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Reviews
The Village (2004)
Taut, Suspenseful Thriller
I have to admit my first reaction was "Why not burn down the woods?". Still, this movie kept me entertained and riveted to the screen for the duration. There were several major plot twists that were unforeseen, and a few that were.
Like most movies, there are plot holes, but if there weren't there wouldn't be a movie.
The acting was excellent and the cinematography was unbelievable. Bryce Dallas Howard was excellent and convincing in her role, and Joaquin Phoenix was equally as well. Adrien Brody showed why he is an Oscar winning actor for his role as the village idiot.
El espinazo del diablo (2001)
Taut Suspenseful Thriller
This is not a very scary movie, but it is riveting and it keeps you on edge guessing what's coming next.
The performances are first rate, particularly the teachers at the school, Doña Carmen, Prof. Casares.
Who is the ghost? What does he want with Carlos? What happened just before he showed up?
More importantly, what is a ghost?
The only drawback for some is that the movie is subtitled, but that was not a problem for me. Go, rent it and enjoy a very well done, well acted, well scripted movie.
You might even end up buying it.
Rat Race (2001)
Rat Race is a Laugh Riot
The performances are great. The comedy is classic. You will be rolling in the aisles.
I'd say more, but I don't want to ruin the punch lines. Though definitely Seth Green is involved in some of the funniest scenes... and don't forget the squirrels...
Nightfall (2000)
Much Much Better than the 1988 Version
"If the stars were to appear but one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which they had seen." So goes the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that inspired editor John Campbell to pose it as a story idea to Isaac Asimov.
The result was the classic short story, "Nightfall". Every thousand years, a world bathed by the perpetual light of six suns, experiences total darkness. What would happen to society? How would people react? What kind of society would evolve where lights aren't needed... Asimov's short story touches on all these.
Unfortunately, where Asimov succeeded Hollywood has not. While this is a far better movie than the 1988 production, it still falls short.
Mainly, it is not really true to the story, but as best as I can tell takes place 1000 years after the time of Asimov's story, at the next nightfall. The plot and the acting aren't bad, but they aren't great either.
If you've never read the short story, it's worth a rental. If you have read Nightfall, it's worth a rental just to finally get rid of the sour taste from the 1998 production.
The Brotherhood (2001)
Cheesy Vampire Flick
How bad was this movie? Bad... The kind of bad where you just sit there dumbfounded at how little thought went into it. At how some people have actually taken the premise behind Mel Brooks' "The Producers" and managed to make money from a complete flop.
Here's the premise. A bunch, wait, make that 4, yes 4, Vampires go to a different college campus every four years and live the high life.
These are vampires who do wear shades, but can venture out in the sunlight.
Unlike the erstwhile Count Dracula, they don't kill the victims with a bite on the neck, but carry around a talisman of 'The Eternal Hunter' with a pin. They use the pin to stick lovely co-eds in the arm and suck the blood out...
The acting isn't that bad. The fellow who plays Devon, the head Vampire, is actually quite good. Dan, the nerdy one isn't that bad either.
A Christmas Story (1983)
One of the most humorous movies, ever!
This film is meant to be watched over and over, like a fine wine, it only gets better with age.
Poor Ralphie is tormented by bullies, crazy dogs next door, and the dream of a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
This is the story of Ralphie, his father - a man who used vulgarity the way a lesser artist might use marble, of his friends who experience the dangers of pole-licking on cold winter's days, of the piquant taste of Lifebuoy soap for mouth washing, of secret decoder rings and a Leg Lamp.
Rent it, Buy it, Enjoy it.
9 out of 10. Only the very best get a 10.
Event Horizon (1997)
Infinite Space, Infinite Boredom
The dialogue came straight from an old Hollywood "B" movie. It wasn't very suspenseful or scary. Sorry, but this one was a stinker.
What happens when a ship is supposed to "tunnel" through time & space, through the very fabric of the universe in order to achieve FTL - Faster Than Light - travel? What happened to the crew when the ship has mysteriously returned, unmanned, to our Solar System?
Unfortunately, the acting and dialogue are so bad, you just want the movie to be over. This one isn't even worth a free movie rental. Use it on something better.
Nightfall (1988)
How to turn a classic SF story into a complete waste of film.
Save your money and your time. This was a pathetic, putrid, waste. Asimov's original short story is a classic of the storyteller's art.
What happens when a world bathed in sunshine experiences darkness for the first time in a thousand years?
Leave it to Hollywood to take a good story and turn it to meaningless drivel. To say this was a disappointment is a cosmic understatement.