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spiletta42
Reviews
Groom Lake (2002)
It could have been worse
To call this movie good would be an exaggeration, but it wasn't THAT bad. Amy Acker's character was likable, and I have a fairly high tolerance for William Shatner's acting, so I made it all the way through it. The plot could have been tightened up a lot, and some jokes would have helped. This movie is worth watching if you happen to be bored, and it's free. You should only purchase it (if it's available on DVD, which I honestly don't know) if you're a completionist fan of one of the leads. The special effects were dull at best, and the mechanics overall lacked dazzle, but they really weren't distractingly bad. Mostly. In short, the film met the standard formula for a sci-fi channel Saturday night feature: take a screenplay nobody bothered to edit, add a few actors who sci-fi fans will recognize, film it as quickly as possible, and release it with a minimum amount of post-production attention. This one's a masterpiece compared to Manticore, but not quite as good as, oh, say, Darklight.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
More Than Just Action
The X-Men movies, and this one in particular, are about more than action and special effects -- although those are great -- but also provoke thought about real ethical issues.
If you strongly dislike action movies, then no, you won't be a fan, but there's far more going on in this than just explosions and fist fights. These characters face some weighty decisions, about morality and their own lives.
The special effects are stunning, the writing is good, the characters are well developed, the acting is solid. The costuming, in my opinion, had one flaw -- Hank McCoy, aka The Beast, could have used more fur on his face. As in the previous films, the X-costumes used in the movie are black leather, which look sleek on screen, although they very from the comic book costumes. But do we really want to see what yellow spandex looks like when it isn't pencilled and inked by graphic artists, but is actually worn by Hugh Jackman? Probably not.
As for plot specific comments, I don't believe in spoilers. Do sit through the closing credits, however, you won't be sorry you did.