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UncleCrust
Reviews
2036 Origin Unknown (2018)
Kewel
Great production. Sackoff's performance is very good. I was captivated by the premise/story/point but it was certainly well presented.
Excess Baggage (1997)
it's all in the cast
Okay, so it's kind of a stock movie story with stock characters but what really makes it a view-more-than-once flick are the characters, especially Benicio Del Torro who puts in another stellar performance. Del Torro's character, Vincent, was the only non-stock character in the film and I'm convinced that Del Torro made Vincent all that he was -- no matter how good the writing & directing. I never get tired of Christopher Walken and his Christopher-Walkenisms so I found him bonus in the flick. And who is this superb gangster Nicholas Turturro (Stick)? Again, a so totally stereotypical character, but Turturro's seamless, peerless delivery made me perk up in anticipation of how he would deliver his next line every time he showed up in a scene.
Something else I loved about this film were the "tight" images. I think the quality of the air in coastal Washington(?) gave the film a solid, high resolution look. But things like the car storage facilities not being your ordinary chop shop garages contributed to that "tight" imaging. Even having the cars covered in plastic was a "tight" consideration. As much as I'm not a big Alicia Silverstone fan, her face extrapolated this tightness.
A serious detriment to the movie was the terrible weakness & implausibility of everything to do with the police -- their acting, their entire investigation activities, the chase scene, their placid acceptance of "Uncle Ray" at the final abduction site. So strike that stuff from your memory and focus on Del Torro's acting. Thankfully, the cops don't impinge much on the story.
Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable film that I will *definitely* watch again.
Summer (2002)
One smooth sleeper of a movie!
No, no, no ... don't pass this movie up because of the limp description in your TV guide! Yes, you've got your standard college students coming of age theme here, but this time it is delivered in a rich and incredibly entertaining way. Okay, it is a Canadian production but the expected Canadian drollness has a most satisfying edge. What most impresses me about this movie is the clever dialog ... but dialog is nothing if not delivered well. No worries here. The acting chops of everyone in this flick blended that dialog into their characters seamlessly. The soundtrack for this production is also superb. Overall, this movie was truly a delightful surprise. I will definitely watch it again.