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Kolchak: The Night Stalker: The Vampire (1974)
One of the two best episodes
The two best episodes of "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" are this one, and "The Ripper", about THE Jack the Ripper.
Some of the other episodes in the series weren't very good, like the one where aliens are sucking the bone marrow out of animals.
If you rent the first DVD in the series, it has "The Ripper " and "The Vampire" on it. You can rent the other DVD's, but none of them will be as good as the first.
I'm not sure why the episodes went down hill as the show went on, but they definitely did.
Kolchak was a real smart aleck, and it's easy to see why people in positions of authority would despise him. He was arrogant and abrasive, a real know-it-all. He would have been fired after every episode, if somebody in real life did the kind of things he did.
But he had an uncanny knack for cutting through the bull crap and figuring out what was REALLY going on. And that's the main reason why the police and other authorities didn't like him---he would poke holes in their phony explanations, and rub their nose in it. He intensely enjoyed showing them up.
But they always had it coming to them. The cops were always trying to cover their behinds, or protect some secret. But Kolchak tried to tell the truth, for the greater good of society.
Rocky Balboa (2006)
You Won't be Disappointed
If you liked the previous Rocky movies, you will love this one. It's the best Rocky movie since Rocky II. Sylvester Stallone knows how to pull on your heart strings, and he does it several times in this movie. One of the most moving scenes was when he was talking to Paulie at the meat processing plant, and he talked about having "stuff in the basement", that is, unfinished business.
I really liked the lady who played Marie (Geraldine Hughes). She was a very lovable and believable character.
One final thought: I hope they don't make any more Rocky films. This one was really good, and it will be hard to top. And Stallone is about 60 years old. That's why they don't need to make another one.
He doesn't need to make a movie about him helping a younger boxer, because this is what he did in Rocky V and it wasn't very good. Rocky needs to be retired. I feel the same way about Austin Powers. You can go one too many times to the well, and if they make any more Rocky films, that's what would happen.
Havoc (2005)
Could have been a lot better
There were parts of this movie that were good. It showed how some of today's young people are searching for something, although they don't seem to know what they're looking for. And it showed the bad things that can happen when you hang around the wrong people. But this movie just didn't rise up to what it could have been.
I didn't understand why Allison (Anne Hathaway) and Emily (Bijou Phillips) kept hanging around the 16 Street gang. And Allison made out with Hector, the leader of the 16 Street gang, who is also the one who put a gun to Allison's boyfriend's head, making him pee in his pants. These guys were DRUG DEALERS!!!! What kind of an idiot would want to hang around them? Also, at the end of the movie, Allison's boyfriend and his "crew" go downtown to have it out with the 16 Street gang, and the screen goes to black when the 16 Street guys and the PLC crew confront each other. You hear one gunshot, but you don't know who shot who.
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
Oscar-worthy and NOT a "chick flick"
Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Marcia Gay Harden all have excellent performances in this excellent film. Julia is a first-year teacher at an exclusive all-female university in 1953. She runs into a lot of trouble with the school, and some of the students, because she dares to think for herself instead of blindly accepting the conventional wisdom.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Blood and Gore and Not Much More
This had the most gore and violence I've seen since watching "Saving Private Ryan." The big difference is that Spielberg showed graphic violence of the U.S. soldiers storming the beach at Normandy because he wanted you to FEEL what is like for our men on D-Day. Spielberg is about 100 times better at directing that Quentin Tarrantino.
My Boss's Daughter (2003)
Exceptionally funny!!!
Ashton Kutcher is really funny. He was great in "Just Married" with Brittany Murphy, and he does it again with this film. Of course, Terence Stamp was also really good. There were many good performances, as a matter of fact.
I won't give away any of the plot. I'll just say that I give this film my highest recommendation. If you like "Just Married", you'll like this movie too.
American Wedding (2003)
Extremely bad sequel!
SPOILER ALERT!
The original "American Pie" (1999) was exceptionally funny. "American Pie 2" was so-so. But the final film in this trilogy sucks donkeys.
Nothing in the movie made me laugh near as hard as the first one did. Also, the part where Stifler eats doggie doo, and has it stuck on his teeth, was really gross.
And you have to wonder why Shannon Elizabeth (Nadia), Tara Reid (Vicky), and Oz (Chris Klein) weren't in this movie. I wish they hadn't made any sequels, because neither of them were worthy enough to be made. Plus, I find it hard to believe that Jason Biggs (Jim) would have chosen Michelle,the band geek (Alyson Hannigan) over Nadia.
The only bright spot was when the gay guy, Bear, brought two naughty girls for the bachelor party, and they did a nude scene. But that one little moment wasn't near enough to carry the film.
Strangely enough, "American Wedding" was written by Adam Herz, who also wrote the first "American Pie". But he fell way short of hitting the mark this time.
Schindler's List (1993)
Spielberg Masterpiece
Spielberg created a masterpiece. The movie is not an easy one to watch, because it's so grim, but that's appropriate when you're doing a Holocaust film. The fact that it's in black and white adds to the grimness.
The graphic violence in "Schindler's List" actually has a purpose, unlike so many gory movies. He's trying to capture the living hell that the Jews in the concentration camp went through. I wouldn't advise letting preteens see it, but in high school it would be good for all kids to view.
Hannibal (2001)
Don't waste your money.
This movie was dreadful. The best part of the movie was when the credits rolled; I knew my suffering was over. The only thing this movie had was gore. It didn't keep me in suspense. It didn't scare me. It made me want to vomit.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
It was good until the ending.
There were lots of good things about the movie. I liked the new villain, Kristanna Loken. Nick Stahl and Claire Danes were good, and of course Arnold Schwarzenegger was on top of his game.
But the ending didn't seem to fit. It was like they were filming one day and the director was told he only had five minutes to wrap up filming, so he threw something together. It's the same feeling I got at the end of Primary Colors (John Travolta as a presidential candidate who was obviously modeled after Bill Clinton).
The Godfather (1972)
Most overrated film of all-time
This movie continues to be praised, but when I rented it I only made it through 45 minutes before I stopped the video. There aren't many movies that are so bad I don't watch the whole thing, but "The Godfather" is that bad. I don't care how much other people may like it. I still say it sucks,sucks,sucks,sucks,sucks,sucks,sucks...
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997)
One of the absolute worst movies ever made.
This piece of crap is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I only watched about twenty minutes of it before I hit rewind. It's like a fake documentary about Hollywood, with all these big shots making an appearance, but it's just not worth the price of a rental. Whoever made this movie should be banned from ever making another film.
Jurassic Park III (2001)
The BEST Jurassic Park movie!
The second Jurassic Park was a noticeable dropoff from the original, partly because the story sucked, and partly because Sam Neill wasn't in it. This time Neill returns as paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, and this adds a whole new dimension to the film.
This movie lasts less than an hour and a half, but you won't care when you see it. Twenty minutes into the film is when everything kicks in, and it's one thrill after another, like a rollercoaster.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
There's a new dinosaur in this movie, a huge crocodile-faced beast with a sail like a sailfish. He (or she) is one bad mammajamma, and is worth the price of admission.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
By far the weakest of the trilogy
The special effects are state of the art. It's the dumb storyline that made me trash it.
SPOILER ALERT
This is basically about hunters and greedy people hunting the dinosaurs like big game. That part of it was dumb as a rock. And there's no scene in The Lost World that comes close to the T. rex scene in the original, where he trashes the SUVs and comes face to face with Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill).
Also, the scene where Jeff Goldblum's stowaway daughter does a gymnastic routine (on uneven bars that are CONVENIENTLY present) was about as dumb as you can get.
I absolutely LOVED Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) in Jurassic Park I, but he doesn't manage to carry this movie. And that brings me to an extremely important point--this movie needed the character of Dr. Alan Grant.
Also, when the T. rex is loose and running around in California, that was retarded.
Bottom line--if you have to miss one of the three Jurassic Park films, for God's sake, don't watch this steamy turd.
Scary Movie 2 (2001)
The parody of The Exorcist is HILARIOUS!!!
The opening scene is a takeoff on The Exorcist. This is the funniest part of the movie,in my opinion. The rest of the movie is good, but it doesn't measure up to the HILARIOUS spoof of The Exorcist. Still, it has many good laughs, and is worth the price of admission.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
This movie sucks and blows at the same time!
It wasn't funny,scary,moving,or anything else a good movie should be. It was really weird. I NEVER,EVER,EVER want to see this pathetic movie again.
Spielberg has had many great movies (Jurassic Park,Jaws,etc.), but this one stinks. Maybe it's because of Stanley Kubrick.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Best Christmas movie ever.
Chevy Chase is brilliant as the head of the dysfunctional Griswold family,which has gathered at his home for a family Christmas. Too bad everything goes wrong. The quirky personalities of the characters are what make it so good. Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid are especially brilliant. The only other Christmas movie that deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as this is "A Christmas Story",about the boy who wants a bb gun from Santa Claus.
Eye of the Beholder (1999)
Don't waste your money.
Ashley Judd has turned in excellent performances in movies like "Double Jeopardy". But this movie is pathetic. The character played by Ewan McGregor seemed to be on drugs. This movie was weird,dumb,and boring.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Incredibly real dinosaurs!
This movie broke new ground with its computer-generated and animatronic dinosaurs. I particularly loved the appearance of the T. rex and his awesome roar. Also, the movie had several good characters,such as Dr. Alan Grant(Sam Neill) and Dr. Ian Malcolm(Jeff Goldblum). Goldblum stole several scenes. But the real stars were the awesome dinosaurs.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
One of the most overrated movies ever.
I still don't understand why so many people think this movie is good. It wasn't scary to me. I didn't feel any suspense. And some of it was gross. What was good about it? In my opinion, the only good part was when it ended.
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Best werewolf transformation scene ever.
WARNING: This review contains plot details! If you've never seen this film, you may not want to read this.
This movie has the best transformation scene from a man to a werewolf, out of all that I've ever seen. I didn't like the progressive states of decay that Griffin Dunne went through;
I thought it was pretty gross. That's one reason I don't rate it higher than a 7. But it still has a lot of good parts. And David Naughton,Jenny Agutter and John Woodvine all turned in excellent performances. I also liked the unique-sounding howl of the werewolves in this movie.
The Exorcist (1973)
This is THE scariest movie ever.
WARNING: This review includes plot details that might spoil your enjoyment of the movie, if you haven't seen it yet!
In my opinion, this is the scariest movie EVER. Nothing else comes close. The only reason I don't rate it higher than 8 is that it takes a while to get to the full-blown possession scenes, which are the best part of the movie. It starts out in northern Iraq with Father Merrin on an archaelogical dig. And when Regan(Linda Blair) begins acting strange, her mother, Chris(Ellen Burstyn) takes her to several doctors before contacting Father Karras(Jason Miller) to request an exorcism. I understand what the author and screenwriter,William Peter Blatty,was trying to do--show that all medical explanations had been explored, but none of them helped Regan. But once the film gets to Regan being fully possessed by the demon Pazuzu, it's fantastic. The voice of the demon was provided by a British woman,Mercedes McCambridge,whose voice was great for the part.