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Jigoku no banken: akai megane (1987)
Disappointing, pretentious, and boring
I learned about the existence of this movie after watching Ghost In The Shell. Being a fan of the franchise, I thought other work from Mamoru Oshii would be at least as good. So, I stumbled upon Red Spectacles. Inspired by "1984" it said, so my interest was picking up. And then I watched it and was left disappointed, to say the least.
I'm not going to say why I like Ghost.. because this review will turn into review of the anime. Japanese anime and movies have tendencies to confuse the one watching more often than not, and while this is not always a good thing, there is always something that grips you to try to understand it. This movie is just confusing, and there never is a sign that something is going to happen that will explain things. It's just more confusing junk piling over at every corner, intertwined by pretentious quoting of Shakespeare and toilet humor.
Yes, toilet humor. There are scenes actually when the protagonist is struck by diarrhea. While the first time this happens it is amusing and you can attribute it to the quirkiness of Japanese culture, but by the third time you come to question the the director's fascination with it.
Second thing i don't get is why is considered dystopian, Orwellian, and other words connected with that meaning. At the beginning, it really sets the story in that direction. But by the end, (here come spoilers), you realize it may all be happening in the protagonists head. So why exactly am i watching this? It reminds me of another also pretentious western movie with Tim Robbins now that i think about it...
The only thing that made me give this movie 4/10 is the visual style, witch were this a different movie with actual plot would be great, and the score by Kenji Kawai. Besides that, nothing makes this movie worth your time.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Enjoyable
This movie's main problem is trying to explain so much about Wolverine in so little time. The story spans for few years actually. The thing that really annoyed me was that after 20 minutes of the movie he gets flashbacks of what he did in the begging. Then in an hour he gets flashbacks of that time. He fights and loves in between.
I started to like the movie somewhere in the last half of it. Then, the story actually starts getting more focused, and faster developing.
The good side of the movie is the great job Hugh Jackman did in playing his role. Also, there are the good special-effect, lot's of action, good humor, and the part I liked mostly, the way the story ended.
All in all, it was an enjoyable movie.
28 Days Later... (2002)
A well done viral-outbreak movie.
This is one of the better movies in this genre I've seen.
The characters and the story is well done. I liked how it dealt with the survivors interacting amongst them self. How they were guided by their will to survive. How they react to the new environment. And how they turn to animals even without the virus present.
The story develops very well, although it is slow at times. The casting is very good, the main actors performed great. The action is very cool,m and it serves the story.
This is a good movie, and I recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of movies, and even to those that don't. 7/10
28 Weeks Later (2007)
A fine example of Idiot Plot
An idiot plot is when all characters have to act as complete idiots for the plot to work.
This is the case in this movie.
The story actually start very well. You'll say even 'This is going to be a good movie!' But, no.
All characters, both civilian and army ones, act as their IQ is 50. The decisions of characters in this movie are the equivalent of putting your hand in boiling oil. On your own accord. And then thinking it was great idea.
Actually. everything characters do in the movie is done to make way for you to see good make-up, special effect, and lot's of explosions. If you want to see story, better watch commercials.
Robert Carlyle is awful here, because he simply has no role.
This movie is very bad. It's so bad it's Horrible. If you watched 28 days latter, and liked it, like me, never watch this. If you like movies, never watch this. If you like fun, never watch this. Just, don't.
Trust me.
The only thing cool was one scene with helicopter. It serves nothing, it's just cool. It's why I gave this movie 2/10.
Farscape (1999)
A show destroyed by bad writing
The premise is good. Test pilot thrown into another part of the galaxy, finishes up together with bunch of misfits. Cool opening, I thought I'm in for a great ride.
But, bad writing happens to this show, and it hits like a train.
Bad characters is first thing that comes to my mind after watching few episodes. Then, their development is either non-existent, or they change suddenly like schizophrenics. The relationship with them seams false and forced. The cliffhangers at the end of the seasons are resolved in almost insane way....
The thing that I enjoyed, is Season 3, the absolute best of this series, and a season that may compete even with seasons from higher quality shows. It's why I gave this show 6/10, and why I think someone should watch it.
Also, there is the great concept of Moya, the living ship, and it's Pilot, then also the intelligent plants....
It's real shame the show proved too much to handle for it's writers. It could have been a classic.
Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004)
Catastrophe!
Now, I was never fan of Farscape. The show had great ideas, and lot's of potential, but it got ruined by bad writing, So, it got canceled, for unknown reason. The whole series end in a shocking way.
This movie starts in a way that insults my intelligence. Now, the cliffhangers in Farscape may have been resolved in a stupid way, but this was demented.
Next, the story was utterly dull. They finished all plot-lines, that's cool. But it was all forced, and unbelievable. And the ending, although cool in it's way, lacked the feeling of grandeur the plot in the series tried to build.
Also, for fans of the series, one thing it's going to make you very angry, but I don't wanna spoil anything.
So, if it wasn't for the cool FX, this would have been 1. I would never recommend this to anyone.
Lexx (1996)
Brilliantly bizarre
Lexx has to be the craziest, strangest, and most bizarre shows in TV history.
It's about 4 characters:
Zev/Xev is a love slave. Stan is level 4 security guard. Kai is the last of his kind, a dead assassin. 790, is a robot head.
Mixed together, they make probably the most ineffective team in history of TV. But that's one of the things that gives this series flavor: it is always fun to see how they interact with each other and things around them. And also, their bond grows stronger progressively in the series, even if they don't notice it and refuse to acknowledge it.
Then, there is the all-present sexual frustration. This series is never afraid to deal with sex, In fact, one could say that the story is driven by sex. But, don't make that mistake; this show deals with love, pain, suffering, romance, evil, good, society... And it's one of the most intelligent ones out there!
This is one of the best series ever made. But i must warn you, it's not for everyone. I'm recommending this only to the open-minded people, who are not afraid to deal with sexual themes, or other bizarre stories this show has.
Also, it's not for you if you're seeking pure sci-fi. Lexx turns the whole sci-fi genre upside-down.
Andromeda (2000)
Show with great ideas
I liked this show, for the first 4 seasons.
I liked it because of the great ideas it presented: Firstly, the Nietcheans. They're genius concept, excellently written human off-shoot race.
Then, the quantum-slipstream drive. It adds a mysterious, even fantasy-like feeling to the series. It's the most original way to travel FTL, ever shown on TV! Next, we have the Vedrans, another mystery in the series. They're the long lost founders of Commonwealth, and only a myth in the time Dylan Hunt is in.
We came to the Commonwealth, which is maybe even better in it's concept than the Federation, in Star Trek.
And then, further on, there are the Avatars that ships have, there is the factor that Earth is not important...
Then, right after the really great concepts and ideas, there comes the great cast, which has equally great characters, great plot-lines, good humor, much action......
So, one would say why did I give it 7? It's the 5th season, it messes up everything, and it turns this show from a genius work of art that came from Gene Roddenberry's mind, to complete and utter junk.
I highly recommend this to every fan of good sci-fi. Just skip the 5th season, or don't take it seriously.
Heroes (2006)
A show that lost it's way.....
Once upon a time, this show was brilliant, a TV comic filled with action, good characters, good story-line. Overall, a show that could get you seriously addicted.
To bad, this lasted only for a season.
After the 1st season, everything went awry. Characters lost power randomly. Plot-lines (as well as plot-holes) started appearing also, randomly. Characters became annoying. Sylar, probably the strongest character in s1, by end of season 3 is completely ruined. Nathan is forced to be important, and succeeds only in being the Kenny of Heroes.
And did I mention the plot-holes? After such a great first season, I really wonder, how did things get to this point? I'm still watching this show, in hope it improves in quality, but it's going to take a lot to wash away the bitter taste left by the terrible s3.
Stargate (1994)
A real classic!
I liked this movie from the first time I saw it, as a child. It fired up my imagination, to say the least :) There is ring that transports people to another planet, a scary alien with even scarier guards that pretends he is a god, and lives in a pyramid, and bunch of people brought from earth to be his slaves. And a lot of action, explosions, and drama...
That's how i saw this as a kid. I simply loved it, but I never caught it on TV again, and Internet wasn't around then. Then i managed to find it on DVD, and said, I want to see it with grown up eyes, if it really was that good....
And, re-watching I found out that it was even better. Now i saw that the acting was great, especially from Spader and Kurt. The directing, well, it's Roland Emmerich, that's enough said....
The ideas in the movie are brilliant. First, about the stargate itself, the device that as it turned out, opened a new, fresh way of telling stories in sci-fi. Then, the god being an alien, pyramids being landing sites...
Well, i cannot really say more than it's already said about it; the movie is a cult classic, it spawned 3 TV shows, and 2 direct to DVD movies as of today. I regret that Emmerich didn't make it a trilogy, maybe it would be more fitting (I didn't like the SG-1 series much), but I'm happy that we have this nonetheless :) I recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi, and even to those who don't, because I think it's hard not to find it interesting..
House M.D. (2004)
Excellent TV!
First, I'd like to say that I was never into medical/drama shows on TV. And I still ain't for that matter....
But this, this is something different...
You have a misanthropic genius doctor called House, played by the great Hugh Laurie, who likes medical riddles, but doesn't like patients at all. He is actually Sherlock Holmes that studied medicine instead of becoming PD. Everything is there: drug addiction, genius at solving riddles, musical talent, misanthropy... he even has his Dr. Watson, if you can look at Willson that way.
And this is great thing. This is the actual genius of this series. Making Sherlock Holmes without the crime involved, and, with that, creating a character that I believe will be no smaller legend, if he isn't already that now.
And, it gets even better. The show although called House, and being centered around him, it tells the story about the people that work with him also, and it's pretty amazing at it. I simply love every character in it, even some that have only been in 3-4 episodes. I remember even some of the patients he has treated, and their stories... That's the another power of this show, besides the great character; it really gets you involved! This is 10/10, no doubt about it. It's pure genius, and I want it around as much as it can keep the quality. And, it's one of the rare shows I've seen, that even after 5 seasons, it hasn't fallen short in that area.
Fringe (2008)
Horrible!
Now, I've seen many bad movies, bad shows, but this one..... blows away everything.
It starts with cool 2 hour premiere, with car explosion that cost millions, you get involved in something called 'the pattern'.....
And then beautifully, the show transforms from mildly interesting, to utter crap. EVERY cliché, and I am not exaggerating, you have ever seen in Sci-fi, it's in this thing they call TV show.
The story of each episode goes like this: there are evil guys who do bad stuff in the begging, whit some technology made from 'fringe' science. Then, you get fight scenes, horrible, HORRIBLE acting from Anna Torv, and some endless chatter between the main guy and his mad scientist type father. Then, the mad scientist somewhere about 5-7 minutes before the end of the said episode finds out that he's been working on the SAME thing bad guys use, and he fights them with his counter weapon. That's it. That actually might be 'the pattern'. :)) If you are reading this, and say, that's not bad, believe me, after watching 15 episodes (that's how much i got myself to watch before i reconsidered the value of my life) of that same crap, you'll definitely change your mind.
Another thing that pisses me off, is the guys comparing this to X-Files. Don't, please. I want it to be back to, I'm great fan of it, I love Moulder and Scully, but PLEASE, don't draw parallels between a legendary series and this junk...
It says here the lowest is 1... shame....
Babylon 5 (1993)
Superior to all science fiction on TV
Babylon 5 is the BEST Sci-Fi series ever made. Period.
I'm a great sci-fi fan. I've seen nearly everything the series of this genre can offer. But, I have not yet seen something that compares to this.
Before this, I was hooked on Star Trek, saying it is the best in many ways, but I always, even as a child missed one thing....
...a BIG story connecting the episodes.
And, I've found Babylon 5. Not only that it gave me a great story, spanning through literally every episode, but it got me characters that are real, ever-changing, dependable on each other, and constantly interacting with the environment. It gave a real look at what our future might look like, a real look at humans as arrogant species. And lastly, and most important, it thought me that it's never pointless to fight for your rights, an for what you believe in.
And, it's the only series yet that made me cry over fate of a character.
I have nothing more to say. I give 10/10, but in reality, it's easily off the scale.
Charlie Jade (2005)
Masterpiece
Now, this is something everyone should see! This is a series that I stumbled upon, and got hooked immediately. Not only got hooked, but I enjoyed every second of it. The filming is great, unlike anything I've seen in any TV series before. The musical score is amazing (I'm disappointed a soundtrack is not released!). The acting is also very good, especially from Michael. His character, 01 Boxer, is one of the best (if not the best) characters in any Sfi-Fi series I've seen (and I've seen a lot, believe me).
I've read somewhere that the makers were trying to make a show that's different from the usual sci-fi, and, they have succeeded in every sense.
I'm giving this one 10/10. It's a shame it wasn't picked up for a second season, but I'll be more than happy if someone takes this as inspiration and give some fresh air into the now rather stale Sci-Fi genre!
Stargate SG-1 (1997)
Hugely overrated
I've seen the whole show recently, and I'm rather disappointed.
It's not that it's bad, but it's far, far from good. And far, far from a show that deserves 10 seasons, 2 movies, and 2 spin-offs.
I'm a great fun of the movie, and I was generally excited to see the series. I got myself to watch the dreadful 1st season, cursing my life, and hoping it gets better.
And it did, I must admit. Half way by season 2, I was already a fan, I liked the team, the main story, and, most of all, I enjoyed the humor. It only had two flaws, that later I found out that further in the series just get worse; first, the story was developing terribly slow, and second, the characters always stayed the same. There was only a minor, almost negligent character development throughout the whole series.
All this though, was easy to get by in series 2 through 5. But then, things got terribly worse. Even the humor got repetitive, the story even more slower, and the story arcs ended in the worst way imaginable.
That's for seasons 6 through 8. i won't even comment the last two and the movies.....
So, basically, as a fan to good sci-fi, I wouldn't recommend this to a peer. But i give 5 out of 10 for the little enjoyment this series gave me, for the fact that it helped me realize that other shows I've seen and thought are bad are not so bad, and from respect to the large fan base this series generated. After all, maybe It's only me who looks at it this way :)
Stargate Universe (2009)
This can be a great sci-fi show!!!
I must say, I'm very surprised how this show started. It's darker, story-driven, original, with better written and realistic characters, in all, much better than SG-1 was, in every field.
And I am also impressed the way it's filmed, and the musical score is a little unusual for science fiction. The acting so far it's great, especially by Robert Carlyle and Justin Louis. The only remark I would have is that they seem to be little too forceful about presenting the characters, but it's still beginning, and i have a feeling everything will settle down good.
I think this show has much potential, i recommend it, and give it 9/10!