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Better than I'd been told.   on April 13, 2013 - 10:01 PM PDT   of Women in Trouble (2009)   It's not that it's a quirky comedy, more wry than sidesplitting - it's that it so doesn't follow in any footsteps. Sure, the whole 'a bunch of people who don't know each other relate over a short timeframe' structure got terribly popular after 'Crash', and John D. MacDonald wrote novels with that structure for decades - it's not the structure that's fresh. This ensemble is, largely, women either being unabashedly raunchy about sex, or dealing with other women who are, with heart and soul in the interactions. Watching this is almost voyeuristic - not because of the ample amount of skin shown (though none of it is terribly blatant or explicit, mostly bra and panties), but because women are rarely this honest about sex where any man can see it.

Not awful, but not good   on December 4, 2012 - 5:18 PM PST   of Pitch Black (2000)   As a 'park your brain and just watch the action' movie, it's doable. The cinematography uses the 'lots of brief flash cuts' style, to excite your lizard brain, rather than try to show what actually happened, but you should be used to that in action flicks. But you really need to park your brain elsewhere while watching this. You have a planet in a trinary star system, so it's always daylight, except for a planet-wide total eclipse every 22 years; a predatory species that cannot abide light, but comes out in huge numbers to feed every 22 years on convenient human victims; a convict who spurned the prison tattoo for an eye enhancement that makes him hyper-sensitive to light (for which he paid 5 cigarettes - the price on cigs has really gone up); and a cast of characters who make every cliched mistake you'll be able to think of. The acting is good enough, but the script they had to work with had me throwing popcorn at the screen - along with the salt shaker, my drink, a couch cushion, and a very surprised cat. You've been warned.

Strictly for rabid Cushing/Lee fans   on November 19, 2012 - 6:30 PM PST   of Nothing But The Night (1972)   The production company that formed to make this movie dissolved after making this movie; its next planned production, 'To the Devil a Daughter' was handed off to another company. The acting was workmanlike, which is impressive - that they delivered those lines with a straight face is something that they can all be proud of. Tepid, random dialog, absurd plot holes, predictable 'twist' at the end - they're all here. Not quite in the 'so bad it's fun anyway' category, this is one well worth missing. You're more likely to be entertained spending the time arranging your sock drawer.

Over-the-top action   on November 14, 2012 - 8:16 AM PST   of Shoot 'Em Up (2007)   Plot holes and general idiocy abound, but this isn't a movie to think about overmuch. The action is fun and pretty much non-stop, with some amusing dialog for leavening.

Source materials   on November 11, 2012 - 10:53 AM PST   of Heavy Petting (Disc 2 of 2) (1989)   This disc contains a brief (4 minute) introduction by the director and 10 of the source films used in Heavy Petting. 1. As Boys Grow... 2. Molly Grows Up 3. Dance, Little Children (VD warning) 4. The Innocent Party (VD warning) 5. In Defense of the Nation (War Dept. VD) 6. Easy to Get (War Dept. VD) 7. Know for Sure (VD warning) 8. Perversion for Profit (anti-porn) 9. Printed Poison (anti-porn) 10. Social-Sex Attitudes in Adolescence

Stroll down memory lane   on November 8, 2012 - 10:11 AM PST   of Heavy Petting (Disc 1 of 2) (1989)   Not exactly a documentary, not exactly a comedy; a trip down memory lane for the Boomers who came of age in the 1950s. Snippets of educational films, movies, television shows (you'll have to recognize them - listed at the end, they're not identified while they're on-screen)and interviews with survivors (and again, they're listed in the opening credits, but not identified until the end credits - you'll have to recognize them), overlaid with music from the period. No analysis, no conclusions, not even any real information other than "this is what I did" interviews and the clips. Not unentertaining, but it's not likely that you'll be learning anything here.

Art for the sake of art - not for the audience   on October 26, 2012 - 4:39 PM PDT   of Paris, Texas (Criterion) (1983)   Acclaimed by critics and film buffs alike, this is remarkably unwatchable. The pace would have to be doubled to make it all the way to leisurely, the dialog is remarkably inane, the characters have no depth, no apparent motivation for their actions, and no apparent notice of the characters around them. Long, pointless vistas of barren landscape are apparently rave-worthy cinematography. Bring a book to read - the occasional glance at the screen is all you'll need.

What independent movies should be.   on October 24, 2012 - 10:39 PM PDT   of The FP (2011)   I did not see it mentioned in the synopsis that this is a musical - it is. As a loving, well-crafted spoof of the dance movie genre, it hits spot-on. As a comedy, not all of the jokes work, but far more of them do than don't, and some had me grinning days later. As a musical, it was surprisingly good - not quite up to Rodgers and Hammerstein, but considerably better than several well-received attempts at the genre that I've seen in recent years. All in all, a surprisingly fun movie that I enjoyed much more than I expected to.

I don't need the plot spoon-fed to me - but there should *be* one.   on March 8, 2010 - 5:49 PM PST   of Aeon Flux (Disc 1 of 3) (1995)   Very much a mood piece - the plot is, randomly, either absurd or totally nonsensical. The artwork shows much pulchritude without any aesthetic appeal. Horribly enough, the dialogue is the weak point. I enjoyed the movie, but am sincerely regretting wasting any of my time on this series. I could not see any point in seeing anything but the first episode - it may improve much later on. There's certainly room for it.

Easily Cronenberg's worst   on December 17, 2009 - 12:57 PM PST   of Spider (2002) 1 out of 4 members found this review helpful   I'll confess - I couldn't stand watching the second half of the film, so my review is based upon the first 45 minutes. Spider is a grim, dismal inmate of a grim, dismal halfway house in a grim, dismal London. The cinematography shows this beautifully, the actors step up to the plate and deliver, nicely. As a long-time fan of Cronenberg's films, I was really looking forward to enjoying this film. I'm fond of think pieces, and certainly don't need an explosion or chase scene every 5 minutes to keep my attention. In the first 45 minutes, there are three notable events - we see that there's lots of rust in the house's water supply, a cheap doxy in the pub flashes a breast at Spider's younger self, and the young Spider walks in on his mother while she's wearing a slip. The only interesting character is a fellow inmate at the halfway house, who has about 5 lines in the first half of the film. At that point, I simply was bored - I didn't care about what happened, if anything ever did. The ending may be brilliant, but I couldn't invest any more time in such a dismal film to find out. Pacing has never been an issue in any of Cronenberg's other films, many of which border on brilliance - but in this, it's a flaw I found to be fatal.

Startlingly good   on November 22, 2009 - 8:48 AM PST   of True Blood: Season 1 (Disc 1 of 5) (2008)   Those clever Nipponese have developed synthetic blood, so vampires have come out of the coffin and are trying to get full citizenship rights. Reactions range from horror to fascination in the human population. In a small town in Louisiana, a vampire has just moved back into town, after being away for 140+ years, and the residents show this range of reactions. Anna Paquin plays Sookie Stackhouse, local waitress and poorly-concealed telepath, who is odd enough to be an outsider, and is fascinated by the other outsider, the new vampire. Her best friend, Tara, distrusts the vampire, and carries a torch for Sookie's brother, whose exploits among the local ladies are amusing (or horribly familiar, depending on your personal history), and has his own reasons for disliking vampires in general. Sookie's boss carries a torch for Sookie, but she shies away from a romance with the boss. Other characters add to this mishmash of relationships, reminding me of every small town I've ever known. Realistic characters, interesting situations, and believable dialogue make this well worth watching. The amount of sex and skin (almost to soft-porn levels) may be too much for some viewers or just a bonus, depending.

If you can't have narrative, at least have a story...   on November 13, 2009 - 10:54 PM PST   of The Girlfriend Experience (2009) 1 out of 1 members found this review helpful   First off - Sasha Grey's acting was fine. The script didn't ask much of her, but she delivered competently, and she's decorative in undies - any controversy about her being cast in this part is pretty stupid. On the other hand, the script didn't ask much of anyone - an 'unstuck in time' sequence of parts of scenes tells something of a story - a slice of life for a high-end call girl in New York. Her boyfriend gets far more upset about her going off for a weekend than I understand, and she has some minor-to-middling disappointments. She shows that she knows how to bargain when she shops for pre-paid cellphones (though why she's shopping for them is never revealed). Toward the end, in her conversation with a journalist, it's commented on that her emotional armor is thick, and very few will get behind it. This may be the point the writer and director are trying to make - but not seeing behind that armor is not what I invested the time in. Not bad, actually - but not what I wanted, and not something I care to repeat any time soon.

Low, even for television   on October 1, 2009 - 5:03 PM PDT   of Lexx II: vol. 1 (1997)   Some cute dialog and a minimalist attitude about female costuming don't redeem this. The characters show less depth than you'd expect from an episode of Scooby-Doo, and the storylines aren't thin - they're anorexic. Good special effects, serious overacting - best skipped.

Not bad....   on September 29, 2009 - 9:57 PM PDT   of Rob Roy (1995) 2 out of 2 members found this review helpful   Yet another story of Scottish serfs against British noblemen. It's not Braveheart, but it's not bad. Some typical bits, some remarkably good acting, and it all adds up to a good evening of movie watching. You could do worse, quite easily.

Fond memories of a very creepy ventriloquism act....   on September 19, 2009 - 9:04 PM PDT   of Magic (1978)   I liked the movie - the acting and cinematography were spot-on, the story was coherent and believable, and that was one creepy situation. Good suspense, a good cast, and an engrossing story make this movie, while not stellar, certainly above average. The special features, including a good history of stage ventriloquism, are also worth checking out.

It's a twofer!   on September 19, 2009 - 8:59 PM PDT   of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea/Fantastic Voyage (1966) 1 out of 1 members found this review helpful   Two movies for the mailer of one! One of 'em is actually worthwhile, too. In Fantastic Voyage, they do a passable job of bringing Isaac Asimov's book to life, and, for the time, the special effects were awesome. The story is a bit thin (as, I suppose, it is with most book/movie pairs), but people who have read the book will mostly enjoy this. In Voyage to the Bottom, we've a different story. One of Irwin Allen's early efforts, we have an end-of-the-world disaster film that totally ignores basic, 4th-grade science. Ice, calving from an iceberg, doesn't float - it sinks and crashes into a submarine. We've a military sub with one woman on the crew, who dances the Twist in a tight (uniform) skirt and makes out with her Captain/fiancee in the halls - as if that weren't a recipe for trouble. Followed by the '60s television series of the same name, older viewers will remember enjoying the show as children with some embarassment - and even recognize some of the scenes, which were re-used in the series. Sadists can watch a pretty good cast working with a truly wretched script, and Irwin Allen fans can enjoy whatever it is they enjoy about his projects. Other folks can skip it, and never need to feel that they've missed something worthwhile. Fantastic Voyage, however, was really pretty good, well worth the evening.

Good, but not what I'd been hoping for.   on September 19, 2009 - 8:38 PM PDT   of Hearts and Minds (Criterion Collection) (1974) 2 out of 2 members found this review helpful   A pretty solid anti-war documentary, which does a passable job of allowing the presentation of the point of view of the war supporters - showing that there are, indeed, many facets to be considered. That war is horrid is a pretty easy idea to present - what we were trying to accomplish in fighting this particularly horrid war, and why we thought these tactics would further that strategy, would have been wonderful. Disappointing was the complete whitewash of North Vietnam's role in the war - they are presented, universally, as people fighting for freedom and unification, never as people trying to force Communism and 'unification' upon a populace that didn't want it. Some professional reviews had led me to hope that this documentary delved into the policies and strategy behind the tactics that were so grievously useless, but this is brushed upon so lightly that one should expect nothing, and enjoy the few bits that do turn up. I'll give it a 6 - plus 2 points for showing different sides of the question in the US, minus 3 points for being so monotone in examination of the politics and goals in Vietnam. It could have been a lot better - but I've seen many worse.

Good acting, truly pathetic script.   on September 13, 2009 - 8:57 PM PDT   of White Noise 2: The Light (2007) 1 out of 1 members found this review helpful   In the movie that this is supposedly a sequel to, a man discovers the (widely documented) phenomena of EVP - Electronic Voice Phenomena, in which voices can be heard and/or faces seen in recordings made by equipment that was not receiving any signal when it was recording. The movie reports on the phenomena reasonably accurately, and the story is built up around plausable events, positing that EVP is what it's thought to be. In this 'sequel', the phenomena of Near Death Experience is what the story's based upon, with minor reference to EVP. NDE is pretty widely documented, too - unfortunately, the writer/director team gave the phenomena a whole new twist - after his own NDE, our protagonist can tell when people are about to die, and starts saving them. Ghosts appear in his house, video screens have blobs of white noise appear to overlay the actual picture, and EVP-sounding voices start coming out of PA systems, etc - but only our protagonist can hear them. We're off in La-La Land, folks. At one early point, an EVP researcher speaks of 'de-tuned receivers', as if it's a modification - when it's just a receiver that's tuned into the bandwidth between stations. When he confirms that our protagonist can see EVP-like phenomena on the screen without a recorder, he claims that his NDE has turned him into a de-tuned receiver - showing that the writer/director read some material without any real understanding of what the phrase means. About halfway in, the conflict becomes clear, which I won't spoil - but I will say that it's totally nonsensical. Quick cuts give us some shock value, and there is some "what will happen next" suspense, amid the absurd theology and downright wrong information given about Lucifer's hand in all of this. There are plot bits from other movies patched in, and a fun reference to Nathan Fillion's earlier role in _Firefly_ and _Serenity_ - but the story will insult your intelligence, deeply. On the other hand, the pacing and cinematography are good, the acting is fine, and some of the dialog is downright charming. If you're already a fan of Fillion's from his earlier roles, that's a bonus. If you can take your forebrain out of gear and just enjoy the ride, you can enjoy this movie. If you need the explanations to actually make sense, or expect the same respect given to NDE that the original movie gave to EVP, you're going to be annoyed. I'm a Fillion fan, so it worked - but only just barely.

Good acting, truly pathetic script.   on August 25, 2009 - 10:06 PM PDT   of Box of Moonlight (1996)   Nice acting, with a script that was downright annoying. I was expecting a touch of the fantastic, but the people who were not bad caricatures simply had no motivation for what they were doing. I understand that lots of people love this movie, and it does give a lesson that's important - don't take yourself too seriously. Unfortunately, it does so by presenting pointless situations, demonstrating that any seriousness is just not fun enough. ***** minor spoilers follow ***** For example, John Torturo's son is in summer school, apparently to learn his multiplication tables. He tells Dad, on the phone, that he's studying, while he's playing a video game. Mom gets on the phone, looks at her son playing the game, and affirms that he's studying. Flash cards are suggested by the father - cards almost as tall as the kid are provided, and he's left alone with them, apparently as a memorization aid. All conversations between the husband/wife roles are vaguely polite, unless she's complaining about something - and even the complaints are not in any character - it's hard to believe that anyone has ever said things like this to any spouse, for any reason. Lawn Dogs was, truly, a much better film if you're looking for something of this sort.

It's Charlie Chaplin, anyway...   on August 3, 2009 - 3:40 PM PDT   of Charlie Chaplin (Full Screen) (Disc 2 of 2) (1915)   The quality is, I suppose, only to be expected - some of this celluloid was printed a century ago. Sometimes downright fuzzy, which was more disappointing than the scratches and artifacts - I'd expected them. And it's worthwhile pieces from Chaplin's library. But it's not what the product description says it'll be. The contents of disc 2 are: Easy Street The Vagabond Work The Tramp The Knockout, and Kid Auto Races at Venice, Calif. No frills or special features, but 6 Chaplin flicks are plenty of entertainment for an evening.

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