Film Reviews - AvPGalaxy's Own Critics!

[Hubbs]

Congo (1995)

Wow I remember seeing this at the cinema, being released and trailers etc..it feels like eons ago haha At the time I quite liked the film but didn't think it was awesome or anything, on a rewatch I'm still quite liking the film for its good old fashioned jungle adventure theme and nice character work.

I think the casting is a winner here mainly with Ernie Hudson as a smooth well spoken guide in the old classic Hollywood sense alongside Curry hamming it up as a Romanian philanthropist, both of which you are never quite sure if they will turn out to be bad guys. Rest of the cast is alittle wet but there are afew nice cameos thrown in.

Problem with this film is the dodgy looking puppet/animatronic mask work on the friendly gorillas which just doesn't quite look right, the nasty vicious grey gorillas look quite good and scary with decent mask work but movement for all apes concerned is obviously men in suits and just doesn't work. Location and sets vary from being nice to very obvious but does the job just about, the whole film is along those lines really, it does the job by the skin of its teeth, it could of really sunk but just about holds its own and comes across as a fun B-movie without becoming an actual bad B-movie.





Hobo with a Shotgun

Second film to be made from the small collection of trailers from the Tarantino/Rodriguez collaboration 'Grindhouse'. The first 'Machete' was a loud in your face mess but was just about watchable down to the brilliant character of Machete and the use of Trejo, this second film is again loud and in your face but isn't quite as fun as 'Machete' for me.

OK so I accept that the film is a no bars hold violent revenge/vigilante thriller with the usual amounts of claret on show that I would now come to expect from RR and Tarantino but this film travels down a route that is really quite nasty and slightly disturbing frankly.

Yes the violence is very comicbook and of course very silly in places, plenty of gun killing going on much like say...'Robocop' with big bullet wounds and blood pumping out all over, the issue I had with the film is the quite nasty violence that was maybe just a step too far. A good example of this was when one of the bad guys kills a school bus load of kids by burning them all to death with a flamethrower inside the bus.

The style of the film is actually a good idea having a hobo go around cleaning up a rotten town, quite the classic concept, Hauer as the hobo was a great casting choice with his grizzled old face much like a grizzled Clint, he staggers around and takes bad guys out with sharp dialog. The look and design is of course grindhouse/exploitation and a homage to all those old crappy flicks, personally I really don't like those kind of flicks as I always just took them for cheap films simply trying to squeeze in tits n ass for the hell of it, if you want that then you might as well watch a porn flick. Anyway, there is a certain 'Crow' vibe going on in this film if you ask me, the extreme unique badguy characters, the dingy lighting with only afew colours used and of course the vigilante theme.

I think this film could of been a much better film had it been made more sensibly without the grindhouse aspect and less ridiculous violence, I like the idea of a hobo going around being the no name hero, its simple and works. This film has its good moments but also has many silly moments too, the worst being 'the Plague' that look like characters out of 'Monty Pythons Holy Grail' and go around killing absolutely anyone including staff in a hospital, at that point the terms 'less is more' or 'over the top' spring to mind despite it being deliberately so. Starts off well but slowly degenerates into a showcase for shock value or bodycount and trying to spill the highest amount of blood ever.

[TheMonolith]

Terminator Salvation
The latest in the Terminator series, a film that is 50/50 in the quality department thus far.
John Conner (Christian Bale), one of the commanders of the Resistance is up to his neck in the machine war. Meanwhile Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) a death row inmate mysteriously escapes from a Skynet facility. Finally comes the third player in the tale. Teenage civilian Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) is on Skynet's hit list. Only John Conner knows why.
   I will say that the acting is not too impressive. Bale seems to be stuck in Batman mode with this, doing that deep brooding voice of his and barely hiding his accent. He doesn't do a terrible job by any means, but seems to be going for uber-badass and failing to capture the appropriate despair of the situation. Is it just me, or was this a serious miscast? Bale just doesn't seem right for Conner in my honest opinion. Next comes Worthington as Wright. Worthington doesn't do any better in this role, remaining flat and unresponsive through most of the film, only showing emotion in a few choice moments, and doing so very poorly.  I know this character has a fan base, but I am not one of em. Now Yelchin, there is a promising actor. Not only does he play my favorite character in the entire Terminator mythology, he does it perfectly. He looks like a young Biehn, sounds like a young Biehn, and has the same mannerisms as Biehn. When he reprised the famous "Come with me if you want to live." (which was first done by Biehn and not Arnie), I shat myself with delight. At least there was one actor I could get behind.
   The look of the film is surprisingly dull. I will be rather harsh in this regard because the original film had only a 10 million dollar budget and it got the Future War looking perfect. This film had 20 times that budget and missed the mark and then some. The sad thing is the main problem with these sequences are the lighting. The eerie blue is absent, the purple lasers are nowhere. It was attempted to make this look like a modern war film, which it does. The very big problem is that is not what the Future War is supposed to be.
   The effects are pretty decent, with some nice animatronics and CGI effects. The flying HKs look close to how they did in the original film, but then come the new creations of Skynet. While I don't like the designs of the water, motorcycle and gatherer terminators, I will say the effects are well executed.
   The action scenes involving the Resistance seem to fall very flat, with the exception of the Skynet climax. The stuff between Reese and Marcus seems to fall just short of the mark, but satisfies the appetite for suspense well enough. Perhaps it is because Yelchin actually made me care about his character (which I already did before the movie even started). There are a few points where there is blatant unoriginality. The scene where Marcus leaps a barbed wire fence on a motorcycle is a blatant clone of that ever so memorable shot from the 1960s WWII masterpiece The Great Escape. I like an homage as much as the next guy but this one just seemed like thievery. Next comes the fight between Marcus and the T 800. This scene was stolen from Terminator 2, which in turn stole it from Terminator 1. How many times do we have to see a terminator get hit by the hero with a pipe? Biehn did it just fine the first time, thank you very much.
   The writing in this film is average. There are a few nice nods to the original films and the reveal of Reese on the hit list is well done. There are times where characters seem underdeveloped and others are there for the sake of being dicks (a-la Ironside). Not a terrible job but just barely passable.
   The director is not a very good one, at least not yet. McG's best known works prior to this where the hit and miss Charlie's Angels films. Looking at his lineup, he seems like a very poor choice, not doing anything that had the dark beauty of the first Terminator film, or the suspenseful action of the 2nd. Hammy action seems to be his strong suit, if you can call that a strong suit. That being said, he actually did an okay job. He captured the action well enough and when his actors did well, he managed to put some emotion on screen. The producers took a gamble and barely made it with him.
   Terminator Salvation is a step up from the not quite as bad as everyone says T3, but still fails to recapture what was lost after T2 (or for me, T1). Aside from my glowing praise of Yelchin as Reese, which I will admit it likely due to bias, this film was a so so action thriller that, while not failing to entertain, does fail to leave a real lasting impact with this viewer. Fortunately, Yelchin brought back someone I have been waiting to see again for a long time, and that alone will be the reason I see this film again. Welcome back DN38416.

[Hubbs]

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Four stories by four directors, Spielberg, Landis, Dante and Miller, a great collection of directors and a neat selection of spooky tales. This is actually a great movie adaptation of the series which doesn't loose  what it should be about and go overboard, the stories are remakes from the series including one original  story.

First tale about a racist bigot who is somehow transported back and forth through time from Nazi Germany to Vietnam experiencing racism against himself has an obvious strong message of justice or revenge against prejudice in a very simple way. Landis does a reasonable job with the simple tale but its alittle uninspired and would of liked a more horror based tale from the master of comedic terror.

Tale two from Spielberg is again rather uninspired but you can tell miles off its by Spielberg with its warm glow and gentle heart, a tale of old folk who dream of becoming young again and with the help of a mysterious old man in their retirement home they do overnight. Easily the tear jerker of the four and the nicest with strong similarities to the film 'Cocoon' which probably pinched the idea hehe.

Tale three is clearly made by Dante, like tale two you can see the directors style clearly and by the way the short film looks design wise, trademark Dante finger prints all over with his fav actor Dick Miller used again. A fun and very eerie tale of a boy who can make anything he wishes come true and holds a group of people captive in his bizarre home, pretending to be his family the small group of people are merely scared of the boy and can never leave fearing the young boy may wish something terrible upon them. Its a spooky tale if you think about it and works very well, parodied by 'The Simpson's' in a 'Treehouse of Terror' episode surely means it deserves respect

The final tale by Miller is a remake of the classic Twilight Zone episode which featured a young William Shatner 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet', again parodied by 'The Simpson's' earning it even more respect and fame. A terrified airline passenger is driven insane by a combination of the fear of flying and the fact he can see a monster on the wing of the plane ripping apart the engine. Probably the best of the tales with a great concept and cool creature to boot, Lithgow does well as the passenger going insane from nerves and anxiety with a performance equal to the original whilst the gremlin looks perfectly kooky and unnerving.

Mixed bag of tales, the two from Dante and Miller being the best, Spielberg's is reasonable but boring and Landis I think picked the wrong type of story to best suit his abilities. Love the intro/end sequences with Dan Aykroyd and add to that a full list of top names in the cast all equal a decent film, could of been better but it still wins.



Tales from the Darkside (1990)

The alternative to the Twilight Zone movie but not quite in the same league in my opinion, the film consists of three stories within a wrap around story told by a boy who is going to eaten by a witch of all things haha.

First tale see's a man use a 3000 year old mummy to kill afew select people, an adaptation of a Arthur Conan Doyle short, not a bad story and handled reasonably well with good makeup on the mummy and some bloody deaths dealt out. Big cast names in this story with Buscemi and Christian Slater and a nice ending make this tale the second best of the three.

Second tale is an adaptation of a Stephen King story and the weakest of the three, an old man is sure he is cursed by a cat which is trying to kill him after it supposedly killed his sister, the reason is because the old mans pharmaceutical company killed many thousands of cats in testing a new drug. Pretty lame story really which isn't really spooky in the slightest, the cat is obviously some sort of demon which is cool and this is shown in the way it kills the hitman who has been hired to get rid of the cat, I just think it could of been more scary simply.

Third and final tale stars James Remar and is about a guy who witnesses the death of a man by a gargoyle type creature, the creature lets the witness live if he promises not to tell anyone of what he saw. Easily the best story even though its not explained too well and leaves you asking why by the end, some great makeup and effects in the finale as we see a transformation similar to finale in 'The Fly' with Jeff Goldblum, really nicely done without the use of cgi, no surprise with Dick Smith being involved.

Overall not as good as Twilight Zone the movie and abit more adult in content with much blood n gore on show but still it has two good stories which if you like 'the Zone' you will I'm sure like these.

[Hubbs]

Celtic Pride (1996)

Good fun loopy comedy with Aykroyd and Stern as a couple of obsessed Boston sports fans that kidnap Utah's top basketball player just in time for the NBA finals.

Great simple plot that works really well but the duo of Aykroyd and Stern really makes the film hit top stride. Stern being a crazed on the edge father and Aykroyd as his timid submissive best friend make a great combo, Wayans is also actually very good as an arrogant selfish top player really nailing the role, all together its really quite amusing as the trio get into all kinds of trouble as the big game approaches. I liked how the boys had to pretend to support the Utah Jazz in order to get close to Wayans character so they could nab him haha some good facial/physical comedy on display there. Not a well known flick but well worth it if you find it.

[Hubbs]

The Great Outdoors (1988)

Bit of a classic comedy that was watched by the whole family over the years whenever it would be show on TV, like many old Candy films it was a bit of a ritual to view these type of 80's comedies.

The family holiday that hits disaster is a common theme with the likes of National Lampoons Vacation series being another classic and a much loved film when I was growing up, 'The Great Outdoors' isn't quite as good as 'Lampoon' to be honest, its a fun ride with some good moments but nothing outrageously funny.

Candy is actually slightly upstaged here by the always good Aykroyd as the slimy 80's yuppie haha the rest of the cast including Annette Bening is rather weak like the whole film really, its simply Candy and Akyroyd that make it decent. Its cheesy and full of those obvious dated sets hehe plenty of silly stunts with doubles and the usual animal attack phobias by your typical terrified of nature yanks lol!


My Fellow Americans (1996)

Perfect casting as Jack Lemon and James Garner play American ex-Presidents in quite a believable way in both terms of looks and attitude. A brilliant team up with both actors being on top form with witty dialog and some great one two's as they bicker and fight across the Southern Appalachians trying to get their evidence of a conspiracy back to the current President.

The film is really quite underrated and plays out so well with the two leads having superb timing and really nailing their moments with good old fashioned classic comedy. The plot isn't too complex, it looks really good with some great looking sets (I presume) of the White House, Airforce One plus some nice location work as the two stars bumble through nature.

Was meant to be a Lemon and Matthau double team flick but to be honest I think this duo works better as Garner really fit the role so well, highly recommended


The Couch Trip (1988)

Another top Aykroyd comedy (does he ever make abad one?) alongside Grodin with his usual extreme character portrayal and Walter Matthau in a slightly weaker role than his partners.

88 was a good year for Aykroyd with 'The Great Outdoors' and this, two good films but this one clearly being the best, if not as well known, with Aykroyd in scorching form as a smart ass convict getting himself to a loony bin and then a top flight job as a doctor on the radio.

Sounds average but the way in which Aykroyd performs his role is such a joy to watch with his usual quick fire dialog that he can unleash at any given moment as he has shown in many of his films. The whole film is basically an anarchic comedy with the main character being a total fraud, yet a lovable roguish fraud that you just wanna see win

Much better than so many modern films due to Aykroyd coming across as quite an intelligent person who genuinely knows his stuff instead of just memorising lines, its also nice to see a comedian in film who can make you laugh with his wit and use of knowledge instead of just making stupid faces and acting like a complete moron Mr Carrey.

[Hubbs]

My Stepmother is an Alien (1988)

Another film for Aykroyd in 88 only this time in my humble opinion its a weak one with a very silly B-movie type premise and a poor performance from the over hyped (at the time) Basinger. Even Aykroyd can't save this very average film with his usual zany comedy and fast quips, the effects are really dated and I don't think event that good for its time whilst the comedy is lacking, all the film does really is show how poor an actress Basinger is. Look out for a very young Seth Green and of course Alyson Hannigan.

[Hubbs]

Planet of the Apes (2001)

Now I will admit I love Tim Burton and most of his work but I too was shocked and fearful of his agreement to take the helm of this sci-fi action flick revamp/re-imagining. Many directors were considered and to be honest I think many of them would have been perfect for the film but Burton does add his usual unique artistic style which can be glimpsed throughout the film in armour design, landscapes sets etc..

So straight to the point I actually liked this Burton version of 'Apes' mainly because its a fun romp which is both silly entertaining cheese and has that classic semi serious sci-fi element to it. First up the visuals in the film are tremendously good and really make the film stand out, total kudos to Rick Baker and his team, the man totally nails the ape look for all the characters to a tea. The best clearly being Roth as 'Thade' with a fantastic makeup job, next up must be Duncan in his gorilla makeup but how about Shadix and Giamatti in their orangutan (I think) makeup..amazing!

The film wins with the look for sure, not only is the makeup excellent but the sets are nicely worked, location is well suited, the apes costumes and battle gear is well designed and the space sequences also look and work well, all in all it pretty much like a top class Star Trek film hehe I mean a good Star Trek film by the way

Casting choices were good accept for Wahlberg who wasn't quite right for me, thankfully we had no Depp to endure here but the use of many solid character actors such as Warner and the imaginative use Tagawa really help lift the film, who could imagine Tagawa as a gorilla.

I really enjoyed the film on my second viewing, my first was on release at the cinema, and I believe its because the 'Apes' classic plot can be made many ways and is open to interpretation from different angles, its not a case of it only works one way like allot of classic films, 'Apes' is a franchise that you can seem to mould and recreate without upsetting the originals. This Burton vision is simple yet highly enjoyable as a fun sci-fi romp, not too heavy, not just copying the original, touch of artistic license and the attempt at a twist ending which was brave but rather illogical, trying to equal the original but failing there I'm afraid. Still the little use of cgi for much of the film is always nice in my book.

[Hubbs]

Canadian Bacon (1995)

Very clever and very amusing comedy staring yet not centred around John Candy, this is more of a vehicle for many good character actors including Alan Alda, Rip Torn, Dan Aykroyd, Kevin Pollak and G.D. Spradlin.

The US President is losing in the approval ratings so on advice from his yes men he invents a war between the US and Canada, that is the plot and its brilliant. Michael Moore writes, directs and cameos in his film which is far better than you would think despite it vanishing into obscurity after release.

A minor political satire mixed with black comedy and outright stupidity added with some great performances which really send up the US government, Alda and Torn in the war room together are brilliant, there is also quite abit of influence here from other classic films. One such scene where Dan Aykroyd as a Canadian policeman pulls Candy over in his truck pointing out that the graffiti on the side of his truck must be in French as well as English for all French speaking Canadians which bares a very close similarity to the classic scene in 'Monty Python's Life of Brian' where the Roman centurion orders Brian to spell check his graffiti he had scrawled all over the Roman walls.

Great little gem



Uncle Buck (1989)

Probably one of John Hughes most loveable comedies with a beautiful performance from Candy as 'Buck' in your typical Hughes teen angst cum family fun flick that must please all.

The whole film is so Hughes with the lovely suburban setting, big dream house, bratty teens, innocent kids with lots of prat falls and silly childish gags that are predictable yet simply fun. The plot is simple enough as the slobbish Candy must look after his brothers kids for afew days, this of course equals much tomfoolery and bumbling from Candy as he adapts to his new posher surroundings and tries to befriend the kids.

Candy's character is alittle similar to his character from 'Planes Trains and Automobiles' to be honest but Candy as we know does it so well, Hughes doesn't mess around and simply gets the best from Candy, the best that he knows will be liked. Macaulay Culkin present here in a pre 'Home Alone' performance that clearly got him that famous role as again his character is pretty similar in both films but he does fit these 80's films so well I gotta admit.

Its all very predictable yes but Hughes just had this skill in making golden teen flicks and family films that just worked perfectly even though they were abit samey, a case of everything coming together at the right time for that one time in history which can never be repeated, Candy was the ultimate family comedy character.

[Hubbs]

Creepshow (1982)

Classic franchise written by Stephen King and directed by 'zombie' Romero, starring an all star old school line up including the legendary Leslie Neilsen, Ted Danson, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Harris, Don Keefer and Stephen King himself....some greats in there folks. The stories are basic but this may be down to the fact the franchise is based on the old 50/60's E.C. Comics.

Like the world class 'Twilight Zone' 'Tales from the Darkside' and 'Tales from the Crypt' Creepshow is an anthology of horror tales that aren't exactly 18 rated horror but just kooky fun that would fit your halloween party perfectly. The stories vary from quite good to rather average to be honest with minimal gore.

The film is comicbook style with some lovely animations of 'the Creep' a hooded skeletal zombie who spins the tales with his nice cackling laugh hehe the stories also have allot of 'toon' imagery throughout which are suppose to give the impression of boarders within a comicbook, nice but not needed for me. The whole film is also bookended by a short tale like all these anthology films.

As for the actual tales they are a mixed bag to be honest, the first being a zombie returning from the grave to get his birthday cake he never received, this has Ed Harris (with hair!) and is reasonable but nothing too special. Second stars King as a dumb farmer who foolishly touches a meteorite that lands in his crops and slowly becomes infected and overgrown with a mysterious space fungus or plant life. This story is better and more original than the basic zombie story and shows King in a really goofy role for some reason.
Third story involves Neilsen as a rich jealous man who sets up a nasty fate for his unfaithful wife and her lover Ted Danson, probably the nastiest short in the film with a horrible way to die but the fact Neilsen is the bad guy makes it hard to take seriously haha expecting George Kennedy to pop up at any moment hehe.
Third story stars Holbrook and is a good simple creature tale as a crate containing a large furry razor teethed monster eats people who dare go to close to the crate, lots of blood and some good fun 'Critter' type eatin in this one
Last story isn't too good in my opinion as a hypochondriac businessman lives in a hermetically sealed apartment terrified of bugs and germs, a story derived possibly from Howard Hughes and not very original with a predictable ending. Overall the stories could of been better but they do have charm and are still enjoyable.



Creepshow 2 (1987)

Stephen King and Romero are back for more tales of terror hosted by 'The Creep', again the film is bookended by a short story that starts off as live action but then transforms into that eerie cartoon style that looks so good in the Creepshow films.

The stories again are a mixed bag this time not with quite as great a cast line up as before but we do have George Kennedy this time

First up is a story of an old wooden Indian Chief statue coming to life to get revenge on the youths who killed the old owners of a general store where the Indian is on display. Kennedy is in this story and it is a good one with a nice revenge plot but it is predictable, nice effects on the wooden Chief though.
Second story is slightly better than the first with a group of teens stuck on a raft in the middle of a lake because an oil slick type monster that is devouring them one by one. Nice spooky idea that, despite the monster looking like a flat pancake floating on the water, works well especially effects wise when the teens are sucked under by the creature.
Last story is the weakest and simply involves a woman hitting a hitchhiker with her car and the hitcher coming back to haunt her for the rest of her journey. Pretty lame predictable plot which must have inspired 'I What You Did Last Summer'.

A slightly better selection of short stories over the original minus the good cast but still nothing really outstanding or as memorable as 'Twilight' or 'Darkside', still I must admit I like this old Creepshow flicks very much, love that 80's US halloween style.



Creepshow III (2006)

A change of pace with this latest sequel, no connection to the previous two films Romero or King but the whole film takes the Tarantino route with intertwining stories that mix and collide with each other as the different stories progress. To be honest the film is pretty good despite reviews that I have read, the stories are dark and bloody but not that original yet they still hook you and keep the atmosphere nice and spooky.

The short stories are quite good but they kick off with a weak offering about a bratty girl mutating into her true form everytime the TV remote is used, doesn't make much sense and isn't that interesting yet it does have some nice makeup effects. After this all the other stories are mixed in together and we see characters from each segment showing up in other stories.

There is a murderous prostitute on the rampage, a vampire killing folk, a man who buys a radio that can speak to him and help him make money, two college guys who think a professor has built the perfect woman and a cruel miserable doctor who gets his come upance. The way the stories all merge is really well done and you get lots of little plot tit bits from each part that explain other questions from other parts...plus some references to the previous two Creepshow films. I was expecting a real cheap looking flick but instead this is actually quite decent and well worth the honour of being Creepshow 3.

[Hubbs]

Cowboys and Aliens

I really wanted to like this, believe me, I really tried to enjoy the film, I love the concept or idea of mixing two genres like this, much like say...Samurai v Spartans or Cowboys v Ninja hehe

The main problem with this film for me was it was simply kinda boring for the most part, the dialog was tedious as was most of the film until the aliens attacked but even then the action was generic and uninspired. There was too much cliched stuff going on here for me with Craig being the 'slit eyed beneath the brim of his hat' leather faced tough guy cowboy who can beat up lots of guys at the same time whilst Ford is just his grumpy self in a cowboy outfit haha.

I really didn't like the casting of Craig in this film as he didn't really fit the western feel for me, he wasn't necessarily bad but just doesn't look like a cowboy type, the alien creatures weren't too bad and gave me a 'Halo' vibe which I quite liked but their ships didn't impress that much.

To be brutally honest I think the whole film was an anti climax and kinda drab, I was really expecting so much more but it just felt very 'meh', even the film poster wasn't exactly brimming with excitement when I saw it, just the three main leads standing in a triangle and that's it, with a rather dull font for the text above, shame.

[Hubbs]

The Shadow (1994)

In a true 30's period style this comicbook/pulp adaptation visually looks really nice and captures the atmosphere of the time perfectly, if you think along the lines of 'Dick Tracy' and 'The Rocketeer' then you will get an idea of the feel.

The character of The Shadow isn't anything really special to be honest, its just a guy in a cloak with a fedora type hat on and he carries two guns, always did seem like a poor mans Batman. The character fits his world just right though in both his crime fighting form and his alias as a rich good looking 'Bruce Wayne' type, his lair has a neat little secret entrance and he lurks around in the shadows nicely hehe.

The sets are really well designed throughout and look stunning I must say, everything from costumes to cars are beautifully done and recreated, it is obviously sets but that adds to the charm and works much better than cgi. There is of course some cgi present throughout which swings from being reasonable (looking back now) to abit hokey as it would be though but it still just about works today.

For some reason though we have another crime fighter who must face off against Genghis Khan or a relation of Khan, even though this character is from the original comics its odd how other characters have also had to fight Khan eg. 'Hellboy', what is it with Khan?

Still this is great fun and looks slick with a good casting choice in Baldwin for the main role, he looks perfect for the part of 'Cranston' the playboy and actually could well have been a good Bruce Wayne too I'm sure. This really is how 'The Green Hornet' should been approached instead of the geeky farce it was, shame The Shadow failed at the box office.




The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

If you wanna see Jack Nicholson doing his thing then this is probably the one to watch other than Batman, I've never known someone more perfect to play the role of the devil or a devil than Nicholson with his evil grin, arched eyebrows and that receding widows peak hair line.

The film was made for Jack and he plays it like a violin lol! sure he over acts but you just can't see anyone in this role, he's funny, devilish, off putting and quite eerie as the film progresses and things turn against him. On the flip side the casting for the three lovely ladies is more perfect casting if ever I saw it, Cher, Sarandon and Pfeiffer are all gorgeous together and make you wish you were in Jacks place with all his obvious wealth and power (is that Jack in the film or reality?).

The film is a gloriously Gothic horror/comedy of gallows humour and an amazing use of location, the musical score is wonderful and very much like the opening score for 'Beetlejuice', a kind of supernatural spooky tune that conjures all manner of halloween type imagery in your head, genius. Basically the film is all about sex and one guy trying to have three women haha it doesn't shy from that but its the dark ghostly approach that I personally love.

[Hubbs]

The Phantom (1996)

If you cross Indiana Jones with Tarzan and mix in some 'Goonies' type pirate tomfoolery then you pretty much have this fun cheesy boys own adventure. Actually if I think about it some more you could also throw in some camp Batman and Robin from the classic 60's series in certain sequences, it does get alittle bit too hammy in places I must say hehe.

Of course it is suppose to be almost a pantomine type flick with lots of silly lines and caddish villains but it is a touch too childish for me were as other pulp comicbook character adaptations like 'The Shadow' are abit more serious. The Phantom world is a pretty looking universe I must say, the jungle lair, 30's New York and the museum set where one of the skulls is kept are all really well created and have that lovely wooden stylish structured feel with that nice dark noirish colour range (much like The Shadow).

Effects are dated now of course and the fights do look rather gentle haha I almost expected 'Kapow!' to flash across the screen when Zane punched a baddie henchman. Its a good fun film which kids will enjoy and is totally set in the period comicbook action genre of oldschool superheroes. The Phantom isn't really a great character to put on film really as he's abit too dated and soft with his natty purple tights, simple black face mask which only covers his eyes and the fact he has a wolf and horse as his sidekicks hehe its so 'awwww'. Didn't really think much of the pirates that make up the bad guys, especially at the end which really turns into Schumacher type affair but it is all taken from the original stories so that's good I suppose, its just the original stories and ideas are very out of time now.

Doesn't beat around the bush and gives you exactly what it says on the tin which is a very light hearted period superhero flick with lots of charm, dames, cads and a dashing hero in a tight purple catsuit.

[Shasvre]

I love The Phantom in all its cheesy glory.

[Aeus]

Yeah that shit's awesome.

[Hubbs]

The Rocketeer (1991)

Its a real shame this film bombed so much at the box office, I really can't understand why it did so badly as its one of the best comicbook adaptations around, it captures the all American spirit of the time and harnesses that glorious 30's feel with every frame, Johnston really did superbly well with this film.

Just from seeing the old movie poster for the cinemas shows you how much care and attention to detail went into this film, the poster has a fantastic art deco design simply of the heroic character, its simple and minimal but does the job a thousand times over, I love it, one of the best posters made.

Although the character was created in 82 its an obvious homage to pulp comicbooks and matinee/serial hero characters of the 30's/40's, the idea is simple but works so so well. The whole film has that 'Indy' feel to it and completes a trilogy of classic pulp comicbook superheroes alongside 'The Shadow' and 'The Phantom'....in my opinion.

The film is nothing but fun and doesn't pretend to be serious or shy away from the ham n cheese, Dalton is the dastardly caddish villain who clearly is suppose to be Errol Flynn, Connelly is the damsell in distress, Sorvino is the classic American gangster in Al Capone style, O'Quinn plays Howard Hughes amazingly well and Tiny Ron is a character straight out of 'Dick Tracy'. New boy Campbell also does really well as the lead character giving the role a fresh feel and no ego problems which tend to come with big names.

The film looks great and has some terrific design work, the rocket pack looks cool and practical as does the helmet with its rudder fin on the top. Effects are decent enough with allot of bluescreen but of course nowadays look rather iffy but add to that some lovely stunt work and nice use of many old planes and cars. Plot is straight forward but does get abit beyond itself towards the finale, like how on earth a huge Nazi Zeppelin would be able to fly into the US undetected but I guess it is suppose to be the 30's so who knows. I must also mention the brilliant animated black n white short in the middle of the flick which shows the Nazi's intentions with the rocket pack, really nicely done and could almost be a separate film in itself.

I really can't fault this film in any way, sure its silly but its well worked escapism and an affectionate tribute to the era which anyone would have fun watching, without taking anything away from the creators you could almost say its like an adventure out of a young Indiana Jones early life/career, a prequel maybe


This poster is sheer quality