Lord of the Reels

Somewhere in Time Movie Review

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Somewhere in time, is a magical movie. I don’t even mean that with any remote trace of irony, or cynicism at all. I really was enchanted by every viewing of this incredible film. The film has a hypnotically comforting,  tranquil, and heartwarming quality to it

It tells the beautiful story of, Richard Collier, a young and famous screenwriter, who, meets a mysterious elderly woman, at a party and immediately falls for her at first sight. Later that night she dies in her sleep. From there driven only by a scientist’s brief guidance and the…”Power of Love” he sends himself back to the old woman’s youth to fall in love with her. Now, this may be a heavy pill to swallow, but, that’s the kind of thing one must do to properly enjoy this movie.

That isn’t a complaint about the movie either, it’s a REALLY great and original movie.  However, it’s vital that you believe, in how much Christopher Reeve falls for this woman. That way, when he goes back in time, you know why he falls for her to truly become enchanted by the film. The biggest thing that you need to know,  is that this is one of the most intimate and whimsical looks at love between two people and it COMPLETELY sells it.

Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour have exceptional chemistry, that pops on the screen and Christopher Plumber plays a great third wheel, with questionable allegiance and morals. All in all, this is FAR more than just a lovey-dovey date night movie, especially given the novelist who wrote the book the film is based on.  I am referring to Richard Matheson, the brilliant writer responsible for the best episodes of The Twilight Zone (Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, Little Girl Lost, Nick of Time, and many others), I Am Legend (made into a movie of its own name as well as The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth),  and…Jaws 3D (nobody’s perfect). So, between John Barry (composer for most of the early Bond movies, Dances with Wolves and more)’s a hauntingly beautiful score (that NEVER fails to bring tears to my eyes), an intoxicatingly charismatic love affair between Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, a great (well-meaning) antagonist performance by Christopher Plummer and damn good writing.

What’s not to love?

Animorphs: A Nostalgic Fanboy Retrospective

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I adore this series so much, that I’ve forgotten the level that I loved this series. That is until I recently rewatched the show on Netflix. Let me elaborate; back in the ’90s and early 2,000’s, I was obsessed with this series, as it was the first book series that I truly fell in love with.

So, what the hell is this book about?  At its core,  it is about a group of teens (Jake, Marco, Rachel, Cassie, and Tobias), who discover an alien (whose species is Andelite), from a crashed spaceship named Elfangor. Elfangor, gives them the power to morph into any animal they touch to stop Visser 3 and his army of Yerks, Hork Bajir, and Taxxons.

So, yeah, there’s a lot of exposition in the first book/episode of the show, but, I feel that that’s because the story’s scope IS that epic and intimate at the same time. While growing up, reading these books, I fell in love with them, for the same reason I fell in love with Spiderman comics. It was because I grew up with the characters I could easily relate to their problems or at least their real-world and metaphorical problems.

For example, I really related to Tobias feeling like I was a neurotic social outcast.  I also really fell for Rachel, growing up like Tobias did because she was willing to be with Tobias, even after he got himself stuck with the body of a hawk (by being morphed into one for more than two Earth hours).

I found that really romantic, in a modern Beauty and the Beast sort of way, with an interesting and original spin to it. That was probably the girliest thing I’ve said in a while…..moving on then. I also really liked Jake and thought that he had one of the most mature, emotional journeys I have ever seen in the literature. He had to go from being just a normal kid to a badass fighter and commander in a war, with a seemingly invisible and infinite enemy.

There are SO many amazing characters and great things about the Animorphs book series, that I implore you to check them out. Hell, even the spin-offs are incredible.

HOWEVER, I wish I could say the same thing about the show. It’s good, fun and decently acted (especially by Shawn Ashmore, Brooke Nevin, Paulo Costanzo, Joshua Peace, Boris Cabrera, and Christopher Ralph), but, the actors who aren’t taking it seriously, REALLY ham it up. It also tries to get the massive scope of the books and is the most successful with episodes with the Ellimist, but even that is just ok.

It sadly falls too often into the “monster of the week”, formula most 90’s shows seemed to be a slave to.
All in all though, if you want a great YA series to check out, I HIGHLY recommend Animorphs.

Supernatural TV Series Review

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How does one make a show that stands the test of time? Nay, how does one make a show good enough to stay on the air for over TEN YEARS and still continue to kick ass and take names? Now that truly requires finesse and a killer soundtrack. I am of course referring to Eric Kripke’s pride and joy, Supernatural, a show that I have loved passionately for a decade and oh my how time flies. So, what prey tell is this amazing spectacle of a show about? It starts out being about two estranged brothers who must team up to pick back up “The Family Business” and find their father when he goes missing from a “hunting” trip. What is the family business? Oh just hunting and eliminating “evil sons of b****s and raising a bit of hell”.

Who prey tell are these “evil sons of b****s” as protagonist Dean Winchester so profanely asked? Well, just your garden variety ghosts, demons, vampires, werewolves, shifters, wendigos and all manner of evil paranormal beings looking to crap on someone’s day. This later goes on to include Angels and more who become major players in later seasons. So, why does this show kick so much ass? Firstly, the chemistry between the two leads, Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester and Jared Padelecki as Sam Winchester respectively play off each other exceptionally well. Their chemistry really feels like they’ve known each other for years, like real brothers. It also plays out exceptionally, like a supernatural buddy cop action comedy. The show is also incredibly metamorphic, like a caterpillar into a butterfly, starting out as a horror show, but becomes far more epic in scope.

This happens when it brings an ambitious war between heaven and hell, which the boys are trapped in the middle of, making the show far more amazing and intense. Another massive plus to this show is its exceptional use of side characters, especially Castiel, Crowley, Bobby Singer, Rufus Turner and so many others I won’t even dare spoil here. Finally, this show is exceptionally Meta, knowing full well the tropes and cliches of its genre and itself and expertly satirizing itself, in a way that seems more of a tribute to fan culture then self-cannibalism. I literally could talk about Supernatural all damn day, I love it so damn much, but I’ll spare you my geek out. However, I feel that I’ve more than adequately discussed all of the pros to this show and why it’s must watch genre TV. However, the few cons are that season one on Netflix didn’t get the rights to the show’s epic soundtrack, but instead plays generic rock songs and season one and seven are a bit disjointed. However, like I said besides those two small flaws this show is truly exceptional in all of the best ways possible. So, as always I’m Lawrence Gaines from Lord of The Reels, inventing you to like, comment, and of course share the love.

The Last Starfighter Movie Review

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The Last Starfighter was a really……interesting movie. That’s to say that while I really liked this film, I do think it could be improved upon. HOWEVER, I feel that I’m getting ahead of myself.
The Last Starfighter, is a cult classic 1980’s science fiction adventure movie directed by Nick Castle (who originally played Michael Meyers/The Shape in the first Halloween movie as well as writing Escape from New York) and stars Lance Guest (from Halloween 2). The film, is about a simple video game/arcade geek who lives in dullsville USA. However, after scoring a record breaking high score, suddenly he’s whisked away by aliens and must solve an intergalactic war.

One of the main draws to this film, is the contrast of the everyman appeal of Lance Guest juxtaposed with the epic nature and scale of the intergalactic war and many alien races. So many 1980’s films have dabbled heavily in using CGI; HOWEVER, this film is extremely excessive in it to the point of coating it in overwhelming crappy special effects. Nevertheless, like I previously said, the main draw of this film is the loveable characters and epic storyline.

Most film geeks, have frequently undervalued and undermined remakes and reboots. However, I feel that The Last Starfighter would be the ideal classic 1980’s movie to be remade. While the story is epic, yet intimate and timeless, it is also sadly lessened by aforementioned dated special effects. I feel that if a film maker of today with a love of classic science fiction and were supported by someone with that same love (like JJ Abrams or Edgar Wright perhaps?), but with the modern CGI of today. Then it could be the start of an amazing new space opera series (especially thanks to the success of Guardians of The Galaxy).

So at the end of the day, it’s a fun, all be it endearingly cheesy 1980’s classic, well worth a watch, before its inevitable remake/reboot. This has been Lawrence Gaines, from Lord of The Reels, as always inviting you to enjoy and share the love.

My 100 Favorite Movies in No Order Part One (1-25)

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1. Halloween

2. Halloween 2

3. Halloween 3

4. Star Trek Beyond

5. Taking of Pelham 123 (70’s)

6. Scream

7. Scream 2

8. Scream 4

9. The Endless

10. X2

11. X-Men First Class

12. Boogie Nights

13. There Will Be Blood

14. Spiderman 2

15. Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

16. The Dark Knight

17. The Nice Guys

18. Serenity

19. Get Out

20. Hot Tub Time Machine

21. How to Talk to Girls at Parties

22. Fellowship of the Ring

23. The Two Towers

24. The Return of the King

25. Return of the Living Dead

My Top Fifteen Most Under Rated/Guilty Pleasure Movies

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Top Gun

Hot Tub Time Machine

Spider-man 3

Superman Returns

Grandma’s Boy

Punisher: War Zone

Crank 2: High Voltage

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

In The Name of The King

Gremlins 2

Daredevil: The Director’s Cut

Urban Legend

Jackie Brown

Sky High

My Top Fourteen Favorite Superhero Movies

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1. Superman II

2. The Dark Knight

3. Super

4. X Men 2

5. Punisher War Zone

6. Spiderman 2

7. Daredevil DIRECTORS CUT ONLY

8. Unbreakable

9. The Avengers

10. Spiderman

11. Darkman

12. Captain America: The Winter Solider

13. The Toxic Avenger

14. The Rocketeer

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