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Leaving D.C. (2012)
Leave Leaving DC To Itself
Altho "Leaving DC" avoids the worst of the found footage movie cliches, it is ultimately just another example of how bad most of this genre is.
Mark Klein is an OCD sufferer who has finally managed to flee the hustle and bustle of DC life for a nice quiet house isolated in the woods of West Virginia. But pretty much as soon as he moves in, he is tormented by various spooky events in the surrounding forest.
The movie sets up a thin-as-tissue-paper backstory to explain the ghostly goings-on and proceeds to do a decent job of building a creepy mood. But, like so many films in this genre, all the scary shenanigans ultimately lead nowhere. There's no pay-off to the rising tide of eerie, Klein just gets drunk and runs into the woods with his gun to confront whatever has been pestering him. A few yells, a few gunshots, cut to black. Meh. Don't waste your time. If you've seen any other "found footage' movies then you've pretty much seen this one.
Another Kind (2013)
Not Terrible, Not Great
Expected this to be yet another tedious "found footage" movie but was pleasantly surprised to find that not the case. Does an admirable job of building mood, altho the characters are basically too stupid to be sympathetic. I mean, you go hiking in the woods without a map or compass? Really? And fall to arguing as soon as you're in the car? Meh. But the overall effectiveness is not greatly diminished by this cliché of genre films. Also affecting the movie is the lack of effective cinematography for a film set in the very scenic Catskill Mountains of New York. However, what is there does work. This was obviously shot on location somewhere it was hilly and wooded, and in the real winter, so that makes up for the otherwise lackluster camera work. The mood is sufficiently weird and creepy to achieve the atmosphere it's going for, and the ending out of left field is pure Twilight Zone stuff. Not a bad hour-and-sixteen minutes.
Pacific Rim (2013)
Sheer Visual Awesome
Going in this movie had three big pluses: Guillermo del Toro, giant robots, and giant monsters. And oh great Maker what a spectacular mixture they make. There's only a few lulls in the action and just enough about the characters to let you care about them. But the fights. Great Krypton, the fights! The audience I was with was *cheering* in places, and that just never happens. There is awesome piled on top of awesome until you just sit there with a grin plastered to your face and your smile muscles hurt. This movie has bumped Buckaroo Banzai out of the top spot on my list of greatest movies ever made. This will definitely be a blu-ray purchase in four or five months when it comes out. But why are you reading this review when you could be seeing this flick?!? GO NOW!!
John Adams (2008)
Tour de Force
As others have already noted, this miniseries should become required viewing in every American History class in the country. I read McCullough's bio of Adams about a year ago and found the miniseries to be endlessly impressive. Giamatti portrays Adams as a full human being rather than an historical caricature. Laura Linney makes you feel the inner strength of Abigail Adams. The other actors in major roles all perform wonderfully. I just wish they'd gone a few more episodes, giving more space to some things that were glossed over (like the whole War of 1812). Multiple Emmy's for HBO are certain, and for several of the cast. With the short shrift the Founding Fathers are given these days, portrayed either as horrible slave-owning Old White Men or else unapproachable god-like figures of American legend, this very humanizing look at the times and especially of Adams himself are a breath of fresh air. Can't say enough good things about this one. It's going to do well on DVD.
The Great Debaters (2007)
Another Win for Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington continues to prove that he can NOT make a bad film. "The Great Debaters" is the latest in his series of Oscar-worthy performances. The man has an uncanny ability to convey everything a scene calls for with a slight change of expression or inflection. His performances are so smooth, so utterly believable that it's simply a pleasure to watch him practice his craft.
The rest of the cast in this ensemble piece also turn in outstanding efforts. The characters are so finely drawn that you believe in them. You want things to turn out well for them. You *invest* in them.
Well photographed and with excellent locations, sets, and costuming, you never fall out of this movie. It pulls you right along. The only minor quibble I have with the whole effort is how Denzel Washington's character manages to show up for the final debate, since a few lines of dialogue a bit earlier established that he couldn't make the trip. This is never explained in the film. But when something that minor is the only flaw you can find, you know you've got a good flick on your hands.
Best picture, best actor, and possibly best director nods at Oscar time would be well deserved for this movie.
AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (2007)
I Want My Money and Time Back
Awful, dreadful flick. Did the production team see ANY of the preceding films in either series? Bad photography, horrid acting, 80s slasher movie clichés everywhere you look, and the dialogue sounded like it was written by a twelve-year-old who'd just seen an 80s action movie marathon.
This movie could have and *should have* been so much more.
How did the predator-alien manage to kill all the predators on their own ship? How did the ship land UNDETECTED in the US? Why did only ONE predator respond to the situation? Wouldn't a whole bunch of them want in on such a hunt? Where did the government guy come from? Why does a town with a major hospital have only two cops? WHY DID I WASTE MY TIME WITH THIS BOMB?!? I hope someone with some degree of talent gets to take a shot at AvP after this. Jim Cameron, come back, we miss you . . .
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Spellbinding!
The Chronicles of Narnia has been on my "to read" list for years, but I've never quite got round to it. There was always something else to read first. So I went to the movie with no preconceptions and only a vague idea as to what the storyline was. Visually, the film is absolutely enchanting. From the lavish landscapes to the amazing fantasy creatures, it all works. The audience I was with was silently spellbound thru most of the picture. We were sitting in the back row and we didn't even see very many people getting up for restroom breaks! Storywise, things move right along (as you would expect in such a hefty novel translated to a single film) but it never feels rushed. The actors all do a superb job and casting Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan was simply inspired. The only thing I would have done differently would be to have cast a different actress in the role of the Witch. Tilda Swinton does a creditable job and is suitably menacing when she needs to be - and she looks good in the combat sequences - but I think if an actress who was a bit more overtly feminine had been in the role, the aura of menace would have been enhanced. As it was, you know the Witch is up to no good from the first moment you lay eyes on her, and you wonder how Edmund could fall for her BS. But this is a minor quibble. Overall, an amazing movie that leaves you wanting the next installment. You have to hope that the production team returns more or less intact for the next one, they did such a good job here.
Ying xiong (2002)
A Visual Feast with Heart
This film is breathtaking. The visuals are almost overpowering in their beauty. Color is used to maximum effect. Landscapes seem to breathe. Sets are more real than real. I'd heard that a lot of this film was shot on actual ancient locations in China, and it certainly seems to be the case. The action is oddly paced for American audiences, but once you let yourself fall into this movie it absorbs every crumb of your attention. You *believe* in these people. The message at the end, which some here are misinterpreting as the crushing of the individual, is one of profound depth . . . that the highest expression of the warrior's art is to make war no more, to move beyond the need for it. To see that the trivial battles of the moment are in the long run more harmful than helpful. Like "Crouching Tiger", the film holds the audience spellbound despite the undubbed Chinese dialogue. The actors' lines are sparse anyway, and the subtitles never seem to intrude or break the fourth wall. This one's going to be a classic, like "Seven Samurai" from a generation ago.
The Village (2004)
Desperate Screams for a Story Editor
As we've come to expect from Shyamalan, the film excels at building a mood of low-key creepiness. There's weirdness afoot in the village of Covington Woods, with big scary porcupine-boar creatures roaming the woods where the townsfolk dare not tread.
Unfortunately, Shyamalan gets so caught up in mood that he forgets to build a logical story. The plot-holes in this one are big enough to drive the USS Nimitz and its whole freakin' battle group thru.
Shyamalan could have taken this movie two ways: the way he did with a couple minor tweaks to make it flow a whole lot better, or a slightly different way with one or two fewer twists but a story that hung together better. Too bad for him, and us, that he seems to have simply thrown a bunch of individually interesting and spooky ideas into a mish-mash of confusion.
I'm serious. A few minor changes would make this movie vastly more effective. As it is, you see the "big surprise" coming a mile away.
Kudos for some good acting and camera work, tho. It avoids the now-cliched "Blair Witch" rubbish of shaky hand-held camera work (tho it could easily have gone that way a couple time) and delivers splendid visuals.
Shyamalan's weakest effort so far. The guy is crying for a story editor who can smooth out his ideas and fill in the plot holes.
The Core (2003)
Not Science, but Fun
Okay, so the science in this movie has more holes than downtown Baghdad, but it's still a fun two hours. The cast is the saving grace of this movie. Lots of likeable characters with decent lines, and they mostly deliver them well. Good F/X for the most part. Government conspiracies and wacky mad scientists. Something for everyone. I think the producers saw *Armageddon* once too many times and decided to go down instead of up. Still, it's a neat movie and zips right along. Go see it, at least at a matinee. It's worth it.
Darkness Falls (2003)
Lame, Lamer, Lamest
Another "horror" movie with no teeth. We're given no reason to care about the characters, and since the monster is revealed in the first couple minutes, there's no suspense. The movie has a few "gotcha!" moments. Not much else. Plenty of screw-ups, tho. The power goes out in the whole town of Darkness Falls, and yet the elevators in the hospital still work. Hmmm . . . It's also hard to understand how a monster that can be killed by a lightbulb could possibly threaten anyone, but there you are. I'd rate this flick maybe one notch above "Jeepers Creepers". Don't waste your money.
Kangaroo Jack (2003)
Not as dumb as it looks
I went to this movie because a certain 9-year-old I know wanted to see it. I expected something "Jimmy Neutron" awful and was pleasantly surprised. I like Jerry O'Connell anyway, and he's good in this. The Kangaroo, tho almost exclusively CGI, is not a Disney-esque talking and singing kind of critter. It would just be hard to get a real roo to do the things they needed this roo to do (Ha! Poetry . . . ) Anyway, there are some good chuckles in the film and of course Australia looks gorgeous, even if American film-makers all think the whole country consists of the Sydney Opera House and Ayers Rock. The whole thing goes by fairly quickly and if you have a young'un with you you'll have a good time. And look for Christopher Walken as the gangster-in-law. Wonderful!
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
The Greatest Movie Ever Made
I kid you not. This is, quite simply, the single greatest achievement in motion picture history. Buckaroo Banzai has *everything*. It has cool characters, it has amazing dialogue, it has perfectly cheesy effects, it has John Lithgow in the best performance of his career, it has Ellen Barkin looking more delectable then ever before or since . . . and the DVD release redefines the potential of the medium. Holy Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast, this is the GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE!! OF ALL TIME!!! How can anyone not like this film?
The Monster Squad (1987)
The Eighties Had Monsters, and They Were Fun
This is one of those movies where all the details come together to make something a lot more fun than it should be. A great late-night popcorn seller. The monsters are done well, the dialogue is funny, the F/X are competent, and the mood of the film is consistently creepy-yet-upbeat.
I don't understand comparisons to "The Goonies" . . . about the only similarity is that both movies revolve around a group of "outsider" kids, which is hardly a concept new to Hollywood.
Another film that just screams for a DVD release.
Saturday the 14th (1981)
Goofy and Strange
I saw this flick when it was first released at a multiplex in Florida. A strange, quirky little film saved from being forgetable by Richard Benjamin and some oddball semi-special effects. The film is uneven, but overall it holds together. Definitely an offbeat production. Anyway, it's a good way to spend a rainy late-October afternoon. Also great for the MST3K treatment.
The 13th Warrior (1999)
The Big Flick of Sheer Manliness
I LOVE this movie!! Antonio Banderas teams up with a dozen vikings and kicks butt through the rest of the flick. The viking chieftain, Buliwyf, is a character that I don't think I'll ever forget. He's the manliest man I've ever seen on film. This is one of those rare films where the casting is absolutely perfect. The cast meshes wonderfully and the characters and their interactions are quite believable. Reading some of the other reviews makes me wonder if I saw the same movie. DEFINITELY worth picking up on DVD. I have it and I've watched it a dozen times.
Xanadu (1980)
It Must Be Love
I freely admit, this is one of my favorite movies of all time. The main reason, of course, is Olivia Newton-John. She was such a major babe in this movie, much more so than the over-rated "Grease". I have the soundtrack in every format offered: cassette, vinyl, 8-track (long since self-destructed, however) and CD. I have the movie itself on VHS (soon on DVD) and watch it several times a year. It's simple-minded fluff, to be sure, but something about it just clicks and it is a very satisfying movie.
The Bermuda Depths (1978)
Haunting memory
Echoing what others have said, I saw this movie when I was about 16. I only saw it the one time, the original broadcast in 1978, but it has remained lurking in my memory ever since. The music, the situations, the cheesy effects . . . The doomed romance element still makes my heart ache. For a cheap little Rankin-Bass production, this film is remarkably effective. This one *seriously* needs to be released on DVD.
Yeti - Il gigante del 20° secolo (1977)
Yeti, Giant of the Worst Movie Ever Made
I saw this movie while I was in the Navy. For free. In an outdoor theater, which was lucky, because otherwise I would have had to batter down a wall to get away from this dog. This is the only movie I have *ever* walked out on, it was so bad. Several years later I saw it on TV and managed to get thru the whole thing. I still have nightmares. This waste of film stands out in my personal experience as the single worst movie I have ever seen.