THURSDAY NIGHT REMAKE REVIEW OF 'POLTERGEIST'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilofRO4ev-FqbccW6RPsEPKl81GMiTL9yTYZphU2JhcXz5cRO5Q0WB8yDzi7vsHduBKKBxGgSjbyHc1wai6KZ5WSw11kN6VXdFEDjxzncY5lmdpDwV6-0_zH0AFnEBDtfRhG8b0shaUPI/s1600/Picture+1.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilofRO4ev-FqbccW6RPsEPKl81GMiTL9yTYZphU2JhcXz5cRO5Q0WB8yDzi7vsHduBKKBxGgSjbyHc1wai6KZ5WSw11kN6VXdFEDjxzncY5lmdpDwV6-0_zH0AFnEBDtfRhG8b0shaUPI/w168-h400/Picture+1.png" width="168" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015 rating: **</td></tr> </tbody></table> Well there <i>was</i> a theme park ride based on Steven Spielberg’s JAWS, so why not POLTERGEIST? You sit inside a tram connected to winding tracks, rolling through a riveting haunted house. Yet what separates this from any other frantic horror movie of the last decade is an evil clown doll… numerous clowns, actually… and a cute little girl sucked inside the television set. Hi Def... sans the Star Spangled Banner sign-off. <br /> <br /> Wherein the original had three complete acts, each a fulfilling story in itself, the new POLTERGEIST cuts right to the chase – and it’s <i>only</i> a chase this time around. The family consists of mellow patriarch Sam Rockwell, seeming more like a cool uncle than a responsible adult dad with his wife, two curious kids and one bitter teen… just like before. But this suburban clan act like they just met, lacking the ingrown chemistry before the haunting occurs and hardly earning the post-traumatic, devil-may-care attitude after the research staff, led by Jane Adams, moves in to investigate the paranormal emergency. <br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcxNFR1MlJw7jdN3EB2SgdFsdAIHBPp8jly6fwkP5Zqbp5bbgObUwxXc4Z8iyljjcKA5UanPyrLDs-MUCUBTQFK3NpgRoM6RMWXcqtzhwmAo5iLj_gtVXUlGYP93PDlHb-BhHkrrY1kM/s1600/Picture+3.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcxNFR1MlJw7jdN3EB2SgdFsdAIHBPp8jly6fwkP5Zqbp5bbgObUwxXc4Z8iyljjcKA5UanPyrLDs-MUCUBTQFK3NpgRoM6RMWXcqtzhwmAo5iLj_gtVXUlGYP93PDlHb-BhHkrrY1kM/s200/Picture+3.png" width="80" /></a>Like the unnecessary CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Special Edition brought us quickly inside the spaceship, this reboot takes us deeper into the ghoulish depths of the house built on a relocated cemetery. A nice attempt to learn the ingredients of all the bedlam, but without any explanation there’s no purpose to go that one step beyond, even when the usually-effective Jared Harris (reunited with his HAPPINESS lover, Adams)… a cross between the original Tangina and Robert Shaw’s tough JAWS shark hunter… arrives to clean house, literally. <br /> <br /> Not that there isn’t a fair amount of suspenseful jolts. It just wasn’t necessary to remake a cinematic experience that took its time to put the characters, and the audience, through an immense ringer. At a sparse 93-minutes, these people hardly suffer at all. The main clown serves as a cameo. And not long after "They're Here," they're gone.

2015, haunted house, horror, jane adams, jared harris, remake, sam rockwell

THURSDAY NIGHT REMAKE REVIEW OF 'POLTERGEIST'

2015 rating: ** Well there was a theme park ride based on Steven Spielberg’s JAWS, so why not POLTERGEIST? You sit inside a tram connec...

THE WAY WAY BACK

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LScFguJ76NWrW-u3vnNl4WHq0WSl29AVNJX0X66OQOOIVfvHJjNI8fvh3SRrsXcweL6bGKjVTcpkeXbIgiErTq5NMVnHltuiTd45dRsDZg9WLOrSTfD6DxKxU5QVzsoL2Xxj_f2_xlZmC-IlUcJMNU2CZCAJKWFcQTePnwYWMyQ9ReO5N5UCMP_2kw/s2460/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-10%20at%204.55.45%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LScFguJ76NWrW-u3vnNl4WHq0WSl29AVNJX0X66OQOOIVfvHJjNI8fvh3SRrsXcweL6bGKjVTcpkeXbIgiErTq5NMVnHltuiTd45dRsDZg9WLOrSTfD6DxKxU5QVzsoL2Xxj_f2_xlZmC-IlUcJMNU2CZCAJKWFcQTePnwYWMyQ9ReO5N5UCMP_2kw/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-10%20at%204.55.45%20PM.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year: </b>2013 <b>cast:</b> Liam James, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Rob Corrdry <b>rating:</b> *1/2</td></tr></tbody></table> At one point when the main character, or in this case semi-main character, Duncan, a reclusive fourteen-year old boy who, with his mother, her jerky boyfriend and his melancholy daughter, go to a small beachside town for a summer vacation… Duncan and another underdog friend are about to climb a fence to break into a work party when one of the employees, two feet away, opens the gate door and tells the kids there’s a much easier way inside. That’s THE WAY WAY BACK in a nutshell – instead of anything interesting, intriguing or involving actually happening, stuff simply… happens.<br /> <br /> For a so-called “Coming of Age” tale, way too much time centers on Duncan’s mother and her boyfriend. Toni Collette and Steve Carell are going through the motions. Along with another boring couple, all they really do is sit around laughing, talking and drinking while Duncan sulks alone in his room, but not for long: Soon the gloomy kid ventures out on his bike and finds a retro Water Park, built in the eighties and made to stay that way. This is where the movie is supposed to shine, and with Sam Rockwell’s laidback and always-jokey park manager Owen, Duncan has a real friend and any turmoil or discomfort is thrown right out the door. And while Rockwell is engaging enough, if you’ve seen Bill Murray in MEATBALLS the performance, a cross between a game show host and your favorite uncle, seems as retro as the Tough Skin jeans, REO Speedwagon or other nostalgic bits of pop culture references thrown in to make the present time more reflective in nature.<br /> <br /> A sulky, one-dimensional Liam James, as Duncan, makes for a dull protagonist. With a cool summer job, an even cooler mentor and a hot blonde living next door, it's difficult (if impossible) feeling for or relating to a kid with so many options.

2013, amanda peet, coming-of-age, rob corrdry, sam rockwell, steve carell, toni collette

THE WAY WAY BACK

year: 2013 cast: Liam James, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Rob Corrdry rating: *1/2 At one point when the main character, or...

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0SD49OJ308iy4dJB_vXa66_idqjMWgePL2RpgoEvsBuHKI5xZ6WDWz2JTOW4ggqpLt-KI7msrrTNr7j-LOWyVPxB3A2KfDwNiQkF4MnEGUcNMIQWDrnWsKRug_hOg0DSY2mPjBygb8YZG/s1600/Seven-Psychopaths1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0SD49OJ308iy4dJB_vXa66_idqjMWgePL2RpgoEvsBuHKI5xZ6WDWz2JTOW4ggqpLt-KI7msrrTNr7j-LOWyVPxB3A2KfDwNiQkF4MnEGUcNMIQWDrnWsKRug_hOg0DSY2mPjBygb8YZG/s1600/Seven-Psychopaths1.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> Towards the anticipated finale, which could result in a climactic shootout, Christopher Walken’s Hans, an old con-man who steals pets and returns them for money, turns to boozing screenwriter Marty, played by a subdued Colin Farrell, that psychopaths, real psychopaths not fictional ones, can be more tiresome than interesting. That isn’t to say Sam Rockwell’s scene-stealing Billy doesn’t try his best to be normal – although he’s the kind of person you shouldn't associate with: unless you need genuinely bizarre, and seemingly useless, inspiration for your screenplay. Marty’s been struggling to get something on paper, and his next project titled SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS seems to be writing itself.<br /> <br /> This crime/comedy, channeling Quentin Tarantino, Elmore Leonard and The Coen Brothers at every turn, deals with only a few crazy people and the rest are in Marty's imagination. Scenes involving bogus situations are never distracting from the basic plot: a really bad dude (Woody Harrelson) wants his dog back, which had been kidnapped by Billy without Han’s knowledge. Much of the film takes place in Los Angeles as the characters weave in an out of violent (some humorous, some not) situations – leading to a mellow stretch in the Joshua Tree desert where the three leads get unpretentiously philosophical.<br /> <br /> Farrell does a decent job in a thankless role as the main protagonist; Christopher Walken is sympathetic and, during moments of high tension, mesmerizing with his usual halting tone; while all the tasty dialog belongs to Sam Rockwell, who at times is too good a thing. But that’s the underlying theme here – real loonies are a lot easier to take on paper. And while this motion picture doesn’t quite know where or how to end, it feels like reading a book you can't put down.

2012, christopher walken, colin farrell, crime, genre tarantino, sam rockwell, tom waits

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS

year: 2012 cast: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken rating: ***1/2 Towards the anticipated finale, which could result in a ...

IRON MAN 2

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGV5Ssl1we__A6f1mmm48dURgnUtVRjFOlG5uR6lcMS5lm4AQVs0V7jqnl2Oe70oQ7fH_Omy0r-to1Te5eOnzCSMAoKNZgCFOUapkiB2dDuinHT5niGLe4hWJ_ZNmoMsavzR88vYHNcc/s1600/IRONMAN2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572123717966619954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGV5Ssl1we__A6f1mmm48dURgnUtVRjFOlG5uR6lcMS5lm4AQVs0V7jqnl2Oe70oQ7fH_Omy0r-to1Te5eOnzCSMAoKNZgCFOUapkiB2dDuinHT5niGLe4hWJ_ZNmoMsavzR88vYHNcc/s200/IRONMAN2.jpg" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px; float: right; height: 132px;" /></a><strong>title:</strong> IRON MAN 2<br /><div><strong>year:</strong> 2010</div><div><strong>cast:</strong> Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell</div><div><strong>rating:</strong> **1/2</div><br /><div></div><div>Although it's intriguing watching Robert Downey Jr. as millionaire Tony Stark who, with too much fame, money, booze and girls, behaves like Downey did in the nineties (short of waking up in a stranger's living room), this is an action film lacking action. Mickey Rourke makes for a potentially decent villain, but is given two (relatively quick) scenes battling our hero, the metal clad warrior not up for saving the world (but from what, or who?). The lack of a decent heavy is replaced by Sam Rockwell's sleazy arms-dealing senator, given too much dialog in scenes that need more <em>punch</em>. Much like ROCKY IV... a lazy "champion" with too much money verses a killer Russian... but even that had more vapidly entertaining comic book appeal, something this needed more of. </div>

comic book, franchise, mickey rourke, robert downey jr., sam rockwell, samuel l. jackson, sequel, superhero, tens

IRON MAN 2

title: IRON MAN 2 year: 2010 cast: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell rating: **1/2 Although it's intriguing watching Ro...

GALAXY QUEST

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6a57vVieR54tKnMdWKkZoey0OJKMkmbc_s2Mrtbz3xaz6nM0bpxkMRtEJeJAjQUIqas4fznUWbQNqYSOwcvQWU6-I1xmlHnF7p0RxavVJRSan2CD95vZ4DWpIrR9zmveFQ-8ReRnYCUg/s1600/taipei-galaxy-quest.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562957383886634626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6a57vVieR54tKnMdWKkZoey0OJKMkmbc_s2Mrtbz3xaz6nM0bpxkMRtEJeJAjQUIqas4fznUWbQNqYSOwcvQWU6-I1xmlHnF7p0RxavVJRSan2CD95vZ4DWpIrR9zmveFQ-8ReRnYCUg/s200/taipei-galaxy-quest.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>GALAXY QUEST<br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 1999<br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">cast: </span>Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell, Tony Shaloub<br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> ***1/2<br /> <br /> What really works in this, a fast-paced comedy depicting the cast of a fictional Star Trek-like TV series, "Galaxy Quest"... whose unemployed veterans go from an autograph show into a real life outer space battle... is the last half exceeds the clever premise (borrowed from "The Three Amigos") that puts you headlong in the adventure with terrific CGI special effects that never get tiresome. The nonstop action doesn't take away from the characters: Tim Allen in the William Shatner role... although his famous overacting's filtered into the Spock/McCoy grump, Alan Rickman. Sigourney Weaver is also good but a frantic Sam Rockwell, as the <span style="font-style: italic;">other (unnamed) crewman</span> who will always die on the series, steals<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>the<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>show. And a side-plot involving a geeky fanboy back on earth, aiding his mentors from his home computer, is a terrific, and essential, bonus.

action, alan rickman, comedy, nineties, sam rockwell, science-fiction, sigourney weaver, tim allen

GALAXY QUEST

title: GALAXY QUEST year: 1999 cast: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell, Tony Shaloub rating: ***1/2 What really...