Epinions Recent Reviews for sh_franklin

No Standing Ovation for This "Author, Author"

Sun, 12 May 2002 02:55:15 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - Watching Al Pacino do comedy is somewhat like watching DeNiro in "Analyze This". It just doesn't gel. My cinematic image of Pacino is "Dog Day Afternoon", "Sea of Love" and the Godfather series. Perhaps he just wanted to stretch his comedic wings for a...

"Locked" or Lost "In Silence"?

Tue, 7 May 2002 02:09:47 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - In this film both terms are almost equitable. A bit of background is needed here first, I think. I discovered actor Bruce Davison in "Lathe of Heaven", a rather obscure PBS sci-fi B-production that was filmed in 1980. Loosely based on the Ursula LeGuin...

Funny, This Doesn't look "Poe-ish"

Sat, 2 Mar 2002 07:55:16 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - Roger Corman, as most of us scary flick afficiandos know, is the king of "B" horror schlock. Utilizing the "princes of actors" from 20-30 years ago (Vincent Price, Lon Chaney Jr. et al), no matter how low the budget, this Is his "niche" and deservedly...

Beware of Maintenance Men, No Matter How Innocent They Appear

Fri, 22 Feb 2002 02:50:17 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - I recently saw a documentary made on Albert DeSalvo, the man accused, but never convicted of being The Boston Strangler. I decided to watch the infamous fictional account now that my interest in the subject was piqued. I had watched this movie when it...

No "Future" in this "Westworld" Sequel

Mon, 18 Feb 2002 20:55:35 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - If you've read some of my reviews, you'll know that I generally don't take to sequels for they're rarely as good as the originals. I watch them just as I read; if there's a series, I want the whole enchilada. If you're into the Sci-Fi genre then you...

"Nosferatu The Vampyre" 'Lives' in This Remake

Sat, 16 Feb 2002 20:58:55 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - Why do remakes exist? Because producers, directors, and screenwriters think they can build a better rattrap. I don't cater much to them but being in a thriller kind of mood, I watched this "Nosferatu" (1977) one stark, cold wintery day. In this version,...

"Rollercoaster" Has Its Ups and Downs

Fri, 1 Feb 2002 03:11:54 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - Choose any "good" disaster and they will make a movie out of it but somehow I overlooked this one. Of course it has the usual characteristics: all-star lead roles (George Segal, Timothy Bottoms, Susan Strasberg), character actors or those who are...

This "White Dwarf" Shines

Fri, 25 Jan 2002 04:29:21 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - "2 Grey Ladies Will Catch Your Fall For They are the Ones Who Catch Us All."

The thing I like most about Sci-Fi is that it can originate from anywhere the writer's imagination has been but is based on scientific fact. Such is the case of "The...

"Alien Resurrection" aka "A Son (?) is Born!"

Tue, 22 Jan 2002 03:27:41 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - I first saw the original "Alien" on a very small B&W television. When that sucker popped out of John Hurt's chest, I, the lover of a good scary flick, almost jumped off my seat. In this, the fourth episode in the series, finds a clone of Ripley...

"Once Around" Worth Watching Once

Sun, 20 Jan 2002 22:00:25 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - Wondering if my admiration of Holly Hunter's acting skills would overcome my customary avoidance of Richard Dreyfuss', I decided to view "Once Around". It started out simple enough: After breaking up with her long-standing fiance, Renada Bela (Holly...

"May The Skulls Be With You, Luke McNamara"

Mon, 8 Oct 2001 02:22:35 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - Avast there mateys! "Skulls" and Crossbones up ahead! Every once in a while, I'm fortunate enough to receive a free movie weekend, those being designed to snare us into the clutches of pay movie channels. This is a good thing because it allows me to...

"Robert Altman, How Do I Love Thee? Let me Count the Ways."

Tue, 2 Oct 2001 21:14:06 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - If you've never seen a Robert Altman film and you like esoteric cinema then now is the time to begin. "3 Women" is one of his quirkiest and least known but one that represents his style completely. I want to warn you right at the inception: this unique...

Jamie Lee, I Hardly Knew Ye

Sun, 30 Sep 2001 14:56:59 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - Where is Sigourney Weaver when you really need her? I don't usually review films here that have been critiqued many times because there are so many that have gone before me that are credible and well-written. But this one had scream queen Jamie Lee...

"Fantastic Voyage Is Still a Fun Trip"

Sat, 29 Sep 2001 15:23:02 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - "How much can a man give to his country?" This is the question asked by Stephen Boyd at the beginning of "Fantastic Voyage", which basically involves sending a 5-person team in a miniaturized submarine through a noted scientist's body to destroy a blot...

"The Paperboy" Misses in Spite of Marc

Tue, 25 Sep 2001 21:42:10 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - Never miss the first 20 minutes of an "I want to be a 'typical' American family member with an attitude adjustment problem!" film.

Marc Marut plays Johnny McFarley (the Paperboy, of course), obsessed with that idea that Melissa Thorpe...

"Dragonslayer" Just the Medicine Needed Now

Sun, 23 Sep 2001 01:45:27 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - "Without evil, good cannot exist." This is one of the earliest lines in "Dragonslayer." And with the writing of that line, please allow me the luxury of a slight deviation from the topic at hand.

During the last couple of weeks, I find myself...

"Limit Up" has Limited Appeal

Mon, 17 Sep 2001 15:58:12 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - Beezlebub anyone? In "Limit Up" Nancy Allen plays a Chicago grain exchange runner who is aspiring to be a trader. She also is "the girl next door", the kind of actor they hire when Meg Ryan is unavailable or the producers can't afford Sandra Bullock...

Ricardo Montalban Goes Bionically Postal

Sat, 8 Sep 2001 17:57:34 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - This is the second of the Star Trek film series and I suspect the one most would vote as their favorite. Perhaps it is the combination of action, advanced special effects (for its time), occasionally witty repartee, and the positively charismatic Ricardo...

Val Kilmer Lives and Dies Jim Morrison

Sat, 1 Sep 2001 02:17:12 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - I am not much of a Val Kilmer fan. I envisioned his early ('88) performance in "Willow" as sort of his anathema. I also must admit that because I lived through the 60's/70's I generally don't view this kind of film. It's like watching the movie...

General Reviews of Verizon Customer Service: Verizon Phone Rage: Bigger Phone Companies Do Not Better Service Make

Thu, 30 Aug 2001 05:36:45 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - I'm almost ashamed to be associated with James Earl Jones. It's Tuesday, 2:30 pm Eastern time, and I'm awaiting a promised repair to my 2 phone lines from Verizon. No big deal you say? It's telephone hell.

Yesterday morning, when I first...

"Spaceman" Should Have Stayed Lost

Thu, 30 Aug 2001 05:10:40 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - Earthboy Eugene sits in his back yard staring at the sky, the way young boys do, when he is abducted by aliens. Twenty-five years later he is returned as "Spaceman" (David Ghilardi), a killing machine in search of employment designed for his...

"Neverending Story II" Should Have Ended at I

Sat, 25 Aug 2001 00:30:30 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - When Michael Ende wrote "Neverending Story" (the book) he never wanted it to be made into a movie. He wanted the child in all of us to use our imaginations and create the book's characters as we saw them. Anyone who loves reading knows that once you see...

"King Kong" Goes "Kamp"

Wed, 22 Aug 2001 03:15:17 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - It's so frustrating! There are times I want to rent something like "Hannibal" the first day it's out but know even Blockbuster will be copyless. What's the alternative? I sometimes go camp (not literally) and watch some idiotic esoteric flick that I...

"Eleni" Is More Fact than Fiction

Mon, 20 Aug 2001 14:51:21 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - "They took our food, they took my home, they took my dignity...and I gave it at every turn...gladly...but I wll not give them my children."

Based on the real-life drama and subsequent book by Nicholas Gage, "Eleni" stars John Malkovitch as the...

"Joe Vs. The Volcano" Gives New Meaning to the Term "Gerrraannniiiiimmmo!"

Sun, 19 Aug 2001 02:05:18 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author sh_franklin - I admit it. I'm a movie snob. I don't like a lot of "Hollywood" films, the kind that do nothing but make us pay high prices for popcorn and end like "Rocky". I assume that when this movie was released it probably made the big bucks. (At least enough to...