Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

poe-48833 As with most of what he's done, George Romero's MONKEY SHINES focuses on Human interaction(s)- to the Nth degree, one might say (thanks to telepathy). Not unlike many of the low budget sci-fi and horror movies of the 1950s and '60s, MONKEY SHINES presents its concepts in a straightforward fashion, without the often off-putting tongue-in-cheek attitude of filmmakers whose attitudes suggest they're just slumming in the genre(s). It would be interesting to find out if Romero's decision to direct this one had anything to do with the monkey that he once owned (see the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD filmbook by John Russo or THE ZOMBIES THAT ATE PITTSBURGH by Paul Gagne). (One of my many misadventures driving a cab involved a monkey: I was sent to pick up "the monkey lady." When I asked what that meant, I was told, "You'll see." It turned out that the woman had a pet monkey on a leash. The little guy was only about ten inches tall- if that. He was wearing a little black leather jacket. I made the mistake of smiling at him. He clutched my forearm with both hands, bared his fangs, and BIT me. His teeth didn't penetrate my jacket, but I felt as if I were being pinched very, very hard. The woman pulled him off of me and explained that looking a monkey in the eyes and "flashing my fangs" at him was an "act of aggression." Suffice it to say, I don't own a monkey...)

gwnightscream Jason Beghe, John Pankow, Kate McNeil and Joyce Van Patten star in George Romero's 1988 sci-fi/horror film based on the novel. This focuses on former athlete, Allan (Beghe) who gets paralyzed in an auto accident. Soon, his scientist friend, Geoffrey (Pankow) decides to give him an experimental monkey, Ella to help him recover. Allan and Ella bond immediately, but Allan starts having a telepathic link with her causing behavioral changes and Ella becomes dangerous. McNeil (The House on Sorority Row) plays Melanie, an animal specialist who finds romance with Allan and Van Patten plays Allan's overbearing mother, Dorothy. This is a pretty good 80's sci-fi/horror flick with a decent cast and great make-up effects by Tom Savini as usual. I recommend this.

BA_Harrison For his immediate follow up to the excellent Day of the Dead, George Romero ditches shuffling, flesh-eating corpses in favour of a much smaller, hairier, and altogether more unlikely antagonist: a capuchin monkey called Ella.After being injected with an experimental serum designed to enhance her intelligence, furry-faced Ella (brilliantly played by Boo, whose acting career has inexplicably stalled after this impressive debut) gradually turns into a murderous beast capable of tapping into the anger and resentment of her paraplegic owner Allan Mann (Jason Beghe) and carrying out his most primal desires. As little hairy Ella proceeds to bump off those who have wronged or upset her master, she proves to be every bit as deadly as a reanimated corpse, only a damn sight more devious.Monkey Shines is a decidedly different beast to the '...of the Dead' films for which Romero is so well known: the director eschews the cartoonish blood and guts approach that has made his zombie films so popular with gore-hounds (although make-up legend Tom Savini is still on hand to provide a couple of impressive effects), and opts instead for slow-burn tension and nail-biting suspense.This more mature and reserved directorial style, coupled with excellent performances (Beghe, who is limited to acting only with his head, is superb), a well written script (adapted by Romero from the novel by Michael Stewart), and a few decent jump scares, results in a satisfying little horror/chiller that proves there is more to Romero than just gut-munching and bullets to the head (not that I dislike gratuitous splatter, but a change is as good as a rest, as they say!).

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.