Reviews
Lake Placid 2 (2007)
Sci Fi Channel destruction of a good thing
The original Lake Placid was an unusual combination of comedy and drama. The violence was a bit much but not too much. The comedy was good enough for Betty White, and that made it unusual; nearly unique.
If they wanted a successful sequel, they would have shot for a story that was more Betty White. Instead, the Sci Fi Channel thought that a lot of blood and violence would be better. That makes the sequel just another of thousands of bloody horror shows. They did not have to pay for an expensive actress such as Betty White, but they should have payed for a good writer at least.
The Sci Fi Channel just does not get what it takes to succeed.
Edge of America (2004)
Too negative
This story is too negative. It starts nice but later on the coach yells too much. My guess is that the real-life coach did not yell as much.
I especially doubt that the real-life coach got so upset about words.
The movie leads people to believe that yelling is a good way to get people to succeed.
Many people won't understand that there are better ways to get success, but I am sure that the real coach understands.
I hope that someone some day makes a better version of the story that shows more of the caring that created the successful team.
I am now curious about the documentaries to see their version of the story.
Can You Feel Me Dancing? (1986)
Justine Bateman amazed me
It has been a long time since I saw this movie, but I sure remember being highly impressed by Justine Bateman. She is an amazing actress, at least in this show.
In Family Ties, Justine Bateman plays an airhead and it must be her excellent acting that caused to be so unimpressed by her. In this movie, we see that Justine Bateman is definitely not an airhead.
I don't remember much about the movie except that it is worth seeing. Justine Bateman is not blind but she sure is convincing as a blind person.
I will enjoy seeing this movie again when I can.
The Exhibitionist Files (2002)
A lot of talk, little action
This movie does contain nudity; if you don't want to see that then there might be too much of it for you.
If, however, you want and expect to see nudity, then this movie will disappoint you. Most of the exhibitionism exists as talk with little or no images.
The plot is definitely thin. Most of the plot involves analysis and other talking.
There is a stalker, but that does not add much to the movie. I think the stalker exists in the movie just because there is so little else in the movie.
The MatchMaker (1997)
I sure enjoyed it
This is a nice movie. Good humor and mystery.
Unlike most movies, it does not try too hard to be dramatic or such. The Senator is not too much of a good or bad guy. The people seem real and don't get too mad or yell too much.
Of course, like a good mystery, there are surprises at the end.
The sex and violence are both very tame.
Janeane Garofalo is wonderful; a nice, humorous person. A minor flaw is that she is just too nice; she does not seem to be the tough, driven political type she is supposed to be, but any lack of believability is more than made up for by how enjoyable the movie is.
The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002)
This really is a movie!
This is a comedy, action, science-fiction and animal documentary movie.
There truly is a story! The current primary comment about this show (the comment that is shown on the first page) says that this is not a movie, but it is a movie with at least as much of a plot as most action movies. The comment says that there is not an explanation of what the object is that everyone is after, but that person just did not pay attention to or see the beginning of the show.
Unlike nearly any other action movie, this show also has a lot of useful and interesting documentary information, as we might expect from the Crocodile Hunter. I am not a fan of the Crocodile Hunter; I think he exaggerates too much and I suspect he is misleading in his exaggeration. He is like that in this show too, but not as much as I would expect and therefore the show is entertaining to me also. I think the only reason some of the more extreme comments being made about this movie are made is because the Crocodile Hunter has such a strong reputation.
Busty Cops (2004)
Surgically Sensational
If you enjoy surgically enhanced breasts, then you must watch this show. If you do not enjoy surgically enhanced breasts, then you are not likely to enjoy the show. I think there is very little more criteria for determining who will enjoy this and who will not, since the surgically enhanced breasts are nearly the entire show.
As for plot, it is done with a sense of humor and does have the advantage of comedy. I think the plot could have been written during dinner with a few friends having a little fun.
The women are good comedians. As for acting, let's just assume that they knew it would be more humorous if they did not act well. Okay?
Teknolust (2002)
Creative, unusual and sufficiently entertaining
This is refreshingly unusual and interesting. Don't expect anything profound but "lust" is more of a philosophical subject than something acted out.
This is definitely fiction to the extent that it is not supposed to be possible or logical; it is an extreme indulgence in fantasy. In spite of being so unusual, it is also quite predictable in many ways.
It is more entertaining than most similar shows because it does not try too hard to be entertaining; the drama is not exaggerated, which makes the story more realistic than most dramas intended to be more realistic.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Lost in Boredom
In the beginning, we see Bob's (Bill Murray's) arrival in Japan. Soon after that, he is sitting on a chair, posing for pictures for the commercial he is doing. He is given direction about what to do, but it is all in Japanese. A lot is said, yet the translator says practically nothing. It is frustrating for him, since he knows the person said much more. It is frustrating for us also, since there is no translation for us either; however I assume that is the intent.
Note that the reason there is a translation problem is that there was no effort to translate. I get that impression of the movie also; there is relatively small effort (compared to how "big" the movie is) to communicate what is happening.
There is not much effort to show cultural differences, which is what we would expect, based on the title. The story is about two bored people, as if Japan is boring (is it?). We see images of Japan, but not much about difficulties relating in Japan, other than being bored.
Riot (1996)
Stupid, opportunistic and racist
This movie is not about the riot; the riots are simply something that provides a distraction that allows a kidnapping to occur. I suppose it is not any more stupid than similar action movies, but it sure is stupid if you are expecting a realistic view of the riots.
It is opportunistic in that it uses the riots to make us think it is interesting and worthwhile. The riots were not a good solution and will not be a good solution to problems, but this movie does not show any of the desperation and other social influences that caused the riots. In this movie, the only purpose of the riot is to provide the opportunity to make the black people the enemy.
It is racist because nearly all the black people are the bad guys.
There is a military influence to the story, and that makes the plot more complicated, but that does not help much.
The Guru (2002)
Cute, funny and different
I do have respect for the people of India and one of the many messages in this movie is that not all people of India are Gurus; they are more like all of us. Yet it is our great respect of them that provides opportunities, if they are lucky and are able to use the opportunity.
There is enough of an Indian style to make this movie different but it is not like many that have people of India; it does not exaggerate. It seems to show quite realistically what it might be like in real life for someone coming to America hoping to be successful. Yet unlike other countries, the people of India can take advantage of us in ways that people from anywhere else cannot, and that sure is part of the message in this movie.
Heather Graham and Marisa Tomei are not in the beginning, but of course they sure contribute to making this an American story. That Heather Graham sure is cute and lovable, but not in the beginning of her appearance.
Voyeur: Inside Out (2003)
All sex
There is a short story at the beginning that involves sex. The rest of the show is all women masturbating. Nothing more; no attempt is made to have any story to justify the sex. It is just sex, which is often normal for hard-core adult movies but unusual for soft-core such as this. This show is definitely edited to be soft-core.
If you don't want to see sex then either don't watch this or don't complain that it is pure sex.
I suspect this is a subtle advertisement for more explicit material. The masturbation is real and it is obvious that there is more that has been edited out. At the end of the show is an email address for obtaining more information. I am sure they will offer you more explicit material if you ask for it.
Sinful Desires (2001)
Great soft-adult with a good story
This movie has a good story, even for a soft-adult (soft-porn) movie.
A late-night radio host is stocked. The mystery is who is stocking her, and the answers are no more obvious than for a normal mystery.
The women are beautiful and there is ample opportunity to see their naked ("natural") bodies; so much so that some viewers will wish the movie would get back to the story.
Except for the long sex scenes, in which many seem to be more than acting, the movies moves pretty quickly.
I am not a good judge of acting ability, but the acting in this movie also seems quite good.
Little Voice (1998)
Amazing and wonderful singing, but otherwise ....
The singing is amazing and wonderful.
In the beginning, Little Voice's mother has a lot to say using a British accent that is likely difficult for non-British (at least Americans) to understand. That would not be so bad, but she talks in a very annoying manner; quite the opposite of Little Voice's. All that annoying talking is enough to drive many away, before we hear the first word spoken by Little Voice. The movie does eventually progress beyond that after about a half hour. It could have been a a wonderful movie, but it uses too much drama and not enough humanity. It probably is, though, worth watching just to hear the singing.
My First Mister (2001)
This is what the world needs now
This is a wonderful movie. It is most wonderful that it is not exaggerated; it seems entirely possible, and is not exaggerated just to make it more dramatic. Also unlike most movies, the second half is better than the first half.
This is a story of uncaring and unloving people that are totally capable of caring and loving very much. They are able to provide each other the opportunity to expose the wonderful feelings they each are capable of, and the world needs to see an abundance of examples of people being like that.
I think this movie can show how much hope there is for this world; it can inspire us to imagine how wonderful this world would be if more people could accomplish what the characters do in this movie.
Prêt-à-porter (1994)
Plenty of celebreties (only)
Usually a movie full of celebrities lacks other positive features, and this is a good example of that. It seems as if someone thought that if a bunch of celebreties were thrown together a movie would result automatically. The movie is interesting in some ways and does have some humor. The views of Paris is nice. However it felt like an addiction in that I almost got satisfaction but just not quite.
A Good Baby (1999)
Minimal violence and such but too predictable
Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to me that in the beginning, it is only guys that care for the child. I am a guy but I think most women would not turn away a baby without doing something for it. Also in the beginning, the women just say they can't keep "it". Also in the beginning, the baby is usually called "it".
This movie is too predictable and I think it does not fit together very well.
Dazzle (1999)
Nice fun movie
Except for being illogical in a few ways this is a nice entertaining movie with plenty to keep us interested. It is cute. It is also quite funny. There a few things such as jealousy thrown in to make it more dramatic that I think was unnecessary.
In the beginning of the movie, we see that the father and daughter are obsessed by fairies. Then just by coincidence there happens to be a real fairy lurking around them. There is an accident and the fairy becomes temporarily human. The rest of the movie is about her encounter with the father and daughter.
The Arrow (1997)
Very interesting, entertaining and educational
This movie is quite a surprise. It tells a story I had no idea existed. It seems quite amazing it is a true story. It is as dramatic as a fictional story written to be dramatic. I missed the beginning of the movie but based on the description of the DVD I will buy a copy when I get the chance.
Africa (1999)
Nice and entertaining
The star, Dorette Potgieter (Vicki), is sure a pretty young woman that does a great job of acting the part.
In the beginning of the movie, she is at a club or something like that dancing. It is a very fancy and civilized environment. She soon gets frustrated about her life and wants to be alone for a few days. So she decides to drive alone across Africa. Of course she has a problem and ends up walking off into the wild and uncivilized part of Africa. The one thing I don't understand is why she walked away from the road. That makes no sense, but everything else seems logical. In the beginning she is not very rational but after a while she accepts that she is lost in the wilderness and begins to be more logical.
Although there is some nudity, it is only minimal.
Bad Karma (2001)
Great for blood, guts and gore fans
This movie seems to depend on blood, guts and gore. After the initial scene in which so much of the woman is seen without clothes, there is very little nudity and plenty of blood, guts and gore. The story seems to have written to support showing it.
One thing that everyone seems to be missing is that so many people are killed. We are supposed to feel for some and not care about others. However that is one of many things that make it difficult for me to enjoy them.
There are a few times in this movie when the police could have been and should have been called yet they were not. This was probably also done by the writer because it was an easy way to maintain the drama. Producers will continue to make movies with plots like that until more people complain.
40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)
Unimaginative waste of time
This movie was not written well at all. There are abundant ways the writer wrote things that are stupid, at least in my opinion.
Yes, the women are pretty. However anyone that says this deserves a rating anywhere close to an X is either quite innocent about such things or is being intentionally misleading. Yes nearly the entire movie is about sex, but the nudity lasts a total of about ten seconds for the entire movie (unless I saw an edited version, which I doubt).
Head Over Heels (2001)
Fun, entertaining and like a Julia Roberts movie
Monica Potter is very pretty and I agree that she looks like Julia Roberts, except with blonde hair. She also acts like Julia Roberts, at least in this movie. The movie moves fast enough to keep us entertained and is quite funny. Most of the humor is the more subtle kind, such as what Bill Cosby might do, instead of direct, such as what Jim Carrey usually does. Of course there is a big (huge) dog that creates humor such as Jim Carrey does.
Monica Potter plays a woman with a quite conservative life, which contrasts well (for our entertainment) with the four models she moves in with. In the beginning of the movie, she is looking for a room to move into. On her way to view the room she moves into, she gets run over by a big dog and "falls in love with" immediately with the guy responsible for it. After moving in, she continues to encounter the dog and the guy. At first they are both too shy to admit their attraction for each other. With a little help from her friends and the dog, they eventually do. That is not the end of the movie, of course. There is much more to see.
Changing Lanes (2002)
Too illogical for me
Don't all good lawyers know that a person can be sued for damages? Attorneys are criticized as if they are crooks but I think they all would use the law when it benefited them at least.
In this movie, reporting a crime would have benefited the lawyer. Threatening to sue would have benefited the lawyer. Instead the lawyer does things that makes the movie much more dramatic but very stupid. It is so stupid that I can't enjoy the movie.
The attorney does something to try to get the other person to return his property (early in the movie) but has problems getting it undone later. It is the difficulty of getting it undone that is the reason why such things are seldom done in the manner shown in this movie. However that is obviously the only way the author knew to make the movie dramatic.
Without the name-brand actors, this movie would get much more criticism.
Fortress (1985)
Interesting and entertaining
If this is based on a true story then it is quite a story. It very well could be real. It is an adventure to watch but certainly not an adventure anyone would want in real life.
I think the plot summary gives away too much of the story. I think it would be better to say that this is a story of one adult young woman school teacher and her nine young students. I think the young ones rang in age from kindergarten to about 14 or 15. They are kidnaped and are very scared. Yet they do their best to escape, and they only want to survive and escape. They overcome fear and do their best to get away, but they make some mistakes. Is it the kidnappers that are the biggest problem or is it the wilderness? What happens when there is injury and death? All that can be scary but fear is a great enemy too.