In a bid to create the ultimate fighting man, Dr. Rue Wakeman harvests organs and tissue from the dead to create
Lazarus, an amalgam of dozens of men and women.
Interesting and imaginative take on the Frankenstein topic is stylish (the first half reminiscent of THX 1138) and explores the philosophical implications of creating an artificial human (Whil Wheaton in a surprisingly original make-up), but in its finale somewhat descends into a more action-oriented (and more clumsily staged) spectacle; nevertheless well worth a watch.
The incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are
a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin
and a bisexual classmate.
Wily and gimmicky adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel is pretentiously in love with its tricks and appears as hollow as its protagonists; it is to be feared that this is an accurate interpretation of the author's intentions.
Halliwell*: "A story of callow students indulging in fleshly pleasures; tricked out with a narrative that goes backwards (as sometimes does the film) and other gimmicks, it's like experiencing the day after the night before in a hungover flashback."
Maltin BOMB: "Repellent look at amoral college kids whose sole interests are sex, drugs, and booze...Writer-director Avary...uses a take-no-prisoners approach to Bret Easton Ellis' book, a prequel to American Psycho. Yuccchhh."
A woman goes in search for her daughter, within the confines of a strange, desolate town called Silent Hill.
Based on a computer game this is an atmospheric horror show without a
coherent plot and prefers to follow the logic of a nightmare. Once you
can accept that premise it is quite effective.
On second viewing: I'd say the same thing again; visually it's quite mesmerizing.
Maltin*1/2: "Don't check this movie for parenting tips...Another video game becomes a hokey excuse for a two-hour-plus horror movie. Dialogue is so laughable it might be advisable to watch SILENT HILL with the sound turned off."
The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of
diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Arguably Quentin Tarantino's best movie, a stroke of genius concerning several intertwined plots swinging back and forth in time, a treasure trove of cinematic allusions, tongue-in-cheek humour and a very carefully and accurately selected cast; all his subsequent movies have been more or less variations of what you can find here.
Halliwell***: "Clever, witty, violent celebration of junk culture, drawing rather too heavily on past thrillers but blessed with some excellent performances which crackle with menace."
Maltin***1/2: "Audacious, outrageous look at honors among lowlifes, told in a soemwhat radical style overlapping a handful of separate stories. Jackson and Travolta are magnetic as a pair of hit men who have philosophical debates on a regular basis; Willis is compelling as a crooked boxer whose plan to take it on the lam hits a few detours. (In fact, there are no slackersin this cast.) This voluble, violent, pumped-up movie isn't for every taste - certainly not for the squeamish - but it's got morevitality than almost any other film of 1994."
