CromeRose Reviews

Moonfall (2022)

Fun

[8/10 · 7 June 2024]

I really enjoyed it. I don't know why this movie failed at the box office. It has all the necessary cliches for a disaster movie: broken families who find healing, government cover-ups, stupid criminal type-idiots robbing people while the world is ending - it was great when they got killed! - a conspiracy theorist who knows everything before anyone else and is proven right, and aliens - basically, a typical Roland Emmerich film. Sure, it was super silly, and the science was probably super ludicrous, but boy was it fun. I loved it. It had a ton of my favorite actors in it and they all acquitted themselves admirably. I'm glad Michael Pena replaced Stanley Tucci due to scheduling conflicts - I like Stanley Tucci but I love Michael Pena and think he was more suited to this role - Tucci would have put his usual funny-cynical spin on the role, and it wouldn't have worked here; I'm also glad John Bradley replaced Josh Gad - again, I like Gad (especially in Pixels) but I think he would've just played that same character here, and that would only have worked IF he was that character in this movie (which obviously would have not made sense). I also love Patrick Wilson and Halle Berry, and, as they say in this movie: they make a great team. They were fun to watch. The science was most likely way off base and ludicrous, but I'm fine with that because, as Roland Emmerich said: it's a movie. If they stuck to reality in this kind of movie, it would be a bore. When I first heard about it, I thought the movie would be based on Jack McDevitt's1998 novel of the same title. But other than the moon falling on Earth (and the title), it was completely different - the book's plot would have been just as Roland Emmerich-y and would've been a fun movie too; just no aliens (the book had the moon being knocked out of orbit by an interstellar meteor) - but the rest of the book's plot was as looney-fun as any Emmerich film.

Now You See Me (I) (2013)

Despised it - and not giving it any stars.

[27 April 2024]

I'm not going to talk about the movie, it's not worth it, and plenty of other reviewers have covered all the aspects I would talk about anyway. All I will say is that movies like this one are why I haven't been to the cinema in over a decade, and why I won't waste my money on any streaming services. And I'm angry that I wasted $2 on the DVD of this one that I found in a thrift store. There are better things to use $2 for. I tried the 30-day free trial for Amazon Prime because I wanted to see 2 movies on there: Ricky Stanicky; and the remake of Roadhouse. Both were garbage, and I think movie studios knew it and put them on streaming because they knew these movies would've tanked at the box office. Movies have been garbage for years now (The Lost City; Jungle Cruise; Uncharted; The Wolf Man; and the list goes on) and are simply not worth paying to see. I'll only buy the DVDs if they're $2 or less at a thrift store, and even then, as with Now You See Me, that is still sometimes a waste of money. What happened to Hollywood? I don't know, or care. I'll watch old, favorite movies on DVD, and only check out new movies if I find them for $2 or less, or if I can get away with more free trials on streaming.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

Not terrible, not terrible at all

[8/10 · 12 November 2023]

The ignorant arrogance and misogyny of some people never ceases to amaze me. Those who say "rating must be rigged" or "anyone who likes this must have terrible taste in movies" or "you'll hate this" or "why are the Ghostbusters women?" - I mean, okay, everyone's entitled to their opinion, but, seriously, just because they hated it, they think everyone else should too. And if there's a positive review, they think it must be fake because it differs from their negative one? And what the heck is wring with making the Ghostbusters women? Heck, there are idiots who are angry at Afterlife because the Ghsotbusters are kids! I guess some people are gonna always want the Ghostbusters to be four white, middle-aged men. And I guess haters gonna hate and the ignorant are gonna be ignorant. In my opinion, and this is my opinion only and anyone can disagree with it, this movie, while not being flawless, is fun and enjoyable. Admittedly, Hemsworth's character was a bit over the top and, at times, just plain ludicrous, and some of the antics and "dancing" and gesticulating of the four women were too much; but none of that ruined the movie. And I blame Feig for not reining in his actresses more than I blame the women for overdoing their improv. Actors need to be directed (i.e., told) sometimes, and any director who is afraid to do the telling is sometimes going to end up with too much over the top. But that's Hollyweird.

Overall, though I rate this movie as number four in the four so far, I'm glad it's in my collection and I enjoy rewatching it occasionally. And I'm looking forward to Frozen Empire.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Tender Is the Nate (2018) Season 4, Episode 6

NO!! Mona DOES NOT need to go away!

[10/10 · 21 August 2023]

She's sweet, kindhearted, gentle-natured, thoughtful, goofy, funny and cute. Please leave her alone. If any character in this show needs to go away, it's that awful Constantine. He's the annoying one; and he's bore. And he smokes. What a fool. This episode was a lot of fun, and I love the addition of Tom Wilson and his "Biff Tannen" references. The entire series is epic, akthough I must say that so far, Seasons 3 and 4 are my favorites. The villain from Season 1 got really old really fast, as did the Eobard Thawn guy in Season 2. So glad they are gone. I love Neal McDonough is a terrific actor, and his character was funny and evil at the same time, but the whole Dhark storyline got old too and I'm glad he's gone now, and that Nora is looking to be turning good. The show is starting to remind me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - what with them fighting demons and doing research in their library. But i wish they would bring Giles in and dump that horrible Constantine guy.

The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)

Perfect Kids' Saturday Matinee Adventure

[10/10 · 25 May 2020]

I didn't think it was possible to get this type of movie these days - but Joe Cornish has achieved a return to the perfect 'just for kids' Saturday Matinee adventure. When i was a tyke, I'd go to the Metro Theater on Saturday mornings to see the weekly adventure, which was usually preceded by a ten-minute serial adventure like The Black Whip or a Lone Ranger type show. The main features were made by the British Children's Film and Television Fund and were always great. Four Winds Island or The Missing Note, or, the one I have on DVD these days (and sadly, the only film from this series still extant) One Wish Too Many, made in 1956 about a boy who finds a magic marble. The Kid Who Would Be King is One Wish Too Many transposed to modern times - and I loved it! The child actors are all excellent and believable and likeable, including the bullies, and the adult cast are also terrific - especially Patrick Stewart and Rebecca Ferguson. The story is simple and fun, and the sfx are great, especially the demon riders. What a great movie! So glad I've now got it on DVD.

The Meg (2018)

Fun Fluff

[6/10 · 15 December 2018]

It amazes me how the reviewers, who hate a movie so much (whether it's The Meg or any other movie they hate) can't accept that someone else liked it and wrote a positive review. The haters accuse every positive review as being faked by studio trolls or even people who worked on the movie. That's either uber arrogant or uber stupid... or both. I say to them: get over it - to each their own. Personally, I enjoyed The Meg - it wasn't great but neither was it terrible. I'm also amazed at how many people complained that it was "a romance" - where the heck did they get that notion? Sure, there was an attraction between Jonas and Suyin - but romance? Nope. They didn't even hug each other... not once. What kinda romance is that? And maybe I watched some 'other-world' version, but I didn't hear a single "one-liner" after any death in the movie. If many of these reviews are to be believed, there's a "one-liner" after EVERY SINGLE DEATH in the movie. There wasn't a single "one-liner" in the movie I watched. Who knows? Maybe haters switch their brains off as soon as they decide to start hating and they don't actually see or hear anymore of what's on screen but just listen to their own hate-filled inner-monologue and think it was the movie. Oh well. I enjoyed The Meg. That's all that matters to me.

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Unparalleled

[10/10 · 4 October 2018]

Herk Harvey's Carnival of Souls is the true definition of a horror movie. There's no blood or gore, no slasher killer stalking airheaded teenagers, there's just good old-fashioned creepiness. It's like Herk Harvey found a way to magically film one of his nightmares and share it with us. The characters behave in just that bit-too-odd way so that they are like weirdos in a bad dream. The settings, especially the old Saltair Pavilion where most of the movie is filmed, are weirdly creepy and desolate. And the final scenes, where the ghosts are all dancing, is horror perfection. Herk Harvey, his cast & crew and their masterpiece of low-budget horror deserve an eternal place of honor on the top shelf of the horror movie hall of fame. Hollywood directors who want to make creepy horror movies should watch Carnival of Souls before ever going near a camera.

World War Z (2013)

Weak

[1/10 · 2 October 2018]

I almost didn't want to bother signing in to review this drivel, but decided to waste the energy because this insipid movie should get panned at every opportunity. I've read so many times that ANY publisher will tell a hopeful author: if you want to submit your novel to us fine... BUT don't do it if it's a "Zombie" story... because, as we all know, the market place is flooded with Zombie and Vampire stories and who wants another one of those (aside from the millions upon millions of readers out there)?. And yet this book got published and this weak film got made. It's not original - it's just I Am Legend rehashed. So why did the book get published? One reason and one reason only... it was written by Mel Brook's' son. If it had been written by just some obscure, unknown shmo he'd have been told by EVERY publisher to get lost. And Max Brooks should've been told that too.

Starsky and Hutch: Texas Longhorn (1975) Season 1, Episode 2

What Acting!

[10/10 · 30 June 2018]

I love this series, watched it as a teen when it first aired. Just watched this episode again last night and had to come on here and cheer the actors. This episode was hard-hitting for 70s television - probably one of the reasons many nanny groups tried to ban this show and eventually managed to get the producers to tone down the violence and turn it into farce. But I digress! This episode features wonderful performances from David and Paul - that scene in the diner where Chaco grabs the waitress and Starsky & Hutch tell him no way he's walking out of there with a woman - that's Dirty Harry movie quality. And the two bad guys ooze slime! What performances. But the hands-down best performance is by Ann Weldon as Angel. She turns a small role into a tour-de-force Oscar-worthy performance.

Taco Shop (2018)

Another Classic Wacky Comedy to Add to My Favorites Collection

[10/10 · 8 June 2018]

Totally impressed! The opening music is very Tarantino-esque, which is a great mood setter while you watch the credits run over images of delicious Mexican food.

I was surprised at how many times I laughed out loud - and that's not hyperbole. Joaquin Perea and his cast & crew have made cool, funny little movie full of offbeat, quirky, and in some cases downright weird characters, very reminiscent of the cast of wacky characters in Office Space. The impressive cast of Taco Shop breathes very real life into these way-out characters. The two leads, Smokes and Susie (played by Tyler Posey and Veronica Diaz Carranza) are the straight characters, and I loved the genuine and sincere chemistry they had - they were truly believable and are both great actors. The rest of the cast is wacky and funny and really inhabit their characters with gusto and zaniness. It was also great to see Eric Roberts not shooting and killing people but being a nice guy even if his character was an ex-con who admits he was guilty ("I hope they never run my DNA" - LOL).

I don't know where the casting department found the guys who play Bruce and Nate, but they are hilarious! And I love Eve - well done to the filmmakers for casting Paula Jai Parker in a role that was written for a Latina (I saw her say that in the bonus features) - she was well cast - she sort of reminded me of a young Whoopee Goldberg, but much better-looking. All the actors playing the quirky characters were riotously funny! Sox was hilarious!

The script is clever, and the many laugh-out-loud one-liners are surprisingly intellectual as well as hilarious. "You're not a serial-killer, are you?" "Well, that's more than one, right?" "I love Ghandi, he's one of the greatest people that ever died" I laughed out loud at those lines. And the homage to Jaws "We're gonna need a bigger broom" - loved it! Love the "wet taco" scene and the weird Indian investor - he was a blast. The whole Eve telling him she's part Indian and not getting that he's not Native American! And Rick Najera is funny too - that random-seeming scene where the hottie porn princess walks in to try and win him back was reminiscent of the scene where Daisy Duke woos Deputy Enos - and the "You chose music, I chose tacos, I'm a taco man" conversation was hysterical. This is up there now with my faves like American Pie, Harold & Kumar, Super Troopers, Dude, Where's My Car - this is Dude, Where's My Taco, and Employee of the Month (the Jessica Simpson one not the Matt Dillon one). Taco Shop has the sort random craziness in it that I enjoy in comedy movies.

Well done and congratulations to Joaquin Perea and his team.

The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)

It's the Broken Lizard movie...

[10/10 · 9 September 2017]

...that isn't a Broken Lizard movie. The gang's all here doing cameos, and Jay directs too - and there's a great homage to Super Troopers - all of which help make this an hilarious movie. I've never seen an episode of the series and never had any interest to do so, so that helps me love this because it's not "spoiling my childhood memories" as one reviewer put it. But I also love all the Broken Lizard movies, so perhaps it's only natural that I'd love this too. And what's not to love? It's hilarious and fun. I cannot fathom why so many people bash Jessica Simpson, but from many of the negative comments I read about her, I suspect a ton of people are jealous of her for some reason. Personally, I think that she is not only gorgeous and sexy, but she's also a very talented and convincing actress. She's great in another of my favorite movies: Employee of the Month. In this she's perfect, and I can't imagine anyone else playing Daisy Duke - and that includes whoever played her in the series. I never want to find out who that was because I don't care. Jessica Simpson is Daisy Duke for me. Sean William Scott and Johnny Knoxville are hysterical as Bo and Luke. I've never watched a Jackass movie or episode, but Knoxville is funny and likable in this and The Last Stand - and also a convincing actor. The humor is goofy and funny in this as it is in every Broken Lizard movie - who couldn't find the scene funny where Bo and Luke wear Japanese name-tags and crash the college campus and the science nerd calls them by their Japanese names and Sean William Scott's like "What did you call me?" I give this movie 10 out of 10.

2012 (I) (2009)

The Joke is all the Pathetic Bashers writing reviews

[7/10 · 1 September 2017]

It never ceases to amaze me how many twits jump on IMDb and write snarky reviews of movies like this one, and all they want to prove is how "witty" "clever" "intelligent" and "intellectual" they are by disparaging every second of the movie with their "cleverly constructed and keenly written insights." I wish they'd all just stfu. This movie is silly and ridiculous, yes, but it's spectacularly entertaining and tons of fun... which is what it was meant to be. And the actors are all totally believable in their roles. What's to complain about with this cast? You've got John Cusack, Danny Glover, Oliver Platt (chewing scenery with his snarly, selfish and totally despicable character - who is as unlikable in this movie as his character in Lake Placid is lovable- you go Olly!), and so many terrific performers doing such great jobs. I gave the movie 7 out of 10 because as I said, it is silly. But boy do I love it!

Cast Away (2000)

I love it, but...

[9/10 · 19 July 2017]

I've seen it a half-dozen times, and always love it for the sense of adventure it stirs within me at the thought of being stranded on an island like this and having to survive (even though in reality, I probably wouldn't last more than a month). But upon watching it again recently, a couple things struck me that I think are a bit off.

Firstly, I don't think his woman would have moved on from him and gotten married and had a kid. If she was so in love with him as is depicted in the beginning, and if he was, as she says in their final hug after the reunion "the love of her life" and she had always been in love with him and always would and, again as she says, "I always knew you were alive, even when they told me to give up and move on, I still knew." then four years is not long enough for him to be gone for her to move so completely on with her life. She might have dated, but I don't believe she would do this for at least a couple years, and she might have needed to find a guy to have sex with - but maybe not - but I do not believe that she would get married and have a kid - not in only four years.

The second thing that struck me as being off was the entire sequence involving the "hanging tree" at the top of the cliff. Watching these scenes, I started thinking about the practical reality of this supposed scenario and realized that it was probably impossible. Firstly, given the closeness of the dead tree to the cliff's edge, I doubt anyone could tie a rope to it, then carry or lift such a heavy "test trunk" and throw it off the cliff without losing their balance and falling over the edge. But let's say that part was doable, okay, but when Chuck goes back up there to retrieve that extra 30 feet of rope, there is NO WAY he could go back up there and to such a precarious perch, reach out for that rope - stretching his hand like he did to actually grab the rope - and then haul that "test trunk" back up one-handed on that cliff edge. He'd fall for sure. Of course, in the movie, they cut out just how in the hell after getting a hand on the rope he manages to then get himself, the rope and the trunk into a position where he can haul it. They cut from his hand precariously grabbing the rope to him standing with both feet firmly planted and both hands hauling the rope up. But what did he do in between those moments? Use magic super powers?

The final thing that bothers me is all the nonsense with FedEx deliveries in the beginning - boring - but luckily, able to be sped through using the trusty fast-forward or skip buttons.

Otherwise, still a great movie.

The Hollow Point (2016)

Huh?

[4/10 · 1 July 2017]

I'm giving it 4 because it has some of my favorite actors in it, even if the roles given to them were not so great. Beyond that, the movie was ridiculous in my opinion. From the get go, it's a wtf is going on sort of thing, and from there, it gets even less comprehensible. These characters seem to exist in a world where wounds that would kill a normal person living in the real world don't have any effect whatsoever. I thought the scene where Patrick Wilson loses his hand was about as dumb as this movie was going to get. I mean, his hand is lopped off by a machete, he runs off into the night, and next morning is found slumped outside the retired sheriff's house still alive. What world are these people in? Then we get a scene where John Leguizamo is in an SUV that gets slammed by two other vehicles, then has a smoke grenade tossed in, then gets sprayed with bullets from a handgun and an automatic rifle, and yet when the cops open it up they find a bullet-riddled body of a deputized hillbilly and yet Leguizamo has somehow gotten out (he must've teleported) and is behind them with his machete, unharmed and ready to kill. And then, the now one-handed cop is hiding in a closet when the invincible normal human hit man enters the house, but when robo-hit-man opens the closet one-handed-cop has somehow magically gotten himself under the house (he must've used that teleportation trick Leguizamo used to get out of the SUV). It goes on, and gets sillier and I can't believe I watched it to the ludicrous end, where, after part of the credits, we have a scene in which Ian McShane has tracked down Jim Belushi to a restaurant in another magical world where you can walk in, sit down at someone's table, chat with them and then pull an oversized revolver and blast them without having to worry about legal consequences. It's like the director decided that if this happens right as the movie ends n one will think that it matters that it's the stupidest scene yet because hey, the movie's over so naturally the character got away with the murder. Yeah, right. Okay.

Fist Fight (2017)

Woebegone

[1/10 · 19 June 2017]

I wanted to find something to like in this movie, but there isn't a grain of redemption in it. IMO there are no likable characters, not one. It's as if the writers and director watched Three O'Clock High and said let's remake this movie but make it suck and populate it with disgusting, horrible, reprehensible, nonredeemable low-life losers and see how that works. I'm amazed that it made more than its budget. They couldn't even make their characters likable by having them portrayed by usually-likable actors. Ice Cube is cool, I like him in almost everything, even when he's playing an aggressive punk with a propensity for violence there's always that likable ingredient - but not in this movie. Charlie Day is hilarious and most definitely usually someone I like - but not in this - he's horrible in this. They even make the little girl into a creep by having her perform that disgusting song in the end - I'm not prissy, but seriously, there was no need for that scene. And the rotten little punk of a kid who blackmails by demanding a Mac Book Pro and an iPhone - I wish Ice Cube had not missed him with that ax. Even when the fist fight happens in the end it's too late to save this movie. They portray Charlie Day's character as knowing not the first thing about fighting or how to throw a punch, and yet in the end he suddenly knows how to duck and weave like a pro boxer? In reality, that first punch he copped from Ice Cube would've been game over. I'm so glad I only rented this - but even so I'm upset that I wasted $3.99 on it. It's actually worse than Vacation and Everybody Wants Some... wait, no, I was able to sit through this entire movie. Everybody Wants Some I shut off after about 40 minutes. So no, this was better than that. But still horrible. Edit - there was one redeeming quality in this movie - Tracy Morgan. He was funny and the only likable character. I enjoyed watching him work. Welcome back Tracy - glad to see you've recovered and are back in the saddle!

Howl (I) (2015)

Not Quite There

[6/10 · 26 April 2017]

I wanted to really love this movie, from other reviews I'd read, it seemed like I would. But alas, I didn't. However, nor did I hate it. The setting was creepy - you can't get better than an English forest for a werewolf setting, but the filmmakers didn't utilize it as much as they could have, probably due to budgetary and scheduling constraints - it's tough and time consuming to do too many setups in a forest (I've been there and done that, so I can talk from experience). I also think they spent too much time on the bickering passengers. I understand that they were trying to develop characters and create tension, but in the end, the tension should have been derived more from the attacking creatures. The in-fighting of the passengers just got annoying in the end. After all, we know most of these people were just meat for the beast so who cares that much about them? And really, if this happened in reality, I think folks would very quickly realize that something supernatural was happening and get serious. The last thing that bothered me was, although the creatures were cool and horrifying, they did not look so much like werewolves except for their feet. They resembled a cross between Nosferatu and a Chupacabra. And I think that if you're making a werewolf picture, your monsters should be traditional. All in all though, I'm glad I've got this in my collection.

Starsky and Hutch: Starsky and Hutch on Voodoo Island (1977) Season 3, Episode 1

The Beginning of the End

[5/10 · 25 March 2011]

I'll still give it a 5 out of 10 because of the nostalgia factor for me and the fact that S&H was one of my favorite shows growing up, but one can see that this is the point from whence the series began to go down hill. Partly because of the advocacy groups in the 70s that were against violence on television and partly because of PMG's growing frustrations with playing Starsky the same old way, the show was given a major overhaul for season 3 and retooled from its original season 1 (and to a gradually lessening degree, season 2) format of gritty and violent stories about two tough streetwise cops fighting crime on the mean streets to an aspect that focused more on stories revolving around some sort of personal issue of either Starsky or Hutch (even towards the end of season 2 you could see this trend starting with the episode "Nightmare" that despite featuring a quite violent and disturbing theme about the rape of a young retarded girl, the character of Lisa was still a "personal friend" of S&H and not just some random crime victim). While I did, and still do, enjoy watching the show, especially all of season 1, I must say that, in some parts, this episode strains my tolerance level almost to the breaking point. It's got a weak and pointless opening which features our two super cops in a restaurant/bar supposedly just about to go on vacation to a lake and discussing the pros and cons of outdoor life, when some seemingly random babe picks them up and takes them 'home'. It turns out that she's a cop leading them to a meeting with Captain Dobey and another guy who is an agent of some kind, in which S&H are told that instead of going on vacation they're now going undercover on Playboy Island to help solve some mysterious murders and save an aging tycoon. It's a needless setup that purports to be a "cover" so that some, to this point rather nebulous and non-existent, criminal element does not cotton on to the game at hand. IMO it could have been avoided and just opened with S&H arriving at the meeting. But it's filler so that this can be a "movie length" two-parter, and there's more filler to come. S&H arrive on Playboy Island in the (ridiculous and completely unnecessary) personas of two members of a waste removal company on some silly industry convention. It gets sillier from there on in: there's a ludicrously stereotypical voodoo shaman who laughs insanely and continuously; a "helpless" nurse who turns out to be the mastermind behind the entire series of killings; unexplained (and impossible) voodoo-style killings that even just as inexplicably affect Starsky and force him to almost kill both himself and Hutch; a crazy scheme involving a fake marriage; and so on. None of this is totally unbearable for me, again because I love the show and S&H are two of my favorite TV heroes, but all of it could have been more cleverly and more believably constructed. For instance there is no earthly reason why the voodoo shaman, upon first capturing S&H, would not just kill them outright, as he has been doing with all others who threaten to get in the way of the evil plan. Instead, S&H meet with the nurse and ask her if she can get the tycoon out of his mansion compound. She says she cannot and so S&H infiltrate the place in a rescue attempt and get caught by the bad guys. The shaman throws some sort of "voodoo powder" at them (which is never explained in the show and yet could easily have been described as some sort of psychotropic drug that would have made it more believable) and the show ends with the cliffhanger scene of S&H writhing in agony from the effects of this powder. Right then and there they are helplessly in the voodoo shaman's power and he could easily dispatch them, but instead episode 2 opens with them washed up on a beach none the worse for wear except for some residual dizziness. They then proceed to run into the nurse again and repeat the entire sequence wherein they ask her if she can get the tycoon out of his mansion compound -- and quite conveniently she now comes up with the brilliant idea of "I can get him to the market." I mean, wtf? She can "get him to the market!" Really? If it's suddenly that easy why couldn't she have done it in the first place? Oh wait, they had to stretch this episode into a two-parter. Anyway, it gets even wackier from that point on and devolves into a car chase that looks more like it belongs in an episode of The Keystone Cops than Starsky & Hutch. So I won't go on except to say that, on a purely escapist level, I still enjoy this silly episode... and there are plenty of bikini-clad babes present to make for some re-watchable eye candy... and, unlike the 2007 movie, no matter how bad this story is, it still features the real Starksy and Hutch and not Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson desecrating the characters.

Edge of Darkness (2010)

Whoa!

[1 February 2010]

Wow. So this is what happens when Hollywood doesn't make the movie! You get some real quality and emotional/intellectual substance, subtext, and plot mixed in with your gritty, gruesome and shocking violence (who could say that the scene where that poor informant gal gets hit by the car is not shockingly gruesome and realistic!?). So Mel allegedly made a few off-color comments some years ago while drunk; so what? Who hasn't? (some people have even done it without having being drunk as an excuse). Not only does Hollywood need to get over the things Mel allegedly said all those years ago (and it looks like some of its denizens are doing so if Mel's projects in development are anything to go by), but Hollywood's studio chiefs also need to watch this movie and TAKE NOTES PLEASE ON HOW IT'S DONE. Anyway, with the exception of Warner Bros. being the U.S. distributor, I'm glad Hollywood was hands-off as far as this movie was concerned, otherwise it most likely would have turned out to be complete tripe. As it was, this movie was an extremely well made, well acted, taut and intriguing action/thriller/mystery. Well done Martin, Mel, Ray, Danny, Bojana and all involved with what has to be one of the most satisfying movies I have seen in a LONG time. And may I just say that the flashback/hallucination scenes with Mel and his daughter were heartbreaking and beautiful. Bravo! A full-on 10 out of 10 from me!!

Watch Bedbug on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QI_1YSXt8Y

Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009 TV Movie)

Don't' Believe All the Negative Comments

[10/10 · 11 December 2009]

I think I read one comment that started with "If you're a fan of the cartoon series, watch the first two movies but ignore this" or something to that affect. Well, I just want to put in my two cents and give this movie the support it deserves, as I think it was great and am surprised at all the negativity about it. I am a huge fan of the cartoon (always watched it while growing up and still love it now), and in my opinion the first two movies DO NOT capture the cartoon at all and are badly cast, whereas this movie TOTALLY embodies the spirit of the cartoon, and as far as I'm concerned seemed like a live-action episode of the cartoon, or a cartoon episode "come to life" if you will - even the ghosts and villain in a mask were perfect. The casting of each member of the Scooby Gang was perfect, yes, even the Asian Velma (which for some reason seems to bother a lot of folks - come on people, Hayley Kiyoko depicted Velma to a tee!); and one reviewer berated that Fred was a douche-bag jock, but I don't think he came across as that; I believe in the movie that he was supposed to be a high school senior and in my experience none of the jocks were as nice as he came across - they were all total bullies. Someone else griped that Scooby Doo looked so small it seemed like he'd been starved, but they are forgetting that Scooby Doo is supposed to be younger in this movie; possible still a puppy. Anyway, all in all I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would love to see it as a live-action series.

Grizzly (1976)

Not like I remember but still entertaining

[7/10 · 18 July 2008]

I first saw this at the drive-in movies in Melbourne Australia when I was about fifteen, and I thought it rocked then and was pretty scary, but I must say that on viewing it for the first time since 1976 I found it a little slow. I won't rehash the plot and characters here as I'm sure that's been done in most, if not all of the previous comments, and I don't really want to write a review so much as express my immediate thoughts. I think the film is well made (that opening shot when the chopper appears out of nowhere is pure cinematic genius) and well acted, even if some of the dialog is a bit silly and unnecessary - and I really did get a sense that they were trying to capture the tone and feel of "Jaws" but didn't quite pull it off. Indeed, the film has been railed against for being a rip-off of Jaws, but I think it's more an homage and there is certainly nothing wrong with trying to recapture the raw power of Mr. Spielberg's masterpiece. Girdler and company came close in some aspects of Grizzly, but I think they tried to follow the beats of Jaws a little too closely and you just can't do that with a land-locked 'creature.' They certainly got it with the music, but the scene where Chris George and Andrew Prine (two of my favorite actors from the old days btw) are chasing the grizzly on foot down the mountain just can't match up to the one in Jaws where they are chasing the shark (or the yellow barrels) in the Orca, despite the almost identical musical scores. The other problem is that, unlike a great white shark, bears are cute, and even if the grizzly they use in this film ain't cute (personally I think he is), he is certainly a handsome creature, and I for one can't feel the fear of him that I had of the "soulless-looking" shark in Jaws (and yes, I know that sharks are just innocent animals the same as bears, but I wouldn't want to cuddle one). I also didn't like seeing a dead and gutted deer but hey, I'm just no hunter. All in all, I know that I can't expect a film to have the same impact on me now that it did when I was 15 - and I guess this might be cool if it was remade nowadays but my only suggestion would be that they would have to have some sort of creature and not a bear - I don't want to see bears getting a bad rap and getting shot in movies or in real life.

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Dear Mr. Affleck

[10/10 · 22 October 2007]

You have finally found your career, my man, run with it. I must confess that I am not a fan of Ben's with regards to his acting, not because I think he is not a good actor, but with the exception of "SUM OF ALL FEARS" I just don't like any of the films he has been in, most especially the horribly overrated "CHASING AMY" which simply grates on all my nerve endings. But anyway, not a fan of his acting, but after seeing "GONE BABY GONE" I freely and shamelessly admit that I fervently hope he becomes a long-standing director, and I cannot wait for whatever he decides to do next. "GONE BABY GONE" is quite simply a masterpiece. Ben's directing style is totally old-school and so thankfully has none of that terrible shaking-moving, documentary style "realism". Ben is smart enough to co-write a wholly engaging script, and already savvy enough as a new director to focus on story and character over vacuous, empty "MTV style" camera work. Kudos Ben!! The wonderful backdrop of beautiful, throbbing, vibrant Boston notwithstanding, the gritty, dark, pretentious-free realism of the acting (including that of younger brother Casey, who is unfairly bashed by too many critics on this board) and the characterizations in this film are nothing short of mesmerizing and terrifying. I say terrifying because the fact that these characters are true depictions of people who really do exist (the dysfunctional, drug-addled women who should never be permitted to bear children and become mothers; the sleazy two-bit drug dealers who have somehow become top dogs in their horrifying world; the desperate good souls who foul up despite their commendable good intentions; the child molesters and rapists who should never be allowed another second's worth of freedom from prison; and the innocent, hapless and helpless children who are the utterly innocent victims of this sadly broken aspect of society) - these characters, by the very fact that they are dead-on-accurate renditions of people who really exist, are way scarier than anything in any horror movie; and Ben and his team of wonderful actors and technicians have breathed frightening real life into them with perfect aplomb (I almost suspect that a couple of the minor character actors were taken straight off the street). The plot, while containing some predictable elements, still manages to put final twists on each of those predictable parts so as to keep one captivated - and the elements that were not predictable just blew me away. The initial recce of the hideout house by Casey Affleck's character (and his drug dealer buddy) was a wonderfully creepy foreshadowing of terrible things to come - and the follow-up raid, in which Nick is shot and wounded, and in which Casey goes in and finds the missing boy, was spine tinglingly horrific - a scene reminiscent of, and at the same level of nail-biting intensity as anything in David Fincher's SEVEN. The moral question at the end of the movie would indeed be a difficult thing for many people to answer. The fact that Ben stuck to his guns and went for the realistic, true-to-life resolution just enhances his solid steel film-maker's balls. Personally I would have left the little girl in the much better life situation, but in reality, Casey Affleck's character made the choice most would make - which does not make it any less heartbreaking and frustrating, especially with the scene towards the end wherein we see little Amanda back in the clutches of her wretched, selfish and worthless mother (a performance by Amy Ryan that was so real and believable that I was shocked and relieved to discover that she's actually an actress and not some real-life bad mom). I couldn't help agreeing with Michelle Monaghan that I hated Casey Affleck's character for calling the state police, and yet I also believe that he was redeemed in the final scene by its suggestion that he has decided to make it his life's mission to watch over the child forevermore. A wonderful, moving, gut-wrenching film, Ben, and a fine feature directorial debut. Encore!

Hercules Against the Moon Men (1964)

Enough Hercules bashing Already

[10/10 · 19 October 2007]

Okay, I know this is a cheapie churned out quickly by the Italian "Epic Theater -Sword & Sandal" machine, but it was made in 1965 people, and so it really is not as bad as some of your reviews would have it seem. As a filmmaker myself, I know how EXTREMELY DIFFICULT it is to go out on location and get anything even half decent on film, so just by that, the Italians have done a great job. The action set pieces are really quite well done, and the acting is believable and passable, even from Alan Steele, who I think makes a great Hercules. The special effects are very good for their time, especially the giant rock monsters. The Queen is an excellent evil schemer with perfect vulpine qualities, not to mention a very beautiful face and sexy figure. I could look at her all day long. If you compare this film, or any of the Italian horror films made around the same period (Nightmare Castle for example) or the excellent hammer Horror Ingrid Pitt vampire series, they are far superior in all aspects to anything that Hollywood was churning out at the time (or now). Most of that stuff was cranked out by the Corman machine and fell far short of the quality of Hercules Against the Moon Men. The sequences are filmed well, with steady, clear and precise camera work, and they are edited together nicely. I admit that the sandstorm sequence is perhaps a little too long, but it is no where near as agonizing to sit through than the entire Transformers movie out recently. Perhaps the only criticism I have for Hercules is the inconsistency of his strength - any man powerful enough to raise a rock monster over his head and toss it aside would be unstoppable, and most certainly unable to be fought against by guys with swords. But I loved the fight scenes anyway, and Alan Steele really looks like he's grinning and having a great time as the unbeatable hero. I love this film as much now as I did when I first saw it as a little boy growing up in England.

Superbad (2007)

I've changed my mind...

[3/10 · 4 September 2007]

I'm deleting my original review because, even though I still think some of the things in this movie are looney, over time, and having watched it on DVD numerous times since my first viewing, it has now become one of my favorite raunchy comedies. Despite that the character of Evan is a wishy-washy little twerp, and Seth is a selfish dipshit, I've now decided that they're both hilarious. And McLovin is classic. The cops are still a WTF!?!? but hey, the things some cops do in real life are even more bizarre.

Lost in Space (1998)

Somebody PLEASE tie "Hakiva" Goldsman's hands

[1/10 · 24 August 2007]

So he can't monkey out any more lousy scripts. The very fact that even the worst of the campiest episodes of this magically wonderful old series are better than this movie says how badly the Hollywood re-hash-re-make-puke factory messed this one up. Oh how I loved this old series as a kid (and love them even now as an adult who owns them all on DVD) and oh how I longed for a LiS movie when I first heard that one was in the works. At one point in time, even Bill Mumy had a script, but sadly they wouldn't let him do it (Irwin Allen's fault at the time I believe). If they'd have gotten this show off the ground at an early enough stage ALL of the original cast with the exception of the late, great Guy Williams could have reprised their roles. It would have been far better to have a story that continued on from the Robinsons having been lost in space for decades, which would explain why they'd all aged. We could even have had the (also late, great) incomparable Jonathan Harris as Dr. Smith, as from all reports he really wanted to do it. Never has a film with such great potential to be awesome been screwed up so badly by the hacks who were in charge when this was finally made. Who in the world thought that clown from "Friends" was a good pick for major Don West? I will admit that this film started out with promise as it seemed like it was going to follow the pattern of the series - they actually took great elements from the first couple of episodes with the finding of the derelict alien spaceship and then the crash landing on the alien planet - but from there on it spiraled into an awful mess. And to have an older Will Robinson character and NOT use Bill Mumy to play the role was the single biggest transgression of all - if they had used Billy, I would at least have been able to forgive them for all the rest of the ham-fisted hammering they gave this film. Let's do it again folks, this time with feeling! And talent. And brains. And respect for the old cast and series.

Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999 Video)

Loved it on so many levels

[10/10 · 22 August 2007]

How wonderful the advent of DVD so that we can all enjoy our favorite movies and television shows over and over at our own leisure - and commercial free to boot! For me, Scooby Doo is one that I'll always enjoy. I watched the television series as a kid, and seeing it again now brings back many fond memories. The new movies are an extra special delight in that they introduce the aspect of real ghosts and monsters rather than the usual bad guys wearing masks. Although "Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost" starts out with just that, both in the opening museum capture sequence and the first sequence in the New England town, it's soon revealed that there is indeed a real witch in the works.

When Scooby and the Gang meet writer Ben Ravencroft (deliciously voiced by Tim Curry), he invites them back to his home town, where they discover tourist season in full swing, fueled by rumors of a witch's ghost in the form of Ben's ancestor Sara Ravencroft (isn't the name Ravencroft absolutely perfect for a witch?). Ben is hurt by the bad name it gives himself and his ancestor, whom he insists was a good Wiccan who acted as a sort of seventeenth century apothecary, using herbs and natural potions to cure people of their ailments. He enlists the help of Scooby and the gang to help uncover the truth behind the witch hauntings and assist him in finding Sara's old journal which he says holds in its pages the recipes for all her cures.

It isn't long before the sleuthing youths uncover the real culprits behind the witch and reveal a scheme orchestrated by the Mayor and several other townsfolk. They apologize to Ben saying they just wanted to bring money to the town in the form of tourist dollars. This is a cute and amusing twist, and a nice touch that the townsfolk aren't bad guys at all but simple folk trying to boost their own economy. And it's nice that their trick hasn't done any real harm. Of course this sort of skulduggery could only be feasible in an animated film, as the stunts they pull would be quite impossible in reality, and impossible even to believe in a live-action film. But for me at least, that's one of the charms of watching a Scooby Doo movie.

At this point I thought the film was over and was delighted when Ben reminded the gang that Sara's journal still hasn't been found. There was more to come! Velma then finds the clue they need in a portrait of Sara. Earlier, Scooby had dug up an old shoe buckle that Shaggy now wears on one of his sneakers. But Velma has noticed that it's not a shoe buckle at all but the clasp of the journal that Sara is holding in her portrait. Scooby leads them to the spot where he found the buckle and voilà! They find Sara's journal in a buried chest.

Now things really heat up, because instead of looking like the innocuous journal of a Wiccan healer, the journal resembles something like the Book of the Dead from the Evil Dead movie. Velma remarks on this and Ben (in typical Tim Curry fashion) suddenly turns on the evil "charm" and reveals that his ancestor Sara was in fact a witch, imprisoned inside the book by her enemies four hundred years ago. It's Ben's plan to free her spirit and have her rule the world by his side.

But once freed, Sara has plans of her own, and they don't include playing second fiddle to Ben. She traps him in a magic bubble and then goes on a vengeful rampage. It's up to Scooby and the gang to save the day; and with the help of Thorn, lead singer of the local band The Hex Girls and 16% Wiccan by blood, they manage to cast the spell that sends Sara back into her book prison. She drags Ben with her and the book is then set on fire and destroyed by a burning tree branch.

The final action sequences are exciting, funny and extremely entertaining for a straight to video cartoon film, and I highly recommend this and all the other Scooby Doo movies to any fan and anyone who enjoys good fun, laughs, and witches, ghosts, and zombies. And is it just me, or does anyone else get really hungry during the scenes in which Scooby and Shaggy scarf down all the food? All in all a delightful experience.