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Reviews
Predator (1987)
There's something out there and it ain't no man, we're all gonna die
That one line from Sonny Landham sums up the entire movie - there is something out there which isn't a man and they are all going to die (with the exception of Arnie.)
Schwarzennegger is at his best here and even manages some semi-good acting, had he stuck to movies like this instead of trying to move into comedy (Jingle all the way ring a bell) he might not be the memory he has now become. (best scene: standing on a rock with a flaming torch and yelling)
Carl Weathers has always been one of my favourite actors since I first saw him as the infinatly charismatic Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies and he comes off excellently here as the mistrusted outsider. (best scene: fighting the predator just before his arm is blown off)
Elpidia Carrillo was an actress I had not previously encountered before seeing this film but she does a superb job with the small part she is given, but some sub titles would have been useful when she lapses into Spanish or Mexican (also she is gorgeous which never hurts) - I believe they also made a good choice by not putting her in a position to have to play the weak women who needs rescuing all the time as this would have been completly unrealistic and very annoying. The actress herself deserves credit also for taking this part since a lot of women would not even consider taking part in a movie such as this and for being able to avoid her character being more or less terified than the men in the film. (best scene: kneeling the jungle with the soldiers and telling them of her peoples legends surrounding the predator - in english!)
Bill Duke brings a certain level of intensity and emotional impact as the man who loses his best friend and sets out to avenge him, along the way he uses more ammo than the entire soviet army, kills an innocent boar and works his razor to death. (best scene: chasing the predater through the jungle singing long tall sally)
Jesse "the body" Ventura the future governor of Minnesota shines in his role as the sergeant with an attitude and though he dies early on has possibly the most emotionally pivotal role in the whole film as he sets up Mac's actions for the rest of the film. (best scene: spitting tobacco on Carl Weathers shoe in the helicopter.)
Sonny Landham gives the most wideranging and suspensful performance as the one who knows there is something wrong but does not know what, his character is also the one responsible for most of the revelations about the killer i.e. it being a hunter and killing them one by one as well as finding Harper's body. (best scene: cutting his chest and standing with knife ready waiting to die.)
Richard Chaves displays the most emotion in his role as Poncho but does well to balance this by not going overboard and ruining the feel of the film, he also acts as the translator for Anna. (best scene: asking Billy what he knows about the predator.)
Finally Shane Black the future author of Lethal Weapon another of my favourites has possibly the smallest and least vital role as it is obvious he was just included in the film to insert some of those terrible pussy jokes and once he ran out of those he was cut - ha, ha. (best scene: the first pussy joke in the helicopter when he turns back to his map in embarrassment.)
A fine film which unlike many of its kind in the nineties doesn't pretend to be something it isn't.
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
Tell me what you know!
This film is one of my all time favourites despite doing poorly at the cinemas, I believe there are more things going on around us than we are aware of.
I am also a big fan of Mel Gibson after seeing him in the Lethal Weapon movies and Richard Donner the director here did those films as well so the crew was excellent.
For those out there who knock this film for being unrealistic I say this: how do you know, since it is set around a premise which by its very nature nobody knows anything about how do you know how realistic it is.
7/10
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
Would be better as a stand alone show, but otherwise it couldn't be better
This is a truly terrific and realistic cop show which refuses to pussyfoot around the issues encountered by police officers in this time. Those who say the shows portrayal of sexual crimes is unnecessary are not paying attention to the shows message - it is not an attempt to condone nor promote sexually criminal or violent behaviour but is instead merely a refelection of the time we live in.
My only beef with the show is the male lead's character of Det. Stabler and his constant references to his family, which is just annoying and unrealistic please drop this aspect before it does irrearable damage to an otherwise excellent show. People also knock Mariska Hargitay saying she lacks talent however if she is given time I am sure she will become accustomed to working on a regular series, and besides she's gorgeous!
The Rock (1996)
Winners go home & f**k the prom queen
This is without doubt the greatest film of 1996, sure there are plot holes the size of London but who cares. I mean if you rent a film which tells the story of a sixty year old SAS agent who's been in prison for thirty years coming out and almost singelhandedly killing an entire platoon of young killing machines you can't expect realism.
Cage is as always brilliant and Sean Connery gets to do some Bond style stuff one last time (but with less of the corny lines) Harris throws himself completly into the part as a disilliusioned general.
Father Ted (1995)
Fecking brilliant
Certainly the best of its kind. The idiot, the scheming liar and the drunk is a formula used all too often on television.
However Father Ted managed to pull it off without seeming the least bit old or tired. This is I believe due to the brilliance of the late Dermot Morgan, the man was a genius.
His early use of the church as a medium for humour in the eighties showcased a visionary quality which few had, his death is a tragedy. However that is not to say that he and he alone was responsible for the shows success.
Without Ardal O'Hanlon as a backup for his mainly straight character it would have been a failure. I say specifically Ardal O'Hanlon rather than Dougal because I do not believe anyone else would have been able to effectively carry the part.
Finally the topping on the cake is without doubt soaked in gin, in the form of Father Jack Hackett. Frank Kelly is likewise a genius for being able to turn a character whose entire dialogue for an episode sometimes consisted entirely of "Drink! Feck! Arse! and "Girls! into a person people will remember for years.
Event Horizon (1997)
First time impressive second time scarey as hell (pun intended)
Ever since the beginning of the days of "psychological" films people have not been exposed to a true horror hence an entire generation of people have been created who's idea of a horror movie is a mute mask wearing knife wielding retard. This is not horror in even the loosest term but rather another attempt to pander to teenage egos that the world both good and bad revolves around them.
It is nice to find a writer who is able to return horror to its glory days of the seventies and eighties through the use of tension and gore we have a pure horror classic.
Now a confession I was not very keen on the idea of watching this film the first time I saw on rental but a friend of mine wanted to see it so we got it, ten minutes into the film I knew I was in for a classic. What put me off was not the genre as I am a great fan of both sci-fi and horror or even the horribly overused plot but rather the people involved, having previously seen Sam Niel in Jurassic Park any movie fan with taste will understand my meaning.
I was not overly familiar with Laurence Fishburne at the time either. After renting it I eagerly awaited my chance to buy it and finally I did.
My only gripe is with the studio that they refused to release a director's cut with the missing forty cut minutes put back. Still we can always hope they will see sense and undo the damage that they did to this possible hit in time for the DVD release.
A further gripe with the users of IMDB as I mentioned earlier about the generation of people who were hand reared by films such as mrs Doubtfire I believe they slagged off Event Horizon because it was the first so-called horror film which didn't feature a tangible "bad-guy" or teenage girls screaming in every other scene but rather this film actually had the audacity to scare right out of their push chairs.
P.S. the first time I watched this film after I bought it I was in the house alone at night and I was scared s**tless.
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
Too unrealistic - but still great action
Here they made an obvious attempt to turn up the comedy factor. Whilst this was successful they have sacrificed some of the scarce believability.
EXAMPLE: near the beginning they unintentionally blow up a building this leads to them being busted and put back in uniform on the beat. However no sooner has the comedy potential been used up and they are reinstated.
Also the manner in which they solve the case is too coincidental the clues just fall out of the sky and into their waiting hands. This is not to say that it doesn't have its good moments, the scene where Rog discovers he killed his son's best friend and the very end when he announces he is not retiring.
What can I say its Lethal Weapon so I love it!
Also wait for the credits to finish before turning off and catch the explosive ending!
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
A winning formula - better than the original
When I saw the first Lethal Weapon movie (admittedly I was underaged at the time) I thought a better flick could never be dreamed of. I was wrong, its all here the chemistry between Glover & Gibson is better than ever, the action is faster and to my lasting surprise the comedy has been much improved.
The inclusion of Joe Peschi as the whinny Leo Getz was a master stroke and finally completed the picture.
SEE IT!
Lethal Weapon (1987)
(Spoiler Alert) Great film
While it is not the best installment of the series it is action packed. The length is just right to flesh out the story without leaving you ored.
Gibson is great as the suicidal recently widowed cop while Glover's portayal of the family guy is brilliant. Add to this an excellent supporting cast such as Darlene Love and Traci Wolfe as Trish and Rianne Murtaugh and you have a sure hit.