Corven Reviews

Drive (1997)

'Lethal Weapon' meets Bruce Lee?

[9/10 · 8 March 2000]

At long last, there is a martial arts-orientated action flick made outside of the Orient that is -- brace yourself -- actually worth watching!

'Drive' mixes sharp-edged and cliche-mocking humour with breathtaking action sequences and an excellent buddy-buddy relationship (probably the most watchable since the days of Danny Glover and Mel Gibson). There are no outstanding acting performances (is there such a thing in this kind of movie?), but the rapport struck up by Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Hardison ensures that you won't give care about trivialties like the quality of the acting ... although that's not to say the acting is bad -- it is, in fact, pretty good.

After a string of poor movies Dacascos finally shines, giving a performance that is part Bruce Lee and part David Schwimmer's Ross Gellar, and proves himself to be one of the most underrated martial arts actors around. Fight scenes aside, Hardison steals the show with his Eddie Murphy-esque performance, dealing out some of the best quips I've heard in years, and John Pyper-Ferguson gives us another reliable offering as the not-quite incompatent assassin.

In 'Drive' you have a classic merger of Hong Kong and American action that I highly recommend to fans of the action-comedy genre (as well as those who aren't). It's well worth the retail price. Drive on!

The Crow (1994)

A real fever dream of a movie

[10/10 · 8 March 2000]

'The Crow' is neither original nor easy to watch, but persist and you will find it to be one of the best movies around. Themes of love, death, and revenge feature heavily, and there is a lot of violence, urban decay, and very little sunlight (not good for those of you who find dark movies hard to watch).

Every aspect of 'The Crow' oozes quality: Alex Proyas' fantastic directing (a more visually stunning movie you will not find), the stunning performances by the late Brandon Lee and the menacing Michael Wincott, the fabulous sound track, the brilliant scripting ... I could go on forever.

The movie does have its faults though. There are probably not enough flashback scenes of Eric Draven and Shelly Webster in better times, and there are a few inconsistencies in the plot, but these are minor quibbles and do not detract from an otherwise excellent movie.

'The Crow' is going to be either one of two things for the first time viewer: an amazing experience, or your worst nightmare.

Whether for you it's amazing or a nightmare, 'The Crow' has succeeded in its aim.

Susie Q (1996 TV Movie)

This film is SO cute it's just impossible not to like it

[9/10 · 26 April 1999]

I'll be brief: I normally hate films like this venomously ... but there is just something about this one that just draws me in and won't let me go. Granted, there are some major flaws in it (some of the acting is below par at best and the dialogue is sometimes so poor it's funny) but there are enough redeeming features to make it watchable to the end.

But what are they? Well, it's got a cool little plot - by no means is it original, but it is better presented than other films of its kind. The three main stars (Whalin, Johnson, Long) put in fairly decent performances that more than make up for the distinct lack of quality from the supporting cast (the fat cop and Coach Quinn really bugged me), and the scripting is slick and witty (even if it is poor in places).

The bottom line is, though, this film is so CUTE: I grinned all the way through it and it has a place in my video collection purely because it could cheer up anybody. You really have to be some kind of humourless bore not to like this (I DARE somebody to sit through this without grinning!!!).

I do recommend this one if you want a simple, fun, and - above all - enjoyable watch. You won't regret it!

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