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Reviews
The Matrix (1999)
Fantastic
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then a lot of people must really like this movie. The amount of times I have seen what is now called Matrix-style action in other movies and shows is quite something.
Some people might dislike the fact that other people seem to be copying it left and right. I don't mind. I loved the Matrix; why wouldn't I want to see more?
Great acting (even by Keanu! weird) and a fine overall movie. If you haven't seen it yet, shame on you. 9.5/10 on My Personal Scale.
Chicago Cab (1997)
Caught me waaay off guard
A friend and I picked this movie for our usual Crappy Movie Friday, It's called Hellcab, the back says something about unusual/mysterious passengers, so you can't miss, right?
Well, it happened. Sure, we had planned for it, but we'd more or less forgotten our plan. "What if," we had figured, "what if we rent a movie that we -mistake- for a crappy movie and it turns out to be good?" That situation came up. We watched the movie in relative silence (as opposed to our usual nonstop riffage) and in the end found we really liked it. It wasn't horror at all. It wasn't anywhere near crappy. What to do?
We still don't know. But what I know anyway was that I really enjoyed it. The Cab Driver is a great actor and his facial expressions speak volumes. Oh, and John Cusack is hilarious and very creepy as the Scary Guy. (Too bad his role is so brief!)
Check this one out! Don't mistake it for a horror flick! 8.5 out of 10 on My Personal Scale.
Disturbing Behavior (1998)
May not be a great movie...
but it'd make a great episode of the Outer Limits (a show which I think is about aliens FAR too often).
The performances were good and while it wasn't really a scary movie at all some scenes were admittedly creepy. The ending was a bit too abrupt for me (one of those "what! that's IT?!" endings) and one has to wonder where his parents were in all of the shenanigans and goings-on. You see them a few times in the movie but about two-thirds of the way through they basically vanish.
Like I said above, it'd be a good episode of something, but it wasn't really a great movie. 6/10 on My Personal Scale.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Not Good Bond
This movie has been the source of some great arguments between friends and I. I firmly contend now what I did when I first saw it; it's not good Bond.
Oh sure; it's a good action movie. Guns, girls, and explosions; what more could you want? But as a Bond movie it falls flat. The action scenes are great but the movie starts to get all fast-paced and crazy and that's just not what Bond's about (as near as I can tell; I could be wrong ^_^). He's always been Mr. Suave, the Gentleman Spy, etc. etc. Since when does he blaze around like Jackie Chan on Pixie Stix?
It's worth a watch if you like Action movies, or you're a Die-hard Bond fan. The Average Joe like me might get a little bewildered though. 6/10 on My Personal Scale.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Entertaining and twisty!
I don't often go in for murder-mystery flicks but this one was really entertaining and held my attention through the whole thing (a feat accomplished by only a select few movies ^_^). Russell Crowe is awesome and after seeing this as well as Gladiator and Virtuosity he is definitely one of my favorite actors (next to, of course, Chow Yun Fat, and some other people). It certainly took me long enough to get around to seeing this movie but I'm glad I did. 9/10 on My Personal Scale.
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Definitely entertaining
First off let me say that the trailer for this movie is one of the more intriguing ones I have seen. I totally missed it in theaters but the Pay-Per-View Preview channel started showing the trailer for it and I got really curious.
Much to my favor, the local video store actually had a copy! Nobody I knew had heard of it but I finally convinced them to see it (after they saw the trailer too).
They enjoyed it more than I did! (and I liked it alot!)
Good pacing, excellent directorial work and gunfight choreographing make this a definite contender for my "Top 5 Action Movies" list. I couldn't say where, tho ^_^
9/10 on My Personal Scale. Check it out if you haven't yet.
Day of the Tentacle (1993)
Like playing a Saturday Morning Cartoon
Though the statement above probably sounds a bit cliched and exaggerated, it's entirely the truth. DOTT is well-animated, hilarious, and a blast to play. It's got a ton of killer lines in it too, like "You know what they say; If you wanna save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs!"
Find this game and buy it if you can. Better yet, get the first LucasArts Entertainment Pack. You'll be up to your eyes in funny adventures!
10/10 on My Personal Scale
Sam and Max Hit the Road (1993)
One of the best adventure games ever
I got this game as a part of the first LucasArts Entertainment pack and I had absolutely no idea what it was. But when I got home and fired it up I fell in love. The game, as a whole, is filled with witty and incredibly sarcastic dialog and about a bajillion movie and game related in-jokes.
From the streamlined interface to the entertaining puzzles to such great minigames as Car Bomb and the Max's Wax Coloring Kit this game is a blast to play. If you haven't played it yet, I highly recommend you do. 10/10 on My Personal Scale.
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Fantastic!!
I rarely ever see a movie more than once in the theater, but this one was definitely worth going to again. It was incredibly funny and extremely moving in all the right places. I practically died laughing close to the end when Mr. Potato Head, ahem, "loses his parts" (those who've seen the movie will know what I'm talking about...it's very memorable)
Once again, Pixar's animation is absolutely top-notch and their attention to detail is amazing. The voice actors of the different toys really shine in their roles and the movie made me feel terrible for having so many of my old toys stored away in a box in the closet...it'll sound a bit weird but while watching I was almost overwhelmed with the urge to rush home, take them all out, and play with them again!
See it! Then see it again! 10/10 on My Personal Scale.
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Incredible film
I completely missed the whole Transformers fad as a kid (none of the channels I got showed it) but I know all along what they were, at least. Nowadays I've been catching up (I love it now, I would have been completely obsessed if I saw this as a child) with the re-released episodes that my friend buys.
One day he lucked out and found the movie (he's a much bigger TransFan than I am). We got a bunch of people together at my place and watched it. Nobody left unimpressed.
The animation and voice acting are top-notch. Sure it was disturbing at times and the soundtrack really needed work in some spots (Dare To Be Stupid? What were they thinking?!) but overall it ranks wayy up there with the rest of my favorite movies.
9/10 on My Personal Scale.
The Art of War (2000)
Confused...
For those who don't feel like reading my whole review, here's what I thought; entertaining, has some cool moments, but slightly confusing. Nothing groundbreaking.
Snipes is good as the main character but I found it somewhat difficult to keep up with the twists and turns that the plot takes. Mind you, I'm not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to putting two-and-two-together in movies (Mission Impossible took me 5 times to get the WHOLE thing) but I consider myself reasonably competent at it. Regardless, I still got lost. So did my friends, so they were no help.
The Matrix-esque bullet-trail things were cool but a bit too much of me-too-ism for me to appreciate them more fully.
Oh well. My recommendation; solid action movie, nothing special though. It belongs closer to the top of your "To Watch" list.
Gladiator (2000)
Immersive!
First off let me say that the best way to enjoy this movie is on a big screen, with loud sound. Seeing this movie in the West Edmonton Mall's Silver City theater was perhaps one of the greatest and most involving cinema experiences I have ever had. The deafening roar of the crowd, the clash of steel, and the incredible visuals on a huge screen drew me into the movie like no other film has.
Pretty much everything about this movie is amazing from start to finish. My only warning is that some scenes may be a little to brutal or graphic for some people (I know even I cringed a couple of times) and you might be a little careful who you watch this with.
Ahh, who cares! The experience'll probably do them good. 9/10 on My Personal Scale.
High Fidelity (2000)
Go Cusack!
I must admit that at first I did not really expect this movie to be good. I'm not a big fan of the romantic-comedy genre, but when a friend and I were in the video store today and we saw the "from the creators of Grosse Point Blank!" plastered across the top, we had to check it out.
Much like Grosse Point, this movie is hilarious largely because of the incredibly witty dialogue. Cusack is great as a disillusioned record store owner and I especially enjoyed Jack Black as the elitist uber-jerk of an employee. I'd have to say that my favorite scene is when Cusack and Black have a conversation about what it means if you say "I haven't seen Evil Dead 2...yet."
Overall I gave this movie an 8/10 on My Personal Scale. Definitely worth checking out.
Pitch Black (2000)
What a ride!
Though the story sounds pretty standard (Alien hunter chasing humans/Fight fire with fire) this movie was a ride through and through, and a darn good one. The use of lighting in this movie was done amazingly well and really helps to accent some of the more tense scenes of the movie.
People who enjoy movies like Aliens and Predator should seriously check this one out. Riddick kicks butt!! 9/10 on My Personal Scale.
Predator (1987)
Surprised....
This movie caught me off guard because it's quite a lot better than a lot of the standard 80's action flicks out there. It isn't my favorite movie by a longshot, but it's actually a lot of fun to watch and I imagine it must've been intense when it was in theaters. Unlike a good deal of movies from that decade it gets a lot of elements right and overall makes for a really entertaining movie.
(and I still wonder how they did the Predator's multi-layer invisibility thing!)
Space Cowboys (2000)
Not bad...I guess...
Sure, it was funny where it wanted to be funny, and touching where it wanted to be touching...but I just didn't get as much out of this movie as some people do.
**slight SPOILER WARNING...though you'd have guessed as much from the trailers and other people's comments anyway** I hope I'm not just getting jaded but I found the space scenes closer to the end of the movie had absolutely no "suspension of disbelief" factor whatsoever. The wirework is clearly evident and the actors/wirework never gave me a feeling that they actually might have been in space.
**End of Slight Spoiler - You can open your eyes now ^_^**
Overall, I can't really say anything terribly positive or negative about this film. I'd recommend as something to see when you've seen the movies you already wanted to, and there's nothing good playing.
Chrono Cross (1999)
Square's Newest Masterpiece!
Though I wouldn't call myself an RPG fanatic, I definitely appreciate the genre greatly and I can honestly say I have wasted away countless hours of my life staring at the exploits of Chrono, Cloud, or heck, even The Nameless One (of Planescape Torment fame). Chrono Cross is one of those games that has an awesome story, but it starts you off halfway through it; it confuses the heck out of you for the first bit but vaguely promises to let you in on it later. So you play, and eventually you find out, but you're most of the way through the game! Is this a bad thing? Certainly not! The game pulls you in right away and doesn't let you go.
The battle system is confusing at first but once you get it down you realize it has a surprising amount of depth and boss battles become very strategic and thought-out, as opposed to Hit-heal-hit-heal experiences.
Great graphics and cutscenes, innovative new battle and experience system, and an involving storyline add up to make this the best of Square's "Big Three" releases this year.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Awesome stuff
This movie FAR surpasses the first one and has more cool scenes and lines than I can count (so that's easily more than 10 ^_^). It disappoints me that they are trying to make more because I really don't think they -need- any more after this one, and if they aren't done well, it could taint the whole series.
The special effects are awesome even today. Those guys did very good and very detailed work and it easily stands up against a lot of movies out today.
Robert Patrick makes a great villain because throughout the whole movie he is cold as ice. Not a lot of people can keep that up but he does a fine job of it.
If you like action, go see it! If you like Sci-fi, go see it! If you like movies at all, GO SEE IT! =)
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
Booo! =)
I stumbled on to this movie quite by accident and it will forever remain burned into my memory as one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life. I borrowed a tape that had Total Recall (off TV) on it and right after it was this. I watched out of curiosity...why oh why didn't i stop myself?
The "plot", which mostly elicits laughter from friends I describe it to, is very strange and not at all good. Actually, pretty much everything about the movie is summed up in that phrase: "Very Strange and Not At All Good".
Beware...
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
Longer Than It Needs To Be
When I first read the story for this movie, I was very intrigued. I have a bit of an interest in feudal-Japan kind of stuff and I really thought it was a good concept for the film.
The other reviews for this movie seem to be very positive, and I'll grant them that, it is a good movie, when something is happening. Probably it's just the fact that I have seen a lot of fast-paced and no-nonsense action flicks, but I found this movie far too slow.
That's basically my only complaint about it. It's just too friggin' slow! Sure, it's fun to watch him drive from place to place, but for how long? Sure it's cool to see the big bad guy watch cartoons but for HOW LONG? Not very.
My recommendation to the creators of this film - make a version called Ghost Dog Turbo and cut down about a half an hour, then get back to me. I'll like it a lot more then.
Kôkaku kidôtai (1995)
Visual Masterpiece
I really need to see this movie again. The only time I've seen it was late at night and I got absolutely NOTHING out of the plot, at all. The only thing I understood was that right when the movie seems like it's REALLY about to get going, it's over. I was very disappointed.
But who cares about plot? I am very willing to let a lot of bad things about a movie go if it looks good, and this one is the absolute best looking piece of animation I have ever seen. The detail, the fluidity, the realism...it's all there. When I was watching it I didn't care that I had no idea what was going on; it looked gorgeous. Not the best dub in the world, and a weird plot, but if you like animation, you need to see this. Really.
Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
May not be THE best...
...but certainly one of the better action movies out there. Fast-paced, great action scenes, good acting and a good number of funny one-liners here and there...what's not to like?
I've yet to see the first two, though. I understand they're good too...
Misery (1990)
Wow...Suspenseful...
The first time I saw this movie was on Satellite TV. It was un-cut, thankfully, but it was part of a course at some university, which also meant that some professor or something would interrupt the film every so often to discuss all sorts of things (the course was about Film and Culture). I thoroughly enjoyed the movie anyway...but wouldn't you know it, I got interrupted and missed the ending!! aarrgh!! (don't tell me this has never happened to you...I know it has. -_-U)
Fortunately I found it at the video store, rented it, and finished it...and you know what? It was still good the second time. I don't often go in for thrillers and stuff but I found this to be a great, and very suspenseful movie. It's really unfortunate that they never really explain the villain's back story very well...it looks like she's got a very troubled past, but you don't get to find out any specifics.
Even if you're not really a thriller fan (like me) it's a good watch. Some scenes may not be for the faint of heart, though =)
Shaft (2000)
A Pile Of Fun
Shaft, in itself, may not be a "great" movie IMHO, but I can't remember the last time I had that much fun in a theater, rooting for the good guy. I tend to laugh at inappropriate moments during movies (thankfully not too loud) and I must say I was snickering myself half to death, quietly cheering Shaft on as he goes around beating everybody up...now I think I'll go listen to Isaac Hayes' incredibly cool theme some more... (by the by, I didn't like his new version nearly as much)
The Game (1997)
Still A Great Watch
I watched this movie for the third time just today and it's still great fun. One of the characters in the movie sums it up perfectly when he says he wishes he could just forget it all, go back, and do it again...I wish I could watch this movie again with no knowledge of what really happens...it could throw me all over again!
A fun thing to do while watching is to identify when, if you were in Mr. Douglas' shoes, you would go completely mad.