Comas not realistic in movies

Now there's a surprise. In a report by the BBC, a "leading" US Neurologist has said that movies are "grossly misrepresenting" the comatose state. Part of the report reads as:

"For example, they often showed miraculous awakenings - often within seconds and as if from a terrible nightmare - with no long-lasting effects at all.
Other flaws included:

• A lack of feeding tubes
• Unrealistic muscle contractions
• No sign of a tracheotomy to help breathing
• 'Comatose' patients remaining muscular, tanned and well groomed"

Click here for the full report.

Review: The Sentinel

Director : Clark Johnson
Main Cast : Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria

A plot to assassinate the President of the US. A mole in the Secret Service. Kiefer Sutherland as one of the good guys, fighting against time to uncover the plot. Sounds like yet another season of 24, right? Wrong. It’s essentially what The Sentinel is all about, with Michael Douglas playing the lead as the Secret Service man wrongly accused as the mole.



Main reason why I was interested in watching The Sentinel was because it had in it the stars of two of my favourite TV shows (downloaded via BitTorrent, of course). Kiefer Sutherland from 24, and Eva Longoria is hands-down my favourite Desperate Housewife (for obvious reasons). However, both were a pale shadow of their TV selves, and gave unmemorable performances. Eva Longoria in particular was oh-so-boring, dressed in a pant suit for the whole film, though the sight of her brandishing a gun might appeal to some. Michael Douglas was his usual self, playing the type of role that he’s familiar with. Nothing special, but still effective.

The main problem of the film to me though is having Kiefer Sutherland as a Secret Service agent trying to uncover a plot to kill the President. Sutherland is, like, one of the most iconic TV star in the past 6 years. I mean, he practically is 24, and if he intended to shake off the Jack Bauer image and do something else for a change, well he couldn’t have chosen a worse role. The film literally just needed his character to torture someone for information, and we would have 24 – The Movie.

So is The Sentinel worth watching then? Well it’s a good film, but you’ll get LOADS more drama, suspense, action and pure unadulterated fun watching a season of 24 instead.

Review: In Her Shoes

Director : Curtis Hanson
Main Cast : Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette

So here goes, my first DVD review. Got a feeling that there’ll be more reviews of these for the same reasons stated in my previous post. I just don’t look forward to going to the cinemas anymore!

In Her Shoes is basically a “Chic Flick” based on a “Chic Lit” of the same name. It stars Diaz and Collette (the mother in Sixth Sense) as sisters; one a responsible, workaholic lawyer, the other a party girl who’s drunk more often than sober (hey, it rhymes!). I have watched and enjoyed a few similar films in my time, but I just didn’t get In Her Shoes. It was boring from the start, and didn’t take me too long before I was playing on my trusty ‘ol PS2 to help me through the ordeal. It’s not some guy thing, you know, the typical “oh these kind of films are not made for you guys, it doesn’t have any guns or explosions” remarks. It. Just. Is. Boring. Much like this review, then.