coventry_2k

I find it interesting that I am writing this review 90 years to the day of the sinking of the Titanic. I actually saw this movie not too long ago for the second time, and decided to read the book once the movie was finished. Sadly, as it is with most book adaptations, the novel was a WHOLE lot better than the movie. It seems everyone believes that the rousing musical score of the movie was the best part, and I am inclined to agree. Too much was cut out of Mr. Cussler's novel that it doesn't even resemble a Dirk Pitt adventure any more. The movie counterparts do not even remotely resemble their characters in the books (Al Giordino is on screen for a few minutes at best), the dialogue seems forced and uninspired, and the whole ending just plain silly. However, after watching the depressing sinking of Mr. Cameron's Titanic, I felt it as a breath of fresh air to see the ship rising from the depths. Overall, 7 out of 10.

I'll admit it: I used to love this movie as a kid. But that was when I thought anything was possible. Now that I'm older (and have seen the Airport Movies), I realize just how bad this movie really was.

First, it should have been called Airport '83, since it has a nearly identical plot to the rest of the Airport series (especially The Concorde: Airport '79, where technical malfunctions screw up the Concorde).

Second is the truly abominable acting. Lee Majors, the Six Million Dollar Man himself, stars as the plane's captain, who is married but shacking up with the head stewardess (Lauren Hutton, which explains why she is given a first-class seat out of the plane at the end). Hal Linden plays the designer and head engineer of Starflight One, who seems very uncomfortable in his role. The rest of the cast was too terrible to mention as their parts didn't even get off the ground, so to speak.

Third are the obvious mistakes, scientific errors, and plot holes that are large enough to fly a Star Destroyer through. For example: -Starflight was equipped with a flange that allowed an airlock to be fitted over it. But if it was never designed to operate in a vacuum (like outer space), why have it there in the first place? -Captain Briggs mentions that everything still worked, including the engines. If the engines worked, and they were in a decaying orbit, why not just transfer to a higher orbit? -In this movie, NASA service techs seem to be recruited from NASCAR, since they are able to service and launch the Space Shuttle Columbia several times in two days (which is physically impossible, and why didn't that second shuttle help out sooner?). -It was mentioned that Starflight was not built with a heat shield. Bt at the speeds that it was designed to operate at, kinetic heating and friction would necessitate SOME kind of protective layer on the aircraft.

-How come we never see the blonde female astronaut's face? -Starflight uses scramjets to provide thrust, but these engines cannot operate from a stand-still as they are shown to do; they must be in motion before they can operate. -An aircraft that is designed to operate at Mach 6 and higher speeds would not likely have such huge wings in proportion to its body, or even be spindle shaped; in fact, its actual design would most likely be a lifting body.

And now for the good stuff: why I liked this movie. John Dykstra, who came up with the ships for Star Wars and Firefox, was the one who designed Starflight One; the plane, while not believable, still looks very good. Also, Lalo Schifferin's score was very good and dramatic. In all, about a 6 out of 10.

I had mixed feelings when I first saw the 3D Voltron series. It has both good and bad points to it. My biggest beef is with the animation itself. The new look makes Voltron look more like the toy counterparts than a functional robot. Also, I can't get over King Zarkon having been reformed. He was the driving force behind all of the evil in the Denubian Galaxy from the show's inception; why lose that? I was happy to see that most of the original cast had returned for the series, as well as some new faces: Tim Curry makes a great Lotor. And finally, we get to see Voltron form the way he should: fluidly and dynamically to the original score. Bottom line: a good series, but expect changes from the original.

A bad copy of Miami Vice is all this series boils down to. Same concept, different city. Same wardrobe, different style. Same type of car, different make. Same plot, different stars. Do your self a favor and watch Miami Vice on TNN.

First off, this is not Spielberg at his best. For more than two hours, I was trying to compare the scenes that were Spielbergian and those that were Kubrickian. Unfortunately, I could not tell the difference.

My two main concerns have been voiced by others, so of course I am going to voice them myself. The first is that the movie trailers and commercials seem to indicate an altogether different story. The plot doesn't focus nearly enough on the concept of AI, which is what the movie is supposed to be about. Also, this new, screwed up Earth is never seen; only small views are given. And the scenes indicate that the destruction is much less than they let on.

David does not seem to be unique among other robots. Gigolo Joe seemed to have as much AI as did David.

The second let-down was the ending sequence. If you walked out of the theater after the underwater prayer scene, then you left at the right time. The movie should have ended this way, in a very ominous, uncertain tone. Sadly, it kept going. We are treated to a typical Spielbergian cliche of aliens explaining the plot of a story that is too screwed up for anyone to understand. And frankly, they should have given Lt. Commander Data a cameo.