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Reviews
Captain America (1979)
Captain America Lives On
For better or worse (depending on who you talk to)this was my generation's Captain American, just like Nicholas Hammond was Spiderman. It was a good popcorn TV show, action and adventure and a suped up motorcycle. Everything an 11 year old kid loves. I have since rewatched the series and it still has those elements of interest. No it will not compare to a feature film shot in 2007 but then special effects and the era itself was different. Yes Reb Brown is bland and not a very good actor but then Mark Hamill was rather unimpressive as Luke Skywalker but you still enjoyed it. I certainly hope these shows like Captain America and Spiderman make it to DVD. By the way, Sam Raimi would you please give a cameo to Nicholas Hammond in a future Spiderman movie, he was our generation's Spiderman as I hope Lynda Carter will be given a chance to appear in the upcoming Wonder Woman movie.
Auto Focus (2002)
Don't Believe All You See in This Movie
Most people are not aware that Paul Schrader did not even speak with Sigrid Valdis (Crane's Second Wife) and Crane's other son Scott. He decided to take the perspective of Crane's son from the first marriage and would not even speak to them even when they offered information on Bob Crane for the later years. There was a lot of liberty taken beyond the normal dramatization. Obviously, Schrader was not concerned with the total truth of this man's life. I only hope that if....IF anyone wants to do a story on Schrader's life that he gets as fair of a shake as he gave Crane's life. By the way, those that keep saying Bob Crane was a minor celebrity, that is simply NOT the truth. He was very well known and was the lead for the longest running sitcom of that time, only surpassed by MASH when it came out.
Superman Returns (2006)
Excellent!
Thank goodness we have a director like Bryan Singer and a studio like Warner Brothers that has the cajones to stay true to the original source material. It shows great respect for the audiences that grew up with both the Christopher Reeve movies and the George Reeves TV series. Warner Brothers could have easily gone the alternate route and made this into a "reimagination" project. The word itself is scary, recent projects like Wild Wild West, Battlestar Galactica and The Dukes of Hazzard (yes I know Warner Bros. had their hands on a couple of those but this time they got it right). I only wish Bryan Singer would go back to his original intent and do a bigscreen Battlestar Galactica (the continuation angle that he developed). The only complaints I have is more of the pacing at the beginning and the end of the movie and Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane but those are just small issues. Well done Bryan Singer and Warner Brothers!
Three Amigos! (1986)
Three Amigo Salute for this totally under-appreciated movie by people that just don't get it!
A first rate slapstick comedy about three fired silent film stars that unknowingly get hired by a small village (ala The Magnificent Seven) to fight a Mexican tyrant, the infamous El Guapo. I find with this movie you either really love this film or you don't. For those that don't love it, it is usually because they just don't get it or they don't like the leads (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short). People that are movie buffs will appreciate it on a lot more different levels. I highly recommend this film. It doesn't pretend to be anything that it isn't! A fine supporting cast including SNL favorites Phil Hartman and Jon Lovitz.
Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
Bad Marketing, Bad Script and the need for A List Actor to play off of Sharon Stone
Well obviously by the 3 million dollar take this weekend, not as many people were ready for the return of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct 2. First of all, Sony/MGM did a HORRIBLE marketing campaign (was there even a campaign?)for this film. Honestly I don't recall seeing much PR and I certainly did not see any ads on TV or for that matter trailers in the theatre. I am a weekly moviegoer and did not see one BI2 trailer attached to ANYTHING. Having said that I was excited to see Sharon back as Catherine. But I have to say, she just did not have that sultriness she had in the original but then she did not have a strong actor to play off of. Like a number of people mentioned, the script was confusing and to be honest weak. I did not care for the change in venues. The London setting took me out of it. The biggest problem is that other than Sharon, there is NO big names attached. At one point Pierce Brosnan had been approached and a number of other A list actors. But unlike the original which had Michael Douglas playing off of Sharon, in this movie, it is lacking. This movie should not have gone forward without an established actor for the movie and the marketing's sake to play against Sharon. I may be in the minority here but I would still love to see Sharon come back for a third film and finish it off right, this time finally getting caught.
The Amazing Spider-Man (1977)
The Amazing Spiderman DVD
Does anyone know the status of a potential DVD release of Spiderman with Nicholas Hammond. It seems like everyone has forgotten about this series. Granted the F/X were not like they are now and it was played as camp. I know that a lot of Spiderman fans think of this series as a bad stepchild. I disagree, just part of the Spiderman legacy. I wish that whoever has the rights to release this on DVD will do this. I hope it is not another rights issue like the Superboy series. While we are at it. Sam Raimi if you are out there, contact Nicholas for a cameo in Spiderman 3. To some of us who grew up with Nicholas as Spiderman, it would be a treat. Bring Spidey back.