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Key Largo, a review by Rick

Key Largo

Hollywood Legends:
Humphrey Bogart
Edward G. Robinson
Lauren Bacall
Lionel Barrymore


Overview:My Thoughts:My Rating

(From DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on November 18th, 2009)

Blue Velvet, a review by Rich

Blue Velvet



Beneath the surface of small-town serenity lies a dark domain where innocents dare not tread and unpredictability is the norm. It is the haunting realm of  Blue Velvet. Spawned from the mind of David Lynch (Mulholland Drive, "Twin Peaks"), Blue Velvet is a "shocking, deeply disturbing...startling mixture of the heartfelt and the horrific" (Newsweek).
Clean-cut Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) realizes his Mayberry-like hometown is not so normal when he discovers a human ear in a field. His investigation catapults him into an alluring, erotic murder mystery involving a disturbed nightclub singer (Isabella Rossellini) and a drug-addicted sadist (Dennis Hopper). Soon Jeffrey is led deeper into their depraved existence... to the point of no return.

David Lynch is like the marmite of directors, you either love him or hate him. Unfortunately I fall into the second camp, only ever previously enjoying one of his movies.
My opinion has not changed after viewing Blue Velvet. Certainly there is a shock value to the film, albeit dated after 2 decades, it subtly hits you on the bonce like a sledgehammer, your senses are tickled as if with a taser, and seedier elements of the film will stay with me.
Dennis Hopper as the vicious psycho was superb, but the rest of the cast just didn't work for me in this, Laura Dern was too old for the role, and MacLachlan a feeble lead. Lynch's style is not my cup of tea, very slow and arty, brooding looks, pans to a tree, or to a specific prop, just doesn't work for my simple brain.
I am sure the cardigan and pipe brigade will tell me how wonderful this movie is, exploring the dark side and sexual frustrations of human nature, with the backdrop of suburban America. But I just found it too pretentious, empty, depressing and confused.
 


**Laura Dern mini-marathon


(From Riches Random Reviews on August 27th, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Quantum Leap: Season One (1989/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Studios Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 428 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Plot:Quantum Leap
1.01 Genesis
Writer: Donald P. Bellisario (Original Characters By), Donald P. Bellisario (Writer)
Director: David Hemmings
Cast: Scott Bakula (Sam Beckett), Dean Stockwell (Al), Jennifer Runyon (Peggy Stratton), John Allen Nelson (Captain "Bird Dog" Birdell), W. K. Stratton (Dr. Berger), Newell Alexander (John Beckett), Lee DeBroux (Coach), Larry Poindexter (Captain Tony LaMotta), Bruce McGill (Weird Ernie), Barbra Horan (Tina), David Trent (Captain Doug Walker), James F. Dean (Dr. Blaustein), Lela Ivey (Lucy), Dennis Wolfberg (Gooshie), Lydia Cornell (Sally), Christine Poor (Jeanie), Doug Cox (Sportscaster), Christian Van Dorn (Mikey Stratton), Hank Robinson (Umpire), Patrick Cranshaw (Old Man), Brent Chalem (Bat Boy), Adam Affonso (Young Sam), Mike Greenwood (Matt), Dave Duensing (Clyde), David Dawson (Barnes), Kevin Johnson (Pepper), Ken Martin (Tim Fox), Layne Beamer (Tom Stratton)

As you know I am a big fan of time-travel storylines. So it is no wonder that I enjoy this series. The pilot episode is good and introduces the premise well.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 24th, 2012)