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Reviews
Tremors (2003)
First Impressions of Tremors
First Impressions of Tremors: The Series.
The series is kind of wacky. Not that the first three movies were exactly classic cinema like Casablanca, Citizen Kane, or masterpiece thriller like Psycho! But that's the attraction. I thought the strength of the production is in it's concept. This is a campy, quaint, low-budget show...it will never be a Terminator 2 type sci fi effects extravaganza, it sure ain't a high concept stylish disaster love epic like Titanic, It is just plain cute, fun light romp.
I like the series. I can relate to the characters, they are human and all have good stories behind them. They are more human, with human foibles and not the plastic perfection cardboard you see coming from Hollyweird these days. The drama is light, which is a nice change in the time of our illegal invasion...err war of "freedom". I like Burt's eccentricity, I wish he'd run for president. Jodi... mmmmm yummy! She's very natural in her role. (and cute, not plastic) Nancy's character makes a nice contrast to Burt Gummer's... But the Rosa chick was just tryin' too hard to be the hottie! Turn off! What happened to Nancy's daughter? I saw Nancy and her daughter in the Tremors movie and watched them grow...watched them beat graboid after shriekers...Now the team is broken up!! Well, I guess some of the living had to move.
Overall I enjoyed the TV Tremors, although the episode with the mutating green cloud was a little too far away from the original concept. It was distracting ...and the V8 powered garage vac ...what the heck was that? Did BA Barrakus and the A-Team move to Perfection after they retired from the Los Angeles Underground? It was a little like Jesse James and Monster Garage wrapped up in Mguyver, covered with Tim Allen and Home Improvement! Overall, not bad for a start. There's nothing really to hate on this series!
Good Luck Tremors team!
Door to Door (2002)
Excellent movie! well made, excellent characterization
I saw this movie and was moved by it. It is a story we really need for our time. Bill Porter's story is one that inspires and makes me reflect. I wish I could be half the man Bill Porter was.
The story is based on the real life of a real person. The story really portrayed his story in a fair light. William H. Macy and the cast really did an excellent job portraying Bill Porter and the circle of people around him. Mr. Macy did an excellent job portraying Bill Porter's humility. Mr. Macy's portrayal reflects a deep connection between the character on the pages of a screenplay, and the story of a simple man with the integrity and conviction of truth. Mr. Macy, I really believed you were Bill Porter.
Movies tell a story, and stories are only compelling if they touch us inside. Unfortunately, most stories try to touch the earthly parts of our lives. I guess it's easier write and sell better when James Bond get's out of impossible situation and saves the world. But I know that James bond is not real.
Bill Porter is real. Bill's humility and dignity and strength of character is real. Even though he had a debilitating handicap, Bill faced life with
strength, courage, and tenacity.
This was not a movie made to jerk your tears. It treated the subject with respect and dignity. Bill didn't have much, but he had respect and dignity and he made the best of what he had and turned his life into one we all wish for.
Mr. Porter, I am glad to have heard your story, you inspire me to try harder. Thank you for sharing it with me. Don't ever change.
Men in Black II (2002)
Great Movie!...but...
WOW!!! This was a great movie! It was so cool...and the aliens...and the doggie was so cute!...Mom, can I see it again!!? Can I! Can I! huh, mommy...can I?
But if you are older than 8 years old...well, I'd say...if you MUST see it, catch the matinee...that way it's only five dollars worth of buyer's remorse.
Now, there were some cute effects... Frank has a surprisingly melodic voice, for a New Yorker... the reneuralizer scene and the Peter Graves tape with the campy effect makes a nice contrast. And that video store scene was pretty funny.
The first MIB was wonderful...totally from the left field from start to finish. But MIB II is just the same formula movie. Don't get me wrong, I thought some of the jokes were funny, but it just didn't have the overall comedic feel. Admittedly, MIB 1 is a tough act to follow, but I just didn't see any creative effort on the part of the producer/director. I think the appeal of the first MIB was the innovative theme. The innovation just wasn't there in MIB II. And a movie with such high expectations would do well to not to try to ride on the coattails of the first movie too much.
How did Frank the dog...he's a dog, OK?! How did he get that darned cellphone headset on his itty bitty head? Don't you need opposing fingers to do that? And ...they're armed, their dangerous, they have six arms...they are ... the worms...Well, not exactly the US marines! they were funny, playing twister and all.
Also, I thought the music from the first MIB was also much better than this one. The music from the first one was much better integrated into the movie to give each scene the proper "atmosphere" and to give the scene transitions continuity. I just didn't get that same impression in MIB II.
I just didn't get the feeling that the characters were into the film...It just felt like they were reciting lines at a sunday church service.
Overall, I think MIB II suffered from a lack of creativity as well as too high expectation. It had it's moments, but I did not feel the whole movie came together like the first one did.
The Sum of All Fears (2002)
Ben Afleck is no Harrison Ford! But...
Just came back from "The Sum of All Fears"
It was a well made movie. Ben Afleck is no Harrison Ford, so he's missing the appeal of Ford's charisma, but Morgan Freeman makes Ben Afleck look good.
Jack is a younger CIA analyst. He's good at what he does, but young and naive. They are chasing a nuclear bomb that some Nazis (I Understand that movie started with Arab bad guys, but the baddies were changed to Neo-Nazis after 9-11) built. It had the baddies making a videotape of why they did it, shades of " The Peacemaker " with George Clooney.
The cast is strong, James Cromwell (LA Confidential), Morgan Freeman, and the typical old politician bunch. I thought the Russian President was well played. The Juxtaposition between the Russian leaders and the US Leaders was nicely done.
The story is typical Tom Clancy drama. Gripping, thorough, tight. For me, the appeal of this Jack Ryan movie is that it's believable. It's a real world where Ukranian security guards don't open fire within the first three seconds of hearing English. People talk, people get excited, but it's more real.
Also supressed was the bang up pyrotechnics of the typical action genre. Wannabe armchair commando will be disappointed. Don't get me wrong, there are F16's dropping smart bombs, a Nuclear explosion, Russian (Tupolevs? Bear? Couldn't get the nomenclature of the Russian bombers) bombers bombing a US Carrier (The Deck # Was 74, Was that the Enterprise, does anyone know?), and plenty of mayhem...it's just done intelligently. You don't see Russian planes blow up in living color. Instead, it was the muted CNN/Schwartzkpopf B &W monitor shot from a drone. Crosshairs getting closer, then the explosion, sans sound. I thought it was more effective than a typical "kablooey" you see in the Rambos.
Also, the surprise about the bomb...the Savannah River deal. That was a very gripping twist...what's the deal? well, go see the movie!
Now, what was bad...The scene on Air Force One...the president gets p***ed and looses his cool...a couple of times... the drama that lead up to the decision to the snap count is not what I would characterize as realistic, considering that the leaders of the world are talking about the escalation of hostilities. I would think that leaders of that caliber would be more controlled and composed...they are, after all, contemplating the escalation to global nuclear devastation.
Overall, I liked "The Sum of All Fears". It was gripping, exciting, dramatic, tasteful. There were a few scrapes and unclear scene progressions. However, I would say it's worth seeing.
uhh...did I mention, Ben Afleck is no Harrison Ford? Enjoy
Regards,
Gil Lee