DavidDev Reviews

Shrieker (1998)

Jenya Jenya Jenya

[4 October 2004]

This movie (for me) is about Jenya Lano starting out her career. The rest is crap, as one would expect from a movie with virtually no budget to speak of. The poor actors probably received meal vouchers as payment.

I regret to have watched the movie for any other reason than just seeing Jenya Lano. It's like "Stealing Candy" from a baby. Understand what I mean ? Catch my drift ?

I wish her every success in her career in the future. She's got what it takes. The other characters (actors) are all forgettable. As a whole they will not get very far, but who cares. That's the way life goes. Some make it, some don't. All in the name of survival of the fittest, and the movie industry is a prime example.

Dead Tides (1996)

Not swept away

[7 June 2002]

In contrast to the alternative title of this movie (Swept Away) I was definitely not swept away by what was a pretty lame excuse for a movie. Really, the only spark (for me) was the highly attractive Camilla More: she's a real stunner. The acting, overall, was useless. The film editing was awful (as rightly pointed out by an earlier reviewer). What more can I say ? Try to avoid this one if you have any choice in the matter.

Mask of Death (1996)

Average

[26 April 2002]

An average effort by action hero Lorenzo Lamas. This movie is just another example of the stereotyped role we've come to associate with him: slick hair, sunglasses, black leather and boots, fearsome. I thought the role reversal from the ruthless criminal to the more sensitive cob, and vice versa, was a big flaw. The intention was good, but somehow, between Lamas's lame acting and the more than shallow script, everything fell apart. This movie was was lame and boring. I'd expected more from it, particularly with famed actors such as Chong and Star Wars hero Billy Dee Williams. Wave this one goodbye before you've even said hello.

Back to Even (1998)

Not worth the effort

[10 April 2002]

Really a disappointing movie with a very shallow script. Nevertheless, Lamas performs reasonably well as the caring, supportive son. He shows us that his acting prowess extends to beyond the stereotyped gung-ho "Rambo" hero that we've come to associate with him. In this particular movie, wearing a pair of spectacles, however, was a bit over-the-top in an effort to portray a fragile character. His incessant fiddling with them was quite irritating. In hindsight, the movie was hardly engaging, and quite predictable towards its climax. The mood and scenes are also generally a bit on the somber side, even gruesome in one instance. My advice: steer clear of this one in your local video store.

Road Trip (2000)

Enjoyable

[4 April 2002]

Late night, nothing else to watch on satellite, so we switch over to this movie. I must say it was quite hilarious for a college type movie. Tom Green as the "eternal student" was brilliant. For me, he's the pick amongst the male actors. I can relate to his character since I spent 10 years at university myself ! The best scene was of course the anal induced orgasm brought about by the super-dexterous sperm bank nurse ! Amy Smart is the pick amongst the girls, and she can act as well. Hope to see more of her acting in future, that is, after we've been blessed with seeing her body in this one. The message of this movie (if there is one...) Enjoy your varsity years to the full, i.e. play hard and study hard !!

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

A beautiful story

[19 March 2002]

Quite a thought-provoking movie with a powerful message. To see John Nash's commitment to his science was wonderful. To see his wife's devotion to him, was more than wonderful. Although plagued by mental illness for years, his intellectual brilliance survived through it all. The movie does well to combine John Nash's world of reality and delusion...something that was indivisible for him as a person. One realizes toward the end of the movie that he represented a "communion of contrasts": on the one hand a person with "superior" intellectual skills, and on the other hand, a person with a mind illness that made him "inferior" to ordinary people. Still above it all, stands his devotion to his science and his wife's devotion to their lives together. Heart warming stuff !

Night Eyes (1990)

What a disappointment !

[18 January 2002]

Strolled down the B-grade section of my local video store and noticed this movie. Having read the main IMDb review earlier, I thought this movie might turn out to be quite entertaining. Sadly, it was not ! Very predictable. In its genre of B-grade, there are ample examples of better efforts.

Sweepers (1998)

Cheap shot !

[3 January 2002]

Very disappointing movie to say the least. A "cheap shot" if you will.

However, the only good thing about this movie is the collaborative interaction between Hollywood (American)and African (predominantly South African) actors/crew: which is POSSIBLE. As a South African it was also quite funny to see Dolph Lundgren drinking "beer" from a bottle labelled with a well-known South African beer brand. This taking into account the supposed script location to be "Angola".

Judging Claire Stansfield for the first time(not having seen any of her earlier movie efforts)it seems she'd be better off displaying her physical features in a movie genre that requires it. Acting prowess, as far as she is concerned, is non-existent. I'll rate this movie 3/10 for effort and just going through the motions of movie making.

Black Thunder (II) (1998)

Typical B grade

[14 May 2001]

Typical B grade action movie, probably made with a desperately tight budget & in a record time! The series of flight action scenes are tailored for the adrenaline junkey, but they were clearly extracted from other film footage. Don't expect too much on the acting side of things...it is well below par. For me, the worst portion of the movie came via the ridiculous and suicidally dumb Libyan soldiers, charging the opposition openly and without proper cover. How stupid can you get, Mr Director ? And how is it possible for two guys with hand-pistols and limited ammunition to fight off several soldiers with machine-guns and other automatic weapons...doesn't make sense. Even more so, the director finds enough time between gunfire exchanges to allow the "hero" to say farewell to one of his wounded buddies...ridiculous.

On the positive side, I must say, I've heard alot about Landon Hall, and the scene (or scenes)where she struts her stuff, makes this film worth the while. She's simply gorgeous. Rent this if (a) you're a fighter plane enthusiast or (b) a Landon Hall fan. As simple as that.

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

A gripping tale of shark revenge

[20 October 1999]

Deep Blue Sea was a scary but entertaining action-thriller with 90s type "Jaws" sharks - smarter and much much faster than the original- making life very difficult for a group of research scientists at a remote testing facility somewhere in the middle of the ocean. The scientific reasoning behind tampering with the sharks' brains was quite original, being a scientist myself, however the overall acting was somewhat disappointing and far from being authentic or believable. My personal pick amongst the actors was LL Cool J , portraying the part of a die-hard, stay-cool, fearless cook, almost reminiscent of Steven Seagal in Under Siege. Samuel L Jackson delivered his usual solid performance in this movie leading up to a quite extraordinary departure from the script.The other actors are not worth mentioning and were terribly mediocre, however the director makes amends for his erroneous choice of actors by entertaining us to some stunning visuals and great camera-work.

This one is action right the way through which will keep you at the edge of your seat - go and see Deep Blue Sea - a gripping tale of shark revenge.

Arlington Road (1999)

Thriller deluxe

[7 October 1999]

I have always had high praise for the acting prowess of Jeff Bridges. Arlington Road is an excellent, gripping thriller which probably captures Jeff's best performance in this genre of film. Somehow he's the ideal "paranoid" type actor and fits perfectly into these roles - remember Blown Away and Fearless ? The music to this film is also excellent, especially during the opening credits. The ending, however, as mentioned by other reviewers, is somewhat unexpected and quite disturbing. Tim Robbins delivers a credible performance as the crooked neighbor, but somehow I feel any decent actor could have equaled or bettered his effort. The same goes for Joan Cusack. Hope Davis, however, was excellent as the supportive but subdued girlfriend, despite her premature departure from the script.

For me the absolute highlight of the movie was the facial expressions of a "paranoid" Jeff Bridges - captured to perfection by the camera.If you like this genre of cinema, take note of Arlington Road, it's a thriller deluxe.

Red Line (1995 Video)

Entertaining,but forgettable

[6 October 1999]

A B-grade action movie with some well-known actors in it.

Look out for Jan-Michael Vincent as one of the bad guys. Notice anything peculiar about him ? Well, the truth is, Jan-Michael, as we all know, struggled with some drinking problems in real life, got smashed up in an vehicle accident a day or two prior to shooting this movie, but still showed up at the set - to everyone's surprise ! His face was still badly swollen and if you look carefully you will notice the hospital band on his wrist ! This actor quite literally got up from the hospital bed and went straight to the set - Amazing ! Anyway, Jan has been through some pretty rough times and we salute his courage to still honor his commitments in this entertaining, but forgettable "Friday-night video" type movie.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Cinematic experience

[1 October 1999]

Well, we will sit back and contemplate the message of this outstanding movie for a long time to come. War is a terrible, crushing reality - merciless on man's physical and psychological existence. The ramifications are far-reaching in so many respects. One shivers at the thought of what the world would have been like today had the Germans won D-day at Omaha Beach. Spielberg maintains his usual brilliance in this masterpiece, which I prefer to call a "cinematic experience" rather than a movie.

Entrapment (1999)

Disappointing

[30 September 1999]

The pre-release hype of Entrapment was enormous in this country, expectations very high. What else does one expect from a movie blending together seasoned veteran Sean Connery and the coolest Brit of them all, Catherine Zeta-Jones ? Unfortunately the movie presents nothing new. In stead it leaves you with an eerie feeling that you are watching Mission Impossible II or something in that vein. Ving Rhames as supporting actor certainly adds to this perception. Furthermore, the much anticipated romantic angle in the movie is a farce because nothing really happens between Connery and Zeta-Jones.

The setting of the final scenes at the world's highest building in Kuala Lumpur provides for some spectacular stunt action but at this stage it's a case of too little too late. If you're a Connery/Zeta-Jones fan, rather try and avoid this one, you'd be bitterly disappointed.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Worth seeing twice

[28 September 1999]

Well suffice to say that Kubrick went out with a bang. This movie is destined for several major awards. Cruise and Kidman are inspiring as the upmarket couple venturing into an exercise of selective revelation. New York is the perfect setting.Make sure you go and see this one but beware - approach the movie with an open mind because what you'll see there is not entirely what you'd expect, so be prepared.