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Reviews
Fast & Furious 7 (2015)
surprisingly inept
I was surprised by the fact this film is so inept , randomly plotted, hastily put together , indifferently acted and clumsily directed (James Wan directed this?). I consider my self a fan of Big budget brainless action pop corn films , however this is nothing but a series of "money shots" , (the skyscraper jump, the airplane jump, the bus dangling over the cliff) thinly glued with the flimsiest excuse of a plot about a shadowy bad guy , a lady "hacker" (another throw away character), and a government agent. Ultimately we come away none the wiser, save for the knowledge that Dom would rather lay on a beach drinking corona with his buddies and "family" (ha! family values!) than fight his evil adversaries and save the civilized world from terrorists. But that's what he does and what he is going to keep doing in the inevitable sequels. And it's a pity to see Kurt Russell in this wreck, but even by Jason Statham standards, this film sets a new low. It all ultimately adds to this: The audience will flock to see on the big screen the over the top Hi-tech Hi-Def Hijinks promised in the preview trailer , no matter if the audience's intelligence will be grossly insulted by the producers of this pile of crap. A worrisome conclusion for the current state of cinematic affairs.
The Darkside (1987)
b film
Mostly influenced by Paul Schrader and Martin Scorcese films: From "Taxi driver": The hero is a taxi driver working night shifts and dealing with prostitutes, pimps, punks and generally the scum of the earth. He tries to protect a girl who just escaped from some guys shooting a sex/ snuff film. This brings to mind Schrader's "Hardcore". There's also the odd humor and funny sequence here and there and some plot twists that reminded me of "After hours". In the end our man arms himself with a gun and takes care of the criminals, but not without suffering loss himself. It's worth mentioning that the bad guys are so over the top and exaggerated , they almost are comic book creations. And their dress code makes them look as if they stepped out of some early Fassbinder b&w film( Drugs and drug use are also prominent). Supposedly the baddies are making "snuff" films. But nothing is really explained. They are seen laughing satanically over a couple of young frightened things, but they don't actually do anything. Perhaps they kill them with their evil laugh (?!). Cyndy (Cynthia)Preston's role certainly called for some "revelations" since she's supposedly making nudes, but she's only shown in underwear or under the bed sheets, otherwise she's pretty much covered. All in all, a b movie, low production values, cheap performances, cheesy action, but not with some merit for the connoisseurs of the genre.
Captive Rage (1988)
for fans of Lisa Rinna
Recommended for fans of Lisa Rinna, she's young and good looking and I had a lot of fun watching her. Not very similar to her TV and soap opera days. She's one hell of a college student female Rambo warrior! Maybe she should be called "Ramba" (!!). And a chance to see Robert Vaughn and O.Reed too, not in their best time for sure, but here they are for you so you can indulge your morbid curiosity. R.Vaughn has precious little screen time, mind you. Lots of explosions, lots of south American natives get shot and killed, a village is burned, many men and women are executed,one woman is raped, the usual b-movie stuff you have come to expect and to love (?). This film is full of stunts but credibility is not its strong point. Some nudity from Maureen Kedes (breasts) in the DVD version I saw , titled "Fairtrade".