Reviews

I can't tell you how many times I saw the first Bill & Ted movie before ever seeing this sequel...because it was a sequel, so I figured it wouldn't be as good. I was wrong. I first saw it on television; my sister watched it with me. I couldn't stop laughing. She kept shaking her head, saying, "it's not funny, it's stupid" - but she kept laughing, too. How can you not laugh at the sight of Death playing Twister? Or, "You ugly, red, source of all evil!!" I loved the first movie, but I think the second, despite being darker, is funnier, more imaginative, and better written. William Sadler as Death was so, so, funny, so dead on (no pun intended), he deserved an Oscar nomination; this film made him one of my favorite character actors. Alex Winter & Keanu Reeves made Bill & Ted into airheads you root for. They're stupid, sure, but man are they good-hearted! So thumbs up from me; a third Bill & Ted movie would probably be too much, but they did go out in fine style. Catch you later, Bill & Ted!

When I first saw this film, I was not terribly informed re the Peltier case. As soon as the credits rolled, I knew that I would have to own this film, if only so that I could lend it to everyone I knew. As I had known would happen, each new person I showed it to became angry and incredulous: how can Leonard Peltier still be in prison? The snow job this soft-spoken, good-humored Ojibwa was given by the U.S. government makes me feel ashamed to be an American. It becomes painfully clear that the FBI popped Leonard because they needed to pop an American Indian, preferably an AIM Indian - and Leonard was there. But if you ask me, no justice has even been done for the 2 dead FBI agents Peltier's conviction was intended to avenge; jailing the wrong man - KNOWING he is the wrong man - is far worse, I feel, than not jailing anyone at all. I think Coler and Williams are still waiting for their killer(s) to be brought to justice; by the same token, Leonard Peltier's supporters are still awaiting justice for Leonard himself. This film clearly shows the mockery made by the U.S. government of its own judicial system; any self-respecting American - of any ethnic background - should cringe at some of the statements made, freely and willfully, by government staff and spokespeople in this film. I hope they all watched this, and could see just how ignorant, unconscionable, and utterly hateful they sounded, with no regard whatsoever for true justice. The bottom line? Watch this film. Then show it to everyone you love. If we continue to raise awareness, then maybe someday, Leonard will find justice - and peace.

FREE LEONARD!!!

As a fan of early James Cameron films, I was excited to see "The Abyss" when it first came out. And I liked it - I really did. But something seemed to be missing; it felt incomplete. Then I saw the Special Edition on the Sci-Fi Channel, and I was mesmerized. What a difference! With less than half an hour's worth of extra footage, Cameron completely changed the face of his film, gave it more depth, more life, and more meaning. Some people might say that 3 hours is too much movie, but most, I'm sure, saw "Titanic", "Dances With Wolves", and "The English Patient" (incidentally, all Best Picture Oscar winners) anyway. I urge you to do the same with "The Abyss". The cast - in particular, I felt, Ed Harris and Michael Biehn - was outstanding; this film actually helped to establish Ed Harris as a stalwart supporting player and "thinking woman's heartthrob". The FX are spectacular, the action almost nonstop, and the moral clear-cut and simple. So take a trip back to before Jim Cameron was the self-proclaimed "King of the World", and you'll see what I mean.

I'll say it right up front - I LOVED Kubrick's film version of "The Shining". I loved it, however, as a film, not as Stephen King's story brought to the screen. Kubrick (God bless and rest in peace) didn't really make a film out of King's book; he took the setting and the characters' names and made his own "Shining". I love Nicholson, but Nicholson wasn't Jack Torrance. Nicholson's Jack was nasty to his wife and child from the beginning, and descended into madness far more quickly than the original character. He expressed no love or affection toward wife or son, and you never were certain that it was actually the Overlook that was driving him mad - hell, maybe he just hated his family. Wendy Torrance, meanwhile, was written as a good-looking blonde - more DeMornay than Duvall, although I thought Shelley did all right. The only aspect of Kubrick's film that I liked better (with regards to King's novel) was Danny. Courtland Mead performed admirably in the mini-series, but Danny Lloyd was PERFECT in the film.

What it comes down to, really, is apples and oranges. Kubrick made a spectacular film; I own it on video. But it was not Stephen King's novel, and I understand the author's dissatisfaction. By the same token, the mini-series does not qualify as a "remake". King's vision was fulfilled for the first time with this mini-series, and I can appreciate that.

I can't believe that such a film as this could be made so near the advent of the 21st century. No wonder people are terrified of snakes! As a great respecter of snakes, I must point out that the anaconda, the largest & heaviest in its family, is not an evil, man-eating monster with split second reflexes; it's a cold-blooded animal that moves only as fast as it's variable body temperature allows it to. And snakes do not chase humans. They are afraid of us. Films such as "Anaconda" only increase public animosity toward snakes, which are largely unaggressive creatures that would rather flee from humans than fight us. I urge a boycott of the film "Anaconda", and understanding of the real thing. Oh, and one last thing: to Jon Voight - you should be very, very ashamed!