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Misery (1990)
Kathy Bates at her finest!
The first time I watched this movie, I wasn't all that impressed. I mean, I thought it was good, but I didn't truly appreciate the film until subsequent viewings.
James Caan plays the part of novelist Paul Sheldon, whose books include a series of novels with the character named "Misery". Paul is driving in his car one very snowing evening in Colorado, when his car slides out of control and flips off the side of the road. We see him being rescued by a person who turns out to be Annie Wilkes, played by Kathy Bates. She brings him back to health at her house in the wilderness, always proclaiming to be Paul's "#1 Fan". We can tell something's definitely wrong with Annie right with the first few encounters with Paul, as she's definitely someone who's possessing a wee bit too much fanaticism with the novelist. Eventually, she forces Paul to write a new novel in the Misery series, keeping him under lock and key, not allowing him to leave, even after his injuries have sufficiently healed. In fact, in a possessive rage, she injures him even further, in one of the most grotesque on-screen injuries I've ever witnessed.
I'll stop right there and not reveal anything further about the plot. It needs to be seen to really be appreciated. But what really needs to be appreciated is the acting ability of Kathy Bates. Watching scenes of her persona go from admiration of Paul, to quickly turning into rage through the help of psychosis, is something to behold. She really makes it believable. I said her moods turn quickly, but only in the sense of being in the same scene. Just watching her facial reactions turn slowly during these times, are not only truly believable and scary, but they are also the mark of a great actor. Under the direction of Rob Reiner, she pulls these scenes off flawlessly, and it's a beauty to see.
James Caan is very good in his own right, but Kathy Bates steals this show. It's kind of a throwback to the great actors from the past, who can make you feel sympathy to vindictiveness in one scene.
A Must See!!!
Happy Days: 30th Anniversary Reunion (2005)
Trip down memory lane
Growing up in the 1970s, I used to watch Happy Days regularly on Tuesday nights. From the start of the series, until the last few years, when, in my opinion, the show went downhill in the early 80s. Watching reruns of the show now may seem corny to many, and in many ways, it was corny. But of course, times were different then, and things that happened in the show actually WERE funny.
ABC put together this 2-hour reunion special, and the producers did a fantastic job on it. Starting with Tom Bosley and Marion Ross standing in front of the original Cunningham home, and then proceeding through clips of the series, getting input from all cast members throughout. They even include home footage shot by Henry Winkler, and a reunion softball game. There were also a few surprise guests, such as the original 2 actors who played the long forgotten older brother, Chuck Cunningham. Also making an appearance was Pat "Arnold" Morita.
The special was very well put together, and provided many good memories of the show, as well as insights and bloopers. MUCH better than just watching the reruns. If there was a drawback to this reunion, it's that Al Molinaro was not included in the special (in clips only). I would've liked to see him as he is now. Producer Garry Marshall was the host of the show, and he did a bang-up job at it. Kudos to all involved!
D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear (2003)
Garbage
The whole purpose of a documentary is to provide additional information rather than just the actual events. Everything displayed in this movie was widely available through media sources. We all knew the facts of this case. Especially those of us in relative close proximity of the crimes. What the movie fails to offer is any kind of insight as to why these 2 people committed these awful crimes. Why not? BECAUSE IT HASN'T GONE TO TRIAL YET!! Perhaps after the trial, we'll have a better idea as to why these 2 did this. But to release a movie like this before the trial is very irresponsible. It's already hard enough to find a jury for a fair trial. Now they come out with a movie depicting the actual events while jury selection is going on! Ridiculous, irresponsible, and greedy, USA Network should be ashamed for showing this trash.
I think that USA Network just gave the defense lawyers great ammunition for declaring a mistrial once the trial actually begins. I'd be surprised if it doesn't happen.
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Enjoyable movie
:::: SPOILERS AHEAD ::::
It took me a while to see this movie, almost entirely because of the name, which is unfair of me because it really is a good movie.
The movie is about a troubled young girl named Susanna (Ryder), who, through her strange behavior, is committed to a mental institution by her parents. Although she may act a bit strange, she is far from mentally disturbed, and really has no business being in the institution. Her ward-mates are far worse than she is.
While in the institution, she becomes attatched to another female patient, Lisa (Jolie), who is extremely charismatic, but also very independent and rebellious. During the course of Susanna's stay at the institution, the more she becomes closer to Lisa, the worse Susanna becomes, eventually emulating the behavior of Lisa, which gets her into more and more trouble with the authorities.
After escaping one night, Susanna and Lisa crash the house of a former patient, Daisy, who had just been released back into the world. Daisy is still very unstable, and Lisa seems to go out of her way to belittle her. The following morning, Susanna goes upstairs to check on Daisy, and finds her dead, hanging in the bathroom. Horrified by what she sees, Susanna begins to realize that Lisa is not only a bad influence, but is the prime cause of her still being in the institution after one year. Susanna begins to turn her life around, and turn against Lisa at the same time. Eventually, after a fairly dramatic scene in the basement of the institution, Susanna is released back into the world, with a fresh new look on life.
Girl, Interrupted shows some parrallels with another "institution" movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Along with some similar situations, it also parallels the basic theme in that institutions can sometimes drive people crazy, rather than help them. Although "Cuckoo's Nest" was a far better movie, Girl, Interrupted is still very entertaining, and has much of the same wit as did "Cuckoo's Nest"
Recommended for drama fans.
Rating: 8 out of 10.
Cram (2003)
Terribly boring!
One gets tired just watching this boring show. There's really not much in it for the viewer. One really can't judge how good he/she is at trivia because most of the questions are just useless facts, as well as trying to remember dumb one-line jokes. Graham Eliot is annoying as an MC. One of the best things about a game show is its MC. Which is exactly why someone like Chuck Woolery is successful in almost every game show he hosts. Chuck Woolery has the charm and charisma to pull off almost any game show, regardless of the content.
One more thing, just how did this game show get renewed for a 2nd season? UGH!! Perhaps GSN needed some filler for their schedule? Who knows? What I do know is that I would recommend fans of game shows to simply pass over this useless 30 minutes.
Friend or Foe (2002)
World's dumbest people on display!
I'm not going to say much about this show, since most of the others on here have already said what needed to be said about it. I will add this though: The questions on this show are probably the easiest questions ever asked on a game show. Only an uneducated moron would continually get these questions wrong - which is exactly the type of characters they have as contestants. Boring and irritating to watch. Skip it!
Family Feud (1976)
Decent show, decent host
I will agree that Richard Dawson is a very good host, mainly due to his wit, and likeable personality. My only complaint with Richard is that he's a bit too soft-spoken, and sometimes not completely audible when asking the questions, especially if you have other noise going on inside your home.
The game itself has always been very enjoyable, although the original series tends to be somewhat dated at times. Many times, the answers to the same questions would likely be quite different these days. But it's still fun to watch.
Titanic (1997)
IMDB Users got it right
Sometimes, when I look up certain movies, I simply can't believe my eyes. Some of the worst movies I've ever seen have been given generally high ratings, and vice versa. However, when it comes to "Titanic", the users here got it right on the mark. At the time of this writing, the users have given the movie an average of 7.0. Not a bad film, but certainly not great.
I won't get into the movie much here, as most people have probably seen it already anyway. However, I will point out that the area of the movie that I hate the most is the desperate attempt at a love story. It truly was not necessary in a movie like this. Well, at least not a long drawn out love story anyway. I really got SOOOO sick of hearing the two main characters yell out each others' names during the last hour of the movie - "Jack!!" "Rose!!!" "Jack!!!!" "Rose!!!!" UGH!!! What a dialogue!
If you haven't seen this movie (what rock have you been under the past 6 years?), I would recommend viewing it. It does have it's good moments. Just beware of forced-down-your-throat dialogue and love stories.
The American President (1995)
Movie Perfection
Once in a great while, Hollywood produces a great picture, which I can watch over and over again. The American President is one of those rare movies.
(A few spoilers ahead)
Michael Douglas stars as the President, and does a superb job at it. Annette Benning is a powerful lobbyist for an environmental group. She meets the president by accidentally insulting him when she thinks he isn't around. After a brief face to face meeting where the president actually asks her to go somewhere to get a cup of coffee, she goes back home. Later that night, he calls her on the phone. Thinking that it's a friend of hers calling as a joke, she insults him again. When she realizes that she just insulted the president again in the same day, embarrassment fills her face. The President was actually calling her to invite her to be his date at a Formal State Dinner at the White House.
After agreeing to go to the dinner, the movie then follows the two in a courtship. Meanwhile, since it's an election year, the President's challenger to the White House (played by Richard Dreyfuss) uses this courtship to rally the American people to his side, citing family values, etc. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?)
The movie has many more detailed parts to it, but that's the basic foundation of the plot. What's so great about this movie is that it is not only brilliantly acted by all actors, it also places the President of the United States in a different light - almost as just one of us. The plot is charming, the dialog is precious, and the acting is superb.
The movie? One of the best I've seen.
Recommended to all - especially fans of romantic comedies.
Rating: 10 out of 10.
Armageddon (1998)
Absolutely horrendous
Believe it or not, I know people who have said that they thought this was a great movie. Are they watching the same movie that I am? Or is it that they are so easily entertained. If it's the latter, I'm sure that Hollywood loves those types!
If this isn't the worst movie I've ever seen, it's certainly amongst the top 3. Horrendous acting, extremely poor plot, and a total lack of logic all contribute to the movie's downfall.
After watching movies like this, I find myself hoping for an asteroid to wipe out the earth. After all, if that happens, at least we'll be spared from any more movies such as Armageddon.