Change Your Image
kulltheconquerer
Reviews
The Island at the Top of the World (1974)
Great adventure for young boys
My dad took me to see this one in the theater back in 1974 when I was 7 years old. It blew me away and helped fuel a lifelong love for adventure/fantasy. Hey, who doesn't like a cool adventure? The story is set in the early 1900's and concerns a rich Englishman who leads a rescue party deep into the Arctic in search of his missing explorer son. They track him to a mysterious lost colony of Vikings that has been cut off from the outside world for centuries. The plot is a fairly typical "Lost World" format: 1/3rd of the movie is spent searching for the lost world, 1/3rd is spent exploring the lost world, 1/3rd is spent being chased around/from the lost world. It's all fairly exciting, but not deep enough to impress an adult viewer. (However, with some deft tweaking this could be GREAT remake material for Disney.) I bought the DVD recently to take a trip down memory lane and I wasn't disappointed. It held up well to my memory. Yes, the effects are dated and some of them are downright terrible, but others are surprisingly good, and overall the film has a wonderful pre-CGI charm. You'll also get vibrant outdoor shots and some of the best matte work you'll find in ANY movie. It's not a bad choice for adventure/fantasy fans looking for family-friendly fare. Probably your only chance to see this film anymore is on DVD. Be sure to get the 30th anniversary edition as it has the extras.
Children of Men (2006)
Not that great
It's got an intriguing premise, but what is the point of this movie? We get nearly two hours of unrelenting dreariness, a smattering of intense action, and no explanation or resolution. It attempts a commentary/warning of current social events, but surely that's not the reason for the film? It DOES succeed in making you think about the preciousness of little children and what they mean to our society and race, but that's a necessary product of the plot, not something the movie focuses on. I understand this was "unfaithfully" adapted from a good book that had a religious message. I can believe that. This film is highly overrated on IMDb. If you've seen the previews, you've seen the movie.
United 93 (2006)
Wow
United 93 is very moving. Incredibly so. It plays like the docudrama it is, telling the story everyone already knows, but it literally keeps you riveted to your seat for every single painful minute. I've heard many say "we aren't ready". I used to be among them. Seeing it though leaves me feeling that it's a timely refresher on what we are up against, and a tremendous memorial to the bravery of the those who gave their lives on that day.
When I first heard Hollywood was making this film I feared a typical PC exercise showing "both sides" of the story. Some attempt to hint at the "understandable reason" behind the madness. To my surprise (and relief) we just get an accurate recital of events as we know them, including the terrorists and what we know of them. This film is history. Not history 2.0.
My only negative comment concerns the few paragraphs of text that appear at the end. They seem to indict those in authority for inappropriate or untimely reaction. For example, there is one paragraph about military commanders not giving interceptor pilots firing orders after permission to do so had been granted because the commanders were concerned about an accidental shootdown. A very wise precaution if you ask me, but the scroll seems to suggest there was something suspect about it even though the interceptors were never in a position to stop any of the planes. It's a minor gripe given the rest of the film, but it bugs me a lot. It's as if the filmmakers wanted the audience to shake their heads at something and decided "lets point a finger over here". Ditch or change the closing words and you have a near perfect film. 9 stars.
They (2002)
Great atmospheric flick
IMDb gives it 4.4 and the Tivo guide gives it 2 stars. I almost didn't bother, but watched it anyway and boy am I glad. This is great psychological horror. It's creepy all the way through and you're never quite sure if "They" are real or if the people are going mad. The balancing act is so good that up until the last minutes I had doubts they could pull off a satisfactory ending. ....I figured something must be wrong with this film or it would be more highly rated.
Don't expect a classic, but this one deserves at least a 6 average on IMDb, and fans of creepy atmospheric films should like it. As others have said, it also makes a great date movie. There's a good boyfriend/girlfriend subplot and plenty of creepiness to keep your date snuggling close.
28 Days Later... (2002)
What horror should be
28 Days Later is true horror, relying on characterization, mood and atmosphere instead of cheap shock or excessive fanboy gore. Here we get people we care about trapped in a nightmarish circumstance and their fate very well might be inescapeable. The film is dark and depressing throughout and up until the last scene you're not sure if the good guys will win or lose. The DVD does give it to you both ways though via the 3 alternate endings. I prefer the happier finish, but if you want to walk away completely depressed you can do that too. :)