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Reviews
Deja Vu (2006)
Fine Film
I am trying to recall any film Denzel Washington made that wasn't well acted, and without an interesting plot. The man is both a fine actor, and highly selective about the films he chooses to be in. I notice the vast majority of reviews show 8 or 10 stars. I was amused by a few that gave around 3 stars, attempting to explain why. One in particular explained why the "science" was wrong. Well, this is a fantasy film, not a doctoral thesis. Who cares? It is inventive. One of the "issues" being, how could there be 2 Denzels. Well, if someone really could travel back in time, how does anyone know one would "disappear", so there would be only one? If it is possible to change history, what makes that impossible? Another remark which amused me was the car was not moving fast enough to push the other car off of the ramp. If that is the case, then Double Jeopardy (Tommy Lee Jones & Ashley Judd) and a whole lot of other films are equally wrong. Well, the cars were not that far apart, you couldn't accelerate to 60mph on that short a distance. But if the pedal is down the the floor, you likely could push it. Somehow that didn't really bother me either, when watching the film. Maybe I was just being entertained, in the manner the film really intended me to be?
Laserhawk (1997)
If You Enjoy "B" SciFi Films - This may be fun
Laserhawk was one of the $1 specials at a dollar store. Previously I bought old Western's (Bonanza, etc) and some good luck at that price before...
I'd never heard of Laserhawk before, but enjoyed Mark Hamill in the Star Wars Trilogy, in 2 episodes of "the Flash" (as the Bizarre Trickster), and other film appearances over the years. Laserhawk seemed potentially promising, so for a dollar - I gave it a shot!
I like high tech SciFi films, ones with great story lines, but also enjoy some of the low tech "B" films with often half written plots.
This film lies somewhere between. The background music and effects work with the mood of this film. The story line has a lot of quirky twists. It's not a totally predictable plot. And, though not modern high tech effects - think of the classic War of the Worlds (1940's), not state of the art, yet it still works well today! For those who enjoyed the original Star Trek Series - effects are at least on a par with that.
3 teens are the main characters. I won't even hint of how Mark Hamill fits in. His part isn't the biggest, but it is critical. (One insider joke easy to miss is when they pick Mark up in "Sunnydale", which is where "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" came from!).
If you like the offbeat, this will likely keep your interest, and be entertaining. If you only like state of the art effects and academy award performances - this may not be your film.
The introduction of this film announces a great menace to the Galaxy, a 250 million year old alien race. There is an unraveling mystery, drama, suspense and action. It never gets gross or "too" intense.
I enjoyed it. Will give this one a "7", for fun and interesting plot twists.
Night at the Museum (2006)
Entertaining
There is a lot of silliness in the film, but there was also a very clever underlying script. Ben Stiller learns the rules of the museum as he trie to gain control of his circumstance.
Ben begins as a man without any direction or purpose. I like where the adventure brings him.
Robin Williams was predictably fine as Teddy Roosevelt. It was also a pleasure to watch Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney in this film. The T-Rex and Monkey were especially fun in it.
You cannot predict certain turns in this film. They are logical after you see where they are going. This is clean family entertainment. My family all enjoyed it. So did everyone in the theater.
There is a good reason this film is doing so well at the box office, and should do even better once it gets to video rentals. Don't read any spoilers before you see this film - you really don't want to know where it is going!
Zoom (2006)
Entertaining
If you like Galaxy Quest or Tim Allen humor in general, this film should entertain you. It's light and fun. Someone always dislikes offbeat films, but clearly more than enough did! This movie features kids with super powers that are forced into government training, under the reluctant direction of a grouchy Tim Allen (who once was "the" great superhero). Yes, think Galaxy Quest! In almost every film Tim Allen has ever made, he has a change of heart - is this one going to be different? The film is not intended to be serious. Still, it brings an interesting perspective to the down side of "being different". Common needs will help this very dysfunctional team bond. If you have a chance to read a spoiler - don't! An novel surprise you won't anticipate is near the end, which neatly wraps the entire movie's theme. I hope there is a sequel in the works...
Sky High (2005)
Very Entertaining
Sky High is a fine family film. My wife, my little and I enjoyed it.
The actors played it straight with outrageous circumstances. That low key humor made it work well.
Themes, conflicts developed and evolve through the film. They will be resolved in a very satisfying way.
Recommend you see it on the big screen. Effects are fun. Often way bigger than life - which is appropriate for a super hero school.
Strong parallels to average high school trials. Characters are diverse, and interesting. The story keeps your attention.
Enough said - don't wait for VHS & DVD, catch it on the large screen!