robinpoe Reviews

Troop Beverly Hills (1989)

Hollywoodland Adventure!

[7/10 · 5 July 2005]

Family fare for an entertaining evening at home. The problem of divorce is posed in this film without detracting from the value of marriage. Shelley Long portrays a bored Beverly Hills wife whose husband is leaving her for another woman. Deciding to make something of her life she volunteers to be the leader for her daughter's "wilderness girls" troop (I guess they couldn't get the rights to girl scouts). Shelley Long is a hoot as she tries to make it through a camp-out without getting her nails ruined. Both her and her troop of pampered Beverly Hills princesses learn valuable lessons in character, courage, and friendship with a super happy ending (no spoiler). Great mother-daughter movie.

Love Story (1970)

I'm not in Love with this Story

[1/10 · 5 July 2005]

I was dragged to this movie by my sorority friends when it opened in the theatres. I squirmed in my seat through the movie. Thank god for raisinettes. I kept expecting it to go somewhere, and then it ended and I stood up and said, "What the hell was that?" This script and direction of this movie, along with over the top acting, could not be saved not matter how much schmaltzy piano music you jammed into it. The plot line was the usual plot line of the rich boy loves a girl from the other side of the tracks and only their love will make it work. No, not even killing off Ali McGraw at the end could give this piece of dreck any credibility.

Utter crap from beginning to end.

I, Robot (2004)

The Essence of Asimov

[9/10 · 5 July 2005]

While the movie did not really follow the book by Isaac Asimov of the same title, it did show the essence of what Asimov was trying to express in his view of technology and automation. Much of Asimov's philosophy was expressed very articulately in James Cromwell's character.

The set design especially with its interesting mix of technology and humanity showed that the two are not mutually exclusive. Rather the balance between humanity and technology will bring a process of positive evolution.

Will Smith and Bridget Moynihan did an excellent job of capturing the typical Asimov protagonists.

The CGI was a little behind the state of technology but did not detract from the storyline.

Fantastic Voyage (1966)

Fantastic Movie

[10/10 · 5 July 2005]

This movie really set the bar as the Academy Award Winner for visual effects. The special effect were on the leading edge of the technology at that time, and still are awe-inspiring. The story had a few technical holes (which were corrected in the famed Sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov's concurrently published book), but did not detract from the pace or credibility of the story. The cast was populated from Hollywood's best with Raquel Welch for eye-candy - a trend of the times. Apparently, the scene where she was tightly wrapped in anti-bodies was particularly enjoyable for the male cast members. The special effects did not detract from the plot line, which was fast-paced with believable acting showing a great depth of drama for a sci-fi/action genre film.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Bewitching Bette

[8/10 · 5 July 2005]

This movie is funny, scary, but warm and human all at once. It emphasizes the value of families working together to help each other and does not create confusing messages about good and evil. It's a fast-paced comedy that does not trivialize the characters. Bette Midler's rendition of "I've Put a Spell on You" shows the depth of her talent as a singer/stage performer. The divine Ms. Bette has great chemistry with both Kathy Naijimy (how does she get her mouth to do that?), and Sarah Jessica Parker (amok, amok, amok). While the scary factor with corpses and death may not be appropriate for very small children, the movie is lots of fun for the whole family.

There's Something About Mary (1998)

There's Something in the Toilet

[1/10 · 5 July 2005]

Please flush this movie. I would say shoot the screenwriter, but there probably wasn't one. The minimal story seems to be a poorly connected series of gross-out jokes, which could only appeal to an audience with the mental capacity of an 8-year-old male (technically not allowed to see this movie).

Anyone over that age will find this movie mind-numbingly tedious. The acting was either non-existent or over-the-top. None of the characters was believable. Cameron Diaz was there to strut around in skimpy outfits, which explains its eye-candy value among males. The director of "Dumb and Dumber" is getting dumber and dumber.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Words Fail...

[10/10 · 5 July 2005]

To describe the wonder of this film. The two previous Lord of the Rings films were superb, but the final film exceeded them all. Once again, Peter Jackson tested the absolute limits of the visual effects technology. Although the film was over 3 hrs, it seemed to fly by. The Extended Version DVD added scenes were excellent as well. The horse charge of the Riders of Rohan will long be remembered as an epic work of cinematography. Behind-the-scenes news says that ove 600 horses were used in the charge. While not as scary as the Shelob scene, the "Mouth of Sauron" scene in the extended version was very weird and creepy. The screenplay was beautifully written and executed. This is a flawless movie.

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

Poor Handling of a Paranormal Subject

[3/10 · 5 July 2005]

This film was 40 minutes of storyline crammed into 2 hours of movie. Considering the subject, it was a rather boring movie. I was able to stay with it using couple of beers while I was vegging on the couch (there was nothing else on TV). The cinematography totally distracted you from the storyline (why can't they just anchor the camera. Even the ending which was supposed to be the point of the whole movie was anti-climactic. Richard Gere's performance was at an abysmal low in this film. Spending two hours of screen time looking confused and dazed isn't really acting. He should have starred in "Clueless." I guess filming it in West Virginia made it scary enough. This one was one step up from "Blair Witch." Don't waste your money even renting this turkey.

Vanity Fair (2004)

A Challenging Classic

[7/10 · 5 July 2005]

Mira Nair took on a challenging classic in bringing William Makepeace Thackery's "Vanity Fair" to the screen. It is not easy to cram such a huge sweeping novel into a feature-length film, but she managed it with a great deal of creativity and effectiveness. Ms. Nair was also able to inject the essence of her native Indian culture into the the British venue of the film without distracting from the storyline. While the movie did not exactly follow the storyline of the novel, she captured the essence of the Thackery novel well. The cast gave a great deal of credibility and depth to the characters that even the novel was not able to achieve. Reese Witherspoon was an excellent choice for the character of Becky Sharp. The visuals were both expressive and breathtaking.

The Mouse That Roared (1959)

Hansel and Gretel Meet Dr. Strangelove

[5 July 2005]

This comedy is riotous, ridiculous cold-war satire. Peter Sellers really shines in this comedy gem by playing multiple characters - The Prime Minister Count Montjoy, The Constable of the militia Tully Bascomb, and Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess Gloriana! The plot pokes fun at the wrangling of international politics and nuclear arms proliferation in a money-making scheme by the world's smallest country that goes horribly and laughably wrong. This satire leaves nobody unscathed - the Russians, Americans, British, Cinese and French all get jabbed. The action is fast-paced without getting too slapstick. It's not exactly brain-food, but it will leave you snickering.