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American Pie 2 (2001)
This is the best slice of pie.
This is my favorite American Pie movie. Even though I've seen this when I was in high school, I relate to it more now. My favorite theme of this movie is that things will change no matter what, but it's all in how you handle it that matters. Now that I'm done being deep I'll tell you the other thing that makes this the best slice of pie. The juvenile hilarious comedy. I was laughing all the way through this. Like when Jim super glues his hand to his junk. Classic. Or the scene when the boys are trying to get the girls to kiss each other. Eugene Levy was great as well. I mean any scene with him and Jason Biggs was funny. Another thing that I really like was that Stifler got a bigger role. I don't care what others say, the dude's funny. The one con to me was Tera Reid. I just don't think she can act and I really didn't like her character. I didn't like her character in the other one either, but you know. It was great to see all the cast back including the small, side, and bit roles (The MILF dudes, Shermanator, Stifler's Mom). And I'm not one for romance but it was nice to see Jim and Michelle end up together. This one had a lot of heart as well and was never mean spirited. I've read this once before and totally agree with it; that, no matter how bad on of the characters mess up or embarrass themselves, their buddies are always supportive. Sure they'll bust your stones a little, but they never make you feel bad or unwelcome in the group. Which is kind of nice to see in a "teen movie". Well I'm running out of things to say, so watch this if your a fan of comedy or the Pie series. Trust me, it's just good stuff.
American Pie (1999)
Will be, if not already, a comedy classic.
I love this movie. It's one of my favorite teen comedies. The weird thing is a lot of young people in my area don't like this movie. They keep comparing it to "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", "Animal House", or "Porky's". Why must it be compared to anything. It's just a funny movie. I mean you'll never hear me say it's better than "Porky's", but it's still good stuff. I should say that most of the people I referred to are mostly kids who just try to go against the crowd anyways. A bunch of emo punks. I'm not going to lie to you, I'd like to take each of them out back and beat em'. Anyways, back to what I was saying, this movie is hilarious. I remember when it came out I said that it would be a future classic. Well we're almost up on the ten year anniversary. I'm gonna go ahead and say it's a comedy classic. It has everything you could want. Sex, outrageous comedy, toilet humor, Eugene Levy, and above all; the one thing that ties it all together... it has heart. It has believable characters that your feel for. This is also the movie that started the whole MILF thing. I mean if that alone doesn't consider it a classic, I don't know what would. It was followed by two theatrical sequels and three straight to video sequels. I know I have been praising it, but it's actually my least favorite of the first three films. I mean it's good, but the other two are better. OK this is starting to drag so I suggest that everyone should watch this because it is funny. That's it.
An American Haunting (2005)
I just didn't like it.
I didn't really have high expectations going in, but still wanted to see it. My uncle bought it and didn't like it so he gave it to me. The problem is the movie never really gets going. It was never suspenseful or scary. It did have good acting and great production design. It felt authentic. The sets, not the story. I didn't care for the whole child molestation plot line or the ending. It turns out that the only thing in this movie that's "based on a true story" is the haunting. However the reason behind the haunting never happened. I even read that there was never any sexual abuse, yet that turned out to be what the movie was about. I'm gonna wrap this up. In closing it just wasn't that good of a movie.
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966)
Movie should have been cheesier.
Here's the problem with this movie. It just wasn't cheesy enough. I wanted it to be cheesier. This was the last movie in my "AMC Monsterfest Collection: Cult Classics- Collection 2" and so far the entire set was disappointing. The set included "Dementia 13", "Frozen Alive", and "The Screaming Skull". All of which I didn't care for, however this was the movie I was waiting for. It was going to be great. I don't mean masterpiece great, I mean cheesy great. Then I watch it. The AMC set did it again! My hopes, my dreams, my expectations, all shattered. With these collections, usually I'm expecting classic horror and I get cheese. This time I was expecting the cheese and no. I get an hour of boring talk, bad acting, and above all... no cheese. First off, as you all know, Jesse James meets Frankenstein's granddaughter, not his daughter. Jesse James also meets Frankenstein's grandson but I guess that's not such a big deal. I guess I wanted a showdown in the middle of the street at high noon between James and the monster, but of course we don't get that. I am going to wrap this up, since this review is going nowhere. I don't recommend this to anyone. And I know what your thinking "But Daniel, with a title like 'Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter' how could it not be really cheesy?" Well trust me it's not. It's just a bad movie.
The Screaming Skull (1958)
Ridiculous.
Yeah this was just a bad movie. I remember reading the back of the DVD cover and thinking "This will suck." And when I watched it, I was right. That's kinda unusual for me. Normally when I think a movie is going to be good, it's bad and when I think a movie is going to bad I either walk away saying "That was really good." or "Eh, better than I thought." But this time, no dice. The movie is just boring. The acting isn't that bad for the era, or genre, and neither is the directing. But it all came across as very boring. And the ending was very ridiculous. Some say it was suppose to, but it didn't seem campy to me. It just seemed bad. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. However, I never seen the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" version. And I'd like to check out "The Drive-In Discs Vol. 1" which is a double feature with "Attack of the Giant Leeches", which also sounds like a bad movie. But the Drive-In Discs also includes cartoon shorts, trailers for other bad movies, concession commercials, and Distort-O! audio which simulates the real drive-in experience. So if your going to watch it use either the Drive-In Discs or Mystery Science, but steer clear of the actual movie.
Der Fall X701 (1964)
Huge disappointment.
Here's the problem with this picture. The description on the back of the case (AMC Monsterfest Collection: Cult Classics- Collection 2) indicates a good movie. The description mislead me and this movie became a huge disappointment. This is what the description says (more or less): 'A scientist freezes himself. His wife is murdered. He becomes the prime suspect.' Now I thought that would be a good movie. Heck, it could have even been a great movie. I thought the husband would thaw out and then he'd be accused of murder. He'd go on the run. Case of mistaken identity. You know, Hitchcock stuff. No. You wanna know what we get. We get an hour of his wife complaining about her husband's hot assistant, the wife cheating on her husband, and then the wife shooting herself! Are you kidding me? Of course, now the husband is frozen (Alive!) and has no idea his wife is dead. But the police think he did it. So now I'm thinking alright, I had to wait through a bunch of crap, now to the good stuff. No good stuff! The man who his wife was having an affair with (He was there when she accidentally shot herself) goes to the police and tells them what happened. So the police stop the investigation and the husband thaws out. The end. That's it. No man-hunt. No interrogations. They don't even have a scene where they tell him is wife is dead. It just ends. It was truly a bad movie. You see these are the kind of movies that should be remade. You know the old saying: Don't fix it if it ain't broke. Well Hollywood needs to quit trying to fix good (sometimes great) films and remake garbage like this and try to make it better. That should be the definition of a remake. Heck, the Sci-Fi Channel could remake this into a TV movie and it would be better than the original and most of the bad movies they usually have on there. Overall, it's just a bad movie.
Dementia 13 (1963)
Kinda long, sorta boring, and really slow.
You'd think that my title should be enough of an review, but you know. Now I didn't really hate this movie, but I didn't like it either. At the time I didn't really know who Francis Ford Coppola was. (Back off, I was young.) So I didn't have any expectations going into this. Well I did have a slightly low expectation, but it had nothing to do with the cast and crew. No, I bought this movie in the "AMC Monsterfest Collection: Cult Classics- Collection 2". Now anyone who has read my reviews before knows about my viewings of the "AMC Monsterfest Collection: Cult Classics- Collection 1". From Collection 1 there was only one out of four movies I liked. Then I came across this collection and thought to myself "Now Daniel you know this will be another bad purchase". However, it was only $5. And I'm a sucker for those $5 DVDs. So anyway I hyped this movie only slightly (making the same assumptions as last time). First off, this was really slow. I mean I wasn't expecting an 80's slasher gore fest, but come on. And it wasn't a good slow like in "Alien". No it was a boring "would someone just kill someone" slow. There was nothing special about the directing. Later I realized that this movie was filmed very fast and very cheap, so I go a little easy on the direction and production of the film now. But still. The movie really just dragged on and on. I was ready for it to be over before the half way mark. When the main girl dies early on I just don't care. Before seeing this the only thing I heard about it was this really cool decapitation scene. And when it rolls around it really just seemed lame. I figured out who the killer was (I think everyone did) early on. I was just happy when it was over. Now I know what your thinking. "Wow this really sounds like you hate it. Why did you give it a 4." Because maybe if I re-watch it, I'd like it a little more. That seems to be the theme of these "Monsterfest" movies. I don't know. So in conclusion, if you're a Francis Coppola fan you may want to watch it. And if you're a horror movie fan you may want to watch out. But what do I know. Watch it, you may or may not like it. There. Can't go wrong with that.
Night Tide (1961)
Disappointing ending.
This was the last film in the "AMC Monsterfest: Cult Classics- Collection 1" and I was coming off the high of watching "Carnival of Souls". The fact that this movie had Dennis Hopper in it also was a draw for me. Well starting off, it had a very slow pace. But I stuck with it. The only thing that peaked my interest was that witch lady who always seemed to be around. So at about the halfway mark the movie picks up and now I'm kinda curious. Is she really a mermaid? Is this all in his head? Is this all in her head? Is someone behind it all? Is the witch somehow involved? Etc, etc. Then the ending comes and I'm like "What the heck?" Just when the story starts getting good it ends, and ends in such a bizarre way. Not a good bizarre either. It wasn't like a David Lynch ending. This ending almost didn't make sense. Maybe if I watch it again I'd like it more. That happens sometimes. Some movies require two viewings.
Carnival of Souls (1962)
Eerie.
I actually started out seeing the remake first. I didn't even know it was a remake. And it was OK. I know most people (a lot of them have posted comments and reviews on this site) didn't like it. A lot of them compared it to the original, where as I had nothing to compare it to. And I still stand by it and say it's a good movie. Anyway, it wasn't until later that I found out that the original even existed and even later when I watched it. I bought the movie in a four movie collection and it was the third movie in the set. The set in question was the "AMC Monsterfest Collection: Cult Classics- Collection 1". For those who have read my previous reviews I will not go into much detail about the collection. Needless to say I was not too impressed with the AMC set thus far. So one night my girlfriend at the time went to bed and I was up late watching movies. Around 2 or 3 in the morning I decided I need to finish this DVD collection. So I put in "Carnival of Souls" and turned out the lights. And it turned out to be one of the best, and eerie, movies I ever saw. It was just the perfect setting to watch this movie. The film has a surreal quality and has a great story. This is a great example of how filmmakers with virtually no money can produce a great horror classic. Or at least a great horror cult classic. The Man is really creepy. He's the one who's following Mary everywhere. There is this one scene in which Mary sees these different ghost or ghouls dancing around and the Man emerges from the center of the group and slowly stalks towards the camera (Mary's point of view) and it is by far the creepiest part. That and there's a scene... no, I won't say any more. You just need to see this film. Trust me just watch it alone late at night with the lights out. On second thought maybe I'm over hyping it. If you go in with high expectations you'll be disappointed. So after you read this, read reviews from people who didn't like it. That way you take the good and you take the bad, you take them both and then you have... a nice balance of reviews. Then watch the movie. It ain't bad.
The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962)
My review + a rant.
I'm going to give the same basic review that I gave "The Atomic Brain", both of which are in the "AMC Monsterfest: Cult Classics-Collection 1". I previously made a joke about the DVD title, but I'm gonna skip it this time around. You know the plot (or maybe you don't, I don't know) a young couple has a car crash. Girl losses her head. The boy is a scientist and brings the head back to life. Since her body is mangled, he's going to get her a new one. How's he going to get a body? He's gonna kill a stripper or model and use their body. Now I'm a fan of somewhat bad sci-fi/horror movies. This is one of those films you should never take seriously. It's one of those films you make fun of with your friends and have a good time. The problem for me was that I did take this movie seriously. Don't ask me why. At the time I just haven't seen too many of these cheesy 50's-60's sci-fi/horror movies before. I not sure what I was expecting. Wait. I do know what I was expecting. I was expecting this would probably be a better movie than "The Atomic Brain". I mean I buy this DVD with the word "classics" in it, the first film was just OK, so I'm thinking well the movies must get better with each film. Then I watch this and it's pretty much "The Atomic Brain" just not as good. I'm sorry. I know, I just go on these rants that go no where. I never said I'd be a great critic like Ebert. But I'm just trying to shed some insight into the situation. Back to the review. Like "The Atomic Brain" this just felt kinda slow. There was only one scene that I sort of liked. The cat fight scene. It was just unexpected and... yeah that's pretty much it. I don't know, maybe if I watch it again my rating for this film will go up. We'll see. So if you come across this movie watch it with friends, get some drinks, and bash the hell out of it.
Monstrosity (1963)
An OK movie. It's pretty much what you'd expect.
I bought this movie in the $5 bin, in a four movie collection entitled "AMC Monsterfest Collection: Cult Classics-Collection 1". Just rolls off the tongue doesn't it? Any who, this was back at a time when I'd come across a DVD box set and say "Wow, twenty movies for only nine bucks! Now that's a steal!" Now I realized the reason those movies were cheap. It's because the movies are... well cheap. You'll never see the "Alien Quadrilogy" in the bin, but by golly it sure has the "AMC Monsterfest Collection: Cult Classics-Collection 1" in it. The collection had one really good movie in it though, "Carnival of Souls". Anyways, the first time that I watched "The Atomic Brain" I didn't care much for it. And I still don't, but I have lighten up on it a little. I realize now that I shouldn't have went in with my expectations high. Now when I buy a bad box set, that's what I expect, a bad box set. But at that time I was young and naive. Really the movie isn't horrible. It's not good, but it ain't bad either. Well it is bad, but it's that "It's so bad it's good" type of movie. So I settled on it's an OK movie. Not really good and not really bad, just OK. I'm sorry, I need to start talking about the movie. The movie has a bad, cheesy sci-fi plot about a scientist who is trying to put this rich old lady's brain in a young girl's body. The one thing that I did like about it was all the different experiments gone wrong in this movie. There was this mindless girl zombie just walking around, a girl with a cat's brain (and I believe a cat with a girl's brain but I can't remember), and I believe there was some sort of beast man. The bad thing was it was just very slow moving and very badly acted. I hear this is the sort of movie you should watch with your friends and just bash it. Maybe if I do my rating of this film will go up. I'm going to wrap this up since this review isn't going anywhere. I'm not going to recommend this to anyone, nor am I going to say you should avoid it. So I'll end by saying, I you want to watch it, watch it. If not, don't.
Easy Virtue (1927)
Quite possibly the worst Hitchcock movie ever.
As you may or may not know, I've decided to type reviews for all my DVDs ("May or may not know." Like you guys actually read one of my reviews and said to yourself "Wow. I've got to read more from this guy.) When it came time to type my review for "Easy Virtue" I was drawing a blank. I once cited "Murder!" as a forgettable Hitchcock film, but in this case I really could not remember a thing. As I started reading other reviews and such, the movie started coming back to me. And I realized I was just suppressing bad memories. One problem with this picture is (and maybe it was just my copy) there was no music for this silent film. I mean none. Now I could probably watch "Nosferatu" or "The Phantom of the Opera" with no music, but those are good movies with great story/plot/action. This on the other hand was just dreadfully boring. I mean I had to sit up in bed just so I wouldn't fall asleep watching it. Now you may be thinking what if there had been music? Would it make it better? No. The story itself just did not interest me at all. I stated once that "Champagne" was the worst Hitchcock film that I ever saw. I gave that film a 2. Despite the horrible story, it had good directing. Here however I didn't see anything special about the direction in this film. That's why I gave this movie a 1. And like I stated in the title it is quite possibly the worst Hitchcock movie ever. "Quite possibly" because I haven't seen all his early work yet. And there's a couple of his other films I haven't seen as well. I probably could have combined those last two sentences. So in closing I recommend this only to the Hardcore Hitchcock fans. The rest should avoid this film. Trust me.
The 39 Steps (1935)
Really good.
I really like this movie. Of all of the early Hitchcock films that I have seen this is really the best. As soon as the film starts we are thrust right into this mystery, that keeps you guessing until the end. This movie has great acting, good directing, and an excellent story. It's nicely paced. It also has a nice balance of comedy and suspense. It has it's share of surprises as well. Like when the female spy is killed in the beginning of the film. I thought the movie would revolve around her and Richard. I was also really surprised about the mixed reviews I've read. But I guess everyone has an opinion. Another reason I liked this film is that it laid the foundation for future "innocent man on the run" films. I highly recommend this film to all. Hitchcock knew what he was doing when he did this. So if you haven't seen it, rent it soon and just sit back and enjoy the thrill ride.
Sabotage (1936)
Good suspense
I'm not going to lie the one thing I think of when I think of "Sabotage", is the Beastie Boys. OK that's a bad joke, however this movie does have one unforgettable scene. And at the time I watched it, it was really unbelievable. Now if you haven't seen the film please quit reading and go watch it. The scene I'm talking about is the scene with the kid carrying a bomb. Wow. Talk about suspense. The whole time it just keeps building and the whole time I'm thinking "Kid just get rid of that box!". It's one of those few times I was actually on the edge of my seat. In the back of my mind I knew... I mean I knew this kid was going to be OK. It was made in 1936. There was no way a child is getting blown up by a bomb. But that's exactly what happen. It's rare that a movie shocks me, most films try to use language or gore to shock you, but this one blows you away. I've read that Hitchcock regretted killing the kid, but (as one reviewer already typed) it was necessary for the story. I guess it follows the book pretty well and there had to be a good reason for this woman to kill her husband. With that scene alone Hitchcock can be call the master of suspense and no one could argue. I only gave it a 5, because that scene was the only thing I took away from this movie. Don't get me wrong the direction and acting are good and the story's OK, but that's pretty much it. Some said they liked the climax, I could take it or leave it. But that's just me. Like I said that scene made it for me. Overall I would recommend this, just so you can see that scene.
Jamaica Inn (1939)
I liked it.
This was the first early Hitchcock film that I saw and I liked it. A lot of people complain that it wasn't quite like the book. I hate people who say that. People who say that should watch the movie first then... sorry. I started to rant there. Any ways, people said that this didn't have the mood, atmosphere, and suspense of the book. Which may be true, I didn't read the book. I thought there was plenty of suspense. Like the scene when Mary is looking through the floor cracks as the bad guys get ready to hang one of their own or when they're on the run and end up in that cave. Is it the most suspenseful movie I ever saw? No. But then again I said that I liked it. I didn't say that I loved it. It was an OK movie. I was expecting a mediocre-to-good movie and I wasn't disappointed. As for mood and atmosphere, it was fine. So it's not as moody and dark as the book. Get over it. Wow, this is less of a review and more of me lashing out at the fans of the book. All in all, the movie is fine. I recommend it to fans of Hitchcock. Some people complained about his directing in this one. It was his last film before he went to Hollywood and apparently actor Charles Laughton, who was also the producer, didn't listen to Hitchcock on the set and did his own thing; which caused Hitchcock to say "Screw it." and just coast through. So I agree this isn't up to par with his usual direction, however it ain't bad either. I mean even when he sorta gives up it still turns out OK. So just watch with your expectations low so your not disappointed.
Murder! (1930)
Forgettable.
This early Hitchcock is really forgettable. It just isn't that good. At first I thought it was a courtroom drama, which would have probably been better. But the court stuff doesn't last long. The movie then focuses on this juror trying to find the real killer. From here on out it's pretty standard and boring. Boring is probably the wrong word. It just wasn't interesting. The highlight of the film comes at the end when the real killer hangs himself in the middle of a circus. And it is a good scene, but it was really the only one. Now I'm not saying that Hitchcock didn't do a good job directing. Once again (as I stated in my "Champagne" review) we see Hitchcock's greatness shine through in certain shots. But overall nothing special. I would have gave this movie a 3, but the final scene saved it so I gave it a 4. I only recommend this if your a Hitchcock fan. The rest should avoid.
Champagne (1928)
Just a bad and boring movie.
Let me start off by saying that Hitchcock is a master of suspense and was a great director. I always loved his better known movies such as "The Birds", "Psycho", and "Rear Window". About a couple of years ago I came across a one dollar DVD entitled simply "Alfred Hitchcock". It contained four films I haven't seen: "Jamacia Inn", "Sabotage", "The 39 Steps" (Which is very good.), and "Easy Virtue". They were, for the most part, good. Shortly after I found another Hitchcock dollar DVD entitled "Alfred Hitchcock Classics: Volume 1" which included "Champagne" and "Murder!". So there's the intro. Now on to the review. Like I said Hitchcock was a great director and in this movie we see his greatness shine through. However, the story is the problem I have with the movie. It's just boring. It has nothing to do with the fact that it's silent, it is just a bad movie. I personally don't like movies about some spoiled rich girl who whines for most of the show. Which is why I never cared for "Gone With the Wind". This movie is no exception. For an eighty-five minute movie it just dragged by. This story could have been told in twenty minutes. That's how simple the plot is. The reason I gave it a 2 and not a 1 is because of the direction. The direction is definitely there. My favorite shots are the shots through the champagne glass. However for the most part the rest of the movie sucked. Now I know this isn't Alfred's fault. When a director starts out he doesn't always get to pick and choose his movies, but as a viewer that's not my problem. Hitchcock once said this is his worst movie. And that's coming from a master of suspense. So if that doesn't tell you something. So in conclusion I recommend this only to hardcore Hitchcock fans, but the rest should steer clear.
Aliens (1986)
Excellent sequel
It's rare when a sequel is as good as the original. It's even more rare when it's better than the first. But one man can do it. James Cameron is that man. "Aliens", to me at least, is right up there with the original. I can never choose which one I like better. Actually, I like "Alien" more just because it's more of a horror movie, but still "Aliens" is great. Cameron also did it again with "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" which is better than the first. This guy could do a sequel to "Titanic" and it would be great. Wouldn't you guys like to see "Titanic 2"? What makes this movie great is the action. He took it in a different direction and it worked. The first one was more of a horror movie in space and was full of suspense. This is just non-stop action. The problem with the other two sequels (don't get me wrong I like both) was that they didn't try to be different. Part 3 was more or less part 1 and Resurrection was... um, tried to be horror at times, then tried to be action. Since the first one was sci-fi/horror and the second one was sci-fi/action with elements of war, the third one could have been like a sci-fi/mystery. Then the fourth one could have been sci-fi/comedy with elements of drama. Of course I'm joking, but you see my point. 3 & 4 were good, just not great. Sorry, I got side tracked. This is suppose to be about "Aliens." The story continues perfectly, which is what you need for a good sequel. The direction is great, as is the story. All the acting is good. There seems to be a lot of dislike of the Hudson character. What most people call annoying, I call funny. So if your an "Alien" fan, sci-fi/action fan, or just want to see a great four star movie, then you need to see this movie.
Alien (1979)
Brilliant.
This is really one of the best horror movies ever. Yes, it's a horror movie not a sci-fi flick. The direction is great as is the script. I love the dialog in this movie. The actors really did an excellent job, especially Weaver. Now I don't want to get on a rant here, but there is something that needs to be addressed. Rather than tell you how great the movie is or go through this film scene by scene, there is something I need to make clear. I have read a lot of reviews and I kept reading the same thing. "In this movie Sigourney kicks some alien butt." (Believe me I'd rather use the "A" word, but I'm afraid to get black listed.) Sigourney Weaver doesn't really kick alien butt until "Aliens" in 1986. Thats when see becomes the badas... er, badbutt alien destroyer. However, in the first "Alien" she's just a space trucker who's trying to get home to her daughter. She doesn't really become the hero we all know and love until later. However she does start to evolve into the hero in this one. She quickly stepping up to leadership when Dallas dies. I must admit I'm slightly sexist when it comes to a female hero. To me it's just not that believable, but in Sigourney's case she really pulls it off. I'm not going to lie, if I got chased by aliens and I had to either have Ellen Ripley or Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger from "Predator") on my side, I'd choose Ripley. Sorry, I ranted. Anyways this is the best movie in the "Alien" series, the "Predator" movies, and the cross-over movies. Normally, I'd say I recommend this if your a fan of so-and-so or I you like so-and-so kinds of movies, but no. I recommend this movie to everyone. This is one of those movies you should have already seen.
Aftershock (1990)
B-movie.
What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said. I mean it's a low budget, b-movie with the b-movie acting, b-movie script, b-moving score, and b-movie directing. So why do I own it? There used to be a video store a few miles south of my town. It was a mom and pop video store that actually still rented out video tapes. It was great. They had all the little obscure horror movies that I love and just hard to find videos. The only problem was that they combined the Horror and Sci-Fi sections. Apparently "Aftershock" was considered sci-fi. I'd probably would have put it in action. I know there's and alien in it, but just because there's an alien in it doesn't necessarily make it a sci-fi movie. Sci-fi means science fict... sorry I got side tracked. Anyways I'm usually in the Horror section when I'm in a video store. So I always seen this, but never really picked it up to check out the back. Then one day I was at K-Mart and there it was for six bucks. Granted even then I knew this wasn't worth six bucks, however there was one thing that attracted me to this. John Saxon. I'm a fan, what can I say. And here he was top billed. Of course they only do that cause some idiot like me will come along and buy it. So I bought it. It was what you'd expect from a typical b-movie action movie from the early 90's. Not horrible, but still kinda bad. You just have to take this for what it is. A bad action movie with a couple of good action scenes and clichés galore. The main character even has an annoying side kick early on. Would I recommend it? Not really. But I guess everything's worth at least one glance. In closing I want to apologize for such a crummy review. I'm trying to write a review for all my DVD's. Even the bad ones. On a side note, just in case you was wondering, John Saxon did not disappoint. I mean the script wasn't great, but you could give this guy the ingredients of water as a script and he would turn in a good performance.
Sherlock Holmes (1954)
Good show.
This is actually the first screen version of Sherlock Holmes that I saw and it's really one of the best. I think that Ronald Howard makes a great Holmes, second to only Basil Rathbone. I have only seen six episodes, they were all good. Yes even "The Case of the Texas Cowgirl". That's one you can't really take seriously. My favorite so far is "The Case of Harry Crocker". It's pretty funny. The mysteries aren't complex or anything, but the stories are good and at time humorous. Like I said, this was the Holmes that started it all for me. I intend to buy the complete series box set. So if your a fan of mystery or Sherlock Holmes than this is a show for you. Just remember to go easy on the Cowgirl episode.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
Another funny Carrey movie
Let me start by saying that this is a good movie. It has plenty of great moments such as the "Secret Agent Man" montage, the bit with the "Monopoly Guy", and of course, the Rhino scene. It's all good stuff. However, it's just not as good as the original. Now it's not this movie's fault, there are only a few sequels that surpass their predecessor. So why is this not as good as Pet Detective? In the first one, yes Carrey, was over the top and goofy. I went over that in my Pet Detective review. But it still seemed real. Every time Ace is searching for clues, hunting down his suspects, or just saving a dog from a dog-napper; it all feels real and grounded in reality. Need some examples? When Ace tells Melissa about his dream. Now granted it was a joke that Ace was playing on her, yet he didn't feel all that cartoony. How about when Ace goes into Ray Finkle's room. Nothing cartoony about that scene. Funny? Yes. Cartoony? No. Now we'll switch over to When Nature Calls. This movie does not seem to be set in a real realm at all. I mean come on, there's a monster truck parked outside of the... dang it. I can't remember what that building was. Was it the British Embassy or something. I can't remember. Any way, you know what I'm talking about. Another thing, Carrey is just non stop in this. I mean ,for lack of a better word, he was very cartoony. More so than the last one. In fact this movie felt more sophomoric than the first movie. And I don't mean sophomoric as in a second film. I mean just plain juvenile humor. Don't get me wrong. It's funny. Like my title says "Another funny Carrey movie". It's better than "Bruce Almighty" and "The Number 23". I know, one of those is not a comedy, but I don't care. When I give reviews I try to break every thing down. And this is the result. Comparing it to other movies. So if you look at the movie by itself, it's good. It's funny and I would highly recommend it to any Jim Carrey fans, fans of slapstick, or just comedy fans looking for some laughs. On a side note: I don't know if I spelled "cartoony" right. It wasn't in the dictionary and it's just one of those words you don't see often. It feels like there sured be an "e" between the "n" and the "y". So don't condemn my review based on my spelling of the word "cartoony".
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
A Jim Carrey classic.
This is one of my favorite Jim Carrey movies. It's an instant classic. I was laughing through the whole thing. Some people (and critics) say that Carrey acts too goofy in this. Almost like a live action cartoon character. I would agree that he plays it over the top, but it works. It's not like "Bruce Almighty" where it seemed, at least to me, that Jim was trying too hard for the laughs. And in Bruce, it didn't work. I read the critic reviews and, of course, most of them didn't like it. But how can you not like a movie with great memorable scenes like Ace getting into a fight with a mascot or Ace sneaking around to the "Mission Impossible" theme. It's just good stuff. This movie also has a good supporting cast. It has a really good story as well. Most critics said that the plot was thin, but at a closer look you can see the complex plot. Lots of layers. Of course I'm exaggerating a bit, but to say that the plot's thin is an under statement. I mean there's a double kidnapping, murder, plot twist, it has it all. I know now I'm over selling it, but it's really a good movie. It's also the first time Jim Carrey and Tom Shadyac team up. They would go on later to do "Liar Liar" (which is another good Carrey movie) and, the movie mentioned earlier, "Bruce Almighty". So if you want to see a comedy classic, check this out.
The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950)
From what I have seen it's good.
I own a DVD that is entitled "The Abbott & Costello Show". But it's actually two episodes of "The Colgate Comedy Hour". From what I have seen it looked like a good show. But again I have only seen two shows. Both shows were hosted by Abbott & Costello and they were hilarious. It featured many different skits and bits including the "Two Tens For a Five". And of course it had everyone's favorite "Who's on First?". I really enjoyed the quick banter between the two. I heard the best Abbott & Costello routines are the ones preformed in front of a live audience. Costello was great at ad-libbing and it shows here. I have only seen a couple of the Martin & Lewis movies and they were good. So I'm guessing the ones hosted by them were good too. I really recommend this to anyone who likes comedy and especially anyone who hasn't seen the "Who's on First?" bit. It's classic stuff.
Undersea Kingdom (1936)
"The Phantom Empire"-lite
I bought this in a box set with "The Phantom Empire". I watched Empire and liked it. First off, these two movies are pretty similar. Each serial has one main hero with a child or children as the sidekicks. Next they each deal with a hidden kingdom (or empire) right under our noses. Each kingdom or empire is destroyed in the end with only the "ones from above" surviving. And finally, each serial uses the "cheat ending" way too much. With that being said, this movie felt more like "The Phantom Empire"-lite. It seemed to move slower than Empire and the story wasn't as good either. Personally I liked Gene Autry better than Crash Corrigan. Now I'm not saying that this movie is bad, it's just not all that good. I gave it an "ok". I've only seen four serials and this ranks number three. If you like old serials, I recommend it. But if your new to the serial genre, I'd try something else.