Urtica Reviews

Space Island One (1998)

Thinking person's show

[8 July 2000]

This is a show that some may think a bit too dry. There are no cool graphics or sound effects. All there is is a good plot and characters with depth. It is not a show to just watch one of -- you will be confused.

One of the things that I like about it is that there are very few people and they are within a limited space. Not a lot of visitors or other distractions. Most of the show is how the group acts within itself and to some outside stimuli. It is definitely more of a character study than anything else.

If you are looking for flashy, this is not for you. If you want something that has substance, then it may be.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

More hype than film

[5/10 · 21 February 2000]

I heard all about this film so I finally went and saw it. Now I am wondering what the rave reviews were about. Perhaps I missed something? But it seems to me to be an OK movie only. It wasn't that scary...it really wasn't *that* anything. It was not exceptional in any way. There was perhaps some innovative cinematography, but that would be about it. I had a friend dare me to go camping right after seeing it. I think if I had a battery-powered TV, it wouldn't bother me to watch it while I was camping.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

A thinking person's movie.

[9/10 · 21 February 2000]

Buckaroo Bonzai is not a movie for everyone. I thought it was great fun, myself. It is sort of a Doc Savage spoof. It doesn't even take itself too seriously, but the humor in many places is very subtle. If one was not familiar with Doc Savage or any of the other pulp heroes, then that person may just look at the movie and wonder what it was about. But for the thinking person who likes some subtlety in their shows, it is perfect.

Dersu Uzala (1975)

Possibly the best movie I have seen.

[10/10 · 21 February 2000]

Dersu Uzala is without a doubt one of the best films I have seen. It is a film that haunts me still. It is a story of a lone hunter that befriends some explorers and guides them through the wilderness of Siberia.

The cinematography is spectacular (Kurosawa--need I say more?) and the story is so well told. The story is both obvious and subtle at the same time. The old man guides them and they survive. Also the old man represents the ways of the hills--even represents the hills and wilderness itself--and we see how he fails to fit in with civilization and progress. It is a story of great triumph and great sorrow. It it does not move you, then you are truly dead inside.