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Dynapink
Reviews
Grizzly Falls (1999)
A touching fear-fest for the dumb at heart
This movie should come with a warning label: WARNING: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEMPT TO VIEW IF YOUR IQ IS ABOVE 80!
It's a nauseatingly special Lifetime-esque movie about a boy and his father who attempt to heal their relationship by hunting grizzly bears together. The motherless boy first establishes some kind of psychic connection with a mother bear and her cubs, and when the cubs (conveniently the same pair) are later trapped by the party of hunters, the mama grizzly (wait for it, folks)... takes her revenge by kidnapping the boy! She hauls him through the forest, bonding with him and apparently intending to raise him as her own, while his father tries to track them.
I like Bryan Brown. He's an actor who's been in many fine productions, and a lot of really lousy ones. But of all the horrible things he's ever been in, I believe this has to be the worst. This film has absolutely NO good points whatsoever! The fact that there are people insane enough to say it does says a lot about the dumbing down of America.
AVOID IT, AVOID IT, AVOID IT!!!
Alias (2001)
surprisingly decent
"Alias" is like "La Femme Nikita" only it doesn't suck. It's an enjoyable romp with a likeable cast, most of whom can act. There's more suspense than most spy movies, and the characters are human enough to actually care about... a rarity in prime time! I even like the "Scheherezade" gimmick they have set up to keep people tuning in next week. Each episode has the conclusion of the previous week's adventure followed by the beginning of next week's. Very cool.
The Animal (2001)
typically dreadful
This movie is every bit as bad as it looks. Plot-wise, it has no reason to exist. Rob Schneider is typically annoying. Ed Asner is wasted, but at least he sleepwalked through the whole thing so let's hope he's now well rested. The only saving grace is the surprising charm of Colleen Haskell, and the charismatic Ron Rogge in a too small role.
To Be the Best (1991)
To Be the Worst
True, Barbara Taylor Bradford is not a great writer. In fact, the Harte trilogy is the only body of her work I've liked at all. And this, the conclusion, is certainly not one of the better books in the series.
That said, however, the book is far better than this piece of junk adaptation. Lindsay Wagner is about as miscast as anyone could possibly get (and that's even without counting an American playing a British character), the plot bears no resemblance to anything it was based on, and Anthony Hopkins gets second billing (and lots of screen time) playing a character who was only in the book for about five lines. What a letdown.
Little Men (1998)
refreshing
A refreshing and entertaining series, owing more to the "Avonlea" tv series than to the Alcott novels. The family/school spirit of the original survives intact, but with substantially changed details. Louisa May Alcott would NOT approve, but personally, anything that kills off the odious Herr Professor Bhaer and keeps the good characters around has to be a good thing. And, for the most part, it is.
The scripts fail to rise above the usual mediocre television standard, but the cast of mostly unknowns breathes life into the characters, making their little trials interesting and entertaining... without feeling the need to constantly preach to the audience.