What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

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louby1980
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Re: What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

Post by louby1980 »

Ordinary Heroes looks like a really good movie....would love to watch it however i cant find it anywhere on the internet to watch :roll:
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KateR
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Re: What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

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louby1980 wrote: Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:24 am Ordinary Heroes looks like a really good movie....would love to watch it however i cant find it anywhere on the internet to watch :roll:
It's on this website, in the Video Gallery, under "Movies".

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NiLa
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Re: What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

Post by NiLa »

Altough you have moved on to "Ordinary Heroes" I would like to write a commend on "Beyond Betrayal". I was so busy....didn't find the time. Sorry.

I like "Beyond Betrayal", althoug RDA is here the bad guy.
I think he portraits Bradley perfectly. Such a nasty guy, you've got to hate him.

Bradley clearly mistakes love with control. In the beginning of his marriage he really loved her but also wanted to control her. Joanna herself said, that in the beginning her marriage hadn't been abusive. It had changed, first slowly than dramatically, so that Bradley nearly killed her in his rage. Joanna also told Sam, that when she got to know Bradley, he always waited outside the shop she was working in and picked her up after work. She was flattered at that time and did not recognize, that Bradley even then wanted to control her. And she let him, until she had the courage to leave him.
But Bradley has not only the desire to control her, everything in his life has to be like he wants it to be. In his house, have a look at the desk, the line of shoes besides the stairs, everything is in perfect order.

The whole ordeal has traumatized Joanna, so she still has nightmares, and as he still tries to find her, she changes her name and place of living regularly.
How much influence Bradley has still on her is shown when she sneaks into her former home to get the pictures out of the basement. Bradley isn't there, but she takes off her shoes and puts them beside the stairs...clearly the place where they always had been.

From his point of view he really loves his wife and can't accept that she has left him. He has no other life. When he is at home, he only sits in his living room (dark), watches the film made at the marriage, Looks at her pictures.
Also Bradley can't control his temper, in every situation something happens that he doesn't like he becomes violent (in the kitchen while speaking with Joanna's sister, while interrogating a prisoner).

I also think he is really sorry for his actions afterwards, but he is not willing to change his behaviour or even to go to a therapy.
In the last scenes of the movie, when he tells Joanna that he didn't want to kill Sam's ex-wife, I believe him. I am even not so sure if the whole situation on the boat wasn't self-defence, because she attacked him with a knife first. But to prove that would be really difficult, as he broke into the boat first and even killed Sam's dog in the process.

He also isn't aware how much he scares Joanna, in the very end, he asks her "Why are you so afraid of me?"

In the very end he commits suicide by forcing the entering cops to shoot him, because he pretends to pull a gun out of his jacket. He is not willing and able to face the consequences for his actions (at least for the murder of his friend Ray, as he had confessed that murder).
A violent end for a violent character.

What I also like is the development of Joanna. She is traumatized from her marriage, but then she finds the courage at last to love someone new, to risk a new relationship. Also she changes from the victim, that has no life to a woman, who fights for her new life and love. She even has the courage to confront him in the end and tricks him into confessing the killing of Ray and Sam's ex-wife.

After that experience I hope she will go on with her life and will be happy with Sam forever....

RDA showed in that movie again what great acting skills he has. Well done!

Wow....much more than I intended to write... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Anja ;)
Walk in love, walk in service, and you will walk in honor.
MacGyver
....by doing so our world will be better each day...
Anja ;)
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Juliette
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Re: What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

Post by Juliette »

Wow Great analysis of Beyond Betrayal Anja!

I saw it only once, I was so disturbed by the character of Bradley that I didn't dare to watch it again I must admit.
But I remember most of the things you talked about, and I agree with your analysis of the characters.

Next time I watch it I will definitely pay more attention to all those details :)
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bftlovesRDA
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Re: What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

Post by bftlovesRDA »

NiLa wrote: Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:45 pm Altough you have moved on to "Ordinary Heroes" I would like to write a commend on "Beyond Betrayal". I was so busy....didn't find the time. Sorry.

I like "Beyond Betrayal", althoug RDA is here the bad guy.
I think he portraits Bradley perfectly. Such a nasty guy, you've got to hate him.

Bradley clearly mistakes love with control. In the beginning of his marriage he really loved her but also wanted to control her. Joanna herself said, that in the beginning her marriage hadn't been abusive. It had changed, first slowly than dramatically, so that Bradley nearly killed her in his rage. Joanna also told Sam, that when she got to know Bradley, he always waited outside the shop she was working in and picked her up after work. She was flattered at that time and did not recognize, that Bradley even then wanted to control her. And she let him, until she had the courage to leave him.
But Bradley has not only the desire to control her, everything in his life has to be like he wants it to be. In his house, have a look at the desk, the line of shoes besides the stairs, everything is in perfect order.

The whole ordeal has traumatized Joanna, so she still has nightmares, and as he still tries to find her, she changes her name and place of living regularly.
How much influence Bradley has still on her is shown when she sneaks into her former home to get the pictures out of the basement. Bradley isn't there, but she takes off her shoes and puts them beside the stairs...clearly the place where they always had been.

From his point of view he really loves his wife and can't accept that she has left him. He has no other life. When he is at home, he only sits in his living room (dark), watches the film made at the marriage, Looks at her pictures.
Also Bradley can't control his temper, in every situation something happens that he doesn't like he becomes violent (in the kitchen while speaking with Joanna's sister, while interrogating a prisoner).

I also think he is really sorry for his actions afterwards, but he is not willing to change his behaviour or even to go to a therapy.
In the last scenes of the movie, when he tells Joanna that he didn't want to kill Sam's ex-wife, I believe him. I am even not so sure if the whole situation on the boat wasn't self-defence, because she attacked him with a knife first. But to prove that would be really difficult, as he broke into the boat first and even killed Sam's dog in the process.

He also isn't aware how much he scares Joanna, in the very end, he asks her "Why are you so afraid of me?"

In the very end he commits suicide by forcing the entering cops to shoot him, because he pretends to pull a gun out of his jacket. He is not willing and able to face the consequences for his actions (at least for the murder of his friend Ray, as he had confessed that murder).
A violent end for a violent character.

What I also like is the development of Joanna. She is traumatized from her marriage, but then she finds the courage at last to love someone new, to risk a new relationship. Also she changes from the victim, that has no life to a woman, who fights for her new life and love. She even has the courage to confront him in the end and tricks him into confessing the killing of Ray and Sam's ex-wife.

After that experience I hope she will go on with her life and will be happy with Sam forever....

RDA showed in that movie again what great acting skills he has. Well done!

Wow....much more than I intended to write... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Anja ;)
Thank you so much, Anja, for your comments on "Beyond Betrayal". (And it is just fine that you are commenting on this movie after we had started talking about "Ordinary Heroes". I always LOVE to read your comments and anyone's comments, no matter in what order they come in.)

Your analysis of Bradley and of Joanna is just exactly right, IMHO. I agree with it all. And, I especially agree that RDA showed so clearly his acting skills in this movie because I definitely came to hate what Bradley did to Joanna and to Ray and to Sam's ex-wife. So, in essence, I came to hate Bradley although there was always a little tinge of hope for him up until he did the murders. Then all hope was gone for Bradley to become "decent" and a forgiven character. He just went beyond the pale in his violence.

Again, I appreciate your comments so very much.
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bftlovesRDA
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Re: What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

Post by bftlovesRDA »

Any other comments from anyone regarding any of the movies we have discussed so far? All comments are welcome....doesn't matter the order of them.

In the Eyes of a Stranger - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1u4LJLXpEQ

Through the Eyes of a Killer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enevxnnn114&t=3003s

Pandora's Clock - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hlReNarmpg Pandora's Clock is also on Youtube in segments starting with
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir6j8hA4sMY&t=11s

Beyond Betrayal - You can watch that movie here on Kate's website under Video Gallery / Movies Or you can watch it on youtube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htW6QQ7Iccc

Ordinary Heroes - You can watch that movie here on Kate's website under video Gallerly / Movies or you can watch it on youtube in segments starting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkR9B0tzY_o&t=50s



If no other comments on these movies, how about a discussion of Firehouse.... which can be viewed either on YouTube (in several segments)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTbsVRcBQ2g&t=7s or here at rdanderson.com in the Video Gallery under Movies.
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Re: What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

Post by bftlovesRDA »

Hope all have watched FireHouse.

If not, please skip over this review since it gives away the ending which needs to be a surprise......and I apologize that I included probably too many details in these comments.....just couldn't get beyond the details.....basically I am not very concise!

(See Kate’s intro paragraph about it in the video gallery/movies section): "Richard (as Lt. Michael Brooks) leads a team of New York City firefighters as they deal with the addition of a female paramedic to the team, as well as a sniper who targets firefighters. FireHouse was shot on location in New York City as a series pilot, but the series was not picked up by a network. The pilot was later reedited as a television movie, but it never aired on network television in the US."

RDA and Michael Greenburg are co-executive Producers of FireHouse. It was filmed in 1996. In some of the shots of the NYC skyline, you can see the World Trade Center Towers still standing at that time.

Other notes: the quartet who sing acapella in the background throughout the movie are known as The Funky Poets and they sing songs from the 50’s and 60’s = Great Balls of Fire / Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.

Some other cultural things seen in the movie = a typewriter and (mentioned) – a VCR tape. Oh so long ago…

A big topic of this movie is that of women, specifically women who have any connection to firefighters.

Michael Brooks (RDA) is going through a divorce and is bitter about women in general (says women should be hunted, stuffed, and hung on a wall)…..but he is kind to Kate – the EMS person who is part of an experiment from the Mayor of NYC where the EMS trucks and personnel are stationed at the FireHouses. Needless to say, the men there are not happy at all with this new arrangement and they let Kate know it.

We learn later in the movie that Michael’s ex-wife, Charlotte, had to stop the pain of her fears every time he went out each day = fears that he wouldn’t come back alive. She shut down her feelings for her firefighter husband in order to stop that pain and eventually lost her love for him or so she claims.

That theme runs through the movie because another character, Andre, has a girlfriend who broke up with him because she too could not deal with the fears she had being in love with someone whose life was always at risk on his job.

In fact, we learn all about the tough things that firefighters deal with in their profession so the movie does a good job of portraying accurately all the pros but especially all the cons about being a firefighter in NYC.

On a run to a fire, Michael is shot in his left shoulder by a sniper. At the hospital, Michael’s ex-wife shows up and kisses him while he is not awake but then is cruel to him (in my opinion) saying things like she hopes he lives forever because she needs the spousal support since law school is so expensive…… Michael’s friend and fellow firefighter Cy comes to the hospital and displays true affection and friendship with Michael by getting all broken up when he sees Michael. The Fire Chief is all about getting Michael the best room and best treatment available. (There is also a firefighter from this FireHouse in a hospital with severe burns over most of his body).

Michael has a wry sense of humor that makes several quips memorable: “There goes my pitching arm…” / (to the hospital people wheeling him into surgery)” Can I have a beer too? “ / (when asked about was he shot, he says) “Yeah, I have a hole in my shoulder to match the hole in my head” / “Me, Reagan, and the Pope can take a bullet.” / (to a Fire Dept. publicist who wants him to be known as a superhero, he says: ) "I'm no superhero; I don't look so good in tights." He obviously uses humor to deflect the seriousness of the situation and, maybe, his fears about it too.

Meanwhile, Kate’s conflict with and resentment by the Fire fighters continues. Cy tries to explain the history of the Fire Department in NYC = has been all male for over 100 years, etc. Kate is intruding in a very male domain and also, according to the chief, her department (EMS) has a bad track record in NYC compared to the fire department’s track record.

Michael’s love for his ex-wife is, to me, obvious as he takes the bullet that was in his shoulder to give to her “because it was inside of “ him. Then he tries to go back to firefighting but the Chief won’t allow it yet and Cy sides with the Chief. But the Chief’s niece who is the Fire Department’s publicist convinces the Chief to let Michael come back but not to actually fight fires – but to be in a photo op as the hero who comes back to work. Michael does that = goes to a fire but not to fight it= and is being given a medal for heroism by the fire department’s commissioner only to run away when he hears what sounds like a shot being fired.

There he meets Danny, a young boy, who is also running away = because he was the one who started the fire at the apartment building where he lived with his parents who were always gone to a bar leaving him home alone. Michael hits it off with Danny, who later comes to the FireHouse and Michael and Cy sort of take him in, showing him the “rig” and letting him sleep in the bunk room, all while Michael is trying to get child welfare involved because of Danny’s neglect by his parents.

Michael tells Cy he was right, Michael came back too soon - and tells Cy that he'll see him later and gives Cy his fire helmet. They hug briefly. (You know this isn't good.....and it's not) = Michael goes and buys a gun. He goes after the sniper.

(Again, if you haven’t seen the movie, skip this next part please).

The next scene we see is the Chief destroying his office. His men gather round asking what is wrong = is it Eddie = has he died? NO, it’s Michael…he’s dead…shot in the heart. Later we learn Michael did go after the sniper and evidently found him and was shot by him.

Epilogue: Kate says to her husband he doesn't have to worry about her any more - that these fire guys are just different, they run INTO a fire when every other creature runs away from a fire = THEY'RE HEROES! (a main point of the movie)

Later, the police catch the sniper because of a thumb print they found where Michael was killed.

Ends with the funeral procession of Michael and Charlotte rides with the chief in the procession...with the firefighters walking behind the truck that carries Michael's casket.

The background singers sing “Free At Last.”

My additional comments: I wanted Michael not to be dead!!!! I wanted him to find the sniper but not be shot himself. My thought was how could FireHouse become a series when the main character (in my mind, he was THE main character) is killed off?

I also wanted Charlotte and Michael to reconcile at some point….

Finally, this movie does a lot to show all the difficulties and risks of being a firefighter in NYC, both personally and with the women who love them.

A very good movie that I wish could have gone longer with a better result.
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Re: What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

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bftlovesRDA wrote: My additional comments: I wanted Michael not to be dead!!!! I wanted him to find the sniper but not be shot himself. My thought was how could FireHouse become a series when the main character (in my mind, he was THE main character) is killed off?
My understanding is that when it was shot as a series pilot, Michael didn't die. That was part of the reediting when they turned it into a one-shot movie.

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Re: What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

Post by bftlovesRDA »

KateR wrote: Sun Apr 22, 2018 1:47 am
bftlovesRDA wrote: My additional comments: I wanted Michael not to be dead!!!! I wanted him to find the sniper but not be shot himself. My thought was how could FireHouse become a series when the main character (in my mind, he was THE main character) is killed off?
My understanding is that when it was shot as a series pilot, Michael didn't die. That was part of the reediting when they turned it into a one-shot movie.

Kate
Thanks for that clarification, Kate! OH HOW I WISH that series had gone on....but then if it had we might not have had Stargate = so all things work out for the best.
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Re: What do you like/not like about individual RDA movies

Post by louby1980 »

bftlovesRDA wrote: Sun Apr 22, 2018 12:42 am Hope all have watched FireHouse.

If not, please skip over this review since it gives away the ending which needs to be a surprise......and I apologize that I included probably too many details in these comments.....just couldn't get beyond the details.....basically I am not very concise!

(See Kate’s intro paragraph about it in the video gallery/movies section): "Richard (as Lt. Michael Brooks) leads a team of New York City firefighters as they deal with the addition of a female paramedic to the team, as well as a sniper who targets firefighters. FireHouse was shot on location in New York City as a series pilot, but the series was not picked up by a network. The pilot was later reedited as a television movie, but it never aired on network television in the US."

RDA and Michael Greenburg are co-executive Producers of FireHouse. It was filmed in 1996. In some of the shots of the NYC skyline, you can see the World Trade Center Towers still standing at that time.

Other notes: the quartet who sing acapella in the background throughout the movie are known as The Funky Poets and they sing songs from the 50’s and 60’s = Great Balls of Fire / Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.

Some other cultural things seen in the movie = a typewriter and (mentioned) – a VCR tape. Oh so long ago…

A big topic of this movie is that of women, specifically women who have any connection to firefighters.

Michael Brooks (RDA) is going through a divorce and is bitter about women in general (says women should be hunted, stuffed, and hung on a wall)…..but he is kind to Kate – the EMS person who is part of an experiment from the Mayor of NYC where the EMS trucks and personnel are stationed at the FireHouses. Needless to say, the men there are not happy at all with this new arrangement and they let Kate know it.

We learn later in the movie that Michael’s ex-wife, Charlotte, had to stop the pain of her fears every time he went out each day = fears that he wouldn’t come back alive. She shut down her feelings for her firefighter husband in order to stop that pain and eventually lost her love for him or so she claims.

That theme runs through the movie because another character, Andre, has a girlfriend who broke up with him because she too could not deal with the fears she had being in love with someone whose life was always at risk on his job.

In fact, we learn all about the tough things that firefighters deal with in their profession so the movie does a good job of portraying accurately all the pros but especially all the cons about being a firefighter in NYC.

On a run to a fire, Michael is shot in his left shoulder by a sniper. At the hospital, Michael’s ex-wife shows up and kisses him while he is not awake but then is cruel to him (in my opinion) saying things like she hopes he lives forever because she needs the spousal support since law school is so expensive…… Michael’s friend and fellow firefighter Cy comes to the hospital and displays true affection and friendship with Michael by getting all broken up when he sees Michael. The Fire Chief is all about getting Michael the best room and best treatment available. (There is also a firefighter from this FireHouse in a hospital with severe burns over most of his body).

Michael has a wry sense of humor that makes several quips memorable: “There goes my pitching arm…” / (to the hospital people wheeling him into surgery)” Can I have a beer too? “ / (when asked about was he shot, he says) “Yeah, I have a hole in my shoulder to match the hole in my head” / “Me, Reagan, and the Pope can take a bullet.” / (to a Fire Dept. publicist who wants him to be known as a superhero, he says: ) "I'm no superhero; I don't look so good in tights." He obviously uses humor to deflect the seriousness of the situation and, maybe, his fears about it too.

Meanwhile, Kate’s conflict with and resentment by the Fire fighters continues. Cy tries to explain the history of the Fire Department in NYC = has been all male for over 100 years, etc. Kate is intruding in a very male domain and also, according to the chief, her department (EMS) has a bad track record in NYC compared to the fire department’s track record.

Michael’s love for his ex-wife is, to me, obvious as he takes the bullet that was in his shoulder to give to her “because it was inside of “ him. Then he tries to go back to firefighting but the Chief won’t allow it yet and Cy sides with the Chief. But the Chief’s niece who is the Fire Department’s publicist convinces the Chief to let Michael come back but not to actually fight fires – but to be in a photo op as the hero who comes back to work. Michael does that = goes to a fire but not to fight it= and is being given a medal for heroism by the fire department’s commissioner only to run away when he hears what sounds like a shot being fired.

There he meets Danny, a young boy, who is also running away = because he was the one who started the fire at the apartment building where he lived with his parents who were always gone to a bar leaving him home alone. Michael hits it off with Danny, who later comes to the FireHouse and Michael and Cy sort of take him in, showing him the “rig” and letting him sleep in the bunk room, all while Michael is trying to get child welfare involved because of Danny’s neglect by his parents.

Michael tells Cy he was right, Michael came back too soon - and tells Cy that he'll see him later and gives Cy his fire helmet. They hug briefly. (You know this isn't good.....and it's not) = Michael goes and buys a gun. He goes after the sniper.

(Again, if you haven’t seen the movie, skip this next part please).

The next scene we see is the Chief destroying his office. His men gather round asking what is wrong = is it Eddie = has he died? NO, it’s Michael…he’s dead…shot in the heart. Later we learn Michael did go after the sniper and evidently found him and was shot by him.

Epilogue: Kate says to her husband he doesn't have to worry about her any more - that these fire guys are just different, they run INTO a fire when every other creature runs away from a fire = THEY'RE HEROES! (a main point of the movie)

Later, the police catch the sniper because of a thumb print they found where Michael was killed.

Ends with the funeral procession of Michael and Charlotte rides with the chief in the procession...with the firefighters walking behind the truck that carries Michael's casket.

The background singers sing “Free At Last.”

My additional comments: I wanted Michael not to be dead!!!! I wanted him to find the sniper but not be shot himself. My thought was how could FireHouse become a series when the main character (in my mind, he was THE main character) is killed off?

I also wanted Charlotte and Michael to reconcile at some point….

Finally, this movie does a lot to show all the difficulties and risks of being a firefighter in NYC, both personally and with the women who love them.

A very good movie that I wish could have gone longer with a better result.
i watched this a couple of weeks ago.....good little movie...I wish i had these movies in HD or even 4K. I cried at the end when he had been shot...need to put warnings on these movies so i know to have tissues close by. PS were nice chatting to you on live chat
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