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Reviews
Wild at Heart (1990)
Definitive Lynch flick...
This was actually the second Lynch film I saw...Lost Highway being the first and after seeing Wild At Heart, I found myself wondering why Lynch made such a piece of crap like Lost Highway (which I didn't mind till I saw this) This is simply put, a strange, strange movie and I wouldn't watch it any other way. The plots a little hard to put into words but in a nutshell, it's a love story with Nicholas Cage who put a new spin on a character he'd been playing many times by now and Laura Dern who is a welcome additon to any indy movie she lends her name too. The two go on the run and are pursued by numerous people most notably the mother from hell. Rounding out the cast is the usual band of Lynch weirdos featuring Crispin Glover and William Dafoe.
First off, what gets you right into this movie is the dialogue. Every last line is worth paying attention to and even when it seems incredibly out of place and this tends to happen a lot it's still entertaining.
Next up on the great aspects of this flick once again brings me to the cast. Nicholas Cage a few years before oscars gives a performance that's oscar worthy in itself. Laura Dern is terrific as always, William Dafoe gives the only performance of his that I liked and everyone else falls into place perfectly and keep things moving. Music is also another perfect for this movie as I didn't like all the songs they used but all of them where still bang on.
The only downside to it as due to it's sheer strangeness...causal viwers may be turned off by this or pass it over completly. Still, this movie which pays homage to numerous things most notably Wizard of Oz is worth at least one shot as it's another classic example of a good independent movie.
Chasing Amy (1997)
Kevin Smith + Lesbians= a Kevin Smith movie with lesbians!
I'll admit at the time I saw this (early 98 would have seen it sooner if not for the damn junkie at the video store) I had pretty high expectations as by the point I was a full fledged View Askew fanatic. And while chances are my review here will mean very little in your decision to see this, I gotta say it the first time I saw it I was disappointed. The performances where solid all around from Affleck (who's I've grown to appreciate more in movies), Addams, Lee and others and there where some classic scenes but the biggest problem with me at the time lay in the last of the movie which falls into melodrama and just didn't do anything beyond that. Being such a fan of Mallrats and Clerks I was a little annoyed having to see Joey Lauren Addams cry very badly several times in the movie and the downbeat ending. All in all I was somewhat crushed by the movie and vowed to erase it from my memory forever.
Three years later, with a better view of things I sat down and watched it again. This time I ended up enjoying the movie as a whole and appreciating the personal story thing. Joey's terribly unbelievable crying is still pretty damn annoying but overall this is a great movie. The movie still has that typical Smith dialogue and arguments about things like the sex lives of Archie characters and lesbians (This makes up for a lot of dialouge) just not as much as Clerks and Mallrats and that was another problem, expecting more of the same and rejecting the movie when it didn't have more of the same. The ending was the other thing I liked more after another viewing. Sure, it's not the kind of ending you want but it has a real quality to it and in the end, you have a feeling that there will be your "happy ending" you just wont see it on screen.
I can see I'm babbling here so let me say this, Chasing Amy is a good movie. It features excellent acting from everyone involved as they create likeable and believable characters, some must-see cameos, and a original story that deserves a good look from both casual flick viewers and View Askew types.
Tenchi Muyô! (1992)
One of the finest anime's ever....
When people run down the list of classic anime shows, Tenchi Muyo! is almost always overlooked. Why? just because it was on Cartoon Network? because it doesn't feature heart stopping action or deep philasophical issues? if so you need to give a look over because what the series lacks in the above two things, it makes up for in comedy, drama and it's characters which is the heart of the series.
The story starts out simple, with Tenchi Masaki a typical teenager meeting a variety of exotic space women who all fall for him on some level and live with him but grows more complex with the various relationships each character has with one another and how it's never the same thing through out.
The characters are amongst some of the most interesting I've ever seen in an anime. From it's star Tenchi to Ryoko to Aeka and Washu and others the show introduces characters who always manage to surprise you in showing a different aspect of their personality or something you didn't think they where capable This adds terrific depth to the characters and makes you care about them a great deal as they become more and more interesting with each episode.
The next thing that makes this show great is the mix of drama and comedy. Both are never overdone and when can coexsist at the same time without ever being goofy or annoyingly dramatic.
What else makes this a good anime is the extremely talented voice cast which for the most part is leaps and bounds ahead of the japanese cast. From Washu's voice to Ryoko who is one of the sexiest characters in anime based on her tone of voice. Music is also top notch and is a must listen for any J-pop or anime song fan. Though a few tracks are pretty annoying.
In the end, Tenchi Muyo! is a great series in the tradition of Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2 and is not to be missed. At the very least it should be given a shot, you won't be disappointed.
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
I actually liked this...
First off, before I go anywhere with this review it should be noted that this was in fact the last elm st. While New Nightmare is very scary and good ect, ect it is not a true sequel since it did not take place in the actual NOES universe. On with the review...
This was the first elm st I saw(age five) and while it's far from scary I still to this day maintain that it's a decent movie and hardly deserving of it's shoddy reviews some have given it. The plot is as always (except for two which even I couldn't stand)solid and features some really good performances from Lisa Zane who carries a certain B-movie charm with her and Yahpet Kotto who never really gets noticed anyways. Plus the funny cameos from Johnny Depp and Alice Cooper are not to be missed. The cameos from Rosanne and Tom Arnold (Tom's film debut no less) provide little more than the films only true scare.
The dream sequences are also pretty funny. The best one being the video game scene which is a little too silly and not as long as it should have been but is still very good. Another thing that warrants a rental is the always top notch Robert Englund who's pretty much just goin through the motions here and pushes back scares for laughs and some of them work and some don't.
One of the downside to this is for one the poor cast of teens...every last one of them are shallow and poorly acted. Their only real use was to much me wish Alice, Nancy or hell any previous elm st teen was around to give Freddy a real challenge. Though, with this in mind the final battle between Freddy and Zane was still fun. Another disappointment was the lack of kills in this...while the film makers try to make each kill really count for something if you're an elm st fan chances are you're gonna be wishing for more.
In the end though, FD is for the love or leave it variety and is by far not the worst elm st sequel. So if you're a die hard elm st fan and haven't seen this yet, give it a shot. You could certainly do a lot worse.
The Craft (1996)
Great, great movie...
You know, if someone asks me to make up a list of favourite actors..I could probably make a huge list...someone asks me to make a list of favorite actresses, the list will be a little on the small side. What's this got to do with The Craft you ask? A lot as this movie features four girls who all became favorites of mine after this movie. Especially Robin Tunney before she went on to crap-fests like Vertical Limit and Super Nova. Tunney gives another solid performance as Sarah the girl who holds a secret gift which is quickly noticed by a group of school outcasts lead by Fairuza Balk (In another creepy as hell and underated part) with another underrated actress Neve Campbell as well as Rachel True rounding out the group. the four get deep into witchcraft and while many movies would go goofy from here, this movie keeps it serious while not overdoing it and the result is pretty good. Other good performances come from Skeet Ulrich who's effective in his minor supporting role as well as Assumpta Serna and Christine Taylor.
What also helps this movie along is the great special effects. It's nothing amazing but everything has a great low-key somewhat realistic quality to it that only adds to the movie.
The movie is not free from flaws though. The ending while decent is still pretty weak in comparison with the rest of the movie and the showdown with Fairuza and Robin isn't nearly as good as it could have been.
But these are minor qualms...The Craft is a highly watchable movie with some great acting from actress's who dont nearly get the credit they deserve. 8/10
Rocky (1976)
The original and still the best...
After twenty-five years this flick never ceases to entertain me. Here, Stallone introduces one of modern films most memorable and well known characters in a film and managed to snare a truck load of awards and nominations, including best picture. In a formula Stallone would try many times over with little success, a man named Rocky Balboa is just another face in the streets of Philadelphia(Hope I spelt that write). He fights for the easy money and loan sharks on the side both careers taking him nowhere. Along the way he trys to win the heart of a shy woman in a nearby pet store Adrian in what's one of the underrated film romances (To me anyways). Stallone expertly builds up some good sympathy for Rocky before dropping the bomb that will change Rockys life forever. An opportunity to fight the champion of the world, Apollo Creed who's played with amazing Ali style by Carl Weathers. The Rock sees it as nothing more than a chance to make some money but wishes to at the least, go the full distance with Creed which with the help of Mickey an old boxer turned trainer who's played perfectly by the late Burgess Meredith. Along the way he finds love with Adrian and even though he doesn't win at the end, you wont care because the movie manages to make you feel like he won bigger than Apollo ever did.
So, in case you haven't figured it out. I really love this movie and anyone who claims to have the slightest taste in movies should give this a shot...see it before you see any of the other Rocky movies. If you haven't, well...see it anyway and figure out what all the fuss is about. 10/10