Change Your Image
Wookiee-2
Reviews
A Knight's Tale (2001)
Modern Elements Work!
I knew that this film had some modern music and dancing before I saw it, so it didn't come as a shock. What surprised me was how well it worked. Period pieces can be very distancing, because the people in them seem to come from such alien cultures. By including rock music and modern dancing, and even what looked to be 80's style hair and makeup, the film succeeds in getting across the point that these were young people taking part in what was a popular sport of the time, not just some strange, obscure medieval pastime. I got a real kick out of the film, and was impressed by the skills of the supporting actors. I can't say the leading lady thrilled me overly much, but I was there for the jousting and the armour anyway. I recommend it, but not to the uptight historical purists. They are never satisfied with anything anyway...
Space Mutiny (1988)
Lower than low-budget.
Unlike most of the rest of the reviewers here, I actually _rented_ this film. This shows you how meager the pickings were at our local video store. The high point of this film is the stolen Battlestar Galactica footage. It's not limited to exterior shots of the ship, but actually includes interior shots in which you can actually make out Commander Adama and others reacting to explosions. The Battlestar Galactica set BEARS NO RESEMBLANCE WHATSOEVER TO THE SETS AND COSTUMES IN THIS FILM. The bridge set contains chairs salvaged from an airplane and some prehistoric-looking computers. It has been years since I saw this film, but I vividly recall cringing throughout most of it, and being appalled at their gall when they stole segments from BSG.
Nightfall (1988)
Not worth watching.
I watched this film with a bunch of friends, and we intentionally rented a bad film just so could laugh at it. But this one was so bad, and so unfunny, and so mind-numbingly boring that we decided to watch it in fast forward. It was much more fun this way. And we could stop to watch the interesting bits like people having their eyes eaten out by ravens. Utterly unlike Asimov's story. Complete crap. It's too long, even on fast-forward.
In the Army Now (1994)
A truly dreadful waste of time.
Pauly Shore is a lot like Keanu Reeves in that he keeps getting cast in films even though he is terrible. At least Keanu's films have interesting plots. But this film is just horrible. It is the most painfully predictable film I have ever seen. I would have left the theatre if I hadn't been with friends (we were planning on seeing something else but arrived too late.) I cannot to this day figure out what the audience was laughing at, or what sort of sheltered life they must lead not to spot the "jokes" a mile away. Even crappy TV sitcoms steer clear of such rubbish. Painful, offensive, awful. Ishtar was better. Far better.
Robot Jox (1989)
Giant Mechs fight wars.
This is not a ground-breaking or brilliant film. Not by a long shot. But if you want cheesy sci-fi so you can shut off your brain and go "Cool!" at some nifty special effects, then this is a good bet. The giant robot effects are really quite well done, and the story isn't so bad that it can't be ignored. But whatever you do, DO NOT watch the sequel.