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Reviews
The Monster Squad (1987)
Classic '80s kids movie!!!
I first saw this movie in 1990 on Sky TV when i was about 12,and obviously loved it. when i was young i used to wish me and my mates were grouped together in a common gang like Sean and Co. they seemed to have so much in common and always had a good laugh, thats the special thing about kids films from the eighties, with Licence to Drive and Goonies being top of the list having the same feel about them as The Moster Squad. films nowadays for young ones are not like this anymore as most will agree, they have done away with the cheesy dialog and juvenile relations and replaced it with complicated storylines and big budget effects that really dont make them watchable anymore.
Basic plot:
a group of youngsters from the US form a squad to stop evil taking over the world by following an ancient ritual with an unusual amulet. in the meantime they are faced with Dracula,Wolfman and a mummy along with a couple of other creatures of the night to save the world.
it really is a simple formula that works very well and is a must see for kids and yourself.
Note to fans of this film and future fans of this film: Brent Chalem who played Horace (Fat Kid) is no longer with us,which was quite sadening for me as i felt i knew him when i was younger as i watched the film several times as a kid and these kids were a cult for me. He died in 1997 - whilst working for a US legal firm - in Las Vegas,Nevada,USA, he was just 22 years old. he had a rather short career so theres not much info anywhere on the web about him....but i feel someone somewhere who knew him could provide us with a little more information about him and the circumstances surrounding his untimely death and post it here on IMDB.
Go get this, you'll love it. RIP Brent Chalem.
An Innocent Man (1989)
simple and realistic
an airplane mechanic gets accidently caught up in a bungled drug bust by two bent cops and is sent to prison. Tom Selleck, always calm in his roles seems to take it lying down at first, but when he is constantly picked out by the usual jail hoodlums and is still haunted by the cops who framed him, he can take no more. dont listen to any of the negative comments for this film unless you prefer the comic book jail films like Stallones "Lock Up" (1989) because this film is realistic and the storyline is simple and NOT full of hero prisoners on a revolt who finally get the president himself to give an official pardon. Tom is always great in whatever he does and you can be sure that this is another great effort from him. i love the dialogue...like.."now you dont have a problem with that now...do you white boy" Not your type of movie? i wouldnt bet on that!!!
9/10
American History X (1998)
nazis hang your heads in shame!!!
Neo nazis think that they can change the world,and for what,their ideals are not what you would like to live by. Derek (Edward Norton) is a senior activist for a nazi lord called Cameron, who recruits people to spread hate, violence,and crime apon non whites in modern day US,believing....for real...that they are the master race. Derek's anti black and anti semetic views make you wonder how someone can beleive such crap. they set out burning chinese owned shops and spouting hatred about blacks and jews like its decent normal behaviour. Danny (Edward Furlong) who is Dereks brother is impressed and somewhat caught up in his brother's god like status has aquired his brothers views and when his brother is sent to prison for killing a black intruder to his house is called to his headmasters office for submitting a exam essay on "Mein Kamf" meanwhile Derek learns that people in the so called master race crew beleive in nothing except getting what they want for themselves even if they have to do deals with blacks and mexicans. Derek opposes this to his peril, and is quickly turned on by the other "Arians" who systematically rape him to show him that he's not a man. his ex-headmaster, (Danny's current headmaster)played by Avery Brooks, comes to visit Derek in prison and asks one fundamental question "has anything you have done here made your life any better" it hits Derek like a rocket from hell, no!!! its made his life worse, and whats more it has endangered his family, and his little brother is now on course for the same as Derek. Derek has changed, he had to wake up, and prior to leaving prison he has grown his hair and made black friends. he doesnt come clean about his new identity straight away, which confuses his brother and former comrades, but when he does, its an explosion of anger and possible reprisals from the "hood of deliquents" he beats the crap out of Cameron who is as suprised as his brother will be when he tells him he's a "fu**ing snake" and knows his game and is on to him. he uses people to spout racism , who eventually get killed or locked up,then recruits new youg naive teenagers to replace them. he leaves takes his brother with him and starts to explain what he has learned. Its a great movie that i would hope Could have an impact on these kind of people who still beleive in a "Master race", and one could ask themselves, if there is a master race, who am i to say its white!!! and i am white, so i am definately not taking a biased view but a logical and educated one. Derek's wit and some of his arguments seem to be educated and some of what he says is good observation, and one could start to think that this guy should be running for mayor....but then he starts to talk a little more and his racist and anti semetic views start to pour out then you know that this guy is definately not representing publics real problems but creating more that they could definately do without. however....although Derek has changed and is on the right track, it doesnt stop his brother Danny being wasted in the school toilets from a single bullet at the hands of a rival black boy who he hasnt even said a word to...just blown a little fag smoke in his face earlier on in the film. this film shows you the realities of racist culture....people getting needlessly killed, abused, murdered, robbed and jailed for absolutely
f**k all...niothig....zilch. Nazis hang your heads in shame.
10/10
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
the future is now....!
while borg cubes are on their way to earth,to prevent the first warp drive experiment by the great historical mr cochran, the enterprise crew are trying to thwart their plans. one cube has managed to get to sector 001 (earth)and is trying to summon the rest to take advantage of a pre-federation earth using the main deflector. picard and co release the main deflector and destroy it as the others on the away team help cochran do his thing. cochran not having the historical visionary attitude but nevertheless has made his name along side newton and gallileo, is not impressed by the vision of himself in history, and you can relate to him because he's so much like the viewer of this epic sci-fi blockbuster. his memorable quote of the film being: "ive no visions in my eyes....ive got dollar signs in my eyes, so i can retire to a island somewhere with lots of naked women...thats zefran cochran....thats his vision" first contact is acheived at the end with the vulcans detecting the warp signature and all is well, the crew then return to the 24th century after shaking off the borg and destoying their cube. fans like me will love this one....its got all you expect from the next generation. gene...you would be proud.
The Warriors (1979)
Union station here we come!!!
This is probably one of the best cult films ever made. it depicts the journey of nine guys trying to make their way home after "the big meeting in the bronx" and The Fox is right when he says that a lot of heads got busted, and a lot of people got "racked". they spend the film trying desperately to get home to Coney island in New York via the New York underground system (subway)but its not as simple as hop on change at union square and away you go. whenever im on the Tube here in London, it never fails to bring the nostalgia of this film back to me, especially Bow Road station (District Line) in East London which is one of the few Tube stations still stuck in the seventies and anybody who has been to NY will see a few simularities between the Subway and Tube, not a lot but a few. Swan (Micael Beck) is great as "war cheif" and doesnt f*** around smiling, and equally brilliant is Ajax (James Remar) "those lousy skinheaded f***s". this film is full of wise cracking dialogue and dark deserted streets with hoodlums lurking in the shadows, and those lizzies are never going to distract anyone for too long, so its not suprising that they didnt waste time revealing their true intentions. every gang is after them after a nutcase decides that Cyrus must die "cos he likes doing things like that" and pins his deed on the gang rule abiding Warriors. but if you think Swan gets the chance to punch the s**t out of this madman you'd be mistaken "one on one....you're crazy". after losing Cleon (got a night stick shoved halfway up his a**e),Ajax(got nicked) Fox(killed at 96 street station), they finally make it home to Stillwell Avenue and after the Riffs sort out the loose ends (and just basically kick the life out of the rogues, which you dont see) they make a long walk down the beach which i always try to copy whenever im in Southend or Yarmouth on the southern coast(England)...singing "somewhere out on that horizon"....But syrus was right about one thing, its all out there, all we gotta do is figure out a way to go steal it - sound great, all ya gotta do is figure out wots worth stealin. This is a brilliant film and i'd recommend it to anyone, definately nostalgia at its best if you saw this film in the early 80's.
10/10
How Sleep the Brave (1982)
Brutal honesty of the realities of vietnam war
I watched this movie about 30 times when i was a kid, i recently found it after years of hunting as its a very rare film. Watching it as an adult was like dejavu as i rememmbered most parts of the film, but i can now understand the horrors and politics of that war much better, making it more sad to me nowadays. The plot has not been given any spending power, and the English countryside is obvious, but this shows that there wasnt a plot during the Vietnam war, only the deaths of young men at the hands of eachother. It did make more of an impact on me as a kid but its still a powerful film that will have you looking into the window of the souls of those depicted. If you did see this movie as a kid too, nostalgia at its best.
AKA Once apon a time in Vietnam AKA Combat zone
10/10 for me.