Genre: Action

Year: 1995

Country: Canada

Rating:

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Dina Meyer, Ice-T, Takeshi Kitano, Dennis Akayama

Director: Robert Longo

My Review: A brave vision of the future. Here is the first movie based on a William S. Gibson story. With a screenplay written by Gibson, you know the story is as close to the original material as possible. The casting, while junior in talent (Keanu Reeves had just completed Speed, and all of sudden he was big time) was big in enthusiasm. Starring Keanu Reeves (as cyber-courier Johnny 'Just Johnny'), Dina Meyer (as Jane, the NAS infected bodyguard), Ice-T (as J-Bone, leader of Low-Tech), Takeshi Kitano (as Takehasi, leader of Pharma-Kon), Dolph Lundgren (as the cyborg Street Preacher), Henry Rollins (as Spider, tech surgeon of the underground), and many others. Director Robert Longo was the weakest link in this movie. The pacing was way off and the character direction terrible. The scripted characters were awesome, unfortunately, the direction left them adrift and stiff. The story was fantastic. A dystopic culture that's descended into a world wide web of discordant integration. Man and machine aren't living in harmony. Man is being marginalized by the machine and a disease that affects the 'enhanced' citizens claims new victims daily. Johnny carries a secret in his skull. After uploading some corporate secrets, he finds his head in high demand. Everyone wants that data, and no one cares about the courier. Johnny wants the data out too, but he'd prefer to keep his skull intact in the end. The atmosphere was there, but the music failed to frame it properly. Some of the high-tech gear sounds dated today (July 2012), but when this movie premiered (1995), the year 2021 seemed a long way off, and William S. Gibson's vision of a dark technological future still seemed fresh and original; even after Blade Runner (1982) had flashed the dark future of Philip K. Dick on our retinas for all time. I give this movie a 4 out of 5.

Summary: A data courier, carrying a data package literally inside his head too large to hold for long, must deliver it before he dies from it.

Genre: Family

Year: 1990

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Roberts Blossom

Director: Chris Columbus

My Review: A Christmas Classic staring Macaulay Culkin in his most endearing role. It amazes me how much more I like this movie, now that I'm watching it from an eight year old point of view - Not that I'm eight years old - I wish! - but watching this movie made me feel like I was eight years old (again). It's Christmas, and the McAllister family is desperately preparing for an overseas trip to Paris to be with family. The house is a mess, the Kids are frantic, the pizza kid wants his fare, and the cop at the door just wants to make sure the house is secure for the holidays… Are all the kids here? Check; Did you turn down the heat? Check; Pack the travelers checks? Check! Great - Let's go. The family jumps into the van and heads for the airport. Midway across the Atlantic it dawns on Kate that they left Kevin Home Alone! Hooray - He finally did it, he wished his family away, and now the house is his, all his, time to party like an eight year old! The party is going great until, the wet bandits decide to target the McCallister mansion, and the only one home is Kevin - They have no idea what they're in for. The story is fantastic, and Macaulay Culkin steals the show right out from under the rugs of Joe Pesci and Joe Stern as the bumbling pair of bandits; Harry and Marv. With a little luck, some help from a neighbor and the imagination of an eight year old, Christmas just might be saved after all. It's a great family friendly Christmas movie. Filled with thrills, imagination and an infectious sense of adventure that leaves you laughing throughout. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Summary: An eight year-old, who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, has to defend his home against idiotic burglars.

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

Year: 1990

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: James Lorinz, Joanne Ritchie, Patty Mullen, J.J. Clark, Carissa Channing

Director: Frank Henenlotter

My Review: Horror Comedy - A genre that's hard to do correctly. This movie is one of those rare exceptions where they get the formula just right. Directed by Frank Henenlotter, prince of low budget, b-roll horror movies (Basket Case and Brain Damage). Co-written by Henenlotter, the story is a bizarre twist on the classic 'Frankenstein' story. A young med school drop out is engaged to a hot girlfriend (Elizabeth Shelley, played by Patty Mullen), but his gift to her father turns a happy birthday party into a tragic disaster. His home-made, remote-control, super-charged, lawn-mower makes mince meet out of the fiancé and things take a downward spiral from there. Obsessed with recapturing his pre-nuptial relationship, Jeffery Franken (played by James Lorinz) keeps Elizabeth's body parts in his mother's garage where he's slowly unravelling. Things get even crazier when Jeffery rationalizes the death of prostitutes in order to bring his beloved back. That's when he launches his ambitious plan into action. The movie is filled with exploding crack crazed whores, sexy cadavers raised from the dead and loads of laughs. It left me breathless with laughter. The story was so preposterous, so over the top that I just couldn't stop laughing. Original, shocking and funny. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Summary: A medical school dropout loses his fiancée in a tragic lawnmower incident, and decides to bring her back. Unfortunately, he was only able to save her head, so he goes to the red light district in the city and lures prostitutes into a hotel room so he can get parts for his girlfriend.

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Year: 1990

Country: UK, USA

Rating:

Starring: Carl McCoy, Iggy Pop, Dylan McDermott, John Lynch, Mark Northover

Director: Richard Stanley

My Review: A low budget sci-fi flick with a-roll aspirations. Unfortunately, despite the fine attempts at production, set work and special effects, the story was the weakest part of this movie. In a post-apocalyptic future, a desert scavenger finds parts from a destroyed 'drone'. He brings the parts to a 'pawn' shop where Moses Baxter (played by Dylan McDermott) buys the scrap for a ridiculously high price. He gives the scrap metal to his artistic girlfriend so she can sculpt another master piece. Unfortunately for her, the crowning touch - The Drones head - turns itself on, assembles a body from her shop scraps and goes on a killing rampage. The story was chock full of plot and character holes. Why would anyone pay for post-modern metal sculptures in a future as bleak as the one depicted in this movie? How did the drone skull actually assemble a body without anyone noticing what was going on? How in the hell did the drone's head manage to murder the pawn shop owner? The story was very limited in scope, which should have made it easier to script, but the plot holes kept putting me off. The robot moved about as quickly as a washing machine, and seemed about as intelligent and agile as a 'Roomba'. The atmosphere, mood and sound work were all well done. Including the soundtrack. Unfortunately the story didn't have enough integrity to hold the rest of the components together. In the end, I give it a 2 out of 5.

Summary: A wandering soldier finds a robot head in the post-apocalyptic desert. He brings it back to his girlfriend for use in one of her sculptures. He investigates the origin of the head, and discovers it's from the Mark 13 project, canceled because of unreliability. His girlfriend, nay, society at large become endangered when the robot puts itself back together using the parts she has for her sculptures.

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Year: 1999

Country: France, Germany, USA, Japan

Rating:

Starring: Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman, Dennis Liu, Frank Minucci

Director: Jim Jarmusch

My Review: Directed by Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Dead Man, Z-Channel A Magnificent Obsession, Broken Flowers, The Limits of Control), starring Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Frank Minucci, Richard Portnow, Isaach De Bankole and many others. This is a masterpiece. A surprising movie, filled with power and energy, but lacking in explosions and action. The acting was excellent, the casting superb. The story - Classic, twisted, introspective, well directed, thoughtful. The story is one of 'Ghost Dog' an African American assassin living in Jersey City. He's dedicated himself to the Italian American mobster who saved his life. Following a very strict Bushido code, 'Ghost Dog' goes about his duty with precision, finesse and unflinching loyalty. Life throws a curve ball at Ghost Dog when his master's acquaintances decide to 'take him out'. The character development is superb. Jarmusch could easily stretch this one movie into an entire television series with several seasons worth of fresh exploration around the characters alone. The story is complicated, challenging and less predictable than any action flick in the typical 'mobster' genre. The camera work and music were instrumental in building an outstanding atmosphere, establishing a setting that felt foreign, ancient, mystic and honorable in the midst of a decaying New Jersey slum, crack addicts, and mobsters who's code of honor extends only as far as their petty personal grievances. The contrast of mobsters - traditionally depicted as following a code - vs this Bushido grounded assassin makes for a fantastic movie. The dialog between ghost dog and the ice-cream vendor was magnificent. Compelling, tragic and original. This movie pays homage to whole genres with it's outstanding pacing, performance, direction, dialog and writing. I give it a 5 out of 5. Added to my list of must own movies.

Summary: In Jersey City, an African American hit man follows "Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai." He lives alone, in simplicity with homing pigeons for company, calling himself Ghost Dog. His master, who saved his life eight years ago, is part of the local mob. When the boss' daughter witnesses one of Ghost Dog's hits, he becomes expendable. The first victims are his birds, and in response, Ghost Dog goes right at his attackers but does not want to harm his master or the young woman. On occasion, he talks with his best friend, a French-speaking Haitian who sells ice cream in the park, and with a child with whom he discusses books. Can he stay true to his code? And if he does, what is his fate?

Genre: Comedy, Horror

Year: 2010

Country: Canada, USA

Rating:

Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss, Philip Granger

Director: Eli Craig

My Review: I was completely surprised. I really wasn't expecting this twist in point of view. The title is a little deceptive, but very apropos. Tucker and Dale (Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine) are two simple men. Living in a sleepy West Virginia town, they decide to take the day off and get an early start at their new 'Fixer-Upper' vacation home (i.e. Shack in the backwoods of hill country). While they're there, they're attacked by a group of suicidal, homicidal, crazed college kids. The movie presents a typical summer slasher plot turned on its head. The fresh approach makes it an instant classic, filled with laughs, some suspense and plenty of ironic sarcasm disguised as a spoof on the whole summer slasher genre. If you're prepared for a few scares and loads of laughs, load this disc into your dvd player. You won't be disappointed. 4 out of 5.

Summary: Two lovable West Virginian hillbillies, are headed to their "fixer-upper" vacation cabin to drink some beer, do some fishin', and have a good time. But when they run into a group of preppy college kids who assume from their looks that they must be in-bred, chainsaw wielding killers, Tucker & Dale's vacation takes a bloody & hilarious turn for the worse.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Year: 2009

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt

Director: Roland Emmerich

My Review: Seriously? With a budget of $200,000,000.00, how could anyone make a movie this bad? In this humongous hollywood block buster, we're treated to a story of apocalypse. Apparently, the ancient Mayans had it right all along. The fact that their calendar (or the only ancient Mayan calendars that we know of) ended with the year 2012, was obviously a prediction that the end of the world would come about in 2012… Hogwash. Starting with a wholly unbelievable concept, the movie then rushes headlong into a series of incredibly improbable, inexplicable, pseudo-science malarky, as set-up for this utterly improbable apocalyptic tale. Thankfully, the action was so non-stop, that I really didn't have much time to contemplate the utterly preposterous occurrences depicted in this movie. Plot - Solar flares are putting out more neutrinos than normal, and these neutrinos are actually interacting with the Earth's core. They're causing it to heat up. Liquifying the Earth's mantle. Scientists and politicians know that the end is near, and they build some arks in an attempt to survive the coming apocalypse. In an attempt to humanize this 'End of Days' drama, the movie (primarily) follows one person; a writer named Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), in his personal efforts to finalize his 'end of days'. The shining cast stank just as mightily as the rest of this movie. The special effects were surprisingly poor for the price tag, and my senses were constantly assaulted with amazing cgi, depicting completely impossible, improbable, even laughable, feats of death-defying catastrophe. For 158 minutes, I was praying that this movie would come to an abrupt and fiery end! 1 out of 5.

Summary: Dr. Adrian Helmsley, part of a worldwide geophysical team investigating the effect on the earth of radiation from unprecedented solar storms, learns that the earth's core is heating up. He warns U.S. President Thomas Wilson that the crust of the earth is becoming unstable and that without proper preparations for saving a fraction of the world's population, the entire race is doomed. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis stumbles on the same information. While the world's leaders race to build "arks" to escape the impending cataclysm, Curtis struggles to find a way to save his family. Meanwhile, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength wreak havoc around the world.

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Year: 2005

Country: USA, Germany, Ireland

Rating:

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Arlin Miller, Azucena Medina, Jonah Meyerson, Wiveca Bonerais

Director: Richard Shepard

My Review: Starring Pierce Brosnan as a contract killer, this movie was a refreshing change of pace. Not to far off the mark from a Bond flick, this movie was perfectly cast for Brosnan. It allowed him to explore some acting development that he'd been denied in his previously type cast roles. The story was great as well. A contract killer connects with a normal joe. Later the killer needs normal joes help in order to pull one last job. The best part of the movie was definitely Brosnan's portrayal of this amoral killer at the end of his rope. There were some great graphics, visuals, cinematic work and music in this movie. The combination of all these elements made for a thoroughly enjoyable movie. I loved it. 5 out of 5.

Summary: A chance encounter between a travelling salesman and a lonely hitman triggers a strangely profound relationship which provokes each to act in ways neither would have imagined possible. Fate steps in to form a friendship between two men from irreconcilable worlds that will alter the lives of both forever.

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Year: 1998

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Asia Argento, Annabella Sciorra, John Lurie

Director: Abel Ferrara

My Review: This movie is based on (screen play co-written by) a short story by William Gibson (science fiction author). It depicts a dark, dystopic not-too-distant future controlled by powerful corporations. Starring Christopher Walken (as Fox) and Willem Dafoe (as X) as two con men/independent operators who try to scam the powerful Maax and Hosaka corporate clans. Their plan, lure the brilliant scientist, Hiroshi (played by Yoshitako Amano) away from Maas corporation. In order to do so, they concoct a man trap using Sandii (played by Asia Argento), the young, beautiful, social engineer with special talents. Her mission is seduction. Can she manage to seduce Hiroshi so fully that he'll leave his wife, his career and the comfort of Maas corporation? The only problem, X falls in love with Sandii while he's training her in the ways of seduction. Now things are complicated and the strain on their relationships threatens to crush the trios intricate plan. Is $100 million too much to risk for the sake of love? This movie is more drama than sci-fi, and that's its only drawback. With William Gibson's name behind it, we expect more sci-fi than love story. Those drawn to this story by Gibson's name may come away disappointed, despite the fact that this drama is well balanced, deftly executed and well constructed. I give it a 3 out of 5. I too would have enjoyed a heavier sci-fi atmosphere.

Summary: Maas and Hosaka are two large Corporations in the future world. They are fighting to get control over the best minds of the world. The best is Hiroshi and at the moment he is working for the Maas Corporation. Fox has accepted an offer to persuade Hiroshi to go over to the Hosaka Corporation. Sandii is a little Italian girl from Japan and she should be the way to get to Hiroshi. X is the man who should train Sandii to break Hiroshi's Heart. But if X falls in love with Sandii? And if the Hosaka Corporation breaks the agreement? And if Sandii is not a little Italian girl?

Genre: Drama

Year: 1998

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Lisa Bonet, Regina King

Director: Tony Scott

My Review: A fast paced espionage thriller in a dark dystopic present. The setting is America, circa 1998. The government is operating fast and loose with it's authority to surveil American citizens, and one rogue Congressman abuses that latitude by using the NSA as his own personal hit squad! The direction by Tony Scott was deft, concise and well measured. The usually laughable Will Smith is believable as an ambitious but mild mannered lawyer in over his head. Gene Hackman was superb as 'Edward 'Brill' Lyle, a former spook operating underground after disagreements with the government. Lisa Bonet as Rachel F. Banks provided a fair figure as eye candy, but her acting wasn't up to par. The story. Hotshot lawyer, Robert Dean (played by Will Smith) is in the wrong place at the wrong time when a long time friend says 'Hello - help? - Goodbye' in a very niche boutique shop. He runs out the door and ends up dead a few seconds later. The feds pursuing this man search his body, but go away disappointed. What secret did he carry? Why were NSA agents?! following this low key character? Despite the early exposition, the story is quite good. It would have been much better if we hadn't been exposed to that initial display of exposition. The only thing left is pacing and the chase. Keeping things moving, Tony Scott does all he can to salvage the improbable antagonists and the poorly handled plot spoiling exposition. I enjoy this movie for it's completely ridiculous premise, it's quick pacing, excellent acting (by Gene Hackman) and suspenseful cat and mouse chase scenes. Tony Scott also does a really good job maintaining a sense of paranoia and conspiracy throughout the movie. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Summary: A lawyer becomes a target by a corrupt politician and his NSA goons when he accidently receives key evidence to a serious politically motivated crime.