Brian-237 Reviews

Mission to Mars (2000)

Bizarre...but not completely worthless.

[8/10 · 15 March 2000]

Brian De Palma has gotten really mainstream lately. I've always found his films to be dark and strange but it was his style. When he did "Mission:Impossible" in 1996 I remember thinking..."This is a Brian De Palma movie?" Speaking of thinking, he must have not done a lot of that to come up with the last 20 minutes of this film. But surprisingly, I found everything up to that point really working for me. "Mission to Mars" is an unusual film indeed but it is far from, as some have said, the worst movie so far this year. It's so routine to say movies like this have great special effects. So what? But I found the character drama to be satisfying. The opening sequence involving a Mars mission send-off party was really nice and introduced the characters well, whom I liked a lot. Sci-fi could use a big shot in the arm these days I'll admit but the genre isn't totally far gone and completely lost. With films such as these, the climactic delivery is vital. If you fail at that, you lose credibility. Still, I consider this film better than "The Phantom Menace". Now THAT was a bad movie!!

Godzilla (I) (1998)

Not the WORST movie I've ever seen...

[13 January 2000]

I've seen worse. The advertising campaign for this film was more annoying than the movie. Also some of the acting was a little "why-the-hell-am-I-doing-this-movie-ish". Despite a lack of originality, (the scene in Madison Square Garden reminded me of the "raptor kitchen scene" in "Jurassic Park"...c'mon people!), Godzilla's design looked cool, the visual effects were good and I really like Jean Reno. (I don't care what Godzilla purists say. The guy in the rubber suit stomping a city that looked like a child's model play set just doesn't cut it for me). Not the best summer film of '98 but it sure as hell was better than "The Phantom Menace".

I give this movie a B-.

Alien 3 (1992)

I like this movie...

[13 January 2000]

Alien 3 is one of the darkest, most morbid movies I have ever seen. It took a while for me to respect this film, (I hated it when I first saw it in '92), but I like it now. The acting by Weaver, Charles Dance and the entire prison cast is first rate, the dank and dirty sets of the Fiorina "Fury" 161 prison colony are inventive and the surrealistic dark dreamlike mood of the film has a strong resonnating effect; (a funeral scene about 20 minutes into the movie intercut with the birthing process of the new alien is powerfully haunting and effective). I guess my only serious complaint with this film is that the special effects, especially the creature effects, aren't quite up to quality standards. Not as good as the first two, "Alien 3" is definitely better than the fourth entry which should have found a better story and a better director.

I give this film a B.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Gives sci-fi a good name...

[13 January 2000]

"Empire" bypassed the cheerful adventurousness of the first film to where the forces of good suffer dearly and the ultimate force of evil in the film is discovered to have personal ties in the life of the hero. This is "grown up" Star Wars and the best written. With the personal and relational battles we as human beings face in life, it's disheartening when evil triumphs over good and when the bad times outweigh the good ones. But that sort of thing is a reflection of how real life works sometimes. This film mirrors that fact effectively.

I give this movie an A+.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!

[6/10 · 9 January 2000]

People waited in line for hours even days all around the world for THIS???? Mr. Lucas it's not the 70's and 80's anymore. This generation has different tastes than the one before us. This movie was so incredibly juvenile and silly that I couldn't help but sink in my theatre chair from embarrasment! Granted the first three films were silly and the acting was a little off but they were FUN! But I'll give credit where credit is due. Set design, costume design, creature makeup and certain other CGI effects were really terrific. Good job Mr. Lucas! But "The Phantom Menace" suffers from mediocre acting, a so-so storyline and...and...........Jar Jar Binks??? Why do we need more comic relief? C-3PO and R2-D2 are more than enough. The look of Jar Jar was fine but his character should have mirrored the ferocity yet loyal friendship of Chewbacca. The film needed a darker and harder edge to appeal to those of us who grew up on the first 3 films but who also aren't kids anymore. (Remember "The Empire Strikes Back"?). Great special effects aren't going to be enough for those of us who made it through the blockbuster filled 80's. We naysayers of this film want a great script, great acting, great characters etc. etc... Better luck next time George. When you make the next film, please keep in mind that not everyone who wants to see it will be six years old.

I give this film a C-.

Ronin (1998)

A Frankenheimer comeback?

[27 September 1998]

I find it absolutely splendid that three of the characters in this film had played James Bond meglomaniacs. We have Michael Lonsdale from "Moonraker" ('79), Sean Bean from "Goldeneye" ('95) and Jonathan Pryce from "Tomorrow Never Dies" ('97). They all give acceptable performances in the film which was an entertaining piece of film-making in itself. Also, for me it's always a pleasure seeing actor Jean Reno who played Vincent. I hope I see more of him in the future. Good movie. I hope it does well at the box office.

No sequels please!

Knock Off (1998)

Insulting.

[3/10 · 12 September 1998]

I actually like Jean Claude Van Damme but this is one of the worst movies I've seen all year. Does Columbia actually expect this to be a hit? If this is the best material Van Damme can come up with, he needs to embark on another career path.

No sequels please!

Godzilla (I) (1998)

Fine tuning required...

[12 September 1998]

The most dreadful and ridiculous thing about this film is not the movie itself, (at least not for me anyway), but the silly marketing campaign launched by its director. "He's as big as...", "He's as tall as...", "His tail stretches from here to here...". This is over-hype and draping office buildings and hotels in downtown L.A. with these ads simply adds to the embarrassment. As for the film, yeah it definitely wasn't their best. "ID4" and "Stargate" were vastly superior. The acting was questionable and the "Jurassic Park" kitchen scene in Madison Square Garden was... oh, never mind. Let's just say that the creators of this film should be ashamed of themselves for that. The movie has two major things going for it. Jean Reno and Godzilla himself. I really liked the new streamlined appearance of the big guy and considered it a major improvement over the "rubber suit" look. Not the worst movie I've ever seen but it sure could use some fine tuning.

No sequels please!

Howard the Duck (1986)

Good lord!

[12 September 1998]

George Lucas was the executive producer of this mess? What was he thinking? I missed "Howard" when he hit theatres 12 years ago and boy was that one of the smartest moves I ever made! I'm not very familiar with the Howard the Duck comic strip but it had to be better than the movie. And the ad line for the film..."Trapped in a world he never made"..., What in the world is that supposed to mean? Back acting, bad story, bad characters, (cool effects though), bad idea. Howard, go home!

No sequels please!

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

You have got to be kidding me!

[11 September 1998]

The fourth chapter in the "Alien" series is by far the worst in the bunch. After the lackluster success of the third film, I was expecting a major "pick-me-up" for this one. Leaving the theatre that cold November night, I actually came to the conclusion that the third film was BETTER. The problem with "Alien Resurrection" is that it doesn't feel like an "Alien" film. I missed the Ellen Ripley from the first three films. She was a caring person; someone the audiences liked. In this film, she's a cold, steely I-don't-give-a-crap clone. The violence was horrific and the special effects weren't that impressive in my opinion. They should have gotten a real director for this film. Why not John ("Die Hard") McTiernan or Renny ( "Cliffhanger") Harlin? The films few saving graces were the casting of Brad Doriff as one of the deceived scientists and Dominique Pinon, the wheel -chaired mechanic of "The Betty".

Stop the sequels please!

Stargate (1994)

One of the top 10 best movies of 1994.

[11 September 1998]

"Stargate' is one of the most entertaining films I have ever seen. I was really blown away on how good this movie was. The story was rather original , the characters were interesting and of course the special effects were terrific. It isn't often that Hollywood releases original sci-fi fare, opting instead to financially back material from previous sources such as books or old television shows. This unfortunately proves the theory of bankrupt creativity and the lack of original concept ideas from the studios. When the movie was first released 4 years ago in theatres, it was an unexpected surprise box office hit, ($71 million domestic gross I believe). In my opinion, "Stargate" deserved every penny!

No sequels please!

Blown Away (1994)

Deserved better than it got.

[11 September 1998]

"Blown Away" obviously suffered in comparison to "Speed" since both films were released the same year during the same summer. I never really considered this a pure action film more than a suspense thriller. Things aren't blowing up every 10 minutes and the characters are more deep and interesting here than in a lot of your mindless action romps. I found Jeff Bridges desire to resume a normal life in Boston after his questionable "IRA-like" activities back home in Ireland appealing and his lovely fiancee played by Suzy Amis very likeable. Tommy Lee Jones has a great Irish accent and the lunatic he plays is great fun to watch. Lloyd Bridges as Jeff's uncle and Boston cop Forest Whittaker are equally appealing. My home-town newspaper, "The Dayton Daily News" gave the film 3 stars. I'd say that's about right.

No sequels please!

Blade (1998)

Incredibly gory!

[10 September 1998]

That's not to say I didn't like the film but good grief! "Saving Private Ryan" wasn't this bad! Are they trying to go for some sort of record here? This is one of those films that I take guilty pleasure in enjoying despite the large amount of violence. Wesley Snipes could really use a hit and I think he may have one with this one.

No sequels please.

Armageddon (1998)

Keep the camera still!

[8/10 · 10 September 1998]

What's with the camera work in this film? It seem that Michael Bay is filming a rock video here. The camera is constantly moving from left to right, up and down and many times, the dialogue consists of people talking on top of one another. I understand Mr. Bay got his start in the music video business, but watching his spastic camera work for 2.5 hours made me dizzy. Despite all this however, I'm glad the film is doing well. I thought the disaster fad that Hollywood jumped on 2 years ago was fading but apparently not. "Armageddon" is god-awful silly but a fun ride nevertheless.