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Snoogins
Reviews
Memento (2000)
This movie is great.
I have been waiting to watch Memento since I first saw a review for it on Ebert and the Movies, but it wasn't playing at any of my local theatres. This is one of the most stylish, interesting, and well-done movies I have ever seen. I don't know of any movies that I could really compare it to. I suppose that if you liked The Game, you will love Memento. It is similar to The Game in terms of the way the story seems to lead you towards one conclusion then suddenly, and continually, throws a new twist at you. The story is told in an unconventional manner in terms of chronology. It begins at the end, and over the course of the movie it alternately flashes back and progress towards the middle. This seems like the best way to show the viewer the way Leonard experiences his life since his accident. This is a movie that could probably be watched three times consecutively without being able to grasp everything that has unfolded. This movie is about... It does a excellent job of showing how fragile our memories really are. After watching half the movie, how clearly do you remember about the first five minutes? As the story progresses, previous events get a little hazier, harder to recall clearly... I was so excited about this movie that I kept going to the website (www.otnemem.com) to find out about it. Now that I've seen the movie, I realize that the website is really not about the events that happen during the movie, rather it's an extension of the movies' story into the past and the future. It gives more insight into what has been going on with Leonard since his injury. I'd recommend to anyone who has seen the film to check it out. I was confused about a few things by the end of the movie, and if I had to make any complaint about this film, I actually wish the movie was longer. The story is so engrossing that I wouldn't mind sitting through another hours' worth of film for more insight into Leonard's condition. Now I'm going to have to try and wait patiently for Memento to come out on DVD. Please make it a special edition with at least a director's audio commentary.
Unbreakable (2000)
"They say this one has a surprise ending."
I just got back from watching Unbreakable for the second time, and I still think it's a good movie. After looking over all of the comments that everyone made about this movie, I'm really sick of people trying to be clever by putting the words "Unbearable" or "Unwatchable" in their summaries. Obviously this is a "Love it or hate it" movie. Personally, I liked it. I have been collecting comics for about fifteen years now, and I liked the way that Shyamalan incorporated elements from comic books into his story. I thought it was an interesting idea that there could be a man who had superhuman gifts but didn't realize it. I didn't mind the slow pace of the movie, and I liked the dark, somber look of the movie, which reflected the sadness Dunn felt about how his life had turned out. The scenes with Joseph in them added a necessary amount of humor which kept the film from being too depressing. The first time I saw the film, I was totally surprised by the ending. Unlike the Sixth Sense, this movie didn't have any real clues as to what was going to happen at the end. But I did like the surprise twist, no matter what anyone else says.
Oz (1997)
Simply Brilliant.
Oz is an amazing series, this show brings out the best in every actor involved. Among my favorite performances were Leon's as Jefferson Keane, Dean Winters as Ryan O' Reilly, J.K. Simmons as Vern Schillinger, Lee Tergesen as Tobias Beecher,Olek Krupa as Yuri Kosigyn, and Christopher Meloni as Chris Keller. The characters in Oz are tremendously compelling, even though you may never share their experiences, and hopefully, you'll never have to: you can't help but empathize with them. Even the most despicable characters impress me with their resourcefulness, that they must possess to survive in their horrible environment. I don't know who deserves the most credit for how good this show is, but let me extend my utmost respect to you. I would also like to mention that everyone that I've shown this show to appreciates it as much as I do. Thank You, to whoever you are.
The Maxx (1995)
Fight back ,we scream!!!
I loved this series! Having been a huge comic book fan, I had heard about Sam Keith's Maxx characters several months before they premiered on MTV's Oddities series. I was very impressed with the performances of the voice actors, especially Barry Stigler as Mr. Gone. Kudos to everyone involved, this cartoon got me so interested that I had to read the rest of the series in comic book format, and I was very disappointed that the second season never made it onto television. Hopefully, someday in the future, the first season will arrive on DVD or some other collectible format because this show deserves better than to just fade into obscurity.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
A really cool film.
Sleepy Hollow is the best Tim Burton film to date. The film has an excellent mix of horror and humor, and Ray Park deserves credit for coming up with some really cool swordfighting sequences. Johnny Depp gives a good performance as Ichabod Crane and the special effects look really good. Go check this film out, it doesn't disappoint.
Phantoms (1998)
Awesome concept, disappointing movie.
I have read many of Dean Koontz's novels, and I always look forward to seeing them when they are made into movies. I was ecstatic when I heard about Phantoms because the book was excellent, with many original and awesome ideas in it. I thought that they might be able to make this one into a good movie. When I heard that Ben Affleck was starring in it, I knew that I had to see it. Then I went and saw it...
Ugh. I was really depressed after about 20 minutes, once the movie starting skipping over certain explanations and insights that were present in the book. It felt like the story was being, "dumbened down" for the average joe. I know that "dumbened" isn't a real word, but it worked for the Simpsons,and it does convey my feelings about what I experienced, watching this film.
Due to all of the concepts that are vaguely referred to and then ignored for the rest of the movie, there is nothing innovative about this story, and it becomes little more than a cheesy horror movie.
Dean Koontz did write a fantastic story, but I'm surprised at how much was sacrificed to bring it to the big screen. Considering that Koontz was involved in the actual production of this movie, I'm surprised that he would allow this to happen.
In conclusion, I'd like to say that this could have been as good as the book with about an hour of additional footage including more detailed explanations about the monster. Ben Affleck's performance was as good as could be done, but he wasn't give enough to work with. The ending was silly, and I'd like to add that it isn't the same as the ending in the book. Hollywood always has to leave a option for a sequel though... I'd have to say this is one that got away, and it's too bad because now, it can never be what it should have been. Please, Mr. Koontz, save your stories until you can get them produced exactly as you present them in your novels. It would be a tragedy if this happens to stories like Lightning, Midnight, and Dragon Tears. I also want to say that Dean Koontz is in no way second to Steven King as the master of horror. Anyone who reads his novels would agree, don't judge him on what Hollywood does to his work.
Intensity (1997)
Not bad
When I first read this book I thought it would make a cool movie, and when I first heard that it was going to be a mini-series on TV, I was excited. Unfortunately, I was only able to see the first show, so I missed out on the ending, and I've never had another chance to see it.
I'm always excited when anything by Dean Koontz is made into a movie because he is such a good writer, and almost all of his stories would make really good movies. The main drawback with the movies that do get turned out are usually missing something from the novels that they are adapted from. This isn't anything against the people who produce the movies, it's just that Koontz's novels present certain ideas that can't be translated into a movie. Movies, like Phantoms, can only gloss over some really cool concepts that Koontz can give you through his writing. If anyone out there is remotely interested in any of the movies that are taken from a Koontz book, go out and read the original novel. Most likely, you'll be glad you did. I'm still looking forward to someone hopefully making Midnight, Lightning, or Dragon Tears into a movie, any one of those would be awesome.
Back to what I'd like to say about Intensity specifically; the movie does a pretty good job of capturing the feel of the book, and it manages to nail the coolest moments in the movie. The drawback is that you can't experience the thought process of the villain, which gives you some cool insights. However, I thought the movie did come really close to doing that. I thought John C. McGinley was perfect in the role of Vess. I'd actually originally pictured David Keith as Vess, but McGinley fits the role perfectly; his best moment being when he delivers the line, "Now that, was INTENSE!!!!" An excellent performance by him is reason enough to see this movie, if you ever do get the chance.