The Avengers (2012)

Superhero movies have been around for a long time, from the movies to movie serials to television series, mini-series, etc., and through all of that there have been more misses than hits and very few grand slams. The source for superhero stories has always been comic strips and comic books, and variations of those items, but with the well being so deep, and so full of great story telling it has taken the leaps in technology to really bring these tales to an audience that truly loves them. As technology has gotten better, so has the content of the movies that the film makers have been able to show us on the screen.

As Earth is being readied for an alien invasion, S.H.I.E.L.D. calls upon its mightiest heroes to ready for the fight of their lives to save the world. Using earlier films, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and The Incredible Hulk, as the origin stories there is no need for rehashing setups in this film since we’re already familiar with the characters. With Joss Whedon in the director’s chair, and at the writer’s helm, we’re given a strong, thoughtful and invigorating movie that even non superhero fans will enjoy. Just like the comic book that spawned this film, the blending of action, drama, suspense and comedy are so well mixed and so well defined it would be near impossible to take anything away from this tour de force except the feelings of amazement and awe. The same way we felt when we opened those comics of old and saw those colors splashed on the pages in front of us.

Wow, Wow, Wow!!!!!! The movie about the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is by far the mightiest superhero movie made so far, all of the others pale in comparison. This is the first movie in years that actually lives up to all the hype that has been thrown out there. Marvel Studios has proven once again that they know how to make a movie about the one thing that they know the most about, and have perfected over the years: Superheroes. A question was raised by someone if it was necessary to watch the 5 previous films before seeing this one, I honestly don’t think so this movie does stand on its own, but there is a lot of back story in those films which is helpful to the audience. One last thing I must say, this movie also proves what a movie theater is for, the action packed, special effects driven, summer blockbuster, and this movie is all of that and more.

J. Edgar

Movies that are based on true events or labeled as biopics have a greater responsibility than just telling a story, they have to entertain. So in the instance of entertainment is Hollywood to blame if they have to embellish the story for entertainment values. I think not, most stories about people’s lives are a little mundane and need a little beefing up in order for an audience to enjoy sitting through it. Here we have the story of one of the most pivotal figures in law enforcement, J. Edgar Hoover and his rise and fall from power. Unlike other films of this genre like The Queen, which covers one event in the life of the character, this film deals with the majority of his adult life and how he preserved it.

The life and times of J. Edgar Hoover, from the build up and creation of the FBI to the backroom dealings that gave him the power that he so craved. The story alone in entertaining to a point, but the added action moves the plot along quicker, told through the writing of Hover’s memoirs. One of the best aspects of this film is the makeup job that is applied to Leonardo DiCaprio; he truly looks as if he’s aged from his twenties to his seventies. The other star of this film is truly the director, Clint Eastwood; he is able flesh out the characters and the scenery in a way that the audience does not get lost in the leaping in time. Through the writing of the memoirs we are transported from the 1920s to the 1970s, and with the flawless direction and seamless editing we do not lose track of where we are or who we’re watching.

As biopics go this film is more involved than most with less exaggeration than most, it has an air about it that shows just enough to peak the audiences interest but also holds back enough as not to overwhelm. With all of the biopics that have come out over the past few years there are but a few that can be said to be worth watching repeatedly, this is one of them.

Captain Sinbad (1963)

Fantasy films have come a long way from the early days of film making and over the years a few names have become synonymous with the genre. The adventurous stories about the sea voyages of Sinbad have been around for centuries. Different incantations have been seen and with each new version the audience is treated to new and amazing sights. Here we’re given a vehicle for Guy Williams, known for his television roles in Zorro and Lost in Space, that unfortunately does nothing to expand his acting ability but to show that he is very adapt to the action hero role.

Captain Sinbad returns home only to have to battle the dark forces of an evil tyrant who has kidnapped the beautiful princess. Even though a far superior Sinbad film was made in 1958 by Columbia Pictures, in 1963 King Brothers Productions chose to use poor special effects and cheap set design to carry this version. Even though marketed towards a younger audience, the effects don’t carry this fantasy tale where the audience’s attentions are focused. Through the whole film there are a couple effects that do work, the ship being bombarded with huge boulders and the giant hand protecting the tyrants heart. But even for a kids film the acting is stale and the battles seem a little too planned out.

There are many fantasy films out there, old and new, that have strong merits to be watched, and they should be watched by audiences young and old. Fantasy films help expand imaginations and keep them vibrant, and with an imagination that is always in motion your horizons are always changing and becoming more adventurous.   

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Computer generated animation that is used today seems to be getting better and better as time goes on. But just because you use new and better technology doesn’t mean you’ll have a hit film on your hands, you still need a strong plot and an enjoyable story. Both of which are lost with this movie. Usually when dealing with a long time source of material, as we have here with the Tintin comics, you would think that a strong and enjoyable movie would be made. Even with big names attached to the feature, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Daniel Craig, couldn’t save it from the failure heap.
The well known journalist Tintin is dragged into an adventure that could solve a centuries old mystery of pirate treasure. Even with top of the line computer animation the people don’t quite look real, which is fine since the characters are straight from the comics, but it draws your attention away from some of the other things that are going on in the scenes. Where this film is supposed to be an action movie you would think that the sequences would be stronger and faster paced, here they just seem planned and contrite.

This film proves the fact that you can’t have a hit every time you make a film, and the two biggest names attached here, Spielberg and Jackson, know this all too well. Maybe the next time around they’ll do better but for now this isn’t worth the time or effort to watch.

X-Men Trilogy

This trilogy is one the best franchises to come out of Hollywood in years, with over forty years of source material to work with what do you expect. With the success of this movie series, it single handedly saved the future of other comic book stories to be transferred onto film. Not that I was a big X-Men fan but this series has revived the feeling that the action/fantasy/sci-fi movie is not dead and will possibly live out us all.
X-Men-With the partnering of CGI effects and actors with the talent to flesh out these characters this was a flawless shot to the moon. The story was perfect to show the fear and loathing between the Humans and the Mutants, and with just a hint of the back story for Wolverine wetted my appetite for more. With actors like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen leading these Mutants, the acting caliber is raised each time they walk into a scene, and the bar just keeps going higher. The fight sequences are classics from the comics and the expanse of the Marvel X-Men universe shows that any future movies would be rich in content and action.
X-2: X-Men United-The biggest thing that any sequel needs to do is keep things fresh but not to stray to far from the original concept that the audience gets lost. This movie basically picks up where the first one ends and that's the one of the best parts here, you could watch both films back to back and its as if there is no break in between. The other thing that this movie does very well and that's introducing new characters, and some of the best ones are seen here. Sometimes the introduction of someone new distorts the plot line, but here the characters just enhance the story.
X-3: The Last Stand-There were a lot of fears about this movie not the least of which was the change of directors, but the that doesn't take away from the fact that this is a very good movie. The further development of the core characters works here, but the killing off of some of them was not a good call. Since the X-Men universe is so large and populated by such an array of characters it is understandable that more new characters were introduced in this movie and others not brought back. The action sequences, especially the Danger Room, are superbly done and the visual effects are so flawless that they look as real as can be.
The large fan base that these movies are geared towards should be satisfied with the results that these three movies have brought. It has created a franchise and along with it a movie genre that was thought to be dead and regulated to television. But with the success of the X-Men series we will be seeing more and more comic book stories turned into movies.

Wedding Crashers

This movie shows how far you can get on a good lie, as long as you don't have to improvise to much along the way. The situations that are presented here are just the kind of things that two long time buddies would want to be a part of. Women, booze, parties, and more women are exactly what any red blooded male would want and this is almost a handbook on the correct path for this goal. After years of crashing weddings, love finally strikes down and flounders the crashers at a high profile wedding of a politicians daughter. The three standout actors in this comedy are Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken, who plays a great politician who seems oblivious to his families dysfunctions. Also keep your eyes open for Jane Seymour, she's the sexy wife to Walken's politician, and after all these years she's still a knockout. The family itself is so close to believability it's scary, from the undersexed wife to the oversexed daughter to the Goth son, who just happens to be a closet homosexual, to the elderly mother who seems to have had an affair with President Franklin Roosevelt, at times its just a little to close to home. Because it seems so real, the situations that occur are just that much more hilarious, and at times you'll be laughing so hard your sides will hurt.
This film was everything that I thought it would be, I laughed almost nonstop from beginning to end and the ending leaves enough open that a sequel is completely possible. After watching this movie you just might get the idea that you and a buddy or two should go out and crash a few weddings, but just remember never get emotionally involved and always, always have a solid back story.

Lucky Number Slevin

When crime thrillers are done right they are very good and you never see the twists and turns coming until its to late, this is one of those films. With heavy hitters like Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley you see characters that are almost tailor made for the actors, and having Josh Hartnet in the title role is just about as perfect as you can get. What starts out as a mistaken identity movie turns into a revenge film in the blink of an eye, and the twists don't end until the credits begin.An identity mix-up places an unsuspecting man, Slevin, into the middle of a mob war. The way that the camera angles are shot is superb, you're not suppose to know the identity of the actors at different points in the film and it works towards the final scenes when everything is revealed. Once you get sucked into the story its hard to look away, because if you do you may miss an important piece to the puzzle. Bruce Willis as the cold blooded killer is great he is at the top of his game here. Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley as the feuding crime bosses are perfect, the bitterness that each actor portrays from their character works to the point that neither wants to help each other at the very end.
The guessing that goes on in your head through out the entire movie helps with the storyline because once you think that you've got a solid theory it gets knocked down with the next scene. This is one of those movies that after you've seen it, you're going to want to watch it again just to see if there were things that you missed the first time around. Rent it or buy it, but see it, because it will be one of the best thrillers you see in a long time.

Simone

With the advancements in computer technology we can now make complete movies without any sets or actors, but the animation still looks a little off. This movie takes the innovation one step further to the point where there is no distinction between the real and the simulated. This movie also shows the way the some actors act like immature children when it comes to things that are written into their contracts, having the largest trailer on the set, all the red Mike and Ike's removed from a bowl of candy, etc. The addiction to a pop culture is examined here with stark reality and blatant truthfulness. The other thing that is shown is the lengths that one man will go to too have his dreams realized, even if it means breaking the rules of man and society.When a director is left with no alternatives to finish his film, he turns to a computer animated actress, Simone, to complete the project. As the fame goes to his head he realizes that Simone's life has become more real than his. Al Pacino as the director plays the role as only he can, with complete believability and with all the ear marks of someone trying to hold on to his career. The fame that is displayed is so over the top that its hard to believe that there are people out there that actually behave like that.
If this is truly the future of film making, I think we should really reexamine how far we want to continue in this direction. I think its great that computer technology has advanced to the point that the graphics are better, and that some simulations can be done so that actors, and stunt people, don't have to risk their lives. But the idea that they can be replaced completely is absurd, give me a live, flesh and blood person over a cold Sim any day.

Hard Rain

This is one of those movies that didn't get a lot of buzz when it came out originally, and even when it came to DVD it was released without any fanfare. With all the flooding that has happened around the nation in resent years, it maybe hard for some people to watch, but if you can get by the anxiety of the situations it's a very good film. Christian Slater in the lead role makes a good action star and should have gone on from here to do more but that never really happened. The other two strong performances are from Morgan Freeman and Randy Quaid, and its Quaid's acting that I was totally shocked by, it was better than I expected. Ed Asner as the old cranky senior security guard is a welcome surprise, since by 1998 he wasn't doing many movie pieces or television roles. An armored-car carrying three million dollars from evacuating banks along a flooding river is attacked and the lone surviving guard fights for his life and the safe delivery of the money. The scenes of the flooded out town are so realistic at times that you forget that this was shot on a sound stage. The constant threat of the rising water is a great catalyst and they use it very effectively, from the water for the emergency spill off to the breaking of the dam. The only problem that I could see here is that everyone's gun at one point or another is submerged in the water and not one of them misfires, that just seems a little odd.
The film is so fast paced that you really don't notice that the time has flown by. One of the reasons that I would re-watch a movie would be to see things that I missed the first time through, and this is definitely one of those movies, at times there's so much going on, you just have to watch it again.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Tis' the season of horror and terror of many types, to send a chill down your spine, and hopefully you'll walk away in the dawn with a smile on your face because your still alive. Of all the classics that come out this time of year there are only a handful that would be considered for children. But of that handful, and until recently that handful is getting bigger, this is by far the most memorable and the most fun. Since 1966 this story has delighted and entertained generation after generation of children and after all these years the tale of the Great Pumpkin has aged extremely well. Linus awaits this Halloween for the coming of the Great Pumpkin, and while he waits he puts up with the teasing of his peers for believing in such a character. This story and animation was Charles Schultz at his best, the characters that he had created in his Peanuts comic strips come to life with all of the mannerisms and quirks that his readers expect. The story alone is a wonderful look at the beliefs that we all had as children and how we would defend them to the bitter end. The animation in this annual classic is basic and doesn't look as clean as the animated movies and specials we see today, but the simplicity of the look goes hand in hand with the story and with the kindheartedness of the characters your drawn into a world that feels like a warm security blanket.
Most people have grown up with this classic and over time have begun to look at it as "I've seen it I don't need to see it again." But what this really is, is a slice of childhood that we're able to revisit unlike so many other things from the past. So even if you don't have children this is a video to see, it will remind you of the warm feelings that you had back then, and that those feelings can still be captured once again.

Tales from the Darkside - The Movie

This movie is a continuation of the successful TV series Tales from the Darkside, a horror anthology show that grabbed the audience and never let go. The stories that were shown were of the highest caliber of writing for television since the Twilight Zone in the 1950s. This film carried the tradition of the show on to the big screen with four amazing stories that work from the opening sequence.There are four stories that are in this movie, three segments and a wrap around stories, all having the twists and turns that are needed in good horror stories. The stories cover the spectrum from mummies to gargoyles to a cat from Hell. With stars like Steve Buscemi, Christian Slater, and David Johansen the stories move along at a pace that is perfect. All of the story are great but the wrap around story is really good . Starring Deborah Harry, of Blonde fame, as the witch in an updated Hansel and Gretel story is completely over the top and works to tie everything together.
At this time a year when your looking for a movie to watch if you haven't seen this before give it a shot. Its one of the movies that I would watch over and over just to see some of these actors in some of their best work. Over the years it hasn't lost any of its charm or humor, like a good bottle of wine it has aged quite well.

Grosse Pointe Blank

John Cusack is one of those actors that over the years he has gotten better and better. This movie shows just how good he is, the character is so multi-layered that a lot of actors would not be able to pull it off. When this film first came out I thought that it was an interesting idea but wasn't sure if it was going to be any good, boy was I wrong.A freelance assassin goes back home for his tenth High School reunion, and while there work on a last minute contract killing. The cast is perfect in this film with Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd, Alan Arkin and Joan Cusack backing up John's hit man role. From the very beginning of the movie you see the chemistry of the characters gel just perfectly. The craziness of the situations is great and at every turn you think that things are going to work out for our hero but then something happens that seems completely believable.
Being a product of the 80s I have a strong fondness for this film, I've watched it over and over and have never gotten tied of it. From the soundtrack to the acting to the action there isn't anything that slows this movie down. This is one of those movies that you can sit down and watch with friends or family and enjoy it completely.

Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie

This film is something that my sister watches with my niece and she said that if I enjoyed the Heffalump movie, I might like this. She was right it's very fun and for a movie that is only an hour long there is a lot of story laid out. All of the main characters are here so that you feel quite familiar with the situations that come up. This Halloween is Lumpy's first and Roo and the gang want to show him what trick or treating is all about. With all of the mishaps that we have become familiar with over the years, every new adventure brings out the best in these characters, and ultimately ourselves. Friendships are something that we all need in our daily lives, but how many of us can say that our friendships are as strong as Roo's and Lumpy's. The story is very inventive and since the last movie got rid of the frightening Heffalumps, so a new ghoul had to be created, enter the Gobloon.
With the universe of Winnie the Pooh expanding , you start to wonder when will it stop, hopefully not any time soon. After watching this I can see why my niece loves it so much , its fun with characters that she loves and the scary story is just that a story and everyone is all right in the end. So if you need a little adventure in your holiday, find a friend and laugh along with the gang as they prove that "brave together, brave forever" is the motto we should all have.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

This is one of those movies that I first saw when my grandfather was watching it, It was one of the few non western or war films that he enjoyed. Even though he is known for his comedy work, it is one of the best drama films that I've seen Walter Matthau in. And the role of the cold blooded mastermind of the hijacking was superbly portrayed by Robert Shaw. With these two strong leading men this movie couldn't do anything but succeed. A band of four armed men hijack a New York subway train and hold the hostages for a million dollar ransom. The action starts at the very beginning and never stops until the final credits are run. This movie was filmed entirely in New York City and has the feel of what the city was like in the early seventies. Even though most of what happens in the movie could not happen now with all of the security that is now in place, it is fun to watch and remember that there was a time when life simpler, even for the criminals. This movie only took sixty-two days to shoot and is one of the best action films to come out of the early seventies.
If you've never seen this film, or have only seen the bad TV remake, it is well worth the time and effort to see some great actors doing their best work. If I had a list of my favorite films that I would repeatedly watch, this would be in the top ten.

Benchwarmers

This is one of those feel good movies that will go down in film history with the likes of Revenge of the Nerds. Its not all about getting even with the bullies of your life but to be accepted for who and what you are, friendship is the most important thing in life and this movie proves it. Using the three most geekiest actors there are, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder, was a stroke of genius, they play these characters to the hilt and it works right up to the very end of the movie.Three adults witness some neighborhood kids picking on a young boy, they challenge the boys to a baseball game and the fun starts from there. There is a guest appearance by Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson, that helps give the movie more of a feel of authenticity. The situations that are presented on the field are all overly exaggerated but completely believable, from winning the game on a hit batter to a player with forged documents brought in to win the game. Also with a supporting cast, that on their own would headline a movie, this is a film that should not be missed. The sight gags are in great abundance, and prefect for this comedy, and the house that Jon Lovitz's character lives in is a nerds wet dream come true.
I would rank this movie up at the top of a sports film list, right there with Walter Matthau in The Bad News Bears and Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard. This movie could be watched over and over again and not get old, the comedy is funny and very light hearted, and the lessons that we learn by the end is poignant in today's society.

Catwoman

Changing the mythos of a well known character can be the downfall of any movie that has intentions to becoming a franchise, Catwoman is just that kind of movie. To continue this character from the Batman series people thought that they would at least use the same premise for Catwoman herself, but they were wrong and the movie suffers for it. After an unassuming woman is killed and then given cat like reflexes she becomes a vigilante to avenge her death. The two biggest problems with this film is that there is to much emphasis on the love story and the abilities of the cat persona. The CGI work here is alright but the there are spots that are just to fake looking and some of the fight scenes look bad. The biggest star of this film is Halle Berry in the new Catwoman outfit, but without a good story this isn't enough to carry the movie. There are a couple of parts that are worth watching, both are in the first fight sequence in the jewelry store. Wearing a leather bikers outfit Berry does a good impression of Eartha Kitt from the 1960s Batman series and the fight itself looks like the Catwoman that people were expecting from Batman Returns. Giving the Catwoman a history though time, and explaining that this version was just the next one in line was an interesting avenue to take, but it doesn't help.
I watched this film with a complete open mind and wasn't expecting a lot, with all the bad press I figured that it was going to bomb from the opening scenes. I think that Warner Bros. really failed here, they had the opportunity to expand on, at the time a dead Batman franchise, but they not able to pull it off. I'm not saying that I would watch this again, and it certainly doesn't deserve a franchise, but if you've never been exposed to the character before then maybe you'll enjoy it.

The First Power

With the end of the eighties came a barrage of low budget films with big stars, at the time, trying to make a quick buck. Some of these movies have still to make it to DVD but the ones that have are worth watching. Enter The First Power, this is not the best film that Lou Diamond Phillips has done but I always liked the idea of blending elements of the Exorcist into a cop movie. The information about the Catholic religion that is introduced helps with the believability of the powers and the situations that the actors find themselves in. There are three powers that God or Satan can bestow upon a mortal and they are: the Third Power - to inhabit another's body, the Second Power - the ability to see the future, and the First Power - the power of resurrection. A serial killer has made a pact with the Devil and upon his death he is granted these powers and plays havoc with the LA police department. Phillips is the cop here and unfortunately the main focus of the killer. Phillips at the height of his career looks to young to play the hardened cop that is here. Some of the best parts of this film is the camera angels that are used to achieve the visual effects, some are so believable that its hard to see them as stunts. The ending isn't the best but I'm sure that MGM was hoping for a sequel to come out of it, but you can't have everything.
This a quick and enjoyable movie that you don't have to spend a great deal of time figuring out. Some of the situations are predictable, but if you've never seen this film before its worth a look. Like I've said in the past, just don't expect to much.

Star Wars Saga

I can openly say that I am a Star Wars geek, not that I go around dressed up or quote dialog in my daily life but I do enjoy the movies even when I rewatch them. The series of films were conceived with the old serials of Buck Rodgers and Flash Gordon in mind, therefore the movies need to be seen in sequence. Where this is such a long storyline, over sixteen hours, I will comment on each film so that all of the pros and cons can be identified. I know that some of what I say here is going to anger some readers but these are my views and opinions, so just live with it.
The Phantom Menace-Even though we waited twenty-four years to seen the beginning of this story most of us were disappointed. Not that there was a problem with the story itself but the inconsistencies started right from the very beginning. We're introduced to new characters, some of which were only hinted at earlier on and some that we never heard of. The problem with these characters is that they are plugged into roles that we were told were filled by other people, Yoda didn't train Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon did. Jar Jar Binks was a mistake from the very beginning, the character is annoying and the dialog is so slurred that half the time it is not understandable. The new character that deserved to live a little longer is Darth Maul, with his red and black skin/tattoos he truly looks like evil incarnate. The duel between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Darth Maul is one of the best sword fights that was ever put to film. The most haunting part of this sequence is the music by John Williams, it proves the point that music is a strong contributor to any scene on film. Seeing the beginnings of how Senator Palpatine, who later becomes the Emperor, manipulates all of the people around him is completely enjoyable. The advancement in the art of special effects from the earlier movies is so evident that the effects seem seamless with the live action. The other thing that must be said is that George Lucas can not write dialog even when the characters are like family. But as the beginning of a massive storyline it’s not that bad.
Attack of the Clones-Giving us a glimpse into the start of the one major event, the Clone War, that all of the characters are related to is one of those rare opportunities that not many storytellers get to do. Here we see the evolution of all the main characters in the story to the points that we become familiar with them. The other thing that is interesting to see here is the ships and machines in their early development stages. The introduction of Jango Fett as the bounty hunter that the clone troops, later to become Imperial Storm Troopers, are cloned from is an interesting twist to the storyline. The one thing that drags this movie down is the love story, there is to much time spent here and it slows down the progress of the film. For an action adventure film there is so much effort put into this part that you start to lose interest in the movie.
Clone Wars -This animated series was developed to fill in the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and it does its job very well. The battle and action sequences are so good that they could rival many live action fights in most movies. The best thing here is the introduction of new characters, Asajj Ventress, Durge and General Grievous, they are all strong characters that are well deserving of continuing on in the storyline. It is hard to believe that the General is the only one to advance on to the next film. To see our characters go through battle after battle, you begin to understand how they get weary and disillusioned.
Revenge of the Sith-Seeing the end of the war and how the Republic moves on to become the Empire is one of the best parts of this film. The make up job done on Ewan McGregor is outstanding, he looks like a young Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan. The two biggest transformations here is Palpatine into the emperor that we all know and Anakin into Darth Vader. I was hoping that Anakin's change would still leave questions in for me, so that the shock value in The Empire Strikes Back, when he tells Luke who he is, is still there. Unfortunately no, once you see this movie that shock is lost. The best part of this film is the ultimate fight scenes with Obi-Wan and Anakin, the way it is choreographed and shot it looks and has the feel of the samurai duels of the Japanese cinema.
A New Hope-Of all the films for this series of films this is the shortest of them, coming in at two hours and three minutes. Since at the time it was not known if this film was going to draw the audience in an almost clean ending was given, so that if it failed there wouldn't be many questions left open. When this movie was released in 1977 it set the bar for what science fiction movies had to measure up to, few made the grade many fell far short. The two big star veterans that were tapped for this movie are Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing, the voice of James Earl Jones was added in as the voice of Verizon, I mean Darth Vader. The introduction of these characters into the sci-fi genre is nothing short of amazing, thirty years after being shown to audiences the magic is still unstoppable. The special effects that are used here are completely old school, miniatures, models and costumes are used to achieve what is seen on the screen.
The Empire Strikes Back-Out of the six films this is still by far the best and will always be considered the cream of the crop. As the title implies this movie is the Empire flexing its collective muscles and is in control from the opening battle to the final scenes. The first duel between father and son is fought here and shows the showmanship that Lucas has with his storytelling. Having such a dark chapter in this series, just goes to show how this story progressed to the point of being an icon in the collective minds of the fans. The Empire is so overpowering in this movie you almost get the feeling that there is no hope by the end. Having Frank Oz create and work the puppet of Yoda is sheer genius, it shows how the craft of puppeteers is an art form that can truly never be rivaled. Of all the props that are used in this series, the Han frozen in carbonite is by far the best, and is a great transition of the character.
Return of the Jedi-The final chapter could have done without one of the biggest character mistakes of all time, the Ewoks are just too cute and cuddly to be in this series. When I first saw this movie in 1983 the crowd cheered when an Ewok was killed in the final battle. The duel here with Vader and Luke, bringing about Vader's redemption, shows how close father and son are. It seems at times during the battle that they are each pulling their punches, and neither wants to kill the other. This is also the time when every fanboy's dream came true when Carrie Fisher sported the Slave bikini and all of the hormones into overdrive. With all the good things about this movie it is hard to get past the idea that so much of it is geared towards merchandising toys.
To see this long story come to an end, leaves you wanting more and that's where all the books and comics have been essential. The expansion of the Star Wars universe and mythos is in complete flux, new stories are always being created and new characters being introduced. Now that I've seen the whole thing from beginning to end it is truly one of the greatest science fiction stories ever told, barring some small glitches, it is the ultimate good verses evil story. But nothing is ever perfect and there will always tomorrows in the future. So I say in closing: May The Force Be With You and never give a Jawa an even break.

This is America, Charlie Brown

I'm a big Charlie Brown fan and I've seen just about everything that has been done for the him and the other Peanuts characters over the years, but this set had escaped me. I had heard of it back in the late 80's but never saw it. The idea of Charlie Brown giving some American history lessons sounds very good, and starts out that way, but then slowly becomes hard to watch. Not all of the character are here, but the main ones are and their famous attitudes are not tampered with for the sake of the show.
Charlie Brown and the Gang travel through American history to highlight some of the more important items of interest. The subjects that are covered range from the voyage of the Mayflower to the building of the Transcontinental railroad to the NASA space station. The first five episodes have our friends injected into the time periods as subjects on the sideline. After that it turns into them giving book reports in class where their imagination carries them into the action. This series also does not play around with the myths of history it deals with just the facts and makes it enjoyable. The episode entitled The Smithsonian and the Presidency is very fun especially when they find their own cartoon hanging in the museum.
I wasn't overly thrilled with this set, I'm glad that I got a chance to see it but I doubt I'll ever watch it again. Young kids who are learning about American history will find it interesting and fun. The best thing is that this series could be used as a teaching tool, because in some ways it doesn't sugar coat anything, it tells you the truth through and through.

Let's Scare Jessica to Death

Everyone has their favorite movies that they would go out of their way to get a hold of, this is one of those films for me. Jessica was made in 1971 and has a feel that is totally 70s, from the look of the clothing to the cars that being driven to the hippie attitude, so it feels a little dated. But what sets this movie apart from others being dropped on to the trash heap is that this film is creepy and holds your attention to the very end. You can tell that it was shot on a shoe string budget but the simplicity of the shoot only helps with the realistic feel that the movie has. Shortly after being released from mental hospital, Jessica and some friends move to a small town in Connecticut where life is quiet. Once she starts to question her sanity again the creepiness takes over and never lets go. With elements of the undead and vampires the movie grabs you by the throat and never lets go. You start to feel all of the tension and anxiety that Jessica is feeling and you start to wonder if its real or all in Jessica's mind.
This is not partially the kind of film that you want to watch with the lights out, it truly will creep you out with them on. I haven't seen this movie in years but every Halloween I hoped that it would finally be released on DVD, and after all this time its still the horror classic that I remember. I would recommend this movie to any one who had never seen it but be warned if you watch it with the lights out you may suffer the same fate as Jessica.