someinfo's Reviews

The Gospel of John (2003)

5 December 2003

All seems very authentic, and the script is quite true to the Gospel of John in the Bible. Both add a lot to the movie but if this is all there is, then it simply isn't enough for me. I could have stayed home in a more comfortable setting and read the story instead of spending 3 hours at the theatre, regardless of who I was with.

My main complaint here is that I truly don't believe that Jesus argued with the Pharisees with such desperate pleadings, nor that Jesus was as arrogant as the actor playing him portrayed, nor that Jesus was as pushy towards his apostles when explaining things. Anyone that has walked in the Holy Spirit can tell something is wrong with the performance of the Jesus character and that this was just an actor saying the lines with improvised yet incorrect emotions. I clearly got the sense that this actor has never experienced the Holy Spirit within. Either this actor was wrongly cast, or the direction was off, or something. There were a couple of other things too, one of which was that the nonstop narrative got annoying for me.

There it is. A 3 hour movie, with constant background narrative, authentic locations, wardrobe, and props, and a script true to the text. However, everyone knows that making a movie based on a great book does not automatically make the movie great. Many folks like this movie and are moved by it. For me the poor acting ruined it all, and like a bad smell in a fine restaurant, I just could not enjoy this movie because the poor acting overwhelmed the message. Still, this is one man's opinion.

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Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)

Lots of Action and Moves Quickly

23 June 2003

There's lots of action and the movie seldom slows down. It starts with a mystery combined with action, so watch for clues. Many special effects slow down the action and the people, people which we certainly know cannot do the physical stuff they do onscreen, but it's fun to watch. Contrasting locations keep interest, like dark streets versus bright sunshine, crowded places versus isolated fights. The ending was predictable.

Can be an enjoyable way to pass the time if you don't get bored with so much shootings, explosions, and smoke, which can get tedious. If you aren't yet bored with people that can flip, beat down incredible odds, and do superhuman feats, then this movie will work for you. I never saw the trailers, nor read the package, but simply liked the cover art, had a free evening, and rented it. It is what it is, and it's okay, full of action and a quick pace.

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Avenging Angelo (2002)

Romantic Comedy and Quinn's Last Film

23 June 2003

This is what is termed a Screwball Comedy, a Romantic Comedy. Remember, that's all this movie is so expect foolish silliness and just enjoy with laughter. If you don't like foolish silliness then don't bother watching this film. A couple of scenes are funny just because they are so ironic.

Sylvester Stallone plays straight man to Madeleine Stowe's zany character. Both are great in their roles. I found myself laughing at things I normally would not laugh at but the timing was perfect and completely caught me without warning. This is another example of how Stallone is moving away from the stereo typical characters he has helped create; not to say he won't do more of those but he continues to branch out.

This movie is dedicated to the memory of Anthony Quinn. This was his very last film appearance. His work on this film was long enough, considering his health and age. Watch the featurette for more on Anthony Quinn. It may bring tears to your eyes to remember this wonderful man and the many wonderful performances he has given us over six decades.

There's a little mystery thrown into the movie. Watch for clues here and there and see if you can solve the mystery.

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Red Headed Stranger (1986)

Elements of Reality in a Western Drama

18 April 2003

This is a story about a preacher man who speaks what he understands to be the truth and willing to work hard to accomplish good. He sees trouble, understands it for what it is, and with courage meets it head on. With words or with action, he sticks to his beliefs. "I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."

Unfortunately, he fails to see a truth too close to his heart until after it's too late, then the reality sets in and turns his heart to stone. He then goes about making payments where payments are due, hard and cold, in the only way his heart will let him. Along the way he comes across another kindred soul. The resulting reflection gives him pause. Katherine Ross later asks him, "What made you do that? Just show up here that one day and start plowing?" To that, Willie Nelson replies, "I guess I had already gone as far as I could go the other way."

After reverting to rightness he has what one could interpret as a final relapse. In working to help another man recover his pride, Nelson's character goes back to make one final payment and close all accounts.

This film didn't get high ratings but it can be riveting in its delivery. Haunting lyrics sung by Nelson himself parallel the film's drama. The single and slow guitar notes are genius. Danger is portrayed as much more than mere physical peril. Action is brutal and cold. The film's slow pace makes it a dramatic effort, with hard action for good measure. Location properties look genuine. It must have taken good work and attention to details to get them to look so real. Camera shots are good enough. Interestingly, the overall film's style resembles Sam Peckinpah in "The Wild Bunch" (1969). Although "Red-Headed Stranger" is not the best Western, it's pretty good. I consider this Nelson's best film, the ratings notwithstanding.

A mystery remained unexplained. Looking at life from his perspective with equivalent responses, how did he become a preacher? What did he do before choosing the life of a preacher?

This film was released in 1986. My short research revealed the soundtrack came from his vinyl album "Red-Headed Stranger" which came out in 1975 causing trepidation among Columbia Records management before its release. Recorded in Texas, it cost Willie $20,000 and he used his personal seven-piece touring band. All management fears disappeared after the album was released and it "launched Willie into the stratosphere," after years as a hit songwriter and modestly successful singer. [paraphrased and quoted from a review by Rich Kienzle]. So, the album came first, then the film 11 years later. Good match. Good film.

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xXx (2002)

Surprisingly Good

7 April 2003

The title XXX originally turned me off. Then a trailer slipped by and I glanced at it. I rented it and it's pretty good. Lots of action and non-graphic violence, meaning no cutting off human parts and not too much blood spurting about. Good start keeps interest. Good plot and subplots keep this moving and guessing. Some effects are stupid and some unrealistic, but they are rare. If you can overlook that then it's okay. Lots of Techno music [roar, rarr, arrr, arrr,...] garbled roars that cannot be understood so it's just noise but it doesn't overwhelm the dialog or action. Suspenseful moments heighten enjoyment of the film. Few choices on the ending but I managed to correctly figure it out. Athletics put to use in action scenes. Ignoring the CGI, the stunt people did a fantastic job because some of those stunts *had* to have been made onsite using real people and props. A lot of technology implied but little was used. Contained obligatory explosions. The red Corvette exploding was unessary. Nice movie all around.

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Instinct to Kill (2001)

Disappointing

6 April 2003

WANTED: Mercenary. REQUIREMENTS: (1) Must be able to hit his targets with a handgun, or at least come close to them. (2) Must be able to maintain emotional distance with his clients, or at least be able to control them to the point that the clients do not become a liability.

Too bad. I've always liked Mark Dacascos. This film just did not do it for me. It has a lot of good merits but certain obvious things were enough to turn me off to it. I expected more from the police detective. The lack of graphic violence is good, since the story involves lots of violence. I could see the ending coming too easily.

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Critical Mass (2001)

Really Bad Movie

6 April 2003

This is a terrorist film, but remember that this film came out before Sept 11, 2001. It doesn't matter because it's still a bad film. Too bad. I got it mainly for Treat Williams.

The first two DVD chapters, 10mins, are borrowed film clips from the ending of Terminator I; not copied scenes, but actual film footage. That set my mood but no matter how positive I tried to remain, this film never did anything. Bad camera angles, bad acting, bad script, predictable, mediocre effects. Personally I would whisper if I am close to the terrorists. A terrorist that says goodbye after making demands? No depiction of recording the terrorist conversation, and no government on site; they left it up to the local small town sheriff's department. If the US government officials depicted here are a reflection of real government officials, then we are in big trouble. Relax, even the most incompetent could not be that bad. A wasted 1 hour 35 minutes, plus the DVD rental fee.

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Enigma (2001)

A Pleasant Film for a Lazy Sunny Afternoon

6 April 2003

This film is mainly a mystery drama with mild romance. Some action about the middle and end pick it up a bit, with fairly well sustained suspense from the middle to the end. Light violence but nothing graphic. Plot twists keep interest. Some beautiful scenery. Fine performances by the players. Set in the early 1940s it gives an old-time feeling. Don't get hung up on the accuracy of the technical and this can be a very pleasant film to enjoy.

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Blade II (2002)

Humph

5 April 2003

Honor among vampires? Right. It looks like the extras running on all four came from Planet of the Apes 2001 and Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring 2001. Well, it's good to find a job for easy money. This film has an extremely high level of graphic violence. The last half hour seemed to drag on and seemed silly. Some bad audio effects and visual effects. Some plot twists towards the end give interest. Not all plots resolved at the end, like what happened to all of the.... Wesley Snipes is still strong in the action roles. It was good to see Kris Kristofferson is still going at it at 66 years old with over four film works per year in recent years, as of this film. Remember, if you give blood, drink some juice and lay down for awhile.

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Pearl Harbor (2001)

Good Epic & Romantic Film with Plenty of Action

3 April 2003

Good film at 3 hours duration. Like any film of similar length that intends to keep audience attention, there are slow parts and fast parts. There's drama, and there's action. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines romantic as "marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized." That makes this a romantic film.

Both drama and action are well spaced. The action is often fast with quick camera angle changes and short closeups, along with camera movement that adds to the live-action effect, giving a feeling of being there. The drama has plenty of conflicts which enhance the human element. The emotions soar and dive, and not all goes as one would like, much like life, but the human spirit survives to the end.

This is a film for entertainment and I've made no effort to confirm or refute the historical accuracy of any part of it. As all historical films, we know the eventual outcome of it's subject before the screening. However, this film is only a slice of the whole story and the method of telling this slice, the choices in subplots, characters, character players, direction and camera work, make it well worth the time invested in the viewing. This is a very good film.

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Mannix (1967–1975)

Good detective stories that are still enjoyable today

18 March 2003

Very good writing and very good camera work, in both angles and continuity. This show is still viewable by today's standards. Some may appreciate how 'car phones' were the leading edge of technology in the late 1960s and early 1970s when not even fax machines existed. Others may reminisce on the occasional fad fashion statement even while the main characters wore what was considered conservative. Few can ignore how thoughtful the episodes were. Sometimes complex, the well scripted plots often kept the armchair detective puzzled until the very end. It is as though every single object, mannerism, and facial expression had a purpose towards telling the story.

Hard action, yes. Violent, maybe. Graphic blood and guts, no. Realistically, cars didn't flip over other cars and burst into flames at every car chase. Just like everyone experiences similar issues within each respective profession, some plots had similarities but they were so well thought out that they were very different in the end. Consequently, soft and caring moments were interspersed with happiness, sadness, and action. It was a fairly real show with few, if any, stupid scenes; a show where people didn't do superhuman stunts. It contains mystery and some suspense. The theme song is classic. It's a good series that can still be enjoyed today, on reruns, of course.

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Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966)

9/10

Pretty Good Western with Unexpected Turns

14 March 2003

Warning: Spoilers

A seldom played film, this western has superb characterizations, good casting, a good story, but sometimes poor camera work and editing. Films have come a long way since the 1960s, excluding computer graphics, but different angles and lingering shots on some scenes would have brought this film to the top, both by 1960s and today's standards. It would also have increased the 100min run time. Possible cost factors for this camera work are a slightly shorter-than-needed budget and/or a short shooting schedule. Obviously some scenes show that the camera capability existed. The cast is made up of several big names with some of them having an impressive history in the profession by the time of this film's release. The camera and editing quality notwithstanding, their expertise in the art shine through.

*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS *** The film contains some memorable scenes and portrayals: the angry focus of Jonas (Chuck Connors) while fighting with personal naive goodness, the latent evil within Johnsy Boy (Bill Bixby), Chuck Connors accosting Bill Bixby in the woods, the story telling in the bar by Tod (Frank Gorshin - who also played Riddler in the Batman series the same year), the clinging despair of Bonnie Shelley (Gloria Grahame) willing to do anything, Jessie's (Kathryn Hay) strong emotional rollercoaster changes, Mrs Lavender's (Joan Blondell) orbital character sketches, the borderline sanity of Elwood Coates (Claude Akins), Brooks Durham (Michael Rennie) riding along the edge of good and bad, the secret dream of Maria (Marissa Mathes) and onscreen smoking [it is still rare to see a woman in a western smoking a cigarette], Paul Fix (as Hanley) without teeth (reunited here with fellow 'Rifleman' Connors). There are others but that's enough here. *** END POSSIBLE SPOILERS ***

There's also a short appearance by a fairly young Jamie Farr, a decade after his film debut and a decade before his MASH series fame.

This revenge' western story doesn't follow standard plot strategy so characters don't behave, and events don't progress, as one expects them to in a 'safe' storyline. This results in mixed emotional responses by the viewer, with different emotions possible on multiple viewings. There are many good things about this movie but the lacking camera work and editing keep it from rising to being a really good film. Watch it for the wonderful characters and player's performances. Pass it up for the overall screen delivery, but do so at your own risk. This film rarely plays and is not available on video as of this writing so you may wish to pop in a tape in order to catch the nuances from highly professional performance artists at their craft.

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Eye See You (2002)

7/10

Dark Detective Mystery with Suspense and some Action

9 March 2003

I was in a dark mood and my DVD rental matched it. An older Sylvester Stallone once again moves away from the 'invincible hero' image towards a 'vulnerable consummate professional' image. Although it unfortunately includes today's staple of graphic violence, the suspense still overwhelmes. Several established names portray unusual characters whose real personalities unwantingly surface in the course of events. Overall the mystery of a whodunit dominates until almost the end. To increase the mood of darkness founded by the story's theme, the bulk of the film is shot at an isolated location in mostly dark, low light scenes. Characters are sufficiently defined for emotional association by viewer. This film effectively accomplishes its task of delivering entertaining escapism for its target audience during what today is considered a short runtime of 1-1/2 hours.

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Mean Guns (1997)

2/10

Stupid Movie, Waste of Time

1 March 2003

Constant violence with gun shooting and baseball-bat bludgeonings, non-stop. Several rip-off scenes from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" where they stand around looking at each other with loaded guns while a spanish guitar plays. Not even the whispered mumblings of the stars could save this film. I suppose it had to fall under *some* category. It gives the Action movie category a bad name. It's so bad it couldn't even be classified a Comedy. A Mystery? By the end of the movie it really didn't matter what the movie was about. My vote: a waste of time.

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Miami Vice (1984–1989)

Still Appealing

18 February 2003

This show had a very clever originality. The exotic cars and boats the plain clothes police drove were assets captured by the police and put to use as cover while working the drug scenes. The show was a reflection of the gluttony that was popular in the late 80s as a result of the Me Generation. Many new and upcoming names that went on to continue in the film industry made appearances here. Songs that were popular at the time were often used as background music. Exotic and other outdoor scenes along with camera shots of beautiful homes help this show keep its appeal today.

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Shallow Hal (2001)

5/10

Funny and Disturbing

25 January 2003

Funny moments, of course, but can certainly be disturbing and emotionally moving in serious orbits. Jack Black let's go for good effect. Film does unexpected exposure past media's standard of glamour into life's realities. Courage is not necessarily what the media usually leads us to believe. Escapism might not be fully achieved with this movie. Even the credits make a statement. Pleasant appearances (twice) by Anthony Robbins, a reknowned author and motivational speaker, using his real name.

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Most Wanted (1997)

8/10

Little Gem worth Watching

15 January 2003

Enjoyable movie by today's standards. It used some technology that was exploited one year later in another movie called "Enemy of the State". More than one subplot came together nicely at the end. Contains mystery and suspense interspersed with action. Not being overly critical, I found only one sentence that I would have changed with different words. A seldom seen movie, this little gem has a few surprises that can keep one's interest to the finale.

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Up the Down Staircase (1967)

9/10

Great Drama

15 January 2003

Reminds me of the wonderful movie "To Sir, with Love" starring Sidney Poitier, which came out one year earlier in 1966. Both have an academic setting and emphasize reaching difficult young adults through intellect and respect. The direction and the script on this one is somewhat darker, and scenes are allowed to build up suspense with realistic danger that comes very close to the edge. The film explores the spectrum of student characters and the delicate balance a teacher has with both students and faculty. A very hard to find film, I've seen it only once just after midnight and commercial free on a highly rated classic movie channel, Turner Classic Movies. I highly recommend at least one viewing of this great drama.

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A Better Tomorrow II (1987)

2/10

Disappointing

21 December 2002

Greatly failed to meet my expectations, especially after seeing John Woo as Director and Yun-Fat Chow are in it. Effects are mismatched between scenes. Perhaps it's a cultural thing but scenes just 'happened' so I found myself spending time trying to figure out the story line. For example, two of the major stars are standing in an open field outside a major city discussing the turns of life, then suddenly they are surrounded by older teenagers that work in the same restaurant and their vans are parked nearby. Such choppy scene changes occurred too many times in the movie. The only memorable thing was Yun-Fat Chow's acting, but even that could not save this film. The ending shootout was like shooting ducks in a barrel. The unexplained ending could not help this film. My surprise is that director John Woo also directed such film as Broken Arrow (1996), Face/Off (1997), and Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), all fairly decent films. Perhaps the director had no control over editing. Regardless, the film is poor.

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The One (2001)

6/10

Rip Off Movie can be Entertaining

16 December 2002

This movie rips off several others: Highlander, Timecop & 12 Monkeys, The Matrix, Multiplicity, a couple of space and alien movies/series, and is generally a modern Martial Art Kabuki via 'Hollywood'. You could probably come up with more. Of course it contains lots of dead bodies, even if not graphic blood and guts. Lots of action maintains interest. Some funny scenes. Slow motion fight scenes are incorporated with pan-around camera action and what could be described as split-speed photography, which is actually interposed video layers using CGI (computer-generated imagery). It has an unexpected ending, and although I found it clever, I also found it wanting, personally. If you like Jet Li, Science Fiction, Martial Arts, or general make believe, then you'll like this movie. A keen mind may get bored and find real life more interesting, especially after having auditioned the movies mentioned at the top of this review. Remember, if you meet your evil counterpart, try not to dress like him/her so that others can tell you apart for at least a little while. If your counterpart has only a t-shirt like you but you're wearing a shirt over it, don't take the shirt off. That is, unless you wish to make it easy on the wardrobe department and also want to save money with low computer and camera use, and shorter labor and production site hours. Success can come from not spending too much time coming up with new ideas but reuse those that already work, keep costs down, crunch the numbers, and crank the movies out. Enough will like it to make a profit.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

9/10

Great Entertainment

15 December 2002

This fantasy film is grand, with lots of story telling, adventure, and suspense. Aside from the obvious occult theme, the movie is extremely entertaining. Wonderful landscapes, both real and computer generated (CGI). The real landscapes are breathtaking. Both real and CGI settings are very compelling to watch, as are the characters, beings, and monsters. This film is full of special effects but they 'magically' never overwhelm the story, which is a great credit to the film makers.

This film is great to watch by anyone interested in this sort of movie, whether readers of the books or not. No prior knowledge of the books is needed to enjoy this movie. The characters and relationships are at times developed quickly but these developments are good enough to give an understanding of the characters, their relationships, and keep the moving going well. Even during the slower scenes, the pace is quick enough to maintain interest.

I never much cared for the books of this story by Tolkien, and they line my library as unused reference. This film keeps close enough to the story for me and I consider it great entertainment.

As the PG-13 rating implies, this film is a little too much for smaller children, even with parental presence. Although there's no vulgar language, there is a little too much violence, darkness and fantasy for the young. It is almost 3 hours long, which explains the quick pace and the brevity of story development. Any longer and it would have turned into a mini-series and perhaps for some would have lost some of its entertainment strength. This refers to the 2002 widescreen 2-disc set, non-extended edition.

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The Violent Men (1955)

7/10

Good Strong Western

13 October 2002

A western through and through. As the title character portrayed by Glenn Ford says, "No, I don't want to fight, but I will if it's forced on me." This movie is about being intelligent, strong, and fighting for one's beliefs. With courage, never stop striving for what you feel is right. Great action and mostly quick paced. Good to see Brian Keith in this role and Edward G. Robinson as an older western man. Glenn Ford lives up to his western image. Thoroughly enjoyable film includes strategic non-military warfare. Of course it's violent, like the title states, but not too graphic like in the computer-generated era films. It's mostly about strong personality clashes.

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Regarding Henry (1991)

6/10

A Sense Of Truth

29 September 2002

Through the eyes of someone who has undergone a tragedy, we can see areas in our lives where we should try to be more in touch with our surroundings and people; to love more and do more for others. This film gives us a chance to meditate on what should be important in our lives. It shows an extremely accomplished man having to relearn what it means to be 'alive'. Because of this, the location for his rehabilitation is a very expensive home with high financial backing. I would like to see a similar movie set in a middle-class location, which would be more realistic to most of us, but I cannot think of one at the moment. Still, to remind us of the things that could be, the truth of what it means to be alive, makes for a supperb film which I believe may be watched by most of the entire family. Remember, it's rated PG13 for some Language, Sexual Content, and minor Violence. May we walk away from this movie as better individuals.

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The Truman Show (1998)

6/10

Interesting Remake

17 March 2002

It took me 45 minutes to realize I was watching a clever twist on "Prisoner, The" (1967) [TV-Series]. The only thing that kept me watching after that was my curiosity. I had been observing Jim Carrey's career then. This movie showed a very different Jim Carrey than I was used to. I hope he continues down this path, widening his character spectrum. I have never watched all of "The Prisoner" so I cannot say both stories ended the same way or differently.

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