Tyler's Reviews

Exit Wounds (2001)

It's a shame, at least to me, that this was Steven Seagal's last theatrically released vehicle. Some people probably jumped for joy when his career down to the toilet after this. Not me. I, to this day, have never gotten a chance to see a Steven Seagal film in theaters. This was his last theatrically released (until Machete) film and I was 5 years old when it came out. That sort of depresses me, not having the big man kick ass on the big screen. It's also a bit depressing that this met with mostly negative critical acclaim, because it's a pretty good film. Not in a "Steven Seagal kicks ass" way, but it's actually a fairly well-made, engaging film.

Steven Seagal plays Orin Boyd, a veteran lone wolf cop who finds himself to the notorious 15th district, after disobeying orders and singlehandedly saving the Vice President Of The United States' life. Soon enough, Orin uncovers a web of corruption inside the police department, manages to piss off the majority of police officers in the department and is forced to attend anger management classes.

Before I actually begin, have you ever noticed that in every Seagal film, he battles corruption? Nico says on the back "Seagal fights corruption with martial arts". In Hard To Kill, he uncovers corruption run from the Mayor's office, in Out For Justice, he figures out his dead partner was corrupt, Under Siege has him fighting turncoat naval officers and disillusioned CIA officers, and so on.

I wouldn't have liked Exit Wounds as much if it didn't have loud, over the top comedic elements in place, which it certainly does. If it didn't have that, I wouldn't have seen the genius on display. Casting Steven Seagal as the straight man with comedic supporting actors (Tom Arnold, Anthony Anderson) is relevatory, and in my diseased mind, I think Steven Seagal could work in a straight up comedy vehicle. I'd pay to see that.

Seriously, as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Cameron did in True Lies, Seagal and director Andrzej Bartkowiak use his Steve's wooden acting abilities to a great advantage, and putting him in an anger management class is brilliant. If the whole movie was about Boyd and his anger management class, I wouldn't have minded a bit, and Seagal's career could have been given a breath of fresh air.

Still, Exit Wounds is a good film. The overloaded action scenes are nothing new, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't entertained by them at all. And the scenes of Seagal kicking ass weren't among the best we've seen of him, nor is his performance itself (his best is Out For Justice), but they're still pretty cool and his one-note performance is, as mentioned, utilized well in comedic situations. The twists and plot are pretty standard, but if you're expecting something fresh from Steve, you're crazy. And the supporting cast work range from ok to good, but a special mention has to go Tom Arnold and Anthony Anderson. If they had a morning show, I'd watch it.

And on a side note, this is one of the only films that has a hip hop soundtrack and doesn't actively annoy me. I don't know why that is, but it just doesn't.

Due to having Spirited Away at a , I can't rate this anything beyond that, because we would have a riot on our hands. But while it doesn't have some majestic beauty like that film, Exit Wounds has a certain amount of cool charm and sh!tloads of enjoyability. And if this was Seagal's last leading role theatrical release, at least it was a nice film to go out on.

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

That's always tricky. I have trouble with those situations constantly, but I've resolved to just take each film individually and try to compare as little as possible. It's awkward to have, say, To Kill a Mockingbird at and then School of Rock at , because I know that that former is by far the more important film and objectively better, but I can't help what I like. It all comes down to how I felt immediately afterwards. If I tried to do it comparatively then every one of my ratings would be thrown into question.

I say just rate it for how you personally feel about it, forget everyone else. It's something I've struggled with as well but I've came up with the rationale to rate a film in terms of how it would place on my top 100 list (or how far off it would be). Which is why I personally would perhaps rate films like Goodfellas a 3.5 and Blade Runner 3, but something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a 5 or Tremors a 4.5


Oh and if you're looking for further exposure to anime and Ghibli Tyler I'd recommend the wonderful Princess Mononoke.

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Postal (2007)



One of my all-time favourite pastimes is making fun of bad movies with friends. And is there a better movie to do that to than one directed by Uwe Boll? Deciding to tackle another video game adaptation was probably not a very good idea, but this is Uwe Boll, a man with no actual talent and a man who doesn't even attempt to make a good film. Here, he barely tries to make a movie out of the admittedly stupidly enjoyable Postal video game, as a down on his luck loser is put into increasingly random- and offensive- situations, involving Osama Bin Laden, religious cults and Dave from NewsRadio's penis. Plus, hot chicks!

The biggest problem (among many notable others) I have with Uwe Boll and his films is that there is 0 ambition in his work. In Postal, he seems to throw nudity, violence, random acts of offense and severe stupidity into a blender and barely even hope for the best. It'd be frustrating, that is if this film had potential. I can honestly say that Postal is one of the stupidest movies ever made and a bad idea to adapt in the first.

But. And this is a substantial but. I did enjoy parts of Postal. And I don't mean like a part here and a part there, I mean that there was a good 20 minutes or so in the middle, and a nice 10 near the end. That's 30 minutes of good stuff (a third of the film's 90 minute running time) and for an Uwe Boll film, that's pretty ******* ok. Most scenes push the crude humor to the extreme, but in some cases, it actually works.

And despite being a completely stupid and unambitious film overall, I can see a certain charm and appeal in parts, especially in the over the top situations and performances, that if I was under the influence of marijuana, I would probably find it to be hilarious. And stoned or not, in my juvenile state of mind, offering Verne Troyer to the rape of 1000 monkeys is brilliant!

I'm not saying its a good film at all, but it is Uwe Boll's best film and I wouldn't be surprised if it developed into a bit of a stoner cult classic over the years.

The Quest (1996)



This film marks the start of my "80's/90's Action" season (inspired by JayDee). I have been increasing my collection of films of this criteria for the past few weeks, and now I will begin to flesh out my thoughts on them. And I've chosen this JCVD actioner to begin with. I'm hopefully gonna keep this up for a few weeks, until I've seen enough to be satisfied.

Jean Claude Van Damme directs the story of Chris Dubois, a street criminal who is thrust into an underworld martial arts competition, and competes in a winner-take-all challenge. Yes, this is a Bloodsport ripoff, but for my money, it's much, much, much better than that ridiculously cheesy piece of crap.

The most notable thing about The Quest is that it is the Muscles from Brussels' directorial debut. And he does a competent job throughout. Yes, he does try to inject some class into it by adding some ultimately wasted sweeping shots and he does ripoff a lot of stuff from a lot of other movies, but he makes a solid effort towards making a good film, whereas his rival Seagal's directorial effort On Deadly Ground just coasted by on the fact that it was Seagal and he was allowed to do whatever he wanted.

Acting wise, I also think JCVD is pretty ok in the role of Dubois. He doesn't convey emotion very well, but he instills his character with some likability and martial arts skill. Meanwhile, Roger Moore classes up the whole thing with an effortlessly charming supporting performance as a wily pirate. There's not much else in the acting area that stands out, but it's a JCVD film, whaddaya expect?

The only major flaw to me that this film had is that I found the action sequences less interesting than the rest of the film. I was actually kind of bored through them, and I much preferred the scenes with JCVD being JCVD and Roger Moore being Roger Moore.

But, The Quest is a good movie, for the most part. It's a solid effort from Van Damme, both as an actor and director. Bottom line: it's better than Bloodsport.

This made me go find the song on Youtube. I realized I already know the song. I like it and I'll have to check out this movie soon.

Do check it out, it's easily the greatest concert film ever made.

The Expendables 2 (2012)

No other film released this year will match what was my anticipation and excitement towards The Expendables 2. Forget The Avengers, forget The Dark Knight Rises, forget whatever other hyped film that is going to be released this year, this, to me, is the pinnacle of 2012 cinema. So I, at 12:25pm on Saturday afternoon, I sat in the theater with my mum, my grandmother and my brother (his first 15+ film in a cinema, so proud), almost shaking, barely being able to breathe. And when the lights went down, it began.

Sylvester Stallone and co. reprise their roles from the first film, with some new faces, including the addition of Liam Hemsworth as a young sniper with a haunting past. They take on a simple job, as favour to Mr. Church (Bruce Willis), to retrieve a case from a crashed plane, when things go wrong and one of their own is killed by Jean Vilain (Jean Claude Van Damme), and his henchman (Scott Adkins). The Expendables then go on a mission of revenge, joined by some other mercenaries along the way (Chuck Norris, Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger) and a female addition to the team (Nan Yu).

Action is easily my favourite genre of film, particularly the '80's and '90's era. I love the films of Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis, Van Damme, Lundgren and (to a lesser extent) Norris. And for fans of these guys (and Statham), this is basically the Holy Grail. A film that basically throws these guys, very little story, a bit of character development and an assload of action into a blender and hopes for the best. And luckily the best happens.

I like the first Expendables. While it was underwhelming in almost every area, I liked the idea of getting all the older action stars and throwing together with some of the younger dudes and essentially creating a throwback to the action classics. And while it was underhwelming in a lot of areas, it had one noteable element: the scene in which three action icons (Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger) share the screen. It's not exactly at Pacino-De Niro Heat level, but it was memorable simply because it got those three together. But it was missing something. Something that it's very superior sequel corrects...



That! That is what exactly what I wanted from the first film and I got it here! Seeing three guys talking in a church is ok, but this is ******* legendary! I couldn't breathe when I saw this moment, my childhood heroes shooting the **** out of people and spouting off one-liners. And the greatness didn't end there. I got exactly what I wanted from this film: solid, undemanding action, that kicked ass and didn't feature too much of that crappy CGI blood. It does appear here, but it's toned down to the point where it didn't stand out as much as it did in the first film.

One of the real surprises of this movie for me was the humour of it. It's pretty damn funny, especially to those who watched and loved the previous films of it's stars. There are plenty of jokes that break the fourth wall, my favourite of them all being when Sylvester Stallone says in regards to an old plane. "That thing belongs in a musuem," and Schwarzenegger retorts ""We all do". There's also a crack about Lundgren's personal life, a re-thinking of a Chuck Norris fact and plenty of one-liners that reference other films, including First Blood, Die Hard and The Terminator.

The cast here is a real treat. I was a bit skeptical about the casting of Liam Hemsworth and the addition of a female counterpart, but Hemsworth and Yu Nan both prove to be not annoying and they actually add a bit of heft to the proceedings. Jet Li gets a glorified cameo, but in his small scenes he kicks a bit of ass. Chuck Norris gets the coolest entrance in the film, Arnie has his ultra-cool moments, as does Willis, who gets to have some nice verbal excahnges with Schwarzengger. I liked Statham here a lot more than I thought I would, him and Stallone both share good chemistry in the film's lighter moments. Speaking of Stallone, he's much better here than he was in the first, playing the grizzled, charismatic leader Barney Ross with an extra layer of wit and coolness. Randy Couture and Terry Crews do the best with what they have, but end being characters wasted in the background. However, it's Van Damme and Lundgren who remain the standouts, as the cold villian and comic relief respectively. Lundgren has a gift for comedic timing and Van Damme relishes every moment of his time as Jean Vilain.

This isn't a very rational rating or review. I refused to point the evident flaws in the film, mainly because I enjoyed my experience to much to blemish it with memories of the substandard stuff. What I will say is that this is borderline movie of the year so far. There will be better movies made this year, but I doubt I'll enjoy them as much as The Expendables 2.

The Delta Force (1986)



Well, I don't about you, but after The Expendables 2, I've been in the mood to see some early asskicking Chuck Norris. This was the only one of his I had seen before TE2, but today I had no problem revisiting it again with friends. Because this is pretty much, despite me not having seen any other Chuck films, the best Norris film out there.

A commercial 747 is hijacked by by freedom fighting terrorists (led by Robert Forster, looking like a cross between Freddie Mercury and '80's Robert Loggia), who, after landing Beirut, take a group of hostages back to their headquarters. The government sends in the only group that can save them: The Delta Force, a crack team of commandos, led by Lee Marvin and Chuck Norris.

To begin with, this isn't your typical Chuck Norris vehicle. It does have taking on bad guys with an Uzi and that scene-stealing beard, but from what I've heard and read about other Chuck Norris films, this one has the distinction of actually a well-thought out storyline. The first half of this film (almost Chuck free) is a real movie. It doesn't have guns blazing and explosions aplenty, it's actually an engaging hostage drama, that features some fine work from the actors involved.

It almost seems like this was originally meant to be a serious '80's anti-terrorism drama that was retooled to fit Chuck Norris standards. One can tell by the sudden, swift change of tone in the middle, where it switches from being the hostage drama to the guns blazing action picture it looks like on the cover. Weirdly enough, I'm not sure if I'd prefer it to be that film or this one. I do like it as it is, though.

The second half, when The Delta Force attacks the terrorist compund to save the hostages, is great stuff. Completely cheesy nonsense, but great fun, especially with that terribly catchy theme tune playing throughout. It's certainly jarring, considering the 70 minutes of drama that came before it, but I don't really care when it's this much fun. Plus, motorcycles that shoot rockets!

The acting on show from the passengers and terrorists is quite good, especially Forster as the terrorist leader, convincing as both the cold terrorist leader in the first half and the evil bad guy to boo and hiss at in the second half. Chuck's ok here, not great but not bad either. Lee Marvin doesn't get much to do, but this is notable for being his final film.

To conclude, I like this film a lot. It struggles with tone, in parts it's completely over the top and the theme tune is so unintentionally hilarious, but it's good fun that has a bit of heft to it as well.

I haven't seen Delta Force for maybe 20 years but really enjoyed it when I did. I'm hoping to find it on cable to see it again.

If you like Chuck Norris, Code of Silence is one of his best.

Code Of Silence I have heard of and I really want to see it, considering it's directed by Andrew Davis and it's got Henry Silva, who also direct and act respectively in one of Steven Seagal's very best Above The Law. Not to mention Davis made that other really cool Seagal film I sorta like...

Knight Moves (1992)



Visiting Chess Grand Master Peter Sanderson (Christopher Lambert) becomes the prime suspect in a series of murders, which may have a link to his past. As the police investigate, the killer contacts Sanderson and makes him a play a game of his own, leaving clues and riddles that only Sanderson can decipher. Adding to the tension is the developing relationship between Sanderson and Kathy Sheppard, a psychiatrist assigned to the case to determine whether or not Sanderson is the perpetrator of the crimes.

Against the canon of serial killer films made throughout the '90's, Knight Moves, to some, may seem like a forgettable entry in the sub-genre, recycling and lifting plot elements, characterisation and style used in other thrillers. Usually, I dislike films like that (Kiss The Girls), but for a few strange reasons, I completely dig Knight Moves.

A lot of it has to do with Christopher Lambert. He's a bit of a dud actor, with very limited acting abilities, but his awkward charm and amiable presence never fails to engage me, no matter what role he takes on. Even in forgettable crap like Mortal Kombat and Southland Tales, Lambert's presence lights up the screen with a peculiar charm that puts the rest of the crap movie to shame. And even though he's completely miscast here, his likeable demeanour definitely makes me like this film more than I really should.

The supporting cast isn't up to the job, excluding Tom Skerrit's dogged police captain, a role taken on by so many so well, with Skerrit following suit. Whenever Daniel Baldwin shows up as the obnoxious detective on the case, you just want to punch him in the face, which might have been deliberate, but annoying all the same. And whenever Baldwin and Lambert share the screen, it's basically a case of who can overact the most, with poor Tom Skerrit as the acting referee, constantly telling them to "knock it off". But despite them, I couldn't help enjoy what was on display.

Another major draw is the script. There's a lot of cliched and underdeveloped dialogue, but where it truly succeeds is it's constant changing of the viewer's predictions for the ending. When you think you've figured it out, you probably have, but there were some great moments where I began to doubt whether I was correct in guessing the killer or not. Plus, director Carl Schnekel really knows how to mount tension, even with a routine film like this, specifically in it's overdone and done-a-million-times-before finale, conducted in a - surprise- thunderstorm.

I'm still conflicting with myself over whether it's a bad movie that I over-enjoyed or just more of the same in it's own sub-genre. Even reading my review now, I'm still not completely sure how I feel about it, but I do know one thing: I dug it while I was watching it. And I suppose that's what matters when it comes to a movie.

Blown Away (1994)



Jeff Bridges is Jimmy Dove, a Boston bomb disposal expert who always plays the hero and disarms explosives, usually against orders. But when a mad bomber with a link to Jimmy's past begins to target other members of the Boston's bomb disposal unit, Jimmy and his Irish adversary Ryan Gaerity (Tommy Lee Jones) begin to play an explosive (get it?) game of cat and mouse across the battleground of the streets of Boston, culminating in a fiery showdown.

In case you didn't know or haven't read any of my past reviews or comments, action is a genre I never tire of, despite being, along with horror, a catergory of film that rarely brings new stuff to the table. And against it's negative critical reputation (28% on Rotten Tomatoes), Blown Away is a film that has been on my watchlist for quite a while. When you've got a '90's action film, I'm always interested. But when you've got Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones, two fantastic performers that aren't really synonomus with the genre, I am pretty damn intrigued.

Stephen Hopkins isn't a name that comes up often in the discussion of great directors, but of the films of his I've seen, he's a fairly competent director. As he did with the solid sequel Predator 2, Hopkins is aware of what kind of film he is making and of the fact that his material is pretty much more of the same. With that in mind, he tries to make what should be a standard experience as entertaining as he possibly can. He gives audiences what they want, a thrillride, and he does it in spades with Blown Away. Plenty of fight sequences, explosions and chases, Hopkins perfectly captures the fun and tension of the premise with some interesting - and enjoyable - camerawork. The script, on the other hand, is nothing new. All the characters are cliches and stereotypes and a lot of old, tired action devices (one last job, enemy from the past, reckless hero with a long suffering wife and kid) are abundant here.

What really brings the film alive are the two leads. Jeff Bridges delivers one of the weaker performances of his career, but it just shows even a weak Jeff Bridges performance is still watchable. He puts in a bit of effort to his conflicted hero, taunted by a horrific past, and Bridges, as always, is as charismatic and likable as ever. Tommy Lee Jones, meanwhile, can play these kind of roles in his sleep. This time, he puts on his Under Siege routine, just with an Irish accent. His performance is pretty much worth the price of admission, whether he's drunkenly dancing and singing along to U2 or performing a makeshift puppet show with a couple of live crabs, he always lights up the screen whenever he's on.

I wasn't "blown away" by what was on display here, but it proved to be a pretty entertaining actioner, with the benefit of two great actors in the leads and a director who knows what he's doing. It'll never break into "best of" lists, but if it sounds like your kind of thing, give it a go. Chances are you won't be disappointed.

Nice review of Blown Away... I reviewed it a while back and found it one of the hardest films to rate tbh...

The good points and bad points are almost on a par with each other and I ended up giving it 50%.

Even though Jones' acting was ok, I found his Irish accent abysmal.

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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)



It's over. I'm gonna pack my bags and leave because my work is done. All of my 16 year old life I've been looking for the Holy Grail of bad movies. And in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, I think I might have finally found it. **** off, Showdown In Little Tokyo, go to hell, Highlander II, because you don't have what this has. What does have exactly, you may be asking. Well, the answer is entertainment value at an epic level. And a lot of it.

I was never a Power Rangers kid. They never were my world and I only watched this film for the first time yesterday. The atmosphere was palpable, a bunch of teenagers on the edge of their seats, as the hopes of this film being the HG were held by each of us (I think). Like, to the point that there was no way it could be as amazingly horrible as we wanted it to be. But sure enough, the film started and stomachs began to hurt from fits of laughter and face muscles turned sore from constant smiles. It was magical.

From the opening skydiving sequence to the final credit rolled down the screen, it was truly an experience. Let me break the story down for you: the Power Rangers find themselves the only ones on the planet strong enough and badass enough to take down a supervillain, unearthed after thousands of years trapped underneath the city of Angel Grove, and stop his plot of world domination. Does the story sound familiar? That's because it is. Very, very generic and standard in structure, and you'll be able to predict every plot device and twist. That doesn't mean ****, though. Where the film really comes alive is in, well...

EVERY SINGLE OTHER AREA.

God, I felt exhausted after watching this movie. Bryan Spicer, the director, gives the film a strong visual flair, mounting many memorable action set-pieces that are as cheesily helmed as they are gutbustingly hilarious. Do you love flying bird men that attack while letting out bizarre sqawks and move around as if they are going to begin a song and dance number? Do you love skeleton dinosaurs that fall apart when a certain bone is pulled from them? And do you love purple creatures that burst into purple semen when they hit things with a moderate impact? If you answered yes to any of those, you will have a good time with this movie. Add a couple million backflips, characters that are able to shut off gravity and kick people for several minutes and a giant robot fight that destroys a city and finishes in the cold realm of outer space, you've definitely got... something.

The script is pure gold. There is no shortage of horrible one-liners, comebacks and speeches in this unquestionably unforgettable display. A character genuinely says "You ooze, you lose" after an aforementioned purple creature explodes into purple semen. That skeleton dinosaur? Viewers will get the pleasure of hearing a character call it bonehead and coolly state that he's got a bone to pick with the prehistoric terror. The actors certainly add a lot to the equation, by giving their best efforts to deliver their lines as badly as possible. None of the Power Rangers can act worth a damn, but once they start, they stay committed to being their cheesy selves throughout, so credit where credit is due there.

I've neglected to mention the two highlights of the film so far, which are the soundtrack and the performance of one Mr Paul Freeman. Many will know him Belloq, villain from Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Here, he plays the primary villain of the film Ivan Ooze. Boy, does he ever. I'm having a hard time recalling a performance as mesmerising as his. He is given all the best (worst) lines of the film and he attacks the material with an insatiable appetite for scenery chewing. He hams it up as much as possible, delivering his lines with all the over the top humour and fun you want and expect. Here's a few examples of his finest moments:

- "Time to pay the piper." He then proceeds to play a pipe which you makes things explode and fall over.

- Finding himself incredibly bored as his brainwashed minions work under his command, he orders a brainwashed Angel Grove citizen to dance for his amusement.

- When meeting the Power Rangers, he squeals and yells something along the lines of "I can't believe I forgot my autograph book!"

With his two henchmen, Monocle Pigman and Der Robot, constantly by his side, Freeman makes the film as Ivan Ooze, providing the film with a lot of fun and healthy doses of intentional and unintentional humour.

The soundtrack is pivotal to the experience. From the awe-inspiring theme song to the Sammy Hagar era Van Halen song that play in the film's final moments, it adds so much to the film's equation and appeal.

If I can say one thing that works for the film, instead of against it in a good way, it's that it's undeniably good-natured. It's obviously aimed at 5-10 demographic and it hits it's target dead-on. There's enough colour and excitement to make it appealing to younger audiences. And even if it does it in a blunt, sentimental way, it tries to give kids a message. A message that we all have power inside, not in the costumes we wear or the way we make ourselves appear, but in our hearts and how we truly are as people.

I can't think of a more entertaining time I've had watching a film of this nature. I bought it for a friend for his birthday and as we watched with his brother and another friend, I could only think it was the best birthday present I have ever given. If I was to describe it in a sentence, it would be great entertainment that I will enjoy revisiting for many years to come.

Wow, a review very Sexy Celebrity in style and I mean that positively. Irreverent, surprising and entertaining. Nice work.

And man I used to love the Power Rangers as a kid. Picked up season 1, vol 1 last year to relive it but still not given it a shot yet. Don't know if I've still got my old VHS of the film kicking out away in a box somewhere perhaps

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)



After their weak cinematic introduction in Generations, the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast didn't seem up to the job of fighting nasty aliens and trying to create galactic peace for twice the normal length. Generations just felt like an average, extra long episode of Next Gen, and it seemed like the series was done and dusted. But they gave it another go, and hoped for the best. And for good measure, they threw in time travel and the Borg, the series' most popular villains.

Jean-Luc Picard and his crew on the Enterprise head back in time to stop the Borg, a race of half organic, half synthetic drones, from stopping First Contact, the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, and taking over the world. Picard slowly begins to develop into a madman out for vengeance, for what the Borg had done to him years earlier.

The story is simple enough and accessible enough for a wider audience to follow and enjoy. As far as it goes, it's pretty standard stuff: stop the bad guy, save the world. Where the film stands out amongst the rest, though, is in it's execution and the themes explored. The film is very Picard-centric, exploring his state of mind and psyche when it comes to dealing with the Borg. Usually, he's a calm, peace-loving diplomat, but the film takes him to a new interesting place: a lunatic who would rather put his crew in danger than back down from his mission of revenge against the Borg. It's very Moby Dick-like and it's very well executed and thought-out.

First Contact is generally noted for it's abundance of flaws and the biggest one is that of Picard. The problem is that he isn't Picard anymore. He's become a british Bruce Willis. He even wears a singlet towards the end! But seriously, as previously mentioned, the character has changed quite a bit from the tv series Picard we used to know. I, for one, like the change. This isn't a tv show anymore and an audience of non-Trekkies don't want to see a peace loving diplomat babble on for two hours. But the character of Picard isn't changed so much that he's unrecognisable. What we get instead is a new, multilayered iterpretation of Picard. A Picard so blinded by hate that he's forgotten the moral code that made him a Starfleet captain in the first place. And Patrick Stewart, despite not having the physicality for an action hero role, is plausible enough to pull off that aspect of the role. He delivers a great performance in First Contact, and while his routine gets weaker in Insurrection and Nemesis, it's fresh and believable here.

None of the characters in the film really get the same kind of development Picard does, save for Data and his capture by the Borg, and Lily, a woman from the 21st century who is eventually the one who gets Picard to see the error of his ways. All of the other characters get their moments to shine, albeit superficially (except Worf, who gets a couple of good one-liners and a lovely moment near the end with Picard) and they all deliver their usual solid performances.

There are many great moments throughout the film. Ones to keep on your toes, ones to keep you on the edge of your seat and ones that will have you thinking about the actions the characters make. Jonathan Frakes, better known as Riker, directs the film superbly, at a brisk pace and with a wonderful approach to each story thread. Amazement and wonder to the First Contact thread, tension and atmosphere to the Borg and fun and excitement to the whole package. The best moments, however, are the quieter ones, like the aforementioned scene between Picard and Worf (I think you're the bravest man I've ever known). And the score that accompanies these scenes and many others is perfect. Not many other words I can use to describe as well as that.

Remember how in my new top 100 thread, I said that The Voyage Home was my favourite Star Trek film? Well, I hadn't seen First Contact yet. I've watched it a couple of times now, and it gets better and better each time, and thats even with a friend pointing out the flaws as it went along (you may know this friend better as Peter Vincent, a fellow member here at Movie Forums). If you're a Star Trek or just a movie buff, Star Trek: First Contact has plenty of stuff in it to engage, entice and entertain.

Donnie Darko (2001)



What I love about revisiting films you haven't seen in a long time is when they have an impact on you, like never before. That's exactly what this rewatch of Donnie Darko did for me, and I regret going to it with such trepidation, because it's one of those films that just gets better and better with each viewing. I can't give too much away about it's plot, but I'll tell you it's about a deeply disturbed teenager who begins to get visions of a man in a bunny suit and begins to make startling revelations about the world around him.

I forgot just how brilliant this film is. Beautiful, disturbing, intriguing... and ******* funny. It amazed me how many laughs it elicited from me. Whether it came in the form of Kitty Farmer's PC babbling (You don't even believe in Sparkle Motion!), or the hilarious, sort of parody of Jim Cunningham's self help tapes, or just some of Donnie's wild behaviour (the first hypnosis scene is my personal favourite), it was just incredibly funny to me, because of how absurd a lot of it was.

However, these laughs begin to feel guilty soon after, because Richard Kelly follows up these comedic moments with moments of amazing, unsettling power. Witness the atmospheric, almost horror-film like scene in the movie theater, or the sounds of Duran Duran's "Notorious" fading into a deeply disturbing score. Donnie's interactions with Frank the rabbit usually prove to be the most eerie, but one must take into account scenes which demonstrate Richard Kelly's skill as a director, such as an introductory tracking shot through Donnie's school, which introduces and establishes primary characters without them saying a word (set to Tears For Fears "Head Over Heels").

While you've got this incredibly complicated and fun-to-decipher story thread about time travel and the end of the world, I felt this film was more about the high school experience. It's about Donnie trying to make his way through a world that he doesn't understand, but at the same time doesn't understand him. Sounds familiar. There's something incredibly satisfying about watching him act out, insult bitchy teachers, vandalise property and get away with it. He's almost like an unsung, high school antihero.

If you like your films to come with the title "mindfvck", your search is over. The aforementioned complicated storythread about time travel, rabbits and the end of the world requires full audience participation, and trying to decipher is part of the film's appeal, strength and rewatchability. It's incredibly mysterious and a helluva lot of fun to watch, as you try to figure out (not some director's cut that explains the whole thing to you) what all this cryptic ***** means. Reflecting on the film's loose ends is almost as fun as watching the film itself.

I plead with you, if you're going to watch Donnie Darko, watch the theatrical cut, not the director's cut. I recently met James Duval (Frank the rabbit) and amongst other things, I asked what cut of the film he prefers. He said the theatrical cut, because it's more mysterious and much more enjoyable to figure things out. I have to agree. Watching Donnie Darko in it's original form is the only way to get the full and the greatest experience.

Wow look at you Tyler, 3 reviews in the same month! You're becoming almost prolific!

Anyway I'm in agreement with you on both of your recent reviews. Not seen First Contact in quite a long while now but I remember loving it and having it as my favourite Star Trek. And with it still residing in my top 10 I obviously love Donnie Darko. Oh and I agree with you 100% about the theatrical cut over the director's cut.

Great reviews.

Star Trek (2009)



If there was ever any material that deserved a modern reboot, it's Star Trek. It's universe, it's characters, it's stories and it's cinematic potential almost scream "cinematic update". And yet, it's taken me a very long time to see Abrams' 2009 entry in the long-running series of tv series and films. It's story is pretty simple: Kirk, Spock and the gang must save the universe from a guy wanting revenge, all while trying to find the elements that will soon make them into a great team.

First off, I can only describe myself as an amateur Trekkie. I'm slowly delving into The Original Series and The Next Generation, and I've now seen all of the movies (excluding Into Darkness), all of which I've liked to certain degrees (all of the original even-numbered ones are fantastic and First Contact is now one of my all-time favourite films). Maybe some day I will be able to consider myself one of the million "pure Trekkies", but for now I'll settle with what I got.

I read an interview recently where J.J Abrams described himself as a
person who considers himself neutral towards Star Trek. This shows in his 2009 effort. He doesn't seem interested in creating a good Star Trek, he is more interested in creating a crowd-pleasing sci-fi actioner that will appeal to the masses and make Star Trek cool. I have no problem with that, except this should be a Star Trek film first, not an action film with the Star Trek title. It's missing some of the spirit present in the original films, that aimed to tell good stories, not to make things look cool.

In fact, the entire film is pretty standard, special effects laden sci-fi stuff and has nothing that sets it apart from any other similar films from the time. However, this is redeemed when you notice the ambition in Abrams' work here. He really is trying to make a good film, just not a good Star Trek film. He creates a lot of wonderful spectacle, with spacefights and explosions galore. It's actually quite entertaining a lot of the time and Abrams does a fine job with the action and adventure areas of the film.

What I really, REALLY liked about the film was the cast. Chris Pine is excellent. He isn't really Kirk as much as he is a cocky action hero, but he does a solid job with what he has. Zachary Quinto is a fantastic Spock, really selling his performance. He gets the meatiest material, as Spock is the most developed character of the film, and Quinto shines in the moments where Spock's conflicted, misunderstood emotions are on display. The rest of the cast (Eric Bana is good, but one-dimensional, though) are phenomenal, but its Karl Urban who deserves special mention as Bones. His scenes were always the best and his impersonation of DeForrest Kelley is perfect.

Overall, though, I'm not really feeling much love for the film itself. It's very entertaining and succeeds at being sci-fi blockbuster material, but fails at really being a true Star Trek film. This feels nothing like the adventures of the original crew, or Picard and co. either.

Entertaining, but ultimately underwhelming.