ozbear Reviews

Wedding Wars (2006 TV Movie)

We need more films like this

[9/10 · 22 September 2013]

What I liked about this was that somehow it managed to remain a comedy while treating the subject of gay marriage with respect. Best exchange of lines in the movie was between the two brother which went something like Shel being "good enough" to plan his brother's wedding but his brother not supporting Shel's right to have one of his own.

The sequence with Shel and his parents was a bit forced but I can forgive this since other sequences made me laugh. Stamos plays his character as a non-stereotype and I liked his boyfriend's stance of not even wanting to get married (yet).

Highly recommended.

The Andromeda Strain (2008)

Poor Remake - Deus Ex Machinas Unite!

[2/10 · 29 April 2008]

While lifting various plot elements from the original (nasty virus, Wildfire containment facility, odd-man-out auto-destruct canceler, etc) we get a whole pile of additional elements thrown in, and for no apparent good reason.

Ben Bratt's character has a substance abusing wife and an estranged son...this goes no where.

The Wildfire team is now composed of a more politically correct team including a black, an Asian, and a homosexual.

Wormhole? Virus sent from the future so we can save ourselves? Somebody's been watching too many Star Trek reruns.

The let's-crawl-up-the-central-Wildfire-tube-core sequence in the original was terrific and tension filled. In this remake it is labored and boring. It might have gained another score point if the wrong thumb had been cut off.

And then there's Jack Nash running around looking for Grace (oops, wrong series).

And then we have all the secret bad government daring-do, a predictable addition in these times.

As someone else once said "They should only remake bad movies".

You've been warned.

Prehistoric Park (2006)

Some good points, some bad points

[5/10 · 15 September 2006]

I haven't seen the Bugs episode yet, which I am looking forward too but so far my reaction is mixed. The CGI effects vary greatly in quality, e.g., the Wolly Mammoth was actually pretty good, while the saber-toothed tigers were so-so, and the T-Rex was, well, just another T-Rex. What I don't care for is the lack of logic. If one can make multiple trips back, to various epochs, why always turn up when just a few of whatever you are looking to preserve are still alive? It is nice that some attempt is made to actually tell a story and add some emotion, such as with the saber-tooth cubs, but during some episodes a fast-forward button helps to bypass long tracks of not too much happening. I will give an acting award to the park veterinarian. When she is speaking about how well a given beast is doing in recovery you really do get the feeling that she is talking about a real animal. Overall I am giving it a middle score. Good for kids, and something you can talk with them about after the show is over, but probably won't have great interest holding potential for the majority of adults.

Deep Core (2000)

Deep Core? The Core?

[1/10 · 5 July 2005]

Difficult to tell actually who is copying whom since apparently Deep Core is dated 2000 and The Core is dated 2003.

At any rate, the similarities (but not the budgets) are compelling: 1)Laser-operated drilling gizmo for going through the Earth 2) Lots of magma around 3) People get snuffed by magma 4) Earth put in peril by misuse of something related to drilling/earthquakes 5) Nukes needed to restore balance 6) Five nukes required 7) Detachable unit(s), at least one required for success.

Draw your own conclusions.

I must admit that Wil Wheaton did a credible job.

I didn't mind him getting snuffed though.

Oz

Miracle Dogs (2003 TV Movie)

Predictable but fun

[9/10 · 18 March 2005]

Good Sunday evening with the kids movie. You'll have it figured out in about 10 seconds but don't let that detract from it. No violence but with some pretty silly doctors.

Rue McClanahan was especially good.

The puppies were adorable.

On second thought, maybe not a good Sunday evening movies with the kids if you don't have a dog and don't want to get pestered into getting one.

I seem to recall seeing another movie similar to this one but can't recall its name.