Movie Critique: "RAILS & TIES"

Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space: Those of you who know me can verify that I am a fanatic about railroad trains, whether I'm merely watching them, or actually riding them. So, imagine my reaction as I've just finished watching a movie on my cable television, RAILS & TIES, made in 2007, starring Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden. It's about a railroad locomotive engineer who's involved in a fatal accident, his terminally ill wife, and an eleven year old boy. I ain't gonna tell you anything else, because I don't want to ruin the story for you. Just click on the automatic Internet link I provided, and you can access the movie's web site. The acting is really grrrrr-REAT!!! (Having performed in community theatre productions, I know a little bit about the differences between good acting and bad acting.) What is really interesting is that Alison Eastwood directed this movie, and Kyle Eastwood composed the music. There might be some instances of profanity, but I really can't remember. There is one scene where Marcia Gay Harden removes her blouse, revealing the surgical scar of a mastectomy. If she doesn't have breast cancer in real life, then the make-up artist did a fantastic job! Maybe they do that with computers? (A friend of mine, a man, died from that very same cancer, which progressed the very same way, i.e., beginning in the breast and spreading to the bones - - - and YES!!! - - - men DO get breast cancer - - - and DIE from it!) Other than those caveats, yes, I do recommend this movie for families, especially since it's about a family. If you like railroad trains, you'll love this movie. But, as I've always cautioned in every movie review I write, Momma and Daddy should BOTH always watch movies WITH their children, so questions can be answered and moral guidance can be given on the spot. So, have a pizza delivered, pile up on the sofa, and turn down the lights. It's family night! Pass the popcorn, please. Thank you. John Robert Mallernee, KB3KWS Official Bard of Clan Henderson Armed Forces Retirement Home Washington, D.C. 20011-8400 NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan."