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Reviews
Raise the Titanic (1980)
Decently Entertaining Film
Having been following the Titan Submersible story, this film that I had never seen before popped up on my radar, and considering it was free on YouTube, I decided to check it out.
While it wasn't the most technically advanced movie in the world, I really enjoyed the story. I thought the plot device for why the ship was being raised was brilliant and kept me engaged throughout the film. I could absolutely see the US Navy trying an insane feat such as this if there was something onboard they needed for a defense system.
The guy who actually found the titanic in 1985 WAS funded by the US navy as they wanted him to find a lost submarine and used the Titanic search as cover. The coincidence of navy involvement in both this movie and the real titanic discovery story is not lost on me.
A Love Song (2022)
Great beginning and end, but falls short in the middle
The movie does a great job of painting a picture of a grieving women who is desperate to rekindle an old flame after the loss of her husband. It also does a great job of showing her finally moving on when that potential relationship doesn't work out, but for all the brilliance at the beginning and end, the middle of the movie, where that potential romance is being explored, falls flat.
After watching 30-40 minutes of Faye depressingly trudge around, with a humorous scene or two and a serious scene or two, we finally get to meet Lito. For the next 30 minutes we can see the two start reminiscing and the fire they once had start to return. This culminates in a kiss over ice cream, which cuts into the next morning and ...nothing. After a short walk Lito exclaims he can't do this and drives off.
Going from their first passionate kiss to "I can't do this, bye" in the span of literally 2 minutes just seemed rushed. No attempt to explore or explain what Lito is feeling and why he is making this decision.
I think if they had taken an additional 30 minutes to explore the romance a little more, with Lito then coming to the realization that he didn't want to rekindle the romance (assumingly realizing Faye can never be a replacement for his own deceased spouse) would have made for a much more compelling story. Even an extra 10 -15 minutes with him explaining to Faye why he doesn't want to pursue the romance any farther would have been alot more satisfying than him just saying "I can't" and running off screen. I will give it 4 stars, because the build up at the beginning and ending were really good, but the middle to me seems rushed and fell flat.
Come Play (2020)
Great Potential, Horrible Execution.
I was actually really excited for this movie to come out. I have been a huge fan of the supernatural horror genre ever since the original Insidious, and this seemed to play along those lines, boy was I disappointed.
There is ZERO character development in any of the main cast. They are literally blank placeholders moving the story forward with a collection of every trope you can think of. It's really hard to care for any of the characters beyond the level of feeling bad for the boy due to his Autism. Even the Autism is portrayed entirely through tropes, with the extent of it being he makes some weird noises and can't speak.
They never do anything to develop the background of the characters either. There are a few ones liners where you think they are going to explain something from the characters past, only for them to quickly move past it. This holds true for the monster as well, which is disappointing, as half the fun of these movies is the slow unravel of the background and motivation of why the monster is attacking a certain person or family.
Overall, they have a basic outline for a possible interesting story without any of the details to actually make it engaging.
Beautiful Boy (2010)
Great idea Poor execution
When I first heard about this movie It seemed like a wonderful idea that I have never seen broached. Had it been done right it might have turned out to be a masterpiece.
Bill and Kate are an upper middle class couple on the verge of divorce. One morning they are horrified to learn that the college their son attends is under attack by a gunman. Scared for their son they cling to any news until finding out the most shocking thing of all, their son was the shooter. After going through denial they struggle to mourn their son while trying to come to terms with his horrible crime. All while dealing with a predatory media who wont leave them alone, relatives of the victims accusing them of being bad and neglectful parents and their own guilt that maybe the are somehow responsible for what their son did.
Now the premise was stellar. No on had ever really looked at what the shooters parents and relatives go through when a situation like this occurs. However the execution was horrible.
To be honest the actors were fair for unknowns. However this is such an emotionally deep movie that it requires the best honed professional actors who can emulate every emotion. The real killer here is the script which is,cheesy and at times boring. Hopefully it will be picked up again with a better script and a bigger budget. Done right it could be a masterpiece.
Halloween (2007)
Completely missed the mark
After watching this remake of the original 1978 horror classic it would appear that Rob Zombie never understood certain concepts about the original. In the 1978 version Micheal Myers is a normal six year old boy from an average Midwestern middle class family. The fact that the murderer is such a young and innocent child with a normal family and background adds to the horror factor. The fact that there is no reason for his actions makes him scarier. A seemingly innocent 6 year old boy who murders his sister in cold blood is scary because it can't be explained. He is simply evil.
In Rob Zombies version we start off on a very different note. The whole focus of the story now shifts from Lori Strode to the childhood of Micheal Myers. (In the 1978 version there is only about 4 minutes of childhood footage.) Zombie uses this time to establish that Micheal Myers childhood was abusive and that is the reason why he becomes a killer. While this concept actually makes a lot of sense it doesn't fit in with the them and creepy lure of the original franchise which states that Micheal Myers is just evil and has no reason for his killings.
I was disappointed in the change in dynamic however I felt that the movie could at least be decent depending on how they did the adult portion of the movie.
So we get to Doctor Lumis. A very integral part of the original movie who brings passion and excitement to his quest to redetatin Micheal. This Dr. Lumis is as exciting as a wet blanket.He is completely flat and any passion he does show is completely overacted and unbelievable.
Coming to the last part suspense or in this movie the lack there of. The original Halloween was not very gory (at least by today's standards). Instead John Carpenter used the music, camera angles, points of view and various other tricks to build up tension and scare the viewer with the knowledge that the killer was waiting just around the corner. The scare factor in the original comes from anticipating that a kill is going to happen not the kill itself. The remake completely misses this. Rob Zombie has ZERO ability to create suspense. Instead the monster just pops out and random and hacks people to death. It's really more shocking than scary and has minimal entertainment value. It has none of the suspense that one would expect from a movie in the Halloween franchise.
Simply put the film sucked and bared almost Zero resemblance to the original except for stealing the killer. I saw the 1978 version on TV as a 12 year old boy and have loved it ever since. I am upset that future generations will see the remake and not know the brilliance of the original.
Almost Normal (2005)
Great Idea. Horrible execution!
I myself love the Idea. I think anyone GLBT person who went through the public school system could appreciate the idea of waking up back in High School in a world were we were considered normal. However this very basic Idea is where my love for this movie ends. The first problem the acting was horrible! You could tell from the first few minutes where every character either overacts or underacts his part. The second problem with the movie was the script and the speed of which events took place. The movie was very short and it really showed. You barley see his supposedly horrible lonely life at 40 before the audience is whisked away back to the main characters teen years. Once their things move at super speed. Within 10 minutes of waking up 22 years younger not only does he completely believe that he traveled back in time to a reality where gay is normal( I could see at least a few minutes being spent on thinking this is a trick or a drunken dream)but he runs into his dream guy who is obviously in love with him. Give him at least a few minutes to explore his new environment. Of course within the next few minutes they become boyfriends. Now the next part of the plot wouldn't have been my favorite even in a good movie but I could have accepted it if it had been done well. Again within a few minutes of declaring himself in love with his hunk boyfriend he meets this new girl and immediately falls for her. First have the character spend more than 10 minutes with the guy he has been lusting after for 22 years.I would have liked to see at least half an hour spent on Brad and the main character as a couple. Lastly have a real sexual Identity struggle. In the movie shortly after declaring his love for Brad the main character meets the girl and falls immediately in love. Not even questioning the homosexual feelings he has always had. I'm not saying its impossible for a gay guy to fall in love with a girl, but their is usually a struggle period where the guy questions it. In this movie he falls immediately in love and never even considers Brad his crush for 22 years. Over all I wish they would remake this movie with Hollywood actors, a top notch script writer and a run time of two and a half hours. Overall the general idea is very good and with the right actors, script and time frame in which to display all the segments of the movie realistically and in depth it could be a great film portraying gay rights, gender neutral love and sexual identity struggle. If Hollywood remade it I might consider going to see it again.
The Polar Express (2004)
The polar Express rekindles the Christmas magic that us adults lost many years ago.
Rarely does a movie let you forget who you are and become the main character. This is one of those rare movies.
The movie starts out with a story that every Santa believer experienced. On Christmas eve a boy in Grand Rapids Michigan has reached the age where the statistical impossibility in the Santa story ( the size and speed of Santa's sleigh, the north pole being a barren wasteland) are causing him to doubt the big mans existence. Not knowing for sure the boy drifts into a deep sleep. At 11:55 PM the boy is awakened by the arrival of the Polar Express literally outside his front door. Going to investigate what is going on the boy meets the witty conductor of the Christmas eve train. (Tom Hanks)who informs him that the train is headed to the north pole so the kids can meet Santa Clause. Not totally sure that the train is going to the north pole but to curious to let it go the boy climbs on board. The adventure puts the boy in contact with a girl who is a natural born leader and who's belief in the Christmas magic couldn't be stronger. Other characters include a know it all socially awkward boy, a young underprivileged loner who has never experienced the magic of Christmas and a cast of other more mysterious characters such a a hobo ghost. Through the adventure the combination of great music, flawless animation and fantastic dialog really make you believe you are there and let you relive those days when you thought Santa Clause just might exist. The story ends on Christmas day with a line (narrated by Tom Hanks) about belief that brings back those kid on Christmas eve chills all over again. The themes of belief and friendship are a strong theme in the movie and part of the magic that brings you back to a time when you did believe.Its a great movie for children and adults alike and rekindles the Christmas magic that us adults lost many years ago.