I LOVE 'THE ADVENTURES OF FORD FAIRLANE!' I have to put it as one of my favorite comedies and definitely one of my favorite movies of all-time! Andrew Dice Clay stars in this 20th Century FOX 1990 release as the 'Rock n' Roll Detective' Ford Fairlane. Fairlane is the one and only rock 'n roll detective of Los Angeles/Hollywood. He's got a good case record, but his rewards for these success come in the form of gold records, autographed drumsticks, and several other non-monetery forms. The whole story starts with the lead signer of basically one of the top bands at the time, Bobby Black (MÖTLEY CRÜE's Vince Neil) of the Black Plague, dies on-stage. Meanwhile Ford is miles away and is about to put a lid on his latest case in a hot night club called 'GREED'. He finishes the case and the next day he arrives at his office, greeted by his assistant Jazz, the #1 shock jock in the land from radio station K-DIRT, Johnny Crunch (Gilbert Gottfried), calls-up Ford on his answering machine for a case. After a bit more comedy, Ford goes to the radio station to discuss the case with his long-time buddy Johnny 'Crunch' Titlebaum. Johnny wants Ford to find a young girl named ZuZu Petals. Johnny gives a runaround about the story, but Ford gets the bottom line out of him. Shortly after Ford's departure, Johnny is electrocute on-the-air and ultimately dies. The comedy continues on from there as Clay's character trades insults with the likes of Lt. Amis (Ed O'Neil), Julian Grendal (Wayne Newton), Smiley the bounty hunter (Robert Englund), and more. The whole thing gets bigger, better, and ultimately more dangerous for Ford as he tries to untangle this web of confusion in which the biggest mystery is who the hell Art Mooney is. I love every inch of this film, but one thing is apparent and that is Ford gets out alive because it is all told through one long hour and a half long flashback that spans over five days. I love the scenes between Clay & Ed O'Neil. Wayne Newton is great in this film, and the rest of the cast is just awesome. I give this movie a 10 out of 10 because it's just so damn cool! Although it failed at the box office as being the Diceman's first starring role and was to display his comic talents, it's still a GREAT movie filled with comedy, action, mystery, and more! I'd truly love to see a sequel made to this movie (maybe "THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF FORD FAIRLANE"), but its low box office take-in would probably make that a low possiblity. I own it now, and I'm glad for more than the obvious. Many low popularity movies that are about 10 or so years old seem to be going out of print (i.e. Speed Zone, UHF), therefore, I'm glad to have gotten the last copy in the store. The movie's original musical score is perfectly done by Yello, and it also features a lot of other great pieces of music Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" & Billy Idol's "Cradle of Love". Go check this movie out if you haven't already because as Lt. Amis would say, "Booty time, booty time, across the U.S.A.! It's bootie time, booty time, yeah, yeah, hey!"

Batman & Robin is a GREAT summer movie despite what some of the critics say.  A solid cast, and consistent acting. I enjoyed this film, and still do despite what these characters are in the comics (which is mostly different). I know the thing killed the franchise, but I find it to be a "popcorn" movie (a move that is fun, and isn't supposed to anything of depth). Some people say that Alicia Silverstone isn't that great, but I beg to differ. She does do a decent acting job in this movie, the only thing is that they should've given her some more lines. Arnold is a pretty convincing and very great villain, and the same goes for Uma Thurman. Although, Freeze has too many one-liners that deplete his villainous personae. George Clooney is a better Bruce Wayne than Keaton & Kilmer, but Clooney is better at playing this kind of Batman. The Batman that has partners. Chris O'Donnell does a good job here, but does come off as being a bit too hip.

Also, the issue of the new costumes.  Yes, having more anatomically correct outfits seems a bit frivolous, but the character shouldn't be wearing rubber suits anyway.  In the comics, they all wear spandex costumes.  Although, the actors/actresses might not be as buff as their comic book counterparts, and so, the muscle-bound rubber suits make them look bigger than they actually are.  Robin's outfit is much better than the more-or-less makeshift one that Alfred put together in "BATMAN FOREVER".  The Mr. Freeze suit was the best it could've been.  I've never seen Freeze in the comics, and so, I don't know what he looks like there.  The version in the "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" was much more futuristic as it was much sleeker & toned down than this version.  The Poison Ivy costumes were good as her comic book counterpart wears very similar outfits.

Probably the BIGGEST change here is Batgirl.  In the comics, she's the daughter of Commissioner James Gordan, but one logic here is that the Commissioner Gordan here is too old to have a 20 year old daughter.  So, they made her Alfred's niece, and her name changes from Barbara Gordan to Barbara Wilson.  Any comic fan will complain whenever a movie or T.V. adaptation changes plot or character points, and for good reason.....we're fanatics!  We buy the comics, we make them popular, and thus, make these adaptations possible.  Anyway, for what this film is, it works.  It's made for money, and it's a "popcorn" film.  A film where you can spend 4 or 5 minutes getting popcorn, come back, and not be confused as to what's now happening in the story.  Yes, it's a bad adaptation, but it's the fourth installment here.  It's diluted, it's second-hand, at best, and well, it's in the wrong director's hand (Schumacher).  Never should've let Burton leave the director's chair. Oh well, at least, they're taking the time to come up with a fresh start to the series now.  Also, for you wrestling fans out there, Jesse "the Body" Ventura plays one of the Arkham Asylum guards in Mr. Freeze's cell.

"The Big Hit" is a very funny action movie. Brought to you bte same people who brought you Broken Arrow & FACE/OFF, this movie brings you a great amount of action and comedy. Mark Wahlberg as Melvin Smilely is basically the good guy and main character of this movie as Lou Diamond Phillips is Cisco, the cheating, scheming villian of this film. Avery Brooks of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is Paris, the big corporate boss of these men that also include Antonio Sabato, Jr. (Vinnie) and Bokeem Woodbine (Crunch). Things go awry when Cisco, along with Melvin, Crunch, and Gump (Robin Dunne) unknowingly kidnap the goddaughter of Paris attempting to get a ransom from the father, Jiro Nishi. I will prevent from telling you more so I don't mess-up any part of the movie's good parts for you people. To make a long story a short, this is a great action/comedy, and I suggest that you go see it soon because it's very entertaining and even has some love in it between Melvin and his fiance Pam Schulman (Christina Applegate). I give this movie a 9, only because it could've been a little longer considering that it's only about an hour and a half long.

I have to say that The Blair Witch Project is easily one of the creepiest movies I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of creepy horror movies.  The way it was shot reminded me of The Evil Dead with the film grain and rough camera work.  Plus, both films are set in the middle of the woods.  Anyway, this is a fictional feature film, and never really happened, but this movie can make you think twice about it.  The performances are so natural, and so intense that you know there's no script.  Of course, there was no script, just a general outline of events.  The directors surprised their own cast with a lot of what they encounter in the film in order to illicit those realistic reactions.  It's all natural expressions and performances.  The scares are genuine, and the night scenes will have your skin crawling.

Basically, these three college-aged students (Heather, Josh, & Mike) goto Burkittsvile, Maryland (formerly Blair, Maryland) to make a documentry on the 'Blair Witch'.  As they interview people in town about the subject, their stories differ as any myth would.  In reality, most of these people are making these stories up on the spot, improvising for the camera and actors before them, but some were given specific information to recite for story purposes.  The film doesn't really pick up any momentum until the trio enters the woods, and then, it becomes apparent that there is no escape for them.  The further the movie goes, the creepier it gets.  When night falls, these three friends know that something evil is out there, and it is coming for them.  It's a force they cannot see, they cannot fight, and they cannot escape.  The film descends into the depths of isolated horror, but in a different fashion than say, John Carpenter's The Thing.  The tension builds to an intense crescendo, and then....I won't spoil it for you.  But the ending grabs you and stays with you for a long while.  You cannot quiet the voices in the night.

Updating my original review, I have to take a retrospective look at it.  While time has not been kind to this film due to endless parodies and spoofs, I still hold it in a genuienly respectful regard.  It had a serious impact on film, and really jump-started the entire idea of the internet as a major promotional tool.  The marketing of the film was ballsy, but effective.  I still find The Blair Witch Project to be a very creepy film, and despite a lot of backlash it has suffered, I think it has a lot of say to about horror films.  It has the same kind of documentary style and visceral horror of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, incorporates an air of Friday The 13th deep woods terror, and is all centered on a ghost story.  It holds a lot of influence from other films even if it's not completely obvious.  Though, I am glad that this film didn't ignite a trend of films in this specific style, but all the spoofs got really pathetic, real quick.

It is hard to state that this is definitely one of the best horror films of all-time because of the flack the film gets these days, but I will stand behind it.  It doesn't seem to have become a generally regarded classic, but I don't think people are going to forget about it.  I believe it comes as more of a cult classic due to its extremely non-mainstream and unique style.  Though, it is this style that forces you to become part of the experience.  Yes, many people walked out on this movie saying "it's boring," but they have no patience for slow-burn suspense.  Plus, they're not willing to absorb the mythology in the film, and slowly ease into the gritty reality of the film.  I certainly won't say this is a film for everyone, but anyone with a general appreciation for films with a slow build-up of suspense and tension should give it a chance.  Personally, I got so caught up in this film that I became choked up just thinking about it as I drove home, alone, from the cinema that night.  I truly got that paranoid feeling later that night creeping through my darken home with nearly no lights on.  I couldn't bring myself to walk through a room without turning on the lights.  Before The Blair Witch Project, the last movie that had left me feeling this same way was my firsting view of  A Nightmare On Elm Street. The Exorcist also does the same thing to me with every viewing.  I truly feel that, if you're game for a film of this kind, it will mess with your mind a bit, your skin will definitely crawl, and it'll hold onto you well through the end credits.  I give this movie a 9.5 out of 10, and you'll see why it's not a 10 when you view it, but don't let it get you down because the DVD has a bunch of great supplemental materials such as the various featurettes, pseudo-documentaries, and a highly entertaining audio commentary by the production crew.  Forget the spiteful backlash, and give this unique film a genuine chance some night.

As of the typing of this review, I have seen this film twice during this film's opening weekend.  When I went to the midnight showing on Thursday, I grabbed the wrong slip of paper thinking it was my free ticket from my purchase of The Bourne Identity Extended Edition DVD.  Fortunately, I had sufficient money to pay for the ticket, but since I still had the free ticket, I figured I'd give this, the second film in the Jason Bourne series a second viewing.  It being a midnight screening, I did not have as much energy as I should have to properly view this amazing movie.  But tonight, I had plenty of energy, and I experienced this film as it was meant to be.

Simply put, The Bourne Supremacy is one of the hardest hitting action films I have ever witnessed.  There's no fat here like most action films have.  Supremacy was loosely based on the novel by Robert Ludlum, and whenever you're basing a motion picture off of an international best-selling novel, chances are, you're gonna have the potential for a very meaty story.  This is definitely the truth here.  This movie is very tight, very taut, deeply dramatic, and firmly rooted in reality.  It takes everything that was built in The Bourne Identity and captializes on it.

It's two years after the events of The Bourne Identity, and ex-CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is still suffering from a broken mind.  His memories are still fractured and is awakened in the middle of the night more frequently than not.  He & Marie (Franka Potente) are now living in Goa, India, but meanwhile, Jason Bourne is about to be framed for two murders in Berlin, Germany.  A CIA team, headed by Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), is attempting to purchase classified Russian documents, but a Russian assassin named Kirill (Karl Urban) killed both men and stole the documents.  A planted fingerprint implicates Jason Bourne for all this.  Then, Kirill shows up in Goa, India to kill Bourne himself in order to erase any evidence to the contrary of the framing of Bourne in Berlin.  Kirill believes he has completed his mission, but obviously, Bourne still lives.  Though, Bourne believes that it is the CIA who sent a man to kill him, and this sends Jason on a dead set mission to seek out and take out those who he told to leave him alone.

The trail of planted evidence leads Pamela Landy to Operation: Treadstone, the elite team of assassins lead by the late Alex Conklin (Chris Cooper) of which Jason Bourne was the top operative.  Landy brings Ward Abbott (Brian Cox), Conklin's boss, into the mix as she attempts to unravel the mystery of Jason Bourne, and why he has come out of hiding.  Now, Jason Bourne is coming down hard and fast on the CIA while the CIA is attempting to hunt down Bourne.  Though, Bourne has been trained too damn good, and when Landy and the CIA believe they are completely on top of the situation, Bourne shows them that they are MILES behind him.  Bourne is like a mechanism - once you set it into motion, it cannot be stopped.  He lives up to his threat from the first film that there would be no measure to just how hard and how fast he would come down on these people if he even felt someone coming down on him.  Everything builds to explosive, intense levels to where the wrong move could get anybody killed.

All the action sequences top any of those in the first film.  Though, I have to say that director Paul Greengrass has far too much favoritism towards the notorious "shaky-cam" style of shooting.  I've never seen any of Greengrass' previous work, and so, I can't make any such comparisons.  I don't believe any blame is to be set on director of photography Oliver Wood as he handled the cinematography on The Bourne Identity in a very different fashion.  I've also seen numerous films he has shot including Die Hard 2, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Face/Off, and TV's Miami Vice.  So, I have to say that it was mainly Greengrass' choice to use so much of this style of shooting....and editing.  In some action sequences, between the shaky-cam photography and the fast-paced editing, it can become very difficult to discern what is happening.  You can literally get confused what is happening to whom.  You don't know if that was Jason Bourne who's getting smashed into walls or the other ex-Treadstone assassin.  This is my only gripe with the film, and despite its abundance, this film is just too intense and powerful to knock it down because of that.

This film's car chase sequence is, at least, twice the sequence of the first film's.  Mainly because it is the climactic action sequence of the film as Jason Bourne & Kirill turn the streets of Moscow into a demolition derby the likes of which you have NEVER seen!  The car crashes are violent and visceral, and anyone who has ever been in a car crash (like myself) will be able to seriously feel it.  This car chase is beyond any I have ever seen put to film.  What makes the action in the Bourne films so impactful is just how grounded in gritty reality they are (unlike how extravagant and fantastical the James Bond franchise has become).  These films are very adult in manner and context.

Jason Bourne still struggles with the remnants of his past life, and must deal with who he once was.  He must come to terms with the pain and death he has inflicted upon others in order to move on with his new life, and for those he has pained to live their lives knowing the truth, instead of the tragic lies that have been forged to protect those who have shattered their lives.  It is powerful and dramatic.  It's the bigger, needed step towards the evolution of the character of Jason Bourne.  He can never live in peace with himself until he is able to come to terms with the blood he has shed.  There's just so much to say about this film that it's difficult to find the right words to do so.  When you see it and are able to absorb it all, you will surely understand.  It's a dramatic and painful journey of discovery for Jason Bourne.  Whether redemption will ever come is unknown, but I believe Bourne certainly takes the hardest first step towards that end by the film's conclusion.  Though, the film ends on a sly, upbeat note, and that is a sign of very fine and consistent storytelling.  I also like the consistently and continuity here from the first film with the reuse of the same passports and identification photos of Jason Bourne to the reuse of Moby's "Extreme Ways" for the end credits (a very catchy and upbeat tune).

John Powell delivers another fantastic score here that tops everything he did in The Bourne Identity.  That's just about the decree with everything here (except for the aforementioned shaky-cam / editing gripes).  Matt Damon really delivers like you've never seen.  Until you see Damon in the role of Jason Bourne, you might have grossly underestimated his worth, ability, and quality as an actor.  I've only seen Damon in mostly comedic roles in films like Ocean's Eleven and Dogma before watching The Bourne Identity a few weeks back.  In this film, however, Damon demonstrates just how powerful of a dramatic actor he can be.  You can see emotion in his face, in his eyes, and in his body language.  Simply put, his performance is deeply human, and will hit you deep within.  As Bourne's true nemesis, Karl Urban was very impressive.  After seeing him in the latter two Lord of the Rings films and The Chronicles of Riddick, it was refreshing to see him in a very real film instead of a setting of fantasy.  The character of Kirill does not have much dialogue, but Urban has a strong, intense presence that just leaves you hungering for more.  The native New Zealander does nearly all of his dialogue in Russian, and even through a foreign language and subtitles, you still get a grim tone from him that is very potent.  Both Bourne & Kirill are like ciphers when they're in their element as spies, but when the action gets intense, Bourne becomes more focused while Kirill becomes even more enraged.  But they're both determined to burn the other into the ground.

I also have to say that I cannot get enough of Brian Cox.  In the last few years, I have seen him in Super Troopers, The Ring, X2, The Bourne Identity, and now, The Bourne Supremacy.  He's just a great actor with an adundance of natural charisma and always, at least, a hint of humor.  Words just cannot explain how enthralled I am with him.  He is tough to keep up with, and if you're going to be sharing a scene with him, you'd best be on the very top of your game.  Considering how great and engaging of an actor he is, I find it surprising that he's said to not view any of his own work.  Whatever the case, Brian Cox is absolute pure gold in my honest opinion.

Playing against Cox is Joan Allen, and she is strong and stern here.  As Pamela Landy, she doesn't allow Abbott (Brian Cox) to shovel any bull her way.  She cuts through all the crap, and gets to the truth and the core of the matter.  She takes firm control of this entire situation and handles it with confidence.  Where others in her situation have faultered and fell, she holds strong.  Even when things start to go awry, she still holds onto a degree of solidarity.  You can write a character that way, but it takes a strong female actor to bring that sort of role up to its utmost potential.  Joan Allen is that actor.  Everyone else, up and down the line, puts in everything they've got here, and I could not find even one moment of weak acting.  A very admirable job to everyone including those involved with the casting of the film.

So, we come to the end of this review, and I will only give it a 9.75 - the first time ever.  The mark down of .25 is in regards to the aforementioned shaky-cam / editing gripe.  I believe the same level of kenetic energy could have been sustained in these action sequences using more stable photography.  If that's how it had been shot, then I would have no problems with the editing, but when you can't discern what's happening in these shots, cutting quickly from one to another does not help you to comprehend the visual storytelling any better.  Though, with just how slam-bang amazing this movie is, I just can't allow that to be much of a hindrance to my critique and rating of it.  I don't see how anything can be topped here, but I highly encourage everyone involved to give it one hell of a shot.  There's still one more book in Robert Ludlum's Bourne series - The Bourne Ultimatum, and then, there's Eric Van Lustbader's The Bourne Legacy.  Though, whether that one will be adapted to the big screen will really depend on how successful the third film is, and I assure you that there will be one.  Bringing in $19 million on its first DAY of release and a $53.5 million opening weekend adds up to a highly hopeful future for this franchise, and I certainly believe it will surpass the final box office total of $121 million for The Bourne Identity.  If you thought The Bourne Identity was great, you'll know The Bourne Supremacy is excellent, amazing, and down right powerful beyond belief.  You're gonna be blown away by this film.  SEE IT!!!

Sylvester Stallone is absolutely amazing in "Daylight." Stallone plays Latura, a former New York medical emergency officier, but when the New Jersey Tunnel collapses, he ends up going in to save the survivors with help from medical emergency teams. There's fire at both ends of the underwater tunnel, water flowing in at both ends, and they're stuck in the middle. I have to say that this is one of the best Action-Adventure movies I have ever seen. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, and is jam packed with thrilling action & emotion. You never know what will happen next. Daylight is one great movie to rent. I suggest that if you like Stallone, seen this movie, or just like great Action-Adventure films, BUY THIS ONE! I don't often reccomend it, but this one is just too good to pass up.

"Double Team" is a pretty good movie, but it didn't live up to my expectations. I thought that it would be much better considering Jean-Cluade Van Damme's previous movies. Although, Dennis Rodman does bring some good comedy to this movie, and I found him rather amusing. Van Damme's character, I forget his name, is a spy who wants out of a business to settle down to start a family with his wife. Rodman plays a guns dealer that Van Damme goes to early in the film before his final mission, but when Van Damme is betrayed and eventually escapes from a special "think-tank" island called "The Colony" he goes back to Rodman's character to get help to get some payback on his archenemy played by Mickey Rourke who has kidnapped his pregnant wife.  I love the European feel to the film as opposed to so many action films being places like New York or L.A. all the time.  Rourke is one bad ass villian here, and Van Damme is a martial arts ass-kicking machine as always.  There is a good amount of action, and Van Damme's character is very clever and Rodman is pretty good and funny in the fight scenes. There are more laughs than action in this movie at times, but if you like Van Damme or are interested in seeing Rodman's first starring roll in a major motion picture, then go see this movie. I give it 7 out of 10, and I give it that score also because I really like Jean-Claude Van Damme.  As I said it could've been better if it had a more epic feel to it, but that's more in the director's or the producer's realm.  The cast does well with what they're given, and that make this a good action film.

This video review is on a movie I found to be very funny, 'DOWN PERISCOPE'. This movie has Kelsey Grammar, Rob Schiender, and many others. This is a hilarious movie, and the characters in it are great.  It also stars Rip Torn, Bruce Dern, Bradform Tatum (The Stöned Age), and just a host of comedic stars.  Kelsey Grammar portrays Lieuteenant Commander Thomas Dodge, a submarine commander in the U.S. Navy who has just been shafted with an old, beat up diesel sub and the most inept and incompotent crew of naval rejects to ever hit the high seas.  Dodge and his crew must ready the sub for a war game simulation setup by the caniving Rear Admiral Graham (Bruce Dern).  Graham wants Dodge to fail to prove Dodge's incompotence by setting ALL odds against him, but Admiral Winslow (Rip Torn) gives Dodge a great deal of credit to Commander Dodge.  A great deal of hijinks ensue amongst this crew of misfits including a quite funny pirate scene with the hyperactive Marty Pascal (Rob Schneider).  This is a wildly funny film that will entertain you thoroughly.  If you're at a loss for a zany comedy movie this week, then check out 'DOWN PERISCOPE'.  And at the end of the movie ,when they're running the credits, they have the Village People signing "In The Navy" along with a goofy video of the movie.  Rob Schiender's character is probably the funniest character in the movie, especially with that moustache, but all of the characters have their own quirks.  I highly reccomend this movie.

Evil is everywhere, and in everybody.  That is never truer than in this film.  Detective John Hobbs (Denzel Washington) has already arrested serial killer Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas).  He's been convicted, and is now awaiting his execution in the gas chamber.  Though, for a man facing his inevitable and imminent death - he's remarkably upbeat.  Is he psychotic or is he something else?  Hobbs witnesses the execution, and sees Reese die in the chamber.  The case is closed, and it's on with life.  That is until a new series of murders arise which eerily share characteristics with those of Reese's, but Reese is dead - isn't he?  There was an ancient, unseen evil that took control over the man known as Edgar Reese a long time ago, but where Reese died, it endured.  Now, it's set its sights on Hobbs to enact revenge on him.  Hobbs' partner Jonesy (John Goodman) is naturally creeped out over the apparent links between these latest murders and those Reese committed, and their commanding officer - Lieutenant Stanton (Donald Sutherland) - is very shady, eluding to knowing a lot more than he's willing to divulge.  Hobbs attempts to solve the puzzle of why there is a space between "Lyons and Spakowski" that Reese left for him - before and after his death.  What this mystery drags Hobbs into is a dark and dangerous reality which may only end up in death for all those who stand between this fallen angel turn demonic spirit and John Hobbs.

I saw this film in theatres back in January, 1998, and I still love it to this day.  I bought it on VHS, and the DVD was one of the earliest I watched.  At the time, I stated it was one of the best thriller/suspense movies I had seen since The Usual Suspects, but it holds up even better on subsequent viewings than that film.  There are many more perspectives and angles to decifer in this film than in Bryan Singer's brilliant noir thriller.  Denzel Washington - as always - delivers a powerful and solid performance.  His character of John Hobbs is very human with a wide range of emotions, but most importantly, he's loyal and dedicated to those he trusts and cares for.  In the start of the film, Hobbs is depicted as a solid professional and a confident detective.  He's no glory hound with the media - he's just a cop with a job to be done, and is glad that Reese has been brought to justice.  This brings us to Elias Koteas who, despite the short screentime he has, retains the biggest impact of the entire film.  He makes every second of screentime count for all its worth and thensome.  Elias put a lot of hard, hard work into this performance so that it would stay with you throughout the length of the film.  I've seen Elias in many different roles, the first of which was as the crimefighting Casey Jones in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action feature film, and later, among the powerhouse cast in The Prophecy.  No matter the film, whatever role he takes on, he makes it memorable.  This one is no exception.

Next, you've got John Goodman as the warm-hearted and emotionally supportive Jonesy.  Goodman always amazes me with his natural talent.  He can go from comedic and humorous to intense and dramatic at a moment's notice.  I thoroughly enjoyed his work on "Roseanne" as well as other movie roles, and in this film, he really puts it all out there.  I don't want to drop any major spoilers, but his performance at the film's end is just everything he could ever pour into a performance and thensome.  Donald Sutherland does fine work - as always.  His Lieutenant Stanton really offers a stricter and secretive counterweight to the more open relationship between Hobbs and Jonesy.  There's also a smaller supporting role with James Gandolfini as a fellow Detective with a unique personae and attitude.  Of course, he pulls it off with much charisma and energy.

Newton Thomas Sigel's cinematography on this film is filled with fantastic depth and color temperature contrast.  Also, the "demon vision" look is effectively creepy and otherworldly.  The DVD really brings out the autumn colors, the blue lighting filters, and the deep blacks of the nighttime scenes.  The audio commentary is also informative and enjoyable with several members of the crew commenting on the film.  Nicholas Kazan wrote a wonderful screenplay, and Gregory Hoblit directed a great, great film here.  This is a definite must-see for anyone who's a fan of suspenseful thrillers with supernatural elements.  On a final note, as a major Rolling Stones fan, I love the use of "Time is On My Side" and the classic "Sympathy for the Devil" in this film.  The former is sung by many in this film, but none better than John Goodman.  I never heard the song before seeing this film almost seven years ago - damn it's been THAT long(?) - but I absolutely love it now.  Anyway, catch this movie on DVD as soon as possible if you haven't already.

"GUNMEN" is a very good action flick. It stars such people as Christopher Lambert, Mario Van Peebles, Denis Leary, Patrick Stewart, and Kadeem Hardison. Lambert is the brother of a millionaire of sorts, but nobody knows where his late brother hid his fortune. Van Peebles plays a law enforcement agent of sorts that frees Lambert from a prison in the jungle. Lambert escapes, but Peebles catches him again and the real adventure begins. Comedian Denis Leary plays a bounty hunter hired by Patrick Stewart who is some kind of rich, disabled crime boss, but Leary betrays him to seek the money for himself. Leary chases Lambert and Peebles until the very end. Kadeem Hardison is a pilot that flys Lambert and Peebles out of the jungle terrain which leads them closer to the money. This is a pretty good action movie with plenty of guns, explosions, and action. I would suggest you check it out if you're in the mood for seeing a good action movie, or you just like anyone of the stars in this movie (I like Denis Leary & Christopher Lambert, and that's what caught my eye in the first place). On a side note, this film was made by the same company who did Highlander 3 that same year which also starred Christopher Lambert and Mario Van Peebles.

This film is a GREAT thrill ride of horror, terror, and a few laughs along the way.  This film begins decades ago at the Vannacutt Institute - a place for the criminally insane.  The hospital was run by a Dr. Richard Vannacutt (Jeffrey Combs) who was a disturbed individual performing some uncommon experiments on these patients in a demented attempt to cure them.  Unfortunately, this opening scene shows us that the inmates break free of their cages, and erupt in a lethal riot.  Much of the staff is killed including Vannacutt as the hospital in locked down.  The infamous "house on haunted hill" is subsequently condemned, and is believed to be haunted by all that died within.

Picking up in the present day, Geoffrey Rush stars as Steven Price (named after Vincent Price, who played this role as Frederick Loren in the original 1958 version).  Price is a master of thrills as he designs and owns multiple amusement / rollercoaster parks all around the country.  Although, when his equally devilish and vindictive wife, Evelyn (Famke Janssen), decides she wants to celebrate her birthday at the 'House on Haunted Hill', Price tries to change the invitations on her, but plans change further due to the dark spirits that lurk inside the house.

When the five guests arrive at the house, they are met by Watson Pritchett (Chris Kattan), whose grandfather designed the house, and whose father helped build it.  After a bit of a scare to jump start them all, Price reveals himself and his intentions in grand fashion - he knows no other way.  If these guests can all survive the night, they will each receive one million dollars each, and if any should die, their money shall be divided up between the survivors.  Obviously, none of them know why they've been invited to this place, and neither do Steven or Evelyn.  The love-hate relationship between the unhappily married Prices is a juicy bit of conflict in the film, and provides a lot of fine material for Rush & Janssen to work with.  Their chemistry is deliciously vile.  Things pick up when the house mysteriously goes into lockdown as it did decades before, and there is no escape.  Many of the guests begin to subscribe to Pritchett's belief that the house is indeed haunted, but Price believes it's all some twisted scheme by his spiteful wife, who he would rather see dead.  When everyone goes investigating into the depths of the house, they discover that nothing but death and unimaginable horror awaits them.  Can any of them survive to the dawn, and what hidden truth has brought them all together tonight?

This movie is genuinely creepy, and at times, can be VERY scary.  It'll get your heart pumping, and have you jolting ut of your seat, at times.  This movie is amazingly well cast and acted.  I've seen a lot of these talents in numerous roles, and have never disappointed. Saturday Night Live alumnus Chris Kattan provides the expected comedy for the film as the half-drunk Pritchett.  The always enjoyable and talented Taye Diggs plays the strong heroic type in Eddie Baker, a former pro-baseball player.  There's also the beautiful Ali Larter from Final Destination fame, and Bridgette Wilson in only her second horror film role.  The wonderfully talented Peter Gallagher (American Beauty, The O.C.).  Capping it off is genre great Jeffrey Combs from The Re-Animator, The Frighteners, & Star Trek: DS9.  The direction of William Malone is superb as he easily gave us the best film from Dark Castle Entertainment.  The score from Don Davis (The Matrix Trilogy) sets an omnious mood throughout that enhances every chilling moment.  The production design is unique, classic, and fabulous creating a dark, creepy envirnoment in the basement scenes, and offering a very classy 1930s or 40s style of design in the main floor of the house.  Finally, the cinematography of Rick Bota (director of Hellraiser: Hellseeker) is stylish and effective.  I highly recommend seeing this film because, even though I've never seen the original House On Haunted Hill, I can that this modern remake must've lived up to any high expectations one might hold!  I give it only 9 out of 10 because the ending does feel as though it comes a little fast, but is still cool, though.  The DVD has some nice features, and is definitely worth your money.  Check it out soon!

It's tough for me to think up a good opening for this review, and so, I will simply state that this is a film I cannot sum up in one word.  If I could, then this review would've been over about 40 words ago.  Although, there's another thing on my mind.  How do I layout much of a premise without spoiling the good stuff.  Well, here it goes.

The film starts out with  a very Bates-like motel on a desert road in Nevada.  It's pouring rain, and that very road is flooded.  There's no way out.  That's why these ten people are now stranded in this motel.  George, Alice, & little Timothy York (John C. McGinley, Leila Kinzel, & Bret Loehr) suffer an accident that leaves Alice in very bad shape.  Limo driver Ed Dakota (John Cusak) is the reason for Alice's injuries because he was distracted while retrieving a cell phone battery for actress Caroline Suzanne (Rebecca De Mornay), whom he is driving back to Los Angeles.  These five end up at that motel, but Ed attempts to go for help at the emergency medical center 30 miles away.  But with the roads flooded, he has no hope of reaching it.  Ed picks up Paris (Amanda Peet) along the way because her car klunked out on her (you may also ask yourself why, in the middle of a torrential rain fall, didn't she put the top up on her Pontiac convertible).  Ed & Paris get a ride back to the motel from the reluctant Lou (Wlliam Lee Scott) & Ginny (Clea DuVall) after the limo gets partially trapped in the flooded desert highway.  And the final ones looking for sancutary at the motel are Rhodes (Ray Liotta) & Robert Maine (Jake Busey).  Rhodes is a Department of Corrections officer transporting Maine, a multiple murderer.  The motel manager, Larry (John Hawkes), is accommodating, yet nervous at the same time.  Things are not all what they seem as people are murdered, one-by-one, with only a numbered room key left at the scene.

And then, what is the connection with the convicted murderer, Malcolm Rivers?  What is his part in this?  He's not anywhere near the motel, but his is the most pivtol character in this whole story.  At first, I thought the midnight hearing, 24 hours before Rivers' scheduled execution, was actually about Busey's character because of the references to the convict being a murderer & late arriving at the hearing.  Rivers' sanity is being questioned, and if found to be legally & clinicly insane, his execution will not go down.

This film will keep you guessing from one moment to the next as to many things.  Who will die next?  Who is the killer?  Who is Malcolm Rivers & what is his connection to this story?  Many twists unfold in plot & perception, and when you think this film has twisted your thoughts into many knots, it throws one final one at you.  Now, these twists won't leave you lost, there's much breathing room & enough exposition to allow you to understand all that is happening.  This film is tense, suspenseful, creepy, & haunting.  An excellent psychological thriller that you can make certain connections to "Psycho" (the motel, a certain shower curtain connection, etc.), but there's far more to this film than just a group of people getting killed a la "10 Little Indianas".  In fact, no other film has utilized this genre quite as well as there is much psychological terror for the characters as well as the audience.  I'm bordering on spoilers, and I apologize.  It's just that this film is a certified & justified hit for Columbia Pictures that it's difficult not to border on exposing certain plot points.  Though, I can focus on other things.  Like the style of this film.  The immediate flashbacks.  You'll see a lot of them at the start and a bit near the end.  They just show how certain events brought everyone together.  Like it was Paris' high-heeled shoe that flew out of her opened suitcase that caused the York's flat tire later that night.  A nice, quick storytelling tool that helps move the story ahead quickly without leaving even small questions unanswered.  I enjoyed that element quite a bit, and the direction & editing of them handled well.

Now, the acting.  The acting is on a superb level, the direction from James Mangold is excellent, and the script from Michael Cooney.  What can I say?  It's unlike anything I've witnessed.  This is a great film that will grip you from start-to-finish, and then some.  This is definitely worth a couple of showings at your local theatre.  This is a sure-fire blockbuster (at least, as big as this genre gets at the box office).  Yes, it's a 10 out of 10, and I strongly urge you all to see this film at your earliest conveinence!

This is a great movie! Now some say that it is better than "Scream", but I disagree. I just recently rented "Scream" again, and it is much better. "I Know What You Did Last Summer" is as intense, suspenseful, or scary as "Scream," but it is still a great movie. I saw it on its opening weekend, and right now I don't recall names of characters or cast members, but here's the basic run-down. A group of four High School graduates are in an sea port in North Carolina, there hometown, and one night one of them is rather drunk, but someone else is driving. As the drunk one is standing up through the sun/moon roof he spills beer, the guy driving is distracted by it, hits a man walking across the road, and they end-up dumping him in the ocean. Although, he's not dead. A year later, the same guy comes back, stalking them, dressed in a black slicker and weilding a metal hook. He stalks them, frightens them, chases them, and terrorizes them until July 4th. That's the day that the incident on the road happened. Then, well I won't tell you the whole thing. Go see it for yourself, it is very frightening, especially the ending. The ending scene is scarier than the ending flash of "Scream" because you can feel it coming, but don't know when it will happen. Just go see it, and then don't say that it isn't a movie. One a scale from 1-10, I rate it a 9. I could predict most of the scary moments, and it could've been scarier and more intense.

"THE MATRIX" is a dazzling blend of science fiction, special effects, and a GREAT script. At the description of this movie you might think these guys graduated from the David Lynch Directors' School or something. The whole plot is too complicated for me to outline here, and so, I'll just give you the basics. Keanu Reeves plays Neo, a computer programmer by day (as Thomas Anderson), and a computer pirate by night. Although, when a group of men in black (no, not Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones) come looking for him at work, Neo tries to escape, but refuses to leap off the skyscraper by the request of a mysterious woman we saw earlier on being chased by the same men. Neo is caught, and during the interrogation these mysterious men basically make it said that they answer to no one, and show that they are what Neo thinks they are when they do a horrific thing, they seal Neo's mouth. Then, Neo jumps out of bed, thinking it was all a very bad dream. He soon finds out that a man named Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) is looking for him. Soon, Neo meets up with Morpheus and discovers that his world is not what it seems. Morpheus asks Neo if he's willing to 'jump through the rabbits' hole' (Alice in Wonderland reference). Neo is offered two pills, he takes the blue pill, and soon wakes up in a world totally unfamilar to him. Neo learns from Morpheus that it is NOT 1999, but in the distant future. For more years than they know of, the human race has been jacked into one single man-made super computer to generate power for it. Morpheus tells him that they are the only ones that know the truth and can do anything about it. Morpheus tells Neo that he is 'The One', the one who will save them all. Neo doesn't believe it, and when they go back into the computer called 'The Matrix', the Oracle reenforces his denial when she tells him he's NOT the One. Although, when the group tries to escape back to the real world, the men in black capture Morpheus, and it's up to Neo to get him back before they kill him. Like I said, the plot is much more complex than this, and a LOT more interesting as the climax is just DAMN cool! Also, plans are to have a complete Matrix Trilogy! I truly enjoyed this movie, and I only wish I could've gotten this review to you sooner. Catch it when it comes out on home video & DVD! I give this a 9 out of 10 because I think it could've been slightly better, but the dazzling and amazing special effects will awe you unlike any special effects you've EVER seen! Truly a remarkable accomplishment from the team who brought you 'BOUND'. I highly reccommend this movie, and for more info, check out the IMDB.

"Mortal Kombat: Annhilation" is, at best, a sub-par sequel of the GREAT adaptation of the first film. It basically happens right after the first one ends. Unfortunately, Christopher Lambert did not reprise his role as Rayden for this one, and James Remar does a BAD job in taking his place. Remar's version doesn't have the humor that Lambert's portrayl had. Also, the replacement for Sonya Blade isn't as good either, no edge or toughness to the character. Another unfortunate thing is that this one has only one appearance by Scorpion and the new Sub-Zero. It is found out that it was his older brother who was killed in the first movie, and this is a different Sub-Zero. The only fight scene with those two are against each other, and are not seen or heard from again in the film.  Shao Khan, Mutaro, Jax, Sindel, Jade, Nightwolf, Barakus, Rain, Smoke[Cyborg], Cyrax, and a few of the other newer fighters and characters are in this movie. Kabal and Stryker are mentioned, but are never seen because they are captured by Shao Khan's troops. There are some things done here that seem rather unneccessary like changing Rayden's look halfway through the film just because he is now a mortal. The soundtrack is awesome, and they keep all the same themes from the original along with a host of techno rock songs. On top of all of this, Brian Thompson portrays Emperor Shao Khan HORRIBLY!  He instills NO fear, and is more or less a weak fool.  For such a feared figure with dark powers that outweigh that of Shang Tsung, he can't even put up much of a fight against Rayden.  A better choice for the role might've been Clancy Brown, and nayone who's seen the original "Highlander" would have to agree that Clancy did an amazingly powerful, intense, and just crazy portrayl of the Kurgan.  He could've done the same here, and if Lambert was involved, there's your "Highlander" reunion.  Anyway, this film is poorly conceived & badly drawn-out.  The only positive is that Robin Shou returns as in the strong portrayl of Liu Kang as well as Talisa Soto returning as Princess Kitana, but the bad outweight the good in this film.  Two years later and the digital effects look no better here than in the first.  Although, in the first, they didn't feel so bad because it was mainly used for backgrounds & settings, here we have entire "Anamalities" rendered in digital effects and make you running to see "Dragonslayer" or some Godzilla film for better looking dragon-like beasts.  The fight scenes are okay, but the first film had much better choreography, direction, & intensity.  It's also too bad that Johnny Cage was killed so early in the film, but it does follow the story of the video games (as the same happens there).  They should've had more heroes in this movie like Kabal, Stryker, more of Sub-Zero and Scorpion, and maybe one or two more guys, but overall this was done very poorly.  Maybe if they had re-worked the script, tried harder to bring back more of the original cast, or if New Line had simply poured a few more million inot it, this might've been a worthy sequel.  In any case, work is slowly progressing (I'm glad it's not rushed like this one might've been) on a third film entitled "MORTAL KOMBAT: DOMINATION" as the newest game in the series, "MORTAL KOMBAT: DEADLY ALLIANCE" hits the shelves of PS2, X-BOX, & Nintendo GameCube late November, 2002.  My rating for this film is probably about a 4 out of 10.  I really liked this film when it first came out in theatres, but after repeated viewings of this one & the original back-to-back, it's obvious that this installment in FAR inferior to its predecessor.

"Most Wanted" is the newest Movie Review on this site, and let me tell you this is a MUST see! Keenan Ivory Wayans plays James Dunn, an ex-military sniper, and is saved from going to Death Row by a group headed by Jon Voigt's character (Col. Casey/General Woodward). Dunn agrees to join the group, but is framed for the murder of the First Lady. Dunn ends up on a wild chase in which he has to find the evidnce that will prove him innocent, and show the truth of the hit on the First Lady. This movie is so complicated with all its twists and turns, it is just so hard to explain it all. This movie is possible one of the best, if not _THE_ best action/adventure style movie I have ever seen. I'm telling you people that this is one movie you do NOT want to miss! This movie is smart, action-packed, suspenseful, complicated, full of plot twists, irony, and tons more. Words cannot describe this movie to its full extent without giving away the odd, strange, and twisted ending to all this stuff. There is just too much to describe, there are many surprises to be had in this film. I strongly suggest to go see it. On a scale from 1-10, I rate it a 20! It's that good, go see it and believe it for yourself! Don't miss this, or you'll be sorry you missed out one of the hottest movies of the YEAR! I'll be seeing more movies in the weeks to come, so check back here every week to see if I've seen another great movie!

I have to say that "THE MUMMY" is one of the most enjoyable horror films in YEARS! With Brendan Fraser starring as the main hero, Rick O'Connell, and a GREAT cast of actors, actresses, and characters to top it all off! Basically, O'Connell discovers something strange in the desserts of Egypt as a soldier in an army in the middle of a battle. Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) is an Egyptian historian from England, and after her brother brings her an ancient Egyptian artifact with a map to Humunaptra (City of the Dead), she meets up with O'Connell at a prison where he's sentenced to be hanged soon. O'Connell can help her find the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and Humunaptra, where the tomb of Imhotep (played by Arnold Vosloo, "DARKMAN 2") lies. Imhotep an Egyptian Priest that was buried alive because he touched the king's forbidden mistress. O'Connell leads leads their expedition, but are in competition with a group of Americans leads by O'Connell's 'buddy', Bennie. Anyway, they eventually get to the city, but encounter a lot of challenges from the group of Americans as they are trying to steal the tomb's treasures, and a band of men in black (they're everywhere, aren't they) trying to protect the tomb because they are the descendants to the king's bodyguards, sworn to protect the city & tomb from unleashing the curse of Imhotep. Things go awry when Evelyn reads from the Egyptian Book of the Dead (found within the tomb) and unleashes the power of Imhotep, awaking him from his ancient slumber. The only way he can return to full power is to regenerate his body by sucking dry the bodies of the ones who stole the book and opened his cursed 'treasure chest'. Imhotep eventually kidnaps Evelyn to use her to bring his beloved back to life. That's all I'll say because there's a WHOLE lot more I'm leaving out. There's a good amount of humor, adventure, and horror, but nothing gory. I highly reccommend this film, and I give it a 10 because it was fully enjoyable, and I found nothing wrong or negative with this movie. It comes to video & DVD in September, so, keep your eyes peeled for it because this is a MUST-SEE adventure in the tradition of Indiana Jones! Brendan Fraiser is more than happy to sign on for the sequel (which is in pre-production now for a Summer 2001 release).

I MUST say that 'PAYBACK' is truly one kind of movie we're missing today.  Mel Gibson stars as Porter in this story about a criminal who just wants what's his, and that's $70,000 that they stole from him.  This movie has GREAT style & great acting, and just a perfectly made film.  Very hard edged, and hard hitting.  It's based on a novel entitled 'THE HUNTER'.  'PAYBACK' has great action, story, characters, plot, and one great anti-hero in Porter.  Other stars in this film are James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, David Paymer, William Devane, John Glover, and just SO much more!  Gregg Henry plays Vel Resnick, Porter's partner until Resnick more or less stabs him in the back, but it's Porter's wife, Lynn (Deborah Unger), that does the stabbing (or should I say shooting).  Now, Porter wants revenge, but even more wants his share of the $140,000 that he and Resnick stole from an oriental gang in order for Val to get back into the 'Syndicate'.  So, Porter sets out for a little payback (thus the title) as he hunts down Val, messes with the 'Syndicate', and gets trouble from that same oriental gang they stole the money from & a pair of crooked cops.  Now, everybody, and I do mean everybody, wants piece of Porter's money.  The bullets fly, the action is practically non-stop, and nobody is safe from Porter. While trying to find shelter from all these self-serving people, he decides that the only one he can goto is a beautiful, high-price callgirl that he drove around and protected (and loved).  Basically, there's no real 'good guys' in this movie 'cause practically everyone is out for their crooked share of Porter's money (and blood).  This maybe one of the more violent films you'll see this year, but it has a good dose of comedy in it, and it VERY entertaining. The movie's promos and commercials really pulled me in by the premise that there IS no good guys. To show how good it pulled me, this was the first movie I've ever seen starring Mel Gibson (I've subsequently seen ALL of the "LETHAL WEAPON" films).  The tagline to this movie says it all: "Get ready to root for the bad guy."  A great, tough action-packed movie with its doses of comedy & drama is superbly done with GREAT style, and is directed by Brian Helgeland.  Who is that you ask?  Well, he's helped write scripts for 'SIN EATER' (also Directed), 'CONSPIRACY THEORY', 'L.A. CONFIDENTIAL' (also Produced), 'ASSASSINS', '976-EVIL', & 'A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER'. He's also Directed for the HBO Series 'TALES FROM THE CRYPT'.  I give this movie a 9.5 'cause I need to see it again to refresh my memory of how good it is.  This is rated 'R' for a reason, and that is because of the high amount of gritty and gruff violence.

I don't think I've seen a more purely evil, bad ass performance than that of Christopher Walken as the Archangel Gabriel (the Angel of Death).  Performed with sadistic malice, a fine mix of humor, and overall electricfying delivery.  And this was only the first of three times we'd see it.

The Prophecy begins with a somber monologue by Simon (Eric Stoltz), a redheaded angel.  He speaks of his fear and sorrow that a second war has broken out in Heaven.  Simon has come to Earth to head off the plans of 'the other side' who wish to claim the blackest human soul on Earth to fight for them in Heaven.  Our protagonist here is Thomas Daggett (Elias Koteas).  Once set to become an ordained priest in the Catholic church, but a violent and bloody vision of Heaven, complete with the sight of slain angels, tests his faith.  A test which he fails.  He is now a police detective that has long lost his faith, but has just met an angel.  Simon to be exact.  Simon tells Thomas that he was in the church that day when he got his brief glimpse of a war torn Heaven, and certainly leaves him with much to think about.  Though, when Simon returns to his rented out apartment, he is attacked by another angel: Uziel (pronounced 'Oo-cie'), but Simon dispatches of him, leaving quite a mess for the police to clean up with Daggett now on the case.  Unfortunately, for Simon, because Uziel is now dead, Gabriel (Christopher Walken) soon comes to succeed where his underling failed.

Meanwhile, Daggett and coroner Joseph (Steve Hytner) examine Uziel's corpse.  Many bizarre revealations are discovered, but for Thomas, it's the discovery of possibly the oldest Bible in existence which contains extra chapters that shouldn't exist.  They speak of the aforementioned second war in Heaven, a war over us, Humans.  As Gabriel arrives at the empty crime scene, Simon has already found the aforementioned soul within the recently deceased General Hawthorne in a small southwestern town, and Gabriel is soon to follow after disposing of certain evidence.  In this small town, we meet school teacher Catherine (Virginia Madsen) and a little Native American girl named Mary (Moriah Shining Dove Snyder).  Simon encounters them both while he attempts to hide this black soul from Gabriel, but the Archangel is hot on his trail along with Thomas.  While Gabriel tracks down the soul and Simon himself, Thomas attempts to unravel this mystery before him, and ultimately, discover what is 'faith'.

This is one must-see thriller!  As I said, Walken OWNS this film.  He's so very perfect, and demonstrates many sides of his acting abilities in many scenes.  It's mesmerizing watching him work each and every scene.  How he can go from quite calm to vilely sadistic and evil, even heated and angered.  It's an intense portrayal that will gravitate you towards watching this film many times over 'cause you just can't get enough of it.  It's all there, and it's juicy stuff.  Elias Koteas has always done fantastic work in the few roles I've seen him in.  From the guilty pleasure of Casey Jones in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to his psychotic role as Edgar Reese, opposite Denzel Washington, in Fallen.  Elias does solid work no matter the character, and becomes very much a chameleon as an actor.  He continues that here as a man who has his faith in God broken and tested throughout the film.  On a journey not only in hopes of restoring such faith, but understanding just what is means to have faith.  Eric Stoltz is an actor I really haven't seen any other work from, but if this performance is any indication, he does some fine work.  He brings a simple warmth, heart, and charm to Simon.  You truly do care for him, and what he chooses to sacrafice in order to protect that which HE believes in.  Whether he's sharing a scene with Koteas, Walken, or the little Moriah Snyder, his heart and warmth remain strong.  It's a truly human performance, especially considering he's portraying an angel.

Virginia Madsen (Candyman) brings us another strong, consistent performance here.  She holds her ground, even when Walken pulls out his truly dark side as Gabriel.  Also, her character is well connected to the Native Americans of the land, and conducts the church choir.  Her faith is intact, but as the true underlying theme here continues to be the testing of one's faith, she confronts her own perceptions of it all.  Moriah Snyder is not one of those kids in a horror film that gets on your nerves every second they're in a scene.  She's very good, and quite talented.  There's much here for her to work with, more than I'll elude to in this review, but trust in that she has a significant role in this film that she handles quite well.

And then, you have two smaller, yet significant, and certainly memorable roles.  The first is Steve Hytner's (who appears in all three films).  Hytner portrays the coroner Joseph with a light-hearted charm, but with a professional manner.  It's just the sort of character to slightly lighten the mood when Daggett is talking about wars in Heaven over human souls, and dead angels sitting in Joseph's morgue.  It's a quite needed and welcomed character that Hytner plays perfectly.  He doesn't go remotely over-the-top with it, and keeps a nice balance between the mild humor and the professional mind of the character.  Glad to see him in all three films.  But the real juice comes with the appearance of The Lord of the Rings' Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer.  Viggo portrays the Prince of Darkness himself with as much character as Walken does with Gabriel.  Mortensen brings a genuine disturbing and sadistic sense that just oozes from his being.  The role is small, but Viggo makes it no less significant or prominent than that of any other main characters here.  He simply brings a casual, yet deathly serious evil manner to the role.  He speaks of the most vile and sadistic acts with the casual manner of us talking about the weather.  A chilling presence that is felt the instant he enters the scene, and remains even after he leaves.  And when he & Walken do briefly meet, the two just eat it up.  It's devilishly delicious (no pun intended).  The two with their hot breath and cold blood just makes such a scene so rich with character, and it's only a shame Viggo didn't return for The Prophecy II when Lucifer makes a brief, shadowy appearance near the beginning.

All in all, this is one fantastic film that I strongly encourage everyone to see.  It's a gem of a thriller that touches on many different levels with superb acting with a rock solid cast!  This film comes from the mind of the man who scripted Backdraft and the original Highlander - Gregory Widen, and in his feature film directorial debut, he does a greatly talented job.  And props to the cinematographers.  I don't know how many times I noticed so many perfect "trailer" shots in this film.  Just fine, superb talent here in front of and behind the camera.  Just a beautiful and fantastically talented production!  The Prophecy brings you a great film on so many levels, and is a MUST for any Christopher Walken fan.  As I said at the start, Walken puts together a juicy performance filled with versatility and intensity to spare.  SEE THIS FILM!  A 10 out of 10 if there ever was one!

Now, we move into the Fall Movies, the first one I saw was "RUSH HOUR." In my opinion, one of the funniest movies of all time! Chris Tucker is absolutely hilarious as is Jackie Chan. Tucker plays Dectective Carter of the L.A.P.D. and Chan plays Detective Inspector Li (or Lee) from Hong Kong. A chinese consulate's daughter is kidnapped and the consulate calls in Li to fly to L.A. to help with the investigation (as they are close friends), but the F.B.I. doesn't want his interference so they call-up the L.A.P.D. to get someone to keep Li out of their way. Carter had just messed-up a bust the night before after two police officers accidently got involved, and the police chief sends him on the assignment while Carter believes it's a reward for his boldness in his actions the night before. Thus begins to whole story. Tucker does a lot of physical comedy as well as wise-cracks. Jackie Chan definitely shows-off his world famous martial arts maneuvers while putting a comedic twist in with it all. And when the movie is over, stick around for the outtakes during the ending credits as they are as funny, if not funnier, than the actual movie. I may actually go see this again for more than one reason. Reason one is obvious, great movie, reason two is because a few idiots in the back of the theater kept shining their laser pens on the screen through most of the movie. Also, I missed the coming attractions because the movie, unknowingly to me, started at 7:50 and I got there about 7:46. It's a very long story, e-mail me if you wish to hear it. Although, I give Rush Hour a 9 out of 10, just because I felt it could've been a little longer.

"SCREAM 2" is many times over better than the original. It's much harder to figure out who are the killer(s) in this one. There are so many likely suspects, and so many more deaths. Some may seem unexpected, but some you may see coming. I'm very good at figuring out when and where the killer will appear out of nowhere in a horror movie. I did a very good job of it in this film as well. Twist endings, surprise characters, and even more surprising deaths in this one. Although, I must say that there is one cameo in this film that I know about. It is by Matthew Lillard who played Stuart in the first film and was killed off in that film. He can be seen in the background during one of the party scenes. I found this out by watching a special MTV SCREAM 2 show a few weeks ago. He looks a little different, different hair style and he's wearing glasses. Well, back to the movie. Overall I give it a perfect 10! Also, there is most definitely going to be a SCREAM 3. Kevin Williamson, the writer of the Scream movies, is working on number three right now and the due date for the first draft of the script is in April. I you haven't seen SCREAM 2, then see it, but if you have...then go see it again! It's still good to see again and again and again. This is a very good movie!

SPAWN!  On a scale of 1-10, I rate it an 8. There are a few changes from the original comic book story line such as Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen) kills Al Simmons (Michael Jai White), not Chapel. Plus, a similarity to the animation series that was on HBO is the Midevial (sp?) Hell Spawn (I forget his name) helps Al use his Hell Spawn powers and use them for good instead of for Malbogia. This movie does have special and computerized effects like I've never seen before, and for that it definitely brings TONS of life to many things. Without the computer effects, Spawn's cape could NEVER have been created. Although despite the storyline changes from the comic book, this storyline does hold together well, and I would really like to see a Spawn 2 happen within the coming years. This is a great cast with great acting, and the storyline is done well. Suspense, action, mystery, and some double crossing are all what makes this film great. John Leguizamo (sp?) plays the short, fat, sickening, and quite annoying Clown. Plus, the computerized effects done for the Violater are EXCELLENT! If you've read the comics, seen the animated HBO series, or just like a dark heroic movie then this is a movie for you to see. It's sort of like the Crow mixed with the Michael Keaton Batman.

Well, the ninth installment in the Star Trek movie franchise has got to be one of the best! 'INSURRECTION' is great with more than just one plot and with a few twists in it. In this one, we get to see a LOT more of the Enterprise-E as it has possibly one of the best ST space battles of all time. Well, the plot is basically that a planet inhabited by a race called the Ba'ku in pretty much deep space beyond the 'Briar Patch.' The world is monitored by the Federation and another race called the Son'a through hologram-cloaked stations on the planet. The Federation and especially the Son'a wish to posess the age-defying properties of this planet for medical advancements, but the Son'a have other intentions. The same type of things are going on with the Enterprise as they are given diplomatic & menial jobs to do instead of exploration, discovery, and other assignments more suited to its crew and the ship itself. Picard & crew welcome aboard a new Federation acquistion (I forget their names), but Picard is pulled away by a message from Admiral Dowhery (sp?) about an incident with Data on the aforementioned planet. They claim that Data malfunctioned and blew their cover, and thus, revealing their monitoring operations on the planet to the Ba'ku. Dowhery asks for Data's schematics, but Picard wants to goto the planet against the admiral's suggestions. The Enterprise heads for the planet beyond the bizarre and somewhat dangerous Briar Patch. After the repair of Data and some searching of their own, the Enterprise crew discover a devious and vile plan to take a 300-year lifestyle away from the Ba'ku. A few of the subplots include a rekindling of the Riker/Troi relationship and the beginnings of a relationship between Picard and one of the Ba'ku women. This one was lighter in content than the previous films and is more like ST4: The Voyage Home in the comical content. I believe Jonnathan Frakes did a superb job in directing this film as he does have more film time and a bigger role in this film than the last (he directed FIRST CONTACT as well, I believe). All the space scenes are done completely with CGIs and look absolutely great. Although, they were NOT done by ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) this time as the previous films were. I think you'll agree just how spectacular those scenes are, and I hope you also agree on how great this film is as well. I give it a 9 out of 10 just because I still believe ST6: The Undiscovered Country is still the best one of them all. Although, this film brings back that classic Trek theme established w/Kirk that when what's ordered of you is NOT always the right thing to do, or more simply put, rebellion can be a good thing. Make this one a box office blockbuster people because it truly deserves it! Let's get the Enterprise-E crew in for STAR TREK 10!

The tenth installment in the Trek film franchise, but only the fourth featuring the cast of "The Next Generation".  It's billed as "A Generation's Final Journey", and it's not too bad of a departure for this cast.  Let's layout the plot for you.  We forego ANY opening credits after the film's title unfolds upon the screen.  We enter into the Romulan Imperial Senate where the Romulan's sister race, the Remans and their apparent leader, Shinzon (Tom Hardy), are being discussed.  Two Romulans represent Shinzon here as their proposals for an alliance are turned down.  Moments later, subterfuge as one of the Senate's very own murders the entire Senate with a biological radiation weapon.  Meanwhile, the wedding reception is taking place for the finally wed Will Riker & Deanna Troi.  On top of that, Riker has FINALLY accepted a command (on the U.S.S. Titan), and will be promoted to the rank of Captain.  Data is to become Picard's new "Number One".  Guinan returns for the reception, and Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher is seen for a shot or two here as well.  Anyway, the honeymoon has to wait as the Enterprise goes off to investigate some odd positronic readings from a planet near the edge of the Romulan Neutral Zone where they discover a prototypic twin of Data named B-4.  The Enterprise is further diverted to Romulus to investigate Shinzon & the Remans by Admiral Janeway.

[Okay, side note: Explain THIS promotion to me 'cause she must've defied the Prime Directive about 5 million times while on Voyager.  I mean, in "STAR TREK IV" they charge Kirk with "disobeying a direct order from a superior officer" and he gets demoted in rank from Admiral to Captain.  ONE STINKIN' VIOLATION!  But over a seven year span, Janeway breaks every rule & policy Starfleet ever wrote down, and she gets promoted FROM Captain TO Admiral?!  Who the hell's running this organization?  Still got a couple of the Founders lurking around Starfleet Command do we?]

Anyway, back to business.  Picard & his senior staff meet with Shinzon on his Reman WarBird, the Scimitar (and let me tell you, this ship has the sharpest teeth in the galaxy).  Shinzon talks peace, but Picard finds it difficult to believe.  Although, he gets an eye-opening view of Shinzon when the lights come up to reveal him as young clone of Picard himself.  It becomes to be like looking through a dark mirror of himself, and as things progress with B-4, its as if Data is looking through a skewed mirror of himself as B-4 proves to be rather dispassionate, nieve, and basically, very childlike.  Meanwhile, Shinzon secretly puts bitter plans into motion for Picard, Earth, & the Federation, but the motivation seems to be lost in a forced explanation that makes no sense.  Kidnappings, mental violations, daring escapes, and full-on badass, yet epic-less, starship battles ensue.

First off, I have to say that Digital Domain has done an outstanding job with the visual effects.  The space battle in "Insurrection" looked like award-winning material, and here it is even better.  The look, feel, & tone of the film permeate into the visual effects, and I applaud them for their hard work.  Now, this is, potentially, a good film, but here's where it could've been better: If Shinzon had some sort of link to Picard's past as if he had been an unknown past enemy, or simply was more dreadful or more insanely focused on bitter revenge.  Even if Picard had done something personally to ignite Shinzon's vengeance, that would've helped, but Shinzon's bitterness seems fully misplaced.  That's why "Wrath of Khan" prevails.  It took a one time villian, but a powerful & memorable one, and brought him back as an exponentially stronger adversary.  With Shinzon, there was no past story or relationship to build on.  It's mainly, self-contained here.  It was said that there was no place to insert Ambassador Spock (who had been struggling for Vulcan-Romulan unity) or the devious Commander Sela (played by Denise Crosby), and I must say they were right.  They would've been such blatant cameos if you tried to squeeze either character into the story.  Now, Shinzon does make for a good villian, but attempting to launch a devastating assault on Earth itself is something even the Borg have failed to do.  Shinzon simply lacked a focused vengenace because he wants Picard dead, he wants to destroy all life on Earth, he wants to crush the Federation, he wants to liberate the Remans, and he wants to reign over the Romulans.  By the end, he has no other alternative than to choose only ONE of his many strifes to deal with.  Also, Ron Perlman plays Shinzon's Reman Viceroy, but there's not much presented here for his secondary character except a certain mental violation & nice brawl with Riker at the end.  Brent Spiner does as good of a job as he's done in the previous three films, but the whole B-4 subplot is just a plot point for the Picard/Shinzon plot.  No explanation of where he really came from, why Dr. Soong never mentioned him, or really anything else.  He's just a plot point, and not much of an investigated character.  The rest of the cast is still at the same level as they've been at before (meaning, they haven't lost anything).  Though, Patrick Stewart's best performance still lies within "Star Trek: First Contact" in the "Captain Ahab" scene.  Jonathan Frakes has about as much in this film as he's had in the previous three (although, he did spend most of his time in the director's chair during "First Contact" & "Insurrection").  Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi has a repressed, yet somewhat important role here for, at least, two scenes.  As for LeVar Burton & Gates McFadden?  Not much more than that of Sirtis.

Just like in all of the other NextGen films, Picard & Data are the MAIN protagonistic characters in the film.  It's THEIR stories.  In "Generations" it's Data discovering & coping with emotions for the first time while Picard must battle with Soran.  In "First Contact", Data is being tempted by the Borg while Picard becomes "Captain Ahab" and the Borg become his "Moby Dick".  In "Insurrection", Picard leads the obvious insurrection against Starfleet Command's decisions while twisting in a light romantic plot point while Data learns to have "fun".  Oh well, I guess it's too late to complain.  So, what do I give "STAR TREK: NEMESIS"?  How's about 7.5 out of 10?  I enjoyed the film, and I praise Stuart Baird on his whole envisionment of the look, feel, style, & TONE of the film.  It was visually different than any previous Trek feature film.  Jerry Goldsmith does another great job with the score.  Unique take on the Reman themes, and I enjoyed his main theme for the film.  I never liked James Horner's work on "STAR TREKs II or III", nor did I like the themes used in "STAR TREK IV".  Goldsmith is the definitive composer for "STAR TREK", in my honest opinion.  I can't get enough of his themes he originated in the original theatrical feature, and THAT's why I own the 20th Anniversary Edition CD Soundtrack (plus, I friggin' LOVE his Klingon theme).  Well, 7.5 out of 10.  Go see it because it's the "final journey", even if just for that head-on final battle sequence.  Other than SFX & the action, there's not much else redeeming this film.

Well, by now the hype has died down, but the memories of the movie have not. "STAR WARS: EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE" is a great family-going experience that's a feat for the senses. Some of the CGI's are so good that it's hard to tell that they're CGI's and not rubber suits/puppets. Although, most of the others aren't quite as good, but it doesn't take away from the experience. Yes, the movie was more kid-driven, but can you blame 'em too much? Other than the SPECIAL EDITIONS, this is the first STAR WARS that I've seen in the theatres that I can actually remember more than a second of (I saw 'RETURN OF THE JEDI, but I was only three years old at the time). Anyway, I was there in the lines for advanced tickets, I was there with a big bag of popcorn and a large Diet Pepsi, and I was there in the sold out theatre on opening night! The movie was a GREAT experience, but I could've done without Jar Jar & the Pod Race commentators. Other than that, I was pretty damn cool! I just hope the next one is better than this one, you know, a bit more grown-up. And despite that I think the movie is 'pretty damn cool', it's on the bottom of the list for me. I just have a thing for the old style special effects from the original trilogy. Although, the end battle sequence 'Duel of the Fates' is one of the best action sequences I've ever seen! It's worth the price of admission for that end duel with Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn, & Obi-Wan Kenobi. Jake Lloyd was enjoyable as well, and it's hard to believe such a sweet, cute, innocent kid like that becomes the menacing evil we all know as Darth Vader. Yoda was cool as always, but Samuel L. Jackson's appearance didn't add much, if anything, to the movie. I sure hope he does return in Ep2 so he can have a bigger role because he's one of my favorite actors. Well, I'm not sure what to give 'EPISODE I'. The end sequence deserves a 10 all by itself, but the rest has good and bad parts. Well, I'll give it a 9 because at times, Jar Jar is slightly tolerable, but sometimes he can be just too goofy.

Kevin Bacon stars as Tom Witzky in this horror/thriller.  Tom lives with his wife Maggie (Kathryn Erbe) and his son (Zachary David Cope) in Chicago.  They live in a neighborhood with a good reputation, but at a party with a bunch of his neighbors, Tom dares his sister-in-law, Lisa (Illeana Douglas), to hypnotize him.  She does, but when she implants a post-hypnotic suggestion for him to 'open his mind', he begins to see disturbing & confusing visions.  His son has an imaginary friend called Samantha, but Tom soon realizes that she is NOT imaginary, but a ghost of a young girl that disappeared around this neighborhood a few months ago.  The closer Tom gets to the truth, the more dangerous it gets.  His wife begs and pleads with him to stop this insanity, but when she talks with an African-American cop by the name of Neil (Eddie Bo Smith, Jr.), she discovers that Tom may not be crazy.  He tells Maggie that her husband is now a receiver, and can't shut it off, let alone figure it out.  Tom tries to sort through the pieces, tries to get Lisa to undo what she did at the party, but with all the hell going on around him, it's difficult to not think he's not losing his sanity.  He digs deep (literally) for the answers, but he doesn't know where or why.  The revealations and ensuing images that eventually come about are rattling and disturbing.

This movie was, at times, tense, and other times, creepy, but overall, pretty intriguing.  Kevin Bacon delivers a GREAT performance, and the rest of the cast is pretty good as well.  It was an Artisan Entertainment release, and it shows.  Every film that I've seen that they've put out has always had a good & intriguing story with some DAMN good acting and fine direction.  Although, the ending might leave you feeling a bit empty, but not the whole ending.  The very end of the film will still creep you out a bit, and show you that it's not a completely happy ending.  I give this four stars out of five because I think it could've been better, but for what it was, it was pretty damn good.  I definitely reccommend this film on VHS or DVD!  Check out the trailer & links here for more info on this film.  Also, for those who feel this is film stole plot elements from The Sixth Sense, this film was based on a book of the same name written by Richard Matheson & published about 20 years beforehand.  On a side note, the theatre used in the hypnosis sequences is the Rialto Theatre in Joliet, IL, and it is the SAME theatre where my high school graduation was held in June of 1998!

I've got a Christopher Walken double feature for you people this time because I'm a fan of Walken myself! First off is "SUICIDE KINGS". This one has a good, solid cast which include Denis Leary, Jay Mohr, Johnny Galecki, Sean Patrick Flannery, Henry Thomas, and many more! This is a somewhat complex story of a group of twenty-something friends who kidnap a millioniare and former crime boss of sorts (Walken) because they believe that he had something to do with the kidnapping of the girlfriend of Flannery's (who is also Thomas' sister), but soon realize they were wrong. Meanwhile, Denis Leary's character (Walken's driver) checks out leads given to him by Walken and a friend of his, but is unsuccessful. Sooner than later Walken's friends believe there's a guy on the inside with the group of friends that set this up. It all ends up in a complicated sequence of deception in the end, but all loose ends get tied-up one way or another. The DVD version of the movie has a set of alternate endings, audio commentary, and more! I truly enjoyed this film as I love Walken & Leary. The young cast brings a lot of great acting to this movie and is a great independent-type film. I highly reccommend it! It's mystery, it's drama, and it also has a bit of humor in it (greatly brought on by Leary).

I just got back from the 8pm showing of this film, and I have much to say, unfortunately, it's mostly negative.  I'll skip the usual plot synopsis because I doubt there's a soul out there reading this that doesn't know the basic plot outline of the TERMINATOR films.  I have to start out by saying that the absence of every non-returning cast or crew member is painfully missed.  First off, James Cameron.  This is has always been his story, his characters, and so much now it feels removed from his care for it all.  His style of melding great action, great story, and emotionally memorable charatcers in a summer blockbuster isn't here.  John Connor himself is burnt out.  When Judgment Day didn't happen on August 29, 1997, he didn't feel relieved in any way.  He dropped off "the scope".  No attachments to anything.  No address, no phone, no credit cards, no family, no friends, nothing.  Drifting about the world feeling as though the future is barrelling down on him.  And there's no Sarah Connor, she died shortly after the aforementioned date that WAS to be Judgment Day.  The emotion of Sarah was always at the heart of the previous two films.  She went through the emotional evolution in the first film, and then, in T2, took the initiative to prevent Judgment Day.  Destroy Cyberdyne and hopefully, in effect, destroy SkyNet's entire existence.

And then, the powerful musical presence of Brad Fiedel is sorely missed.  His music is so much a part of the films that to not have him there is a sad thing.  I own the "TERMINATOR 2" soundtrack score, and it's just an amazing, unbelievably powerful inspiration.  Who could forget the end of T2 where the Terminator is lowered into the molten steel, and the so very sad music that accompanies that sequence?  Or the shrieking strings of the first chase sequence of T2, or even the cold, brooding low-end score that would accompany the Terminators?  And Fiedel's score for the first is just a dark, thick piece that locked in so perfectly with the film itself.  In T3, Marco Beltrami was director Jonathan Mostow's person choice to compose the film's score.  First off, the actual Terminator THEME does not appear until the END credits.  There's no real main title sequence, but still, Fiedel used the theme in many different ways for many different emotional scenes (i.e. Sarah's & Reese's love scene in the original).  And Beltrami's version of Fiedel's theme just can't contend with that of the T2 theme.  It just doesn't have the impact Fiedel's T2 version had.  The pounding intro doesn't have half the power, and the emotional strings are rather empty in that respect here.  And when we have this very long chase scene about 20 minutes in, there's practically no score whatsoever!  The TERMINATOR theme used in all the trailers were much better than ALL the music Beltrami did for this approximately 100 minute film.

And that's another thing.  The theatrical version of "TERMINATOR 2: Judgment Day" had a running time of 137 minutes (2 hours, 17 minutes), but T3 doesn't even reach the two hour mark.  The film feels rather rushed.  I'd wish it were longer, but I don't know what would be put into these extended parts.  There's very little plot.  The Terminators arrive, they track down John Connor (Nick Stahl) and Kate Brewster (Claire Danes), and then Arnie, John, & Kate go on the run.  A fair amount of exposition, but it's just empty and boring.  A few plot twists come along the way like [HIGHLIGHT TO READ SPOILER]the Terminator, played by Schwarzenegger, has already assassinated the John Connor of the future, in the year 2032, and was reprogrammed by the Kate Brewster, who is John's wife & second-in-command, of the future to protect the John Connor of the past.  [END SPOILER]  But really, it's a dull road trip.  This film tries to take scenes and situations from T2, and tries to change them around to fit this one, and it just doesn't work half as well.  There IS one other returning character, but it's more like a brief comedy relief cameo than anything else (that character being good old Dr. Silberman attending to Kate Brewster in the cemetery).

Now, the T-X.  What about her?  Well, Kristanna Loken tries to do all that Robert Patrick did in T2, but doesn't even come CLOSE!  Patrick just had it all as the T-1000.  Evil, sadistic, deadly, chilling presence, covert methods, and a deceptive behavior that let him just slip right into the character like I couldn't imagine anyone else doing.  Though, without James Cameron, it may never have been as fine tuned as it was.  Granted, Robert Patrick had the desire to learn a certain manner and style for the character because he was a very different Terminator than Arnold's, and so, he needed to approach it differently.  Loken had her moments, but won't be nearly as memorable as Patrick's performance in T2.  Though, Loken is able to showcase a style that throw's back to the original film with the evil Terminator.  Smashing down doors and unloading whole clips into her victims.  I did like that, and the intense strength of the T-X is a constant impact on the viewer.  Just slamming Schwarzenegger all OVER the place with frightening ease.  But in the end, Robert Patrick still owns the T-X's ass!

Jonathan Mostow doesn't have a FRACTION of what Cameron has.  The ability to tell an epic story with memorable action, emotion, and characters.  There's a MASSIVE amount of action here, but none of it feels epic or extremely threatening.  That scene in T2 where John Connor, on the dirt bike, is about to be mowed down by the T-1000 in the semi-truck is a great action sequence that was fast, furious, menacing, and had an explosive ending (sorry for the pun, but it's true in more ways than one).  It was a great building action that ended on a BIG note with a nice, revealing tailend (T-1000 first revealing his liquid metal form to us as he emerges from the flames).  In T3, the aforementioned LONG action sequence with the crane is a massive scene with maximum destruction, but it focuses on the two Terminators and so, we don't really get a sense of dread for John & Kate as they race ahead of the crane, driven by the T-X.  Also, Mostow doesn't have much to work with here.  Not many characters here, and really, very little emotion to work with.  There's just no sense of humanity in this film like the first two were so rich with.  THE TERMINATOR had the love story with Reese & Sarah, T2 had the growing & learning relationship between young John Connor and the Terminator.  There's nothing of the sort here.  Arnie's Terminator just remains a stiff, heartless machine with a constantly twisted psychological play on John Connor.  Nick Stahl does a fine job with the character, but like I've been saying, there's no exploration of emotion or humanity here.  John Connor is just a man who will do whatever it takes to deny and prevent his destiny from ever happening.  He doesn't so much want to prevent Judgment Day to save the world, it's so he doesn't have to become the last, best hope for humanity.  It's kind of both, but it's mostly about him.  He hates the idea of being forced into a pre-determined & KNOWN destiny, and that it requires the death of billions of people in the process.  But by film's end, it has become inevitable.  Judgment Day happens, and he must reluctantly embrace his destiny.  "The future is not set.  There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."  That is a false hope as the Terminator states that "Judgment Day is inevitable."  Everything that Sarah, John, Dyson, and the Terminator did at Cyberdyne years before was only delaying the inevitable.  SkyNet just found another way to Judgment Day through the evolution of technology and communication (I'm borderlining on spoilers here, I apologize).

Also, there's an excess of humor here at Arnie's expense.  The Terminator is the butt of many jokes and running gags (i.e. the sunglasses, the constantly trashed vehicles), and then, there's the one-liners.  Cheesy one-liners.  "She'll be back", "I'm back", "Talk to the hand", and so on.  Before, the humor simply stemmed from the Terminator's cold, stiff manner.  Basically, he was the straight man that had no intention of being humorous in any sense.  He's an emotionless machine attempting to act human by following young John's direction.  Here, it takes you out of the film and the moment.  Schwarzenegger becomes the comic relief in this film when he's not kicking ass or doing most of his exposition.  And really, you don't get the cold, menacing Terminator feel like before.  In T2, when the Terminator trashes the bikers in the bar, you get that same feeling from the first when the original Terminator confronts the trio of punks, and subsequently terminates two-thirds of them (Bill Paxton & Brian Thompson).  There's reall no such scene here.  There's no on-screen terminations when the Terminator or the T-X arrive (and the T-X is the only one who DOES terminate someone on arrival).  Most of the gory deaths are off-screen, and we just see some blood spatter on a piece of furniture or what not.  In that sense, you don't get any early sense of dread or lethality (yes, that IS a real word) from either Terminator until MUCH later in the film, and it's mostly when the two cyborgs clash.

Now, I have only one more gripe with this film.  It's stated that the events of T2 took place when John Connor was 13 YEARS OLD!   That would put T2 in the year 1998, MONTHS AFTER the original date of Judgment Day!  Sarah Connor was impregnated in May of 1984, and assuming a nine month pregnancy, John Connor would be born in February, 1985!  Add thirteen years to that, and you get 1998!  It had been established, through many different sources, that John Connor was only about 10 years of age during the evnts of T2.  One T2 trailer stated that "10 years ago they sent a machine to kill Sarah Connor....".  Now, TERMINATOR 2 was released only 8 years after the theatrical release of THE TERMINATOR, and so, that would HAVE to be taken as a time setting for the film.  That would put the year as 1994!  That would fit with John's statements that his mother, Sarah Connor, hung on for three years after being diagnosed with Leukemia just make sure "the world didn't end".  Also, John Connor consistently states that they blew up Cyberdyne "over 10 years ago".  Of course, it's never stated what year this film is set in, but without anything stating otherwise, we must believe it is the present day.  Three writers on this screenplay, and they all worked off of three different, and incorrect, timelines.  I'd shred this script just based on all the continuity errors!

And yes, the effects and the action are awesome.  The effects don't overshadow the film or action, but instead, aid it & enhance it.  In the constantly mentioned crane chase / action sequence, there's NO CGI used through the entire, brutal affair.  At least that was a constant I was happy to see carry on.  The special effects in the TERMINATOR films have never been used more than need be.  Sure, the T-1000 effects were amazing, and may have brought you into a bit of disbelief, but you were merely being amazed by something you've never seen before.  But stiil, the effects were only used to aid the story where they were required.  It's the same here.  Any effects they could do practically WERE done practically.  Other shots had no other alternative but the use of digital & computer-generated effects.  The T-X effects were nice, but really, there's not much of them.  And what you do see was mostly seen via the T-1000 in TERMINATOR 2.  Also, the T-X is new, but it is never stated, or even implied, that it is superior to the T-1000 (in fact, the T-1000 is never mentioned at all).  But back on track here, the effects are excellent, and you're certainly never saturated by them (i.e. THE MATRIX: RELOADED), and I didn't notice to use of any blue / green screen effects.  I'm very impressed with the work of Industrial Light & Magic's digital & computer effects along with Stan Winston's physical Terminator make-up and effects.  But greatly superb effects do not, a great movie make.

So, what to give this film?  What rating should I slap on it?  This is DEFINITELY the least of the series, and it is a VERY HIGH bar set by the previous two films.  The original TERMINATOR is still my favorite of the franchise, and TERMINATOR 2 is just a massive, epic action blockbuster film!  If I rate it in comparison to the other films, it's about a 6.5 on my scale.  If I rate it on it's own, without comparison, it's about a 7.0 (I give it a little more credit for some earlier scenes with the T-X).  It's no better than that, and you know what, a T4 seems inevitable with the ending of "RISE OF THE MACHINES" being what it is.  At least Arnold's reteaming with Cameron for "TRUE LIES 2" as soon as Jim gives the 'go ahead' (the script is 100% complete).  I have no urge to go see T3 again in the theatres.  I've got plenty of other summer action blockbusters that have looked FAR better than this one for FAR longer (BAD BOYS II, Pirates of the Carribbean, etc.)!

Well first, I'll do my quick Summer Movie Review. I saw The X-Files, Armageddon, the Mask of Zorro, the Truman Show, Godzilla, and Dead Man on Campus. I guess I'll go in alphabetic order for this. First, Armageddon. You read my review, and you know how I felt about it. I felt that it was a well-rounded movie, and was definitely one summer movie to see. I basically said, I gave it 100 out of 10, and I believe that says it all. Now, Dead Man on Campus was hilarious! I loved this movie from beginning to end! Tom Everett Scott and Mark-Paul Gosselaar are a great comic team in this one. MTV created another great, comedic, hit movie with "Dead Man on Campus!" Godzilla, you met your match with Cliff (the stereotypical college jock) in "Dead Man on Campus." And speaking of Godzilla, it was an o.kay movie when you first see it, but I can wait until it comes out on video. Now, the Mask of Zorro was one of the classic styles of moviemaking. No giant special effects, no unneccessary things in it. It is an all-round great film with great fight scenes, great action, great acting, great comedy, and great drama. The Mask of Zorro has something dreadfully missing in today's cinemas, and that's great filmmaking! It wasn't about making gobs of money, it was about telling a classic story, but with great new plots! It's not a remake, but an homage to all of the great Zorro films of yesteryear. Great job people! The Truman Show was something different, a bit of comedy, a bit of drama, and all-round original movie. Although, I didn't feel like seeing it twice like I did with Zorro (which is rather rare with me, the last movies I saw more than once in the theaters were "Con Air," "Scream 2," & "I Know What You Did Last Summer"). I can wait for the video on this one as well. The X-Files was good, but did lack a bit somewhere, but I'm not sure where. Although, Chris Carter made a comment that "the word "sequel" scares me, but the word "prequel" doesn't." Interesting words from the man himself. So, from what I remember, those were the summer movies I saw, but I bet I missed at least one. I'll check over www.moviefinder.com(that's where I get all the "Coming Soon..." dates from) to figure it out.

The 13th Warrior is one seriously enjoyable epic of a film.  Based on the novel Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park), with a screenplay by William Wisher (Terminator 2) & Warren Lewis, helmed by blockbuster director John McTiernan (Predator, Die Hard), and starring Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro) as Ahmad Ibn Fadlan.  Ahmad was an Arabian courtier that fell in love with a beautiful woman who happened to be the sacred love of the most powerful man in the land.  Ahmad was therefore banished from the kingdom to the barbaric north in 922 A.D.  There, Ahmad and his company encounter a band of exploring Vikings, and are soon befriended by them.  Though, a young boy soon arrives at the Viking camp bringing word of an attack on their homeland by the Wendol - the creatures of the mist - that massacre all who they encounter.  The Viking oracle states that a thirteenth warrior must accompany the nordic men, but this must not be a man of the north - that man is Ahmad.  The Arab traveller - who is promptly nicknamed Eban - at first is not at all comfortable with the obligation of being a warrior or being among the company of these barbaric men from the north.  Though, once he discovers the frightening reality of the Wendol, his courage surfaces, and he willingly fights bravely beside these strange yet heroic men in a battle which cannot be won.

This movie is about epic heroes in a mythic time that fight for glory, and to protect their families.  Beyond their barbaric lifestyle, they are men with their own sense of honor, loyalty, and brotherhood.  Ahmed is not of these men, but he becomes one of them.  He sees the value of these men and their way of life.  Theya re relentless in their battles, and they face an enemy that seems inhuman and possibly supernatural.  Its their courage that inspires Ahmed to stand beside them in battle.
It is only too bad we don't get to know more about those heroes in a personal fashion.  In regards to that element, this might be a case of reading the book first, and then seeing the movie for a more visual and visceral experience.  The novel probably is more in-depth about the characters and the story overall.  For what could be achieved on film, this motion picture is greatly enjoyable with intense battles, fine acting, visceral gore, and some good, appropriate humor.  I strongly recommend this wonderful film because it is an entertaining film and the scenery is great.  This is a beautifully shot and visually stimulating film thanks to the cinematography.  It's a definite, satisfying feast for the eyes.  The mythology in this story is great, and the characters (for what we get to know of them) are great, honorable warriors.  This is a greatly fantastic film experience, but it would be just that much greater if these great characters were explored in more depth.

The Thirteenth Warrior is greater than words can really say - you have to experience it to truly appreciate it.  This film is simply wonderfully, richly, and beautifully made with sprawling landscapes and a deeply textured environment that lives and breaths the tenth century.  As always, John McTiernan crafts great action sequences, fantastic cinematography, and such a well-textured film that you really have to see it to understand how great this is.  Although, more time for character development would've been good because I definitely would've loved to have these characters explored to greater degrees.  The cast is so absolutely fantastic that they make you crave more from them, and I'm sure the novel had that extra juice.  But as any novel-to-film adaptation has proven, you don't ever get everything adapted (even The Lord of the Rings trilogy had changes and omissions from Tolkien's works).  Still, despite never reading Crichton's novel Eaters of the Dead, I feel that this film does have a richness that such an adaptation offers.  Plus, John McTiernan is an amazing filmmaker with many proven films to his credit.  He makes awesome action blockbusters, but they have character and emotional depth - that shows here.

Also, I very much enjoyed the cast here.  Beyond Antonio Banderas, there is a lot of great supporting talents here that shine through.  I wish I could properly credit them, but they escape my mind at this moment.  I really need to watch this film again because it's an overlooked but very good film.  This isn't actually a horror film, but it has a lot of dark and spooky elements along with a hefty serving of gore.  I feel it's deserving of praise from horror fans, and was probably ahead of the adventure-fantasy film trend.  If this had been released admist the Lord of the Rings craze, I bet it would've made around $100 million, and possibly been allowed to be a more expanded film.  The fantasy elements in this film aren't that prominent, and certainly aren't magically-based.  But there is mysticism and a sense of fantasy here with the Wendol.

Ultimately, I feel this is a very well made film by competent filmmakers and a great, diverse cast.  It is a truly enjoyable film that's entertaining, and the settings, landscapes, and scenery have a very dense, rich, and genuine tenth century atmosphere.  That's especially impressive since it was shot in British Columbia, Canada!  The nighttime scenes just look so awesome with the fire and smoke all over the place giving the film a wonderful ambiance.  It may not be out to frighten or scare you, but this movie will give you one hell of a dark, epic adventure to remember for a long while.  I'll be adding it to my list of favorites.  I would prefer a special edition DVD because I think this film deserves it.  It underperformed in theatres, but is deserving of vast exposure.  Antonio Banderas and the entire cast deliver fine, textured performances that bring everything to glorious life.  The same can be said for John McTiernan's direction and for the film's director of photography, Peter Menzies, jr.  This is a worthy and honorable film to spend your video rental money on.  It only falls short of the perfect ten rating due to my desire for further character depth and exploration.

"TRIAL & ERROR" is a VERY funny movie! Michael Richards is hilarious as always, and Jeff Daniels is equally funny. This courtroom comedy is one I would reccommend to pretty much anyone who likes a good laugh and loves the work of Michaels Richards and/or Jeff Daniels. Jeff Daniels is the actual lawyer, but Richards subs for him one day after Daniels is in no condition after his bachelor party the night before. He only is supposed to ask for a continuence, but the judge refuses after an objection from the prosecution. Richards' character is an aspiring actor, but never really gets a good break. At one point, Dnaiels ets put in contempt of court and is not allowed in the courtroom at all and Richards must work alone, but the work out a system by using morse code using the car horn. Each signal states a certain objection, but two guys nearly collide and they start honking their horns at one another and it gets really funny. This is a perfect 10 one my 1-10 scale. I highly reccommend this movie to anyone in search of a good long laugh. It's sort of a new release, and should still be in the new releases section, so check it out today!

When I first heard about the premise for this movie, I thought it was gonna be one to watch.  A MUST-SEE even.  Simply put, that premise was the dynamic of Romeo & Juliet set in the world of vampires & werewolves.  I was so very excited to see this movie!  Through all the trailers and TV spots.  With all the months passing by, I only got more anticipatory of this film's release.  But in the week of the theatrical release, I starting reading the reviews.  They were bad.  Even the horror sites were saying it was a dull, boring, unoriginal, unimaginative movie.  Bloody Disgusting, Diabolical Dominion, and Creature Corner all gave it BAD reviews.  After that, and numerous visits to RottenTomatoes.com, I chose against going to see this film that I had been so anxious to see all year long.  Now, after its release on DVD, I finally decided to plunk down some bucks to rent it, and all I can say is that all the reviews were right.  But before I go any further, let's TRY to lay down the plot for this quite dull and highly non-innovative film.

Kate Beckinsale plays the vampire Selene, a Death Dealer whose job it is to hunt down and kill off the Lycans (aka 'Werewolves').  At film's start, she gives us a nice expositional voice over to help with the film's general setup.  A war between the two species has raged for 600 years, and despite the fact that no one truly knows how it all began (digging into the past is forbidden amongst vampires).  Though, the vampires believe that the war is soon to end, it would leave Selene's kind, the Death Dealers, as an obsolete faction among the decadent lifestyle the vamps have adopted.  Meanwhile, two werewolves are shadowing the footsteps of a mortal man, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), but for what purpose, that is not revealed for about another HOUR, maybe more!  A shoot-out goes down in a subway station between the vamps and the 'wolves, amongst humans.  We get our first look at the werewolf transformation, and it's not half bad.  Now, at this point I would like to rush the plot synopsis quickly along, but there is too much to simply sum in one paragraph, but I'll try.

On the vampire side of things, it is only a short time before they are to reawake one of their elders from a centuries' only sleep.  These elders are held in a tomb of sorts inside the Victorian-esque mansion all these vampires live in.  In the meantime, their acting leader is Kraven (Shane Brolly), a very self-minded bloodsucker who is Selene's greatest obstacle.  This becomes even more evident when Selene's interest is peaked as to why the Lycans were following Corvin, and she ultimately is forced to go against everyone's orders to discover the truth.  While investigating Corvin at his apartment, a small pack of Lycans come looking for him, including their leader, Lucian (Michael Sheen).  During this encounter, Lucian takes a heep of a bite out of Michael's shoulder, and damning him to become a werewolf, in time.  At the tailend of this encounter, an amazing stunt is performed where Sheen chases after Selene's luxury import car, and just runs up atop of it.  How it's performed, I'll tell you later, but no wirework was involved.

Anyway, to find guidance and wisdom as to what plans the 'wolves might be forging, Selene awakens the one who made her into a vampire: Viktor (Bill Nighy).  He is awakened in a manner not far off from "HELLRAISER".  He must be regenerated via the absorbtion of blood, but they throw a nice twist on it.  Now, even though Viktor has been awakened, Selene STILL is faced with adversity where she believed that she would have an ally.  It only forces her into an even more rebellious state to uncover what treachery has occured amongst these immortal enemies.  There is, of course, more to this film, but I will not divulge such spoilers to you.

Yes, I know, that was more than one paragraph, but I tried.  I guess the first thing that I realized with this movie was that the action sequences are really nothing new.  How many shoot-outs have we seen in movies?!  Far too many to even consider counting, I'm sure.  And that's basically the only way the vamps and the 'wolves fight.  They pull out guns and a few other weapons.  Both sides now have bullets designed specifically to kill their rival species.  The 'wovles have irradiated ultraviolet bullets, and the vamps have bullets which induce silver directly into the 'wolves blood stream.  Also, it is clearly stated that werewolves are allergic to silver, and so, that answers THAT!  But a lot of other rules are tossed completely out the window such as vampires now have reflections, don't seem to have any bit of flying ability, and well, don't really have much powers at all.  They are undead bloodsuckers that are incredibly agile, nothing more.  And any charm or verocity that have become characteristic staples of vampires are certainly drained from THESE vampires.  Though, the werewolves don't seem to have much of a change, except for the fact that they can now switch between their two forms at will, but it takes a full moon to initially trigger their transformation after they're first bitten.  Also, if you are bitten by both a vampire and werewolf - YOU DIE!  It's made clear that no one has ever survived a bite from both species.  I don't mind the vampires not changing into bats - I left that part FAR behind since John Carpenter's VAMPIRES.  I mean, HELL, none of the vampires in "THE LOST BOYS" ever change into bats (though, they COULD fly), and so, it's nothing that annoys me in the slightest.

Now, since the action sequences are tired and bland, the next question has to be:  Is the movie fun at all?  No.  Everything and everyone is taken very seriously here.  Not a singular joke is cracked, not one witty play, nothing humorous of the sort makes its way into this film.  Which makes for a very dull 121 minutes.  I don't even think anyone in this movie even cracks a damn SMILE!  Doesn't seem like THEY are having any more fun than the audience.  Also, the film never really delves much past the surface of these characters to give us any sort of emotional involvement with them.  And in fact, the only character I really, really liked was Lucian.  I don't know if it's his look, or his performance, but I really thought he was a bad ass character.  Kate Beckinsale IS quite seriously sexy in her skin-tight PVC leather / rubber cat suit and corset, but it's a hard thing for an attractive young woman to NOT be sexy in such an outfit.  Her character is the heroine, but despite the script's best efforts, she's rather mono-emotional (as practically all of the characters are).  The acting isn't bad at all, it is very good, but there's no emotional depth.  So, we're left with rather flat characters.

Now, we hit the assessment of the plot (and yes, the film feels, at least, as long as this review).  The plot is very tiresome.  Not that it's reptitive or anything like that, but because we keep getting more and more elements added to this plot without reason.  Well, without reason until the last 30 mintues of the motion picture.  And by that time, you REALLY don't know who to root for.  Those who you believed to be the villians aren't REALLY doing anything villianous, but some of the despised characters are despised for a reason.  Though, some of the protagonists become deserving of all that they have coming to them.  So, through the whole film you're acting like Michael Corvin after being bit saying, "What the HELL is going on?!"  You get tire of waiting for the plot to progress to a point where you actually know WHAT the real plot is!  And once you get there, there's not much left of the film to hold any bit of interest in you.  Though, one bit of backstory was a rather familiar idea, as I thought it up back in 1999 for a script I still have yet to write!  That concerning what service the werewolves provided for the vampires, centuries ago.

And for the final bit of assessment, the special effects.  I am so very glad that director Len Wiseman chose to do as much of the effects practically as possible.  The werewolf designs are very impressive, and certainly helps to inject much to the feel of the film, keeping it as grounded as possible.  Though, the werewolves don't happen to showcase much movement or flexiblity in this form, but when they're crawling rabidly along the walls, they are very animated (not in the CG sense).  Also, remember that stunt I mentioned earlier involving Michael Sheen running up atop an accelerating automobile?  That was executed using a tarp of sorts attached to the back end of the car, and Michael Sheen simply ran up while the car was in motion, and thus, making him seem like he was actualy running at 35 miles per hour.  Very cool, yet simple stunt.  You can catch that on the DVD.  Now, the vampires don't have much makeup of effects work aside from their fangs and contact lenses, but Viktor is a whole 'nother story. As he goes through a regenerative process, a series of progressive effects were designed for him.  They were full body casts, no suits.  The DVD documents it well, and is one HELL of a creature effect undertaking that was WELL worth it.  Though, the design of the vampire-Lycan hybrid was HIGHLY disappointing!  He's not impressive or intimidating in appearance at all.  In fact, it looks like any one of the werewolves could slash him to BITS!  It's basically a vampire with an odd ribcage and deep, dark blue skin, nothing more.  His abilities are more impressive, but it still a grave disappointment on both counts, to me.  Nothing impressive at all, as is practically everything with this movie.

So, to sum it up.  "UNDERWORLD" is a mix of "BLADE" and "THE MATRIX" (maybe a bit of "THE CROW" woven in), but it lacks any of what made those such entertaining films (well, I've never seen the first "BLADE").  There's no fun, no excitement to be had in "UNDERWORLD".  A whole boat load of plot that just weighs this film down FAR, FAR too much, and it's not even that great of a plot.  Add that to the fact that the characters' emotions are practically as flat as a board.  Also, I agree with a few others that the role of Michael Corvin was miscast.  Scott Speedman just doesn't play it with anything but weakness.  And when the finale comes, he is not one bit convincing as the bad ass that he should've been.  Other cast members are simply uninteresting, and aren't really worth our time....or attention (except for Sheen & Beckinsale).  And as I've said for a couple of movies on this site, great creature and makeup effects do not a good film make.  And as strange as this may sound, I stick with a quote by George Lucas from the time of the original trilogy: "A special effect a tool, a means of telling a story.  A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing."  It is VERY true.  You can have the very best special, creature, and makeup effects ever in the history of cinema, but if everything else in the film is bad, then you're film is going to be very boring, no matter how well-made or spectacular your effects might be.

Now, wrap ALL of this together and add in the most obvious and cliché of sequel segway endings, and you've got "UNDERWORLD".  A greatly disappointing film that could've been a great, fun ride with fabulous creature effects, stunts, and at least, somewhat interesting characters.  The script was done all wrong, and took itself FAR too seriously.  Not opening itself up for some fun.  It's all played rather grimly without as much as a single one-liner from anyone.  We get so much plot, a good deal of backstory, but belated answers and no character depth.  Plus, the look of this film is tired as well.  All blue and gray filters that make the film's look as grim as everything else in it.  The whole movie takes place at night, in shadows, indoors, or in subterranean enviroments.  It makes the film feel very visually dull and bland.  And I'm not even gonna BOTHER critiquing the leather-heavy costume department as this has been a BIG trend since "THE CROW", or even moreso since "THE MATRIX".  Can't seem to outlive this trend, can we?  Simply put, this is a painfully derivative film that takes ideas, production designs, costumes, action set pieces, and pretty much anything else you can think of from other sources.  And other, better ideas that could've injected some life into this rather dead film are jettisoned for bland, tired ones.

So, you think this review has gone on long enough, huh?  Well, now you know how long this film feels!  In the very conclusion, I have rated this one a 6.5 out 10, or more specifically, number EIGHT on my Top 9 Horror Films of 2003 on my homepage (right ahead of the even MORE painful disappointment that was "DREAMCATCHER").  I never got excited or deeply invested in the plot or characters during the viewing of this movie on DVD.  I don't think you should avoid it like the plague (there were a great deal of horror films released in 2003 that GREATLY deserve that tag), but it's not one you should rush out to see.  A disappointment?  Indeed.  Greatly.

For whatever reason, I chose to give this sequel a fair chance despite my very negative reaction to the first film.  It might've been my extreme absence from seeing new horror films in the last few years, or just that it may ahve seemed a bit more developed than the first (by way of trailers and such).  Whatever the case, this past Saturday I caught a matinee showing of it, and yes, I actually garnered some enjoyment from it.  Before I get into the critique, let's familiarize you with the premise of Underworld: Evolution.

Eight centuries ago
unknown to humanity, a blood fued raged
between a ruling class of vampires
and a rebellious legion of werewolves
known as lycans.

Legend tells that the war began
with two brothers,
the immortal sons of Alexander Corvinus

Markus, bitten by bat,
became the blood leader of the vampires.

William, bitten by wolf,
became the first and most powerful lycan.

This sequel picks up just exactly where the first film ended.  The lies about the war between vampire and lycan have been uncovered, many former allies and enemies lie dead, and the vampire death dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and the first hybrid of the two immortal species, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), are now on the run.  Meanwhile, vampire elder Markus (Tony Curran) has been revived.  He is the very first and most powerful vampire, and he shows it from the very first minute on screen following his resurrection.  He absorbs the blood memories of the lycan doctor that was slain in the crypt, and comes up to speed on all the recent betrayals and treachery.  He goes hunting down Selene to learn all she knows, more than even she is aware of.  Markus knows that Viktor deserved the end he got, as the pre-title flashback sequence shows, but the intentions of Markus are much more frightening, volatile, and lethal than those in the previous film.  As Markus tries to move his plans forward, Michael & Selene hideout wherever possible, and eventually become more intimate with one another.  More secrets and hidden truths begin to unfold, and Markus' ultimate plan is unveiled as he wants to create a new race forged by the purest of both vampire and lycan.  Unknowingly, Selene holds one major key to Markus' plans, but there is much vengence for him to reap along the way.  Ultimately, our heroes must evolve to battle this new enemy or perish in its wake.

One of the things that I first enjoyed about this sequel were the more exciting and unique action sequences.  No more are we treated to shootout after shootout, but we have much more phsyical combat on top of some nice chase sequences.  Every action sequence is different from the last, whether in context or geography.  It made this film much more lively and intense.  Secondly, Scott Speedman really comes more into his "evolved" character of the vamp-lycan hybrid Michael Corvin.  He's involved in more smash mouth brawls and chase scenes.  He's a more active member in the story despite having much less pivitol importance to it instead of riding the wild wave carrying him along to unknown desitnations.  Selene still does much to protect and guide him as he becomes more familiar with what he is, but he's not helpless by a longshot.  Also, the design of the hybrid is more evolved as well, and yes, I am using the subtitle of this film a lot.  Though, it is justified because there's a lot of evolution with this sequel.  Anyway, with a bigger budget, but not an overinflated one, this film has some upgraded effects that truly benefit the characters and story.  Corvin's hybrid creature design is more satisfying to me as it takes on a few more werewolf characteristics, and the creature itself tends to be more animalistic.

There are fewer characters this time around, but the depth of them is much improved.  There's more emotion here, especially with Selene.  She's no longer some cold killing machine, trying to fight back against everything and everyone.  She becomes intimate with Michael, opening her emotions to him, and there's no denying their love for one another.  With no other allies, Michael is all she has, and Selene is the only one that Michael can latch onto.  Without each other, I doubt they could survive emotionally or psychologically for too long.  One of the new characters is Tanis (Steven Mackintosh), a vampire historian that has been exiled for about three centuries, or so it was believed.  He's a weasel, a real piece of scum that shouts back to the majority of the cast of characters in the previous film, but is easily more enjoyable than despicable.  Not surprisingly, Tanis has interesting ties to Lucian .  Another new character is portrayed by Sir Dereck Jacobi, a revered British actor of stage and screen.  His character is wholly pivitol to absolutely everything, and is greatly responsible for cleaning up after the messes of both the vampires and lycans.  He helps keep their underworld as hidden as possible - mainly because he's partly responsible for its existence - but none have been aware of his existence until now.

And the new villian, Markus, proves to be quite an adversary for all, especially Selene & Michael.  He certainly has a swirl of emotions being manipulated and opposed by Viktor for centuries.  He seeks to free his brother William, the most ravenous and powerful lycan ever, and together, no one will be able to survive them.  Markus is truly frightening and indiscriminately lethal.  He knows what he wants, and will tear through whomever he must to achieve his god-like goals.  He's not as intriguing a villian as Lucian was (who actually proved to not be the villian at all in the first film), but he still does not disappoint.  While Lucian was someone with more carefully laid plans, partly subversive, partly direct, and partly vengeful, Markus is purely about revenge, and has no use for being subversive.  He's very upfront and direct with his approach to achieving his goals.  Tony Curran portrays him fantastically through and through.

The effects in this film are even more impressive than the first film.  There are a lot of effects here that you would swear are practical, but don't seem logistically possible.  The visual effects department deserves major credit for their amazing work here!  There's not a bad or cheesy piece of CGI here, if you can even decifer what is CGI to begin with.  In any case, this is a major visual effects achievement, and everyone knows that bad CGI can completely kill any movie (especially one with such a serious tone as this one).  Yes, the dead serious tone persists here, but there's a couple of smirks to be had here and there.

The music of Underworld remains the same with the industrial rock remixes and such.  The score is also fantastic, and possibly a bit more dynamic than before (mainly due to the demands of the story and action).  We get a lot more action early on, and would have to say that there is a higher degree of gore here.  It's not massive amount of gore, but more gruesome since Markus is a far more violent character than we saw in the original Underworld.  There's also less "technobabble" this time around because there's nothing new to describe in relation to it.  Simply put, all the medical jargon and related exposition more or less applies here as well, and so, there's no need to say it all again.  There's ultimately less exposition overall, but there's still plenty of backstory to explore.

Basically, I found this movie enjoyable.  The action is far fresher than that in the first movie.  There's easily much more character depth, allowing you to really feel more for these characters, and to become closer to them.  There's not as much mystery this time around, and the scope of it all might seem smaller.  This is partly due having fewer characters than before, and this film takes place more outside in mountainous regions than inside the mansion where there was a lot of production designs to show off (as well as extras).  Though, I believe Underworld: Evolution makes up for it on many levels.  Also, after viewing the extended cut of the original Underworld, I believe both films are equal, but on different levels.  What one lacks, the other makes up for.  One film's weakness is the other's strength, and so, they even out in the end.  I believe if you melded both films together into one, capitalizing on both of their strengths, you'd have one bad ass movie, but instead we get two that are pretty damn good in their own ways.  So, I give a 7.5 out of 10 for Underworld: Evolution.

Let me say that John Carpenter has shown that he is the master of horror movies! Vampires is his latest installment, and it succeeds!  James Woods plays Jack Crow, a master vampire slayer, who, along with his team of well-equipped slayers, hunt down hordes of vampires at a time.  They are backed by the Catholic church, and are dedicated to their mission.  Everything is going fine until they find a nest without a master vampire.  This worries Jack, but he soon dismisses it as the gang unwinds with a sinful night of brooze and hookers.  Unfortunately, it is now when this master comes to kill them all.  A massacre ensues at the hands of this immensely powerful vampire named Valek (Tomas Ian Griffith).  The entire crew is dispatched including their own padré, Father Giovanni (Gregory Sierra), but Jack and Montoya (Daniel Baldwin) escape along with a hooker named Katrina (Sheryl Lee) who's been bitten in a most provocative way.  After an exciting nighttime chase sequence, the dawn comes, and Jack goes back to see Cardinal Alba (Maximilian Schell) to get answers.  The answers he receives are shocking, but the more immediate questions is not answered - how did Valek know the slayers were coming, and how does he know Jack's name?  Jack & Montoya are now joined by the young and timid Father Adam Guiteau (Tim Guinee).  Meanwhile, through Katrina's growing psychic link with Valek, Jack slowy puts together the master vampire's plan, but can his out-numbered and weakened team stand up to a horde of master vampires and a possible betrayal within their ranks?

To start off, James Woods owns this entire goddamn movie!  He commands the screen like any no-nonsense gritty hero.  He takes no shit, and knows nothing of subtlety.  Simply put, Jack Crow is not a social being.  The backstory of his character is very painful and traumatic, but he's not a sympathetic hero.  He's the flipside of another Carpenter bad ass - "Snake" Plissken.  Where Plissken was pretty soft-spoken and forced to trust in people in bad situations, Crow is a hard ass that doesn't much give a damn about the odds.  He's got a vendetta to settle with Valek now, and he's not gonna stop 'til he gets some blood spilled.  Still, he's keen and focused.  Crow doesn't get blinded by rage or vengeance.  He's a hunter, and that's the instinct he follows the most.  He has great scenes with everyone in the film, and really shows no fear even in the face of apparent death.  The guy's got an attitude to spare, and I couldn't think of anyone but James Woods tackling this character.  He's got such an energy, intensity, and authority that allows him to easily carry the entire film, if need be.

Though, Valek is portrayed extremely well by Thomas Ian Griffith in a savage, confident, creepy, and sadistic style.  Valek does have a rage, but it is controlled.  He knows what he wants, and goes about it with lustful passion.  He really holds his own against Woods, and makes Valek a very powerful and memorable villian.  Daniel Baldwin plays Montoya with a lot of different tones.  He's a bit cynical and vulgar at first, switches over into a real mean streak, but also shows us some hurt at the end.  It's very solid performance by him.  Sheryl Lee is not only very talented, but she is sizzling HOT!  We see some very nice bare skin, but nothing frontal.  She has some very intense stuff to tackle here, and does so superbly.  Tim Guinee plays the timid and inexperienced Father Adam with an endearing quality.  You feel sorry for the guy when Woods is smacking him around and ripping on him (literally).  And of course, Maximilian Schell brings his fine Shakespearian acting talents to grace this film with a wonderful performance.  I'd like to say more about it, but it would force me into a spoiler.

John Carpenter has always been a big fan of the westerns, and that is never more apparent than in this film.  Vampires
has distinct elements of those great Spaghetti westerns of the 60s and 70s.  The southwestern American landscape is used to strikingly stunning degrees, and provides a unique backdrop for a vampire film.  The cinematography from Gary B. Kibbe really brings an amazing beauty to this classic old west style envirnoment.  Kibbe also lensed Prince of Darkness & In The Mouth of Madness which both also had fantastic and dramatic cinematography.  Carpenter & Kibbe have worked on other pictures as well, and they seem to really mesh well as a team.

This movie is a great one for gore fans!  KNB EFX Group delivers again for the horror fans!  As I've believed, they get better with every film they work on, and their work here is amazing!  Bodies ripped in half, throats slashes wide open, blood everywhere, and creepy vampire makeup really brought this film a major shock and gross-out factor.  I'm talking a TON of blood here flowing and splattering everywhere.  It makes Valek even more of a violent, powerful threat to show he can produce this much carnage alone.

At the time of release, I can honestly say that this was the kind of horror we had been missing for the past 8-10 years.  I don't think since the first two Hellraisers had there been this much blood and gore soaking the screen.  This film gives everything you've been looking for in a horror film!  Just make sure you have a semi-strong stomach for gore, or else this maybe a very messy viewing experience.  As always, Carpenter gives us a lot of horror with a dose of humor, but also some great action!  Plus, the score is absolutely awesome!  The heavy blues guitars for the "slayers' theme" is a great piece, and is paired with some very chilling and intense orchestration.  It really rounds out the film well, as any of Carpenter's scores have.  I've owned the score since the film was released, and it's still as good now as it was when I picked it up.  This is a MUST-SEE for any horror fan, and a no-brainer for John Carpenter fans (which I am one)!  James Woods just really makes this movie worth more than your while.  Even the alte Gene Siskel believed Woods deserves an Oscar nomination for this performance, but we know how those awards shows view genre fare.  But in any case, I highly recommend this film.  I would caution you not to watch the trailer first because it does contain important spoilers which I intentionally avoided in this review.  I give the film a 9.5/10 just because the utlimate climax seemed to end a bit cheaply, but overall, it's a very enjoyable and kick ass horror film by one of the masters of the genre!

"THE X-FILES" is a very creative and invented adaptation of the popular television series, which I am a fan of.  The movie has a plot of gigantic proportions, and the acting is top notch.  It brings in some of the main regular characters from the series, but there were a few things I was disappointed with.  One, there was no real character developments with any of the characters, from Mulder & Scully to Skinner & the Cigarette-Smoking Man, nothing really developed in the end.  Nothing really deep was discovered as it concerns the characters & their mythology of this ongoing storyline (in retrospect, the series could've gone on just as it did without the events in this movie).  I was also disappointed in not seeing few characters such as the Alien Bounty Hunter (Brian Thompson) & Alex Krychek (Nicholas Lea), as they have been some of the more interesting, intracle, and mysterious characters of the X-Files series.  Martin Landau is Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil, an elderly gentlemen that knew Agent Mulder's father, and he is also the main connection in this entire story.  He sheds light on the hidden truth of the bombing in Dallas at the beginning of the movie.  Many other elements come into play as the Syndicate leader, Strughold (Armin Mueller-Stahl), calls the group together including the Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis) & the Well-Manicured Man (John Neville) to discuss numerous unforeseen events.  A few deaths do occur in the film, but I will not reveal anything more than that.  As it goes with the Mulder-Scully relationship, it gets real close, emotionally, but I won't say anything more than that either.  Chris Carter, the creator of the X-Files, wanted this movie to be appealing to people who have never seen the series, but to the series fans it became a downfall for them as nothing big happened in terms of the characters, but only gave us the full circle ending where we end-up exactly where we began, with nothing (and Mulder & Scully realize as much).  Overall I give it an 8 out of 10 because of the lack of character development in the movie.  It's a very well shot, very well acted, and very well directed feature film.  What revelations there are in this movie are not as epic or monumental as the promotional campaign would lead you to believe, but it's worth seeing, just don't jack up your expectations.  View it as you would any episode of the television series, and you'll come out fine.

"ZERO EFFECT" is a rather original movie in its own right with interesting characters. A comedic mystery of sorts. Bill Pullman is Darryl Zero, the ever mysterious private investigator who never meets his clients, or at least not in a way that they know about, but works through Steve Arlo played by Ben Stiller. Anyway, Zero takes a blackmailing case for a Mr. Stark in Portland, and ends up getting romanically involved with a suspect in the case as Arlo runs back and forth from L.A. to Portland and back while he tries to continue his relationship with his girlfriend. Zero is a mostly observant P.I., and can see through any lie, secret, or mystery. This is a very funny movie with a good plot for a case which includes many twists and turns. I definitely give ZERO EFFECT a good 10 points on my 10 point scale. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and wouldn't mind going to see it again. I highly reccommend that you go see this movie if you're in the mood for a good comedy and/or mystery. Bill Pullman does another outstanding comedic performance in this as well as Ben Stiller, go see it this weekend as it is only in limited release (which means it won't be in movie theatres in every town or city). This is a very smart comedy with very unique characters in it, and I strongly urge you to see this film while it's out there in the theatres. Five stars, two thumbs up, ten points from me, go see it soon! :-)