Review of Dick Tracy (1990) by Diana S — 03 Jan 2009

I'm never going to get caught up on my reviews. But I'm blaming my husband this time. He got me Roku for Christmas! Now there are too many movies at my fingertips!

[b]Enemy Mine[/b] is a movie I've been curious about for awhile. I remember it playing in the background of my childhood, but I've never actually watched it until now. And it's interesting, but it hasn't aged that well. Dennis Quaid ("The Express") stars as a soldier who crash lands on a planet with an alien with whom he is at war. Though mortal enemies, they begin to form a bond and learn about each other's cultures. The first half is a really good survival/learning tolerance movie. The second half is terribly cheesy and looses it's effectiveness when Louis Gossett Jr. ("The Perfect Game"), playing the alien, is out of the picture.

[b]The Day the Earth Stood Still[/b] is another remake that doesn't stack up to the original. Keanu Reeves ("The Lake House") plays the alien sent to Earth to decide whether or not we should be distroyed. And he does an okay job of it. He sometimes seems a little too detached. But the reason this movie is only mediocre does not really lie on Keanu's shoulders. It's the story. I know that when doing a remake, you have to make the film your own, but that doesn't mean taking out the heart of the original and putting nothing back in it's place. And if you've got a giant robot, use it right, people! The effects are amazing. Someone took care of Jennifer Connelly ("Reservation Road") unibrow so that didn't drive me crazy like it usually does. And little Jaden Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness") is just as adorable as his pops. It's not an awful movie, it's just not very good either.

I have a thing for evil kid movies, and the original [b]Village of the Damned[/b] is a perfect fix. A village in England is affected by a strange phenomenon where all the residents fall asleep for several hours. After they awaken, all the women turn up pregnant. And when the kids are born, they all have blond hair, strange eyes and powers. At first, the film is just interesting, but then it gets tense as the children grow older. It's more intellectual than explosive. A very good watch.

I also have a thing for Stephen King adaptations. I know, there's definitely something wrong with me. I caught [b]Riding the Bullet[/b] on Sci-Fi one night, and I'm not sure whether I'm happy or sad about this fact. A college kid in the 60s learns his mother is in the hospital and then tries to hitchhike home to see her. Of course, he sees a lot of crazy things and meets the ghost of David Arquette ("Hamlet 2") who forces him to make a terrible choice. The story is good. It is King after all. But the execution is not that great. Director Mick Garris ("Desperation") is just too in-your-face with the camera and the cutting.

When I was young, I loved [b]Dick Tracy[/b]. And you know what? It's still good. Oh yeah. Director/star Warren Beatty ("Town and Country") has a commitment to the character that really makes the whole thing work. Plus the color and the sets just feel like the cartoon. And Madonna ("Arthur and the Invisibles") is perfect on the soundtrack and as Breathless Mahoney. Sure, it's a little cheesy. But it's also totally fun. And you won't believe all the big stars covered in make-up.