adam-462 Reviews

Justice League Unlimited: Destroyer (2006) Season 3, Episode 13

Our Hero....Lex Luthor?

[2/10 · 5 October 2013]

This episode is a totally gratuitous send off for the wasted 3rd season of Justice League Unlimited.

The highlight of the series is Superman unleashing his power which lasts about a minute.

Unfortunately, the series really illustrated what became JLU's biggest problems: It's unrelenting busyness and its inability to remember what heroes are all about.

The idea of adding Supervillains is logical from one point but completely stupid from a video standpoint. There are already so many people in the league that you can't keep track of whose who.

And then the end. The world is saved by Lex Luthor while Superman is writhing on the ground in agony. Seriously?

Father Brown: The Three Tools of Death (1974) Season 1, Episode 5

Killing the Story

[3/10 · 2 April 2011]

To actually tell a Father Brown Mystery as Chesterton wrote it usually takes only half an hour. Chesterton didn't write his stories with the idea of dramatizing them, so some liberties become necessary. The U.K. 1-hour TV series added quite a bit. In some cases, such as "The Hammer of God" and "The Eye of Apollo," more detail was fleshed out giving us a more compelling story. In "3 Tools of Death," they tampered drastically with the plot, and to no good effect. They gave Sir Aaron Armstrong a currently wife who was cheating on him and had tried to make advances on Armstong's Secretary Royce. Apparently, this was to give Sir Aaron a need to weep that his demand for constant cheerfulness repressed.

It also did seem to be rewritten from the original to avoid offending atheists. Consider this quote from the original.

"Why couldn't they let him weep a little, like his fathers before him? His plans stiffened, his views grew cold; behind that merry mask was the empty mind of the atheist." And then Consider Kenneth More's Brown remarking that he liked being around atheists because he didn't have to talk shop.

Through the TV episode, Chesterton's philosophical point was not only blunted, but the story was drug out and shuffled about needlessly. This may simply not have been a case you could get a good hour out of. As Father Brown says, "It's not economical."

Johnny Staccato: A Nice Little Town (1960) Season 1, Episode 26

Detective Show Goes Out of Its Way to Make Political Point...

[3/10 · 20 February 2011]

In this episode, Johnny Staccato went out of his way to make a political point, literally, taking the detective out of New York to a small town in some undisclosed state where a former soldier who defected to the Chinese during the Korean War was killed days after returning to his hometown. People in the town believe he was a traitor because he: 1) defected to the other side under torture and 2) wrote Communist pamphlets. As such, they're unconcerned about his murder. The episode takes a left wing caricature of rabid anti-Communists and what we get is an awkward strawman political debate. The criminals are not caught by the end of the show, and they kill the dead man's sister. Even after the town police agree to not tolerate any more violence, Johnny requests the body shipped back to New York City because he didn't think she'd wanted to be buried in the town. Overall, the episode was a big "Screw You" from New York and Hollywood to flyover country.

Poirot: Appointment with Death (2008) Season 11, Episode 4

As a Matter of Observation...And A Suggestion

[7/10 · 16 January 2011]

As a matter of observation, both on this episode and "Murder on the Orient Express," the majority of the audience likes the film with a robust 7.2 rating, while most reviewers think it is horrible.

The problem that's presented here seems to come down to two things:

1) The work is not at all faithful to the novel. 2) Poirot is too religious. (Oh my heavens, Poirot prays in one scene and gives away a rosary to a grieving woman. Oh, the humanity. How can we have that in our secular society? And how can he even think if he prays?)

However, coming to the movie without reading the book. I thought it was a well-done story with Poirot's portrayal being intelligent and compassionate.

The one thing I thought was inappropriate and the same thing was true in "Murder on the Orient Express" is the sadistic murder committed by our "sympathetic murderers." However, I felt less sympathetic towards them for how they did the murder, but not entirely unsympathetic. Like with, "Murder on the Orient Express" the person being given the cruel death had committed crimes against children. There's something somewhat cathartic about it as those who commit real crimes against children are given a slap on the wrist for crimes as horrific as those committed in both stories.

However, it is risky business to insert a social conscience into a story where it does not exist organically, and will always incur the wrath of literary purists.

I'd suggest that Suchet and Company consider replicating the thought process of the Basil Rathbone films of the 1940s. While frequently attacked as inferior, the films remained enjoyable to the general audience. They would borrow elements from one or more of Holmes stories, add some original elements, and give the audience quite a thrill. The reason? They decided they needed a patriotic 1940s Sherlock Holmes to address problems that Holmes never did in his own stories.

No one entered the theater expecting to see a recreation of one of the original stories by Conan Doyle. With all the changes made, it would be like Universal releasing the movie, "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" but instead releasing it as, "The Dancing Men" as an element from that story was borrowed. Going with stories that borrow elements from Christie novels rather than borrowing titles but making drastic changes might head off some criticism and confusion. But with the religious element, I doubt it.

Invisible Avenger (1958)

For Shadow Fans Only

[5/10 · 22 May 2010]

A nice waste of an hour. The acting was passable, though the Shadow's mentor guy was a little creepy. The plot was mostly predictable with a few plausibility issues. (Yeah, we're going to show what we believe to be an execution on television.) Having listened to quite a few episodes of the radio Shadow, my conclusion is the Shadow does best when operating like a Super Hero, as he did with Orson Welles in the lead. When the Shadow operates as a shamus with a special trick, it's a lot cheaper.

This is okay, but if it was a pilot for a TV show, I can see why it didn't make it. Still, for fans of the Shadow, this is a rare opportunity to see an attempt at bringing that mysterious voice to film.

Condorman (1981)

An All-Time Favorite

[10/10 · 19 July 2008]

This is a fun movie. I'm sure it didn't wow 'em at Cannes when it came out, but what it adds up to is a great film.

The film is a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. In some ways, Woodrow Wilkins is better than Bond. A man who is head over heals in love. He's not a love 'em and leave 'em type. He's truly sincere.

As the movie starts, we see Woody as a bumbler filled with too many clichés and Bogart-schtick. As the film develops, we see that Woody is as heroic as the character he draws on paper He's an unlikely hero, but a hero nonetheless.

The movie offers a little something for everybody: Romance, comedy, and some great chase scenes with some pretty nifty gadgets which while not great today's standards still will make any red-blooded American boy go, "Cool." The film is brilliantly scored and sets the tone perfectly. From the intense dramatic music before Condorman's triumph to the ominious music when the bad guys enter, everything is perfectly timed.

While it doesn't belong up there with Citizen Kane, it should be on Disney DVD.

Bells of Innocence (2003)

An Okay B-Horror Film

[5/10 · 2 December 2006]

Everyone has an opinion. Certainly, there's a good reason that this movie didn't get nominated for an award. It's simply a B-horror flick complete with cheesy contrivances, and music that rather than setting the mood, told us what was going to happen. However, the movie has strong points such as: 1) Chuck Norris-As Matthew he's cool as ice, proving you don't have to hit someone to be intimidating-particularly if you're Chuck Norris.

2) The film while suffering from some predictability kept me watching by making me wonder, "What exactly is going on?" Yes, the Devil's working in the town, but what the heck is he doing? The movie revealed exactly what over the movie and kept the audience's attention.

3) The movie opted for weirdness. Movies can stumble into blasé or they can stumble into completely cheesy, but weird is a choice. The people of the town, the leader, and the peacock joke all made this like a Mexican border version of Fargo if you think about it long enough.

So is it the greatest movie of all time? No. Is it the worst? I'd suggest that people who say that need to expose themselves to "The Beast of Yucca Flats." "Bells of Innocence" is a B-movie with a positive message. For those of you expecting something else, to paraphrase the great Forest Gump, "The $5.50 DVD bin at Wal-Mart is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get."

Escape from Hell (2000 Video)

Realistic

[10/10 · 18 June 2004]

This has to be one of the best films ever made on the subject of Hell. A skeptical doctor is shaken by the death of his estranged father and a fellow doctor enthralls him with tales of people going to Heaven. He believes Hell is a cruel myth and sets out on a radical course of action. He plans to kill himself in the boiler room of the hospital while providing his best friend, the tools to bring him back to life before it's too late.

The drama and tension of the film begins from the opening credits and doesn't stop until it's over. The plot is clever and the acting believable. A must-see movie for Christian and unbeliever alike. I haven't seen any other films from DRC productions, but this one will be a tough act to follow.

Late One Night (2001)

Christian Classic

[10/10 · 18 June 2004]

Dave Christiano came a long away from cheesy movies like "Crime of the Age". The film is incredibly powerful. Aside from the Christian message, the dialogue is crisp and fresh. The film moves quickly with believable characters and a good story line, as well as great performances by Gaffga and Heller.

Whether you like the message or not (and I do), it's a fine piece of film-making that brings home the power of God's mercy and grace with amazing clarity and unquestionable style. It should serve as an example to wannabe Independent filmmakers on how to do this right. As always the Christianos bring a passion to their work which is lacking in many commercialized "Christian films".

Carman: The Champion (2001)

Not the Champion

[2/10 · 18 June 2004]

Rarely is a movie made like, "The Champion" and for this we can be eternally grateful. Carman left the music stage for a movie that can only be described as embarrassing. I love Carman's style of music (he's one of my favorite artists), but he doesn't belong in a full-length movie.

The Christian Film industry has produced B-end times flicks like "Judgment", "Tribulation", and "Revelation" which look like classics compared to this movie. As others have mentioned, Carman ripped off quite a bit from Rocky (surprised he didn't take the red, white, and blue shorts from the last few films). It also includes an implausible love story and just for kicks, the gratuitous blowing up a truck.

As noted, the movie has some big problems in terms of morals. While Christians struggle to teach their kids to behave in a morally responsible manner and avoid sexual immorality, Carman makes out in the front seat of his car with a woman he just met while her son sleeps in the back.

While Christians combat the destructive force of organized gambling and the lottery, Carman's character gets the youth center of his dreams because his brother bet a few million on the fight Carman won.

Finally, there was the Commercial with the "Whoop@--" soda which was of poor moral taste.

The film's redeeming values are found in the fact that it spurred Carman's second "Best of" collection including a new single "Heart of a Champion" which would have fit so well with the film.