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Law & Order (1990)
Tired...
I'm sorry to say this, but Law & Order is a shadow of its former self. Compare the early episodes with the newest ones. Whereas the early seasons dealt with urban crime, the show has degenerated into the "Upper Class Murder Mysteries Hour." Whereas we had Greevey and Logan or Cerreta and Logan hitting the streets to get to the heart of the matter, now we have Briscoe and Greene having tea time with Ms. Upperclass Snob.
The DAs office isn't much better here. Can anyone say "one dimensional" when it comes to the character of Jack McCoy? All he ever wants to do is hang the bad guy. On the other hand, the first 4 season had Michael Moriarty playing the very real, very genuine Ben Stone. You could tell that doing the right thing tore at this guys heart. I admit that they brought in Jack McCoy as a contrast to Stone, and while it was a good premise for the first couple of seasons, the character has been around for so long now that he's degenerated into a caricature. The days of Stone are long gone now, so there's no need to keep reminding us that McCoy is different.
Law & Order began to die when its heart and soul, Logan and Stone left. Now with the departure of Steven Hill, the last link to the glory days has gone. After 10 years, my stint at the 27th Precinct is now at an end too.
Cool as Ice (1991)
IT'S GREASE FOR THE RAP GENERATION!!!
Cool As Ice is a sadly underlooked and vastly underrated masterpiece that is representative of the rap generation. A great plot and a thespian performance by Mr Ice makes this a movie that gets 10/10 stars. The musical numbers harken back to the golden age of Hollywood. Simply put, THEY ROCK!!!
Planet of the Apes (1968)
I hate every ape I see, from chimpan-a to chimpanzee...
I was one of the many who grew up thinking "Planet of the Apes" was some lame, low-budget movie that would probably end up in a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode. I was gravely mistaken. 1968 was an incredible year for sci-fi with this and "2001." This, not "Star Wars," should have been of the AFI's 100 Greatest list. However, that list has little meaning to me as films such as "E.T." and "The Sound of Music" (which I've heard Christopher Plummer refer to as "The Sound of Mucus") are on it. I saw this film on AMC back in September '98 when they were doing the 30th Anniversary celebration. I made certain to tape it when AMC was showing the widescreen presentation of this film. This and "Dr. Strangelove" are two most effective films I have seen that express the destructive path the nuclear arms race was leading man. The only shame is that Fox has the rights to this movie. They will not give this film the proper treatment it deserves on DVD (anamorphic transfer, commentary track). Hopefully things will change when that time comes. The ape makeup was very well done, especially Dr. Zaius'. Maurice Evans was able to convey very distinct facial expressions through it. Ahh, movies like this sure make it worthwhile to be a cynic. As Troi McClure said in "The Simpsons" when he was playing Taylor in the musical, "I love you Dr. Zaius!!!" The third and fourth movies of the series get bonus points because they featured Ricardo Montalban.
Batman: The Movie (1966)
Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!
This movie was pure camp. However, it does contain the best scene in all the Batman movies, past and present. Batman is running around a pier with a bomb, but he can't get rid of it. He tries to dump it in the river in one place, but there is a boat with two people in it kissing. Another attempt to drop it in the river is foiled because there is a group of ducks in the water. He also keeps running into a marching band and has to shuffle his way through the members. It's been a while since I've seen the movie (10 years), so I don't remember how he disposes of the bomb. Anyway, that one scene was simply hilarious. I remember watching the movie on a daily basis in anticipation of the 1989 movie. No matter how bad people say it is, I will always have fond memories of it.
Maximum Overdrive (1986)
See it on Monstervision
In order to fully appreciate this movie, you have to catch it next time it is shown on TNT's Monstervision. Joe Bob Riggs' comments make the movie hilarious. Anyway, this movie is a great way to waste time. I must admit, even though the acting is terrible, this is one of the few films I could watch every single day and not get tired of. The best scene is near the end when Emilio Estevez and crew are at the boat dock. One of the guys sees a dead woman in her truck, and she's wearing a wedding ring. So, the guy completely forgets that the trucks are in close pursuit, walks over to the woman, and takes her ring. As he's walking slowly back over to the boat, eyes focused entirely on the ring he's just scored, one of the trucks comes out and rams him. Emilio Estevez then uses a missile launcher to destroy the truck. The funny part is that everyone starts throwing their hands up in victory and cheering while a very upbeat AC/DC song starts playing. If you tuned in just as the song started, you would never know that one of their friends had just been killed. When I saw this scene, I started convulsing with laughter. I mean, this movie was so wacked out and shallow, that it was I actually enjoying it. Do not buy it, and do not rent it. Tape it next time it's on TNT's Monstervision. Joe Bob's commentary is half the experience. Even though it will have been edited for T.V., the Monstervision experience is one that cannot be beaten.