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Reviews
The Tick (1994)
It does not get any funnier than The Tick
This show will keep you on your toes for a half hour. The jokes come fast, the puns are often obscure, and the irony is thick. What's not to love?
The Outsiders (1983)
Do yourself a favor and read the book instead
I first read The Outsiders when I was in 7th grade, way back in 1971; 12 years later as a 20-something I was excited for the film. The disappointment was painful. The acting wandered from flat to melodramatic, with no in between. The characters, who displayed incredible depths in the book, were shallow and whiny. Scenes that moved me to tears in the book left me cold in the film. Scenes that flowed and connected in the book were abrupt and jumpy in the film. Every time I stumble upon the film on TV, I watch it for a few minutes, remember why I didn't like it, and go on a hunt for my 50-year-old copy of the novel.
Baby It's You (1983)
Mediocre
I tried to like this movie, because I generally love John Sayles' films, but it was painful to watch. The characters were uninteresting, the dialogue seemed disjointed. Sheik was an arrogant boor who gave no reason for the audience to be empathetic. Jill had very little personality, and the film never really established why she would be so attracted to Sheik. Jill was bored with everyone except Sheik, and I was bored with Jill.
The only reason I watched it through the end was to see Michael E. Knight in a pre-All My Children role. Unfortunately, it was a short appearance.
If you want a better representation of John Sayles' talent as a director, try Matewan, Sunshine State, Lone Star, City of Hope, or The Return of the Seacaucus 7.
Black Christmas (1974)
Creepy and chilling!
Black Christmas is a truly eerie slasher movie that influenced every similar film that came after it -- and very few that came after improved upon the genre.
The cinematography made every character's move add to the uneasiness in the film, as the camera gave the viewer the killer's point of view, or it followed the girls up the stairs and around the upstairs hall. The dark interiors of the sorority house, the winter gloom outside, and the blanket of snow all contributed to the creepy feeling that permeates the film.
A couple things -- aside from Barb's incessant crude sex talk -- annoyed me: Mrs. Mac lost a shoe as she was being dragged into the attic -- did anyone find it? Why on earth did the police not search the attic? And what doctor or cop in his/her right mind would not have taken Jess to the hospital?
When I saw Black Christmas for the first time, I was disappointed with the ending. Upon watching it again, I find the ending nothing short of brilliant. For isn't it more frightening to suspect the killer is still out there (or *in* there, as the case may be), and isn't it more chilling *not* to understand the motives for his actions?