Reviews

When you think of Alice in Wonderland, you think the Disney version, and ask yourself "could any version equal that one?" Well, you can ponder no more, for this version is the one that you'll be talking about for a long time! One thing in this one's favor is the effects are courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Workshop which brings a lot of things to fluid, graceful life you'll fell like you're in the story. And who could ever forget the perfectly cast faces of actors in their respective roles? A lot of big names here too many to name off, but the show stealers here are Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat, Gene Wilder as the Mock Turtle, and Martin Short as the Mad Hatter. These three don't just play the characters, they live it up, especially Short, he's just perfect with all that creativity and energy. Once you're done with this version you'll want to see this one again and again!

When you think of sports movies you think formulaic plots, where the highlighted team starts off badly then plays better until winning championship. This movie shatters that cliche being based on historical events, and highlights some thematic elements making this the first sports movie by Disney to take its subject matter seriously. More than the sport its about overcoming prejudices as the team is integrated of different races they learn to respect one another. Adding to it the coach Herman Boone (played wonderfully by Denzel Washington) is pressured to not lose a single game or get fired, making him coach his team rigorously much like a drill instructor. His assistant at first frowns on the treatment, but Boone defends it to the end, and the only question is will all the training and overcoming prejudice pay off? You will love how everything develops even when a few bad things happen, it's worth seeing to the end.

I've seen this a few times in my life and it gets better and better despite it's age. This one movie personifies St. Patrick's Day with it's lovely scenery, memorable characters, sense of liveliness and fun, and wonderful ending which is too good to reveal here. Albert Sharpe is terrific as the title character trying to make the most out of finding the king of the leprechauns and the wishes he's allowed to make. Then there's Janet Munroe as his beautiful daughter who's doing whatever she can to help her father. Finally there's Sean Connery as Michael who has a good singing voice, and has a lot of responsibility and resiliency, not letting the local jerk trample on anyone. It will only be a matter of time before the confrontation happens, and there will be some unexpected, not to mention frightening scenes later, but those don't spoil the high spirits of the movie.

I happen to be a fan of figure skating as it's a sport and a work of art all in one, and to get the full effect the couples skating is the ideal part, and you need the right chemistry and it shows here. The two leads D. B. Sweeney and Moria Kelly are perfect for one another as they either embrace each other, or be at each others throats in a comedic way, both bringing something different, Sweeney with his slight macho edge, and Kelly for her fiery temper yet sweet disposition. There are many great quotes in this that you'll be repeating for years to come. While the story sort of feels like another underdog story, there's more emphasis on the development on the leads, that even if they don't make it at certain times, you'll still root for them all the way, along with the the laugh worthy moments.

Another one of the great inspirational sports movies, one that concerns one man, Herb Brooks, who has to coach a ragtag group of dedicated hockey players to represent the USA at the 1980 Olympics, and win a long overdue medal for the country in hockey after a string of victories from the giant USSR. Of course there's always struggles from finding support to quelling old rivalries between players to motivating them to play their best. Kurt Russell is terrific as Herb, this is strictly about the man more than the team, so don't expect the shenanigans of Mighty Ducks, nor the formulaic plot that one has, this is a true story of a team fighting to win the gold. The question is, can they do it? Herb will have to give them all the instruction they'll need to get it.

Everybody loves a good underdog story and this one, based on a real person, is one of the best you'll ever see. This isn't the usual bad team gets good in the end formula sports movie, this is about one particular player who wanted nothing more than to play football for Notre-Dame, despite what everyone around him thinks, such as not tall enough, strong enough, or smart enough. Adding to that is the few supporters he finds, but he more than makes up for it with his heart and bulldog tenacity, never stopping until he gets it. The road to Notre-Dame won't be easy, but people find alternate routes for him to get their, the question is, will he get there, and will the university actually let him play to leave his mark, even for just a few plays? That all remains to be seen, perfect to see around football season, let alone Superbowl weekends.

I love the sci-fi genre as it has no limits on the realm of imagination, and this movie delivers in terms of that, plus gives a good story worth a look in this day and age, and at the same time deserves more respect. It is not without its flaws but the virtues outweigh the bad, I'll get the flaws later. For one the production is absolutely stunning once you get on Mars (Barsoom), you can tell a lot of effort went into this, you really feel like you're on another planet with technology that's more advanced with an edge of the magical. The performances are more than solid, Taylor Kitsch gives the title character a sense of depth and dimension, you feel his torment from past life, the beautiful Lynn Collins proves to be more than a pretty midriff-baring sight, she can think scientifically, show some compassionate support and hold her own in battle. The two leads have some good chemistry together, they become the heart of the movie. The action scenes are just breathtaking and once they start, they never let up! The story has some engaging mythology, though sometimes it can be a little hard to digest and follow, requiring multiple viewing. The length is long, it drags a bit in some areas, and the final flaw, without revealing anything, leaves room for a sequel, which tragically didn't happen. Even with those flaws, I'd gladly return to this, and I would encourage many to give this movie a chance, to give it the respect it rightfully deserves.

When you look for a nice movie set in early man times, this takes the cake in terms of entertainment. The world it's set it in is appropriately hostile from all forms of life including giant spiders and of course dinosaurs, wonderfully brought to life by none other than Ray Harryhausen. The dinosaurs themselves move so fluid and gracefully they still look and feel convincing in this day and age. As we follow the intrepid Tumak after being betrayed and banished from his crude and brutish Rock Tribe, he wanders along and encounters the more civilized and advanced Shell tribe, where he meets the lovely Loana, played by the gorgeous Raquel Welch in the sexy fur bikini, who proves to be more than eye candy, even holding her own in certain situations. It has a few flaws, the plot is lacking, and it can be highly anachronistic, but it's so much fun to watch you won't mind. Without revealing anything, there's enough camp value and a great ending that will make you want to see this again and again.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any better they do here! You get the usual formula of magical dances and spells, but thankfully they've added some more to make it even more effective, such as instant animal conversions and abilities like that in Pirate's Curse. Even better you get more worlds, and towns to explore, and the return of the dancing mini game. This game has features from the previous games such as rescuing other genies, simple added abilities, and modified dances. The music really pulls you in, and then there's the awesome anime-style intro! There are also fully animated cinematics that keep your interest and are worth the wait. The only minor quibbles are the load times, and the fact it can get a little too easy, very little challenge, other than those, I love this game!

The Shantae series is a unique series of games with innovative gameplay, but this one is remarkably different. If you played the previous game, Shantae lost all her powers, forcing her to defend her land without them. All that changes when her nemesis Risky Boots appears asking for help against a greater foe. Instead of magical dances or spells, you gain pirate gear which helps you get to places you couldn't get to before, and the more gear you gain the more access. My favorite is the pirate hat for it's floating ability, followed by the scimitar for it's ability to do downward damage and bounce around. If there are any flaws, it is that some areas draw on for too long, and sometimes its easy to forget what to do at times. Other than that this is one of the best in the series.

This is a guy's dream fantasy in animated format: buff guys with swords and axes, a hot bikini-clad princess who can handle herself in almost any situation, plenty of creatures, and nicely drawn/animated. Three brave people against an evil warlock, can they save the kingdom of fire? That's for you to find out. It's nicely animated, though through the crude method of rotoscoping, yet feels very life-like. While the plot is lacking, you get drawn into the imaginative world with all the environments and creatures as you follow the heroes. There's plenty of action and adventure as you wonder how the heroes (especially the lone warrior and the princess) are going to get out of each situation, keeps you gripped from start to finish. I won't reveal what happens but you'll want to return to this again some other time!

If you're a fan of old time, swashbuckling entertainment with some fantasy thrown in, look no further than this, a nice sequel to the equally entertaining 7th voyage, with all the right touches. We get John Phillip Law with the beard, turban, and scimitar to make a charming, swaggering, adventurous Sinbad, Caroline Munro who makes great eye candy as the sexy Margiana in all her cleavage and midriff baring glory (although stiff in acting, and not doing much, not that you'll mind that flaw), and the deliciously evil Tom Baker as the evil sorceror Koura, having a lot of fun in the role. Of course the real stars are the monsters of Ray Harryhausen, from a homonculus, a six-armed goddess statue, a griffon, and a cyclopean centaur all bursting with life and creativity. The locations are all exotic and the action will draw you in. So if you're looking for adventure look no further than this!

What makes a great sports movie is not just the sport but the development of character as well, and this is no exception. From the first opening shots, we get a glimpse into Diana's world, a world of hostility when you first peer into her eyes, she's mad at the world from what she has experienced. On the brink of getting expelled from school and having a very rocky relationship with her father, she needs a way to get her life back in control and earn some respect and thankfully she finds it in the boxing ring. Despite a lack of encouragement from the men all around including head coach, Diana persists and her raw talent begins to shine, as her skills improve so does her viewpoints and respect on people develops as well, even her muscles begin to grow too. All this earns the attention of one male boxer and romance develops, but eventually both their viewpoints and respects get challenged when they have to fight each other in the championship. The question is who will win and what will become of their relationship afterwards? That you have to see for yourself, though not everything gets all tied up at the end, it's a pleasant watch and Michelle Rodriguez has a performance definitely worth watching.

It's no secret that Final Fantasy 7 is my favorite VG of all time. So when I heard about this, I had to have it, the question is, is it worth the time? Well for one, it's a new way of not only telling the original story, but it adds two prequel stories, Crisis Core and First Soldier so if you didn't get a chance to play them before, now's your chance. More stories are on the way coming soon, time will tell when they appear. The graphical style is a new touch on things, a somewhat squat cartoon style for the field and story parts, but the battle and cinematics are a real treat, they used the graphics from the Remake! That's right, almost so real you'll see the gleam on Cloud's sword, the definition on Tifa's arms and abs, Red XIII's fur, and so on. The gameplay is a brand new style as well with more emphasis on techniques and spells than on the traditional turn-based mechanic of old, even limit break combos! It's not without its flaws though, the main storyline is trimmed down a bit, some plots points are taken out, and above all it's a gacha game meaning it will relentlessly hound you to buy something, but if you have the willpower to resist you should be fine. The main storyline alone would have given it a 7/10, but the additional stories, enchanced gameplay and using the Remakes graphics boosted it up to a 9/10. If you're fan of FF7 you need to get this, you'll be glad and it's free too!

I've watched this all my life, year after year every holiday season, and for plenty of good reasons! It's a lot of fun, and it captures the spirit of christmas in an ironic way. A boy, neglected by his family, left all alone unintentionally, gets the house and all the fun and freedom he desired while his family is away. At first he's scared, but warms up to the idea of unsupervised fun for a good long while. Yet over time, he begins to realize the true meaning of family, simultaneously the mother desperate to get back to him, realizes what true attachment is as she finds whatever means possible to return (including a cameo of John Candy). Of course the fun is where Kevin uses traps on two bumbling burglars, all inventive (my favorites are the blowtorch on the door, the iron in the chute, nail on the stairs, and the paint cans). Before that, Kevin will have to learn about his neighborhood, and discover what one neighbor is really like. I won't reveal anything, but you'll come out smiling and heartwarmed. I could watch this over and over again, it never gets old.

Thanksgiving is a holiday where you extend your gratitude to not just family members, but anyone who has every helped you out in your life. That's what uptight Neal (Steve Martin) has to slowly come to grips with in this movie when he meets the goofy Del (John Candy). At first, Neal is annoyed by Del's antics and demeanors, but over time, as Del helps Neal get closer and closer to his destination, even sharing hardships, the two soon realize they need each other. There are plenty of comedic moments as they two struggle to get to Neal's destination, some of them are laugh out lout funny! When you least expect it, there are some strong emotional moments that pierce right to the soul, and will stick with you for a long time. What will happen to these two once Neal reaches his destination? That is for you to find out, but I'll tell you one thing you'll return to this every Thanksgiving year after year!

Jim Henson is a name endeared by many for his creation of the Muppet characters, so for him to create his own movie universe is astounding. In a Tolkein like way, Henson creates an epic quest in another world in another time bursting at the seams with real imagination, busy with life and personality abound. You follow Jen, the Gelfling's quest to restore his world with only a shard and a flute, he'll have to find some friends, the real question is can he do it? That remains to be seen, as his journey won't be easy with the evil Skeksis looking through every nook and cranny of this world, who will stop at absolutely nothing to make sure that the prophecy Jen hopes to fulfill doesn't happen. The puppetry is magical in every way, fluid and full of expression, it's hard to believe that it's all puppetry and not one string or any method of the puppetry can be seen. You owe it to yourself to see this one of a kind masterpiece of fantasy! You'll want to return to this one again and again, for sure!

I grew up with the Mighty Morphin Power Rnagers and still love them to this day, I even met 3 of them a few years ago! After the disappointment of the 2017 film, and feeling underwhelmed at both 90's movies. I thought that there would be no hope in generating a good Power Rangers movie to do the franchise any form of justice, until now. At first this one just feels like a long overdue/lost episode of the show, but once you watch it, it feels like it's really telling a story and paying respect to its legacy, and even paying tribute to a few fallen actors from the show as well. It's mainly about one ranger's next of kin and her struggles to find out what it really means to be a ranger from her adoptive uncle (none other than Zack the black Ranger doing a fantastic job of not only raising her, but is a politician as well), and Billy is the MVP here followed by Rocky and Kat. Two monsters from the show make a return along with Rita, can they beat them in time before she succeeds in a dastardly plan? That remains to be seen. It's not without a few flaws, for one it's a bit short (it's a Netflix special, what do you expect?), a few of the main characters that were played by surviving actors didn't show up (see trivia section for all the details), and there's the use of CGI which kind of takes away the enjoyable cheese factor we loved in the series though it still looks cool. If you're fan of MMPR check this out, though the end might bring you to tears.

I've been watching this movie for a long time, since the days of my childhood, and for plenty of good reasons. There's a lot of fun to be had here, from the unbeatable cast, all showing off great comedic varieties and talents, to the homeage of old cinema styles, and plenty of clever writing to create unforgettable scenes. Gene Wilder steals practically every scene he's in though let's not forget about the others involved, Peter Boyle captures all the struggles and at times awkwardness in his scenes and yet expresses himself in ways other than speech to deliver the comedy, and Marty Feldman is just too funny with his self-effacing liners too good to reveal here. Cloris Leachman is memorable and original making horses whinny at the mere mention of her name, and Terri Garr just makes any scene she's in memorable with all her quirkiness. Love the fact its in black and white adding to the old style homeage of an age of cinema gone by. I could watch this movie forever and it never gets old. Find this movie and laugh your head off, it's that good!

Just in time for Halloween, a horror comedy that hits all the right notes. While many were expecting a remake, they got more, a lot more! While there are some frights and some blood splatters, there's plenty of cartoonish comedy that makes a real good time, yet gives enough blood for the gore fan as well (though thankfully it's not as graphic as the first that the squeamish can enjoy this in safety as well). The zany antics inside the haunted house are unpredictable and when they happen, they tickle the funnybone well! There's a good amount of bestiary, the best creature comes in the climax so creative and frightening you'll have to see it to believe it, rendered in nice stop-motion animation, you won't mind if it's movements are a little jerky. Finally there's Ash himself, he goes from being a complete goofball to a macho badboy over time, in fact his transformation is too good to reveal here. Overall, if you're looking for a good horror comedy, by all means see this!

Viewers were completely taken by surprise by this classic episode of the original series, owing itself to Japanese folklore/mythology, as the heroes look for shelter and find it in the form of a girl and her Ninetales inside a grand mansion. At first things look pretty elegant, but things are not exactly what they seem, in fact what the heroes don't know is that everything is a ghostly curse or illusion, even Team Rocket experiences it. Could it be that the girl is a ghost? Or perhaps the Ninetales has some dark secrets? Without revealing anything, this episode will actually pierce straight to your soul as you slowly uncover the truth with the heroes, and at the same time you'll feel depressed as it covers the theme of lonliness to one character. This episode will stick with you for a long time.

I've been watching this episode since it first came out, and this one of those episodes that has resonated with me as a fan, as it taps into one of Japan's most famous part of its storytelling: the supernatural. A nice ghost story within an episode makes a nice twist, though not part of the main storyline, it's nice to take a break from it. We learn early on a girl fell in love with a young man who had to fight in a war, but he never returned so she became petrified and her ghost still waits for his return. Now the ghost is out and about, our heroes, and Team Rocket have to find a way to deal with the maiden's ghost having given the allure to both Brock and James, how can they liberate them from her grasp? This episode is not only chock full of surprises, but at the same time it's both sad and haunting resonating with the viewer. I love the touches of Japanese culture put in that makes the view learn something as well.

I've always had a love for dinosaurs, and this movie alone kept my interest in them for a good long while. Besides being a thrilling movie, its a work of art, and a moral story all in one, with Steven Speilberg as director, and John Williams as the composer, you feel the awe when you first see the life-size dinosaurs for the first time. But from that moment, that's when things start to go amok when the storm rolls in and one fool really messes things up, it really shows how when one has the power to bring something to life again, consequences follow similar to the story of Frankenstein. But the moment the chaos starts, that's when the thrills happen and they don't let up when they happen! Yet even when all the excitement is over, you'll want to return to the again and again, and even better see if you can see it on the big screen for best results!

What could be better than having a horror movie? How about a touch of who-dunnit mystery involved? That's the basic premise of this movie, an eccentric millionaire invites a group of guests to his stately mansion, but there's a dark secret, one of them is a werewolf, and to make matters worse, it could be prowling about when you least expect it. As this being a mystery, one needs to pay real good attention to detail to pick up the clues, they're very subtle, blink and you'll miss it. The performances are fun to watch, everyone gets distrustful of one another. There's some blood, but thankfully its brief, light and at no point feels gratuitous. Its not without a few flaws, it's a bit talky and slow in the first 3rd, and the werewolf itself is just a wolf, not some person in full makeup, other than those quibbles this is a fun watch.

I first heard of this looking in a VHS catalog decades ago, and the premise stuck with me for many years. I finally got my chance to see it, and based on what I've heard of the reputation of it, I feel like some of the dislike for it is a bit unjust, not to say it's without its flaws. The atmosphere, taking place in a real Austrian castle is just creepy in and of itself, the baron in makeup too is quite spine chilling, as is the methods he disposes of his victims, one of which is pretty gory for the 70's, which I won't reveal here. The performances range from stiff to quite good. If there are any flaws it's that the plot feels a bit preposterous at times, and the way the baron is brought back to life is foolish as is the plot reveal of how to defeat him, which I won't reveal here. Even with those flaws, I'd gladly return to this one time and time again.