Tag: 1995

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Movie Review

The Haunting of Patricia Johnson (1995) Movie Review

The Haunting of Patricia Johnson – Movie Review

The Haunting of Patricia Johnson does everything you expect in a haunted house movie.

First Reaction – The Haunting of Patricia Johnson does everything you expect in a haunted house movie.

Director: Larry Shaw

Writer: Karen Clark (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: After Patti Johnson gives birth to a still-born child, she and her husband try to forget the tragedy. They move into a new house, but a number of supernatural phenomena that takes place there, lead them to believe that the house is haunted. Patti turns to the town psychic, who confirms her suspicions about ghostly activity. The house is haunted by the spirit of a man who, 75 years earlier, killed his young son and was then shot by his own wife, as well as by the spirit of the murdered son. And now the killer is after Patti’s 3-year-old son, Jonathan.

Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Haunting of Patricia Johnson starts when Pattie (Lawrence), Charles (Bridges) and their children Jonathan (Linz) and Molly (Bridges) move into a dream home. They have dreamt of this moment for years and plan to have their family home. However, it doesn’t take long before Pattie begins seeing things around the home.

When the incidents become more dangerous, the family begin investigating the history of the home. However, they discover a terrifying secret about the house and race to protect their family.

Verdict on The Haunting of Patricia Johnson

Recap

The movie follows a family as they look to start a new life in their dream home. However, they discover their home could be haunted and must understand the truth before it tears them apart.

Best Parts

This keeps the idea of a family getting their dream home and haunted simple. However, the highlight comes from the good and the bad from the experience, as it shows not all connections with the undead are scary. Meanwhile, the performances are strong throughout, handling the hauntings.

Worst Parts

This doesn’t do very much outside the typical haunting and we have seen a lot scarier versions of the story. It ends up feeling like another attempt at bringing an Amityville Horror story to life.

Final Thoughts – The Haunting of Patricia Johnson claims the basics for a haunting home.

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Movie Review

Mind Ripper (1995) Movie Review

Mind Ripper – Movie Review

Mind Ripper features scientists' failed attempt at reanimation, resulting in a chaotic monster rampage, lacking scares and entertainment.

First Reaction – Mind Ripper lacks the horrors behind the idea.

Director: Joe Gayton

Writer: Jonathan Craven, Phil Mittleman (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Government scientists attempt to reanimate a corpse they found in the desert, but end up inadvertently creating a monster.

Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Mind Ripper starts when Alex Hunter (Diehl) leads an experiment on a corpse, hoping to reanimate it. His team, including Joanne (Stansfield), Rob (Sporleder) and others, faces the problem of creation coming to life. It goes on a rampage through the facility, and they call in Jim Stockton (Henriksen) to solve the problem.

When the creation begins its rampage, it becomes a battle to stop it before it takes everyone out. However, the creation is far deadlier than they ever imagined.

Verdict on Mind Ripper

Recap

The movie follows a group of scientists playing with reincarnation, which goes wrong. They call in a rescue from an expert. However, the creation is has become too powerful, and it becomes a race to prevent it from escaping.

Best Parts

The idea of the facility exploring reincarnation is interesting, but it creates chaos when things are pushed too far. Elsewhere, the location is good, as it creates a mysterious facility and isolation.

Worst Parts

How everything unfolds is not very entertaining; it is mostly crawling through long corridors. The creation doesn’t feel scary either; it doesn’t have an imposing figure like it suggests. Elsewhere, some of the performances are not very impressive either.

Final Thoughts – Mind Ripper is a basic late-night horror without much suspense.

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Movie Review

Toy Story (1995) Movie Review

Toy Story – Movie Review

Toy Story is a classic animated film about jealousy among toys, highlighting themes of acceptance and friendship, with impressive animation and memorable characters.

First Reaction – Toy Story is a true all-time classic.

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nominated – T

Director: John Lasseter

Writer: John Lasseter, Peter Doctor, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy’s bedroom.

Runtime: 1 Hour 21 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Toy Story starts when Woody and the other toys prepare for Andy’s latest birthday. They worry they may get replaced every year and the new toy Buzz Lightyear arrives replacing Woody. Buzz becomes Andy’s favourite toy and helps the other toys with their daily problems, causing Woody to get jealous.

When Woody’s jealousy takes over, he is forced to work with Buzz to return him to Andy. However, the other toys have lost faith in him because of his actions.

Verdict on Toy Story

Recap

The movie follows a cowboy toy who becomes jealous of a new space toy. He tries to get rid of the toy but only ends up needing to go on a rescue mission to prove his place among the other toys.

Best Parts

This is considered one of the classic movies of the era, one that put Pixar on the map. It ushered in a new style of animation which still looks brilliant today. The characters are various toys people could have had or have in their childhood. Mixed with the idea they have their own little lives when you are not around. The themes of jealousy and accepting change are important and come through perfectly here. We get a movie which will make you laugh and relate to the story unfolding.

Final Thoughts – Toy Story is one of the best movies of all time.

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Movie Review

Mortal Kombat (1995) Movie Review

Mortal Kombat – ABC Film Challenge – Video Game – J (Johnny Cage) – Mortal Kombat – Movie Review

Mortal Kombat – ABC Film Challenge – Video Game – J (Johnny Cage) – Mortal Kombat - Movie Review

Director: Paul W S Anderson

Writer: Ed Boon, John Tobias, Kevin Droney (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Three unknowing martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world.

Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Mortal Kombat starts when megastar actor Johnny Cage (Ashby), determined cop Sonya Blade (Wilson) and vengeful brother Liu Kang (Shou) are tricked into joining an elite tournament. They must travel to a mysterious island, guided by Lord Raiden (Lambert). Meanwhile, Shang Tsung (Tagawa) has put together his own team of elite fighters.

They must fight to save the world in a once-in-a-generation battle. However, to win the tournament, they must overcome their own flaws. With the tournament underway, the fighters must prepare for combat unlikely anything they have faced before.

Verdict on Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat follows three fighters drawn into a tournament that is a battle for life and death. They must overcome the bigger deadlier enemies to win the tournament and save the world. With each needing to use a different set of skills to win the battles.

This is one of the earliest video game movies that use the popular fighting game. It takes us to the fictional world for the battles and brings some of the most popular characters to life. we get the big fights and dive into the much bigger motivation to fight. While not a perfect movie, it is an entertaining adaptation of the popular video game.

Final Thoughts –Mortal Kombat is an entertaining action-fighting movie.

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Movie Review

Batman Forever (1995) Movie Review

Batman Forever – ABC Film Challenge – Comic Book Movies – R (Riddler) – Batman Forever – Movie Review

Batman Forever

Director: Joel Schumacher

Writer: Lee Batchler, Janet Scott Batchler (Screenplay)

Writer: Bob Kane (Characters)

Cast

Plot: Batman must battle former district attorney Harvey Dent, who is now Two-Face and Edward Nygma, The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin.

Runtime: 2 Hours 1 Minute

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Batman Forever starts as Gotham City is struggling to cope with Harvey ‘Two Face’ Dent (Jones) and his criminal activities. His latest job sees Batman (Kilmer) trying to take him down, as Bruce Wayne starts ignoring one of his employees. Edward Nygma (Carrey) isn’t going to take it lightly and moves forward with his plan, becoming the Riddler.

When Two-Face and Riddler discover they have the same enemy, Batman. They team up causing more trouble for Gotham. However, Bruce Wayne sees something in young circus star Dick Grayson (O’Donnell) and offers him to learn about his secrets.

Verdict on Batman Forever

Batman Forever is an action-adventure sequel continuing to show Batman’s battles. This sees him needing to deal with an old friend Harvey Dent who has turned into Two-Face and the Riddler. All while getting to know a young circus performer, he sees a lot of himself. Bruce teaches the young man while preventing problems in Gotham.

This was the first in the start of the downward spiral of the franchise. Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones play their characters completely over-the-top often taking the spotlight of the latest Bruce, Val Kilmer. When it comes to the battle to save Gotham, it follows the same typical story, without bringing too much new to the table. It is largely forgettable in the franchise, more than anything else.

Final Thoughts – Batman Forever is a typical standard movie in the Batman franchise.

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Movie Review

While You Were Sleeping (1995) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Favourites – W – While You Were Sleeping (1995) Movie Review

While You Were Sleeping

Director: Jon Turteltaub

Writer: Daniel G Sullivan, Fredric Lebow (Screenplay)

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden, Glynis Johns, Micole Mercurio

Plot: A hopelessly romantic Chicago Transit Authority token collector is mistaken for the fiancée of a coma patient.

Runtime: 1 Hour 43 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: While You Were Sleeping starts when lonely Chicago Transit token collector Lucy (Bullock) finds herself drawn to a handsome strange Peter (Gallagher). After a robbery in the station, she saves his life, even if he is left in a coma.

At the hospital, a nurse believes she is the fiancée of Peter and when his family arrives to visit. She finds herself thrown into the family, stuck in a position where she bought the family together again, while trying to explain the situation becomes impossible.

Thoughts on While You Were Sleeping

While You Were Sleeping is a romantic comedy with a series of mistaken identity. After a lonely woman saves the life of a stranger and gets confused as his fiancée, leading to her being welcomed to the family while he is in a coma. This will see Lucy find herself getting caught in the idea of being around family for the first time in a long time. As she finds herself caught up in the middle wanting to tell the truth or enjoying being part of a family.

The movie that couldn’t happen in the modern social media era. This will have the comedy of someone in a wrong place, getting thrown into a new life. The romance starts off creepy, with the stalking angle. While the natural chemistry between Lucy and Jack shows how confusing love can be. Sandra Bullock is fantastic in this leading role, she shows a relatable character that is struggling to feel loved in life. The supporting cast get to shine too, where they will bring more of the laughs to the movie too. This is a movie that will show how important letting people into your life can be, showing you should never let anyone be lonely in life.

Final Thoughts – While You Were Sleeping is a charming romantic comedy.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – 90’s Movies – W – Wild Bill (1995) Movie Thoughts

Director: Walter Hill

Writer: Walter Hill (Screenplay) Peter Dexter (Book)

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Ellen Barkin, John Hurt, Diane Lane, Keith Carradine, David Arquette

Plot: The early career of legendary lawman Wild Bill Hickock is telescoped and culminates in his relocation in Deadwood and a reunion with Calamity Jane.


Tagline – A legend never dies 

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Wild Bill starts at the funeral of Wild Bull Hickock (Bridges) with Charley Prince (Hurt) telling his story, this will see us learn how Bill when from sheriff with a legendary status before losing this position, seeing his status follow him around until he finds himself in Deadwood where he can reunite with Calamity Jane (Barkin).

As Bill learns that his actions have caused him to create enemies, it gives us a list of the people that might well have been the one that finally killed him.

Thoughts on Wild Bill

Final Thoughts – Wild Bill brings us the story of another lawman in the old west, we see how his life went through a string of different events, with each one coming along to make something else more difficult for Bill and the number of enemies will always grow against him. The problem with a lot of this story, is that Wild Bill doesn’t seem like an iconic enough name in the history of lawmen to make it justifiable to be in leading figure in a film. When it comes to the cast, we have an excellent cast, with Jeff Bridges, John Hurt, Ellen Barkin and Diane Lane taking the biggest roles in the film, with a strong supporting cast too. In the end this just isn’t the most entertaining western, that just doesn’t get going to any levels that many other westerns can.



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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – 90s Movies – P – Pocahontas (1995) Movie Review

Director: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg

Writer: Carl Binder, Susannah Grant, Philip LaZebnik (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Joe Baker, Christian Bale, Irene Bedard, Billy Connolly, James Apaumut Fall, Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt

Plot: An English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.


Tagline – An American legend comes to life

Runtime: 1 Hour 21 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Pocahontas starts as we meet the English colonists led by Governor Radcliffe who are looking for new land for their hunt for gold, with the fearless warrior John Smith along with them, the English arrive in Virginia where they clash with an Algonquin tribe.

As John explores himself, he meets the daughter of the chief Pocahontas, a dreamer who is always searching for more from the world, one with nature and someone John has never met before. The union between John and Pocahontas could stop the bloodshed the two sides want to bring onto each other.

Thoughts on Pocahontas

Thoughts – Pocahontas is one of the many Disney animations that is built around a legendary story, one that doesn’t always connect with the reality of history, it does show the arrogance of the people that invaded lands compared to the people there who just wanted a normal life that is getting shattered. When it comes to the animated Disney, this does feel like one of the weaker ones, which was just the start of the many weaker films we got to see in the later 90’s in the post early 90s boom back to success. The songs never feel as catchy as they should be for a Disney film and while the messaging is clear about accepting people, it just never seems to hit the heights of many other films that have tried and succeeded with the same ideas. Most of the highlights in the film come from sidekick animal characters that will get all the laughs to keep you smiling.

Final Thoughts – Pocahontas is the standard Disney animation.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – 1990s Movies – O – Outbreak (1995) Movie Review

Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Writer: Laurence Dworet, Robet Roy Pool (Screenplay)

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding Jr, Donald Sutherland, Patrick Dempsey

 

Plot: Army doctors struggle to find a cure for a deadly virus spreading throughout a California town that was brought to America by an African monkey.


Tagline – Try to Remain Calm

Runtime: 2 Hours 7 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

 

Story: Outbreak starts when the CDC look to investigate an outbreak of a virus in Zaire, Sam Daniels (Hoffman) Casey Schuler (Spacey) and Major Salt (Gooding Jr) are called off the investigation when General Billy Ford (Freeman) and General Donald McClintock (Sutherland) believe it is connected to something in their past and it is no longer a threat.

When the virus finds itself on America soil it is spreading like wildfire, leading to Sam and his team, along with his ex-wife Robby (Russo) needing to find a solution before the military will turn to a drastic measure to solve problem.

 

Thoughts on Outbreak

 

Thoughts – Outbreak is a thriller that will follow a group of army scientists that are fighting against time to save the lives of millions from a virus which is taking over the nation, while they look for a cure, other members of the military are looking for a more radical solution. This is a thriller that will highlight just how deadly a viral outbreak can become in a major populated area, showing the panic and the speed in which things can spiral out of control, while also pointing out the work the scientist will do to solve the problem. We have an all-star cast that all shine through the film, as we see them all get their strong moments in the film. Watching the search for patient zero is just as intense as trying to stay ahead of the military decision making.

 

Final Thoughts – Outbreak is an intense relentless thriller.