xffanatic_4ever

I remember I was 12 when Picket Fences was canceled and this new show American Gothic took it's place on Friday nights. I immediately became engrossed in this show. It really had a great X-Files like vibe, which a lot of shows tried horribly to recreate, but AG took the genre in a new and exciting (and a little scary) direction. I loved it, and right out of the gun the show was a critical hit...a big success. So what do network execs do when a show's a rare hit? Why they yank it from the spot that made it a hit, and throw it on a new night at a new time. The show never recovered, the execs refused to switch the show back, it was sadly canceled, and then Nash Bridges took over for the next 5 years. Sad...Nash Bridges! I can only hope this show (like the underappreciated and canceled Sports Night) will be released on DVD. I mean, come on, the half season of My Big Fat Greek Life is coming to DVD. I'd love to see AG again; it's been nearly a decade since it premiered and I've never forgotten it.

I DID NOT want to see this film. My mother literally DRAGGED me to see it with her (she loved the old TV show). I sat in the theater frowning cursing my luck. I mean, Antonio Banderas is hot, but really...ZORRO?! I'd say about...15 minutes later (including previews mind you), I was sitting like an idiot with this frozen smile on my face, that just said "WOW!" I'm not going to bother wasting time explaining the plot, I'm here for praise only. Not only were the special effects great; how long's it been since a really good sword fight scene in movies? Or stunts on horses? Too long! The chemistry between Antonio Banderas & Catherine Zeta-Jones leapt off of the screen, and you really believed they were madly in love. That dance scene, their first fly-by-night encounter, the sword fight in the barn; HOT HOT HOT. With her first American hit, CZJ instantly became my new favorite actress, and has been ever since. I could go on forever about this film, the good-the bad-the ugly...rather the good-the great-the excellent. But I won't; I'll leave with one final thought; THIS MOVIE MADE THE SUMMER OF '98! After my mother literally DRAGGING me in, she also literally had to DRAG me out! I didn't leave until all the credits were over, as well as the beautiful love song by Marc Anthony & Tina Arena which totally encompassed every aspect of emotion in the entire movie, as well as the relationship between Diego & Elena. That's right folks, even the soundtrack rocked! SO, that's it, if you haven't seen this movie, shame on you, you should be ashamed, you...have to see it! GO! NOW! Drop everything! Stop reading this...and go buy this film!

One last thought for already huge fans: there's a sequel on the way!!!!!

This movie is one I vividly remember from my childhood as my first exposure to Stephen King's genius, and the horror genre in general. I have always loved this movie, and finally purchased it. It's still as scary and surprising as the first time I saw it at 5 or so, which is rare. I have to mention the special effects. This movie was made in 1985, before pix like Jurassic Park and the Matrix paved the new technological wave. Yet, the werewolfs are so realistic, if I didn't know better I'd think the director had pulled a Nos Feratu. Even the transformations are visually stunning to watch and very believable. A more recent film, Wolf (with Jack Nicholson) could have taken a look at the special effects. You'd never know this film was made 17 years ago, it will forever hold up amongst all of its contemporaries, and is worth a look, if for nothing else, a fan of make-up/effects in film. But the main reason this film holds up over the years, is due to the fact that it's a great film, with a wonderful story by Stephen King. This is also a good movie for fans of SK as well. This is probably one of Corey Haim's best, as well as Gary Busey. Whatever you do, don't watch it alone or at night.