robzilla2001 Reviews

Red Sorghum (1988)

Joyful, painful, funny, and horrifying and why isn't it on DVD?

[10/10 · 21 August 2005]

Credit goes to Yimou for stripping this epic 2 novel series down to this spare and gorgeous little hour and a half. For all the recent fantastic forays into Chinese fantasy, this story (which is allegedly true) shown as it is, is as close to a fairy tale as it gets, at least until the very end. Every shot is a painting. For some reason this film is still near-impossible to find on DVD. I truly hope it is not being suppressed for anti-Japanese sentiment expressed in it. That would be a terrible shame. This film was released shortly before Tienanmenn (sp) and it has a boldness and frank humor rarely seen in Chinese film since.

War of the Worlds (2005)

Flawed but fantastic

[7/10 · 21 August 2005]

There are really 2 movies here, both are vignettes, and one is much better than the other. One story is a surprisingly believable update of HG Wells classic novel, shown as a 'road movie' thru the eyes of Tom Cruise. He does panic well, although Dakota Fanning steals the entire movie from under him. It really works on your nerves the first time you see it. A small note here because I haven't seen it mentioned... John Williams score for this film is his best in a long while. It's wallpaper, and it's perfect. What doesn't work is the character sketch of Cruise's family. Ray is forced to choose between his children during a military strike scene that looks like the CGI guys rushed and it all falls apart right there. This a sci-fi/horror movie- not 'Sophie's choice'. Then the concentration-camp like 'basement' sequence. The inevitable 'give me back my child' action sequence. From here on out it's all CGI, actors and sets and oh, well.

But damn that first hour is good. Those tripods are beautiful and belong to that realm of solid, imposing, realistic looking CGIs.

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

ever inward

[5/10 · 21 August 2005]

as a ST movie, I give Generations a 6. Star Trek fans come in 2 types, the ones who like wearing the costumes, and the ones who enjoy the exploration of the human condition thru science fiction. Generations, at it's heart, is a Star Trek movie. Beyond that, however, it is a story about addiction, and how we let ourselves become trapped in our pasts. This subject was explored by ST a bit better in the DS9 pilot episode ('the emissary'), but here it seems the franchise is actually questioning itself. Kirk it seems, must die because brute strength solutions are a thing of the past. So, the irony of going back to the past to punch Soren's lights out are accidentally humorous. Ultimately the message here is If Picard is to learn anything, it's how to rumble. On a musical note, this was one of the better scores for a ST film, the theme for 'the nexus' was hauntingly beautiful.