Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

NateWatchesCoolMovies Charlton Heston's Mother Lode is one of those neat flicks that not only is filmed in my hometown of Vancouver (like every movie ever) and the surrounding British Columbia region, but is also set there as well. It's an entertaining, if slight little adventure story that's perfect to put on for a rainy afternoon on the iPad. Heston, in addition to both writing and directing, plays two roles here, but it's a bit of a sly trick saying that because he mostly appears as one, and only briefly as the other, but no matter, the old pro works his butt off to steal every scene. He plays loner mountain man Silas McGee, an eccentric prospector whose stairs don't quite reach the attic, living alone in the wilderness looking for that perfect gold strike. The excellent Nick Mancuso, in a role originally meant for James Brolin, is Jean Dupre, a cocky bush pilot who heads McGee's way with his high strung girlfriend (Kim Basinger), looking for a fellow pilot who got lost and a little of the gold stuff for himself while he's at it. As soon as they run into McGee it's clear the old dog is crazy as shit and not to be trusted, creating a nice atmosphere of isolated paranoia and mystery as the man's true intentions come to dark light. Mancuso is always terrifically intense and so great at subtle comic moments, this is one of his great early roles and not to be missed for any fan. Poor Basinger suffered a miscarriage while production was underway and as such seems understandably distracted, but she's a trooper and carries her end well. Heston either does a brilliant Scottish accent, a slipshod one or a bit of both, it's hard to tell with his rapid fire banter and eloquent, robust verbosity. He's electric though, and freaky as all hell as the type of dodgy fellow you better pray you don't run into out there. The action is pretty run of the mill and the film loses the tautness a thriller like this should have in parts, but it's solid enough to not change the channel. For B.C. residents it's an absolute treat though, especially as Mancuso's rickety float plane arcs up over the Vancouver harbour towards the Cassiar mountains and we get to see what our city looked like back in the 80's. Cool stuff.

Goose Poop I remember seeing this movie when it first came out. The opening scene scared the heck out of me. Seeing it so many years later, it still holds my attention.As is stated already, the cinematography was well done and the acting (particularly by Heston) is first-rate. I thought the director did a very good job of creating an atmosphere that scares as well as intrigues. The story is a good one, the sort that you hear around the camp fire.And yes, I agree that this should be on DVD. I'd buy it in a second.A well made movie that stands the test of time.

west2east Though this review is written 18 years after the fact, this film remains among the top of my all time favorites. Introducing the great wilderness in the manner portrayed within the story was breath-taking and this introduction was significant in eventual Canadian and Alaskan adventures. When films can have such an impact on a person, they cannot help but remain close to the heart. The story was fun & exciting and very well played, yet, hats are off to the big screen impact this film portrayed of the Canadian Wilderness.

craze Dull, dingy and irritating. An incredibly weak script is at the root of this films problems. It really seemed to drag on interminably as various characters pursue each other through barely visible scenes up and down mine shafts. Some nice scenery, shame about the film.