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Reviews
13th Child (2002)
The Jersey Devil???
Was this movie about the Jersey Devil? I think not
Were any of the incidents in the movie related to the folklore that's been told for over 200 years? Again, I think not!
I've read every conceivable book, article and documentary that I could find of old JD and this movie doesn't dabble with any of it. There is no documentation anywhere that the Jersey Devil killed people. In the movie however, JD enjoys a blood fest.
With all this being said though
Accept the picture as if it has nothing to do with the Jersey Devil. It's still not very good. The story line is weak with not much thought in the direction. The first few minutes of the film grabbed your attention with a little history about JD. Once the story began it slowly went downward and into a climactic crash landing at the end. It was a horrible ending to say the least.
I have seen worse
I can say something good about this film
I did enjoy the deleted scenes; one scene in particular was deleted for not being politically correct. When Kathryn gets lost in the Pine Barrens and comes across the Snake Man. She suddenly burst out in anger and despair; "Does anybody around here speak English? Did I take a wrong turn somewhere? Am I in Albania?!"
The underscore was well done and Theo Eastwind's cut "7500" is a cool tune.
"Mankind is so unkind." So am I in giving this film a three star rating.
All The Best! ORTSAC
Duel (1971)
Road Rage Appears in Your Rear View Mirror
Pure "Road Rage" before the term ever evolved! Forty tons of fatigued metal in the aged, oily tanker that just growls at you every time it knocks on your back bumper. This tanker was chosen out of a dozen or so semis that auditioned for the part. What stood out with this particular monster was it wasn't a cab-over and had a determined face emerging from the front of the rig.
Dennis Weaver plays the wimpy, straight-laced salesman chosen for his part in the movie "Touch of Evil" An also must see.
Spielberg's debut directorial gives him an opportunity to show Hollywood what he's got to offer, but with a minimal budget. Creating speed with camera angles to give realism when actually the tanker was only driving 25mph. This made for TV movie could have been a silent film and still worked.
Right from the get go this film relates you to what we all have witness in our lives, "Road Rage" Speed and anxiety gets your heart pumping. In the early seventies when the film was aired, Spielberg showed the world what his capabilities were with just a few actors, a boring location and no special effects at all!
Fasten your seat belts friends, because I personally give this thriller a two thumbs up!
Fun facts about the film:
The sound of the oil tanker crashing off the cliff is the same sound used after Jaws was blown up and sinks slowly to the bottom of the sea.
The old couple who stop and refuse to help Dennis Weaver are also the same old couple who briefly appear in Close Encounters.
This is a way of Spielberg saying thank you for the opportunity for making Duel.
All The Best! ORTSAC