joe d Reviews

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Should Have Read The Reviews Instead Of the Total Rating

[3/10 · 22 November 2012]

When I saw a rating of over 7 I went out and ordered the DVD. I wish I read the individual reviews instead because those who hated the film were so right on target.

Now I will admit that I knew it was a film by the creator of Aliens but did not know it was a prequel till the end when I recognized the monster. Also understood what was first to be a quest to find out how man was actually created which would eventually go haywire, but I expected a lot of plot twists and turns. It started out quite interesting but then slowly slipped into a combination of confusion and boredom by being nothing more than another repackaged survival movie.

But there were also so many unanswered questions which I thought would fall into place as the movie went on - but didn't.

1) Why did the alien at the beginning commit suicide? It was only at the very end that I gathered being the last survivor, he (or she? LOL) did not want to become a carrier and return to his (or her) home planet.

2) What was David really trying to do? It seemed he was there to try and find what he thought could extend the life of the dying old man who referred to him as son. But why not let the daughter see what he was doing? Did the father not trust her? Then why put a drop of alien fluid into one's drink? What was he hoping to discover - the fountain of youth? Did he expect the guy was going to make love, get the girl pregnant and give birth to a new specie? How would that save the life of a dying old man? Or did he simply want to see what happened for the sake of science?

3) Of course, there was no answer as to why those who created us now wanted to destroy us - if they were even our creators after all. However, I think that might come in the sequel but by now, as Rett Butler said to Scarlet O'Hare, I frankly don't give a damn.

Had I known how bad a movie this was, I would have waited to have seen in on cable rather than spent my money on a wasted DVD.

Melancholia (2011)

Great Emotional Impact

[8/10 · 24 September 2012]

This film reminded me of an updated version of "On The Beach" on how people deal with the understanding that death will be coming by a certain hour.

Unlike "On The Beach", however, the viewer does not know if the the collision with Melancholia is actually going to happen. Knowing the premise of the story before seeing it, I was indeed confused as to why only the two sisters appeared frightened while everyone else at the wedding was having a good time and talking about the future.

This confused me until it was made to understand that the scientific community concluded the planet was going to pass by without incident while the usual unreliable sources on the internet were predicting the planet's doom.

It was then when we got to share in the apprehension of actually not knowing - which I think was the real beauty of the story. Not knowing is sometimes more frightening than knowing the actual truth.

It reminded me when I was in my late twenties. I was starting to face some of the demons we all have hidden inside ourselves. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan triggered something inside of me and I was able to transfer my fears of what I was having difficulty trying to face by creating something more frightening to be scared about - nuclear war. I kept on sensing the world as being on the brink without most other people wanting to recognize it - just as it appeared with the two sisters in the movie. That included the thought that our leaders were acting as if nothing was wrong just to prevent mass panic.

That made the film even more haunting because of I had experienced a sense of knowing something totally terrifying that others didn't, irrational as it was.

But even if you didn't have your own mid life crisis to deal with, this movie will keep you riveted for it being so real and not one of those end of the world scare flicks with a Bruce Willis to save the day.

Anything Goes (1956)

Better Than We Thought

[7/10 · 24 November 2011]

We just saw this version premiered on TCM and it was much more entertaining than the reviews let on. Will admit it started off slow and we were almost ready to change stations but it gained our interest as the film went on.

The vocal arrangements and talents of the cast did justice to the music of the great Cole Porter, which stands on it's own, anyway. The dancing of O'Connor,Gayner and Jeanmarie was wonderfully choreographed and though the plot was entirely different from the original Broadway production the new story line kept our interest with many funny lines. All four stars worked well with each other.

Even the classic Cole Porter songs cannot save a poor production. This was not the case with this 1956 version. It is a fun film for fans of that genre.

The Story of Mankind (1957)

A Bold Film For It's Time

[8/10 · 16 March 2011]

Just saw this for the first time on Turner Classic Movies. This was quite a good movie, in fact, I would say, it was a bold and courageous move by Irwin Allen considering the time period.

Today the history as touted by Mr. Snatch (a great performance by Vincent Price) would not appear anything radical or new. However, we're talking about over a half-century ago when bluntly pointing out how Native American Nations were massacred trying to defend their land and homes instead of them being portrayed as savages attacking poor and noble pioneers who sought no gain other than leading a great country westward - that was sac-religious back then in the days of John Wayne- type history (sorry about that, Duke). Or bringing out (and not being denied by Man, played equally as great by Ronald Coleman) the manipulation and exploitation associated with events otherwise looked upon as noble in an age that fostered the Committee on Un-American Activities, conformity, repression of free speech, blacklisting and the ruining of so many people's lives - it was just about unheard of back then.

Of course, most of the supporting cast performances were more campy than dramatic (the expression on Heddy Lamar's face playing Joan when first hearing her calling had me in stitches and reminded me of Bill Cosby's early-career Noah routine, when, as the Lord called upon him to build an arch, Noah replied "yeah, right.... who is this really? Am I on Candid Camera or something?"

Again, if that film came out today it wouldn't be much, but for it to come out back then, I found that amazing.

The Prisoner (2009)

Captain Pike Revisited?

[4/10 · 18 November 2009]

In that pilot episode, aliens can create illusions in one's mind where upon one is unable to separate reality from illusion. Benevolent, they save the life of a human female who crashed landed on their planet and create an illusion of beauty for she was permanently disfigured. Her being lonely, they try to manipulate Captain Pike to fall in love with her. Upon realizing man's disdain for captivity - even when pleasant - they release Pike. Before he leaves they reveal her true appearance. Asking if they will return to her the illusion of beauty they answer "and more" and Pike sees they then created an illusion of him for her. They close by saying "She has an illusion and you have reality. May you find your way as pleasant."

That's what I think number six was trying to accomplish for himself, albeit due to a psychological breakdown caused by the loss of his real brother as a child, drinking and other dysfunctional problems seen via flashbacks. The village was his subconscious means of escape from reality and to live in a perfect little dream world. What we saw for six hours was the ongoing psychological struggle between his subconscious and conscious state, as implied from the beginning: nobody having memories of life before the village except in their dreams (the suppression of reality), non-believers going to the clinic (reality), number two's wife kept asleep (living in a perpetual dream world and keeping those sink holes - the way back to reality - closed), number 315 emotionally disturbed when referred to by name and 11-12 being a reflection of his own self, one who never knew his mother and became so distraught as to drink, kill and eventually become suicidal.

So I think Number Six didn't resign from a company, he resigned from life. We saw glimpses of him in a straight-jacket. Once I caught on I found the last two hours boring.

Just hope I'm not going over the top like we all did with "American Pie" back in the early seventies.

Cloverfield (2008)

Still Not Sure

[6/10 · 25 April 2008]

Saw it last night on DVD and still not sure if I liked it or not.

The film follows the technique as used in Blair Witch Project. We see events unfold as captured through a hand-held camera. This works out very well for with no musical background and actors portraying characters as everyday, ordinary people, we're able to see a realistic documentation of an attack on New York by a monster as experienced by of a handful of people. There is a complete absence of macho men and women trying to be heroes; instead the people are real, expressing their fears panic and confusion just like you and I.

However, it's this slick type of production that also leads to disappointment because it severely limits the action and special effects. With no communications and utter chaos in the streets, we are as completely in the dark about what is happening as are the characters. And like Blair Witch Project, we're left without any ending. Since we know the tape has be confiscated by the Government and is the only know video record of what had occurred, we don't know if the monster was killed, how much of New York City itself has been destroyed and if this devastation has been expanded to other areas. We get only a little glimpse of what is actually unfolding by seeing a small portion of a television news cast and by what we're told by army personnel evacuating the city.

So, at best, the film is half monster movie and half study of how ordinary people react. Depending upon one's preference, it could be either a 10 or a 1. That's why I took a little above the middle ground in my rating. I found Cloverfield both entertaining and disappointing for it held my interest but denied me the fun of knowing what was going on, hearing the scientific explanations and following the attempts to destroy the monster - the ingredients necessary for good monster-movie making. I also realize it was the producers' intent to keep us in the dark in order to become fully engrossed in the more realistic terror experienced by the film's main characters. Will admit this different approach did work and after having some time to think about it I can also honestly say that Cloverfield has indeed started to grow on me despite my initial disappointment.

300 (2006)

Big Disappointment

[2/10 · 11 December 2007]

Was very disappointed in the movie.

Found it to be a big budget action picture with most being spent on special affects and very little of anything else. The action scenes were indeed impressive but not so original in concept. And for action films to be entertaining today, they must be accompanied by something more than a juvenile story line, mediocre screenplay and stilted acting. Give the actors an A for effort but it seemed all they were required to do was to show up on the sound stage, read a synopsis of the day's scene and improvise in front of the camera.

A poor remake of the 1962 screen epic "The 300 Spartans".

Stop the World: I Want to Get Off (1966)

A Great Musical

[10/10 · 22 October 2007]

My wife and I put on our old VHS copy the other night (having not seen it for many years) and once more became totally absorbed in the production and Tony Tanner's performance. Some have called it outdated but it's pure theater with a theater-type experience as best as could be reproduced on screen. "World's" brilliance is that it's simple story combined with a magnificent score can hold audience captivated, no small achievement considering it is done in mime and soliloquy and performed within the confines of a small circular one-ring circus-type stage with no elaborate settings.

Just magnificent, not matter what generation.

September 30, 1955 (1977)

What If?

[9/10 · 17 April 2007]

This is really a great movie and quite under-rated. Richard Thomas is really into his character and his performance quite absorbing.

At that age we all tend to imitate and identify actors as being the superficial characters they portray on the screen. In 9/30/55 when telling others that James Dean had died, most treat it as it should be - a sad piece of news about a celebrity they didn't know personally. When Billie Jean, the only other individual who "understands" (and unfortunately woke up to reality through a tragic accident) screams for him to stop carrying on about "rebel" and Dean, her mother yells that "rebel" was just a movie. But Jimmy J. just didn't get it.

So I wonder how Jimmy J. would have reacted had Billie Jean's mom confronted him with facts much harsher than rebel just being a movie? That James Dean was acting and what he saw on the screen was not Dean slamming a door or begging for his father to show him love but simply words written by screenwriters and reactions created by directors? That Jimmy J. had no idea of what the real James Dean was like? How could he ignore reality and continue his obsessive identification of Dean upon realizing the James Dean he conjured up in his head (through the portrayal of Cal and James Stark) actually never existed?

I think it would have lent to a different ending than him driving to California to find out more about Dean from family and friends. My own guess is that it would have ended much more tragic with Jimmy J, confused by his inability to ignore the truth but still not willing to accept reality, unintentionally driving his motorcycle into oblivion.

Bye Bye Birdie (1995 TV Movie)

This I REALLY enjoyed!

[10 July 1999]

Although I always loved the 1963 film version of Bye Bye Birdie I never realized how different it was from the Broadway production until I saw this remake on TV. This was an absolute joy to watch from beginning to end and more tuned to older audiences than the 1963 version which was aimed primarily at the younger set.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Probably The Best Of The Bond's

[10/10 · 24 March 1999]

OHMSS is my favorite of the Bond series, and I really wish George Lazenby had continued as 007, for I think, in time, he would have developed his character as well as Connery's. I also feel had Lazenby continued in the role, the mood of the films might not have changed from action to comical (as beginning with Diamonds Are Forever).

You can see the limitations of Lazenby's acting ability clearly in the movie, his dialogue is limited in key scenes with Bloefeld and Dracco, and he really did not dominate these and other scenes as Connery, Moore and the others would have. However, as other people cite, he stepped into a role which we all felt belonged to somebody else. Sean Connery WAS James Bond to us in 1969, anybody else was doomed to fail (critics longed for Connery when Roger Moore took over the role, also). So Lazenby, who had no prior acting experience, was thrown to the lions. We all still wanted Connery. Today we can see that his was an excellent Bond, true to the character of Ian Flemming.

The film speaks for itself. First rate, mature and plenty of action and story line. The music probably is of the finest composed by John Barry for the series. For it to carry this much weight without the appearance of Sean Connery and the others speaks highly.

But again, do not knock George Lazenby's performance. It is a shame that we will never know how he would have developed as an actor and as a Bond since he quit the series due to (what he says) was poor advice and never got such an opportunity again. It would have been only after a few performances that we truly could say he would, or would not, have been able to carry on the series.

The Man Who Laughs (1928)

It will make you cry

[9/10 · 6 March 1999]

We finally were able to obtain a print of "The Man Who Laughs" and sat spellbound throughout the film. It is marvelous, sad and touching and could only have been done as a silent (with musical vitaphone soundtrack) to feel the full impact of this deeply moving story.

Conrad Veidt steals the show with his ability to make you see the tears through his etched-on laughter.

Anyone who feels he or she would be bored watching a silent film should give this film a chance - it's a masterpiece of silent cinema.