Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Joey" is an American / West German co-production from 1985 and the language is German. This film had its 30th anniversary last year. The director and one of the writers is Roland Emmerich, still a pretty big name in Hollywood these days and this 95-minute film we have here is from his early days as a filmmaker around the age of 30. The premise and idea in this film are actually not too bad. A boy mourns over the death of his father, but somehow he keeps being able to talk to him. the reason is a strange demonic creature in the form of a dummy (with a very dark past). And if this is not enough already for 1.5 hours, there is more supernatural in here in terms of all kinds of toys who manage to keep walking around and acting on their own.The real problem here is that this film is basically nothing more than a collage put together from snippets (in terms of plot and character) that were used in very successful films from the 10 years before this film came out. And that is why I would basically call it nothing more than a copy, but not of one movie, but about half a dozen. It lacks creativity and uniqueness entirely and if it is true that there is a film that had zero individual genius attached to it, then it is this one. Of course, every filmmaker is somewhat inspired in his creativity by the works of other artists, but this one here feels like it has no individual note attached to it at all. The good thing is that at least you can maybe somewhat enjoy it if you are not aware of or have not seen the films that this mix of fantasy, horror and family movie is shamelessly copying. I never thought Emmerich was the most creative filmmaker and sadly this work here confirms this theory. There is not really to say too much about the cast here as there are no big names attached to this movie. Lead actor Joshua Morrell, who plays the title character, never appeared in another film before or after that and maybe this was a good decision as he is not really great in here. But neither are the supporting players. All in all, this was a mediocre film at best and I give it a thumbs-down. Only worth seeing for the biggest fantasy/horror lovers, but then again these may be the ones who despise it the most. Watch something else instead.

Zantara Xenophobe This review contains some SPOILERS.Way back when we first got a VCR (about 1987), my sister and father rented some movie about a boy and a possessed ventriloquist's dummy. I happened to see a few scenes of it before wandering off to do other things. Trouble is, the scenes that I did watch got embedded in my memory and I couldn't shake them out. Ever. And it wasn't until a year or two ago when I finally found out the title to this mystery movie, `Making Contact,' and then recently I found it available for rent. Finally I could put some childhood demons to rest. Had I know the bad experience I would eventually have put myself through, I never would have watched those few scenes back in 1987. Joey is an unpopular little kid going through the ordeal of having recently lost his father, which we are thrust into from the very first scene. No time for scenes with the dad before his death, just start right in on the funeral. But the death of his father makes Joey realize an inner power he has. He has the ability to move objects and bring his toys to life. He also starts talking to his dad on his toy telephone. He tells his classmates and becomes a laughingstock, worrying his teacher. One day he wanders into a nearby abandoned house and discovers the ventriloquist's dummy of the house's previous owner. It comes to life and proceeds to rant about how the ventriloquist's ghosts wants to control Joey. So Joey must enter the old house once again and face the evil force within. People have been comparing this to `E.T.' There is some truth to the comparison, but what I kept noticing were comparisons to some Twilight Zone episodes I saw awhile back. Particularly, the kid talking to his dad on the toy telephone. But that stuff doesn't matter much. The movie still isn't very good. Roland Emmerich's direction is very murky and his writing is very poor. Here's a few head-scratchers for you should you decide to sit down and watch this movie:---- Joey has the power to give life to his toys, but he doesn't seem able to actually control them. His little toy robot seems to have developed a mind and personality of its own. But it is the only toy that behaves in this way.---- Is it just me, or does Joey's dad resemble Gabe Kaplan from Welcome Back, Kotter?---- Listen very carefully to the broadcast when the dummy conjures up the television set. The ventriloquist's back story is fascinating (what you can hear; Joey and the dummy keep talking over it, defeating the purpose of it all). The broadcast suggests there had been a series of child murders in the 30s. I wish it had gotten into this more, but perhaps Emmerich thought it would be too scary for kids. And of course, the intrigue of the ventriloquist is erased in the final moments when we know the truth. Its all very disappointing.---- It's funny how both the mother and teacher just accept Joey's power. They don't seem too concerned about what he might do with them should he get angry. And it is really hilarious when all those scientists come barreling down with thousands of dollars in tax payer's money at their disposal, with no proof other than an elementary teacher's word that it is all legit.---- Funny how the strange force doing all this is so powerful that it can build its vast underground maze full of surprises, yet it can't stop Joey from using the Solve-All-Your-Problems-Exit-Door even though it is right in front of him when he does it. I may have took home nothing from the substance of the movie, but at least that childhood demon is put to rest. Now if I can only track down that one horror movie about the underground albino people I will be free of them all. And it couldn't be as unrewarding as this children's ghost story was. Zantara's score: 4 out of 10.

Rattrap007 A perfect candidate for MST3K! Blatantly rips off stuff from other movies. Summary is as follows:9 year old Joey's dad dies (He is beter off NOT appearing in this film anyway). About a week later Joey get's a call from his dad on his toy phone. I mean come on the kid is supposed to be 9! Isn't he a little old for a little toy phone? Not only that but you can see he has Sesame Street curtains. He has a toy robot with a mind of it's own that looks a bit like R2-D2 with arms and eyes. He get's teased at school because the other kids know he is a loser after he tells them about his talk with daddy. Anyway when he chases that stupid robot into an old house up the hill he finds a ventriloquist dummy. But it is EVIL!! Also we now learn Joey is a very powerful telekinetic and can move stuff with his mind. (Yeah right!) Believe it so far? I didn't think so. He tries to bury it but his stupid teacher sees him running away and returns the doll. Anyway he learns Joey's secret and calls in people from the local college to investigate this unexplained happening. Well the bullies aren't gonna let him get away that easily. They plan to sneak past everyone and do something to Joey. But the doll is in the old house the bullies are using as a fort and traps them there. A little girl Joey likes tells him what happened and they go to save them. The bullies are scared by their nightmares (Darth Vader, fat kid see's a giant killer hamburger, etc) Joey saves them, the doll get's defeted, and joey dies. The paramedics can't save him. All of a sudden all his toys come alive like in the start of the film. Plus Star Wars toys move and fly on their own (Eat your heart out ILM!) and the final shot is of Joey's eyes opening indicating he is alive again. Like I said. VERY farfetched. It is a crappy kids film. Just plain bad!

SuperSpy-3 I know no other way of describing this painfully wretched film except by saying that it is one of the worst contributions to the world of movies that I have ever seen! Directed by German-born Roland Emmirich, who would later emerge to direct the big-budgeted blockbuster epics "Independence Day" and "Godzilla," this film makes up in bad acting what it lacks in creativity. Is this film supposed to be a horror film? All I saw was a lawsuit waiting to happen, since it showcases (or rather steals) the creativity and genius of such classics as "E.T.The Extra-terrestrial" and "Poltergeist." If you're looking for laid-back, horror film to enjoy with your friends on a casual Friday night, this isn't it! This is by far one of the most boring and stupendous pieces of work I have ever seen! It is deserving of 100 Razzi Awards! Before I start to puke, I must sign off and get this disgusting, no-good film out of my head. But before I do, I'd like to make a brief comment for the wonderful (yes, I'm being sarcastic!) Mr. Emmerich: 'Please, for the love of god! For the love of Hollywood! Spare us a sequel to "Godzilla!" I wouldn't know how to cope!'