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Reviews
Cat's Eye (1985)
The Stories Are So Enjoyable, But They're Too Short
Before I ever saw this movie I read the short stories in the Stephen King book "Night Shift." For viewers who enjoy comparing the entertainment value of the original book to the movie adaptation, they will enjoy watching this film because of the mirror-like matches that the stories in the movie pair to the book. Most people will also enjoy how all segments of the movie are tied together by a stray cat wandering about on its own mission that becomes known at the end of the movie.
Unfortunately, whether the viewer is familiar with the Stephen King collection of short stories or not, they will probably find themselves somewhat confused or shallow to this film since the segments are just too short to give any of the characters or stories any depth. Viewers that have never read any of the short stories in "Night Shift" will probably be wondering what they have just watched, or how the stories "come about," whereas reader-viewers that have read the compilation by Stephen King will most likely wish that the movie adaptations were longer and more detailed -- like the book -- to give the reader more of an understanding where the characters and events come from.
Being of the reader-viewer variety, I found this film to be enjoyable and engrossing in the diversity of each of the stories and how they are all tied together by the wandering stray cat, but I was somewhat disappointed that this was not broken into three, longer movies to better match details with the book to the screen. Having read the short stories I was probably not as oblivious to the lead-up events that were explained in the stories, but the cuts and substitutions in the movie just don't match the original work.
I rate this movie a 6 out of 10. The creativity and imagination to the movie and its segments is obvious and makes it mildly entertaining, but the loss of details and background to the stories detracts from a lot of the clarity and ingenuity of King's original stories.
How Do I Look? (2004)
Enjoyable... to a Pure Sadist
I stumbled across this show a few months ago and have since seen it a few times. I can only say that this is a prime example of why America has freedom of speech: so that we can hear bad-speech -- like this show's -- and not make the same mistake of repeating it again.
The overall premise of this show is identical to the series "What Not to Wear": a female in need of a makeover is invaded by a fashion expert to pick-over their dress flaws. Only "What Not to Wear" takes a humorous, light-hearted approach to convincing a person to change; "How Do I Look" takes an insulting, bigoted tone to the person being told to change (I remember one episode a woman was forced to choose between a dress she wore when her husband proposed to her and a sweater her mother had knitted for her, and one would get destroyed and trashed). For me choosing between a valued belonging and tossing an unwanted guest out a window is not a hard decision, especially when the guest chooses to insult and defame me in my own home.
The overall attitude of the family and/or friends that come forward with the fashion "experts" to confront the person is one of so much disdain that anyone -- male or female, young or old -- would rather lynch themselves than hearing the comments of their "friends" and families, and especially the derogatory remarks of the fashion "pros." The wardrobe makeovers aren't done by any fashion designers / experts, and the person being confronted is clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation that they are being pressured in to.
If you have a sadistic mind you might find a show like this one enjoyable, since the host and assistants all enjoy an endorphin rush from shattering a person's self-worth. If you're looking for class, seeing a more humorous self-transformation story, and one that can give a reformed individual a sense of self-worth, look elsewhere.
Predator (1987)
A Real Tough-guy Movie
"Predator" is an excellent film for science fiction fans and action fans. The story focuses on a team of commandos sent to South America on a rescue mission, but they find out that they're being unintentionally pitted against a more dangerous adversary than a group of guerillas.
The movie opens with the commando team receiving their orders for the mission, then quickly changes location to their insertion in South America. As the group makes their way toward the guerilla camp, the camera occasionally changes view to an infra-red lens, hencing toward something else spying on them. As the crew completes their mission, the men begin to disappear one-by-one, and the remainder of the team slowly becomes aware of the presence of a "predator" of humans among them (pun intended).
This movie moves really fast, and keeps a first-time viewer on the edge of his or her seat. The special effects and gore add to the quality of the movie; the story itself is not dependant on them. The shocks and jumps come in at appropriate times to keep a viewer's attention, and a member of the audience can really notice the relaxment of the end of the movie.