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Trance (1998)
Ignore my rating - give it a try
This is a neat little flick. The characters are a little thin, but the great dialogue and bizarre plot leave you with a cheesy horror film trapped inside a reflective art house film. The delivery is mediocre, but this is certainly something different, and I applaud the creativity behind it. Jared Harris was a standout as always.
Aberration (1997)
Lizard stomp: the little movie that could
I found this on VHS at my local thrift store. I expected I night in with laughable nonsense. This is laughable, don't get me wrong, but this is a genuinely good creature feature.
What "Aberration" lacks in plot originality or cliche it more than makes up for in characters, performances, and fun. Lots of zany over the top acting with a sense of self awareness. The characters feel genuine and fun.
What makes Aberration "work" is knowing how to give the viewer what they want: blood, violence, and creature effects. New and creative kills are constantly in motion, though I suspect the film maker and I share a favorite: the lizard stomp.
Check it out with some friends. Bring some snacks and drinks.
Nemesis (1992)
A Crapster-piece
A SOLID 8/10
I came into this fresh of the heels of Albert Pyun's "Cyborg" with Van Damme, which thoroughly bored me. I was expecting more of the same from Nemesis. Bad acting with lots of horrible dialogue and a shoddy plot that took center stage over action and fun. Oh god. I was right with the lame plot and dialogue, but Jesus Christ, this flick is FUN. The limited budget is readily apparent, which makes me very concerned about all of the stunts and SFX. Tons of real explosions, real guns being fired, everyone's a cyborg and shoots fountains of sparks out of their chests, and one of the best action moments I've ever seen involving a waterslide. This is some of the most fun I've had with an action movie or a B movie in a long time. Keep an eye out for Thomas "why am I here" Jane and a young Jackie Earl Haley!
Has anybody checked on these actors and stunt people? Are they okay?
Baburugamu kurasshu! (1991)
A solid follow up in spite of its predecessor.
I came into this OVA thorougly worn down from my frustration with the plot of the first. I had a little more hope for this, due to hearing that it was more action oriented than "Bubblegum Crash", to the chagrin of series fans. It is further alienated from the fanbase by being accused of not only being an ill attempt to tie up the series, but straight up non cannon. How could this be?
That brings us to our first problem, why make a conclusion to the original series if you're going to retcon a massive portion of the plot? In this OVA, the robot "boomers" are portrayed as not being sentient or even human passing. This is directly contradictory of MANY characters in the original series. This decision is made even stranger by the fact that while it's a key plot point, it is not at all necessary to the stories conclusion.
Forgoing all of that and a weak first act, I quite enjoyed this. My suspicions were confirmed in shifting the focus to action: this was a justifiable shift in focus away from plot and character development. In my opinion, this was always the weakest part of the show. The writing ranged from bland and cliche to laughable. In the last two acts especially, I found myself enjoying the simplistic characters and story more because it wasn't trying to fumble a narrative and it just let itself be as fun as the best parts of the original run.
I generously rounded my score up to a seven, because I absolutely would conditionally recommend this to fans of the original 8-episode installment. Take my word with a grain of salt, though. Because people who liked the original for reasons that I didn't seemed to hate this one.
Still, this never really ascends past an adult Saturday morning cartoon with unusually fantastic art and style. Watch it with your breakfast and coffee.
Brainscan (1994)
Dumb as hell, fun if you like this sort of thing.
This is a vaguely cyberpunk horror murder mystery. It almost feels like a lost episode of the original goosebumps show. It's aged about as well as a jar of mayonnaise. Worth seeing if you find it somewhere for between free and five bucks. If you pay more, you're a chump. It's really bad and stupid.
Baburugamu kurasshu!: Illegal Army (1991)
Just boring.
I'm not a massive fan of the original 8 episode run. I was excited to hear that this was a little more action oriented than plot oriented compared to the prior installment. Mostly because I thought the plot was where Crisis suffered the most. Somehow, this was worse. I was almost interested in how the main characters had drifted from their vigilante status. Then, villains I didn't care about and action that struggled to keep my attention interrupted the plot. It was said that this OVA was how they planned on closing the original series. I really hope the other two are better.
Chappie (2015)
It's a movie
This is a very movie movie. It's well shot, competantly directed, great special effects and action, okay story, and spotty acting. If you know Neill Blomkamp, you already know if you like it or not. I'm rather indifferent to him. I would reccomend it if you are a fan of him or Die Antwoord. I am neither, so I was luke warm on the whole affair. The ending, however, felt out of place and contradictory to the prior established rules of the movie. I'd say skip it.
Baburugamu kuraishisu (1987)
Glitzy action trash.
I have listed my brief thoughts and score with a rating on every episode. I then averaged them to receive the score above. It's accurate. I liked it mostly, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless you are a hardcore cyberpunk completionist.
PROS
Beautiful still artwork.
Constantly thinking how great certain ones would be for gifs or wallpapers.
Great action. Not too over the top, and always fun.
Kick-ass music. Lends itself to an 80's cyberpunk action setting perfectly. I believe all the soundtrack was original. Worth a listen!
Good for watching idle. It has a Saturday morning cartoon (but for adults) feel. worth watching with your breakfast and coffee.
CONS
Terrible Writing. Plots are often contrived and events and actions frequently make no sense.
Horrible dialogue. The amount of exposition is so high and so unnatural feeling that every character may as well just look at the viewer and break the fourth wall directly.
Predictable. Each episode is very formulaic. You have your relevant side plot and your ending action sequence.
Story never truly advances. The first episode tells us about the AD Police, Knight Sabers, and the Boomers. After that, they are all in perpetual war, same s**t different episode. Each episode the boomer is more "powerful", but this never truly makes a difference. Once in awhile a character gets new equipment that is "better" despite being visually equivalent to the previous. One wonders how this was a sustainable long term plot model.
If you want plot, look somewhere else. If you want action, there's better anime to scratch that itch. I really wanted to like it. I came out just not hating it.
Music still kicks ass, though.
Baburugamu kuraishisu: Scoop Chase (1991)
Gee, I wonder what will happen.
Oh, everything I expect? Cool. Earns a point for an interesting side plot to add tension to the primary conflict, but it's wildly predictable, especially given how uninspired the writing is up to this point.
I really wanted to like this show. I really did.
Baburugamu kuraishisu: Double Vision (1990)
I don't even care enough to make a real headline
Bad dialogue, dumb mystery pop star plot, expects me to care about characters and things they only have 15 minutes to establish. I don't.
Baburugamu kuraishisu: Red Eyes (1989)
*twirls mustache and laughs maniacally*
Another episode made into a drag by terrible dialogue and writing. The villain is the worst offender. I've never heard stereotype evil monologues on this level of absurdity without even a dash of irony or self-awareness.
Baburugamu kuraishisu: Moonlight Rambler (1988)
Why u do dis
So close. Nearly okay! The character that the episode centers around is very interesting, and I was engaged. Then the ending happens. So melodramatic, so many bizarre choices made to make it even higher stakes. It was so ridiculous and the dialogue so bad that it soured the entire episode for me, and this was the point that I completely turned negative on this season.
Baburugamu kuraishisu: Revenge Road (1988)
My personal favorite.
It saddens me that this is often seen as the black sheep of the original run. This episode did everything right for me. It found an interesting plot independent of the greater "boomer" narrative (which I have never been compelled by. Over the top silly evil villains don't do it for me. Sorry.) It finds its stride, and sticks to it. It even develops its villain as a sympathetic character! Imagine that! It's still cheesy and trite and imperfect,, but its a very enjoyable episode.
Baburugamu kuraishisu: Blow Up (1987)
Par for the course
Another respectable episode. It doesn't have anything as compelling as the prior episode, but it also doesn't have any real missteps. If you watch this for the action, as many do, you won't be disappointed.
Baburugamu kuraishisu: Born to Kill (1987)
The best character work you'll see in the show, unfortunately.
This is one of the better episodes among the 8 episode original run. The music is fun, you get to see the characters and their dynamics breathe, and the action is great. The only thing that kept it from earning a respectable 7 involves spoilers, so continue forth with that knowledge.
The death of an important character is handled seriously and well, at first. Thats why I was shocked when the ending chose to reflect back on it in an odd way. We end the episode on a happy note with upbeat music, which continues to play over a shot of the grave of said character. This sucked me out of the moment and made me chuckle at how silly a choice could have been made.
All in all., this is still a good episode, and if you like this show, you will likely enjoy it.
Baburugamu kuraishisu: Tinsel City Rhapsody (1987)
Just okay.
A rather lackluster opening. "Tinsel City" has a lot to get done, and wastes no time establishing as many plot points as possible in order to pave the way for the rest of the series, and the rest of the franchise. Unfortunately, it forgets to have the fun of the later episodes, and abstains from any violence or otherwise distasteful content. Unfortunately, when you take a show which whole appeal is "Power Rangers for adults" and remove the adult content, all your left with is power rangers. No brain, only a little style, no fun.
The whole series is a lot of fun, but honestly, the first episode always feels like a slog.
RoboCop: Prime Directives (2001)
Not the right kind of bad.
RoboCop has always seemed like a series ripe to be bad. The first film is impressively great. Two and three were bad. However, they were not cheesy bad or indulgent bad. They were boring for the most part. (Consider what an impressive feat it is to make a movie about a cyborg cop boring). Yet, there they are. The thankfully short lived TV show only managed to take this to new heights. All the pacing and excitement of RoboCop 3, but this time with daytime soap actors!
Ugh. I'd like to be more in depth, but this show wasn't worth the amount of time it took me to type this, let alone watch it.
Steer clear.
Go Ask Alice (1973)
Boring propaganda.
I can see the charm in propaganda films that are well made or fun to poke fun at. This was just dreadfully boring. Things just happen. The characters have no real motivations. The acting is just bad enough to be annoying. The camera work is all flat shots. I would prefer to be waterboarded than to watch this dull film again.
Electric Dreams: The Hood Maker (2017)
A fantastic re-imagining.
Keeping up with the other episodes I have seen, the acting, atmosphere, and technical aspects here are all at their best. What sets this story above the ones I have seen so far, is that the characters are gripping and well developed, and the ending not only makes sense, but has the nerve to avoid giving you exactly what you would want. I am beginning to like the idea of re-imagining PKD's stories rather then giving them literal adaptations. My second favorite so far next to "Human is". Give it a watch.
Electric Dreams: Crazy Diamond (2017)
Not quite.
There is a lot that this episode had in it's favor. The set design, acting, soundtrack, and camera work is well above average. Unfortunately, the story never really goes anywhere. While engaging while being watch, the story seems to tactfully avoid any sense of climax and ending. It just kind of stops. The story is adapted from the short story "Sales Pitch", which I found to be a great little story. The problem is: it is severely lacking in material substantial enough to adapt into a one hour television program. So the story has been altered to almost unrecognizable proportions. I normally wouldn't have a problem with this, but the story was strong in every way this interpretation was not. The themes were clear, it had a healthy dose of comedy at the ineptitude of the technology depicted, and the characters were well defined. This story evades any point or theme. (Even though the ideas of manufactured souls is extremely enticing, its used sparingly and is almost irrelevant to the story.) If you love Phillip K. Dick or Science Fiction, give it a try. Just know it's not the best of either. If there are any episodes weaker than this, I will likely be left frustrated with this season.
Electric Dreams: Human Is (2017)
Flawless
I found this episode to be far better than anything in black mirrors most recent season. The directing is masterfully done, the acting is gripping, and the soundtrack is haunting. There is however one way I think they could have improved the story and made it a little darker. In the original short story the reader is presented with the information that the husband is not dead and can in fact be brought back. This would have added an extra layer to the story given that the wife would have actively had to choose to allow her husband to die in place of her just making the decision to not kill the Rex in the television adaptation. I only read it perfect because I could not find a single flaw in this episode and I don't consider missed opportunities to be infractions.
Electric Dreams: Autofac (2018)
Spectacle
There is almost a very good story here. The heart of the story is based around the idea that consumerism will outlast even today's modern society. I would have been OK with the fact that the episode doesn't go further with the idea then the short story does but it actively doesn't go as far and instead chooses to replace this with action and a twist at the end. And in my opinion the short story didn't take the concept far enough and is not one of the author's best works. Juno temple is fantastic in this, however the rest of the actors are forgettable at best and wooden at worst. The special effects and cinematography are top notch if you care about that stuff, and I would say watch it, but don't expect it to be a favorite.
Electric Dreams: Real Life (2017)
Almost really good.
I heard the director of this episode say that it was a heavy adaptation but still carries the heart of the original short story "Exhibit". This is both true and false I can honestly say that the changes do not make it feel unlike the short story. The key concept is used but while the original short story is very straight forward this adaptation has a slight mystery to it. This almost makes the episode great except at the end they decided to give you a clear answer. Not only would leaving it ambiguous make the episode make more sense it would have made it a lot more entertaining. The only problem I have with this episode is that it pours so much emphasis into the mystery, that you really never care for the characters. At the end, it sacrifices the best aspect of the episode for characters that aren't well developed. Other than this, the acting is great especially from Terrence Phillips, the direction is great, the soundtrack is great, and the camera work is adequate. If you are a fan of Philip K. Dick, this feels like one of his, even though it isnt.
The Unbookables (2012)
If you know these guys, this is exactly what you want/expect
However, if you aren't familiar with any of the cast, or Doug Stanhopes podcast, do some homework first. Without being formally introduced to these characters, this might leave you baffled.
Let me qualify my rating. 1-3/10 = not a movie or unwatchable. 4-5/10 disliked. 6/10 liked wouldn't recommend. 7/10 would recommend, 8/10 highly recommend, 9/10 near perfect, 10/10 perfect .
I gave this a 9/10 because I would recommend this to anyone, and this delivers on every level it intends to. This cast of misfit comedians are great - they are foul mouthed degenerates, but you very much get the sense that these are human beings with their own struggles, and that they have more fun then any reasonable person could allow themselves to.
James Inman and Andy Andrist are highlights, but every single one of these guys got a laugh out of me one way or the other. It's also refreshing to see a genuine group of comedians treat comedy as a lifestyle and not a business venture.
The editing and camera work is terrible (as expected, this is a fly on the wall style flick), and any sense of narrative just seems to be coincidental. This does work in the films favor, adding a feeling of legitimacy. These fights and events arent staged, that's for sure.
in short - this movie is a train wreck, just like the people that made it, and if you know these guys, you know exactly what you're in for. Watch it with a few friends who are also fans, and pour some drinks.
The Axe Murders of Villisca (2016)
Just awful.
This movie wasn't worth the hour and small change I have given it already, so I'll make this brief.
The editing is passable. Barely. The saturation is trash. Orange and blues. You know the drill. I imagine if there were any scenes in Mexico they would add a grain and throw some chickens on the floor. Not very creative.
The acting is sub-par. Sean Whalen shines, as expected, giving the movie the campy cheese it so desperately needed. Unfortunately, he is only on screen for roughly three minutes total.
The sound is bad. The subtle ques that make a horror movie are cranked up to eleven to the point of being obnoxious. Too-loud heart beats, footsteps, all the sounds sound like they come from a cartoon. There are some clear ADR moments too where the mouths don't quite match up.
The cinematography is barbaric. I've seen better camera work and blocking in student films.
The plot is incoherent, to the point of being funny. Personal character revelations and progressions feel so forced and bizarre that my amusement at how unlike real people the characters act is all that got me through the movie.
Also, when a character goes evil, their eyes go grey in the cheesiest effect I have seen for a movie of this budget in a long time.
Just skip it.