rye9969 Reviews

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002 TV Movie)

Wonderful fun

[12 October 2003]

I am a huge fan of the Muppets and always have been since the show's reruns during the late 80's. The movies were magical and lots of fun. The Muppet Movie started it all, then The Great Muppet Caper followed, finally with The Muppets Take Manhattan. Once the adaption movies came out, the Muppets feeling seemed to be less 'magical'. Sure they were the characters that we had grown to know and love, but something was missing. When Muppets from Space came out, any established history was gone. They lived in a house, and there was no connection to the Muppet Theater at all. This movie, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie had all the charm and magic that the original Muppet Show had, plus the original three movies. Seeing the theater again was great, and all the regular Muppets seemed to have a small part in the movie. However they could have used he Electric Mayhem a little more than they did. All in all, this was great family fun for the holidays. I hope that they continue to bring us great Muppet fun for many more years to come. The only one noticeable problem with this film was the absence of Frank Oz. Why oh why did Frank not want to voice Piggy, Fozzie and Sam the Eagle? His replacement was fine enough, however they were are used to hearing. Muppet fans will love this movie. Sit back by the fireplace and drink the eggnog, and enjoy this heartwarming flick. ****

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

Crap...

[1 September 2003]

I am a huge fan of the horror genre. When I go to see a horror movie, I want to see constantly tense scenes leading from one to another. Any Friday the 13th, Halloween, or Elm Street movie, can be ranked up amongst the top rated horror movies from the last 25 years. I don't expect Oscar worthy performances to be played out before being hacked up into tiny pieces! However, I do need a reasonably good storyline to keep me interested. The first "Creeper" movie did keep me interested the entire way through. I loved how the film focussed on Darry and his sister Trish, along with the Creeper. The movie mantained a very tense atmosphere, as well as being able to stay dark and mysterious. The sequel to "Jeepers Creepers" was just plain garbage! I was actually sitting in the theater hoping that the movie would end sooner than we were expecting it to. Jezelle(the psychic from the 1st movie) told Darry and Trish that they would have to 'run like hell' if they ever heard the "Jeepers Creeprs, where'd you get them peepers" song, though it was not heard once in this movie. Also, the Creeper's fast as hell truck is not seen once in the film. There are also so many unnecessary plots that the writer introduced to us, that kept the viewers wondering 'why the hell is this even in the movie?' The racism... the gay boy... the topless boys(lots of this in the movie), the psychic chick(we don't even understand why she is psychic at all) and at the end of the movie we don't even know who survived the entire ordeal. We only see three or four of the kids that did survive, but it didn't show any more than five or six of the bus passengers getting killed(kids and adults), when there were at least 25 teens on the bus. What happened to all the others? There are just far too many useless things in this movie, that made it such a waste of my time. Easily the movie could have been made more enjoyable at 85 mins running time, but it just seemed to drag ON AND ON AND ON AND ON AND ON... snoooooze...

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

Sigh...

[15 July 2003]

I sit here and read all of these reviews and wonder what truly is wrong with the world today. These last couple of months, I come to check out fan reviews of movies that I want to see, and then make a decision on whether or not I truly want to see a movie or not. However, reading some 'over the top' and bashing reviews from some people, I still go out and watch the movies. To me it sounds like some people are too critical and want things served to them with golden spoons. Everything has to be perfectly 'believable', and played out the way that little baby whiners want it to be. For anyone that wants to write a really long review to a movie, and in the five or six paragraphs bitch and moan about every little detail they 'detested' or found 'extraordinarily disgusting', needs to get a life or stop living the life of a failed movie critic. Cause face it guys, none of you will ever be Joel Siskel! LXG lives up to my expectations. I was hoping for a good movie with excellent characters, and wonderful special effects. I got all of that wrapped up into this movie. The actors did a great job, and it is an action movie so we got all the explosions! For those of you that wanna see LXG, do it! It's not a waste of money. Don't listen to the whiners out there, because in the world today, there are far too many of them.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

ARRGH

[10/10 · 15 July 2003]

I am so sick and tired of hearing people bitch and moan about this movie. If you have the time to sit down and list all the flaws and nitpicks about a movie, then type it all up into neat and intricate little cattegories on the IMDB to discourage any hopeful viewers, then seriously you people need help. People just can't be satisfied anymore, and want things given to them with the golden spoon. Why can't people jsut go to a movie, sit there and enjoy something? Instead of being so bloody critical of the film? For crying out loud, Nemesis isn't Saving Private Ryan or Moulin Rouge, so get over it. Nemesis is Star Trek, and Star Trek is supposed to be fun. Nemesis was FUN!! Get over it and stop bitching!!! I love Trek Movies, and this one is probably my second most favourite from all of them. A lot of people liked the movie, and only the pimple faced 'costume' wearing geeks out there that nitpick movies to death hated it. Let's just get a bag of popcorn and enjoy a movie for once!! ****end rant sigh****

From Justin to Kelly (2003)

People are just 2 uptight...

[1/10 · 1 July 2003]

My fianceé got me hooked on American Idol, and now Canadian Idol. We watch it religiously every week. So of course I knew that she'd like to see this movie when it came out into the theaters. Right from the start, I knew that "From Justin to Kelly" wouldn't be spectacular, but it was a very upbeat and a fun movie. It reminded me a lot of "Grease" and I think thats what it was supposed to be like. As we sat there watching this movie, which is only short the hour and a half mark, we felt as though we were really there on Spring Break. Oh how I wish that spring breaks were really like that. There were a lot of hot girls in bikinis and buff guys showing off their stuff, so it keeps both sexes happy throughout the entire movie. For the synical people out there, go see a movie like "Forrest Gump" or "Saving Private Ryan" if you're looking for intellectual movies. If you want to get away for a little while, go get a bag of popcorn and a big Coke, then sit down and enjoy this movie.

The Mummy Returns (2001)

Simply Awesome!

[2 June 2003]

On my day off from work today, I decided to pop in the Mummy Returns for something fun to watch. I hadn't seen it since it was released for homeviewing, so it's been about a year or two. I must say that this movie takes my breath away each time I see it. The Mummy Returns is a roller coaster ride which barely stops during the entire 2+ hours! I love the CGI effects, and how lavish the scenery looks. The movie made me feel as though I was witnessing Ancient Egypt and and the 1930's era in person. So what if things look 'cartoony' during the battling sequences! I think that the battle sequences in Two Towers looked just as much the same. I find that with many fans nowadays, they take things way too seriously. If a movie or TV series is not what they hope for, then they blast it all to hell just because they are whining babies. Take for instance Star Trek Nemesis. That was another really good movie, yet the so called 'fans' ripped it apart piece by piece and then fed it to the dogs. I just wish that the babies would enjoy the movies instead of complaining that a movie isn't good quality. If thats the case they should just go back to their rooms and watch Fargo or the English Patient! Both the Mummy and the Mummy Returns rock as far as action movies go. Get a huge bag of chips a large bottle of pop, sit down with your girlfriend and enjoy two great movies!! Excellent fun!!

1st to Die (2003 TV Movie)

Impressed

[2/10 · 11 April 2003]

Let me just start off by saying that this made for TV movie was quite well done. I have seen a few movies made from novels, and we all know what screenwriters and movie directors do to our favourite novels don't we? If first saw Patterson's "Kiss the Girls" way before I even knew that there was a book. I have always been a fan of murder/thriller/whodunnit type movies, and when that movie came out, I was totally captivated by its energy and story. However after I found out that "Kiss the Girls" was actually a novel written by James Patterson, I had to pick up a copy. I thank my ex-girlfriend for getting me hooked onto Mr. Patterson's writing, because I haven't been able to miss any of his books since. Moving on...

So I read "Kiss the Girls" and was completely surprised by how entirely different, and more entertaining than the theatrical movie was. Although I loved the movie, it just didn't draw me in like the book did afterwards. So by the time "Along Came a Spider" arrived in the movie theaters, I had already read it's novel counterpart. Again I was entertained, and still enjoy the movie from time to time, but I did not get the great indepth experience as I did with James Patterson's works of art.

After reading "1st to Die" and "2nd Chance" before the TV movie came out, I couldn't wait till the movie with Markie Post hit the TV channels. Markie Post? Queen Latifah? Were they really suggested to play the roles of Lindsey Boxer and Claire Washburn? Yup... according to the IMDB, but when the previews came out of "1st to Die", sure enough the casting information had been wrong. From start to finish I found that the TV addaptation was quite well done. However there were quite a few rushed scenes, I felt that overall, this was the best attempt at bringing a Patterson book to the screen.

The characters were well played, except that I felt Jill Burnhardt's name was only mentioned once, and when she made her first appearance on the screen, no one knew who the hell she was. At first I thought that she was another female cop thrown into the mess, but once she made a few more appearances, with no one even saying "hey Jill" I kinda figured that she was Seattle's(San Fran's) deputy DA. Thanks for letting the audience know that. Then there was Cindy. I think that she was thrown in just like Jill was, to keep the Murder Club true to the book.

The relationship between the four women didn't seem as solid as it did in the novel, and like I said before, a lot of the meetings with them felt rushed like it didn't belong in the movie. Also Cindy (yes I know that she is a reporter) pops up everywhere like she's a freaking psychic. Also with Chris Raleigh, it never states in the movie that he's seperated and has children, but on his tombstone it says "beloved father and husband". With this little tidbit left out, as well as no mention of Lindsey's important father, one goes to wonder how or even if they'll make a "2nd Chance."

Pam Grier plays a convincing Claire, as well as Tracy Polly playing Lindsey, but the best performance in the entire movie was done by Robert Patrick. He's always been a great 'evil' looking character. In the end... "1st to Die" moved along quite well, and did stick fairly pure to its novel counterpart. Some things were missing, and some things were rushed, but all in all I recommend a viewing by Patterson fans at least once in their life.

Mad TV (1995–2016)

Was an awesome show...

[12 October 2002]

I used to watch MadTV all the time, every Saturday night. Now I find myself catching it, when its convenient. In its early years, MadTV was hillarious. The show had awesome skits, and absolutely outrageous scenarios. Ms Swan, Stewart, anything done by Will Sasso, and Mo Collins just left me in stitches. However, as time has gone along, I find myself laughing less and less at MadTV's attempt at funny sketches. With Nicole Sullivan, Alex Borstein, and now Will Sasso gone, I can hardly accept the show as being MadTV without them. Sure Michael McDonald is still around, and Mo Collins is great as well, but the other three stars that I mentioned were the greatest, and I surely miss them whenever I catch the show on TV.

Ripper (2001)

Not terrible as some say...

[19 February 2002]

I just rented a movie the other night called "Killer Instinct", was that ever a bad choice. I went to Blockbuster and saw "Ripper: Letters from Hell" on the shelf, but all the copies were out, so I settled for the first movie... my god was I disappointed... it looked like a gory Goosebumps episode. So I went back last night to the video store and was lucky to get a copy of "Ripper". I just finished watching it, and I was very surprised. I haven't seen a good horror movie since Scream 3, and this one reminded me of it. Yes it does seem that the characters are a little shallow, but we don't want Academy Award Winners portraying a serial killer victim now do we? I especially liked the characters of Molly(A.J. Cook) and Chantel (Claire Keim) as they were the strongest acting of the teens. Several of the scenes kept me guessing as to who the killer was, and I enjoyed the movie the entire way through. The only thing that got me was the ending... there is no way that Molly could have been the killer. The way the movie was pushing, it made it seemed as though she was. Professor Kane is more likely, but he seemed too emotional towards Molly... I'm so confused now... I wish that we'd just get a straight answer. Ah well I still give this movie a 3/5.

Along Came a Spider (2001)

Hey give it some slack...

[6 February 2002]

I've been reading some of the comments for this movie, and think that many of you are over-critical. This is a psychological thriller, and plays it's part well. Morgan Freeman is one of my favourite actors, and he plays Detective Alex Cross very well. I enjoyed the movie on a thriller type basis. If you want to be critical about it not living up to the book's legend then fine... cause I'll be the first one to tell you that it's barely anything like the book. "Along Came a Spider" was a wonderful book and the character of Gary Soneji was compared to a spider... if anyone was wondering why the title was called that. I'm not one to bash movies unless they are horrible, and for those of you that think this movie is horrible... thats just your call. This movie is good, its just not the book. *** out of *****