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snakebitt
Reviews
Megalodon (2002)
"B-and-a-half" movie--plus sharks
At only an hour and a half, it's not a bad little flick. The acting is satisfying, there's a few good one-liners, the visual effects (all CGI, and well done considering the tiny team that did them) aren't distracting enough to detract from things, and the story was plotted and played out decently. Obviously could have been more with a bigger budget, but that's a truism for all indie productions. The small handful of makeup effects were especially well done.
The only nitpick I have is with the sound mix. In some places the dialoge can be difficult to make out, but nothing a quick rewind-replay and a closer listen won't clear up.
6 1/2 or 7 out of 10, considering it does better than some Hollywood efforts (Deep Blue Sea, anybody?).
Aliens: Ride at the Speed of Fright (1995)
Not too shabby for a 'ride' film
Not too much to say about this one--it was clearly made and timed to the articulated seats that the audience sat in (which is where the whole 'ride at the speed of fright' bit comes in--it's shown in a special theater where the seats are set up in twos on bending columns to make it feel like you're moving with the onscreen action). If you've seen Aliens (I'm hoping you have), you've seen this. All of the actors are new, and the plot is radically simplified, but the custom redone footage (new actors, same scenes, same gist with the dialogue) is polished, and they even managed to splice in bits and pieces of film from the original movie well enough that unless you have it memorized, you'll be second-guessing yourself as to where the new film and the old film are separated (usually it's a matter of just a few frames).
The moving chair stuff was fun, and was pretty well timed to the on-screen goings-on. I liked it, but my friend got a little motion-sick. I think it was just him.
I don't know if the little theater where I saw this is still showing it, or whether the theater itself is even still there on Pier 39 down on Fisherman's Wharf. Regardless, it was a fun stop that afternoon.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Behold the return of the Force
The only thing that could possibly have pushed this film farther towards perfection is if Lucas had titled it in a way that let us rearrange the letters in the title to call the film 'Complete Redemption and Deliverance'. Episode I soured many fans, despite it not being entirely worthless--there were good parts in it, and overall it was a decent movie. But anyone who insists that it had no weaknesses whatsoever is quite possibly due for a cat-scan.
Rejoice.
Unquestionably, a complete lack of weaknesses is the case with Episode II.
The acting isn't as campy. Shakespearean at times, but never strained.
The raw passion between Portman and Christensen would have prompted me to have somebody quietly keeping tabs on them off the set--with a set of rings at hand.
Lucas has made every scene's purpose and story foundation solid enough to shame Mt. Everest. Characters don't just do something. They have a deeply moving reason behind what they do--and it's always a reason that would probably drive you or me to do the same thing.
Every frame, every image, every picture of an idea that graces the screen is part of the story. Lucas isn't showing off ILM's latest and greatest; he has taken them up arm in arm and given us the product of two master storytellers weaving a magnum opus.
Passion, beauty, grief, unreleaseable pain, tension, unimagineable energy--all of these threads are perfect, seamless, and awe inspiring to behold. They will leave to you ecstacy of a story so rich and powerful your very soul with reverberate.
George Lucas, I bow to you as a man I respected, lost faith in, and have regained an endless, profound admiration for. The Force is with you once more, and you have shared it with us all.