rinke1971 Reviews

White Water Summer (1987)

More than it seems

[7/10 · 12 November 2006]

I caught this movie on an indy movie channel on TV, and it grabbed my attention. It is obvious that the movie is what can be called an "80's movie" because of the haircuts and slang dialogue. We know Sean Austin in the new millennium as Sam in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I was impressed that Sean pulls off "White Water Summer" at the tender age of 15 - not bad! OK, I MUST allude to the symbology or underlying intentions of the flick. There is quite a homosexual tone to the photography, as REALLY short shorts are common attire, and hugging/closeness between the four boys and Vic is interesting. Swinging in and out of each other's arms, the way to see it clearly is to watch the film anticipating the cloak of sexuality. But that's fine - it doesn't affect the OTHER, more important intent. Vic challenges the boys to survive. And they pass without knowing the lesson to be learned from passing. It is frustrating to watch Vic go so far as to let a boy die or let him save himself... and them STILL not getting that them saving themselves was the real reason behind Vic leaving the boy behind. I recommend this movie as a quintessential R-rated tough-teen 80's movie.... maybe "Streets of Fire" and "Roadhouse" are good companions. \classicalloy

Lord of the Flies (1990)

What movie lives up to the book?

[6/10 · 5 August 2006]

Writing this directly after ejecting the DVD, which in turn is about 4 days after reading the book, I can't say much more than what has been said on both sides. The book was excellent... as good as expected, and I read the "casebook" version, with all the critiques and interviews at the end. I found the boys they picked to be the lead characters to be very well-selected, except that Jack should've been Ralph and vice versa. In the book, it is Ralph that is tall, fair and well-built. The film didn't harken on much of the deep symbolism that the book unleashes on the reader, as is mentioned with the absence of Simon's conversation with the Lord of the Flies. Simon is a MAIN character to the whole spiritual presence in the story's purpose, him being a Christ-like figure, killed as he is bringing good news (to the tribe that the "monster" is only a dead man). Jack is the Satan, or devil, and in the book is the leader of a choir, not an officer in the cadets. It seemed as if the director couldn't get British boys to play in the film, so made them American cadets, had them curse and be ticked-off, and put Marines to rescue them instead of the British Navy. I loved little things in the book like calling the twins "Samneric" (Sam and Eric), and the littler boys, "littluns". There is no reference to this in the film. Substituting the pilot for the parachutist works out fine for viewers that didn't read the book, and I thought both Piggy and Simon's deaths were adequately portrayed. In all, not a bad translation, but I thought that more could've been done to accurately depict the book's intent. The movie is only 90 minutes long, and another 30 minutes of say, Simon's mystical experiences, and Roger's transformation to executioner would've played well. I guess I'm off to get the '63 version now...

Search and Destroy (1979)

Pre-Rambo

[8/10 · 14 June 2006]

Search And Destroy was one of the first "post Vietnam vet" movies, and was one of the best. It wasn't about a super-human green beret who can kick everyone's butt, but rather a story of revenge. The music in the movie, especially the end title sequence is nothing short of great. Perry King was excellent in the film, and I followed all of Don Stroud's movies afterward to see if he did anything 'martial art' after. The movie is suspenseful, with a villain who will stop at nothing until everyone dies, and really brings out the primal feelings in keeping yourself and those you love around you, alive. This was one of my top movies from the 1970's.\classicalloy

The Flash (1990–1991)

Zippy Flash

[1 October 2005]

The thing that caught my attention when I first saw the show on TV was the special effects. They ended up being the death of the show, NOT the casting of soap-opera hunk J.W. Shipp. Admittedly, some of the scripts are better than others, but there is always a bit of tongue-in-cheek superhero humor in every episode (e.g. he has to change a baby's diapers VERY fast!). The chemistry between Barry, Tina and Julio is as good as any on TV. Another excellent tip is that Danny Elfman scored the show, and that is reflected Batman-esquire in something else. You don't know what year the show is taking place in. In some episodes, 30's circa cars and clothes are depicted, other times it might be slightly in the future with the technology available. Stuff like that can go a long way. Mark Hamill (in 2 episodes) and Shaun Cassidy do good work as villains, and the various love-interests that come along don't fall flat. Sigh... just like so many other good things - too much, too good, too late.