The Stiers Place

We currently have reviews on the following films:

The Innocents Abroad
Iron Will
The Final Days
Magic
The Kissing Place
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Bad Company
Justice League

If you have seen any of David's films then we want to know what you though about them. Head over to our forum where you can submit your review.

The Innocents Abroad (1983)

What's It About?
Based extremely loosely on Mark Twain's book of the same title, it follows Twain and his two friends, 'Doc' and Julia, as they take a tour around 19th Century Europe on a paddle steamer.

Is it any good?
It's lovely Just don’t come to it with any expectations of murder, mayhem, coach chases or other fast and furious twists.
It’s a gentle, Victorian travelogue, with a little romantic rivalry and some amusing lines and moments thrown in.
David fans should especially enjoy the scene in the bathtub!

David's on screen time?
He has second billing, and screen time to match.

Trivia:
Brooke Adams (Julia) starred in The Dead Zone movie the same year. 20 years later, David began his recurring role as Rev Purdy in the TV series… The Dead Zone.

Iron Will (1994)

What's it about?
A Disney film, based on a true story, it follows seventeen-year-old Will Stoneman’s quest to win a 500-mile sled race with his team of huskies. He has snow, mountains, duplicitous rivals and freezing rivers to overcome en route.
The race is sponsored by one JW Harper – a man who owns his own train and railway. Guess who plays the rich guy?

Is it any good?
It takes a little time to set the scene and introduce the main character, so it’s almost half-an-hour of screen time before he gets to the start of the race and meets JW Harper et al. But it’s the Disney attention to character and detail that makes the whole film such fun to watch.

David's on screen time?
Not bad, once his character’s been introduced. There are a number of good scenes on board the train, nicely paced though-out the rest of the picture.

Trivia:
Mackenzie Astin (Will) is the brother of Sean Astin (of Lord of the Rings fame), and the son of Patty Duke – with whom David starred in a stage production of Love Letters at the Newport PAC in 2003

The Final Days (1998)

What's it about?
Watergate.
Set in the White House, it charts Nixon’s final months in office as the Watergate scandal unravels around him.

Is it any good?
A good cast, who manage to convey the mannerisms of their characters, as well as being made up to look like them, do an excellent job. The story’s complicated, and everyone knows the ending, but The Final Days manages not to be boring (though maybe Nixon’s last speech to his staff might have been cut a little).
It’s a long film at 144 minutes, but worth a watch.

David's on screen time?
He plays Nixon’s Chief of Staff, General Alexander Haig, so he gets a good amount of screen time – and the hair suits him!

Trivia:
Ed Flanders, who plays Leonard Garment, was a guest star in MASH during its first season. He played Lt. Bricker in the episode: "Yankee Doodle Doctor".

Magic (1978)

What's it about?
A magician (Anthony Hopkins) who uses a ventriloquist's dummy as a prop on stage. But the dummy’s personality gradually takes over…

Is it any good?
Yes it is, thanks to Hopkins’ haunting central performance.
Very creepy!

David's on screen time?
About ten minutes, tops. He plays a TV executive who has been invited along to watch Hopkins’ magic show, in hopes of getting him onto the telly.
He looks really young in the hairpiece!

Trivia:
‘Magic’ was directed by Richard Attenborough, whom David involved in a practical joke while having lunch with the MASH cast. David had a note sent to the rest of the cast, purportedly from Attenborough, telling them that he would pay for their desserts!

The Kissing Place (1990)

What's it about?
A young boy begins to suspect that the couple bringing him up are not really his parents, and he sets out on a journey to discover the truth.

Is it any good?
It starts well, but is a bit overlong. And the mad “mother” is just a tad too unbelievable.

David's on screen time?
He has a fair amount of screen time while he’s in it, but that’s only for about half the film.
He looks good in his Security Guard uniform though!

Trivia:
Nicole de Boer (here billed as ‘Nikki de Boer’) has a role in the second half of the film. She went on to play Sarah in ‘The Dead Zone’ TV series, in which David plays Rev. Gene Purdy

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (1979)

What's it about?
Five friends, who have all split from their wives, are invited by a sixth friend, Frank, to spend summer weekends visiting his beach house. But as the summer goes on, some of the friendships become strained…

Is it any good?
Worth a watch if you enjoy interesting character studies. The way the men each examine their relationships with their exes, and move on – or not – is well realised, as is the way the dynamics of the group change over time.

David's on screen time?
Quite a lot, including some time in his shorts, with and without t-shirt.

Trivia:
Jeff Conaway, who plays Roy, (one of the six buddies) also appeared with David in the Murder She Wrote episode, ‘Corned Beef and Carnage’.

Bad Company (1995)

What's it about?
Deep-cover CIA Agent Nelson Crowe (Lawrence Fishburne) attempts to blackmail a judge into delivering the right verdict in an industrial espionage case. But things don’t go exactly to plan…

Is it any good?
Depends to some extent on how you regard gratutious sex and swearing. But if you can follow the plot, it’s not bad.

David's on screen time?
He has a fair amount of screen time while he’s in it, but that’s only for about half the film. However, his character proves to be the catalyst for what happens at the end of the movie

Trivia:
Lawrence Fishburne was a guest star in the Season 10 MASH episode, And the Truth Shall Set You Free.

Justice League (2002)

What's it about?
You are one of a small group of superheroes collectively known as 'Justice League'. You notice that the bad guy you are looking for has brainwashed a crowd of people and is now standing on a podium in the town square, telling them his plans. Do you:
(a) Change into civies so that you can mingle unseen with the crowd and find out what's going on
(b) Call up your fellow superheroes so that they can come and help or
(c) go and stand in the middle of the crowd in your bright red superhero outfit, and draw attention to yourself?

Meanwhile, the other superheroes are chasing down a lead in Africa, where they come across an entire cloaked city of super-gorillas who are as anxious as they are to stop the bad guy. When captured, do you think they should:
(a) Explain who they are and say that they're here to help
(b) Explain who they are, and suggest that they all join forces to thwart the bad guy
(c) Maintain a stoic silence, telling these creatures nothing

If you answered (c) to both questions, you are on the same wavelength as the writer of this 2-part episode - which could have been a 1-part episode if only the heroes had behaved with even a teeny amount of common sense.

Is it any good?
Best part of the episode? Um... Solivar's voice!

David's on screen time?
DOS as guest star provides the voice for Solivar, a super-gorilla cop sent to track down the bad guy, who has escaped from their own city with evil plans to take over the world (you know, the usual stuff).

Reviews by Kay