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Jaws 2 (1978)
More enjoyable than the Original
No doubt the first Jaws movie is by far the best and no one can or should ever dispute that, but I have found the sequel to be more enjoyable for it's young cast and story line.
Jeannot Szwarc did a great job by putting into effect a young cruising culture into the movie in the form of sailing, just like what we find with young people and cars today. The young and unknown cast back than who are still unknown today all played a great part in the movie, especially towards the end when they were all stranded out at sea with the shark terrorizing them.
Originally the movie was headed in another direction, but the director decided to go back to the island of Amity with the original cast members from the first Jaws movie. A great decision which kept the interest from the first movie still going.
Three scenes really stand out with the shark which gives the movie it's deserved terror, young Eddie being eaten alive while his girlfriend witnesses in terror, the shark eating the helicopter which may seem a bit unbelievable but a great moment added to the movie and the final scene with chief Brody and the shark. The earlier scene with the water skier was enjoyable which gave the audience a taste of things to come.
I think if most people don't try and compare Jaws 2 to the original they will probably appreciate the second movie a lot more and give more credit which it definitely deserves.
For me it's a 9 out of 10 and the last Jaws movie worth watching a number of times.
Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
The Movie should of been a comedy
I would just like to start off by saying that I am in absolute hysterics reading peoples comments and they are mostly spot on.
Jaws the Revenge was so horrible and laughable the movie should of been made a comedy. The movie was that bad and lame it wasn't far from the shark having the ability to speak and maybe doing a song and dance at the same time.
Whoever made this movie and I don't want to know has problems if they themselves took this movie serious. I wonder what on earth this person was thinking?!?!? Maybe the director was thinking along the lines of a spoof, but still wanted the movie to be scary?
I agree with most people, Jaws a masterpiece, Jaws 2 very good, Jaws 3-D ordinary and the Revenge a down right disgrace.
The people behind Jaws the revenge are a joke for disrespecting the first two Movies Jaws and Jaws 2.
The Doors (1991)
A good movie for it's time
Like so many other people I was enticed and became a doors fan after seeing this movie for the first time when it was released in 1991 at the cinema.
I also remember seeing the Australian Doors show live in concert in '93 and back than there was still talk going around about the movie. But the thing I find now is that the movie no longer works for me, it seems to of lost it's spark!! Maybe because it's been 15 years since all of this happened?!?! Anyway, at the time I found Oliver Stones production a wild and cool ride into the life of Jim Morrison and the Doors, but at the same time found it to be over the top. One example was the Doors live performance on the Ed Sullivan show. The the real footage of Jim in '67 singing Light My Fire had him standing still, but in the movie Val Kilmer struts over to the camera and says the word "higher" during the song in an in your face kind of way. Another would be the wild side of Jim constantly being shown and as any Doors fan would know Morrison wasn't always like that. I guess Oliver Stone had to make an appealing movie and usually drama and the worse side of someone will draw people to a movie.
No doubt the Doors gained popularity at the time once again because of this film. Back in the early 90's how many people did you see wearing Jim Morrison T-Shirts? For me the best parts of the movie were the three live concerts in New Haven, San Francisco and the notorious Miami. Val Kilmer was awesome and I don't think anybody else including Michael Hutchence would of done a better job at the time. Kilmer was almost Jim Morrison he was that convincing!!! He even sang a little during the live performances.
Like I said earlier an awesome movie at the time and a great experience, but will only remain a memory to me.
True Romance (1993)
Best start to a movie I have ever seen
True Romance is a film that has been rated very highly and rightly so, although I found that when Clarence and Alabama hit the road heading towards LA the film dies a little. Why? I guess because the first 30 minutes was the best start to a movie I have ever encountered and so once there was a change in pace the movie lost interest a little. If I were the director no way I'd kill off such a great character in Drexl so soon.
The movie did have a strong ending though when everyone was gathered at the hotel room for the exchange of money for drugs where a final shootout takes place.
I enjoyed Val Kilmer who played the mentor just before Clarence was about to make a decision - Killin's the hard part, getting away with it, that's easy. You think a cop gives a f**k about a pimp? Listen. Every pimp in the world gets shot. Two in the back of the f**kin head. Cops'd throw a party, man As long as your not at the scene with a smokin gun in your hand you'll get away with it This movie had so many well known actors who all played their part from Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper and a younger James Gandolfini. Even Brad Pitt put in a great performance as Floyd who sat around all day smokin drugs.
The only weakness I found in this movie was straight after Christopher Walken kills Dennis Hopper which was a scene that was brilliantly written.
True Romance was a well written and acted out movie!!!
Judgment Night (1993)
Judgement Night keeps you in suspense
I first saw this movie in 2003, ten years later and regret not seeing it earlier, a movie that will keep you in suspense the whole way through wondering how it will end.
There are two reasons as too why this movie was a fun roller coaster ride, the landscape being a dark and terrifying ghetto and superb acting. The two strong actors in this movie were Denis Leary the cold hearted gang leader and Jeremy Piven the wealthy businessman who thought he could talk his way out of anything. Piven's performance in this movie was similar to his role in Very Bad Thing's....you want a movie where things go wrong - Piven is your actor.
The movie did keep going probably 10 minutes too long as by the time they were in the warehouse you felt like saying - is it over!!! But still a great ending to what was an enjoyable movie.
What they thought was a night at the boxing, turned into a horrible game of cat and mouse where their lives were on the line.
Repo Man (1984)
Repo man is always intense
I really like an original story and Repo Man definitely delivers a unique experience with intelligent acting by Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton.
The title of the movie says it all - don't make you loan repayments and the Repo man will reprocess your car, which is a crazy world Otto Maddox has stepped into by accident.
Still to this day after seeing the movie about 30 times I do question the ending, but if a particular car that everyone is interested in has dead aliens in the trunk than we are in for a weird ending. During the film you notice the two different lifestyles Otto has encountered being the Punk scene and the life of a Repo Man. The transition from youth to adult.
The director Alex Cox probably thought this movie needed an out of the ordinary story and he definitely gave us that; who would of thought a particular car that was hijacked from a government site contained top secret stuff - aliens!!! Emilio Estevez was the stand out in this movie which was so 1984. 9/10
Wonderland (2003)
A Dark World
Dam this movie hit's hard, especially in the end!!! Wonderland is one of those movies that will leave you thinking about what happened hours after you have watched the movie. What even makes this movie more disturbing is that Wonderland is based on a true story, about the murders that took place in the Hollywood Hills in 1981 where porn king John Holmes was supposedly involved.
Like in most of his movies, Val Kilmer's performance was strong, but for me Josh Lucas made this movie really happen. Lucas was so convincing as the leader of the wonderland gang who feared nothing and no one, not even the criminals that became his victim. Not once did the Wonderland gang consider their victim nightclub owner Eddie Nash may seek revenge played by Eric Bogosian who also delivered a strong performance.
I'm not a fan of friends star Lisa Kudrow who played John Holmes wife, but her performance of everything she was being the opposite to John Holmes was spot on which left you wondering how did she marry such a guy? Wonderland will haunt you, but it's a movie you can keep watching over and over again. It will take you into a dark world, the dark world of porn, drugs and crime.
Booty Call (1997)
Better than most people think
I know this movie has it's critics only being rated 4.9/10, but so many characters in this movie led by Jamie Foxx were hilarious. I first saw this movie in 1999 and waited until 2006 for it's release on DVD.
Booty Call is a comedy based on the dating scene and the struggle it can become; especially if you're a guy. Jamie Foxx played Bunz who was practically a dog on heat going to any length to score before sunrise, hence the movie's title Booty Call. His best mate and side kick in this adventure - Rushon who brought a serious side to the movie as he was more involved in a relationship.
Along the way I found this movie really reached it's peak when the two guys visited the convenient store, where two Indian immigrants worked behind the counter who I thought added so much to this movie making it hilarious. Even Judge Peabody played by Bernie Mac delivered a great short appearance preaching the gospel and the danger's of sex even though he was on his way home with a prostitute. The movie does slow down a little towards the end when the couples visited the hospital, but still there were scenes that delivered a laugh.
In all it's a short film but you will find it enjoyable from the restaurant scene in the beginning to the very end credits. And not a bad soundtrack if R & B and hip hop is your preferred choice in music.
9/10 - Based on the written material and the characters.
Johnny Suede (1991)
Brad Pitt before he was famous
There is something about this movie that is enjoyable and from time to time a movie such as Johnny Suede can be more appealing than a smash hit at the box office.
Movies that depict a certain character and their surroundings I find very appealing and even if there isn't much of a story you can still appreciate the idea of the director.
Just like a number of other movies Johnny Suede is known for it's characters before they were famous - Brad Pitt, Samuel L Jackson and Catherine Keener. Brad Pitt delivered a great performance as a young and inspiring musician. Calvin Levels as Deke and Nick Cave added to Brad Pitt's character as people he met along the way in his journey and of course the girls he dated played by Catherine Keener and Alison Moir.
Toward's the end of the movie you will be wondering where this is all heading and during the end credits you will probably still be wondering the same, but I guess that can only be answered by the director.
Anyway, Johhny Suede I found enjoyable based on the story being unique and one of it's kind.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
A movie we can all relate too!!!
Back in '76 I was only two years old, so I can't really say that I can relate to the decade which this movie was based on, although in my time just like the 70's there were drugs, a cruising culture and friends which this movie so highly portrays.
What really adds to this movie is a killer soundtrack, although I would of enjoyed hearing Led Zeppelin and AC/DC during the movie who I think really connected with the youth back in the 70's.
As for the cast - similar to American Graffiti that featured so many stars before they were famous. Superb acting by a group of youngsters at the time.
Every character in this movie was unique - O'Bannion the school bully, Slater the hippie who was always high, Mitch Kramer the innocent young kid who was just starting in the adult world, Mike and Tony the nerds, Wooderson the guy who would always hang with school students no matter how old he was and Randall who I can relate to the most - the kid who is running with a poor crowd, but had potential to go places if he just applied himself a little more, but had serious issues towards his peers.
But what really stands out in this movie is the concept of high school initiation which can be brutal, but a sympathetic understanding by allowing those students who were punished to attend the party in the end. This is what the movie is highly based on along with the drinking and drug culture that every generation has to deal with.
I think the must crucial point in the movie is towards the end when Randall Floyd is confronted by his coach in the early hours of the morning after a night of partying. Will Randall leave his drop kick friends and apply himself giving in to his coaches demands or remain a rebel? A decision we all have to make.
I think there is a little Dazed and Confused in all of us!!!
Jaws 3-D (1983)
A poor movie, but still worth watching
There are two main reasons why I can still watch this movie today, being that I am a true Jaws fan and more so that I saw it at the cinema back in 1983 when I was 9 years old, which has brought back so many fond memories.
Yeah sure, the shark looks even more fake in this movie, but the thought of such a predator hunting man keeps you interested.
A number of things keeps this movie going; it's a continuance on the first two Jaws movies that were highly successful, the story based on a shark hunting man and a different environment this time being a sea world theme park. These three factors do compensate for the poor acting and a poor script that this movie delivered.
Jaws 3-D was always going to be a tough project especially knowing that the first Jaws was one of the best movies of all time and that Jaws 2 was a decent movie.
Helpful Hint - try and watch the movie in 3-D, although it isn't as appealing these days as it was in the 80's!!! lol