TomCat502 Reviews

Pet Sematary (1989)

Dead certainly would've been better in the case of this film.

[3/10 · 29 November 2010]

Once upon a time, Stephen King novels and short stories were adapted to the screen and told by top notch directors using A-list actors. Fine performances and good films were created.

Then they got greedy and every novel was rushed to the screen, made by any available director and portrayed by anyone they could afford.

There are thankfully, notable exceptions(Stand by Me, Misery, The Green Mile) but most renderings have been terrible.

And here we are. Mary Lambert created several stylish music videos for Madonna, but I'm afraid her direction on Pet Semetary shows her inexperience.

Dale Midkiff, familiar for his appearances in cinematic and episodic television, mumbles and drawls his way through a very poorly drawn character.

Denise Crosby, the wife/mother, is a favorite of mine from Star Trek - The Next Generation (Tasha Yar). Perhaps she's a contract Paramount player and took this after her STTNG stint. She certainly does try to deliver, but it's not very effective within the confines of this slopfest.

Fred Gwynne is fine as the on screen narrator and is enjoyable until the end.

The child actors aren't all that effective. Even the cat leaves me cold.

The ending is just silly, and most everything leading up to it is dumb. Child's Play meets Psycho crossed with Night of the Living Dead.

Somebody made this and it was rejected by Tales From the Crypt. However, instead of leaving it dead in the ground, this film's production team dug it up and placed it in the pet semetary.

The rotten junk that crawled out is what we're forced to view.

3/10.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Not as good as Ang Lee's Hulk

[6/10 · 21 November 2008]

There, I wrote it. The inevitable comparison, this Hulk film isn't as good as the 2003 version. Ang Lee's film was flawed, with a horrible climax and too much ham from Nick Nolte. Flat acting throughout, the previous film still exhibited heart and intelligence, obviously planted by Ang's thoughtful direction. Even the emerald green skin color was preferable to the swamp green of the new version.

I really looked forward to this reboot, but I was disappointed. Even with an action flick, great acting is necessary to bridge the gap. Sadly, heavy hitters like William Hurt, Edward Norton and Tim Roth just don't get it done. Most of their failure has to be due to the uninteresting screenplay.

Liv Tyler is one of the most beautiful women on film, but there's no way she's credible as a scientist. She comes across more like a lovesick schoolgirl. Her lispy, and Norton's tinny vocal deliveries, combined with inane dialogue, makes their scenes together no more than fluff.

The action is decent, and the back story and buildup in the Brazilian factory are pretty good. I am tired of the super soldier plot device. Maybe it's fresh to moviegoers, but it's been over-utilized for 40 years in the comic universe. To me, a reboot would take a fresh approach to the gamma radiation.

Tony Stark's (Robert Downey) cameo was nice, but unnecessary. This Hulk has no business in an Avengers movie. Until the Hulk gets his proper treatment, he should not be rendered on film again.

I realize I'll be in the minority with my preference, but I've watched both films a number of times, and I always end up with the same conclusion.

Borat (2006)

Crude, boorish, offensive... and funny!

[7/10 · 30 September 2007]

This is one funny film. Those who just want to revile it for breaking all of society's taboos just need to get over themselves and laugh.

Borat comes across as an anti-Semitic, racist homophobe, but remember, folks, Cohen is ACTING! He's an actor, people. And he's a comic. He's supposed to tell dirty, offensive jokes. That's his vocation.

What's really offensive, yet hilarious, is the way the people in the US are exposed as the racist, homophobic rubes they really are.

And when I saw Borat and his traveling companion Azamat get into their hotel room wrestling match, I almost laughed myself sick. I'd never seen a display like that before, and I hope I don't again, but at the time I saw it, I thought my heart would stop. When this encounter spilled over into a real estate brokers convention, well, that was all she wrote.

Don't bother with this if you're an uptight airhead. You won't enjoy it. But if you enjoy laughing at jokes that play on others' inhibitions, well, you'll have a good time.

Superman (1978)

The granddaddy of the superhero flicks

[10/10 · 10 November 2004]

With the recent passing of both Marlon Brando and Christopher Reeve, I thought I'd offer up my comments for one of my favorite movies.

This movie brings back tons of memories for me. I remember waiting for it to open when I was a kid of 13. As a devoted comics fan, I really wanted to believe the hype ("This Friday, you will believe a man can fly"). My Dad took my brother and me on the opening weekend to see Superman, and we weren't disappointed.

Yes, there are some outdated effects, over-the-top acting and plot holes in this film, but that's not the point. Just like the superhero movies that are being made today, this film was created with real affection for the title hero. Sure, everyone knew it would make a fortune, and the merchandising was there like it is now, but the characters were handled in a manner that didn't betray their comics heritage.

Marlon Brando is fine for a role that he clearly took for the money. He is Brando, and just his presence and reading give a certain nobility to his character of Jor-El.

Although not the first woman you'd consider as Lois Lane, Margot Kidder makes the role her own with her combination of 70s break out feminism and damsel in distress reactions.

Gene Hackman, fresh from some of the best work in American cinema (The French Connection films and The Conversation, and even the Poseidon Adventure) is a hammy but sociopathic Lex Luther.

But mostly, there is Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman. An unknown who physically matches the comic appearance, he brings a nice everyman bumble to Clark and a hero in training to Superman. Nice performance that he will always be remembered for.

This movie is long but well-paced, and chronologically follows little Kal-El/Superman from Krypton's destruction through his maturation into the Man of Steel. The scene showing young Clark preparing to leave his adoptive mother in America's heartland is breathtaking.

John Williams' score merely set the bar for music in movies. It's exhilarating.

Whether you see Superman as an immigrant in the new country, as so many were when he was first spawned, or in a religious light, sent from the stars by his father to help humanity, you have to admit, they don't make many like Superman.

View from the Top (2003)

No frills flying experience

[5/10 · 29 October 2004]

Middle of the road comedy about the dreams and experiences of a small-town girl (Gwyneth Paltrow) who longs to be an international flight attendant.

Another forgettable comedy with (supposedly) high-powered talent that seems to be unused. Gwyneth does have a good comedic presence, and she looks good in the skimpy outfits, what with her lean, leggy body and all.

But it's all just light fluffy trek. The movie struggles to even fill its 87 minutes with substance. Basically just girl from small town, longing for high life and glamour, trials and tribulations achieving her goals, and final realization that love and home are really what cranks. My, my, original indeed.

Yes, Gwyneth is OK, not totally sleepwalking through this role. She obviously needs to be stretched artistically, though. The supporting cast don't provide much. Mike Myers' cross eyed instructor provides a few laughs, but seems mostly like an overplayed Saturday Night Live character.

Candice Bergen seems settled into these time-killer comedies, and that is her prerogative. As the grand damme of flight attendants, she does get a couple of humorous lines, and her lispy, stilted, staccato, deliberate vocal delivery is always funny to me.

5/10 because I did laugh a few times. When it's not funny though, it's not much.

Along Came Polly (2004)

Nothing new here... been done before, and better

[4/10 · 6 October 2004]

Ben Stiller and his movies have made me laugh before, and I sometimes find him quite hilarious. However, this movie will go on the forgettable shelf pretty quickly.

There are some humorous scenes, but mostly this flick is just rehashed sight gags and concepts. This is at least the third film in which I've seen Ben Stiller on a toilet, and twice now that I've seen Philip Seymour Hoffman complain in movie about his bowel movements, or lack thereof. Speaking of Hoffman, his reputation as a serious, indie film actor won't benefit from his performance here. Still, his timing is good and he plays the part as well as he can.

Basically, this story is one we've seen before, a tale of the serious, straight-laced person becoming involved with the uninhibited, free-spirited one. Situations like this have been filmed before, viewed from the perspective of either sex, so if you're going to tread in these oft-visited waters, you really do need a fresh concept.

Stiller plays a neurotic, insurance risk assessment specialist and Jennifer Aniston is the playful Polly. Stiller and Aniston don't do much with these roles. In fact, it's time for Aniston to abandon these parts that have her as window dressing for the male leads of a film. She needs her own Coal Miner's Daughter or something. No more wife or girlfriend roles are necessary.

I saw this on DVD and the funniest moments were on the deleted scenes and outtakes, which I'm noticing is often the case these days.

Anyway, 4/10 just because I laughed a couple of times.

Office Space (1999)

Funny... because it's real!

[8/10 · 24 September 2004]

As a software developer, I can completely relate to the trials of working in cube world with some of the most anal-retentive butt-wipes in the world. Most office workers can, I would think.

That's what gives this movie it's power. It's not meant to be high-brow humor, but it's not toilet comedy either. It's a nice commentary on how bland and yucky the American workscape really is.

This movie has so many elements of realism, it's scary. I work with those people, from the inbred, chromosome impaired goofball, to the suspender-wearing, coffee cup (with company logo) toting, only work is to walk around and see everyone else manager, the movie hits everywhere.

I've hung out with Indians who work here on transfer visas in the software industry, as well as with the supervisors whose jobs have evolved into interference-runners between customers and programmers.

Me, I'm just like the Michael Bolton of the film, but instead of cranking up rap music, I always have a couple of Rage CDs in the car.

This movie is a hoot. Every frame is funny. I enjoy it every time I see it.

The Human Stain (2003)

Questionable, but better than average (SPOILER)

[6/10 · 14 September 2004]

This film is interesting but it suffers from some plot and casting miscues. I won't comment as to whether the film is a faithful adaptation of the book.

It will be reviewed only on its own merits.

Let's cursorize this thing:

By appearance, it's hard to accept Anthony Hopkins as a black man. Other than that, his performance is legit. His British accent can be explained by the fact that his character studied/worked in London earlier in his career. He's without his work and his wife, and he falls into a convenient relationship with Nicole Kidman to fill that void. He's looking for a more conventional romance than she is, but they both need some type of companionship and validation to help them get away from the sorrows of their pasts.

Nicole Kidman is hard to swallow as white trash as well. Yes, she chain-smokes, has dirty fingernails, tattoos and unkempt hair, but you don't see too many milk maids with perfect teeth and nose jobs. Her acting is fine, though. She displays the right amount of fear, bitterness and aloofness that her character needs.

The actor who portrays the young Coleman Silk could easily pass for an ethnic Jew, and has the complexion that could be regarded as a light-skinned African American. The reasons for the older character's crankiness are explained. It's reasonable to fathom that a young black man in 1940s America would leave his family and heritage behind to pursue a life as an academic. After all, this life would not be available to him in the same scope if he were honest about his background. Many of us make compromises to further our careers and often we and our families suffer from those choices. Whether intentional or not, the younger actor does a good job of capturing Hopkins' verbal tone and inflection, and some of his physical mannerisms. Nice job, there.

Of special note is the brief appearance by Jacinda (from MTV's Real World London, no less) as the young Coleman Silk's first love. She falls for the young, handsome, debonair student and their love seems genuine. Her doe-in-the-headlights look when she meets Coleman's mother is perfect. She is tactful and cordial when dining with the Mom, but this is the end of her romance with Coleman. She seems heartbroken, but she is understandably afraid to pursue a life with a black man. As a young white girl from Minnesota, it would be unheard of for her to be with a black man from the NY city area.

Ed Harris is good as Nicole Kidman's wacko, psychotic husband, although the references to his Vietnam service are completely outdated and serve no real purpose. That plot device detracts from the story and should have been eliminated. It doesn't seem credible and isn't needed to explain his behavior. There are plenty of kooky, abusive, passive-aggressive husbands in the world. No real reason is necessary.

Gary Sinise serves as narrator and ties up the loose threads in the film. He's fine but his role could have been left out. To me, the best narration in films is the least narration.

Overall, I did feel that the two principal players in the story did show real drama and irony, and I believed most of it could happen. Again, the story is the weak part. Flashbacks that illustrate Coleman's background are used effectively, and I looked forward to them during the movie.

Better films in this disaffected, age-gap romance drama genre are Last Tango in Paris and Atlantic City. Check them out.

Overall, I recommend but the credibility gaps are relevant.