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Reviews
Agent 15 (2001)
Why was this made?
Saw some of the Agent 15 "films" at the San Diego ComicCon. I went because actress Paget Brewster is ridiculously beautiful.
I guess this is a "series" of films, and the episodes are about 2-3 minutes long. Here's one episode
*SPOILERS* Agent 15 walks up to this evil guy playing chess with giant pieces. They play chess. She wins and walks away. The guy says, "well played... Agent 15!" Credits roll. *END SPOILERS*
These aren't exactly bad, they're just not actually anything. They remind me of what high school students would do with the school video equipment over the weekend. These are probably a lot of fun to watch for the people who made them, but I can't imagine any reason to see them myself...
except Paget Brewster in a bikini.
Westender (2003)
Darn close to a masterpiece... but not an action film!
First off, "Westender" is not a swords-and-sorcery action film. It's a beautiful medieval tale, with some really nifty action, but at it's core it's an independent style film about a man's struggles with inner demons.
The fighting and action is really about as good as I've seen in this level of indy flick. This is appreciated more with a look at the "making of" feature and learning they had no stuntmen.
The symbolism/deep stuff is done really well, being clear without being obtuse, and being moving without being distracting.
The story follows a fairly understandable path, but there are some connections the audience has to make for themselves, and there are some questions intentionally left unanswered about the backstory. I would like to have seen a better resolution to the Jester character.
Some scenes were really poorly lit, which was my main beef with this otherwise wonderfully shot film.
All and all, if you want some cool knight action you might want to check out this movie, but be prepared to think. If you want some moving human drama, check out this movie but be prepared to enjoy the ride. If you want some gorgeous scenery, CHECK OUT THIS MOVIE now.
Robots (1988)
Surprisingly good.
This was actually a pretty good little film, considering that it was the video component of a party game. As I recall, you watched the movie, then drew cards giving you hints. Pretty simple stuff, but the movie had pretty decent production values, and ignited my passion for Asimov when I was a boy. There were a couple decent robot costumes, and a variety of futuristic settings. Nothing grand, but more than capable of setting the mood for the piece. The whole thing was maybe 1/2 hour, but managed to introduce quite a few interesting characters, people and robots. Special effects weren't bad either.
The film "I, Robot" could have learned something from this one. I sure wish my mom hadn't sold it when I went to college.