Change Your Image
tehfro
Reviews
Dynaman (1988)
Ahead of its time...
Dynaman was a series that ran during the "Night Flight" block on the USA Network. The original show (Scientific Task Force Dynaman) from Japan is kept mostly intact, but the crew at "Night Flight" (including nearly all the members of "Kids in The Hall") added English dubbing to the show (think Mystery Science Theater 3000 if they completely muted the soundtrack of the movie and made a new plot to go along with the action). It's an absolutely hilarious parody.
Despite being an obvious parody, the action in this show is still really fun. Some of the best scenes from Scientific Task Force have been edited into the shows and placed to 80's rock music. Where else can you guys in rubber suits fight to "Hip to Be Square" or "Rebel Yell"?
The fight scenes were recut together by someone with a great sense of timing as they play like music videos, and amazingly, despite all the parody dialogue, it's so well done you have to take the fights seriously.
A real cult classic of a show. It has to been seen to believe how well it was pulled off. It's a shame only six episodes were made (plus a "Dynaman Convention" show). If this show aired today (or during the "Power Rangers" craze), it would have been a massive hit.
Episodes 1&2 also aired in syndication and Nickelodeon as a standalone "pilot", which is where I remember the show from.
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
Back to parodying Bond...
After a detour in AP2 Myers is back to parodying Bond. This movie seems a lot fresher than the first sequel and any jokes that get "recycled" from the first two movies are much shorter in length and only appear once. Myers has succeeded in restoring Austin Powers into a viable character (i.e., he's not annoying in this one like AP2). Luckly Fat Bastard is reduced to a couple scenes. Goldmember is a somewhat disappointing character because he is pretty subtle and doesn't get any laugh out loud bits but he grows on the viewer.
The movie feels especially fresh because the makers actually have the budget this time to spend a little $$$ to parody some of the Bond conventions. Michael Caine is a fantastic addition to the cast and Scott Evil gets some much needed character development. You can also look for some homages to Wayne's World with the blatant product placement and a couple scenes.
The opening sequence is sheer brillance, and the movie has some dead spots, but it's certainly much better as a "movie" than the second, although it may not be as funny. 8/10
Die Another Day (2002)
Best Bond of the Brosnan Era
After hearing some mixed reviews, I saw the new Bond flick and I have to say that this series will "Die Another Day". Finally Bond is back and after watching some of the "classics" on TNN I think this one is deserving of being among the top Bond films.
Brosnan FINALLY nails the role this time around... it doesn't hurt that he actually gets to show some dramatic range this time around and basically incorporate all the good traits of the other Bond actors into this performance. There's a nice balance with some cool gadgets but Bond on his own for a lot on the film. One of the best Bond actors for sure. Hale Berry is basically playing the same character she always does but is pretty darn serviceable as Jinx. The villains are definately some of the more memorable ones. The action is great, as usual for a Bond film, although I can understand why some purists would think it's too much. Overall I think it's deserving in its current IMDB rating in comparision with the other Bond movies.
Signs (2002)
Hitchcock reborn...
I don't want to give anything at all away, but this movie was such a joy to watch. Probably the best new film in several years.
It's not about the gore, or jumps (and there are a LOT in this movie), but it's about the mood and suspense, and this film delivers big-time. Incredibly well-crafted, pretty much flawless flick. Any Hitchcock fan will eat this movie up, and it's got some touches of warmth to boot.
Anyone who hated this movie has ADD or was expecting a pure Sci-Fi/Horror or SFX romp flick. It's not about what is shown, but what isn't shown and how it isn't shown that builds the tension. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it.
Pretty much every trick in the book is in this one and it's amazing.
There's many subtle touches from the director to add to the mood.
Great acting, writing, and pacing from everyone involved.
10/10... this is a shoe-in for Best Picture, IMHO, at this point. Go see it now if you have any taste.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Star Wars is back... but there's still an element or two missing
Well, so much for Lucas losing his touch.
Star Wars is back, and this is a film worthy of the name, unlike Episode 1. The visual tones are dramatically darker and the environments are totally new to the series. The urban planet of Coruscant has a futuristic, dark urban tone that is amazing. There's plenty of new aliens and environments, and most of them are visual feasts.
Without giving away the plot, it is vastly different than any other SW movie, and despite some parallels to the original trilogy, much more original than Ep 1.
Jar-Jar's role is reduced to five minutes tops, and there's absolutely nothing in this movie aimed for kids. There's even some much more scantily clad women in Corsucant, and Natalie Portman, is, shall we say, pretty cold and wearing a tight white dress in one scene if you know what I mean. The 20-somethings will jump for joy at this one.
Unfortunately, there are some flaws with the movie. The first is the visual FX, while mind-blowing most of the time, they get pretty overdone in the last 30 minutes or so of the movie and some pretty fake-looking shots have snuck in (it looks like Jedi Knight, the computer game). Also a minor problem is Yoda (now CG), who looks pretty good in normal shots but looks like Shrek in the closeups, which is kinda jarring.
The dialogue is not as bad as some reviewers have made it out to be, nor the performances of Natalie and Hayden as wooden. The love scenes are somewhat forced and hit and miss, but they're certainly better than a total dud like Pearl Harbor. Thankfully it doesn't have to carry the movie by itself.
The script is much like that and could have benefitted from a rewrite or two more, but it is vastly improved from Episode 1. Even when the lines are awkard, the point gets across.
Hayden as Anakin turns in a pretty good performance at times with some dramatic scenes (as good as anyone in the previous movies). At times he's just alright. Portman isn't given as much as she needs but is serviceable. The rest of the cast all turn in great performances, especially Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. The only problem is, some of the characters like Padme or Mace Windu aren't given enough development so that we root for them like the crew in the original trilogy. This may be an unavoidable flaw of the prequels.
The ending is also the most unsatisfying of any movie in the series, even moreso than ESB.
John Williams' score is good but lacking in new themes (besides the great love theme).
The action sequences are amazing, there's lots of fighting and some of the witty dialogue and swashbuckling that made the first three films so great is back. The story has some nice twists, turns, and tie-ins to the original films and is very interesting, and there's plenty of surprises from the characters.
Overall, a great improvement of a movie that is probably better than ROTJ and just below the first two installments of Star Wars. It still is a flawed movie in a couple ways, but Lucas has fixed most of the kinks to make it a really fun ride.
8/10
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Simply Dismal...
I came in with some lower expectations for this film and it still didn't meet them. There is no connection at all between any of the leads here, although it's the fault of the story and script as much as the actors and the director. Cuba Gooding Jr. turns in a fine performance despite being in the movie 10 minutes tops. It's a shame, because his character and FDR are the only characters you'll care about in this movie.
Our fearless leads are paper-thin, there's NOTHING different between Danny and Raph...we're supposed to like them because they used to always dream of flying...their nurse girlfriend in the love triangle Evelyn has absolutely no background at all, we don't know where she's from or what she did before back home and it doesn't really matter because she's a hot nurse, right? There's another guy in the lovable crew that stutters and some assorted nurses no one cares about. Pretty awful stuff.
The film is shot pretty well and the SFX are generally good (but not a blow-away great as one might expect). But they are used in a way that's not nearly as effective as Saving Private Ryan or Titanic, which the battle scenes will make you think of. There is not much else redeeming here, the score is quite forgettable and generic despite coming from Hans Zimmer. The attempts at humor fall pretty flat. The whole movie is extremely predictable to boot.
Let's not forget what happens after the Pearl Harbor attack itself; the ending hour or so of the movie should have been completely cut as it only serves to make the film worse... this is really when the movie sinks into "The Perfect Storm"-level badness. Most of what did actually work in the movie gets thrown out the window for a completely pointless attempt to give us patriotic feelings or something, I guess.
Bay's other films like the Rock and Armageddon (both of which I enjoyed), however maligned they are, are vastly superior to this one. At least those films had some characters to care about. There was tension there that this movie lacks... this movie is truly lacking heart.
Still probably worth a rental just for the 45-minute battle scene but the rest is very worthless. 3/10 (just for the Battle Scene), rest of the movie (1/10)
Armageddon (1998)
Pretty good blockbuster fare...
This is a good movie, great at times and too much to handle at others. It's still worth seeing (and definately more enjoyable than the putrid Pearl Harbor). The characters are pretty well done with some depth to all of them, and they're likeable and different (unlike Pearl Harbor).
This movie shifts gears from drama to comedy to action, and even though it's a little akward they do each part well (the comedy scenes are fantastic). There's also a nice romance between Tyler/Affleck (helped along by the theme song by Aerosmith and a cover of a John Denver tunes).
The cast is great, with Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Will Patton, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, and Michael Clarke Duncan among others. They turn in very entertaining performances.
Still, the last half-hour or so gets into a few too many cliffhangers to suspend disbelief, which takes away something from the movie. It's still an entertaining ride despite this critical flaw.
And anyone who calls this the "Worst Movie Ever" obviously hasn't seen a lot of movies. This is certainly on the upper end of blockbusters.
6.5/10
Independence Day (1996)
Fun movie...
It's pretty funny to see people rip this movie, even calling it laughingly
bad. It's no classic for sure, but a fun ride with a classic story (ripped
from War of the Worlds with some twists).
Maybe there's not super character development, but we didn't want to see
that, we wanted to see the humans v.s. aliens, and this movie certainly
delivers. It delivers the same kind of rush as movies such as The
Matrix.
There's some solid performances here from Smith, Goldblum, and Bill Pullman.
Anyone expecting straight drama for the whole flick should look somewhere
else, but there's many good moments (such as Pullman's speech) that are very
well done. I don't think a comedy scene here and there (funny at that)
detracts from that. There may be cliches, but they are generally well
done.
I didn't see any obvious plot holes in this movie, there's some incorrect
technical details but the main story points are all possible as it's
possible a more advanced society would have less knowledge in certain areas
than us, and certainly less knowledge of our culture/planet.
Go see it and decide for yourself. It's a good summer blockbuster in my
opinion.
7/10
Independence Day (1996)
Fun movie...
It's pretty funny to see people rip this movie, even calling it laughingly
bad. It's no classic for sure, but a fun ride with a classic story (ripped
from War of the Worlds with some twists).
Maybe there's not super character development, but we didn't want to see
that, we wanted to see the humans v.s. aliens, and this movie certainly
delivers. It delivers the same kind of rush as movies such as The
Matrix.
There's some solid performances here from Smith, Goldblum, and Bill Pullman.
Anyone expecting straight drama for the whole flick should look somewhere
else, but there's many good moments (such as Pullman's speech) that are very
well done. I don't think a comedy scene here and there (funny at that)
detracts from that. There may be cliches, but they are generally well
done.
I didn't see any obvious plot holes in this movie, there's some incorrect
technical details but the main story points are all possible as it's
possible a more advanced society would have less knowledge in certain areas
than us, and certainly less knowledge of our culture/planet.
Go see it and decide for yourself. It's a good summer blockbuster in my
opinion.
7/10
American Pie 2 (2001)
A sequel better than the original? Yep!
It says something about this summer when this movie was the one I've enjoyed the most this summer. It easily trumps the original in terms of laughs as they keep flowing throughout. Nothing is really spoiled in the trailers that have been running except the opening scene. As in the first one most of the situations are believable and true to life.
However this movie does have a few flaws as Kevin/Oz/Victoria/Heather's parts are all more or less pointless subplots that make these characters come across as very unlikeable and just sort of "there".
Making up for this are their roles being taken over by the rest of the cast, and quite frankly, they do a much better job than diminished characters. Alyson Hanningan as Michelle has a much larger role as does Steve Stiffler (Seann William Scott) who turns in a movie-stealing and possibly star-making performance. Nearly every line out of his movie had the audience bursting with laughter. He really carries most of this picture and his future seems to be bright if he can get out of being typecast in this role.
The scenes not involving him, Jim, or Jim's Dad drag, but luckily they're scarce.
The main plot is probably more meaningful as we actually have a central character now as opposed to a group picture. The serious scenes are certainly better acted and just generally better for the most part.
Everyone is back, even the bit characters such as the MILF guys and the Shermanator.
Some have commented on parts of this movie being homophobic, which is pretty ridiclous as what is depicted in the movie is what the vast majority of straight college-aged kids would react like in that situation.
In short, if you're aged 17-30 I suggest you go see this movie now. If you're easily offended by sexual talk/situations or didn't like the first one stay away (although I think if you're offended you're simply not in touch with the reality of how people act in college.)
9/10
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Flawed? Plot Holes? Yes. The best movie of the summer? Certainly...
Even though there are a few obvious plot holes one can pick out of the story (they should be obvious) and even though there are some flaws (the last 30 minutes to some, although I think to think it's easy to seperate the final act from the rest if you hate it)... certain scenes in this movie are off-the-page brillance.
The constrast between the Kubrick and Spielberg moments, in my opinion, doesn't turn the movie into a conjointed mess but rather strengthens each element. Jude Law and Osmond are amazing, the scene where Gigolo Joe and David meet has some real bizarre magic. Let's not forget the famous movies Joe homages through his dance steps.
Great SFX and this may be John Williams' best score in a long time.
There's a few elements that were vastly out of place... especially Chris Rock's voice cameo as a robot during a scene that should have been more shocking, and certainly some areas of the movie aren't as well developed or thought out as they could have been considering how amazing certain scenes are.
There are a few plot points that people might not "get" so be aware... my friend was confused and missed one of them. There's definately several different themes running through the films and ironies and to describe them all would be spoiling the film... but rest assured they are there.
Despite the flaws, still a great movie and by far the best of the summer (not like there's been much competition).
9/10
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Simply Dismal...
I came in with some lower expectations for this film and it still didn't meet them. There is no connection at all between any of the leads here, although it's the fault of the story and script as much as the actors and the director. Cuba Gooding Jr. turns in a fine performance despite being in the movie 10 minutes tops. It's a shame, because his character and FDR are the only characters you'll care about in this movie.
Our fearless leads are paper-thin, there's NOTHING different between Danny and Raph...we're supposed to like them because they used to always dream of flying...their nurse girlfriend in the love triangle Evelyn has absolutely no background at all, we don't know where she's from or what she did before back home and it doesn't really matter because she's a hot nurse, right? There's another guy in the lovable crew that stutters and some assorted nurses no one cares about. Pretty awful stuff.
The film is shot pretty well and the SFX are generally good (but not a blow-away great as one might expect). But they are used in a way that's not nearly as effective as Saving Private Ryan or Titanic, which the battle scenes will make you think of. There is not much else redeeming here, the score is quite forgettable and generic despite coming from Hans Zimmer. The attempts at humor fall pretty flat. The whole movie is extremely predictable to boot.
Let's not forget what happens after the Pearl Harbor attack itself; the ending hour or so of the movie should have been completely cut as it only serves to make the film worse... this is really when the movie sinks into "The Perfect Storm"-level badness. Most of what did actually work in the movie gets thrown out the window for a completely pointless attempt to give us patriotic feelings or something, I guess.
Bay's other films like the Rock and Armageddon (both of which I enjoyed), however maligned they are, are vastly superior to this one. At least those films had some characters to care about. There was tension there that this movie lacks... this movie is truly lacking heart.
Still probably worth a rental just for the 45-minute battle scene but the rest is very worthless. 3/10 (just for the Battle Scene), rest of the movie (1/10)
Me, Myself & Irene (2000)
Get the Special DVD edition
Much like There's Something About Mary, this is another Farrellys movie that has a lot more seriousness inside than people give credit for. It certainly is more serious in a lot of places than their other movies and certainly many "F-Bombs" get dropped by certain characters and there are a few of the typical gross-out gags. What really makes the movie work, though, is chemistry between Zellweger and Carrey, which is quite evident. Even though the plot is a little weak as far as certain points goes the main characters get pretty fully developed and the movie works pretty well despite those shortcomings.
Anyone who thinks this movie lacks weight should definately check out the Special Edition DVD and watch the extended branching version of the movie... there is one very serious (and very good) deleted scene that may be the best in the film between Carrey and Zellweger. It's unbelievable that it got cut from the final film.