Friday, August 29, 2008

Series and Movie Review: Cowboy Bebop



Pick up the series before the movie. This science fiction anime classic unfolds as a future where we've colonized the outer planets and fly among them. Though society has some bad guys and bounty hunters like Spike Spiegel, and Jet Black hunt down the rabble for money. They call their ship, Bebop, of course.

Through the series they add Faye Valentine, Edward the hacker and Ein the data dog to their crow. Though they don't' know the dog is a data dog and probably the smartest member of the crew.

I like all the space ships and explosions. I like the angled artwork and the worlds full of color and exciting sounds. Maybe even the flaws add to the charm. Most of them are typical anime problem of the occasional confusion with a plot point. I sat raptured.

We picked up the first twi DVD's from Coos Bay and the Movie from North Bend.

IMDB the Series
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0213338/

IMDB the movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275277/

Please buy these fine DVDs from Amazon:
Cowboy Bebop Remix: Anime Legends
Cowboy Bebop - The Movie

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Movie Review: Contact


I'm a sucker for science fiction and I like most of the spacey aspects of this film, but it's quite a ways from being my favorite. A young woman searches for life on other planets through analysis of radio telescope data. Finding life from out in space is like finding one particular grain of sand from a million beaches, billions of miles away. But this group of scientists starts getting data from an alien civilization with instructions to build a machine to travel to meet them.

First, I can't get past the unlikely aspects that first an older man then a young woman would be even considered the first people to take a trip of this magnitude. Second, the scientist don't go on the trips. They go AFTER, long after, the programs are safe enough for them to go. They would send a young male.

Jodie Foster plays the lead Ellie, rather sappy and emotional yet tries to pretend she's all scientific. Matthew McConaughey charms in his typical style, neither adding or taking away much. I liked David Morse as her dad.

I think I could do without all the early experiences of how hard ti was for her to get funding for her project, it's boring and doesn't matter. After the trip it kind of gets all God V. Science and I just lost my sense of disbelief.

I like the trip itself though and the science guys who help her find the life elsewhere. So head on in to Bandon and Myrtle Point for the DVD and Dora, North Bend, Coos Bay, Powers, Lakeside and Bandon for the VHS tapes.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118884/

Buy the DVD from Amazon:
Contact

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Movie Review: Cop and a Half


Burt Reynolds must have been desperate for a paycheck. He plays a grouchy cop with a rampant disregard of property and safety chasing some bad guys. He ends up trying to protect a little boy who's dream is to grow up and be a cop.

The kid witnesses a murder and the police hide him to keep him safe so he can testify. The plot is ok, but the acting is some of the worst I've seen in my life. I think maybe they planned someone like Gary Coleman in this kid roll, but it didn't happen. I'll forgive the tot for his poor acting because, well he's a kid. Reynolds only excuse might be he didn't take it seriously.

The bad guys were all just caricatures of mobsters. Ah well, it's cute in it's own way. Look in Bandon for the DVD.

Funny little side note, IMDB rated this a 3 out of 10 whereas Norbit got a 3.6 out of 10. I liked this one better.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106613/

Buy this DVD from Amazon:
Cop and a Half

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Movie Review: Norbit


Shall I refrain from calling something bad because everyone else does? NOPE! Where have we seen this plot before? Oh, that's right, EVERYWHERE. Eddie Murphy plays the lead and his wife. Murry said that's clever.

Me? I just can't get over this stupid story of an orphan who hangs out with a woman who abuses him into marriage. I guess it's supposed to be funny how he really loves someone else but she's marrying a con artist Cuba Gooding Jr..

Mr. And Mrs. Norbit "get it on" by her taking a running belly flop at him and breaks the bed. I felt pain, not because of the scene but because it's just cruel and unfunny.

Coos Bay, Bandon and Coquille library branches have copies of this disaster DVD.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477051/

If you REALLY want to buy it on Amazon, here's the link:
Norbit (Full Screen)

PS I wrote this on Teusday, but I didn't post it until today. I guess I didn't hit the button. My bad.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Movie Review: 27 Dresses


Katherine Heigl stars as a bridesmaid extraordinaire who loves weddings. We see her rushing from one ceremony to the other on the same night, changing in the cab on the way from event to event.

She works as an administrative assistant to a clueless guy who constantly says he "loves" her and she wishes he meant it for real. Her sister suddenly comes to town and meets her boss and falls for him. (Note to all, tell people you have feelings for them and get on with it. You never know if something is real or fantasy until you test it.)

The Boss man proposes to miss bridesmaid's sister and they ask her to plan their wedding. Talk about salt in the wound. She tries to love her sister but eventually has a meltdown and tells her sister how she really feels.

A wedding reporter, James Marsden, watches her crazy bridesmaid lifestyle and writes an expose about her. Though he's charmed by her kind spirit, he tried to make her see her obsession.

Pick up a copy of the DVD in Dora, Bandon, Powers, Myrtle Point, Coos Bay and North Bend.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988595/

Buy the DVD on Amazon:
27 Dresses (Widescreen Edition)

Friday, August 22, 2008

Volcano EXTRAVAGANZA!


Maybe I exaggerated a little. Both Dante's Peak and Volcano came out in the summer 1997 so I decided to review them both. That's a weird Hollywood thing, putting similar plots out the same year. Seems there are just no new ideas.... or some people are just flat out lazy.

Pierce Brosnan plays a famous volcano scientist studying the explosive mountains. He notices some strange readings from a peak with a town at its feet. The mayor, Linda Hamilton, doesn't want to panic people during the height of their tourist season.

So the mountain begins to blow it's top and we see lots of running and screaming and Brosnan and Hamilton and her kids go try and rescue their grandma. They get stuck and have to drive across lava. Yea, like that's gonna happen.

It's reasonably entertaining, despite the plot problems. Bandon has the DVD and North Bend and Coos Bay have VHS copies.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118928/

Buy the DVD from Amazon:
Dante's Peak


So when I said the other one had plot issues, get this.. a volcano erupts in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. But wait, there's more. Our hero, Tommy Lee Jones, makes a path for lava to flow to the sea. Everyone in the cast plays it straight, like this is really happening.

Anne Heche co-stars as a scientist gal. Despite the GROSS unlikeliness of this whole scenario.. it's a more entertaining film than Dante's Peak. It's especially interesting watching the lava flow past landmarks.

If you like disaster films, grab some popcorn and make it a double feature night. Bandon and Coos Bay have DVD copies and North Bend, Lakeside and Myrtle Point have VHS tapes.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120461/

Buy the DVD from Amazon:
Volcano

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Comedy Special: D.L. Hughley Unapologetic


HBO has some great comedy specials and this one goes right to the top of my list of funny bone ticklers. Though PARENTS beware, this is NOT for children. He uses a lot of profane language. That never bothered me so I laughed loads.

Hook up with some buddies and have a nice showing. The DVD is in Bandon.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1114667/

Buy the DVD from Amazon:
D.L. Hughley: Unapologetic

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Two Soso Romantic Comedies


Never been much of a Jenny McCarthy fan and this movie did little to change that. She nearly runs down a guy with her car and they kind of end up "hooking up" mistaking each other for prostitutes. Yeah, uh, so, um, so there's that.

The guy played by Chris Eigeman, did an ok job with this stinker script. The only reason this got a soso rating was because of his story of loving the little girl next door. He romanticized her and how confused he was when he found out she died. He had the fantasy of being with her someday. This one moment of perfect beauty saved this film from a trashing review.

Have a look in Bandon and Coos Bay for the DVD.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258877/

Buy the DVD on Amazon:
Crazy Little Thing


John Hurt plays a womanizing university student who becomes obsessed with Hayley Mills. For reasons I cannot fathom he's sent on an expedition to document the struggles of antarctic penguins.

So he's out there in the freezing cold watching the critters and writing to the lady he thinks he likes. She listens to his tapes and reads his letters telling of the bird strife and begins to fall for him.

He tries to protect them from attack and blizzards, but then realizes it's not his job. It's not bad for a film made in 1971. I just don't really see the point. Most of the action is him alone in a cabin or out on the tundra with a bunch of penguins.

See March of the Penguins first. But if you want to see this older film, the DVD is in Bandon.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066961/

Buy the DVD from Amazon:
Cry of the Penguins

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Movie Review: Cutthroat Island


Ok, I like kick ass chicks and this isn't the first time I've seen Geena Davis in a role where she played one. Nothing about this film worked, though. It never lets you catch your breath. Every swash is buckled and every action is adventured nearly non stop.

It's also quite gross how a few things happen, added with we're totally pulled out of the action when the she pirate jumps off a wagon and runs through a building at the same rate as the horses to catch it at the other end. Lame.

Thar be pirates every which way, matey. Watch Captain Blood instead. Not as much chick action but plenty more goodness.

North Bend, Coquille, Bandon and Myrtle Point have the DVD. Check out Dora and Coos Bay for the VHS.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112760/

Really wanna waste your money on the DVD? Find it on Amazon:
Cutthroat Island

Monday, August 18, 2008

Movie Review: The Crossing Guard


Jack Nicholson and David Morse fight an epic battle to recover from the terrible death of Nicholson's beloved daughter. Morse hit her with his car when he was drunk. We come into the story just as he's released from jail.

Nicholson has deteriorated into a womanizing drunk himself. We're left with the impression that he didn't exemplify a loving father. Though there was one small scene that showed he misses the little girl terribly. Apparently he tormented his poor wife after the girl died. Anjelica Huston played the ex Mrs.

Sean Penn's direction makes for a dark film with bits of brilliant light on a very emotional topic. He shows us two men who drive themselves to the depth of madness. Will they make it out?

Though I don't want to watch this again, I'm glad I saw it. Bandon has the DVD and Couquille has a VHS copy.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112744/

Buy the DVD from Amazon:
The Crossing Guard

Friday, August 15, 2008

Documentary Review: Crazy Love


Truly the title tells it all. A married man stalks his girlfriend and decides if he can't have her no one else will. He hires some thugs to kill her. They go to her door and throw acid in her face. She's blinded by the incident.

The police arrest the boyfriend and he's convicted of attempted murder and given a 14 year sentence. After he gets out, he starts contacting the woman and they start dating and eventually marry.

This disturbs me on so many levels. I don't care if these insane people are so foolish as to get back together, they have the right to mess up their own life in any way they see fit. I worry for the women who have stalkers who might feel this film gives them hope. Though I guess if they're stalker like, they already don't' have much of a touch with reality anyway.

The other issue that bugs me, the woman seems to have hooked up with the old boyfriend because of her own desperation for affection. Her friends say she leaned on him in the hopes he'd take care of her. I wish someone would have given her some decent blindness skills and helped her live independently.

Have a look in Bandon for this bizarre story on DVD.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790706/

Buy this DVD from Amazon:
Crazy Love

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Movie Review: Copper Mountain


Jim Carrey and Alan Thicke as veeery young men star in this Club Med promo video. They're the only reason I didn't' call this a dog. The plot involves skiing, music and Carrey acting bizarre.

I know this is a light review, if you want to see the guys as young men, watch it, otherwise run screaming the other way.

Wow, three copies of this dog of a DVD. Two in Bandon and one in North Bend.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085363/

Lets just forgo the Amazon today.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Movie Review: The Bucket List


1. Laugh till you cry.
2. WATCH THIS FILM

I defy those who tell you something is popular and gets a lot of buzz so it must be great. Except, um, this film is great. heh Morgan Freeman can read the phone book to me, swoon. I love his voice and to steal a sentiment from a talk show guy, anything he's in is just better. Jack Nicholson makes a great asshole.

A pair of older guys find out they're both dying soon. So rather than sit around and cry about it, they decide to run around the world doing the things they'd always dreamed of doing. That's simply not enough of a plot point to explain the ways these men touched me. Joy and sorrow mixed with charm and irony.

Hop off to these libraries for this wonderful film: Bandon, Coos Bay, Dora, Lakeside, Myrtle Point and Powers.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0825232/

Buy the DVD from Amazon
The Bucket List

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Movie Review: The Aryan Couple


The US title for this film is simply the couple, but adding the word Aryan creates a plot point and I think it works better. We're supposed to think this film is about the young couple, yet Martin Landau and Judy Parfitt top the credits. So I guess in a sense, changing the title could change the focus to either twosome.

Wealthy Jews in Germany toward the end of World War II buy the way for their family to flee the country. The Aryan couple remains as their only servants as they sign the papers turning over all their assets to the Nazis.

I just didn't care about these people because they kept changing points of view. We're seeing the bad Nazi's, then the Jewish couple then the Aryan duo. The good guys are sappy and the bad ones are ultra bad. I find that quite immature.

Bandon has the DVD.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407536/

Buy the DVD from Amazon
The Couple

Monday, August 11, 2008

Documentary Review: A Conversation on the Constitution


OK, I'm going to cheat on this one and just do a quickie as there is nothing in IMDB or Amazon about it. I liked the library page to it above.

I guess this was geared to middle school students and I got it just to see if I could learn anything. If the topic of our system of government weren't so important, I woulda called this a dog of the highest order. Thankfully it's quite short.

Seems sad. I'd like to know more about how things work and learn some insight. I mean these are the justices themselves speaking. Two of them are even still on the court today. Ah well. Maybe some social studies teacher can put the kids down for nap time with this. Look for the libraries in the link above.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Movie Review: Cool Runnings


As stated before, I really dig movies from a new perspective and this has that in spades. A Jamaican runner wants desperately to participate on the Olympics but all the running slots are full. So he gets it into his head to race a four man bob sled. Which is a winter sport. No snow in Jamaica mon.

John Candy comes on board as their coach and the rag tag group heads out to the winter Olympics to freeze their tushes off. Watching them will make your nose cold and you shiver with laughter.

It's based on a true story. Grab the DVD from Myrtle Point and Coos Bay and Bandon have the VHS

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106611/


Buy the DVD from Amazon:
Cool Runnings

Thursday, August 7, 2008

OH MAN

Ok, so the editor wasn't working for me and it was freaking me out. Thanks to random Internet person, it's all working now. Yay! But now I'm all stressed out from the ordeal heh. I'll do a whole bunch of reviews tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Movie Review: Conflict


I included both the IMDB and library title to help people find this film. Martin Sheen arrives at an Irish village parish off on a tiny island. The priests there have taken it upon themselves to perform the mass in Latin, going against the current rules of the time.

In order to bring more parishioners into the church, the Vatican had decided to do church business in the local language. These Irish priests figured the mass in Latin would give the words more power. It seems their patrons agreed and were showing up in droves.

Trevor Howard charms as the Abbot leading the mass. I did enjoy the acting and catching a peek into the inner workings of the Catholic Church. The story spent too much time sitting around talking in low reverent tones and skulking around into the lives of the brothers. I guess the "withit" brother played by Sheen with his helicopter renting ways was intending to bring excitement. Yawn.

Seems strange this obscure made for TV film has two DVD copies, but there they are in Bandon and Myrtle Point.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069857/

Find additional information on Amazon:
Catholics (1973)

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Movie Review: Criminal


I didn't like the first 20 minutes of this film about a con artist pair out to attempt a big "score." John C. Reilly and Diego Luna star, and I guess they were believable enough.

I started fast forwarding just to get through with it and it went by so fast. *I* felt no compassion for the plight of these guys and they were just cold heartless bastards.

Bandon has this stinker of a DVD

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362526/

Have a look on Amazon for more info on this DVD:

Criminal (Criminales) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

Monday, August 4, 2008

Movie Review: Working Girl


When this movie opened, I heard a woman talking head criticize the plot. She mentioned that the heroine, Melanie Griffith, stole the boyfriend, Harrison Ford from her boss, Sigourney Weaver. While technically what happened, she didn't KNOW he was involved until AFTER she'd got together with Ford's character.

A bright but working class young woman fights for her chance within a corporation. When her male boss tries to pimp her out to a colleague she nearly gets herself fired when she gives him a healthy dose of revenge. She's then bounced to a new female executive where she tries to give her idea for a business deal.

The boss ends up out of the country with a broken leg for a couple weeks and in the process of taking care of her things, our girl finds out her boss intended to steal her idea as her own. Yet more revenge visited upon a scurrilous boss.

All three actors do a great, convincing and funny job of drawing you into their world. When our working girl becomes drunk and Ford's character is trying to care for her, his offer of "herb tea" sounds so genuine and kind. Weaver things so highly of herself that she demands perfection and insists the world revolve around her.

Look for a young Alec Baldwin and big haired Joan Cusack and a slimy Kevin Spacey.
Bandon has the DVD plus look in Dora, Bandon, Lakeside, Coquille and North Bend for the VHS.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096463/

Buy the DVD from Amazon:
Working Girl

Friday, August 1, 2008

Movie Review: Crime Boss


This film almost made it into another category, but it just fell flat. The plot is ok, a dismissed young man plots revenge for his father's mafia murder. He then builds a relationship with a don he grows to care for as a father figure. Telly Savalas plays the don.

It was all in English but shot in Italy. I didn't always understand what peopel were saying. Might have been better in Italian with subtitles.

If you got a hankering for spaghetti mob movies, put a hit out on Bandon.

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068566/

Buy the DVD on Amazon:
Crime Boss