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hamish-11
Reviews
Little Miss Millions (1993)
Good, but transparent....
Don't get me wrong, I like this movie. It has all the good elements (bad guy turns into good guy so you don't feel bad about liking him, cute-but-not-too-cute kid who you can watch without wanting to up-chuck, detestable adopted parents, stereotype inept FBI agents, and the morally sound underworld that we all know exists, right?) and it runs along nicely with a few gags (the scene where the FBI guy sits and has a coffee with the alleged kidnapper is well done) but really you know what's happening an age before the end, and for some that's the cue to switch off. I'm not like that. Stay till the end and see the movie through. It's fun, and you'll be glad you did. 7 out of 10 from me.
Carry on Doctor (1967)
My top choice from a British Institution
I've always loved the Carry On... movies. I guess growing up in Britain, these movies were the first real movies you get to see, where they use words like 'bum', 'arse', and 'knickers', and you don't have to feel embarrased in front of your parents, because you knew that whilst there was a lot of innuendo, there's never be anything actually rude.
This one was filmed in and around my home town, and features loads of local landmarks. It is also a showcase for the cream of british comedy actors from the seventies, such as Sid James, Frankie Howard, Kenneth Williams, Charlie Hawtrey, and the very under-valued Jim Dale. The plot is simple. Two doctors in a hospital. One is popular with staff and patients, is good at his job, and is loved from afar by the pretty nurse. The other doctor is resentful, and enlists the help of the old battle-axe Matron to engineer his dismissal. Cue some saucy humour ('Oh, youve got a nice pear!') and some slapstick to match keaton, and you have the movie. You all know how it'll end, but that's OK. Just watch and enjoy.
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Take note - this is so much better that SpaceBalls!!
So there we were - the confirmed trekkie and moviephile (me), and my two buddies, the serious family man with an eye for details, and the loon, who for some reason absolutely HATED Airplane, and feared that this movie would be another just like it. Boy were they wrong!
At the opening of the movie, we started laughing, along with everyone else that sunday night in Wycombe. We just never stopped. Tim Allen is OK, I'm not much of a fan, but he was good as the Kirk character. Alan Rickman is superb, as always - he's at his brilliant best when playing himself! Sigourney Weaver - woof! The rest of the cast are great, and fit in so well. But what really does it for me is the attention to details, like I was sitting there, and whenever something happened, I laughed, and also thought 'Oh that's from "Wrath Of Khan" ' or whatever. The spoofing is so good, it's almost like the real thing was a piss-take of Galaxy Quest!
If you have any feeling in your soul, either as a die-hard trekkie, a lover of the ridiculous, or even just wanting to see how fun movies should be, go and see Galaxy Quest. Oh, and by the way, my summary above is in response to a review by my local
newspaper, The Maidenhead Advertiser, who said "Go and see. However bad this is, it can't be worse than SpaceBalls."
The Awakening (1995)
So how come she's so single and boring?
OK, so it's Good Friday, I'm sitting down with a coffee and wanting to chill in front of the TV. I switch on, and catch the opening credits of the movie. No idea what it is, but decide to give it a try. Suddenly there's this babe, dressed in work gear and dragging screens about. So I stay for a while longer. The movie begins to degenerate into a predictably tame *quote* thriller *unquote* that goes nowhere, but the real story is the girl. Sure, we know she's really a live one, and we know that in the end her and the guy will end up together, but really, who cares? The chance to see the girl unfold and grow is what the movie is all about. And to be honest, it's been done a lot better, and often. So? I didn't have anything else to do for an hour and a half, so that's OK.
Average performances, given the less than average script. If you've nothing else to do, try it.