Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 3rd, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 17th, 2004
Synopsis
This is a redemption movie – in this case, redemption for CIA assassin (“counter insurgent expert”) John Creasy – a burnt out alcoholic in search of forgiveness for the heinous acts perpetrated under the banner of his job (“Do you think God will ever forgive us for what we’ve done?”). Creasy’s path to redemption is laid out by his friend and compatriot Rayburn, who lands him a job as a bodyguard for a wealthy family in Mexico City. Apparently kidnapping the children or spouses of wealthy cor...orate types is a highly profitable enterprise, and the corrupt police force and organized crime community work together to make it pay off. Creasy’s role as bodyguard centers around protecting Pita Ramos - the daughter of a Mexican auto-parts magnate – an exceedingly cute, exceedingly non-Mexican little girl with a heart of gold that brings Creasy back from the brink self-immolation.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 27th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 26th, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 20th, 2004
With the success of Star Trek as both a television and film franchise, it made perfect sense to eventually pass the baton from the Kirk era to the Next Generation. Generations had promise, but could and should have been a far better film. The f/x were for the most part inferior to previous Trek films. The destruction of the Enterprise D is the notable exception. Perhaps it was unwise to attempt to blend the established film environment with the too recently completed television series.
The film might have ...een better served by taking more time to create a better film version of the Enterprise D. It’s obvious that the ship’s destruction was written into this film to allow for the necessary redesign of the Enterprise for future films. A greater participation by the rest of the original cast, while costly, would have gone further to portray the changing of the Star Trek guard. I have heard Nimoy speak several times on the issue. He declined the role not because of money as many speculate, but because Spock’s role was too insignificant and out of character. How I would have loved to see Picard, Data, Spock, and Kirk work together toward the film’s climax. Still, Generations did bridge the two generations of Star Trek in an emotional if unsatisfying fashion.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 28th, 2004
Duel was the first “ made for television” movie directed by Steven Spielberg. This thriller could best be described as a cross between the Rutger Hauer classic, “ The Hitcher,” and the Steven King inspired “Maximum Overdrive.” Dennis Weaver plays David Mann, a salesman on his way home from a cross state trip. During his return, he passes a rusted out old gasoline truck on the highway without giving it much thought. As the film unfolds, the truck begins to pursue him and initially just appears to annoy him on the r...ad, however, by the end of the first thirty minutes of the film, the truck driver has made an attempt on Mann’s life.
The pace and intensity of the film increases as it moves on with a total of 3 serious attempts on Mann’s life. Dennis Weaver does a fantastic job portraying a normal guy who comes to the startling realization that his survival can only come at the cost of his pursuer’s life. The anxiety and paranoia are visceral in his performance, particularly the scene in the lounge where he tries to identify his pursuer. Spielberg does a masterful job of increasing the intensity using very basic techniques – lots of first person perspective and quick cuts during the chase scenes. The most effective tool used in the film was the fact that he never reveals the identity of the truck driver – the truck itself is the bad guy (very reminiscent of “Maximum Overdrive” without the cool Green Goblin face on the front).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 26th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 21st, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 14th, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 9th, 2004
When I was a kid in the 80’s, Predator was one of those films that you weren’t supposed to watch, but everybody did anyway. Over-the-top action, invincible heroes, cheesy one-liners and big, big explosions made this a film that was a favorite of pre-pubescent boys everywhere. Going into this disc, I found myself wondering if the film would stand up to the harsh tests of time and maturity.
The answer to that question is both “yes”, and “no”. In the “no” column, it is very apparent early on in the film...that there is very little here in the way of plot. Some soldiers are hired to go behind enemy lines to rescue an American politician that has been kidnapped by generic terrorists. Once the team arrives at their location, they discover that they have actually been sent on the mission for different reasons altogether, though those reasons are never really made clear. On their way back to the rendezvous point, they have multiple encounters with an evil and mysterious creature who tries to kill them (and occasionally succeeds). That’s about it. Beyond these basic plot outlines, dialog is basically reserved to screaming profanities and the aforementioned goofy one-liners.
