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Reviews
Alone in the Dark II (2008)
Much Better than the First
Didn't hope for much when I sat down to watch this but, as said, it was a better than expected. I found this sequel to be a competent little B-movie in its own right. Expect low budget, but not too bad - i've seen much worse in special effects and overall production. However, on its own terms it's a successful movie. It is much smaller in scale due to the lower budget, and is basically a retreat of the "group of people trapped" formula. There can't be any doubt that the movie could have been made better with more time and money its still however a considerate addition to a storyline with vast potential. The new cast is very good, possibly better than the cast in the first movie. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but it's definitely a keeper.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Being alone on Christmas was never this fun.
Kevin McAllister is back and alone once again in Home Alone 2: Lost In New York. In the second installment of the home alone movies, Kevin finds himself in a similar situation with a twist. He has gotten lost in the airport on the way to Christmas in Florida, and ends up in New York City with all of the families' money and credit cards. Most young kids would panic, but Kevin takes advantage of the situation, going on a spending spree all around New York City, until he runs into a couple of old friends. Fresh out of Prison, Marv and Harry are up their old scheme when they come across the little kid who sent them to jail. Looking for revenge, Kevin must once again defend himself from the wet bandits. This movie is very closely related to the first. The general plot is the same in both movies, Kevin is stranded away from his family at Christmas time and must defend his house from Marv and Harry the criminals. Many of the tricks kevin uses to keep his distance from the thieves are repeated from the original movie, and sometimes can be repetitive. The movie has its own twists and the action is hilarious throughout the movie, much like the first. The ending is almost identical to the first, exciting and heartwarming. The new setting gives kevin a whole new world of toys to play with. The original movie gave Kevin familiar surroundings and a lot to work with, but stranded at his Aunt and Uncle's house in New York is a bit different. Kevin is forced to make do with what he can find, and it makes for some entertaingig action. New York City instead of a hometown is also a big change, and Kevin reacts differently in a unfamiliar city. The plot is able to stay remarkably the same in the two movies and play out so differently in each to the audience. The characters in each movie are the same, yet different. THe main characters are all the same. The family, Marv and Harry and Kevin are all the same from the first movie. This movie allows for a few more characters to be thrown into the mix, including a woman who lives in Central Park, and the Hotel Desk Manager. The interesting people Kevin meets plays a vital role in the attention of the audience, because the humor carries the film. Everyone kevin crosses paths with in the movie has an impact on his success in the big city. Overall the sequel did live up to the original. The first movie was great, but this one had some magic of its own. The New York setting is a perfect backdrop to the action and humor that plays out in this Christmas classic. Watch them together or separate and they are still both fun and enjoyable movies for the whole family.
Elf (2003)
Will Ferrell is my favorite 'Elf'!
'Elf' is probably one of my favorite Christmas films for its funny and sweet and original and did I mention funny yet? I love Will Ferrell and so maybe I'm a bit bias when giving this such a high rating, but I can't help it. I watch this movie quite a bit and every time I'm reminded of why I love it. The story is about a young orphan who ends up a stow-away one Christmas when he slips out of his crib and slips into Santa's big bag of toys. When Santa finds out he has a new guest he leaves baby duty up to one of the older elves (Bob Newhart) who never found love and thus never was able to have the children he wanted so badly. When Buddy (Ferrell) gets older though he soon realizes he's not like the other elves and this sends him on a journey to find his real parents. This journey leads him to Walter (James Caan), his father, a man who horrifically lands on Santa's 'bad list' year after year. The fact that Santa is all but not believed in make it difficult for anyone, including his own father, to believe Buddy, but the viewer is moved to love him more and more with each passing frame. This is a perfect role for Will, allowing him to tone down his over the top antics (I love those too) and give us a more family friendly performance that's as funny as it is charming. As Buddy strives to gain his fathers love and affection he must also try and resurrect the Christmas Spirit that so many have lost. With great supporting performances by Zooey Deshanel and Mary Steenburgen, 'Elf' is a delightful holiday film that is sure to please the whole family!
Gladiator (2000)
Great film, with slight apologies to history
Gladiator is a great film, a must for anyone's library if they call themselves a student of film, history and/or entertainment in general. The film is a beautiful representation of the Rome of our dreams and a brief period, the age of Commodus, within that grand vista. The film did take several liberties from the truth: 1-Commodus was not a scheming adult but a bit of a lad when he became emperor; there is no evidence he did or could eliminate his father. 2-The man that killed Commodus was not an erudite military general but instead a crude brute wrestler, hired by conspirators to do the job. 3-His sister was not a victim of Commodus; indeed, she conspired to have him killed; he caught her 1st and had her exiled from Rome. 4-Far from being treacherous, Commodus was a relative "babe in the woods" who was assailed by conspiratorial senators who "missed" several times until that "wrestler" ended his reign, in a hot tub of all places.
Rain Man (1988)
Get an Umbrella For Rain Man!
I admit that while I wasn't wild about this film and didn't like the music at all, it had an excellent cast. Tom Cruise plays Charlie Babbitt, a rich daddy's boy whose nose is out of joint because he only inherited a weird-looking late 1940s Buick and a rosebush. The lion's share of Babbitt's father's estate was bequeathed to his brother, Raymond, whom Cruise nicknamed "Rain Man" as a young child. At the film's opening, Cruise has virtually no memory of this long-lost older brother. After the will is read and the legal formalities are completed, Cruise drives the weird-looking car up to the residence where Rain Man,played by Dustin Hoffman has lived for many years. The brothers meet by chance when Rain Man comes out of the residence, sees the car and makes long, detailed comments about it. The brothers meet and Cruise and Rain Man, with the residence's hard-wrought blessing embark on a road trip. They converse, in a fashion. Rain Man was an autistic savant. He picked up a box of toothpicks and was able to tell how many were in the box; he had a "feel" for numbers and proved to be an asset at the gaming tables in Las Vegas; he memorized the telephone book; he recited facts by rote; he was a slave to routine and had "melt downs" when he missed a favorite show or shopped in a store other than the K-Mart he had become familiar with. Stories like "Rain Man" that portray people with autism as autistic savants are a tiresome dime a dozen. That description and accompanying behaviors doesn't even apply to most autisics! Get an umbrella to ward off the tired clichés about autism that come raining down from this movie. This movie has reinforced a stereotype of autism. Although this was not a terrible movie and was entertaining, I think it has done more harm than good in creating a better understanding of people who have autism and what it entails.
Batman Begins (2005)
A return to the real Batman
This is a darker, more realistic Batman movie. For comic book fans who have read the earliest stories, this movie series should be heaven. Christopher Nolan is taking audiences back to how Batman was intended to be: a dark master detective who is HUMAN. His "villains" are crime bosses and mobster, just like in real life. But Batman must also face madmen like Scarecrow. The villains are more realistic (Nolan said you will never see the Penguin in his film series because it is too unbelievable and far feetched to be real). Begins is the beginning (which is refreshing given the slew of poor quality prequels that seem to be coming out lately). We learn how Bruce Wayne altered from poor little rich boy into the vigilante of justice. This film introduces the long standing comic villain of Ra's Al Ghul to film. And Nolan (mistakenly) creates a love interest for Batman/Bruce Wayne in Rachel (played poorly by Katie Holmes). The story and the action are truly inspired. And the direction this series is taking is from the original comic icon, not from the 4+ decades of camp and overacting. It's darker than Burton's, better than Schumacher's (but what isn't?), and true to the original. What more could fans ask for? Highly recommend.
Aladdin (1992)
Can be enjoyed LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF TIMES
We literally wore out 3 Disney VHS editions of this film before it was released on DVD. Now several years later, our youngster watches this film just as much as ever and we enjoy seeing it with him: OVER & OVER & OVER!! SOUNDS GREAT - LOOKS GREAT & IT'S GOT ROBIN WILLIAMS & AN EXCITING PLOT TOO! IN A NUTSHELL: A WHOLE NEW WORLD & IT INCLUDES ROBIN WILLIAMS AS THE GENIE This DVD release of 'Aladdin' by Disney is a treat for audiences regardless of age. It is one of the few films I can think of that both children and their parents may equally enjoy, and this Platinum Edition DVD is the best way I know to bring Aladdin into our homes. WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT: BOY MEETS GIRL - BOY MUST BE WORTHY OF GIRL ON HIS OWN MERITS! Jasmine is 'PRINCESS JASMINE' and she must be married to a prince before her 18th birthday, which is in three days, as the film opens. Needless to say, she is less than excited by the suitors who have presented to claim her. "Another Stuffed Shirt - Swaggering Peacock", to use her words. After deciding to runaway - without planning for any expenses or anything for that matter - she runs into Aladdin during a street market fracas caused by her lack of currency, and is saved by Aladdin from the knife point of a greedy merchant. Thinking that Jasmine was just an ordinary girl, Aladdin set his sights on her, but found it was necessary to flee from the palace guards several times with Jasmine in tow. Aladdin discovers to his chagrin, as Jasmine declares her identity to the palace guards, that she is no ordinary girl, which puts her out of Aladdin's reach. BUT THIS IS ONLY WHERE THE STORY BEGINS: ALADDIN: "THE DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH" Believe it or not, the film goes along happily for over 40 minutes before Robin Williams makes his entrance as the Genie. By this time we know that Aladdin must elevate his station to attain the hand of 'Princess Jasmine' - but how? A PRINCESS MUST BE MARRIED TO A PRINCE! BUT PRINCE ALI? Acquiring the services of the Genie for three wishes has made it possible for Aladdin to elevate his station rather profoundly by simply wishing for it. So Prince Ali is born, along with a terrific song, lyrics and video action. Unfortunately, wishing does not make one different on the inside, and this Prince Ali charade is doomed from the start. But -- Aladdin will elevate himself and redeem the trust which Princess Jasmine was beginning to place in him, on his own merit. THERE IS STILL MORE--LOTS MORE: ONE CAN'T JUST WISH FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT-ASK ALADDIN This film has a lovely story and wonderful animation, but it also has Robin Williams who gives a truly over-the-top performance as the Genie. He is the Genie and is so quick and witty and glib that audiences, regardless of age, will really zone in on his delivery. His role clearly demonstrates that one cannot simply change or improve oneself by simply wishing for it. This type of change and improvement comes from within and we go back to the theme 'the diamond in the rough'. No decent hero can be much of a hero without a fiendish and sly villain over whom to prevail. 'Jafar' and his evil sidekick 'Iago' provide the needed balance to present Aladdin with a real obstacle. Jafar readily grabs at the chance to elevate his standing by wishing for it, and first wishes to be the Sultan, then the "most powerful sorcerer in the world" and ultimately the "all-powerful genie". This leads him down the path that Aladdin did not take and we get to see exactly what Jafar reaps in the end, which demonstrates that the only way to improve oneself is by exerting an honest effort, not just wishing for it. IN THE END: WE GET BACK TO WHERE WE BEGAN. This is a truly wonderful animated family classic to enjoy watching again and again. It combines excellent catchy songs with wonderful video images. Robin Williams as the Genie is incredible which serves to highlight this very worthwhile story and amazing tale.
Shrek (2001)
Charming fun from an unexpected hero
Whereas Pixar always focused on good, clean family fun in its pictures, Shrek came into the spotlight because Dreamworks decided to skew the jokes a little more towards the older audience, while maintaing the basic family-friendly atmosphere. It worked, and Shrek was the film that proved it didn't take Disney/Pixar to create animated box-office gold. This first movie in the series still holds up well. Some of the pop culture jokes are instantly dated (this was done when everyone had to do a Matrix spoof), but others like the jabs at Disney are still hilarious. It helps that at its heart, Shrek still has all the usual fairy tale elements, albeit twisted. Myers, Diaz, and Murphy turn in top performances. And some of the dialogue is quite memorable ("Ogres are like onions"). The DVD has some decent extras, as well as a sampling of DVD rom games that are better than most extras of this sort. It's still not a really loaded set, but it's good for a family release and worth looking into.
Twister (1996)
I Think We're In Kansas, Toto
The Good Things *Great special effects. *Gripping suspense and action. *Good cast of characters. *Pretty good story. *Good, fun dialogue. *Some good music. The Bad Things *Focus on character drama sometimes overwhelms other story elements. On the surface, this is a good, fun, exciting film. The special effects will certainly please anybody who likes special effects. Good comedy, witty dialogue, and a gripping story with lots of conflicts makes the movie even more watchable. At its core, this is also a good drama about an estranged couple trying to get back together. At times, this drama makes the film a little tedious. Otherwise, it is great fun, and would recommend it to anybody who likes action, movies about scientists, and movies about natural disasters.
Bruce Almighty (2003)
The Power of God, In Unlikely Hands...
What would you do if you felt that everything in life was against you? That no matter what you did, it was never good enough for anyone or anything. Would you persevere? Just plain give up on trying? Or would you lash out at God, after all when it seems the entire universe is against you, only one being could even possibly help you out of that kind of trouble. If you chose the option of lashing out at God, which under some circumstances isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as it's done in proper context and with respect for God. By lashing out at God do you think that would solve your problems? Do you think that God would snap his fingers and make your problems simply disappear or that maybe God would sort of take a vacation and give you His powers for a while to see if you could do His job better? If you thought the answer about God giving you His powers was correct, then clearly you haven't been reading your Bible all that closely, but you have probably been watching or at least heard of the movie starring Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman, "Bruce Almighty". "Bruce Almighty" is the story of a down-trodden news reporter, Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey), who believes that the entire world, nay the universe, is against him in all that he does. Bruce's girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston), tries to assure him that one of these days things will begin to turn around for him, but Bruce doesn't believe this to be true. So after lashing out at God in anger, accusing Him of not doing His job properly, Bruce is given a life-changing opportunity. A personal visit with God (Morgan Freeman), leaves Bruce endowed with all of God's powers, and God challenges Bruce to see if he can do a better job than the Almighty God can. Truly one of Jim Carrey's most hilarious performances since "Liar, Liar" or "Dumb and Dumber", this over-the-top, laugh until you hurt comedy will leave you wanting to go back to watch it time and time again. "Bruce Almighty" may come off as blasphemous to some, though I'm a Christian and I found it to not be blasphemous, but that's my opinion and not everyone agrees with me. Though this movie is truly hilarious, there are some deep issues regarding faith, and man's relationship with God that get explored here. Even though I don't believe this movie was written by a devout Christian, it still manages to deal with issues of free will, the corruption of absolute power, surrendering to God's will, and God's love for mankind, in very real and engaging ways that can be taken to heart by any Christian. I truly believe that Christians should watch this movie, but bear in mind that there are moments that may be offensive to some, and times that tread on borderline blasphemous, but in the end this film steers clear of that territory, and comes out on top. I did say that I feel that Christians should watch this movie, but actually anyone who is looking for a movie that will have them laughing constantly should watch "Bruce Almighty". I guarantee you will enjoy it.