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The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, a review by addicted2dvd

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007/United States) IMDb |Trailer |Wikipedia | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Jay Russell Writing: Robert Nelson Jacobs (Screenwriter), Dick King-Smith (Original Material By) Length: 112 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD: 5.1, French: Dolby TrueHD: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby TrueHD: 5.1, Thai: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: Chinese, English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai

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Stars:
Bruce Allpress as Jock McGowan
Geraldine Brophy as Gracie
Edward Campbell as Hughie
Ben Chaplin as Lewis Mowbray
Peter Corrigan as Jimmy's Buddy #1

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Interactive Games

I found this one to be a fun and entertaining film. One that I feel can be enjoyed by the whole family. A nice idea for a story behind the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. I think the cast did a fine job and the story moved at a good pace. Recommended.



(From What Movies I Been Watching on January 22nd, 2017)

Two-Lane Blacktop, a review by Jon

TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (1971)
4 out of 5



James Taylor (Driver) and Dennis Wilson (Mechanic) are driving across America in a souped up Chevvy, drag racing for money. Along the way they pick up a hitchhiker, played by Laurie Bird, and get into a race for "pinks" with Warren Oates in his G.T.O.

Time for change of pace. So far this marathon has featured people driving for a reason, but the early 1970s American cinema was defined by several classic movies that were more about the road than the journey. Aimless quests for freedom matched only by aimless filmmaking in some cases, started by Easy Rider in 1969. That's a film I found hard to really like, but I do admire it and it's importance can't be undervalued.

Two-Lane Blacktop is in some ways, Easy Rider in cars, though the characters have more interest in their vehicles than Fonda and Hopper who were more interested in drugs. It certainly shares it's laidback, cool vibe. Or is that lazy and comatose? Depends on your point of view, but Two-Lane is definitely better without compromising the idyllic idea of freedom.

The script is so lean the characters don't have names. Driver and Mechanic as they are credited, are also played by singers who can't act. That sounds like a criticism, but it's just an observation, because their manner was ideal and they weren't tasked with any sort of development. This is a film about mood and, I felt, a melancholic nostalgia for a time that surely couldn't last. The very final shot is as memorable and poetic as any.

The story, such as it is, follows the two as they drive across America challenging other drivers and entering competitions in drag racing to earn money. Get a proper job, you might say! But that's kind of the point. They pick up a hitchhiker... well, actually she just gets in the car when they stop for food. Then they get in and ignore her and carry on the journey. They say nothing for miles! Which pretty much tells you the whole style of things just kind of happening without argument or commentary. An urban natural order perhaps.

They keep tussling with the driver of a G.T.O. and finally make a bet for the cars on who can get to Washington first. That might sound like a plot, but trust me, it isn't! You have to see it to see why. Warren Oates plays an incredible character in a very poignant role as "G.T.O.". He's a show-off seemingly trying to fit in and be hip who annoyed me at first, but he gives the film a purpose and some much needed dialogue and by the end, he's a heartbreaking figure. For a film that seems so light, his part is brilliantly written. He picks up a string of hitchhikers (each one a comedy moment in their own right, especially Harry Dean Stanton) and gives each one a different story. One he tells the story to twice, so used as he is to lying. He reminded me a little of Leonard in Memento; it's impossible to know how long he has been out on the road or why. It gives the film a mysterious sad quality.

That character and the commitment to the mood make for a powerful screenplay, while Monte Hellman's direction is similarly restrained. There's plenty of driving of course and plenty of talk about cars, but very few stunts unless you count track shots at drag races. There is one highlight when they spin off the road to avoid an accident, but this isn't a pure petrol head experience. They do sound great though!

It's very hard to commit and say whether this film, like might be said about Easy Rider, is monumental work of art or a pointless exercise in boredom. It's wide open to interpretation. I loved it. G.T.O. made sense of the whole lot for me and made it a very memorable experience and I look forward to seeing it again. If you fancy challenging your conceptions about what makes a good film, give it a shot. It's a little bit of French New Wave played out on the American highways!

The Criterion DVD is superb. If you enjoy the film (big "if" possibly!) the interviews and features expand on it brilliantly. Nice feature about tracking down and restoring the Chevy too. Comes with a "book". Wasn't sure what to do with that; certainly wouldn't fit in the DVD player...

The Car's the star: Custom Chevy versus Ford Pontiac G.T.O.


Trailer

(From Car Movie Marathon on August 20th, 2008)

Ghost Whisperer Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

13. FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD GHOST
A new neighbor moves in and requests Melinda's aid in ridding the place of an uninvited spirit.

My Thoughts:
This is a pretty good episode... but not one of my favorites. I found the story to be just a little bit disappointing.

14. LAST EXECUTION
After a spirit follows Melinda home, she discovers he is looking for his troubled daughter who's been having serious problems since his death.

My Thoughts:
Once again not a favorite episode. But a decent one... pretty much a standard story. Didn't keep my attention as much as I would have liked.

15. MELINDA'S FIRST GHOST
Melinda must reconcile with her own mother before she can save the spirit of a young girl, the very first ghost she ever saw!

My Thoughts:
Now this is an exceptional episode.... I enjoyed every second of it. I really liked how it touched on how young Melinda was when she first started to see ghosts and how it was handled at the time. This has to be one of my favorites.

16. DEAD MAN'S RIDGE
Andrea enlists Melinda in finding a missing friend who disappeared while on a hike.

My Thoughts:
This is another episode I really liked a lot. Andrea got a real taste of what it is like to be haunted in this episode. And I loved her reaction to the whole thing.

(From Ghost Whisperer Marathon on August 2nd, 2008)