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Vampires: Los Muertos (2002)
A plot driven horror film
At this point it seems almost unnecessary to state that Jon Bon Jovi delivers a firm, strong, seamless performance as Derek Bliss. His capability as an actor has been previously established by his critical acclaim garnered in other films (The Leading Man, No Looking Back). But, in case anyone is still wondering, yes, Jon Bon Jovi can act. He can act well and that's come to be expected of him. It's easy to separate Derek from the guy who belts out hits on VH-1.
I generally would not watch a horror movie. I've come to expect them to focus on sensationalistic gore rather than dialogue and plot. What pleased me most about this film was that there really was a viable plot being moved along. The gore is not so much as to become the focus of the film and does not have a disturbingly realistic quality of films with higher technical effects budgets. So, gore fans might be disappointed, but story fans will not.
Unlike an action film like U-571 where the dialogue takes a back seat to the bombast, we get a chance to know "the good guys" and actually care what happens to them. A few scenes are left unexplained (like Derek's hallucinations) but you get the feeling certain aspects were as they were to lay the foundation for a sequel. Unfortunately, with the lack of interest shown by Hollywood in this film, that sequel will never happen. These few instances are forgiveable knowing that Vampires could have been a continuing series.
Is this the best film I've ever seen in my life? No. Is it a good way to spend about two hours being entertained? Yes. It won't leave the person who fears horror movies with insomnia and it won't leave the horror movie lover completely disappointed either. If you're somewhere in between the horror genre loather and the horror genre lover, this film is for you. It reaches a happy medium with the effects and story balancing each other.
Row Your Boat (1999)
A Gem of a Film
It's a shame that Row Your Boat did not receive a big theatrical release. It's the kind of quality story that's missing from the local cineplex. Each cast member does an astounding job with his/her character, especially Jon Bon Jovi. He is perfect as the sweet, sensitive, charming, and slightly insecure Jamey Meadows. Row Your Boat is a tale of love and morality. Jamey Meadows is an every day hero, struggling to do right when wrong is pulling at him. This film is one of the few worth the purchase price. It's the rare gem of a movie that will be watched over and over and get recommended to friends, family, and complete strangers at the video store.
U-571 (2000)
This could have been a great movie
Minor spoilers. U-571 could have been a great movie. It has suspense, drama, action, and thrills. However, it lacks heart and humor. The truly perplexing reality is that humor and emotion were intertwined with the suspense in the script, yet did not find their way into the film. I have read what was meant to be and went into the theater with expectations that were unfulfilled. Where was the relationship between Andy Tyler and Pete Emmett? For that matter, where was Pete Emmett? In the book Lt. Emmett is the character that brings both heart and humor to story. The relationship of Andy and Pete, best friends since their days in the Academy, was center to giving the reader a reason to care about those characters. Emmett was vibrant and cocky, yet willing to express his vulnerability to his best friend. The rich dialogue between Andy and Pete strengthened both characters, let the reader peek inside their souls, and opened the door to truly caring what happened to these men. To see the friendship and the bond between them allowed one to empathize with characters. In the movie, Emmett is just an expendable body. Aside from the mentioning of the fact that the two are best friends, the only connection we see is the looks between them, in which Jon Bon Jovi conveys more with his eyes and expression in a few brief seconds than he was allowed to convey with his all too brief (edited out) lines. Anyone who has seen Bon Jovi's work knows he is quite a capable dramatic and comedic actor. Writer/director Jonathan Mostow shot himself in the foot by cutting out the work of this man. His performance alone would have brought the film to a higher cognitive and emotional level. U-571 could have been both action packed and thought provoking. It was all there in the story. Anyone could have related to Pete's admission that he was scared and his request that Andy tell his parents he died for something important, if he happened to die and Andy lived. For some unknown reason, they decided to keep only half of what makes a film great. I'm sure it will still do fine at the box office, but it's sad that heart and humor were sacrificed for the sake of... what? A few more explosions? Added lines of technical jargon? A few more shots of the blue-green sea? It's a mystery to me that any writer would leave out the best parts of his story!
See the movie. Then read the book and use your imagination to see what could have been. 7 of 10 stars