The Prince Of Tides (1991)

"I don't know when my parents began their war against each other- but I do know the only prisoners they took were their children"

Tom Wingo (Nick Nolte) is a southern man with a troubled past filled with an abused childhood now living day to day with his wife (Blythe Danner) and their three children. The life path is laid out for Tom, nothing new or exciting just... life. He is summoned to New York to aid his twin sister Savannah(Melinda Dillon) who has attempted suicide. Unable to speak and recovering from her self-injurious behavior Tom meets with her psychiatrist Dr. Lowenstein (Barbara Steisand), an unhappily married mother of one, in order to find out what has happened with his sister and why now? Why has she tried to take her own life? The doctor then wonders if a certain childhood incident that has been buried for years is the cause. Tom soon finds he is becoming the patient and also he just might be falling in love. Promising to watch over his sister Tom stays in New York and a romance blossoms between the doctor and himself. As time goes on the doctor realizes both Tom and Savannah share the same secret they promised their mother they would never tell involving one stormy night in the deep south.

As a fan of the novel by Pat Conroy I thoroughly enjoyed this picture, mostly because he himself did the screenplay. I read this book once a year mainly because the story is so genuine and heartbreaking. I imagined so many people playing the part of Tom Wingo such as Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, or Robert Redford. But Nolte is Tom Wingo for me now. Portraying him so well I wouldn't even want to think of anyone else other than him in that role. Quiet, well mannered, and when need be outspoken on occasion. I hadn't seen this movie however until just recently due to the fact I didnt think it could hold a candle to the novel and I'm not a Barbara Streisand fan. She also directed the film and I must say I was impressed. Everthing was captured I loved about the book. From the scenic overtones of the south, to heroic landscapes of New York City, and her storytelling between present time and Tom's troubled past make this movie unforgettable as with Conroy's novel. I still prefer the novel and recommend reading it before watching the movie, but it fulfills what I feared could not be captured. Conroy was Nicolas Sparks("Dear John" and "The Notebook") before there was a Nicolas Sparks and I'm almost positive he may have played quite the influence for him. So in meeting my expectations and delivering a powerful film "The Prince of Tides" gets what it deserves. 4/5-tom

A powerful scene from the film

Another 48 Hrs. (1990)

"Let me tell you something, Jack. If shit was worth something, poor people would be born with no asshole. "

After viewing "48 Hrs" I had such a good time I just had to move on to its one and only sequel, cleverly titled "Another 48 Hrs". This time around Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) is on the trail of a major drug dealer called The Iceman. The Iceman is out trying to kill convict Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy) for stealing his money - yes, the money Reggie tried so hard to get back in the first film turns out to have been stolen from this deadly kingpin. The two must again work through their differences to uncover The Iceman's identity before it's too late.

"Another 48 Hrs" may have been released in 1990 but it feels very 80s. It was almost as good as the original and this time they nixed all the racist dialogue. I love Nick Nolte as Jack Cates and his character is a more believable cop than many seen in film during the era. Eddie Murphy is typical Eddie Murphy, much like Robin Williams he is funny in small doses and I find him far more entertaining when he reels it in a bit and plays things a little more straight than usual. Nothing here will blow you away but if you enjoyed the first you should enjoy this one as well. 3/5 -andy

48 Hrs. (1982)

"Jack...tell me story?" - "Fuck You" - "Oh, that's one of my favorites."

"48 Hrs." came out in 1982 which happens to be the year I was born so I was too young to see it when it was first released. Not only that but I'm not the worlds biggest Eddie Murphy fan so I had multiple reasons to not have seen this movie. Well thank goodness for 80s Action week because I have just witnessed one of the most enjoyable cop movies I have ever seen. Nick Nolte plays Jack Cates. A tough cop trying hard to make things work with his girlfriend Elaine when he accidentally gets sucked into plot involving escaped convict Ganz (James Remar) and the Native American man who helped him escape, Billy Bear (Sonny Landham). Jack must enlist the help of the one man from Ganz' gang who is still imprisoned, Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy), to stop the cop-killing Ganz and recover the money he is trying to steal from Reggie. Reggie is in jail with 6 months left on a 3 year sentence but Jack forges an official document that grants Reggie release for 48 hours. Ganz or no Ganz, Reggie must return to jail in that time.

"48 Hrs." works because it is 3 things rolled into one nice little package: An exciting sort-of Buddy Cop movie, a tense 80s Action Thriller and an often hilarious Comedy. The play between Nolte and Murphy is fantastic and although the two couldn't be more opposite they work extremely well together. In the end you'll see that they both put up tough fronts but don't really hate each other nearly as much as they let on. Nolte's tough cop routine is still fresh here and I believe in his character far more than Stallone's Cobra or any of Ah-nuld's half-baked portrayals. Again we have a film that has none of the 80s Action cliche's we keep talking about. Perhaps that is because it came out earlier in the decade before Action movies had the chance to become so ridiculous. It produced on sequel in 1990's "Another 48 Hrs." Word on that one to come later. If you like cop movies that have a even mix of Action and Comedy regardless of the decade the film came from, you will love this movie. 4/5 -andy