Duel (1971) Review:

To even the most uninvolved moviegoers, the name Steven Spielberg is not something easily forgotten. Crowned as the inventor of summer blockbusters with films like Jaws (1975), many consider this guy one of the greats with hit after hit after hit coming out early on in his career. Although now he takes up more of a producer credit in most productions, he occasionally still lends his directing abilities to projects he wants to helm. Before he was really on the map though, he did direct some lesser known features and of them was this made for TV movie. Believe it or not though the studio threw extra money at Spielberg just to have more added to the story. As a result, this bare bones budget film still pulls some pretty hard punches at the viewer with an interesting setup.

The film, directed by Spielberg and written by Richard Matheson is about a regular guy by the name of David Mann (Dennis Weaver) who’s taking a business trip out west. While out on the road passing by numerous vehicles, he ends up behind a fuel truck. A very well worn, grungy, smoke billowing fuel truck. Ok, not much to really consider here. As he begins to pass, he receives an annoyed response. Thinking nothing much of the exchange, little does David Mann know that the driver behind the truck has just had one too many drivers go by. And what Mann thinks of as just another one-off occurrence, will end up being an encounter he won’t so easily avoid. Considering the time this movie was released, it still can strike an impression with viewers today. Any reasonable person understands that people act differently on the road in their own vehicles.

Sometimes though, it’s never known what the other person not in the same car or truck is thinking. Some individuals just snap and go off the deep end. This is essentially the entire conflict of the film but what makes this thriller significant is just how realistic this situation could be. To a person in Mann’s position, it’s not only scary but could be completely horrific. In some ways the film almost feels like a horror film only because the driver of the truck is barely visible. If those specific shots were not shown, it would almost feel like the truck itself was alive and yet it still comes across that way of having a personality of its own. This is partly why the tension created in the movie is fairly effective. The other part is the psychological aspect. Sometimes audiences will here Weaver playing the inner voice of Mann, thinking of what to do next.

It’s because of this and the driver being so elusive that can make a viewer bite their nails like crazy. The parts viewers may not totally get behind is the lack of main characters. There are other supporting characters that show up, but none are important enough for the story to hang on to. Not to mention, the personality of David Mann is not the most charming. Sure, people could sympathize with the character and his problem, but as for the character in general not so much. David Mann comes across very much like a book worm or someone who doesn’t have much of a backbone. On top of that are some choices made, by either Mann or the antagonistic truck driver. Of course, without these decisions maybe there’d be no movie? But some of what the characters do is just illogical when it comes to safety and consequences of the actions.

The cinematography was a great component to the viewing experience. Shot by Jack A. Marta as the director of photography, there a number of shots emphasizing the dangerous speeds that are reached between the two dueling vehicles. Marta also does an excellent job concealing the truck driver as well as highlighting the menacing front of the truck itself. Marta would also shoot for the original Walking Tall (1973). Finally, the score by Billy Goldenberg was an interesting listening experience. Known for his music on the Columbo series, Goldenberg composed music that would rightfully get an album release much later after the film’s release. The score is a mix of mostly strings and harps, with the occasional piano going in and out. While there’s no real main theme, the score makes sure the viewer hears the uncertainty and erratic nature of the plot.

For a TV turned theatrical production, this simple almost no cast film is still able to create a high strung thriller based on an identifiable matter most people could bump into. While the main character isn’t the most affable and some really nonsense choices are made, the music, camerawork and acting all make this a story no one would want to deal with.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Pokémon The Movie: Black / White - Victini and Reshiram / Zekrom (2011) Review:

Starting off the first year of the 2010s, Pokémon’s Black and White finally let go of Ash’s remaining friends he had met from the beginning of the anime. However, that basic group outline would stay consistent. Venturing into the unova region he would be joined by Iris and Cilan having somewhat similar roles to fill as previous characters. Along with that came a new film entry but released in a very weird way. For some reason two productions were made having the same storyline except for some slightly different scene changes. As for reception of the release, it seemed like many enjoyed it. This is good for familiar fans of the show but to anyone just joining, it still would be hard to get fully involved. Realistically though, this is one of the weaker entries in this shows run of films.

The story feels overly complex dealing with ancient ancestry and how a kingdom was removed from its rightful place. This was done after two legendary dragon Pokémon Zekrom and Reshiram clashed. To settle the spat, another legendary Pokémon by the name of Victini gave its powers to accomplish just that. And it just so happens Ash and his new friends are headed in that direction. Considering again the guys heading it – Mr. Yuyama and Sonoda, this entry or set of entries is nothing to feel invested over. Making it all the less inviting is the release of this film. What is the point of having two similar versions of this story? If it’s a director or producer’s cut, that’s something, but just altering various scenes to fit a different perspective? It just feels very horseshoed in. Which one should a viewer watch, both?

If so, that’s truly wasted time. What also doesn’t help is the over reliance on main characters with cuteness. Victini is too reminiscent of several other tiny “legendaries” that have appeared throughout the franchise of films. Now, it’s just overstaying it’s welcome. This doesn’t mean the antagonists don’t have development, but it is very distracting when the main focus always pivots on the tiny big eyed Pokémon. One other thing to note of is the change in Team Rocket and their approach taken in stories now. Yes, for this they are still relegated to sideline characters, but they are far more competent than what they used to be. Instead of making jokes, puns, rhymes or even blasting off, they actually manage to hold their own. What got into them lately?

The acting is good even though some consider the black and white series main characters not as great as others. Eileen Stevens who voices Iris plays her character well. Having voiced Zorua in the last film, her expansion into a full blown recurring character works. Jason Griffith voices Cilan and his performance doesn’t miss a beat either. While he hasn’t spent too much time with the franchise, he did voice some minor characters in Pokémon films before as well shows like One Piece and Sonic X. Then there’s also J. Michael Tatum playing Damon, Leah Clark as Carlita and Lisa Ortiz as Luisa, who are natives and descendants of the old kingdom. All of whom have experience working on other animes. The animation is also credible.

Being how far the films have come since they began, the CGI components are not as jarring anymore when next to their digitally animated counterparts. Cinematography is still a questionable thing to have in an animated film unless explained. The only shocker here is that it’s not who it normally is. This time its Shinsuke Ikeda which is their first time working on a Pokémon film. As for score, the music is again composed by Shinji Miyazaki which again provides a very underwhelming experience. For some reason, the music here is just not that interesting to listen too. Maybe the guy just needs a break? That’s probably understandable after working on it for so long. At least he likely didn’t have to score music for both versions of the film.

The animation and acting are really the only highlights because they are competently done. That’s not to say music or the basic story structure isn’t, but it just feels stock. Having a big eyed baby sounding Pokémon at the center of the film has been done enough times now. Additionally, making two versions of the film with practically no differences makes no sense.

Points Earned --> 4:10

Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying (1999) Review:

Movies range between all kinds of entertainment levels. The most surprising to viewers are the ones that are bad enough to still make a lasting impression. Then there are those that are just bad. Turbulence (1997) was one of those bad movies. There wasn’t much to enjoy because of how frustratingly idiotic the script was while watching it play out. Who puts criminals onto a civilian aircraft? Despite the cast of actors being relatively well known, the acting was bad and the lead was really not that engaging. The film didn’t even make its budget back. So with that kind of outcome, who would be stupid enough to produce a sequel? Well apparently someone, because Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying (1999) came out two years later. The thing is, why make it a sequel if it has nothing to do with the last film? This is not a franchise, who are these people trying to kid? This is just the beginning of shockers.

The story for this entry is about a group of random people who, cue the title name, have a fear of flying. Really, like no viewer could tell. Apart of this group is Martin (Craig Sheffer), Jessica (Jennifer Beals), Elliot (Jeffrey Nordling), Russ Bell (Andrew Kavadas) and assorted other lesser known actors. All of whom have their own goofy quirks that make them sort of one dimensional except for the few specifically mentioned. Together, they attend a class to overcome taking a flight to another destination. Is that even a thing? Little does anyone know that something dangerous has secretly been brought on board too. The script for this entry was written by three people; Brendan Broderick, Kevin Bernhardt, and Rob Kerchner from Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) and Addams Family Reunion (1998). The director was David Mackay from Breaking Free (1995) and The Lesser Evil (1998).

Most of the credits listed so far don’t mean a whole lot considering where they stand among popularity. Though this does say something in regards to the quality of the script. The writing itself is nothing special. Characters are formatted a certain way that any familiar viewer would be able to anticipate their outcome by the completion of the film. If there’s a love triangle somewhere, there’s bound to be a change in that since there’s always got to be a guy who ends up with a girl or vise versa. Most of the acting is also very unenthusiastic. The movie even has Tom Berenger in the film as ground control and almost every line that comes out of his mouth sounds tired and annoyed. More interesting is that joining ground control is Tamara Phillips playing the boss of Berenger’s character. Phillips would later voice Komari Vosa in Star Wars Bounty Hunter for PS2.

However, despite these callouts, the lead characters are far more inviting in their performances. Jennifer Beals may not have the craziest of roles but she puts up a far better front than the previous female lead in the first film. Craig Sheffer as Martin is okay as the lead. At least for him, he sounds intelligent and seems like the most reasonable person. His voice also catches the ear pretty well too. Lastly the villain behind the whole situation is by far the most entertaining for one sole reason; they are terrible at their job. Half the time, the villain is throwing tantrums and nonchalant comments that no real threatening hijacker would make. This is the main reason why this entry is so much more watchable than the first film, which may have people scratching their heads. Wasn’t Ray Liotta in the first film just as over the top? Yes, but his performance felt too familiar since he’s played killers before.

This villain is played by someone nowhere near the same level and managed to make it something. The cinematography shot by Gordon Verheul was decent. Having done only TV work prior, as his first theatrical run it pays off. The interior shots of the plane and lower deck look real. There are only a couple shots of CGI that don’t look believable but it’s not much. Lastly the film score by Don Davis wasn’t much to say anything about. The musical tracks themselves sound very stock and generic making them practically indistinguishable from each other. It’s kind of a shame considering that he would compose music for The Matrix (1999) of the same year. Maybe he got too caught up in that. Yet somehow this sequel got its own album release. That’s very amazing.

As a franchise, it doesn’t pull up much from where the first film left off but does have a little more to give. The music and story are still bland and overall acting still isn’t good. However, the main leads are okay with decent cinematography and a wildly moronic villain.

Points Earned --> 5:10