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Reviews
Isn't She Great (2000)
Good Cast, Poor Writing
Sorry to say, I was disappointed by this film. When it ended, I had the feeling that I had just watched a TV movie, (an activity I try to avoid.) I rented the DVD, not because of any great admiration of Jacqueline Suzann, but because the cast looked great. Admittedly, the cast did not disappoint. David Hyde Pierce and John Cleese make for several enjoyable scenes. I like Nathan Lane. He's a genuinely engaging personality, with real warmth and charm. Nevertheless, it was his narration that pulled the quality down a few notches for me. It wasn't his delivery of the narration, but the writing itself that was at fault. It's cliché and sentimental to a fault. Burt Bacharach's musical direction only made matters worse. I admire Bacharach tremendously, and rank his scores for Casino Royal and What's New Pussycat among my favorites. But it just didn't work here. * out of ****
The Iron Giant (1999)
Better than Tarzan, by a wide margin
This is such a wonderful movie. The story is excellent and the animation is quite good. It lives by no formula, (ala Disney). No Broadway medleys, no comic sidekicks. Just good characters and good storytelling. Five minutes ago, I looked at the box office reports, for opening weekend, and I feel like weeping. Iron Giant was so much better than Tarzan, and worlds above Wild Wild West, and yet it has made less than five million for it's first three days. This is horrible. I pray that it makes a come back, for if it proves unprofitable, Brad Bird may not get another crack at it. You can blame WB's lack of promotion for it's failure at the box office, not Bird.
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Id, Id, Id!!
This is the finest 'other-worldly' science fiction film of the 1950s. The visuals are breathtaking and the story, suspenseful. I am still amazed by the underground chamber scenes. I don't even think CGI could make it look more real. There have been rumors floating around that James Cameron has designs to remake this classic. I have mixed feelings about that. I don't think he could improve upon it, that's for sure.