Saturday, June 13, 2015
Mad Max 2 (1981)
In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits.
Superior post-apocalyptic action thriller with colourful characters, great landscapes and well-staged action scenes.
Halliwell*: "Not much more than a retread of the above [i.e. Mad Max], but a more expensive, spectacular and violent one."
Maltin***1/2: "Far less original script-wise, but trend-setting visual design and some of the most unbelievable car stunts ever filmed make this equal to, if not better than, the first one."
Belly (1998)
Ever since they were kids, two firends have lived life close to the edge, doing whatever it takes to survive, and as adults, they build up their kingdom of crime on drug dealing and robbery.
Highly stylized crime story with a message, arguably you might watch it as the cinematic equivalent to a (good) rap song; however, at times it does show that the acting skills of some of the rap stars are quite moderate.
Halliwell (no star): "A first feature from a director of music-videos, which has flash and style but little charcterisation; you couldd say it suffers from substance abuse: there's not enough of it beneath the slick surface and raucous hiphop soundtrack."
Maltin*1/2: "Hyper-stylized, pretentious "gangsta" melodrama...Features some of hip-hop's finest; too bad they can't act. Cliched script doesn't help."
Friday, June 12, 2015
First Lines: Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None
In the corner of a first-class smoking carriage, Mr. Justice Wargrave, lately retired from the bench, puffed at a cigar and ran an interested eye through the political news in The Times.
New Stuff: Edge of Tomorrow
Just wanted to finally see, if this sci-fi thriller is realy as good as some say.
Stardust (2007)
In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.
Good production value and a star cast can't conceal that this fairy tale's story is overburdened and quite confusing.
Maltin***: "Wondrously imaginative fantasy yarn, adapted from Neil Gaiman's novel, creates a world all its own and is dotted with colorful characters, but goes on far too long."
New Stuff: Mad Max 2
I must admit that I've haven't seen it before, but it's only just now that I got my hands on an uncut copy.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Fair Game (1995)
A cop who protects a civil law attorney from a renegade KGB team out to terminate her.
Only the action scenes and the (frequent and gratuitious) explosions are the highlights of this otherwise tedious thriller, which also contains one of the most ridiculous and uncalled-for sex scenes in cinema history.
Halliwell (no star): "A star vehicle built around Cindy Crawford; as long as she's in motion, it works as a low-level, senseless action film; whe she stops, not even the many loud explosions can hide her lack of acting ability."
Maltin BOMB: "Totally pre-fab action thriller that almost looks as if Joel Silver is trying to satirize himself...Arguably the worst movie of 1995. In her acting debut, supermodel Crawford makes a good jogger."
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Laurence Anyways (2012)
Ten years in the relationship of a male-to-female transsexual's relationship with her lover.
Extensive and intense drama of an unusual relationships, excellently staged and played and at times quite moving.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Sunday, June 7, 2015
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