David M's Reviews

I claim the endurance record for watching this movie. Putting dark brown skin makeup on the bodies of 2,000 A.D. twenty-somethings; covering them with dirt and muddy streaks; and capping them off with tangled and dirty (but tightly & professionally braided) dreadlocks does not make them credible Cro-Magnon hunters of Wooly Mammoths. At the turn of the century the CGI would have been considered awesome, but after Jurassic Park the supposedly velociraptors looked like baby turkeys with makeup on.
Review Date: 3/11/2014

This is, without a doubt the worst movie I've ever seen!

I watched this DVD TWICE just to make sure that I hadn't missed something, but no, I hadn't: It was not I, but the director who missed something; such as plot, credible dialog, etc.,etc.

I can think of no rational reason for the movie to have been made at all, except as a quick-buck tag-along that would attract those viewers who might think it had some tie-in to the immensely popular Warehouse 13, or at least was a parody of it.

Well, it ain't, folks. Nor does it have the potential of becoming a cult classic like Little Shop of Horrors, Rocky Horror Picture Show, or Mars Attacks. I bid one penny (+ $3.00 s&h) for it on eBay; unfortunately I was the high bidder.
Review Date: 12/8/2017

One might assume that another "___ Has Fallen" film starring Gerard Butler and (a gracefully aging) Morgan freeman would feature the leader of some country about to be assassinated, with Butler saving him in the end. In ANGEL HAS FALLEN, that's not quite the case. Yes, Secret Service Agent Mike Banning DOES save President Allan Trumbell from being blown up by a horde of drones (excellent cgi there, by the way), but he quickly discovers he's being set up as the fall guy for the assassination attempt. Better than I expected; it give it 3.5 stars.
Review Date: 1/11/2023

I cannot improve on the reviews given below by David Ash and Jana L. Perskie; my only comments are "WOW! Sean Penn absolutely nails it! I've never seen a more spot-on performance. Definitely not to be missed".
Review Date: 3/27/2023

There was a time when Alicia Silverstone's pouty mouth could inspire a full range of sexual fantasies in an adolescent mind. (Of course, back then a can or cream corn could have the same effect). But time has not aged this film gently. There's no skin shown to speak of; the plot is contrived; the dialog is stilted; and pretty much all the lead actress does is pout. Not enough these days; 1.5 stars.
Review Date: 12/17/2022

My image of Kevin Spacey was formed by his stellar-but-chilling portrayal in House of Cards, and I've requested every DVD he starred in, sight unseen.

So I was at first taken aback when I began watching Beyond The Sea and realized that (1) it was a musical in which (2) a singing-and-dancing Kevin Spacey portrayed teen idol Bobby Darin.

I confess to being old enough to remember Bobby Darin and my first reaction was that Kevin Spacey was no Bobby Darin. Bobby Darin's father, perhaps, but not the bobby-sox heartthrob Bobby Darin I remembered.

But the more I watched--and became increasingly fascinated by Spacey's versatility as not only an actor but also as a singer and dancer (including several great tap-dancing routines)--the more I became caught up in the story line and the extent to which my memories of the Bobby Darin of my youth faded like wisps of breeze-blown mist.

Beyond The Sea is a superlative "suspension of disbelief" movie that doesn't have to rely on Byzantine plot twists or tension to thoroughly entertain. Four stars!
Review Date: 12/6/2017

If Billy Bob Thornton has made a bad movie I have yet to hear of it. Including this one.
Review Date: 3/5/2016

CINDERELLA MAN. A Ron Howard film (everything he directs is good) starring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger. Based on a true story it chronicles boxer Jim Braddock’s defiance of the odds against him, stunning the world with one of the greatest comebacks in history. “One of the best movies ever!�—Larry King.
Review Date: 12/11/2022

What price would you pay for absolute power over the lives of others? And how would you be changed as you achieved it?

These questions are explored in this excellent movie about a endearing writer, Andy Sachs (played by Anne Hathaway, who could not be plain-looking if she tried) who lands a job as an (and later THE) assistant to Amanda Priestly, the top dog (read: real bitch) of Runway magazine, a character played chillingly by Meryl Streep as THE arbiter of who and what is "IN" in the fashion scene, and who is sliced off and cast away like rotten fruit.

Working her way up the influence and social ladder, Andy seems only peripherally aware that little by little she is losing her friends and the internalized bearings that had shaped her into who she was, and along with the power she's gaining in Amanda's shadow she's also picking up some of the traits--on the way to including a ruthless and callow disregard for the feelings of others--that got Amanda where she was.

It was a good film with a plausible plot and story line that, as an added bonus, gave a not-flattering insider's view of the fashion industry's "excess is never enough" attitude.
Review Date: 3/19/2014

It's like "Groundhog Day" for soldiers, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt; 3.5 stars.
Review Date: 2/8/2023

I think the film was called "Elephant" because it's slow, ponderous, and plodding. It's supposed to emulate the Columbine High School shootings but most of the film is taken up with watching various students walking down hallways in homes; across a high school gym; riding their bikes home, etc. It takes an interminable amount of time to get to the action of the film, as it was shot like a high school film class project. In the end, I was hoping the shooters would take out the guy with the camera, just to end this disaster. 1 star.
Review Date: 11/12/2022

FARGO. The classic thriller by Joel & Ethan Coen, starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi (nominated for 7 Oscars and winning 2), combines a first-rate cast with a plot that unravels the Midwest like never before. “Two Thumbs Up, Way Up�—Siskel & Ebert.
Review Date: 12/11/2022

Every motion done with split-second timing, the DVD "The General" portrays the efforts of a young Confederate would-be soldier whose attempts to enlist are rejected because he's too small. He overhears a conversation of Union generals (who had been acting as spies) of tremendous importance and races to the Confederate Generals to give them the warning necessary to thwart the Union attack.

I admit that I was only mildly interested in obtaining this DVD; I'd heard of Buster Keaton (and, from the same era, "Buster" Crabbe) but hadn't really watched more than brief vignettes of Keaton's acting and comedy skills.

Having received "The General" (with two other short subjects) DVD, I can only say that the delay in watching it was my loss. Keaton's deadpan reaction to the unexpected exceeded Bob Newhard and many others at their best, and the amazing thing is that this movie (and I suspect all of his) was made in the days before stunt doubles.

How he was able to maintain a stoic expression while running ahead of his slowly-chugging locomotive (named "the General") throwing aside railroad ties that the Bad Guys have left on the tracks to slow down their pursuer, is more than I can comprehend. I may put it in my Tower--once I've had a chance to watch it once more.
Review Date: 4/25/2014

The Battle of Gettysburg, the biggest and bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil (with combined losses exceeding 53,000) lasted for three days; July 1-3, 1863.

In order for a film—especially an historically-based one—to succeed it must persuade the viewer to temporarily suspend disbelief and accept the premise that the events depicted did (approximately) happen. Or, at least, that they could have.

To its credit, “Gettysburg” does make good use of “a cast of thousands” firing single-shot civil-war-era rifles (leaving one to wonder: where did they GET all of those guns???), and for what it’s worth, the film is geographically accurate, much of it having been filmed on site.

But there are just too many disbelief-suspension gaps that remain unfilled for the movie to even approach being engrossing. Foremost was Martin Sheen’s stilted lines and wooden delivery as he attempted to portray General Robert E. Lee. (His zenith, unfortunately, was reached some years ago as President Jedidiah Bartlett in “The West Wing”).

One with military experience might not be perplexed by the nomenclature, but a lay viewer could easily wonder if a “pirouette to the left flank” by a “battalion” would assure a victory against a “brigade”, or would a “division” be called for? Some of the uniforms were less than obvious: Even this viewer knew that those in dark blue were Union soldiers, while the soldiers in grey were Confederates, but which side were the soldiers in blue-grey uniforms on? Or those with red cuffs and epaulettes? Was General Armistead the superior of General Longstreet? Or was it the other way around? Or were they on different sides of the battle?

Watching the DVD movie “Gettysburg” did not take three days, although as it made its plodding and peristaltic way to the denouement, it assuredly seemed at times that it might.

Review Date: 12/19/2017

DON'T WATRCH THIS if you're wanting to see a "...stunningly original triumph...(starring) Academy Award Nominee Brad Pitt and Academy Award Winner Sean Penn", 'cause they ain't in it! I don't know what the writer of the aforementioned review was on when it was penned, but the DVD bore no relationship whatsoever to an "epic, yet intimate, story (which) follows the life journey of Jack O?Brien (played as an adult by Penn), the eldest son of a fractured Midwestern family". Yada, yada, yada.

Instead, it's just a Glee concert featuring one high-energy song-and-dance after the other. The most memorable parts are when "Artie Abrams" gets out of his wheelchair and bounces, struts, and pirouettes with the best of them (where did THAT come from???) during one number; and "Brittany S. Piers" in a sexpot outfit bump-and-grinding her magnificent teenage body while singing "Slave".

But those two bright spots aren't worth the DVD credit it would take to get it.


Review Date: 4/4/2022

All in all, if one was not raised in the McCarthy era one should watch this film just to get a taste of what life was like when everyone in the nation--from an Air Force lieutenant to those who had a public following could have their career, future, and life as they had known it brought to an end simply by being accused of having a father who subscribed to an eastern-Europe newspaper.

The film is marred, I feel, by the extraneous injection--many times--of a nightclub singer crooning songs popular at the time (what was the purpose of those interrruptions?); by a full-length Kent cigarette advertisement--apparently a heavy-handed way of hitting the viewer over the head with "Things wuz different then"; and by too many lengthy shots of three or four key players silently smoking cigarettes and looking meaningfully at one another (with the viewers expected--I don't know how--to understand what they were thinking and its importance to the overall story line).

Were it not for the brilliant job that David Strathairn did portraying Edward R. Murrow the film might well have been a flop. The DVD case loudly proclaims that it received (in 2005) 6 Academy Award nominations; the fact that nowhere is there an indication that it received any actual awards says something, I think.
Review Date: 7/9/2012

Five big stars! Green Book is as smooth as they come, not entirely unlike "Driving Miss Daisy". This film covers a lot of things at once and it does it so seamlessly and effortlessly. The credit for that goes to two amazingly talented leads, who shape this film to what it is: an affectionate friendship story. Considering that this is based on an actual real-life story and how hard it is to put together something worth telling it is amazing in and of itself.

As Jimmy Stewart once said when asked "How come you are such a great actor?", he said, "It's simple, just make people believe you are not acting". Well both of the two wonderful men in this movie did that throughout. It's the kind of a movie that you can watch over and over again and always see new things in it as well as share in the good feelings that comes from it.
Review Date: 5/26/2022

A real sleeper, "A History of Violence" tells the tale of Tom Stall, owner of a small-town diner who's married with kids; who became a real local hero when he thwarts the robbery of the diner and contemplated rape of the waitress. Totally out of character for a hash-slinger in a barely-hanging-on gathering place for the locals's mid-morning coffee, Tom permanently dispatches three armed felons; vaulting himself unwillingly into someone who's perceived as an incredible brave local hero, who was inspired by the situation into greatness.

The local broadcasts of Tom the Hero catche the eye of a Philadelphia mobster,who's convinced that Tom is really "Jerry" (previously a fellow Philly hit-man--and shows up (with two extra "made men" in case things turn brown) in Jerry/Tom's town--and later--home, wanting Tom to accompany the threesome back to Philladelphia.

So what will Tom do to extricate himself from this situation and maintain his family safety? Flee again? Fly to Philly and convince the kingpin there that Jerry's death was long, long ago that should remain forgotten in most peoples' minds; letting a sleeping lie? Or push his luck; fly to Fhilly; and wipe out the Kingpin, relying on the forged documents that successfully made Jerry into Tom seven years ago?

Viggo Mortensen delivers a supert performance; a lot of my weekend-tasks went undone, as I could not be peeled away for even a moment until the three above questions were answered--during the last three minutes! Don't miss it!
Review Date: 3/18/2014

Starring Billy Bob Thornton (which is why I chose it), Kim Basinger, Wynona Ryder, and Mickey Rourke. In order to be successful, any film must seduce the viewer into temporarily suspending disbelief; into thinking that the actions, motivations, and emotions of the actors and actresses are credible. It’s OK if one likes—or even vehemently hates—one or more of the characters. That just means that the thespian has successfully hidden the real-world persona behind the mask of the character. In THE INFORMERS, however, the plot fails miserably. It’s inane, contrived, and phony from the first five minutes. And as for those in it: Let he who is without sin stone the cast first. The film was actually too bad to finish watching. I didn’t CARE how it ended; all I wanted to do was get it out of my DVD player. It’s been many years since I’ve given a film 0 stars; I only did it this time because I couldn’t give it less.
Review Date: 3/21/2022

4-star plot; 6-star cgi! The extent to which computer-generated graphics have evolved over the years is truly astounding, and this movie is the epitome of the art! The details of all the creatures--particularly the scaly green monsters--are incredible, and the viewer feels RIGHT THERE!
Worth watching twice, to make sure you haven't missed anything.
Review Date: 12/11/2022

I don't know that "Loved It!" is the phrase I'd choose, as Munich reveals "the intense story of the secret Israeli squad assigned to track down and assassinate the 11 Palestinians believed to have planned the 1972 Munich massacre of 11 Israeli athletes--and the personal toll this mission of revenge takes on the team and the man who led it".

But Steven Spielberg has yet to make a bad movie; only a full bladder made me pause it briefly; and I can easily see why Munich was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture
Review Date: 11/8/2017

No doubt about it--it's one heck of a compelling, gripping drama about a drug deal gone bad; a good old boy who stumbles across $2 million and is not inclined to give it back; a psychotic killer (Javier Bardem) as scary as Hannibal Lecter; and a sheriff (played by Tommy Lee Jones, who did a stellar job and yet isn't even mentioned as a cast member) who's trying to sort out who did what to whom in a venue that's way beyond what most backwater local lawmen have had any experience in dealing with.

The 2-1/2 star rating was an average between the film right up to the last three minutes (5 stars) and the "...and then he woke up and realized it was all a dream" ending (zero stars). Like the ending of The Sopranos, it leaves the viewer totally unsatisfied at the number of loose end left untied (Well! What happened to ___? Did ___ get ___ after all or was that ___'s body by the truck?) and, well, ANGRY and FRUSTRATED at this example of "cinematicis interruptis".
Review Date: 3/10/2014

Maybe this information was given somewhere and I didn't notice it, or its significance didn't register, but this is an ANIMATED film--there are no humans in it (not even any interacting with CGI characters as in "Roger Rabbit")--and when the listing says "black and white" that means NO SHADES OF GREY.

A "black and white" TV show from the '50s was actually a "half-toned" image made of tiny black dots; the shade of grey was determined by how far apart the dots were. Don't expect that kind of "black and white" image here: The figures and background in Renaissance are a jarring stark white clashing with jet black, with no shades of grey to give the perspective of distance or time of day, or distinguish a character's arm from the desk it's resting on. Twenty minutes of it was all I could stand.
Review Date: 3/8/2014

RICHARD JEWELL. A Clint Eastwood film based on the true story of the 1996 Atlanta Games bombing, it tells the story of the security guard who discovers a bomb and takes heroic action, saving countless lives. But in a turn of events, he becomes the FBI’s number one suspect, vilified by the press and public alike. “A Must-Watch, Powerful Film�—FOX-TV.
Review Date: 12/11/2022

Much better than I expected, this prequel to the PLANET series gives a credible explanation for the rise in intelligence of the chimpanzees. 4-star story; 5-star CGI! “Electrifying…A Combination of Craft, Entertainment, and Sheer Spectacle�—NEWSDAY; “Astounding Triumph…The Year’s Finest Action Movie�—TIME.
Review Date: 2/8/2023

Perhaps the most revealing review is that after I received and watched the trilogy a month or so ago, except for one or two of the grislier scenes I can't remember a single thing about the rest of the collection.
Review Date: 11/15/2016

Rocky Horror Picture Show--a classic 1975 cult film not to be missed!

I first saw Richard O'Brien's "sinfully twisted [campy] salute to horror, sci-fi, B-movies and rock music" at a midnight showing in the '70s and waited for the DVD's arrival with great antici......PATION (a little inside joke; the DVD must be seen to "get it").

I've watched it seven times in the privacy of my home (sans costume) & each time I shamelessly sang along with the lyrics. Both Tim Curry and Richard O'Brien are superb! Also starring were Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, and Meatloaf; Rated R; Color; 100 minutes.

Review Date: 9/28/2018

It takes some doing for me to call anything “awesome�, and SIN CITY ain’t got it. It was a pretty good movie (in black and white with halftone greys), in part because it was a whole order of magnitude easier to understand what I was watching than was the case with RENAISSANCE, a jagged, harsh, black/only and white/only film (see my Review of it).

Bruce Willis portrays a one-dimensional over-the-hill cop with a bad heart condition (yeah, right—as if the city’s Civil Service Commission would even allow him to CARRY a loaded firearm, let alone use it) who’s in love with a bad-girl-who-wants-to-be-good (Jessica Alba, whom I could fantasize as being “very good�) that a psychotic son-of-a-Senator wants to “have for supper�. Literally. With, afterward, her head mounted on the wall like a trophy 8-point buck’s would be.

In retrospect, if I once again had to choose whether to spend one Credit in order to watch and own this movie, I think I’d be more interested in the beneficial effects of getting an additional two hours of sleep instead.

Review Date: 3/15/2014

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Jamal Malik is just one question away from winning a fortune on India’s version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?� But how has this uneducated young man from the slums of New Delhi succeeded in providing correct answers to questions that have stumped countless scholars before him? “A Soaring Crowd-Pleasing Fantasy That’s a Tale of Unswerving Love�—Joe Morgenstern, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL; “Dazzling�—NY DAILY NEWS; “Sensational�—Leah Rozen, PEOPLE MAGAZINE; “Exhilarating�—USA TODAY; “Miraculous�—Roger Ebert.
Review Date: 12/11/2022

According to GOOGLE:

"Mildred Hayes, a hard-nosed mother is seeking justice for her murdered daughter. With no arrests after seven months, Mildred puts up three roadside signs to goad Ebbing police chief into action. But the law - and especially Sam Rockwell's hot-headed deputy - don't take kindly to the provocation. And the townsfolk are on their side. But Mildred doesn't care about ruffling a few feathers. In fact, she's happy to pluck the whole bird."

Based on a true story, Frances McDormand delivers the performance of a lifetime! My only quibble is that the star-rating system stops at 5, while I give it a 6.
Review Date: 1/13/2023

I don't recall being more disappointed in a movie. The adjectives "slow" and "plodding" immediately spring to mind; after about ten minutes I had to fast-forward through the numerous ten-second-instances it took Bruce Willis to turn his head (indicating, one supposes, the degree of ominousness of the sound he had just heard)or the thirty seconds--literally, by my watch--it took him to walk across a room in slow motion.

The movie's premise (that Willis is "unbreakable", having never suffered an injury or so much as a common cold despite having been in a car crash and a train derailment that left 475 dead, with him being the sole, unscratched, survivor) is not revealed until a third of the way into the movie.

And from that the denouement--that he has been in denial of the fact that, like the heroes in his son's comic books, he has super powers to spot hidden weapons on persons nearby and with no more than a casual brush with a stranger can immediately learn what horrible acts that person has committed.

Throughout the movie he has contact--and even befriends--the character played by Samuel L. Jackson, who is Willis antithesis: Born with a genetic defect, his bones shatter like glass with any fall, and he is secretly an archvillian who is responsible for the death of hundreds (a fact that Willis, despite his super powers, does not deduce until the last minutes of the film).

Described in three words, I found the movie to be: Slooow, plodding, and boring.
Review Date: 11/17/2017

WTL starts out with a thumping bass line feeding loud clapping and foot-stomping at what the viewer is soon to assume is Folsom Prison, full of the worst inmates the penal system has, waiting on Johnny Cash to enter from stage left.

Then there's a flashback to Johnny at age 12 with his brother, forced to pick cotton by his drunken, overbearing father; his brother being killed in an industrial accident; and a flash-forward to Johnny enlisting in the Army and being sent to Germany where he picked up the guitar. An awful lot of filler just to bring out a few facts.

On the whole, this was a disappointing movie, principally because of the mis-casting of Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash. The lead actor's cleft palate was a constant visual reminder that he didn't look anything like Johnny Cash, and his tenor voice wasn't even close to the gritty baritone voice of The Man In Black. Reese Witherspoon did an admirable job of playing June Carter, Cash's long-time secret paramour and later wife of 35 years, but if you've ever seen or heard Johnny Cash sing my advice is to pass on this DVD.


Review Date: 9/29/2018

THE WRESTLER. Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei. Rourke gives the performance of a lifetime as a pro wrestler superstar who is now paying the price for twenty years of grueling punishment in and out of the ring. But he’s about to risk everything to prove he has one more match in him. “A Great Actor In A Great Movie�—Peter Travers. ROLLING STONE; “Witness The Resurrection Of Mickey Rourke In Darren Aronofsky’s Deeply Affecting Film�—David Ansen, NEWSWEEK.
Review Date: 12/11/2022

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