| Title |
Overall |
DVD |
Review |
| Alien (1979) |
•••• |
•••• |
I love listening to Ridley Scott talk about his films, mostly because he far more interested in the props and lighting than he is in his actors. Actors are, as we know, cattle, and this is a perfectly cast corral. Considering the movies of the same time, this shows that good design is indeed timeless. 05/00 |
| Forbidden Planet (1956) |
••••
|
•••• |
The young Leslie Nielsen, the young Jack Palance, the young Earl Holliman—it's nice to see these men when they were young. This ranks up there with The Day The Earth Stood Still in terms of modeling my expectations of sci-fi, notwithstanding its pop psychology and Luddite views. 11/00 |
| Gattaca (1997) |
•••• |
•••• |
There's a common thread to the films I can watch a million times: the realization of potential. It's sexy. While Incredible Mr. Ripley fans may love Jude Law's nascent type-casting as the ill-fated doppleganger, others will love this film for its simplicity and lack of sarcasm given the subject matter, especially for those like me with a less than stellar genetic antecedent. 11/01 |
| Ghosts of Mars |
• |
• |
Crap. The worst movie I've seen in years. 12/01 |
| Lost in Space: The Movie: Platinum Edition (1998) |
•• |
••• |
This film adaptation doesn't just walk the fine line between pleasing the fans and introducing the Robinsons to a new generation, it dances. The special effects and production design are comicbook-perfect. If you remove all the adult performances, especially that of whining toad Lacey Chabert, this would have been a more interesting film. As in the original series, the relationship between Will Robinson (played by Jack Johnson), Dr. Smith (Gary Oldman), and the Robot (the voice of Dick Tufeld) provides the only source of interest. 02/01 |
| Mars Attacks! (1996) |
•••• |
••• |
Fabulous camp satire based on 50s sci-fi that's mildly to wildly amusing and utterly consistent. Jack Nicholson is fantastic in his dual role, as are Annette Benning, Pierce Brosnan, and Rod Steiger, although the Martians steal the show. Only 11/00 |
| The Matrix (1999) |
••• |
••• |
Making Hong Kong cinema palatable to America and pushing special effects forward by a leap are this film's contributions to cinema. Acting is there, but mostly Hugo Weaving's bizarre role as the head agent (compare to his role in Priscilla Queen of the Desert for an idea of his versatility). 05/00 |
| Planet of the Apes (2001) |
••• |
••• |
All I can say is that the make-up person deserves an Oscar. The masks are so completely believable that you forget about them and stop thinking, oh yeah, that's Helena Bonham Carter. The special features on the DVD are hilarious. 11/02 |
| Red Planet (2000) |
••• |
•• |
I actually enjoyed this, despite the tepid reviews. The story is ridiculous, but Val Kilmer's acting and the relentlessness of the "bad" robot is fun to watch. 12/01 |
| Space Cowboys (2000) |
••• |
•• |
An enjoyable romp with some surprisingly cool special effects. The story is predictable, but the actors pull it through. 11/02 |
| Starship Troopers (1997) |
•••• |
•••• |
Life in America. Paul Verhoeven is who I wanted to be when I was in film school. He brought Robocop to show to my class, and I was amazed at the depth he added to a concept as lame as they come. His film "Soldier of Orange" is a better example of his talent. |
| Star Trek Insurrection (1998) |
• |
•• |
Crap. |
| Virus (1999) |
• |
•• |
When bad things happen to good actors. This was remarkably bad, with ludicruous dialogue, a grossly derivative plot, and surprisingly corny effects. Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Sutherland should be ashamed. 02/02 |
| Zardoz (1974) |
•••• |
••• |
I want to sit down with Peter Boorman and drink two bottles of whiskey. I have no idea how this director's mind works or why he would think of a film that is at once highly literary, utterly ridiculous, and a decade ahead of its time visually. The flying stone head is an icon among Uber Daddy Sean Connery fans, and he spends the entire movie in nothing more than a red diaper. Woof. Boorman's commentary voiceover is enlightening, with Connery anecdotes and interesting facts about the production, including notes on how the film's dozens of visual effects were achieved in-camera. Amazing. When I first saw this movie as a child, it was a beautiful mystery; as an adult, it's less intimidating, but still as engaging. 12/01 |
