Klaatu-18's Reviews

Groundhog Day (1993)

8/10

5 May 2007

Warning: Spoilers

Bill Murray plays a complete jerk. That's okay because you know that it's going to come out all right in the end.

The fun in this movie is seeing the character arc of Phil Conners. We're never told in so many words just why he's condemned to live the same day over and over. It seems that it does have something to do with how very nasty Phil is at the start of things.

He hates his job, doesn't care for his co-workers and really doesn't want to be covering Groundhog Day again. So fate steps in and stops time for Phil. He's not going to get past that day until he reforms.

It doesn't happen overnight. He spends dozens, if not hundreds of Groundhog Days in Punxatawney. At first he just acts worse, taking advantage of the simple people of the town. But then he realizes that he's in love with his producer (Andie McDowall).

So he's got this same day to run over and over again to convince her that he's not a total jerk. And, in order to do that, he needs to reform himself. At first it's just superficial stuff, like remembering her favorite ice cream. But then he has to go beyond that and truly become the man of her dreams. And do it in the few hours that he's got until the whole thing resets again.

Bill Murray works wonderfully in this role. His low-key style of humor fits in well with his road to rehabilitation.

This film is one of the "few" I have in my collection. I only buy titles that I'm likely to play over and over. And, about once a month, I do watch it over again.

A wonderful movie. I recommend it highly.

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World Trade Center (2006)

9/10

All drama, no conspiracy

13 August 2006

During World War II, there were many movies purporting to tell the story of what happened at Anzio or on Normandy beach. But what you ended up getting were a few fictional characters dropped in the middle of this or that battle.

And now we have Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center", which focuses on two real-life heroes of the 9/11 tragedy.

After the conspiracy-laden "JFK", I keep expecting Stone to have an agenda behind all his films. When I heard that he had done a film about 9/11, I wondered what kind of film it would be. How much conspiracy theory or jingoism would be injected in with the drama? What I saw on the screen was a very human drama. Two Port Authority cops go in to the WTC to help free the trapped victims only to be trapped themselves.

The action switches back and forth between the trapped cops and their families. I appreciated this because it would otherwise have left me hopelessly claustrophobic. The family scenes also helped to round out the characters of the two heroes. The tension is also eased by a few instances of humor (Not jokes) which broke the tension a little.

Any politics in the film are kept to a minimum. Despite it's subject matter, this is not a political movie. This is a story about survival and hope. I recommend it highly.

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

9/10

Don't forget your towel

30 April 2005

Warning: Spoilers

I was first exposed to the "Hitch-hiker" series when I attended the 1979 World Science Fiction convention.

The convention that year was in Brighton, England. When I got my ballot for the Hugo Award I saw this radio show listed among the nominees and thought it a bit of ballot box stuffing by the host country.

When I got to the convention it seemed as if at least one quarter of the people I met were encouraging me to check out the show. Each would tell me a comedy bit from the show, but no spoilers.

The show ran twice: once broken up into two three hour sittings and then a six hour marathon. I missed the first runthrough but caught the second. Douglas Adams came on beforehand and talked about the genesis of the story and he answered questions.

It was incredible. Funny is hard to do in science fiction: some stuff that was intended serious turns out ridiculous, and the comedy bits often fall flat.

Once I got back to Texas, I told all my friends about this great show I had heard. I would have to wait a year to get my first tapes -- a two tape set that covered the first four episodes. Eventually there were the books, the TV series, and more books. Oh, and two albums (a double and a single) that covered the first six episodes.

One of the fun things about all these versions was their inconsistency. The chief one of these was what happened to our heroes after they left the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. In both the radio and TV versions, they steal a spaceship. But in the former it belongs to the commander of an alien battle group and in the latter it was Hotblack Desiato's stuntship.

So, considering this changeability, I wasn't too upset with any changes to the storyline. Even the slight changes to the characters didn't bother me. I got 80-90 per cent of the original version, and most of the rest was consistent with what I've come to expect from the series.

I once saw Stephen King. This was just before "The Shining" came out. My friend Larry Lankford asked King if he was concerned about what Kubrick might do to the story. He said no, that there was always the original book.

That's the way I feel about this movie. It was as good as I could have expected from a Disney movie: tone down the cynicism of the original a bit, and give it a happy ending. But, at the end of the day, there's always the TV show, those records, the books and the original radio incarnation. There's more bits, funny lines, and adventures waiting for the newly initiated.

I kind of envy them the journey. But I hope that they won't forget to bring their towels.

Nine stars. Can't wait for the DVD.

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The Blues Brothers (1980)

9/10

The perfect musical... or darn close

20 July 2004

I'm not a big fan of musicals. Of the 60 or 70 movies I currently have on DVD, only a dozen or so are musicals. But, as a child of the 50s, I'm a big fan of the music that fills this movie.

And how it fills it! Dan Aykroyd's script specifies nearly continuous music: either it's coming out of the 8 track tape in the Bluesmobile, or it's being sung by a who's who of blues-rock.

A loose plot is quickly thrown together: the boys need to raise some money to save the orphanage where they grew up.To do this, Jake and Elwood go on an unusual two part road trip. The first has them rounding up the scattered members of the band and the last part is a frantic chase back to Chicago to pay the tax money. (Watch for Steven Spielberg as the tax agent)

Both parts are enjoyable in their own way: the first half has them encountering John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. And the chase scene effectively parodies movies made many years after this one. A neat trick, indeed.

But through it all, the music. This makes the DVD one of those (like "Woodstock" or "HAIR") that I might put on just to listen to while I work at the computer.

Oh yeah, the DVD version has a few extra minutes running time over the version that had the widest release.

Nine stars, just for the music. The fact that the movie itself is a whole lot of fun is just gravy. One of my faves.

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Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

10/10

Thought provoking and moving

30 June 2004

I submitted a review of this film after seeing it on opening night. For some reason IMDB chose not to post it. I'm sorta glad. It gave me a chance to read a bunch of other reviews on this site.

I notice that, even though over 90 percent of the reviews I read were positive, the film only gets around an eight. A number of people rated the film a minimal score of one. I wonder if they saw this film before rating it. I doubt it.

All the negative takes on the film seem to have a couple of things in common: either they indulge in ad hominem attacks on Moore ("This is a terrible film. And Michael Moore is fat") or they say that the film is full of lies without providing any examples.

Documentary films, more than any other form, are made about subjects that the filmmaker feels strongly about. And Moore is obviously upset about the "pass" that the media has given to Bush and his Administration.

There was very little in this film that was new to me. But I've had to go looking for it. The So-called Liberal Media, if it reports on it at all, buries it deep in the paper. Most of what I know is from newspapers in other countries, like England, Canada and Australia.

The truth, like water, always finds an outlet. If the newspapers and broadcast media (the latter in the hands of just 6 corporations now) had been doing their job, there would be no need for the avalanche of books that have come out in the last year or two. And there would have been no need for a film like "Fahrenheit 9/11".

I hope that every voter (especially those who didn't cast a ballot in the 2000 race) sees this film with an open mind. If he/she disagrees with Moore's position, that's fine. But don't do so on the basis of the knee-jerk reaction of the right that says that if you disagree with what the President is doing, then you must be anti-American, a terrorist sympathizer or someone who "doesn't support Our Troops".

Freedom of Speech is one of our most treasured rights as Americans. Without it, and the free and open debate that flows from it, democracy itself is at risk.

See this movie with a friend. Argue and debate what it says. But don't condemn it out of hand because it contradicts your world view. That's un-American.

A must-see. Ten stars.

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Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

9/10

Not with a bang...

16 April 2004

Tarantino left himself with a hell of a problem by dividing this story in two.

For one thing, he had left almost all the rest of the back story for the second movie. Oh yeah, and a lot of the character touches.

So that leaves Part 2 at a disadvantage as far as pacing is concerned. Admittedly, few movies could keep up the pacing of the first part without completely leaving any pretense of plot behind.

So we get to alternate between current time and flashbacks... so much so that, at first, I got a little tired of it. But unlike Part 1, the flashbacks made more direct sense.

And we finally get to meet characters that were waiting offstage in Part 1, like Bill and his brother, Budd.

There's a lot of good stuff here. The film is about 2 and a half hours long, but it didn't make me real antsy and The Bride was riding off into the sunset almost before I knew it.

A lot of fun.

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Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

9/10

The most intense movie experience in...

16 April 2004

...now long? I'd say at least ten years.

QT has given us another gem. He combines a classic revenge story with a pastiche of the kung fu movies he grew up on.

The only weakness is in the backstory. With the exception of Lucy Liu's character, we know nothing of the other character's past.

Tarantino wisely pushes such things to the back burner. We know that Bill and his assassins killed nine innocents and nearly killed The Bride.

There it is. She has no name. The only time she mentions her name in Part 1, it is bleeped. (And again an moment later when Viveca A Fox says the name) She doesn't need a name. She isn't a person so much as a force of nature.

There are two main set-pieces: the Bride's fight with Vernita Green (Viveca A Fox)and the big battle at the House of Blue Leaves. Both are intense and will leave you limp.

Not enough goodies on the DVD, though. <sigh>

Nine stars. Watch the DVD, then go watch Part 2.

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Dark Star (1974)

8/10

Science fiction with a funny bone

7 April 2004

I saw this movie for the first time at the USA Film Festival. Held here in Big D every spring, the USAFF showcases films produced here in the USA. (No foreign films)

Each night they would show two new films, plus a retrospective film from the actor or director being honored that year. After the film, the film critic who selected the film would interview one or more of the people involved with the film's production.

Towards the end of the week, I arrived at the Bob Hope Theatre (on the SMU campus) to find a notice on the chalkboard: one of the films had cancelled out, and "Dark Star" a "sci-fi comedy" would be shown in its place.

Bringing science fiction and comedy together is a tricky business: usually either the SF content or the humor suffers. Or both.

I ended up being pleasantly surprised. The special effects were a little cheesy (Carpenter originally shot it as a film student, on a film students "budget"), but the characters were funny, and they got off some nice riffs.

Carpenter and O'Bannon (who also co-wrote the first "Alien" movie) produce a collection of odd characters on an extended mission. For the last 20 years they've been travelling the galaxies in search of "unstable planets" to destroy.

Unfortunately, the crew is falling apart. Boredom, apathy, mechanical malfunctions and a puckish alien mascot ensure that things only get worse and worse.

There's a clever parody of a scene from "2001" occurs when one of the bombs can't be released and has to be talked out of exploding.

And there's a reverse reference to one of O'Bannon's own script for "Alien" when the alien gets free and one of the crew has to track the thing down. (O'Bannon refers to this as "Alien" turned upside-down: instead of the alien chasing the crew, one of the crew chases the alien)

Lots of fun. Eight stars.

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Blood Simple (1984)

9/10

Classic film noir

29 November 2003

When I discover a new director or actor (or writer for that matter), I get that double-whammy of enjoyment. First, because I have a new name (or, in this case, names) that I can look for in the credits. But, secondly, it means that I can then turn to the films already in the vault (or previous books).

Anyone familiar with the Cohen brothers' movies knows that they are populated with vivid characters with strong emotions and goals. The only thing that they have in common is their stylishness.

In this movie, Joel and Ethan dip into the film noir genre. At it's core, the movie tells about a jealous husband (Dan Hedaya) who hires a private detective (M. Emmett Walsh) to find out if his wife has been cheating.

What follows is a tragic series of misunderstandings and a fatal double-cross. To say much more would spoil too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that, in classic film noir fashion, few survive and those who do will remember the experience forever.

For students of film, this is a treasure as well. It shows how to do a movie on a small budget but without looking cheap.

The DVD is loads of fun, too. It starts with an opening sequence from some bogus film preservation society in which a windbag talks a lot, but says little. Here is "Blood Simple", fully restored "with all the boring parts" removed.

But wait! He isn't finished yet. If you switch on the commentary, you get this same guy. And he's the worst "film historian" you could hope for. The comments he makes are ill-informed at best, and completely off-the-wall stupid at the worst. Amusing,yes. But, honestly, I could only take ten or fifteen minutes of it.

Movie 9 stars. Commentary: one-half star (if that).

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Sunshine State (2002)

8/10

Sayles does it again

30 September 2003

John Sayles seems to do two different kinds of movies. One involves just a few central characters and few actual sets, as in "Limbo". And in the other kind of movie he brings together a dozen or more characters in a single locale, and using more locations, like "City of Hope" and "Sunshine State".

In this movie Sayles uses the fictional community of Delrona Beach, Florida to tell his story. The threads of the plot include a compulsive gambler (Gordon Clapp) and his wife (Mary Steenbergen), A newlywed woman coming home to confront her past, the annual Buccaneer Days festival/celebration, and the efforts by a developer to buy out the residents in order to build a proper tourist trap (not just one that gears up once a year).

As in all Sayles films, the characters drive the plot (not vice versa). He has pulled together a cast of easily recognizable character actors like Clapp and Miguel Ferrer (when is he gonna play a nice guy?) plus some local talent. All do a remarkable job.

So, what are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? Get up, drive over to the video store and rent this one. And get one or two of Sayles' other films as well.

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The Brother from Another Planet (1984)

8/10

A beautiful movie

30 September 2003

When Rod Serling created the classic "Twilight Zone" TV show, he presented it as a harmless fantasy/SF show when it was actually a series of morality plays.

In this film you have John Sayles' take on the same concept. He talks a standard SF cliche -- the stranded ET -- and uses it as the jumping-off place for a story about something altogether different. He doesn't appear at the end, like Serling, and tell you what the moral or message was.

Rather than talk about all that (art appreciation and interpretation is pretty much a subjective affair), I would like to say a word or two about the performance of Mr. Joe Morton as the eponymous character:

Zowie!

The Brother is totally mute. And yet Morton's performance knocks the poop out of any piece of acting you could name. Human and humane, empathetic and sympathetic. This guy will have you laughing and crying right along with him.

An incredible performance. Well worth the price of the rental, and the popcorn, and the gas that you burned up picking it up and...

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American Splendor (2003)

10/10

A perfect adaptation.

5 September 2003

I'll have to admit it: this movie was THE movie I was waiting for all summer. There were others that I was merely curious about -- would the second X-men movie live up to the promise of the original? Would "Daredevil" soar -- or crash?

I had hopes and fears concerning this one. I had been reading Harvey Pekar's comics for about 20 years. A nameless, faceless fan was raving over the book at a SF/comic book convention and I took the chance and bought a few of the issues. I was hooked. I would haunt the conventions and comic stores tracking them down. Along the way I got to see Harvey in person several times.

I knew that it would be a huge challenge to make a cohesive film out of the book. The comic book is filled with items ranging from one page to a whole book.

Most of the material comes from one story, though. "Our Cancer Year" was the book that Harvey and his wife Joyce wrote together. They start out by using some of the shorter material to introduce the major characters and relationships. But the story of Harvey's battle with cancer drives the last half of the film.

Throughout the film we get to see the real Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner. Then you realize how dead-on Paul Giamatti's portrayal of the "famous crank" (as Jon Stewart put it on "The Daily Show") really is.

This is a wonderful movie backed up by some great acting. The way in which the comic book format of the original stories is incorporated into the film is seamless and inspired.

For those who only remember Harvey from his appearances on the David Letterman show, those incidents are in here: both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Some of them have Giamatti doing Pekar's half of the confrontation and at least one had the actual Harvey.

All in all, a wonderful melding of life and art. It was the first film that I've attended this year where I went "I've gotta get the DVD when it comes out!" I loved it and you will, too.

Ten stars

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The Fighting Temptations (2003)

Lots of good music. No Plot.

23 August 2003

Warning: Spoilers

Contains Spoiler The music is the only thing that carries this film, because you couldn't find the plot with an electron microscope.

Actually, there is a plot. And a thin thing it is, too. Young ad executive (Cuba Gooding Jr) loses job after some gross resume padding comes to light. At the same time, his beloved aunt dies and he returns to his small-town Georgia birthplace. At the reading of the will, he finds that Aunt Sally has set aside a block of shares from her portfolio for him. One catch: he must take her post leading the church choir and win the big gospel competition.

In order to do this, he must convince his childhood sweetheart to join the group while battling the woman who was "waiting for Aunt Sally to die" so that she could take over the post.

Will Darren succeed in his quest to pull together this motley excuse for a church choir? Will they win the big competition? Will he win the heart of the beautiful Lilly? Take a guess, brother.

The soundtrack is the true star of this film. Great tunes in a variety of styles from gospel (of course) to rap and soft rock (a wonderful barbershop version of "Loves me like a Rock").

Steve Harvey does a fine job as the boozy DJ who comments on the general storyline. The rest of the cast walks through a routine plot with little apparent interest: cliched plot and characters are the rule here.

Why is it that, when there's a big musical finale, that they only sing one song? It's as if this big competition was based on how well the groups sang a single song. And then, boom, it's over.

I give it a marginal recommendation just based on the music. If you like a good soundtrack, this one is a keeper.

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The Night Stalker (1972 TV Movie)

10/10

A great TV-movie about vampires? You bet!

11 June 2003

Made-for-TV movies in the horror genre seem doomed by the fact that they are interrupted every few minutes by commercials.

But when you get an interesting concept (a vampire stalking Las Vegas) and a world-class writer like Richard Matheson (who wrote "The (Incredible) Shrinking Man" and numerous classic "Twilight Zone" eps) you have a formula for success.

When you add producer Dan Curtis, the creator of "Dark Shadows", the possibility of a kick-ass TV horror movie becomes a reality.

When a woman is murdered, reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) is called back from a vacation to cover it. A two-day old story, Kolchak tells editor Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) that it doesn't seem to be worth pursuing. But Vincenzo insists, and off he goes.

He finds, through his contacts, that the victim lost a lot of blood. Another victim is found in the middle of an unmarked expanse of desert sand... also drained of blood. (The phrase "massive loss of blood" becomes a sort of in-joke.)

Kolchak's girlfriend (Carol Lynley) tries to get Carl to accept the possibility that the killer might be an actual vampire. He resists at first, but as the victims and evidence mounts up, he becomes convinced.

The story builds to a satisfying climax, but the kicker is in the way that the story is hushed up and censored.

Matheson's script is atmospheric and witty. The interplay between Carl and Tony is worth the price of admission (or the DVD).

The movie spawned a sequel "The Night Strangler" and a series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker". The series (available on video tape) was the inspiration for Chris Carter to create "The X-files".

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The Italian Job (2003)

6/10

Just another (remake) caper movie

7 May 2003

Warning: Spoilers

Contains Spoiler!! A couple of weeks ago I got a pass to see a screening of this movie.

The title sounded familiar, so I checked the imdb and found that it was a remake of a movie Michael Caine had done in 1969. I went down to my favorite mom-and-pop video store to check it out.

What I found was a so-so caper movie about a robbery of a vanload of gold on the streets of Turin (hence The Italian Job). Caine was the leader who was using the plan of one man (killed in the opening minutes of the movie) and the money and material provided by a criminal boss (Noel Coward) who doesn't let being in prison interfere with his activities.

The central set-piece was the robbery, followed by a crazy chase scene through the streets, walkways and stairs (!) of Turin. The plan called for using the city's computerized traffic control system to tie up traffic (and the police) while they use the only unjammed corridor to escape with the loot.

This is the central part of the new movie as well. The twist is that they steal the gold and then have it stolen from them. It is only in the stealing it back that they return to the original.

This time Mark Wahlberg plays Charlie Croker, the Michael Caine part and the computer expert (a hacker, of course) is played by Seth Green (Benny Hill in the original). Seth plays a computer whiz who claims to have created the Napster software, but it was stolen from him while he was dozing (while napping, get it!).

I can imagine what you're saying: "Benny Hill! The original version must've been a real funny one". Sorry. Benny and Seth both are left with little to do. Seth has a couple of good scenes but that's it.

What you're left with is unsatisfying. It's not a split-second gosh-wow caper movie like the remake of "Ocean's Eleven" nor is it a comedy of errors like the classic "The Hot Rock" (AKA "The Four Masterminds"). The best part, as in the original, is the big chase scene: three small cars darting in and out of traffic and generally driving where you shouldn't. (The chase scene in the original is IMHO one of the best I've ever seen)

This is one to wait for it to get to the video store. Meanwhile, visit your local mom-and-pop video store and rent "The Hot Rock". You'll be glad you did.

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The Princess Bride (1987)

10/10

The perfect movie

18 April 2003

I read "The Princess Bride" for the first time when the paperback first came out. By the time the movie version was due to come out I read it again. I no longer had my old copy, so I bought a new one (The cover had been attached upside down, which I thought was cool).

There are very few books that I have read twice, let alone bought twice. I loved this book. It's a great fantasy love story, told with style and wit. And, like all great fantasies, the characters are bigger than life -- and sometimes, just a bit corny.

It's just enjoyable, first to last. Part romance, part adventure, part revenge story ("My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die") and all fun.

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Riverworld (2003 TV Movie)

7/10

Farmer's vision comes to life

23 March 2003

I'm not a big fan of SF series. No matter how compelling the concept or setting, by the end of six or eight (or more!) books I'm out of it.

One exception has been the Riverworld series by Philip Jose Farmer (PJF). All of the people who died on Earth between 4000 BC and 2000 AD wake up to find themselves alive and wearing the bodies they had at 20.

PJF sets a huge canvas: a gigantic world with a river that would dwarf the Mississippi. And all the heroes and villains of history. The early novels featured characters such as Sir Richard Burton (adventurer and translator of "1001 Arabian Nights"), Samuel Clemens (AKA Mark Twain), King John (signer of the Magna Carta) and Alice Liddell Hargreaves (inspiration for "Alice in Wonderland").

Each person finds a metal container nearby with some clothes in it. When these "grails" are placed in the receptacles in the mushroom-shaped "grailstones" lining the river, they are magically filled with food and other needed supplies. Freed of the need to hunt and scavenge in this strange world, they are free to get up to mischief and projects of all sorts.

For this TV-movie, we find Alice and Sam, as well as Monat (an alien who had the misfortune of dying on our little dust ball). Sir Richard's part in the story is taken by Hale, an astronaut whose shuttle broke into pieces in 2009 (this was produced in England last year, well before the Columbia tragedy). Here, it was Hale who awakened early to glimpse one of the creatures responsible for all this. He also receives a vision of a huge building near the planets frozen pole.

The conflict in this story is provided by Nero, rather than King John. He takes over a fiefdom run by a "grailslaver": People are enslaved and their grails taken from them. They are given a small amount from the food and supplies the grail provides and are worked to death.

In the movie, Nero (instead of John) tries to get his hands on Sam's project: a Fabulous Riverboat. After a bit of a scuffle, the good guys win and the boat is launched. Sam wants to go downriver, but Hale wants to go upriver to that strange building.

There were ten Riverworld books in all. Two were short story collections in which other writers got to play in Farmer's world. Another was a slim volume with some chapters that got edited out of a later story.

This movie was good, not great. But I hope that there will be more. Those who are interested in the books should start with the first one, "To Your Scattered Bodies Go" (winner of the Hugo award) and go from there.

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Babylon 5: Babylon 5: The Gathering (1993)

Season 1, Episode 0

8/10

A great start to a great story

26 October 2002

Back in 1993 one of my co-workers, who knows I'm a science fiction fan, asked if I was going to watch the pilot for that new SF TV seriies. At first I didn't think I had heard of this before. Then I realized that this must be the show that J Michael Stracynski (JMS), the screenwriting columnist for <i>Writer's Digest</i>, quit that job to work on.

I watched the movie and was instantly intrigued. Unlike many SF TV shows, the science was well done (with none of the technobabble seen in other shows). A valiant attempt was made to present a few totally non-humanoid aliens. (This resulted in the funny puppet aliens in a section that was edited out when the special edition was created)

But what drew my interest was the fact that this movie had laid down plot threads for the proposed series. Unanswered questions about what really happened to the first four Babylon stations. And why had the Minbari suddenly surrendered at the end of the Earth-Minbari war when victory was in their grasp? What was the story behind Commander Sinclair's missing time at the Battle of the Line?

Before the series itself aired I read an article in Cinefantastique which explained that JMS had a plan for an ambitious story arc that would take five years to complete. I was ready.

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Spider-Man (2002)

8/10

Does whatever a spider can!

4 May 2002

I was anxiously waiting for this movie. The "buzz" seemed to be awesome, but apparently they didn't allow screenings very far in advance. (Ebert and Roeper won't do their TV reviews until opening weekend) This usually does not bode well. Very likely, it was to be full of gosh-wow FX but nothing much in the way of a script.

I was not disappointed. All the characters were just right and the actors wonderfully chosen. Some liberties were taken with the original stories to make it into a movie. Mary Jane Watson becomes the girl next door that Peter Parker has had a thing for since he was six. (In the comic, he doesn't meet MJ until after he's been Spidey awhile and had a short-lived relationship with J Jonah Jameson's secretary Betty Brant). The bit with having the webbing come out of him instead of being a brilliant off the top of his head invention was neat. It sped up the plot and set up some amusing scenes as he tried to learn how to use this ability.

Danny Elfman's music is, as always, a great counterpoint to the super-heroics.

As far as younger kids are concerned, there's no sex or bad language, but lots of action {read: violence) and the Green Goblin may be a bit scary.

Cool stuff. Eight stars.

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Rockers (1978)

9/10

The reggae Robin Hood

16 April 2002

In this movie we have the thinnest thread of a plot. A young man makes a living as a drummer while he uses a newly-purchased motorbike to sell records to shops around Kingston.

Then his bike is stolen. And he steals it back. When the mafia types ("mafia" being the reggae patois for any gangster) catch up to his and beat him up he swears to get justice. And, with a little help from his friends, he does.

The big attraction here is the music, not the plot. The soundtrack includes Peter Tosh, Robbie Shakespeare, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Jacob Miler & Inner Circle, Bunny Wailer, Kiddus I and Leroy Wallace (who plays the protagonist). The DVD has seven extra audio tracks which are accompanied by stills from the production.

The DVD also has a nice essay on Rastafarian culture, as well as a glossary of the rasta patois.

A lot of fun. Buy it. Play it. The play it again.

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Murder by Numbers (2002)

7/10

Play time for teens

12 April 2002

I knew little of this movie when I entered the theatre for an advance screening. I gathered from the ads that it was a thriller.

What we have is like "Compulsion" meets "Matlock". Two teens decide to commit a perfect murder. A victim is selected at random and then carefully executed so that no traces of the actual murderers is found. Then a bunch of false leads are planted that point to an innocent bystander. (Innocent of the murder anyway)

Enter Sondra Bullock as the investigating officer. (IMDB says that she's FBI, but I don't remember that. I thought that she was a regular cop) She's frustrated by the inconsistency of the killers profile ("The profile doesn't fit the profile!") and by the power and influence of the father of one of the boys.

She's also has demons of her own which figure prominently in her decicision to become a cop. But this is the only character that is really more than one-dimensional. All others are pretty flat.

For a thriller, there are really no big thrills. It's mostly a cat-and-mouse game like an episode of "Matlock" (which she's watching at one point in the film). The twist is that there are two involved in the killing. Just who is the real murderer, Justin or Richard? It'll cost you eight bucks to find out.

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Night of the Living Dead (1990)

8/10

No flies on this one.

30 November 2001

Remakes. Sequels. Who needs them? If the original movie was great, why do a new one? If the original bombed at the box office, why try again?

I'm a big fan of the original movie. Claustrophobic, atmospheric and cheap. George A. Romero showed just how you could make a movie on little money which still scared the pants off of you.

But I bought the DVD of the new version, even though I had never seen it. Usually I'll preview a DVD by renting it first. But I didn't do that with NOTLD 90. The main reason was respect for Romero's work. I felt that he wouldn't allow a bad version to be released. But the main reason was this: Patricia Tallman.

I was familiar with Tallman's work in "Army of Darkness" and the TV-series "Babylon 5", where she played the feisty telepath Lyta Alexander.

I didn't regret the purchase one bit.

The script follows the original version for a good portion of the film. Once again, we hear Barbara and Johnny bickering about the visit to their mother's grave. There they encounter the first of the Undead people and Johnny dies. After crashing a Mercedes into a tree, Barbara flees to a nearby farmhouse.

Once we get to the farmhouse is where it changes a little. Barbara started out mousy and meek. In the original she remained a meek damsel in distress sort. In this version, she changes into a stronger Barbara. The one who notices "They're so slow!" and that they could easily evade them. She's also the one who thinks to search Uncle Rege's body for the gas pump keys. (Funny thing, even though those keys were so important, I never saw anyone search for them.)

And ultimately, it is Barbara who goes for help as the sun rises.

The DVD comes with an alternate audio track with commentary by Tom Savini. Not terribly edifying, except that you hear how much gorier the film might have been. The Powers that Be cut almost all of the exit wounds.

There are a couple of surprises in the ending for those who have seen the original and not this one. But rent it, or buy it: it's a keeper.

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Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

10/10

A Comedy Classic

3 November 2001

A few weeks ago I went to see the re-release of "Holy Grail".

I had, of course, seen the film countless times. I saw it originally at a sneak preview where they handed out coconuts to the first 200 in attendance. They also had a scale model of the Trojan Rabbit in the lobby.

From the subtitled opening credits to the abrupt "film break" which closes out the film I was in stitches. More than that, it holds up. Some comedies you can watch once or twice and you're done. Not this film.

A couple of words about the new Deluxe Edition DVD: buy it. It is packed with extra features which will keep you busy for some time. I like the option which provides Shakespearean subtitles "for those who don't like the film".

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K-PAX (2001)

8/10

An alien in analysis

24 October 2001

Let me start by saying that I'm a lifelong SF (I never call it scifi) fan. And I've been a movie fan for just about as long.

It all starts when a man appears in Grand Central Station. When he tries to intervene in a robbery. His spacy statements to the police about a long journey result in his being arrested and taken to Bellevue for observation.

A psychiatrist tries to find what is at the center of his neurosis. At the same time Prot begins interacting with the other inmates, becoming both doctor and patient.

There are definitely things that are different about him: his vision is more acute and sensitive than normal and his heart rate is all wrong. Along the way he amazes scientists with his knowledge of astronomy and astromechanics.

These things, and a conversation with a dog, keep you certain that (on a specific day) he will "beam" out of the hospital and back to K-Pax. At the same time, the doctor is tracking down Prot's true history. This is done very well and does explain certain things, like why Prot is a vegetarian. But there is no satisfactory explaination for his "alien" attributes: the acute eyesight and the astronomical knowledge (to say nothing of the dog).

I enjoyed the film a lot. Spacey's performance was wonderfully understated and Bridges was fine. I gave it an eight. An enjoyable evening at the movies.

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The Avengers (1961–1969)

8/10

The coolest 60s spy series.

29 July 2001

There were many spy series on the boob tube in the swingin' 60s. "I Spy". "Mission:Impossible". "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." I liked them all. But I adored "The Avengers".

One day at school, Brad Barner was talking wildly about a TV show. I made my mind to check it out, if I could.

At this time I had four brothers and four sisters. Use of the TV was by majority rule, so I plead my case for "The Avengers".

That first episode was "The Winged Avenger": the eponymous comic book character had apparently come to life and was killing off upper middle-management types.

Enter John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel, who dispatch the villains with a wit and style I had never seen. The effect of Mrs. Peel's jumpsuits (Barbara called them Emma's "fighting clothes") on my teenage libido was a bonus. I would have watched if I was nine years old.

The Avengers were cool.

Each week I would watch the pair defeat all sorts of threats to the British Empire. I enjoyed the science fictional plots the best, but I was hooked.

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