weatherwatch Reviews

Spring Break Shark Attack (2005 TV Movie)

Did Florida and California switch coasts?

[2/10 · 20 March 2005]

This made-for-TV movie, although mildly entertaining, has many flaws. For example, I never knew that Florida had mountains and rocky coasts. In fact, it doesn't! But mountains are in view numerous times, even when the actors continue to say they are in Florida! I can't believe somebody didn't think about this before film production! Also, this is your typical spring break plot: college students flocking to the beach where breasts, bikinis, muscles, alcohol, and drugs abound. And, oh, by the way, plenty of man-eating sharks. You could easily predict what was going to happen before it happened.

I know CBS can do better than this!

The Christmas Gift (1986 TV Movie)

A Christmas movie worth seeing...

[6/10 · 14 December 2004]

I saw this movie on the Hallmark Channel for the first time. The movie definitely had lots of nice scenery and it did have that old-fashioned Christmas feel to it. The movie does take every opportunity, however, to bash corporate expansion and consumerism, which was a popular cry among the Left in the 1980s, when this film was made. But, overall I would say this is a Christmas movie worth watching and it will help you get into the holiday spirit. After all, most of us could use a break from all of the commercialism during Christmas!

I also should add that Jane Kaczmarek and John Denver both have great performances, as do many of the other actors in the movie. Overall, I give this movie a 6 out of 10.

Frozen Impact (2003 TV Movie)

Frozen Impact met my low expectations

[2/10 · 5 May 2003]

"Frozen Impact" is typical of many TV movies that deal with the weather. It is a safe film for the family, which is quite an accomplishment these days, but it lacks in other areas. It has the typical plot of a family juggling work, health, and relationship concerns while a fierce hail storm named "Medusa" rolls through town. The hail storm is way overdone, as baseball sized hailstones fall intermittenly on a town in Vermont. The hail is unrealistic. Though the main focus of the movie is the weather, there doesn't seem to be much knowledge about how the weather works among the producers, directors, and writers of this film. I ended up losing patience with the film. But for those eternal optimists, there is a happy ending. I rate this movie 2 out of 10.

Raise the Red Lantern (1991)

From Palace to Prison

[8/10 · 24 April 2003]

This movie tells the story of a Chinese master and his four mistresses. The story focuses on the newest mistress, in particular, named Songlian. Soon after arriving at the palace, Songlian learns that tradition is very important to the master. She tries to defy tradition several times, but she is unsuccessful. The palace essentially becomes a prison for Songlian, and she cannot escape. I give this film an 8 out of 10.

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Magnificent!

[9/10 · 23 April 2003]

Contains some detailed information

Roberto Benigni definitely grabs attention in the late 1990s Italian film, `La Vita è bella,' known in English as `Life is Beautiful.' In addition to directing and writing, Benigni is the main star of the film.

The film can be said to be composed of two main parts-the first is pure comedy to the point of absurdity, and the second is dead serious with a touch of comedy. At first, the comedy that Benigni uses seems as if he is trying to showcase his own talents. But the comedy is put to good use during the second half of the film as Benigni, who plays Guido Orefice, must use comedy and imagination to protect his son, Joshua, from the horrors of being confined in a Nazi concentration camp. The two parts of the film also highlight two different time periods-the first part takes place in the 1930s, while the second part occurs around 1945. Although hints of anti-Jewish sentiment appear in the first part of the film, the majority of the first part is focused on living life in a spontaneous way. For example, at the very beginning of the film, Guido finds himself in a car without breaks, flying through the countryside until the car goes off the side of the road near a small farm. While at the farm, a lady falls out of the barn on top of him, to which he replies, `What kind of place is this? It's beautiful: Pigeons fly, women fall from the sky! I'm moving here!' During the rest of the first half of the movie, Guido keeps running into `Principessa,' the name he gives Dora (Nicoletta Braschi). Many of the `unexpected' meetings between the two are planned by Guido. Some film critics love `Life is Beautiful' while others are disappointed or even offended by the film. Roger Ebert is a good example of a critic who enjoyed the film: '`Life Is Beautiful' is not about Nazis and Fascists, but about the human spirit. It is about rescuing whatever is good and hopeful from the wreckage of dreams. About hope for the future. About the necessary human conviction, or delusion, that things will be better for our children than they are right now.' I give this movie a 9 out of 10.