MuggySphere Reviews

Displacement (I) (2016)

I had fun for the most part.

[6/10 · 19 September 2019]

I thought it was a neat little movie. It's about this woman played by Courtney Hope who kicks off an experiment in quantum physics only it backfired and she keeps appearing and shifting through various times as she tries to work out what is happening to her and fix the problem. But as she goes other versions of her appear around the place, and there's a neat scene where she's watching one of those and trying to change events for the better but to no effect.

It's scifi but not big budget scifi and there's no big special effects which I thought I'd be disappointed with but truth be told I liked this movie for its minimal use of that, since it was also a fairly low budget movie. It's the drama and story that kept me interested and it's a hard movie to describe in a few words without giving away a huge chunk of it.

Anyway 6/10 for me.

Life (I) (2017)

I liked this movie but it is full of stupid people.

[6/10 · 10 September 2018]

This review might contain spoilers so you have been warned.

This is one of those movies I really like on a cold rainy night. It was for the most part fun but geez it's full of stupid people who are supposed to be the brightest and best minds. Really I kid you not.

So here we go they recover a soil sample from Mars that is on its way to Earth in a capsule, they manage to recover that and analyze the sample to find a single cell life form of some kind but it's in a dormant state and needs reawakening.

Now I can't really complain about that because well that seems like a thing most scientists might consider doing under controlled conditions. Try to revive the organism they found. So I gave them a pass on this.

But later on as it is seen moving and then growing they do dumb things like play with it and pet it.

It's an alien of undetermined origin and possibly very dangerous. Did this thought not occur to these supposed smart people? They could have left it in the box and not played with it and maybe things would have been better, but then we'd have a very boring movie on our hands.

However having said that I wonder how the movie might have played out had they done this and followed Calvin's adventure on Earth and what mayhem he'd cause on the planets surface. That would have perhaps been a tiny bit more interesting then what we got which was great production wise but slightly predictable.

Anyway I had fun with this but your mileage may very. You might like it too or not.

Lost in Space (2018–2021)

I had fun. You might have fun with this too.

[9/10 · 17 April 2018]

I binged out on this the day it dropped on Netflix.

I had a lot of fun with this show. I wasn't actually sure what to expect with this series but seeing as it was called "Lost In Space" and was named after one of my favourite things growing up I thought "what the hell" and gave it a watch.

First off the look and feel of this was like watching a mini movie each episode. it was filmed beautifully. The lighting and look was excellent. The sound was excellent. The episodes were all fun for the most part. Sure there were minor things here and there I wanted to niggle and pick at but no show is one hundred percent perfect. I felt like I had got my time's worth out of this show, and if it ever is released on a physical format like a bluray or DVD I will definitely go out and get a copy.

For those who know the series from the 60s this is the story of a family that is on a spaceship called the Jupiter 2. They are on a mission to colonize a planet near the star Alpha Centauri. Things go wrong though and in the original show it was the ship's robot that nearly killed them all after being sabotaged by a stowaway, in the form of Doctor Smith, previously the doctor that OK'ed them all for the mission. Turns out he was an enemy agent who was there to make sure the mission was a failure.

Fast forward to 2018 and this series and we see the family on their ship just as an attack happens on their larger carrier ship that their Jupiter 2 was docked with. Damage from this attack sends them crashing down on a nearby planet and this is where the story begins. This series also has a Doctor Smith, but this time it's an impostor who has stolen the doctor's identity, and she's that's right it's a she, is looking out for herself.

Smith is played by the amazing Parker Posey who just has this amazing way of playing bad guys. She's just that good you want to be scared of her and yet love her at the same time and can't stop watching as she schemes her way around. I loved all the actors but she's my favourite. If I had to pick favourites for this show it would be her, the actress who plays Penny Robinson, and the robot.

Yes this series also has a robot. They find him on the planet and will befriends him. But he's an alien robot which makes for some tension in the show. I won't say any more because there's just lots to say about what happens in the show. I would say go and watch it if you are on Netflix. It's a fun ride.

9/10

Warehouse 13 (2009–2014)

Fun, fun, fun....... This show was fun and warning of possible spoilers.

[7/10 · 1 April 2017]

Well where do I begin? I bought this show on a whim, I knew of the show but had not seen it before so I really had no real expectations of what it would be like once I started watching it.

However I found myself really liking this show a lot. They had a good cast of characters, they were played well, and the show is for the most part a lot of fun.

I think my favourite parts of the show were H G Wells, and their take on Wells being that the actual author was a woman, who had her brother stand in for her because in those days a woman being a successful science fiction author would have been unheard of. Also the time machine not being an actual time machine but it moves your consciousness from your body to someone in the time period you want to visit. I liked those ideas.

Overall I had a blast watching this series and it's one of my favourites right next to Farscape.

7/10

Eyeborgs (2009)

Fun fun fun

[6/10 · 6 December 2013]

I enjoyed this... This was fun.

Possible future in which an advanced AI has control of remote cameras that are now mobile and can move and act. And act they do. They chop, slice and dice anyone perceived as a threat.

I enjoyed the ride and plan to get this if it's on DVD.

I did have a plot point that bugged me. If the system was so intelligent it could fake the president why didn't it just announce itself and be done with? If the AI wants to be in total control of America why didn't it just seize control? Other then that minor nitpick I loved this.

Star Trek: Enterprise: Chosen Realm (2004) Season 3, Episode 12

Good episode, religious fanatics lead to conflict.

[5/10 · 10 October 2013]

This was a great episode however yeah Enterprise now has the security of a jar of lollies.....

Yay! Captain Archer helps a band of people that look helpless. Then what do you know the help is turned back on them because they're all living bombs, led by a fanatical nut case...

And speaking of security what the hell. A toddler with a rattle could take over the ship. Where is the system backup? The database is deleted and there's no backup. Not even a password to the vital commands, like say the ones that delete important data? That bit left me kind of speechless, sheer bad writing..

But overall I thought it a good episode.

Andromeda (2000–2005)

What a ride? I loved this.

[7/10 · 30 March 2013]

Well phew.............

Just finished season 5 earlier the previous evening. Almost 24 hours on and still buzzing. I loved it.

Season 5 was not as bad as I thought it could have been. It was spotty here and there, but that was due to the budget cuts the show has taken. aside from that I loved it. But season 1 and 2 will be my favourites. And now that it ended I feel sad. The last 20 minutes left me feeling sad. Trance is my faovurite character. Who wouldn't want to have a living sun as their friend. That would be so awesome...

Also I loved the design of the ships. The Eureka Maru was untidy, cluttered and on the outside looked like a ship that was made to do lots of heavy work. The Andromeda looked sleek and looked like it was built for war. Though the smooth lines make it very beautiful to look at I would have liked to have had just a little bit more roughness around the edges, say a few exposed guns or such on the hull. To me that says "warship." Just my opinion.

I think they ended it pretty damn well, and did the best that they could do with what they had....

Red Riding Hood (2011)

Surpisngly fun, enjoyed this, but it does have faults

[6/10 · 23 July 2011]

This was a surprisingly good film. I really did enjoy this when I got it on DVD. Missed it at the cinema. Anyway yes was quite enjoyable, so much so that I have watched it twice already in the first week of owning the film. Something I very rarely would do..

The story is a fun take on the classic tale and many a twist and turn ensue. At first I thought the werewolf was actually Peter the woodcutter's son who the heroine Valerie is in love with, despite being pledged to the blond haired Henry who is rich and wealthy. The two males are total opposites. Henry is blond and has the all around good guy look while Peter wears a lot of black and is a bit aloof, always wanting a bit of adventure..

Basically Valerie and her family live in this village in medieval times that is plagued by a werewolf. Every month they leave out a sacrifice of an animal for it as they have an uneasy truce with the creature. But the wolf ups the ante by killing Valerie's older sister. So the village is in panic and want revenge. They call in the help of a famous werewolf hunter played by Gary Oldman and he kind of steals the show with his character.. Very well done on his part.

I won't reveal who the wolf is but it's not that obvious until the last 20 minutes of the film then it makes sense, who it might be.

Overall a fun film. But here lie the faults. It's a village with snow falling yet no one breathes misty breath when outside. Come on can't we have just a little bit of authenticity here. Every movie I see with snow has this fakery. How hard would it have been to even CGI some mist for talking scenes outside? Oh and you can sometimes see the stage floor where the set and walls are. Noticed this on the 2nd viewing. But it didn't hamper enjoyment of the film. Did love the costumes and that they were excellent.

7/10 from me.

Toy Stories (2009–2014)

Fantastic. This was so much fun.

[8/10 · 23 August 2010]

I cant' help but love this show. Brought back so many memories of the toys I had growing up. It was just so much fun.

I have to say my favourite show was the house made out of Lego. That was just brill to see a whole life sized house made out of Lego bricks and using construction techniques based on Lego.

Second favourite was the train where they tried to get the longest model train line going and just nearly made it but the train died.... And the Scalextric car setup was fantastic. with the slot car track going down roads and stuff, and across a river.

I'd recommend this show to anyone that wants a fantastic light hearted look at the toys we grew up with.

8/10

In the Devil's Garden (I) (1971)

Have not seen this in a very, very long time.

[5/10 · 23 January 2009]

And I have to change my score from 7 to 6. It's been quite some time since I saw this film under the same title on an old VHS from my local video library. That was some 20 odd years ago.

Some scenes seem different to me now. The rapes are vivid and quite alarming, and they don't look like they have changed those scenes at all since last viewing this. Leslie Anne Down did a marvelous job of playing Tessa the first victim who can not speak or, do much else after being attacked. Understandable of course.

There is one scene I remember, even from my first viewing of this of a girl in the school library and the headmistress' sleazy husband. She asks him to, and I quote "could you steady me?" I'm thinking this translates to helping her stand on the chair. But he holds her with both hands on her waist, and as she stands then proceeds to move his hands along the curve of her hips and then push her skirt up... You see that in the scene then as his hand gets high they cut to her face with her looking down with a puzzling expression. It looks like a half smile on her face, as if she either doesn't care what is going on or might even like it. Anyway the scene is gross...

Overall the movie tries to be serious, the only serious part is what happens to poor Tessaa played by Lesley Ann Down.... In the end the rapist finds her again right before the film ends but he is dispatched in the most silly manner that I can recall ever seeing.

So after watching this today I don't think I'd give it another go. Pass and put this DVD in the bin.

Eagle Eye (2008)

I was quite underwhelmed.......

[6/10 · 23 January 2009]

I was totally underwhelmed with this.

The action pieces on their own were good, but when they were all tied together and put into the one movie Eagle Eye becomes quite underwhelming. I liked the set pieces of all the action but this movie did not satisfy me as a whole.

Shia Labouf's acting was alright, as was his co star Michelle Monaghan. They performed their roles well, given the material that they were given.

Once ARIA was introduced I knew things would go from bad to worse. I figured it was behind all the voices on the phones once the computer was introduced to us. Up until that movement I thought it was a real woman ordering everyone around..

ARIA is the most amazing computer in all of movie making, for she can not only direct every single traffic light around you to guide you away from harm but if your car has a GPS unit inside she can take over the GPS and even take control of the car... What a machine? Not to mention that wrecking yard and those cranes, now really who would put that kind of automation into cranes on a wrecking yard so no one need be actually there to drive them..

I didn't much like the resolution to this all. A bit too easy, just pull out all her memory boards, drain the cooling fluid and pike her in the eye. Was that a rip off of GLADOS from the Portal game. Looked a lot like that...

6/10 and that's being generous

Iron Man (2008)

Very Disappointed

[6/10 · 21 October 2008]

Well for all the hype I was severely disappointed. The dialogue was not that great. It felt like the same people that did the atrocious dialogue in Transformers did this movie too. it had wonderful special effects. but special effects do not a good story make.

The actors were top notch. I liked that they cast Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow as they're excellent actors, but an actor can only do so much if they are given IMHO a lousy script. Anyway our two male and female leads did their jobs well and I did like them.

As a propaganda piece for the US of A it's wonderful. Lots of flag waving moments, and big things going bang in enemy territory. hoo-rah.

Did like the dogfight between Iron Man and the F22's. That was cool.

I hope if they make Iron Man 2 it gets a much better script and story, as this was less then a Saturday morning cartoon series.

Not impressed 5/10

Far Cry (2004 Video Game)

Fun fun fun..... Forget the plot this was fun

[6/10 · 25 August 2008]

Well I thought so anyway.

The game was a ton of fun. Lots of exploring and fun things to do but aside from that there's not much that kept me coming back. I do love the locations and the look and feel of the game.

The way all the islands look and how you move about is simply fantastic. But that I'm afraid is window dressing. All you seem to do is explore from place to place, shoot anything that moves that isn't already shooting at you, and that's about it. Then the game ends when you finish the last level in the Volcano.

Some of the atmosphere is also good. One scene in particular when you are in a tunnel like area and these monsters called Trigens jump out at you. That does kinda scare me sometimes when playing this, and it's not that often a game or such can do that.

There are some frustrating parts in there for me too like one part where you venture into what looks like a kitchen area with mercenaries in it. They'll shoot you but you can take them out, then from in the back of the room out a toilet door hordes of these monsters jump out at you making it a little hard to kill them all and escape unhurt.

But I had to keep returning to this spot and kept trying, and eventually did beat that level.

Overall can't say I didn't have fun but would have liked it had they given the game a bit more story and that would have helped make the islands feel that much more real.

Next (2007)

I loved it. Why Didn't I hear About This Film Till Now?

[6/10 · 16 August 2008]

This is a bit of a gem as far as I'm concerned. I never heard about it till I traweled my favourite DVD store online and found it there. I had to go into town to pick up another DVD I had ordered so instead of getting Next online I picked it up with the other one I had collected. More of that one later.

Next is the story of a man played by Nicolas Cage (a very underrated actor IMHO) called Cris Johnson. He is a performer in Las Vegas with a minor stage act as a kind of mentalist. He can predict things in the future. The gag with this, however is that what he can do isn't a stage act. He has the ability to see 2 minutes into the future, or thereabouts. But he keeps the talent kind of low key so that he for the most part stays under the radar with people. But on the night the movie starts he is playing at a casino and winning at cards.

This action makes the security people upstairs who are watching him suspicious. They think he is cheating in some way and want to grab him for some questioning. But because he is now aware of them he rather deftly evades capture by stealing a car in an elaborate cat and mouse game of evasion.

The movie then switches to the office of one Callie Ferris played by the lovely Julianne Moore who is an FBI agent also tipped off about Nic Cage's character. She's been watching his show and is also suspicious. But suspicious in that his abilities must be somehow real. She tries to recruit him to helping her find some terrorists of European origin who have brought a nuclear weapon into the city of LA and plan to blow that up. Cris for his part doesn't want any part of this because as a child he underwent examination after examination about his gift and thus wishes to keep his low profile life.

He has regular habits. He always visits this coffee shop at the same time every day because he has seen a vision of a girl that will come there. True enough that girl does come and is played by the lovely Jessica Biel. He wants to get out of the area so after some drama with her and a mad suitor of hers he gains her sympathy, after the suitor decks him..

Thus they embark on our adventure and we have both the FBI and now the terrorists after this guy. I won't say any more because the movie picks up from the point after they leave the coffee shop and things start moving at a good pace. The ending left me gasping because I thought I was watching one set of events, but it all tied together very well as far as I'm concerned.

Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train (1987)

I really like this movie

[6/10 · 6 August 2008]

As a fan of Wendy Hughes I found this film years ago by accident on TV and sat down to watch it.

I really liked the movie and stayed till the end and all these years later I found the movie again but on DVD and it's still as good as it was those many years ago. Wendy Hughes is a great actress and plays her part well. This is an intimate film and the characters are well done and portrayed. Hughes does a wonderful job playing the part of the teacher by day, and worldy "lady of the night" after dark...

This is the central theme of the movie. The woman being a teacher by day and prostitute by night on the train, and the many roles an faces that people carry through life.

I gave it 6/10

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)

Not a bad film, but not perfect either. But I enjoyed my ride

[6/10 · 9 January 2008]

I liked this.

Not a bad film, and in some ways quite good fun. I can't understand the bad reviews on IMDb. Which reminds me another movie for me to write about on there..... I've done over 50 reviews on there.

81 minutes can go slow or it can go fast and this went fast. For the most part it was fun and only bad point was the rather muted audio for when characters were speaking and some of the music not cutting out when scenes changed mood or location.

A lot of little bits reminded me so much of one of my favourite TV shows La Femme Nikita and I nearly jumped with surprise when they started talking about canceling targets and such, and going "off profile" which was so much of the lingo used in LFN.. I miss that show. (Note to self must complete LFN set)

I think I'll give this 6/10 It's not perfect but it's not bad either.

The Man from Earth (2007)

Wonderful., Will make you think. Loved it.

[9/10 · 16 December 2007]

First off as stated my post might contain spoilers.

I found this film via a forum I frequent, and downloaded it from a P2P site.

I loved it. What can I say? I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of watching this film. It had a lot going for it and what it lacked in commercial qualities was more then made up for with a thoughtful story and good characters. This is what thinking scifi should be like and not concentrate on blowing things up, but then again this isn't that kind of film..

From the moment "John" posed his question to the last scene I was wrapped, so much that I watched the film in one sitting.

Now I did mention a spoiler so here you are so be warned.

* * * *

I did find one character's reaction in the film surprising. The lady Edith seemed to get quite enraged when "John" mentions that he could have been Jesus, and while it's understandable and it seems at one point her head is going to explode. Wonderful acting on the part of the lady that played her..

What surprised me was both her intolerance to this idea and at the same time her ease at letting it all go when "John" capitulated having seen that his story had gone too far and was upsetting all in the room. When he finally does call it quits everyone feels both relieved and frustrated and as they were all leaving Edith forgives him and that was the second bit of her role that surprised me..

I won't say any more because to do so would spoil the film more then I have already but I think you should go out and see this for yourself and make up your own mind.

I loved it 9/10

The Faculty (1998)

Fun, fun, fun.... Better then I had expected

[7/10 · 25 August 2007]

I gave this a 7/10

This film was far better then I had expected it to be. One of the key reasons I forked out the money some $25 when it first came out on DVD and bought myself a copy.

One of the few films that stands up to repeat viewing. It doesn't take itself seriously, nor does it claim to be anything other then what it is. It's a fun film with a mix of action, sci-fi, and some horror thtown in for good measure.

I liked the actors in this too Clea Duvall was wonderful as the goth girl Stokely and Elijah Wood as the nerd of the group, but neither overdo their part, nor do they unplay it. It just works and the whole ensemble of young actors are fun to watch.

I'd say give this movie a try. It's fun

Impostor (2001)

Great film. Could have been longer

[7/10 · 11 August 2007]

This was a great film. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. In fact I watched it twice and was still not disappointed. I haven't read the original story this was based on but I do plan to find it. The film is a bit slow, but for what it is this is part of the process they did to create the story. The slowness at the start, for me actually helped the film to move along.

I liked the introduction and explanation of the war which helped set the mood of the story. The relationship with Sinise's character and Stowe was good. I doubt more minutes of screen time could have fleshed it out any better then what they had done.

Overall this is a good movie and certainly well above average.

It is also interesting to note that the three leads all went on to do cop / Crime type TV shows.

Walkabout (1971)

Interesting, Emotional, Fascinating

[7/10 · 30 June 2007]

I've never heard of the director Nicholas Reog until this film and I remember seeing it a long, long time ago on the ABC in its full uncut form.

I only just got this on DVD last year and have only watched it twice since then. I find it an interesting experience. The director seems to have some kind of fascination with Ms. Agutter and while I can't blame him I have to wonder if some of the scenes they did with her are really THAT important to the film. The scenes I am thinking of are the nude swimming at the end of the film, though that is part of her remembering her time in the desert at the end of the film.

There are a few animal killings in the film as we see the girl and her younger brother met by a local Aborigine played by David Gulpilil and through the film we see his reaction to this girl as she and the boy travel with him, and his later suicide as she is ignorant of his sexual desire for her.

I'll probably have to watch this film again in full without interruption to get the full impact of it. One scene that did bug me was the one with the weather balloon. It looked out of place with the rest of the movie and I still wonder to this day why it's even in there. It serves IMHO no purpose.

That notwithstanding I did give the film 7/10

House Arrest (1996)

Fun, and Jennifer Love Hewitt too

[6/10 · 25 May 2007]

This wasn't the best movie I've seen in recent times but it was a fun movie. I liked the concept of holding the oldies hostage while they sort their affairs out.

The bonus I guess is that if your're a fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt as I am she's in this movie and her role though minor is good, and hey she's kinda hot you know so that's a bonus.

I can't really fault the film and yes there's an awful lot of bad reviews around about it but I think it's well worth the 6/10 I gave it.

It's a fun film for everyone, without being too over sentimental or sugar filled. I was surprised to see Jennifer Tilly in this as I felt it too lightweight for her, but there you go guess she needed the work.

Black Orchid (1953)

A great little film

[6/10 · 17 February 2007]

This one comes on the ABC often, and almost every time it does I manage to catch it either watching it or setting tape to record it. It's a great little film. Just sits around the hour mark but for that hour you have a lot of stuff packed in.

The leads were believable despite the short run time and I liked the whole mystery aspect of it. I found that enjoyable despite the fact I've seen the film like a gazillion time in repeats and it's one of those little gems, that if you blink you will miss so to speak.

Again I'd recommend this movie to anyone looking for a nice mystery to watch.

6/10 from me.

Epic Movie (2007)

Bad film. Bad Film. Danger! Will Robinson. Danger!

[2/10 · 31 January 2007]

Why is it that year after year Hollywood puts out a flood of really cheesy movies disguised as fun spoofs? They are really bad films and to think that this one even got made...

Prime example "Epic Movie" I only found two gags funny and the film sucked, really badly.

I'd put the Scary Movie series in here too except for the very first one which I did find funny but after that they just got worse and worse.... Though the final one was kind of alright because they sent up Tom Cruise and WOTW, but that didn't redeem it by much.

And in the same light I put "Epic Movie" because it was a waste of both money and time. Which I can't ever get back.

Avoid this film at all costs.

It'll be in the $5 DVD bin before too long

Dead Calm (1989)

Fantastic! A real thriller.

[8/10 · 15 January 2007]

This is what I call a thriller. I hadn't seen it for years since about 1991 when it was almost a brand new film and even now I think this film still holds up quite well.

It's got a boat, a couple sailing, a strange passenger they pick up who later turns out to be insane, a sex scene, and murder. What more could you want in a thriller? It has everything, well almost.

What made the film enjoyable was Nicole Kidman's performance as she swings from calm wife, to a woman trying to survive and keep herself alive and save her husband who has been stranded on another boat about to sink. She even goes to the extent of sacrificing her female honour to this man, all with the intention of both keeping herself alive and saving her husband. In this respect we can forgive her for this because I don't think anyone else in the same situation would possibly have acted much differently.

This film has intense mood. Something I like in a movie. Mood is everything and this movie has plenty of it, and that is why I gave it a healthy

8/10

Silent Witness (1985 TV Movie)

Keep watching Valerie Bertinelli. She is riveting

[7/10 · 14 January 2007]

Keep watching this film for Valerie Bertinelli as Anna the wife of Kevin who stumble into a bar as his brother and friends rape a young woman.

The most haunting scene of the movie is the initial ending to the rape scene which has a slow fade / dissolve into Anna and husband driving home in their car. Over this fade you hear the screams of Patti and it's just so haunting that in reading this film review here my memory jumps to the scene when I first watched this movie back in 1985 when it was brand new. I don't know where or how the movie went in the editing room, but it was a well made film.

I did not mind the jumps that the director made so much I just kept focused on Ms Bertinelli and her acting. She shone throughout the whole movie and made it worthwhile.

Having said that I am not a huge fan of these kind of movies but in this case would / might consider an exception if it ever came onto DVD format. All in all a great movie and I gave it a 7/10...