aaronpalenski Reviews

Romy and Michele: In the Beginning (2005 TV Movie)

... Is totally awesome!

[8/10 · 2 February 2024]

In the Beginning is awfully good and a lot of fun! It's a very silly and heartfelt journey about friendship and the discovery of what's truly important in life.

After half a dozen times of watching this flick, as my reliable go to Katherine Heigl eye candy fix (bikinis abound!), I finally figured out that Romy & Michele are like the female equivalent of Bill & Ted, except their adventures are fabulous, instead of excellent! Calibrate your expectations accordingly.

Heigl is at her most fabulous... crazy beautiful and consummately comedic! And as mesmerized and devout as I am to her unparalleled and exquisite beauty, I have to admit that Alexandra Breckenridge is also totally stunning! Both are completely breathtaking in this lighthearted flick, and together they make for a ridonkulously sexy combo... a dream team.

In the Beginning is the proverbial unicorn of obscure made for TV movies and sadly, the only copies available for viewing are homemade bootlegs. It would be fabulous to one day be able to enjoy this in a commercial HD grade format.

Prince Valiant (1997)

Prince Iron Heart

[8/10 · 25 October 2023]

This is an old-fashioned styled, classic fairy tale of knights & chivalry, with a modernised & sassy Princess (the young & breath-taking Katherine Heigl) and cameos (notably from Joanna Lumley) to add pedigree & depth.

Effects are pre-CGI, which anyone born from the 80's onwards will likely NOT be able to look past. Two scenes in particular (with our fully suited hero walking under water & the giant alligator hurling itself out of water) are more Monty Python's Holy Grail, than A Knight's Tale, but for me this just adds to its charm. I find this movie a very easy watch, with just the right balance of squash buckle & humour. Its comic book styled narrative segues, round out the vibe perfectly.

A hard-to-find gem, which only seems to be available via DVD (probably OOP) from Germany. Unfortunately, and the only downside for me, is the English soundtrack option is only offered in DD 2.0 (not DD 5.1), which is not that awesome. However, on the whole, for a manchild born in the 70's this medieval action-adventure flick has got everything I need!

Zyzzyx Rd (2006)

Far From Awful

[6/10 · 20 May 2023]

It's hard to comprehend how this movie, or any other move for that matter, could have done this badly at the box office!!?

I found it an intriguing slow burn, with a couple of interesting turns along the way... even a little Twilight Zoney at times.

It's also nice to see Heigl in a slighty different role, who to this point, already had a fourteen year movie career behind her, but hadn't yet broken through! Talk about paying your dues! As a late blooming Katherine Heigl fan exploring her back catalogue, I found this a very easy watch.

Other reviewers seem completely polarised by the flick, but scores of 1/10 or 10/10 are extreme! This movie maybe a bit on the mediocre side, but I would happily kick back and revisit it.

Domino (2005)

Style Over Substance

[3/10 · 14 October 2021]

A disappointing flick, shot and edited like a music video, minus the cool & engaging soundtrack.

The score often seems more like an intrusive white noise & the overly dark color grade, had me reaching for my gamma adjustment. The whole thing feels like a bit of a sensory bombardment that left me a tad fatigued, & because I didn't really care about any of the characters or their stories, had me switching off early.

Even a mescaline induced sequence rolls along at the same pace as the rest of the pic, leaving an opportunity for some kind of dynamics, completely ignored. A nicely shot erotic scene of the beautiful Keira Knightley is all but lost in the same frenetic editing style, a complete sacrilege! In fact, the charisma of all the leads is buried in this.

So, if you're after a super stylish & sexy action flick (with the cool soundtrack), I'd highly recommend watching "Baby Driver" instead.