onysia Reviews

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

You had to read the book...or buy the extended DVD

[5/10 · 29 August 2005]

I have got to hand it to Lucus He has finished his epic and He did it his way. It is complete etc. No wait! It is not complete! In order for most of us movie goers to really make out what is happening we have to buy the DVD extended play version to get all the extra bridging scenes that can make sense out of some of the chaos of these last 3 movies. Is that fair? No but it was impossible to tell the "big story" in only 8 hours. You don't want to watch the extended version to get a real grip on the story line? Buy the books. It tells you what is happening. Sudsy prose but you get a fair idea of the big picture. Prehaps that is a cheat but.... well that is the 21st century of film-making. The "meaning" can't be crammed into the time allowed. Prehaps a marathon of the extended play renditions of the last three movies with a bottomless bag of popcorn is what we need.

Airborne (1998)

Some actors should NOT bulk up for a part

[1/10 · 29 August 2005]

This is so bad it will be my contribution to the next bad movie party I go to. It is clear from the start that Steve Gutenburg was taking this role seriously.... the other principles were walking through their lines. I think they got a whiff of how much it stank early on and they were going through the motions for their paychecks. Sean Bean "acted" as usual but was spared sharing space on screen with any of the principles till the final scene where it was like an actor walking onto a high school stage that is how defined the contrast was. Some actors do not look good scruffy. Some actors should not bulk up for a part. Those two statements apply to "Police Academy" Steve. His scruffy look translates to bum and indigent and his bulking up makes him look potato lumpy not buff. Pair that with one of the worst scripted dialogues in Hollywood history and you have BAD movie. I can only guess that all of the principles really really needed the money for remodeling or something or their agents signed them before the script was written by the monkeys that must of typed it out. I would love to know the back story to this disaster.

A Woman's Guide to Adultery (1993– )

OK it is a bad movie, but.......

[7/10 · 29 August 2005]

Sean Bean is the only "actor" in this sudsy mash. But then again it does have a hint of the truth about it. Teacher yacks a lot about love and it's "truth" seducing his students as he goes...etc. Old story. But Sean Bean makes the character believable and almost understandable. I think that is his gift. Making the despicable human. The best scene other him bum up on a Paris bedspread is when the latest student conquered turns the tables on the instructor in a final presentation. The look on his face is worth the price of the DVD. This is not great art, not even a great story but it does point out what a professional actor can do in spite of bad situation.

The Cooler (2003)

Vegas the Heart of Fabulous Fiction

[8/10 · 29 August 2005]

Their is a type of fiction that has been out of fashion for a while it is called Faboulous. Not in the sense of " Good " but in the sense of being right on the boarder of being believable. This movie falls into the category. You must go along with the premise of "luck". But then again is not Vegas based on that one concept? Once you grant that the movie makes worlds of sense. Loser and Winner are just reverse sides of the same coin. Things such as being in the right place at the right time and feeling "lucky" determine which side the coin will fall facing up. The main character has been living his life with the Loser side up for quite a long time. When the coin is flipped he goes with the change the long shot. I don't think many people will "get" this movie unless they have spent some time in Vegas and absorb some of the real unreality. The musical score is excellent especially "The Bounce".

Clarissa (1991)

Burning Passion & Betrayal

[9/10 · 29 August 2005]

Here is the source of "Valmont" and "Dangeous Liasons". Robert Lovelace is a passionate rake. Rich and awash in privilege he sees nothing wrong with the game of seduction. To seduce a pious virgin is his undoing. In the course of this seduction he loses both his heart and his soul. The rape scene is unnerving and may be deeply disturbing to some viewers. Coming out of this pivotal scene with any sort of feeling for Lovelace is a mark of how painfully good an actor Sean Bean is. Watch this first followed by "Valmont" and then "Dangeous Liasons" and you will see the perfect evolution of a classic 17th century theme. The rich production values pull you in to the action and the main theme of seduction still leaves room for the fundamental plot of Greed and Spite to come shining through. A viewing banquet.

Sharpe: Sharpe's Gold (1995) Season 3, Episode 1

Azetcs in the woodpile

[3/10 · 1 August 2005]

Every excellent series falters. Seems like it is fate when a series accomplishes the brilliant the fairies take their revenge. Well this is the one. The embarrassment. This one sinks. I can only imagine they kept the cast in the dark at the full extent of how bad it was by handing the lines to them page by page and locking them out of the daily rushes.

The cast struggles to make the stupid believable but even by force of arms this is not one that can be saved. If ever you have to throw one of your Sharpe's set of DVD's on to the fire this is the one to sacrifice. Posterity will thank you. The only thing I can remember being as bad was the "Yanks and Combs" episode of Star Trek.....need I say more?

Sharpe: Sharpe's Honour (1994) Season 2, Episode 3

Richard and the Borg Queen

[9/10 · 1 August 2005]

This is one of the most satisfying of the book to TV adaptations. The actress who make us believe that a Borg could be sexy makes us believe that a spy and traitor can have some redeeming qualities.

The TV plot line does not follow Cornwell's story exactly but is both exciting and rewarding as a retelling of a darn good yarn. If you have a yen for romance in uniform there is a lot of sexual energy sparking between our man Sharpe and the lying hussy. Made me wish her role was closer to that in the books. But no matter there is enough hero wronged, hero redeemed, hero in rage, hero in flight and hero in battle to keep you clued to your DVD play.

Essex Boys (2000)

Savage, intense a view to how it is done on the streets

[7/10 · 1 August 2005]

If you want to "see" what a drug induced blank look really looks like Sean Bean's bedroom scene half way through the movie is a must see. He ain't trying to look good or mean or anything other then just be in the character. And he does that to the exclusion of the rest of the world. He's a git and he will make your skin crawl.

This an an ensemble cast and they fit together wonderfully. The ways they come together and come apart are believable. You may even feel compassion for some of them until you remember what everyone is doing.

At the end of viewing it I thought it was a once through but now a few days later I want to see it again and I am thinking seriously about buying th DVD.