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anfinke
Reviews
Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)
Not bad for it's modest budget!
I was impressed. For a low budget film, I feel the right corners were cut.
The characters were likable and had relevant personalities. The "fatal flaws" of one (and arguably, some others) character puts the rest of the crew in a dire situation.
The saying that "necessity is the mother of all ingenuity" is a theory thoroughly explored in this movie. Panic, fatigue and hypothermia add to the characters' struggle in this modest, but clever thriller.
I recommend it to anyone who likes a movie that will inspire discussion, and fulfill the tendency to analyze what "should" have been done with the benefit of hindsight.
G3 Live in Denver (2004)
Great Concert!
I disagree with this rampant opinion that Yngwie is a product of the 80's. His look, style, guitar sound is anchored in 70's influences (Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix). As much as I feel he tends to overplay (he didn't always do this), I still find him to be the most impressive and passionate player.
Yngwie's set was pretty good. I liked how he played some of his older pieces from "Rising Force". I think he should be a bit more in tune w/ his band however. He solos just a bit too much. Although his sound was not very good on this DVD and is sometimes over-compressed, I generally like Yngwie's clean and delicate notes.
Vai had the most impressive band (trade off w/ Tony MacAlpine was cool) and was very entertaining w/ the crowd. He certainly did steal the show! I do find his music to be a little too quirky and un-melodic for my taste, but his guitar antics were very entertaining!
They did not pick the best songs for Satriani to put on this DVD, but when I saw them in concert I was quite impressed w/ Joe's compositions. I think Satriani has a nice sophisticated jazz feel to his music, not in all songs, but he played some very tasteful pieces. Creating real melody w/ jazz compositions is quite impressive in my opinion, as it seems difficult to do. Before I saw Joe I was convinced he was more of a standard (1,4,5) blues/rock player. Now I see many more dimensions in his music.
I don't understand however why someone would accuse Yngwie of being a "limited guitar player". He mastered Ritchie Blackmore's playing by the time he was ten years old! Steve and Joe are certainly awesome, but even they do not convey the effortlessness that Yngwie does. I am not saying he is THE greatest guitarist, but I believe he is the most gifted.
His arrogance and stage antics did turn me off a bit during the final segment. I thought he could have toned that down and been more of a team player when he shared the stage. He was a guest after all.
I suppose I tend to defend him when he is so often accused of being a "has-been" or "80's cliché". This is a trend-following attitude that bores me.
It was more entertaining to see them in concert than on DVD of course. Those three guys looked like they were having so much fun! Three guitar gods all together is a great experience! I give it an 8 out of 10.
10 to Midnight (1983)
This is NOT a "Death Wish" rip-off
A very solid movie! Charles Bronson is absolutely great in this film. The fact that the killer was a handsome guy really emphasized that he was a sociopath and all around creep (smart character development). Lisa Eilbacher is damn cute! A good psychological action/thriller!
I do not understand why people consider this a "cheesy?" movie or a "rip-off" of Death Wish.
Leo Kessler is a hardened cop. Paul Kersey was an architect who took on the role of vigilante after a life changing event. The two characters really aren't that similar at all.
I wonder what Lisa Eilbacher is up to nowadays.
Leviathan (1989)
A solid sci-fi movie!
I do not consider this movie a rip-off. "The Thing" and especially "Alien" are classics and therefore influenced many sci-fi films. It is unfair to compare "Leviathan" exclusively to those flicks. This movie had good characters and great (almost too convincing) special effects. The monster/mutation scenes are very grotesque and still send shivers up my spine. Peter Weller is totally cool w/ those cold eyes and deep voice of his. The scene of him practicing his lecture to the Doc in the mirror was funny and creative. I wish Lisa Eilbacher would have lasted longer in the movie, she is a total babe! Cool cast and special effects!....Better than "Deep Star Six".
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
A great and honest movie!
I am a huge fan of "Full Metal Jacket", but I think it is wrong to compare this movie w/ "An Officer and A Gentleman", they are just too different. It is no surprise that Louis Gosset Jr. won on Oscar for "best supporting actor", he was very convincing!!
This movie is a good example of great characters and the dynamics between them. They were all great!! Richard Gere plays a likable loner. But he is less arrogant than he is untrusting, and I think Foley finally gains some respect for him when he realizes this.
The most memorable scenes for me were when Seegar couldn't make it up the wall the first time and she caves into tears at Foley's caustic (and very funny!) comments. The scenerio were she finally makes it over due to Mayo's newfound concern and trust of others is also great and shows his maturing. But I think Louis Gosset Jr. shines the most when he challenges Mayo to a fight (I believe he did this out of respect for Mayo as a last ditch effort to keep him from dropping out), a wonderful scene indeed!!
Debra Winger was some serious eye-candy in this flick and Lisa Eilbacher has the cutest doll face.
Great characters and cast!
This House Possessed (1981)
Great TV horror flick - suspenseful!
I first saw this when I was eight years old, and it was pretty damn scary at the time.
Lisa Eilbacher has the sexiest voice and is a total fox. Parker Stevenson was pretty cool as well.
The death scenes in this movie were pretty graphic for TV, especially the underwater shot of the "rag lady" belly-flopping into the pool.
The house looked like it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. My only complaint about this movie was that you never got a feel of the floor plan. With a house this fantastic, I would like to have known how the rooms and hallways tied together. But none of it was filmed in a way to show spacial relations.
This movie even had some pleasant humorous moments. A very ambitious T.V. movie indeed.