miller-movies Reviews

The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James (1986 TV Movie)

4 country music greats team up.

[8/10 · 25 May 2001]

When you cast Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson as Frank & Jesse James, you've done pretty well towards making an interesting movie. Then you add June Carter Cash as their mother, and ask Willie Nelson to make a small, but important appearance. You've got a western that all western lovers should view. Based on the actual "last days" of the James brothers, I thought it needed a bit of explanation in a few areas, but it did tell the tale about as well as other, more costly films. Locations, costumes and sets were realistic. And, yes, we get to hear Johnny sing. Recommended.

Dragonheart: A New Beginning (1999 Video)

A Worthy Sequel!!

[10/10 · 22 August 2000]

Dragonheart 2: A New Beginning is just that, a new beginning for dragons. It seems that a dragon egg was found, cared for by monks, and hatches. Drake is the new, young dragon who is found by the stableboy, played aptly by Chris Masterson. I was impressed by this film, especially since it went straight to video which is normally a sign that it won't be as good as the first in the series. Except for the fact that Sean Connery's illustrious voice isn't here, this film is as good as Dragonheart. I thoroughly enjoyed the oriental pair of Henry O and Rona Figueroa. There has to be at least one more in this series, putting Chris and Rona together again!!! Catch the final song over the closing credits... that's Rona singing with a beautiful voice! Solid 10 from me.

Cannery Row (1982)

So what do the critics know?

[9/10 · 23 July 2000]

Critics panned this film, yet still gave it fairly good marks. Nick Nolte & Debra Winger are fine, and John Huston is perfectly splendid with his narration. Kudos to all involved, and a special thank you for the frog hunt scene! Hilarious!!! I did not read the story by Steinbeck, so I don't really care if it followed it exactly. By itself, it is excellent entertainment. The Miller-Movie formula awards it a 9.

Strange Invaders (1983)

Unexpected sleeper that might knock your sox off...

[8/10 · 18 June 2000]

This is a "smaller" science fiction film about aliens being discovered on Earth. Excellent cast, intelligent story and suspense carry this well above others of its kind. Well worth a viewing by fans of the genre. Solid 8 according to the Miller Movie formula.

Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983)

Seen in a theater in it's original format of 3D!!!

[5/10 · 18 June 2000]

This was a most interesting experience... as the 3D photography is second only to the fabulous House of Wax. The most amazing part of the FX was that most of the weaponry was clearly occurring during filming, and not added digitally at a later time. The acting and story were average, tho Molly Ringwald did well with the material given her. Good action picture, but see it in 3D if at all possible. (Any 3D festivals out there?)

Space Jam (1996)

Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny, & Friends...

[8/10 · 17 June 2000]

There are no other comments showing for this film as I write these words. Am I actually the first to dare to comment on this rare film? If so, then I will highly recommend this movie to anybody who enjoys animation, basketball, sportsmanship, comedy, MJ, Bugs, Daffy, Bill Murray, or Who Framed Roger Rabbit!

Highlights: The opening scene with young Michael and the music, the golf game with Michael, Larry Bird & Bill Murray, but especially the visitation into Michael's home by Bugs and Daffy!!! The kids' reaction is priceless!!!

Much of the animation could have been better, but the scene in MJ's home is superb!

Good soundtrack. The Miller-Movies formula awards Space Jam a high 8.

Space Rage (1985)

Richard Farnsworth is not that bad....

[4/10 · 17 June 2000]

Richard Farnsworth is one of my favorite actors. He usually gives solid performances, such as in The Straight Story, and The Grey Fox. He also does fairly well here, but the rest of the film suffers from a low budget, poor writing, and so-so photography. The Miller-Movie formula gives it a 4. Richard gets a 5.

A Simple Wish (1997)

It's only down side is... what?!?

[6/10 · 14 June 2000]

I am sick and tired of people criticizing films just because they happen to be family movies, or G-rated, such as SCTV Fan did in the front page User Comments to this movie. I am well into my 50's, and just happen to enjoy well made family movies! This one is well made. I've seen others recently, such as Bicentennial Man, Dinosaur, My Favorite Martian, The Straight Story, Disney's Tarzan and Fantasia 2000. My simple wish is, hopefully, that this is a trend away from the profanity and gore that makes up 75% of today's films. These movie producers are making such movies because: 1: they are allowed to, 2: the public is gullible to buy tickets to see them, 3: they can't take the time to make an intelligent film with language the whole family can listen to and understand, and action that is within limits of decency.

My Simple Wish is not quite up to the quality of the movies I've listed above, but I thank the producers for making it, and thanks to IMDb for letting me have my soapbox.

Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)

2nd All-Time Best Fantasy Romance Movie

[10/10 · 11 June 2000]

This is obviously a Romance movie. That it is also a Fantasy is less obvious. One can see that it was written as a fairy tale, but if you look in the Goofs section about this film you will notice that the writer didn't pay too much attention to actual history. Thus, it is a fantasy even though magical things don't exactly occur. This is Drew Barrymore's best film since Firestarter, which was an entirely different sort of role for her. I must commend many of the other reviewers who have written about this film. You have described Ever After extremely well. But, I will give it a higher score (10) than most of you did. This was a superb movie. Kudos to all who had a hand in the making of this film. We need more like it!

RoboCop 2 (1990)

This is NOT a good movie.

[5/10 · 10 June 2000]

Sorry, but this high-tech sequel is a sorry excuse for an action movie. Any movie that goes to the lengths this one does with children involved in drug use and profanity deserves to be cut down by those of us who care. Anyone who thinks otherwise has a right to their opinion, but you won't convince me that this film is anywhere near the original.

The Phantom Empire (1935)

When I was 12, I was in HEAVEN.....

[7/10 · 6 June 2000]

No, I wasn't 12 in 1935! Try 1955 when this 12 episode serial played on Saturdays in Colorado Springs. I grew up with westerns, with Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Lash Larue, and the rest. I was also acquainted with the science fiction serials and films of the period. Imagine my GLEE when I found out that they had merged the two genres!!!

I saw this again recently, and while it has aged a bit in relationship to more modern westerns and SF films, this is indeed a landmark film: The only SF serial in which a major Western cowboy is the star!!!

I am amazed that so few people have scored this film in IMDb. Please do yourselves a favor and seek out this one, watch it, enjoy it, and then give it a vote respective of its mark in cinematic history!

The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988)

Watch your Woofers!

[8/10 · 5 June 2000]

No... this is no dog of a film. It is surprisingly excellent. The other comments by IMDb members are pretty much right on, except they all forgot to mention an astounding portion of this film... the rich SOUNDTRACK! This film really made my woofers WOOF! I do not know who was in control of the music, but perhaps IMDb staffers can find out... it's not in the rundown of the film. The Miller-Movies formula awards a high 8 to this film that is well worth seeing, especially if you want something a bit different!

The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988)

Know where this was filmed?

[4/10 · 5 June 2000]

This is another North East Florida production, filmed mainly in and near by to Fernandina Beach and the Kingsley Plantation. I was rather surprised the company was able to take over the main street of Fernandina Beach as long as was necessary to achieve the street scenes. The film is pretty, and pretty bad. Tami Erin is cute, but overacts. Eileen Brennan overacts even more. Good for small kids, or for those who like fluff in large doses. A 4 from the Miller-Movies formula.

Stowaway to the Moon (1975 TV Movie)

A low budget TV Movie that entertains and teaches....

[7/10 · 5 June 2000]

Lloyd Bridges and John Carradine are the only big name actors in this TV movie, but the remainder of the cast do fairly well. This is a film about a NASA Moon mission, with a boy who stows away in the trash compartment. While moderately simplistic, it does a good job of showing what an actual mission was all about. Michael Link stars as the title character. Do not expect massive FX, tho there is some good footage from the Apollo missions. Astronaut Charles Conrad provides some nice insight as a news reporter. Shown on Fox Movie Channel on June 5th... it might be repeated. 7.

The Lost Continent (1968)

Unusual British SF film, with an appearance by Dana Gillespie !

[6/10 · 23 May 2000]

This is a unusual and UNIQUE movie that others have described fairly well. I'll add two points. 1. See the British version if you can as it has 8-9 more minutes than the G-rated American cut. And 2. The buxom girl appearing about half way through is Dana Gillespie, who is unfortunately a little-known recording artist from the late 60's. She has a very small part in this film, but really has an excellent voice and released several great albums of music. Dana... if you happen to read this, give me an e-mail. I'd like to know how you're doing.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Let's compare the two I of the B. S. movies....

[9/10 · 19 May 2000]

Both are very well done. These are excellent science fiction thrillers with exceptional writing and acting. The color of the 1978 film vs. the black & white of the 1956 film makes very little difference. To me, the cast of the newer version does make a difference. Five strong performances by Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, and Veronica Cartwright outweigh the excellent acting of Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, and Larry Gates. I can recommend both films. The Miller-Movies formula awards this film a solid 9, and the 1956 film a high 8.

Damnation Alley (1977)

A Mixed Bag...

[4/10 · 10 May 2000]

This film, coming out the same year as Star Wars, doesn't begin to approach that landmark film in any capacity. Acting is acceptable, as is the story. But the cinematography looks like a very lousy TV movie. Smoky, sepia filters are utilized to change the sky colors, bleeding over into the other areas in the frames. In as much as I am very much impressed with visual items such as cinematography, special effects, contrasts, colors, etc., when it comes to movies, this is a big letdown. Final score from Miller-Movies is a 4, that high mainly due to the acting.

Brenda Starr (1989)

This film had its premiere in the Florida Theater a couple of years after it was made.

[7/10 · 6 May 2000]

I am one of perhaps a couple thousand people to actually view this film in a theater and not on video-tape. I attended the premiere in the Florida Theater in Jacksonville, Florida. From the cast and crew, only the director, Robert Ellis Miller, managed to attend, introducing his film that was made in the Jacksonville area a few years before.

Overall, it's a fairly good film. The tongue-in-cheek acting is right on, with Brooke Shields and a pre-007 Timothy Dalton having a lot of fun with the material. Unfortunately, a couple of scenes were really hard to believe... especially when our heroine Brenda Starr waterskis on the backs of a pair of alligators!!!

The other effects in the film were nicely handled, including the animation and the scene showing an older New York City behind the historic Ritz Theater which played host to a scene early in the picture.

It's not a great film, but deserving of a viewing if you'd like an adventure flick without much seriousness. 7 out of 10 stars.

Tarzan of the Apes (1918)

Not quite Tarzan, the scholar, found in the novels.

[7/10 · 3 May 2000]

At this early point in American film history, Tarzan of the Apes was an instant success. Elmo Lincoln was perhaps the best actor at the time for the role. It's a fairly straight forward telling of the novel, tho Edgar Rice Burroughs was frequently on the set in an advisory role and his input was seldom utilized. In the books, Tarzan was quite the self-made scholar and this was barely touched upon in the film. For 1918, this turned out to be an excellent film, parts of which still hold up today. It's a solid 7 out of 10, and well worth seeing.