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The Big Valley: The Way to Kill a Killer (1965)
rare Barkley brother appearance
Warning: Spoilers
the reviews by jarrodmcdonald-1 & bkoganbing explain very well the combination of the "HISTORICAL SCIENCE" of the "Big Valley" time period, i.e., late 1800s or so
Martin Landau's performance was quite convincing, although I couldn't help noting that there were plenty of other actors in this episode that seemed to be more convincingly hispanic or maybe even mexican than Landau with his contrived accent
nevertheless, I am very impressed with how the historical importance of microbiology was carefully intertwined with the needs of the 'cattlemen'
this episode even provided a fairly good idea of how the now-discredited 'medical theory' that lasted centuries all over this planet, called "TRAIL FEVER" or "MIASMA" (the previous theory that there is some negative presence, ether, etc., in nature that simply makes some cattle sick and can even suddenly, inexplicably make some of them better again) was being tested
not too much 'action' as kfo9494 may have wanted to see, but an educational and entertaining episode anyway
Animusic (2001)
Unquestionably an educational tool of multi-dimensions
yes, it's very entertaining (and for some, quite stunning), somewhat similar to the classic "mind's eye" video of about 15-20 years ago
but it's also quite different, because its educational value is quite large, encompassing music, technology, and creativity, in general, (at least)
absolutely a must-see for those who are musically, technologically, or generally creatively inclined
it is very interested to watch the intricacies of animated mechanical motion that match sounds in rhythm, even though particular music is played (or some similar corresponding time-related feature)
also, the term "spoiler" does not apply to this video and its relatives
The Transporter (2002)
question of believability
I hope you already watched this movie, since my comments contain definite spoilers
the movie was wonderful to watch because of the possibilities of a carefully regulated life (played by Stratham), i.e., here is a man who determines all eventualities in advance - that was clearly portrayed at the beginning when the news broadcast stated that three robbers had been picked up because of their bad driving (they ran into a taxi going wrong on a one-way street in Avignon) - if they only would prepared a better agreement in advance to cover the extra distance?!
but then, what's this? - he gets a flat tire for god's sake! - how did he miss an eventuality as mundane as a flat tire (supposedly, it can happen to anyone, right, but this is our perfect hero?) - but why doesn't he only use run-flats on that BMW? - run-flats are not even high tech anymore, but our supposed hero didn't even consider using them on his otherwise very well equipped vehicle well, I gave an 8, but I was tempted to drag my rating down all because of the flat tire goof - anyway, the rest of the movie (before and after that FIRST incredibly annoying "break in the rules" by our hero - NOT opening the package as our hero said) was really very good
The Firm (1993)
Alternate title
very great movie, but a better title is "The Tax Evasion Law Firm" - otherwise the rather broad title appears to slam all law firms, before you realize the type of law firm it actually is - it reminds me a little of the also excellent movie "Boiler Room" with Giovanni Ribisi, who is, coincidentally, also a celebrated Scientologist, like Tom Cruise
the movie begins with a general overview of law firms and law schools and how well-qualified Tom Cruise's character is, but eventually it becomes clear that this law firm is only in the business of finding tax loopholes for its rich clients
tax law is a very specialized field of law, so the title "The Firm" is quite misleading until you find this out about midway into the film
Transporter 2 (2005)
Fantastic movie
this comment has a spoiler (I think), so watch it first if you want maximum effect - I am writing this review after watching Transporter 2 (but not 1, yet) with that British guy, and then, right after that, I saw the Italian Job twice on cable - I have suddenly "discovered" a great actor - at one time, when I saw the DVD cover, I thought the "transporter" was Woody Harrelson! but the "transporter"'s voice is very different from WH the most significant scene was the intensely accurate removal of under-carriage bomb by a spiral past a hook-swing - now I want to see Transporter (1)!
the concept of a 24-hour deadly virus was quite interesting too
Left Behind III: World at War (2005)
great for worst movies list
Lou Gossett, Jr. is an excellent and captivating actor, but to have him take the role of a "president" and then have him act like he's James Bond, running around carrying a Gun and entering a warehouse to uncover a plot to kill Christians, and then being able to Escape the supposedly High Security Facility to live another day, does Not do him Justice - this movie has so many Unresolved Issues
I will attempt to list just a few:
1 - what was the purpose of "stockpiling" a Vaccine if no one is Vaccinated? - for example, the preacher could have been Vaccinated if the "tribulation force" already had Vaccine on hand - later, buck Williams' wife goes to be with the sick preacher and she herself becomes sick; so, was the Virus, therefore, Contagious? - IF it was Contagious, then why did Ray and his wife go into the church without Proper Protection? - why didn't they become Sick too? - and when Chloe drank the wine and was "cured", how did she suddenly know the wine was the "antidote"? - was it California wine, ordinary Red Table Wine? - could Red Grape Juice been adequate - and,if the preacher had received "communion" at least every time he preached, maybe he would have had anti-dote flowing through his body already? - buck and Chloe got a "heavy" box of vaccine that was never used - what mysterious message should we see in that?
2 - the presentation of "evil" forces who are working with the Anti-Christ Nicolai to destroy the world, as being Russian, Chinese, etc., is really a Relic of the 1950's and the early James Bond era, and shows an Ignorance of Modern Society and of Humanity - are we to believe that Russians and Chinese are perpetually trying to destroy this Planet? - and for what Purpose, mere Destruction? - this was such a Narrow-Minded view of this world and was so Cliché as to be Laughable
3 - the main purpose of this movie was the scene near the very end where Kirk Cameron and Lou Gossett, Jr. are proselytizing the non-believers in the audience (by showing Kirk proselytizing Lou) - it was a movie with no meaningful storyline, too many disconnects with reality, and a completely inappropriate plot for a great actor
I, therefore, rank this as a 1, since Zero is not available
The Power (1968)
Remember the 1964-5 New York World"s Fair?
I watched this movie while working on my computer so I can't say much about the plot, but I couldn't help noticing the familiar ringed globe in front of the house at the end of the movie - since this movie came out in 1968 and the NY World's Fair took place in 1964 and 1965 (by the way, that world's fair violated the international expo/world's fair body's rules at that time and was boycotted by the USSR and most of Europe, but it was a major fair anyway), it seems more than a coincidence that a miniature version of that ringed globe was so prominent at the end - also, it seemed that the continents on the globe of this movie were given colors whereas I think the 100-foot+ World's Fair globe was all metal
Ladder 49 (2004)
Watch carefully
Yes, I generally liked this movie, but with a few criticisms (see Dig Al-35 and SFFFozzy's comments) - I am not a firefighter and I do not personally know any firefighters, that I am aware of when I was about to watch this movie, I had not seen Backdraft (and still haven't yet), and I only remembered having seen the laughable Towering Inferno over twenty years ago - so my expectations about watching another "fireman" movie were very low - also, I have not seen Gladiator, so I am not familiar with Joaquin Phoenix as an actor I was most interested in seeing the technology involved in firefighting, not any expected drama involved in that profession - I was disappointed in the first (surprisingly little hi-tech in the firefighting profession), but somewhat impressed with the second (especially Phoenix, and, to some extent, Travolta too) so, here's my spoiler: 10 minutes into the movie, as my interest in watching the movie was growing, Phoenix enters Travolta's office and they have a brief conversation - but the shots of the two of them from the front and back of Travolta show his left hand in completely different positions! - I even went back to slo-mo to verify - yep, it was quite obvious! - maybe such details are overlooked by a busy director anyway, disregarding the frustrating lack of technology used by the firefighters in this movie, I thought the expected drama and expected sad ending were well orchestrated, and a few good comic moments thrown in, to give my 7 out of 10 vote
The Grudge (2004)
definite chiller
I have seen Sarah Geller in the Buffy series and never thought much of her until I saw her in this movie - I never watched any of those series shows completely - but in this movie, she portrayed her character very well and believably - I am now a fan of hers (only in the movies though) there were several brief chills that I felt during the movie, thanks to the sounds, plot and visuals - I am beginning to think these effects are trademark Japanese horror qualities - good for watching in summertime anyway, the only problem with the movie is the lack of clear explanation for such a vicious "grudge" despite the horrible history of the house - it seems that the viewer needs to be familiar with Japanese culture to understand this concept - maybe compares to Amityville horror to some extent
One Point O (2004)
fantastic sci fi
This is one absolutely fantastic movie - I had to watch it more than once to read the newspaper articles shown in the early part of the movie - the main character, a computer programmer, can't quite complete a program code that he is supposed to write, since he seems to be slowly losing his mind - he is pressed to find out why this is happening (i.e., "paranoia") - this movie is not only entertaining and suspenseful - but it also represents a well established fear of big biotechnology (and other) corporations' power and desire to control the minds of consumers, just to sell their products - this was quite impressive - I am expecting sequels and copy-cats to show up soon - the theme is right on point with today's market-driven economy - I noticed that there seemed to be an effort by the producer/director to block out any mention or hint of known consumer product brands of any kind, such as Intel/windows computers, etc. - it was difficult, if not impossible to decide when the storyline took place, e.g., in present-day, near present, or far into the future - this movie definitely merits further discussion