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sammy-95
Reviews
Batman (1989)
Yup -- it's a real movie, alright!
The story is TIGHT. I mean so tight, that you can bounce a quarter off of it. They don't make movies like this anymore. They don't even make FILMS like this anymore. These days you're more likely to watch something that some kids created with a DVD-R camcorder or an HD system.
Anyway, look -- Michael Keaton IS Batman, Jack Nicholson WAS the bomb in this flick, and Tim Burton should have retained control over this franchise. And the final scene, with the cathedral, is absolutely priceless.
Thank you.
- Sammy
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
So what if it is Hollywood at its most liberal? WHO CARES?! (I do...!!!)
Look -- I'm not here to turn this message board into a political battlefield. But anyone who claims that somehow liberalism is bad needs to sit down and think. Really, really hard.
Those who support the current United States government are deluding themselves. ALL governments are inherently corrupt. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There are people in our own government who are currently being scrutinized for their apparent lack of ethics. This doesn't surprise me at all.
We need Hollywood more than ever now. We also need for our news media to continue applying pressure in all of the right spots. This film shows us how. It is a testament to the power of visual and aural media.
Don't forget -- You hold the keys to this kingdom. You hold the power, because you hold the money. Any ONE person who has money can effect change. Sometimes even those without money can change too.
If you are an individual, then be one. Don't ever let them win. Don't ever give in. Don't ever give up.
Thanks.
- Sammy
Shadow Hours (2000)
A great mood piece.
I have yet to watch the entire film -- yet. I keep on catching it on Showtime at like 2:00 in the morning. I have Comcast, and I wish that they would just release the damned film on On-Demand, so that I could see it at a reasonable hour (i.e., on MY time, instead of DURING "shadow" hours...)
:)
Anyway, the thing that moved me about the piece was the mood, plain and simple. I love Peter Weller's performance in this flick. He was the only thing that caused me to name a song of my own after the film -- Shadow Hours. I may even title an album of mine using that name (if anyone cares or doesn't know this, you can name a work anything that you want to -- without worrying about "copyright" infringement. Titles are not copyrightable. Period.)
:)
Again -- a worthy viewing. I agree with the most recent submission here -- yes, the story line isn't original, and yes, Michael Mann is a better director than most anyway. I just got a kick out of Weller's character and characterizations.
Ciao.
- Sammy
King Arthur (2004)
An enjoyable Saturday-evening movie.
I am just a sucker for well-choreographed action sequences, played out by cool-looking armored dudes fighting bad guys. I enjoyed "LadyHawke" back in 1985, and I have always liked movies such as the Hong Kong cinema shoot-'em-ups and so on. So, King Arthur has the elements that I look for in a fun film.
The most enjoyable aspect was seeing the obvious dilemmas faced by Arthur himself. Clive Owen is excellent. Whether Arthur really existed, well...who cares? Seeing this guy, who is clearly Mediterrainian, and at least therefore giving some credence to the idea of a Roman Arturius, is pretty cool.
There are so many "goofs" and anachronisms that it is almost funny in itself. My favorite -- "those guys have armor-piercing arrows!!!" (That sounded like Bruce Willis or Sly Stallone saying "hey -- those guys have armor-piercing bullets!!!")
And what was up with that Saxon-leader guy -- who clearly spoke with an American- style accent -- like he was born and raised in Newark?! He even looked kinda like a trucker...probably IS a trucker...although his acting was fine. He certainly gave the impression of a real, real bad guy doing REAL bad things.
I guess that if you can suspend your disbelief for a couple of hours, you'll have fun with this flick. I remember seeing a version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," in which the anachronisms were quite simply exaggerated on purpose (palace guards wearing camouflage and flashlights, for instance). And remember that Shakespeare himself was well-known for writing all kinds of odd anachronistic stuff in his plays, and they are taught in schools all over the world. So...
So, what I'm saying is that bobby pins in Guinivere's hair isn't so bad. In the opening scene to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (yet another Roman-era play) one character tips his HAT to another, and points to a "chimney."
:)
Thanks.
- Sammy
St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
No spoilers here -- unless you grew up in the 1990s...
Okay -- I'll admit it -- I'm a sucker for 1980s movies.
Here's a potential spoiler (said with tongue in cheek): If you grew in during the 1990s, there WAS life before your generation. Believe it or not, there was an entire generation of kids who weren't completely angry at the world around them, had a pretty good run for about a decade, and looked forward to the future.
:)
I always cover my self by checking the "May Contain Spoilers" box, but really -- I'm not going to go on about the story. That has been done much better than I could. What I did enjoy about this film was the feeling that *I* got from it. I love the music, the characters, and the dialogue. I love the look of the clothes and the cars and the architecture. I do miss the 1980s terribly, because I honestly believe that this country -- the United States -- were on the correct track. But hey -- whatever. Everything comes and goes, and maybe I'm already a dinosaur, well before my time.
But what I said is true. If you were born after about 1979, and more importantly, if you really think that "The 1980s never happened," then you won't like St. Elmo's Fire. Just remember that your time will come too.
:)
- S
The Big Empty (2003)
Hitchcock-meets-Twilight Zone -- how can anything be better?!
Seriously:
I don't waste my time commenting on (most) films that I hate. So what we have here is yet another winner, and soon-to-be-added to my DVD collection.
It took me all of about ten seconds to realize that Artisan Films knows what they are doing. I have seen The Limey, of course, and The Big Empty follows in the tradition of quirky-yet-excellent fare from Artisan. I just loved The Big Empty, and here is why...
1. Jon Favreau was perfectly cast in the title role. Sure, he might seem a bit too cool, maybe a bit offhanded...but what I liked the best about him was that he WASn'T ACTING. There is some irony here, because he is playing an actor, in itself something that is tough for a trained actor to do.
2. His supporting cast, including Joey Lauren, are just too perfect for words.
3. I don't expect for most people to understand this, because you have to have lived in this way. But I've had a lot of experiences that would have made me feel a lot like John Person -- the main character. John is the sort of "almost-famous" kind-of-guy who really exists -- I know -- because I am a lot like him. I, too, have these weird episodes that happen in my own life. Maybe that is because I live my life as though I AM a movie. But hey -- isn't that what movies are about -- a chance to experience and to observe what it is like to live...?!
Maybe I'm not hitting all cylinders with my review...but hey -- who cares? Enjoy this flick. It is funny and warm and serious enough to keep you on the edge of your seat -- without descending into gobbledy-gook about religion or space aliens or anything else. The script was pretty grounded, and yet, took me to a new place.
Thanks.
- Sammy
The Limey (1999)
Yet another positive review of The Limey...
I just love this film. I won't give anything away about it -- apart from just one bit of information:
I watched this film in the winter of 2001. It created an incredible mood. There was an ice storm going on outside, in Waltham, Massachusetts, where I was house-sitting for a friend. The video cassette upon I watched the film had been rented from the public library. I was so bored that I decided to throw the tape in. I was feeling, at first, as though I was in for a really boring movie.
Wrongo.
I thought that the Limey was going to be a chick flick, and if you've read any of the other reviews here, I was clearly wrong. I am unsure of why -- but I do know that everyone whom I've told about this film, who hasn't seen it, always wrinkle their noses when I say the name. "The LIMEY?" they always ask...and I say "like, yeah...The Limey." And when they ask "what is it about?" I always say --
"You HAVE to watch it. Seriously. It is incredible."
And I've actually had a couple of folks come back, and they say -- "you know...you were right."
So -- now you've been warned. So if you haven't seen it, then go and see it.
Thanks!
:)
- Sammy