keith7821 Reviews

Psycho III (1986)

Very campy, with many scenes similar to the original

[2 January 2001]

"Psycho III" is a good sequel, but it's loaded with blood and disgusting moments that just make it a regular slasher film from the 80's with no sense of suspense or terror that made the first two films so good. Anthony Perkins again puts on a terrific performance as the nervous, stuttering Norman trying to cover up the murders his "mother" commits.

The plot picks up about one month after "Psycho II" left off. Norman is still "rehabilitated", reopened the motel, and is hiring some help. He meets up with a drifter named Duke (Jeff Fahey) who he hires as an assistant manager and with a young woman known as Maureen Coyle (Diana Scarwid), who bears a striking resemblance to one of his former victims (who we all know of!). A snoopy reporter named Tracy Venable (Roberta Maxwell) is also around, trying to prove that Norman had something to do with the disappearance of Mrs. Spool, from "Psycho II".

There are so many scenes in this film that remind me of the original "Psycho" that it's not hard to figure out that Perkins was owing tribute to the master of suspense. Examples: reuse of the lines, "we all go a little mad sometimes" and "mother, oh god mother, blood! blood!", scenes of Janet Leigh getting hacked up in the shower, a woman who looks like Marion Crane, whom Norman falls in love with, scene with Norman looking through the peephole, a take on the shower scene but this time in a phone booth, the shouting matches with Mother, a take on the falling down the stairs death, and plenty of other ones I can't think of right now. There is way too much blood in this though, though "Psycho II" had it's share of violent moments, this entry goes overboard with the blood, and senseless killings. The cast is so so. Roberta Maxwell is annoying, Diana Scarwid is ok, and Jeff Fahey was downright nasty and awful. The only cast member who does a terrific job, as usual, is Anthony Perkins. This is followed by "Psycho IV: The Beginning", which was a made-for-tv prequel, but I don't consider it a real part of the series. It wasn't well made and it contradicts a lot of which the previous movies said happened. Just have the first three as a trilogy and you could get the real story of Norman.

Psycho II (1983)

Excellent sequel to the Hitchcock classic

[2 January 2001]

"Psycho II" doesn't rehash the plot of "Psycho", but rather expands on it, creating a new plot with a new twist while using the same styles and techniques that Hitchcock used so many years before.

Twenty-two years after the original murders, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is judged sane and is released from the mental institution even though Lila Loomis (Vera Miles), sister of Marion Crane who was murdered in the shower, strongly protests it. He returns home to run the motel and takes in a girlfriend named Mary (Meg Tilly), while his "mother" is contacting him. All of this is too much and he starts going mad again.

There are some genuinely chilling moments in this sequel, with a great musical score by Jerry Goldsmith. Anthony Perkins again plays the "not-so-normal" Norman, who seems to be going off his rocker towards the end! Vera Miles is outrageous as Lila Loomis. She isn't the concerned, kind-hearted young woman we saw in the original, but rather a nut hellbent on revenge for what Norman did to her sister all those years before. She screams and yells and practically gets in the way to have Bates recommitted. Meg Tilly and Dennis Franz co-star and there is also a nice cameo appearance by Janet Leigh in the beginning as we see her getting murdered in the famous shower scene. The ending will practically make your eyes bulge out of your sockets! Nice plot twist! All in all, a worthy sequel to "Psycho". Followed by two more sequels and a TV series.

Psycho (1960)

After 40 years, it still scares! *SPOILERS*

[31 December 2000]

"Psycho" was indeed, Hitchcock's masterpiece. It combined drama, suspense and terror to create an atmosphere of pure dread. The music was top notch by Bernard Hermann and the cast was excellent, all giving fine performances.

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) embezzles $40,000 and runs away to meet up with her lover, Sam Loomis (John Gavin). While on her travels she stops at the Bates Motel and meets up with the shy, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who lives in a house right above the motel with his "mother". After rethinking what she has done, she ends up taking a shower and, well, you know what happens! A few days later, Marion's sister, Lila (Vera Miles) meets up with Sam and a private investigator (Martin Balsam) to determine what happened to Marion and the money, but not before suspecting Norman and his motel may have something to do with it.

From the beginning theme to the last view of Marion's car being pulled from the swamp, this movie is outstanding. Hitch really knew how to fool around with the audience and created some terrifying moments that still scare even after 40 years. The shower scene still scares me! Anthony Perkins was good here but not as good as in "Psycho II", and the supporting performances from Vera Miles and John Gavin were fine. They made a good investigative team. Miles was very determined to find out what happened to her sister, which made you feel sympathetic to her pleas. Janet Leigh, in the 40 minutes she is on screen, was excellent. Now I can understand where her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis gets her screaming from! "Psycho" was followed by 3 sequels and a remake which doesn't even come close at what this film did by scaring people.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

How it all started...

[17 December 2000]

"Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" would actually be considered the middle part of the "ape" series timeline as Cornelius' and Zira's son, Caesar, rises to power by leading a revolt against the human population. It's actually the darkest one in the series, with an ending that is excellent!

"Conquest" begins 18 years after "Escape". Cornelius' and Zira's son, Caesar (Roddy McDowell), has been kept hidden by friendly circus trainer, Armando (Ricardo Montalban). Dogs and cats have been wiped out by some sort of strange virus leaving people to acquire apes as household pets. This soon develops into training them to be slaves. Caesar sees the way the ape population is being treated, and, knowing he is the son of two extraordinary speaking apes, leads a revolt against the humans. This is how the planet of the apes comes about.

I really liked the dark tones this movie had. The riots at the end against man and ape was very well done and reminded me of the Watts Riots and others that I have seen. Lots of gunfire, flames, yelling, and a great speech at the end from Caesar. I would suggest, if you want to see how the ape civilization actually started, view "Escape" then this one, and then "Battle", because in the timeline these actually come BEFORE the original and "Beneath".

The Nutty Professor (1996)

Absolutely hysterical remake!

[16 December 2000]

"The Nutty Professor" is a remake of the 1963 film starring Jerry Lewis, in which Eddie Murphy plays 7 characters! The basic premise is the same as a man who doesn't quite fit in changes himself in order to get the girl of his dreams. In the 1963 version, it was a nerdy professor, in this remake, it's a fat professor.

Dr. Sherman Klump (Eddie Murphy) is a kind-hearted chemistry professor who takes an interest in fellow professor Dr. Carla Purty (Jada Pinkett). After a humiliating date in which Sherman was literally the brunt of fat jokes, he develops a formula which turns him into the thin, but overly obnoxious Buddy Love. At first, Buddy seems very charming to Carla, but every time Sherman takes a swig of the potion and Buddy emerges, his testosterone levels rise and he rages out of control, making him into a maniac. Sherman has to get rid of Buddy before he loses control of him completely.

This movie is hysterical. One word to describe it. There are so many funny moments in this film it's unreal. Two dinner scenes with the Klump family (played all by Eddie Murphy) were so funny I almost fell to the floor laughing and Buddy's confrontation with a comic (Dave Chapelle) was also a non-stop laughing point in the movie. I know this film makes fun of fat people pretty bad, but if you look past that, it's a film that tries to make a point, where people should accept themselves for who they are and not try to be anyone who they aren't. This film is slightly better than the sequel (which was also hysterical) and it took the 1963 version to new heights with outrageous special effects, but sticking to the same type of story.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Entertaining sequel *SPOILERS*

[15 December 2000]

"Escape from the Planet of the Apes" is slightly better than it's predecessor, "Beneath", but lacks the intelligence of the original. The music is also new, taking on a funky 70's rhythm.

Dr. Zira (Kim Hunter), Dr. Cornelius (Roddy McDowell) and Dr. Milo (Sal Mineo) escape the planet of the apes right as Taylor (played by Charlton Heston in the first two films) activates the nuclear bomb (see "Beneath the Planet of the Apes") and destroys the entire planet. The force of the blast knocks them through a time portal where they enter the year 1973 amongst the human population. At first, they are treated like celebrities but the government has found out that they may be the link to the ape civilization that will occur in the future and wants to have them killed!

This entry in the series is a little bit more humorous than the previous entries and kind of does an opposite effect from the first film, as the two apes are being put under tests because they are seen as "different". It has a lot of suspenseful moments and some nasty villains appearing who want the apes destroyed! The music is downright 70's as well as the clothes and hairstyles, kind of nostalgic. It's not bad for a third entry in the series. It does get sad towards the end though, as Cornelius and Zira have offspring who is destined to one day lead the revolt against the humans, but doesn't get to see his rise to power. Besides that, it's a very good film that continues the storyline nicely with some references to the previous films so the viewer doesn't get completely lost.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Nice continuation, but depressing ending!

[15 December 2000]

"Beneath the Planet of the Apes" continues the plot of the first film rather nicely and introduces us to some, shall we say, new wild and wacked out plot elements for us to see.

The plot picks up directly where the original film left off, it is still 3955 and a new astronaut named Brent (James Franciscus) has landed on the ape planet searching for Taylor (Charlton Heston). He meets up with Nova (Linda Harrison) who takes him back to the ape city, where he meets up with Dr. Zira (Kim Hunter) and Dr. Cornelius (David Watson), discussing the last location of Taylor. Brent and Nova then travel to the remnants of NYC where they meet up with a weird race of mutant humans who can control beings with their minds and worship a nuclear bomb(!). They are followed by an army of apes led by Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans) and Ursus (James Gregory).

The thing I like best about this sequel is the fact that several key characters from the original return, although Heston is reduced to a cameo role and Kim Hunter is briefly seen in a 10 minute scene and disappears for the rest of the film. Roddy McDowell wasn't available for this one, so another actor played his character. The acting is just as good as the original and James Franciscus fills Heston's shoes nicely. I thought the mind controlling mutants was a nice touch to the film but the fact that they worshipped a nuclear bomb was goofy and utterly laughable. That whole scene where they chant and pray to the bomb was ridiculous and the eye closing, beeping way they control minds was more annoying than anything. The violence is still there, even more so than the original and the ending is much, much, much more depressing than the original! I won't give it away but if you watch it you know what I mean. All in all, a good film that shouldn't be missed.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

"Damn you all to hell!"

[15 December 2000]

I just recently purchased the box set of the "Ape" films, not knowing much about the movies and relying on good reviews about them. Well, this first movie was fantastic. I was intrigued from the beginning right to the end! The story is quite simple. Col. George Taylor (Charlton Heston) and three crew members are traveling through space when they encounter a time warp while in hibernation. They land on a planet in the year 3955, where they are held prisoner by a civilization of apes who capture primitive humans and use them for studying.

The movie has a number of questions that could be answered. How did the apes evolve? Why were the humans primitive? What planet were they exactly on? What really happened in the past for the future to be so different? The acting in this was outstanding. Heston at times did over act but for the most part he was really good. Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowell play the ape psychologists Dr. Zira and Cornelius, who try to help Taylor any way they can. Maurice Evans plays scientist Dr. Zaius, who wants Taylor captured and killed, while Linda Harrison plays a primitive woman named Nova as supporting characters.

The only thing that strikes me about this movie is that it's rated G. If you saw some of the violence this movie has, you would think otherwise! There are also bare butts, apes shooting people and apes beating people with mini baseball bats! This doesn't really take any good qualities away from the movie, the best parts happened to be two classic lines Mr. Heston says ("Damn you all to hell!" "Take your stinking hands off me you damn, dirty ape!") and the ending, which I won't give away because it really is a shocker! Definitely see this film if you love sci-fi, you won't regret it.

Father of the Bride Part II (1995)

Better than the original

[12 December 2000]

"Father of the Bride, Part II" is actually a remake of the 1951 sequel, "Father's Little Dividend", which is turn is a sequel to "Father of the Bride". All of the principle cast members from the original film return with more outrageous situations and more laughs.

George Banks (Steve Martin) is just getting over the wedding of his daughter (Kimberly Williams) when he has even more distressing news, she is going to have a baby! This doesn't settle well with him considering he feels old and is not ready to be a grandfather. Not only that, but his wife Nina (Diane Keaton) is also pregnant! Talk about a wacked situation! This not only makes George a grandfather but also a father at the age of 50.

This movie and the original "Father of the Bride" are two of my favorite movies of all time. They are both dramatic, heartwarming and funny. One thing I like is the fact that it continues the storyline very smoothly with references from the first film and Diane Keaton has a lot more to do in this. Martin Short also returns as the wacky ex-wedding coordinator who now coordinates baby showers, lucky for the Banks family! Rent the original and this one for a night of humor and drama, and for anyone who is having a baby, make them watch this!

The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

Definitely in my top 5 favorite movies of all time

[10/10 · 11 December 2000]

I was 6 years old when the Transformers came out so naturally I grew up with them, had my favorite characters and saw the movie of course! I am now 22 and I love this film just as much as I did when I first saw it in the movies years ago. The film takes place in 2005, where the Decepticons, led by Megatron have taken over Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers. Optimus Prime and the Autobots plans to take back Cybertron but little do they know a planet eating machine named Unicron is heading their way which might force them to put aside their differences and fight together to save the galaxy. That is pretty much the main plot.

There is not one single boring moment in this film. It's action from start to finish. Granted, this movie is violent. There are deaths. In the first 10 minutes we see several of our favorite characters get blasted away. Now to a 6 year old, this is kind of traumatic, but for all intensive purposes, this was to make way for the new toys being developed. Also, the death of a certain autobot (I won't give it away just in case people have not seen the movie) definitely disturbed me when I was younger! I actually cried the the movies. I could understand why this movie was rated PG. Anyway, we have a talented cast who gave the robots life such as Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy and Orson Wells and some great moments in the film: the attack on Autobot City, the creation of Galvatron and his troops and the transformation of Unicron/attack on Cybertron. This might not be a film for non-Trans fans but nevertheless, it is an excellent film, not only for the animation of the time but for the cast and the action it has. If you have not seen it, rent it. You won't regret it!

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)

Absolutely Hysterical!

[6 December 2000]

Reading all the negative reviews about this film I figured a nice positive one would help. I thought "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" was hysterical. The first one was terrific, but I think this blows it away. Eddie Murphy really plays the whole Klump family, as Sherman develops a youth serum and asks his girlfriend Denise Gains (Janet Jackson) to marry him. Papa and Mama are having problems with their sex life, Ernie is just annoying and Grandma (who is the best character in this movie) is totally over-sexed. Buddy Love also emerges from Sherman's body and is now a separate person, wanting to get his hands on the youth serum to earn lots of money. I guess I'm a sucker for toilet humor and sex jokes! I thought Grandma was a riot, especially in the fantasy sequence with Buddy and the dinner scene in the restaurant was hysterical. I was almost on the floor rolling with laughter. I thought Sherman's dream sequence was dumb and they could have explained a little bit of what happened to Carla Purty (played by Jada Pinkett in the original). She's nowhere to be found here, except for a very brief mention of her. The film is definitely more raunchier than the original, but for some reason, I thought the jokes worked well. This is NOT a movie for young kids. Good sequel. Hope for "Nutty Professor III" in the future! Nice job Eddie!

Father of the Bride (1991)

Wonderful, heartwarming movie

[29 November 2000]

"Father of the Bride" is a remake of the Spencer Tracy/Elizabeth Taylor film from 1950. George Banks (Steve Martin) and his wife, Nina (Diane Keaton), are ecstatic over the fact that their daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams) is coming home after being in Rome for 6 months. Little do they know that she has a surprise waiting for them, she is getting married! This news doesn't settle well with George, as he has a tough time accepting the fact that his only daughter is grown-up and ready to be on her own.

This movie is hysterical, dramatic and sad. Steve Martin does a good job as the father of the bride, some situations and one liners he has are a riot! The best line in the movie is right after he meets his future son-in-law. Diane Keaton isn't given much to do here except smile. Kimberly Williams is gorgeous and kind-hearted as the bride-to-be, while Martin Short is funny/annoying as the over the top flaming wedding coordinator. This is the perfect movie for any family to watch when there is a wedding coming up! Followed by "Father of the Bride, Part II" in 1995.

Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)

Just as good as the first

[27 September 2000]

"Urban Legends: Final Cut" is the in-name-only sequel to "Urban Legend". It's just the same setup as the first one, a killer in a costume ends up killing college students, BUT, instead of the killer basing his murders on urban legends, he/she ends up doing the killing on a film set based on a story of urban legends. Not the same, which is good that it didn't copy the original movie's concept and went in a different direction.

The plot has a killer in a fencing mask and a black slicker (even worse than the parka! He/she looks like a walking microphone) knocking off students on a film set about urban legends at Alpine University. The film is being done by student Amy Mayfield (Jennifer Morrison) after hearing a story of the original murders by security guard Reese (Loretta Divine reprising her role from UL), who was fired from Pendleton after not agreeing to cover up the killings. That is the main jist of the plot.

The acting is ok, there are many unknowns here, I didn't hear of any of them except for Hart Bochner (who was in "Terror Train" with Jamie Lee Curtis), Loretta Divine and Joey Lawrence. Jennifer Morrison is actually a strong lead and she isn't as wooden as Alicia Witt was, and the rest of the cast was ok, but the blonde girl who couldn't act her way out of a paper bag was hysterical!

The murders were not exceptionally creative, except for the first one, that was just so gross it actually made me cringe. The killer was a surprise and there were some good chase scenes spread out. There was also a great cameo at the end which turned out to be the best part in the whole movie! Anyway, "Urban Legends: Final Cut" is a good flick, not that scary, but more suspenseful with some scares. Let's hope they'll put out a third UL film and make it a trilogy.

Urban Legend (1998)

Please stop comparing this to "Scream" folks...

[27 September 2000]

I have read a lot of comments on here comparing this movie to Scream. Sure, it has the same set up for all the teen slashers that have come up, guy/girl in a weird costume killing screaming college students. No matter how many new "horror" movies they are going to make, it's all going to follow this same setup.

The plot is original, it's in no way like Scream. A killer wearing a fur lined parka (ok, the costume is a bit blaah) starts knocking off students at Pendleton University based on urban legends. The murders focus around Natalie Simon (Alicia Witt) who tries to figure out why she is being stalked. Now if someone can tell me all the similarities between Scream and this movie based on the plot, I would love to know. The murders in this are creative, using legends such as The Murderer in the Backseat, the Hanging Boyfriend and the Slasher Under the Car, stuff we have heard about from a friend that heard from a friend, etc. There are some momentary jumpy parts, and a good chase scene in a radio station, and how can anyone NOT like that ending?

The acting in this is good for the people involved, Alicia Witt sometimes stumbles into stone, but for the most part she is pretty good. Also, Tara Reid and Rebecca Gayheart are great, and yes, Gayheart definitely does overact but that is what makes her awesome, especially at the end. Rest of the cast is so so, although Loretta Divine is funny and we do care about her as the Chief of Security Reese (She also has one of the funniest lines in the film). Featured also is Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger himself) as a professor of folklore and John Neville (from The X-Files) as Dean Adams.

"Urban Legend" doesn't rank up there with "The Exorcist", "A Nightmare On Elm Street", and other classics, and yes, it does have it's fair share of dumb moments (who exactly would wear a parka to a swimming pool?!) but it does have it's fair share of scares and jumps and suspense, and it is better than some of the other trash that has come out in the past 10 years (with the exception of "Candyman" of course!). Rent it, don't compare it, and have a good time watching it.

Scary Movie (2000)

Downright Awful

[2 August 2000]

I was expecting more from this flick. I was going in thinking this movie was super-hilarious (judging from the previews), but I was disgusted and disappointed. I'm really surprised this movie didn't get an X rating, although a porn flick might prove better than this trash. It was all sex, no plot and no laughs. Some of the subject matter was very offending and this is the first movie I have EVER seen that I walked out on. I think it's geared for 13 year olds who have a high old time laughing at fake genitals and disgusting scenarios (the bathroom scene in the movie theatre, the Blair Witch "I am so scared" spoof to name a few). Avoid this at all costs and save yourself $5.00

Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982)

Second best of the series (Spoilers)

[29 July 2000]

"Friday the 13th, Part 3" is a lot better than Part 2, where it has more colorful characters, more creative killings and the best chase scene in the whole series. It was directed by Steve Miner who helmed Part 2 and later on, "Halloween: H20". If one thinks about it, there really isn't any plot in the film. Just Jason finding a new place to hide and hack teenagers in weird, gross ways. Anyway, the film picks up one day after the events in Part 2. Jason is now hiding at another cabin in Crystal Lake where a bunch of teenagers get together for a weekend full of drugs and sex. Not long after they arrive, he starts to kill. That is the main plot. There is also a little subplot about the main heroine being attacked by Jason some years before. Well, if you thought the kids in the first two were bad, this one is the icing on the cake. Let's see: the heroine, the heroine's loser ex-boyfriend trying to patch things up, two pot smoking hippies who look twice the teens ages, the fat prankster who has an afro, the nice girl who the fat prankster tries to get with, the pregnant friend of the heroine and the horny boyfriend of the pregnant girl. Oh! Also add in a biker trio. Some trivia: This is the only "Friday" flick where Jason's name is NEVER mentioned. This is the first flick to show him with his famous hockey mask. When first released, it was shown in 3D.This is one of the better installments in the series, definitely better than the later ones. Rent it.

Jaws (1975)

One terrific, suspenseful and outstanding film

[15 July 2000]

"Jaws" is one of Steven Spielberg's best films to date, and it still manages to scare the hell out of people ever since it's release 25 years ago. The plot has a great white shark terrorizing the summer resort town of Amity around the 4th of July. Chief Brody (Roy Schieder) leads an investigation and closes down the beaches after a young woman was found dismembered, but Mayor Vaughn (Larry Hamilton) objects to closing them down because the town would lose money. After several more people die, a young Icthyologist (Richard Dreyfuss), a weird fisherman (Robert Shaw) and Chief Brody team up and set out to destroy the shark before he decides to make the Amity tourists his meals. The interaction between the three leading players is nothing less than perfect. They laugh, they fight, they yell, they each have their respective differences but you all relate to them in some way. Each of them do a terrific job. The music is tense, and also became famous over the years, being parodied and imitated in numerous films and TV shows. Spielberg did a fantastic job of scaring people to go into the water and I only wish the sequels did as good of a job as this classic did.

Godzilla (I) (1998)

I thought it was great fun!

[30 June 2000]

"Godzilla" didn't fare well in the theatres after being way over-hyped and people said it relied too much on special effects. True, it did rely on a lot of special effects but the story was mostly like all the other Godzilla flicks, nothing really changed except that now the monster is computer generated instead of a guy in a rubber suit and he wrecks havoc in New York City instead of Tokyo. The Japanese involvement in this film is very limited with only the beginning having them power a ship through a storm. The cast is ok. Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno and Hank Azaria were the only good actors in this. Maria Patillo cannot act at all, and the rest of the cast was just there, no particular reason whatsoever for the storyline. The real star of this is Godzilla. The way he destroys the city is awesome. He jumps right through buildings, his tail wipes out anything that comes in contact with it while crushing New Yorkers with his huge foot. Lots of action in this. Explosions are plenty and there is some humor in it too. If you are expecting this to be like the old Godzilla, think again. If you want to see a good action flick, rent it.

Psycho (1960)

I'll never look at a shower the same way!

[20 June 2000]

"Psycho" is amazing suspense and terror at it's best. It is quite possibly considered to be the grandfather of the slasher films and Alfred Hitchcock does his absolute best to keep people on the edge of their seats for the whole film. Janet Leigh plays Marion Crane, a secretary who embezzles $40,000 and runs off to be with her lover, Sam Loomis (John Gavin). During a rain storm, she stops at the Bates Motel, run by a quiet young man named Norman (Anthony Perkins) and his "mother". She has dinner with him but "mother" doesn't seem to be too pleased and while Miss Marion is taking a shower, she gets stabbed numerous times in an absolutely horrific scene which doesn't lose it's effect even after 40 years. It IS scary! We then meet Lila (Vera Miles), Marion's sister who teams up with Sam and a private investigator Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam -- who also meets the wrong end of the knife), to figure out what happened to Marion. The ending is great and explains the reason why Norman acted the way he did throughout the film. This is definitely Alfred's best film. He seems to balance suspense and terror and even a little black humor here and there. Amazingly, this film spawned 3 sequels and is the best of the bunch. One of my top 5 favorites!

Stay Tuned (1992)

One of the funniest movies I've seen

[4 June 2000]

"Stay Tuned" is definitely one of my favorite movies and one of the funniest movies I have seen. It stars John Ritter as Roy Knable, a man who is what we like to refer to as a huge couch potato. His wife, Helen (Pam Dawber), is a successful business woman who absolutely hates the way her husband is obsessed with the TV, more so than her. One night, a devilish TV executive named Mr. Spike (Jeffrey Jones) sells him a satellite dish and a TV with 666 channels which airs such shows as "Thirtysomething to life", "I Love Lucifer" and also parodies the crash test dummy commercials and other famous TV sitcoms. The couple end up being sucked into the satellite and into "Hellvision", where they need to stay alive for 24 hours. I think this movie is hysterical, especially with them being caught in the most ridiculous TV shows (i.e. Northern Overexposure, You CAN'T Win, and Off With His Head). They also become cartoon mice as well and end up in a 1940's detective crime drama. One scene I particularly love is when John Ritter transports himself to the "Three's Company" set, and screams when Krissie Snow and Janet ask "Where have you been?!". best in-joke I've ever seen in a film. The acting is pretty decent for a low-budget film like this, although the Knable daughter and son are more wooden than a tree and Eugene Levy is very annoying as Crowley, Mr. Spike's assistant. I think the best part of this are the parodies of the TV shows. Rent this for a couple of laughs.

The Jewel of the Nile (1985)

Good followup to the "Stone"

[28 May 2000]

"The Jewel of the Nile" is a good follow up to 1984's "Romancing The Stone", as it continues the adventures of romance novelist Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) and her boyfriend, Jack Colton (Michael Douglas). The last time we saw them, they were sailing into the sunset together (actually 5th Avenue in NYC, but close enough). Spending 6 months on the "Angelina", Joan wants to go back to NYC, but Jack wants to go to Greece. While at a party, Joan meets Omar Shareef (Spiros Focas), and she travels with him to South Africa, Morocco, to write a novel about him, but she stumbles on his plan to become a powerful leader and start a war. Jack, meanwhile, travels with Ralph (Danny Devito), who has escaped his Columbian jail to find the "Jewel" of the Nile. That is the main plot. The acting is good, not as good as in the first movie, but I think Danny Devito has some terrific one-liners and the different tribes and groups the trio encounter are pretty funny. The villain stinks however. Omar is a pale imitation of Zolo from the first movie. The audience doesn't really know what he wants to do. Start a war? Bring together different people? Imitate a magic man? His true purpose doesn't seem to be explained. Also, the romance between Jack and Joan doesn't seem to be developed as well as in the first movie. One minute they fight, the next they make love, the next they argue. What gives? All in all, this is a great sequel to "Romancing The Stone" with some clever characters, great locales and music to match. You don't need to watch the first one to understand this one, but it is recommended. Rent it!

War of the Worlds (1988–1990)

Fantastic TV series!

[23 April 2000]

"War of the Worlds: The Series" continues the storyline from the original movie while giving it a new twist, with the Martians, or the "alien invaders" as they are called now, taking over people's bodies to prevent them from succumbing to the bacteria that "killed" them in the original movie. Taking place 35 years after they destroyed Los Angeles and almost took over the world, they are revived after a botched attack at a nuclear waste dump, where their remains were sealed in metal barrels. They awaken, take over the bodies of the terrorists and plan out their second invasion of the world. The series was a bit graphic, but the storylines of the episodes were terrific. The new cast also shines, as a small group willing to fight the aliens before it's too late. Also seen were their war machines with the heat rays, and Sylvia Van Buren (Ann Robinson), the heroine of the original who fell in love with Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry's character). All in all, this series is great and I wish it was back on TV! Sci-fi at it's best!