peters159-1

Some posters have dismissed Poseidon as just another bad example of movie making. I enjoyed Poseidon. True, the people who put this project together knew that the audience would be familiar with the old version - the Poseidon Adventure - it's been around on T.V for years. Naturally the new version would jettison that old hoary story, and rightly so. This new version, sleek at 98 minutes, was just what the producers and director wanted, a fast intense escapist movie. And they delivered! I survived a hurricane at sea and watching Poseidon was child's play compared to reality. We were stuck in the hold of the Navy ship for three days. Three days of sheer terror. Three days where food and nourishment meant nothing, you just wanted this torture to end. Torture because the ship always! seemed on the verge of capsizing, and I'm not talking 98 minutes but 24 hours every day we were locked in that foul smelling hold. Grown men crying, yelling, praying, and just making a noise that you wished would just stop. Locked in a hold where the ventilation seemed to have stop, where all you could see in the dimly lit interior and smell was unwashed bodies and great fear. And fear ruled! And fear has a strong and powerful odor. Believe me.

When the ship wasn't about to capsize we seemed to be on a great roller coaster headed to the very bottom of the Pacific. And I could see was great and powerful waves covering us. Even I felt like crying. I didn't, not because I couldn't cry because I was too petrified to do it. Imagining the tidal waves crushing what now seemed a small noting in the water. If that doesn't clench your sphincter nothing will. Anyway, when the forth day came and storm passed the ocean was as calm as could be and we were allowed to come up for air. Air.Nothing smelled as sweet as clean air. The ordeal over all I wanted to do was shake the hand of every man above who fought bravely for our very lives. That wasn't forth coming as I never found out who the crew was. Because of that hurricane several cites in Japan suffered great damage. One couldn't believe that we actually lived through all that. I saw The Poseidon Adventure after but was not moved or reminded of my ordeal. Poseidon brought all that back to me. I suppose time had something to do with this but I could relive the episode without trauma.

Some have been awfully short with Poseidon but when I think of that god-awful Titanic of 1997 I wonder just where people's heads are. I have three versions of the Titanic, the 1953 version, the 1958version called A Night to Remember, which, incidentely was the best version and also the most accurate. Based on Walter Lord's book A Night to Remember is littered with facts from eye witnesses and unlike the 1997 version - who took outrageous liberties with the sinking of the great ship- A Night to Remember didn't have to diddle with the facts to make it interesting as well as a chilling reminder of man's arrogance against the elements.

Perhaps if the producers of Poseidon had paired Amy Rossem holing Kurt Russell's firehose it too might have made Billion dollars.

The collision of the Andrea Doria as well as other sea tragedies reminds us that with all our technology we are nothing against an angry sea - or ocean in this case. I see where three sailors wrote a book about their ordeal in a hurricane at sea and wondered why I never thought of doing the same thing. I have to admit I just didn't want to think about it for a great while and when I did get around to excepting it the time seemed past.

Try looking at Poseidon for what it is escapist entertainment meant to be intense and nothing more. For some strange reason I kept thinking about the movie Deep Blue Sea. It too is intense. The only thing missing in Poseidon is the great line from Deep Blue Sea. " You stupid bitch!"

I give Poseidon 10 stars. It's doing what it set out to do.

I saw Love Actually on TV and liked it. I like it so much that when it came on I watched it again. Unlike so many posters here I didn't find it putrid, boring, or not well put together. It made me feel good!. It made me know that there are all kinds of love and although there were several stories bounding around I found every one of them interesting. I was not disappointed in the director or his material. I think that you have to let yourself go when watching this movie. One story showed that love can conquer all even if you "don't know the language." Many poster here seemed to hate this movie, I found it uplifiting, funny, and very romantic. I give this movie 10 stars. And I watch it every time I get the chance. P.S. I also bought the soundtrack. It helped the movie immensely.