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gsnoorky
Reviews
Aspen Extreme (1993)
A good, if not great film.
The first time I saw this was soon after it came out; I was alone in the theater. I didn't like the film then, but I saw it later on cable and the movie began to grow on me. I eventually got the DVD....
The cinematography is crisp and breathtaking. I've never skied, but certain scenes concerning dangerous "out-of-bounds" area skiing, deep crevasses, and super-steep slopes seemed to be very realistic in the movie.
I grew, also, to like the unequal yoking of Peter Berg's character with Paul Gross' character "TJ." It's very clear to me why Peter's character turns to drugs; his character is not nearly as successful nor as attractive as "TJ," so he tries to make up for that.... The beautiful Teri Polo also does well in breaking away from her 80s comedies....
I had wondered in the past who the striking Finola Hughes (Bryce) was in prior big screen appearances. Paul Gross, who plays her character's "boy-toy," seems to me to be God's gift to women: Frankly, I'm puzzled that he's not more well known--he seems to be a very likable actor. Generally, I think women would like him very well in this movie--if only they knew about it.... He handles his serious part very well and with great sensitivity.
Hot Dog ...The Movie (1983)
Has problems, but good points, also.
I liked the movie from the 80s on. It's true that many of the activities portrayed are not appropriate today. Of course a lot of people hate this movie, but they generally hate this genre of movie, anyway, right?! I was especially moved by the sex scene with Harkin (Patrick Houser) and Sunny (Tracy N. Smith), the guitar serenade (written by folkie John Stewart), the hot tub scene with Shannon Tweed, and the gondola scene. It's very rare for such sex scenes to move me in other like movies of that period: I think that director Peter Markle handled the sex scenes very tastefully.... The skiing scenes were also really well done, also, but one often may see that the stunt skiers are different from the actors (duh!).
It's true, also, that some of the plot contains dumb male humor. However: I remember the names of the actors that I liked in the key romantic and sex scenes, and some others, so the movie did move me....
The New Age (1994)
A film off the beaten path.
The response to this film was a little more negative than I expected. I liked the film better than Tolkin's "The Rapture." It's one of my favorites to watch for non-serious viewing.
The film has a quirkiness, even a spookiness, that, apparently, many dislike and don't understand. I wanted to recount the plot; however, since that's not desired, I don't see why other reviewers think the plot is so implausible.
Peter Weller's and Judy Davis' characters seem to be mismatched partners, but is that so implausible? This dissonance was probably intended, but disliked by many viewers. Anyway, the main characters compromise themselves in many ways: I think Peter and Judy do well in the movie.
I also like Adam West in his small part, and the under-rated Patrick Bachau plays his part as a new-age guru with urbane spookiness. Corbin Bernsen has a small part at the beginning as the boss for Peter Weller's character (Weller's character is conveniently named "Peter.")
Finally, I like the depictions of certain new-age ceremonies and personalities--this is rare in movies.... I think the movie is thoughtful. It does not have much action, but don't most action films today flagrantly violate the law of "suspension of disbelief?"
This film will not be liked by the multitude in America with the attention span of a gnat.