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Reviews
Sucker Punch (2011)
Blew me away
Sucker Punch is a knockout. A visual masterpiece with enough story and acting to make it feel substantial. If you combine Heavy Metal, Suspiria, Tron, Kill Bill, Big Trouble in Little China, along with the visual flair of 300, you end up here. To call this film psychedelic is to make the understatement of the year. Zack Snyder definitely continues to improve as a filmmaker (even if Dawn of the Dead is just about perfect). The characterization were engaging and I enjoyed the multi-layered reality, especially the transition to the higher-level fantasies. Gets a 10 from me, and I hope this trend toward intellectually stimulating special effects extravaganzas continues. I didn't realize I'd enjoy the fantasy imagery as much as I did. Oh, and the soundtrack is just perfect. Perfect.
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980)
Richard Donner cut is still an insult, not worth watching
I'm not alone in admiring the first Superman movie, a film that Richard Donner executed masterfully. I am also not alone in scorning Richard Lester's Superman 2... which brings us to the Richard Donner cut of the same movie, sadly it is still an absolute abomination.
Superman's world is one where suspension of disbelief is required in strong doses, but Superman 2 stretches things too far. It doesn't matter who directed Superman 2 because the script insults the intelligence of a first grader. In a sense there is no plot because the characters have zero motivation to act the way they do, unlike the original superman. With or without his powers, Superman's strength (or lack thereof) is handled in the least believable manner. There is too much to criticize, so I will not bother. I condemn this movie... perhaps the slapstick in the Lester version is more appropriate to the moronic script this movie is based on. Super-Duper bad.
Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986)
Truly excellent concert film, way ahead of it's time...
Laurie Anderson probably shows up in the dictionary under the definition of avant-guard. Only available on VHS & Laserdisc, never on DVD, it's no surprise so few people have seen it. For anyone brave enough to buy the VHS tape on eBay, what awaits is a concert film that captivates with amazing music and visuals, especially when considering the year it was released. Released a couple of years after the Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense", I feel Home of the Brave is the superior concert film. Home of the Brave is very trippy, clever, artful... in fact I'm tempted to pick up a VHS copy before this film disappears forever.
Salome's Last Dance (1988)
A visual feast...
Currently selling for over $100 on eBay, copies of Salome's Last Dance are not easy of cheap to come by. Truly a cult classic. A few years ago it was available from Netflix, but no more.
For those lucky enough to see the film (which I will not discuss) what awaits is a series of set pieces and costumes that manage to merge the magic of theater with that of Cinema. If you are in the right state of mind, few movies are as enjoyable to watch as this one... truly captivating.
If you do choose to see Salome, please do others the favor of re-selling the DVD when you are done with it - think of it as a security deposit. The sound and picture quality of the DVD version is quite good. If you liked the Giger scenes in Alien, this movie is likely for you.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Excellent night at the movies for fans of explosive action
I'm not going to review X3, there are plenty of other reviews out there. X3 was a very satisfying action flick that made for a great Friday night at the movies, and I will certainly be renting it on DVD to watch again on my home theater.
The audience obviously loved it, the theater was packed and responded to the movie from beginning to end. Usually I'm annoyed by "loud" audiences, but in this movies case I didn't mind, because X3 is all about being a fun movie. Fans who gave X3 one star reviews, warning others not to go see it... that's kind of like dissing Aliens because you're a fan on Alien. Ten stars from me, there are only a couple of action movies per year that are of this caliber.