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Reviews
After.Life (2009)
Thought Provoking from a Philosophical Point-of-view
Certainly a creepy movie and it is full of dark twists and turns.
But the take-home message in this film was: Are our lives simply taking up space or are we making every moment count? The on-going dialogue between Anna Taylor (Ricci) and Eliot Deacon (Neeson) was and excellent philosophical discussion of our purpose in life.
Someone once said "Died at 30, buried at 60". Taylor pretty much summed this up with her bleak outlook of life, until faced with her mortality.
Ricci was perfect in the Role of Taylor; the actress always seemed to be the ultimate Goth Girl in real life. It was unnerving to see Neeson in his role and I suppose that worked because I always thought of him taking "good guy" roles.
Two thumbs up on this flick, for great acting, solid script and an eerie twist at the end.
Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004)
Over The Top Goofy - but still...
Sort of like a train wreck, I had to watch this and part seven. Very goofy, but had some interesting yet predictable plot lines.
The whole message of this series (at least the two parts I watched) seemed to be that we humans are bad, bad creatures. According to what I gleaned from these two parts: We and we alone caused global warming, should recycle more, should stop driving and should stop using so much energy. And of course, all energy companies are evil.
A very preachy series! Oy!
Some of the plots were predicable. Like Chandra West and Thomas Gibson in their obvious extra-marital affair, crisis with family, resolve issues during weather disaster.
Randy Quaid was a hoot as he more or less did a reprise of his "Independence Day" role as a whacked-out misfit.
A lot of the special effects were repeated in both 6 & 7 (like a skyline view of Chicago then a skyline of Washington, D.C., with the same carnage in the foreground - or a repeat shot of a power plant, one in Chicago, one in D.C.).
I had to suspend disbelief as the time-line of many of these events and scenes defied logic.
Overall – poorly written storyline with average acting and quirky special effects.
Category 7: The End of the World (2005)
Not as Good as Category 6...
But that isn't saying much. Please see my review for "Category 6" for further comments.
I half expected to see Randy Quaid's character come back to life, due to plot predictability. But I did NOT see it coming when he and Shannen Doherty's character kissed. BIG yuck factor!
The Lindy Booth character was poorly scripted and acted as the cheesy journalist assigned to write obits then uncovers the end-of-days plot at a mega church.
Good to see Tom Skerritt back on the screen, even if it was a campy redo of his "Top Gun" character.
I've not seen Category 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. But based on the amount of re-edited scenes and various cameos, I suspect the makers of these movies were trying to accomplish what their message was: save energy by recycling. They certainly recycled enough scenes and actors in parts 6 & 7!
Oy!
Swordfish (2001)
That ain't Midland, Texas
WHY OH WHY can't Hollywood get the scenery right? When Ginger drives up to Stanley's place, it's keyed as "Midland, Texas". Hey, Hollywood, here's a quarter, buy a clue: Midland is as flat as a pancake...there are NO hills and LOTS of tumbleweeds.
"Thelma & Louise" was another movie that did the same thing, when it keyed in "Oklahoma" as part of a scene.
So much for reality! Or, to quote Gabriel: "You know what the problem with Hollywood is? They make sh*t."
Overall, the movie was a three out of five stars. Good action, plot line and acting. The feeling of tension and pending doom along with good soundtrack and clever camera angles made this an enjoyable movie to watch.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Emotionally-charged view of humanity
What I picked up on, besides the obvious Pinocchio parallel, was the fragility of human love and life. I actually was drawn to consider my own mortality and what kind of life I've led to this point as well as what I will leave behind for my child. For me, it was an excellent movie to reflect upon. My wife cried (a rare thing for her) quite a bit while watching the movie. I was close to tears a few times, myself.
Why not give it a "10"? Only because there were several leaps that the director assumed the audience would follow. I wanted some more answers and to fill in a few blanks (left to my own imagination). Being a Steven Spielberg fan, I was surprised on how he handled this movie...it did seem to have more of a Stanley Kubrick feel, than Spielberg. It was a well-crafted story and well-shot movie.