mntwister Reviews

Dark Shadows (2012)

Absolutely great opening scene, then terrible!

[1/10 · 18 May 2012]

Warning: a few spoilers but nothing about the ending: I have been a fan of Dark Shadows since the days of the late 1960's and running home from school to catch the show when I was 9. I tried to go into this with an open mind. I promised myself that I would realize this was not going to be my beloved Dark Shadows but hopefully something of value to see. The entire opening sequence, where young Barnabas leaves for the United States to the building of the Collinwood estate to Josette's jump off of widow's hill had me cheering in my seat-YES this was going to be fantastic (though all of the opening storyline was terribly rushed, including Angelique putting the curse on Barnabas).

Then Johnny Depp (Barnabas) was released from his coffin in 1972. And from that point on, which was most of the movie really, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen. I find it very hard to believe that Depp and Burton were also kids like me who ran home to see the original series. Why did they take this direction? I mean panties on Barnabas' face in his coffin? Carolyn saying "Yeah I am a werewolf, get over it" when the entire movie we knew nothing of her being a werewolf? I was never so ashamed of Burton and Depp like I was today.

The original cast members are there, for about 2-3 seconds, walking into a party, and in the background again for 2 seconds for a shot. They were flown to England to do cameos. For 2-3 seconds? I mean, come on! And the humor, some jokes were just plain awful.

If Burton and Depp had taken the route they took with Sleepy Hollow, this could have been one of the best stories in film this year. If they had stayed with the feeling one got in the first 7 or 8 minutes,this could have been an absolutely fantastic horror movie. Instead it not only insults (rather than respects) Dark Shadows fans, but it completely loses that great feeling that was there for the opening sequence, which I loved, when Depp is telling the history of the Collins family.

I was turned off by the rock music at the very end, why not have all the credits playing some of the original Dark Shadows music, and why couldn't Danny Elfman interweave the main theme of the original into his music somewhere. Instead, the action scenes had that "Mars Attacks" opening credits type score, which I do love, but not here. The opening credits, instead of a good horror score, had the Moody Blues? Geeeez! And Alice Cooper at a party given by the grand Elizabeth Stoddard? Unbelievable. I think someone like Glen Close or even Judy Dench would have played a better head of Collinwood, Phiffer was just too young even though she did a decent job and tried, but all she had were bad lines to work with.

Barnabas not having to sleep during the day in his coffin, but using a hat and umbrella with dark glasses to keep out the sun and the light? And couldn't Burton take a break from all the white faces again (and again and again)?

I find it hard to believe that some 18% of people gave this a 10. I guess these must be under 18. I can assure you than anyone who knows anything about the original Dark Shadows did not give this a 10. Why didn't they just make a vampire movie and leave Dark Shadows out of it and let someone make a real Dark Shadows film? If you want to see what Dark Shadows was and why it was so beloved, see the original film from MGM with the television series cast, "House of Dark Shadows." I hear Warner is going to release it at the same time they release this new piece of junk on video.

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

One of the best in Horror!

[9/10 · 7 February 2010]

I have seen plenty of horror movies in my day, and really like them when they are good, and Drag me to Hell is one of the best I have ever seen. I am not sure why there are some reviews giving this one or two stars, this has a fantastic story, is scary, has plenty of tension, contains a great musical score similar to the old horror films, has excellent acting and great visuals and cinematography.

I won't go over the story as I am sure it's been told many times and it's best you go into the film like I did, not knowing a thing about it. This was one of those Blu-ray discs I just walked by at Target and decided to buy it, hoping for a decent horror flick. I am so glad I bought it because I have already watched it twice in 4 days, and the 5 people I have shown it too all have loved it. Highly recommend this movie, expertly written and produced! If you can get the Blu-ray, that's the way to watch (and hear) it!

The Strangers (2008)

Total JUNK, this is entertainment today?

[1/10 · 17 July 2009]

No plot, no reason, no explanation, no sense, no story, practically no dialog, this is one of the worst movies I have ever seen, a complete waste of time. How can you get tense and scared if there's no reason for it? They spend the first 10 minutes explaining how this couple got to their house, and the next hour creeping in the dark, and believe me the end is worse than the middle, a complete letdown.

It's really sad to realize that these days they can make junk like this and earn money, and a 6.1 rating on IMDb? This goes to show you that there is a big percentage of teens voting here who are satisfied with nothing over something with substance. Do yourself a big favor, watch ANYTHING else, it will be a better use of your time. I can appreciate a good thriller, and this isn't one of them, it's among the worst I've ever watched. To think I wasted almost 2 hours of the bulb on my projector for this junk. To the director of this picture: Thanks for nothing, and I do mean nothing, which is basically what happens in this movie.

Friday the 13th (2009)

Who cares when a bunch of drug addicted sex addicts die? C'Mon Paramount!

[3/10 · 18 June 2009]

What we have here is basically a soft core porno film in the first half and it seems the screenwriters went out of their way to outnumber the times the F word is used and a bunch of characters that care about nothing but partying and sex and drugs, so who cares if they die?. While most of the older filmswere about teens getting killed, and many during sex, I don't think they needed to go this far. Might as well have made it X and showed everything. In my opinion, the continuous swearing and talk about sex and the drug use really cheapened this film. There were no characters to really care about. I am no prude, I can handle sex scenes and some swearing, but this was ridiculous.

How disappointing. The movie opens well enough, like the first with the killings and then the titles (though the titles on the first movie were better). The music was not as good as the first, in my opinion the original Friday the 13th had a real orchestra and that combined with the slow motion at the opening and the titles coming out at you made for a much better opening.

I liked the way Jason found the mask and I liked the fact that they told us what happened to Jason and why. But I feel there was so much missing. Camera angles of Jason were lame, and in some instances I thought he was weak, which he never was before. When the guy starts to fight and punch him, and Jason falls back a few times, I knew this was not the same Jason I knew. I only heard the "kill kill kill ha ha ha" at the start once, and then at the end once. That is a trademark of Jason and alerted viewers to the fact Jason was near. They chose not to use it very much (in fact not at all during the film except for the start and end) and I am unhappy about it. I am also unhappy with the music score. I feel this could have been much scarier with a more intense music score with some REAL instruments (likePsycho and the first Friday the 13th).

The killings were inventive, but the characters were very lame and you really don't care if they are killed, because they are a bunch of losers..except for one of them who you do care for, and they kill that one off. Whatever happened to developing characters that you actually care about, which makes it much harder and scarier to see them killed? That's good film-making. They really had no build-up to discovering Camp Crystal Lake, which is a legend for those who know this series... the final scare was nowhere near as jolting as in the first film, and the characters were all drug addicted sex addicted losers. That's fine but it does nothing for the audience when you could care less if they die or not.

What a shame they chose this route. It could have been SO much better. Many of the first 6 sequels are much better than this one, watch those instead. They had a great opportunity to start the series over again. I think they failed miserably.

Red (2008)

Excellent movie!!!!!

[9/10 · 7 June 2009]

I can't think of any flaws with this film. I went into this not knowing what to expect, only reading the slight synopsis on the rental. This film, in its early reviews, fell under the "revenge" category, but that is not what this is about in any way. There is no revenge here. Avery Ludlow, played by Brian Cox, is a man who is kind, generous and well respected in his community, a small town. Several teenagers commit an act that hurts him and he wants only admission and an apology. But the guilty are children of a rich man who won't let his reputation be hurt and who has connections and uses them so that Avery cannot put to rest the act that occurred (I am not going to say what it is, not really a spoiler since it is in the synopsis everywhere but in case this is all you read, you won't know then).

There simply is no revenge in Ludlow's heart, but things get worse as he just tries to deal with what happened here, after losing his family several years prior to this. I won't go anymore into the story, but I will say that this is a great film, about morals, honor, and those with money who try to get away with anything. Beautifully acted, I always felt this was a totally realistic situation, the characters were very real to me and situations like this could very easily occur, and most probably do. I highly recommend this movie. I think it is an important film in many respects, and rarely is a story told these days where the victim doesn't seek cold revenge but just admission. As you find out about Ludlow's life, you will certainly be in sympathy for him, which only adds to the awful things that happen here. Don't miss this one!

When Time Ran Out... (1980)

Oh Come On, This was no 3.6 stars out of 10 movie, it's higher!

[8/10 · 21 February 2009]

I really can't see why this movie gets such low ratings. The suspense is great, the special effects very good, the story decent, and it was a very enjoyable presentation on my 150" screen watching the new 2:35:1 widescreen DVD version, which was finally released a week ago (Feb.15 or so). All of the cast does a very good job, and this movie is MUCH better than many others getting even a 5 or 6 rating. I urge all of those who have not seen it to give it a chance, it's much better than some of the so-called "reviews" on here and is worth the 2 hours and 15 minutes. I'd like to see Hollywood make some more like this, with special effects today, disaster pics could be awesome. Plus, nothing like having an all-star cast unite for such a picture. To me, this film and The Swarm are much better than their IMDb ratings.

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (2005)

If you have a heart, don't miss this one!

[10/10 · 15 August 2008]

I rarely take the time to write a review on any website, but after watching this film, I had to add my comments in the hopes that more people will watch this movie. This is one of the finest films I have ever seen, and to be sure, one of the most touching. Joan Plowright deserved at least an Oscar nomination (and probably a win) for this movie. There are films you see, and then there are films you feel, this is one of those you feel. I cannot recommend this film enough for anyone who loves quality movie making at its finest. Utter perfection in the acting, direction, cinematography, and a perfect musical score. I give this film an 11 out of 10. I saw it for the first time last month (July 2008) and tonight watched it for the 2nd time, and it surely won't be the last. If you have a heart, this one's for you! A touching, romantic lovely story (one of the only films I have liked better than the book) that is the type of film which is very hard to come by these days. From the moment it began until the end, I was captivated by the story and the performances of the film. I really do wish more films like this were made. I recommend this film, which is now on my list of the top 20 of all time.

Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972)

Wildly funny and entertaining

[18 June 2007]

Another of the great Paramount Neil Simon versions of his stage plays, and this one is a winner. Arkin is hilarious and perfect for the role, Kellerman is perfectly cast, as is Prentiss. This is a funny, enjoyable comedy that has been very under-rated. I can't imagine a better casting that Alan Arkin in the lead role. Actually, each of the 3 women he tries to have an affair with are also perfectly cast. If you are looking for a light, very funny comedy with a lot of winning one-liners,this is the movie.

I Mmight also recommend the other Neil Simon greats of the 60's, Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, and Plaza Suite.

The Shaggy Dog (2006)

movie is a joy and entertaining

[8/10 · 8 March 2007]

I really enjoyed this movie. I can't believe right now it has a 3.5. Does anyone enjoy a good movie anymore? I am 44 and my mother is 76 and we absolutely loved this movie. Touching, funny, messages about family, good special effects on the animals, I would say this is just as good for adults as it is for kids. Why can't movies be something to sit down for 90 minutes and just be enjoyed anymore? I am assuming some of the ratings are from teens which brought down the rating. No swearing, killing, sex or blood, so it's a piece of junk to them. Wholesome entertainment is junk to most of them. Tim does an excellent job as does Robert Downey Jr, and the rest of the cast. This is a quality family film. I highly suggest it to everyone with a sense of humor and someone who has a heart and believes in family.

Man of the Year (2006)

very good movie, give it a chance

[8/10 · 24 February 2007]

Perhaps those who rated this so low went to see a complete comedy with Robin Williams. While the movie has some very funny humor, it is also an excellent political thriller, and my entire family loved it. It's funny, tense, and a very satisfying viewing experience. The movie also has strong messages about the political system, all of those messages are so true, it's great to see such statements from the writer and director. Robin is absolutely great, as well as the rest of the cast.

For those seeking a complete comedy, you will not get that for the entire movie, but in addition to the comedy will get a tense political thriller and lots of feeling while you watch. Bravo to this movie! Forget the bad reviews here, this is a quality movie and story and acting, with a very important message.

Racing Stripes (2005)

Fantastic, funny, heartwarming movie

[8/10 · 10 February 2007]

I don't understand the low average rating of this film, because it is a fantastic film for every member of the family. It doesn't copy the other animated generic formulas, and this heart-warming film succeeds. Everything is first rate from the music to the acting (Dustin Hoffman and Whoopie Goldberg are terrific), from the special effects and animation to the script. Why didn't this do as well at the box-office as the other great animated movies? If you get a chance to see this film, I highly suggest it. The 2 flies are hilarious, as is the dog that just sits on the porch sleeping all day. I wasn't expecting much after reading some of the reviews, but I was extremely surprised...a flawless family movie!

Shem (2004)

Good film but confusing

[26 November 2006]

I liked the movie...well done, good acting for sure, but the story is very confusing. I felt as if the end left me hanging and trying to figure out about the stones, and who was protecting him. I really wish the ending had been more final. Overall, I am glad I viewed it, though I don't think with such a great story that they needed to be so extreme with the sex, sex can be hinted at without showing it so graphically. Watching this with my elder parents, as we are Jewish and were very interested in the story, was rather embarrassing with the sex scenes. On the other hand, they were somewhat necessary to show what kind of guy he was, but as I said, that can be shown without the entire sex scene. I am not a prude, sex scenes do not bother me, but it made the movie unwatchable for older people. My mom had me scan through these scenes and they loved the rest.

Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

Sad Ending for a Hero

[1/10 · 29 December 2005]

Tonight I finally got to see Godzilla Final Wars. What a travesty this is. I am 43, and have followed Godzilla since I was a kid. One of my faves was always Godzilla vs. Smog Monster (Hedorah, whom we see for a mere 1 minute in the film, what a letdown that was).

Why did the creators of Godzilla's (supposed) final film have to make it into a Bruce Lee/Kill Bill/Star Wars/The Matrix. Where's the great Godzilla battles, except for the end? Are we supposed to believe that Godzilla could kill all of these creatures in 2 minutes, that previously it took months to defeat (and sometimes lose to).Where was Godzilla's musical theme? I felt that if these monsters were attacking the world's biggest countries and cities, instead of focusing on the martial arts junk, they should have showed the presidents and leaders of the countries making decisions and had some real great shots using each countries military. Instead, a stupid story, a martial arts film this is, a great final Godzilla film this is not. Once again, the dubbing stinks, so I select the Japanese tracks (they are good actors if you listen to them instead) and I leave the subtitles on.

The saddest part of it all was the fact that they had all of the great monsters, and most of them are on screen for less than a minute or two. What would have been wrong with a finale of all of them fighting, as in Destroy All Monsters? I truly hope one more of these is made if it is to happen, and they correct this grave injustice. I gave it a 1 only for the monsters all brought back (and very cheap versions of some of them they are, did you see that awful Hedorah? The spider shooting out web air balloons instead of the web as in the older films? I couldn't rate it a zero if I wanted too, not a selection for that. I also think the best looking Godzilla was the late eighties and early nineties. God how bad.

Don't bother, if you do, have your remote ready and scan away to the monster scenes, which are less than 1/2 of this film! The movie Jason vs. Freddien, I read, was made with all the previous fans in mind and it worked beautifully. This was made for the teens, a usual mistake from all studios. They couldn't care less about Godzilla, so why didn't they make a movie for the people that did? Shame on you Toho Studios!

The Producers (2005)

A Great Success-Must See

[10/10 · 29 December 2005]

For those of you who have any level of sophistication and enjoy some wacky humor, go and seen this show. There were people in their 20's all the way to their 70's in the audience and every age group laughed and left the theater smiling (one work of advice, don't leave until Mel Brooks appears after the credits, no more hints). Everyone in the show I attended was gone by that time, plus there's a nice new number "There's Nothing like a Broadway Show" over the end credits and a great balled of one of the German songs). I don't put the story of the movie in any of my reviews, because everyone else seems to.

I have noticed that some people reviewing this film keep stating that it's too bad they really just filmed the Broadway show. First of all, that's not the case, and 2nd of all, if that's what they did do, Thank God, because they succeeded! If you have seen it on stage I think you will agree that this is an excellent representation of what was seen there (except for the "Very" unwise move of deleting Lane's "The King of Broadway," one of my favorite songs) (since it is on the soundtrack compact disc, perhaps the DVD will have the number re-instated? let's pray).

Nathan Lane is fantastic, although I think Broderick overacts on some scenes, he was never that zany on stage playing a crazier person, thus taking away some of Broderick's shyness. I feel that the song Betrayed worked so well on stage, but here is not as good, and I think audiences might get bored with it, should have been shortened and King of Broadway should have been Nathan's big number, especially for the film version. The direction (from original stage director Susan Strohman) is generally good, but more of this should have had great camera pans and more angles...and they just aren't there. The art direction is first rate, as are Mel's songs, with the added pleasure of a much larger orchestra and better orchestrations than on the Broadway cast album (these in the film are excellent).

I am not a fan by any means of Will Ferrell. When I heard he was cast, I thought to myself that finally here is a role I can really see him in and he is just great. Not so much for Uma Thurman . Acting Swedish, she is just fine, but holding those tough musical notes, she just can't do it. Still, much better casting than Lucy in Mame (hehe). I wish they would have dubbed her singing, because this is the version of her song(s) that will be seen forever unless you go to a live performance. Roger Bart and Gary Beach are really very funny, I just love that scene. The sad part was all of the younger audience (some teens in the back) were starting to make "Fag" remarks...too bad teenagers have no level of sophistication these days, and way too much prejudice. In any case, I had them thrown out (not the the specific remarks, but I hate people talking during movies, especially annoying teenagers who can't respect others).

Eileen Essell, who played the hilarious tenant in Duplex and is in many movies these days, was brilliant as "Hold Me, Touch Me." She's one great actress in demand.

I feel some of the good numbers were really opened up, especially the old lady number, and I don't agree with those who say everything was done exactly like the stage. I am really tired of reading references to the old Producers movie. For God's sake, this is not that movie, OK? Comparisons to anything really don't make much sense here as this is the same story but a different movie now with a musical score and different actors and some scenes. I am thankful this was filmed and was left for people to see what they missed on the stage. I sure wish this type of treatment was done to more stage musicals (like Miss Saigon or La Cage Aux Folles).

The Producers is a great movie and I will buy the DVD and I know it will be played often. Treat yourself to a lot of fun and laughs and some great Broadway tunes, the first "tradional" show-music really since Fiddler on the Roof was filmed. Some of this feels like an old Mgm musical, and I loved it!

Rosie! (1967)

I Love This Film

[10/10 · 25 December 2005]

Absolutely wonderful drama and Ros is top notch...I highly recommend this movie. Her performance, in my opinion, was Academy Award material! The only real sad fact here is that Universal hasn't seen to it that this movie was ever available on any video format, whether it be tape or DVD. They are ignoring a VERY good movie. But Universal has little regard for its library on DVD, which is sad. If you get the chance to see this somewhere (not sure why it is rarely even run on cable), see it! I won't go into the story because I think most people would rather have an opinion on the film, and too many "reviewers" spend hours writing about the story, which is available anywhere.

a 10!

Flower Drum Song (1961)

A Wonderful Musical with a wonderful musical score

[10/10 · 25 January 2005]

Flower Drum song is one of those movies that I think was very overlooked by the public and also the Academy. Miyoshi Umeki deserved at least an Academy Awards nomination. She carries this film and I can't imagine anyone playing the role more to perfection. Juanita Hall is fantastic and I wish there was more screen time with her, and the others are well cast. My only complaint with casting is Jack Soo. In the Broadway version, he played the singer in the nightclub, and on that cast CD, he is a terrible singer. For the movie, somehow he was promoted to one of the leads, and his singing was not dubbed. I think his acting is just OK, but his singing STINKS, and for me, ruined the 2 songs "Sunday" and my favorite "Don't Marry me." How Richard Rodgers was OK with not dubbing his singing is beyond me.

There are some pretty jazzed up orchestrations, which work well in Grant Avenue and Chop Suey, but some orchestrations are better in the Broadway version (again, "Sunday" and "Don't Marry Me."). The set design and cinematography are excellent, and Rodgers and Hammerstein's score is, in my opinion, up there with their best. Most of the songs from the Broadway version (except one) were left intact and some expanded. Note that Universal gave the makers one of the biggest budgets and it shows in a good way. The sound recording on this soundtrack is superb, making for what will be (I hope) a great DVD.

This is a fantastic movie, sadly unavailable in any widescreen version and no DVD release at all, which is sad considering it became Universal's top grosser when it was released and is the only R&H film that has not been issued on DVD. This was the only Rodgers and Hammerstein movie not produced and released by 20th Century Fox, and I wish it had been because then we would have a DVD.

Highly recommend this movie, just sit back, enjoy some great musical numbers, acting, and a unique and involving story.

Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story (1997 TV Movie)

GREAT DRAMA

[9/10 · 11 November 2004]

This is a great movie. Not a happy one, mind you, but very well directed and full of emotion. I was very impressed that this was a TV movie. The only thing distracting to me was the changing back and forth from video to film, I think it would have seemed more like a movie without the video. A very touching true story of courage and sadness, of dispair and hardship,and of hope. Excellent performances and great musical score works perfectly with the story.

I was expecting more or less a "lifetime" type movie but while it has that type of theme, this was an impressive bit of film-making. It also helps to know the real Greg oversaw the entire story and made sure that it was accurate, so you know you are getting a real "true" story. Highly recommend.

Mrs. Santa Claus (1996 TV Movie)

SPECTACULAR

[10/10 · 17 July 2004]

This is a quality musical movie, with another ten star score from the great Jerry Herman, my favorite composer. Most others have said many of the things I wanted to say here, so I'll just say don't miss it. Someone questioned why politics were added. In Lansbury's biography, she states that she turned down the role at first because it was too "fluffy" and when they added the human rights thing she was more interested.

Composer Jerry Herman was very ill with HIV at the time this was being filmed. She also did this as a favor to him. He really wanted her to do the TV movie of MAME, saying that she was still able to pull it off, but she felt she was too old for the role, and so to do something for her friend, she did this musical, and I am glad she did this (although MAME would have been awesome, and finally a good movie).

The score, orchestrations are 10 out of 10, the only problem I had was with a few of the special effects, I felt they could have been a notch better.

Lansbury and Durning are excellent. This is a great 2 hour experience of the kind of movie that is so rare, and it works because of all of the broadway talent involved, that's who should be making musicals. Director Rob Marshall (Chicago) did the choreography and that's superb.

Great movie, great cast, great music! The DVD also has a great but short "making of." on it, the DVD is definitely in my collection! I wish some of Herman's other shows were good movies, Hello Dolly being the only good one, my opinion of course. There's The Grand Tour, Dear World, La Cage Aux Folles, Milk and Honey and Mack and Mabel, great musicals without being filmed.

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

STUNNING PIECE OF WORK

[8/10 · 26 June 2004]

Of course, those of us with our eyes open have seen many of these ideas as they happen, and I hope that this film opens the eyes of other people as to what is really going on. This is truly the hardest film to watch I have ever seen. I am a movie buff, and have seen thousands, but knowing this is happening right now, in reality, to our country, sickens me. How sad to see the footage of the Iraqi children in pieces with their families in deep grief, how sad to see the mother of a dead soldier helpless in the street outside the white house, how sad to see the hospital for our American servicemen without legs or eyes or arms in so much pain they need constant morphene. You won't see this on Fox News, which Moore points out, Bush's cousin is news chief of. Or really any of the American news networks. We are being "protected" and by not showing us this footage, we believe Rumsfield when he says "Our precision weapons make for a very humane war."

The scary part was the Psychiatrist, who pointed out really what we all know, that when people are in constant fear, they are easily controlled. This explains the constant threat levels going up and down, and warnings of attacks bigger than before, and notice how the level has never gone to blue or green, so we can breathe some relief. No weapons of mass destruction also surprises me, I would expect Bush to plant them there if he couldn't find them, although it's not yet election time, maybe that's his big pre-election surprise!

It disgusts me to know that our health care is being cut, drug programs destroyed, environment being destroyed, people losing their jobs here, so that the wealthy can become wealthier, and at the expense of innocent lives and sovereign countries. While I am not totally impressed with Kerry's personality, I will surely cast my vote for him, and I would cast it for Bozo if it were necessary to get this mad-man defeated.

Moore also points out a fact that I have strongly believed since 9/11, that we should have sent the same 200,000 troops into Afghan. and on their borders immediately and possibly we would have many more Al Queda and maybe even Osama. But many were able to escape because the number of troops we sent was less than the patrols in the city of New York. I have always thought this was a huge mistake, as well as taking many that were already there out to ship to Iraq!

I was very much into Michael's Columbine documentary until he did the stunt with Charlton Heston, I thought that was totally wrong. But here, he has made a brilliant, if not the most important, documentary ever, and my hats off to him for helping to show those undecided voters, and maybe some decided, what is really happening. Anyone who contests things in this movie, cannot face the truth, because he shows proof of almost everything he says. Thank you Michael, you have done a great service to your country!

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

THIS IS NO INDEPENDANCE DAY

[28 May 2004]

Sad to say, after seeing the film today, I thought it didn't live up to the greatness of Independance day. They spent way too much time on one storyline, and not enough on the storms, or the government. I always feel in a disaster movie when they show the government involvement it makes for heavier drama. You only see the president a few times, so you never know what we as a nation, or Canada, or anybody, is doing about it. Movies like Independance Day and Deep Impact showed more of this and for that were better pictures.

The acting is good, the special effects are great, the trouble with those is everything you have seen on the trailers, is ALL THERE IS really. You never see what's happening anywhere but New York or the short Tornado scene in L.A. where in Independance Day they showed effects all over the world.

I think it was worth my matinee price of $6.00, but I won't buy the dvd, it hust isn't a movie I would sit and watch many times. I had high hopes of a great event film, and ended up really with a drawn out drama with good special effects scenes. The duo can do better. I am not sure why they went the route they did when they had a formula that once before worked extremely well. Seems they didn't learn complete lesson after Godzilla. I question whether this will hold up at the boxoffice after word of mouth hits.

It's not bad, but I had hoped to watch it and leave saying WOW. That just didn't happen.

Shrek 2 (2004)

SORRY FOLKS

[27 May 2004]

Sorry, for me to read this gets 7.8 (as of today) is bizarre. This is in no way like the first, just another sequil overblown, without the originality of the first one. When they stopped at a MacDonalds in space, that was it for me. I am mad I wasted 9.00 on it. It's an ok movie, some good ideas, but I think it was done for cheap laughs and doesn't have the quality of the first one. I'll skip the 3rd now. I thought the character did not match the voice of Julie Andrews. Antonio was for me the only inspiration. I still think Brother Bear is the best animation of the past year.

I seem to be in the minority here on my opinion.

Come Dreamworks, hire from good writers.

The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

AWESOME-A WORK OF ART

[9/10 · 17 May 2004]

I watched this wondering if I would really get into it. I sat there for l l/2 hours and can't remember when I laughed so hard, especially at an animated movie. My personal belief, as much as I LOVED Finding Nemo, this was the one that deserved the Academy award. Fresh, original,and so much fun. I love the dog and the train bit, it gets funnier every time instead of tiring because the director is a geneous. The style of animation is so fresh from what we normally see. I recommend this movie it is a step off of the ladder of normal, into a great 1 l/2 hours. If you rent the dvd, the quality is excellent, the sound and score are so well recorded.

I also think that this movie had the song of year, but the politics of the Academy are in full swing these days.

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)

UNNECESSARY

[21 March 2004]

Here's a movie that was already basically done twice, so why they remade it yet again makes me wonder why. Looks like the last Godzilla (again) movie is coming out this Christmas. They would have done much better to do a modern version of my favorite, GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (Smog Monster), or DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. These certainly could have used updating, and imagine how awesome HEDORAH would have looked today. I have not seen the new Mecha but looking forward to the dvd, any new Godzilla is always eagerly awated by me.

The last few were not bad, and I always watch them in Japanese with the English subtitles, because the dubbing is so bad, I can't believe Toho allows for such awful actors.

The Music Man (2003 TV Movie)

SORRY-but pretty bad remake

[19 January 2004]

I am sorry, but to those who felt this was better than the screen version, I completely disagree. Where was the energy in the musical numbers? Full of boring close-ups and TERRIBLE orchestrations was this. I am a huge musical fan, and turned it off after an hour. Someone states in his review that the older film looked too much like a broadway musical filmed. What's wrong with that? That's what it was! A Broadway musical. This is really bad, Matthew Broderick is great as an actor, but he was not in any way right for professor Herold Hill. I was not even remotely convinced. Do yourself a favor and see the 1962 film version.

Mame (1974)

REALLY BAD, AND REALLY GOOD

[3/10 · 25 December 2003]

I ve written a previous review of this film, but found I cannot edit it to I will add further comments. My original review is basically against Lucy cast in the title role, what they did was change tempos, scenes and basically the entire production for her and this was a mistake. I think that the people who post that they love this film (which played in many theatres for less than a WEEK when it opened) are in love with Lucy and think she can do no wrong. Anyone who has listened to the broadway cast cd will know how the score was destoryed. They hired mainly theatre people to do the film. Gene Saks directed this on Broadway to great success, Jerry Herman (Composer) was in charge of the music here and in his book, SHOWTUNE, states how sad he felt to be sitting in the theatre on opening night at the premiere and watching as some people left, and others laughed.

There are some great points to this movie. One is Bea Arthur. Can she do anything wrong? I don't think so, her portrayal of VERA was deserving of a supporting Oscar. Then you have some great dancers, especially in the title song MAME, which I think is one of the most beautifully filmed broadway-type numbers ever to reach the screen. I think the musical orchestrations are fantastic, actually improved over the broadway show. They really give a great flair for the 20's period, and enhance all of the songs, especially the overture during the credits and It's Today, great orchestration! But the songs are meant for a singer, alas Lucy could not sing before (even Ricky didn't want her in his shows) and she certainly couldn't sing here.

The soundtrack was recently remastered for a special limited CD release, and now that it's digital you can hear that almost every single line Lucy sings is edited, one part from one source, another recorded later somewhere else. There's even a warning about this in the jacket. Jerry Herman mentions in his book how they had to record OPEN A NEW WINDOW OPEN A NEW one day, and the next day the final word DOOR because Lucy could not make the minor key trasition. I just can't believe a major studio would take on such a project as a musical without a singer, there were plenty, but I have now read more insight and Lucy helped finance the project for herself, and hired and fired most of the cast, firing Madeline Kahn because she was too funy, and taking away from Lucy (That would have been great casting).

So, mixed emotions with this one because I just love the story, I love the musical score, it's one of my favorites. I love the way it was orchestrated, and some of the filming is quite good. But overall, another case of Hollywood taking control, thinking they know what the public wants even if the lead is totally wrong for the role. Mame is fancy, sophisticated and divine. Lucy changed the character to be Lucy, and it just doesn't work.