Reviews from the Couch
I’ve just spent the past six days couch-bound with one of the nastiest flu bugs I’ve ever had. Wow, these super-mutating viruses sure can run roughshod over a person. I still managed to drag myself out to see Kit Kittredge (read my review here) over the weekend, but other than that, I was flat on the couch with lots of movies and DVDs. Here are my mini-reviews:
Stargate. This is the original movie with Kurt Russell and James Spader — the predecessor to all the many TV incarnations. Pretty interesting, but the special effects even back in 1994 just pale in comparison to what we have now. Also, I missed the last 2 minutes. Someone tell me whether Spader and Russell made it back through Stargate so I don’t have to dig out my DVD (I happened to catch it on TV). And what happened to the girl? Did she come back with them? Did they leave the bomb there to explode?
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The Goonies. This is one long movie full of boys yelling at each other. I literally had to turn down the sound about half-way through, because it was too much for my flu-drenched senses. And the plot was lame, too. I can’t give this one a good recommendation, although it’s fun seeing Sean Astin as a youngster. I was surprised that Steven Spielberg was a producer.
Gremlins. This slow-paced story, also from Steven Spielberg, starts off as a cute family film, then quickly changes pace and becomes a horror movie! Not recommended for little ones. And just who WERE they targeting this movie for? Really, just skip it. Amazingly, they made a sequel.
The Doris Day Show, Season 4. Doris is one of my all-time favorite movie stars, so whenever I get sick, I pop in something of hers to cheer me up. (For my husband, it’s Lord of the Rings). Ok, so I’ve read all her biographies and realize she was going through a rough time here, but wow, the plots were so ridiculously lame, I had to turn if off after the first few eps. It was making me feel worse than I already felt. Guess it’s back to her movies.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Skydivers. Love these guys, but I was sore today from laughing last night. Best hold off on these for a day or two. As for the movie? It’s no Touch of Satan, but The Skydivers is still pretty darn funny.
Commando. We laughed and laughed over Arnold Schwarzenegger’s take as an ex-commando who takes out at least a thousand guys single-handedly to retrieve his kidnapped daughter, then walks away from the fray after being shot twice and involved in a long, drawn-out brawl. I suppose it was serious back then, but now it seems more like a parody. And was his name really John Matrix?! Ha!
What else? We watched parts of Harry Potter movies (they were on all weekend, The Twilight Zone, The Fugitive, Mission Impossible (on the American Life channel - my new favorite channel), Family Affair (we’re watching it on DVD), and various and assorted other sundries.
Hope you had a more eventful Fourth of July weekend!
Images: Stargate, MGM, 1994; The Goonies, Warner Bros. Pictures, 1985; Commando, 20th Century-Fox Film Corp., 1985
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1 opinion for Reviews from the Couch
Reviews from the Couch, Pt. 2
Jul 8, 2008 at 9:49 pm
[…] recovering from the flu (told you it was a doozy), but luckily I watched a few pretty good movies today I hadn’t seen […]
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