Mjeteconer Just perfect...

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

utgard14 Allan Mann (Jason Beghe) is left paralyzed from the neck down following an accident. He loses all hope for living and even tries to commit suicide. A research scientist friend of his gets him a monkey named Ella that is trained to help him with day-to-day tasks. Allan's life improves and he develops a fondness for Ella. But when people that angered Allan start being killed, it becomes clear to him that Ella is somehow responsible.Middling horror movie from George Romero. Starts off well enough but becomes increasingly predictable as it goes along and, by the end, you're just ready for it to be over. The cast is unexceptional, though the writing does them no favors. Jason Beghe sports a laughably fake beard early on. John Pankow's pretty much the only interesting character and even he's a cliché. If one scene pinpoints when the movie starts to go off the rails, it's when the physical therapist chick gives Allan a pity lay. This scene is supposed to be erotic but it will surely just elicit laughter from all but the most sensitive types. Watchable but nothing special.

thesar-2 George A. Romero, best known for slowly – as in decades, but surely – as in don't call me Shirley, bringing social commentary and zombies into the light brings us the very, very 80s Monkey Shines.Growing up, and as a grown up, I'm drawn to horror films. I remember this film dearly and loved it…back then, i.e. the late 1980s and early 1990s. Unfortunately, time has not been kind to the ole monkey named Ella (played wonderfully by…Boo.)The movie wasn't bad, per se, it's just too long. Yeah, a complaint I have about a lot of movies, and for the most part, I can back it up. No different here.We open with an unintentionally hilarious crash scene involving a running man, a barking dog and flying bricks. The athletic and college-student man, Allan (Jason Beghe who apparently is trying to channel Robert DeNiro) is a'joggin' when he's struck and is forced into a life of a quadriplegia. His mother, Dorothy (Joyce Van Patten, who, I'm sorry, comically looks like a man (SEE: Ms. Swan or Austin Powers) throughout) hires a straight-edged/comic-relief nurse (Christine Forrest) and best friend, Geoffrey (John Pankow) gets a human-brain-injected experimental monkey trained to take care of him.Meanwhile his girlfriend, Linda (Janine Turner) leaves and Ella (the monkey) starts to win the heart of Allan while Allan woos the heart of the trainer, Melanie (Kate McNeil.) Meanwhile, the original girlfriend dates another and mother sells her business to help her son. Meanwhile, Geoffrey's experiments may/may not be producing results and he might lose funding from his boss, Dean (Stephen Root.) Meanwhile, Geoffrey's trying to contain the situation while taking too many drugs, himself. Meanwhile, Allan's growing angrier by the moment by show of cuss words. Meanwhile, Ella's kinda feeling left out.Meanwhile, meanwhile, meanwhile. There's really just too much here. I wish it had just been a simple story of a 'Man and his Monkey,' albeit eeevil monkey. And why couldn't we have left it at that. Throw out the (sorry, spoiler) telekinesis segment.I'm aware we have to use some suspension of disbelief, but we're dealing with a lab-rat monkey. That should've been enough to make us believe something's bad about to happen. When you throw in the 1980's answer to horror, or telekinesis – heck, even Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood jumped on that bandwagon two months prior in 1988, it lessened the tension/horror. For me, at least.This is one of those movies you loved as a kid – if you were into these types of horror movies, and were a kid in the mid-to-late-1980s, that is – but doesn't really hold up today. It's fine and all, and slightly recommended to a new audience, but be forewarned: this is clearly an 80s project and certainly not timeless in any way.I will end with some very positive observations: I loved every scene with Boo. But then again, I'm biased: I love monkeys in entertainment. They always make me laugh or curious to see what they'll do next. Also, it was fun to watch such a YOUNG Stanley Tucci, though he was kinda lost in the 150 subplots. In addition, I couldn't help but laugh at seeing Stephen Root in a serious role (yeah, I'm used to him in Office Space as the stapler-hugging Milton)…this is how most people probably would react when they see a grave Leslie Nielsen before Airplane! And finally, though it's a suspenseful movie – mostly in the closing that kinda of reminds you of Pet Semetary – it does contain one of the most eerie horror movie poster's I've seen.

famelovingboy68 This film is not from my generation, I was not even 2 yet, but I'm a TV/movie nostalgia nerd and kind of live in the past. Anyway, The film starts out with 20 something Law student, Allan (Jason Beghe) waking up after presumably sleeping with his "georgeous fiancée" and we see he's a top athlete and goes running, but gets hit by a truck, and goes to the hospital where his fiancée leaves him for the doctor (Stanley Tucci). He comes back from the hospital, a quadriplegic, and he movies in with his mom, seeming to take it rather well. his mad scientist friend(John Pankov) has helper monkeys in his lab and sends one (Ella) to Allan and he gets acquainted and comes around pleasantly, and another AID, this one a faithful and true girlfriend. He goes to school and the monkey goes everywhere with him. But things soon fall apart.he has an overbearing nurse and Allan slowly comes to anger, and being unable to move and having an extremely intelligent monkey with human brain sells the monkey vanquishes the annoying Nurse's bird. the story is more a very intense drama and thriller, than a horror film. It's complex but still believable. it's no different than Project X gone R-rated. With the people Allan sinfully wishes to avenge living nearby, in his reality dreams, she runs through the night and causes a fire at the ex fiancés, killing her and the doctor. No one believes Allan and he soon succumbs to verbal ferocity, speaking and shouting f-bombs of hate (the reason for the R-rating)his domineering mother tries to rule his life and he knows his relationship will work, and that he will be cured. The next couple deaths are non gory. Then Allan knows he must put an end to the maniacal creature and after he thinks it got his girlfriend he is overcome by rage that empowers his upper limbs and he and in the only gruesome sequence, becomes the hero . Then he is able to walk and he and his girlfriend go fishing together, and live happily.

Paul Andrews Monkey Shines starts as athlete Allan Mann (Jason Beghe) is hit by a truck while out running, he is taken to hospital where Dr. John Wiseman (Stanley Tucci) operates & saves his life but unfortunately Allan is left as a wheel chair bound quadriplegic who only has movement in his neck & face. Obviously depressed after the accident his girlfriend Linda (Janine Turner) runs off with Dr. Wiseman & Allan attempts to commit suicide, his scientist friend Geoffrey Fisher (John Pankow) finds him & saves him. In an attempt to help Allan Geoffrey contacts animal trainer Melanie Parker (Kate McNeil) & ask's her to train one of his lab monkey's to act as Allan's helper which she does. The monkey called Ella makes a big difference to Allan's life & acts as his hands but Geoffrey doesn't mention the tiny fact that he has been injecting Ella with a serum made from human brains in an attempt to increase her intelligence, it proves a success beyond Geoffrey's expectations & has horrifying consequences...Also known as Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear this was written & directed by George A. Romero & I really wanted to like this, I like most horror fans love what Romero did for the genre during his early career with stonewall 100% solid gold classics like Night of the Living Dead (1968), Martin (1977), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Creepshow (1982) & in my opinion the criminally underrated Day of the Dead (1985) so I really, really wanted to like Monkey Shines which is unusual for me because I generally go into films expecting nothing. Monkey Shines was Romero's first major studio picture for Orion & his script was based on the novel by Michael Stewart & I have to say I was disappointed in just about every aspect of it. The most long-lasting impression of the film I have is that it is unbearably slow, the first 45 minutes is so boring it's untrue as it only features Allan being crippled & him be given the monkey. The character's are unlikable, the dialogue is dull, no-one is believable & the relationships are just not quite there. Then there's the fact that this is meant to be a horror film, well there's absolutely no horror in it until the final 20 odd minutes & I was just sitting there watching Monkey Shines & was literally debating whether to turn it off & go to sleep & I can tell you it was a pretty close thing but I just about managed to stick it out. The story has some interesting points & nice ideas & that makes what ended up on screen even more disappointing, the little sub plot between Geoffrey & his slimy boss comes to absolutely nothing for instance & lazy contradictions because they fit the script conveniently like Ella being able to inject someone with poison using a needle while the next time she has the opportunity she doesn't know how anymore. I wasn't keen on the oh so happiest of happy endings either as a so called quadriplegic has surgery which 'cures' him & he literally rides off into the distance with the pretty girl to presumably live happily ever after.Director Romero knows how to make a decent looking film & he manages to inject some tension into the climatic ending when Monkey Shines actually tries to be a horror film, unfortunately the preceding 90 minutes are as dull as dishwater & contain some unintentionally funny scenes. The love making scene between Allan & Melanie is hilarious, he can move anything below his neck so she positions her womanly bits over his face & her orally pleases her in a truly hilarious looking moment. The monkey, who is credited as 'Boo', for the most part isn't scary or frightening & is a bit too cute for my liking, it's well trained through I'll give it that & it acts better than most of the human cast! This being a Romero film & having Tom Savini listed in the opening credits as special make-up effects man I was hoping for some good gore, unfortunately there's barely a drop of blood in it. There's a cut hand, a little bit of blood in a surgery scene & a silly Alien (1979) inspired effect in a dream sequence.I was amazed to see this had a budget of about $7,000,000, where did all the money go? There's no special effects, no action scenes, no big name stars & although it's competently made it's nothing special. I mean Day of the Dead had half the budget of Monkey Shines & it looks the more expensive film. The acting isn't anything special & the monkey Boo gets the 'best actor' honours in it.Monkey Shines was a huge disappointment to me, I was expecting so much more. I really liked the overall story but it's so slow, so devoid of any sort of horror & just plain stupid on too many occasions. I hate to say it but Monkey Shines is basically the beginning of the end of Romero's midas touch in the horror genre.