🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <319F304D.229A@aimnet.com>, Neil Black <nblack@aimnet.com> wrote:

>I couldn't agree with you more.  Aside from the cool special effects
(love the flying cow), this 
>movie  S U C K E D !

I have to agree.  I heard all the warnings and went to see Twister
anyway...and was still pretty disgusted.  

For me the scene that defined what I don't like about the movie is where
the psychologist character (Jamie Gertz) comes out of a roadside cafe with
a couple of cups of soda.  She puts the soda on top of the car roof.  At
this point I'm thinking, "oh God, they're going to try and milk some
pathetic laughs out of having her drive off with the soda still on her
roof."  And sure enough, she does.  

It's a small moment, but a telling one in that it typifies the
movie-by-numbers mentality behind this film.  The filmmakers are so
contemptuous of the audience that they feel they can drag out every
dead-horse cliche in the book and slip it past the viewers.  The team of
scientists is straight out of Congo or Jurassic Park (two films that
themselves sucked in the story/character area, if that gives you any
indication -- this film fails to reach even that level of mediocrity!) and
includes the usual assortment of oddballs including (how did they ever
think of it) the one "wacky" stoner type who's supposed to be the film's
comic relief.  

The SFX are great, of course, but in this film they're not enough to
overcome the many flaws.  Jurassic Park works despite its weak writing
because the dinos are so amazing.  But here, where they're up against what
is basically a really nasty storm, it's a tougher job to wring drama out
of the premise -- and it shows in the contrived plotting and outrageous
coincidences that the film depends on to achieve even a shred of
credibility.  

All the same, as simply a film spectacle -- a demonstration of the cutting
edge in ILM special effects -- Twister is worth seeing.  Only, I would not
pay more than a $4 matinee price for this one.  And bring your own snacks.

Bryan Byun                                                           bbyun@concentric.net
______________________________________________________
I'm not claiming that I'm right and that everyone else is wrong. All I'm 
saying is when the Angel of the Lord appeared to me and allowed me to 
read certain key passages from The Book of Life, it gave me an 
"overview" that others may not have.             -- Michael O'Donoghue