Reviews

Tolkien penned a classic that will be eternal. With anticipation and

skepticism I awaited the release of this movie. The former

animated versions were painful to watch. I never could understand

the compulsion to make Samwise to look like a toad. Jackson's effort has some flaws. I realize that his vision could not

match the visions of individual millions of fans of the LOR. My

admiration won out and I enjoyed the movie more than any movie I

have seen since Apollo 13. The casting was brilliant. I do wish the

dialog was more in line with the book, especially in the

confrontation between Gandalf and Saruman. Saruman's abandonment of the "white" in favor of the "rainbow" robe was

important in the book as Gandalf's "promotion" later in the book

reveals. The acting was good to great, with Sean Bean's protrayal as

Boromir stealing the show. I do not understand why he was not

nominated for an Academy Award for Supporting Actor. He seized

the essence of the character and ran with it. Arwen's role was

expanded in the movie whereas in the book she played a backround role. Liv Tyler was perfect for the role with her natural

elfish looks. Special effects were brilliant as expected and I eagerly await both

sequels.

Made at the tail end of the Hippy movement, this mildly entertaining little Sci-Fi piece had all the elements of that culture: evironmental paranoia, a quirky lead character( Bruce Dern), social relevance, and a message of extremism. I liked it more when it first came out, but on a recent TV viewing I thought this would be a perfect movie for MST 3000. It's just lame enough.

I enjoyed the first 3 Superman flicks. Even though Superman III

had its problems, at least it was entertaining, this cannot be said

for Superman IV. The script was lame and the action was so

boring that even it's target audience (the PC crowd) could not be

seduced into the theaters. It made it quickly to video and late night

movie channels where it can be useful as a sleep inducer. It's on my top ten turkey list.

Really strange and very bad movie. The tip off is that any horror movie than needs a narrator throughout is always bad - no exception here. Another early tip off on this movie is when "Dr Frank" (can't they be more original?) is grave robbing, his assistant kills a watchman. Rather than using the fresh corpse, Dr Franks goes after the entombed body of the young woman. The only good performance was by the black cat. The only reason I gave this flick a 2 rating rather than a 1 is because of its surreal quality at times.

Great music and inspiring festive footage makes this one of the best propaganda flicks ever made. It did what it intended to do, instill pride into and devotion from the German people. Put your judgements aside and one can appreciate the technical expertise put into this film. Great editing keeps it flowing. It is like a collage.

Not bad performances. Whoopi plays the wise/warm role quite well. Still, the storyline and situations can not be believed (forced PC stereotypes). At times it is good Jews and Blacks vs. the evil White Christians (ho-hum). A typical Hollywood fantasy. The film does have its moments, but it is not one that I would recommend to go out of your way to view.

Entrancing film that has high adventure, light-hearted comedy, and an offbeat romance with an oddball cast of characters. The most notable are the stars: Warner Baxter as the alcoholic down on his luck reporter, Alice Faye as the showgirl running from crime, and the multi-talented Charles Winninger as the noble head of a small American embassy under siege by a large band of Mongolian bandits. Good script, interesting complex characters, and fine performances make for an engrossing movie that has something to please every movie taste.

A coming of age film that covers aprox. 24 hours of the life

of a group of teens in the age when the automobile became the symbol of freedom for the young. The casting

was great and many well known stars emerged from this group. Richard Dreyfess was great in this flick. This is

before he started playing irritating, hyper characters. This

was one of the best flicks to come out of the early '70's. I

enjoyed it when it first came out and having seen it recently

on television, the magic is still there. I rate this along with

"Breakfast Club" as the best teen film ever made.

Very Good Vampire movie considering you neither see nor

hear about Vampires for half the movie. The first half is

Clooney and Tarentino as desperate, sociopathic criminals

on the lam and letting nothing get in their way. The Vampire

angle is periphial. I liked this movie for all its weaknesses. The acting was

great , especially Harvy Keitel as the preacher. The movie

had a lot of tension and was an enjoyable watch. I put this

on par with John Carpenter's "Vampires".

The first and the best of the Rambo Series. Stallone was very good in this role, making Rambo believable. Fascinating struggle of a man fighting both his inner demons and those who oppose him at home. Rambo defined the super-hero of the 1980's.

When this flick came out, many people who saw it told me

it was symbolic of the Japanese financial take over of the

US(remember in the 80's when Corporate Japan was buying everything they could in the US at inflated prices?). A

couple people told me that it was about the Jews taking

over the US. I decided to see it myself and I rented the

video. My conclusion? It can be who or whatever you want it

to be depending on your worldview. I enjoyed this movie taking it at face value and was

surprised at Piper's performance. Good action/Sci-fi with

adequate special effects and some good twists in the plot. Rating: 7

I'm not a big Al Franken fan, but I must admit that his Stuart

character is hilarious. I've actually met people like Stuart. It

is a great parody of the pop psychology "getting in-touch

with your feelings" movement and Franken is brilliant in

his portrayal. The problem is that the movie is just too long,

the characters over stereotyped, and at times the film

seems to drag on and on. I did enjoy the character of the evil dyke station manager(Franken's Boss). She could have been a James Bond villain. For all its weaknesses and flaws, I did enjoy

parts of this movie, but it could have been done much better.

This flick was universally panned by the Hollywood Left and railed

against by Liberal extremists at its release, but was embraced by the

mainstream American movie audience. Well constructed, acted, and

filmed with credible special effects. I appreciated the film showing the

human side of the enemy as well, separating this effort from a mere

propaganda flick. RED DAWN displays pride, will, hope, and tragedy

in a powerful way.

A near perfect war flick with outstanding performances. The

mix of light comedy and intense drama works very well. Stalag 17 eclipses both "The Great Escape" and "The Bridge over the River Kwai" (2 other war flicks I love)

,although there is less special effects and violence contained within. The tedium and powerlessness of the POW life is aptly displayed . I have never seen a better

performance by William Holden.

Can you believe this was the inspiration for the "Hogan's

Heroes" TV series!!!

Yes, Stargate has it weaknesses, but what Sci-Fi movie

doesn't? It was a box office hit and even has a spin-off TV

series, so it is evident that this movie captured the imagination of moviegoers worldwide. Special effects were fantastic as were the costumes of Ra's Guards. Stargate wasn't a success on it's effects alone, the casting

was excellent, the acting above what one comes to expect

from a sci-fi movie, plus it was just a damn good story.

Stargate is a sci-fi classic in the same class with

Forbidden Planet and the Star Wars Trilogy. Rating 8

A delightful movie with a balanced mix of humor and horror.Some of the scenes are surreal. Well acted all round and Alex Guiness is brilliant in his protrayal of the lecherous alcoholic innkeeper caught between God and the evil inhabiting his country inn. Highly recommended.

Sorry, if you are expecting a movie based on Poe's poem. Other than Vincent Price elucidating one line from the

poem and his wife being named Lenore, any other connections are coincidental. Yet, I'm sure you will find this movie entertaining and funny. An all star cast of Vincent Price,( the kind but powerful

hero), Peter Lorre, (a sniveling, shifty, weasel), and Karloff

at his diabolical best as the evil magician. It is sort of a

D&D version of the Good, Bad & the Ugly. Great special

effects for its time. A young ,soon to be Superstar Jack

Nicholson playing Peter Lorre's noble son does not really

add to the story, but it's fun to see him in his fledging days.

While in a Marriott Inn in Oklahoma a couple of years back

I watched this movie out of sheer boredom, expecting to

see a ditsy "chick flick". Surprise!!!! I found this movie to be

engrossing and extremely funny. A well deserved academy

award for Jack Nicholson for a character that was tailored

to his style. Jack as probably the best character actor of his

generation. Helen Hunt was good, but I believe that her

performance wasn't Oscar quality. The only problems I had with this flick was : 1) Characterization of Helen Hunt's mother was shallow &

strange. Advising her daughter to go out and get laid ??!?

(she is already a single mother). 2) The romance relationship between Helen & Jack is

unreal. Jack should have ended up with Helen's mother. All in all, the movie was outstanding. If it could touch an

emotionally jaded person as myself, it has to be good.

A fun and sexy adaptation of Southern's novel. A tale of Candy's spiritual and soft-core sexual journey. Star studded cast with Ringo Starr( a young man nearing the Priesthood), Richard Burton (as a larger than life drunken poet), Marlon Brando (as horny Maharishee/Bhagwan style guru), and many other crazed characters. This movie is very camp and very 60's. Fun and brainless entertainment. I wish this would come out on video. I haven't seen it since the release 30 years ago.

I love action movies and though the filming and the fight sequences were exceptionally done, I was disappointed in this movie. The story and characters were unbelievable and it was hard to relate for any character because it was hard to find the "Good Guy". The entire movie glorified senseless violence, the characters were one dimensional with Brad Pitt giving perhaps his most uninspired performance of his career. It shouldn't surprise anyone that this movie did so poorly at the box office after the first week.

Of the Monty Python movies, "Life of Brian" outshines them all. Well written, well acted, with non-stop satire. Young Brian's attempts to fit into and find meaning in the madness of the world around him (so easy to relate with in these times) is hysterically funny. My favorite scene is when Brian addresses the worshipful crowd beneath his window proclaiming, "You are all Individuals!" and the crowd answering in unison, "We are all Individuals!" This could have come out of a modern diversity training seminar. This Movie is a "must-have" for all Monty Python Fans.

The hallmark of a good movie is not merely the impact it has on you when you first view it. The STEPFORD WIVES' impact is that it is a movie that sticks with you. Few films can do that. The film was will written, well cast, and made a silly premise very real. Fun Flick!