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Reviews
2010 (1984)
NICE TRY... NO. NOT REALLY.
I saw this film when it was first released but until now had entirely forgotten it's contents. Just as Doctor Chandra did with HAL in the film, it is as though some benign entity had manifested itself & kindly erased my memory of anything that transpired in the movie. Now I realize why.
It opens appropriately in total darkness & those ominous words... "My God. It's full of stars." From this promising beginning the film abruptly descends into disappointment. Too much cold war dynamic. Too much small talk. Too much colour saturation & obvious chromo keying. The acting is not actually bad. But the director's attempts to satisfy the general public with the kind of emotive acting they could most easily relate to comes off as melodramatic. Kubrick understood that any attempts at overt drama would fall flat against the gigantic canvas of the cosmos that he was in the process of painting. That is why everything the actors do in 2001 is so understated. Keir Dullea.& Gary Lockwood deliver almost blank faced performances & the dialogue between Doctor Floyd & the Russians in flight reception is icy & restrained. Humanity is dwarfed by the vast themes at play in 2001 & human emotions become almost absurd by contrast.
At least the interactions between Doctor Floyd & Bowman are interesting. The conversations between HAL & his creator are also one of the film's saving graces. Near the conclusion, HAL's admission to Bowman that he is afraid, a reprise of the same exchange in 2001, is also poignant. Then the film explodes with a hollywood-esque ending which too me was just corny.
I wanted this to be good. I think the director's efforts were well intentioned. But I suspect the producers got in the way. Since then Hyams has proved himself to be a capable & inspired director.
Hellraiser (2022)
Sequel masquerading as reboot.
Yet another mediocre Hellraiser sequel & this time bearing the title of the original film so we think it's a reboot. The screenplay bears absolutely no resemblance to the first film & contains nothing to signify any sort of beginning. It's just another bland installment. The story line is convoluted & pointless & there are no particularly memorable scenes or lines throughout it's 2 hour length. I was going to give this effort 5 stars out of ten because I thought the Cenobite designs were actually quite good. The concept of a cumbersome, pain inducing machine imbedded in someone's abdomen was also fairly ingenious. But I knocked my vote down to 4 just for the false hype. They actually fooled us into thinking we were going to get a good film this time around. For the promoters that must count as an accomplishment of sorts. But how about actually delivering a decent movie? Can it be that hard considering the resources they are granted?
The Black Phone (2021)
Enjoyable horror thriller
This ticked most of the boxes for me. Engaging. Entertaining. Interesting story line. Well acted & directed. If your'e looking for helpings of gore every five minutes then this isn't for you. There are moments of violence & bloodshed but this is primarily a suspenseful horror with thriller elements. It definitely had me on the edge of my seat a few times & there's a hilarious scene near the beginning where child actor Madelaine Mcgraw's character gives detectives a piece of her mind. It's a real corker. I won't say any more. LOL.
Don't listen to the usual barrage of negative reviews with 'worst' or 'no' or 'disappointed' in their title. These cliched reviews always make the rounds & they're usually inaccurate.
Stowaway (2021)
Superb movie but for one thing.
This is exemplary science fiction & the best in the genre I've seen for some time. The opening sequence, where the crew lift-off & achieve escape velocity, is directed perfectly & really sets the standard for the rest of the film.
The acting throughout is consistently good. The script & direction are excellent. In fact apart from a few science errors, already comprehensively covered by another reviewer & the glaring anomaly concerning who sealed the stowaway in... it's really the perfect sci-fi action/drama.
Seungriho (2021)
Disappointing
Let me begin by stating that I am a fan of Korean cinema. They make superb movies that exist contrary to the stereotypical efforts coming out of Hollywood recently & as such are a breath of fresh air. Space Sweepers, however, does not deserve the same accolades. To begin with, I was put off by erratic behaviour from the characters as they displayed cartoon-like, exaggerated responses, behaved irrationally at every turn & would suddenly launch into fits of violence for no apparent reason. Really. It was like a bad martial arts film. The dialogue was far too rapid & to be honest I just couldn't keep up with the subtitles. The action sequences were choppy & it was difficult to follow exactly what was supposed to be going on. To make things worse the story was not sufficiently engaging & after about half an hour I gave up. On the plus side though, the special effects are stunning,
Outpost 37 (2014)
Good Sci Fi flick but politically biased.
I enjoyed this movie & found it to be a competent & entertaining offering in all respects. The story line was well developed & engaging. The characters, though somewhat clichéd to some extent, were believable & well rounded. The acting, sets & direction were flawless. Alien Outpost is definitely no amateur hour effort.
Yep. It's a great flick. But let's face it... it is imbedded with a non too subtle political subtext & could easily have been called 'Terrorist' Outpost. To begin with, the troops are American marines stationed in an Arabic country, namely Pakistan, where they are constantly under attack from the local tribesmen. In fact, the only enemy we see for a good part of the movie are turban-bound combatants who object to the presence of an American outpost in their country. But of course the Americans 'must' be there to fight the big bad terrorists. I mean... aliens. And the overwhelming premise presented by the film is that, yes.. it's okay for Americans to slap a military outpost in any country they want & sovereignty be damned.
However, political bias notwithstanding it's a great flick & to be honest, the behaviour of the local tribesmen would probably be just the same if the main combatants were in fact aliens.
The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009)
Audacious thriller.
Most of the reviews for this film fall into one of two categories: the ones that claim it is a misunderstood work whose esoteric nuances leave the masses bemused; or the ones that label it simply a monument to ineptitude. I subscribe to neither view.
Well... at least not entirely.
Bad Lieutenant Port Of Call does contain certain conceits that may be likened to pretensions. But to tell the truth I love the conceits. Some of them are really absurd and I get a real hoot out of Herzog's audacity whenever they occur. We all know which scenes I'm referring to & there's no need to introduce spoilers here. Suffice to say - reptiles, dancing & oxygen tanks are involved. But however audacious the pretensions are they do not elevate this film to the level of art. It is not a misunderstood masterpiece. This is not to say, however, that Herzog's film is totally without artistic merit.
The film's detractors usually complain about Cage being a poor substitute for Harvey Keitel. That the storyline does not meld seamlessly enough with the first Bad Lieutenant film. Or that the storyline is erratic & poorly developed. These are for the main part subjective criticisms & should not deter viewers from seeing this film. Or from seeing it for what it really is: a dark, quirky & sometimes comical thriller about a detective trying his utmost to do his job while wrestling with his own inner demons.
Bad Lieutenant Port Of Call does not fall into the category of flawed masterpiece. At the same time it cannot be called a bad film. To me it's just a good thriller. Oh yeh... and did I mention that it's a real hoot?
51 (2011)
51 out of 100
If this were a test paper I'd give it 51 out of 100. I was really disappointed with this film as I'm generally a keen devotee of area 51 films. However, from the get go I knew I was in for a good serving of high definition amateur hour. The news anchorwoman scene which served as the film's opening just didn't look right & neither did a similar scene which served as the film's conclusion. The acting in most scenes is a little dodgy, although much of the blame must be attributed to the lackluster script & lack of finesse in the editing department. By poor editing I mean there should have been more closeups & camera angles.
Still though, it could have been worse. What I did like about this film were the creature effects. Also, for those interested in lashings of blood & gore there were sufficient quantities of both. And to be truthful it was actually quite amusing watching the actors labor like troopers through some of the weaker scenes.
In conclusion, don't watch this film if you're expecting something great. If, however, you're like me & just can't resist a horror flick even with a guaranteed cheese factor, knock yourself out.
Yes: Live at Montreux 2003 (2007)
High Definition! Yes!
Those of you familiar with Yes will know what to expect. They are a progressive rock outfit known for their employment of complex harmonies & rhythms. Somehow they manage to merge their monumental musical structures with mainstream rock & as a result have been a driving force for nearly four decades, surviving numerous lineup changes & band breakups only to re-emerge invigorated time & time again.
What they seem to do best is to perpetually re-invent themselves, so it should come as no surprise that this is precisely what manifests in Live At Montreux.
Some of the older chestnuts like Siberian Khatru & Heart of the Sunrise are included in this offering & comparing these newer versions to the original live 70's versions shows just how much the Yes sound has evolved. Whereas the older versions were more driving, even a little harsh, these newer renditions are more steadily paced & sonically more clear. Thanks to modern technology & surround sound, at last we can hear every note. It's not only the picture that exhibits high definition here but also the music. Maestro Steve Howe's guitar sound is superb. The keyboards, still banked around Wakeman like so much magical paraphernalia, sound bigger than ever. And amongst it all are sprinklings of delicate percussion from Alan White & Jon Anderson's harp playing. Chris Squire is no slouch either & his bass solo - The Fish - shows just how much he has evolved as a showman & artist. It literally rocks the house.
The ambiances are gigantic. And when you get to 'Awaken', later in the set, be prepared for a soundscape so lush & ambitious in scope as to literally take your breath away.
Well, as you can see, I really liked this Blu-ray presentation. If you're a Yes fan then it's a must see. If you aren't a fan but would like to see something skillfully crafted & a little different, then check it out.
But be warned, you may wind up becoming a fan.