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Reviews
Saturn 3 (1980)
Fun cast / solid, entertaining movie.
A solid 90 minute movie with an enjoyable cast. Sure, it's not the Citizen Kane of space epics, but it did what a movie is supposed to do: Saturn 3 entertained me. Interesting hodgepodge of good special effects and really bad special effects. Saturn 3 pulled it off. And kudos to Farrah fawcett because she did not have a single good line, but one realizes she's a star. Harvey kitel, yes, he was dubbed but it was the best dubbing I've ever heard and completely matched the character and what Harvey Keitel was dishing out. It was almost fitting for the character, in fact: this fragile yet bold identity. And I love the casting of Kirk Douglas in this. It works! The best film May-December relationship of all time! A completely fun movie with some true suspense. I enjoyed Saturn 3 back when I was 12 and I enjoyed it last night. There's something good in every movie, but there was a lot good in Saturn 3 with a lot of great moments (And what a great title!!)
Iris Chang: The Rape of Nanking (2007)
Bad documentary/ important story
What could have been a factual record that really detailed the horrific crimes committed against the people of Nanking, this documentary became a sappy, unfocused, maudlin, melodramatic and bloated opus about not only the war but of a young journalist's emotional bravery and her deep dive into these horrific events of the late 1930's. This double narrative hijacked the focus of what this documentary should have been. Worse, the important information that is there is watered down by this sappy over emotional young woman's point of view. Instead of allowing the horrible chapter to stand on its own, the documentary deteriorated into a personal journey about this young woman's "valiant" efforts and her own slight reasons for unearthing this sad tale.
Insidious (2010)
A stew made out of leftovers
The first hour was really good: scary, suspenseful and fun with likeable and engaging characters. The movie completely derailed after the 60 min mark when momentum slowed and it suddenly dawned on me that Insidious is a complete, weak heist of Poltergeist without the movie magic or charm. Sure Insidious has its own twists, surprises and unveilings that are completely its own, but it gets further annoying when you notice elements from other classics quietly, but blatantly lifted, rendering this movie almost completely unoriginal. Obvious lifts from The Exorcist and even The Cell, on top of the double fisted theft from Poltergeist, really hamper Insidious's cause. This movie was clearly made for a young crowd that isn't going to want to watch a movie from the early '80s. And truthfully, any seventh grader who loves a scare is going to love this, they just aren't going to know what they're missing. After patiently sitting through Insidious, I have zero interest in watching the sequels.
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Solid fun like a 1930s movie serial
For being the second sequel in the franchise, it was really well done and catered to the moviegoer who wants to be entertained/light on the life-lesson. One adventure after the other with really good characters, fun cameos, and edge of your seat cliffhangers. A couple of really good lines in there too with twists that really make you wonder how far the filmmakers will go. I've revisited this movie a number of times. I turn off the TV satisfied because the the team really accomplished what they set out to do: Make a fun movie. I enjoyed it far more than Lost World and thought it tighter than Jurassic World. Barely over 90 minutes, it's the perfect length too If you want to start it at 9:00. Get out the snacks and enjoy. Perfect for pizza night.
Youngblood (1978)
A good watch
A solid movie from the late '70s. It had the heart and human element of Boyz in the Hood and better than most of the stuff that came to be in the mid & late '80s. I'm not in the know of black culture but I took this as an accurate slice of South Los Angeles made by black filmmakers and it did exactly what a movie is supposed to do which is introduced me to things I'm not familiar with. Great cast, likable / acted really well. Nothing hokey about it. In fact, I was really surprised with the quality of the action scenes.... The accompanying score was awesome and never spiraled into cliche '70s Starsky and Hutch background music. The soundtrack by War elevated the peace all that much. The filmmakers really made the most of the low budget by joining forces with some really talented people, all around, from the acting to fight choreography to the authentic sets. Some really great dialogue too. I have nothing bad to say about such a heartfelt effort.