degracia Reviews

End of Days (1999)

So-so

[4 November 2000]

Is it just me, or does this film feel like an end-of-the-world remix of "Devil's Advocate" in some ways? If you had to describe this film in one word, it would be "blah." Overall the movie is somewhat slow and incoherent. The first part of the film drags too much, while the second half moves too quickly. As a horror film, this film isn't too successful. Most of the "horror" scenes have all been done before, so the element of surprise is pretty much wasted. As an end of the world film, we need not even comment how bad "End Of Days" is (the scene where Schwarzenegger ponders whether he has until 12:00 in general or Eastern Time till the world goes to hell says it all.) As an action movie, "End of Days" does even worse. For an Arnold Schwarzenegger film, its somewhat surprising that the action isn't as intense or crammed with the classic overkill factor that most viewers have come to expect. Not to sound sarcastic, but when Arnold is on the loose, you almost expect the bad guys to show off how 'bad' they really are, only to be surprised a second later when Arnold shows up in an AV-8B jump jet guns ablazin. (Just think about how bad Arnold messed the Predator and imagine what he could have done in "End of Days.") Instead, no overkill in this movie...the best that Arnold gets to ripping the bad guys a new one is him walking around with an 9mm x 19 Parabellum MP5 submachine gun equipped with an underslung M203 grenade launcher (and a glock for close encounters, respectively).

Granted, I went into this movie expecting it to have a mediocre storyline and plot, but I expected more action for my money's worth. Well, guess you can't win 'em all.

The Wraith (1986)

Typical

[28 October 2000]

"The Wraith" is pretty typical for an 80s movie: fast moving with hard music, slick styled, and a novel plot. Overall "The Wraith" is an enjoyable movie to watch just for all the 80s memories (not to mention excessive use of explosions, explosions, and more explosions), but it has a bumpy storyline which is somewhat disappointing. Still, in terms of total concept, I suppose you can't expect that much out of a film like this. Too bad Randy Quaid's role is somewhat limited in this film.

Longitude (2000)

Separated by Time, United By Fate

[26 October 2000]

A&E's "Longitude" is perhaps the most emotionally compelling, made for TV dramas yet. I was so impressed when I first saw Longitude on A&E that I had to buy it on DVD the minute it came out. A highly realistic, fully drawn out, historical drama of how one man's dream tamed time and space, "Longitude" strikes home with its all-star cast (including Jeremy Irons and Micheal Gambon) and two-part storyline. The first story is that of a carpenter, John Harrison, who struggled for almost 50 years to perfect a "practical and useful" marine chronometer. The second story revolves around Commander Rupert Gould, a man who discovers Harrison's forgotten prototypes and fights to not only restore the timepieces but to also restore the honor of Harrison.

"Longitude" is filled with tons of edge-of-your-seat, gritty scenes, and every second of the 200-minute film glows with a profound message. The ending scene is especially powerful, in which Rupert Gould remarks, "What makes a man great? A man may be great in his aims, or in his achievements, or in both...but I think that man is truly great who makes the world his debtor..who does something for the world which the world needs, and which nobody before him has done or known how to do."

Definitely a great educational film to watch, and an excellent film to own. "Longitude" is an unforgettable experience and a demonstration of just how good a movie can be.

Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business (1998 TV Movie)

"Whoa"

[26 October 2000]

If you can actually tolerate watching "Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business" all the way through, you find yourself much like Keanu Reeves in "The Matrix" with all you can say being, "whoa." This whole movie is just plain weird. The sheer fact that the producers made a cheesy spin off "Universal Soldier II" only to make a sequel-to-the-sequel "Universal Soldier III" tells you someone had too much fun with the storyline. Amazingly enough, despite the low budget nature of this film, the acting (while poor) and scenes are surprisingly better than "Universal Soldier: The Return" which says something about the quality of sequels. If you can't sleep at night, this is one of those movies you can watch to waste time.

Parasite Eve (1998 Video Game)

Biological Thriller

[25 October 2000]

"Parasite Eve" as a 'cinematic RPG' is highly successful in its bid for bridging the gap between movies and games, setting the standards for computer generated graphics and gameplay. While many advances have been made since Square's release of "Parasite Eve", this game still stands as a symbol of what technological innovation and professional, multi-million dollar productions can do for the games of tomorrow.

The story of "Parasite Eve" is basic - Aya Brea, a tough as nails NYPD officer, discovers that there is a strange link between herself and a series of unexplained, gruesome deaths around the city. These deaths are all linked to a strange mutation of mitochondrial DNA. The US Navy and NYPD decide to evacuate New York, only to discover, the horror is just beginning.

Set against the backdrop of Christmas and filled with icy synthesizer music ("Out Of Phase" is a great track) "Parasite Eve" comes across as a dark, chilling story. Excellent CGI sequences and intense use of symbolism make the first "Parasite Eve" story a must-have game. "Parasite Eve" is loaded with FMV action as any videogame worth its salt should have, ranging from gun battles in filthy sewers to helicopter air-to-air battles over New York. While there are some 'anomalies' in realism and military accuracy, all in all this is a great game.

Escape from L.A. (1996)

Escape From New York Remix

[25 October 2000]

It is hard not to like the Carpenter movies, especially when you've got Kurt Russell as a shoot-em-up, take no prisoners action hero as the main character. Its interesting to note, though, anyone who's ever seen "Escape From New York" will quickly see that "Escape From LA" is essentially the exact same movie, simply transposed into a Los Angeles backdrop.

"Escape From LA" is one of those sequels you can't miss if you've seen the first - its loaded with all kinds of hidden jokes and parodies. Stacy Keach and Cliff Robertson do an excellent job as Snake Plissken's adversaries, but it doesn't hold the same "cheesy yet cool" performance of Donald Pleasance and Lee Van Cleef as seen in the first film.

A big plus to this parody/remix/tribute include an improved version of the "Escape From New York" theme, a better "historical" intro, and, of course, more weapons and toys for Snake. All in all a great film.

Courage Under Fire (1996)

Denzel Washington At His Best

[22 October 2000]

"Courage Under Fire" is perhaps the best illustration of how flexible and adaptive actors like Denzel Washington are. What makes "Courage Under Fire" impressive is not so much its plot or storyline (which is somewhat inconsistent), but its portrayal of a lone officer torn between personal conscience and duty. Denzel's overweight build and alcoholic demeanor create the highly credible image of a man barely attached to his life. Basically the story of a budding Army officer re-assigned to administrative duties following a Desert Storm friendly fire incident, "Courage Under Fire" submerges the viewer into pure emotional hell as it progresses. The stunning emotional catharisis portrayed at the film's end is incredibly dramatic and almost entirely unmatched. Anyone who has ever been under the extreme pressures of stress or suffered cognitive dissonance following a bad judgement will definitely connect with this film. A great psychological thriller and a tour-de-force drama. Definitely one of the best films...if only it would be released on DVD!!

Philadelphia Experiment II (1993)

F-117, Here We Go Again

[22 October 2000]

I truly believe that a strong linear relationship has to exist between cheesy films and the F-117 fighter bomber - practically every film that has a "stealth" plane in it turns out to be a flop. Basically the "Philadelphia Experiment II" has as its impetus an F-117 sent back in time which, when captured by the Axis powers, bombs the US and forces America to surrender. Instead of the Allies winning WWII, the Axis wins, and as we can assume, the world becomes a dysfunctional place to live in. Parts of the film are reminiscent of George Orwell's "1984" Big Brother-esque society. The entire film is confusing to follow, and is rather dull. Watch it just for the heck of it.

Interceptor (1992)

Bloodbath of the skies

[22 October 2000]

I first saw "Interceptor" when it was shown on TV as part of non-stop, pro-military/pro-veteran movie marathon on the 4th of July, which I personally think, given the nature of this film, was in entirely bad taste. (Is there some reason why practically every movie that features the F-117 comes out cheesy? It's the most popular aircraft in cheesy movies to be blown up, stolen, modified, etc.) Basically the plot is simple: a bunch of fanatical terrorists have a chance to steal two special F-117s with a unique guidance system and aerial-deployable folding wings. The whole movie is packed with people being killed in strange and unusual ways. While violence is a key part of your modern action genre, "Interceptor" has a strange way of making all the violence in the film seem tacky or purely gratuitous. Aside from that, "Interceptor" is thin in story and plot, with has little espionage intrigue to offer.

By Dawn's Early Light (1990 TV Movie)

Top Notch Nuclear Thriller

[22 October 2000]

It's a shame that there are few movies that depict the procedures, tactics, and escalating stages of nuclear warfare in as much detail and accuracy as "By Dawn's Early Light." Adapted from the novel Trinity's Child, Jack Shoulder's "By Dawn's Early Light" hits all the right notes in portraying the professionalism, training, and courage of American nuclear forces. The film's numerous scenes, including the E-4 NEACP (National Emergency Airborne Command Post), RC-135 "Looking Glass" plane, and even the Strategic Air Command operations room are incredibly realistic and well-detailed. The numerous conflicting personalities depicted in the film also give it great texture, taking the film a step closer to reality. Cold War buffs and military fans are sure to get a kick out of this film, especially with its stunningly dramatic, hardcore finale. "By Dawn's Early Light" is proof that low budget constraints do not have to derail an entire film.

Moontrap (1988)

Space Slasher Film

[22 October 2000]

Wacky, gory, and strangely humorous, "Moontrap" is one of those low budget films that forces its way into your heart. You just can't help but watch all of "Moontrap" once you accidentally run into it when channel surfing. Cheesy, and almost parodoxial of contemporary space action movies, "Moontrap" plays out into a required viewing B-movie for any one remotely interested in sci-fi. The plot is simple and standard issue: Walter Koenig is Col. Jason Grant (a.k.a., Pavel Chekov), a single-parent, astronaut burn-out who brings home an alien artifact. When NASA's computers find out that hostile alien life originated in the Moon's Prometheus Crater, Col. Grant is sent with a special team to eliminate an army of football-shaped alien eggs in stasis. One can pretty much guess what happens, and this basically makes "Moontrap" a space slasher film. All in all an incredibly stupid film, but well worth viewing. Very similar to "Virus" in some respects.

Tactical Assault (1998 Video)

Dead Calm meets Death Race 2000...

[18 October 2000]

The late 1990s seems to be packed with dozens of low-budget, aerial action combat movies, in the same way that Top Gun generated a wave of wanna-be movies (e.g., "Iron Eagle," "Into The Sun," "Flight of Black Angel," etc.) after its release in the 80s. "Tactical Assault" is just one of those military movies that hits the viewer with standard issue plot and an incredibly inconsistent storyline. It almost makes the low-budget Dolph Lundgren movies look good by comparison. Basically the story of "Tactical Assault" revolves around one insane Airforce officer (Holiday) attempting to inflict his anger and revenge on another (Banning), all while a military operation rages on in Eastern Europe. It's basically the air-to-air version of "Dead Calm" combined with "Death Race 2000" in a sense. This movie is essentially insanity bordering on comedy. The funniest scene is in the end where Colonel Banning says "hey, it's just a civillian vehicle" about a dozen times to Captain Holiday who's about to 'accidentally' destroy a white, American cadillac driving haphazardly down a road. The only redeeming value to this movie is Robert Patrick, who does a surprisingly good job as the hunted Colonel Banning.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Can We Say "King Kong" Remix?

[18 October 2000]

"Jurassic Park: The Lost World" could have topped the first movie, but is plagued by poor direction and a number of plot irregularities. The action is at best inconsistent, slow at times, too accelerated at others - at points it seems as if characters are killed off needlessly simply because the directors couldn't think of ways to utilize them better. The entire movie feels like a parody of the original Jurassic Park, not to mention it has strange undertones of "King Kong" laced into the storyline. It doesn't seem to mesh well with the first film, taking quite a few liberties with both the characters and story. If you're going to alter the storyline and change some of the original designs, you might as well use it for the better (i.e., to improve the action and drama). Instead "The Lost World" comes across as a total flop. Best avoided if you liked the original "Jurassic Park."

The Fifth Missile (1986 TV Movie)

Paint Sniffing Submarine Drama

[18 October 2000]

"The Fifth Missile" is the story of a ballistic missile submarine that has been re-painted hastily, and as a result, its crew suffers from a toxic-induced neurosis. As a low-budget, made for TV movie, "The Fifth Missile" is reasonably interesting, and understandably cheesy. What saves "The Fifth Missile" from complete mediocrity is its all-star cast, which among others includes Robert Conrad, Richard Roundtree, and Sam Waterston.

The acting is top-notch, despite the limitations of plot, story, and budget. "The Fifth Missile" and its expressions of neurosis are particularly interesting, especially since the crew's reaction to wet, blue paint are similar to Star Trek: The Original Series' "Naked Now" episode. But in the final analysis, "The Fifth Missile" seems to be a relatively good effort on the part of the directors. Best if watched with an open mind.

Interceptor Force (1999)

In Space, No One Can Hear You Laugh

[16 October 2000]

There seems to be an interesting correlation between cheesy military/science-fiction movies and the F-117A fighter bomber - practically every movie that has this type of plane in it turns out cheesy. "Interceptors" is no exception. Basically this is the story of an incompetent, clumsy, immature Department of Defense contracted mercenary team sent into Baja California to recover (supposedly) a crashed F-117A. When the team is deployed into Mexico, they discover that this is no recovery operation - it's an extraterrestrial manhunt. The low budget nature of this film makes it incredibly cheesy, but particularly hilarious. The mercenaries run around in a black sport utility vehicle, wearing Walkman earphones which are actually supposed to be a radio communications system. Even better, at the end of the movie, we're to believe that it's possible to 'run' from the blast wave of a thermonuclear explosion. The list of oversights and flaws is incredible - but somehow "Interceptors" doesn't seem quite as intellectually insulting as most of its contemporaries, most likely a result of the humorous nature of the film (either by accident or design of the directors). It's hard to watch this film without breaking down into fits of wild laughter. The stupidity and haphazard flow of the movie is almost akin to the Hong Kong style of comedies. (The ending scene, in which the mercenary leader 'mistakes' a village woman for the alien entity is classic.) It's a shame "Interceptors" is one of those direct-to-video movies...it would have been an absolute riot in theatres. If viewed as a sci-fi or action flick, "Interceptors" fails horribly. But as a (accidental) comedy, it's priceless. The good point is the fact that most of the action is computer generated (albiet, the low budget CGI looks like something you'd see while playing on an Nintendo64). The directors don't use stock footage, and the aerial battle action is somewhat interesting. It's a good film to watch if you have time to waste, are home sick, or want to throw a popcorn party with your friends. The outtakes at the end of the movie are a plus.