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Reviews
Cube (1997)
Just goes to show what you can do with one room and an idea
Though slow to start, this film delivers an incredibly interesting analysis of our contemporary society. A group of people, totally unconnected, wake up in a maze of cube shaped rooms, with no understanding of how they got there or why. They attempt to find a way out. An incredibly simple plot, filmed in one room, with a tiny cast of relative unknowns, yet it works extremely well, on the power of the script and some outstaning performances, particuarly from Maurice Dean Wint, as 'Quentin.' It is difficult to explain more without spoiling anything but I recommend this film very highly as it has some great ideas and the dialogue is superb. It's biting criticism of our society are extremely powerful, and the film itself is remarkably intense. Definitely worth a watch, if only to see that you can do very interesting things on a tiny budget.
San lung moon hak chan (1992)
Better than Crouching Tiger
Where to start? This is an absolutely phenomenal martial arts movie. It is difficult to escape making comparisons with Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, so I won't bother. This film is much better. The martial arts are absolutely stunning. Donnie Yen as the big bad eunuch is unbelievably solid - watching the film it is difficult not to laugh at times because everybody is so ridiculously hard, but that's why we watch kung fu, right? Unlike Crouching Tiger this film focuses slightly more on ground work and less on the fly-by-wire kung fu that we see so much of in recent Hong Kong cinema, which is essentially a good thing because the martial arts are more realistic - however, the feats performed by the characters in this film are far from believable. I digress....... Kung Fu movies are not ALL about the fighting, though, and this film delivers the goods in all other departments as well. It is superbly directed (not just in the fight scenes), and actually has a compelling plot (very rare in kung fu) and superb performances from the actors, especially Maggie Cheung, of 'Police Story' fame. 'The New Dragon Gate Inn' has a great storyline, centred around rebel fighters trapped in an inn with evil officials in the room next door, and manages to switch from great intensity to comedy without missing a beat. Probably the best new school kung fu movie I have seen. The final fight scene is ABSOLUTELY INSANE. Watch it now.
Altered States (1980)
Science fiction the way it should be
This utterly tripped out movie is what science fiction is all really about. There are no spaceships, and no improbable aliens. Instead this is a film about a journey within the mind and beyond it. It follows scientific genius William Hurt as he experiments with mind altering drugs in sensory depravation tanks, with disturbing consequences.The film is conceptually brilliant, though obviously I am unable to delve to deeply without spoiling the film, and Hurt's performance is fantastic. However, what makes this film really stand out is that it is visually stunning to a level that has very rarely been equalled, let alone bettered. The direction in the trip scenes is absolutely unbelievble - terrifying and wondrous, and superbly edited. The use of sound, colour and bizarre imagery, combined with the weight of the concepts, make this film a real trip to watch. Not recommended for the faint hearted, or disinterested popcorn viewers. 'Altered States' is frighteningly intense, but requires an inquisitive and open minded viewing to fully appreciate its meanings, which are the real heart of the film.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Heston may love guns, but he's still the man
As the film opens to Charlton Heston's state of the world address, we know from the beginning that this is no childish b-movie about people dressed up as monkeys. The film continues to deliver concept after concept in true science fiction style, and creates a chilling world almost parallel to our own. The films ideas about religion, war and the future of the human race are as pertinent today as they were in the dark Cold War era of the film's creation - and as they have been since the dawn of history. The film delivers biting criticism of man's refusal to expand his horizons and break free from senseless dogma and tradition; his blunt refusal to listen to reason, his utter complacency. Concepts aside, the film features an inspired performance by Charlton Heston, who delivers every line with flawless style. His portrayal of 'Taylor' the man captured and then befriended by Simian 'animal psychologists' who experiment on the brains of humans (genius!), is a performance which could make even the worst plot and dialogue intensely watchable. Lines like "GET YOUR STINKING PAWS OFF OF ME YOU DAMN DIRTY APE!!" can never be repeated with such class. On the whole this film is absolutely excellent in every sense of the word, a true masterpiece. However, many people do not accept it for the genius it is, instead finding amusement in the slightly dated make up and special effects. That is unfortunate but I will always love this film. Heston may stand for guns, but hey, he's the man.
Aliens (1986)
My favorite film of all time
I remember first seeing this masterpiece when I was about 9. 10 years later it remains the best movie I've ever seen. In true James Cameron style, it is an action movie with much, much more than action. The characters are all well defined, and in the first 15 minutes there have already been many internal conflicts established. It is not just marines vs aliens. H.R. Geiger's aliens are absolutely excellent, and despite the revolution in CGI SFX, they still don't look dated at all. This dark movie has a malevolent and brooding atmosphere which is maintained throughout the film, by brilliant direction on the part of Jim Cameron, and excellent acting by all involved, especially Bill Paxton as Hudson, who remains my favorite screen character of all time. It is such a pity that the next two films in the saga were so bad, and that they don't make action movies like this anymore.
Star Wars (1977)
Brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant
genius brilliance stupendous awesome unbelievable excellent flawless perfect best movie ever brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant. Thank you Mr Lucas you are GOD
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Quite simply the best gangster movie ever made
The first Godfather movie was a milestone in cinematic history. Puzo's book was awesome, but when he and Coppola teamed up to make the movie they produced an almost flawless film. It seemed impossible that they could repeat that, let alone top it. They did. Largely thanks to an absolutely perfect performance from the ever amazing Robert De Niro, this is a superior sequel. Portraying the young Vito Corleone (De Niro) as he becomes 'The Godfather', and his son Michael's (Al Pacino) descent from innocent and moral kid to emotionless and malevolent crime king, this film is an epic masterpiece. With a fantastic plot and frankly flawless performances across the board it is quite simply the best gangster movie ever made.