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johnnycage10
Reviews
Flash Gordon (2007)
Great show. See it and make up your own mind.
Very surprised to the negative reviews this show is receiving. It's not like the original FG? Of course not, because the original FG sucked. Good dialogue and surprise twists are aplenty on this show. Special mention to Karen Cliché's Baylin and John Ralson's Ming for giving us an ultracool heroin and a villain who is evil and very realistic, respectively.
If you want lines like "It's a political think-tank. Now THERE'S an oxymon", then watch FG. If you want garbage, then there's much more of it on the idiot-tube.
See it and enjoy the quirky characters, good dialogue, plot twists you didn't see coming, and how dangerous and self-deluded Ming is. Forget the morons who were in the stupid 1981 movie, since this is good television. You won't regret it.
Slashers (2001)
One of the greatest movies ever. Devereux's a genius.
The summary says it all. I won't bother giving spoilers since 1) it would lessen the impact of this great film once you see it, and 2) others already have in their own comments.
But you SHOULD find this film and see it, above all else. The director is the smartest man in the movie-making industry, and the film shows it. There isn't a single predictable aspect to Slashers. We have six very interesting, diverse and sympathetic characters, and three interesting (and sometimes even sympathetic) villains.
The dialogue is sharp, the surprises are aplenty, and there's a huge social message everywhere, with the ultimate being the truth - that it's society who's at fault for making its own problems.
If you can handle that intelligence, then go see this. If you can't, then 90% of Hollywood is full of trash that's catered just for you.
Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)
Excellent cartoon
This cartoon is definitely worth checking out. As far as I'm concerned, it's set in the same universe as the great, first MK movie, though there are some differences, mostly the absence of Kano and Shang Tsung being an old and conniving weasel instead of the confident way he was superbly portrayed by Cary Tagawa in the following film.
Not surprisingly, it's used as an advertisement vehicle for that film, which is fine with me. But back to the cartoon, it shows some beautiful background animation, even by today's standards, and considering it's from 1995, that's saying a lot. I challenge anyone to find prettier eye candy than the water, or island, or cave, or sky, as are done in this cartoon. Second, we find out some very well-written past history on many of the MK movie's participants. Shang Tsung's victory over the temple master was very dramatic and sad (imagine being the master's students who found his body, and realized that the soul had been removed after death), in addition to the history of the ultimate villain, which being Goro. Here, we learn the type of parenting that fed Goro's bloodlust, leading him to kill his older, stronger brother, and Kung Lao, the human champion. It's very heartbreaking, and infuriating, to see Goro kill these two noble characters, especially Kung Lao, as this human was clearly kicking his rear end for quite a while before Goro simply used his massive size to his advantage.
Fortunately, we MK movie fans know that Goro will be meeting his end at the hands of an arrogant, yet very smart and brave, Johnny Cage quite soon after this cartoon, in an ironic recreation of the way he murdered Durak. Third, the music to this cartoon is one of the beautiful and most haunting you'll ever hear. It was enough for me to buy the soundtrack, while the graphics and story were enough for me to buy the tape.
Which isn't to say it's perfect. There are scenes where some shots are repeated, and needlessly so. Having the last fight where the three heroes take on hordes of expendable nomads could've been shorter and just as effective. I know that's the reason why so many people dislike this. But it's a very small minus in a filmstrip that's otherwise full of pluses.
So highly, highly recommended.
The Death of Batman (2003)
Good, but not bad. Definitely better than most people think.
I must admit that my opinion of this fanfilm improves over time. Granted, I don't like it as much as Batman : Dead End, which I consider to be a masterpiece and a true sequel to the Alien and Predator films. But I like it better than fake commercials like Grayson and World's Finest. I just don't see the point of making a trailer for something that doesn't exist.
But back to this film, I'm appreciating what the writer/director tried to say, that a blanket attitude of Good Vs Bad just doesn't work, as there must be room for discretion, questions and doubts. Otherwise, innocent people will suffer when they get swept up in this blanket. And it works, mostly.
The acting on the part of Batman and the Thief were truly good, and it's not surprising that they're actually professional actors. Batman's attitude was also well done.
My two biggest problems with this film, though, that still keep it from being one that I go back and watch again (only watched BDE about a dozen times by now ^_^) is both the dry-humping scene (totally unnecessary for the storyline) and the ending where Batman offs himself.
Now, I understand that this is a fanfilm, and much like a piece of fanfiction, the author has a right to give his version of the character. But the part where Batman commits suicide is just too different from the image of Batman who never gives up, that it creates friction which just can't be ignored.
If that annoying humping scene was taken out, and Batman used his tragic mistake with the Thief to fuel his continuing crusade against crime, and obsessed with not making mistakes in the future, then this would've been a great film, as good as BDE, and one to recommend to others nonstop. But as it stands, it's a good film, but not a great one, which is still better than 90% of the garbage that people get paid money to put together.
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Excellent movie
I'm always surprised at the critics to this great film who claim that it's as bad as the theatrical version of Alien 3 or worse than Alien. Truth is that AR is one of the best films ever made, second only to the nearly perfect Aliens and much better than the decent Alien. It's just too bad that the mass audiences did not agree, letting this $70 million gem make $140 million worldwide, and thus securing that the AR genre would not continue.
*****SPOILERS****** First, for the positives. That starts with Jeanet's direction, which is artistically and visually beautiful. Then there's the writer, in Joss Whedon (back when he used to be good and before he sold out to maximize his profits). That's proved in the fact that no one could've ever predicted how the aliens initially broke out of their containment. Add to that surprises aplenty (underwater scene was gorgeous) such as Winona Ryder's initial "death", the infected miner getting his revenge against the evil doctor, the overall dialogue, and this is one of best-written films anywhere.
Add to that the acting, which is excellent on Sigourney Weaver's part, and pretty good on the part of everyone else, with special mention to Ron Pearlman and Michael Wincott's unfortunately-limited presence. And last, the special effects, which are awesome. Granted the CGI doesn't look as good in some places, but truth is that one could not tell this story by using people in suits (such as the ultra-cool scene where the alien jumps out of the water and latches on to the ladder above).
But there is one negative, and that's the Newborn. Not that I disliked this monster. In fact, it was impressive indeed, and its death scene was another shocking scene to watch open-mouthed. But the Newborn was unnecessary. We still had plenty of story that could've revolved around the facehuggers, xenomorphs and the Queen, that could've been developed without bringing a new monster into the genre. Personally, I would've had the Queen have a child-like attachment to Ripley, and have the Newborn's death be the Queen's death, which would've made this movie perfect.
Overall, it's such a shame that this film wasn't accepted by the masses, and it's also a shame that Winona Ryder made a stupid decision by shoplifting a few years later. I heard rumors that her off-screen behavior is partly what convinced Fox to do the horrible AvP and not do a fifth Alien movie with her character as the lead. Instead, we got Paul Anderson's garbage. What a waste.
Batman: Dead End (2003)
The true AVP. A beautiful work of art.
As the title states, this gorgeous piece of film is the true Aliens Vs Predator, unlike the $60-million piece of garbage that was released in 2004, and it's the true sequel to the great Alien and Predator films of the 1980's and 1990's. For starters, it was smart enough to carry the same music from the Predator films. Just goes to show you - don't fix what ain't broke.
Batman and the Joker were great, in both appearance (nice make-up and clothes) and personality (both characters squeezed as much emotion, background and depth in the few lines they had as humanly possible). Very cool fight scenes in addition to that.
*********SPOILERS**********
I initially thought the fact that Batman won the fight against the Predator shouldn't have happened (though it WAS a great fight), but then I remembered what happened at the end. Other Predators were chuckling after Batman won and (of course) spared the initial Predator's life, so I'm thinking the other Preds were older and evaluating Batman's opponent's performance, who was just a student.
**********END SPOILERS***********
It's a must-see for any Batman or Predator fan. The Alien monster didn't have a lot to do here, so I wouldn't feel right about recommending this film to hardcore fans of the great Alien movies only, not if those fans don't enjoy Batman or Predator. That's because the Alien is only on the screen for a few seconds, and the time/energy spent finding this film may not prove worth it if one is only wishing to see Aliens. But for Batman or Pred fans, the search is very much worth the effort.
My one and ONLY complaint - it was too short!
I wanted to see more. For instance, how did Batman survive at the end? Personally, I think that Robin or Nightwing flew by in the Batwing and gave him a quick ride out of that place. And second, I want to see everyone's reaction to this fight, mostly Batman's and the student Pred who had lost to him. There's Batman trying to figure out the identity of the new creatures he had come across and the threat they pose to the world, while searching for the Joker, or what's left of the Joker.
And there's the Pred trying to make sense out of what had just happened to him. I'm sure that with all the clap-trap student Preds are fed about the "honor" of hunting and killing creatures who never did anything to them, they're always told that the universe is full of instances where you either kill or are killed, even when skipping the obvious problem where Preds are the ones who attack first, in many instances hunting creatures who are not aggressive towards them. So would this student Pred wonder why this supposedly deadly human spared his life? And would it make him question all the teachings his world has been feeding him?
In an ideal situation, the Pred breaks rank from his elders, finds the Batcave, and demands to know why Batman spared his life, as he can't stand the "shame" of being alive after losing a battle that was instigated for no reason other than to fight. And Batman smacks him in the back of the head and tells him to get real, since honor is when a warrior defends those who are weaker than him, as opposed to just starting random fights with strangers. And then Batman, Robin and the enlightened Pred team up to clean up Gotham City as much as possible.
Hey, a fan can dream :)
Hopefully one day, Sandy and the rest of the crew will get enough funding to make a long AVP film. But if not, then I wish them luck in future projects.
Fight on!
Soldier (1998)
Soldier and Paul Anderson are under-rated. Here's why.
I saw Soldier when it first came out because I was a Paul Anderson fan after having seen Mortal Kombat. I loved the MK movie, and think that it's the best film ever. I'm not objective when it comes to it because I love the games, but if you wish to know why, my review of is on the IMDb under my Johnnycage10. I digress. I initially thought "Soldier" was passable, and gave it 6/10 for its action, acting (films with Gary Busey as supporting role can't be bad see Lethal Weapon and Predator 2) and the interaction between Russel's character and the civilians. ******SPOILERS****** It was impossible to dislike the friendly (but 2-dimentional) characters, especially the husband/wife/child family, though everyone saw that the nice husband was going to die, which would allow Russel to be a surrogate father for his widow and child. My problems then was that I found huge plot holes. First, it was ludicrous that the military would throw away experienced soldiers simply because it obtained new soldiers who can run faster, lift more, etc. The new soldiers were physically superior in controlled experiments (running on an indoor track), but are they really better in the real world (running down a crumbling street and firing back against snipers who are trying to pick them off)? I would say No, since experience counts in the latter situation. Secondly, the villainous colonel was crazy to be ignoring the advice that Busey's more experienced captain was giving. Third, the colonel's order to wipe out anyone who was found by accident on the planet was worst of all. After this expensive film bombed, Anderson disappeared for a while, and then resurfaced as the brains behind the Resident Evil movie. I found RE to be enjoyable enough (though some RE fans hated it due to him not including the game characters, understandably). But I liked the directing, the action scenes, the special effects, the music, and the likable dialogue, even if they WERE uttered by Milla J ("Stay where you are, we're coming back for you since we won't leave anyone behind" indeed). Like the ill-fated husband/father in Soldier, how could anyone dislike that? But after RE, Anderson directed Alien Vs Predator and wrote the screenplay to RE Apocalypse, and massacred both titles (A predator befriending a human? Jill running around in a tubetop in a city overrun by the dead? Nemesis streetbrawling against Milla J and LOSING?! Nemesis siding with the protagonists?!). That was unforgivable. I hated Anderson ever since and vowed to never see his work again. Then, I saw Soldier again recently, this time with my wife, who unlike me, has experience in the army. I mentioned to her why I didn't like it, and for a shocking twist, she informed me that she liked the film for those very reasons, because she stated that those "plotholes", as I saw them, were exactly how the military performed in real life. First, she stated that in her time with the army, experience wasn't valued; the only variable that was paid attention to was how much one could lift and how fast one could run. Second, she added that the colonel's behavior was EXACTLY how inexperienced superiors act when advised that their actions are idiotic by experienced subordinates. Lastly, as to the "plothole" regarding soldiers being ordered to kill civilians that they encounter, do we need to know more after seeing what happening in Iraq? Unless we still believe Bush and Blair when they go on about the "honorable" military and the few bad apples who were seen abusing Iraqis in pictures (one huge coincidence that every bad apple who's abusing civilians was stupid enough to have pictures taken of himself while doing it). Newsflash when Hussein's goons are seen violating people's rights, he's called a dictator, and rightly so. But when American and British grunts are seen violating people's rights, they're called bad apples, but they're not, as that's the norm. Truth is that power corrupts, and when you give weapons to undisciplined losers and set them loose on a civilian population, without proper supervision, then many of them will abuse their power, whether they be Iraqi, American or British losers. That's the point that Soldier was making power corrupts, especially when combined with ignorance and where one doesn't have to answer for one's actions. That's why it brought up the level to 8/10 after I saw it the second time. As for Anderson, I still hate how he butchered AvP and REA, but I need to be objective about him. He did a great job with MK, imo, and a decent job with Event Horizon (though I still don't understand that film) and a decent job with Soldier, which was a smart film. But as is the case with most smart films, Soldier bombed at the box office (just look at the great Three Kings for similarity). So after having experienced this, can we really blame Anderson for taking the low road and writing/directing films that show off some actress or another with her top off? I no longer can, not after realizing how intelligent Soldier was and how much of a price Anderson paid for being its director. It's too bad Anderson had to appeal to the lowest common denominator to keep making big money in Hollywood, as he really DID show promise with some of his camera tricks in his earlier films, but that's the audience's fault more than it is his own.
Batoru rowaiaru II: Chinkonka (2003)
Excellent movie
9.5/10 *******SPOILERS AHEAD******** Complaint about BR2 are that the anti-US sentiment is without explanation. But the filmmakers made statements about real life, as the Prime Minister tells the Teacher that the US ordered them to take care of the island, and that scene followed the previous one where the Teacher explained that the US bombed dozens of countries in the past. Link established if your country does something that the US dislikes, then it gets bombed. It's crucial when the BR1 survivor said he escaped Japan and lived in a war-torn country, where one sees the consequences of living in a country that's in America's disfavor, where infrastructures are crumbled and quality of life is much less than the quality of life for Americans. BR1 isn't explained here (did the US make Japan implement the Battle Royale act?). Either the US pressured Japan to pass the BR law, or Japan did so by itself. But now that the mess from BR1 was done and the Japanese government was trying to deal with its consequences (teenaged terrorists), the US demanded that Japan do what the US wants about this problem, or face being bombed to the point where it's a third world nation. This is what the US does in real life, and it's that violation of foreign citizens' human rights that creates terrorists, since if you lose all your loved ones to bombs that fall from the sky, then you'll hate the source of all those bombs. This was explained in the flashback where the BR1 protagonist remembered his mentor who left an AK-47 with him while saying that killing wouldn't change the world that he hated, but it was the only thing he knew to do, before he himself charges off and dies. That was the only time the film got into the mind of a terrorist, one who stated that his actions wouldn't change what he hated, but did them anyway as there was nothing else in life. The best point was when the regular troops were sent in, as the one soldier who got to speak before dying mentioned his family. So even though terrorists and soldiers are killing each other, they have more in common with each other than their masters who place them in that position where they have to kill or be killed. The comparison between that and real life is obvious, as that's the case with every war, unless one still thinks that political heads of nations who declare wars against each other, where troops die on both sides, actually care about their soldiers. Honestly, American and Iraqi soldiers have more in common while they're blasting each other than they do with Bush W and Saddam Hussein. Another criticism is that it's not explained why the Teacher was dressed in a rugby uniform at the end. I understood this to mean that he had suffered for a long time, starting with the death of his daughter at the terrorists' hands, and afterwards at the hands of the Prime Minister (who had him in a collar, and who was in turn having his strings pulled by the US). The conversation with the Prime Minister proved to be the last straw for him, so he decided to put an end to his empty life rather than continuing to serve a corrupt master. Not unlike the kids who opted to commit suicide in BR1 rather than kill others, as they didn't wish to survive if doing so meant turning into killers. On his last day, the Teacher decided that spending time with teenagers was more worthwhile than doing so with others, as he had a connection to those teenagers despite what they had done to his family, as he saw that the teenagers had been forced into their life as he had been forced into his. So wishing to return to a simpler life where all he wanted to do was play rugby with the teens (and go home to his daughter afterwards), he dressed up in the rugby uniform and spent time with the teenagers, reminiscing about what their lives should've been like but weren't. That time was all he got before he paid the price for leaving the Prime Minister, but he preferred it over several more decades as a slave. Another thing that's great about this film - the student who refused to participate at the start. Enough said about his bravery. But BR2 is not perfect. First, there should've been more dialogue, to let the audience hear the mindset of extremists who think they're serving a higher purpose and follow it with such zeal that they forget to value the lives of strangers, as the teenagers did in the film. That's what a fanatic does doubles his efforts while losing sight of the goal. The effort was to destroy the power of Adults because those Adults kill others, but in the process, these Teenagers became killers themselves, killing innocents with their bombs, so their goal of destroying their enemies was lost, as they're no better than their enemies now. But that wasn't mentioned enough. Second, it was never explained why the Adults didn't nuke the island with several 1000-pound bombs, instead sending in other kids and then platoons of Soldiers. But this plothole was done to drive the story, as we wouldn't have a story if the island was wiped out by bombers. Third, too many Soldiers dying. I don't care how good those Teenagers were with their AK-47's, they couldn't have killed so many enemy troops before dying. And the last two protagonists surviving after they ran up the stairs and into the light before being followed by the sounds of gunfire was actually the most unrealistic part of the story. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to see them survive, as I liked both characters. But that was a forced semi-happy ending when BR2 should've had a sad one.
Batoru rowaiaru (2000)
great movie
This is a great film throughout. But regardless, I'll try to include things that other viewers didn't include in their praises, at least as far as I can tell. The plot's surprising, as I didn't know what it involved when I watched it with the person who bought the film. It did remind me of another film, Tokyo 11, which had the same style and especially the same instructions on how to play the game given on tape by the same kind of overly cheerful adolescent girl. But unlike Tokyo 11, the story here is also scary, as the characters are placed on an island to kill each other, and aren't running around society overall (where you could obviously call the Police or loved ones for help if you found yourself in that situation). But this is also scary because it's believable. No supernatural monsters with razor-sharp teeth or multiple limbs (not that there's anything wrong with that), but humans being a danger to each other. The one student who woke up in the bus and saw the rest of his classmates to be out cold, only to see a teacher dressed in a gas mask who hit him over the head must've seen the stuff that nightmares are made of. ******SPOILERS******* The characters were interesting, starting with the villain of a head teacher (Kitano), who was bogged down with domestic issues at home. Even if his death was a bit too comical, no doubt that he gave the movie's best and most serious performance, and that's not surprising considering the actor is a veteran while everyone else in the cast is literally a kid. Shuya and Noriko were cookie-cutter nice (if not too memorable) kids, so it was bearable to see the majority of the events through their eyes. Kawada was better and more memorable as the loner tough guy who protected them regardless of his desire to be alone (reminded me of a teenaged Dirty Harry, from the first DH film, not the lousy sequels), as there was no way that Shuya/Noriko would've survived without his support. Such a shame he died of his injuries at the end. I would've loved to see him in the sequel. In addition, it was cool how the movie gave the two villain students a touch of sympathy, like the end statement that Misuko got to utter upon her death, which made her not be so hated. And psychotic Kirayama (signed up for fun!!) crying blood before he died himself, almost as if he was being driven to kill by mental demons and didn't like being so bloodthirsty, and was thus crying over this force that had such a terrible hold over him. The smaller characters also made an impression, especially the group of students who were organized together to avoid killing others, and armed to the teeth since they pooled their weapons, which Kirayama wiped out by stealing their most advanced firearm. That group left a mark since its members achieved a sense of discipline and trust very quickly, getting together to serve a goal of safety and non-aggression. It's too bad we didn't see what their long-term plans would've been after the 3 days were finished would they have attacked the military stronghold where their former teacher and soldiers were located in an effort to get rid of their collars? But we didn't find out since Kirayama crashed their figurative party by pretending to be harmless and/or lost, armed only with a fan, even though the group did seem ready to accept him into their ranks, though first acting in a condescending fashion for a little while. The second set of small characters were the two girls who were trying to spread a message of peace, and were rewarded with getting shot repeatedly for their effort, in a show of violence via the use of a loudspeaker that was about as dark as it gets. So there's a lesson in both those cases it's great to be idealistic and brave, but never let your guard down while extending an olive branch since the act of being nice can get you hurt if you're not wary of people who'll take advantage of your generosity. Overall, great, great movie - 9/10. Ideally, it'd be ace if Hollywood could make a GOOD version of this film, with actors that Western audiences can recognize. But realistically, any remake from Hollywood would be bogged down with gravity-defying invisible wire stuntwork (good in controlled doses, but gets annoying when everyone can fly) and of course annoying sex scenes. So to play it safe, I hope the Hollywood that is 95% garbage and 5% quality stays away from this unique story.
The Crow: Salvation (2000)
a truly great film
No disrespect intended to the majority of Crow fans (I myself am one) who think that the first film and Brandon Lee's performance in it was unbeatable and way better than this film and Eric Mabius' performance. But I must disagree, and I'll also ask if all those Crow 1 / Brandon Lee fans would be so adamant that the first film and that actor were the best thing since sliced bread if Brandon hadn't tragically died at such young age. Truth is that I like The Crow : Salvation more than The Crow, and I find Eric Mabius to be a better actor and his character to be more charming than Brandon's personality. The fact that Brandon's character was half insane while Eric's was totally sane simply wasn't an advantage for Brandon. Not in my eyes, anyway. Don't get me wrong, I still like The Crow as a film and Brandon as an actor. They're what convinced me to see the two sequels, after all. But while Brandon Lee was definitely handsome, charming and a good martial artist, he just wasn't all that good an actor. I do believe that he had a very bright future ahead of him in Hollywood if his life hadn't been cut short, but it's the fact that he died at such a young age and before his career could've taken off that has given him such a legendary status among fans. On the other hand, I think that Mabius has all of Brandon's positive qualities (minus the great martial arts abilities, of course), and he's a good actor on top of that. That's what makes Salvation better than the original, even if Michael Wincott's villain in The Crow had a slightly better presence than Fred Ward's villain in Salvation. But everything about Salvation I loved the acting, the dialogue, the plot, the violence (the execution scene and the break-out from prison were particularly well-done, fun and brutal at the same time), the soundtrack, and most of all, Eric Mabius himself. This guy simply owns the screen when the camera's pointed at him. I don't know why Dunst's name appears first, but that's an annoyance I will happily look past. It's clear that Mabius is the star of this film. The way he talks is delicious, ****SPOILER**** and he has tons of heart and rage when he addresses his friends (Dunst when she claimed she wanted to die) and adversaries (every villain he toyed with before killing them) and strangers (the drug-using stripper at the club whose age he asked before freeing her). Dunst herself isn't bad. Not a bad actress in her own right, though I doubt that's why she's got so many male fans. Her best scene was when she had informed Mabius that it was her information that had led the bad cops to his figurative door before his arrest/execution. And at least her character isn't a total damsel in distress as, while Ward's chief villain snatched her twice, it wasn't really her fault. The first time was because Mabius' friend distracted her before losing his own life, and the second time was because her gun only had one bullet in it. And considering that Ward's character is an experienced cop and she's a young civilian, it makes sense that he'll have sharper reflexes than her. Which isn't to say that this film's perfect. For one thing, it could've easily been twice as long so as to give more of a background to the villains (something that all three Crow films lack), and it was never explained how Fred Ward's character actually knew of the event which allowed Mabius to return from the dead, or why he was so obsessed with mutilating his own arm. The other villains, made up of the five corrupt officers under his command and his blonde secretary/lover, are cookie-cutter antagonists who show up only to harm innocents and then be beaten by the hero. And while I've seen Dale Midkiff and Bruce McCarthy in other films and I know them to be decent actors, they just don't have anything to do here besides being typical 1-dimentional villains (ie, needlessly violent, remorseless, having no positive aspects at all to them and good only when dead). But those small drawbacks aren't enough to take away from the genius that is Salvation. After seeing it, I only wish to smack Paul Anderson over the head for not including a character like Mabius' Alex Corvis in his Resident Evil films. As good an actor as Mabius is, he was totally wasted in RE, and he wasn't present at all in the sequel (which is a good thing for his career). But I can only wonder how the first mediocre film and the crap-filled sequel could've been improved if Alex Corvis had been around to tear off zombie heads in those two RE films. Too bad we'll never find out. Either way. To summarize, I own this film on DVD, and am very glad for it. 9.5/10.
Predator 2 (1990)
Good dialogue, good action, great cast = great film
The title summarizes it well. Despite what the nay-sayers would have you believe, don't take their word for it. Predator 2 is every bit as wonderful as its great predecessor. I'm very surprised that people think that P1 was better than P2. Why? Because of the dialogue where Arnie goes 'We're not assassins, we're rescuers only' and people believing that BS? Please! My verdict Both Predator films are outstanding. It's just too bad that idiot Paul Anderson was the one who was in charge of directing the pathetic attempt at a 3rd movie. But then again, this isn't the place to discuss the trauma that was Alien Vs Predator. The action in P2 starts fast and furious from the very beginning. The characters are emotionally charged, with Danny Glover, Bill Paxton, Maria Alonso all giving good performances, with smaller characters, such as their captain and the police chief above him, still being decent characters who are played respectfully well by their actors. I suppose audiences nowadays want to see more of the stereotypical politician/idiot of a police captain and chief, and maybe they couldn't handle seeing a police chief who had justifiable gripes with his officer's behavior. At least that's my theory. ******MINOR SPOILER******* Gary Busey leads the other half of the cast, those being the federal agents who are out to freeze the predator and steal its technology. This is definitely Busey's best performance next to Lethal Weapon 1. His character's a hard@$$ who doesn't have the desire to talk to anyone who isn't within his tight-knit agency, so much so that it's obvious he's going through major pains when he finally cracks and tells Glover's character all he knows. Must've been hard for him. And oddly enough, Busy and Glover make a decent team, even if it was one that resembled two magnets that naturally act against each other. We find out a bit more about the predator's background. His ship was nice, ditto for his array of new weapons, and the ending where we see that predators had been on earth for centuries was cool. So they CAN speak English, hehehe ******END SPOILER******* And the bit where Glover's character greets Morton Downey Jr's as the latter is bugging him for comments after yet another series of murders? Beautiful :-D My first minor gripe about this film is that there are a few too many expendables who show up simply to be chopped up by the predator. While the first movie had a small number of characters, so that every death was noticed and counted, the second one has literally dozens of cops, federal agents, drug dealers and civilians who encounter and are killed by the monster. That created some amount of de-sensitivity to the violence, which is bad, although the predator's victims are never forgotten by Glover's character as he relentlessly goes after the monster, which is good. My second gripe is that the villainous drug dealers are all one-dimensional, as there's nothing more to them than standard run-of-the-mill bad guys who kill with no regard for the sanctity of human life. It would've been nice if we had at least one drug dealer who had a positive side to him, just like the police officers' and federal agents' negative sides that were so superbly put on film. But then again, that's a problem that the first movie suffered from also showing 'terrorists' who kill for no reason, and who only exist to be exterminated by Arnie and Company's righteous soldiers.
I suppose the reason for that is because the audience wants simplicity and the freedom to place people within Good and Evil labels, and doesn't want complicated social explanations that can turn a good person into a bad one. If only it was easy enough for me to say that it's just a movie and it shouldn't be taken more seriously than that, but it's not, as this is the image of 'evil drug dealers' and 'evil terrorists' that the ignorant masses see that makes it so easy for slimeball politicians to manipulate public opinion. But that's a whole different discussion altogether. To summarize we have locals cops on one side who want the predator's head for killing some of their own, and we have federal agents on the other side who want the predator's head so they can steal his technology, and lastly we have drug dealers who want everyone's head simply because those people exist. And the predator is running amok in the middle of it all. That makes this a great film. Just remember to keep in mind why Danny Glover's character is so outraged at the predator's killing of humans, because human life is supposed to be precious, and it's easy to forget that when so many characters in this film act otherwise. After all, we have enough people in the real world who think that life is cheap. No point in seeing fictitious characters who do the same.
Mirror Mirror (1990)
Very good movie
This was a movie that we rented thinking it's going to be one that's so bad that we can laugh at it. But the last laugh ended up being on us, but not in a bad way, since from the very beginning, this film proves that it's incredibly well-written and sharp. The dialogue is some of the best I ever heard (reminds me of early, high school episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer), but it was written ages before that wonderful show. There are some shocking scenes that I just didn't see coming, like *****SPOILERS****** where the Goth chick tells the guy who was hypnotized by the mirror that he doesn't have to worry about his girlfriend killing him, and I'm thinking she's going to say that she killed his girlfriend already, but nope, it was because his execution was coming up! And the other surprise is when the same girl is spilling every secret she knows to her friend in the girl's bathroom, not knowing that one of her rivals is nearby and listening in. But surprise again, she knew that all along, and once her friend leaves, it was time to execute the spy. She just couldn't be inconvenienced enough to ask her friend to go elsewhere, so she decided to kill the one who was listening in on their conversation instead! And don't even get me started on the mirror's ability to actually CREATE an entire artificial girl that pretends to be the person whose place it took, for the sole mission of performing an assassination. Brutal! Just too bad we didn't see a fighting match between the imposter assassin and the real girl that it was pretending to be, once the real person came face to face with it. But I guess such a scene would've cost more money than the budget allowed ******END SPOILER*******. It's scenes like that which made this film downright incredible to watch at times. Acting was decent enough. Too bad the cast wasn't able to use this film to propel themselves to bigger roles, though. And while I'm at it, too freaking bad that the writers for this film didn't continue working in the industry! That's the biggest loss of all. Instead we have 90% of Hollywood films and shows being written by retards. The characters overall are pretty charming, with the main protagonist (who was temporarily replaced by an imposter assassin) being sweet without being cheesy. So to make a long review short, don't think this is another predictable piece of garbage that centers around high school kids taking their top off. Find this film and either rent or buy it. We now own our copy:) You'll be glad you did.
RoboCop 3 (1993)
Pretty good movie
It's sad that viewers haven't seen the meaning here. R3 decided to water the violence down and make it a family action film. This convinced most viewers that they wouldn't like it. It's a stereotype that action films are typically brainless and unfortunately, the films that try to break that stereotype aren't a financial success most of the time. So it seems that the stereotype is here to stay. Most people clearly missed the social commentaries that R3's making. It mentions that OCP is kicking people out of their homes, all in the name of making the city 'safer'. Message being that politicians only want to make the world safer for those who are rich, no one else. Did the audience miss this message when they call the film dumb? ******SPOILERS******** Officer Lewis' murder follows, which was anti-climactic. No slow motion screams, none of that BS. Just real, surprising, wasteful violence that shocks the audience in the sudden way it's carried out. The OCP agent was tired of her, so he decided to execute her on the spot, which was a waste of a great person, but then again, all deaths of good people are. Not that there isn't drama. Robo's frustration is obvious when he's unable to attack his partner's murderers, succeeding in being able to blow up the OCP agents' van and providing his side with a brief respite from the enemy's onslaught. He then carries his dying partner away, knowing that all his strength, armor and firepower is for naught, as she's dying in his arms anyway. One of the best lines anywhere is when Robo tells Lewis that she doesn't need to be scared because it won't hurt for much longer. So the good guys took a hit, and finally, it's time for Robo to hit back. The director copies one of the styles that made Robocop 1 so successful, where in R1 we had the privilege of accompanying Robo as he patrolled the city and searched for everyday criminals to apprehend. There's nothing wrong with director Dekker (sp) copying Verhoevan's (sp) style, since if it worked so well in R1, why not do it in R3 also? The audience that's been fed what feels like ages of anxiety from OCP now gets its (and Robo's) wish as Robo is finally able to delete Directive 4, finally allowing him to hunt down OCP employees just like he hunted down criminals in R1. Thus, we again can ride shotgun with Robo as he mows down OCP agents, and find out more about his new weapons. It's worthy to note that one scene from R3 is a carbon copy of a scene from R1, where R1 Robo confronted two men who were attacking a woman at knifepoint, and shot one man in the groin before the second surrendered. In R3, we have 2 male OCP agents who are harassing a teenaged prostitute, only this time using their status as power rather than a weapon. In both scenes, the audience is treated to seeing Robo's shadow as he approaches the horrible scene, ready to make it right. Only difference is his reaction, where instead of Your Move, Creep, it's Didn't You Hear? The Lady Said No!, followed by gunshots into the two OCP agents' kevlar vests, that sends them flying through glass. To all those Robocop 3 haters is you actually want MORE than this in a film??!! That's not the end of it. Following the rescue of the teenage prostitute, Robo tells her that she needs to get home, because she's breaking curfew! That's one of the sharpest social remarks I heard, where there's a curfew that's supposed to reduce crime by mandating teenagers to stay home at night, but obviously isn't working because the majority of crime is being committed by 'law-enforcing' OCP agents! **********END SPOILERS********* There's a lesson in there for people who thinks that quick, overnight solutions that simply sound good will work when applied to complicated problems. Real solutions are slow and difficult, not quick and easy. Not to say that Robocop 3 is a great film. It's not. Robocop 1 was a great film, but R2 and R3 *are* good films in their own right, and a good Trilogy together. But there *are* drawbacks to it, starting with the budget. It's painfully obvious that this film was under-funded, proven by the sets, special effects, and that tiny actors in R1 have huge parts here. Also, while watered-down violence to make a film family-oriented isn't a bad thing, the violence here is a bit TOO watered-down. And last, Robocop went from cyborg killing machine to compassionate social worker too easily. Considering how many people he casually (though rightly) killed in the past, it would've been more appropriate if he had felt confused at the feeling of having an orphaned girl embrace him for comfort, rather than instantly knowing that he needs to gently place his hand on top of the back of her head. The message there is clear that simply blowing villains away won't solve the crime problem, and we need to make sure that regular people don't turn into villains themselves. While the message is true, Robo should've needed more time to become a social worker than the ten minutes he was given on air before his personality switched. See it for yourself, then decide.
RoboCop 2 (1990)
Good movie; worthy sequel of a great movie.
My summary pretty much says it all. Robocop 1 was a classic, one of the best films ever made. R2 and R3 (yes, even R3) aren't great, but they're good, and thus worthy to be its sequels. For those who don't want to stop there (and I hope you're one of them ^_^), I'll be happy to tell you why, especially considering that this movie has a reputation of being a gore-fest without any story or heart. First off, the story in R2 *is* as complicated and engaging as the one in R1. The problem is that director Kirshner (sp) made the mistake of making this film a bit TOO violent, instead of giving it the perfect balance between violence and storytelling that R1 had. Thus, R2 has a beautifully-written story that's buried underneath the over-the-top violence, and here's the proof The film aptly points out the greed and hypocrisy of big business, where the fatcats are smiling in front of the cameras, pretending to care about someone/something other than money, but in private, all they wish to do is look out for money and for those who are rich, like themselves. ******SPOILERS*******Clearly, Daniel O'herlihy's character supposedly wanting to 'fix' the city, but only worrying about having his company sued once Cain mows down dozens of innocent people is just that. And before then sleeping with that gold-digger before selling her out to safe his own image, "whether the evidence exists against her or not, we'll find it", indeed. Besides this, there are sub-plots, such as the one of Robo wondering if he's still human (before coming up to the resounding conclusion at the end of the film that he, in fact, is). Plus the kid drug dealer (of all people!) reminded Robo of his now-lost son. It's very easy to hate that little drug-dealing cretin, no doubt. But if one kept watching, even his character had statements to make. For starters, he's eating fries that are drowned in ketchup for dinner, even though he's a millionaire! That says something about the value of expensive luxuries, since something that costs more won't necessarily bring you more joy. Imagine someone who can afford any meal he wants, and all he wants is something you can buy for a dollar at a fast food place. That's a good commentary. And then later, when Robo found him as he was dying on top a truckload of cash, which is another commentary that everyone dies eventually, no matter how much money they have to supposedly protect them. How ironic that the kid asked Robo to keep a vigil over him as he bled to death, considering he was the one who shot a pair of cops earlier, and before then had helped dismember Robo himself. It's still not clear what he meant when he pointed out that Robo knew how dying felt, and that it sucked whether he meant Murphy's original death in R1 or Robo's dismemberment at the start of R2. But either way, he didn't even apologize for trying to literally tear him apart at the start, which only adds to his realism.
There's a build-up of tension when Robo's told that the mass murderer was Cain, and that Cain now is bigger than him, so Robo has got to be wondering if his awesome power is enough to beat Cain. That's a fresh change from villains who appear just to fight the hero in too many movies out there, as the audience can anticipate the climactic fight between these two cyborgs for over half an hour before it happens. There's also Robo being 'neutered' by the addition of 200+ idiotic directives, that make him be less than the tough-as-nails cop he wants to be. So this guy (can he be called anything else? a machine wouldn't do that) decides to risk his life by flooding his system with electricity, if it means going back to his previous self, rather than continue existing like he is. *******END SPOILERS******** But I must've been watching another Robocop 2 than everyone else, because this film is apparently nothing more than a brainless bloodbath. Yeah, right! But it's not perfect, and here's what keeps it from being as good as its marvelous predecessor. For one thing, the human cops kill criminals much too casually. Lewis kills two guys who Robo had locked into a closet at the beginning of the film, then she shoots the baseball team coach as she's trading gunfire with him while hiding behind Robo's figure. It's one thing for Robo to be casual about the righteous taking of a life, but not for the human cops. Humans are supposed to have feelings, and it's hard to take the characters as seriously when they shoot someone in the head and then discuss lunch in the same breath. And the violence IS too excessive, with too many expendable characters who are faceless cannon fodder who show up simply to get killed off, especially at the end when Cain busted out of the OCP building and had his large rampage. But that doesn't take away from the good plot that is lurking underneath all that carnage. It's the kind of storyline that you'll see if you do yourself the favor of watching this film for the second or third times, once you already know what scenes of violence to expect, thus they won't be as shocking any more, and you can thus spend more attention on the plot twists and dialogue instead, because that's where the movie's strength is.
RoboCop 2 (1990)
Good movie; worthy sequel of a great movie.
My summary pretty much says it all. Robocop 1 was a classic, one of the best films ever made. R2 and R3 (yes, even R3) aren't great, but they're good, and thus worthy to be its sequels. For those who don't want to stop there (and I hope you're one of them ^_^), I'll be happy to tell you why, especially considering that this movie has a reputation of being a gore-fest without any story or heart. First off, the story in R2 *is* as complicated and engaging as the one in R1. The problem is that director Kirshner (sp) made the mistake of making this film a bit TOO violent, instead of giving it the perfect balance between violence and storytelling that R1 had. Thus, R2 has a beautifully-written story that's buried underneath the over-the-top violence, and here's the proof The film aptly points out the greed and hypocrisy of big business, where the fatcats are smiling in front of the cameras, pretending to care about someone/something other than money, but in private, all they wish to do is look out for money and for those who are rich, like themselves. ******SPOILERS*******Clearly, Daniel O'herlihy's character supposedly wanting to 'fix' the city, but only worrying about having his company sued once Cain mows down dozens of innocent people is just that. And before then sleeping with that gold-digger before selling her out to safe his own image, "whether the evidence exists against her or not, we'll find it", indeed. Besides this, there are sub-plots, such as the one of Robo wondering if he's still human (before coming up to the resounding conclusion at the end of the film that he, in fact, is). Plus the kid drug dealer (of all people!) reminded Robo of his now-lost son. It's very easy to hate that little drug-dealing cretin, no doubt. But if one kept watching, even his character had statements to make. For starters, he's eating fries that are drowned in ketchup for dinner, even though he's a millionaire! That says something about the value of expensive luxuries, since something that costs more won't necessarily bring you more joy. Imagine someone who can afford any meal he wants, and all he wants is something you can buy for a dollar at a fast food place. That's a good commentary. And then later, when Robo found him as he was dying on top a truckload of cash, which is another commentary that everyone dies eventually, no matter how much money they have to supposedly protect them. How ironic that the kid asked Robo to keep a vigil over him as he bled to death, considering he was the one who shot a pair of cops earlier, and before then had helped dismember Robo himself. It's still not clear what he meant when he pointed out that Robo knew how dying felt, and that it sucked whether he meant Murphy's original death in R1 or Robo's dismemberment at the start of R2. But either way, he didn't even apologize for trying to literally tear him apart at the start, which only adds to his realism.
There's a build-up of tension when Robo's told that the mass murderer was Cain, and that Cain now is bigger than him, so Robo has got to be wondering if his awesome power is enough to beat Cain. That's a fresh change from villains who appear just to fight the hero in too many movies out there, as the audience can anticipate the climactic fight between these two cyborgs for over half an hour before it happens. There's also Robo being 'neutered' by the addition of 200+ idiotic directives, that make him be less than the tough-as-nails cop he wants to be. So this guy (can he be called anything else? a machine wouldn't do that) decides to risk his life by flooding his system with electricity, if it means going back to his previous self, rather than continue existing like he is. *******END SPOILERS******** But I must've been watching another Robocop 2 than everyone else, because this film is apparently nothing more than a brainless bloodbath. Yeah, right! But it's not perfect, and here's what keeps it from being as good as its marvelous predecessor. For one thing, the human cops kill criminals much too casually. Lewis kills two guys who Robo had locked into a closet at the beginning of the film, then she shoots the baseball team coach as she's trading gunfire with him while hiding behind Robo's figure. It's one thing for Robo to be casual about the righteous taking of a life, but not for the human cops. Humans are supposed to have feelings, and it's hard to take the characters as seriously when they shoot someone in the head and then discuss lunch in the same breath. And the violence IS too excessive, with too many expendable characters who are faceless cannon fodder who show up simply to get killed off, especially at the end when Cain busted out of the OCP building and had his large rampage. But that doesn't take away from the good plot that is lurking underneath all that carnage. It's the kind of storyline that you'll see if you do yourself the favor of watching this film for the second or third times, once you already know what scenes of violence to expect, thus they won't be as shocking any more, and you can thus spend more attention on the plot twists and dialogue instead, because that's where the movie's strength is.
Turok: Evolution (2002)
A nearly perfect video game, best FPS out there so far
I have this game for the PS2, and have played it for the Gamecube. For starters, one shouldn't believe the claptrap that one version is better than another. That just isn't true - the GC graphics are EXACTLY the same as the PS2 one. Between gorgeous outdoor graphics of plants, wildlife and full interaction with them, cool enemies, and the BEST guns you've ever seen in a FPS, this is a title to not miss for any FPS fan. So definitely get it. Unlike most FPS, there are no maze-like structures, which is a good thing, and most levels can be understood with enough patience. For the odd level that you can't make your way out of, I'm sure there are some walkthroughs online that will be glad to help:) Not to say that it's perfect - the dead monsters disappear after a few seconds, unlike PS1's Quake 2, and there aren't as many dinosaurs to kill as there should be. Plus, 27 out of 30 levels are beautifully designed, with backgrounds and environments that will blow one's eyes away, but 3 of them (the sewers and inside the juggernaut) are annoying. But overall, it's 9.5 out of 10. Just too bad this game wasn't successful enough to warrant a sequel. But that just means it's cheaper now to be bought.
So what are you waiting for?
RoboCop (1987)
One of the best movies, period.
This movie is about as close to perfection as one gets. It has a great story, great acting (good emotion on the part of Weller as Robo), the amount of violence is perfect (not over-the-top like Robocop 2, not too watered down like Robocop 3). The villains (both the street thugs and the wealthy businessmen) are so dangerous than they're downright scary in their ruthlessness, and the heroes are brave (though a bit too red, white and blue). It's the kind of film that inspires one to be righteous, and stronger, and in some situations, it may even persuade you to become a cop :) There are deeper meanings to it also. The shame of big business is obvious as it explicitly described how OCP gives cops inferior products, like faulty body armor that are said to not work, in the hopes that the police will go on strike and, as a result, OCP will have a very lucrative contract to provide the city with "security" (ie, protection for the rich).
There's commentaries about the cheapness of human life, as well as one about corruption (a criminal who's the suspect in over 30 cop deaths being allowed out of jail in 24 hours?!) *****SPOILERS***** It's not ironic that there wasn't any backup when Murphy and Lewis confronted Clarence Bodicker's (sp) violent gang, but there was an army of cops readily available after Dick Jones called for help when Robo and the larger robot were trashing through his office. Why wasn't that army of cops available to take down Bodicker's gang, one asks? For same reason as above with the faulty body armor, where the hope is that cops will quit their post if they perceive it to be too dangerous and OCP will be granted absolute power by a scared population that *thinks* the company is looking out for the masses. Though, I must say, the one bit is when Murphy and Lewis decide to go after a gang of 8 violent robbers when they're told there's no back-up? I think NOT. There's brave and then there's stupid, and that kind of behavior is crossing the line towards the latter.
Fastlane (2002)
One of the few truly amazing shows of all time.
Maybe there's something I'm seeing about this (granted unrealistic) police show that most others aren't, but all the reviews here seem to be from people who either disliked it (if you didn't like it, then fair enough since it wasn't your cup of tea) or from those who liked it because of the glossy appearance that all the sets, clothes, make-up carried, and of course the tons and tons of Baywatch-style women who dropped by on a regular basis.
Am I the only one here who thought that Fastlane was an incredible show because of the dialogue, or the quality of the acting, or the unexpected plot twists? Seems so. But for anyone who hasn't seen this show and can either catch it on reruns somewhere or find the season to buy on tape (still hunting for that myself), then you should catch it, and not because of the Baywatch effect, but because this show had the best actors, best dialogue and best plot twists aside from season 3 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and season 1 of Angel. *******************Spoilers*********************** One of the most dramatic scenes to ever be filmed on any screen had to be when Van and Deaq were undercover at a gangster's mansion (episode Defense) while a party was held, and Van sees a bloodied uniformed cop who's being dragged away to be executed by the party-goers. Peter Facinelli's acting there was worthy of an Oscar. As for Drama, a random example brought Deaq chastising both his partner and his boss for competing against each other when they were supposed to be hunting the robbers who shot his maid. And by the way, thanx for asking, but she's doing better at the hospital! Loved that line on Deaq's part :)
And as for plot twists, who could see that Billy's obsession with a particular drug dealer was because he had been the dealer whose heroin she became addicted to? As I'm watching this episode, I'm being led to believe that it's gonna be another overdone storyline where it's her ex-boyfriend and he broke her heart by turning to crime, but no, we're hit with a very original plot twist. ******************End Spoilers******************** Between the acting and the huge amount of charm that every character possessed, these were the kind of rare fictitious individuals who one could actually enjoy simply watching them be themselves. Nothing unusual had to happen to make watching these characters fun, all that needed to happen was for Van, Deaq, Billy and for their entourage to be sitting down for lunch, and the conversation would've been more fun than anything else you can hear from the TV set. Not that Peter F was the only good actor. Bill Bellamy, Tiffany Thiesen (she definitely grew out of idiotic roles like Saved By The Bell and Beverly Hills 90210 by doing this) and even the guest stars like Jay Mohr were a delight to watch. It's too bad that the show ended up being too expensive to continue, because I so wanted this beautifully-made show to come back. I would've preferred that McG and company saved some money by cutting back on the cool special effects and the nice soundtrack, as long as they left the good acting, good dialogue and good plots. But unfortunately, that didn't happen and we had to let the show rest in peace after season 1 ended, which was very sad.
Instead, we now have crapfests like Big Brother, Survivor, retarded shows that have nothing to contribute but that keep gathering an audience because this girl takes her top off or that guy talks about getting laid. It says a lot about the culture as a whole when more people would rather watch the usual garbage that most TV shows and movies are and something like Fastlane doesn't get renewed for a second season because not enough people tuned in to see it. McG had done this great show, and he had also done both Charlie's Angels movies. The quality show he obviously worked very hard on got axed after one year, but the latter two movies where he just paid three airheads to jump up and down while in tight clothes made him a ton of money. So obviously I can't blame him for spending more time on stuff like Charlie's Angels and letting Fastlane go. It's the idiocy of the public that I blame for the lack of good TV out there. So to McG, thanx for a marvel of a TV show that I loved watching every week, and here's hoping that one day, maybe you'll be bored enough, and rich enough, to want to grace us with a TV movie that ties all the loose ends that the end of Fastlane season 1 left.
Young Hercules (1998)
A great movie, much better than the title that spawned it
I thought this was a very well-done film. Between the acting, the good dialogue, decent special effects and good fight scenes, there's nothing about this film that I didn't love. All the actors did a good job of playing very well-written characters. The fact that this movie was such high quality isn't a surprise considering that it was a trailblazer to the few (unfortunately) flashback episodes of the regular Hercules show which (in my opinion anyway) were MUCH better than the regular show that had the regular, older cast. The `young' episodes showed Herc learning about the world, and said a few things about the pressures he met in life, ****MINOR SPOILERS**** just some of them of him being made fun of because he was looking for true love instead of empty sex, and especially the wartime episode where his platoon was surprised to think that the enemy thought of itself as the 'good guys', just like they did. It was a classic scene of meeting the enemy and having it be a reflection of one's self. Followed that up by a scared expression on young Jason's face when he came across real combat and body parts started flying in every direction, and nightmares that the characters experienced in those precious few episodes, along with a charming friendship between Herc, Iolaus and Jason (all three played much better by the younger actors as opposed to those older, uglier ones) made this story great to watch. From this movie, the scene that stole the already awesome film was when ************SPOILERS*********** Jason's father had been healed by the Golden Fleece, and Aries listens to Jason exclaim how `it's a gift from the gods', and Aries' response is that `gods give, and gods take', before he snaps Jason's father's neck, killing him instantly and then stabbing Jason with a knife in revenge to the trio's adventures that killed his giant creature. Following that scene we have young Herc ordering (or more like screaming at) someone to get the Golden Fleece in an effort to save Jason's life. That one acting scene by Ian Bohen had more intensity in it than most other so-called 'dramatic' scenes that other shows or movies try to achieve and, most of the time, fail to do so. Just don't get me started on how this incredible movie which created several incredible flashback episodes of Hercules : The Legendary Journeys, thus being a spin-off that was way better than the show it was created from, then ended up being a lousy half-hour long Power Rangers clone on Saturday morning, which also brought us some blonde pipsqueak playing the part of young Herc instead of Ian Bohen. I had heard that was the case because Bohen had refused to permanently move to New Zealand to film there. Maybe, or maybe not. But that doesn't explain why the writing went from being better than Hercules and Xena to being worse than them! Either way, that awful show died after one season anyway, which wasn't surprising at all considering it sucked. So all in all, definitely see this movie, and if you're able to find Hercules : The Legendary Journeys as reruns on your TV, also definitely look out for the handful of episodes that this cast was given charge of as the trio are like a classy version of the three musketeers. Just too bad that winning combination was axed soon afterwards. Just another example of Hollywood being an overblown machine that has too much money and not nearly enough creativity within it.
Mortal Kombat (1995)
A near-perfect movie
It's not easy to get people who don't see the gem that this movie is to look past the obvious bandwagon they're on that screams `It's a film based on a video game, so it can't be good'. But if one was to look at this like a work of art, then one may be surprised at how many meanings it has. **********************SPOILERS*************************** For starters, the basics : Great special effects, enough to be eye-candy, but not over the top CGI that is fake. The Goro statue looked cool, as did Shang Tsung's boat and Scorpion's and Sub-zero's projectile abilities. There's decent dialogue, with lines that had the theatre howling, especially Cage's lines when he looks at the 20+ opponents who were itching to beat him up and claims that they're lucky Rayden stopped the fight. And the fight scenes were top-notch, arguably the best in ANY movie, and without the invisible wire stuntwork that, while is fun to watch in controlled doses, gets incredibly boring when everyone can fly. Here's a piece of news - Francois Petit (Sub-zero) literally running on a wall and then jumping behind his opponent was real with no wires. How many films can say that? To give credit to Paul Anderson, he made a movie that fans of this game could enjoy, like Johnny's split punch and Liu's bicycle kick, but also one that people who never heard of MK could still enjoy. That's a delicate, carefully put together result, and one that was lacking from his future video game film, Resident Evil, which had all RE game fans wondering what it had to do with the game they loved. I wish the film had given its characters more dialogue to interact with each other before the fighting started, as these actors were a lot of fun to watch. But that's really the only drawback that this great movie had. Now, to analyse the fights. We have Sonya versus Kano, where she basically fights him in an even battle till the till she gets the upper hand by placing a death grip on his neck. Instead of the typical Must Be Better Than My Opponent By Sparing Him cliché, we have a heroine who kills him on the spot even though he wasn't a threat to her at that specific time. Reason for that was a good one. Kano was her equal, and she had no guarantee that he wouldn't get lucky and get the upper hand on her once released, so she had to take advantage of that scene and finish him. There's a need to deliver the killing blow when the protagonist is afraid of the antagonist's abilities. Then there's (IMO) the biggest fight of the film, that being Johnny Cage against Goro. Here was the reigning champion who's been wiping the floor with the best that Earth has to offer for nine generations. His mere appearance was probably enough to send fear and panic into the mind of many humans who saw him for the first time when he stepped into the ring to fight them. That's a crucial advantage, as an opponent who is shocked on the spot won't be able to concentrate on the battle, and Goro counted on that. And even if they weren't shocked, then of course he had no problems using his huge size advantage to quickly pummel his opponents. He had already destroyed most of the humans who arrived on Shang Tsung's boat before Cage decided to challenge him. Things didn't look good for Cage since, if he has to be more talented (via endurance, speed, technique) than his physically larger opponent to make up for the size and strength disadvantage he'll face due to an adversary who is literally twice his size, then how much more talented did this guy have to be in order to overcome Goro's incredible stature with his feet, fists and heart? But Cage knew that Goro wasn't going to be beaten in a fair fight. He'd be knocked down and he'd always get back up, and keep doing that till his attacker was eventually tired, and then move in for the brutal kill. So Cage lured him into changing the battle from the ring to the edge of the cliff by punching him in the nuts, a bait that Goro, in his overconfidence, took. Once at the edge of the cliff, Cage had the opportunity to knock him down, and then over the cliff. Thus, we have a new winner who used his brains to beat the unbeatable gladiator. Finally, we have Liu versus Shang Tsung, and Tsung thinking he was going to have an easy time besting Liu by playing on his worst fear, which was that he was a failure by letting his brother down. Initially, it seemed to work. But once Liu overcame his worst fear, Tsung wasn't prepared for that, as it had never happened so far. As a result, Tsung becomes confused, throwing blind punches that even an average fighter can block. Liu even went as far as giving Tsung a chance to surrender, something that he refused to do after defeating Reptile (stepping on the lizard-like creature as soon as it emerged from the statue). So that's how confident Liu became as soon as the tables were turned, which, granted isn't a very realistic portrayal of how someone would feel as soon as he/she faced personal fears (as someone with a phobia could face their fear and still be shaky for ages to come, not getting over it within an instant), but still an encouraging one that urges people to face their fears nonetheless. Overall, in a world that absolutely enjoys putting people down for its own benefit (reasons for that are for another discussion), things like this film are necessary on top of being enjoyable. People are told that they should give up, not fighting for what they believe in. MK, on the other hand, tells its viewers that they should never give up but fight instead, and fight nonstop, as giving up is worst than anything else. Thus, it's compelling as well as entertaining.
Highlander: The Raven (1998)
Pretty good show
Considering I'm disagreeing with just about everyone here, let me start off by saying that I do understand the problems that all the other reviewers here had with this show. I'm one of those (perhaps rare) individuals who disliked every one of the Highlander movies (thought Endgame was an insult to the first show), as they were much too fake and just plain non-entertaining, but then absolutely loved the Highlander TV shows. The first one with Adrian Paul had characters who were walking around as if they were always on an endorphin high, which was a delight to watch as the audience knew a huge secret about these immortals that most of the mortal characters in the episode weren't informed of. So even watching the immortals, good and bad, interacting with mortals who didn't know who they were was a joy. The flashbacks were great, as was the actors' acting ability, the dialogue, fight scenes and distinct villains. The first show was great until the very last season, when it was painfully obvious that the writers were running out of ideas (The Haunting one was especially bad), but overall, definitely one of the best shows I ever had the pleasure of seeing. Then came The Raven, which quickly was obvious that this show wasn't as good as the predecessor. The writing wasn't as good, and some episodes were clearly not well done. That much I'm in agreement with everyone else here. But I would ask other viewers to also try to see the positive aspects that H:TR had. For starters, the chemistry between Amanda and detective Wolf was easily the best that I've ever seen on a film or movie. I'm not sure why exactly, but these two were just perfect together, in both dialogue, thought processes and acting, even better than Amanda and Duncan were. *******SPOILERS********** Then, I think that the writers here were trying to bring the world of immortals to deal with the point of view of a mortal, ie, Wolf, thus where we saw a mortal protagonist taking the heads of two immortals in the only season that this show was alive, the first by shooting at glass that decapitated his foe and the second (a very well-done episode) where Wolf used a sword to decapitate the immortal who was killing people for their organs. That was basically the act of allowing a mortal to interact with immortals as their equal for the first time, instead of always running to a friendly immortal to do his bidding when another immortal was a villain who needed to be dealt with (ala Joe Dawson with Duncan). Here, a mortal took charge. There were other episodes that were truly gems to watch, the best being the one where Amanda had robbed a soldier during WW1 and inadvertently caused the deaths of 120 of his `brothers', as that character stated in such a charming way. The one with father Liam and his doubts about his centuries-long faith in the priesthood was also a very good one, with Amanda baiting him to place himself between her sword and the woman journalist she pretended to wish to kill. The very first episode where Wolf's former partner had placed herself in between Amanda and a bullet, whereas basically leaving Amanda's facial expression almost screaming out `WHAT DID YOU DO?!' because she knew it was a sacrifice done for nothing, also leading her to possibly reconsider her values because someone who was dedicated to stopping her when she was a thief was still placing herself in harm's way to protect her life. And, last but not least, the last episode where we found out that Wolf himself was an immortal now, and the science of immortality was clearly explained, at least to me, when he confronted Amanda about it. Just too bad we never got to see a second season to this cool show, thus allowing detective Wolf to be an immortal himself. But this will always be one of my favorite shows. Not as good as the great first Highlander, Buffy, Angel and Fastlane (rest in peace also), but definitely one that was a joy to see every Saturday afternoon.
Thank you for reading, and remember to keep working out and stay safe:)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
One of the best movies of all time
I'm really surprised at all the negative reviews T3 is receiving. It was as good as the previous two Terminator films, which makes this franchise the only title out there that's great, quality entertainment without any interruptions of garbage in the middle (ala Alien 3). Of the many positive aspects about this film that all the critics out there ignore because they're too busy on the Miss James Cameron bandwagon, here's some:
***********SPOILERS************
From the start we definitely missed Linda Hamilton's character from T2, as she was the best (though not only) asset from that film. But Nick Stahl did as good a job as her here in taking over as the human who was caught in the middle of a battle of titans. I had a bad feeling about this actor when I first saw that Edward Furlong wasn't coming back for T3, but my doubts were quickly put down when I saw how good an actor he was, playing an incredibly well-written character. Here we have a brooding, depressed John Connor who doesn't want the role of humanity's leader, feeling that way especially after his mother died and after having watched the only friend he had, the T800 from T2, leaving him at the end of the second film. He never thought that he was good enough to carry this huge responsibility, but he also suspected that he couldn't avoid it no matter how much he just wanted to disappear off the map, thus the nightmare of a chilling army of terminators who were seen approaching the screen as a dream to him after he dropped the bottle of beer into the lake whose ground was covered with skulls. But the fact that this guy was willing to put a gun to his own head to pressure the T800 to help them try to stop Skynet was proof that he was as good as his reputation said, as no one would be more qualified to lead the humans after the apocalypse as a person who showed that much heart and backbone at that scene.
Following that, we have action and special effects that are incredible to watch, surprises ala the coffin full of weapons and the fact that it was Kate who sent the T800 back instead of John being the one who did so, as well as humor like the sunglasses at the beginning and the `talk to the hand' comment as the T800 was taking food out of the store, which made the entire theater laugh where I was.
As a conclusion, we have a battle between machines, but not between the T800 and the TX, as expected, but between the T800 and the earliest terminator models that the TX reprogrammed, sending them out to massacre people. So we have the early terminators killing people and the only one who's fighting back against them is the T800, machine versus machine for the lives of the human survivors who were in the compound hanging in the balance. The T800 reached a level of humanity there that it never expected to have. And that was followed with it rebelling against the reprogram it then received from the TX to kill John and Kate, which made it into a much more sympathetic character than it ever was in T1 and T2. And this rebellion within the T800 was conceivable since the TX was used to ordering neutral machines to do its bidding (ie, cars). But the T800 already had an order to protect, thus the new orders to kill were coming into conflict with the previous ones, thus leading it to prefer to shut itself off rather than go against its original orders. Whether its interaction with John and Kate had any say in its decision is something that's debatable, of course, as it was fine with being reprogrammed to save Kate after its very first orders by Skynet were to kill humans. So in the future, it accepted its second orders to protect just fine, but not its third orders in the present time to return to killing. Begs the question as to why.
And lastly, there's the ending, which I'll just summarize as being one that was a jaw-dropping surprise. I won't say what it is here in case there's anyone out there who's waiting to see this film on tape or DVD, but suffice it to say that you won't see it coming and it'll leave you on the edge of your seat. With John and Kate totally exhausted and realizing that they did all they could and all there is to do now is watch their efforts unfold while waiting for the future.
So when all is said and done, I can say that James Cameron can return to doing Titanic 2 or another lousy show like Dark Angel if he wants, but if he doesn't wish to participate here, he's not needed as J. Mostow is doing just great. Anyone who wants to watch garbage can see Matrix Reloaded, a movie whose only premise is making as many marketing products from the once-great Matrix title as possible. But for those who demand quality for their money, it's clear what the best movie of this year is. My only question now is, where is T4?! It's time for John Connor to take charge.