gazebo Reviews

Frogmen Operation Stormbringer (2002)

Typical B action movie, nice time waster

[5/10 · 29 March 2009]

It's a pretty straightforward action film. The U.S. Seals are sent to capture the terrorist "Casper". The acting is not very good, but it's not surprising since this is a B action movie. The actor that plays "Casper" was the most watcheable because his acting was better than the rest. It was an OK time waster.

The criticism that I have for this film is that the night shots were just awful. Especially the shot of the Seals underwater. I couldn't see anything except little flashes of light and I didn't understand the dialogue. It was so frustrating I nearly turned off the film. But once the night scenes and underwater scenes were over, the film was decent. The fighting scenes were exciting and there were some spectacular explosions. It's a typical movie that guys love, I think.

I enjoyed it for what it was. Nice movie to rent if one is stuck at home with a twisted ankle, like me.

Revolver (2005)

Visually exciting film, but too complex to understand!

[5/10 · 3 May 2008]

This is a wonderfully visual film. The action is exciting and there were real moments of absolute suspense that had me holding my breath! Jake Green gets out of prison and he wants to get revenge on his old boss, Dorothy (no, it is a guy) Macha who put him in jail. This is the story on how Jake gets his revenge. There, that's the simplest way I can put it.

There is a lot of philosophy in this film that you get or you won't get. There are certain sayings that are repeated over and over again until you "get it". Unfortunately, a lot of viewers are not going to "get it"! Anyone that wants a straight, action, easy to understand story, will get easily frustrated watching this film. I understand why some of the reviewers here trashed this film. It's too complex! I loved the style, the above average acting, the action scenes, but the story was just too, too muddled. The ending is very hard to understand until one realizes that in order to win, Jake has to discard his "EGO"! Ray liotta is totally cool and a real great bad-ass as Macha. Jason Statham puts out a real effort to do some deep acting. Sometimes he succeeds, sometimes he doesn't. Anyway, Statham looks pretty good with hair! Andre Benjamin is all smooth and shiny as the mysterious Avi.

I want to give this movie a "B" for its stylishness and action, but for the story, I'd give it a "D+"! Even though the movie is confusing, I still think it's worth viewing.

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

Beautifully filmed historical film that is not historical at all!

[7/10 · 1 March 2008]

I went to watch this movie knowing that even though the historical figures are real, the story is basically fiction, only Philippa Gregory's version of the tragedy of Anne Boleyn. Watching this film with this attitude really helped me enjoy it rather than be upset that all the historic characters' personalities were so distorted that they were almost unrecognizable. I suggest anyone else going to see this movie adopt this attitude too.

Sitting back, I proceeded to enjoy the scenery, the costumes, the beautiful actresses portraying the Boleyn girls and the over the top acting.

It was a fun movie and it moved along quickly. Scarlet Johansson and Natalie Portman were excellent as the Boleyn sisters. Eric Bana played a very conflicted Henry VIII who is continually frustrated by not getting a male heir. Eric Bana was not very good in this movie, I'm not sure what it was, maybe it was the way how the character was written or that he was just not comfortable in the role. He was extremely miscast as King Henry.

The one to watch in this film is Natalie Portman who seems to have a grand time playing the evil, scheming Anne Boleyn.

I am pleased to see that all the women in this film, like Lady Boleyn, Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn and Queen Catherine of Aragon were portrayed as having strong characters and not easily pushed around. Even Mary Boleyn, who seemingly always acquiesce to the wishes of her father and uncle, decided in the end to run off and marry someone who truly loves her.

It's a very entertaining film. Just remember that it's only someone's version of the Tudor history, not the real history, and you won't run into trouble!

Dhoom 2 (2006)

Strictly a fun movie!

[5/10 · 8 April 2007]

Actually, I liked "Dhoom" better than this movie. Plotwise, "Dhoom" had a lot more going for it. But "Dhoom 2" is a lot more fun, a lot more glossier and filled with such incredibly beautiful looking actors.

Hritek (am I even spelling his name correctly?) Roshan is SMOKIN' HOT!!!! Ashwarya Rai is a DROP DEAD GORGEOUS BABE! They are the most gorgeous couple ever! In this story, it is not about the supercop and his sidekick, but rather it becomes the story of the superthief and his sidekick girlfriend.

I'm not going to bother talking about the story. The story is lightweight. You just sit there and watch the singing, the dancing, the action scenes and Mr. A and Sunehri's passionate kiss. The best thing is the "Dhoom" song that runs throughout the movie. It is a great song with great dancing and singing. As I watched the DVD, I couldn't stop watching the video for this particular song over and over again.

It was a very enjoyable 3 hour time-waster.

Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)

Beautiful looking movie that is meant to make the viewers feel disgusted

[7/10 · 8 April 2007]

The first ten minutes sitting through this movie was a bit of a shock. There was gold and jewels and jade and colored glass all over the palace. The young slave girls were dressed in tight dresses that displayed their heaving bosoms, the Empress is all dressed in gold embroidery. Everyone, and I mean everyone in this film looks really gorgeous. So what's the problem that I see? Everything was too much. There was too much glitter, too much gold, after awhile, it just got too much that I felt vaguely disgusted by what I was looking at. And I think that's what the director wanted.

This movie is about the ugliness of a dysfunctional family (in this case, the royal family of China). It did not matter that the Emperor and his family lived amidst such great wealth and extravagance, they were miserable and they were also in the midst of destroying themselves. This is not an easy movie to watch as it goes through betrayal, incest (really yucky stuff) and murder.

To put it briefly, the Empress knows she's being poisoned by the Emperor and she wreaks such vengeance that it breaks apart the whole family.

I thought the acting was very good. Gong Li is very watchable and she makes the viewer feel both sympathetic, yet disgusted towards her. Chow Yun Fat shows such evil and arrogance in his role as the Emperor. And yet, as the Emperor, he still has a certain charm. The Emperor may be pretty rotten to the core, but Chow Yun Fat in this character makes the viewer feel for the emperor too. During this film I was mesmerized by Chow Yun Fat's remarkable performance. If you are not interested in anything else in this film, at least see this film for Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li's performances.

The problems with this film has a lot to do with pacing. There were some spots during this long movie where everything just dragged. A man sitting across from me in the theater fell asleep and started snoring. That's not good at all! Also, during the film, a man and his kids quickly ran into the theater and sat down. I guess they were expecting some sort of action, kung fu movie, which this film was not in spite of some breathtaking fighting towards the end of the movie. After about fifteen minutes, the man took his kids out of the theater and left. I think I heard him complaining loudly that there wasn't any action going on. Word of warning, read some movie reviews before taking your children to see a specific movie. This movie was definitely not for young children.

It's not a great movie, it's a little pretentious, rent and watch it for the performances.

Florence Nightingale (1985 TV Movie)

Good television movie!

[5/10 · 12 August 2006]

This is one of the better TV movies of the 1980s definitely.

I watched this movie knowing practically nothing about Florence Nightingale and I came away realizing what an important person she was in the world of medicine and patient care.

What I recall of the movie was this captain (or an army doctor, I can't recall exactly) in the makeshift hospital was yelling at his badly wounded soldier. It was a terrible way to treat these badly wounded men in a very dirty environment. Soldiers died quickly of their wounds due from infection and bad care before Florence Nightingale entered the picture. Florence Nightingale bought a whole bunch of women to the war zone and trained them to be nurses. Together, they cleaned up the "hospital" and revolutionized the care of patients.

Jacklyn Smith is very lovely. In whatever role she's in, she's always the elegant Jacklyn Smith. I don't buy her as Florence Nightingale, but she puts on some decent acting. I believed her compassion for people and she had me rooting for her throughout the movie.

It's a nice introduction to Florence Nightingale and I think it is a good movie to show to high school students who are interested in the nursing profession. It's a good drama and it doesn't hit you over the head with too much moralizing.

I don't know if this movie will ever come out on DVD, but it's a good movie for people who like costume dramas, Jacklyn Smith, or interested in Florence Nightingale.

Day of Wrath (2006)

Finally, a decent Christopher Lambert movie!

[7/10 · 30 June 2006]

This movie takes place in Spain during the horrible Spanish Inquisition. Nobles are being murdered horribly and letters are carved into the corpses' chests. The sheriff, a good and decent man (played by Lambert) tries to find out who killed these nobles. The sheriff is met by resistance from the inquisitor and even his own boss (played by Brian Blessed) when he tries to uncover this murder mystery. Eventually, the sheriff realizes that these murders are connected to his family history and he must act quickly to save his life and the lives of his family.

I love the look of this film. It is a costume drama and a murder mystery and it takes place during a particularly horrible time in Spain's history.

The acting is very good. Congratulations to all the actors in this film, they've really outdid themselves. Christopher Lambert actually does a really decent job in this film and for the first time, I'm watching this guy actually act and not go on auto-pilot. The plot of this film is extremely intriguing and I greatly respect a film that still makes me think after the movie is long over.

This is a beautiful looking film and a good mystery, though I must warn some viewers that some of the murders are extremely graphic but it is not gratuitous violence as it is central to the story.

Absolutely worth viewing, maybe even worth viewing more than once.

The Da Vinci Treasure (2006)

Terrible, terrible movie!

[3/10 · 30 June 2006]

This movie is a big disappointment and a waste of film. The story was mediocre, the acting was very poor. The worse shock for me was to see how C. Thomas Howell looked! He looked horribly gaunt and very old and his voice was too raspy. I thought to myself, was this poor guy really sick or on drugs? Well, I read Howell's mini-biography and found out that he had a bad case of appendicitis and that's why he looked so gaunt. In my opinion, Howell shouldn't be working right now because he looks really awful and he ought to take time out to recover fully before going back into films. I mean, if you're gonna do an action film with not a very good plot, you ought to at least look handsome.

This film is about a bunch of treasure hunters looking for the "Da Vinci treasure". The story is preposterous. There were some interesting ideas behind Da Vinci's artwork but that was about it. All the actors were incredibly wasted doing this forgettable film.

The directing was pretty bad. All of a sudden, the film would stop, a bright flash would appear and then the film would continue on. Instead of looking cool, it became a big irritation after awhile, because it was a pretty pointless special effect. The film was lifeless and I had to force myself to continue watching. I decided to continue watching this film because TV is now in re-run hell and there was nothing else better on.

I do hope that C. Thomas Howell recovers his health and his looks. I was just incredibly shocked and sadden by how crappy he looked.

Avoid this film, please.......!

Numb3rs (2005–2010)

Fascinating show that uses math to solve crimes!

[25 April 2006]

Okay. I lied. I don't watch the show because I was fascinated by how math is used to solve crimes, I watch because I found out Rob Morrow was on the show. I still remember Rob Morrow fondly as Dr. Joel Fleishmann from "Northern Exposure". I haven't seen any other work with Morrow so I wanted to see how he was in "Numb3rs".

Well, I was surprised at how much I like the show! I was a little scared of the math thing, thinking it's too difficult to understand. I was right, sometimes the math is too complicated to understand, but it's not extremely central to the show. The show is basically about an FBI agent, Don Eppes, who has a brother, Charlie Eppes, who is a brilliant mathematician, a child genius now all grown up. Don and Charlie solves crimes together, but it's not just that, the show talks about how the brothers and their father relate to each other.

This show would not work if the main characters were not so appealing. Plus, Rob Morrow and David Krumholtz are such gorgeous men! If only all FBI agents and mathematic geniuses looks like that! The acting is very, very good. The plots are interesting even if they get a bit convoluted. There is a nice balance of action and intellect as we watch how the FBI solves crimes.

My only complaint is that I want the show to get more into the history and characters of the Eppes family. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of that soon.

I recommend the show highly. Don't let math scare you off from watching this show. I'm so glad I'm into "Numb3rs" now!

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2003)

Horrible, Horrible Movie!

[3/10 · 15 April 2006]

I rented this movie because of Clive Owen. I should've read the reviews for this movie before renting it. It would've saved me money and the two hours viewing this terrible, unfinished film.

This movie was slow, and I mean slow! I waited patiently, thinking this is a natural build-up to an exciting finish. And when the climax of the film came, it was absolutely anti-climatical. The ending of this film was so abrupt that I was shocked! What happened? How come the scriptwriter didn't finish the ending of this film? I actually forwarded and rewinded the film two times because I thought I missed the ending. I felt so cheated! This film had the beginnings of a good story and then it went everywhere else.

I hate to say this, but Charlotte Rampling looked like total crap in this film. She needs a facelift in the worse way and a better make-up artist.

All the acting talents in this film was wasted. What a shame! This movie should've had a better director and a better writer. It's like, they got real lazy and decide to end the film abruptly because there was no place else they could take it.

Don't rent this film. There are plenty better films to see Clive Owen in. This film was a complete waste of time.

Derailed (I) (2005)

A well done thriller with terrific acting all around!

[8/10 · 15 April 2006]

Charles, a typical suburban guy with a wife and child and a regular job, falls for a beautiful woman on the train when he goes to work one morning. He is about to have an affair in the hotel room with this beautiful woman, named Lucinda, when a robber breaks into their hotel room, robs and beats him and rapes the woman. And the horror doesn't end there, the robber demands money from Charles or he will expose his affair! Things go from bad to worse until Charles is driven to extremes....! This is a very well done thriller. I admit, I did see some things coming, but there were things in this film that surprised me. It's well acted and well directed and it is really satisfying when you're looking for something suspenseful to watch.

Jennifer Anniston may seem to be an odd choice to play Lucinda, she seems to be a bit too wholesome for the role. But after watching this film, I realized she was an excellent choice. No wonder Charles falls for Lucinda, she seems so sexy, sophisticated, but has an undercurrent of real sweetness about her. She makes men want to protect her and care for her, and that is precisely why Charles did the things he did for her.

Clive Owen is so charismatic and handsome! I couldn't take my eyes off this intense actor. He had me rooting for him until the very end.

This movie will probably never win any great awards, but that's okay. If you really want to see something suspenseful, something engrossing, something that will make you sit up and take notice, this is the movie for you!

Tides of War (2005 TV Movie)

Good Acting, Mediocre Movie

[6/10 · 8 March 2006]

This is a nice movie. That's the most I could give it. The acting, for the most part, was excellent. The story, though, was kinda mediocre. I watched this movie for Adrian Paul and I thought he was terrific in this movie. I kept on thinking as I watched this movie was, if the script was better, if there was more tension, more action, this movie would've lifted itself out of the "B" movie genre because of the good acting all around. I enjoyed the movie. It was okay.

I know that this movie was first shown on a gay cable TV network and a lot of "gay" scenes were probably edited out. The version that I watched, that was a rental from Hollywood video, was the "straight" version. It was pretty good.

My mother and I watched this movie. At the end of the movie, my mother declared that Adrian Paul's character was in love with his best friend who was killed! I never told her that this was a "gay movie" when it first came out and I was stunned by her declaration. Well, I guess Adrian Paul was so convincing as the grieving commander that it was a logical conclusion. Boy, this movie sure had a lot of "gay" subtext! It's a good movie in that it showcases Adrian Paul's great acting. He has this charismatic quality and this vulnerability that he just makes you want to reach out and talk to him.

Watch this movie for Adrian Paul!

Dhoom (2004)

Fun, entertaining but predictable action movie!

[6/10 · 7 February 2006]

I've seen it all before. The hero cop, the comic sidekick, the sexy girls that serve as movie decorations, the villainous but sexy villain and lots of slick, beautiful cars or motorcycles, things blowing up and a rather simple and predictable storyline. This is a pretty good Bollywood "B" movie.

What lifts it from total mediocrity are the actors, the one who played the hero cop (Abshishek) and the villain (John Abraham). Both men are gorgeous, both play off each other well in the few scenes they have together in the movie. I must point out an unusual scene that I've never seen done before: The cop, Jai Dixit has finally captured Kabir, the leader of the notorious gang of motorcycle thieves. The two men, who have been doing a cat and mouse dance throughout the whole movie finally meet. The cop has arrested Kabir. They are walking up the stairs of the hotel and I assume to the waiting arms of the police. The two men act like good friends as they chatted amicably. What they are talking about is how they were able to outwit each other. One scene, the two men are talking, the next scene you see the men reacting to each other as they realized how they were so easily duped by each other.

It's hard to explain the scene until you see the movie. I thought it was very unusual in that the two tough men would not show their reactions in front of each other, but in the other scene they clearly show their reactions. It's like the director of the movie wanted to show the thought processes of both men. I like that device, though it was a little awkward because the viewer doesn't catch on immediately.

I felt I had to point that out because I like what the director did.

John Abraham, John Abraham, John Abraham! My goodness, is this guy GORGEOUS! I actually paused the DVD for a few minutes just to gaze at this beautiful man! Just feasting my eyes on John Abraham was reward enough to sit through this entertaining but predictable action movie! Worth watching definitely!

My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn (1985 TV Movie)

Nice, fluffy, fun movie about the life of Errol Flynn

[4/10 · 29 January 2006]

After watching this film, I thought to myself, they really glossed up Errol Flynn's life! The movie is really nice eye candy. They really got the 1930s and 1940s atmosphere of Hollywood just right. The costumes were great. All the women looked glamorous and all the men looked handsome and debonair.

Is this a serious film about Errol Flynn's life? Nah! It's a fun movie based on all the scandalous stuff he did in his life.

Why am I critiquing this film? This is a film that had a lot of promise but failed to deliver. Duncan Reagher was really good as Errol Flynn. He was not as good looking as the original, but he made you believe that Flynn was not just a handsome playboy who did not take himself seriously, but as a man who, although gifted with great talent, was kind of disturbed and unhappy inside. Flynn's love life was a disaster considering he had so many failed marriages. He also lost a lot of good friends during his life. He also suffered from unrequited love for the elegant Olivia DeHavilland. The last scene of the film showed Errol kind of begging for Olivia to stay with him and instead she walks away. He is shown in his tux, looking really empty and slowly walking around the pool as he pours his drink into the pool. It was a sad way to end the film but kind of fitting because everyone knows by now how he eventually fell apart from his alcoholism and his dissipated lifestyle.

This film could've had much more depth, could've been better well-written. Sure they showed all the scandals but they never showed Errol Flynn's human center. Surprisingly, Duncan Reagher was able to put some emotional depth into the character of Errol Flynn even though the film writing didn't put any depth there.

I'll probably never see this film again but I can still remember after viewing this film, "Gosh, this could've been so much more.....!" I give this film a D+.

Susan's Plan (1998)

Small, amusing John Landis film

[28 December 2005]

That's what it was, a small, amusing, John Landis film.

The plot is simple. Woman and her lover hires people to kill her no good ex-husband for the insurance money. Unfortunately the people she hires are all incredibly screwed up. Will they finally commit the murder? Watch this movie for the actors. The actors are great. Lara Flynn Boyle is stunning as a dumb blonde (but actually she's a brunette) type. Michael Biehn plays against type as a weirdo, and he's very good. Billy Zane is funny and gorgeous, and so is Natassia Kinski as the scheming woman who want to do away with her husband, the incredibly handsome, sexy Adrian Paul.

This is a nice movie with some very funny moments, unfortunately the story and the dialog could've been written better. I think that's why this movie never went to the theaters.

Personally, I liked the movie for its' quirky characters and good acting. Rent this movie when there's nothing else to do on the weekend. This is a very pleasant way to pass the time.

Black Dawn (2005 Video)

Decent action flick, despite Steven Seagal

[5/10 · 28 December 2005]

I couldn't believe I bought home another Steven Seagal film rental. I promised myself that I wouldn't see another Steven Seagal movie since this guy's acting got worse and worse. But I saw this film tonight and I must say......it's not bad.

This is your typical action flick about terrorists wanting to blow up an American city and the CIA agents that stop them from doing so. I really like the female CIA agent, she's beautiful, intelligent and courageous. There is your usual heart pounding fight scenes and car chase scenes and people getting shot at scenes and many, many things getting blown up in a huge ball of fire scenes. All fun stuff, typical "B" movie.

The things that stand out for me in this movie is how good looking all the actors and actresses look and very decent acting all around. Steven Seagal does his usual one-note acting and he's looking kinda fat lately. As a matter of fact, Steven Seagal was the only thing that nearly screws up this action film. Thank goodness the cast around him were really excellent. Or is it that Steven Seagal's acting has gotten so bad that any actor would look good around him? I recognized Andrew Stevens playing a bit part as a security guard. He was still recognizable to me even in his make-up as an older guy with graying hair, glasses and an ugly mustache. I had no idea Andrew Stevens is now a producer. I still remember him on TV and in some film from the 1980s. The last film I saw him in was a sex thriller with Shannon Tweed and Morgan Fairchild, and that was very, very long ago! I figured, if Andrew Stevens continues to produce action flicks like this, I wouldn't mind watching them, even if he uses Steven Seagal again, which, uh, I kinda hope he doesn't! It's a good movie rental, something to watch when there's nothing else on TV.

The Myth (2005)

A great fantasy movie!

[7/10 · 24 December 2005]

This is one seriously entertaining movie! If anyone is into Chinese history, mythology, romantic fairy tales, reincarnation, archeology and Jackie Chan, this movie is for you! Everything about this movie pushed all my right buttons. I love the smart mingling of the present and the past concerning Jackie Chan's character, Jack the archaeologist and Meng Yu, an ancient Qin General.

Present day, Jack dreams that he was a general in the army of the first king of China and while exploring India and China with his friend, the scientist, William, he uncovers the mysteries of his past life. Anyone fascinated by the Terra cotta soldiers found in the tomb of the Qin King will enjoy this fantasy movie.

This movie is real eye candy from the wonderful scenes of India and China to the lavish costumes of the Qin period of China. The Korean actress who plays the tragic concubine Li and the Indian actress that plays Samantha, a beautiful Indian woman who helps Jack get away from the police also add to the beauty of this film.

Jackie's getting kinda old and he seems to be a lot more serious in this film than other Jackie Chan's films. His acting is fine, just that no matter what, he just can't play romantic. He's very earnest as the general but it's hard to believe that he loves the concubine. The Korean actress, on the other hand, really make you believe that she was in love with the general. She is truly heartbreaking in the final scene of the movie.

This is a fun movie that will satisfy moviegoers who likes action fantasy movies. Really worth taking a look!

Moscow Heat (2004)

Typical "B" action flick movie - Russian Style!

[4/10 · 14 November 2005]

A retired diplomat, played nicely by Michael York, goes to Russia to get revenge on the Russian gangster that murdered the diplomat's policeman son. There the diplomat meets an exceptionally strong and decent Russian cop who helps him bring the Russian gangster to justice.

I remembered the old action flicks of the 1980s that always portray the Russians as evil bad guys out to undermine the righteous U.S. government. It's interesting to see this time the Russian guy as a hero.

Not a great flick, it's really typically a "B" action flick. Michael York lends some class to this mediocre movie. Alexander Nevsky, who plays the Russian cop is kind of "blah" but surprisingly has some chemistry with Michael York. Face it, Michael York is such a good actor that he'd have chemistry with anyone he's doing a scene with. Disappointingly, the handsome Adrian Paul gets killed within the first 15 minutes into the movie. Now, if Adrian Paul was in this movie longer, it would've been an above average "B" action flick. All I can say about Adrian Paul is that he is real nice to look at for the first 15 minutes of the movie. The villain, played by Richard Tyson, is your typical bad guy. He's very blonde and very villainous in this movie.

Rent this flick if there is nothing else on TV to watch. It's okay. It doesn't suck too bad. The action scenes are decent. The acting could be better, the plot could've moved much faster, but hey, you get to see what Russia looks like today!

Cypher (2002)

Nifty movie!

[7/10 · 13 September 2005]

This movie is about this wimpy guy who decides to become a spy for a glamorous high tech company named Digicorp. This wimpy guy, Morgan (Jeremy Northam) is unhappy with his miserable suburban life and his demanding wife so he decides to become a spy. He is suppose to go to conventions from other high tech companies and find out all the companies' plans. Instead, Morgan finds himself attracted to a beautiful woman (played by Lucy Liu) and pretty much being double-crossed by these two companies that force him to become a double agent. How will Morgan get himself out of this? Can he trust the beautiful but mysterious Rita Foster (played by Lucy Liu)? And more importantly, can Morgan make it out alive? Wow! What a nifty movie! I was completely sucked in after 15 minutes of watching this movie. It is very suspenseful and you can feel Morgan's fear and confusion as he is doing his best to stay alive. The scene where they put this horrible contraption on Morgan's head to brainwash him is brilliantly creepy and frightening. Morgan slowly goes through a personality transformation that is not so readily apparent until you think about it after the film is finished. From a wimpy guy with bad hair and glasses, he turns into a man actively fighting for his life.

The ending, wow, the ending is incredible! The twist is so much fun! It left me gasping and cheering like crazy! Good performances from all around, especially from Jeremy Natham, Lucy Liu and Nigel Bennett.

I highly recommend this film!

Icon (2005 TV Movie)

Excellent "B" TV Mini-Series!

[5/10 · 11 September 2005]

First of all, I want to say the shots of Russia, with it's beautiful fairy tale like palaces are absolutely breathtaking. It's a nice bonus. Even if you don't care for this mini-series, you'd enjoy looking at the wonderful views of Russia.

This mini-series is kind of mediocre story-wise, but the great performances of all the actors really blew me away. I think Patrick Swayze makes a great action hero star and I'd like him to make more films like this. He still got a great body, but he has aged a lot. He looks kind of lean and hungry and he is perfect in this role of the spy coming out of retirement to investigate the theft of a horrific virus from a chem lab in Russia. Patrick Bergin makes a terrific villain! His eyes were absolutely icy looking and he looked psychotic and evil. Ben Cross plays the usual cool bad guy and Jeff Fahey, surprisingly plays against type, he plays a wimpy publicist to the evil Kamarov.

This is a film where the good guys are very, very good and the bad guys are very, very evil! There are no shadings of Gray to confuse the audience. There is however, a lot of great action scenes and a great musical score to go with these action scenes! The ending is absolutely cool with the masses rising up against the tyranny of the president. As a matter of fact, it's a revolutionary's dream! This is a great "B" mini-series and the whole family can watch it because even though it is violent, it is not too graphic.

I like this a lot, the film kept me engrossed and entertained, and some times, that's all one ever wants in an action film!

The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)

Embarrassing, embarrassing movie for all the actors concerned

[4/10 · 10 September 2005]

I could just imagine David Boreanaz and Eddie Furlong looking at this movie and groaning in deep shame and wondering why the hell they ever agreed to act in this lousy movie! In my opinion, I think the directors and writers are doing the best to destroy all "The Crow" movies. I haven't seen a good "The Crow" movie since the very first movie where Brandon Lee was killed while filming this movie. All the movies afterwords were really terrible even though they all did a pretty good job in giving these movies a sad, melancholy atmosphere that really works. This "Wicked Prayer" movie tries hard to give some spirituality to this movie and it just doesn't work at all! David Boreanaz is hysterically funny and over the top as "Death", a crazy satanic cult leader. I don't think David had a choice, he could've played it really scary and solemn except he can't because his dialogue was just so funny and ridiculous. He did the best he could and even though his acting was awful, he really made the movie for me. David's charisma spilled over everything every time he was on the screen. Not necessarily a good thing since Eddie Furlong is suppose to be the protagonist in this film. Eddie Furlong did his best and sometimes he even succeeded in some scenes, but his acting was badly wasted. Given a better script and better dialogue, Eddie Furlong would've been terrific as the latest reincarnation of "The Crow".

Why the hell was Tara Reid chosen to play the role as the sexy, evil girlfriend of "Death"? She was awful! And incredibly bland! She's a very lovely looking young woman but no way can she act like a mysterious femme fatale! As I watch this young actress, I kept on thinking, is she even happy playing this role? I thought she looked sorta miserable, with David Boreanaz upstaging her every chance he got.

Crappy, crappy movie, but worth a look if you want to howl with laughter at David's over the top acting and Tara's bad acting.

I give this movie a D-.

Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story (2004 TV Movie)

Unintentionally funny, sucky movie!

[4/10 · 31 August 2005]

Where the hell did VH1 find the scriptwriter for this movie??? Out of high school? This movie tries so hard to be sympathetic to Michael Jackson, but instead, turns him into a horrible, tacky caricature. All the lines are filled with clichés but surprisingly the acting wasn't bad. As usual, this is a bad movie with pretty good actors. The actor that plays Michael Jackson, jeez, I feel sorry for him! I think he did the best he could with the weak script. I didn't mind that Flex did not look like Michael Jackson, I thought he did the best he could, but later on when he had all that white make-up on, oh man, did he look yucky! The other actors that played Debbie Rowe, Priscilla Presley and Elizabeth Taylor were pretty good. Except that the actress that plays Liz Taylor looked too young and healthy to be playing Liz. The actress that plays Diana Ross didn't look at all like her and I couldn't figure out who this woman was until much later on in the movie.

This movie does a disservice to everyone who is on the side of Michael Jackson, or against Michael Jackson. It doesn't do anything to change anyone's opinion. As a matter of fact, the only opinion anyone will have after watching this movie is, oh God, this movie really, really sucks! And where the hell is Michael Jackson's wonderful music and songs? There are none to be found in this movie. I love the soundtrack to this movie anyway and I'll probably purchase it if I could.

On the lighter side though, this is a very funny, campy movie! It's a great time waster if you want to watch something light that won't trouble your brain too much. I'll probably watch it again, because it just is so entertainingly bad!

Masterpiece: The Merchant of Venice (2001) Season 31, Episode 1

Very, very good update of this Shakespeare play!

[8/10 · 13 August 2005]

This has got to be one of the most successful update of Shakespeare's play to a different time period other than the Renaissance. This "Merchant of Venice" takes place in Germany in the 1930s, right before World War II and the Nazi's takeover of Germany.

This play is excellent in its' balance of both comedy and tragedy. The acting is excellent, especially the actor that plays Shylock. Shylock here is extremely motivated by the injustices of life as a Jew, and one can understand why he won't back down from his revenge. The actress that plays Jessica doesn't have a lot of lines, but she does come movingly across when she regrets having abandoned her father.

It's quite odd, that this play should have ended on a happier note because no one died, the bad guy was punished and everyone has a happy ending, but this play ended kind of sadly, as if it was foretelling the soon to be great tragedy in Germany where many Jews were soon massacred.

I wish I could've given a more specific review on this particular Shakespeare production, but it was a while ago and I can't remember everything except that it was very watchable and the portrayal of Shylock was absolutely memorable.

Locked Up (2004)

Good film, but sometimes really hard to watch......!

[5/10 · 21 June 2005]

I think Marcel Schlutt and Mike Seal are really hot! These two actors are the only things that made this grim little film worth watching! This movie takes place in a real prison and it certainly feels very authentic. Dennis (Marcel) is sent to jail and he immediately faces all the dangers and humiliations of being in jail. Dennis falls in love with a very handsome black prisoner named Mike. The first time they see each other, Dennis from his prison window looking at Mike down below, something clicks in both of them. The first scene when they get together in Mike's cell is very moving. Mike and Dennis fall deeply in love. How will they ever survive in this brutal prison and express their love? Well, the look of this movie has a real gay porn look to it, except without any graphic depictions of sex. Practically all of the guys are pretty hot looking and muscular. Some of the acting is really awful but it's not bad at all. I am impressed by Marcel Schlutt and Mike Seal. I think this is the first time either of these men have acted in front of a camera and they handled it extremely well. I wish Marcel Schlutt and Mike Seal all the success as actors because they, if given the chance, can do more mainstream films besides porn and indie films.

The interviews of Mike Seal and Marcel Schlutt on the DVD is really interesting to watch. They talk about getting together, working on scenes and their feelings about being actors. Marcel is really cool! He is totally, totally unlike the character of Dennis, who is a sweet lad. For those who want a little more love scenes, catch the deleted scenes. Man, are they hot! I don't think I'll ever watch another prison film again. Some of this stuff in this film made me cringe and there is this one scene that made me ill (has to do with using someone's mouth as a spit bucket), and there is an absolutely horrific shower rape scene (nothing sexy about that at all!). So I'm warning viewers, be prepared to see some very brutal depictions of prison life. But don't let this scare you from the lovely romance between Mike and Dennis.

Okay film. I'd sure love to see Mike Seal and Marcel Schlutt in another film again.

Cambridge Spies (2003)

Beautiful period piece mini-series, excellent acting!

[7/10 · 20 June 2005]

I almost didn't watch this when I found out the story behind the "Cambridge Spies", but I'm so glad I did.

This mini-series almost authentically captures the feel of the 1930s in Europe. It's a beautiful looking mini-series. The actors who played the infamous four spies were all very good and they each held their own. They made you care about them even though you know they are all traitors to their country. I enjoyed it very much. One of the best parts also, coming from the DVD, is the interesting documentary on the Cambridge Spies. It's a fascinating, well acted show.

Take a close look at the guy who plays Guy Burgess. He's a lot of fun to watch and strangely enough, looks almost exactly like the real Guy Burgess.

Very good show! Worth watching a second time!