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Reviews
Wicked Game (2002)
To be expected from two Power Rangers actors.
When I first saw this movie I got the impression that it was a vehicle for some stuntmen trying to turn actors. After looking at IMDB I realized I was not far off. I would not even be surprise to find that some other Power Ranger folks were also involved. The plot is a simple get something from bad guys and fight bad guys off. The sets are unrealistic much like those on the aforementioned Power Rangers. Nothing was truly outstanding action-wise either. All in all although there are action flicks worse then this movie there are many that are far better.
Memento (2000)
Who needs $20,000,000 actors?
Quite simply this is one of the best films I've seen with actors and actresses of whom I've barely seen. This is NOT a cult film which is popular by some weird twist of fate. This IS a solid film; well acted, directed and definitely well written. Although I have seen this basic plot twice before, I haven't seen it in a movie or so well done. The combination of Leonard's brain damage and the reverse chronologic filming allow one of the most bizarre plot twists I've seen. Thespian for Thespian, one of the best-done films to come out of Hollywood.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
An excellent adaptation of perhaps the best fantasy epic ever.
For anyone who has read Tolkien or ever heard of his name in some bar somewhere this movie is a must see!! Chock full of Elf, Orc, Troll and Sorcerer goodness. Not to mention of course our real heroes, the hobbits. As near as I can tell here are the "bad" points.... One: Too Long... Some people are claiming that just shy of three hours is far too long. I do see their point, I mean if I had the attention span of a gnat I'd be itching to buzz off too. Seriously though, admittedly I would have loved to see this as 6 two-hour movies but the more "mainstream" audience would never have stood for it. I credit the writers for making this a digestible movie for the less enthusiastic. Two: It doesn't have any closure... DUHHHH!!!!!! This did not come from a trilogy! The Lord of the Rings is a SINGLE book divided into three volumes. You will not see the real end for two years (alas). Three: The Love Story as in lack of screen time... The whole Aragon/Arwen thing probably got more attention in the Movie then in the book... Much like the book I expect far more in Part 3 "The Return of the King" Four: Simple story... Ummm, some of the greatest movies ever had basically simple plots. Look at Star Wars, The Godfather, Indiana Jones, Saving Private Ryan, Castaway, Goodfellas, Silence of the Lambs, Casablanca, Shindler's list. I've even seen the "Memento" plot done before, twice (admittedly only twice). These are all still great movies, In fact the only REALLY unique movie of the top 10 (8 I've seen) is, maybe, Citizen Kane. For top grossing it isn't until you get to ET that you see a really unique plot. Anyway point is that the little things are what really make the difference in a plot.
'K enough venting at certain critics. This is definitely a movie to see but if your really worried about it wait for it at your video store and watch on your nice couch at home, the one thing you'll lose is the cinematography unless you got a nice big 60" screen. It has the best camera work and landscapes that I've ever seen in a movie.
Armitage III: Poly-Matrix (1996)
Not the best but damn good...
I am a relative newcomer to Anime having only seen about 9 or so feature length films and episodes from about 6 different TV shows. Someone recommended Armitage I'm glad I saw it. Although not as popular as Ghost in the Shell or Akira it is the best I've seen after those two. Like most anime Armitage is set in the near future. In this case probably about 2050, on Mars.
Armitage suffers from a few minor plots holes and some visual problems but not too much worse then any movie. Armitage herself sometimes has some inhuman facial expressions (like most anime, think Dragonball Z but not ass exagerated as Slayers) This movie has a great plot and although, yes, it is a similar plot to Blade Runner, by definition so does any cop and androids movie. Besides Blade Runner wasn?t even the first with that plot? just the first really popular one. No one says Under Siege ripped off Die Hard just ?cause they are both about the good guy being in the right place to beat on some terrorists. (Sorry I just hate when people think that anything with a simlar plot HAD to have ripped it off) Anyway...
The plot is a little more developed then some anime but again, not as good as Ghost in the Shell although that may come from being put together from a miniseries with some scenes removed. Someday I?ll have to see the original four episodes. Armitage has a great sound track that goes well with the animation and plot. Visually it is average, not as nice as Ghost, or Akira but better than Dragonball Z or Titan AE.
A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Worst movie ever which may be why it's a classic.
If you ignore the last five minutes (or like my friends, can't sit through the first 80-odd minutes) this movie is horrendous, a classic example of "Bad Science Fiction). My friends and I rented this movie in a quest to see the Worst Science Fiction Ever and it did not disappoint. Much like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, if you did not know it's cult status you'd probably hate it and the end scene is it's only redeeming value. It is a must see for anyone who wishes to be a sci-fi guru but to everyone else... Consider yourself warned!
Class of 1999 (1990)
Better then most, worth seeing once.
Definitely not the best Sci-fi/action flick I've seen but far better then most B-movies (see Nemesis 2, 3 and 4 for a textbook definition of crap). I have never heard of Bradley Gregg before but his acting is decent in a movie that doesn't even require it. Pam Grier and the rest of the cyborgs act just stiffly enough to come across well as cyborgs or strange teachers. Tracy Lind does a good job of playing the girlfriend/daughter getting yanked around a bit between the reformed punk and her semi-insane scientist/principal father. The special effects are mediocre but there are many amusing scenes especially in the final showdown. It was on cable a bunch of times around here and if you like "B" sci-fi/action check this one out.
The Matrix (1999)
There is no middle ground.
Until I checked the comments here I knew two types of people. Those who loved it and those who hadn't seen it. I saw it for the second time tonight with a bunch of friends. For some this was their fourth time. Pretty scary, it reminded me of Titanic. One of my friends is in the film school here at CU and he loved it. Now we are all pretty sure that Keanu Reeves is not a good actor (for some that is putting it mildly). How ever THIS was his kind of role and for once he actually did a good job. (Personally, I liked Speed too, but it was far from great). This movie had a little of everything. It had the philosophy, the Sci-fi, the horror(those squids were FREAKY and the "bug" gave me shivers), a dash of love, martial arts, and of course, action. There were religous references, literary references and more. All in all don't believe me that it's good, and PLEASE don't listen to someone else that it was bad. Take a chance and see it for yourself. Spend some change and chances are good that you won't regret it. You'll either love it or hate it. There is no middle ground.
Solarbabies (1986)
Top Ten of a Decade
Few movies of its era had the impact of Solarbabies. Labyrinth was one and perhaps it did overshadow it. As did the Mad Max trilogy. In the age of movies which by modern standards had no budget story was everything. And the Solarbabies story was definitely memorable. And with such future stars as Jason Patric and Peter DeLuise of Jump Street fame who could ask for anything more.