Reviews

This is the one movie this summer that you need to go into without knowing anything that is to come. I thought the story did an excellent job in exploring the human need to connect with something greater... for some it is "god, for some it is eternal physical life, for some it is material and financial profit, for some it is the desire to know what is out there and for some... well, they were programmed to be the way they are. Human desire drives this film and it can take humanity to some very dark places before it is over. Prometheus is a cautionary tale about being careful in getting what you most desire. For fans of Alien & Aliens (like me) Ridley Scott provides the foundation of what is to occur in those films. The revelations were delicious treats for such fans and I know we appreciate them greatly. The writers of this story realized that a lot of the viewing audience would not know the Alien mythology so they wrote the story in such a manner that you can come in not knowing anything about the Alien franchise and being just fine. Actually, it would be even better to know nothing and see Prometheus and then watch Alien & Aliens to go in chronological order. I am really looking forward to the sequel to Prometheus because I get the feeling that payback will be a bitch. This is not a film for the young because it gets quite intense & it explores deeply philosophical issues that lead humans to some very dark places. Teens & adults will appreciate the serious storytelling while admiring the fantastic cinematography which is best appreciated in Real 3D. The cast is brilliant, the relationships intense and the discovery of the creators may not be as pleasing to the religiously faithful versus what they find in their holy books. - Now the part that contains spoilers. - I see where some have had a field day in picking the plot to pieces with criticism on how it wasn't scientific enough for them. I agree that the writers clearly had these humans do some stupid things if this were a purely scientific expedition to look for new life. NASA would do it much differently than the crew of the Prometheus. Instead to drive the story about humans on a search for their desires, some material and some spiritual, you have to suspend your connection to the rational world because this is mythological storytelling. You even get a miraculous birth thrown in but it ends a bit differently than the Jesus story. Dr. Shaw is looking for the Biblical Creator and she is the Ying of this adventure to the David/Weyland Yang of looking for the secret to eternal physical life. Weyland and his corporation have their own agenda which lives on in the evil found in Alien & Aliens. Now that everyone has had their hopes and desires crushed by what they found on LV-223 it will be interesting to see what Dr. Shaw and the newly liberated David find on the Engineers' homeworld when they find it & bring a dish of revenge which is best served cold... and it gets very cold in space. So go see this movie without dissecting every little thing that happens and just enjoy the philosophical exploration of the human condition.

Colin Quinn wrote and starred in this adapted Broadway show where he takes the audience on a trip through human history. He discusses human civilization down through the ages starting with the Greeks and running through most of the major cultures through the ages ending up with the state of modern America. Quinn does a great service to history by showing the impact of the connections that cultures have had on each other for better and for worse and he makes these stories about humanity interesting, funny and poignant. If we taught history in this manner maybe more people will take it seriously and learn from it rather than writing history off as being boring, dull or having nothing to do with their lives in our modern world. This comedy special is well worth your time and effort to watch and enjoy. It will hopefully heighten the viewer's appreciation of human history and help them understand why England has a crush on France and how the nations of the world wound up in a bar fight at 3 o'clock in the morning. I hope HBO adds plenty of extras from Quinn and director Jerry Seinfeld when this is released on DVD.

The story starts off slowly but poignantly in a "retirement" home in New Orleans. The people that populate Benjamin's world are all at the end of their mortal existence while Benjamin is headed in the other directions. Also, one learns that there are many places one may be struck by lightening.

The special effects & makeup that altered Brad Pitt's appearance as he de-aged during the film were amazing. I found myself getting lost in the story despite the amazing lack of car chases, explosions and cheap sexual titillation. A very mature presentation on how time changes us all and how the choices we make or ignore have lasting impact upon us until the day we die.

The acting was sublime and superb by all concerned. Cate Blanchett did an amazing job of handling the demands of showing the complicated emotions and conflicts felt by Daisy as she deals with the truth of her relationship with Benjamin. Kudos also to Taraji P. Henson's soulful depiction of Benjamin's "mother," Queenie.

Being a resident of New Orleans, the most poignant part of the film was the ending. I found the death of Daisy coinciding with the arrival of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of the warehouse holding Monsieur Gateau's "The Reverse Time Clock" hit me literally where I live. The movie made liberal use of showing off New Orleans but that ending was emotional as Katrina still haunts us to this day. Also, I learned I would never want to stay in Murmansk in winter.

This is a must-see movie for those who love movies rather than soulless SFX spectacles. Brad Pitt & this film better get some Oscar love or a whole lot of folks will be upset.

My wife and I were able to attend a sneak preview offered by Disney at our local AMC Theater. The theater was packed thanks to the local radio station giveaway of passes. I enjoyed the first movie but it wasn't on my Top 100 movie list for great films. It was what it was, a fun, ahistorical excuse to put Nicholas Cage in the middle of an Indiana Jones-esquire adventure. It entertained but had the substance of cotton candy, as once I was out of the theater the movie left my memory. So I went into this screening of Book of Secrets with middling expectations. I will have to admit the writers did a good job of constructing a cool story to serve as the catalyst to send Nick "Ben Gates" Cage and his posse on an adventure worth the space in my memory.

I am sure the story has been summarized well already. So I am cutting to the chase (or chases) in what I found appealing in this film. Ed Harris as the bad guy worked as I found Ed's character to be sufficiently creepy as the pseudo-Blackwater chief "Mitch Wilkinson." He could have been the cookie-cutter foil but the writers added a nice twist at the end of the story that redeems Wilkinson and raises his character above the stock movie nemesis. Helen Mirren was a delight as Ben's Mom who happened to be an expert in dead languages. Mirren and Voight had good chemistry as a long-separated couple who could have benefited from marriage counseling all those years ago.

Yet what I enjoyed the most was the interplay within the triad, Ben Gates, his ersatz ex Abigail Chase and the everyman hero, Riley Poole. They played off each other as if they had known each other for years. Cage as Gates, pulls off the insufferable but lovable ex so well that you buy into the plot line that has the lovely and sharp Diane Kruger, as Abigail Chase, fall in love with Gates all over again. This could slide into treacle without the valuable contribution of Justin Bartha as the long-suffering, unacknowledged action hero, Riley Poole. His humor was always timely and never forced. It was also gratifying to see that he did get the girl and the car in the end.

Am I the only one who thought that Bruce Greenwood brought a Kennedyesque air about his portrayal of "The President." Maybe it was due to his excellent work as JFK in "Thirteen Days," but he actually convinced me we could have a President who was intelligent and well-spoken. Also, he has me curious as to what was in the Presidents' book and how that will be played out in "National Treasure III: Page 47." So I hope they invite him back to join Gates in the next installment.

So if you loved the first movie, you won't be disappointed in the Book of Secrets. It is a better, more coherent film that the first one with a great cast that worked well together. What more could you ask for in an adventure film released in December rather than summer!

I rented this film because of its connection to Louisiana. The acting is absolutely superb in this German movie about a man who retires and finds his passion for life has gone until he discovers Zydeco music. This is not the typical Hollywood tale but rather a very foreign, in this case German, look at how a person deals with the end of their life. I watched this film after Hurricane Katrina, so it was good to see some of the old local landmarks like the Rock'N Bowl being used as a location. The storyline had me hooked from the very start as Schultze and his friends drew me into their world and everyday mundane lives and following Schultze's evolution. This is a story that resonates for all of us as we must one day face the question of existence like Schultze's character did and I hope I do it as well as he did by seizing the day. If you enjoy a good old-fashioned story that doesn't rely on juvenile humor, huge explosions or gee whiz special effects, then go rent this movie today.

JMS really put together an excellent series with B5. The use of the 5-year story arc really gave the show an epic mythological feel. As with the best work in sci-fi, B5 explores the human condition through the interaction of the human players i.e., the B5 station crew vs EarthGov and in the interaction of humans and aliens i.e. the B5 station crew and the Minbari, the Narn, the Centauri, the Vorlon, the Shadows, etc. But the best part of JMS' storyline comes in what each alien race represents which to me is an aspect of our current humanity.

What impresses me is how JMS' storyline of B5 having to battle a conspiracy within the Office of the (EarthGov) Presidency to destroy Democracy and replace it with the tyranny of fear and hate. Just change the name of President Clark to President Bush in the B5 mythos and you'll think JMS as being clairvoyant! Along with Star Trek, B5 represents the best that the medium of television has to offer an intelligent audience. It also shows the high quality of storytelling ability and insight on the human condition that can be performed by an Atheist.

B5's storyline reminds me of what Founding Father James Madison once told me, "If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." JMS obviously understands history and the future. Watch B5 in the order of the episodes and you won't be disappointed.

There are many critics' reviews I have read about Ice Age: The meltdown that were highly critical and dismissive of this movie. As an adult (38) who saw this film on its opening weekend, all I can say in response is hogwash. This was a highly enjoyable story with likable characters in a visually stimulating animated film.

Obviously Mannie Mammoth gets more focus in this film with the usual ongoing comic commentary provided by his sidekick Sid the Sloth. The real victim in this sequel is any important story points or action for Diego except for his one major fear. I did find that part of the story lacking but this lull was easily made up for by the rest of the plot. I plan to go see this movie again at the theater and then I'll add the DVD release to my collection to be a companion to the first Ice Age DVD set. This is a great film for children of all ages (8-80).

Knowing how well Scrat was received by fans of the first Ice Age, Scrat gets even more acorn action in this sequel. I began to feel bad for the poor Saber-tooth Squirrel but you have to admit he is a shining example of perseverance. His voyage to the great beyond for his eternal reward and resulting interference by Sid was absolutely fantastic and hysterically funny. I went out today and bought my Scrat "Goin Nutz Scrat" Interactive Electronic toy. He now has an honored place in my bedroom next to my model of the Starship Enterprise. Who knows when Scrat may want to join Starfleet to find the Planet of Eternal Nuts in the Acorn Nebulae.