JayDee's Movie Musings

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I've seen all three of those and pretty much share the same opinion. I saw Penelope several years ago and don't remember much about it now, but I recall enjoying its charms. And pig nose or not, I'd still pork Christina Ricci. I agree that The Last Stand was great fun, especially for fans of old-school action films. I think it's the most enjoyable film Schwarzenegger's starred in since returning to the big screen. I also agree with you that The Raven took itself too seriously. Very forgettable film, despite the premise.

It's great to see you posting again in this thread, JD. Say hello to your colon for me.
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Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Oh dear sweet glorious rep, I had forgotten just how much I loved you!


JayDee is just after a prize in the top reviews countdown. It means so much he actually got out of bed for it.
Well in a roundabout way you're right. I've been meaning to try and start it back up for a long while, especially since the start of the year. However it was Vicky asking me yesterday whether I was going to resurrect this at some point. The reason being the reviews countdown where she didn't want to vote for any inactive threads. Up until then I'd never actually heard of it, and still haven't looked at it actually. So if you want to blame anyone/something blame Vicky! Speaking of which...

+rep for posting, but...



for your ratings of Penelope and The Raven. I hated the former and loved the latter.
Just back and already it's started. So you've written a few reviews Vicky and all of a sudden you think you can start throwing your weight about do you?

And pig nose or not, I'd still pork Christina Ricci.
That's basically what I was trying to say but you just have such a way with words Cap.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
ANNNNNNND he's BACK!!!! YAYYYY



Totally agree with Penelope. Very charming film and yes she was STILL very attractive with the pig nose.

I couldn't wait for the final shoot out in Last Stand and turned it off a little over half way through, it dragged so bad.

Raven I thought was great. A little stiff at some parts, but still very good. Due to largely, Cusack's performance as Poe and visually, it was great to watch.





Nice to have you back, sir.

Did you watch The Last Stand again?

I agree entirely with you about Penelope, but I liked The Raven. CGI blood is annoying but, other than that, I liked it and I especially liked the aesthetic of it.
__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
I think I gave The Last Stand the same rating you did. However, I thought the last half hour was the weak part.
I'd like to vehemently disagree with you but I truthfully can't remember the film well enough to argue! It's been so long since I actually saw it.



Nice to have you back, sir.

Did you watch The Last Stand again?
Very nice. Although you could also have gone with




And no I didn't watch The Last Stand again. That's from away back when we did the commentary! That's how old the stuff I'm finding is from



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Year of release
1988

Directed by
Graham Baker

Written by
Rockne S. O'Bannon

Starring
James Caan
Mandy Patinkin
Terrence Stamp
Leslie Bevis
Kevyn Major Howard


Alien Nation

+

Plot - 1991. Three years ago a massive flying saucer landed on Earth carrying 300,000 enslaved aliens, who would come to be known as Newcomers. Following a period of quarantine the aliens start to become integrated into human society, but face a great deal of discrimination. When Newcomer police officer, Sam Francisco (Patinkin), becomes the first alien to make the rank of detective he is assigned a new partner in the form of Matthew Sykes (Caan). Sykes is an admitted bigot and alien-hater, and the only reason he volunteers to take Francisco on as his partner is because his previous partner was just killed by a Newcomer, and Sykes wants to exploit Francisco's knowledge and experience. Together they investigate the seedy underworld of the Newcomer community, all the way up to successful Newcomer businessman, William Harcourt (Stamp)

The plot of Alien Nation is certainly a story that we've seen before, just given an extraterrestrial twist to it. Just as Neill Blomkamp would do a couple of decades later with District 9, Alien Nation tells a story which addresses racism but places an alien face on it. In the film, the aliens, or Newcomers, are just another ethnic minority here on Earth. And in particular they act as an outer space equivalent of African Americans, with a heavy does of social commentary thrown in. It's not a particularly subtle allegory but it works. The Newcomers have apparently been 'accepted' into society and even though a lot of people talk a good game about relations between our peoples, they are treated with disrespect, disgust and pure hatred by most. They are frequently addressed by the derogatory term of 'slag' and are spoken down to in a demeaning manner; it's only a surprise they aren't referred to as 'boy' at any instance. There's a really nice bit of dialogue that Patinkin utters on this phenomenon - "You humans are very curious to us. You invite us to live among you in an atmosphere of equality that we've never known before. You give us ownership of our own lives for the first time, and you ask no more of us than you do of yourselves. I hope you understand how special your world is. I hope you understand how unique a people you humans are. Which is why it is all the more painful and confusing to us that so few of you seem capable of living up to the ideals you set for yourselves."

The large majority of the aliens are resigned to ghetto-like neighbourhoods which humans refer to as 'slagtowns.' Any Newcomer that manages to ascend to a respectable and important position is met with a great degree of resentment. While on this front there is also a question of affirmative action; when Mandy Patinkin's Sam Francisco makes it to the rank of detective after just three years on the force it breeds a real sense of hostility amongst his fellow officers about how quickly he has managed to achieve the rank, with most human officers taking seven years to achieve the same level of success. While the film also plays into the drugs problem that plagues run-down inner cities and its residents, except that in the place of drugs like heroin, cocaine and crack, the aliens have Jabroka; a drug from their past that was used to pacify and enslave them before they found their way to Earth. It's a drug that Francisco describes as a nightmare, which will destroy the lives of countless Newcomers. The plot itself is something I could easily imagine could have featured in more than one blaxploitation flick over the decades. You've got powerful businessmen orchestrating the flow of drugs into the problem area, hoping to control the populous. In fact it's not a million miles away from the plot of blaxploitation spoof, Black Dynamite.

Viewers may be slightly disappointed at the minimal amount of design and make-up work that went into creating the Newcomers. However I think it serves a purpose, again playing into the racial subtext of the film. The only thing that differentiates the aliens from their human counterparts is the top of their head, larger than a human head and covered in coloured markings. That's it! Just as the only difference between an African American individual and a Caucasian is the colour of their skin. All other features are exactly the same, and yet just because of one small difference we can't get along, or in the film's case the humans and aliens can't get along. And just as is the stereotypical case with all other races, whether it be black or Asian or whatever, to the bigoted humans the Newcomers all look the same, they can't tell them apart. And despite the minimal amount of work perhaps required, the make-up provided by the Stan Winston company is still impressive, maintaining a natural look for the Newcomers.

After we've been introduced to the idea of alien beings and gotten over the initial adjustment period, the film then settles very quickly into a pretty classic buddy cop routine. If you've seen at least one buddy cop flick in your life then you can probably plot the film out itself, with Alien Nation featuring many of the clichéd scenes you commonly find in the genre. Though while it may not hold many surprises in store it remains entertaining all the same. Having started on very fractious terms and divided by their respective races, we know that by film's end Sykes and Francisco are going to end up putting aside those differences and personal problems, and form a friendship built on a foundation of respect. This will come about as a result of them winding up on a case which will require them to combine the unique talents and experiences they each possess if they are to solve it. Oh and at least one of them will save the life of the other. It's just how this thing is done. We saw it in the previous year's Lethal Weapon, perhaps the definitive buddy movie. And to tie it more into the race aspect of the film we saw a similar dynamic in 48 Hrs. and in the classic In the Heat of the Night. And it's also clear right from the first moment that we meet Terrence Stamp's Newcomer business mogul, William Harcourt, that he is going to be the villain. How do I know this? Because his introduction comes at a large ceremony where he is accepting an award for his humanitarian work. As has been proven in numerous other films, that's as sure a sign of a man's nefarious ways as you're ever likely to see.

Fulfilling that 'seen it all before' buddy cop relationship are the film's two stars, James Caan and Mandy Patinkin, who play it out in fine fashion. James Caan may have appeared in many better films than this, and given many better performances, but that doesn't stop him from turning in a solid, entertaining showing here. He does a very nice job in the classic mould of a cop obsessed with his job to the detriment of his family, who unsurprisingly is quite the hothead and a bit of a slob at home. In the role of Newcomer Sam Francisco, Mandy Patinkin is also very impressive, ironically giving quite a down-to-earth nature to his performance. He just makes Francisco an immensely likeable figure, showing a great strength and resolve in the face of adversity. He's even able to add in some nice nuances and mannerisms despite the make-up and costuming that he is hidden under. The amusing and charming interplay and chemistry they share goes a long way to carrying the film through some of its more stolid moments. They have a lot of little scenes together which while not bringing huge laughs, brought a smile to my face. Moments such as Caan's attempts at explaining Earth humour and getting Francisco to understand the concept of a joke.

Alien Nation may be a bit cheap and cheesy quite often but I just found it a lot of fun. It's got some nice cinematography and I enjoyed a lot of the little touches and character quirks the film gives to the Newcomers. Instead of alcohol what they get drunk on is sour milk, leading to a scene where Francisco drinks a disgustingly lumpy glass of the stuff and ends up with the mother of all hangovers because he is “so milked over.” Another fun little addition is the human names given to the aliens when they arrived on Earth. Those responsible clearly decided to have a bit of a p*ss-take with the aliens, doling out such names as Rudyard Kipling, Harley Davidson, Humphrey Bogart and of course Patinkin's Samuel 'Sam' Francisco. Though there is a nice little spin put on that because the Newcomers likewise find Caan's Sykes to have a highly amusing name, sounding as it does like two words from their language; ss'ai and k'ss, which when translated mean excrement and cranium respectively. Or s*ithead if you will!

Conclusion – As long as you don't go into this one expecting anything especially creative or innovative then I think you could find a lot to like here. Essentially Alien Nation really is one of those classic action comedies that were so prevalent throughout the 80s and early 90s, just given the little twist that one of the characters is an alien. And while it may not explore the possibilities that it opens up to its fullest, it's an enjoyable flick with a couple of engaging performances.
This really looks like a professional review. Is this your occupation? If I could do this I'd probably have a job, even in this god forsaken country. Or anywhere. Even as an alien!

Anyway, I saw it long ago and don't remember much, but I liked it. I like the actors anyway. The only scene that for some reason grabs me is when Mandy goes berzerk at some guy or whatever. But I still remember enough to agree with you. It is cliche with the alien component and that had massive potentials, but it's a comfortable film, it's just nicely balanced. Those two balance each other out. They simply work good together. I don't even get it why they make movies if they don't get along. It was just pleasant and relaxing to watch, with, as i recall, a dark yet soothing context.



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
This really looks like a professional review. Is this your occupation? If I could do this I'd probably have a job, even in this god forsaken country. Or anywhere. Even as an alien!

Anyway, I saw it long ago and don't remember much, but I liked it. I like the actors anyway. The only scene that for some reason grabs me is when Mandy goes berzerk at some guy or whatever. But I still remember enough to agree with you. It is cliche with the alien component and that had massive potentials, but it's a comfortable film, it's just nicely balanced. Those two balance each other out. They simply work good together. I don't even get it why they make movies if they don't get along. It was just pleasant and relaxing to watch, with, as i recall, a dark yet soothing context.
Wow, my Alien Nation review is a bit of a blast from the past. Why of all my reviews did you bring that one up?

And thank you very much for commenting on its professional appearance. But no it is not my profession. I'm purely just an amateur.



Wow, my Alien Nation review is a bit of a blast from the past. Why of all my reviews did you bring that one up?

And thank you very much for commenting on its professional appearance. But no it is not my profession. I'm purely just an amateur.
Because when you first go to the thread, it gives links to reviews. The first one I haven't seen, so it was this. I was just going in order, simple as that. Why not?

You're welcome. Thanks. I'll be sure to visit again and again. If that's not a problem? I'd like to get mixed up in all this mayhem.



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Had a look around and scraped together this scattered selection box of mini write-ups, the majority of which I had completely forgotten about


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Year of release
2013

Directed by
Baltasar Kormakur

Starring
Denzel Washington
Mark Wahlberg
Paula Patton
Bill Paxton
James Marsden
Edward James Olmos

2 Guns

+

This action-comedy is a bit of a throwback to old school buddy actioners of the 80s such as 48 Hrs. and Tango and Cash. And as such there really isn't all that much here that is original or creative; it doesn't really bring anything new to the genre. However I still found it to be quite an entertaining enterprise, one that surpasses its material thanks to its casting which actually comes close to being quite inspired. Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are quite disparate individuals in terms of their acting style and just general vibe; Wahlberg coming off as rather fiery and a ball of energy with Washington a much more cool, calm and composed guy. And together they make for a pretty great double act. Although kind of stealing the film out from under them whenever he appears on screen is Bill Paxton as a devious, twisted CIA agent. The film's plot; that a pair of criminals are both undercover law enforcers with neither aware of the other's true profession, might be a pretty daft and convoluted premise but it's actually quite a fun and creative one, even if it perhaps doesn't quite mine it for its full potential.


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Year of release
2006

Directed by
Barry Levinson

Starring
Robin Williams
Laura Linney
Christopher Walken
Lewis Black
Jeff Goldblum

Man of the Year

-

A fairly entertaining if exceptionally uneven film which starts off well enough but becomes ever more muddled as it moves along, predominantly thanks to its decision to jump wildly between genres. For its first half Man of the Year is a fairly straightforward satire. It may not make any particularly revolutionary or biting points, satisfying itself with racking up points on easy targets, but it's enjoyable to see Robin Williams just unleashed in a similar fashion to Good Morning Vietnam; he's able to basically just do his stand-up routine a lot of the time. For a brief spell the film then becomes a romance, before becoming a preposterous full blown 1970s conspiracy thriller for its third act. It really is quite an odd collision of genres, taking the film in directions I certainly wouldn't have predicted. And by that point it has become so ridiculous and far fetched that any genuine attempts at satire have been left long behind. So it certainly does become a bit of a mess, but quite an intriguing and entertaining mess at that, largely thanks to the impressive cast. Given the talent involved however I just wish it was better. With Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Laura Linney and Jeff Goldblum that's a intriguing and talented cast that has been assembled, and I just don't feel they are utilised anywhere near to their full potential.



Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997, d. David Mirkin) - Really, really stupid film. But one that I found to have a rather endearing quality to it. This was largely down to the performances of Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino and the dim-witted characters they created. Sort of felt like Wayne's World but with two girls instead of guys.


About Time (2013, d. Richard Curtis) - Utterly charming. This was a funny, sweet and touching little film that on occasion is achingly British. It also wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, taking things into a bit of a more serious direction on occasion and finishing on quite a moving note. The film is a love story but not quite the one I was expecting, it becomes a story about the love between a father and son. Domhnall Gleeson was very likeable in the lead role and I found Rachel McAdams to be just absolutely adorable. Though stealing the show for me was Bill Nighy who was predictably great.


Bernie (2011, d. Richard Linklater) - Quite a fun, quirky little film but I felt that it suffered from being unable to choose a tone and direction to stick with; did it want to be a dark comedy, a farce, a p*ss-take of small town America, a satire of the judicial system? I'm not really sure, and it didn't seem like the film was all that sure either. What the film does have however is a trio of strong and entertaining performances from Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey. Black in particular is quite excellent, giving a much subtler and more melancholic turn than I've ever seen from him.


Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013, d. Thor Freudenthal) - First of all, an admission; I have a real soft spot for silly, fluffy and frequently pretty poor fantasy films. Films like Percy Jackson, Sorceror's Apprentice, Stardust, Inkheart, Night at the Museum etc. So while this was never going to be bothering any awards shows, I enjoyed it. It's a very breezy, fast paced film which does actually have a couple of very impressive set-pieces, with an attack by a huge mechanical, steampunk bull being the highlight. The young actors are all quite appealing while there are a few treats in the adult department with the likes of Stanley Tucci and Anthony Stewart Head. There's also a hugely fun cameo from Nathan Fillion as the god Hermes, a cameo that even includes a neat Firefly reference.


Larry Crowne (2011, d. Tom Hanks) - While he is generally associated with more dramatic fare these days, Tom Hanks has made his fare share of great comedies; romantic comedies included. This isn't one of them. As far as it being a comedy there were very few if any laughs to be found. However I did still find it to be just a really sweet, feel-good film. A little film that just leaves you with a smile on your face and a nice warm feeling. As my favourite actor I could watch and enjoy Tom Hanks in just about anything, and together he and Julia Roberts share a really nice, easy-going chemistry.
+

Bachelor Party (1984, d. Neal Israel) - If you need your comedies to have a degree of subtlety and wit then this likely is not the film for you. On occasion however I found this early Tom Hanks effort to be pretty damn hilarious with a few stand-out sequences including a really fun sequence at a cinema showing a 3D film. The humour is certainly of the puerile, low-brow and at times vulgar nature. However I felt that Tom Hank's charming presence somerwhat took the edge off meaning that I never really found it offensive. Just very funny.
-



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Because when you first go to the thread, it gives links to reviews. The first one I haven't seen, so it was this. I was just going in order, simple as that. Why not?

You're welcome. Thanks. I'll be sure to visit again and again. If that's not a problem? I'd like to get mixed up in all this mayhem.
Oh right yeah, I wasn't taking into account the alphabetical nature of the index. And yeah you're more than welcome to visit again and again. Although if you're going to work through the whole thread it could take you a while

The Raven sucks massively, I agree JayDee.
Thanks for the support. I had beginning to doubt myself and was ready to give the film another chance but you've just assuaged all my doubts!



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Will we get a big review soon?
You ungrateful b*stard! Now I remember why I got out of the reviews game in the first place, having to deal with all this crap!

Anyway yes I will be posting big reviews at some point, just getting the smaller bits and pieces out of the way first. If you're feeling impatient however you might want to check out my movie diary which has reviews approaching my old standard though without all the trimmings of trivia and the like -

JayDee's Movie Diary



I prefer short concentrated reviews without spoilers of movies I haven't seen. If I have seen a movie, there is still a limit to how much I'd be willing to read about it.



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
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Year of release
1979

Directed by
Steven Spielberg

Written by
Robert Zemeckis
Bob Gale

Starring
Dan Aykroyd
Ned Beatty
John Belushi
Bobby Di Cicco
Treat Williams
Nancy Allen

1941

+

Steven Spielberg is one of the most critically lauded and commercially successful directors ever to step behind a camera. He has made a total of 28 theatrical films across his 40-year career (not including Duel). And out of all of them few, if any, have the stink of failure that is associated with this effort. Having now finally seen this film in full I can see why. While I might not match Mark in terms of my Spielberg fanboyness I am a big fan of many of his films (in fact where I to post my top 100 list today he may well have the most films on that list). Sadly this isn't one of them. It does have some classic Spielberg touches of genius but for me they just got smothered by the big, unwieldy mess that the film is. For what basically amounts to a slapstick comedy the scale of 1941 is quite exceptional. It introduces dozens and dozens of characters and spreads them out across various locations, predictably creating a lack of focus. Indeed as opposed to a film it feels more like a collection of sketch show skits and characters in desperate search of a story. Now that can be fine if the film is actually funny, but I just didn't find that to be the case here. In fact more often than not I found the attempts at humour more irritating than humorous; John Belushi's contribution being particularly guilty.

Despite its bloated nature sabotaging proceedings, the epic scale is also where the film's greatest strength is to be found, featuring as it does several set-pieces that are quite incredible in terms of their size and construction; scenes such as the massive and wonderfully zany dance contest/brawl at the dance hall, or the fantastic image of a runaway ferris wheel crashing into the ocean. As impressive as those sequences are they just cannot breathe in amongst the chaotic assault of sight and sound that comprises just about every second of the film. In fact the poster I've posted above (on the right) quite accurately sums the movie up; overbearing, hectic, chaotic, overblown and with too damn much thrown in for its own good. Oh and another thing I did enjoy though was the endless parade of recognisable faces popping up throughout. In addition to those listed above there are also appearances by the likes of Toshiro Mifune, John Candy, Christopher Lee, Mickey Rourke, John Landis etc.

Now I know for some people this has become a bit of a cult favourite, and I'm sure there are one or two of those people on this board, but for me it just didn't happen. What I will say though is that I have some sort of admiration for how the film went down in flames. If you're going to churn out a failure better to do it with great ambition as opposed to just delivering something completely devoid of passion or imagination. In the words of Kurt Cobain, “It's better to burn out than fade away.” And boy did this burn out in a real blaze of glory. Well glory is probably the wrong word.


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Year of release
1989

Directed by
Steven Spielberg

Written by
Jerry Belson
Diane Thomas

Starring
Richard Dreyfuss
Holly Hunter
John Goodman
Brad Johnson
Audrey Hepburn

Always

+

Of the 28 films Steven Spielberg has made I don't think I've seen one that is less talked about than this supernatural romance from 1989. As a result I don't really have any idea how it is generally perceived or thought of. I'm guessing it may not be overly positive but I've got to say that I liked it, finding it to be a sweet and touching effort. It feels like a very old-fashioned film, so it was no great surprise to find that it was actually a remake of a 1943 film, A Guy Named Joe, that both Spielberg and Richard Dreyfuss were big fans of. I can certainly envisage it not getting a great deal of love on here, with the film hitting on many of the elements that non-Spielberg fans criticise him for. So yes it is cheesy, overly sentimental and melodramatic. And unashamedly so on all counts. But for this type of film I think it works. It doesn't feel like he's trying to force these emotions into a situation where they don't belong as he perhaps has a tendency to.

Helping the film to rise above the cheese and for me the strongest weapon in its arsenal is its cast. Richard Dreyfuss makes for a charming and engaging lead while John Goodman is about as reliable an actor as you're ever going to come across; I don't believe I've ever seen him be anything less than eminently watchable. The star turn for me however definitely comes from Holly Hunter, just immensely and irresistibly cute as the object of Dreyfuss' affections. Hunter just had this great quality to be able to play both vulnerable and strong at the same time. The only one letting the team down is Brad Johnson who delivers an exceptionally bland performance that hurts the film quite a bit. The romance that we are supposed to buy into between him and Hunter falls completely flat, not capturing anything close to the chemistry and spark that Dreyfuss and Hunter shared together in the early parts of the film. As a result the opening 40-45 minutes, with Hunter and Dreyfuss going at it in the fashion of an old screwball comedy, was actually my favourite part of the film. I'd say the film also has some pacing issues, with many scenes going on longer than felt necessary.

In addition to the strong performances the other stand-out feature of Always is certainly its realisation of the flying sequences that populate the film. Spielberg has always seemed to hold a great fascination with the skies (admittedly it's usually aliens) and he is able to continue that here. They are thrilling and soaring set-pieces that are wonderfully choreographed, and that are captured by some beautiful cinematography from Mikael Salomon. The film is also notable for featuring the last ever screen appearance of the legendary Audrey Hepburn who is radiant as the angel, Hap.