SIGNS: a review by garrie keyman
Six sure signs your husband will fall asleep watching the DVD you just bought
1. It's a Sci-fi film set in ... Pennsylvania (now that's scary)
2. The real-life name of the writer/director is better than any of the characters'
3. Featured is a set of poor motherless children*
4. The top performances are given by the supporting cast
5. Your husband can legitimately compare the film to "The X-files meets Little House on the Prairie"
6. The aliens are men in bumpy green bodysuits reminiscent of those shriveled pickles you left in the back of your fridge since that picnic last July
That said, Signs is far from the worst Sci-fi movie I've ever seen and, if you liked it, this additional tidbit may come as consolation: I bought this DVD to share with my husband after seeing it in the theater – twice – without him. Unfortunately, he is yet to sit through a viewing without falling asleep.
Signs is the tale of Graham Hess, a farmer-preacher (is there a call for a lot of those in eastern PA? — I dunno; I live there and have yet to meet one) whose faith has fallen following the death of his wife. Hess (Mel Gibson) wakes one day to discover a crop circle stamped in his field. The pets are acting up and his son Morgan (Rory Calkin) has to impale the family German Shepard with a barbeque skewer to save little sister Bo (Abby Breslin). Add one Officer Caroline Paski (Cherry Jones, whose contribution to the film is as believable as it gets), and one Merrill Hess (Joaquin Phoenix, whose contribution isn't) –- Graham's younger brother who has moved-in to help out after his sister-in-law's death –- and we've set the scene.
Perhaps we should begin with the three elements that are truly on par in this film, since a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine ball go down. Before I was halfway through with my first viewing, I already had these elements pegged: cinematography, score, supporting cast. Now, if I were a reviewer worth my salt, I'd be telling you what recognition – if any – this film won in the awards circuit (in other words I'd be busy backing up my opinion with somebody else's). As it stands, I don't know. I don't base my movie watching on other people's reviews nor on the issuing of awards and nominations because I often don't agree. But if you want my word on the matter, read on.
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Article comments
1 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
wow, The Boy Who Could Fly! I ain't seen or heard of that in years.
i like Signs a lot, one of shyamalan's most underrated pictures, i dare say. It's certainly as good as Unbreakable or The Sixth Sense, and a hella lot better than The Village.
And it's better than the rosie o'donnell one too.
2 - garriekeyman
Yeah, and ya know another good one? Flight Of the Navigator. It's on tonight here and I think I'll watch it with my 14 year old who plans to see it. Then I think I'll get around to writing that review of it I've been meaning to do for several years.
One of the scenes Galaxy Quest pokes fun of is in Flight of the Navigator. I love Galaxy Quest. It never fails to totally crack me up, being the die-hard "classic" Star Trek fan I've always been.
I think I'll post my Galaxy Quest review here, too.
Bye!
3 - SFC SKI
My wife has not interest in Sci-Fi, but we both laughed out loud along with the rest of the filmgoers when watching "Galaxy Quest" it definitely hit all the right buttons, it's almost teh "Spinal Tap" of the SF genre.