sam93505 Reviews

Terminator Genisys (2015)

WHY did he come back?

[1/10 · 2 July 2015]

Spoiler Alert: he says all of the previous one-liners that were funny before, but now are pathetic, and then basically plays with himself, fights himself, and ultimately kills himself. Hopefully, he WON'T be back....

Sad, sad, sad....

Sadly, this is another example of how mainstream Hollywood has NO imagination and recycles scripts of hit movies of yesteryear, and usually with new actors. But in this case, Hollywood is recycling the same story AND actors to try to tap into all those Anuld fans to ensure it's gonna be another blockbuster of yesteryear.

Only problem is that most of his target audience have grown-up and evolved, when sadly Anuld has not, is an embarrassment to society for the way he treats women, and left his last gig in disgrace.

Which is why this movie fails on all accounts, except for the usual dazzling CGI James Cameron's crew that are mind blowing.

Up with Me (2008)

Great Indy Flick

[7/10 · 26 September 2013]

When first sitting down to watch this most excellent movie, it's quickly apparent that it's central theme is a familiar one- it's a story of a kid off the streets (in this case, Spanish Harlem) who finds a way off the streets and to better himself and how it affects those in his inner circle. Yes, we've all seen these movies numerous times- but this one is different. Not the story per say, but the movie itself makes it so "real" and so genuine.

The movie was written, directed, acted, and shot in Spanish Harlem, using hand held cameras and ambient lighting and sound. The script is mostly spontaneous and fresh, and "very fluent" street talk (i.e.- f- bombs galore, trash talking, etc), which adds to the story's authenticity and credibility. And using street kids to play mirrors of themselves gives this oft told story a fresh and appealing spin.

Wish more movies were made like this- real people from the same place that the story takes place at, instead of "importing" them from afar (like, you can definitely tell when an actor/actress from California is trying to act like a New Yorker and vice-a-versa)!

Rock of Ages (2012)

Good Idea That Went Horribly Wrong

[4/10 · 29 March 2013]

First of all, I am a fan of musicals. I am also a fan of 80's music. I am also a huge fan of many of the stars of the movie- Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, etc. And I take "fun" movies like this for what they are- a good story that if you don't think about it too hard and is fun and entertaining to watch. So on the surface, this movie has all the key elements for a good fun flick.

Where the movie fails is the choice of Julianne Hough in the lead, who from the first time she opens her mouth to the end of the movie, kills every song she screeches-out. Her voice sounds like nails being dragged across a chalkboard! I cannot believe with all the talent in Hollywood and with all the young ladies that have been on "American Idol" that instead of giving one of them a shot at this role (which by the way, would make the movie more exciting and more "real" if they used an unknown or former "idol" performer), the producers actually listened to Julianne's shrilling and said "Hmmmm.... let's cast her!" instead of another young lady that actually can sing. It's so bad that I have to turn the TV down when she "sings" (shrills, actually) to keep my eardrums from shattering, my spine from shivering, and destroying my 300 watt speakers.

Julianne Hough may be decent eye-candy, but she can't act and certainly cannot sing. She needs to stay on "Dancing With the Stars" where she CAN dance and leave singing roles to those that CAN sing.

Courage Under Fire (1996)

This movie helps heals me

[10/10 · 7 January 2012]

I don't care about the petty "goofs" or parts of the story that other people point out- this movie means a lot to me as a disabled veteran with PTSD. This movie is about many things, but to me, the story is about how Col Sterling is trying to manage his survivor guilt and PTSD from his incident on one hand, and deal with his task to validate the medal for his General, his wife, his kids, etc. on the other. He resorts to booze (like we all do) to try to cope. That's what this movie is really about: how one guy is trying to come to grips with PTSD, which I can tell you first-hand is a challenge that I face every minute of everyday. And seeing this movie helps heal me. It reminds me that I too lost a promising career in the Navy, lost my marriage, lost my kids, and lost myself in the abyss of PTSD and alcoholism before I got help. That's the only negative I have on this movie- we don't see if Col Sterling got help. Otherwise, this movie has helped heal me in ways that no other movie I've ever seen has.

Glory (1989)

Great Civil War movie, BUT....

[7/10 · 11 June 2010]

It missed the second most important part of the story (first being, of course, that blacks were first allowed to fight in the Army instead of doing "in the rear with the gear" roles)- the story of William Carney, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions during the attack on Fort Wagner. He was the first person of color to receive the highest award a soldier can earn. BIG OVERSIGHT. Other than that, it's an excellent film. It should be adopted by High Schools everywhere to tell the sad but true truth of the Civil War, why it was fought, the personal sacrifices these men endured, and the difficulty and prejudices that Major Shaw faced and handily dealt with leading these brave men not only into battle, but into the first real fight for racial equality.

Leaving Barstow (2008)

As one who grew up in Barstow....

[10/10 · 5 December 2009]

As one who grew-up in Barstow from 1971 to 1978, I can totally relate to the movie, it's characters, and plot. I, too, felt trapped in that one horse town, so 2 days after I turned 17, I joined the Navy just to get out of there. Now in days, I live in California City to be near my Mom who somehow still lives there. Every time I see her (about 2 times a month at the minimum) I am amazed how Absolutely NOTHING has changed in that rat town. Same schools, same teachers, same buildings on Main Street, no new houses have been built, etc. Very depressing. However, the most depressing thing was letting my young Canadian wife talk me into attending our Class of 1978 25 year reunion. No surprise here- only about 10 of us made it out of Barstow and are pretty successful for doing so. The remaining 300 plus that stayed, most are in dead in jobs, on welfare, have been married more than 3 times to classmates, and most at the Reunion were either on me th or drunk. Yup, nothing changes in Barstow, and that feeling is well conveyed in this excellent movie! GREAT JOB TO ALL THAT WERE PART OF IT!

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Can you spell Oscar?!

[10/10 · 19 July 2008]

Absolutely the best adaptation of a Broadway hit to the Big Screen EVER! My young bride and I saw "Mamma Mia" in 'Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Casino and loved it so much we wanted to go back and see it again. But when the movie was in the works, we waited to see how it came out, and boy are we glad we did! Meryl Streep was OUTSTANDING, especially in her solo of "Winner Takes All" (if she doesn't bring home another Oscar for her mantle after this, the Academy must be on crack)! Amanda Seyfried comes off the bench from "Big Love" and hit's a home run throughout the show. What a great talent this beautiful and talented young lady is and I hope we see more of her on the Big Screen. And Pierce Brosnan brings his charm and good looks to round the movie out. Everybody done good in this production. We didn't know that Colin Firth could sing and dance, Stellan Skarsgård who usually plays the guy you love to hate becomes the guy you love to love, Christine Baranski who stole scenes in "The Birdcage" and "The Grinch" steals the scenes in this too (you gotta see her sing "Does Your Mother Know"- she's a killer!), Julie Walters' character is a complete departure from her usual "Harry Potter" role and is great comic relief... I could go on and on! And the best part- knowing that ABBA not only continues to transcend from one generation to the next, but also has crossed all medias- live concerts, recordings, radio, TV, Broadway, and now the Big Screen- and continues to entertain and wow the crowds. Be assured when this comes out on DVD we're going to by at least 10 copies because we're going to wear them out watching them again and again! Great family movie (mild, VERY mild sexual content) and overall good old fashioned toe-tappin' fun for everyone. It's been so long that we've gone to a movie and walked away so thrilled, excited, happy, and singing all the way home. TOP NOTCH FAMILY MOVIE!

Catch-22 (1970)

Just try reading the book!

[10/10 · 13 October 2005]

Many people have watched this movie and walked away from it dazed and confused. However, if you get the chance, go to the library and find the book. Then try to read just Chapter 1 in the book, then you will understand: THE BOOK AND THE MOVIE ARE SUPPOSE TO MAKE YOU DAZED AND CONFUSED! The whole point of this classic movie (and book) is simply this- War is crazy. Killing our fellow human beings is crazy. Flying a perfectly good airplane into an area where people are throwing every imaginable thing in the air to try to knock you down is crazy. And, most important, dropping bombs on cities that "have no strategic value whatsoever" (to quote from the Major Danby early in the movie) is crazy. Enter Yossarian, a guy who sees how crazy all this is and decides he's had enough. He try's to convince the Army that he is crazy, and therefore, shouldn't have to fly combat missions anymore. But, as he soon finds out, he isn't crazy after all- EVERYBODY ELSE IS!

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

It get's better every time I watch it!

[19 November 2001]

Besides being my favorite movie of all time, let me share one of the main reasons I keep coming back to this movie, the "mother of all classics"....

I served in the Navy for 20 years on submarine duty, and on some of those submarines, we carried nuclear missiles pointed at the "bad guys". Now you'd think with those nukes on-board, plus the fact the submarine was propelled by nuclear power, we'd all be deadly serious all the time and nobody would dare even telling a joke, right? Instead, I can say that on all the submarines I served on (and I severved on several!), that many of the crew behaved and acted just like General Jack D. Ripper (only they didn't have access to the keys or launch codes to start what he did in the movie!). So for me, watchin this movie with the first-hand experience I had in the Navy serving on submarines that could level the earth at any given moment, it's even more enjoyable!

Do yourself a favor- put the kids to bed early, make some popcorn, put another log on the fire, and you and your significant other enjoy this movie again and again!