fanorr Reviews

The Bionic Woman: Jaime's Mother (1976) Season 1, Episode 8

what is wrong with these people today?

[8/10 · 18 January 2024]

We live in a truly cynical age. That is why I like to watch TV shows from the 70s when people still had a heart.

This episode utilizes one of the better actresses from the 1950s, Barbara Rush. She is one of the best criers in the business, but she can also convince you that she has a steely strength under those smiling eyes. I found her quite convincing as a woman on the run, doing what she needed to escape killers on her trail. The writers did a pretty good job of the reveal, slowly peeling back the layers of mystery. You are never quite sure of the motivations of the character or the identity of the pursuers.

The resolution is pretty satisfying and has the usual moral lessons that the Bionic Woman always made sure to include.

In a world of antiheroes with all their selfish "flaws" to destroy any kind of belief in nobility of the younger viewers, the Bionic Woman is a breath of fresh, idealistic air to this tired, angry, cynical world.

Enjoy a trip in the time machine to when people still strove to be better people and redeem themselves when they fall.

The Bionic Woman: Bionic Beauty (1976) Season 1, Episode 7

Good episode for Kids

[8/10 · 17 January 2024]

I figured the show would just be an excuse to show off Lindsey Wagners... er... assets for the teenage boys who like science fiction, but it turns out to be an ok show. Not much exploitation, since most of it was in evening apparel, except for one scene in a one-piece swimsuit typical of the pageants of the 1970s. The spy plot was your basic Bionic Woman spy game, pretty well done with the mystery revealed gradually as Jaimie overheard bits of the plan through her super hearing. The final scene made me yearn for those days of the television code that taught positive lessons to the young. Today, nearly all prime time television is filled with cynical, "flawed", anti-heros. And then we wonder why children are growing up to be selfish sociopaths.

Let's face it, young people need heros and morals and to avoid cynicism. There will be plenty of time to learn about the selfishness and duplicity of people when they face college and the adult world. If they can be shown something positive to strive for and heros with good morality and altruism before that, perhaps they will try to make a difference in this messed up world.

They say we can thank Lindsey Wagner for the avoidance of guns and shootouts. I think also her emphasis on people being able to redeem themselves when they make a mistake was a truly positive contribution.

If you want something positive to show your pre-teens these days, the Bionic Woman is a good show for that. And this particular episode is a good one.

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

The best of the Pierce Brosnan Bond movies

[9/10 · 20 October 2023]

"Tomorrow Never Dies" is by far the best Pierce Brosnan James Bond movie. I would go so far as to say it is one of the better movies of the whole franchise. The plot was the standard "megalomaniac about to create a war for selfish benefit", but Jonathan Pryce makes the most of his villain role. (And personally, the media mogul cynically manipulating the public perception of reality, and stoking chaos, could not be a more timely and prescient plot line. ) Michelle Yeoh has to be one of the best Bond girls ever. She is an excellent martial artist and action star in her own right, and she is a better actress than most Bond girls in other outings. There are a few ridiculous action scenes, just like all action movies, but the action is still solid, and the humor hits more than misses in this one. I have never really been a superfan of Terri Hatcher, but she does pretty well as Pierce's former love. And Vincent Schiavelli plays the role of his career as the "doctor" who is a master of assassination, and the gifted "hobbyist" at torture. The black humor in his scene with Bond is as good as Odd Job, only wittier. And the henchmen efforts to break into Q's super-BMW is hilarious.

All in all, it has all of the best elements of a great Bond movie, and the comfort of the plot we all know and love.

Silk (2007)

The director should stick to still photography

[3/10 · 30 August 2023]

The casting for Herve destroyed the entire picture. Why is it that American young people believe that people who lived long ago were dreary, dull and lifeless? Or was it just the actor's choice? The director should have just dumped him when he saw the first work from this guy. How many other pictures have fired an actor who was just miscast? So the director is definitely at fault for his casting choice. He should have picked a decent French or British actor. Those Brits are great a playing reserved characters that show a huge volcano of emotion lying just below the surface. They can do more with their eyes and facial expressions than certain American actors can do with a page of dialogue. And I have never seen an unemotional French actor. They at least inject a spark into the dialogue, or a roguish glint in their eyes, a passion in their delivery. That's why this immature American actor is so freaking unbelievable as a French adventurer.

The cinematography was beautiful. The music fit the melancholy. But the script was shorthand at best. There was zero character development. I bought the movie for Kiera Knightly, but she was given very little script to work with and this lifeless American gave her back nothing to play against.

I cannot fathom how we are supposed to understand how the girl in Japan is supposed to have fallen in love with this filthy, unshaven European who probably hadn't had a bath in a month and had absolutely NO personality. If the book was good (I have no idea), this movie did a terrible job of translating it to the screen.

Even at the end, when we are supposed to feel something emotionally, I felt zero, nada, nothing.

This movie is a series of beautifully shot still photographs, with no character, no little moments that make you really care about the people in it. And the idea of Herve being an adventurer is so absurd as to be laughable. If he was in a western he would have been humiliated in a bar or shot off his horse. He just looks completely weak and lifeless.

Don't waste your time or your money. I gave it a 3 for the cinematography and the 3 decent actors. Herve gets a minus 10.

From Other Worlds (2004)

I don't know what the critics are talking about

[8/10 · 18 February 2023]

I was astonished that this little film had such a low score on rotten tomatoes. Oh well, that means you can get it for $4.99 on Amazon Prime Video.

It had better music than some other more highly budgeted movies. The script had better, more natural dialogue and better acting than any other comedy of a similar budget.

It was relaxing and heartwarming as well as being moderately humorous. The suspense is enough to keep you watching, but not so much as to get your heart racing. I think the aliens answers to questions was the funniest scene for me, especially his answer about his appearance.

It is a testament to what can be accomplished using a very low budget, decent actors, and a pretty good script. When I see the amount of really crap movies that are produced in any given year, this one is a nice little gem.

Cheers to Brooklyn!

Natasha (I) (2015)

A dark view into youth on a bad path

[8/10 · 24 November 2022]

***spoilers *** Not a bad picture. I don't agree with the reviewers who said the ending was too arty or pretentious, or the writer ran out of ideas. The ending was true to the nature of the characters involved. I have even met people like the girl.

One thing other reviewers failed to address is that the entire picture was from the point of view of a 16 year old guy, who thought he was much smarter than he really was. All the information he had about Natasha's life came from Natasha, who we find at the end is quite manipulative. Whether she was always that way, or learned it from her mother, or was simply just another lazy, stubborn girl who felt her life was "boring" and got in with a crowd of manipulative adults who simultaneously took advantage of her and also taught her how to manipulate other adults, we can only guess.

In the end, she had found her next "mark" to take care of her material needs. (And he is like those Russian and American men who gave Natasha her start in the world of sexual manipulation. Of course he too is going to be manipulated and fooled, since he too is convinced he is smarter than he is. Note his comment about how "principled" she is.) God only knows how Natasha's life will end up. After she gets old and ugly, she might be exactly like her mother, if indeed her mother is like she portrayed her.

No Time to Die (2021)

The times they are a changing

[7/10 · 27 July 2022]

SPOILERS WITHIN I wrote this review to counteract the spewing of hate by the "anti-wokers".

Personally, I found the plot prescient and thoughtful. Bond was completely consistent with the novels AND what he would be in the present day.

To those who say this script has a Bond who doesn't resemble the Ian Fleming Bond, I say you must have not read very carefully. Perhaps they confuse the cinematic Bond of Sean Connery with what was in the books. The cinematic Bond of the sixties reflected the decade it was filmed in - a man's world with easy sex. If you actually READ the Ian Fleming novels you would know that while Bond was a randy fellow who would have trysts with many women, some of whom were enemy agents, he also had a chivalrous heart and a weakness for protecting women. In three novels - Casino Royale, You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty's Secret Service he either attempted or contemplated leaving the Service and marrying to save his soul.

So to me, the "evolution" of Bond in this film is not all that different than On Her Majesty's Secret Service - the book AND the film. The tie in is quite explicit and deliberate, since they reuse John Barry's theme whenever Bond is with Dr Swann.

The film IS long. However the stunts are good and practical effects are used instead of CGI in as many cases as possible. Sometimes I think Marvel and Mission Impossible must be spoiling people, since CGI can create totally impossible situations and make them look real. Here real cars and stunt people risk their lives. Maybe people are just desensitized?

The Cuban sequence as noted by others is quite something and Bond's contact is super hot and kicks butt.

Felix Leiter is good as usual.

I wasn't thrilled with the title song. I guess I find Billie Elish overly dreary. Even Adele, who is known for songs of pain and heartache, at least has some JUICE in her delivery! Elish is just.... slow and boring. (Maybe I'm getting old?)

The plot was a bit complex, but at least it's more believable than the plots of You Only Live Twice, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, A View to a Kill, and The Spy Who Loved Me!

And since when are NanoBots an old idea? As far as I can tell, they are still in development. Has anyone read of nanobot or nanite technology actually in use yet?? Seems like a pretty futuristic plot idea to me. It also leads to the theme of unintended consequences when scientists develop something for what they think is a good and justified use, and then it becomes a total world menace by people with a more sociopathic vision.

All in all, I found the plot thoughtful and it developed themes that resonate with the present times.

Rami Malek is a kind of sickly villain. I think he was really the weakest link in this one. He was a rotten sociopath, but the actor just couldn't muster enough menace beneath his stoicism.

As a send-off to Daniel Craig's Bond, I do think the filmmakers expended the effort to make you feel the loss. Craig and all the supporting characters did a good job of fleshing out their characters as human beings.

So lighten up. Judge this against the REALITY of previous Bond pictures, not your rose-colored glasses remembrances. This one is well made, well acted, and a heck of a lot more believable than some of the outings.

I am sad to see Daniel Craig go. He is one of the best Bond's ever. It will be hard to find someone else with his physical presence, acting chops and charisma.

The Orville (2017–2022)

Had to add balance to the S3 trashers

[9/10 · 18 July 2022]

Clearly people like the humor and so do I. I do hope an effort is made to add a little "sugar" to the medicine. With the events of today spinning ever further out of control of the majority and into the hands of a vocal, ideological, determined minority, I guess humor is essential to defuse the outrage. But the kind of Sci Fi that gets remembered addresses the problems of society or else it's just popcorn or a Super Hero show.

That being said, Season 3 has tremendous production values, excellent acting, and I think good writing. In the episodes addressing controversial topics, an effort is made to present both sides of an argument. However, some people seem to be offended when the absolute absurdity and hypocrisy of certain viewpoints are exposed. Today few people's minds are open enough to see the contradictions in a particular viewpoint.

(FYI The reviewer who chastised the EP 5 show for presenting a person going against the wishes of the "parents" did not watch very carefully. The crew member bit their tongue until the child in question was on the verge of suicide and repeatedly asked directly for the truth. The parents were divided and one parent actually sided with the child and the crew member. So the crew member simply supported the wishes of the child and one out of two parents. So clearly the outraged viewer believes one parent has veto power over the wishes of the other parent and the child.) In the late 70's a little show called M*A*S*H bravely moved away from humor into drama. But that was pre-Reagan and the ideological certainty that began to inhabit a segment of our nation, so it survived for 6 more seasons. Alas I fear that unless The Orville can regain its humor, the rabid ANTI-awakening crowd will "cancel" it. We'll see. I am in for the duration. But I do hope we see a little better humor/drama balance in the later episodes.

I guess times are so dark now, art seems to reflect the times.

Ashby (2015)

Micky Rourke has never been better

[9/10 · 13 December 2021]

Some other reviewers are cleary jaded pr@cks who may also have difficulty navigating the weird combination of quirky comedy and drama. I am writing my review because Micky Rourke moved me with his performance. Perhaps I have a soft spot for soldiers that the rest of us spoiled asses rely on to protect us and do the dirty work. Perhaps I have recognition for an older man who has to come to grips with the fact that he has made mistakes he regrets. At any rate, Micky gives one of the best performances in a stellar career --- well worth watching. The young man was ok. Although he might have been a little too glib in spots. He's much darker and more hatefully, pathetically convincing in Palo Alto. Emma Roberts is about perfect in her role. I fell in love with her as usual. Anyway, I have watched a lot of movies in my down time lately and this is one of them I DON'T regret.

Give it a try.

The Brave One (2007)

So much more than a female Death Wish

[9/10 · 7 May 2021]

To those who say this is a cliche' female "Death Wish", perhaps they have no ability to absorb subtlety... This film, first of all, is made with perhaps 1000% more quality of writing, characterization, acting, directing and even FILMING than the Charles Bronson series. Those films not only had a low budget cheap feel and grade B- acting, they also never asked many questions. The viewer was never challenged to question whether what Charlie was doing was right or wrong, or at least not much. Old Charlie just did it, and the viewer was given the option to cheer him on.

Here Jodie Foster gave her usual superior multi-layered performance, and the scriptwriters gave the viewer plenty of time to think about the morality and consequences and also the affect on the person choosing that path. The two character actors playing the police were also excellent. Nick Katz had me laughing with his sarcastic comments- a welcome relief from the very serious treatment of the material. Overall I found this film to be a much more subtle and well written movie than 99% of the other revenge flicks. About the only criticism I have is that the criminals had no redeeming qualities. That makes it easy to have no sympathy for them or their fates. I am sure there are people who are that far gone down the path of evil, but it might have added to the quality of the script if some of them had some sort of code. Most non-sociopathic people have some sort of code that allows them to justify their actions in their mind. These guys just didn't care about anyone or anything except their own ego and pride. They revelled in their control of others and their power over them. If their pride was offended even slightly, they unleashed their violence within. Here they messed with the wrong chick...

Zoe (I) (2018)

Those that don't see the depth have no depth themselves....

[9/10 · 23 March 2021]

To those that have never looked beyond the surface, yes, you probably won't see much. It might seem like just a romance like several other movies. It seems slow. But I found myself drawn in by the actors. I went in with just the stupid synopsis to prepare me, so I really had the wrong preconceptions. If you look, you will see many themes involving human nature, juxtaposed with advanced AI and how many times humans create things and never foresee the unintended consequences. Corporate greed and ambition comes into play in releasing technology on society with absolutely no regard for its effect. You might also find yourself seriously questioning the nature of our human consciousness. This type of future is really not so far away. We need to examine humanity before it is upon us. Multiple viewings might reveal multiple layers/themes. Yes, the "romance" is pretty good, but there is quite a bit more to the movie than that. It definitely raises many questions that can disturb our complacent view of the world that exists today and of another one that might be around the corner.

My Teacher's Wife (1999)

Intelligent teen comedy. Nostalgic slice of the 90's

[9/10 · 28 February 2021]

This movie brought back emotions from an exciting era, the 90's. I think it was the music. (Definitely check out some of the artists. One in particular is still at it today as a solo artist who works with his daughter in the band Daisy House.) Tia Carrere was at her most beautiful. The script built relatively complete characterizations. The actors did a great job of demonstrating people each dealing with their own issues in their own self involved way. These movies often resort to cliche, but this movie with it's completely ridiculous title, strives to present things in a much more realistic way. The gags are pretty good, but there is plenty of drama to go along with it. Needless to say, this story is a male fantasy personified. I would easily fall in love with Tia's character in a heartbeat....

Test Tube Teens from the Year 2000 (1994 Video)

Better than 90% of the stupid teen comedies with better budgets

[7/10 · 1 April 2019]

I swear! It was very short, but the pace was fast and wasted no time. The best camp has to be played straight and all the actors did so. No real graphic sex, just innuendo and lots of exposed breasts. I got a kick out of most of the jokes. It was definitely 80s humor. Its a small piece of candy, not a steak dinner. Come take the low budget ride.

Countdown (1967)

Realistic Space story

[8/10 · 29 March 2019]

Good cast. Good story and pretty true to the era. Some people today believe their own propaganda about the Cold War being some kind of hysteria or something. Of course if you do actual research you will find that Soviet archives as well as defectors have confirmed many of the disinformation campaigns and covert efforts that the apologists always said were imaginary. Until the fall of the USSR, the Soviets had successfully convinced the british and the other europeans at least that they never even tried to go to the moon, but simply conned the U.S. into spending our money. Of course later it was proved that they tried and failed. This story realistically depicts days when NASA was run by young men who had been through Korea and test pilot days when pilots were being lost regularly. These men had a tolerance for risk that we just don't have today. Their women were expected to keep the home fires burning and put on a smile in public. The doctors were much like the one in the movie - very conservative and given to imagining the worst case scenario. Before project Mercury, some believed weightlessness would so disorient the pilot that he couldn't control the spacecraft. If we had listened to them, we would never have gone to the moon. The cooperation by NASA allows us to see very real simulators, vacuum chambers, lunar gravity simulation rigs, and control rooms. Overall, good design, screenplay and acting. I would also like to counterbalance some ignorant criticism by someone who thinks they know what they're talking about ... Firstly, the Gemini capsule on top of a lunar descent stage was a real design from Mcdonnell-Douglas as a lunar rescue craft after it was rejected as an Apollo backup. As for Lee's Spacesuit, it was NOT some sort of fire or hazard suit. What you are seeing was simply the lunar surface outer garment that was meant to go over the pressure suit. The final Apollo one looked different, but there was a design from 1966 or 1967 that looked very much like the one in the movie. That would have been around the time they would have been doing production design. Definitely worth a watch for space history buffs.

Autumn in New York (2000)

Don't Listen to Cold Heartless Fish

[9/10 · 2 January 2019]

I think a reviewer said it well when they implied that this type of film never "reviews well" in this cynical age. Yes, this story is an old one, but the director and the actors imbued it with a fresh life. Wynona Ryder has the ability to make you love her. Richard Gere is a master at playing the spoiled, selfish ladies man. But he portrays what happens when that man comes to grips with his life and finally lets himself feel. All of the supporting actors are at the top of their game. I saw no weak parts. The angle with Lisa (don't want to spoil that one) adds a particular dimension to Gere's journey. The bottom line is, if you don't feel anything during this film, perhaps you need to have your OWN heart examined. Perhaps you're dead inside?