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Reviews
T-Force (1994)
[spoilers] Something went Horribly Wrong....
...with this movie, that is. But not quite wrong enough to be a delightful dose of pure cheesiness.
To be honest, I only caught the last hour+ of this movie, but I think that's about all that's needed. The saving graces are few and probably insufficient. Jack Scalia's actually enjoyable, Erin Grey's still hot, and the ending is actually pretty good. Otherwise, pretty much a complete mess. The lighting is just awful (to conceal dreadful sets?), continuity and even token realism take a back seat during the big finale action piece, and a lot of the acting is a notch below dinner theatre. This sort of thing could be forgiven if not for the wholesale, complete (and utterly unnecessary) theft of complete scenes from 'Terminator' - the police station scene and gun dealer scene, for two.
Probably not worth a rental, even for cheese aficionados.
The Tomorrow Man (2002)
*spoilers* Proves a big effects budget is irrelevant
Wow. Not your usual time-travel flick, for sure. From some rather giddy heights induced by Beth Kennedy's hilariously wise-ass, acerbic character to a heart-wrenching scene of a beating, this is something of a roller-coaster - tending to the highs rather than the lows.
I think all the actors do 'very good' on up to 'excellent' - unfortunately, Stevie Johnson (Griffin) is hung with a somewhat lame (and wholly unnecessary) plot device intended to lend urgency to an already urgent situation. However, his mysterious dislike for his good friend from 30 years in the past does serve to pique our curiosity - Larry (Corbin Bernsen)was one of the _good_ guys; how did he go wrong?
We're propelled along this journey by an engrossing story, not special effects - the "effect" for time travel here is simple, cheap, inobtrusive...and oddly effective. And the problem of explaining how time travel is possible is disposed of by the simple expedient of ignoring it. It's possible, so there. (Which is what Kennedy's little bit of exposition on the subject amounts to.)
Definitely worth a look.
Bounce (2000)
Good bet chick-flick for guys who like movies
*probable spoilers*
I think that the nay-sayers regarding this movie must be fans of the genre; as someone who generally _loathes_ romantic films, I found it engaging and enjoyable. If you're stuck agreeing on a rental for a date, slip this one in - I expect the ladies will like it, and it won't bore you to tears.
Affleck's character's journey to assuage his guilt is mirrored by his struggle with the bottle, and in a nice change from usual fare, he doesn't relapse into drinking at any opportunity. Instead, his relationship with Paltrow's character is the source of conflict (but during it all, you're left wondering just _when_ he'll turn to the bottle).
This film is nothing if not subtle; the gay alcoholic, employed during Affleck's tenure in rehab, could have easily been overdone, but is presented in a restrained manner that's yet another refreshing change from the usual "in your face" style of the wisecracking, if minor, supporting role. Ignoring the boss's orders and putting through the forbidden phone call, an act that gels the character for the viewer and furthers the plot in an important fashion are a nice touch: two mild rebels, lightly butting heads. These sorts of light touches abound in the latter part of the movie. The oldest boy's concerns over his father's death and his motivations for trading seats are well handled. (In fact, the "child" acting in this movie is a cut above. There's not a lot of it, but it's damn good.)
"Bounce" is a traditional character study, I think. We know what is going on, and why, and we know what's going to happen. Exactly how the characters deal with things is the interesting bit, and it _is_ interesting.
Vampires (1998)
A Western? (mild spoilers)
An interesting collection of views on this film. The possibility that this could be thought of as a Western didn't occur to me until I'd seen it mentioned here, but I'd add one thing...if this is a Western, it's a comedic Western. Or perhaps, a Comedic Western Actioner.
Let's face it, this is a guy who uses _harpoons_ attached to jeeps to skewer vampires and drag them out into the sunlight, where they burst into flames. I was laughing myself silly. Carpenter skewers the horror genre as effectively as Woods does vampires, so hard-core horror fans should probably avoid this one. If you like totally over-the-top movies (think Verhoeven), give it a try.(In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a wager wasn't the genesis of this movie.)
Pop some popcorn, disengage your brain and enjoy.
Demolition Man (1993)
Stallone vs Bullock?
One reviewer has commented that, by the end of filming, Stallone and Bullock couldn't stand one another. I don't know the source of that information, but on the DVD director/producer voice commentary audio track, one of the two (Brambilla or Silver) states that the most fun they had shooting was doing vehicle interiors, because Stallone and Bullock were always goofing around inside the prototype cars, and that by the end of production, they were very good friends.
That said, if you like actioners with a sense of humor, Demolition Man is worth a peek.