James Bond used to be cool. Watching the Pierce Brosnan episodes reminds me of the invasion of the body snatchers- He looks like James Bond. He talks like James Bond. He even likes the same drink as James Bond... But this is just not the 007 I've grown to know and love. T.W.I.N.E. was just another vacant, forgettable action movie with lots of guns and 'splosions. I honestly didn't care about anything that happened in the movie, or if any of the characters lived or died. (Except for valentin -he was cool.) For what the 007 movies have gained in budget and violence in recent years, they have lost an equal amount of class and wit; all the things that made James Bond so likable in the first place.
Reviews
9 Reviews
Lifeforce
(1985)
Good Try.
1 June 2000
Lifeforce is one of those movies that you really, really want to like, but it just isn't quite good enough to let you. It's a shame too, 'cause this flick had a lot of potential, and could've been an outstanding movie if the writing had been a little better and the acting not so lame. But in all fairness I have to say that the first 30 or 40 minutes were actually quite good. At first I really thought this was gonna turn out to be a cool movie, what with the voluptuous space vampiress and exploding zombies and such; but, sadly, after Space Girl escaped from the SRC building, everything slowed down to a snail's pace. There were a couple times during the middle of the movie where I kinda felt like turning it off and doing something else. The special effects were excellent, though... They get a 10. The first half hour of the movie gets an 8, and the rest gets a 4 or so.
Deep Rising
(1998)
A fun rip-off
10 April 2000
I don't mind it when a lesser movie rips-off a good movie, just as long as it knows its place, and doesn't try to act all cool. Deep Rising ripped off a TON of other movies; but it actualy turned out to be a pretty fun film. I got to kill off an hour and a half or so of a boring Saturday afternoon, and I didn't feel cheated. P.S... WATCHING THIS MOVIE WAS A LOT MORE FUN THAN SITTING THROUGH "TITANIC". If Leonardo DiCapprio had blasted through the flooded corridors of the Titanic on a ski-doo, perhaps I wouldn't have been so glad to see him die.
The 13th Warrior
(1999)
The Seven Samurai...plus six...
23 January 2000
Although this flick wasn't exactly groundbreaking, it was just queer enough that I really enjoyed it. Now, I haven't read the Crichton book upon which this movie was based, so I can't judge it by whether or not it was true to the novel... but I do know that this was quite a unique film (which, of course, is probably why a lot of people didn't like it). It was one of the few recent action movies that actually made me care about the characters in it. Another thing I liked about this movie was the way it reminded me of "The Seven Samurai", "Conan the Barbarian", "Braveheart", and other really great films. This was a cool movie.
Star Trek: Insurrection
(1998)
Here we go again!
4 December 1999
EESH. Nothing more than a bloated episode of the mercifully terminated TV show, filled with the same technical jargon and neverending moral dilemmas that made the series intolerable. The only effect this film had on me was that it reminded me of how excellent Star Treks 2 and 3 were, and how badly I wish they were available on DVD.
Saving Private Ryan
(1998)
A great action movie, but certainly not much of a drama.
6 November 1999
The sad thing about this movie is the way the story takes a backseat to the gratuitous and often unrealistic level of violence. Previously to seeing this I had heard a LOT about how overblown the violence was. I've read several letters in the newspaper from actual WWII veterans who said the movie was unrealistic; and one of my co-workers (who just happened to be a First Lieutenant in Vietnam) also said that the violence was "overkill". Watching this movie, I really got the impression that Spielberg was just using the story of Private Ryan as an excuse to make an extremely bloody war movie that every one would go see because they had heard that it was more gory than "Braveheart". You'd really think that no one died in 1944 Europe unless they were exploded or had their guts blown out, or were decapitated, or disemboweled or something. When Tom Hanks pulls his radio guy over and his face was gone, I was like "Oh please, give me a break!". This was much more of an action movie than a war drama. I thought that "The Thin Red Line" was a much more thoughtful and dramatic movie that didn't rely on such copious amounts of violence. It was a far better picture. As was "Full Metal Jacket", and "The Deer Hunter", and "Platoon", and Apocalypse Now" etc., etc.
The Mummy
(1999)
Like a dumb version of "Raiders of the lost Ark"
16 October 1999
I really think they should've gone with a PG rating and marketed this movie exclusively to children. For anyone with the slightest hint of intelligence, this flick is something to laugh at. The story and script seemed to be fresh from the pen of a ten year old. From beginning to end, it's just one cliche after another... The same characters you've seen a million times, spewing the same tired dialogue you've heard a million times, in the same predictable situations you've seen a million times. And if thats not bad enough, the viewer is constantly being bombarded by cheesey computer effects that are too fake looking to be frightening (the scarab beetles in particular were very poorly done). It's not all bad though; the last half hour or so had some pretty cool action sequences.. but that far from makes up for the overall cornyness of the rest of the movie.
War of the Worlds
(1988–1990)
A breakthrough for television!
15 October 1999
I watched this show from the pilot of the exhilarating first series to the end of the dismal second series. The show was near perfect, head and shoulders above anything that came after (the x-files, or hideous star trek spin-offs). For a television series, it was quite a cinematic experience- Full of sex and violence (when the sci-fi channel re-ran it years later, those bunch of hippies cut out all the gore and such.) The first season was action packed and exiting, great fun for any sci-fi or horror fan. Unfortunately, with the advent of the second "wave", the creators of the show killed off the two most likeable characters, changed the entire WORLD into this weird techno-post-apocalypse-war zone, and eliminated an entire species of aliens in favor of a much more clean cut, less violent, and generally less interesting breed. Bad idea. The second series totally sucked, and I feel sorry for anyone who saw it. Maybe that's why they canned the show. It's a real shame too, because the first season of this show was so excellent, it doesn't deserve to be forgotten.
Dune
(1984)
A visual masterpiece!!
26 September 1999
I freely admit that Dune, as bad as it is, ranks among my all time favorite movies. I don't care about the incoherent plot, or the crummy special effects --- Dune is simply the most visually stunning movie I have ever seen. Every set, every costume, every prop -is a brilliant and unique work of art. The whole movie is enveloped with a sort of dark, nightmare-ish atmosphere that I find very appealing. It is indeed unfortunate that David Lynch's interpretation of the novel is so widely misunderstood; it is my opinion, however, that most movies that are truly worth watching, are not the kind that appeal to mass audiences anyhow.
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