Hercules in New York

March 4th, 2009
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Who would have thought that before all those great action movies and “I’ll be back”’s, Arnold S. had already appeared in a cult classic?? I recently watched this movie and have enjoyed it very much, never knowing how cheesy and campy a movie can be?

First, THE reason this movie is brought back on DVD is not for its qualities. It’s just to see Arnie in his first movie where he pulls off a really great BAD performance. Both versions of the movie are great (on TV, i saw the dubbed version which was funny to see a great Austrian guy with the voice of an English professor with no knowledge of putting intonation in his voice), but i prefer the one with Arnie’s almost ridiculous accent. The story itself is also bad-to-the-bone : Hercules is bored on Olympus and wants to go on a vacation in New York, but Zeus doesn’t like this as it would confuse the humans. Hercules, however, pursues and gets dropped in the sea where a boat picks him up and brings him to New York. When he arrives, his vacation begins…

The whole movie is worthwhile just because of the cheesy acting of our Arnie. With the role of Hercules played by an unknown actor, the movie would have gone into obscurity from the moment it hit the theaters, but Arnie stays the main reason to watch this. Highlight is the fight against a grizzly bear who fights as a human and also lays for death on the ground as a human (his arms spread!!!)

Searchig a serious film about Greek mythology?? Keep away. Looking for a “so bad it becomes good” movie, you are in heaven with this little cult gem.

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Groundhog Day

March 4th, 2009
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I might be making a bold claim saying this is the best Bill Murray film of them all. Many people would call me on that with films that showcase his sophomoric hi jinks like Stripes or Ghostbusters. Some may look at his more slightly more refined character works like What About Bob? and Scrooged as their hits. To me Groundhog Day tops them all. This is because not only do you have Bill Murray doing a perfect performance, but also because the content itself (and the writing behind it) takes this movie to the next level.

Groundhog Day is a morality piece done in the vein of a classic Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone episode. I kind of “what if…?” sort of tale that puts a generally successful and selfish man (played by Murray) into a hopeless situation of never being able to escape a single day in a small town. On the surface the story it looks like a situation comedy with Murray’s character living the same Groundhog Day over and over. However the further you go into the movie you get some true and believable character development. The fact Bill pulls it off convincingly as well as with his classic entertaining wit is what makes the movie shine.

Don’t think of the movie as just some lesson to learn and take with you. While it does have that they don’t preach it to you. You figure the lessons out along with Phil (Murray), and that makes for a rather deep experience. The movie at its core is a comedy, and it’s such a good comedy it’s rating among the top comedies of all time by various film associations. It’s not just a comedy either as it also has a healthy dose of romance in it. So much romance that it can pass off as a “chick flick” for those who are into that. So I guess you can say Groundhog Day is a romantic comedy/Twilight-Zonesque/morality play.

The other actors do great as well, including co-star Andie MacDowell, supporting actors Chris Elliot (as the cameraman), Brian Doyle-Murray (mayor of the city) Stephen Tobolowsky (old high school associate) and others. The movie was directed by Murray’s cohort in Ghostbusters and Stripes Harold Ramis, which makes me wonder if the role was made for Bill. Production itself is very solid. You won’t find it winning awards for costumes, sets or special effects. At the same time you won’t find any production values detracting from the story; they only serve to enhance it.

Cast

  • Bill Murray – Phil Connors
  • Andie MacDowell – Rita
  • Chris Elliott – Larry
  • Stephen Tobolowsky – Ned Ryerson
  • Brian Doyle-Murray – Buster Green
  • Rick Ducommun – Gus
  • Rick Overton – Ralph
  • Robin Duke – Doris, the Waitress
  • Marita Geraghty – Nancy Taylor
  • Angela Paton – Mrs. Lancaster
  • David Pasquesi – Psychiatrist
  • Harold Ramis – Neurologist
  • Scooter – Punxsutawney Phil

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Frequency

March 4th, 2009
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I consider this a good thriller, one that not only keeps me on the edge of my seat after the first viewing, but one that keeps me there with every viewing. “Frequency” is one of those, that no matter how often I watch it, it takes it’s hold on me from the first frame and won’t let go until the last. It’s more then just a thriller though. It’s some fabulous Sci-Fi entertainment with great special effects, it’s the poignant story of a special bond between father and son, and there’s lots of heart pounding action sequences as well. Add to that one fabulous cast including Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel and Andre Braugher, a fresh take on time travel, and you are in for 2 hours of some fine entertainment.

A Police Officer John Sullivan(Caviezel), by a miracle of nature, is able to contact his father, Frank(Quaid), on an old ham radio. The miracle?…The Northern Lights make a rare appearance in New York. What’s truly amazing is that his father died thirty years earlier fighting a fire. He is able to change the course of history, by forewarning his father about the tragedy to come. But by changing the course of history, John and Frank may have unleashed an evil chain of events yet to come. They most work together, with the time they have to stop a serial killer.

Cast

  • James Caviezel John Sullivan
  • Dennis Quaid Frank Sullivan
  • Shawn Doyle Jack Shepard
  • Elizabeth Mitchell Julia ‘Jules’ Sullivan
  • Andre Braugher Satch DeLeon
  • Noah Emmerich Gordo Hersch

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Freejack

March 4th, 2009
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Emilo Estevez, Anthony Hopkins, Mick Jagger, and Rene Russo lead an allstar cast in this futuristic sci-fi action thriller set in the future. Good action, some comedy and Mick Jagger fits; in this great futuristic movie.
Alex Furlong (Estevez) was an Indy race car driver who unbeknown to him has been chosen for a body swap in the future from the very rich CEO of a company played by Hopkins. Right before Furlong was to be killed in a crash during the race, he is snatched from his time period and teleported to the future. Mick Jagger is a commander of a type of police-force bounty hunter army who is charged with getting Furlong delivered to complete the body/mind switch. Something goes wrong and the action heats up. Will Mick Jagger deliver the Freejack (Furlong)?

Taglines

  • Alex Furlong died today. Eighteen years from now, he’ll be running for his life.
  • Don’t let the future pass you by.
  • Time flies. But to survive in the year 2009, he’ll need to move a lot faster.
  • Welcome to the savage world of the year 2009.

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The Final Countdown

March 4th, 2009
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“The Final Countdown” is one of my all-time favorite films, because it has just about everything I like: military hardware, heroism, and history — with a delicious helping of sci-fi fantasy.

Off the coast of Hawaii, the modern day USS Nimitz encounters a bizarre storm, which is actually a portal through time. The crew gradually becomes convinced that they have emerged in 1941 just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor — and that they have the futuristic firepower to stop it. But can history really be changed? Initially, it seems likely! In the highlight scene of the film, F-14 Tomcats go to the rescue of a yacht under attack by Zeros. Survivors, a suspicious Congressman and his assistant, as well as an incredulous Japanese pilot, are brought on board the spectacularly anachronistic aircraft carrier.From there, the mission to change history begins to go awry as paradox-producing events occur. Nonetheless, the Nimitz never falters. And you really anticipate, even as the time portal begins to close, that her guns and aircraft will engage the oncoming enemy. “The Final Countdown” is a wonderful fantasy, very realistically enacted.

For a time-travel epic, I like the way all the “loose ends” are neatly tied up. History is preserved, with a sensitive, and I must say, emotional, tribute to the heroes of Pearl Harbor.

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The Family Man

March 4th, 2009
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The Family Man (directed by Brett Ratner) is a film of superb quality, acting, and storyline.

It centers around a man named Jack Cambell (played by Nicholas Cage), a man who has chosen a path of monetary success instead of marrying his college girlfriend Kate (played by Téa Leoni). After thirteen years since this decision (during which time he has become the president of a major investment firm), he unknowingly meets an angel (played by Don Cheadle). Jack is given what the angel calls a `glimpse’ —-in his case, a chance to see what his life had been like if he had married Kate. During this experience, he finds out what is truly important in life. He finds what he has given up, and how empty his life truly is. And at the end, he finds that it still might not be too late to change his ways.

As we follow Jack on his adventure, we are treated to excellent cinematography, directing, acting, and a beautiful score composed by Danny Elfman. This is an excellent film that will touch the entire family.

Cast

  • Nicolas Cage – Jack Campbell
  • Téa Leoni – Kate Reynolds
  • Don Cheadle – Cash

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Donnie Darko

March 3rd, 2009
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When this was initially released in theaters, I didn’t quite know what to make of the trailers. It appeared to be a movie about some kid haunted by a scary-looking giant bunny, sort of a demented “Harvey” as though directed by Alfred Hitchcock. I was intrigued. Unfortunately, I never got around to going to see it in a theater, so when I saw it at my local video store, I snatched it up, having very little idea of what to expect.

What I saw was a solidly entertaining, thought-provoking, unique and thoroughly original sci-fi time travel tale with very real and believable human conflict (rare for a science fiction flick). Jake Gyllenhaal (playing the film’s title character)-an unusually gifted actor for his age who consistently demonstrates a sense of truthfulness about his work (unlike so many other young actors of his generation, who seem mostly to be more concerned with looking cool and hip than with honing their craft)-gives a great performance, and is sure to have a wonderful future ahead of him. Virtually the entire cast is an impressive veteran ensemble, all of whom deliver wonderful performances: Holmes Osborne and Mary McDonnell as Gyllenhaal’s parents, alternately worried and amused by their son’s eccentric behavior; Katharine Ross (yes THAT Katharine Ross, of such `60s classics as “The Graduate” and “Butch and Sundance,” who has unfortunately been all too absent from films since that time) as Gyllenhaal’s concerned psychiatrist; Noah Wyle and Drew Barrymore (also the film’s executive producer) are perfect as two young liberally minded high school teachers, embattled by a hypersensitive school bureaucracy; and Rachel Winfree gives a flawless performance as a neurotic high school teacher who tries so desperately to teach her students the difference between “love” and “fear” on the “lifeline.” Jena Malone as Gyllenhaal’s love interest gives a very sensitive and well-crafted performance; she forces nothing, and like Gyllenhaal, she should also have quite a career ahead of her.

The most ingenious stroke of casting in this movie, however, is perennial `80s “Dirty Dancing” icon Patrick Swayze as a cheeseball motivational speaker (a la “Up With People”). Definitely his finest performance since “Road House” (har, har).

But the greatest kudos must go to writer-director Richard Kelly (not to be confused with “Ally McBeal” creator Richard E. Kelly). It is not easy to craft a sci-fi tale that actually has a believable and compelling element of genuine human drama (George Lucas’ stunted and awkward dialogue in his most recent “Star Wars” epic and the forced, saccharine emotions of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs” spring to mind), but Kelly manages to pull it off. This movie is also part satire, too, offering relevant social commentary without being preachy or obvi

Cast

  • Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko. Actors Ben Foster and Patrick Fugit both auditioned for the role, but director Richard Kelly ultimately selected Gyllenhaal.
  • Jena Malone as Gretchen Ross
  • James Duval as Frank
  • Maggie Gyllenhaal as Elizabeth Darko
  • Mary McDonnell as Rose Darko
  • Holmes Osborne as Eddie Darko
  • Katharine Ross as Dr. Lilian Thurman
  • Drew Barrymore as Karen Pomeroy
  • Noah Wyle as Dr. Kenneth Monnitoff
  • Patrick Swayze as Jim Cunningham
  • Daveigh Chase as Samantha “Sam” Darko
  • Beth Grant as Kitty Farmer
  • Stuart Stone as Ronald Fisher

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Deja Vu

March 3rd, 2009
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Déjà Vu is the perfect blend of science fiction and action film for the average movie watcher as well as the science fiction fan. At its core, it is a thrilling, well paced action adventure story about an ATF agent, Doug Carlin, investigating a terrorist bombing on a ferry full of US Navy sailors in New Orleans. 540 people are killed in the massive explosion, but one young woman’s body washes up and doesn’t seem to fit with the other victims; though it looks like a victim of the explosion, the body was discovered 8 minutes before the bomb went off. Other pieces of evidence regarding this victim quickly lead Carlin to roughly piece together where she fits in the puzzle; unfortunately, none of it is enough to provide leads to the perpetrator.

When Carlin presents his information to the FBI agents in charge, they are quickly impressed by his keen ability to size up a crime scene and filter out the noise from the pertinent details. They invite him to join a new test project that uses the latest technology to analyze a crime scene. Though the FBI and scientists involved try to hide the true nature of the technology, it doesn’t take agent Carlin long to realize that there is more to it than advanced surveillance camera processing. This is where the science fiction weaves itself into the crime action drama film. While testing a new high-powered telescope technology, a way to bend the fabric of space/time is discovered, allowing the ability to watch the past in “real time” exactly 4+ days before.

What makes this film work so well is that the action mostly takes place in the present, but the technology leads to some very good storytelling and the most interesting car chase ever conceived. I had read in some positive reviews that as good as it was it didn’t fully make sense…well they are wrong – it complete sense – just pay attention to the details along the way and the story comes together nicely. Yes, there are a few inconsistencies – whose explanations probably were left on the cutting room floor to keep the film well paced – but they are small. If you have a basic understanding of the physics and space/time you can piece them together yourselves; if you are not, don’t worry and ignore them because they don’t take away from this very film.

Cast

  • Denzel Washington Special Agent Douglas Carlin
  • Paula Patton Claire Kuchever
  • Adam Goldberg Alexander Denny
  • Elden Henson Gunnars
  • Bruce Greenwood Jack McCready
  • Val Kilmer Agent Paul Pryzwarra
  • Erika Alexander Shanti
  • Matt Craven Larry Minuti
  • James Caviezel Carroll Oerstadt

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The Day Time Ended

March 3rd, 2009
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I first saw this movie on TV in the 80s and for some reason it stuck in my mind. Now having seen it again i’m not too sure why, although if you take into account the low budget and date that it was made i suppose it isn’t too bad. Its basically a strange mix of UFOs, Aliens and ‘Monsters’ which terrorise a family on a ranch.. The ending is a little bizarre but overall quite an enjoyable movie.

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Conceiving Ada

March 3rd, 2009
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This unusual film is about Ada Augusta Byron King Lovelace, a daughter of the poet Byron. Her name is overshadowed by this famous father, but Ada is, the film informs you, actually a genius on her own, a kind of ‘mother’ of modern computer system. If my source is to be relied on, Pentagon of the US government in fact adapted the name od ADA for its computer language program.

“Conceiving Ada” has, however, a little confusing structure. It starts with Emmy, a woman living in the 20th century, so inmmersed in the possibility of re-creating the thoughts and images of the past events, using the special computer techiniques and the DNA patterns inherited from Ada Lovelace, the pioneer of the computer languages. One of her mentors, Sims (Timothy Leary, who died 9 days after the shooting of the picture), helps her, giving vital information, but with some warnings.

Emmy succeeds in going “interactive” with the real Ada (Tilda Swinton) living in the early Victorian era. From then, the film traces the eventful life of Ada, who was leading unconventional life, going out with several males, or being addicted to gambling, in spite of her strictly conservative mother’s adomoniton. (Her/ Emmy’s mother is played by Karen Black). Ada’s lifestyle, on the other hand, influences that of Emmy, who is living with her boyfriend, and is going to have a baby (meaning “conceiving Ada”).

The central idea is that of sci-fi films, but “Conceiving Ada” looks more like intent on championing this unique female nearly forgotten in the history. Though the idea is a worthy one, the film lacks decent budget to realize the well-intentioned purpose. The film is made in 1997, and this fact might explain the lack of convincing images which could have brought the interesting concept to life.

Director Lynn Hershamann Leeson, known as visual artist using videos and other visual media, made a decent debut film with this one, thanks to Tilda Swinton’s rivetting acting as Ada. The film is shot in digital camera, but that is not damaging after all — the director knows how to use it — but if you expect something very Victorian, like costumes and manners, then you will be disappointed. And if you want to know this historically neglected genius, then you won’t get enough, for half of the film is used to show Emmy, almost always sitting before a modern-day PC (which is not an engaging scene, as you imagine). The film falls short in both ways, and considering the potential power of the subject matter, “Conceiving Ada” might have worked better with less time spent on Emmy, and more on Ada.

Not a bad film at all, with always great Tilda Swinton. The problem is not the subject which is intriguing to know, but the way it is presented.

Cast

  • Tilda Swinton as Ada Augusta Byron King, Countess of Lovelace
  • Francesca Faridany as Emmy Coer
  • Timothy Leary as Sims
  • Karen Black as Lady Byron/Mother Coer
  • John O’Keefe as Charles Babbage
  • John Perry Barlow as John Crosse
  • J.D. Wolfe as Nicholas Clayton
  • Owen Murphy as William Lovelace
  • David Brooks as Children’s Tutor (David)

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