Netflix Weekly: Zardoz, Phantasm SE, Angels in America Disc1, Man on Fire

[Scrivener]

Starting a new trend, here... the Netflix rental week in review. It dosn't have to be Netflix per se, include store rentals *gasp* too if you'd like.

1) Zardoz - Old low-budget scifi B flick with Sean Connery. It sort of plays out like an episode of classic Star Trek... but with breasts. Basically there is this big floating stone head, a race of super-psychic immortal people, and a bunch of neanderthalls who kill people because the stone head tells them too. It all makes sense eventually... in a very Star Trek time-warp sort of way. 7/10

2) Phantasm - Never saw the original... until now. I like Don Coscarelli's style... but the movie was pretty meh. I'm sure it was much better to it's original mid-70s audiences. Basically aliens are turning people into dwarves and shipping them off to hell... or something. Meh. 4/10

3) Angels in America - So this wins a crapload of awards the other night. Furthermore, I wasn't able to dig up any kind of plot synopsis other than it was based on a broadway play. Between the awards, the lack of plot synopsis, and broadway play clues, I deduce that it's probably a big 'ol gay show. I rent it anyway... just in case it's not. But I'm rarely wrong - and I hit this nail right on the head. The story really centers around 3 or 4 different groups of people, but 3/4 of the show concentrates around gay guys dealing with AIDs (as if we havn't heard that story enough). It's an expertly shot show, but the content really got on my nerves. Apparently anyone can get funding, fame, and awards for making films about homosexuality or conservative-bashing. How lame. Be warned - this is not as much 'Angels in America' as 'Queers in America.' I guess thats the way liberal propaganda works these days - they just use deceptive advertisement and awards ceremonies. 3/10

4) Man on Fire - Better than Punisher, but the music-video stylization got old about 10mins into the film. Unfortunately, the whole thing is shot like that. The flickering, compositing, and shaking... ugh, I had to watch it in 3 sittings because of the headaches it would give me. Too bad, because there's a really good movie under all that poor excuse for stylization. That stuff works for a title sequence, not for a 2.5hr flick. 6/10

[ 09-24-2004, 03:19 AM: Message edited by: Scrivener ]

[Guest Hellbinder[CE]]

I just watched man on fire and think its one of the best movies made in the last couple years. The Artsy-Fartsy style was fine. Its an interesting ballance to the Brutality in the second half of the flick.

I really like the contrast between the first and second hours of the movie. They did a really nice job building the relationships as to why the guy opens a serious can in the second half.

One mistake they made...

This is the First of 4 exsisting books based on the character of John Creasy. With a 5th one on the way based on an Japanese/Chinese Plotline.

This could have been a nice little Franchise. Budget the movies at about 50 million each and make a nice little tidy sum over the next ferw years..

But alas... That aint gonna happen. Nice effect to end the movie.. bad choice for the franchise.

[Guest Hellbinder[CE]]

BTW Netflix is the greatest thing of all time.. err.. well.

I have the 5 movie at a time policy and am using it to watch all the Complete Anime Series i have always wanted to see. i currently have about 150 movies in my Q.

I also have the the origional Flash Gordon serieals and a number of really old SCifi classics.