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thomluka
Has always loved movies. Saw a lot of movies in cinemas, but has gotten kinda lazy and prefer seeing them at home. Own about 2,000 movies on DVD and Bought&Taped VHS.
Reviews
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Sheer brilliance
It's rare that a concert movie can be both such a great concert as
well as great film making, but Stop Making Sense sure does
exactly that.
Obviously, a concert movie might be very dependent on what you
think of the artists and the music, but it's hard to see how some,
thanks to the qualities of the movie, would be totally unmoved by
Talking Heads and their style of music.
I think that, the reason why it works, is that the concert follows the
narrative of a film.
It begins on a naked stage, introducing the "main" character, then
brings in the girl in the next song and not until the 4th song we see
the full Talking Heads. At the same time as they've built up the
stage. That way we get to know the characters and the setting. In
the 5th song, the full band is brought in on a completed stage. It
works itself up to a high with "Burning down the house" and "Life
during wartime", before it sort of "restarts" and work itself up to the
great finale and happy ending, with mission completed (That's the
first time we see the audience,as it dances along with the music.
Talking Heads has succeed, getting the audience to dance).
A concert movie might stall after some time, when it gets the same
all over again, but Stop Making Sense avoids that by excellent
photography that's both very beautiful as well as intimate,
combined with each song having a very distinct lighting.
The only flaw is a slightly flawed DVD-version of the movie. I've
seen it on the big screen, as well as having a "Limited Edition"
VHS (Which runs for 103 mins and includes the 3 bonus songs
inside the concert, instead of (as on the DVD) have them as bonus
material, which make a huge difference in the experience of the
movie/narrative. Also, on the DVD, those 3 bonus songs is of really
bad quality (Which is actually of a lot worse quality than on my VHS
(Where those songs have the same quality as the rest of the
concert)).
Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996)
A good sequel
Few sequels are able to live up to the original movie, and with such a great movie as "Tremors", they've really had everything to lose..
It's hard to make the lightning strike in the same place twice. The first movie was just perfect tongue-in-cheek. Simply right etc, which makes it real hard to repeat it, since most movies can't come up with that spirit in the first place.
But, I'd say Aftershocks actually makes it. Not as good as the first, with a story that kinda hangs in the air at times, but I was positively surprised.
It's a real smart script (as with the first), where they're even able to make fun of the fact that Kevin Bacon or Reba McEntire isn't returning to make the sequel, and in smart ways being able to get Fred Ward and Michael Gross into the action..
But the most important is that they've been able to keep the fun (it's the thrills that's not as good as in the first) with exactly the right "mean" tone in the dialogue etc, and the spirit of the first..
It isn't able to take it all the way, but.. those who loved the first one, won't be that disappointed by this one..
Tremors (1990)
Perfection
This is one of my favorite movies of all time, as simple as that..
The thing is.. it's far from a "good" movie, borrowing heavily from the cheap horror-movies of the 50's, but doing it tongue-in-cheek. (It's not as self-aware as "Scream", and actually not a parody as such, but in a sense, it's in a similar vein. Maybe closer to "Galaxy Quest" actually.) Whatever, they sure make it exactly right.
It's simply supposed to be 90 mins of "sit back and enjoy fun", and it sure manages that real good.
As the foundation, you've got a really great script with lots of witty and "mean" dialouge, and simply great moments, as findig that original up in a power-line mast, having starved to death rather than go down or finding a car buried in the sand (with the lights still on). The direction is perfect, as is most of Ron Underwood's movies, being able to switch between the good fun, and really turn on the "scary" parts when needed. It's fun all the time, but at the same time makes you sit on the edge of the seat at times.
What makes the movie, tho, is the spirit. Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon, along with all the rest of the actors, seems to have a really great time doing it and it shows on the screen.
This is a movie that's.. well.. simply right, all the way.. (unless you try taking it too seriously)
Crackerjack 2 (1997)
Die Hard
There have been many Die Hard Clones, since that one appeared.. Both low and high budget ones.. Con Air, Sudden Death and to some degree Speed. They all had some kind of variation.. That can't be said about this one, which also is extremely low-budget.
We all know the basic story-line of Die Hard. Bad guys takes people in a building hostage, a policeman with his girlfriend among the hostages happens to be inside.
Hostage Train follows the plot exactly. They are so similar that you almost think they've even used the same screenplay.
While Bruce Willis is both fun and tough, Judge Reinhold aren't exactly that much of a character to pull that off. In fact, when he tries to be fun, he's boring, and the only time he is fun, is when he tries to be a tough action-hero.
The same counts with most other actors appearing in this movie, except for Carol Alt as the Girlfriend and the boss bad guy.
The action scenes really show that this is low budget, with matted in fire etc, and everything expensive happening outside of the frame.
Not even if you have seen Die Hard, I doubt this makes anyone happy, and why choose to see this one, when you as well can pick up Die Hard and see one of the best action-movies ever done.
Jurassic Park III (2001)
thanks for no plot
I can't say I expected much.. to some degree because I forgot that Joe Johnson was the director, and with Rocketeer and to some degree Jumanji a favorite director.
Maybe because I didn't had any big hopes for the movie.. I mean.. after having seen the second !!!! But, it surprised me and I really enjoyed the movie.
Joe Johnson is a specialist when it comes to making action that has "Go!" in them, and in this movie it works perfectly.
The main reason this movie works as well as it does, is that it doesn't bother with a story.. Get the people to the island, then have them run.. that's it.. That way.. it's really easy to create a certain rhythm to the movie.. you can pace it properly.. making it a perfect thrill ride..
As for the CGI... It's totally amazing.. With the first two, you kinda looked at the CGI.. In the first it was really easy to spot.. The same in the second, even if it was kinda amazing what they were able to do.. but with the 3rd.. the dinosaurs blend in perfectly in the action.. they blend in so well you never even think about it as CGI, as you would have done if you had spotted something wrong with it..
Actually, I would say I've never ever seen better CGI ever..
If you want to go in, sit down and taken on a real roller coaster ride.. JP III is the movie..