Reviews

I never saw the first Evil Dead, and I plan to, but I did see Dead by Dawn. HOLY FISHSTICKS BATMAN! I've never seen anything quite like this. Geniously fusing horror with comedy (not to mention Bruce Campbell's trademark one-liners), you've got yourself one freakishly enjoyable splat-fest.......And if you can't tell by my enthusiasm for this movie already, that's a good thing.

From what I've heard (darn you all who have seen the first movie!!!!!), Evil Dead II is essentially a remake of the first, but going to a less darker, less scarier tone. The comedy has been upped though.

The overall story is this: Ash (Bruce Campbell) and girlfriend Linda go to the infamous abandoned cabin for a weekend alone, in director Sam Raimi's trademark beat-up Oldsmobile (in practically every one of his films, with the exception of "The Quick and the Dead"....Cause you wouldn't see one of those in the 1800's...). Ash discovers the Necrimonicon, the book of the dead, and its ritual dagger, and makes the mistake of playing the reel-to-reel tape of the owner of the cabin reciting verses....Which (surprise!) awakens the evil spirits and captures Linda. After trying to destroy Ash, it's off with her head, and I'd give everything away if I said any more.

Surprisingly, more people know about this film then the landmark original, which sparked as much controversy as it did acclaim (it was personally reccomended by Stephen King), and one-upped the original by boasting a bigger budget, better acting by the front man (Bruce Campbell even admitted that in the first film he was still perfecting his acting skills and may have gone a little overboard), tongue-in-cheekiness, and an overabundance of gore, which all horror fans should be happy to hear.

So, before I ramble on till Kingdom come, go and watch this movie. You won't regret it.

I'm a fanatic of Quentin Tarantino's work, and when I saw True Romance, his name was painted (or should I say splattered?) all over it. He wrote the screenplay, and I thought it was great. But one thing did bother me. I like Tony Scott's style and frenetic camera changes, but this isn't the movie to do it in. This is the type of film that needed to be seen in a non-linear look (ala Reservoir Dogs), in order to get its full understanding.

Not to bang on Scott's shot.....It's kind of mixed for me. I love Tarantino's awesome storytelling techniques, but I also Love Tony Scott's action-esque directing. If both had been mixed, this movie could have been so much more.

Now don't get me wrong on this: This is by far one of my top 20 favorite movies of all-time, but it seemed a bit too run-of-the-mill in direction. But all its flaws are healed by an amazing script, and it's so farfetched that it's fun to watch.

It's good to see a movie once in a while that says "Screw oscar winning titles, and give me a movie the action fan dreams of". This movie was great, and I really enjoyed it, but not a latch-on title like Tarantino's masterpiece, Pulp Fiction.

By the way, I saw this movie on its 1997 DVD release. I'm currently in the looking for True Romance's Special 2-Disc Edition, and if the extras are good, this may be a movie I'll be talking about for a LOOOONG time.

Overall: **** out of *****

Before I summarize, I must tell you one thing: Go out and buy this movie! It's a classic, it's got plot, it makes sense, and it's directed by Brian De Palma (Untouchables). What makes this movie great isn't its gratuitous violence, which some people may find unnecessary, but it's tale of an average Joe making his way to the top of a drug empire.

This movie sported great acting by familiar actors (who doesn't want to see Al Pacino take sweet revenge with high-tech weaponry?), and a great script (might I add was written by Oliver Stone), not to mention amazing camerawork, this movie should have been nominated for an Oscar.

Not for the faint at heart, but amazing movie, I'd recommend it to anyone.

The work of Director Spike Jonze includes a collection of music videos, short films, and documentaries filmed by the acclaimed director during the 90's.

His style for music videos is amazingly unique, and are usually a pleasure to watch. But with only 19 of his 50+ videos, casual fans may be steered away.

The special features are lacking, but since the extra short films on the two-sided disc are incredibly rare, it's a must have for longtime fans. With a 52 page book included with Spike's photos and documentary, it's worth the price.

Highlights include Weezer's "Buddy Holly" video, and an assortment of critically acclaimed music videos.

All in all, a must buy, but more towards the big time fan.

What else is there to say about Akira? It's a great story of political corruption and a major dose of fantasy. Despite it's flaws (plot can drag on, and some things take a while to understand), Akira was a great movie. This is classic anime at its best. A definite must see, even if you aren't a Japanese animation buff.