I went to see this with my wife and brother; we thought for a zombie-like movie it was pretty entertaining. I enjoyed some of the scenes that were put together they were pretty creative. At the start of the film our frame was off on the screen, I missed a couple minutes of the start trying to get it fixed. What was interesting was how the sequences played out. It certainly kept your interest until the end of the film. I admit I actually felt my heart beat faster in a couple scenes…anticipating the moment of something jumping at one of the lead characters. This is actually a remake of the original film titled The Crazies (1973) directed by George A. Romero.
This film was written by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright. It was directed by USC School of Cinema-Television graduate Breck Eisner. Who by the way, is rumored to direct the remake of Flash Gordon (2012) Sam Worthington and Ryan Reynolds are both being considered for the role of Flash. I enjoyed the (1980) Flash Gordon release with Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Max von Sydow and Topol.
After seeing Timothy Olyphant in The Crazies, I hope he grabs another leading role; he was excellent as the character David Dutton. His wife Judy Dutton was played by the lovely Radha Mitchell. British actor Joe Anderson plays Russell Clank his deputy who also did a nice job as well. Together they trudge though and press onward across a wasteland that was once their home from an unusual event that happened. The story takes place in a small Iowa town. Some of the citizens become psychopathic which is explained later in the story. They begin to turn on one another, strange things happen adding to the chaos that unfolds.
More of the cast includes: Christie Lynn Smith as Deardra Farnum, Brett Rickaby as Bill Farnum, Preston Bailey as Nicholas, John Aylward as Mayor Hobbs, Joe Reegan as Pvt. Billy Babcock, Glenn Morshower as an Intelligence Officer, Larry Cedar as Ben Sandborn, Gregory Sporleder as Travis Quinn, Mike Hickman as Rory Hamill, Lisa K. Wyatt as Peggy Hamill, and Justin Welborn as Curt Hammil.
This film does indeed move at a good speed and certainly will give you the creeps. If you like horror type films then you will probably like this one. I recommend catching this while it’s still in the theater. The Crazies is indeed one wild crazy ride.
You quite certainly get what you might have expected after seeing this one; it delivers enough edge of your seat moments, and the film is on par with other end of the world disaster films. Maybe at times some of the scenes were far too Hollywoodish, and were dumbed down a bit much. I anticipated this being visually exciting to see with all the special effects, and I wasn’t let down. Some of the scenes were surreal in their appearance; you can’t help but appreciate the hard work that went into bringing these disastrous moments to life sort of speak. German director Roland Emmerich directed this, he is known for his past contributions to end of the world films. He has been the executive producer and director for the hit film Independence Day (1996) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004). Harald Kloser worked on the screenplay with Roland Emmerich.
Although I respect a number of the actors who play parts in this film, it seemed like they were a bit off in their performances and didn’t match the story as unknown or upcoming actors might have. I think this would have made the film better overall. I guess what I’m saying is there is a lack of depth to the characters; the film’s leading characters are the CGI special effects that really stood out among everything else. Perhaps the actors didn’t have enough to work with and it fell short somehow.
Many people were disappointed from the lack of the Mayan prophecies which were not explored or explained in some way and then projected into the film. Basically, the story follows around a man named Jackson Curtis and his rocky relationship between his children and wife. Liam James plays Noah Curtis and Lilly Curtis played by Morgan Lily wife. John Cusack plays Jackson Curtis and his wife is played by Amanda Peet as Kate Curtis they share many scenarios together. These trials and tribulations lead them to a somewhat predictable ending.
We also see Adrian Helmsley played by British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor as a geologist who has read many books as a child and helps to predict what will happen next. Thandie Newton appears in this as the president’s daughter Laura Wilson. Danny Glover is President Thomas Wilson, Oliver Platt is Carl Anheuser, Thomas McCarthy is Gordon Silberman, Woody Harrelson is Charlie Frost, Zlatko Buric is Yuri Karpov, Beatrice Rosen is Tamara, Alexandre Haussmann is Alec, Philippe Haussmann is Oleg, and Johann Urb is Sasha.
This would be considered an action film, with some almost comedic moments of cheesy unrealistic scenes which play out. I still think however it is something you can enjoy at home while eating some popcorn.
I haven’t seen this one in years; I decided to watch it again. I remembered it being an excellent film with great characters. After seeing it again, it still holds up as a great film. I highly recommend seeing this one, it is a story about a police man who takes matter in his own hands, and he faces his own fate. There are a number of things this film touches upon such as friendship, love, understanding, compromise and influences. This was written and directed by Heywood Gould who has done a few other films including the hit film Cocktail (1988) starring Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown and Elisabeth Shue.
The story follows Artie Lewis played by Michael Keaton who is absolutely brilliant in this role; it is certainly one of his highlight performances. His partner Stevie Diroma is played by Anthony LaPaglia who does an excellent job with his role as well. Rene Russo plays Rita Lewis wife of Artie. She is fantastic and the pairing of these two was great casting. The Diroma children were adorable and added something to the film as well. They were played by Grace Johnston as Marian Diroma, Rhea Silver-Smith as Barbara Diroma, and Blair Swanson as Carol Diroma.
Benjamin Bratt plays a character named Felix and stepped right into the role, Kevin Conway is Lieutenant Danny Quinn who nailed the part, Rachel Ticotin is Grace and was great in this role, Tony Plana was very convincing as Beniamino, Charlayne Woodard is Cheryl Clark, Victor Rivers is Oreste, David Barry Gray is Mickey Garrett, Lisa Arrindell Anderson is Raisa, and Rick Aiello is Knudso.
It was just another routine investigation when everything changed for Artie and his life. You get a chance to follow along in this wondrous series of events that happen to him. By the end of the film you feel for Artie and everything he has gone through. It was done in a great way with the editing of the scenes by Richard Marks. This was distributed by Hollywood Pictures and is a classic cop tale. Don’t miss out on seeing this one. I personally have put it in my top 20 films to see and really enjoyed it.
This is the counterpart to the DC comic book character Superman which was made into a string of movies starring the late Christopher Reeve. This time it is about his cousin who is also a Kryptonian character from the planet Krypton. She has no idea about her powers at first, and discovers them along the way, much like how Superman did in the original film release. The character Supergirl aka Linda Lee was played by actress Helen Slater who shined in the role. She was also known as Kara Zor-El her natural given name. Many fans were looking forward to a sequel, but one was never released unfortunately. The direction of the film was done by French director Jeannot Szwarc. The screenplay was written by David Odell. The film was based upon the comic book writings by Otto Binder and Al Plastino.
Many critics felt the film feel short, however some including myself thought it was a good film. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and you shouldn’t either while watching it. Helen Slater received praise however for her efforts with the character. The story opens with her on Krypton, and while there she is mentored by Peter O’Toole playing the role of Zaltar. He helps her along the way as she has to flee the planet from the brink of destruction.
Upon her arrival to earth, she meets up with her rival in this film played by Faye Dunaway as a character named Selena. She becomes smitten by a character named Ethan played by Canadian actor Hart Bochner. Mia Farrow appears in this as Alura. Brenda Vaccaro is Bianca, Peter Cook is Nigel, Simon Ward is Zor-El, Marc McClure appears in this as Jimmy Olsen he starred in the Superman series of films as well playing the same role. Maureen Teefy is Lucy Lane, David Healy is Mr. Danvers, Sandra Dickinson is the Pretty Young Lady, Robyn Mandell is Myra, Jenifer Landor is Muffy, and Diana Ricardo is Mrs. Murray.
The first comic appearance with Super-Girl was #123 the August issue of the Superman series 1958. Later, she appeared in Action Comics the May issue #252 in the year 1959.
This character is a great role model for young girls and women in general. I think most people will find this to be an entertaining picture regardless. There are some interesting scenes and the story although somewhat silly is still decent enough to keep you interested. I will recommend this to everyone and it is something you can enjoy with your family and friends some evening.
There have been numerous bank robber films over the years, but this one was a standout with an interesting group of women who are trying to rise above mediocrity in the surroundings they live in. They are four friends living day to day in a fast paced society among thugs and gang bangers. What pushes them over the edge is their drive to overcome their struggles. Unfortunately, they take things in the wrong direction in this tale which was directed by F. Gary Gray. He has previously done other films such as the cult hit Friday (1995), A Man Apart (2003), The Italian Job (2003), and Be Cool (2005) among others. The story was written by Takashi Bufford and the screenplay was done by Takashi Bufford and Kate Lanier.
The film stars Jada Pinkett Smith as Lida ‘Stony’ Newsom she at times has a clear head and can see herself living a better lifestyle. Trapped between worlds she faces different decisions which lead to good and bad things. Her friends are played by Queen Latifah playing a gay woman named Cleopatra ‘Cleo’ Sims who is quite butch in this picture trying to keep up with appearances. Vivica A. Fox plays Francesca ‘Frankie’ Sutton who is level headed at times, and works at a bank gathering information and sees herself with a better life as well. Kimberly Elise plays Tisean ‘T.T.’ Williams who seems to follow the rest of the girls, and has a child to care for. Her motivation is for her child and that pushes her off the deep end in life.
John C. McGinley appears in this as Detective Strode who is trying to track down the ladies and bring them to justice; Blair Underwood meets up with Stony later as they seem to connect to one another. The twins Vincent Baum and Van Baum play Jajuan the son of Tisean ‘T.T.’ Williams. This was their only known screen appearance. Chaz Lamar Shepherd is Stevie Newsom, Thomas Jefferson Byrd is Luther, Charles Robinson is Nate Andrews, Ella Joyce is Detective Waller, Anna Maria Horsford is Ms. Wells, Samantha MacLachlan is Ursula, and Samuel Monroe Jr. is Lorenz. Also, keep your eyes open for Dr. Dre as Black Sam.
The film moves along at a pretty good pace, it has a heart and soul and you feel for these women by the end of picture. There are a number of action scenes and the dialogue was pretty well done. I recommend this to those who enjoy crime movies with a solid story and it has its moments of suspense in it.
I was thinking about a good family film that was entertaining and fun to watch. This one I think was a standout. The cast includes a number of talent individuals who bring something to this story. There are loads of setup gags, and some action sequences thrown into the mix. Joe Johnston brings his flair for theatrics in his own special way. He has previously done other films such as Jurassic Park III (2001), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), and his upcoming film The Wolfman (2010). The writing credits go to Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain for the screenplay. The film was based upon the book by Chris Van Allsburg.
I watched this film in the theatre by myself when it was released, it was a fun experience. I remember children in the theatre laughing at some of the scenes, and one kid in particular had a funny laugh which added something as well. The story is about a board game, which has magical powers to bring forth things to reality such as monkeys, rhinos, spiders and more. Imagine a jungle appearing inside your town and all the havoc it would bring. This is what happens to the cast as they are forced to finish playing the game and try to win it.
The story follows a young Alan Parrish played by Adam Hann-Byrd he is a boy who discovers a unique board game; he decides he wants to try it out along with a friend of his named Sarah played by Laura Bell Bundy who lives nearby. Little do they know what would happen as they continued playing? Alan is hoisted away into the Jumanji jungles as his friend Sarah gasps in horror.
Fast forward time to modern day, as Nora Shepherd played by Bebe Neuwirth moves into her new home formerly owned by the Parrish family along with her nephew Peter Shepherd played by Bradley Pierce and her niece played Kirsten Dunst as Judy Shepherd. Alan Parrish returns after the children (Peter and Judy) decide to play the same board game again and the younger Alan returns as a grown man after his time away living in the jungle. He is played by Robin Williams who did a terrific job with the part; Bonnie Hunt plays the older Sarah who is now much older as well. I think she was a standout in this film as well.
More of the cast includes Jonathan Hyde playing both Van Pelt and Sam Parrish; you might recognize him from other films such as The Mummy (1999) or Titanic (1997). David Alan Grier plays Bentley, Patricia Clarkson is Carol Parrish, James Handy is the Exterminator, Gillian Barber is Mrs. Thomas, Brandon Obray is Benjamin, Cyrus Thiedeke is Caleb, and Gary Joseph Thorup is Billy Jessup.
Jumanji received attention from a few different awards; the film won a Saturn Award for Best Special Effects by Stan Parks, and Best Supporting Actress by Bonnie Hunt. There were a few nominations as well including: Best Actor Robin Williams, Best Director Joe Johnston, Best Fantasy Film, and Best Performance by a Younger Actor by Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce who were both nominated for.
I think you will find this to be a delightful film, and it certainly holds up as a good one to watch even now as something you can enjoy together with friends and family. I highly recommend seeing this one.
