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Reviews
Young Adult (2011)
Surprisingly profound
This film could very easily have been awful, but thanks to Charlize Theron's outstanding performance as the deranged ex, it is lifted to something that is nearly (if not totally) profound. Also, Patton Oswalt's performance is outstanding. Everyone else in the cast is there for Theron and Oswalt to play off of, which made it difficult for anyone else to make much of an impression on me, but that didn't matter.
Because of the film's title and Theron's character constantly living in the past, it might be easy to miss the fact that this isn't just a film about a woman who doesn't know how to have a non-toxic relationship with a man, it is also a film about the havoc that alcoholism can cause in the life of a person who has too much free time on his or her hands.
And So It Goes (2014)
Not as good as it gets
I once read someone say that the problem with this film was that it needed to be 30 minutes longer for the characters to be fully developed. This film is only 6 minutes shorter than Diane Keaton's Annie Hall, a film that is a quintessential (and iconic) character study. Characters can be developed in short order if the writing is good, but the writing for And So It Goes was not very good. Rob Reiner is a first-rate director, but when the writing for a small-scale comedy isn't good, the film isn't going to be good.
The primary reason I even watched this film when I saw that it didn't receive good ratings at RT (or on IMDB) is that my late friend (actress Susan Gordon), used to get told that she looked like Diane Keaton AND once gave Michael Douglas a tour of Tokyo (or maybe it was Kyoto?) when she worked at an advertising firm in Japan and he was there to shoot a commercial. The serendipity of that drew me to this film.
This film does accomplish one unintended consequence -- by being relatively poor, it makes one appreciate more the good comedies Diane Keaton and Michael Douglas have made.
The Tourist (2010)
Salt > The Tourist
I had just watched (and liked) Angelina Jolie in Salt before watching The Tourist. The Tourist is a film that wants to be a James Bond thriller, with Angelina Jolie as a Bond-like character. She's very good in the film, but Johnny Depp gives one of the most uninspired performances I've ever seen him give. Jolie supposedly said she made this film because it had a short filming schedule and was to take place in Venice. I suspect that was the same reason Depp made this film. One of the best things about The Tourist is the cinematography that aptly makes use of the Venetian scenery and landscape. The film seems to want to be a comedic thriller (like Live and Let Die) but Depp just doesn't seem to be completely interested in making that happen. For whatever reason, this is a film which just didn't live up to its potential. If you want to see Angelina Jolie in a good thriller, I recommend Salt over The Tourist.
Air (2023)
A Slam Dunk Classic?
As usual, Matt Damon and Viola Davis are excellent, and Ben Affleck is not good at all. This is not a terrible film, but it is an overrated film. It has a made-for-TV feel from beginning to end. The worst thing about the film is that it doesn't put enough time into focusing on Michael Jordan. I suppose it presupposes that anyone watching the film already knows what MJ did in his NBA career, yet I don't think the general public (especially the segment under 35) does know that. I also didn't like the way Michael's dad was depicted as just a silent appendage of his mom when I know that his dad was a major influence on his life. He was such a major influence that Michael quit the NBA to play baseball after his dad's murder to honor his dad's love for baseball.
When I Am King (1982)
Unique and ambitious film project
Director Wanda Appleton put a great deal of thought and care into "When I am King" (1981). Long before "Boyhood" (2014) followed one boy's life over the span of many years, "When I am King" (1981) did something similar. Two children (played by Blake Dennis and Lark Geib) were filmed in a modern-day setting in which we see they have formed a friendship. They imagine themselves living in Medieval times. The story they are imagining then plays out on the screen. We see the two children 9 years older. Rather than cast older actors to play these roles at the same time the filming was done with these two children, Wanda Appleton stopped the film's production for 9 years and filmed the Medieval-themed portion of the film with the same two actors, 9 years older. According to the liner-notes, they were 10 and 12 during the initial filming, and 19 and 21 when the film resumed production.
The Medieval story harks back to the modern-day setting in a dreamlike fashion which takes on the feel of a literal nightmare, a nightmare based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Jorinde and Joringel" (aka "Jorinda and Jorindel"). Because of the blending of two conceptually parallel stories in a non-linear story line, I found the film confusing to follow the first time I watched it. The film credits show the film was written by Wanda Appleton and her husband, Peter Appleton, albeit loosely based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. The book which accompanied the videocassette I purchased was authored by only Wanda H. Appleton, and has excellent illustrations from artist Rosiland Solomon. (This film has yet to make it to DVD or streaming.) After reading the wonderful book and researching the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, I watched the film a second time with more understanding of the background, and I better understood the writers' vision.
What director Wanda Appleton likely did not anticipate was that Blake Dennis and Lark Geib, who had good screen chemistry together as children, would not have good screen chemistry together as young adults. Once upon a time Oscar-nominated Stuart Whitman and veteran actor Paul L. Smith gave their customary strong performances, the cinematography and costume design were very good, and the film included some nice ballads, each based on an aspect of the film's story line. Flora M. Gordon (aka Flora Lang) was the production manager on the film. What makes that particularly noteworthy is that Flora was one of the first women accepted into the Directors Guild of America (DGA).
Overall, "When I am King" (1981) is a raw but interesting film, and it is commendable that Wanda Appleton followed this unique and ambitious project to completion.
Attack of the Puppet People (1958)
Atypical Bert I. Gordon fare
Attack of the Puppet People is a "psycho-drama" — it's literally a case study of a mild-mannered man who is actually a demented, controlling sociopath. This isn't really a sci-fi film at all, and it certainly is very different from other Bert I.Gordon films in that the entire film takes place on a couple of small sets, and mostly in the claustrophobic, office-like laboratory. The film is completely about Mr. Franz and the extent to which he will destroy people's lives just so he can have complete control over them; Franz is Stalin in the guise of a grandfatherly lab technician and doll-restoration expert. Do not laugh at me when I say that I've watched this film 5 or 6 times in recent years and found that it improves with successive viewings. John Hoyt's performance is excellent. Attack of the Puppet People is an underrated film.
Unan1mous (2006)
Notable for "1" reason...
I have given this some thought and I am now prepared to say that, of all the television shows that I have ever watched which successfully completed a full season of programming, "Unan1mous" is the worst I have ever seen. They locked 9 contestants in a basement and then had them do nothing for a period of many days (it may have been 30 days, but I'm not sure of that. Who cares?). Well, actually, they did do something -- intermittently they would vote to determine who won money. It was like the reality show "Big Brother" but with no competitions (and no sunlight). The contestants on "Unan1mous" appeared to be made physically ill from life in the "underground bunker" ("moldy basement" would have been a more apt term to use than "underground bunker"). I watched most of the episodes out of a perverse curiosity -- to see if they could possibly have an entire season of programming in which NOTHING interesting took place. They did it!
The Last Man on Earth (1964)
The Alpha "Omega Man"
This is an extremely well made film that builds tension and suspense superbly. Vincent Price gives a performance that demonstrates why his acting career was worthy of legend status. By the way, other than when he worked with Michael Jackson on the "Thriller" music video, I can not imagine that Mr. Price ever dealt with a more insipid character than zombie-"vampire" Ben Cortman ("Morgan...Morgan...Morgan"). This film arose from a good starting-point -- the fertile storytelling mind of Richard Matheson (based on his novel "I Am Legend"), but it is Vincent Price who contributes the most to this production (his narration is especially effective -- it is downright powerful). Some purists object to the manner in which vampires are depicted in this film. Personally, I feel no special affinity for vampire films, so I think it a plus that this film is NOT a vampire film. Also, face reality, if there had been hundreds of powerful vampires attacking Dr. Morgan, the film would have been over before the conclusion of the opening credits. It's reassuring to see that "The Last Man on Earth" has received a relatively high rating here at IMDB and that almost every review of the film posted here is a favorable review. It is an excellent film.
Last Woman on Earth (1960)
Moves along at a steady clip.
"Last Woman On Earth" moves along at a steady clip and has an exciting ending (with a disappointing conclusion). It is a film that benefits from smart writing, an on location shoot, and an interesting meshing of script with Jazzy soundtrack. There is an underwater scene that was quite excellently filmed. For that matter, the whole film was quite excellently filmed. Even though this film predates the first James Bond film, it has a bit of a "Dr. No" feel to it. No, it is no "Dr. No", but neither was its budget a Bond budget. You're not missing much if you never see "Last Woman On Earth", but if you do see it you won't feel like you wasted 71 minutes of your life. It's a pretty good film -- a sad little tale about good and evil.
Idaho Transfer (1973)
A cross between a mess and a masterpiece!
"Idaho Transfer" takes an extraordinary premise and places it in a nonchalant story line. Almost everything seems pedestrian and laid-back, as if time travel could be as common and ordinary as hopping on the log flume at Six Flags. The dialogue is so "wild" and "far out" that one can feel one's self transported back to 1973 (the year Peter Fonda directed this cult classic) -- I could sense my hair follicles growing longer as I watched the film. Yet, this is a movie about people traveling into the future.
"Idaho Transfer" is riveting because it is filled with unpredictable and unexpected moments. It is a cross between an idiotic mess and a brilliant masterpiece (a veritable vision). Personally, I thought it was one of the most realistic time travel flicks I have seen. I give it high praise for bringing believability to the time travel concept. The time machine itself was designed by scientists and created in a realistic-looking laboratory environment. Traveling through time in said machine was not "smooth sailing" -- there were bugs in the machinery (it was the '73 Chevy Nova of time machines), but bugs there SHOULD be in such a complex machine! Fascinating is the quick transformation from advanced civilization to the primal lava/desert future. Intense was the ending, with a final few minutes so much more exciting and interesting than the ending to a low budget flick has a right to be. The final scene brings the whole idiotic mess/brilliant vision together in a way that nobody could possibly expect. Then, just when you wonder if the ending is one of the stupidest you've ever seen to a film, you give it a second thought and realize -- "Hey, what a 'wild' and 'far out' ending! We've not come too far since caveman days, and we've not too far to go to get to the point where we will think that 1973 was prehistoric times." Maybe we are already at that point?
When I sat myself down to watch "Idaho Transfer" my expectations were very low -- I expected to be left with an empty feeling. This film far exceeded my expectations and was literally fueled with dynamism right up to the bitter end.
The Day Time Ended (1979)
Lost in Vortex
"The Day Time Ended" is marked by excellent special effects, an interesting musical score, and some competent acting performances by Jim Davis as the patriarch and by child actress Natasha Ryan (Actually, Natasha wasn't just decent, she was excellent. The film would have benefited greatly if her young mug had been on screen more). Natasha gives a performance that brings to mind Angela Cartwright's persona on "Make Room For Daddy". The Angela Cartwright connection doesn't end there, as there is a strong "Lost in Space" influence to this flick. Dorothy Malone gives a June Lockhart-like spin to the matriarch character, and the family-clan-wandering-around in a lunar-like setting, with all manner of strangeness taking place around them, was right out of "Lost in Space". If you imagine their Aztec-influenced solar-powered house (w/matching barn) being a disk-shaped flying saucer instead, then you will get the "Lost in Space" image. Missing is the comic relief that Mr. Smith & The Robot brought to "Lost in Space".
Where this film went wrong -- it has some hokey dialogue, directing gaffs, and some poor editing. Marcy Lafferty (William Shatner's ex-wife) is given a particularly peculiar few lines of dialogue to recite near the end of the film. It is a moment that does real harm to the entire film, as it highlights the confused and muddled nature of the entire flick. Also, there are numerous scenes that seem like campy moments from a "Brady Bunch" episode, but they are not meant to be funny. For instance, Jenny getting out of bed to use the bathroom, Beth needing to sip on her wine while listening to Jenny deliver a line of dialogue, and the grandparents heading out into the desert night wearing bathrobes, are moments which would have fit in fine if this had been a campy comedy film.
By the way, the scene in which Jenny makes a trip to the bathroom epitomizes truly BAD filmmaking. First of all, the scene is completely unnecessary to the plot. Second of all, to be blunt -- it is a stupidly filmed scene, as the child manages to use the facilities in less than 10 seconds.
I notice that "Vortex" is an alternate title for "The Day Time Ended". "Vortex" is a more apt title for the flick -- "Lost in the Vortex" (or "Lost in Time") would have been an even better title, as it would have paid homage to "Lost in Space" while also paying homage to the "lost" nature of the screenplay (especially in the final act). The film brought to mind some better-made 1970s made-for-television sci-fi productions like "Logan's Run", "Isis", "Shazam", and "The Fantastic Journey" (the short-lived television series that Roddy McDowall appeared in).
I agree with IMDB reviewer CaptEcco who wrote of "The Day Time Ended" ending -- "It's like having a water balloon blow up in your hand before you've had the chance to throw it." This was almost a good sci-fi flick, instead, a few missteps turned it into a fair sci-fi flick.
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DVD Note: I viewed "The Day Time Ended" from a 4-film DVD collection titled "Time Travelers". I've already watched three of the four films (the sound and picture quality hasn't been good). "The Day Time Ended" is an OUTSTANDING film compared to the first two that I've watched: "Journey to the Center of Time" and "In the Year 2889". Those two were wretched on so many levels. The one film of the four that I've yet to see is the Peter Fonda directed "Idaho Transfer". I'm hoping it will be the best of the four.
Planet of the Apes (1974)
Return from the Meeting of Ron Harper ("Alan Virdon")
I have just returned from the Chiller Theatre Convention in NJ (April 25, 2004), where my children and I met in person with Ron Harper who played Alan Virdon in the "Planet of the Apes" television series. We encountered a genuinely "good guy", much like the noble character he played on the "Planet of the Apes" television series. The meeting made a favorable impression upon my children -- Mr. Harper's autograph is already framed and hanging on their wall.
I enjoyed the "Planet of the Apes" television series as a child when it first aired in 1974, so I was intrigued to watch it again on DVD with my children. After watching the DVDs, I can report that I still enjoy the show. It is a shame that the series only ran for 14 episodes. Perhaps if Galen, Burke, and Virdon had been renewed for another season, the story lines would have broken-free from "The Fugitive"-type theme that dominated its (much too short) run? Even so, some of the episodes were of high quality, and, in my opinion, were actually as good as (if not better than) my two least favorite of the full-length "Planet of The Apes" motion pictures: "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" and "Battle for the Planet of the Apes". In particular, the episodes of the television series which took place within devastated city ruins standout in my mind as quite excellent television productions. I suggest that a single "Best of" DVD be released containing four of the better episodes for those fans who will find the $40 to $50 price tag for the Complete Series too steep.
Some have questioned the logical inconsistencies in the television series. They note that some things that happen in the television series contradict things that happened in the films. One problem with their arguments -- with the introduction of time travel, the notion that history can be altered repeatedly by those who travel through time is introduced. Thus, the appearance of a dog in 3085 (the year depicted in the television series) does not contradict the claim made in "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" that all cats and dogs were killed-off in the late-20th Century. Theoretically, a future time traveler might have traveled back in time and caused an event that saved dogs from annihilation. Also, it is conceivable that dogs were re-introduced into society somewhere between the late-20th Century and 3085, as scientific advancements in genetics made it possible. So, there is little merit to the argument that some events depicted in the television series don't jibe with events depicted in the films.
I feel that this television series very competently portrayed a believable ape-dominated world of the future. I recommend this box set, but with a caveat -- take your time getting through the 14 episodes, as the underlying "fugitive-on-the-run" theme can get monotonous if you watch all the episodes one-after-another.
Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962)
Where no man has gone before?
This film might have had a major influence on the original Star Trek series which followed, as a number of the story's elements would later be used in more than a dozen Star Trek episodes. The entire film had a Star Trek feel to it (sans Spock and The Enterprise). The manner in which a small group of space travelers walk around a claustrophobic set is a technique replicated numerous times on the original Star Trek series. It wasn't a given that Gene Rodenberry would depict alien planets in that same manner. Surprisingly, this is actually a very good little movie. While it may seem silly and amateurish set alongside "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Star Wars", for its time it was a nicely produced film.