A couple decides its time to take a break from their busy work lives and set out for a vacation in a tropical paradise. It was going to be perfect, laying on white pristine beaches, some romance, taking in some local culture, and a thrilling half-day scuba diving excursion at a site that diving enthusiasts call "The magic Kingdome". Oh, all the cool stories they will get to tell their friends and co-workers when they return home. While they are underwater checking out and playing with all the cool abundance of sea life, the diving guide miscounts the people returning to the vessel and sets back to sure. When the couple resurfaces they find their boat is gone. While inconvenienced about this, they are still not too worried. After all, it will only be a matter of time before the Crew discovers they have not come back and returns to retrieve them right? Their biggest worry at the time is their sea sick medication is starting to wear off and they may feel alittle bit woozy. A couple of passing shark fins do not break their spirits. Just another cool story they can tell their friends and co-workers when they get home. But hours and hours have passed. Dark clouds are looming on the horizon. Distress signals are unseen by the distant boats passing by. Jelly fish are stinging, and worse of all, more sharks are appearing and they are circling closer and closer. Will they survive or will they become shark charm? This film is not very scary at all. But what makes it effective is the thought of that being you stranded in middle of the ocean and fending off Jelly fish and swarming hungry sharks. This is the type of thing that nightmares are made of. The dialogue however is abit stilted and 80 minutes of nothing but endless ocean water can get old but this is definitely a film you should see.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Simon Birch
(1998)
Simon Birch has it moments, and as well some flaws
4 October 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Simon Birch is a nice film with good acting but it does has some holes in it. This movie will bring a lot of people to tears but it will have a hard time wowing the more selective members of the Audience.
*SPOILERS UP AHEAD*
STORY: We open with Jim Carrey standing before a Head Stone. We see the name on the Head Stone is Simon Birch 1952-1964 so here we already know that he will meet his likely death at the end of this movie. The adult Joe Wentworth (Carrey) then flashes back to his childhood. The young Wentworth is played by Joseph Mazello (Jurrassic Park, The Cure, River Wild). Then we see a phyically challange man named Simon Birch, played by Ian Smith. Joe and Simon are both Outcasts in the town they live in. Simon is subjected to bigotry because of his very small size and Joe is teased because he grew up without a father and his mother would not disclose who his father is. Apparently this is considered a taboo in that Area. We later meet Joe's sweet mother, played by Judd. Joes mother is very sweet to Simon and also all the town men seem to take a liking to her. Although not stated directly we get some clues that she may have slept around a few times in her day. We later learn that she got pregnant with Joe by one of those encounters. Simon believes that god put him on Earth for a reason. The reverand at church and his Sunday school teacher try to tell him that this is silly talk and that he is "frightening" the other children. He was evena asked not to come back to church.
GOOD: This film is wonderfully acted. Mazello, although sometimes overacted, gives a convincing and poweful permormance as the young Joe Wentworth. I was mostly impressed by him because I am used to seeing movie where he was just alittle boy. Simon appears loveable, intellegent, and has great quotes. This movie is not too lengthy and nicely paced.
BAD: Let's flash forward to the scene were Joe's mother is hit by a pop fly foul ball and killed at a little league game. The scene from when the ball is hit until it hits her head is done in entirely slow motion. I was not sure what the producers were trying to achieve here but I assume it was for dramatic and shock value but the extreme slow motion drains most of it if not all out of it. Also I could not believe Joe's bereavement pains after the fact. He was upset the first night but the next day he seemed normal as if it never really happened. Also some of this movie gets to sappy that it makes it not believable in some instances. The movie seems to try to remind us over and over again of how sad this was supposed to be. It tries to suck your tears using a shop vaccum cleaner but it did not do it for me. The final goodbye scene in the hospital where Simon tells his loyal friend Joe that he has to go. They exchange a few goodbyes and Simon quietly passes away. I found this to be bogus because it plays like those goodbye scene with Bubs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.
Rated PG for some strong language and 2 accident scenes invloving deaths. Some christian members may be offended by the use of the lord's name in vein in church by both the congregation and church officials.
*SPOILERS UP AHEAD*
STORY: We open with Jim Carrey standing before a Head Stone. We see the name on the Head Stone is Simon Birch 1952-1964 so here we already know that he will meet his likely death at the end of this movie. The adult Joe Wentworth (Carrey) then flashes back to his childhood. The young Wentworth is played by Joseph Mazello (Jurrassic Park, The Cure, River Wild). Then we see a phyically challange man named Simon Birch, played by Ian Smith. Joe and Simon are both Outcasts in the town they live in. Simon is subjected to bigotry because of his very small size and Joe is teased because he grew up without a father and his mother would not disclose who his father is. Apparently this is considered a taboo in that Area. We later meet Joe's sweet mother, played by Judd. Joes mother is very sweet to Simon and also all the town men seem to take a liking to her. Although not stated directly we get some clues that she may have slept around a few times in her day. We later learn that she got pregnant with Joe by one of those encounters. Simon believes that god put him on Earth for a reason. The reverand at church and his Sunday school teacher try to tell him that this is silly talk and that he is "frightening" the other children. He was evena asked not to come back to church.
GOOD: This film is wonderfully acted. Mazello, although sometimes overacted, gives a convincing and poweful permormance as the young Joe Wentworth. I was mostly impressed by him because I am used to seeing movie where he was just alittle boy. Simon appears loveable, intellegent, and has great quotes. This movie is not too lengthy and nicely paced.
BAD: Let's flash forward to the scene were Joe's mother is hit by a pop fly foul ball and killed at a little league game. The scene from when the ball is hit until it hits her head is done in entirely slow motion. I was not sure what the producers were trying to achieve here but I assume it was for dramatic and shock value but the extreme slow motion drains most of it if not all out of it. Also I could not believe Joe's bereavement pains after the fact. He was upset the first night but the next day he seemed normal as if it never really happened. Also some of this movie gets to sappy that it makes it not believable in some instances. The movie seems to try to remind us over and over again of how sad this was supposed to be. It tries to suck your tears using a shop vaccum cleaner but it did not do it for me. The final goodbye scene in the hospital where Simon tells his loyal friend Joe that he has to go. They exchange a few goodbyes and Simon quietly passes away. I found this to be bogus because it plays like those goodbye scene with Bubs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.
Rated PG for some strong language and 2 accident scenes invloving deaths. Some christian members may be offended by the use of the lord's name in vein in church by both the congregation and church officials.
The Cure
(1995)
Unforgettable
28 September 2002
This is one of the most touching films I had ever watched. No movie has effected me the way this one did. This is a great film and you have to see for yourself. I'm normally impregnable with these sob story movies but this one did it for me. I was in tears at the end. You'll yearn for the friendship that is portrayed in this movie. If I can give this movie a billion stars I could.
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