Reviews

A whiny NY Gym Rat (Frank Martin, played by David Schwimmer) is dating a NY magazine up and comer (Robin Monroe, played by Anne Heche), who will do apparently anything to stay in the good graces of her chief editor boss. The Gym Rat, proposing marriage, takes Ms. Monroe on an exotic South Pacific vacation to celebrate their betrothal. Arriving on the tropical island, the sniveling Frank, who whines 'sweety" way too much, is experiencing a native-tourist dance when Robin gets a phone call, asking her to cover a shoot in Tahiti, a short airplane hop from the island where she is currently entertained. Quinn Harris (Harrison Ford's character) agrees to take her in his de Havilland airplane. In the middle of the flight, a very nasty storm arises and traps the aircraft in its eye. The plane is hit by lightning, the instruments short out, and the plane is ditched on a beach, on a deserted island, with a broken axle. While on the island, the marooned couple run into a snake, a scorpion, a pig, and pirates. Strong performances by all. Yes, even the snake, pig, and pirates. The marooned couple, as could be predicted, fall in lust ("there's nothing wrong with my tits") and then love, returning the original island, one bruised (Heche) and one badly injured (Harrison), to live happily ever after...wait...hold the camera. The already too whiny Frank is offered and agrees to have a sexcapade night with Quinn's girlfriend, because they are so distraught at the thought of losing their mates. He (Frank) feels way too guilty about the tryst...disgustingly so...Junior High School overacting so...when the marooned couple, escaping pirates and mortars, arrive back on the resort island. Reasoning that she (Robin) has fallen for Quinn and learning that her fiancé cheated on her while she was marooned, Robin breaks off the engagement, stating that neither would have happened if they were really in love. I liked the Heche character, and thought it was a good, solid performance. The snake up her pants scene was pretty funny, as was the pig and other sight gags. Harrison, as usual, was solid, if not excellent. Temuera Morrison also gave a strong performance as the head pirate, as did his supporting cast of pirates. The Schwimmer character was terrible. Annoying. If it weren't for the rest of the cast being strong, I would have turned off the movie. Anyone could have played the part of Frank Martin, and possibly better. Just not the right role for Schwimmer, who is much more talented than this movie allowed him to be. My suggestion is to watch it for its entertainment value. Quite humorous in places. Thank goodness Frank is, I'm confident in saying, mostly on the editors cutting board; barely on film. When this character is on screen, it's a good time to make your microwave popcorn. Otherwise, just a fun romp to watch.

I was an Amy Schumer fan before this show. Felt sorry for her husband while watching it. Not a fan afterwards...if her drinking problem is as bad as it was on the show, go to rehab.

Saw this for the first time in 2020, even though I was 14 when it came out. This movie is more than terrible. The plot, which is very difficult to discern (except for cats who are constantly looking for a piece...oh, that's the plot!...and a bunch of horny cartoon farm animals porking each other at every chance) is as shallow as shallow can get. Fritz, the college drop-out decided to experience the 60's himself, with all the police brutality, weed, and orgies one would want. This movie is not porn, nor does it deserve an X-Rating. Its just a poorly animated zoophilia cartoon. Based on what I had heard my entire life, I was expecting a hilarious romp in cartoon animation. What I got was a piece of trash that was not funny, was not entertaining, and did not pass the test of time, even if it was "groundbreaking" during its original run. I am glad I didn't pay anything to see it. This movie is a don't bother cartoon that belongs in a college "how not to make a film 101" class or the cellophane trash heap. i can't decide which.

I am married to an Aspie. I have know and know several Aspies. This movie is an INSULT to every one of them. Aspies are not slow in the mind, do not talk funny, or act like other Austistics (as a side, Asperger Syndrome was only put on the spectrum in the latest DSM, much to NTs dismay). The Sheldon character on The Big Bang Theory is the PERFECT portrayal of an Aspie. This movie should be burned for its horrible portrayal.

Stan Shaw (spoiler), the principal, nor any other of the principal actors know anything about martial arts and it is VERY obvious. Also, the camera angles show more missed kicks than cereal of the same name and more punches than kool-aid. This thing really has no redeeming qualities, except for the 70's required boob shots. No script. No camera angles. Lousy acting (in all deference to the stars, they did what they could with this crap script). I gave it two stars because the stars were good looking. That's it.

(Spoiler)...I am prejudice because the star is my father and I knew Majorie Helen (now Leslie Parrish), as a young child....the budget for this movie did not allow for a lot of things. Even so, the actors did pretty good job with all the clichés and lack of production funds. Funds were so slight that the actors portraying Koreans had to double and triple their roles. I knew, when I saw it as an adult, that the moment an actor saluted an empty jeep, this would a be a "doozy." As a side, I thought Kelly and Helen had good chemistry (actually, I am sure of it, but that's an another story). The production team rented a tank. Used a set on the Republic lot, and did the best they could with what they had. as for the actors, Kelly was already known from television roles and changed his stage name to "O'Kelly" not soon afterward. This is the last movie for Marjorie Helen before she changed her name (I believe). Frank Gorshin was introduced as an actor. A fun piece of nostalgia. Watch it for what it is and have a laugh.

"Manchester-By-The-Sea"...don't bother...wait for twenty years until it comes out on an old time movie channel at around 2 am and you need something to put you to sleep. The script is bad. The direction is bad. The make-up is bad. The sets are bad. The costumes are fine, because they are everyday clothes of working class people in the Northeast (Boston and other areas). I found Casey Affleck's performance to be the only redeeming quality in this overrated piece of digital media. He (Affleck) portrays a brooding, jack-ass, violent, bully of an alcoholic very accurately...almost as if he were one or was a another victim of the Hollywood hamburger machine(I applaud him..not standing "O," but polite applause because everything else in the movie was BORING). About that corpse (yes, there's a corpse in one scene): Not a corpse. Not a dead human look-a-like...but a live person trying to pull it off. It doesn't work. How was this evident? The cheeks and face were still naturally pink and flesh tone. There was a popping vein near the temple area. Really? Did you studio execs really think no one who would see this "movie" would have seen a real corpse? Come on. If you have seen dysfunctional, violent alcoholics who attack people in bars who they think are staring at them, or are smaller than the drunk, and families who have a hard time handling "life," in real life, you have seen this movie. Three stars because of Affleck's performance. Zero for the movie as a whole.

Aside from decent graphics, this "movie" is nothing more than a recycled, old, stale storyline. It is the same story as "Finding Nemo" and every other "oh my son" flick made in the last fifty years. Father loses boy, boy finds father. Journey in between with perils, hazards, and a strong woman to play off of. In this one though, there are ridiculous fight scenes reminiscent of 1970's martial arts films that ripped off Bruce Lee (this is how, of course we get Kung Fu).

The tigress was, I admit, kind of cool. Wonderful eyes.

The plot centers around "Chi," which literally translates from Chinese to English as "breath", "air", or "gas." With Kung Fu Panda 3, only the "gas" translated. I, personally, have never understood the "oh, my son" storyline and I, for one, am tired of seeing it. DreamWorks needs to take Disney's lead...understand when a story has been told and doesn't need to be told again. It was kind of funny though...every time I heard the line "I have the power," I was hoping that He-Man or She-Ra would show up and save the movie. Wait until this comes one out on network TV, to let the kids see it. It is not worth even discounted admission.

This is one the worst pieces of so-called "movie" I have ever seen. I put is in the same category as "Flesh Gordon",' only with panties still on. This is the kind of film that ends, or should end, careers. The beginning narrative and first scene, the funeral scene, are promising...that's it. No redeeming qualities after that. Although, growing up Jewish in Los Angeles, I did understand the Chinese restaurant humor (bunch or Orthodox Jewish guys eating Chinese on Christmas Eve). We had a couple of those types of places we used to go when I was a kid...one was called Wan Q...they asked if you were Joosh when you walked in the door. Anyone saying yes got a menu with no pork dishes, but I digress. Next, the drug thing was idiotic. Having lived through the 70's, I understand what effect all those things have on a person...the movie's depiction was terrible: Unrealistic, bordering on asinine. I can't say anything after the "let's have sex with our panties on in the bathroom" scene, which followed, because I left. It was that bad...I walked out. Don't go see this crap. It isn't funny. The acting is terrible. The writing and plot line are worse. One of the worst movies I have seen in my life.

Everyone, well almost everyone in the 60's and early to mid-70's had a big eye something hanging in their house. The prints were everywhere, just as was depicted. So, for the 60's and 70's generation, the basis of the story should become very familiar, very quickly. Amy Adams, who plays the lead Margaret Keane, is completely believable as she portrays a completely oppressed and emotionally abused woman who is forced to make art for her worthless, con-man husband (played by Chritoph Walz). As for Walz, as Walter Keane...he was very good as the psychotic husband taking credit for all his wife's work. Even so, he was miscast for this role. Spoiler alert: The heavy tongue of his native Austria came through clearly in a character who was supposed to have from the U.S., but allegedly spent time in France. The accent was bothersome for me, throughout the movie. It is why I gave it a score of 7 and not 8. That aside, the movie is worth the watch. It is very well done.

This review contains spoilers...Bill Murray's best piece of work...just, Wow! I knew nothing about this film when I walked in the theater. Just saw that it had a good cast. So, my wife and I thought, OK, lets see it.

For me, especially, this film is a winner in every sense of the word: In the beginning, a bus pulls into to Sheepshead Bay, NYC. When I saw this, I said to my wife..."hey, that's where my father was born" (he, like the main character, was also a Veteran and an alcoholic...and died just before my 8th birthday) I also identify with the boy in this film, as I went to Catholic School and am an ethnic Jew. Having said that...

Let the parallels of an alcoholic veteran from Sheepshead Bay begin! First, the accent...spot on Mr. Murray! The beard stubble...I could actually smell the booze stench coming off this character, in my mind's eye. Running over the fence and blaming it on someone else when convenient...again, check. Being broke because all his money is spent on booze. Uh huh. Dragging the "kid" into bars and liquor stores and making him sit while the drunkard drinks...there ya go. Taking the kid to the racetrack and teaching him how to gamble. Yeppers again. And finally, stealing the kid's money...ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF A VETERAN ALCOHOLIC! Murray pulls his character off with all the grace and style of the Irish, low class person he was asked to portray. Uncanny performance deserving of an Oscar nod.

But, there is also another side to this film. This is the side of a tender heart who knows his life is a failure, but still tries to help out where he can and teach lessons where there is opportunity. It is the story of a man who keeps his own demons buried deep inside, losing himself to the hell of war's PTSD as he loses his wife to Alzheimer's Disease. The story of a man who takes in a pregnant immigrant dancer/prostitute when she has no where to go. The story of a man who understands how hard it is to be a parent and gives sage advice to his divorcing neighbor. The story of a forgotten hero, finally recognized for his achievements by a little kid...the story of the Saint of Sheepshead Bay,NYC.

Bravo Mr. Murray and supporting cast! BRAVO

Warning: This entire review can be considered "spoiler" material, but it may save you from wasting a night out. Mr. Peabody and Sherman, is, without question, the worst movie of the year and absolutely should not be seen by elementary school age children. The movie starts out simple enough...then the bully clichés hit: Sherman is bullied by a girl; Peabody is bullied by a social worker. A social worker makes arbitrary and bigoted decisions based on a bully persona. And the family of the offending girl (the one who bullied Sherman in the beginning): White Yuppee Dad is definitely the boss with little wifey cow-towing to his "my little angel can't do anything wrong" attitude, regardless of her alleged opinions and peace-making efforts.

In terms of how this "film" relates to the original Sherman & Peabody, as part of the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show: It doesn't. The original show had the two principals going back in time to a famous place or event. Sherman usually got into trouble and Peabody saved the day. Very innocent and known to us kids of the time to be a farce...like the accompanying "Fractured Fairy Tales." The Peabody in this film is a narcissistic megalomaniac; nothing like the character should have been. Very sad to see. Oh, and while I am at it...for any "Family Guy" fans familiar with the Griffin's neighbor "Joe" the cop....the Roman character in this film is "Joe"...actually the same character drawn with the strong jaw and same voice. It doesn't work. So, for a guy who raced home after school and got up early on Saturdays to watch the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show with Mr. Peabody and Sherman, this movie failed in every aspect that a movie could fail, except for the animation. The animation was commendable.

This is one of the worst movies I have seen in my life. The only saving grace was Justin Bateman's and his on-screen wife's portrayal of their characters. The plot was completely unrealistic...a financial person not realizing immediately that his I.D. was stolen when he got a call from Florida and he was 1,000 miles away? The police arresting him based on a license plate that had nothing to do with the crimes committed? It went from the unrealistic to a ten on my "this is stupid" scale. My wife and I both asked each other when the comedy was going to start or at least when the decent acting was going to begin. McCarthy needs to stick to stand up, because she is horrible as a screen actress based upon this performance.

I do have to say though, that I admire the Bateman character for not literally beating his foible's (McCarthy's character) face to a pulp, be she female or other. This movie stank: the plot-line stank, the script stank, and most of the acting stank (again, except for Bateman). Don't waste your money...no not even when it comes out in Red Box. My pickle was the only thing that made this trip to the theater worth-while.

I was a huge fan of the original Dark Shadows serial soap. Watched it every day until it was preempted in Los Angeles by the Senate Watergate Hearings. Tim Burton's version of Dark Shadows staring Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfieffer is a great send-off to the series and other 70's horror movies. Green puke: The Exorcist. Wearwolf: Wolfen. The boy staring in the hall: Damien from The Omen. And the 1970's soundtrack was second to none, starting with "Nights in White Satin." It was tacky, funny, a little scary, and definitely another Burton hit. I would go see it again in theaters, watch it every time it is on T.V., and go see the sequel too. This is one of few movies that I see out of the over 40 new ones I see per year that I can truly say: You gotta see this flick!

The most interesting thing I found about this movie was the filming technique: A throw-back to the days of "Dark Shadows" and 1960's vampire movies. In fact, I was waiting for the vampiresses to enter a scene wearing the typical early 70's sheer long nightgown...it would have at least caused my eyebrows to raise where not much in this film did. In a film wherein the editing mistakes are evident throughout and the direction is less than acceptable, the filming technique is good...helped me to sit through this less than "horror" flick.

The best description I can come up for "The Woman in Black is that it is like a trailer funhouse at the local carnival. The "scary stuff" is old and stale. The screams are the same old Banshee screams we've heard in movies for seventy-five years. The plot is an update of the original Frankenstein-ish movies of long ago, with very little variation in plot- line, including the riotess towns-people blaming the new smart guy for their problems. Having said that, the two male leads do a good job in holding the audience even though the script and direction were inferior. Without the talent of these two, it would be a movie fit for a drive-in second feature in 1971.

If "The Woman in Black" is a measure of this generation's "horror" movie, we need to send them back to school and teach them how to create, not just copy someone else's work and pass the test, because this film did not pass any test nor was it creative.

I was in politics for 17 years. Worked at the local, state, and federal levels, as an elected official, appointed official, staff, and bureaucrat. In my opinion, this movie is a fair and accurate portrayal of the game. It is not Liberal agenda, nor is it Conservative agenda....it is the reality of politics. And politics is an, at times, vicious chess match which determines how people are going to live. Philip Seymour Hoffman very accurately portrays a Chief of Staff and the conversations that take place are close to reality. The writer got this movie correct. If a person wants to know what the game is really like at election time, they need to watch this movie.

Powerful, poignant, honest picture of life south of the Mason-Dixon Line prior to passage of the Civil Rights Act and subsequent government sanctioned civil strife/murder in the American south and cities throughout the nation. If you lived it, you will get flashbacks. If you were too young to live it, you will witness a piece of history accurately re-enacted.

From hope in JFK and loss of that hope in his assassination, to the murder of Medgar Evers, to the blatant bigotry ingrained in 1963 Mississippi culture, to the heartbreaks and heartaches of African Americans in the South, this film will wrench your gut.

And if you compare this movie to today's America, you will be stunned at the similarities. Similarities not necessarily in the racial sense, but certainly in economic policy...be cerebral when viewing this film, it is worth it.

Best movie of its genre since Forrest Gump. The lead actors should get Academy Award nominations and this film should be nominated for Best Picture. End of story.