movietode Reviews

Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)

Just terrible

[1/10 · 4 January 2018]

Thoroughly disappointing. To misquote Kirk, this series lives down to my lowest expectations of a ruined canon.

The Prisoner (2009)

My interpretation of this remake

[1/10 · 11 July 2012]

My interpretation is that Hollywood has too many writers and not enough talent, too much money and not enough sense to invest it. As much as I am disappointed by this unwatchable remake, it does set the bar high for anyone else who comes along to try out a remake. I would rather not taint other shows I might compare by mentioning them here, positive or negative. What I will say is that there have been plenty of authors who have come up with story lines where commercial interests make credible adversaries. That is far from a new story angle and you can find it back into stories of the '50s or earlier. I had to log in to give this a "1" rating as a respectful memory to the original show.

Sherlock (2010–2017)

Amazing modernization

[9/10 · 7 May 2012]

So far I don't see the horrible and obvious directional and continuity gaps of MI5 and Commander. Moffat is a powerful writer who can do great things for the series. However,I personally don't think that Holmes' equal nor his attraction should be to a dominatrix. That is a cheap shot to attract viewers and that's partly why I only gave a 9 for a rating. But at least in her first appearance in the series, her "activities" were mostly suggested rather than played out.

Holmes' boyish zeal for "the game" could get old unless he grows in the part. Watson should not be put in the role of a comedian so much, it's pretty clear that he is smart and can learn about the ways that Holmes thinks and therefore needs to grow in the part too. Moriarty does not act like a superior villain. That's another problem. Unless these issues are addressed, the show will lose its values by the end of season 2 or 3. The typical pattern of more villains showing up just to challenge Holmes is another potential problem because that can get old just like it does in the comic books. I saw a glimmer that this might be a future pattern based on the attention his website is starting to draw.

Otherwise, I think it's amazing to see Holmes brought forward so successfully. Heh - now how about a visit from the Doctor, so he can travel back and solve a problem in Olde England?

California Solo (2012)

Good story line

[10/10 · 28 January 2012]

The screen play is very well written. I read it before the movie was shot and could easily feel the strength of the story. It's a mature subject though, which seems to bear out in the IMDb vote distribution. It's going to appeal most strongly to older folks. By the way, we older folks have money and pay to see movies with good story lines. Carlyle is a great choice for a lead in this movie, having seen him do forlorn but strong characters in many movies and also at the other end of the universe, so to speak ... I can't think of a contemporary alternative that would fit the role. After reading some of the Sundance buzz I rather felt that the critics prefer the same old boring story lines, whereas California Solo at least is a fresh interpretation that is also well-timed to the old rock audience.

Space Island One (1998)

Definitely not one of the great British Sci Fis

[5/10 · 4 September 2010]

I am tired of lackluster US Sci Fi and I found a place to get copies of this show, so I decided to try it out. The writing is generally poor and so is the direction. It has the feeling of being produced by a committee. The characters miss glaringly obvious queues of the things going on around them, and there is virtually no effort made to build new stories using continuity from older ones. Several of the characters just keep making the same sort of mistakes in their lives, that in reality would have gotten them tossed out of their jobs. Part of the problem is that the characters don't really grow in their roles, and I really didn't end up caring about any of them (this is the ultimate test of a good show). Space Island One is a sleeper of a show, but still, it was good enough that I watched all the episodes and liked a few. A best-in-class low-budget British show where the characters did grow, the acting was fantastic and the stories layered really well was Blake's 7.

Fools' Parade (1971)

Fascinating movie withheld from the public

[8/10 · 17 February 2010]

I've seen some references state that Anne Baxter didn't like her own performance and had the ability to block distribution. Her vanity pretty much assured that the city of Moundsville would lose a rare lifeline to drag itself out of poverty oblivion. It must have been a terrible let-down at the time because you can bet that the townsfolk were tickled pink.

I do not think it is possible to come up with a better version in a remake, but perhaps someone should try that out. I see no chatter to indicate that the distribution will ever be approved.

A new version with current actors might attract a following and create the stimulus to release the original. Want to make a movie? You can rent this town for cheap - it's not changed a lot since the movie except for Walmart and other eyesores on the highway.

I consider this a must-see movie and if you look hard enough around the Internet, you will find copies.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

Delightful vintage-style comedy

[10/10 · 20 April 2009]

I see so many contemporary attempts at vintage movies being disasters that I was completely surprised by this movie. I ignored it when it was released and just tonight watched it on TV.

I will go out and rent it tomorrow so I can see it again. Everyone was perfect in their parts!

What I especially liked was that decorations, make up and styles seemed to be correct for the period, and the music, which I hope was right for the period but on that subject, I don't know England's hits of the time.

How nice to have a movie with a double happy ending!

Waterworld (1995)

I think it is a great movie

[10/10 · 20 April 2009]

I watch and read a lot of sci-fi. This qualifies as both good pure sci-fi and good adventure. The story works. I liked the characters. There is violence but it's not excessive nor gratuitous and it doesn't rely on cheap sex as story line crutch. The special effects are memorable and natural.

It takes a lot to put a chill on me. The whole sequence of showing us the submerged surface was absolutely brilliant. "You want to see dry land? You really want to see it? I'll take you to dry land." Wow. It was intense like those moments when the probe entered the Titanic in Cameron's movie.

People who compare this movie to others and try to dissect it that way should realize that you can do the same to any story. The best way to enjoy this movie is to stop analyzing it and just watch.

The Golden Compass (2007)

Well worth watching even if not the greatest

[9/10 · 20 April 2009]

I am giving it a higher rating in a hope to pull up the ranking a bit. There are other films that deserve a low rating. This film is certainly much much much better than the film adaptation of The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising. At least in this film, I felt the characters had enough depth to keep me interested. The problem is that it is very difficult to abridge a series with so much detail and subplots into a single movie. I am very disappointed at the details that were lost, but I will accept this movie as a graceful cut-down of the real stories. Let's remember that the Tolkien movies were considerably cut down and a lot of good character building stuff was traded for blood and guts. At least in that case the producers knew they could spread over several movies. There were several factors that I am sure contributed to Compass's failing. First of course, the movie story was chopped to the point that only a person who has read all the books would be able to try to appreciate it. Second, the movie was not constructed in a way that would make a sequel obvious. Third Combine that with the fact that the children will age too fast for a sequel and you have big problems. What I will hope is that someone will see the potential to try again, perhaps as a BBC TV mini-series. I disagree with some who said Nicole Kidman was underutilized. I thought she was perfect. In fact all of the casting worked well in my opinion. 'Tis a shame, with more money, better screenplays and this cast and effects team it would have been possible to produce works to rival Harry Potter. Instead I am stuck with charmless gunk like the new Battlestar Galactica. Compared to the bulk of formula junk being cranked out on the SciFi channel (exception - StarGate is cool) I give this a 9.

Get Smart (2008)

Outstanding!

[10/10 · 4 August 2008]

I can't find fault with anything in the movie. Technically: excellent. Storyline: tight, fast and fun. Casting: perfect. Acting: perfect. I read some of the negative reviews and all I can say is that there are people who do not understand slapstick humor. Also, I think there are a lot of people who expect that you must have adult themes, sex and raunchy material to make something funny. This show was just plain fun. Brooks influence on the script as a consultant must have helped a lot. After seeing remake losers like Bewitched and Pink Panther I was also cautious but I got over it fast.

Being a fan of the original series, I loved this movie. My kids, who know nothing of the original, loved this movie on its own merits. The audience was belly laughing throughout the movie.

Carell really earns top marks for making 86 his own. Hathaway showed a remarkable flexibility and again, made 99 her own. Even incidental material like Heime, which was not necessary to the movie, managed to fit in and was funny. Come on you negative reviewers, name ONE place where the plot stalled, where the references didn't work, where the jokes were not perfectly timed. You cannot. The spars at 007 and other spy shows also cracked me up. So, you really must be immune to basic, slapstick humor. I pity you. Everyone else: go see this movie with friends and have a good light-hearted laugh!

The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007)

I could see it was wrong from the trailer

[1/10 · 16 July 2008]

How very, very sad. I could see from the trailer that the movie was going to be much darker than the book. It was apparent that the writer, director and producer were incompetent. I could see that the story line had changed, and there was nothing but dread surrounding McShane's cameo of Uncle Merry.

Anyone who rated this movie highly is easy to please. It has no redeeming values at all. I missed it in the theater and dumped the DVD fast. Yuck. Cooper deserves better, I hope this isn't tied up in contracts so that someone else doesn't get to try. I didn't find out about Cooper's books until I was in my 50s. I love the series (although it stumbles a bit in the later books). Trying to make stories like this darker or more adult ruins them.