film. Everyone has such huge flaws, but that's what makes everyone feel so human that by the end of it you learn a little bit more that nothing is black and white. The man that has to protect his guilty client is fighting the same feelings as the guy trying to put the murder away. The battered wife might be too afraid to leave. The crazy social path husband might finally get pushed too far, and for someone who showed no emotion with killing someone before is faced with a chance to do it again he just might.

I will say that I absolutely love that Barbara Hershey has turned towards doing all these deep, strong character roles. She brings a certain strength but frailty that is needed. Like, she is able to be strong but even when she's strong you can sense that there's something deep inside that is second questioning and causing conflict for her to act upon it. I really don't think it would have been the same performance had it been someone else. You just wouldn't have gotten it. It's that little quality that I feel that I am drawn towards. It just makes her characters more natural.

"Tune in Tomorrow" (1990)

How can a movie be completely cheesy but still enjoyable? You have one hell of a cast (except Keanu Reeves, I can never stand him), some really funny moments, and know that you shouldn't be taking yourself too seriously but instead run with it and have fun!

"Tune in Tomorrow" is about a wannabe radio writer (Reeves) who falls head over heels in love with his Aunt Julie. Ok, so apparently she's his Uncle's wives sister through marriage... but still, an aunt of some sorts. Meanwhile, the radio station he's been working at has hired a new writer to boost their ratings. The new writer, Pedro Carmichael, discovers the secret affair and begins to use it in his recent soap.

The soap which starts to take on a life of it's own and adds to the campiness of the entire film. The film starts out straight forward enough but as the plot to Carmichael's soap becomes more and more outlandish so does the plot of out actual main characters.

Like I said, it gets really cheesy at some points and the dialog becomes very laughable, but it really feels like everyone makes the most of it. But, I really can't stand Keanu who just feels so out of place from everyone else. Even Hershey is able to let her hair down and seems like she is able to just be funny. Keanu constantly feels like he's trying to play catch up to everyone.

"Beaches" (1988)

Back in 2003, a girl sat on the bed in her room trying to find something to watch. She continuously flipped through the channels but nothing caught her eye. That was until she landed on Lifetime and caught the last half an hour of a little movie about a longtime friendship between two women. Lucky for me, it played all over again right after and the rest they say is history.

At that point in my life, I didn't fully appreciate how much I really needed this film in my life. I had heard about it constantly from bits on VH1's I Love The 80's but never had I decided to rush out to go track it down. After that first viewing though, I rushed to my public library and located the VHS. I think that tape never saw the light of day from anyone else after that!

I learned the songs. I learned the lines, and I may have even picked up a few of Barbara Hershey's mannerisms from it as well.

From that first viewing I was instantly drawn to Hillary. I don't know why, I still don't. I did know that at the time I was having problems at home and I turned toward strong female fictional characters for guidance. It's difficult to explain but after that first watch, I wish I had Hillary as a mother. I just wanted to be so much like her because I loved how she escaped her life to move in with CC and became a lawyer.

Sure, she has flaws. Sure I still don't agree that she apologizes for whatever CC said even though she was clearly the one who instigated that big outburst in the department store. But, she was still so strong in her own right that I wanted to be so much like her that these flaws only added to how round her character was. So when she gets hit with a giant punch of being terminally ill it hurts even harder because you see the life she's made and the things she's over come.

Over the years as I continuously watch and rewatch this film I keep seeing it with new eyes. When I was younger it only scratched the surface about how friends can last forever and will be there for you always. Now that I'm older though, the themes go a lot deeper. Their individual characters go a lot deeper and you can really see how they balance one another out with their differences. How we all should have that one person who makes us question and challenge ourselves, and doesn't have to be a guy. The bonds we make as women can teach us some pretty powerful things.

I can really go on and on about how much this film has done for my outlook on life, but I'll spare you. I will say, this was the film that introduced me to Barbara Hershey. I went from watching this to tracking down everything else I could get my hands on to see if everything I loved about her portrayal of Hillary could be found in her other work, and in very subtle incidences it could.

As of now, I only have been watching the film when I am in really deep need of "an emotional cleansing"... which is about three times a year. This film really allows me to experience a wide range of feelings, some of which I didn't even know I was feeling. For me I really enjoy taking that journey. I don't think I will ever get tired of this film, and if that day comes then I would truly feel sorry for myself.

I do leave you with one question that I still never got the answer to, "What DOES yodeling got to do with it?"

"The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988)

There are many films about the actual crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but not many about how the man lived. This film is based on a book by the same name.

It begins in the middle of his life, when he worked as a carpenter. It explores him coming into his own as he discovers his destiny from God, travels around preaching, and even his death. You see Jesus not just as the man you learn about in your Sunday school classes, but as a person with his good share of flaws.

Yes, he was a man like everyone else with thoughts and feelings that would cross anyone in the same situation as him. It doesn't belittle the belief in him though, instead I believe it makes him appear stronger as a character.

It has taken me two times watching this to appreciate it a lot more because there is a lot to take in. The entire last 40 minutes is basically one big "what if" moment that I got the first time, but really enjoyed a lot more upon watching it again.

"Shy People" (1987)

Everyone has that part of the family who they know very little about, right? Well, can you imagine going and trying to find out about them? In "Shy People" Diana does just that.

She is a big named journalist on a big named magazine, with a troubled daughter. She decides to do an interest piece on the section of her relatives that she knows very little about. With her daughter, they travel to backwater Louisiana to locate her distant cousins. Once out there though they discover that things are very different from the big city. The culture is much simpler, and believes are very high in superstition.

She meets Ruth, her uncle's second wife, and her four sons. One of which has been declared as dead among the family and another locked up in a shed as punishment. These folk don't have electricity, or what seems like an education pass elementary school (if even that).

Things begin to go wrong as Diana and her daughter attempt to throw their lifestyle at them. The troubles of the past come out.

I enjoyed it even though I really couldn't stand the daughter at all. She was constantly complaining and made some really dumb choices that had me wanting to throw something at her and yell, "THINK WOMAN!" I really loved Hershey's character though! She was so in charge and may not have been book smart, but she was smarter in her own ways.

"A World Apart" (1987)

South Africa. The 60's. It was a hard place to grow up for anyone; with the battle for civil rights going on and a battle against Communism. One never knew when they would be whisked away from their families, or if they would even see them again. Then there was everyone else. They would have to go on with their daily lives not knowing if their loved one was ok or dead. It's a horrible picture to imagine, right?

Well, for Molly Roth she must live through it and we take the journey with her in "A World Apart". Molly's parents are leftist and when her father leaves to avoid being captured she is left with her mother and two younger siblings. That is until her mother is taken away for a 90 day holding period to be interrogated.

Molly must go on with her life but nothing is the same. Her eyes slowly become more open as she begins to take in the world around her and really see the darkness that is spreading throughout her homeland. She must learn the hard lessons that people can be very cruel. She loses her friends, and witnesses the violence done to everything going on.

This is very much a coming of age story and also a mother/ daughter bonding film. By the end Molly's mother, Diana, has to come to terms with the fact that her daughter is not a little girl anymore and fully comprehends what she is fighting for even though that life is not fair to her or anyone.

It really is a beautiful film and really resinates with you afterwords. Especially with everything that has happened here in the United States the past year. It really seems as though the battle for equal rights may never end until if we allow ourselves to open our eyes. The amazing thing about this film is that the main perspective is seen through the eyes of a child. Children are full of innocence and they have completely different look outs when it comes to things. Maybe what people need to do is adjust their outlook on things.

"Tin Men" (1987)

"Tin Men" is definitely a film that guys would love and girl would love to a point.

It starts off basic enough. An accident happens between two men and what is the most natural thing they could think to do? Seek revenge out on one another. It's all fun and games there, but the minute you decide to bring in the innocent wife of one of them there's a line that is beginning to be drawn. But this twisted tale of revenge quickly turns into a love story.

The two men are played by Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito. DeVito's bystander wife is Hershey, who actually to me has some more of the funnier scenes between all three of them. Nothing is more funny then seeing her take revenge out on being mislead by two dummies. My favorite scene has to go to when she finds out what exactly she's been dropped into and reacts on it.

Sure I'll get behind Dreyfuss having feelings for Hershey, but some things that go on totally end up making me yell at him. Then he pulls some stunt where he is given the chance to "win her" like some trophy from DeVito and I can't help but want to throw things at them both! But thank goodness Hershey shares my mindset with this because if the writers actually made her stupid over this I was going to throw in the towel!

The romance aside, there's some other storyline going on about how both men, who share the same job of being a Tin Man (From what I gathered from the film they try to swindle people into remodeling the outside of their homes) are both being investigated. It really is just all background noise for what is the main point of the film: Revenge and love.

Funny? Sure. Enjoyable? Sure. A master piece? Heck no.

"Hoosiers" (1986)

I've touched on what makes a "sports movie" a really good film before but I will give you another reason. Not only is it because it teaches you to follow and strive to achieve your dream, but also because it teaches you that in order to achieve greatness it is a team effort.

It's one thing to have a sport's film be about one person and their story of self discovery, it is a completely different one to have it be about the entire team and how it also impacts their town. Usually, in these films they are metaphors for each other.

In the midwest sports are a way for a community to come together, which could probably explain why most sport's films take place here. If you have a broken team, you sure enough will most like have a broken community. It is then that by getting your team mates to cooperate with one another can you begin to bring the town together.

For Gene Hackman in "Hoosiers" he must do just that and along the way he also is able to discover and most past his own ghost.

This film has been ranked among a lot of lists when it comes to top "Sport's Films" and it's with good reason. The story of the little team that could is one of inspiration, and very beautifully acted, written and directed. It is also one of my personal favorites when it comes to this genre.

"Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986)

Fate has a fickle fickle way of working itself out and we may all not really know our own desires until we can take the journey and find them for ourselves. Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Two Sisters" takes us on this very journey as we voyage along two years in the lives of three sisters and their extremely chaotic lives.

First you have Hannah, who is happily married with children and is the key figure among all the story lines. Everyone in the film can be tracked back to her. She is quiet and reserved and has a plan for everything. Her journey through out the film is being able to allow herself to ask for help and to acknowledge that she may not always have the right answers.

Hannah's husband, Elliot, though is madly in love with her sister Lee. Lee, is very grounded and certainly the one someone would go to for advice. She feels emotions with every ounce of her being. It becomes hard for her with not really knowing if she wants to act on her own feelings for Elliot and run the risk of hurting her sister, or stay in the relationship she is currently in which has seems to have lost itself. Lee is living her own little version of the countless books she has immersed herself in.

Meanwhile, the youngest of the three sisters, Holly, is a free spirit but also have many many issues of her own including a dwindling self esteem. She changes careers so many times from actress, to cater, to writer. Her closest friend (Played by the fabulous Carrie Fisher) is the polar opposite.  She is welling to put herself out there. I kind of wonder if Holly being friends with her is Holly's way to over compensate for her own low self esteem, even though is just makes her feel worse.

Mickey is Hannah's first husband and has more worries than anyone you have probably met. He goes through his own voyage of trying to rediscover a sense of faith after he leads himself to believe that he has a brain tumor.

Woody takes these cast of characters and throw them all into the most culture stricken jungle around, New York City. A city that is known for making the most fickle of things happen. Maybe it's running into someone whom you haven't seen in years thus allowing you to rekindle a relationship. Or maybe it's allowing you to fall back in love with someone whom you "might not realize you love more than you think." Either way, this film just goes to show that things have a way of working themselves out in the end even if it's not what you expect.

This has always been my favorite of Allen's films, the only one really coming extremely close to topping it has been Midnight in Paris. Lee has also been one of my favorite Barbara Hershey characters possibly because of her groundness of being the middle child. She doesn't have the uber urge to take care of everyone like the older sibling, or try to prove herself like the youngest. She is able to find her own hook and take her own time discovering herself. I personally think I'm a mix between Hannah and Lee.

"The Natural" (1984)

It seems like nothing is as inspiring as a really good sports film. It's very American to have someone come from nothing with lots of unlocked talent, be misunderstood by everyone, and then prove them all wrong and rise above them. Hell, that seems like the history of America in it's own nutshell.

In this story though, the star is Roy Hobbs, played by Robert Redford (who is certainly one of my favorite actors of all time.) He comes from a small farming town and is groomed to become a very good baseball player. Very stereotypical for anyone living in middle america in the 50's in Hollywood cinema.

His hopes and dreams are put on hold though when he has the misfortune of falling victim to Harriet Bird (Hershey's character), who seems to have a huge grudge against sporty types and shows it with a pistol. After taking 16 years to build back his strength it is time for his chance once again, and this is where the story really begins.

This film is more than a "sports film" though, it's about a person's moral sense and defying the odds. Hobbs is in his early thirties and going into a career that most people are usually retiring from at his age. He is benched and told countless times that he won't be able to do it. He is blackmailed and swindled but still manages to keep his own moral code together. It's something we could all learn from.

It also doesn't hurt that your main character is being played by a man who oozes the golden picture of the perfect American Golden Boy, well, man. Robert Redford has done countless roles where he is the one who holds up the perfect non-corruptible moral code that many should strive to. To do right and keep a clear conscience.

Yes, he is my actor crush and I will admit that from the top of a mountain!

What's On: "Supergirl" Winter Finale

Ok, I need to get this out!

(WARNING, THE FOLLOWING WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS)

I LOVE this show. Love it! I love everything it stands for with females in the superhero universe. I love it from the feminist points that it continues to make week after week. I even love how cheesy and 90's "Lois and Clark" the writing can get.

Monday's episode was the winter finale for this and I can't help but feel sad because I want more. It's really hard for me to tune into things that revolve around superheroes. I don't do Marvel's Agent's of Shield. I don't do Arrow or The Flash. Maybe it's because I do like seeing a girl on the front lines kicking some ass.

I really loved Birds of Prey when it was on. I'm madly in love with Agent Carter, and of course this. The thing I love most about this show? The bonds between all the women. The sisterly bond between Alex and Kara. The workplace bond between Kara and Cat. My two favorite episodes have been "Livewire" and Monday's "Hostile Takeover" and a key part of both of them have been relationships between the female characters.

"Livewire" saw the beginnings of a deeper friendship between Cat and Kara while also building a strong bond between Alex and her mother.

"Hostile Takeover" continued to build that workplace friendship leading up to Cat finally telling Kara that she knew that she was Supergirl. It was a really beautiful moment between them and I really can't wait to see how it will now progress. I really hope it doesn't change their dynamic too much because I really love that Cat still keeps her as a secret bff.


Another shinning moment in the episode was a growing back story on Kara and her family. We had been previously introduced to Astra, Kara's aunt, but we finally got to see what their relationship actually was. They were extremely close and Alura Zor-El used that bond to trick her Astra into getting captured. An event that one can suspect caused Astra's massive falling into darkness.

From last week's episode we already knew that Kara had some pent up aggression over having been sent away from her family to begin with. This week's episode took us to the next stage. Astra telling Kara what her mother had done was the breaking point and it resulted in one tear shedding scene from me. In just one scene you could read the years and years of anger over having been shipped off in Melissa Benoist's performance. It pained me to watch, but at the same time I completely understand where she's coming from. I have so much pent up feelings towards choices my parents have made and I still have been working through them. There have been so many times when I wish I could just break down and just yell at them all the things they lied to me about and just force them to understand, and in this scene that is what Kara wants more than anything. She wants her mother to understand that she didn't want these choices forced onto her.

Like I said, I really really love this show and it continues to grow on me with every passing episode. Now I'm sad though because the next episode isn't until January which means I am going to have to wait very patiently.

"The Right Stuff" (1983)

The early history of the American space race all wrapped up into one movie.

It sure sounds like a lot to get through in just three hours but they are able to achieve it. Each Mercury 7's story makes you care for them even more. Even Chuck Yeager's story, who without breaking the sound barrier, we wouldn't have begun the next steps into space.

I love films that revolve around a very important time in history. Especially when they tell the story about all the little guys involved. What we get in text books are constant facts of the events that took place. Dates and only the major details, but it's really a lot more than that.

History is about the individual as much as it is about the event. It's about the countless test pilots that parish trying to achieve something that one person is finally able to do. It's about the wives who have to watch with everyone else on a television, unsure if their husband will be coming home. It's about the person behind the event who gets judged based off something that no one else really would understand. It's knowing all this information and then going and taking another look into your history book and having a new outlook on it.

If a book or a film can help this, and get you interested in wanting to go and learn more? Then, I believe it has done it's job. After finishing, I went and looked up to find out what happened to a few of the members. It really re-awoken my interest in this time.

"The Entity" (1982)

Could you ever imagine being attacked by a force repetitively but there's nothing physically there? Then, when you try to tell people they just don't believe you and you are left trying to figure out what the hell is going on all by yourself? Well, that is what happens in "The Entity".

This has been my third viewing of this film. It's strange because it's usually one that I try to squeeze in during my October Halloween Horror Fest but it isn't until I actually sit down and rewatch it that I fully understand just why I've seen it so few times. There's a lot to take in when watching it.

I always find myself feeling completely disturbed during and afterwords. It actually took me two days to get through watching it because I had to keep stopping it due to my high anxiety that I was getting. At one point I even ended up taking to Facebook to say that I could literally feel my body tensing up and stomach going into knots.

Part of this is due to the actual story and part is due to just how well the director and everyone worked together to really bring to life this tale based on a "true story". Most of the shock values aren't done with full on CGI, like most horror films today. Instead it's done by making smart choices on where and when to move the camera, really great acting, and perfectly timed music. Sure there are some effects but they aren't fully relied upon.

One of my favorite sequences during the film is right after the first attack when they go to leave the house and Carla (Barbara Hershey) has to go back in to find her keys. There was the very interesting choice made of instead of following her around the house as she's trying to locate them, the camera sits right on the keys and you see her panic through the reflection of the mirror. You find yourself feeling super intense and just wanting to yell, "Here! They're over here!" You actually feel yourself getting as panicked as she is and as that fear for her to just get out grows so does the music. It's a really beautiful and terrifying thing when all these elements go so wonderfully well together to make one feel as though they are going through this experience.

"Take This Job and Shove It" (1981)

I've always enjoyed the occasional romantic screwball comedy, and in the past I've found myself really enjoying this one.

The film revolves around a man who is sent back to his hometown to head up the brewery that had just been bought by his current employer's. Once there he begins to discover himself again and rekindle an old relationship.

There are plenty of moments that had me laughing. Football playing in a bar! I want in on that.

The film isn't anything completely special but it is enjoyable and sometimes you just need a good movie to kick back and watch without having to over think anything. This is certainly that movie.

"Americana" (1981)

Within seconds of starting this film I had to pause to go find out if I was delusional or had everyone really gone and de-aged by a lot. Turns out that I was not delusional (this time). The film was originally directed by David Carradine back in 1972 but it had taken him another twelve years to find a distributor. It's the tough world of cinema.

The film is a very character driven story of a Vietnam vet whose return to the US, comes across a broken down merry-go-round in the middle of no where America and decides to fix it. Throughout the film we see him interacting with many of the small town's inhabitants including: a young girl (Hershey's character), an elderly woman whose father was the original owner of the merry-go-round, and the gentleman who runs the only garage in the area.

Hershey's character doesn't do much. She just seems to always be there and usually appears as the out sider to everyone else. It's really funny seeing this performance after now having seen her in some other roles that just tested her more. It felt out of place watching, which I know makes sense because of the derail on the film's release. Still it felt like watching her take five steps backwards after having seen her play such crucial, more interesting characters. I had to go and see what people thought of the film at the time and it was funny seeing them describe her performance "stepping back into her earth mother phase".

Now reflecting on having watched through her early 70's movies I can certainly see where they are coming from. The Early 70's: Hershey's Earth Mother Phase. The Late 70's Early 80's: The Love Interest.

As far as the garage owner, who is really the only other town's person we see Carradine's character interact with a lot. I couldn't help but get some homosexual undertones from their interactions. If this had been released now than there would certainly be fan art of some sorts with those two kissing. There is certainly something there, even when Carradine brings it up and it gets knocked down.

Sadly, I can see why it had taken forever for this film to be released. Everything is very dry and I sometimes found myself finding it hard to watch and just wanting it to end. Think of it like if you were a city person who just found themselves out in the country. It's a whole different world and you can appreciate it, but at the same time you are falling asleep from the boredom. By the time it ended I was seriously thinking: this town doesn't need a stupid merry-go-round! Just leave it broken! Go somewhere were chicken fighting is not everyone's favorite pass time! Run, don't walk!

"The Stunt Man" (1980)

A Vietnam War vet is on the run from the police, ends up joining a film crew as their stunt man and falls in love with their lead actress. It sounds pretty crazy, right? Well guess what, it certainly was!

The entire film was a giant ride where I couldn't tell what was meant to be and what was suppose to be a "stunt" for the film being filmed in the film. It's all very filmception, isn't it? Which can be said about how the main character felt the entire time! Not to mention the last 20 minutes of the film I was having one huge anxiety attack, and if you go watch I could probably guarantee one for you too!

The whole movie is very over the top from both the actors and the actual story.

As someone whose gone to school for film production and visited sets that involve stunts occurring I can certainly tell you that this is not how a set is run. I mean, what costume and make-up designer in their right mind would allow their talent to freely go over to the edge of a rock and throw herself into the water just to make sure the make-up holds? Also, I wish any turn over time for a scene change was as short as these are!

It's these moments though that had me rolling over with laughter. I wish I had known going in that this was a comedy because I did often question myself as to if I was allowed to laugh at something. Yes, this was a first time view of the film for me and I'm glad I finally watched it.

"Angel on My Shoulder" (1980)

I have entered the 80's!

As far as television movies go "Angel on My Shoulder" was pretty cute. Think of it as your run of the mill Christmas Movie but without the Christmas.

In it, Eddie Kagel is a criminal who is put to death and sent to Hell. There he works for years until an opportunity presents itself allowing him to come back to Earth. He is back to take care of a job, but that job is interrupted with people from his past, and a woman.

It's a story about finding redemption and love. True these themes are usually overly expressed in your typical Hallmark or Lifetime film, but if they are done well then i really don't mind how many there are. This one certainly falls into the campy and cheesy category sometimes, but it was still enjoyable and I liked it. Probably liked it enough that I might fine myself going and watching it again!

"Flood" (1976)

It seemed like the 70's was the decade of disaster films. "Earthquake" and "The Towering Inferno" both came out in '74. "The Poseidon Adventure" set sail in '72. So, it shouldn't surprise anyone that someone ended up attempting ride on those successes with "Flood".

"Flood" is certainly one of your worse case scenario films that has every trope there is to a disaster film. One man discovers that something bad is going to happen to the town and tries to warn the mayor. The Mayor doesn't want to believe it until it's to late. All hell breaks loose as the disaster takes place, and we are given a bunch of other characters to care about as everyone tries to survive.

Given that it was 1976, these tropes wouldn't come to be over done for another couple of decades. Watching this film in 2015 though, I couldn't help but feel like I was watching Dante's Peak with a dam instead of a volcano.

All this said, it was enjoyable! I ended up finding myself cheering on my computer screen for everything to work out.

People should check it out especially if they enjoy the disaster films of today. Don't forget these early films are where you get the magic formula from!

"The Last Hard Men" (1976)

The sad truth in a Western, especially ones that came out before the 90's, women had one of three roles. You were either the one time love interest, the prostitute working in the brothel, or the damsel in distress. Westerns were a very male dominated genre, and they still are.

"The Last Hard Men" is certainly no exception. In the film a retired sheriff, played by the legendary Charlton Heston, must come out of retirement when a fugitive that he had imprisoned escapes to take his revenge. Part of his revenge is kidnapping the sheriff's daughter (I'll give you ten bucks to guess who that is) and using her to get to him.

Both the convict and the sheriff are distant memories of a time long past. A time when horses were the means to travel and the way to solve everything was by a massive shoot out. Still, they manage to bring us out of the "modern" life of cars and telegraphs, and drop us straight back into pre industrial times without leaving any of us with a second thought. Which is probably why its title is so fitting to the overall plot, these men are the last of their generation.

Like Boxcar Bertha, Hershey was required to do a lot of physical and emotional stunts. Even though she is such a small part of the story her scenes really resinate with me or anyone. I found myself at the end just thinking that if I were her, I would repack my bags and go back to the big cities where sure something like this has the possibility of happening, but it would be very hard. What I do like though is how strong her character is even through all the hell she is put through. Usually, in a Western the woman role is weak, and usually whiny. That is completely the opposite of Hershey's and I enjoyed it.

It's something I noticed as well while viewing these early roles. She really picks characters that go through hell, but are overly strong at the same time and won't allow the events of their lives to destroy them.

"Diamonds" (1975)

"Diamonds" is very much like the other films you would find in the "heist" genre. You know the ones: The Bank Job, The Italian Job and Oceans 11 just to name a few.

The plot? A jewel thief is just released from prison when he is contacted to do a job that is labeled impossible. The job? Rob the largest diamond exchange in Israel. Sounds easy enough, right? Sure, except when you are being tailed constantly by police.

 The film was extremely fun to watch and much like other heist films, you find yourself rooting for them to actually achieve their goal and not get caught. It also looked like it was probably a lot of fun to make.

"Boxcar Bertha" (1972)

"Boxcar Bertha". The gritty tale of a woman who faces many misfortunes and finds herself caught in a battle between the up and coming railroad and it's the workers who are fighting for their rights as laborers.

The film is one of Martin Scorsese's early works but you can really see some of his style that would certainly show up again in a lot of his later dramas. He even makes an appearance in the film, and I had to do a double look but seriously... who else has those eye brows?

Like I've said before, it is really something seeing Hershey just throw herself out there and do these kinds of roles that are both physically and mentally straining. Even to watch, I found it hard to see some of the things she goes through in the film.

I don't want to give too much away, but the final scene in the film (as heart breaking as it is) is perhaps my favorite just because her performance was just so sad. It was hard to take your eyes away because you just felt so pitiful watching her go through this.

"Last Summer" (1969)

A year after she did "With Six You Get Eggroll" Barbara Hershey went on to a much darker and very far departure from Stacey Iverson with the film "Last Summer".

"Last Summer" centers around a young woman, Sandy, in her late teens who befriends and gets very very close to two boys. Their relationship becomes toxic to them and those around them, especially Rhoda who is very much the outside to their trio.

There's a lot to swallow with how these characters interact with one another and those around them. Even though they have their moments of being kind, I found it very hard to find any of them actually likable. Even by the end I couldn't even like Hershey.

I found it very interesting, but understandable that right after introducing herself as the sweet daughter in a family film she threw herself straight into roles that would involve her doing drugs, or getting raped and beaten (these two factors will come into play a lot more in the next few films). She was already 20 when she did "With Six You Get Eggroll" and she's 21 here once again playing a teenager so it could be by throwing herself into these darker rolls she could prove that she could handle herself and actually act.

With all this, "Last Summer" is a very good film and be warned, there are triggers in it for some people, but I still recommend that if you are a fan of Barbara's that you certainly check it out!

"With Six You Get Eggroll" (1968)

If I'm to start anywhere it would have to be at the very beginning.

Ok, Barbara Hershey had done many television appearances before her first theatrical appearance, but when it comes to her first appearance in the world of cinema it was in this very family romantic comedy "With Six You Get Eggroll".

The film's plot is very similar to "Cheaper By the Dozen" or "Your's, Mine and Our's", which actually came out four months before Eggroll. Woman is widowed and left with children. Meets man who is also widowed and has a child. Both fall in love with one another and all hell breaks loose.

It's a very cute film and Hershey plays the only daughter to our lead gentleman, Brian Keith. Talk about baby faced and innocent in every sense of the word. I really enjoyed seeing her play the daughter who is very protective of her father. One of my favorite scenes and one that I've continually gone to show people is her big scene with Doris Day and how she gets to become the "woman of the house" in order for Day to prove a point.

As far as premiere roles go, it's great seeing her be able to hold her own against Doris Day and have it be a very family friendly film. As you'll come to see, a lot of her other early films will involve the family unit but not be so friendly or innocent as this was.

A Countdown To Cora's Return

"Once Upon A Time" has come to it's winter finale only a few days ago, but with it we were given a little preview of their upcoming "B" side of the season. In the preview we got our first glimpses at the show's 100th Episode which features many returning stars. Even though I am excited about all of them; the one I am most excited about is Barbara Hershey!

I have been a fan of Barbara for years! Ok, so it was really since 2003 when I first saw "Beaches" and just fell in love with Hillary. Over the years I had seen many of her films but never had I attempted to watch them in order. That is until I decided to use her return to "Once Upon A Time" as a way of celebrating her as an actress. In order to do so I have set a goal! From now until March 6th I am on a mission to watch all her films from earliest to current.

I have already started and it is amazing to look back at her humble beginnings and choices of roles and to slowly travel through her timeline and see her grow as an actress. I plan to write about this journey and maybe take you along with me!