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gazmccarthy
Reviews
Ghost (1990)
A movie that can't make its mind up what to be
I went into watching Ghost thinking it would be just a soppy romantic fantasy drama. I was wrong. It offered so much more. Unfortunately, it failed to deliver.
I was confused by which direction the movie wanted to go. It fell between too many stools. At one point it tries to be all out, serious romance, then thriller, then fantasy comedy then slapstick comedy. It fails to nail any of these sub-genres and ends slightly messy.
For a film that tries so hard to get you to accept Swayze walking round as a ghost, it fails to convince in many other areas such as: are we really meant to believe Swayze's best friend would get him bumped off just for money? Plus, was there supposed to be mystery around who was behind his killing? Let's look at the characters we've been introduced to so far; Sam, Molly and Sam's friend....well, it doesn't exactly take Sherlock Holmes to deduce who it is! The execution of the whole plot line with Carl getting Sam killed is so poor I feel it lets the whole film down. The special effects in the film also sail close to the wind. They are particularly poor with the demons who come to take bad people down to hell. These black blobs with their wailing are more comical than frightening.
The character of Carl is a curious one indeed. Waivering between a total wimp and a would-be killer, it just becomes a muddled study of someone who never really gives much resonance his role in proceedings.
And as for some great love story? It's OK, but for more than half the film Sam can't really interact with Molly, just through Oda Mae, which is just too madcap to be taken seriously. Goldberg, as with Swayze and Moore, delivers a competent performance but no more than that.
After viewing this film I am bemused that it is held in such distinct regard some 17 years on. A decent film elevated to something it isn't and is ultimately a letdown.
Shame.
Heat (1995)
Good...not great
********************SPOLIERS**********************************
Ok, this is a good movie. But that's where the praise ends. It ain't great. In fact, it's seriously flawed. Mann obviously couldn't harness DeNiro and Pacino, and as a result you often feel they take over way too much.
And what's with them 'holding' hands at the end. It's almost as if Mann daren't show DeNiro to be all that bad. Or couldn't have Pacino to seem to be so much better than him.
Also, what the hell happened to Val Kilmer?! He just got away? To say the film is 2 hours 45mins, it sure as heck leaves alot of stuff unexplained.
Anyway, the much hyped DeNiro vs Pacino match is easily won by the masterful Pacino. He just kicks DeNiro all over the place in the acting stakes. Truly superb actor.
Arachnophobia (1990)
Be afraid! And Amused!
Everytime this movie is on TV I have to watch it. i never get tired of it. It's both really funny and really quite disturbing. Jeff Daniels is great as the scared-to-death hero and the rest of the cast provide more than adequate support. In particular the guy who plays the football coach, Julian Sands as an annoying but entertaining spider expert and John Candy as some comic relief.
I don't know about you, but it makes me itch whenever I watch it. I can't bare the thought of spiders at all. The massive one didn't bother me so much, it's those little ones that move quickly that put the frighteners on me! That scene where it descends from the light shade and kills the old lady?! Man, after seeing that I take extra care when swicthing my bedside light off.
It's very well made and has some genuine shocks. A solid movie that deserves to be seen by many.
I a word, this movie rocks!
Jaws 2 (1978)
Solid Sequel to a Legend
With the return of the main actors from the first movie (barring Dreyfuss, who would have made this movie even better) 'Jaws 2' is as solid as most sequels come. We ain't talking 'Empire Strikes Back'-calibre here or anything, but it's good. Very good.
It has the same feel to the first one, which is great credit to the director having to follow in the footsteps St. Spielberg. The water action is thrilling and bloody while the interplay between leads is as electrifying as ever.
My only gripe with the movie is the complete disregard shown to Chief Brody by the council members. After what he did for the town in the original film it's a totally unreasonable plot-line for them to fire him.
However, the film is well made and doesn't drag at all. Thoroughly recommended. But don't be swayed, this should be the only Jaws sequel, Jaws 3D and 'The Revenge' should not be watched. Terrible movies that disgrace what went before.
Heat (1995)
Good...not great
********************SPOLIERS**********************************
Ok, this is a good movie. But that's where the praise ends. It ain't great. In fact, it's seriously flawed. Mann obviously couldn't harness DeNiro and Pacino, and as a result you often feel they take over way too much.
And what's with them 'holding' hands at the end. It's almost as if Mann daren't show DeNiro to be all that bad. Or couldn't have Pacino to seem to be so much better than him.
Also, what the hell happened to Val Kilmer?! He just got away? To say the film is 2 hours 45mins, it sure as heck leaves alot of stuff unexplained.
Anyway, the much hyped DeNiro vs Pacino match is easily won by the masterful Pacino. He just kicks DeNiro all over the place in the acting stakes. Truly superb actor.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The Greatest Movie of them all
Films, movies, motion pictures...whatever you want to call them, 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' is the best.
Indiana Jones is the iconic hero of every generation; rough, tough and always on the good side. Played by Harrison Ford, we have the perfect match as he is the iconic, square-jawed actor of every generation.
This is what movies are all about; ballsy action, exotic locations and more cliffhanging close shaves then you can crack a whip at. When you look up the term movie in the Oxford English Dictionary it should read;
Movie: See Steven Spielberg's 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'...RIGHT NOW!
Who wants emotional schmaltz fests, dizzy romantic comedies, complex sci-fi gobbledygook, kiddy pleasing animation features and laborious 4 hour epics when you can have a 2 hour gun slinging, boulder avoiding, horse riding, snake dodging, Ark retrieving, Nazi fleeing, death defying cliffhanging Hollywood EXTRAVANGANZA!!!!!!!
To say Raiders is 'basic' seems abit flippant. But that's what it is. Back to basics in the most powerful way possible.
How could it go wrong anyway? You have the two genius filmmakers of the 70's and 80's in Spielberg and Lucas carefully crafting an audacious adventure flick. It was a nailed on success. In their 90's and 00's moods though, it is highly doubtful they would have made the picture as good as this. But that debate is for another time.
Oh and yeah, it has a score by John Williams, the most gifted movie composer of them all. As he did with Superman and Star Wars, he elevates 'Raiders' to more than just a movie. It's a truly awe-inspiring experience that grabs hold of you and stays with you long after the end credits have rolled.
Spielberg, Lucas and Williams. The dream makers of the late 20th Century really do make your wildest fantasies come true in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
See it now, then again and again. You will never be disappointed.
They Came from Beyond Space (1967)
They Came to Confuse Us!
Freddy Francis, he of Day of the Triffids and countless other solid horror/fantasy pictures really serves up a nightmare here. It looks good and has a great 60's soundtrack to it. However, it does seem to have the feel of a bad 'Avengers' episode to it.
The story is basic 'Body Snatchers' fodder with the lone good guy crusading against countless numbers of alien invaders. Basic storytelling at it's lowest level.
It does get really confusing at the end though...
*************SPOILERS************
The part where the head bad guy played by Michael Gough shook his head and decided to become good about ten seconds from the final credits was an absurd and embarrassing cop-out.
**********END************
Fun to watch and mock. But only once.
I couldn't bring myself to watch it again.
Salem's Lot (1979)
Like all greats, 'Salem's Lot' has it's flaws
*POSSILE SOPILERS*
I just saw the 184 minute cut on cable and I have to say, this film is badass. All who have spoken about the qualities of this movie before are spot on. It's got sh*t scary scenes; Barlow in the jail, in the kitchen, the Glick kids floating around, the guy in the rocking chair, the gravedigger opening up Glick's coffin.....it's excellent.
All the actors are top-notch aswell.
The only problem is that making a 'movie' from the book was just far too ambitious. There are alot of flaws which prevent 'Salem's Lot' from being an enduring classic.
Ok, problems which I thought of after watching it; what about Jason in the hospital? He had a heart attack and was in intensive care, then no one said anymore of him. Susan's mother was left at home and no one went back for her. How come Straker was human, but had super strength to carry Susan's father along the landing and took about 6 bullets to down him. Exactly how old is Barlow? What happened to the priest? I'm sorry, but Ben simply saying 'the town is overrun by vampires' just doesn't suffice. Let's actually see the vampires roaming the streets. There were only 3-4 vampires around Barlow's coffin at the climax, does that constitute the whole town? That aspect just wasn't well realised.
And the Guatemala ending? It seems that it was tagged on without too much thought. Susan followed them there?? Why did they not go to the next town on from Salem to get help and get them to go back to the Marsten house. The idea of vampires taking over everywhere was not very well realised. If only George Romero had done this as a movie, it would have had that apocalyptic edge to it.
All in all, I'd give Salem's Lot about three and a half/four stars out of five. What we have is great, but could and should have been the greatest vampire horror movie ever.
Bulletproof Monk (2003)
As STUPID as the title suggests
Bulletproof Monk. Just say those words again BULLET PROOF MONK....is this how far and how desperate we have come? Are we so desperate to see men of the cloth becoming immune to bullets? When I first heard of it, I thought it was the name of one of those spoof movies you hear on The Simpson's - 'Rainier Wolfcastle is McBain in 'Bulletproof Monk'.. the Habit dies hard'.
Anyway, enough of me slagging off the title, because I can't wait to rip into this film.
Bulletproof Monk is as ridiculous as the title suggests. It's plain stupid, and not even in an endearing way. I recently saw Shanghai Knights which carries similar plot-lines. I think this film is a Shanghai Knights wannabe, unfortunately though, Sean William Scott is about ten leagues below the 'funniest-guy-in-movies-right-now' Owen Wilson, and Chow Yun Fat is nothing next to Jackie Chan. Wilson and Chan had warmth and you could tell they liked each other, Shanghai Knights is a buddy movie that works. Bulletproof Monk is a classic example of one that doesn't. William Scott, so memorable as Stifler in American Pie, is lost without Jim, Nadia, Oz and the crew. His pranking around is funny for five minutes, but it quickly becomes annoying. And as for Chow Yun Fat, can we not get a guy who has a basic grasp of English? His accent was as anally painful as William Scott's jokes. Jamie King, as the token female, is quite good, but her character is confusing and her motives unclear.
If this movie is meant as a 'vehicle' for these two 'stars', then the vehicle was in desperate need of assistance 15 minutes in and unfortunately no one had a AAA card. It broke down a rusted before our eyes for the next 90 minutes.
On to the plot....well, we all know films like this have a thread-bare plot anyway, and this is no different. But whereas bad plots can be made good by decent acting and charming leading stars, this one isn't. It falls flat and just looks stupid.
I get the impression that the film was heavily, and badly, edited. I mean, that climactic battle went way too quick, there was no tension, a load of monks strung up in some really weird underground lair ready for torture, tattoos flying around, scenes jumping from place to place...UGH! It was just horrible film making. How anyone could find enjoyment in this tripe is waaaay beyond me.
A ridiculous story, poor acting and even poorer editing make this one of 2003's turkey's. Some cool fights and two or three witty lines don't save it.
I give it two stars. One for the movie, and an extra for the absolutely stunningly beautiful Jamie King.
The Ring (2002)
Solid start, poor middle, good end!
**********POSSIBLE SPOILERS***********
This movie has one of the best chiller openings since 'Scream' (1996). We then get to see the infamous tape which is a supposed death sentence to all who watch. The imagery on it is truly bizarre and quite disturbing. Just like a nightmare. The cinematography is so saturated the movie feels like it's all abit of a dream (don't worry, it isn't, it's not like they all wake up at the end or anything). The main actors play there roles well, and I must say the Naomi Watts is damn attractive! The little kid looks freaky and is perhaps too much of a Hayley Joel Osment clone. He's still good though. Anyway, I digress. Be prepared to jump out of your skin a few times too....aswell as having your skin crawl. This is a very strange film that will clench your nerves. Be warned though, if you're expecting a more teen orientated stalk and death movie as I was from the trailer, prepare for disappointment. This is more 6th Sense than it is Final Destination.
HOWEVER, we get to the middle chunk of the movie and we have this rather slow and utterly confusing investigation into the tape and who's on it etc etc. This was over an hour and the film became very stagnated. I began to get bored because no matter what new information was uncovered, I still couldn't understand alot of things. Such as; who made the blooming tape? What was so wrong with the girl that she brought trouble wherever she goes? Why was the well actually nowhere near the island yet horses were running around near there? Why were the girl and her mother there? The cabin had been built over the well, but that cabin looked more than 24 years old. How in the name of God did the little boy know about the girl down the well? And why did she keep on killing in the same style after she had been 'set free. These bewildering questions prevent this movie from being anything above a 3 star movie. I was scared during it though, and the images of the girl coming out of the well will haunt me for a while yet. The ending is good but drags on abit. Just as you expect to see the credits, another scene is played out, then another, then another..........so much you just want it to end. The Alternate Versions illustrated on the Imdb would have been interesting additions, and I don't think we will get to see them on the DVD which is a bummer! Nevermind.
Anyway, watch this movie. I recommend it. But prepare to have your brain melted thinking about it afterwards. If anyone reads this and can explain the plot-holes I outlined, feel free to e-mail me and set me straight. Thanks, adios amigos.
Pánico en el Transiberiano (1972)
Get on board and be TERRIFIED!
This is a fantastic piece of early 70's British Horror. Okay, so it may be Spanish in production, but for all intents and purposes it's just like a Hammer Horror. Cushing and Lee go through the motions, but even then, they are still incredible masters. The exquisite Telly Savalas spices up the final act with tremendous overacting; "Who are the killers? WHO? Who are the trouble-makers?!" The plot is well structured although light, and a few holes do creep in. In terms of horror movies, I would rate this film 8 out of 10. In terms of movies in general, I would give it a 6. You must see it though...far better then any horror served up today by Hollywood (They, Ghost Ship, Jeepers Creepers etc)