Burt Reynolds

Deliverance (Deluxe Edition)
$19.97
Deliverance (1972) is inspired from a book from James Dickey, that
is well regarded, concerning events imagined in a North Georgia
rural and isolated community.

The action occurs in particular, among outcasts of already small
rural communities, for various reasons, perhaps the main one being
the operation of stills outside the reach of the law.

Many will watch this DVD on the prospect of seeing city-slickers
caught in dire straights in the boonies, with the only help
accessible being that of impoverished, illiterate, introverted,
isolated and suffering locals, in between the aforementioned
moonshining hired hands who wreck havoc on the 5 men embarcked on a
fun weekend. Not having read the book, the movie seems light on
substance and doesn't deliver on that aspect.

At the same time, the filming is absolutely unique, at least for
the year it was filmed, in terms of crystal clear shots of a canoe
following the water currents along dangerous rocks, and cliffs,
surrounded by nothing but trees and forest. The wide-screen
presentation underlines the success of the visuals, as viewers
journey well outside their time, space and dimension into this one.

Secondly, there is a commercial aspect that isn't lost, perhaps
operating on the subconscious level, as the self-admitted big city
men feel the need to go back to the wilderness, to basic survival
comprised of hunting, and canoeing inspired from the founding
explorers of America, hiking, rock climbing, sleeping in the
outdoors, lacking a proper map or light. To this end, they need to
load up on equipment, such as an aluminum and wooden canoe,
floating vests, bow-and-arrow, rope and pulleys for climbing,
provisions for sustenance, etc.

Thirdly, the acting is well accomplished in face of the light
script, mainly from Jon Voight's character, who has to dig deep
within himself to pull his party through, both in rescuing the
wounded, and against the rogue elements bearing shotguns, and more.

However, Burt Reynolds, playing the more eager one of the gang,
sports a rubber muscle shirt, which seems out of place considering
the attire of the other individuals. Ned Beatty, as Bobby, shows
how some individuals tend to be completely underestimated, being
intimately abused in the forest, not only survives his ordeal, and
but helps maintain the lifeline of the group vs. being shellshocked
and self-pitying, for example.

The music is appropriate, with some banjo rhythms that tend to be
associated with hillbillies.

Despite a 2 hour feature length, the time passes quickly, mainly
from the soundtrack, relaxing atmosphere, and cinematography.

An intriguing aspect, (touching upon entertainment) was the need
for the Director to expend a kind of voyeurism on the most humble
in society, such as the very elderly in this imagined isolated
community, and the very young (Down's Syndrome), lack of dental
treatment and care, substandard housing in this generally abandoned
community, left to itself. This movie doesn't dispel notions about
Georgia or small towns, or even, stereotypes of anyone who is NOT
born and bred in a megacity, which was perhaps unnecessary.

Stick [VHS]
$9.98
Burt Reynolds is both the star and director of this fast paced action 80's crime thriller based on the story from Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty). Features ground breaking stunts from famous Hollywood stunt man and actor Dar Robinson. Great performances by George Segal and Charles Durning. This film is not yet available on DVD. -sideshowvideo

White Lightning
$9.98
I Am Gator McKlusky! Only afraid of 2 things, Women and the Police
One of the best movie lines ever, you have to see this movie if you haven't already

Gator
$9.98
Another classic bit of Burt...I prefer seeing Mr. Reynolds in this type role. With that sly Burt attitude and wit, always gettin' the bad guy and winnin' the girl in the end. It's a simple script, nothin' fancy, just Burt doin' what he does best!! These movies are my little guilty pleasures. I love this flick, no 2 ways about it! I really prefer Burt in this type of movie, or the Bandit role, or the Cannonball Run role...well, you get where I'm comin' from...just good old fashioned simple entertainment!!