morgie55 Reviews

The Wolfman (2010)

Anthony Hopkins Chews Scenery & Gypsies in Wolfman!

[6/10 · 25 August 2016]

The mysterious, Gothic feel of The Wolfman was really well-done.

Unlike the 1941 Lon Chaney, Jr. version, which took place in the then-contemporary WWII Europe, this picture takes place in 1890s England, apparently right outside of London, in the inevitably named "Blackmoor." Nice.

Benicio del Toro seems a bit miscast at first glance. But viewers find out early in the film that Sir Talbot married a Latin woman, so Benitio's Latin looks makes sense. Without the "Why me?" look of Lon Chaney, Jr., Benicio had the fear of God in him instead.

This fear seemed real and sincere, as he discovers he is cursed. Cursed from the bite of a werewolf. He implores the local gypsies to help him but this version of Maleva is not much help. Her advice is to put Larry Talbot out of his misery. Silver bullets no extra charge.

Quite a surprise as to who the other werewolf is (no spoilers here). The duo werewolf smack-down will make any WWE fan proud.

Larry getting captured and locked up in a mental asylum was quite intense. The director's view of psychiatry as a barbaric science with its use of ice-baths to cure delusion and sticking him with some kind of drugs has, unfortunately, not changed that much in 21st century psychiatric practice. We've graduated to electric-shock treatments from ice-baths. A true horror story.

The transformation of the man to wolf is great. Memories of The American Werewolf in London will come to you, and naturally so, because Rick Baker had something to do with both films. But where to the wolf-man's clothes go? Does he pick up after himself after each transformation? But I digress.

As in the first Universal picture, there is a mild love interest. It's a subdued, subplot however.

Anthony Hopkins is delightfully demented as Sir Talbot, Sr. The Gothic mansion atop the hill with moon shining down in its full glory is so iconic -- and the fake time-lapse movement of our lunar neighbor as it glows through the dead tree branches and storm clouds brings back more memories of Universal pictures past.

Example: The usual villagers with torches marching through the forest (with the baying dogs and such, reminiscent of Frankenstein). The deep howl of the wolf-man as he bays at the moon, as he gorges on the liver and intestines of his latest victim. Oh, the hopping from the rooftops, again reminiscent of Henry Hall's wolf-man, Werewolf of London (which predates Chaney's version).

The music evokes a mood and the plot moves along quite swiftly. At times, the audience is surprised as if the director says "boo" out of a closet or something. He does this a bit too often, but it's still fun to do.

If you are any kind of a Universal fan and have waited for a more adult treatment of this film, then you really should watch this film. See how many iconic pictures you can spot as Universal digs deep into its vault of horror.

So don't be a cynic -- turn off your brain, don't think, and enjoy this bit of entertainment.

Warning: much gore and decapitations ensue!

I understand Bride of Frankenstein is coming soon. Pray it ain't Anne Hathaway!

Of course, you can always pick up the originals!

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Great piece of filmmaking, but Lawrence's yo-yo behavior hard to imagine!

[9/10 · 11 January 2016]

First Thoughts: Lawrence of Arabia is one of those classics I've never watched all the way through and so I picked up a 2DVD series for a song on Amazon.com. Though it's rated as one of the top films of the 20th century, I was not that impressed. Story & Plot: Love the cinematography of this film! The amazing desert sunrises, the mirages, the authentic costumes! The crazy Arab played well by Anthony Quinn! The sleek Prince played by Alec Guinness! (Yes, he did many films before Star Wars); Omar Sharif as Ali, the only character who, somewhat violent, had to keep running after Lawrence and guide him.

Peter O'Toole's Lawrence is a bit crazy. I mean here you are as a British soldier who nearly "goes native", very independent, does his own thing, ignores warnings and crosses vast deserts and attempts the impossible.

It's really sad, his character! Lawrence is one time a hero, fancies himself ready to walk on water, then next moment he wants to throw it all away, can't handle the responsibility of freeing Arabia and just go back to England to "get a job". I mean really now! He lets a mad lust for killing take over and mows down the Turks. Nowadays this film would push the PG rating since there's plenty of death for the even the most die-hard film fan.

My DVD had a great interview with Steven Spielberg on how he was impressed by the film and how he met the director and picked his brains on the making of the film. Several documentaries and lots and lots of praise for the technical quality of the film.

Final Thoughts: It's a hard film to watch, with an ending that is somewhat disappointing. How a man can rise so high and crash down so hard is tough to imagine. Excellent authentic desert scenes and a new look at Arabian culture; but the cons include Lawrence himself, a conflicted man who can't decide if he is just an ordinary guy or an extraordinary being.

Worth the watch, won 7 Academy Awards, but I would not clamor for it!

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Edge of Tomorrow

[8/10 · 7 August 2014]

The Edge of Tomorrow

First Impressions:

I've always liked Tom Cruise's science fiction films, from Minority Report, Mission Impossible I to Oblivion. In these he finds himself supporting one group or goal and having to suddenly change himself to counter-act a group or goal that is no longer survival and could mean his death if he continues on the path he finds himself. So he goes it alone, new, untraveled ground, to find himself and to fight the group he formerly supported.

Not so with Edge of Tomorrow!

Unusual for Tom's usual characters, he plans a PR man who encourages people to join the fight against the alien invasion that is rapidly taking over Europe and threatens to jump the Channel and England. Humans are losing and losing badly.

It's clear not all the public relations in the world will save the planet from this implacable enemy, but Tom tries very hard to make it so. Until they call him in for active duty!

He is a coward at heart and wants nothing to do with actual combat. After some interesting altercations, he finds himself on the battlefield, meets an alien called an Alpha, and almost accidentally kills it – and finds himself 24 hours earlier, lying on baggage in handcuffs, as he was the day before. Which is today. Of course.

Plots and Plans:

Really liked this movie! Not only the Groundhog Day-style living the day over and over, but in each incarnation trying to find a way to beat the alien threat. The aliens have time travel technology in their blood and know what we're going to do before we do it. Only Tom's character has the way and method of stopping them.

He teams up with a soldier who knows of his ability and tries to use it to beat the aliens.

The story is not so much about the aliens, but about the slow change of Tom's character – from a coward who wants to stay behind the lines to a man who realizes that only through his own actions will he stop a major threat to Man.

Conclusion:

Not to give too much away, but Tom's relationships with the people in this film develops well and the characters that support him run pretty well throughout the film. The army sergeants, the "J Company" troops and others were a bit cardboard and not developed well at all. This could have been a five star film if I really cared about what happened to them.

This is not your Dad's Groundhog Day! It's a plot point that carries with it a message of standing up to your fears and realizing your goals despite unimaginable odds.

Great special effects! The ground swells with these aliens, look like spinning octopuses with large glowing eyes and can slice you up really well! Their weapons are energy balls that tear through the troop transports, that make hand-to-hand combat nearly impossible. You go to the battlefield of death! Except if you're Cruise – then you die again and again and again!

A physical film, action and guns, heroes and inner enemies. A must-see film.

Cast & Crew:

Tom Cruise Cage Emily Blunt Rita Brendan Gleeson General Brigham Bill Paxton Master Sergeant Farrell

Directed by Doug Liman

Writing Credits Christopher McQuarrie ... (screenplay) and Jez Butterworth ... (screenplay) & John-Henry Butterworth ... (screenplay)

Oblivion (I) (2013)

We make an effective team! Tom Cruise Scores on This One!

[9/10 · 22 April 2013]

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE THEATRICAL VERSION.

"Jack Harper: 60 years ago, Earth was attacked. We won the war, but they destroyed half the planet. Everyone's been evacuated. Nothing human remains. We're here for drone repair. We're the "mop-up crew".

If you want to see a fun film with romance, excitement, plausible futuristic inventions, weaponry and computer-control, complete with Big Sister and the apparent salvation of the human race, watch this film.

The film's beginnings concern an apocalypse of sorts, where in 2017 Man won, at a terrible cost, a war with an alien invasion. The remnants of that war, fought by the alien Scavs, want Jack (Tom Cruise) but not to kill him but to capture him.

The cloud condo (I like to call it) has everything, complete with swimming facilities, showers, food and a hot red-headed, Brit-accented woman (Victoria) who also happens to be Jack's lover and communications officer.

Every morning Jack goes out on patrol, fixes downed drones, and they complain to "management" up in "Tat", a large module miles wide, that is shuttling the last of humanity to its new colony on Saturn's moon, Titan.

And every morning the communication from Tat asks , "Are you an effective team?" and all hell will break loose if it's other than "Yes!"

Who could ask for more?

There's more to the story than that. We are introduced to an apparency. And like Matrix, there is more than meets the eye and all is revealed, in bits and pieces, as the alien resistance, led by Morgan Freeman's character, Beech, is also not all it seems.

Plots and Points:

I won't reveal much, just to say the story will be familiar to many sci-fi fans. The action is non-stop (but it's not a military film), and the story slowly unfolds (but it's not Matrix). The plausible machinery (the dragonfly-like helicopter-ship with space travel capability) and Jack's cool, futuristic motorcycle are fun to watch and experience.

The film's expostulation of what our world will be like is shocking – New York is completely wiped out. We have the library, subway system and the Brooklyn Bridge at hand. What sci-fi movie does NOT have the Statute of Liberty's arm up in the air, a common feature in these types of films since the Planet of the Apes!

Best scenes: Getting your cycle stolen from aliens. I mean, that's really a shame! The humor as Jack catches that ball at the stadium, site of the 2017 World Series. And the hideaway that Jack keeps, a mountain lake and cabin, with remnants of humanity's technology (great Jazz vinyl) unknown to his partner Victoria.

When a signal brings down Odyssey, a ship that's been in orbit "pre-War", and one survivor, a woman who had been in his flashback dreams, completely destroys all the harmony and substance of Jack's world and sends him on a frantic hunt to find the truth or meet elimination at the guns of drones!

Bottom Line: If you like your sci-fi with great scenes, seamless CGI and a constant plot with no pausing, then see this film. The film does take some concentration and if you're observant, you can follow along just fine. In fact I may get the DVD to fill in any points I missed.

IMAX, was worth it!

Cast & Crew:

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

Writing credits Joseph Kosinski (screenplay) and Karl Gajdusek (screenplay) and Michael Arndt (screenplay)

Cast

Tom Cruise ... Jack

Morgan Freeman ... Beech

Olga Kurylenko ... Julia

Andrea Riseborough ... Victoria

Skyfall (2012)

One of the Better Daniel Craig Outings!!

[8/10 · 10 April 2013]

Daniel Craig is a different kind of Bond, and I think he was getting some mixed reviews because viewers were comparing him to other Bonds rather than this film.

This film is continuing the origins of Bond, why he thinks the way he does – he's a tougher, more somber Bond who at the beginning of the film with an exciting chase scene through Istanbul, gets shot off a train – and survives! (Hey, it's Hollywood, that's fine.) I liked this film. The action was fun but not over the top. The scenery was very nice – the Shanghai boat scene was lavish. The moody shadow & light show as an assassin gets his rifle loaded up and takes aim. (But why did Bond let the guy take a shot and kill his target? That's never explained).

The Bond girls were tragic, intensely interesting and Bond's empathy for them was palpable.

Enjoyed the back & forth with Moneypenny, as she shaves him closely. Later they discuss how it's easier to get dressed with an "extra pair of hands." Cute.

Yay, we get a "shaken not stirred" scene at a Shanghai bar, as Bond is watched closely by a gang of toughs about to kill him. We get a view of the Connery sports car, the Ashton Martin.

Bottom Line: The film made fun of itself at several points, but true Bond fans would get the Easter eggs, and new viewers would be fascinated with the "origin story" of our favorite MI6 spy, out in the Scottish Highlands ("Skyfall"). "M" is basically our co-star. Bond is serious, has a lot of depth, and Daniel Craig plays him well. Good film.

Cast: Daniel Craig - James Bond Judi Dench - M Javier Bardem - Silva Ralph Fiennes - Gareth Mallory Naomie Harris - Eve Bérénice Marlohe - Severine Albert Finney - Kincade

White Zombie (1932)

New Classic Kino Version for 2013!

[9/10 · 19 February 2013]

I picked up "White Zombie" from Kino Classics since they boasted a newly cleaned version from the original negatives. Bela Lugosi, fresh from his hits "Dracula" and "Murder at the Rue Morgue" amongst others, he puts a fresh face on the then-new class of mystery films.

Madeline is about to be married to her fiancé Neil. She met this guy on a boat who turns out to be a rich fella who happens to own a spooky castle in the Mountains of Haiti, a land filled with zombies and such. This guy Beaumont falls for her and does not want her to go through with the marriage. He gets the help of a zombie master, Legendre, who has other plans. He already has an army of zombies working the sugar plantation. Why not a cute girl who wears veils? Why not indeed! The story is slow-paced, but is filled with the occasional shocker. The zombies in this film are not of the "Romero" clan, but are actually living people, who through hypnosis and drugs, find themselves under the thrall of Legendre. Legendre's motives are not that clear, except perhaps he just likes to play games and wants to create horror just because he can.

I also enjoyed the character of Dr. Bruner, played well by Joseph Cawthorn. He plays the wise man to the naïve fiancé, Neil, who is grieving over the death of his new wife. Except, as the good doctor expounds, "she's not dead!" The sugar plantation plant with the zombies in tow, the clear sounds and clearly contrasted black & white, make a great film. The only real complaint is that vulture: quite a screech! DVD: The DVD has an interesting interview with Lugosi at his house, which is scripted and makes for some fun yet insight into Lugosi at the height of his career. There is a gallery of colored movie lobby cards and the usual language and chapter features. I especially enjoyed comparing the "Raw" version to the cleaned-up version of the film.

Bottom Line: Great horror for the time, has some corny moments, but overall a great product by Kino Classics. Definitely recommended, especially for the Lugosi fan.

Cast Bela Lugosi - 'Murder' Legendre Madge Bellamy - Madeline Short Parker Joseph Cawthorn - Dr. Bruner Robert Frazer - Charles Beaumont John Harron - Neil Parker

Fetching Cody (2005)

Time Enough for Love

[5/10 · 5 November 2012]

Inner city homeless teenage boy in love with inner city almost homeless teenage dropout who also does some prostituting and drug abuse on the side. The boy is a depressing little guy who likes to take drugs, spaces out, has homeless friends, distrusts authority and lies an awful lot! One day while breaking into his girlfriend Cody's apartment, he finds her unconscious.

Ambulance guys suddenly come in, we don't know who called them. They ask him how long has she been out and he lies and says she just let him in (again with the lies).

She ends up in a coma in the hospital and is near death. This low IQ scum just doesn't get it and goes into denial. Somehow he ends up in a homeless place that has a sofa chair. The sofa chair turns out to be a time/space machine. You tell it where you want to go and it does it.

He goes back to before "Cody got messed up" and finds that she was embarrassed with her period during gym class. After two or so failed attempts to get her tampons he finally succeeds in doing so. Why he thinks Cody going through her period made her quit high school and go on drugs is anyone's guess.

The movie is somewhat endearing and heartwarming. He is guessing on what's up with his druggie girlfriend and going back in time to try to "save" her.

The movie is mildly interesting how Art tries to fix her past to fix her present and goes through all kinds of nonsense to handle her. But it's one of those time travel stories that has changes just make things worse. The final "twist" was predictable, but cute.

It's like a director pretending to be a Kevin Smith movie using a sofa chair time machine, with Tenderloin bums as movie stars.

Mildly recommended.

Seeking Justice (2011)

Predictable, Somewhat Entertaining, Unsatisfying Ending

[4/10 · 10 August 2012]

...Minor Spoilers ...

Seeking Justice with Nicholas Cage and January Jones is purported to be a conspiracy story where a couple stumbles upon an organization that uses people as patsies to systematically kill those that it deems are ruining the city. The person helping, who gets revenge for their own suffering (in Nick Cage's case, the rapist of his wife gets bumped off) in exchange for a minor favor, which usually involves murder.

When Nick's character resists this, (being told that he would kill a child pornographer – in reality an investigative reporter who is getting too close to the truth) he his hounded by the organization.

Plot-Holes! I understood that this organization has infiltrated much more than originally thought, and Nick's acting is pretty spot on, if a bit sympathetic but there are many questions left – why does he go into a hotel and manage to steal a car? And if he really needed wheels that badly, then why did he not later return the car? And why were the cops not after him on this? He does not tell his wife any of his dealings until near the end of the movie. She later becomes a key player, but a bit late in the film.

If this organization is so secretive, why does it not just pull its own jobs rather than convince patsies? Would it not be faster to hire a hit man? Bottom Line: I got this DVD for free and that's a pretty good deal. Why spend dough on a story that makes little sense and delivers an unsatisfying ending? The story revolves around things are not as they seem – and it pretty much ends that way too. Very unsatisfying.

DVD: Some special features include interviews with the cast.

The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

Stewart & Borgnine Shine in this Desert Storm!

[8/10 · 3 July 2012]

After watching the horrible remake, I thought I would catch the original The Flight of the Phoenix, with some of my favorite stars, Ernest Borgnine, Jimmy Stewart and a few others.

I've liked Stewart's early films from the Golden Age of Hollywood but he is more subdued in this picture. His plane, barely able to fly as it is, hits a sandstorm somewhere in the Sahara Desert, on his way to an oil field. The men aboard are mostly all miners. In fact, a few get killed in the first ten minutes of the film, but I digress! Playing the pilot who blames himself is well worth the watch. Stewart underplays this as well as using his fists with those who wish to oppose him. Despite his protests, some of the crew want to build a new plane out of the old wreckage, since they'd rather "die while doing something" than die and do nothing.

Some of the men go crazy with the heat and wanting to be rescued. Borgnine practically recaptures his acting acumen he got from his Academy award-winning film "Marty" (1955) as he freaks out and runs into the desert than put up with his pals on the plane.

The scene with the meeting of the Arab traders was fascinating – I won't spoil it, but it was played from the aspect of the survivors and the horrific ending for a couple of the crew will gross you out. Much better than the remake, which went into what happened and how in detail, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Richard Attenborough as the stuttering, drunk pal of Stewart's, as he tries to cope with his friend's obstinance and getting him to see that there is some hope in this desert of despair.

Bottom Line: Big name stars, under-appreciated bit of entertainment from Warner Bros. The unlikely event of a plane crashing with just enough needed inside the plane to make a new one, and a psychological study of men under strain and lacking hope, far from any rescue. Worth a rental!

Behave Yourself! (1951)

A Bit Too Zany For Me!

[5/10 · 3 April 2012]

Behave Yourself!

Not sure why the film is titled the way it was. I did want to watch it as I have not seen an early Shelly Winters film. I could only imagine an older, larger Shelly from the film "Poseidon Adventure."

The film is a situation comedy of sorts. The early 50s version of situation comedy includes lots of misunderstandings, a mother-in-law doing Dianetics classes in the evenings, and an innocent man who (a) forgot his wife's anniversary; (b) had a run-in with a dog who is trained in finding drop-off points for smugglers and (c) is always at the scene of a murder or three!

Sorry but the overacting was just too much. The comedy was not that funny to the modern viewer and the cops not really understanding what was going on as the stumbled through the scenes and the equally dumb gangsters with pratfalls and further misunderstandings – well!

Stars: Fun to see William Demerist in something other than his "My Three Sons" TV series (from the Sixties). And Lon Chaney Jr. as a heavy was a sight to see.

Shelly Winters acted as a clueless woman who faints more than she babbles on about her husband. The mother-in-law was a gem, how she accuses her son-in-law of murder and says "it figures" several times throughout the film.

Unless you're a big Shelly Winters fan, probably not the style for you. Lucille Ball played this theme so much better.

DVD: My DVD was from Alpha Video and did not have any features other than scene selections.

Cast & Crew:

Director: George Beck Writers: George Beck (screenplay), George Beck (story),» Stars: Farley Granger, Shelley Winters and William Demarest

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

Cymbals Crash and Women Scream!

[9/10 · 28 March 2012]

Hitchcock grabbed at the chance to remake his 1934 British film, The Man Who Knew Too Much. In comparing the two films, Hitch told an interviewer, "Let's say the first version is the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional."

What a great film! The cinematography was beyond great. The building of suspense was at such a high pitch it made me nervous, an edge-of-your-seat thriller.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The basic plot has Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day star as a family at the end of their vacation in Europe, Dr. McKenna and "Jo", and their son Hank. Hank causes some trouble when he accidentally yanks a Moslem woman's veil off and her husband threatens McKenna.

A suave Frenchman comes in and handles the confusion and tries to make friends. It turns out (we find later) that this guy is a spy and to make a long story short, he gets a knife coming out of his back and whispers his death message that a prime minister will be assassinated, tells him where and then dies.

The couple the McKennas were with, the Draytons, are not who they seem either. They are the ones being spied on by Scotland Yard and kidnap Hank to keep McKenna's mouth shut. If he reveals what he knows of the assassination plot, his son will die.

The story then becomes complex which I won't detail here. But there are several great scenes: McKenna mistakes "Chapel" for a person rather than a place and ends up accosting a man with that name in a taxidermy shop. After realizing his error he tries to leave but they hold him for the cops. Funny stuff.

Doris Day gets to belt out her signature song "Que Sera Sera" which is a bit overdone.

The climax occurs in an orchestral hall (Albert Hall) where the prime minister is listening, an assassin is in an adjoining box, and all our players are there. How will Jo stop the assassin? Will McKenna convince the cops of the plot and recover his son in time? And what about the boy?

We do eventually find out who the mastermind is and we learn more about the Draytons. However, after all is said and done, we still do not know a lot about the embassy personnel, or if Drayton's wife was caught, or even that the conspiracy was found or not.

Hitch just ends it, brilliantly.

I think the best scene ever is where Doris Day is singing her Sera Sera song, and the viewer 'follows' the sound as each shot shows a carpet, a set of stairs, a hallway, a column, up and up, to Hank's room where he is being kept by the bad guys.

The bottom line, great suspense, if a few plot holes and a little overdone on the musical interludes. Awesome, real acting from Jimmy Stewart. Nobody does it better.

A great cast is worth repeating:

James Stewart ... Dr. Benjamin McKenna Doris Day ... Josephine Conway McKenna

Brenda De Banzie Lucy Drayton (as Brenda de Banzie)

Bernard Miles ... Edward Drayton

Ralph Truman ... Inspector Buchanan

Daniel Gélin ... Louis Bernard (as Daniel Gelin)

Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966)

Dracula Goes to the Old West for New Blood!

[4/10 · 27 March 2012]

The immigration situation was really getting out of hand in the Old West -- they were taking in vampires and gypsies into the old towns! Dracula (never named that in the film actually) is flying around stalking a German couple with their blonde daughter attempting to bite the girl at every turn. Drac is thwarted and decides to take a stage coach into town when he discovers a babe at a ranch and wishes to mate with her.

Biting an Indian maid and getting the whites blamed, Dracula uses this scenario to fake his identity as James Underhill, a never-seen-before uncle, to take care of poor Betty, whom he saw in a locket belonging to her now-dead mom. Oops! The best thing about "James" is that the very unbelief of his vampirism keeps him safe. As the German woman in the film says, no one believes it until they're dead! The Billy the Kid character is a bit rough around the edges and is quite corny in his naiveté and fighting skill. We only see one or two actual gun fights -- one gun fight won against a tin can and the other against a ranger who was gunning for Billy.

This James Underhill character is a riot. He walks around in the day time that is supposed to be evening, and the "vampire bat" looks like a little cardboard toy! And the very dumb blonde who will be Drac's mate pooh-poohs everything and does not understand why the German couple freaks out whenever they are in the same room with Drac.

Virginia Christine, a great character actress who has appeared in many Sixties TV shows including The Rifleman, etc. makes an appearance as the all-knowing gypsy woman who knows all about vampires -- though why Drac does not react to the cross around her neck I'll never know.

The director William Beaudine is known for his cheap thrills films. I believe he made Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter, another gem that I must see! DVD: Except for a quick bio of the director and John Carradine (whose crazy stare and red face must be seen to be believed!) there are no extras. There is an interesting 50s ad for Orange Crush and an intro by Julie Andrews on the awesomeness of the MPAA Code.

Bottom Line: John Carradine is pretty rough in this piece. He is suave in his acting but when he attacks he growls like a bear! And Chuck Courtney as Billy the Kid is such a pansy, getting his butt kicked more than once. Must see the cheese!

Minority Report (2002)

Future Crime Thriller!

[8/10 · 27 March 2012]

I remember when Minority Report first came out and it improved with a second viewing of the future.

The future is an interesting place; your advertising becomes personalized when you get eye scans upon walking into a store. Advertising is really expansive. And cars are automatic affairs running on rolling roads, reminiscent of Robert Heinlein's vision of "The Roads Must Roll" story.

Anyway, Phillip K. Dick (Blade Runner) came up with a short story adapted to film about a six year experiment called the Pre Crime Unit -- clairvoyants floating in a tank who together come up with an agreed-upon vision of the future -- a future where they can predict murders.

The pre crime cops jump on the murderers as they're about to commit a crime, after all the trio psychics are never wrong. Or are they? There are people who greatly depend on this system and when John Anderton and a government agent stumble onto some anomalies in the system, they become targeted by these special interests.

Spielberg spends a lot of time building up the Anderton character -- a man on drugs and greatly depressed on the disappearance of his son. And divorced from a woman who could not stand the reminder of her son whenever she looked in Anderton's eyes. Pretty sad.

Lots of chases and lots of fighting with the occasional peak at the future make for some interesting science fiction entertainment -- but at two hours, wow! Tom Cruise and Colin Farrell both play their characters well though I would have liked to have seen more character development in Colin's character.

Rental recommended!

Super 8 (2011)

Especially Great for Spielberg Fans & Baby Boomers!

[9/10 · 27 March 2012]

It's rare that a film comes along about kids and has a science fiction touch yet communicates the joys and the frustrations of growing up than Super 8.

Super 8 was apparently billed as a disaster film with aliens, etc. In truth, it's not about the alien at all. It's about kids growing up in a rural town, trying to do something special with themselves.

My Impressions: The film starts out with a funeral. A child loses his mother early on. A man comes over and is immediately thrown out of the house! Right here you wonder what the heck is going on! We find out soon enough. I think I found the story within the story of what Abrams was trying to do. It's semi-autobiographical. Spielberg and Abrams were both into making films as kids and it stuck.

The actual filmmaking was fun to see: they set up with funky scripts, a zombie who just would not stay dead, and a kid who wanted "production value" in all his shots! However, a train wreck, a fallen camera and an Area 51 scientist who also happened to be their science teacher changed all that.

The train wreck special effects were amazing and horrific. The look on the love-struck kid when he thought Alice was dead was heart-touching.

Favorite Scenes: Father's Faith: Without giving too much away, our hero discovers a film that was made with his mother when he was growing up. Alice sits with him in his room as the power comes on. The scenes project and Alice begins to cry, realizing that if her father took that shift at the steel mill that day, the tragic accident that took his mother "should have" taken her father.

The theme of dysfunctional parents that actually do love their children and overcoming that dysfunctional was great to see.

Amateur Horror Film: During the credits we actually get to see the full film that the kids were making, right down to the pipe and the armchair, the zombie and the chemical plant, etc. Fun to watch! I actually did something like this myself when I was 17 or so.

Music! The memories of the late 70s came back to me. The music and the excitement are really great.

Hackneyed Themes: Yes there were some "I've seen this before" themes of government abuse, secrets, abducting the alien (!), it escapes, the misunderstood scientist, the innocent children that make it right while the adults are clueless.

But it's HOW Abrams and Spielberg put these themes together, with a few twists (the fathers' involvement) and the success these filmmakers did in recreating the time period, the attitudes, the 1950s horror alien invasion Grade B style, that makes this film so charming.

Bottom Line: There are some scenes where the kids swear like truck drivers; it's not a lot but parents should know. Highly recommend this film, especially for those who grew up in the 70s, enjoyed Journey and Blondie, and loved the film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. The trailers make believe this film is a typical invasion story. That's done on purpose. It's a coming of age story that is charming in its execution. Highly recommended.

You've Got Mail (1998)

Likable, Cute Look At The Web!

[27 March 2012]

Interesting rom-com from the late 1990s, when the internet was new and chat rooms were the in thing, when AOL ruled the cyberspace community.

Ah, the whine of a 56K modem and the AOL voice, "You've Got Mail" brings back memories.

First Impressions: What if you revealed your deepest personal thoughts to someone online, never suspecting that he/she was a person that you had met in person? In this case, Kathleen - Meg Ryan and Joe - Tom Hanks, even though they have mildly interesting partners of their own, sneak onto their AOL accounts and chat about life.

Unbeknownst to Joe, Kathleen is a proprietor of Shop Around the Corner, a popular independent bookstore for children. And unbeknownst to Kathleen, Joe is part of the Fox Books chain of books, a family run operation that gleefully shuts down independent bookstores, buy up their stock and then sell it cheaply.

Though this is a romantic comedy, it does make quite a scathing commentary on chain bookstores, like Powell's or Barnes & Noble, as these chains buy up independents and destroy the unique atmosphere of neighborhood businesses. They take a stab at Starbucks as well, another well known conglomerate, as independent coffee shops struggle to survive.

As an aside, these days this is changing: Barnes & Noble for example, is not doing well while independents are flourishing. Interesting how things can change in 12 or so years.

The film's plot is well-run and nicely running along. We have Kathleen and Joe meet, at first not knowing who each other is. Then when they do, they dislike each other because they are competitors.

Then ironically they chat about each other and the problems they're having. Joe gives Kathleen advice that actually helps compete with his own store! Hilarious.

The movie starts taking a fall for me when Joe and Kathleen arrange to meet off-line. When Joe discovers who his online chat-mate is, he leaves her in the coffee shop and abandons her without meeting.

I mean, how callous and shallow can you get? The film took a turn I didn't like at this point.

Bottom Line: The film updates and relocates the Ernst Lubitsch classic, The Shop Around the Corner (1940).

Overall, great comedy!

Attack of the Puppet People (1958)

Only the Lonely

[5/10 · 13 May 2011]

** minor spoilers ** Despite the fact there is really no "Attack" and the "puppets" are really people, the film is a bit of a rip-off of the more successful Incredible Shrinking Man.

The plot is quick and predictable. A toymaker whose wife had left him many years ago learns how to shrink people to six inches tall. He does this so that he won't be alone. This man is Mr. Franz, played seriously by John Hoyt, a character actor whose been in all kinds of sci-fi, from the crazy rich guy in a wheelchair in "When Worlds Collide" to the doctor in the pilot episode of Star Trek.

Franz keeps running out of secretaries (shrinking them and putting them in bottles is bad for business) and so he hires another one; blonde and alone like him. She falls for Bob (John Agar, whose appeared in many cheesy scifi flicks of the 50s).

Bob does the right thing: he proposes marriage in a drive-in which is playing "Attack of the Colossal Man" (through an incredible coincidence this film was also directed by Bert I. Gordon, the same director as "Attack of the Puppet People.").

As the police close in, Franz decides on a murder-suicide but the little people will have none of it.

The plot fades, we never learn the fate of the other shrunken people and Franz stands in a lab, alone -- the worst fate! Plot holes galore: How did a toymaker, doll manufacturer and part-time puppeteer find the skills and knowledge to create an advanced scientific device that shrinks organic matter? Why did he waste this on people when he could have made a mint as a respected scientist? And what happened to the other shrunken people who escaped into the theater? You'll have to watch to find out!

Orientation: A Scientology Information Film (1996)

Excellent Overview Of This Subject

[10/10 · 22 December 2008]

All negative comments from disgruntled ex-members aside, I thought the movie quite well-made.

What's especially interesting is that they go over Hubbard's fiction works. He wrote much more than science fiction, which was a small fraction of his writing output in the 1940s.

Also interesting were the interviews with real people. Yeah, there was Travolta and Alley. However, there was also a stunt double, a homemaker, a businessman and other real people telling what they got out of the subject.

Of course church members will ask to talk to you. Why not? People are really looking for answers. If you want them, then listen. It even says at the end of the film that you don't have to check it out. But you should.

Thanks.

This Is Scientology: An Overview of the World's Fastest Growing Religion (2004 Video)

Good Video Short

[10/10 · 22 December 2008]

I'm sorry that there are people who think it's okay to insult minority religions. See the last one star "review" here.

This video was a recording of an event at Celebrity Center in Los Angeles. In it there were several non-Scientologists, politicians and celebrities that discussed the subject and Scientology's impact on the community.

The politician who professed to using Scientology's drug reform program on firefighters affected by the dust & chemicals of the 9/11 disaster in New York had quite an impact.

This video has a lot of messages for the world that should not be ignored. No matter how you feel about Scientology, you should watch this video.