dsparks555 Reviews

The Getaway (1994)

Surprisingly Great Remake

[8/10 · 19 February 2022]

As a general rule I tend not to like remakes. But for me a least this remake of the Sam Peckinpah early 70s film actually surpasses the original. After watching both versions back to back I found the flow and pacing to be much better compared to the original.

I have a great respect for Sam Peckinpah's work and I love Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw. But I found the pacing to be a little too slow for my taste. There were numerous scenes that I think could have cut out because they didn't move the story along.

Alec Baldwin is not one of my favorite actors, but he is well cast in film. Kim Bassinger is comparable to Ali MacGraw. And, for my money, James Woods easily outshines Ben Johnson. Michael Mansen and the rest the cast fill there roles nicely. There's even an early performance from Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Overall a much better watch!

See for Me (2021)

Extremely unlikable protagonist!

[4/10 · 18 January 2022]

In spite of all the bad reviews I decide to watch his film anyway. What a mistake! I've seen thousands of films during my lifetime and I've never seen a film with such an unlikable protagonist. The main character in this film has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. She treats everyone including family, friends and strangers alike with equal disrespect and contempt. Yes I realize she's blind, But that's not excuse for her crappy behavior. I was actually rooting for her to be killed off that's how bad she was. I don't know if her character was written this way or if the actor playing us just that obnoxious. Stay away from this film.

Bumperkleef (2019)

Dumbest Protagonist Ever

[4/10 · 3 January 2022]

I've watched lots of movies with lots of really dumb characters. But the lead character in this film is the dumbest of all. Every decision he makes is completely idiotic. I feel sorry for his family because they have to suffer due to his really lame decisions. The villain would be much less threatening if the main character had any brains at all. Having said all that the film is watchable and entertaining on some levels.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Complete Trashing of a Great Franchise

[3/10 · 25 February 2021]

The absolute worst film in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. This is film was produced and directed by untalented hacks who had idea what they were doing and didn't care about the fans. I could have directed a better film and I never directed anything in my life. If you haven't already suffered through this unwatchable mess stay away!

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2017)

Good have been good

[4/10 · 22 March 2020]

This might have been good if they had focused exclusively on what transpired in Hollywood from the early days through the modern era. We get some of that but we have to endure watching Scotty feeding his cat, looking for toilets, and admiring the clutter in his house. A one word message to the folks who produced this flabby excuse for a documentary film...."editing".

Company Business (1991)

Decent spy flick with flaws

[7/10 · 9 June 2019]

Not a bad movie with good performances. However the premise is flawed from the beginning. The CIA would never and I mean take orders from an Air Force Colonel. The CIA is completely separate and independent from the military. Whoever wrote the script for this film is clueless. Anyway If one can overlook the stupid underlying premise then the film can be enjoyed as lightweight entertainment.

VHS Lives: A Schlockumentary (2017)

Very disappointing!

[2/10 · 1 July 2018]

When I rented this video through Amazon I was hoping for something fun and enjoyable like "Rewind This" or "VHS The untold Story". What made those documentaries fun was a good blend of interviews and cool clips from the films that were part of 80s VHS experience. This film unfortunately has nothing but talk, and more talk, and still more talk...and on and on and on. There are virtually no clips from any of the films that are talked about during the endless interviews. If you enjoy mostly dry non stop interviews then this is for you. Otherwise stay away. I regret that I rented this but I am happy I didn't buy it.

The Black Dahlia (2006)

Big Let Down

[6/10 · 23 September 2006]

The Black Dahlia was a film I really wanted to like. I had enjoyed most of Brian De Palma previous work and I had read a few books about the horrific murder that inspired the film. And there is a lot to like about the film. The film the right look and feel for Los Angeles in the 1940s, the cinematography is brilliant with a very subtle and stylized look, and the actors all in turn in fine performances. The only think the film lacks is a coherent and believable storyline. The Black Dahlia is one of those films where you don't realize how thin the storyline is until the big "pay off" at the end. And trust me on this the "pay off" in this film wouldn't buy you a cup of coffee. Without giving anything away let me just say that this outlandish mess looks as if the screen writer and director all of sudden realized that they didn't have a real ending, so they threw in as many unexplained and contrived plot twists as they could in order tie everything up in a neat package. So one should have told them that when you have shocking revelations at the end of your story, it helps if the audience can make some sort of connection to something that happened earlier in the film...I don't know...that would be called "linkage" maybe. But what do I know? Save your money and rent it if you must...I see a quick video release for this one.

The Harrad Experiment (1973)

Don't Buy The DVD

[6 October 2004]

I just purchased the DVD of this movie and I wasn't very pleased. In fact the DVD was so bad that I can't really give the movie a fair rating or review. First, the print was awful..very washed out scratchy. Second, and worst of all, the film was obviously cut. It looked as if they used a "TV" version of the film. Every possible "bad" word was cut from the film any scenes that might offend, that is any and all nudity. And for a film such as this one that's really crime since the nudity is one of the main points of the film. The company that released this DVD (I think it was Platinum or something like that) deserves to go out of business. And if should be a crime to release any film on DVD that's been cut and that hasn't been remastered from the best possible source. A total waste of money.