A largely forgettable movie (and deservedly so), AIRHEADS coulda been a contender. It had some box office draws before they were relative heavyweights (Adam Sandler, Brendon Fraser, and Steve Buscemi). It had a great comic premise surrounding a wannabe rock band taking over a radio station for the sole purpose of airing their demo tape. It even had some nice little performances from the supporting characters. How did a little film with such potential end up so uneven?

Two words: didn't gel.

The greater comic moments are brushed aside in a quick moving tale that, ultimately, ends up being about nothing more than jilted love ... but isn't that the driving force behind all wannabe heavy metal bands?

Maybe that's why I don't enjoy heavy metal.

Jim Marrs is a cottage industry when it comes to conspiracy writings.

He has dealt with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He has explored the behind-the-scenes histories and tinkerings of secret societies in their collective bid to control the fate of the planet. He has even given one fine comprehensive examination to the entire UFO phenomenon that will probably go unmatched in the history of UFO books.

In PSI SPIES, he deals with exposing the United States government's covert use of psychic powers (largely remote viewing) in the exploration of handling foreign affairs. While it's not a truly great book (I thought it lacked some of the depth of his other tomes, and that's largely due to the scraps of true facts and research available on the subject), it is still one fine piece of investigative journalism.

It's an important read if for no other reason for the reader to understand -- through the eyes of one of the book's principals -- to what extend a government is willing to reach ... and then attempt everything possible to cover it up in the end.

Incidentally, the book probably would've been far more in depth had the US Government not gone to attempting to keep it unpublished. Marrs has a way of tilting the scales in the direction of truth, so much so that he disturbs those secretly in power, and his books do rattle you to the bones in several places.

A must-read for conspiracy fans. A must-read for fans of the occult, in fact. And, a must-read for any person seriously interested in knowing the tentacles which clandestine operations try to grasp control of our very lives.

Walking out of the theatre upon first viewing James Cameron's mini-epic, I remember thinking what a wretched payoff to such a sensation build-up. On subsequent viewings -- and with the help of some restored footage ACTUALLY MAKING SENSE OF THE ENDING -- THE ABYSS is a far better film than I remember.

Ed Harris plays a remarkable man caught in a remarkable situation, and the ensemble cast are standbys from most of the Cameron pics for the timeframe. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, in particular, has never been lovelier, and the frustration her character feels at loving a man who makes her so incensed is an emotion only a true adult can identify with.

Without a doubt, every viewer can appreciate the truth: Jim Cameron had to make this film before he could go on to make the titanic THE TITANIC. So, viewing THE ABYSS as a stepping stone to a greater end, certainly helps put a new perspective on this film.

Great special effects, excellent pacing, and superb editing, THE ABYSS still feels like a meal only half-prepared to me but one I wouldn't walk away from the table from. A little more meat on them bones would've made this a film for the ages.

ABSOLUTE POWER didn't deliver a memorable performance by Clint Eastwood. While his character, Luther Whitney, is flawed, he also lacks much of the substance that makes Eastwood's other outings (FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, UNFORGIVEN, etc.) real teeth. Still, this standard fare was one of the first to shed light on the inner workings of the White House, especially with its just-before-the-age-of-Clinton philandering politician who inadvertantly kills a woman and then does everything he possibly can to cover it up. Not a great film, by any measure, but one worth the viewing.

It is Eastwood, after all.

Arguably, ABOUT LAST NIGHT was not only one of the best date movies to come out of the 1980's but also it's simple story of boy-meets-girl in the modern age is one terrific romance. Rob Lowe (at the peak of his preeniness) and Demi Moore (at the birth of her true beauty) fall in and out and back in love, with Elizabeth Perkins and Jim Belushi along for the ride ... and they almost steal the film. One great shooting script of the play SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO and terrific locations, ABOUT LAST NIGHT is a film that I'll always cherish.

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE MUMMY was one of the funniest of their screwball antics. The tale of the two cleverest yucksters chasing a medallion to an ancient Egyptian crypt where they encounter -- as the title promises -- the Mummy is one classic set of laughs after another. All of the trades touched on the bitterness the two men felt for one another during the filming process of this outing, but, with all the magic of their performances still on the silver screen, you sure wouldn't know it. A great transfer for a classic addition to any DVD library, this is one for the ages.

BABY BOOM roared onto the scene with the lovely Diane Keaton in the title role as a Manhattan executive who suddenly inherits a baby girl ... and loses all sense of maternal instinct. A droll film, poorly paced and predictably acted, BABY BOOM appears terribly dated and uninteresting. Far better comedy films have been made about this subject, and it's a shame that Ms. Keaton's gifts were wasted in this baby fodder.

Back in the days when Steven Seagal's career was launched by this little film, he was certainly more of a phenomenon to be reckoned with and much less of a personality to be tolerated. ABOVE THE LAW, much as in the case of the RAMBO films, created a certain mold that small action films followed for several years, most to little success. Seagal keeping his ego in check helped push ABOVE above standard action fare, and he introduced us to a butt-kicking, karate-chopping Dirty Harry.

Too bad he didn't continue in this mold.

The Batman had been broken by the nefarious Bane, and, while his physical healing process isn't covered in any detail during the events depicted in KNIGHTSEND, Bruce Wayne struggles with the psychological aftermath of returning to the task of serving as Gotham's savior in this incredibly-paced retaking of the Mantle of the Bat from the now rogue Jean Paul Valley.

In a story nearly too complex to summarize for an Amazon review, Bruce/Bats goes from being Batman to being disabled to being whole again ... but it isn't without consequence, namely having to face Jean Paul Valley, the man he passed the job of Batman to after being broken down by a series of catastrophic events all orchestrated to end his career. The road back to mental and physical prowess is long and not without ethical consequences as Bruce submits to training by Lady Shiva, a long-time mortal foe who believes that killing is the only true measure of physical fitness. However, the world's greatest detective finds a means to even outwit her in the process.

Building to a hair-raising climax worthy of being filmed for the big screen, Knightsend features not one daring showdown with the Batman/Azrael Jean Paul Valley but several bare-knuckle brawls involved a fully-healed Bruce Wayne as well as his long-time protege, Dick Grayson ... aka the original Robin and aka Nightwing, a vigilante hero in his own might who's now back in Gotham to help Bruce take by the night. Catwoman, always a favorite from the Rogues Gallery, is along for the wild ride, and she joins forces with the side of justice in order to see the rightful Batman restored to his throne.

This isn't to say that Knightsend isn't without a few missteps ... a perhaps overly-obsessive Jean Paul suffering visions from the System (a kind of brainwashing to give his mind and body the abilities to serve its own brand of justice) almost becomes comical at one point when the visions try to enter into their own subplot ... an all-to-convenient escape from the clutches of death for Bruce Wayne not drawn or plotted very well given the pace of the frenetic conclusion ... and a few other repeated scenes due to the fact that this tale was originally serialized over the course of many issues of comics within the Batman continuity. Still, they are small missteps, as the grand story is almost operatic at times.

The greatest strength of Knightsend is the fact that, at its core, it doesn't deal so much with Batman as it does with identity: in the final confrontation, Bruce Wayne thinks himself out of a corner with Jean Paul bent on fisticuffs-to-the-death, and the one true Batman realizes that brain -- regardless of whose body it resides in -- will always triumph over brawn.

Welcome back, Batman!

I'm not ashamed to admit that I've read more than my fair share of UFO and UFO-related books in my time, but I can't say that I've read one as poorly and unmasterfully written as this.

As a business consultant, one of the truths that I teach is that to get ahead in life and/or work, there are ultimately two ways: (1) do your best and let fate show your greatness or (2) do your best to convince your boss that the worker sitting next to you isn't worth a dime. Now, I'm not saying that I advocate the second option; I'm just saying that playing politics IS a real part of life, and that anyone who isn't conscious of that simple fact will inevitably be blindsided by the workplace backstabber. The author of PENTAGON SPIES chooses to run Option 2 as the only possible modus operandi; he trashes anyone and everyone who's had any positive association with research in the field of Unidentified Flying Objects for the sole purpose of making himself look more educated and, consequently, his opinions more viable.

Who does he think his audience is? How do you build support for your case by alienating the very people who would purchase your book? Isn't it obvious why he's never penned a follow-up ... with evidence?

While some of the reviewers here have heaped praise on the author's intended debunking of the UFO myth (if it is a myth and I have no problem whatsoever with that opinion), I had a tremendous difficulty in getting past the author's ego. Virtually every tenth page is a written sidebar of self-indulgence; the author is even so bold as to question why he has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Science for his work.

If you're looking for a book written by an obviously egocentric author that doesn't truly address the myriad of evidence to support an opposing view, then this is the book for you. However, given the fact that the author cannot even present evidence to support his own theory OR stick to the topic OR even develop the topic that he alleges the book is about, then this book will probably have you doing as I did ... throwing it aside of literary garbage after the first 150 pages.

I was looking for information, not a massive ego trip.