Mitaka Reviews

NightMan (1997–1999)

Two comments

[1/10 · 10 November 2003]

1) To Dave from Puerto Rico: The Nightman was, hands down, the BEST character Malibu comics created before Marvel ruined the series and the company.

2) This movie takes a wonderful street-level character, gives him gadgets he never had in the comics, and turns him into, as one other reviewer put it, a Batman Wannabe. This show is PATHETIC! I started watching it and figured, "Okay. They made some changes. I guess that's to be expected. But I'll give it a chance." Which I did. Right up until the anti-gravity belt came into use. That's when I changed channels. The most high tech gadget The Nightman ever used in the comics was his taser (one of the few things Marvel did right when they had him build tasers into his gloves to free up his hands). No flying belt - he got around on a motor cycle. No laser eye - the larger lens was to enhance his night vision. For those who say this show is perfect of there's ABSOLUTELY nothing else on - wrong. If there's nothing better on, that means the cable is out. I'll go watch paint dry, thank you very much.

Barb Wire (1996)

A great comic book...

[10 November 2003]

ruined by Pamela Anderson.

I loved the Barb Wire comics before Marvel bought Malibu and ran them into the ground. When I first heard they were making a Barb Wire movie, I thought, "Great! Just so long as the get someone good." I couldn't have been further off the mark. At least they didn't do THIS bad a job on The Nightman (although they ruined that character, too).

This movie was a total waste of my money - and I didn't even pay for my munchies! My friends conned me into going by paying for the whole shot. Got my revenge, though - $5.00 for a movie (cheap b@$+@rd Tuesdays) and $12.00 in munchies. :)

Creature (1998)

Only loosely based on White Shark...

[13 June 2003]

(which, at this time, I'm reading for the third time), I thought Creature was an okay movie. There were a few too many changes from the book for me to reasonably compare the two, but I did enjoy watching the whole run. Although I did think the Creature looked pretty hokey.

And to the person who commented that Jaws was the only good book Benchley ever wrote, read "The Girl of the Sea of Cortez". It's nothing like Jaws or The Beast. And it's a hell of alot better than either (although I enjoyed them, too).

The Hunted (1995)

Well worth the money...

[25 February 2003]

(By that, I mean a friend paid for me to get in...)

In all fairness, this movie did have some great lines... from the audience. Get this - 3/4 through the movie, the guy behind me pipes up with, "Hey! This isn't a 'Highlander' sequel!"

This is what you get when you let them out on day passes...

Manimal (1983)

Panther and Hawk? Anyone remember the pilot?

[23 September 2002]

First off, I loved this series as a kid! I wish they would have continued with it. But, then again, this was the era where networks were keeping the garbage and chucking the stuff with some potential.

Second, if anyone remembers the pilot to this show, his girlfriend (I THINK that was here relationship. It HAS been almost 20 years!) found out about his abilities when he turned into a cobra to pull her out of some quicksand. I also recall him becoming a mule to kick open a locked door so he and his friend could escape. Sure, the panther and hawk were used the most, but they did make him more versatile than that.

Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984)

One word: WOW!

[13 March 2002]

I've been asked which I like better: Macross (TV) or Macross: Do You Remember Love? (movie) better. Truthfully, I see the movie and the TV series it was based on as two different things, so I have trouble deciding. But as far as early-80's anime movies, this one is one of the best, hands down!

Mazes and Monsters (1982 TV Movie)

F&F (Fact & Fantasy)

[13 March 2002]

Ah, I remember it well. 1982. I was twelve years old. Mom heard they would be showing this movie on TV and decided I should watch it so I would get out of the D&D club I had just joined at school. After it was over, she asked me what I thought.

"A perfect example of the dangers of fantasy."

She missed the sarcasm. Completely.

Rona Jaffe's book and movie did more damage to role-playing in the '80's than almost any single other source. The book and movie have little to do with the realities of role-playing. But, then again, MOST anti-RPG rants are just as bad.

I've seen it a couple of times in the video stores under "Drama". I suggested they move it to it's proper place - "Comedy". At least THEY got the joke! :)

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

In a word, WOW!

[18 August 1999]

Well, I finally got to see this film today. And to all of you who say the movie has been over-hyped, I say bunk! I've seen maybe two commercials since it came out, and one showing of the Sci-Fi Channel's "mock"-umentary on the legend of the Blair witch. And even with the expectations I had of this movie, which were pretty high, I thought this was one of the best movies I've ever seen. I won't say that it utterly terrified me, but it was eerie in the extreme. Especially after *not going to spoil it totally* disappears. I recommend this to anyone who can go in and watch this movie not for what it is (a low-budget movie with a great concept and execution), but for what it's supposed to be (a chilling account of three students' run in with the unknown).

It may not be real, but it's alot scarier if you treat it as though it is.

Enjoy!