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Reviews
Hak hap (1996)
Dubbing and plot killed it for me
I rated this a 3. The dubbing was as bad as I have seen. The plot - yuck. I'm not sure which ruined the movie more. Jet Li is definitely a great martial artist, but I'll stick to Jackie Chan movies until somebody tells me Jet's English is up to par.
Predator 2 (1990)
Disappointing sequel - where's dutch?
POSSIBLE SPOILER BELOW. I did know Arnold wasn't in the sequel, but after the original I was thoroughly disappointed in this movie. I just don't feel they captured the spirit from the original. Also, here's the possible spoiler, I notice that they violated the tagline from the original, which indicated the predator had never been on earth before. That is hardly the worst thing about the movie. I rated it a 4, but debated giving it a 3. I thought the ending was pretty weak. Gary Busey was a little too over the edge for me, and too draconian. I felt the Busey character could have been taken down a notch or two and improved the believabilty of the movie. Glover, whom I like, was weak. Instead of Predator 2, just watch Predator again...
The Abyss (1989)
Good flick, GREAT DVD
I just got the DVD (special edition) version of this, and it is probably the best DVD buy. The director's cut is included, which makes this already decent movie better. What is really great is that the commentary comes out as sub-titles in the black area below the letterbox. I've got several other DVDs that insist on doing voice-overs, so you cannot enjoy the movie while reading the commentary. As for the story, I like it. It could be interpreted as saying "Military = bad," but then, one of the military guys does do "the right thing" later on. Great special f/x, well ahead of its time, but doesn't rely on them to sell the story. And the hell they went through for the realism on the liquid system... Wow. (Learn about it on the DVD.) 8 stars from me.
Predator (1987)
Good sci-fi, maintains the tension
This is one of my favorites, but then I've been an Ahnold fan for quite a while ("Ahl be bachk"). Carl Weathers is the only character I don't care for - for some reason he's just not convincing as "Dillon" to me. The story line is basicly spelled out in the IMDb intro. The characters (less Dillon) come across as pretty believable to me, and the tension builds up pretty early and keeps building. You pretty much get the impression there's nothing Dutch & Co cannot handle, up through the rebel camp (early on, this isn't a spoiler). At least nothing of this earth they cannot handle...
Some of my favorite lines are "If it bleeds, we can kill it" and "Do you think you could have found something bigger?"
Ngo si seoi (1998)
Great action - I am hooked
This was my first Jackie Chan movie, and I am hooked. This is an action flick. Don't watch it for anything else. But ohhhh boy is it an action flick! There are very few 'dead sections' (times without something going on). I've seen several complaints that the plot was too hard to follow - I thought it was mostly simple. Okay, some of it was a little bizarre, like the whole meteor/scientist part (NOTE: I said simple, not believable). The dialog was pretty cheesy in sections (like the interaction between the buyer and the head bad guy selling the 'technology' towards the end - very bad). But this is an ACTION flick, and on that, it delivers. I'd recommend it heartily if you're remotely action oriented.
The Matrix (1999)
Well worth the price of admission
I thought the plot was pretty straight forward and predictable. I still thought it was a good story, just not too many unexpected twists and turns. The special effects, and the imagination inherent in the story were what sold this for me. I liked this enough I'd happily go out and buy a copy of this movie. I saw it on the small screen - I'd say this would be awesome on a movie screen.
Bridge of Dragons (1999)
No Mercy! The movie shows none to the audience...
I registered with this service just so I could slam this movie. Ignore the minor details, such as Valerie Chow taking a rifle butt to the face without so much as a tiny bruise. This thing just did not hang together for me - I never really understood what they were supposed to be doing, and I was completely lost on the why. I guess I can understand in principle her not wanted to marry the guy who killed her father - I just was rather unconvinced she was all that upset. Strong action violence? Well, they do seem to shoot and blow up a bunch of things. I'm not sure I understand WHY they blow things up. I actually appreciate that when they blow some guys brains out, the director didn't find it necessary to show the details (the effect was, however, very cheezy). So I guess I did have one good thing to say about this movie. Dolf wants to be Ahnold - don't give up your day job on the basis of this one, buddy. All things considered... don't consider watching this one.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
I am STILL waiting to get my money back...
Somebody actually compared this to Hitchcock? I felt ill when I saw that. I actually tried very hard to go to sleep during this movie just because I thought it might seem to be over a little faster. I absolutely did not buy in to the characters. I rooted for the witch, which to her credit never showed up in the film. Good move on her part. I wish I hadn't been there either.
When they got to the map sequence, I actually wanted them all to die. I had absolutely no sympathy for these jerks. Yes, I know we are supposed to believe the "witch" caused all these things - loosing the map, walking in circles, etc. I just didn't buy it. What I did buy was a bunch of idiots went wandering around in the woods. There was no witch - these people were just too stupid to be allowed to live, and thankfully Darwinism kicked in before they polluted the gene pool further. I hope... I am absolutely serious when I say I was rooting for the witch, by the way, but she took too long.
I was not scared at any point during this film. I was extremely irritated. I would have killed them myself. The only good thing about this movie is that it IS only 80 minutes long - which reduces the amount of time you have to endure. I have a good imagination, and like it when a talented director lets the action happen in my head as much as on the screen. This film had no such director.
This film should have been left buried under the foundation of the 'Blair witch house.' I would not ever see this again, even if offered a large sum of money, for fear that it might encourage these people further.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Good flick, would see it again
I thought Bruce Willis gave a strong performance, as did Haley Joel Osment (Sheesh! What a name! He was the kid, by the way). The ending absolutely made the movie. I thought the film was very well made. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, even staunch Bruce Willis anti-fans.
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Did not like this one bit
I saw this at a drive-in, as the second feature. (Yes, such things still exist!) Half the audience left at the break, leaving about 60 of us. 2 remained by the end of the movie. Yes, it was meant as a comedy, but it went WAY wide. I like Bruce. I like wild movies, like The Holy Grail. I hated this. I stayed to the end, believing in Bruce up to the end, believing that it had finally hit its low - it could not possibly get any worse - only to be proven wrong again and again. I like the naked gun series; I like silly stuff. But it has to have something to hold it together! Until reading reviews on this site, I had no idea anybody anywhere could possibly like this &@#%!! (sorry for the "language.") I guess there may be some truth that when there's a wide diversity of opinion, you should see it yourself and make your own judgement. But I cannot honestly recommend anybody follow that advice on this movie. Once was enough torture for me. I'll not be watching it again on the off chance I missed something. Yuck.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
My absolute favorite movie of all time
This movie is hilarious, from the coconuts (Whoa, Patsy), to the swallows, your favorite color, gosh, there's just an awful lot to like here. The ending is anti-climatic, but then... what else could they have done? I have to admit the first time I saw the film, it was like being brought up short (sort of thought they'd just run out of budget and so stopped filming). But then I realized it was the only way to go.
As much as I absolutely adore this film (note to self: watch Grail again this weekend) I have to warn: It is not for everybody. This is absolutely zanny. You have to sort of decouple yourself from any sense of reality and normalcy. Sit back, get a bucket of popcorn, and bring out your dead. I'll say no more (wink wink?), since so many others have said so much positive stuff. Did I mention I love this film?