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Interstate 84, a review by KinkyCyborg

Title:Interstate 84
Year: 2000
Director: Ross Partridge
Rating: 14A
Length: 100 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Kevin Dillon
John Littlefield
John Doman
Megan Dodds
Harley Cross

Plot:
Passion, Rage, Murder, They all collide on Interstate 84.

Joe Weldon (John Littlefield) is an emotionally screwed-up cop living in a small grimy town. Recently separated from his wife and kids he is intensely devoted to his work - especially when he stumbles on the case of an anonymous dead man just fished from the Hudson River.
Unable to identify the body the police focus on a few scattered clues a bible, a card with a phone number and a tooth brush. The number leads to a perplexing suspect. Vinnie (Kevin Dillon) a seedy family man. The investigation is stymied by the fact that the victim was an outsider who ha little contact with the community. As each day passes a new clue is unearthed that enables both Vinnie and the police to piece together the mystery.
An unconventional mystery that unfolds into a humanistic tale about the discovery of life and faith, nothing is what it appears to be on Intersection 84.

Extras:
Scene Access
Closed Captioned


Story about a somewhat handicapped, gentle giant who's simple life intertwines with other lost and wandering souls. His story is told after his body washes up on the edge of a river.

This started off a bit slow but got more interesting as it wore on. I thought Joel Garland, whom I've never heard of, played the central character gave an excellent performance and really his was the only one to standout from the entire cast of relative unknowns... Kevin Dillon was the only really recognizable name. Kevin Spacey was executive producer on this one.

If you are looking for action, suspense or thrills, this is not for you... but good dramatic storytelling can be had.

KC

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on August 26th, 2010)

5 Centimeters Per Second, a review by Danae Cassandra

Byosoku Go Senchimetoru  (5 Centimeters Per Second)
Year of Release: 2007
Starring:  Kenji Mizuhashi, Yoshimi Kondou, Satomi Hanamura
Directed By: Makoto Shinkai
Genre:  Romance, Drama

Overview:
The modern-day anime classic and brainchild of rising star Makoto Shinkai, 5 Centimeters Per Second, presented to you as never before. Witness the story of Takaki, a young man on a journey from Tokyo to reunite with his childhood best friend, Akari. Feel his emotions superimposed on the gorgeous, heavily researched and impressively animated backdrops of Japan, as he travels by train to see her. Join Takaki on a voyage into three interconnected tales of love and lost innocence that span the minutes and months of their lives. 5 Centimeters Per Second, the speed at which cherry blossoms fall from the trees, reminiscent of the pace of life as our lives intermingle.

My Thoughts:
I picked this up because I had enjoyed two other films from Makoto Shinkai, The Place Promised in Our Early Days and Voices of a Distant Star, and this is a very worthy companion to those two.  It's a great little film.

This is a beautiful, romantic film that reminded me why I love anime. It's a wistful, nostalgic memory of first love and the bittersweet joy it can bring in hanging on to it. It's warm and melancholy, as only the best memories are, the ones that matter, that mean something.

The story is very simple - it's about young love and the memory of that love and the distance that time creates between people. What the film is really about is the emotions of the characters, and in that it excels. You feel these people. You understand them. They are real.

It's also a film with exquisitely drawn animation. This is a grade-A+ beautiful film, perhaps one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Even if nostalgic romance doesn't appeal, if you like animation you should give this film a look just for the art, it's that good. Good? Wrong word. Great. Stupendous. Flawless.

Highly recommended.

Bechdel Test:  Fail

Overall:  4/5

(From 5 Centimeters Per Second on July 28th, 2013)

Tom's Random Star Trek Reviews, a review by Tom

Star Trek: The Next Generation
5.26 Time's Arrow: Part One
Writer: Joe Menosky (Screenwriter), Michael Piller (Screenwriter), Joe Menosky (Original Material By)
Director: Les Landau
Cast: Patrick Stewart (Capt. Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Cmdr. William Riker), LeVar Burton (Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf), Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi), Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data), Jerry Hardin (Samuel Clemens), Michael Aron (Bellboy), Barry Kivel (Doorman), Ken Thorley (Seaman), Sheldon Peters Wolfchild (Indian), John Murdock (Beggar), Marc Alaimo (Gambler), Milt Tarver (Scientist), Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan), Michael Hungerford (Roughneck)

Data's head is found in a cave on Earth, where it was lying since the 19th century. During the investigation of this, Data gets pulled into the past.
This season cliffhanger may not have the big impact expected from such a cliffhanger, but I always enjoyed this episode.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Star Trek Reviews on October 31st, 2011)