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NightWindDrifter
Reviews
Alien Cargo (1999)
A Great Timekiller
A great movie to watch on the Sci-Fi channel when you are bored, and have an extra bag of unpopped popcorn lying around. The real problem with this movie is that it has no real conclusion. Right when the plot begins to seriously take a turn for the better (well, for the audience anyway), we are left with an unsatisfactory ending. Do give it a peek though, but you may be disappointed when you are left open ended.
Spoilers after this point.
As I said, one thing that ruined this movie for me was the inconclusive ending. Right when we discover the source of the virus, the storyline takes on an autopilot path to the rescue of the hyper-sleepers and the destruction of the two infected lovers and the probe. Even worse, we discover that the probe is from NASA! Yet, what explanation are we left for this? Moreover, how did the 1st shift REALLY contract the virus, if not from this device? If the device originally did not contain the virus, then how in the world did the 1st shift deliver the virus to the probe? Nothing connects.
Once again, it is a great time killer but do not take it too seriously or you will disappoint yourself.
The Mangler 2 (2002)
A Big Disappointment
Looking to spend some movie-time with my girlfriend, we both made our way to a local Blockbuster. While browsing lanes, a certain title caught my eye - Mangler 2. I had seen part one years ago, and really enjoyed the movie. Naturally, I thought this "sequel" would be just as entertaining, if not slightly less.
Let me tell you, this had to be the worst movie I've ever seen. The only horror coming from this movie is the acting; absolutely horrendous in every way possible. Sure, this is the kind of thing you expect from a low-budget movie, but did it have to be this bad?
The Mangler in this one is completely different and unrelated to the Mangler in part 1 (which, for those who haven't read the tag line/seen the movie, is a laundry machine). I won't compare the movies for sake of spoilers, but the fact that the Mangler has taken a steep downhill turn of scare-factor from devil-possessed machine to computer virus should be convincing enough that the first-mentioned prevails between the two.
A predictable storyline, poor acting, corny jokes, and a plethora of shallow sexual innuendos will have you racing back to your rental store for a refund.
Said several times and true, "You can't do a low-budget horror film."
Neon City (1991)
Great Concept!
While I won't pick out the articulate details of the movie, or take an active defense as to why I thought this movie is good, I will say I really liked this movie. This has to be one of the better sci-fi movies I've seen.
Imagine it, you traveling across the continent to a safe-haven - the ONLY one left on Earth. Your transportation; a shoddy-looking bus with others, crammed like sardines. Your obstacles; everything. From crazed bandits to violent solar storms, this leaves you imagining yourself in place of one of the characters on that bus. Quite a thrill, isn't it?
Food is heavily rationed, medical aid is meager, and death is engulfing. Great, great setup for a storyline (which could have been better in several ways, although I'm fine with it as-is).