Tomzone Reviews

The Final Countdown (1980)

A Guilty Pleasure

[5 December 2001]

There are great films ("Citizen Kane," eg), and there are "big films", like "ET" or "Star Wars." Then there are absolute crap films (eg, WAY too-many to list!). I propose another legitimate category: "Guilty Pleasure Films." These are movies that one can see over and over, through countless repetitions on cable and broadcast channels, and enjoy the experience every time.

For example, I have probably seen "Brighton Beach Memoirs" 40 times. I loved it during its first run, and I've loved it each of the 39 times I've seen it on the small screen. No, it's not a great movie, but it's one that brings me pleasure when I watch it. Same with (blush) "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure": the movie's stupid, but it just always entertains me!

Similarly, nobody is going to compare "The Final Countdown" to "2001: A Space Odyssey" as far as absolute quality, but "The Final Countdown" is a classic example of an unabashed "guilty pleasure" movie.

The story is intriguing--what would YOU do if you were commanding a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier full of supersonic jets, etc, when you were transferred through a time-warp (ref: a CHEESY looking laser and smoke effect storm!) to December 6, 1941?? Would you alter history, just to win a battle against those attacking Pearl Harbor? Or would you hold back because you'd change history if you did anything?

Interesting point! Kirk Douglas, as the ship's captain, looks like he's having a ball acting in this, and Martin Sheen does a great job as the "civilian consultant," Mr. Laskey.

No, this movie isn't an Oscar-winner, nor did it really deserve to be. But I'll put it this way. A local independant station showed "The Final Countdown" tonight at the same time TNN was showing "The Godfather 2" uncut.

I spent maybe five minutes on the Oscar-winning Godfather 2. Yes, it is an empirically great film, but I've seen it once before. But with American fighter jets dogfighting 1941 Japanese Zeros, I was FAR more entertained watching "The Final Countdown" for the 10th time!

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

Pleasant Flashback

[20 September 2000]

It's rare that watching a film will cause me to flash-back to another film, but that happened tonight.

I watched the Steve McQueen classic, "Bullit," on AMC, and paid close attention to the legendary car-chase. Okay, if you've never heard, or you didn't take a film class in college, the 13-minute chase scene with McQueen in his Mustang and the dorky bad guys in the Dodge Charger is generally considered the best chase ever filmed.

"To Live and Die in L.A." easily surpasses "Bullit's" high mark.

First, let me say that "To Live and Die in L.A." seems to be one of the great forgotten films of all time. It was, along with Clint Eastwood's "Pale Rider," one of the most intriguing character studies to emerge from the mid-eighties. The lives of Secret Service agents are incredibly dark, while Willem Dafoe exudes a strange lightness as the counterfeiting villain. The plot is entertaining, the direction tight, and all of the acting first-rate.

But "To Live and Die in L.A.'s" car chase scene eclipses "Bullit's" by miles. Two cars? A jammed L.A. freeway? High speeds? AGAINST TRAFFIC????

Unbelievable.

The car chase alone, frankly, is worth the rental fee. That the rest of the film is equally brilliant? That's just an added bonus. Too bad everybody was watching "The Breakfast Club" or other such ilk to make this film the hit it deserves to have been.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Unreal!

[20 July 2000]

This film is a look at two couples, one a pair of newlyweds, the other a middle-aged pair with a history.

I won't even comment much on this film, except to say that Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, and Sandy Dennis ALL deserved Oscars for their performances. The film was horribly true to the Edward Albee play, and the Taylor-Burton tandem was inevitable to bring the pain and passion to the screen.

My comment, thus, would be: get a couple copies of Albee's play, and invite another couple over with you and your beloved. Read the dialogue, and see how much love there IS beneath the hatred, and vice versa. Read the dialogue, playing the parts, and you realize how whacked these two couples are, how much failed-potential plays in their relationships.

You also realize that Taylor, Burton, Segal, and Dennis, were PERFECT in their roles! Hard to find a film with that perfection in its casting!

Six stars out of five! (sic)

Tommy Boy (1995)

Too damn FUNNY!

[8 December 1999]

The first time I saw "Tommy Boy" was after the "HBO PREMIERE" of "Black Sheep," which was mediocre. "Tommy Boy," however, had me in such stitches that I had to turn-on the "closed-caption option" on my hotel's TV, simply because I was laughing too-hard to hear the jokes! GREAT FILM!!! Screw the critics!!

For Love of the Game (1999)

Great Date Flick

[7/10 · 19 September 1999]

"For the Love of The Game" was perhaps the greatest "date-movie" I've ever found. Around the time the gooey "relationship flashbacks" began to lose and annoy me, POUF, we were once again set in the quest of Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) to throw a perfect game (and ONLY Kevin Costner could've pulled this role off!). The baseball (ME!) and relationship (My Girlfriend,Darlene!) elements balanced each other fairly well, and we both ended up with tears at some point. My criticism would've been that the film focused too much on the relationship between Billy Chapel and Jane, and not enough on Billy's relationship with Baseball.

Natch, Darlene's reaction was the mirror-opposite of mine.

Bottom-line: Guys?? If you HAVE to submit to a chick-movie on occasion?? Pick "For The Love of The Game," simply because you'll at LEAST be entertained during the baseball scenes. And the romantic parts??

Well, like I said, the BASEBALL parts are awesome!

Great "COMPROMISE" film!!!

Stigmata (1999)

I had no preconceptions, and I LOVED this film!

[13 September 1999]

Unlike many who've seen "Stigmata," I never saw the trailer, never read a review, never knew anything about the film. My girlfriend picked it out--also knowing nothing about it--and we both enjoyed it.

Apparently, there was some sort of "latter-day EXORCIST" hype surrounding this film. "The Exorcist" is an all-time classic: wonderfully directed, compellingly acted, intelligently written, with all of the intangibles (sound, sfx, etc) coming together.

"Stigmata" is NOT an "all-time classic."

But, judging by the "stigmata" on my arm (ie, "tense-moment bruises" from Darlene), and considering I didn't look at my watch once during the film, I'd say it was pretty good.

I don't profess to know all of the Catholic hierarchy and theology discussed in the movie, but I'll say two things based on other reviews I've read here. First, unless you're a Doctor of Divinity student, I don't think you'll worry about any doctrinal flaws. And second, I think the MTV-style direction of Rupert Wainwright ADDED to the effect of the film.

My opinions, nothing more. I've recommended "Stigmata" to my friends and certain family members (ie, my brother, yes; but not mom). It's intense: I'll say that. I'd give it a B+.

Great date film, too!