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Patrick-79
Reviews
The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)
A French Exit
The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu starring Peter Sellers in a spoof of the characters created by Sax Rohmer is an injustice to the end of Sellers' career. The plot was very simplistic, and if done the right way could have been handled nicely, but instead it was poorly executed. Part of the reasons why this film wasn't that good was the poor dialog, cheap laughs, choppy directing, and an awkward feeling that the film was somewhat incomplete.
The acting, on the other hand, was really the only thing that kept my interest during this mixed up picture. I found Sellers portrayal of diabolical Manchu brilliantly done, with the occasional lines that will be remembered. For example, there is the scene where Fu Manchu is confused which henchman is which in which he says "Ah, you all look the same to me." I hate to admit it, but I laughed out loud with that line.
Then of course a fistful of strong supporting characters really caught my attention with the likes of Helen Mirren as the backstabbing constable, David Tomilson as Sir Roger Avery (his last film as well, not a way to end a career), and Sid Ceasar (who gives a rather whimsical performance of Al Capone's relative who works for the FBI). These characters also kept me watching.
The sets were also nice. Oriental designs and English society in 1933 was depicted with elegance in this dud-of-a-picture.
In all honesty, my advice to you is to watch the film if you are a Peter Sellers or Sid Ceasar fan. Otherwise, you're better off settling on chewing aluminum foil.
Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (2000)
The Best of the Series
I've always been a "Toxie" fan. Ever since I was a little tyke when USA would exhibit censored versions of the "hideously deformed creature of super-human size and strength" on "Up All Night" and the short lived cartoon series "Toxic Crusaders". By far, this one takes the cake.
Citizen Toxie is everything you'd expect from a Troma film. Blood, guts, TNA (and a lil' extra), foul language, surrealist elements, comedy, horror, and of course, Sgt. Kabukiman.
It was a real treat to see such a Troma film like this. The storyline was solid, although it dragged in some moments, it was forgivable and still enjoyable. The cameos by Ron Jeremy and Corey Feldman was also an nice touch. It was also nice to see Toxie go back to his roots from the first (i.e. The voice, the violence, the nudity... :P). Never has a Troma film looked so good. If you are a Tromaite, check this out and enjoy yourself with a Superman/Bizzaro-esque storyline of The Toxic Avenger featuring Sgt. Kabukiman.
Lemmy is God.
The Groovenians (2002)
Quoting Orange County (2002)... "What the f--?"
Okay, this was on only once on Cartoon Network (of the "Adult Swin" persuasion) and I got to tell you, this was total, utter, crap...
There was no key plot, no punchline, nothing witty, nothing exciting, it was just boring, dull, and tedious. Although kudos to their excellent cast, but why the hell did they want to do this in the first place? Of course, the way this was designed, it was intended to be a TV series for Adult Swim, but was destined "Never Again". I swear, I was amazed I actually sat through it. A person with common sense would have the motivation to change the channel.
To sum it all up, this was Adult Swim's worst cartoon attempt ever. They are better sticking with the likes of Harvey Birdman, Sealab 2021, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and their "hand-me-downs" of FOX cartoons.
Vampires: Los Muertos (2002)
'Twas... okay.
I just gotta say, this movie was okay. Most of the time I enjoy some of Tommy Lee Wallace's work (Stephen King's IT, Fright Night Part II, Halloween III, etc.) But in this, I thought he could've done better. It just didn't feel like this film had the same atmosphere as the first one. Maybe Carpenter's absence in direction probably had something to do with it. I'd say "watch it" but it's not really worth the purchase. Other than that, stick with the original Vampire$ (1998).
Stars *** out of *****
Rollerball (2002)
This movie sucked!
This film has b***ardized the name Rollerball and now people in today's generation will gringe when they hear the name Rollerball and think of this remake, but if they would have seen the 1975 version... everyone would nod their head in approval and remember James Caan as Jonathan E. with the superior direction by Norman Jewison. Speaking of which, John McTiernan, I gotta tell ya...
You have made so much better films than this. You should go back to writing your own stories like you did with Nomads because that movie kicked ass! And also you've directed so much better epics like Predator, Die Hard, 13th Warrior and so on. Well, folks, don't waste your money like I did on this. Just rent the original version. Or better yet... if you never did like the 1975 version, go see it! You'll hate this version and will want to buy the 1975 version! Seriously, that's how bad this movie was!
Hey Dude (1989)
Ah, The Good Ol' Days...
This use to be one of my favorite shows on Nickelodeon when I was a kid. This and other great shows like "Salute Your Shorts", "You Can't Do That On Television", "Welcome Freshmen", too name a few were the type of shows I use to sit down and watch whenever I flipped on Nickelodeon. Now a days we have Nickelodeon called Nick and there are stupid shows on there now. Those shows do not amount at all to any spark or imagination to the shows originally on Nickelodeon. And dudes, let's face it... Christine Taylor is the hottest!
Scream (1996)
The Scenes From the Director's Cut
Lucky for me, I got to see the director's cut to "Scream", but don't worry, you didn't really miss anything. The only things in it I can vividly remember is right after Stu (Matthew Lillard) tells Sid (Neve Campbell) and Tatum (Rose McGowan) to bring food to his party, he imitates playing an electric guitar. The other scene is when Principal Himbry (Henry Winkler) says "Dumb little s***s!" as he opens the door and sees Fred the Janitor (Wes Craven), Winkler compliments on his shirt and Craven calls Winkler under his breath a prick. That's all I can remember.
Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
Huh? I'm lost.
I have recently caught this on The Movie Channel and was left confused at the end. The whole planet Zeist gig where the immortals originated from was pretty stupid and corny. Besides, what kind of planet would name people after Scottish or Spanish names? And another thing, Sean Connery's character Ramirez is dead. When you're dead, you can't come back. Sean Connery did a good job though once again and Christopher Lambert always achieves good acting, at least that's what I think. Michael Ironside's acting as the role as the arch-enemy from Zeist, Katana, was also very nicely done. I always think the Ironside plays an excellent bad guy. The only reason why I watched this was because I had nothing better to do. Maybe the Director's Cut is better. I'm not too sure. E-mail me and tell me if you think I should see the Director's Cut or not. Anyway, I give the original theatrical version two stars out of five. The reason why I give the film two stars is because the acting was good and the effects were nice.
Scary Movie (2000)
Something You'd Probably Expect From Troma Films
I have to admit it, the film was funny. The film mainly used dick and fart jokes, so some people would probably find this pretty nasty or dumb. Luckily, I'm not the type of person that would be easily offended by this. So, see it if you think dick and fart jokes are funny. If you can't stand those type of jokes or Ms. Mann's testicles, I would suggest to skip this one.
Stars: 3 1/2 out of 5
Zombi 2 (1979)
Not Fulci's best, but still a keeper!
Watching this film being the very first Lucio Fulci film I have ever seen... this film kicked ass! I mean, being the first Fulci film I've seen, it was badass! Later on I would see some of his other pieces that are better than "Zombie", but still, I think that the gore, the plot, and so forth were excellent. By the way, for the dudes and chicks who think there is not plot, read the little "plot" here... trying to look for Ann's (Tisa Farrow) father! As I was saying, check this flick out. Just don't consider it as a sequel to "Dawn of the Dead", (Dawn of the Dead being known as Zombi in Italy), but probably more as a prequel.
Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
Huh? I'm lost.
I have recently caught this on The Movie Channel and was left confused at the end. The whole planet Zeist gig where the immortals originated from was pretty stupid and corny. Besides, what kind of planet would name people after Scottish or Spanish names? And another thing, Sean Connery's character Ramirez is dead. When you're dead, you can't come back. Sean Connery did a good job though once again and Christopher Lambert always achieves good acting, at least that's what I think. Michael Ironside's acting as the role as the arch-enemy from Zeist, Katana, was also very nicely done. I always think the Ironside plays an excellent bad guy. The only reason why I watched this was because I had nothing better to do. Maybe the Director's Cut is better. I'm not too sure. E-mail me and tell me if you think I should see the Director's Cut or not. Anyway, I give the original theatrical version two stars out of five. The reason why I give the film two stars is because the acting was good and the effects were nice.
Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Oru kaijû daishingeki (1969)
One word sums this up... CRAPPY!
I saw this flick when I was in my "Godzilla" fad and I thought it was the stupidest idea that was ever cooked up by some dude who thinks this is a great "Godzilla" flick. What the hell was TOHO thinking?! If you wanna watch a good "Godzilla" flick, please ignore this one by all costs. This movie sucks and makes a mockery to the "Godzilla" genre.
The Prophecy (1995)
Very Dark and Scary!
After watching this, I thought the movie was cool. Christopher gave a good performance as Gabriel who had decided to choose his own path instead of God's. I'd recommend this flick to anyone who liked "End of Days" "Stigmata" "The Exorcist" if you're a big fan on good against evil flicks.