Reviews

We got this movie because we have a squirrel.Whoever came up with the original idea obviously had a squirrel as a pet,the character's actions(other than the obvious dancing in a kilt)are pretty close to what a squirrel keeper sees.More squirrel scenes would have been nice,but probably wouldn't have added anything to the plot.Ours didn't like one slightly scary scene(for a squirrel)near the end,but everything was okay in a few minutes.Of course,since the squirrels in the recent Willy Wonka movie attacked the little girl,he didn't like that one(ran out of the room and stayed until it was over),so I'd have to say it's HIS favorite squirrel movie,since the people and animals got along.It's a funny,simple movie that anyone who likes animals would probably enjoy.

I recently decided that if the "Hollywood" crowd prematurely despised a movie merely for a director's personal mistakes, then I simply had to see that movie, just for spite. "Apocalypto" is a violent but not always gratuitous film depicting the Mayan empire in all its bloody, self-destructive decadence. It follows a young man as he is torn away from his remote tribal village and led to a Mayan temple complex where he and his fellow villagers are to be sacrificed to appease the synod and end the famine which ravages the land. Along the way the young man sees first hand how violent and detached the people of this empire are but has no indication of what awaits him at the temple. It is certainly not a dull movie and it is refreshing if somewhat surprising to see a original idea come out of Hollywood. I would certainly recommend this to anyone who likes history or action films and can stomach several close up shots of horrible injuries.

Obviously a lot of talented behind the scenes crew members worked on this movie, so don't even look at the credits at the end, you'll only hold it against them. Nobody seemed interested in seeing this movie, only 3 were in the theater; two passed out after 10 minutes, and they were the lucky ones. The 'monsters' were the unemployed worm from Star Trek 2, The Wrath of Khan, and rejected designs for the space creatures in Alien. The creators of the movie obviously didn't want to overshadow the third rate movie monsters, so they hired forth rate actors who apparently didn't get to memorize their lines, or in some cases learn to pronounce the words before filming began. Some scenes are incredibly inept in conveying just what is supposed to be happening, if anything is. If you are unfortunate enough to be in a theater where this movie is showing, and you don't pass out, you'll laugh at what are supposed to be frightening or suspenseful moments of the film. The implausibility of several scenes will just stun you, and Stephen Dorff's regular spewing of the 'Queen Mary of curse words' conveys the feeling of anyone who pays to see this. If you must see this movie, do yourself a favor and wait until it's in the bargain bin at the video store. If there's any justice in the film industry, one of the main actors will be there to rent it to you.

In the first scene, we get the theme of the movie. Jim Averill is late to his own graduation. In the long version, a passing carriage driver remarks, 'Late again?' as he passes. The first part also shows from where his idealism springs, as we here about the responsibilities of the educated and well-to-do from the 'Reverend Doctor' played by Joseph Cotton. We also see that he can be effectively competitive when he desires in the post graduation melee for the bouquet in a tree. From there, the movie becomes a sly play on the traditional western theme of the reluctant hero. What if the hero doesn't become active soon enough? What if he doesn't 'arrive in the nick of time'? How does he live in the aftermath of his own failure to act decisively? The photography is beautiful, like a series of paintings, but muted in color, perhaps to set the bleak mood of the ultimate ending. The sound is the worst I've heard in a big, expensive movie of this type. Its big and even overblown at times, but it has moments that stick with you for quite awhile after you've seen it. And you find yourself wondering if your getting what the director intended, or if HE really had a good grasp of what he intended. As far as historical accuracy goes, the more recent mini-series on film, 'Johnson County War' with Tom Berenger follows the known facts of the Johnson County range war much more closely, but its hard to sit through it all at one viewing.