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jamesharrah
Reviews
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
R.I.P Ronald Neame.
I just found out this morning that the director "Ronald Neame" passed away. The director of one of the best disaster movies ever made.
I have always loved this movie and have seen it over and over and over but have never tired of it. There is a reason for this. This movie, with all its cheesy moments, has a human connection. Drama. Unlike that dreadful remake "Poseidon" with all its CGI and lack of character development. You actually care about the characters in the original and in one especially, Mrs. Rosen. Her death scene was so overwhelming that it still breaks my heart to this day. "Poseidon" has none of this stuff. Its main focus is "look how elaborate our CGI effects are". Granted the capsizing scene is very good, but after that....it has nothing else going on for it. Whereas with the original after the capsizing (which I still think is quite impressive without the use of CGI..."Old School" methods of disaster are best), we had a Christmas tree to use as an escape tool. The remake however? Broken staircase. I could go on and on about how bad the remake is but I wont.
This is about Hollywood losing an iconic director who made one hell of a disaster movie to add to his movie credits. A classic that has not faded. The saddest part of this all is that Hollywood is dying as well. Because the directors and producers today don't really focus on the human aspect of situations. Its all about how loud and overdone they can do it.
Us old timers who come from a time of good movie making, sits back at watch Hollywood destroy each classic they can get there hands on. Rumour has it "The Wizard of Oz" is next. Nothing sacred in Hollywood.
Once again I want to say.."Thanks Ronald, for making a classic movie that has held up through all the years...Rest In Peace!"
Avatar (2009)
Theater version? Perfect!...DVD? Forget it!! Save your money!
First let me say I went to the theaters and saw this movie not once but twice!...I loved it! Then came news of the DVD release which I could NOT wait for. Unfortunately it turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments I have seen on DVD. I am fully aware that the 3-D effects would not be in play on DVD. It would be in 2-D, which I had no problem with what so ever. What I DID have an issue with was its transfer. The "main menu" (if you want to call it that)..had "Play" - "Set Up" - "Scenes". I knew this was no special edition or anything but come on! Then after I hit play, the Fox logo comes on and I (for an instant), thought I had bought a "Full Screen" version. The aspect ratio for this was ridiculous! 1:85 is fine, 2:35 is even better...but this was in 1:75!. That is mid between full screen and 1:85! It was a joke! You call that "Wide Screen"? I had a feeling that this would happen as with Peter Jackson's "King Kong" which I bought. First they release the movie and ONLY the movie on DVD...wait a month or so then release a "Special Edition"..ya go out and buy that then guess what...here come Peter with yet another release, this time an "Extended Special Edition". At one point I had 3 versions of this movie and had spent a total of $90.00 (theater tickets plus the prices of all 3 DVD's) and it disgusts me that they (the movie companies) do this to milk you of every penny they can get from you..including the money ya spent going to the theater to see it to begin with! Cameron is going to do the same thing with "Avatar" and this time I am not biting. All this release was was a taste of what is to come and at $40.00 so far:(20 for both times at the theater then the 20 for the DVD), that is it. The picture quality was a let down, the sound was sub par and the aspect ratio really irked me. I am tempted to take it back and get my money back. Very Very disappointed in this treatment of the so called "#1 movie of all time!"...and THIS is what you came up with? Terrible! Save your money and just say to yourself, "I saw it at the movie and that will be enough for me".
Major Thumbs down!!!!!!!!!!
Paranormal Activity (2007)
We actually turned it off........after only 45 minutes.
"Paranormal Activity". What can be said?! Well, let me see. I kept hearing from family and friends about this movie and how scary it was, (yeah o.k.) and in all reality I had no intention of seeing it even though I LOVE scary movies. Then I saw a commercial for it on t.v. and saw a magazine heading saying..."Scariest movie of all time"...(VERY boastful statement wouldn't you say?). Curious, I decided to stroll down to the video store to rent a copy and was prepared to be scared to death!!!........Turned out I was actually bored to tears.
Don't get me wrong. To me, it is the "things that go bump in the night" and "shadows lurking in doorways" that make for a WONDERFUL scary movie. Not blood and guts and gore, but the "unseen". IF they are done correctly that is. And in this case...they weren't.
This whole "camcorder concept" has been done to death. I think that is what ruined this movie. "Blair Witch Project" proved that, and in itself another awful movie. Then came "Cloverfield". Even though it too was shot in the said mentioned concept, it wasn't that bad. It wasn't that good either. In other words: QUIT WITH THE CAMCORDER CONCEPT! It ends up looking like something you would see on "Americas Funniest Home Vidoes"!
But, I digress.
Anyway, after only 45 minutes of annoying chatter between the couple and a few sounds of "bumps in the night", disgusted, I actually turned it off and watched "T2". Then the following day I felt I would give it another shot, since I really didn't give it a chance the prior viewing, so I turned it back on and watched it from start to finish plus watched the "alternate ending". Still, I wasn't impressed. The entire process was like watching some silly paranormal show on the History Channel or something. You know those shows where these people go heading into haunted houses with their night vision cameras and jumping out of their skins to any sound they hear and any spot on a lens they call a ghost? A ghost, when in fact it is a bug? Silly and UNscary stuff. That is what this "movie" is.
The story is of a young student who lives with her day-trader boyfriend in a suburban home, who since childhood, has been tormented by an evil "entity" and her boyfriend goes out and buys a camcorder in hopes of capturing the spirit on film and rid her of its presence once and for all. Then what follows is a series of events which proves the entity does in fact exist. (Looks good on paper).
I am not sure what bothered me the most: the irritating annoyance of the boyfriend or the lack of actual scares! The ONLY sequence that got me was "Night 20": the entity pulling the girl out of bed by her foot and dragging her down the hall. "Kinda" chilling, but not very. In any event, to call this the "scariest movie of all time" is an insult to the whole genre of film making. The acting was less than believable and it was NOT terrifying. It looked like something a couple of kids might make. And the endings were just terrible...both of them.
What really astonished me was seeing the commercials on t.v. (yet again), and seeing the audiences responses: screaming, gasping. Whatever. Plus, the "too frightening to be shown in theaters" business? Who thought thought that up? It just shows the mental capacity of todays audience and leaves one wondering, "Why would you pay to see garbage like this when you can turn on your t.v. set and watch the same thing for free?".
So, I returned the DVD to the video store and demanded my money back. Which I got.
SAVE YOUR MONEY and watch "The Amityville Horror" (the original, not that ridiculous remake), if your in the mood for a ghost story. As bad as "Amityville" was...it is STILL superior to this dredge.
No wonder it sat on the shelf for awhile. I can see why.
Airport '77 (1977)
Great disaster flick.
"Airport", the classic Oscar winning movie is great...then come the sequels..."Airport 75" (a so-so mid air collision movie)...and that god awful "Airport 79-Concorde", but in between was "Airport 77". My fav of them all. Great cast. Great acting. Above par effects (the crashing of the plane into the ocean was actually believable thanks to special effects Oscar winner Albert Whitlock). Great popcorn, disaster flick and oh so much better than the flood of disaster movies that came out in the 70's, the best of course being "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno". "Earthquake" wasn't TOO bad. Only reason to watch it really was for the earthquake sequence itself and feel it in "Sensesurround" (The prequel to todays "Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound"). "Airport 77" is the perfect movie to watch on your day off at home and no one else is at home to bother you. But it must be seen in its original widescreen format. I hate watching movies, especially disaster movies, in full screen. You have no idea what your missing in full screen. Action, action and more action is on both sides of the screen but it is cropped off and zoomed in to fit on a television screen. Thank goodness for DVD.
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
A remake worth watching.
I am SO not a fan of remakes. Now a days they ruin what was already good to begin with. But THIS? I must say I was pleasantly surprised, not to mention disturbed and out and out nerve racked. A great remake. Not for the easily upset. Very disturbing movie that I will NOT watch alone at night. I was looking forward to the sequel...but minus the director of this one (he wanted to direct the sequel but the producers felt they couldn't afford to pay him after the success of the first one...idiots!)...it was awful. This one however, I highly recommend to any horror fan. Scary, shocking and very well made. The original was great...but this brings it to the present time.
Friday the 13th (2009)
Garbage!...Don't waste your time.
I for one was not expecting a lot from this so called "remake" and it did not disappoint. For one thing it was not a "remake". It was yet another ridiculous sequel to something that should have ended with part 3. There were so many things wrong with this movie. It had not one single element of atmosphere or that incredible creepy music (Harry Manfredini's masterpiece of music) that made the original what it was and is...a classic. Even the opening sequence was stupid. Mrs. Vorhees being beheaded and this little boy picking up her head afterward? Come on! In the original Jason had drowned (original script stated he drowned and was DEAD and that him coming out of the water to attack Alice in the canoe was a dream) some 20 years prior so therefore he was no longer a little boy. 5 minutes about his mom then BAM it was all about Jason. Jason, Jason, Jason. First he is wearing his nap sack on his head like he did in part 2, then low and behold he dons his hockey mask as in part 3 then there is that guy looking for his sister like part 4.
What an absolute mess.
This movie had so much nudity and sex it was like watching a porn flick instead of a horror movie. There was no shock value, nothing to make you uneasy except the awful acting and directing. I was also quite disturbed during the opening credits when I saw Sean S. Cunningham serve as producer of this garbage. He of course directed that glorious masterpiece of gritty horror being the original. I feel he sold out. And how he of all people could put his name on this is beyond me.
As much as I detested Rob Zombie's remake of the classic "Halloween", I must say it was FAR superior to this trash. To this day I can not watch the original "Friday the 13th" at night while home alone: the music, the p.o.v (point of view) of the killer, the sense of isolation and atmosphere and being scared out of your mind. The original is perfect horror fare. This however, actually put me to sleep. I actually at one point almost picked up the remote to turn it off but I wanted to be open minded and try and give it a chance. It failed. All this was, was Hollywood producers trying to squeeze more money out of people and ripping a classic to shreds. This movie, not to mention all the ridiculous sequels after part 3 (part 2 & 3 weren't that hot either but at the end of part 3 Jason is lying dead with an ax in his head and that is where it should have ended), should not have been made. Complete and utter garbage. Whoever made this should be very ashamed of themselves.
Any hard core fan of the original will agree that this was one movie that should have been left alone. But when one mentions "Friday the 13th" all they think of is Jason. Forgetting the fact that it was his MOTHER who did all the killing in the first. And I think that is what scares me the most, a grieving mother butchering people and not your typical male killer.
So my rating for this is "1", meaning awful.
Anyone who loves and covets the original "Friday the 13" should stay away from this and save your time, not to mention your hard earned money and just stay home and watch the original. At least you know for a fact you will be scared and not bored to sleep. Shame on you Sean S. Cunningham and all you producers who feel the need to rehash and blemish what was once a genre of fear...not dollars.
Remakes and sequels. When will it end? Almost every single original was fine just like it was without the need for a remake. "Psycho", "When a Stranger Calls", "My Bloody Valentine", "The Amityville Horror", "Carrie", "Prom Night", the list just goes on and on. There has only been one remake that actually scared the hell out of me and that was "The Hills have Eyes". Reason being the producers and the director knew how and what they were doing. Rough movie to watch. Great stuff that is!
Give it up Hollywood. Your not making these movies better. Your making them worse! If it isn't broke, don't fix it. And these movies, not to mention the countless other movies you will no doubt remake, were not broke to begin with.
Others I am sure will disagree with me on my post about this awful movie and that is their choice. I for one will stick to the original.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Perfect Sunday Matinée Movie!
In this age of digital everything (not to mention, endless awful remakes), it is very refreshing to watch an adventure movie that is actually interesting in story line and not made up of digital effects and silly antics. Everything has gotten so digital that there are no longer any surprises to see on screen. And to see a movie that sets and miniatures had to be built for is a great departure from the green & blue screen stuff we have today. The cast is great. The acting first rate. Effects are realistic enough to take you to another world. Jules Verne's novel was well adapted for the screen and THIS treatment is the best by far than any other remake: T.V.,3-D or otherwise. Mason, Dahl and Boone do a great job is this classic cinema treat. They don't make them like this anymore, which is a pity.
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
Bloody awful.
I was 17 when the original came out at the birth of the so called slasher era: "Halloween" (classic!), "Friday the 13th" (the first one, not all that trash that followed. I still cant watch it by myself at the age of 44.), "Silent Night Deadly Night", "New Years Evil", "Prom Night", the list goes on and on, and the original "My Bloody Valentine" wasn't all that bad of a movie. It had actually had some scary moments in it. Yes it was predictable as this genre of movie goes: crazed masked killer on the loose stalking teenagers!. And it was fine just like it was (as in most original movies) and did not need a remake.
I do try to give these remakes (lord I am sick to death with them) a chance to see if they can hold a candle to the original...they never do. Just gore, gore, gore for shock value or it just isn't scary at all. This movie is one of those cases. Too much gore (after awhile one gets immune to it and too much blood just makes it all the more unbelievable), the acting was terrible, suspense was non-existent, the full frontal nudity of one victim...why?, all in all it was just another stupid remake of something that was fine to begin with. Granted though I didn't watch it in 3-D, as the trailer states "A New Dimension of Terror" (I believe the exact words were used in the "Friday the 13th Part 3, 3-D"). I am sure watching it in 3-D would not have helped. It was a terrible movie. I found myself actually yawning.
Whatever happened to the horror movie that actually scared you? Things that go bump in the night, shadows in windows, someone watching you and you have no idea they are there, and the best part...you never actually see the killer till the end of the movie. "Friday the 13th" was the best as far as that scenario goes. But the masked killer? "Halloween" was the best in that department.
Remake, remake, remake. I do believe Hollywood has just gone dumb and can't come up with anything new without rehashing something that has already been done. Have yet to see a remake of anything that can even come close to the original with the exception of "King Kong". The rest is garbage. And this movie, "My Bloody Valentine" was just bloody awful.
Let me try to list some remakes:
"Halloween". Rob Zombie ruined this movie. And I like his movies. "When a Stranger Calls". Actually fell asleep watching it. "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". No raw terror there. Just stupid. "Prom Night". Check please! "Carrie". Although faithful to the book, no one can out do Sissy and Pipers' performances. "The Fly". Next! "The Shining". Was no Kubrick film that's for sure. "Friday the 13th". Have no desire to see it. "Amityville Horror". Waste of time.
I could go on and on. Hollywood? Do the public a favor and leave classics as they are...classic, and try something new.
Speed Racer (2008)
Great for kids. Adults however...
What can one say. For adults I give it a 5...for kids I have to give it a 10. Pure bubble gum. A very expensive video game of a movie. Neon, explosions and so much blue screen that at times it doesn't even look like a real movie and more like a video game one can play on their computer. I had higher expectations for this movie for the simple fact I grew up watching the short lived cartoon. The car itself is a dream car that makes me drool. The acting is o.k. The plot very cartoon like. The little brother and the pet monkey (for comic relief no doubt), just don't seem to fit the big screen as good as they did in the cartoon. Its pretty to look at and listen to but for some reason it just seems to be TOO digital to be taken as an actual MOVIE. Gladly I waited for the DVD release instead of spending more money and watching it at the theater. Great for kids. Adults however may be less than excited.
Carrie (1976)
Perfect. 10
I have seen this movie I know at least 50 times or more, but to this day the acting of Sissy Spaceck (Carrie) & Piper Laurie (Margaret White) still astound me. Sissy was perfect as the mistreated, picked on teenager and Piper went over the top as her religious fanatic mother. It is in all reality the best revenge story, and anyone who was ever picked on in High School can relate to Carrie and deep down wished they had the power to do what she did.
Granted, I did read the book and it is in my opinion one of King's true masterpieces and this version deviated a bit from the book. Brian DePalma himself said that back in '76 there just wasn't the technology to put on screen some of the effects of what Carrie could actually do, like making the fire come from the sky and pretty much destroy the whole town. But that is O.K. I still love this movie. And no matter how many times I do see it, the Prom scene with the bucket of blood shocks me because of DePalma's tight direction for building it up and the music just built it up even more.
Although by todays standards this movie is lame and tame according to some, I disagree. This really wasn't a horror movie. It was more suspense and nail biting tension which is lacking in movies today.
The sequel "The Rage: Carrie 2" was a joke. All it was was a blood fest. And the remake that was "re-imagined" for television, even though it was more faithful to the book, lacked the suspense of the original. Angela Bettes did an OK job as Carrie but Sissy she is not. And I did not like Patricia Clarksons portrayal of the tyrant bible beater. Piper nailed it completely. And besides, it was too digital for me. Even when the blood was dumped on Carrie you see a quick fake digital shot of blood coming out of the bucket and it just kept coming and coming and coming and coming. No real shock value of just ONE splash of blood as in the original. So the remake gets a 5 out of 10. It did not need to be remade. It was fine as it is. Convincing acting (to me both actresses deserved their Oscars for which they did not get), great direction by DePalma which all together made for a classic that to me still holds strong today.
Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
Friday the 13th - Part Dull
There are not too many good things to say about this movie. I had gone to the theater and saw it upon its release in 3-D (wearing the 3-D glasses and all) and for the life of me I could not find one scary thing about it. The 3-D effects abound in the movie and were not that good to begin with. The worst part of the movie was the character 'Chris' and her "issues" she was dealing with (drama!). Plus there was quite a bit of ripped off scenes from the first movie. I also found it amazing how Jasons' appearance changed from the ending from part 2 to part 3. Then to make matters worse I ended up buying it on DVD to go with the first 2 parts...and it looked even WORSE on DVD as far as effects go.
I am a true hardcore fan of the original, the second one was just o.k. and in this one, Jason "allegedly" dies...(but of course he didn't due to the endless sequels that followed and the sequels just got worse and worse and worse), so to me there are only 3 Friday the 13ths. But Part 3 is just gimmickry with cheap 3-D effects, really bad acting, a ridiculous opening soundtrack (Friday the 13th dance music? lol). Just a bad movie.
The War of the Worlds (1953)
After all these years....still perfect.!!!!
I recently purchased the "Special Edition" DVD of the original "War of the Worlds" and with the remixed surround soundtrack and crystal clear picture it is STILL one of, if not THE best sci-fi martian invasion movie ever made. Having mentioned the crystal clear picture, unfortunately you can see the strings extending from those elegantly sinister war machines(nothing even compares to those perfectly designed machines today), but even with that minor flaw (the strings), it is still a wonder to watch. Those classic sound effects used by the war machines blows you away in the surround sound mode (and still get used to this day occasionally in other movies). I also loved it due to the fact that the martians were intended to be the star of the movie, not the actors. I did see the Tom Cruise version of this and to me it just cant come close to the original. Technically yes, the visual effects are far superior, but still too much other drama taking away from the actual story of an invasion. And one must give the makers of the original Kudos for the effects they achieved in the original...all done WITHOUT a computer and earned an Oscar for it and rightfully so. It will always be a 10 to me. Plus on the "Special Edition" is a documentary of the making of, an H.G. Wells documentary, and the original trailer plus other features. A MUST have for any lover of sci-fi and especially of this movie.
The Strangers (2008)
Loved it! Do NOT watch this alone!
Let me say, it takes quite a bit to scare me...but this movie did it! Being a major horror fan of course seeing "The Strangers" was bound to happen. It just proves that blood and guts...gore galore does NOT a horror movie make. And that is the problem with Hollywood and todays audience..."if it ain't got be headings and impaling and blood baths then it can't be scary". There is more to creating fear than squirting blood everywhere: suspense, the unknown, no reason as to why, shadows in the dark and the old adage..."things that go bump in the night" are in full swing in the fright-fest. I really wouldn't say it was a "horror" movie per say...more like terror!. Anyone who does see this movie and is not at least shaken or disturbed not even by the slightest...have become so desensitized by the gore fest going on that they wouldn't know fear if it bit them on the rear.
It was tense, suspenseful and the terror level over 10. A must see for anyone who loves to be scared.
I have read some other comments dissing this movie and I would love to ask these people..."Do you think YOU could actually make a better horror movie that actually scares? With hardly any blood? If so, I would like to see it. But don't try and copy anything out of this movie...you have to use your OWN imagination."
I am sure no one could or would raise to the occasion.
Truly a terrifying road trip I won't be taking again for quite some time. I am not as young as I used to be. But, I loved it!
Poseidon (2006)
Awful, awful, awful.
Another multi-million dollar remake flop. There was no need to remake this movie. The original was fine. The t.v remake was just as bad as this theatrical garbage. What really gets me is...with all the technology that was on that ship...and it took someone to "feel" something wasn't right?(someone felt the wave coming!), something that large and it didn't appear on radar?? Granted it was water, but still something that big would have appeared on a radar...it did in the original. Only thing this movie has going for it is the first 15 minutes. The wave scene and the ship tipping over is very cool, after that...you might as well just turn it off. It is just plain terrible. When is Hollywood going to QUIT WITH THE REMAKES?. If your going to remake a classic...either make it as good as the original or don't even attempt it. Too much emphasis on effects and not enough on character building and script. That is the problem with Hollywood. They spend all this money on effects, (and sometimes on not too good actors), to remake classics...and they make them worse. Waste of time, waste of money to make...not to mention the time wasted watching this dreadful movie.
King Kong (2005)
A Masterpiece!
I never thought it would be possible to remake this classic AGAIN, and ACTUALLY do it right this time. The original 1933 classic was ahead of its time upon release and is in a class by itself...but, Peter Jackson took that classic many steps forward for todays audience. It is by far the best remake of ANY remake ever done. And as for that dreadful 1976 version?...junk it. Even Fay Wray herself said the '76 remake was terrible, but this I am sure, she would be very proud of. This one has it all: action, love, suspense and the best effects ever put on film. Jacksons' Kong is not this 'monster' to fear. It has feelings and emotions and even after seeing it for the 5th time, I still cry when he dies.
The "Extended Version" is even better. With additional and extended scenes: more creatures and more action.
One of the best reasons to see this movie is that it is faithful to the original in oh so many ways: Taking place in 1933, a lot of the same script and during the "sacrafice scene" in New York at the theater, the dancers are wearing the same costumes and the orchestra is playing the original score from the original movie...not to mention Naomi Watts looks almost identical to Fay Wray in certain scenes.
This is a touching, exciting and a perfect movie in every way.
After seeing this movie and buying my copy, I actually threw away my copy of the 1976 version (why I bought it I will never know) and comparing it to Jacksons' version...well, actually there is no comparison. This one is perfect and to me Peter Jackson's best picture.
10 stars all the way!
Halloween (2007)
What the Hell is going on in Hollywood? Remake and ruin thats what!
There was absolutely no reason what so ever to make this movie. It was terrible! "Halloween" is a classic that should NOT have been remade. And what is the deal with all these remakes, remakes, remakes. Most were perfect the first time around, so why mess with them? To add sadistic violence and gore is my guess. I don't mind gore in any way, but this movie had not a single scary moment to me. Carpenter took the "right" route by using shadows and the unseen to make the perfect atmosphere. This was pure garbage and I had such major high hopes for this. And what is up the the language anyway? And the stereotype that all rednecks act like backwoods idiots and are lazy drunks and say the "f" word all the time,(I am from the south so, yeah that stereotype is getting kinda old), but I don't mind language, but come on! Every other word?! I tried to keep an open mind about this because I knew it was NOT going to be in the "Carpenter" class...but THIS was uncalled for. And I usually enjoy Rob Zombies movies but this one fell short of just about everything: scares, suspense, surprise. Not there!. If your going to destroy a movie by remaking it...at least give it some dignity first or do NOT attempt to even make it in the first place. Absolute garbage! Rob Zombie should be ashamed of what he has done to a horror classic.