fatfreddyscat

This has been out for a while but I just got around to renting the DVD. I sort of wish I hadn't. **SPOILER WARNING in case you actually see this movie, although I don't recommend you do: From the many promos I saw when it first came out, I thought the movie was going to be ABOUT a bunch of guys in Elvis suits robbing a Vegas casino during Elvis Week...therefore, I sort of expected "Oceans Eleven" in Elvis drag. Imagine my surprise when the big robbery scene, which I figured would be the dramatic, action-packed climax scene, opens the movie, so the good stuff is out of the way in the first 20 minutes. The next hour and a half is basically Kurt Russell, Courteney Cox and Kevin Costner stealing the robbery loot back and forth from one another and screwing each other over left and right. It's got some cool incendiary scenes and the action set pieces are well done, but for the most part I yawned through this one. It's better than the last three or four Costner movies put together, but then that's not saying much, now is it? :) Oh, and Courteney Cox's kid should've been written out of the script during the first draft. He's annoying as hell. If this comes on cable and there's absolutely nothing else on, go nuts, otherwise; avoid.

Come on, did we really EXPECT a worthy rip-off of "Jurassic Park" here? If it's taken at face value, CARNOSAUR is a fun way to kill 90 minutes. The dinosaur effects are laughable at best, but overall it's better scripted than the average Roger Corman slaughterama, and Dianne Ladd gives an over-the-top performance that alone makes this one worth watching. You get the feeling that there was probably a decent movie here if only they'd had a big enough budget. It may not be saying much, but at least it's better than the two sequels that followed. If you're in the mood for a good, goofy, gory B-movie, CARNOSAUR shouldn't disappoint. Besides, you can buy it on DVD for only $5.99 (like I did). Can't beat that with a stick!

I don't know why this sequel has such a bad rep, it's certainly better than "Robocop 3" (which has its moments, but is still sub-par in many ways), or the syndicated television series. How can you go wrong with a script by Frank Miller (comic book writer/artist responsible for "The Dark Knight Returns" and many years on Marvel's "Daredevil") and the director of "The Empire Strikes Back?" In my book, "R2" picks up exactly where the original left off, with more action, better character development, and maintains the sly sense of humor of the first film. Some of the stop-motion special effects look a little aged now (at least on my VHS copy; I haven't upgraded this one to DVD yet) but if you can get past that "R2" is enjoyable for action freaks.

When I first saw "Robocop" during its 1987 theatrical run, I was seventeen years old and quite honestly had never seen a movie THAT violent in my entire life. Naturally, I loved it. The story was straight out of comic books (which are another passion of mine...and Robo DID eventually make it into comics a year or two after the first movie), and "Robocop" has a wicked sense of humor that elevates it past the normal mindless blow-em-up action picture. I enjoyed both sequels as well, but nothing beats the original. Fifteen years later it's kind of funny to see Kurtwood Smith, who played Robo's arch-nemesis Clarence Boddicker, playing "Red" on "That 70's Show", though. :) The eventual syndicated televison series toned down the mayhem of the films and is pretty much unwatchable unless you're hung over and there's nothing better on TV. Stick with the film series, starting here.

I was a good little geek and rented this DVD on its first day of release. I've seen all the other FRIDAY movies and although the series has bordered on self-parody for some time now at least JASON X took the concept someplace different (for once). JASON X was a goofy, mostly entertaining flick that liberally stole bits from dozens of other sci-fi/horror films. At least it was nowhere as bad as CRITTERS 4 and LEPRECHAUN 4, both of which also took their series stars into space. Here we have Jason cryogenically frozen in the near future, only to be re-animated in the year 2455 by a group of space-faring archaeologists/medical students aboard their ship, which of course causes the usual carnage. Some interesting kills (I especially liked Jason's creative use of liquid nitrogen!) but overall JASON X wasn't scary, it was more of a bloody action picture. Take Jason out of the scenes with the space marines stalking around dark corridors and replace him with an Alien and you'd have any of the ALIEN series. If you've seen the other nine (!) FRIDAY movies and have the same weird sense of duty that I do, feel free to pick up JASON X at your local video vendor, but those of you expecting a real scary movie are advised to look elsewhere. The DVD Bonus feature "The Many Lives Of Jason Voorhees" is worth a look too, in fact it's in many ways more entertaining than the actual movie. Now it's time to wait for Freddy Vs. Jason!