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| 181. Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie Director: David Winning, Shuki Levy | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (34)
Also, check out my rankings for favorite Power Rangers: 1.) Power Rangers Turbo 2.) Power Rangers Lost Galaxy/Lost In Space 3.) Power Rangers LightSpeed Rescue 4.) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 5.) Power Rangers Time Force 6.) Power Rangers Zeo Great show full of cute guys and lots of action. Some people may think Power Rangers is a "wimpy" and "lame" show...but those are probably teenagers who used to watch Power Rangers when they were kids. So don't listen to them and keep watching the show if you love it!
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| 182. Assault on Precinct 13 Director: John Carpenter | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (51)
A vicious Los Angeles gang called Street Thunder takes over an all but abandoned police station. This, as a group of convicts are being transnsported, awaiting time on death row. Now, a handful of cops must join forces with these criminals, to survive the seige. The action comes fast and furious. Carpenter makes the most of limited sets and really goes all out. The tension of the film is sustained throughout and played in favor of any real character development. Of course, the infamous, anti-establishment cynacism that Carpenter is known for is ever present. The movie is really like a modern day-in the 70's at least-western. Most of the characters are a tough hombre`s. Strong performances by Austin Stoker as Bishop, Darwin Joston as Wilson, Martin West as Lawson, Tony Burton as Wells, and Laurie Zimmer as Leigh, highlight the film. The climax rivals most gunplay scenes in any of the more recent actioners. Assault is dsated only by its wardrobe and hairstyles but holds up rather well--just the same. The special edition DVD has a fair amount of bonus material. Most of which, will provide enjoyable insight, into how it all came together. Carpenter provides another straight forward audio commentary for the film. He is low key about it all--but quite candid. The "new" video Q&A with Carpenter and star Austin Stoker at the American Cinematheque is also well done. I wish there could have been a few more participants though. The music score, written by Carpenter is a real treat and it's cool to have it isolated. Both behind the scenes stills and lobby card galleries are here, as is the theatrical trailer, and a couple of radio spots. Not bad if you ask me... Assault On Precinct 13 may not be my favorite Carpenter film. But it's still worth a look, especially for those keen on the action genre
An intense, exciting, gripping action drama classic from John Carpenter which happens to be his second movie after "Dark Star". This movie offers loads of action, brutal violence including a on screen child murder, gunfire, an interesting storyline and cool music by Carpenter. This movie became a cult classic over the years yet still has a strong following including being one of the greatest action movies in movie history. The DVD here is a nice special edition with great transfer, and cool extras like Poster-and-still gallery, trailer, radio spots and interviews, if you love John Carpenter and action movies then add this to your collection. There is going to be a big budget remake due out next year with Ethan Hawke, Ja Rule, Lawrence Fishburne, Brian Deheney and John Leguizomo. Also recommended: Die Hard, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Rock, Con Air, Shaft, The Siege, The Peacemaker, Lethal Weapon, Scarface, Commmando, Passenger 57.
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| 183. Black Robe Director: Bruce Beresford | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (36)
Laforgue's companion is the young Frenchman Daniel, and it is largely through his eyes that we see the clash between cultures and religions. The contrast between the faiths and cultures of the Western Christians and the native Indians is presented from the outset, with alternating shots portraying the "chiefs" of both sides preparing for a meeting. Both cultures fail to understand each other, and believe the other to be stupid and demon-possessed. At first, with Daniel, we are led to believe that the Jesuit's missionary endeavours are little else than misplaced colonialism and cultural arrogance. Laforgue is presented as rather arrogant and ignorant, his vocabulary of "poor barbarians" and "savage people", and his patronizing showing off of Western skills in reading and music and technology (an alarm clock) appears to confirm this impression. When Daniel suggests that the Indians are essentially Christian in their love for each other, and that with regard to their view of the afterlife the Indian beliefs are no harder to believe "than a Paradise where we all sit on clouds and look at God", Daniel seems to be a symbol of modern enlightened man who has realized it was wrong for Western man to force his beliefs on the natives. Daniel's romance with the Indian chief's daughter seems to be an unnecessary artificial intrusion of an unbelievable story of love at first sight, and appeared to be a concession to Hollywood's need to include sappy romance and sex. At this point I seriously wondered whether the movie was an apology for white supremacy and colonialism, a defence of multiculturalism, and another example of historical revisionism which romanticizes the Indians as saints and condemns the white imperialists as unforgivable criminals. But as the movie progresses, it becomes clear that although Jesuit priests such as Laforgue were sometimes guilty of peddling colonialism rather than the gospel, their simple assessment is not simplistic but accurate: the Indians truly are savages who live in darkness. Daniel's multiculturalism is naïve, and Laforgue's view that it is a clash between two religions turns out to be correct, for he perceives the Indian religions to be work of the devil, while they in turn perceive him to be a demon. In the end, Laforgue is proven to be right, for the Indians show themselves to be true savages, engaged in brutal animalistic behaviour. Their hostility is not just due to the priest's rejection of their beliefs, but is rooted in their very nature. These scenes are not pleasant to see: the movie portrays their primitive behaviour with all its brutality and passion - unrestrained sex, torture, murder. The gruesome blood and gore is not for the faint-hearted and will at times make you want to close your eyes. But these fruits confirm that the apparently simplistic assessment of the black robe is right: "The savages are living in darkness. We must convert them." They need the light of the gospel and renewal of the Holy Spirit, to become like Laforgue, who despite his misplaced colonialism, is sincere in his love to reach out to the lost. The ending, however, is ambiguous on this point, with Laforgue apparently being converted to some of the Indian superstitions as he makes his final trek to the village of the Hurons. The tragic conclusion about the annihilation of the Hurons after they were converted is ambiguous in attributing blame for this horror: is it with the Christians who converted them, or is it with the darkness of their own kind who remained unconverted? Would the indigenous Indians have been better off if they had been untouched by European imperialism? If the movie has weaknesses aside from his dark portrait of brutality, it would be the ambiguity of the ending, for surely although the Jesuit mission work was at times misguided by colonialism, its identification of the kingdom of darkness was never truer. Although it features wonderful cinematography of breathtaking Canadian scenery, this is not a pleasant movie to watch. Unlike most modern movies, the portrayal of violence and explicit sex is never entertaining, but always brutal, dark and representative of primitive barbarianism. On that point I personally found it rather too graphic and disturbing, and even the depth of the themes doesn't justify being exposed to this kind of darkness. But in the process it raises very complex and thought-provoking questions. The action is not fast and furious, but arranged at just the right places to stimulate contemplation. This is not typical Hollywood, because it gives the subject matter the realism, contemplation and seriousness it deserves. The blood and gore is all the more horrifying, because it is accurate. While this distinguishes it from the usual Hollywood cotton-candy, "Black Robe" is not surprisingly less popular because it requires an audience that can think. The movie is highly introspective, as Laforgue deals with his own struggles against lust and faith. But above all, it raises important questions about culture clash. While it portrays the truth about Jesuit missionaries being somewhat misplaced in their colonialism, it also portrays the truth about the barbarians that they sought to convert. Despite the weaknesses of the missionaries, in the end it becomes clear that as ambassadors of the kingdom of light, the black robes were truly symbols of light in battling against the powers of darkness. This is not an enjoyable movie to see, but it its treatment of colonialism and religion it raises profound questions - even if it doesn't answer them all.
The Jesuits presented a wonderful depiction of the people they were trying to convert. Some of the stories are very funny- one Algonquin hired by the Jesuits to be a translator was asked by his employers for the Algonquin words relating to spiritual and religious topics. The translator instructed them and the Jesuits rushed off to preach to the Algonquins. It was only upon being greeted by the peeling laughter of their would-be converts did the Jesuits realize that their translator had instead instructed them on Algonquin foul language. However, the Relations also depict a very grim picture of life in the mid 17th century wilderness. Contrary to what another reviewer has written here- adoption was not guaranteed for anyone! Yes, mass adoption later become something the Iroquois practiced, but only after their numbers had been so badly dwindled in their wars of conquest in the 1650-1670's. Women, children, and the elderly could be hideously tortured to death as well as men. The movie, in fact, was edited to avoid showing the Indians practicing ritual cannibalism on that slain boy- a custom that was common among the tribes of Eastern woodlands. To devour an enemy's flesh was to devour his power. The heart of a particularly brave enemy (such as the Jesuit martyr St. Jean Brebeuf) would be eaten by chiefs. Also in the 17th century, the gauntlet was not the only ordeal for a male prisoner captured alive. If captured a male prisoner would usually have his hands mutiliated in some way- finger joints cut off by either cutting (sometimes with sea shells as shown in the movie) or by biting. Why? A warrior without the use of his fingers was useless- could not pull a bowstring or grasp a knife. One could say that the Jesuits were biased in their desire to portray the Indians as savages and thus justify their conversion. However, the Relations are reknowned for their candor and there are too many other sources that describe women and children captives being summarily executed for little or no reason. (The famed voyageur and explorer Pierre Esprit Radisson in his autobiography "Voyages" saw with his own eyes- children and women being tortured to death by the Mohawks.) The Algonquin bands of hunter/gatherers, with whom the French Jesuits made first contact, lived a mean existence by any standard. Theirs was a society that was utterly "christian" in that they shared everything, but also one that could not tolerate those who fell sick or lame. These unfortunates would just be abandoned. Life was hard enough for those healthy and fit. Also, living in a birchbark tent with almost no ventilation for smoke, zero privacy, a bunch of dogs, and lots of unwashed bodies was probably a much, much nastier place than what was shown in the film. (The meanness of these living conditions must have have been very tough on many members of the Society of Jesus because a lot of them came from families of great wealth and privilege.) "Black Robe," the novel and the film, were meant to be an antidote to the current romancization of the AmerIndians. In recent decades we've taken one myth about the AmerIndians, that of the blood thirsty savage, and replaced it with another, the new age Eagle scout with a bent for ecology. "Black Robe" attempts to hit a middle ground- showing these people as humans who lived in a culture that was governed by different values than our own. They are shown as intelligent and brave, but also as greedy and very cruel. That Europe was awash with blood at the same time is beside the point. Brian Moore was trying to show that North America was never a Garden of Eden- people here still treated people different from themselves very cruelly. As mentioned above, Moore actually held back in the screenplay certain elements of Algonquin life that could be found in his novel. Their everyday language was peppered by words that we would call vulgar- but to them it them it was just talking. They allowed promiscuity among unmarried young men and women- a fact that was found very enticing by French laymen, but scandalized the priests. I don't think this movie is some sort of "propaganda" to perpetuate negative stereotypes on AmerIndians. I do think it is an honest attempt to show that these people were human beings whose lives were governed by the harshness of their surroundings. For an Algonquin band of hunter/gatherers living along the St. Lawrence, life truly was a survival of the fittest. Brian Moore simply held up a picture of the cruelty and difficulty of this existence, if some neo-romanticists don't like what they see then so be it.
The Black Robe reminds me of those classics during the 1960's of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. Another recent image for me is that of the movie the Last of the Mohicans (1992), based on the book of the same title by James Fenimore Cooper. Not to mention Dances with Wolves with Kevin Costner (1990) and directed by Kevin Costner. I happen to love most movies where that Native Americas are depicted in story that is uplifting about their lives. Black Robe was directed by Bruce Beresford, and is based on the novel written by Brian Moore. I found similarities in both Dances with Wolves and Black Robe. The use of the natural settings of woods and rivers were fantastic and beautiful. The use of rivers as means of transportation is very realistic in Native American culture, especially since water is seen as the source of all life. This film at times seems to be more about the inner spiritual life of Chief Chomina (August Schellenberg) and his quest to follow his vision than about the journey of Father Laforgue (Lothaire Bluteau) to minister to the Indians in Quebec. While the Father did not show much spirituality, he did however have his memories which seemed very stark compared to the chief's visions. The differences of their cultures really did stand out in this movie. The Hurons were used to sharing their resources amongst themselves while Father Laforgue tried to keep things back for later use. Another culture shock for the Father was that of the Natives procreating at night. This bothered him greatly, so much so that he was tormented by it and had to leave his bed. This scene also took place in Dances with Wolves, here again was a white guy (Lt. John Dunbar) sleeping by a Native fire. Yet his reaction to what was happening brought him into a relationship where he married a member of the tribe and became one of them. Whereas Father Laforgue cut himself off from relationship and went off alone to do penance. One phrase at the end of both films caught my attention: 15 years later. In the case of Dances with Wolves the phrase dealt with the fact that the expansion of white men into Native American territory meant the demise of their way of life. In Black Robe the Native Indians in Quebec who converted to Christianity became too docile and therefore were killed by other warring tribes after Father Laforgue's arrival. Interestingly spiritually they knew that this was going to happen. This film was great, but sadly since it came out not too long after Dances with Wolves, I believe that it was overshadowed by the former film. For those who want to add to the Native American story collection, it is a great film that could be watched and compared to two other Native American epics: Last of the Mohicans, and Dances with Wolves.
The film endeavours to illustrate how the French "penetrated" Indian societies as opposed to the Spanish model of total exploitation or the English model of sheer destruction. It centers on the religious activities of French missionaries and decides to filter French military and economic engagements in the raging "Beaver Wars" out of the picture. The clash of cultures is often illustrated by sharp cuts between Native and European worlds. These are always interesting, sometimes quite amusing. Often they amount to sheer propaganda of "savagery" vs. "civilisation". Indians huddle together, fart and copulate in dark, dirty and stinking wigwams while Europeans walk across beautiful Old World city squares conspiciously devoid of beggars, cripples and the omipresent garbage and sewage of the time. Indians practice primitive shamanism in forests while Europeans stride through light-flooded cathedrals and vow to relinquish the amenities of western Civilisation to salvage the infidels (even if "they" already cut of one of your ears in the process). Europeans do well-mannered house music in aristocratic mansions. Indians do it doggy-style in the dirt. Always, anywhere and with anyone, as the film will teach us through relentless repetition. The clash of belief systems is personalised in an encounter of the dignified Jesuit priest with an Indian shaman - impersonalised by a ridiculously behaving and profounfly vicious yellow painted dwarf. What could have been an interesting example of Indian attitudes towards disabled and retarded people - worshipping people who are different as a manifestation of the divine instead of confining them to the margins of society - is turned into just another example of the film's leitmotif - the savagery of the barbaric Indian. When the film was released a New York Times critic lauded the fact that this historical film got by with portraying American colonial history"without villains". Without white villains that is, of course. Set in a time when the Thirty Years War was raging through central Europe where entire populations of large cities were laughtered to the last woman and infant while seeking refuge in churches and when one third of Germany's population was slaughtered by armies of fellow Christians, the film centers entirely on what it presents as a realistic portray of "Indian savagery". When the Algonquin party with its European guests is captured by Iroquoians (the Algonquians speak neither Algonquian nor do the Iroquois speak Iroquoian but all happen to speak Cree here in fact but who would notice anyway) the male captives are forced to run the gauntlet in their captor's village. Once, badly battered, of course, they had survived this indeed pretty brutal initiation procedure, I , having at least a superficial knowledge of Iroquois culture, prepared myself for wittnessing the usual next step, the adoption of all captives into the tribe. I soon learned that the makers of the film seemed to have an agenda which would not permit such a less than traumatic ending. It is towards the end that an ambitious yet heavily slanted portrayal of culture clash tilts into point-blank atrocity propaganda. Portraying matriarchic Iroqois societiy with its democratic decision making processes as a male-commandeered dictatorship is in itself a surprising failure given Beresford's claim to show everything "the way it really was". One wonders if this distortive rendering of Iroquois social life occurred unintentionally. How could they get such basic things so wrong? However, this appears like a lesser evil compared to the what we are supposed to learn of the treatment of captives by Iroqois. Captured women and children were regularly adopted into the tribe. In fact the Iroqois waged numerous wars on neighbours and absorbed their vanquished foes through something that amounted to genocide by hostile takeover, if you like. There was a time when 25,000 out of 35,000 Iroquois were adopted former enemies. The biggest indian killers of the time were disease, not war. Tribes replenished their thinned-out ranks with captured enemies and could hardly afford to kill them "unnecessarily". Male captives were in for a tougher ride and were only adopted after having endured the gauntlet. The film shows none of this. Instead, the captured boy has his throat cut before his father's eyes for no apparent reason - exept "Indian savagery" which is, by definition, beyond any rationality. The captured woman is announced to be tortured to death the next day. The same fate awaits the male captives - although they just passed the initiation rite. One previous commentator hoped that the research done for the scenes in the Iroquois village was profound. Well, it was not. In fact, the makers of the film got everything beyond mere outfits wrong here. This is certainly not "a sensitive and earnest portrayal of Indians" as one previous reviewer reasoned. At the end the film raises "the profound question" if it was right to bring the light of Christianity to the Hurons since they were later on "annihilated" by their heathen Iroquois enemies (in reality parts of the survivors were adopted into the tribe, others formed the influental Wiandot nation). What the film fails to mention is that it was hardly a Christian "turn the other cheek" attitude that brought about the demise of the Hurons but the fact that only partial conversion of the Hurons occurred which split the disease-stricken nation at a time of war when unity was most needed and that the French had chosen the Hurons as their allies and prime proxy fighters in the Beaver Wars against their Iroquois enemies - and finally let them down militarily when the Hurons needed their support (For some reading check out http://www.tolatsga.org/hur.html). How to rate such a film? Five stars for its technical merits. One star for its often distortive, elaborate defamation of Native culture. I think that the latter weighs more heavily than the former. Two stars. See it. Carefully. I rented it. I wouldn't buy it. ... Read more | |
| 184. Boulevard Director: Penelope Buitenhuis | |
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| 185. The Bourne Identity Director: Doug Liman | |
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Since I hate it when reviewers give too much away, I will only say that Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne (or is he?), a barely alive amnesiac with a pair of bullet wounds in his back, pulled from the Mediterranean by Italian fishermen. The scene itself is very exciting and draws you into it's web. Bourne's only clue to his own identity is a bank account number etched on a capsule implanted in his body. What follows gets very complicated and keeps you on the edge of your seat as other summer extravaganzas seem to fail to. Like its summer "cousins", the movie has action scenes, guns, explosions, an awesome car chase (that relies more on execution than on how many cars can explode), a potential love interest, and many of the usual suspects, BUT it entertains and I did not feel like checking my watch every 5 minutes. Is it Oscar material? Heck no, but within its own genre its one of the year's best. Matt Damon, who I never quite appreciate, would seem to be miscast to play this type of character, but he is actually quite perfect is he tones it down and makes Jason Bourne almost seem like an everyman who slowly discovers that he has skills he never knew he had. The casting department should be proud of itself as it cast Franka Potente (from "Run Lola Run") as the main female protagonist. The actress is not your cookie cutter beauty nor has the marquee appeal that I am sure the producers would have liked to have a "name" for the role; but someone realized that her acting chops and international background would give the movie some grounding as her character is supposed to be a European gypsy woman who I could not see being played by say Julia Roberts. The director does a great job in both action and character driven scenes and manages to bring excitement to a gray winter European exteriors and drab interior settings. With the exception of the first fight sequence (which is makes Damon look like he has superhero powers) and later what would seem to be a physically impossible shoot out, everything feels real and the violence is not stylized. The story is incredibly well paced and even the smaller roles are well cast. The only exception is Julia Stiles, who I hope was only a victim of some scenes winding up on the cutting room floor, as she's a talented actress who brings not a thing to this movie. In a nutshell, this movie is about international intrigue and one man's refusal to be a pawn in some sinister, global chess game. Many things feel improbable but never less than engrossing. Also, the basic premise is not played for laughs (which I enjoyed as I am sick of tongue in cheek homages that use humor as a cop out) and the plot (once fully exposed) for once does not involve a "brilliant" psychopath with either a desire to take over the world or get even for ______ (fill in the blank with your favorite cliché). This movie solidly earns its 4 stars as a nice version of what I'd like to see in summer extravaganzas.
A man is dragged from the sea. He has two bullet wounds and a "chip" embedded into his body. These are removed; the man recovers from this ordeal. He does not, however, remember anything, His name, where he is from from and his entire identity has been lost. He takes the chip and goes in search of himself. In a bank in Zurich he finds his identity- Jason Bourne and several other passports and lots of money. Enough information for Jason Bourne to change his identity whenever he needs to. But what does this mean? It appears to mean that many people are after Jason Bourne, that he has information that many people want or they want this information to die!! Around every corner is danger and there is no one that he can trust. He meets up with two CIA analysts who appear to be trustworthy, but are they really? He travels all over Europe and changes identities at every turn. He meets very interesting people at every turn. His life is full of risk and danger. Jason Bourne is an important person with so much hidden information that he doesn't remember. But as time goes on, the people he meets share some of what he is missing, and he is beginning to put the pieces together. He begins a love affair, and he thinks this is what he has been looking for. Why can't he be happy as a single man leaving the "spy" profession and finding his true love? The movie stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, and he does a credible job. The action filming is wonderfully done. The car chases and the flights on foot and in trains are very real and I felt I was amongst them. I was part of the action!! Franke Potente plays Jason Bourne's love interest. Chris Cooper is the enemy and as always is a star- a cruel man who completes his job. The scenery is fantastic and brilliant. What I did miss in this movie that was not transposed from the book, is the storyline of Carlos, The Jackal. This is an important part of the book, and is not in the movie at all. Jason Bourne and Carlos have much admiratiion for each other even though they are sworn enemies. This is a significant loss, and the movie does not have the drama, background and richness of the book. This is, however, a movie to be enjoyed- I understand the sequel, "The Bourne Supremacy" is out this week. A Must See. prisrob
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| 186. Fire in the Sky Director: Robert Lieberman | |
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| 187. Dante's Peak Director: Roger Donaldson | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (99)
When seismic readings and graphs point to some geologic activity going on around the small town of Dante's Peak, the United States Geological Survey sends volcanologist Harry Dalton to investigate the possibilities. His arrival brings a silent tension on the town, which becomes voiced when he, along with Mayor Rachel Wando, come across two badly scorched bodies in the local hot springs. Dalton believes that the volcano may be "waking up" from a dormant period, but his boss shows up to calm his theories and instill calm back into the town council. Of course, the movie points in all directions to the impending eruption, in subtle ways that the characters have no interaction with. From here, the group of scientists begin taking samples, surveying the landscape as well as taking helicopter trips into the volcano to determine if the recorded activity is of any consequence for worry. Meanwhile, Harry and Rachel get close, and their delicate relationship is put in the balance when the warning signs become more fervent, forcing them to call an evacuation of the entire town. But it comes too late, and soon everyone is fleeing for their lives as the mountainous volcano begins to spew hellfire and ash into the air, destroying the landscape and casusing massive destruction that stands in the way of Harry and Rachel's escape. "Dante's Peak" follows a very well-known pattern for the duration of its plot: a situation that has implications of disaster is presented, one person knows what it going to happen but no one listens, and then all hell breaks loose. This movie carries off this particular structure quite well: it starts out slow and then speeds up to full speed, never slowing down and heightening the suspense given us by the incredible action sequences, smart dialogue and intense and vivid special effects that are the showcase of the movie. I found myself cheering it on in places, becoming completely enamored with what was going on, and satisfied with the final outcome of the movie. The special effects for this movie are stupendous, and add a lot to the atmosphere the movie portrays. From the moment the mountain begins erupting, the effects give us the feel that everything is larger that life, from the volcano itself to the large, expansive cloud of ash that spreads across the sky and keeps the sun from penetrating. The nice thing about this film is that most of the effects are done with miniatures, giving it a mucher richer look than if it were only done with computerized effects. The sound is incredible, bass-heavy and prominent in wrapping us up in the action. All of these elements at work put us right in the middle of the film, bringing us into the experience as we hold our breath for the next new twist. The scientific aspect for this movie is, for the most part, authentic, and while there are certain liberties taken, it is evident that the filmmakers wished for it to be as true to life as possible. Dalton throws out a lot of technical terms and phrases, making the sincere and believable. Allusions to eruptions and catastrophes of the past give the movie a sense of foreshadowed doom, while also keeping the suspense building. The overall effect this portion of the plot will have on you is overall intellectually backed up by facts and data, which keeps the movie real to life while keeping it moving. The two main leads for the film are excellent in their roles, adding a lot to the experience. Pierce Brosnan is the ideal Harry Dalton: rough, rugged, and totally charming. He has the image of a loner who is looking for the right person. He also has a starkly emotional human side to his personality, as is shown in the beginning sequence when he loses his fiancee in a volcanic disaster. Linda Hamilton, playing Rachel, has a complex role of leader, damsel and mother. She does all three of them at different points, and her ability to combine her performance into all of them makes her performance the best of the film. "Dante's Peak" is the kind of movie you watch with eagerness for the next scene, and then when it's over, all you want is more. The action comes to a screeching halt, and you've been throttled with so much of it already that to have it stop is murder. The movie is one that shakes the senses, and makes us believe in movies that have romance, suspense, intense action and rousing suspense.
In this case, a small town is thriving in the mountains of Washington state and has recently been declared one of the best places to live in in the United States. Dr. Harry Dalton, a scientist is sent to the vicinity to survey unusually high geological activity but one day he makes an alarming discovery that the volcano that the town sits on the base of, has come back to life and geological surveys have cofirmed that Dante's Peak is about to erupt in a cataclysmic eruption and wipe out the town and it's people. Rachel Wando, the town's mayor along with Dalton now must try to evacuate the town before the volcano erupts but their safety is stifled by their economic interests. This is a really excellent and highly compelling movie. The special effects are absolutely thrilling and highly realistic and the movie's plot and script are very good. The lava and plumes of ash and dust are highly realistic looking and scary to watch as the volcano starts spewing out it's contents into the atmosphere and surrounding vicinity. The characters are excellent even though the acting could've been a little better but the acting for the most part is excellent by almost if not the entire cast. I was thrilled to see this on the big screen because I have had a longtime fascination with volcanoes for almost my entire life and "Dante's Peak" succeeds in delivering a thrilling tone and is very enjoyable for most of its length. The DTS edition is absolutely incredible because the sound quality is a gargantuan improvement on both the VHS and older DVD editions and if you have a stereo system with speakers all around you, then hook them up and the surround audio speakers will make you feel almost like you're back at the movie theatre with the awesome sound quality. If you can, get this movie whenever possible because it is a really excellent natural disaster thriller and delivers far more scares than these so called 'horror' movies because most of them are just mindless gorefests that are more gross than scary but "Dante's Peak" is scary because it is so realistic and such things could happen and could turn out much worse. For example Mt. Rainier near Seattle could erupt at any time and cause a lot of damage nearby and Seattle may be choked with dust if a full blown eruption occurs even though the city and most of its suburbs would pull through relatively unscathed apart from having a snow of volcanic ashes but it could cause social instability. Even Mt. St. Helen's caused a great deal of destruction and wiped out a large amount of forests around it. "Dante's Peak" is an excellent movie that should not be passed up. End of story.
Brosnan is part of a national team that keeps an eye on volcanic activity. He is sent to the town of Dante's Peak to see if there is reason for further testing. He goes, he looks and he becomes convinced that the sleeping volcano will blow sometime soon. Unfortunately he has no real evidence. The rest of the team arrives and they can find no justifiable evidence. Guess what? Brosnan is right and the volcano blows. There is a rather amusing scene where in order to survive the shockwave, Brosnan and the town's mayor must seek shelter in some unstable mines (an idea that only works when the alternative is certain death). In the end there is no town but almost no casualties thanks to Brosnan and the rest of the team. The scenes with the volcano erupting were quite spectacular but they were not enough to carry the film. It is an almost intellectual endeavor as opposed to the pulse-pounding of Crichton's previous film Twister. Obviously meant to ride the wave of Twister's success, Dante's Peak fails to make the grade. In Twister we cared about the research team and their work. In Peak all we are concerned with is how soon everyone will be convinced the volcano is unstable. Plus, several twisters buoy up a film better than one volcano (unless handled as it was in Volcano). So go ahead and see Dante's Peak if you want but you will probably agree that there is something just not right.
The story involves the charmingly quaint town of Dante's Peak and its charmingly quaint inhabitants. While the town is the embodiment of peace and tranquility, there is trouble brewing beneath the surface. Geologist Harry Dalton (played with unwavering masculinity by Pierce Brosnan) and Mayor Rachel Wando (played with unwavering masculinity by Linda Hamilton) believe the town in danger of being destroyed by an unexpected eruption from the presumed-dormant neighboring volcano. Their quest to rescue the town meets resistance in the form of a stubborn city counsel, Dalton's ignorant boss and, of course, an enormous volcano. It should be noted that "Dante's Peak" is the perfect star-vehicle for Pierce Brosnan. He is pitch-perfect as the resolute Dalton. In fact, it occurred to me while watching the film that nobody other than Brosnan could have played the role (he just looks like a "Harry Dalton," doesn't he?). In the face of Mother Nature's wrath, Brosnan provides the searing rivers of magma with a worthy human adversary. Early in the movie, his character is introduced vigorously doing a grueling set of pushups. Seeing this, we immediately think, 'The volcano doesn't stand a chance.' Indeed, Brosnan is a force of nature all his own. The film itself is an uplifting one; a tribute to the human spirit. The only thing which disappoints me is that a sequel has yet to materialize. Years have passed since the film's initial release and it has failed to escape the consciousness of movie-goers. "Dante's Peak" has given us such rich characters and wonderfully-realized scenarios, who wouldn't want to witness the further exploits of Harry Dalton & Friends? Personally, upon first viewing the film, I envisioned a trilogy. I could imagine a sequel where the U.S. government calls Dalton out of retirement to stop the potential volcanic eruption of Mount Rushmore. Perhaps in the third installment Dalton & Co. could be thrust into the deep unknown of outer space as they investigate the unusual seismic activity of a dormant volcano on Mars. These sequels, I believe, would prove to be lucrative for the studio while also satiating the overwhelming public thirst for more "Dante's Peak." Regardless of how many sequels are made, the original film will always remain a classic. A skillfully-crafted spectacle filled with wonderful performances and indelible images, you don't have to be a geologist to realize that "Dante's Peak" is a gem. ... Read more | |
| 188. Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Chapter 17 - Masks of Evil Director: Mike Newell, Sydney Macartney, Bille August, Nicolas Roeg, Carl Schultz, Terry Jones, Robert Young (III), Gavin Millar, Jim O'Brien, René Manzor, Joe Johnston, Vic Armstrong, Gillies MacKinnon, Dick Maas, Peter MacDonald, Deepa Mehta, Simon Wincer, David Hare | |
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Too bad this series is so under-rated! I only wish Lucas would produce more! I don't understand why real-quality shows like this don't ever seem to last longer on the networks. Guess it needs to be on Discovery, the History Channel, or TLC.
In Hour One, Indy is a spy in Turkey, trying at once to get married and complete a mission for the French Secret Service. It is easily the best-directed hour of the entire series. The lighting, pulled focuses, and intriguing camera movements all evoke the bittersweet emotion the plot would have us feel. But it's hardly an original plot. It's "From Russia With Love" meets "The Maltese Falcon" meets "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Fortunately, these are all very good films, so the trip is one we're more than willing to take. Hour two is perhaps more questionable in this regard. It's a fantastic journey through the dark side of Romanian mythology, and while appropriately creepy for a Haloween party, it marks a significant departure from the traditional themes of Indy plots that some parents may wish to shield their younger children from. I wouldn't call the violence "needless", as other reviewers have, but it is graphic. It is, in short, classic gothic, and it's done very well. All in all, then, this is an episode well worth your time, but, along with "Trenches of Hell" and "Temple of Doom", it's one of the few Indiana Jones episodes inappropriate for young children.
This video was in the children's section of the store, and it had a "family" label stuck right on it. We asked the store to remove the label, as it is NOT appropriate.
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| 189. Die Another Day (Special Edition) Director: Lee Tamahori | |
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In this film Bond must save the world from a mad North Korean colonial who has perfected what is essentially a death ray. The colonial wants to use his death beam in order to move into South Korea and then into the west. All the usual Bond special features are here. We have car chase on ice, exotic locales, beautiful women but something feels like its missing. Halle Berry tries hard in this movie as NSA agent Jinx but she remains little more than eye candy. If there is a Bond girl to watch in this outing it is Rosamund Pike who plays double agent Miranda Pike. The real treat here is the two DVD set by Universal which offers two commentaries, a trivia track, a great documentary, photo galleries and Madonna's video of the title song. All in all not one of the best Bond movies but certainly worth its two hour running time.
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| 190. Tarzan, the Ape Man Director: W.S. Van Dyke | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (10)
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| 191. Condorman Director: Charles Jarrott | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (23)</ | |
turbo (...), down with turbo, down with turbo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Neo-Colonial Propaganda at its best
Bourne Conspiracy