Reviews

I want to address some of the major holes in the plot, so if you haven't seen the movie yet you may want to skip this review.

Why would the mob assume that this lawyer, who was about to commit suicide, would be telling the kid anything regarding the dead body? That's a pretty big assumption to make. OK, so assuming that they did guess right, i.e. the kid now knows everything, why do they think scaring him will keep him from talking? Wouldn't it be more final just to bump him off in the elevator when they have the perfect opportunity? But no, let's threaten him only, still giving him the chance to spill his guts to the authorities.

But the little jerk can't just tell what he knows, and let the authorities sort it out. He and his stupid lawyer decide that they must go and see the body for themselves, to be sure that the suicide committing lawyer wasn't lying in the first place. Yeah, right. That makes perfect sense. Let's break into the dead lawyers boathouse, and see if the rotting corpse is there, then maybe he'll testify.

Give this movie a break! Its worth at least a "7"! That little girl is a good actor and she's cute, too. Jim Belushi is a comic genius. You can't help but feel good at the end! I wish there were more wholesome shows like this, that you can enjoy with your kids!

This is a great caricature of the high school experience in the 80's. I love the dialogue, I love the visuals (Damones quivering legs, PHOEBE CATES), the characters are hilarious, the soundtrack just takes you back... This is one of my favorites to watch over and over!

How could such an allstar cast (Linda Blair, Richard Burton, James Earl Jones, Max Von Sydow, Ned Beatty, etc.) allow themselves to be part of such a disaster?

It really is so bad, that it's comical. You'll find yourself watching in disbelief, wondering "who wrote this crap?"

If you were scared to death by Exorcist I, you'll laugh to death at Exorcist II...

The Ultimate Fighting Championship series is flat out awesome! Royce Gracie is King!!! Karate teaches kids discipline and respect, but Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teaches kids how to FIGHT and WIN!!! The Martial Arts world will never be the same...

This is "Better Off Dead", set on the ocean instead of the ski slopes. But there's still plenty of original comic situations to let it stand on it's own merits. The Godzilla scene had me rolling! This show, along with John Cusack's other early work is underrated.

"I'm Gary Cooper. But not the Gary Cooper that's dead."

I love this show. John Cusack is great! The carpool scenes with Tim Robbins are classic. The hitchhiker scene is hilarious. The dialogue could carry the show, on its own. Every character has quotable lines. This is the kind of movie you can watch over and over again...

"I was in Paris once, with my wife. Boy am I glad she's dead..."

I liked certain elements of the film. As I was watching it, there were some cool concepts. But, it's really not my style of film. I spent some time trying to sort it all out, but its only guessing... Who will ever know what it all meant or what was really happening? No ONE! So you can develop your own theories if you're into that. As for me, I saw it once, I was mildly entertained, but I'll probably never watch it again...

This single film alone qualifies Tarantino as a GENIUS! Excellent cast of characters, intriguing dialogue, subtle humor, superb soundtrack, everything! It is one of my most favorite movies to watch, ever! The plot twists are excellent!

This raises the expectation for any other work that Tarantino does!

This is one of those rare, nearly flawless films. Pesci plays a perfect role as Vincent Gambini. And Marisa Tomei? Whoa! She is HOT in this film. None of her characters in her other films, even comes close to Mona Lisa Vito! She is gorgeous, and HOT! And you've got to love her accent!

This is one film you don't want to miss! This could become a cult classic, if enough people would view it with the right attitude.

Here are some of my random thoughts:

The Cover: The cover has a cool looking design, even though it really has no resemblance with anything in the film.

The dialogue: Probably improvised by the actors as they went along. "What's driving all the animals away, is it the drought?" (As Chuck Connors and Anthony Geary are walking past a large flowing river, in a lush, green forested area)

Cinematography, editing: In one scene, where the guys are scattering Pauls ashes, the scenes alternates many times between overcast skies, with dim illumination to bright sunny skies, casting long shadows on the actors faces and surrounding scenery.

Chuck Connors, playing Stan, the "Professional Hunter": What was he thinking, taking on this role? The poor guy must have really needed the cash. He does all that he can with the material, however. His voice inflections and facial expressions are top notch.

The drunken party with the "Hippie Girls" is a classic. Many memorable moments.

Micah Grant, playing Ray Bettencamp: Why did they even bring Ray along on their hunting trip? He's not their friend, he's not a hunter, he's half their ages... But hey, he delivers some of the worst lines in the film, (and he had access to his dead uncle's 4wd vehicle) so its ok.

I love to watch this movie over and over again. There's so many great elements that make it interesting... The awkward teenage years, and the high school experience; Overcoming obstacles to fulfill your dream; The wrestling training and competition; Louden's youthful enthusiasm and innocence; Not to mention a superb soundtrack! They could have added another hour to the film...

More wrestling sequences would have been cool. (Louden should have gone for Daphne Zuniga!)

Matthew Modine is a highly underrated actor.

This is one of the great films from the 80's. There are so many cool things about it, from the plot, to the characters, to the climactic finish. I think its cool how we see Bobby's character portrayed... He wants to be one of the guys, getting caught up in their cruel treatment of Daniel, but he shows glimpses of compassion and maturity throughout the show. (At the beach, at the Halloween fight, etc.) His moral dilemma is whether or not to follow his Sensei's instructions, and put Daniel "out of commission". Of course, he makes the wrong choice but shows real regret afterwards.

Don't you wish they had made some alternate endings, just for fun? Like Bobby beats Daniel in the semifinals, then goes on to de-thrown Johnny. Or, Daniel gets demolished in the finals, but still earns respect. Or, Miyagi and the Cobra-Kai sensei go at it, and Miyagi gets his tail whipped... Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change the original film at all. It is nearly a perfect movie. The point is, I wish that the sequels had been as good as the first.

Ghostbusters is as fun to watch today, as it was 15 years ago. The comedy is topnotch and the dialogue is classic. My buddies and I quote from it all the time.

I've always wondered why the role of Winston was included, however. The character shows up so late in the film, and doesn't really add anything substantial to the plot...

This is a highly entertaining film. Bad lines, unrealistic plot, superficial characters... all these make for a great film to watch with your buddies and poke fun at. The cool thing about it, is it's filled with so many young actors in the early stages of their careers, who have gone on to be in some high quality films. From an objective point of view, its a bad movie. But there's still something about it that makes you watch it every time it comes on the cable...