Reviews

This was a film way ahead of its time (featuring some stunning special effects), filmed at enormous expense (DM5,000,000 was a phenomenal amount of money back in 1927!) and butchered following its 200-odd minute premiere.

Some would say the acting was 'hammy', but this was the silent era and expressions had to exaggerated in order to put across to the audience the emotions of the characters. Some of the acting does look stilted, but having said that, Brigitte Helm is brilliant in her dual role as the fragile Maria and the evil Futura.

Since then, the film's travelled down a murky tunnel of poor (sometimes very poor) quality video prints and half-hearted attempts at restoration/reconstruction. True, there was a moment of light when in 1984 (quite a prophetic year for it's re-release) Giorgio Moroder presented us with a nicely tinted, 'rock' scored version, but with only a running time of 87 minutes, this version was still lacking in comparison with the ‘original' 150-odd minute theatrical version. Still, at least the story made more sense in this version.

Now, there seems to be a bright light at the end of this very, very long tunnel. Kino International are finally releasing, on Region 1 DVD, their 124 minute version of the film, digitally restored, featuring a Dolby Digital presentation of the original score by Gottfried Huppertz. From what I read of the theatrical release of this version, it's nothing short of a revelation, with an image that is clear and sharp.

I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

I'm not going to give a review of the film because others have already done so and there aren't really that many people who have not seen the film.

I missed this film when it was first released, but subsequently bought it when it came out on video. Then laserdiscs came along and I was lucky enough to buy a copy of the film by Criterion (which is the uncut European theatrical version). This version forms part of my treasured collection.

Then, the "director's cut" was released and I did make a point of going to see that at the cinema. I have to say that I was really disappointed with this version on three counts:

1. The deletion of the 'violent' bits. The film was not that violent in the first place, so why bother?;

2. The insertion of the 'dream sequence' involving a unicorn. This looked so much like the editor had accidentaly slipped in a scene from 'Legend' that most of the audience burst out laughing. This was supposed to suggest that Deckard IS a replicant, linking (as it does) with Gaff's origami model that he finds at the end of the film. But there are already other subtle clues within the film (like the glow in Deckard's eyes), so why put in this gauche signpost?; and

3. The loss of the voice-over. I, personally, don't mind the Marlowe-esque voice-over. Not only does it explain certain parts of the storyline, but it adds to the 'replicantness' of Deckard's character. Without the voice-over, the film becomes confusing (to the uninitiated) and the pace slows.

Needless to say, I didn't bother to buy the "director's cut" when it was released on DVD. I'm still waiting for the original European version to be released on DVD, but this seems increasingly unlikely (Criterion have since lost their licence for this film). I now read that Ridley Scott is going to revisit his (flawed) sci-fi masterpiece and produce a proper "director's cut". I hope he decides that the original version was okay and simply signs that off for release.

This is one of those rare gems: an excellent TV movie.

In Australia, this TV movie is (apparently) called 'Hamburger Hill 2'. Although it's neither a sequel nor a prequel to 'Hamburger Hill', I forgive the reference on the basis that if you've seen (and enjoyed) 'Hamburger Hill', you will certainly enjoy this movie. Both are directed by John Irvin and share certain elements: a simple story, a relatively unknown cast, excellent production values and dramatic battle sequences.

The story centres around Private Manning (Ron Eldard), a soldier who simply wants out, but finds himself, due to the fact that his survival instinct is misinterpreted as battle instinct, promoted first to Sergeant and then to Lieutenant and given charge of a small band of new soldiers as they battle with the German Army. Manning is assisted by war-worn medic, Chamberlain (Frank Whaley) and taunted by his nemesis, Sergeant Talbot (Dylan Bruno) who sees him as a coward. Manning, however, redeems himself. The ending is heartbreaking.

As with 'Hamburger Hill', John Irvin presents us with a poignant reminder of just how much of a meat-grinder War is. Instead of a hill, we have a forest - a beautiful, but deadly forest. The cinematography here belies its TV movie status; it is simply stunning. The cast, especially the protagonists, give 100%. The sense of anger, fear and despair is palpable. There's no let up in all its 92 minutes.

My only quibble (and a minor one) is with the music. Whereas Philip Glass provided a simple, yet chilling, motif for 'Hamburger Hill', Geoffrey Burgon gives us slightly too much music which, in some scenes, didn't quite gel with the images.

I bought this movie on DVD on the basis of other reviews here and the fact that I enjoyed (and also bought) 'Hamburger Hill'. I did not waste my tenner. Excellent.

10/10

Is "The Two Towers" better than "The Fellowship Of The Ring"? That's rather an unfair question. I went to see the film hoping that it would be 'as excellent as' the first part of the trilogy and I wasn't disappointed.

After a fairly slow start (though with some awesome sweeps across New Zealand's unspoilt landscapes) we spend the next few hours switching between Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli (as they race to rescue Pippin and Merry) and Frodo and Sam (as they race towards Mount Doom to dispose of the Ring). The culmination of the film is a breathtaking battle at Helm's Deep with Men and Elves pitted against the full might of Saruman.

The main characters are fleshed out in this film (Frodo and Sam in particular) and Gimli provides some welcome comic relief during the final battle sequence (which I think is rather too gruesome for the 12A rating the film's been given in the UK).

You could run out of superlatives simply describing the action sequences, the sets and the CGI work, before you even come to what I consider as the scene-stealer of the film which really puts the "wow!" into the "the wow factor". Much has been said of the character Gollum/Smeagol, but nothing prepares you for his first appearance - if this is what the next generation of CGI looks like, then actors beware! Andy Serkis (who voiced and provided the motion-capture for the character) and Wega Digital are to be congratulated for creating a character that can have you reduced to tears (as, I have to admit, it did me). If they don't win an Oscar for this, then there is no justice.

Much has also been said of the Ents. They're not as bad as I was expecting them to be and to be honest, you can't make walking, talking trees look anything other than rather stupid, no matter what budget you have at your disposal.

The only real fault with the film (and a similar fault with "The Fellowship Of The Ring" before the extended version was released on DVD) is that it's rather scrappily edited. There are times when you question how something suddenly occured and the sudden jumps between scenes become rather headache-inducing. This film is crying out for a cohesive director's cut (and hopefully this will be with us within the year).

Overall a brilliant film. If you enjoyed the first part of "The Lord Of The Rings", you'll definitely enjoy the second. Roll on next year and "The Return Of The King"!

Film - 9/10 Gollum/Smeagol - 10/10

What can one say about "Braindead" (or "Dead Alive", as it's known in the USA)? It's easily the sickest, goriest and funniest film since, well, Peter Jackson's debut "Bad Taste" and his follow-up "Meet The Feebles".

There are some deliciously over-the-top performances from the cast (including Elizabeth Moody, who revels as our hero's overbearing mother and Stuart Devenie's outrageous turn as 'Father "Kick Arse" McGruder) and a brilliantly jokey soundtrack from Peter Dasent (who provided the music for 'Meet The Feebles'). And as for the gore, well, you could fill a swimming pool with it! Absolutely brilliant!!

There are various versions of this film kicking around, ranging from the pointless R-rated 85-minute version to the completely uncut 104-minute "Blood Edition" (my personal favourite). Whichever version you watch (apart from the R-rated version), you'll be guaranteed the cinematic equivalent of a rollercoaster ride. Be warned though, this is not for the faint of stomach, especially the finale!

10/10

PS - watch out for a cameo from the director himself (as the undertaker's assistant).

Considering the amount of crap that Hollywood studios churn out onto DVD these days, it's simply amazing that this absolute gem of a horror movie is only available on video (and NTSC at that!). If you, like me, are a big fan of the multi-talented Viggo Mortensen and are lucky enough to come across a copy of this film on eBay or suchlike, then I suggest you buy it until someone comes to their senses and treats this film to the DVD transfer that it richly deserves.

This was Renny Harlin's fourth film (just before he came to fame with 'Die Hard 2') and stars Viggo, as the kind of prisoner that you'd want as your friend, along with Lane Smith (he of the 'Superman' TV series) as a deliciously sadistic warden. The story takes place in a prison (no surprise there, though it was filmed in a REAL prison which adds to the atmosphere) and concerns the unintentional release of the revenging spirit of a prisoner electrocuted 30 years earlier - nuff said. Fans of truly inventive and gory dispatches will love this film. The ending is a bit cheesy, but that's the only quibble I have.

9/10

PS - Viggo does look real good in his underwear.

"Star Wars" is a brilliant film. It was awesome in 1977. It's still awesome now. It's a simple story. It's a lively mix of film genres. The actors work well together and the action sequences are thrilling. So why is it not available on pukka DVD? You can get it on video and (defunct) laser disc, but not DVD. This is a glaring mistake.

So Mr Lucas is tied up with producing Episodes I to III and will look at Episode IV, but on the evidence of Episode I: The Phantom Menace (yeah, right!) and from what I hear, Episode II (I was so disgusted with Episode I, I didn't even bother with Episode II), I don't know why he's bothering.

Episode IV is a complete package. It has a beginning, a middle and a proper ending. Although Episode V developed the characters and Episode VI rounded them off, they just can't compare with the 'original' film.

And then there was the tinkering in 1997. Okay, so the film stock was on the verge of disintegrating and there's no denying that bringing the film up to THX standards and adding some sympathetic digital effects has produced a film that is even better than the original production, but WHY OH WHY include the 'Solo meets Jabba' scene. It adds nothing to the film; it looks clumsy (the digital Jabba looks digital) and it should've remained on the cutting room floor. When Mr Lucas finally comes around to overseeing the release of Episode IV on DVD, perhaps he can delete this scene.

Star Wars (1977) - 9/10 Star Wars (1997) - 7/10

Having seen "Titan AE" (and been bitterly disappointed), I thought that Pixar would hold the copyright on entertaining animation that appeals both to children and adults (with gems like "Toy Story", "Toy Story 2" and "A Bug's Life"), but then I saw "Monsters, Inc" and it seemed Pixar had fallen flat on its face. As a result, I missed "Ice Age" on its theatrical release, but thankfully I bit the bullet and bought it on DVD and I can now say that Fox have come back with a vengeance: "Ice Age" is a scream!

Where "Monsters, Inc" was uncharacteristically flat and irritating (especially the character 'Mike', voiced by Billy Crystal), "Ice Age" hits you with a knockout opening (featuring a character not unlike Wile E Coyote (Skrat) who never quite manages to bury his acorn) and goes on from there until the closing credits.

The main protagonists of the movie: Manfred the Mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano who sounds not unlike John Ratzenberger, who voiced 'Hamm' from "Toy Story" and 'P T Flea' from "A Bug's Life"); Sid the Sloth (voiced by John Leguizamo, the actor who played 'Clown' in "Spawn") and Diego the Sabre-Toothed Tiger (voiced by Denis Leary who did Francis the Ladybug in "A Bug's Life"), all have amazing characteristics and interact perfectly. The action sequences are spectacular (the opening and the ice slide sequences especially) and the moments of pathos are executed well. Even the cutesy child is not as remotely annoying as the cutesy child in "Monsters, Inc".

On the DVD, you even get Skrat appearing in a four plus minute adventure "Gone Nutty", which is an homage to Tex Avery. Awesome!

10/10!

Okay, so the end song 'Heartbeat' is buttock-clenchingly awful, but this is the only real fly-in-the-ointment in an otherwise cracking film. 'Manhunter' is cool: Dante Spinotti's cinematography is sumptuous eye-candy; Michael Mann's direction is effortless and the minimalist synth music by Michel Rubini (also responsible for 'The Hunger') and The Reds is so much in keeping with the images flowing from the screen.

The acting too is first rate. William Petersen trounces Ed Norton as the tortured Graham and Tom Noonan is truely awesome as the 'Tooth Fairy', Dolarhyde (sorry Mr Fiennes, but it's a simple case of "no competition" here). It's a pity that Brian Cox didn't decide to break his "I don't do sequels" rule and revisit his role of Lecter because his understated portrayal of the 'insane' psychiatrist is better in the round than Mr Hopkins's. Joan Allen portrays the blind heroine, Reba, with greater flair (and less ham-fistedness) than Emily Watson and Stephen Lang endowed the role of Tattler reporter Lounds with far more skin-crawling sleaziness than the mumbling Philip Seymour Hoffman.

So if, like me, you saw 'Red Dragon' and were thoroughly disappointed, just remember that there's 'Manhunter' and breathe a sigh of relief.

9/10 (1 deducted for 'Heartbeat')

I went to see a preview of 'Red Dragon', having read favourable external reviews and seen the trailer. I had some reservations about the choice of director (Brett Ratner's only really known for the 'Rush Hour' movies), but was prepared to give him a chance, and besides, there was an excellent cast list. After a promising prologue, the opening titles launched me into... an express elevator right down to the bargain basement. The production might've cost a mint, but it just didn't come across on the screen. The whole film was flat: the actors didn't overact, they just didn't act. Edward Norton looked lost in the role of Graham; Anthony Hopkins (as the protagonist, Lecter) started off well, but soon descended into parody (which spoiled 'Hannibal' for me); Ralph Fiennes tried to inject the role of Dolarhyde with some pathos but ended up appearing as flat as the sets and other actors surrounding him. The score, by Danny Elfman, started off well (akin to Howard Shore's efficient and effective score for 'The Silence Of The Lambs') but it quickly became too 'notey', sounding as though the orchestra had been conducted by an octopus on speed. I don't know whether Brett Ratner was overwhelmed by the task given him, but he just didn't inject this film with that all-important ingredient - style. 'Manhunter', 'The Silence Of The Lambs' and 'Hannibal' had (to quote Lecter) "oodles". If 'Red Dragon' has any style, you'd need a nit comb to find it. So I left the cinema with that "what I could've done with the two hours I've wasted here" feeling and promptly went home to put on the far superior 'Manhunter'. 1/10 (and that's only for the prologue).