Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Leofwine_draca I saw this TV movie on a UK TV channel, where it was called DOC WEST'S CHALLENGE and split into two parts over two consecutive nights. The film is of interest to spaghetti westerns for marking the return of popular spaghetti western actor Terence Hill to the genre, some decades since he was last famed around the world for his comedy westerns.I never really warmed to Hill as an actor, much preferring his sparring partner Bud Spencer, although the sad news is that Spencer doesn't return for whatever reason here. Instead, he's replaced with lookalike Paul Sorvino, who I admit does an excellent job of playing the likable town sheriff. The story is a straightforward and dare I say it rather clichéd one. Hill plays a card sharp who once happened to be a surgeon, until alcoholism caused the death of one of his patients. You can work out the storyline from there, except to say that there are the usual criminal bad guys to be taken care of and a little romance along the way.The worst thing about DOC WEST'S CHALLENGE is the family-friendly rating and feel, which has much in common with the usual horrid American TV movies. Still, the Italian influence makes this one to watch, and the filming locations - in New Mexico - are spot on. Plus, Hill is a delight to watch. He's aged very well (much like fellow western actor Franco Nero), and his character is warm and charismatic throughout. A fitting swansong for the star, then.

Wizard-8 I love the movies Terence Hill put out in the '70s and '80s, and I was curious to see an example of what Hill has been putting out in the present day, which explains why I rented "Doc West". Sadly, I didn't think too much of this effort. Hill still has his piercing blue eyes, but now in his senior citizen years, he looks extremely worn out and tired in this movie. The movie's sense of humor also seems worn out and tired, with the attempted humor not even generating a mild chuckle. In fact, much of the movie is (oddly) played pretty straight. I will admit that for a made-for-TV (Italian TV) movie, the production values are fairly good, from the western sets to the New Mexico countryside. But good production values can only carry a movie so far, and this movie ends up being a big disappointment.

zna-3 As an adult movie, this rates perhaps a 1 or a 2. The best parts about it are the full frontal shots of Terrence Hill's face, showing his steely blue eyes. But as a kid's television show, it rates about a 5 or 6, so I averaged it into a 3.Simply put, it's equivalent to any Roy Rodgers episode you watched back in the day, but without Gabby Hayes. It has nothing of the panache evidenced by Hill in his spaghetti westerns, no cleverness of plot, no realism of any sort, and nothing innovative. It's more or less of a generic western with mediocre acting and less than mediocre dialog. Your 8 year old will probably like it, and there is nothing objectionable in it to prevent him or her from watching it: quite bloodless, nothing nuanced or obscure, no sexual innuendo. The violence consists of a snake being shot in the tail, a villain being shot in the hand and a kid wounded in the shoulder(who of course recovers completely). It all ends well, just like a Roy Rodgers show.

FightingWesterner Easygoing stranger Terence Hill rides into town chasing some stolen cash and ends up in jail, dispensing medical advise, and finally getting involved in a local land dispute, while simultaneously charming nearly all the town's residents!Despite a sometimes slow pace, this lightweight, family-oriented western has some decent production values and benefits greatly from likable performances by Hill (the first time I ever heard his real voice in a film) and Paul Sorvino, whom I suspect is a stand-in for Hill's partner Bud Spencer, as the town's upright sheriff. In fact, the film is so good-natured that it's nearly impossible to dislike.I'm also a bit in awe of Terence Hill's nearly unchanged appearance since the old spaghetti western days. He looks really great!