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mikeyt3
Reviews
Signs (2002)
E.T. Was Scarier Than This
After hearing all of the hype and also my wife insisting that we see this one because of our mutual interest in crop circles, UFOs, extraterrestrial encounters, etc., I actually had my hopes up that I could finally see a first run film in a theater that didn't make me fall asleep because of Hollywood predictability. Wrong again.
If you haven't seen this film and expect memorable acting performances or anything interesting or informative about the phenomena listed above, forget it. 'Signs' is actually a story about a reverend who loses his faith when his wife is killed in an accident and his personal struggle to reclaim it. That's it. Yes the world is invaded by hostile beings who use crop circles as road maps and they try to snatch Mel Gibson and his family, for some reason, but these themes are lost in the sad puppy-dog looks of Gibson and Phoenix as they whine through the film and strive to prove how one is sadder than the other.
Stiff acting, dabblings ripped out of E.T., Close Encounters, Independence Day, Alien and sappy emotional drama are all a viewer will get from this incredibly overrated waste of time. The aliens show up, make crop circles, and everybody gets confused and concerned. Then the aliens are actually spotted and the world sits on its hands, scared and unable to apparently do anything, at least in Mel Gibson's self-absorbing world. The whole alien encounter thing could have been left out and replaced with a rabid gang of kangaroos that were menacing Mel Gibson's family and the result would have been the same.
Basket Case (1982)
The Best and Most Disturbing Horror Film Ever!!
Most horror films of the past 25 years try too hard to make the viewer feel the horror with special effects that include heads blowing up, people morphing into monsters and playing up the Heaven Vs, Hell cliche. 'Basket Case' does none of the above. In fact if it wasn't such a horribly disturbing storyline, one may actually think that this was a documentary of sorts.
The acting is hysterical and the dialogue is disturbingly authentic, with all of the nuances of seedy New York City played to the hilt. This is a must see, rent, buy, steal, whatever. I treasure my copy and make a point to watch it a couple of times a year just to readjust my love of films after watching one awful trailer after the next of films that I wouldn't watch for free, much less pay for them.
Best Line: Flophouse resident talking about the seedy tenants:
"..you know, peepin' tru de key-ho' an' shit" That line has me on the floor laughing every time. BRAVO!!!!!
Gargoyles (1972)
Who's that in the back seat?!?
This is one of my favorite Saturday afternoon Monster Movie Matinee (a Syracuse, NY show when I was a kid) staples. It would creep us out when the head gargoyle would flap his wings as he made an escape. There are so many glaring cinematic blunders, but MY favorite is when Cornel Wilde and his daughter are traveling through the desert (right after he first picks her up) there is a quick shot that includes the back seat area where suddenly a man's knee pops up in plain sight as the car is traversing the bumpy road! Obviously along for the ride but trying to stay out of sight. It's hysterical and I can't believe they left it in. You can't miss it.