Change Your Image
DaysFan79
Reviews
Alien³ (1992)
An older perspective plus the special edition make this a great film!
I remember being one of those people who was left feeling utterly disappointed and downright miserable when this movie was first released. However, I'm older than I was back then and now understand the new direction this film had to be taken in. The special edition released is a vast improvement as well and even though David Fincher has pretty much disowned his entire involvement with this film, one can get a clearer picture of what he was trying to achieve had it not been for the powers that be ruining what could have been a great film. The special edition features a more appropriate alien birth in the beginning, several more scenes of character development are included, as well as a more subtle but improved ending. If this is what had been initially released, it would have been an almost perfect sci-fi trilogy. (The dreaded Alien Resurrection doesn't exist to me. I see with that one it was all about the money because there is nothing great about that film at all.) Alien 3 is a very emotional, religious and sacrificial journey. There is a lot of meaning behind it, and I love it now. Funny how your perspective can completely change over the years. I really appreciated the desolate prison planet and the sets that were used were very well done. Fox really messed up with this at first, but part of the wounds have been healed with this new release. This film stands alone at being something completely different but still featuring the same character of Ripley. It is not fair for people to try and compare this to Ridley Scott's Alien or James Cameron's Aliens. It would have been ridiculous and impossible to try and do the same thing over again. People also have to realize that not all stories have happy endings, but they can still be very effective just the same. I would love to see a prequel of some sort to this to learn what the exact origins of the Aliens are, but only if the film was done right. On the downside, I will say there are certain effects that are used throughout the film featuring the Alien that make it look rather cheap. 4 stars!
Mama's Family (1983)
My all-time favorite show!!
As many people have stated, this show did not try to solve any major problems or tackle any serious issues, it just made you laugh!! It was simply good, clean, insulting humor at its finest! Some things may have been a little 'over-the-top' but that is what made it so funny to watch. An old lady doing the kind of things Thelma was doing was not typical but who wants typical? All the characters and actors were very likable people as well. As an aspiring actor, this is one show I could only dream of working on. I would watch the actors in their scenes, and I could see them trying so hard not to laugh at themselves, however, still never breaking character. That is when you know the cast is having a blast at what they are doing! I'm so jealous! I have said over and over that Vicki Lawrence and this show as a 'whole' were very underrated. I have never seen a show as this one that has literally made me laugh out-loud! So in my book, this show is pure gold! While there were certain episodes in the first two seasons I enjoyed, it was the syndicated years that I loved the most. Sharp-tongued and sarcastic Thelma, dim-witted Mama's boy, Vinton, his floozy, dumb-blonde wife Naomi, the juvenile, turned-good grandson Bubba and the nosy, prissy, craft-wielding neighbor Iola that would give Martha Stewart a run for her money, made this show one of the funniest shows I have ever seen! I grew up to this show and still love it to this day! It's really a shame the new generation of young adults have to be subjected to the 'crud' (for lack of better words) that's on TV today. I don't really care if people have anything bad to say about it. It's a matter of opinion really. Everyone likes different things. The people that dislike this show like things that I think are just as bad, but I don't get onto websites comment pages and bash the heck out of them. Grow up people. I wish we could all be in an equally dysfunctional family like the Harpers. I also hope I'm half as feisty and full of sarcastic-flare as I am now when I reach Thelma's age. The one thing this show does teach is that age is just a state of mind. Thru the years, Thelma rode on a wrecking ball to save her house, wrestled two fat women in a bee-suit, boycotted a grocery store that sold sleazy magazines, became first runner-up in a Grandma USA pageant, ran for mayor and won and proved that you are never too old for romance just to name a few things. I can't wait for this show to be out on DVD! It's rather insulting that TBS chooses to only air this in the wee hours of the morning. I could think of a few other shows that deserve that kind of treatment, but not this show! 'Mama's Family' is a rare, comedic gem that you will not find anymore so please check it out! It's definitely worth it!
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
The sequel that ruined the franchise
I have always been a huge "Halloween" and Michael Myers fan. I have enjoyed every one except the most recent installment, "Halloween Resurrection." The "Halloween," movies have always been suspenseful and well scripted and they did not need all the typical blood and gore like so many other horror movies. That's what made "Halloween," different. It had a good story going. I admit the opening sequence with Jaime Lee Curtis was good, as she always is, but the rest of the movie is nothing but a waste of time. The acting is horrible. Michael even gets to chop a head off with his butcher knife. How fake is that? Bascially, it's about a bunch of college kids spending the night inside the famous Myers house trying the find the reasoning behind Michael's madness. Something I thought we had already covered in Halloween 6. But as it turns out, it was all just a set up. The use of all the camera's (an obvious Blair-Witch rip off) is enough to make you want to vomit. This movie is a disgrace to the "Halloween," franchise and to the fans. Without Donald Pleasence or Jaime Lee Curtis, this franchise is as good as dead.
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
A real cliffhanger
Picking up one year later where "Halloween 4," left off, Michael is still looking for his nine year old niece, Jaime Lloyd. Although he is presumed dead, Jaime and Dr. Loomis know he is still alive. The twist in this movie is that there is a man dressed in black who walks the streets of Haddonfield. Who is he? What does he want? What is his connection to Michael? "Halloween 5," contains some very clever, scary scenes. We even get to see Michael's emotional side. By the end, many will be dead, and we are left with a lot of unanswered questions.
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
The sequel that ruined the franchise
I have always been a huge "Halloween" and Michael Myers fan. I have enjoyed every one except the most recent installment, "Halloween Resurrection." The "Halloween," movies have always been suspenseful and well scripted and they did not need all the typical blood and gore like so many other horror movies. That's what made "Halloween," different. It had a good story going. I admit the opening sequence with Jaime Lee Curtis was good, as she always is, but the rest of the movie is nothing but a waste of time. The acting is horrible. Michael even gets to chop a head off with his butcher knife. How fake is that? Bascially, it's about a bunch of college kids spending the night inside the famous Myers house trying the find the reasoning behind Michael's madness. Something I thought we had already covered in Halloween 6. But as it turns out, it was all just a set up. The use of all the camera's (an obvious Blair-Witch rip off) is enough to make you want to vomit. This movie is a disgrace to the "Halloween," franchise and to the fans. Without Donald Pleasence or Jaime Lee Curtis, this franchise is as good as dead.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
A triumphant return!
Jaime Lee Curtis makes a triumphant return 20 years later to reprise the role she created as the tormented Laurie Strode. In this sixth installment (not counting the Michael-less part 3), we get to see what has happened to this woman and how she has come to terms from the tragic events that occured 20 years earlier. Still having visions of her supposedly deceased brother and turning to pills and alcohol to cope with her problems, Jaime Lee once again proves to be astonishing. Seeing Jaime's real-life mother in the film, Janet Leigh, as she waves goodbye saying ever so sweetly, "Happy Halloween," as she walks toward the same type of car she drove in "Psycho," was classic. And how perfect is it that she is named Norma (after Norman's mother in Psycho). And how we loved hearing "Mr. Sandman," during the opening sequence. Lots of thrills and chills and a great cast make this another worthy sequel.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
A mediocre sequel
After six years of waiting, this film just wasn't what we expected it to be. Not to say it was horrible. It does retain a lot of the same elements like the previous sequels, but Jaime's death in the film was very disappointing and very graphic to put it more bluntly. I was upset to hear that they didn't want to pay Danielle Harris the $5,000 she wanted to reprise the role she created. I think she is worth it. Plus, it would have been nice to see another familiar face. This movie does offer us a new twist as to explain the reasoning behind Michael Myers madness. It also adds suspense and excitement and I did like some of the new characters. The acting was decent. Compared to the more recent, "Halloween Resurrection," Halloween 6 is a masterpiece.
Trapped (1989)
A suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat thriller
From the writer and director who brought us "When a Stranger Calls," and "When a Stranger Calls Back," comes the story of a building management executive who is spending the night with a killer trying to stay alive. The killer is not just "killing," people for the fun of it, as a previous comment was made. No, if you pay more attention, the company was responsible for the deaths of many people due to mysterious oil spills and toxic poisonings. The "killer" apparently wanting revenge, relentlessly stalks Kathleen Quinlan is this cat-and-mouse thriller through a labyrinth of corridors and empty offices. An exciting thriller!
Heavenly Bodies (1984)
A real feel-good movie
A real, feel-good movie. A movie that one may like to watch when they are feeling sad. But make no mistake, one may also like watching this because it's just a great movie all around. One of my personal favorites! This came out in the wake of 'Flashdance' which was very successful. However, I think this one is much better. I think we can all relate to this in some way as it is about following your dreams with a touch of romance added in. It's a cute yet low-budget Canadian film, but they make it work anyway. The ending is classic and this is one film that is truly unique in every sense of the word. The actors were good, the music is good, the story is good. I can't say how much I love this movie! This is one worth checking out. If you enjoy cheesy yet lovable movies like Girls Just Want To Have Fun or Teen Witch, this is one for you!