Reviews
A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Sci Fi Cult Classic with defy humor
When I first heard of this movie I had no intention of ever seeing it. I am a cat person, and could care less about some silly story about a dog and his mutt. That was before I knew the screenplay was written by Harlan Ellison as an adaptation of his novella.
The first time I saw it I knew I had to own it. I subsequently picked up a copy at the earliest oppurtunity. It is a fantastic cult science fiction classic and model of post-apocalyptic film making. Deft touches of humor abound. The back lists it as an inspiration for Mad Max.
A Boy and His Dog is the story of Vic/Albert, and his dog Blood as they eke out their living in the Southwest wastelands of post World War IV. Blood is a lot smarter than Vic and communicates with him telepathically.
Vic is played by Don Johnson, after he had made 3 earlier films and was about to make 5 or 6 tv pilots before landing Miami Vice. If you have a low opinion of Don Johnson's talent I believe this film will change your mind. I will give no more of the plot away, but I have to say if the ending surprises you then you missed the point of the picture.
The dog's training and voiceover is as much responsible for the success of this film as anything else. The voice of Tim McInire fits perfectly for the dog's character and was magnificently acted/voiced. The best lines are given to Blood ("Once more into the breach, dear friends"). The dog was phenonomenal. When the (voice of the) dog is talking the animal's posture and movement are perfect. I found out in the commentary that the pooch's trainer got together before the shooting and transferred control of the animal over to Don Johnson. Therefore during the movie it would not look to its trainer for guidance, but to Don instead.
A lot of people bash this movie for its production values. I'd like to see them do the same to Mad Max. The script easily takes this film past any budgetary limitations.
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
Under-performance of the Decade
Given the presences of J. Malkovitch, G. Depardieu and J. Irons, I expected an enjoyable Musketeers movie. Instead this was a film I had to endure to reach the credits. This has to be the most disappointing movie I have seen in the past few years. The above actors appeared to be "sleep acting" and L. DiCaprio was annoying and all around pathetic. If you want to see a musketeers movie, it is not possible to find a worse choice than this film. If it were possible to rate this movie less than a "1" I would do so.
Funny Farm (1988)
The only accurate word in the title is Farm
As it took place on a farm, and was so crappy it could be used as fertilizer on a farm. If you accidentally pick this movie up at a rental store, wash you hands ASAP. If you are forced to watch it for any reason, just remember who did it to you on that list of grievances you keep. If you can make it through without projectile vomiting, you are a better man than I.
Shu dan long wei (1995)
Rollicking send up of Jackie Chan/Die Hard Homage
I just finished watching this movie and I have to say it was money well spent. The best description of High Risk would be a homage to Die Hard and a parody of Jackie Chan. Jet Li plays a former bomb squad commander whose last run in with the villain cost him his family. He has since become the double and bodyguard of Frankie, a Kung Fu superstar. Frankie is a cowardly, boozing, womanizer who has forgotten how he achieved his stardom.
Various elements play like Die Hard scenes including the characters and dialog. Mixed in with this are other subplots and some original scenes (at least to me). I won't spoil them by elaborating. Suffice to say, High Risk is an excellent blend of comedy, action (both martial arts and gunplay) and suspense with some romance thrown in. This movie does not take itself too seriously. Sometimes it parodies the martial arts genre with its voices, dialog and facial expressions!
On the down side, the subtitles leave something to be desired, blending into the background and being poorly translated on occasion. The disc has no features, just different subtitles. The video quality is average, audio Dolby Digital 2.0/Pro-Logic.
Any fan of Jet Li, Hong Kong films or action in general will enjoy this a lot. There is little if any wire Fu.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
positive summary
A marvelous film. An eclectic offbeat classic, with a very good script, an abundance of wry humor and a good mix of action.
Not necessarily for everyone, but rather an intelligent person's film which gets better with each viewing. The cast contains a large number of established Hollywood names.
I understand that a sequel was planned, and a script written, but the funding did not appear.