Brooklyn-10

I wonder how many times I shook my head while watching this movie. For research scientists, the characters in "Hollow Man" were so brainless it was nearly stupifying. First off, I had a problem with the collective youth of this top-secret research team. They are supposed to be pioneering invisibility, when most of them look (and I stress look) as if they should be only a year or so out of college. I know, I know, they're whiz kids or something. But they didn't seem to have much grasp of the obvious. Just look at the scene in which a female researcher rushed to the side of her mortally wounded comrade, who is spurting blood from the gaping wound in his head, and says something to the effect of, "His pulse is weak! Breathing shallow!" I don't know about her, but I thought the guy had bigger problems.

Then there is the ridiculous scene in which Elizabeth Shue is locked in a freezer. Kevin Bacon has turned the temp down to 30 degrees below zero, and somehow she is not only NOT DEAD within minutes, but, clothed in a light, clingy top, she doesn't even appear chilled.

I never was made to understand just what made Kevin Bacon's character such a jerk. I only know he was utterly unlikeable. Then there are fundamental questions about his behavior while invisible. Such as, why was he hiding behind the bushes in the general's yard before sneaking up on him? Habit?

The filmmakers must have had low expectations of their audience's intellect, and it showed in many little ways, like how the serum that makes you invisible is BLUE and the serum that reverses it is RED. Just so you won't get confused, you see. The actual transformation, while well done effects-wise, was absolutely repulsive to me. I did not care to see a bloody, living anatomy chart mess of muscles, guts and veins flopping around on the gurney in agony. Just plain disgusting.

Anyway, this was the worst movie I have seen in a while, but it makes me appreciate the average film a bit more. Nearly anything looks good compared to it.

You always know it's a bad sign if your mind starts wandering during a movie, and even worse when you find yourself critiquing the movie itself. Slow and tedious are the words that first spring to mind when considering "Mission to Mars". What on earth were Tim Robbins and Gary Sinise doing in this snoozer? Not acting, that's painfully clear. So much of this movie is painfully drawn out because of extended sequences in which the characters slowwwwwwly spin and turn in their movements in the space station. All right already, we understand there's zero gravity, can we cut to the chase? It's as if so much time and effort was put into filming those weightless scenes that the editors were instructed to make sure every last one of them made it into the film. The result is excruciating and an irresistable urge to fast forward to the point of the scene, except that there never is one. Product placement was blatently obvious to the point of being annoying. Especially the candy DNA. I wonder how many theater-goers decided they had a craving for Skittles when they saw that and left for the concession stand, never to return.

This is one of the most overlooked screen gems in cinematic history. By all rights, "Empire" should have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but inexplicably it was criticized for not being usual Spielberg fantasy fare. I believe that it is this movie, not "Schindler's List" that is Spielberg's masterpiece to date. He paints a moving, poignant epic upon a canvas of stunningly beautiful cinematography. Christian Bale pours his heart and soul into a performance that could well be the best ever given by a child actor. As young Jim, separated from his parents, he shows us the gritty, crafty resilience that children can have in dire circumstances. His fear and determination touch us and we admire him, wondering if we, as adults, could cope or adapt as well in the same situation.

Too numerous to mention are the scenes which are heart-rending or simply surreal. For me, the essence of this movie is captured in the scene in which Jim scurries to the roof to watch his heroes fly by, and cries in exultation, "CADILLAC OF THE SKY!..."