DrGaellon Reviews

Taken (2002)

I have to reply to Steviereno's comments

[8/10 · 15 December 2002]

"And what was the story that took TWO WEEKS to tell? That a little girl 3 generations into it all was the DESIGNED INTENT of the aliens over 40 years earlier? But, folks, she was the product of an ACCIDENTAL meeting with the housewife and an injured "not important" (by his own statement) alien."

I took John's words in part 10 to mean that HE ALONE conceived the experiment, when he realized Sally's compassion and found it lacking in himself. Further, I took him to mean that he was "not important" NOW - that Allie was the only thing that mattered now.

"At the end of the script, they are 55 years into the experiment, and then they lose the only 3rd generation hybrid they had working, because they have inbred into her the ability to turn her tracking device off?"

Again, I don't think the breeding was all that well planned - it was more Mendelian. "I have this plant (Jacob), and I want to add these traits (Russell)... so let's breed Jacob's offspring with Russell's offspring, and see if we get a good combination."

Just my $0.02.

Max Knight: Ultra Spy (2000 TV Movie)

Cheeseball

[2/10 · 29 September 2002]

What a hopelessly cheeseball piece of trash! It was mildly amusing, but utterly ridiculous. Goes in the same category as "Double Dragon" - cute actors, silly story, totally goofball. A good way to waste a Sunday afternoon, though.

Tales of the City (1993)

A sheer delight

[9/10 · 19 June 2000]

This 1993 mini-series is a delightful translation of Armistead Maupin's book. A window into a more carefree time and place - 1976 San Francisco, when love was free and life was much simpler.

The cast is appropriately attractive, especially the deliciously sleazy Beauchamp Day (Thomas Gibson, pre-"Dharma & Greg") and the charming Dr. Jon Fielden (Billy Campbell, pre-"Once and Again"). The then-unknown Laura Linney is perfect as the innocent MaryAnn Singleton, and Chloe Webb is outstanding as the spacy ad exec, Mona Ramsey. And, of course, Olympia Dukakis is marvelous as the "mother of us all", Anna Madrigal.

This is must-see television. The sequel was made in 1998, and the third book is filming now in Vancouver for a 2001 release.

Get Real (1998)

I almost loved this film...

[9/10 · 16 May 1999]

What a delightful gem of a film! The comparisons to "Beautiful Thing" are, as elsewhere noted, inevitable... and I think I liked this one better.

The situation seemed just a breath more believable... in BT, we were given no reason to think Ste was homosexually inclined; in GR, both boys have been given a clear setting of such inclination.

Of course, being the incurable romantic that I am, the ending was simply heartrending - I *WANTED* them to stay together. Of course, we all know the real world rarely works that way.

See this movie... it will give you hope and heart.