City of Ember (2008)

For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing ... and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker.

A very nicely produced adaptation of a good young adult novel adds some quite unnecessary aspects to the story and is fairly watchable, but fails to capture the mystery and atmosphere of the book.

Maltin**: "Adaptation...never fires the emotional response it needs so badly. The real star of the film is production designer Martin Laing."

Top Gun (1986)

As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.

Reagan Era (and fascistoid) gung-ho as slick entertainment; only watchable, if your mind is turned off.

Halliwell (no star): "A feast of hardware and noisy music; not much story."

Maltin**1/2: "Contrived beyond belief, with dogfights that play like video games, and total lack of sexual chemistry between the two leads...but slickly calculated to please '80s audiences (and fans of ever-smiling Cruise). Edwards, as Cruise's sidekick, steals the show."

The Secret Life of Words (2005)

A hearing impaired factory worker gives up her first holiday in years and instead travels out to an oil rig, where she cares for a man suffering from severe burns.

Harrowing and gripping, but quite far-fetched story is told subtly and slowly, but mainly convinces on Sarah Polley's outstanding performance.

Maltin***: "Intriguing character study with a great performance by Polley and agreeable sketches of the motley characters who work on the rig."

Mission to Mars (2000)

When the first manned mission to Mars meets with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster after reporting a unidentified structure, a rescue mission is launched to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.

Well-produced sci-fi adventure with some nice visuals, but the star cast is wasted and the 'metaphysical' ending quite disappointing.

Halliwell (no star): "Grandiose attempt at science fiction with a spiritual message; it never achieves lift-off."

Maltin**: "Stupefyingly dull drama...Film takes a matter-of-fact approach to space travel that soon becomes deadening, with a spell-it-all-out climax for those who still don't get 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY."

 

War of the Worlds (2005)

As Earth is invaded by alien tripod fighting machines, one family fights for survival.

An effective and very imaginative variation than an adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel, some scenes even reach Hieronymous Bosch intensity.
On second view: I still find it exciting.

On renewed viewing: must admit: a gulity pleasure of mine...

Maltin**1/2: "Update of H. G. Wells' novel never names Mars as the source of the invaders, but wastes no time getting started, throwing action and special effects sequences at the viewer almost nonstop...but it ends with a whimper, not a bang, muting the entire experience."

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.

Drawn-out, but never boring and always touching buddy story, the movie manages to revive some old and almost forgotten Hollywood virtues, basically an interesting story well told.

On renewed viewing: Still agree with my old assessment, a modern-day fairy tale.

Halliwell*: "A melodrama of wasted lives and male bonding with a twist ending, more enjoyable for the performances than the narrative, which veers unpredictably between toughness and sentimentality."

Maltin**1/2: "Widely praised film is well crafted but terribly overlong, and (like much of Stephen King's non-horror writing) hollow and predictable."