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Reviews
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Halloween 6 - The Producer's Cut
The version of Halloween 6 that was released to theaters, was really not a very good movie. It wasn't terrible, but it just didn't flow right. Here is the reason why. The original, or so called, "Producer's Cut" of the movie. It is no small statement to say that this is an almost completely different movie. More story, less gore, so smash cut edits (complete with flashes of the knife and some metallic slashing sounds), a different fate for Jamie, a TOTALLY different ending sequence, and most importantly, more screen time for Donald Pleasence in his final film. Pleasence's character seemed to serve to purpose in the theatrical version. He seemed to be a dottering old fool that could barely stand. He is given so much more to do in this cut that he, once again, becomes an invalubable part of the story. While I'm not a fan of the "Thorn cult" storyline of Halloween 5 and 6, it is handled much better here. There is no strange operating scence and impending slaughter of the cultists by Michael. We see the actual ritual that intends to pass Michael's curse/power onto Jamie's baby. MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD!!!! We learn that the baby is actually Michael's, we see Tommy confront Michael with the power of rune stones instead of a lead pipe to the head. There is also a much better ending. In the original you just see Michael's mask lying on the ground and Dr. Loomis screaming off camera. Now you see not only why Loomis was screaming, but what becomes of Michael. I simply can't understand why this version was not released to theaters. It is superior in every way, and is actually, the 3rd best of the series, right behind the original and H20. Oh yeah, they actually got the mask to look really good in this one too. If you can find it (bootleg), see this version of Halloween 6 and avoid the theatrical version. Let's hope this version makes it way to VHS and DVD. Theatrical version: ** out of **** Producer's version: ***1/2 out of ****
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000)
Fantastic family film
Disney has had a win some/lose some track record with its' direct to video animated features. From the triumphant Lion King 2, to the abyssmal Pocahontas 2. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is another winner. The movie begins with a computer animated segment featuring Buzz, Woody, and all the other toys of Andy's room, preparing to sit down to watch the new Buzz Lightyear movie. It's a really cute intro featuring Tim Allen as Buzz, and Jim Hanks (doing his best impersonation of his brother Tom) as Woody. Wallace Shawn is hilarious, once again, as Rex the dinosaur, who can't contain his excitement over the new Buzz video. As the toys sit down in front of the tv to watch the movie, we zoom into the tv and the feature begins proper. While it might disappoint some that the rest of the movie is done with traditional animation, to me it seems only fitting. After all, the computer animated Toy Story world is all about toys. This movie is about the adventures of Buzz Lightyear, the character that the toy in Toy Story is based on. This movie is supposed to be the same thing the kids in the Toy Story world watch. The film is about Buzz trying to stop the Evil Emperor Zurg from destroying the universe. Zurg steals the LGM's (Little Green Men) Uni-Mind, the device that keeps them mentally linked as one. Zurg intends to use it to spread his evil all over the universe. When Buzz's partner is killed by Zurg, Buzz vows to work alone. But Star Command has other ideas. Through the course of the story, Buzz actually ends up with 3 new partners. Princess Mira Nova, a janitor with dreams of being a Space Ranger named Booster, and a robot called XR (experimental ranger). Booster and XR are a classic comic relief team in the spirit of Timon and Puumba from Lion King. It's an exciting story filled with action, betrayl, heroic rescues, humor, and Tim Allen at his scene chewing best. It's perfect for all families, and trust me, kids will LOVE it! I bought the movie for my 3 year old son, and 1 year old daughter. They were mezmerized. For that matter, so was I. 9 out of 10!!!!!
X-Men (2000)
An OK distraction
Let's get one thing straight. Patrick Stewart is WAY too talented to be doing this kind of thing. He is excellent as Xavior, but his talents are still wasted. In an age when style counts more than substance, X-Men fares better than most comic book adaptions. It ranks better than any of the Batman films, but that's not so tough since they haven't made a good one yet. But this film makes the typical Hollywood flaw, it lets its' visuals and volume level get in the way of story and character development. Sure it loud, fast paced, and visually impressive. It makes for a good summer movie, and it's technical achievements assure it good sales when it hits video. But is there anything really worthwhile here? Not really. There is nothing within the characters or the story that really get to you. You simply do not care about the characters and their situations. You are not given the chance to. Instead, you're beat over the head with more meaningless, albeit impressive, action sequences. Unfortunately, we live in an age when that equates good filmmaking to mass audiences. Hollywood has only gotten the comic book translation right two times. The most recent was The Crow. It, like X-Men, was visually stunning. But The Crow made room for character development. You cared about what was going on. It had real emotion and an incredible performance by Brandon Lee. But the greatest comic adaption in Hollywood history is Superman. The original and its' sequel stand head-and-shoulders above all the others. They had incredible visuals and epic action scenes. But most importantly, they had character dimension. They all served a purpose to the story. The action served the story. They also remained loyal to the characters. Even the lesser Supmerman sequels, while not very good movies, remained faithful to the characters. If you've ever read an X-Men comic, you'll see many changes to the characters. They are either flat background characters that are thrown in because the audience expects to see them (Storm, Cyclops), or they are completely changed to fit into a modern movie. The biggest example of that is Wolverine. First off, he doesn't have the same demeanor, or accent, as the comic character. He was just over 5' tall, now he's over 6'. And he wore a bright spandex costume, not leather. The leather may be more 90's but it's just not true to the vibrant nature of the comic. So, all in all, I was very disappointed. It's just another flash in the pan. It will make a load of money, but will not stand the test of time. No one will remember this movie 20 years from now, except the fanboys whose lives revolve around X-Men. Still, it looks good so I give it 5 out of 10.
The Perfect Storm (2000)
An INCREDIBLE Ride!!!!
This is, without question, one of the greatest action films ever made. There has never been anything like it. The visuals are so outstanding, that you feel transported out of the theater and into the storm itself. When you stand up after the film, your legs feel wobbly, and you feel you have to adjust to solid ground again. The plot is fairly simple, six down on their luck fisherman, set out to make one more attempt at a big haul. As they head for home, they run right into the most powerful storm the world has ever seen. That's it. That's all you need to know. Ive hear a lot of people complaining about lack of character development. Let me ask you something. What was it that got you to see this movie. What was the hook that made you say "I've got to see that movie!" Was it the possibility of seeing complex characters, or intricate storylines? Hell NO! It was the shot of a 50 foot fishing boat heading straight up a mile high tidal wave!!! So since the focus of the movie is on that very type of thing, where's the problem. Think about this, there is no need for the characters to be deep. They were fisherman, they are very simple, normal people. You meet them and the people they love. You learn their reasoning for doing this very dangerous job. You learn why they venture into the storm. You care about what happens to them. What more do you need? there's actually two stories at work there. One being the fishermen, the other involving the crew of an Army rescue helicopter, and the perils they face during the storm. Both are cut together very well. As for the main cast, George Clooney is excellent, Mark Wahlberg doesn't have a lot to do, but what he does, he does well, John Reilly is great as Murph, and Diane Lane provides the perfect center of anquish for all those left at home to worry. (She's a babe too. Does the woman ever age? She's gorgeous!). The real star here is the storm itself. Industrial Light and Magic have really outdone themselves here. The turbulent sea is one of the most striking visuals I have ever seen in a movie. It looks completely real, and is blended perfectly with the live actors. I can't even put its magnificence into words. It has to be seen to be believed. The story of the men of the Andrea Gail is heroic and, ultimately, tragic. It is brought vividly to the screen in a film that is viscerally exciting, and emotionally powerful at the same time. I can't rate it high enough. 10 out of 10!!!!
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
A masterpiece of suspense and terror
There is only one thing required to be spooked by this movie...an imagination. I read all these people saying that this is the worst movie they've ever seen. Oh, it wasn't scary, the people were stupid, it wasn't realistic, etc. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Those people missed the point of the movie entirely. You weren't supposed to be analyzing the peoples actions. You were supposed to experiencing what was happening to them. That's why EVERY second of this movie is shown through someone's point of view. That was the whole point behind the filming technique. You weren't supposed to be watching what was happening. It was supposed to be happening to you. Have you ever been lost? Heard a strange noise in the middle of the night? Been afraid in a situation that was completely out of your control? Fear is based purely on one thing...the unknown. Humans fear the unknown more than anything else. We fear dying because we don't know what it will be like. We fear pain because until it happens, we don't know what it will feel like. We fear loss because we don't know if we will be able to cope with that loss. That was the focus of the characters fears. They don't know what they are hearing at night. Who is watching them? What do the want? Why won't they show themselves? Now people complained (spoiler here) that when the characters discover neatly stacked piles rocks surrounding their tent one morning that that wasn't scary. Of ourse rocks aren't scary. They're rocks. The point is that someone was there. Someone, or something, was right outside their tent that night. They were there long enough to build those rock piles. Whatever was watching them had gotten that close to them, and they didn't even know it. Now THAT is scary. And that is the whold point of the movie. Things that are happening aren't sxplained. your imagination is let free to run wild. You think of the creepy stories told earlier in the movie and wonder what it is that is coming for them. We are all born afraid. But there are two kinds of fear: instinctive fear, and learned fear. We are born afraid of things like the dark, sudden loud noises, abandonment. We have to be taught to be afraid of things like, strangers, sharp objects, weapons. This movie plays on those primal fears. You can't cotrol what is going on. You are completely at the mercy of whatever is stalking you. So what if things aren't explained in great detail? You are left to think about the movie and draw your own conclusions. Roger Ebert said it best, "The noise in the dark is scarier than what makes the noise in the dark." My, and the movies', point exactly. Truly a great film that is guaranteed to give you a world class case of the creeps long after the movie has ended Just put yourself in their shoes and let your imagination do the rest. **** out of ****.