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MooeyG-2
Reviews
Frequency (2000)
What wouldn't you give for a second chance?
We were not going to see this film because we thought it would be a Hollywood-ized tearjerker with not much substance. How wrong! Acting was wonderful and convincing, the plot line and pacing were very well handled. Science fiction and fantasy stories with "time" as the subject are very tricky, but this one was handled exceptionally well, in my opinion. It was emotionally uplifting without dipping TOO much into sentimentality. I mean, come on! It's about a father-son relationship being healed, so you have to forgive them if they dip a little bit. But it never got maudlin.
The thriller elements made for some sweaty palms, and Shawn Doyle was so scary to me in his part, that I had to stay up and watch The Horse Whisperer and What Dreams May Come, just so I could go to bed with a different image in my mind. Otherwise, Sleepless in Phoenix!
Great show!
Mission to Mars (2000)
Joins my list of worst ever films
I love movies for things like dialogue, good visuals, pacing, and music. None of the above were present, so move over Saturn 5 and Tarzan, the Ape Man (the one with Bo Derek). Shamelessly borrowing from, gee, maybe 5 other movies, DePalma has turned out an unoriginal product. It's a pity, too, because it really was an interesting story idea.
It was a waste of time, and embarrassingly silly. We sat there and mouthed the script before the actors said their lines. It was as if DePalma entered this movie in a contest for how many trite, cliche-ed, and predictable phrases he could include in one movie. Where is Lana Turner when you need her?
Ditto for the score by Ennio Morricone, who is a great cinematic composer with an impressive body of work. Just not this one.
Save your dough, but on the other hand, this film could achieve a cult following for being THIS bad, or being inadvertently funny. Who knows! Maybe it was supposed to be a comedy.
The Day of the Dolphin (1973)
Hauntingly beautiful music
I agree with the assessment that the movie points out how we, as caretakers of the Earth, tend to abusiveness and misunderstanding. I agree also that it is a hokey telling of that theme, but still effective. I might venture that a contributing factor in its effectiveness is the beautiful music created by George Delerue. It is lilting and graceful, moving through the air the way the dolphins move through the water. I was very affected at the end of this film.