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Reviews
Living in Tents (2018)
St. Louis fails to make a dent in its homeless population.
I watched this to the end thinking there MUST be some redeeming value in showing the inside of a homeless encampment by the river. So surprises here... smoking, drugs, most of the folks don't or can's hold down a job. How this got an 8.7 star rating at the time of my viewing it on YouTube, I suspect a handful of folks who didn't already know what that kind of life was like were hoping a high rating would make people watch it, feel sorry for the homeless and volunteer to help them. Interviews with volunteers and with the homeless filled in the ugly details of how they lived. The depressing statistics of how few of the homeless kept what nice places to live, sure was not surprising or gave cause for much hope.
Time Jumpers (2018)
Give it a chance. Just enjoy each separate short film.
I read all the reviews that gave this collection a rating of 1. I watched it just to se why so many viewers thought it was only a 1 out of 10. I give it 4. Of course, I went into viewing it knowing about the separate shorts. Each one left you with the idea that, "Here's how it could have ended." I thought the acting was ok, certainly not bad, as some reviewers have said. Know what you're getting into before you watch it. Let yourself be entertained, and I'll bet you'll come away rating it higher than a 1.
Visitor from Space (2016)
Old teachers' production of how to NOT make a high school movie?
I watched the whole thing on You Tube. What a waste of time. One real dumb goof what the old white-haired scientist got a haircut for the last part of the movie. Everybody who had more than one word of dialogue was reading off their clipboards. Maybe my vote of ONE out of 10 will not let so many others get fooled into watching this. It had a rating of 7.4 when I watched it. No wonder the comments on You Tube were disabled. So much of the props were homemade by, possibly, 7-year-olds. They guy that was using the box radio kept sliding moving his fingers on the big knobs, but without moving them. Must have been glued onto the box. Sharp, clear filming greatly contrasted with the very fuzzy public domain film interspersed within the movie. Lots of clothing was 2016 style, not 50s style. Have I just been hoodwinked into wasting more time warning you about this joke-of-a-movie? Oh well... Now THAT'S a deep subject.
The Dark Tower (2017)
Ho Hum Tower
I had read that most Steven King fans hated the film, but was expecting some good work by Elba. Nothing special here. First half hour of the film is really a ho-hummer. Nothing special about the special effects. I would say this is a movie geared to the pre- and mid-teenagers. The language is clean enough for children and others who don't appreciate rotten language. Ugly monsters are often in the dark,so no bad looks in that department. Along the line of what others have said, this movie is most likely more sit-throughable if one knows nothing about the novels.
Rogue One (2016)
Bored One. Let down... too many dark (low-light) scenes.
Once you've seen the special effects of the other Star Wars films, this film was no big deal. We went to see it this afternoon, and both of us were ready to walk out after about 45 minutes. Way too many scenes in the dark. On this line I'll say that it's OK if you've not seen any other Star Wars films. On this line I'll say that I wish I didn't have to write a minimum of 10 lines. On this line I'll say that we rented the latest Jason Bourne film and watched it when we got home and really liked the excitement... really liked THAT film better than Bored One. (Preview my reviewing...) Oh, come on! I have to include more lines? Well here goes. I recognized the beach and palm trees scenes, partly because the palm trees were perfectly set in nice rows. I had heard that the battle of the last hour was fantastic, terrific, and really great, but, ho-hum. It was the same old stuff.
10.0 Earthquake (2014)
Anti-fracking, made-for-teens fun?
Potty-mouth, sex-on-their minds teenagers are most of this flick. Look past the physical impossibility of most of what causes the tense moments. Best part of the movie is when the dirty-mouthed, bullying teenager gets his payback. The grownup humor catches one off guard, and is not overdone. There's love interest too. (I'm not talking about what goes on between the hormone charged teens. Mom and dad have some smoothing out to do, as they are getting ready for divorce as the movie begins. For a tree-hugging movie, some lines don't seem to fit, like: "We're going to lose an entire city, so what's a few thousand trees?" Spoiler: It has a happy ending.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
Entertaining... Why else watch a thriller like this one?
I rated this film pretty high since for me it was quite exciting and had some romance in it. Seeing all the big name actors and actress made it somewhat unrealistic, but I would recommend this to folks I know who just want to be entertained and don't care about details that are less than totally realistic. You know that the good guys are going to win in the end, but that doesn't matter. I felt the action scenes were well enough done that I found myself gripping my chair sometimes. I wanted the bad guy(s) to get another kick when they finally got what was coming to them. I watched it on Netflix, so I didn't pay the price for a theater ticket to see it, but I really would have felt I got my money's worth if I HAD paid to see it... it was that good. I would have preferred less profanity, but was glad it was PG-13, cause I wouldn't have watched it if it had been rated R.
Godzilla (2014)
1998 much better... Bring back the 1950s' rubber suits!
This film was not as big a letdown as it would have been had I not read some of the reviewers that hated the movie. One reason we didn't get a good look at Godzilla until the last portion of the film is because seeing from the beginning would have been too much of a letdown. The monsters he fought were just as stupid-looking and impossible in a real world where the laws of physics (weight, flying, quick movement by zillion-ton creatures) reign, as G was. OK, no spoilers, so how do I get three more lines in this box? You know, I wouldn't even rent this film when it comes out on DVD/BluRay. Oh... there was no applause (Hope that isn't a spoiler.) When Rodan... I mean Godzilla took on the other monsters, probably because there were about ten others (No, not ten other monsters, people.) in the theater, all old fogies like me, who thought the 1950s rubber-suited Japanese Godzilla was better, in its day, than this one in 2014.
Counterplot (1959)
Don't bother with this one.
This IS a boring film, particularly in the beginning. I had read all the reviews posted here before watching it. If there IS a guy named Dutch in the film, why does his accent have to sound like a Dutchman? Maybe it was Fritz one reviewer was referring to. Fritz spoke English really good. Now the little Puerto Rican boy, he was something else. He spoke in broken English, but should have been coached to not make perfect Rs and Ts when he spoke, thus sounding more like a kid who couldn't speak English very well. I agree whole-heartedly with the reviewer who pointed out that a man was murdered by softly tapping his head on the floor three times. The film editor must have forgotten to cut out every other frame at that point to make it look like his head was hitting the floor hard. I gave this film a 3 because after reading the other reviews, I was ready for a terribly boring film. I felt the film could have been a lot more so... boring.
Flashpoint: Who's George? (2008)
This could turn out to be a tear-jerker for you.
I agree with what the reviewer who gave this episode a 10/10 had to say. I have only seen two other episodes from the 1st series, and maybe 9 is a little high, but I thought, being a 65-year-old male, that it was quite emotional in a soft-hearted way. For a TV14 rated series, this episode was quite mild. There was no blood, none of that rotten language that some kids' parents might not want them to hear. There were plenty of tense moments, but about half way through the episode there comes a point where we see why person was driven to the point where the action starts. I think this episode is better when one doesn't know any of the details beforehand. I'm not talking about spoilers. Just let yourself be entertained. If you have loved ones, like a husband or wife, maybe an uncle past middle age, you may find this episode tugs at your heartstrings.
License to Kill (1984)
I wanted to see Denzel Washington and was not sorry I rented it.
I paid a buck to see this film. Yep, Denzel Washington did not have a spectacular part. I will recommend this film for it's great message. Denzel Washington does well in portraying the helplessness that must often be felt by people who are wronged and have to wait for justice to be done. Perhaps they feel justice does not get done. The tragedy and heartache suffered by the offended and by the offending persons in this film is well portrayed. Don't buy it, rent it for $1.04 like I did. (Is that ten lines yet?) Nope, it wouldn't let me go. So I'll repeat some things for emphasis. I paid a buck to see this film. Yep, Denzel Washington did not have a spectacular part. I will recommend this film for it's great message. Denzel Washington does well in portraying the helplessness that must often be felt by people who are wronged and have to wait for justice to be done. Perhaps they feel justice does not get done. The tragedy and heartache suffered by the offended and by the offending persons in this film is well portrayed. Don't buy it, rent it for $1.04 like I did.
Eraserhead (1977)
Try to find the d-e-a-p meaning in this cult classic
Some years ago I tried watching this weird, disgusting film and quit about half way through. Recently I rented the DVD and stuck with it through the end, even watching the director, Lynch, tell about making it. Give a weird guy the money to spend making a movie, and he'll make a weird movie. Watch this movie and you may be kicking yourself for wasting the time, like I did. Yes, the sound was cool and the lighting was great. But so what? There are many things in this film that make a normal person feel uncomfortable. But hey, isn't that why we watch films? This film could be seen as making fun of people with mental challenges. But hey, it's freedom of expression and boy, and didn't he use some great techniques? I can't help wondering what those guys were on when they were making the movie over several years. Be sure to watch the special story (It's a hum-dinger!) of making the movie. I WILL say that I liked Lynch's Elephant Man, but I haven't seen any of his other stuff.
Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971)
Very watchable B movie without gratuitous gore
I saw this movie in the theater when it first came out and was really impressed. Over the years I have wanted to see it again and was delighted that it must have recently come out on DVD. Watching it for the second time in 35 years at home in the morning is not nearly as effective as watching it in the dark the first time. The first time I watched it I WAS wondering if it was all just to scare Jessica, but this time, the ending leaves no doubt if they were just scaring her or not. The intensity builds throughout the film right through to the end. Carefully watch Jessica in the scene while the credits role. It will be like the film's message continues through your last glimpse. A couple of the comments by those who didn't like the film make reference to Jessica's smile. It gave a sense of innocence or gullibility to her character.
Mystery Men (1999)
10 being the funniest, 0 being a tiny bit funny, this is a 0
Yes, this will contain spoilers, because I am going to list for you the funniest parts of this film, starting with the most hilarious and ending with the least funny. #10: They get excited about their vehicle taking off, but it moves a couple of feet and dies. #9: The big magnet on their vehicle sucks up everything iron, even a villain's pants buttons, making them fall down around his ankles. #8: The weapon accidentally shoots down a satellite circling the earth. #7: It's dark outside during the night scenes. #6: The title of the movie, "Mystery Men", does not account for one of the heroes being a woman. #5: A bad guy sharpens his pinky's fingernail before attempting to do harm to a Mystery Man. #4: There was air in most of the rooms during the film. #3: "Mystery Men" spelled backwards does not spell "Nem Yretsym Clod". #2: A hero does not use his shovel, his main weapon, to open a cloud on Jupiter, nor on one of its moons. And finally, #1: As you watch the credits at the end of the film, somewhere within those last 6 minutes, in the reflexion of your TV screen, you see a cat on the lawn outside. I'll admit that I might have missed something even funnier, had I not watched a Cleanfilms edited version. But beware, this film just MAY be the one makes you laugh dying.
The Great O'Malley (1937)
"I thought it was a violin." "QUIET!!"
I've seen this movie several times, and in great detail most of those times. It helps to look for the humor. O'Brien, the cop, comes up with some funny ones, even though the is wisecracking to the people he it ticketting. Barbara, Bogart's daughter is a darling. I think there are some parts that tug at the heartstrings. This is a movie that gets better after you have seen it once and go back to look for the details. Example: SPOILERS... Bogart is stopped for driving his car with a noisy, broken muffler. The cop comes up to him as asks, "What 'er you celebratin'?" When Bogart explains that he can't help it, "It's the muffler." The wisecrack from the cop is, "I thought it was a violin." Funny, huh? Well, I guess it's not for everybody.
You Got Served (2004)
I dared myself to watch this because of others' comments
SPOILERS included! I had a hankerin' to see why so many IMDBers came down so hard on this movie. Sort of like doing something you know you shouldn't, even if it was simply bad to waste one's time doin' it. I got the DVD from Cleanfilms.com, so I suppose I was spared a lot of crotch-grabbing (Some was left in the movie.) and bad language. At first, I didn't think I could take all the dancing the crews were doing. It seemed so repetitious. Here comes the spoiler... I thought during the competition for $50,000 at the end of the movie some of the dancing was good enough for me to hang in there till it was over. The acting was really bad, at first, but I think it improved as the movie went on, or I just got used to it. There is a plot, not JUST dancing. I wish I could have voted a 1.5, just because at the end, there were some new dance moves. By the way, I'm a 56 year old high school teacher who doesn't care for the way a lot of teenagers act. Oh... I'm white, Italian ancestry, and was surprised, in these politically correct times, to see that the main meanies in the competition where two white boys.
Big City Blues (1932)
Sends a message about the dangers of the big city
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! This is a fun movie that gets better after the first viewing. I first watched it just for the early Bogart. When you watch it for the whole effect you'll probably wonder why it's never been on VHS or DVD. Well, there's this young man who's leaving the sticks for the Big Apple. The old men at the train station try to tell him he's in for disappointment, but he doesn't listen. In New York he gets an $8 room (nice for 1932) where his cousin takes advantage of him by using some of his $1,100 cash for parties and booze. He meets Joan Blondell and they are attracted to each other. It's funny how in this pre-code film, they never kiss once, even though adult themes are everywhere. Well, during the party in which almost everyone is drunk or stoned, Bogart tries to take another man's girlfriend home, which starts a brawl. A bottle is thrown, striking a girl in the head, killing her. Everybody runs off, leaving the poor kid from the sticks with the dead girl in his hotel room. As he avoids the police, he meets up with an older woman who would like him to spend some time with her. He finds Joan Blondell again, and loses the rest of his cash trying to win enough money so they can get away from it all. They get caught, taken down to the station, are grilled, and finally Bogart's brawling partner is found after hanging himself, with "proof" that the kid from the sticks is innocent. The two kids hug at the train station and they young man goes back to the sticks, only to decide to make some money to return to New York.
Legendary Champions (1968)
Good old boxing footage
My interest in this video was to watch the old boxers in action. There are lots of extra scenes that show the boxers outside the ring. There are some films included that have never been shown elsewhere or that are the only ones of their kind in existence. A couple of the early boxers, John L. Sullivan for example, are shown here in the only film ever taken of them. The film of the Dempsey-Willard fight is very violent. The history of Jack Johnson out of the ring is quite interesting. The narrator incorrectly states that Jack Johnson is seen picking a defeated boxer's teeth out of one of his gloves. That's at the end of pretty bloody fight. The attire worn by some of the early boxers is much more revealing than what modern-day boxers use, and to the other extreme, tights were even worn by some boxers.
Shallow Hal (2001)
The movie took a long time to send a message.
I watched this movie as it came from Cleanfilms.com. I probably didn't miss much except some bad language, so I don't thing my impression of the movie was influenced by seeing in an edited form. The movie was way too long. There were about a half dozen times where I was thinking, "Ok, rap it up and end it now." But it just kept on going. The mixture of humor and a serious message didn't work. SPOILER: Don't read further if you want the movie spoiled for you... Hal goes for the looks of a girl, rather than what she has in her heart. He's "hypnotized" so that an obese girl looks attractive. "Un-hypnotized" he sees her as she really is, but in the end, stays with here and goes off with her in the Peace Corps.
Midnight (1934)
Worth watching for more than just early Bogart
I have recently watched this film again. This time I realized that there is a lot in the movie besides just seeing Bogart in one of his early films. This movie makes a very strong statement about capital punishment. Equally as strong is its statement on who you know if you want to beat a rap. The whole movie takes place during a few hours before the scheduled execution of a woman who killed her lover who was going to leave her. Except for the beginning court scenes, and prison scenes, and a couple of scenes where Bogart is in a room somewhere, and when he and Sidney Fox are in his car, the movie takes place at the home of the jury foreman who found the woman guilty. A news reporter gets into the house with a radio and a surprise at the end so that the public can witness what it's like for that foreman as the scheduled execution time approaches. What you may think is a surprise ending really isn't the end at all. Keep watching for the twist involving the district attorney who has his eye on the governorship. This film, like Bogart and Huston's Beat The Devil, is in the public domain.
Producers' Showcase (1954)
Fun to see Bogart as an older Mantee
My only interest in this made-for-TV show was to watch Bogart go through the same moves he did that got him started back in the 30's. For Bogart fans, it should be a real treat if you can find it. I viewed it in 2004. UCLA has a copy in their archives.
Monte Walsh (2003)
Not as exciting as Crossfire Trail
The scenery was beautiful, but I kept waiting for the action, as in Crossfire Trail. Things seemed to plod along, with a realistic setting and beautiful country throughout. This movie is rated a lot higher than Crossfire Trail here at IMDb, but I would reverse the ratings and, for a TV movie, rate Monte Walsh at a 5.
Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003)
3D was too hard to watch. Would have been better in 2D.
I saw this with my 11-year-old son today. He said he would see it again, right away. But for me, the 3D was too hard to watch. The colors were not very true. There was lots of double-vision throughout. My eyes are OK, and I've seen a couple of old 3D movies which were about the same, but they were in black and white, which made the colors acceptable. Compared to the 3D movie at Disneyland featuring Michael Jackson some years ago these 3D effects were really bad. I'll have to admit that the glasses used in Disneyland were more expensive lenses, not red and blue, and you had to return them when the show was over.
Battle Circus (1953)
Bogart must have forgotten this one, worse than Swing Your Lady
I pulled this one down off the shelf the other day to watch it for about the half a dozenth time. I couldn't get through it. The love story is not very realistic. Can somebody answer this one for me? Why is a US fighter jet firing on their own soldiers? The scene with the Korean threatening to blow up the hospital with a hand grenade and the one where they save the little boy's life were worth seeing the movie... once.
Swing Your Lady (1938)
Bogart considered this his worst movie.
There are a few laughs here and some nice old-time country music. The wrestling match is great, thanks to Daniel Boone Savage. Ronald Reagan has a short part. For Bogart fans, this film is a must because he didn't act in very many comedies.