FILMJUNKY2000 Reviews

Extreme Force (2001)

Introducing the Latin Chuck Norris

[3 July 2001]

Although shot on a very low budget Michael Quissi (director and co-star) manages to instill some real quality into this production, which puts it above others in its class. I had never seen a Hector film before and I was quite impressed, although for some reason the U.K video has been retitled Extreme Dragon. This happens a lot in the U.K. The people who want these movies will look for the titles they are made under, changing them will not take them to a wider more mainstream audience. I look forward to Hector and Michael's next collaboration.

Evolution (2001)

Ghostbusters 3

[3 July 2001]

Evolution isn't Ghostbusters. It clearly wants to be, but alas nowhere near. But saying that it was still a top draw comedy. I saw this twice too. On the same day. David Duchovny doesn't veer too far from his X Files persona, and handles the serious moments and the comedic ones equally successfully, Orlando Jones is his co lead and is actually really good, even though he initially has come off in previous roles as just another Eddie Murphy wannabe. There are not as many fx in the movie as I thought th ere would be, but it's all impressive. This is about the characters more than the fx, just as Ghostbusters was. Interesting to note that this was originally conceived as an all out gore fest, but Ivan Reitman took it on and gave it the new angle. The presence of Dan Aykroyd further improves things, giving a stamp of approval from the father of Ghostbusters, and the fact that he has stated his long awaited third instalment will never happen (due to Bill Murray's lack of interest) makes this film all the more important. Gremlins was an important film form my youth and that was reworked as the excellent Small Soldiers (one of my favourite films ever) and so Evolution represents the reworking of GB's themes, but alas this is not as good a successor as Small Soldiers. This will be a film which will come and go, I cannot see that it will change anyone's life. Watch it as a parody on science fiction conventions, showing the way things have changed between the 50's and the 90's. There are nods to ID4, The Blob, The Thing etc, but essentially Mars Attacks did that better. This is Ghostbusters via Men in Black and X Files, good performances and good fun. See it.

Pearl Harbor (2001)

Every frame looks like the cover of a magazine

[3 July 2001]

I really didn't want to see Pearl Harbor but I really liked it. I think the reason was that it was less of a Saving Private Ryan style hardcore war movie (although it had aspirations as such) and more of a summer popcorn flick. I liken it to sci-fi war movies like Independence Day and Starship Troopers (especially the latter). What I liked about it was that it made me appreciate the artistic side of filmmaking. The time and the effort which has been lavished on this movie makes every single frame look suitable for the cover of a glossy magazine. Some of the images from this movie would hang proudly on a wall. Its a mega budget flick, which shows you how much advertising and music video making has influenced cinema in the last ten years. Michael Bay made his debut with Bad Boys, and set the style which has been utilised in most every Jerry Bruckheimer film since, but he was following in the footsteps of Tony Scott. The Last Boy Scout and True Romance (as well as his earlier collaborations with Bruckheimer) all introduced elements of different styles of filmmaking, which included not only ads and vids but also Hong Kong flavourings which have since become the norm. Films like Pearl Harbour make me think about cinema in this way and it gets me excited. I love different movies for different reasons and I love this as art. Beats the crap out of Titanic, probably because it's more manly. I also thought how much Josh Hartnett looks like Jan Michael Vincent from TV's Airwolf, who in turn looks like Charles Bronson. They all have thin eyes which make them look like their looking into the sun constantly. I also thought that Jon Voight was really good, I could not believe this was the same man who hammed it up in Anaconda.

P.R.O.B.E.: The Zero Imperative (1994) Season 1, Episode 1

Proves what can be done with a low budget and good actors.

[3 July 2001]

Anyone interested in low budget British science fiction is urged to try and find a copy of this title. It's a Doctor Who spin-off which features one of the Doctor's old companions, as well as several of the actors who played the Doctor in different roles. This is a small scale science fiction tale which doesn't rely on special effects to tell a compelling story.

Auton (1997 Video)

A turning point for British indie science fiction

[20 June 2001]

It may not be the most original story in the world, this is essentially Alien in a warehouse, but Auton represents the next development for low budget Doctor Who spin offs.

The first in a trilogy, Nick Briggs and BBV have put together a quality cast and an intriguing story which goes beyond fan fiction and becomes a real independent film.

I urge all sci-fi fans in general to seek out this movie, then see the very impressive sequel.