Reviews

Menace recounts the deadly shootout between local bully James Roszko and Canadian police, by inter-cutting two different narratives: One, following the events of the final confrontation; and the second, showing flashbacks to Roszko's repeated run-ins with the law, spanning the nearly 15 years before the shooting.

Local police, particularly Corporal Alex Stanton (Henry Czerny), recognize early on that Roszko (Brian Markinson) is a threat to the small community of Mayerthorpe, especially to young boys, but despite Stanton's best efforts, Roszko manages to avoid prosecution until disaster occurs.

This is the familiar story of a sociopath who manages to fall through the cracks of the judicial system, even though common sense dictates he should be locked up. Czerny delivers the film's best performance, conveying Stanton's frustration as he is repeatedly thwarted in his efforts to get a dangerous man off the streets - while remaining emotionally contained, as his profession requires. In one effective scene, Stanton boils over for a split second and yells at Roszko, causing him to flinch.

Markinson is appropriately creepy as the unrepentant Roszko, who becomes a powder keg ready to blow as society fails to check his actions. Diane Ladd makes a brief appearance as Roszko's dysfunctional mother, hinting at the source of Roszko's demons.

There's nothing particularly distinguished about this made-for-TV docudrama, which is reminiscent of many similar U.S. productions; however, the stark Canadian setting makes it more interesting, as Canada is generally unfamiliar with the type of violence that is rampant in the U.S. Appropriately enough, the assault weapon used against the police was obtained in the U.S.

And as with similar films, one can't help pondering the issues raised, starting with the precarious balance of the individual's rights in a free society vs. the safety of a community. In a society that is insane enough to allow ownership of automatic weapons (without which, this slaughter could not have occurred), perhaps something has to give way.

Recommended particularly for Czerny's performance.

This is a show none of us in the U.S. will ever see, but it brings back fond memories. I lived in France 1985 - 86 and recall catching some of the episodes, hosted by the squeaky-voiced Mitterrand, nephew of France's president at the time. The title translates to "Stars & Screens" and of course was a play on words in French. Each show focused on a particular genre of film, as far as I recall.

What I appreciated was the level of analysis the show would go into. This was something I'd never seen in the U.S., and still don't for the most part. It also reflected the fact that the French are great film fans, and they appreciate films from any corner of the world (here, most people just assume U.S. films are it, and nothing could be further from the truth).

In all honesty, I only remember one episode specifically: It covered U.S. westerns, with a focus on Sam Peckinpah. (Ironically, you could find practically nothing about Peckinpah in the U.S. at the time.) It peaked my interest, and the cool thing was after seeing this show, I went out and saw the Wild Bunch in a Paris theater. (Paris is likely the cinema capital of the world, you can catch anything there.) The Wild Bunch remains one of my favorite films of all time, and Peckinpah one of my favorite directors. I give this show credit for alerting my interest, especially at a time when Peckinpah was still too controversial and basically ignored in the U.S.

How you view this film may depend on expectations. Compared straight up to other films, it is highly derivative (very reminiscent of RoboCop and the Terminator films, for starters), and its attempt to meld action with some humor, a la Schwarzenegger, tends to fall flat, as Van Damme is a bit lacking in charisma (surprisingly, Lundgren does a little better in this regard).

However, if you compare it to many B-level action films, it's really not that bad, maybe even better than most in that category. Van Damme can only be helped being cast (basically) as a robot, even though he still can't hold a candle to Schwarzenegger in that regard. If you're looking to kill time, you could do much worse.

I can't say this is the worst movie ever made, but personally I think of it that way because when it was originally released in theaters, (1) the initial buzz was positive enough that my girlfriend insisted we go see it, and we actually STOOD IN LINE to get tickets, and (2) it's still the only "serious" film I recall where the audience started snickering at a certain point and basically laughed at the movie the rest of the way through. Once we reached the infamous (and interminable) snake fight scene, I think everyone gave up.

The only positive I can concede is the lush location shooting. Oh, and there's also Bo's breasts, although her acting is so wooden that the nudity is unerotic and doesn't rate much more than a Playboy pictorial.

The "dramatic tension" in this film is between Bo's terrible acting and her husband's horrible direction. The snake fight has to be one of the most incompetent "action" sequences ever filmed. However, this is one of those films that's bad enough, it may be worth watching on the level of unintentional humor. Definitely the worst film I ever paid to see.

Likable romantic comedy offers a familiar story that is still appealing thanks to the actors' charisma and some stylish touches from the director. Kyung-gu Sol plays a lonely banker who's generally burned out and perks up only when chasing a woman who may or may not be right for him. Do-yeon Jeon is cute as an equally lonely school teacher who starts to cross his path. No huge surprises, and the film seems to continue past the point it should logically conclude (a minor quibble) – yet the characters act more like real people than those that populate comparable Hollywood films, and thus hold your attention.

Effectively diverting as light entertainment, with some thoughtful, adult overtones.