THE EXPLOSIVE REVIEW

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Francois Truffaut, Melinda Dillion, Cary Guffey, Teri Garr, and Bob Balaban.

Directed By: Steven Spielberg.

Story:
In the opening of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, strange things are already happening before our eyes - First, in the Sonoran Desert, a lost squadron of fully operational World War II aircraft are discovered but its crew is still missing; secondly, two airline flights almost collide mid-air with a UFO in Indianapolis, Indiana; then, a three year old boy is drawn out of his home when his toys starting acting on their own behalf in Muncie, Indiana; and if all that wasn’t enough, the state of Indiana undergoes a large-scale power outage, during which an electrical lineman (Dreyfuss) soon finds himself caught up in a motorized pursuit of a group of UFOs.

The electrical lineman, Roy Neary, soon becomes obsessed with UFOs, for better and for worse - the latter especially for his wife, Veronica “Ronnie” Neary (Garr). Before you know it, Roy is making scale models of strange geologic formations he’s never seen before but has become fascinated with - the image in question here is that of a weird looking mountain. It’s not long before Gillian (Dillion), the three year old’s mother, bares witness to a UFO landing herself (to which her son is abducted) and begins doing the same thing as Roy. Roy’s eccentric behavior only gets worse, causing his wife to abandon him, taking the kids with her. Roy and Gillian, at the same time, soon spot something similar to the models they’ve been envisioning on a TV news show: The Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. The both of them, along with a group of others with similar visions, make their way toward the site; meanwhile, UFO activity all over the globe increases, making themselves more noticeable.

Characters:
*Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss): An electrical lineman who becomes obsessed with the UFOs.
*Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffant): French Government Scientist who’s investigating UFO activity in the US.
*Gillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon): The single mother of Barry. She also becomes obsessed with the UFOs much like Roy does.
*Barry Guiler (Cary Guffey): Gillian’s young son who gets abducted halfway through the film.
*Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Neary (Teri Garr): Roy’s wife who’s being driven insane by his obsession and wants nothing but for him to forget about it.
*David Laughlin (Bob Balaban): Mr. Lacombe’s assistant and translator.

Overall:
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was a much long-cherished film project for Steven Spielberg which had been in the works since 1973. The story and elements may sound and seem a bit on The X-Files side, but this is before X-Files and the material in question is handled a whole lot better here by Mr. Spielberg. Rather than putting the main focus on the aliens, he puts it on how life changes for Roy and Gillian because of the aliens and their presence. The script pulls enough strings to draw us into the minds of these two people, particularly Roy, and their life-altering obsession with the visions brought on by the aliens.

The third act is a special effects extravaganza. Yes, we do see the aliens; yes, they look somewhat similar to the ‘grays’ that we are all familiar with and have become accustomed to seeing in media, however, their appearance and execution is handled with much care and uniqueness, once again, a huge thanks to Mr. Spielberg. There is no war, explosions, or fighting to be found here, this is not “Independence Day”, this is the ultimate UFO obsession motion picture.

Rating: ****

Starring: Michael York, Richard Jordan, Jenny Agutter, Peter Ustinov, and Farrah Fawcett.

Directed By: Michael Anderson.

Story:
In the 23rd Century, the world has fallen due to overpopulation, pollution, and war. The last survivors continue life inside a giant domed city, putting the world outside behind them. Within their contained ecologically balanced world, the human race lives for the sake of pleasure, the only problem is: Once you turn thirty, you must die or become born again in a fiery ritual known as the Carousel.

Characters:
*Logan (Michael York): A sandman turned fugitive.
*Francis (Richard Jordan): Logan’s best friend, also a sandman, who pursues him.
*Jessica (Jenny Agutter): A woman who holds the secret to finding sanctuary, also on the run with Logan.
*Box (Roscoe Lee Browne): A large cyborg gone insane.
*Old Man (Peter Ustinov): An elderly man living outside of the domed city whom Logan and Jessica meet and partner up with.

Overall:
Welcome to the world of “Logan’s Run”. Based on the novel by George Clayton Johnson, the story centers around Logan 5 (Michael York) who is a sandman - the police, so to speak, of the domed world, although instead of providing ’sleep’, they provide termination for ‘runners’ (the thirty-year old citizens who refuse to become reborn in the Carousel) - He often wonders what exactly is beyond the domed city and what actually happens to people on the Carousel, but his fellow friend Francis 7 (Richard Jordan) always assumes the obvious and reminds him not to bother with such questions.

We are treated to a carousel sequence early on in the film after the first scene - While the effects and such seem a little dated here (as it does in other places), the whole concept depicted here actually seems pretty scary - It is never mentioned whether the carousel brings survival or reincarnation to its members, but it takes place inside a large circular arena where the participants are decked out in white hoods, face masks and bodysuits painted with flames. The floor rotates while the participants float upwards toward a huge rosette on the ceiling of the arena. While floating up, they are each vaporized one by one while everyone watching cheers and chants “Renew!”

Sometime later, Logan finds himself ‘in the mood’ so he looks for a woman on what’s known as “the circuit”, a teleportation-like device which (by remote control) can summon someone from the circuit - Here he summons a beautiful girl named Jessica 6 (Jenny Agutter). She, unfortunately, is not in the mood but happens to be wearing an interesting collar with an ankh pendant hanging from it. Later, at the Sandman headquarters, Logan returns the personal items he gathered from the runner he and Francis killed at the beginning, which includes another ankh, the computer informs him that it is a symbol for an underground railroad ran by a group assisting runners who are trying to reach a safe haven known as “Sanctuary”. Here, the computer assigns Logan a special mission: Find Sanctuary and destroy it. In order to do this, there’s a catch: The computer advances Logan’s life clock to thirty so that he can qualify as a runner (runners are identified by the red blinking light in the palm of their left hand).

Logan is reluctant to accept but has no choice. He confronts Jessica again and before you know it, they’re both on the run, through the domed city to the sewers and to the mysterious caverns beyond. This is a great cult film which became often overshadowed by “Star Wars” which came out a year later. The special effects may look a bit on the cheap side, but as far as entertainment and fun goes, “Logan’s Run” certainly delivers. Also, Jenny Agutter is such a gorgeous babe to watch here. It should also be noted that a remake has been in development hell since 1994. While I am not a huge fan of remakes (many of them stink), I think this film could use one - especially the carousel sequence, picturing what could be done with that today is even scarier than what’s seen in the original here.

Rating: ****

Starring: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, David Crawford, David Early, Richard France, Howard Smith, James A. Baffico, Rudy Ricci, Tom Savini, Taso N. Stavrakis, Marty Schiff, Nick Tallo, William George, and Larry Valra.

Directed by: George A. Romero.

Story:
Set approximately three weeks after “Night of the Living Dead”, the zombie plague has now escalated to new heights as opposed to the end of ‘Night’ where it seemed like everything was under control - A state of martial law is now in effect in all major cities of the United States, the plague has begun to spread overseas as well, some people are listening to what the scientists and media tell them, but many aren’t, many are reluctant to give up their deceased loved ones to be discarded of completely, adding to the ever-growing ranks of the army of the living dead spreading across the globe.

The story opens in a chaotic news station where all hell has broken loose, the hosts debate back and forth, old and incorrect information fills the TV screens, and people are abandoning their posts left and right. A News chopper pilot, Stephen Andrews (David Emge), meets up with his camera operator girlfriend, Francine Parker (Gaylen Ross), to steal a chopper and escape the ever-growing zombie threat. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia SWAT team is forcing a raid on a ghetto tenement building where its residents refuse to give up their revived loved ones for proper extermination. Part of this raid is SWAT operative Roger DeMarco (Scott H. Reiniger) whom finds himself in a more of a bloody massacre than he bargained for upon working his way into the building with his teammates. He soon runs into Peter Washington, part of another SWAT unit raiding the building, whom he connects with and offers a getaway ticket from the end of the world.

The two SWAT officers, the pilot and his girlfriend all meet up to escape Philadelphia via helicopter. The group flies cross-country Pennsylvania, stopping for fuel and supplies wherever they can and running into the undead everywhere they go. They soon stumble across a massive shopping mall in Monroeville, a suburb just outside of Pittsburgh, which the dead are already starting to invade. The group lands on the roof and set up shelter in one of the mall’s storage rooms on top. But what starts as a short break soon turns into a long-term stay as they decide to take over the shopping mall, blocking all the entrances with trucks, taking care of what’s left inside, and keeping the place all to themselves - And they have everything they will ever need right there.

Characters:
*Stephen ‘Flyboy’ Andrews (David Emge): The clumsy traffic helicopter pilot who needs a lot of practice firing a gun as well as getting his priorities straight.
*Peter Washington (Ken Foree): A big and tough SWAT team member who is pretty much the brains and backbone of the group.
*Roger ‘Trooper’ DeMarco (Scott H. Reiniger): A wildcat SWAT team member who’s close friends with Stephen and partners up with Peter.
*Francine Parker (Gaylen Ross): A news camera woman who is also Stephen’s girlfriend and is pregnant with his baby.
*Blades (Tom Savini): An important member of a biker gang that wants to loot the shopping mall.

Overall:
“Dawn of the Dead” is the best sequel since “The Godfather, Part II”, a classic piece of 1970s cinema that has been heavily praised ever since. The cast of four each hold their own. Romero once again casts an African-American hero and, just like the original, there is no mention of race anywhere to be found. Much like James Cameron did with “Aliens”, George A. Romero tops himself in many ways with this epic-scope horror sequel with its setting, gore, action, and characters.

The ending is not necessarily a happy one, but there is a slight glimmer of hope as not every single one of the cast members die, but their secluded shopping mall haven comes tumbling down in one of the most fashionable, disgusting, and action-packed showdowns ever depicted. The music is a huge plus this time around, much thanks to Dario Argentino and Goblin, while it does have a 70s streak, it is some of the most creative and unconventional tracks ever recorded for a horror film.

As the first sequel to “Night of the Living Dead”, “Dawn of the Dead” deserves its rightful place next to the likes of “The Godfather, Part II”, “Aliens”, and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”.

Rating: *****

Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley, Kyra Schon, and Russell Streiner.

Directed by: George A. Romero

Story:
The story takes place around Daylight Savings time in 1982. Brother and sister, Johnny and Barbara are driving out somewhere in Western Pennsylvania to place new flowers on their father’s grave. Johnny starts teasing his sister who has a certain fear of cemeteries. A pale-faced tall man moves toward them at a snail’s pace as they bicker and tries to attack Barbara.

The man turns out to a reanimated corpse bent on eating their flesh. Johnny wrestles him to the ground and dies, leaving Barbara to fend for herself. She runs off and stumbles across a seemingly abandoned farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Inside, she finds yet another dead corpse (although not reanimated, this one has been disposed of by someone) and a few more dead guys find their way to the house. In an attempt to flee the shelter, she is saved by Ben who shows up in his pick-up truck and fends off the four or five zombies.

Together, they hold up in the house, which Ben begins to board up with all the wood he can find. They soon discover a few other survivors who are holding up in the basement - A bitter married couple, Harry and Helen Cooper with their unconscious (zombie-bitten) daughter, and a teenage couple Tom and Judy. They find a radio which informs them of a strange mass murder effecting the entire Eastern Seaboard where the unburied and recently dead are returning to life and attacking the living.

Characters:
*Barbra (Judith O’Dea): The lead female protagonist whom loses her brother to the undead.
*Johnny (Russell Streiner): Barbra’s brother who becomes one of the first victims.
*Ben (Duane Jones): The lead male protagonist who saves Barbra’s life just in the nick of time. One of the smartest people in the group.
*Harry Cooper (Karl Hardman): Husband to Helen and father to Karen, he and his family have been hiding in the farmhouse’s cellar the entire time. He turns out to be the most ignorant of the group and the most uncooperative.
*Helen Cooper (Marilyn Eastman): Wife to Harry and mother to Karen, she and her family have been hiding in the farmhouse’s cellar the entire time. She is the complete opposite of her husband.
*Karen Cooper (Kyra Schon): Harry and Helen’s daughter who has been bitten by one of the undead.
*Tom (Keith Wayne): Judy’s boyfriend, the both of them have been hiding in the cellar with the Cooper family.
*Judy (Judith Ridley): Tom’s girlfriend.

Overall:
Director George A. Romero drew some inspiration from Richard Matheson’s novel, “I Am Legend”, where a plague engulfs Los Angeles in the near future, turning everyone into vampire-like creatures, and came up with the skeleton of his first feature film, “Night of the Living Dead”. It is one of the first films in the 60s to use an African-American hero without one drop of racism or the mere mention of race throughout the entire film.

The protagonists battle not only the gathering dead people outside but themselves as well. One half argues that staying in the cellar is the safest course of action while the other half wants to stay above and finish boarding the place up. Little by little, things fall apart and the group gets picked off one by one, partly due to their own arrogance to work together. By the end of the film, the world has already ended for the group inside the farmhouse but as for the virus, we are led to believe that everything is under control as the government and local authorities give the impression that they are on top of the problem. But of course, that’s another story to be continued in the film’s sequel, “Dawn of the Dead”.

Upon release in October of 1968, “Night of the Living Dead” was highly criticized for its explicit content, aside from breaking new ground in filmmaking and the horror/zombie genre, making use of fairly simple special effects (i.e. Bosco Chocolate Syrup for blood, roasted ham for consumed flesh, second hand clothing for costumes, mortician’s wax for zombie make-up). It became known as the catalyst of the contemporary Zombie Apocalypse sub-genre in horror that the world has come to know. Shot on a budget of $114,000, the movie has grossed $12 million domestically and $30 million international after a decade or so of cinematic re-releases. Since its’ release in 1968, the Library of Congress has labelled the film as “historically, culturally or aesthetically important”.

Rating: ****

Starring: Roger Moore, Michael Lonsdale, Lois Chiles, Toshiro Suga, Richard Kiel, Corinne Clery, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Geoffrey Keen, Walter Gotell, Emily Bolton, and Blanche Ravalec.

Directed by: Lewis Gilbert.

Story:
In “Moonraker”, Bond must stop the billionaire owner of a space shuttle-manufacturing company, Hugo Drax, from proceeding with his plot to wipe out the whole world via nerve gas and re-create mankind in the form of a master race. Aiding him this time is Bond girl Holly Goodhead, who turns out to be a CIA agent who is also trying to foil Drax’s genocidal plans.

Characters:
*James Bond (Roger Moore): M16 agent 007 investigating theft of a missing space shuttle, Moonraker.
*Sir Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale): A villainous industrialist intent on poisoning all of mankind so that he can begin civilization anew in space.
*Jaws (Richard Kiel): Now Drax’s right hand man, afflicted with gigantism.
*Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles): CIA agent working undercover for Drax, ends up joining 007.
*Chang (Toshiro Suga): Drax’s bodyguard and martial arts expert.
*M (Bernard Lee): Head of M16 Secret Service.
*Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell): M’s secretary.
*Q (Desmond Llewelyn): Bond’s master of gadgets.

Overall:
At this point in the Bond franchise, it seemed as if each and every film was tailored for a certain style or theme rather - Caribbean Bond (”Dr. No”), Railroad Train Bond (”From Russia With Love”), Gold Bond (”Goldfinger”), Aquatic Bond (”Thunderball”, “The Spy Who Loved Me”), Asian Bond (”You Only Live Twice”), Swiss Alps Bond (”On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”), Las Vegas Bond (”Diamonds Are Forever”), Voodoo Bond (”Live And Let Die”), Midget Bond (”The Man With The Golden Gun”), and now we have Space Age Bond - “Moonraker” - the eleventh film in the series and the fourth time with Roger Moore as 007.

At the end of the previous film, “The Spy Who Loved Me”, the credits stated that James Bond will be back for “For Your Eyes Only”. However, after the success of “Star Wars” in 1977, “For Your Eyes Only” was delayed so that the sci-fi space-tailored Bond adventure “Moonraker” could cash in on the whole “Star Wars” craze which consisted of green-lighting every sci-fi script on the studio desk at the time, from “Alien” to “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.

“Moonraker” comes off a bit silly in some parts and many people (and fans alike) will tell you this, however, the film itself has more than enough exciting and exhilarating moments to make it very redeemable and enjoyable. It doesn’t hold up to “The Spy Who Loved Me”, which is one of the best, but it certainly is no “The Man With The Golden Gun”. One big plus is the return of the 7 ft. tall henchman from the last film, “Jaws”, who later sides with Bond in the film’s climax (don’t worry, it’s rather clever how this was pulled off in the script). “Moonraker” has more than enough memorable action sequences in it, ranging from an opening skydive battle from an airplane to the huge laser battle on Drax’s space station which happens to hold the world record for the largest number of zero gravity wires in a single scene. Cringe at the silliness if you must, but whatever you do, don’t skip “Moonraker”.

Rating: ***1/2

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, and Lara Robinson.

Directed by: Alex Proyas.

Story:
50 years ago, an Elementary school class buries their images of the future in a time capsule. Jump to present day, the time capsule is opened by the new students and John Koestler’s son receives a message with bunch of numbers on it which turn out to be dates of disastrous events that are to take place.

Characters:
*John Koestler (Nicolas Cage): An MIT professor of astrophysics.
*Diana Wayland (Rose Byrne): Daughter of Lucinda.
*Caleb Koestler (Chandler Canterbury): John’s son.
*Lucinda Embry (Lara Robinson): The young girl who wrote the numeric message 50 years ago.
*Abby Wayland (Lara Robinson): Diana’s daughter.

Overall:
“Knowing” is an original sci-fi/disaster film (surprise, surprise for 2009!) that tells of an apocalypse to come. See, the young girl who wrote the numeric message found in the time capsule was mentally ill and often heard whispering voices from beings that are not of this Earth. It is the goal of this so-called race of beings ,or rather ‘whisper people’ as they are called here, to warn humanity of future catastrophic events.

The numbers include the month, day, and year that the events are supposed to occur as well as the longitude and latitude of where it will occur. Oh yes and it also tells you the number of people who will die from a specific event. Every major disaster you can think of can be found within these numbers - September 11th, the Oklahoma bombings, everything and anything you’ve heard of in the past fifty years. However, there are three dates in particular which have yet to come and that is what the film focuses on. There’s an airplane crash involving a major highway jam, then there’s a major New York City subway accident that is reminiscent of (if not, more grandiose than) the incident in “Die Hard With A Vengeance”. The third and final event is the apocalypse itself and it comes straight from the Book of Revelations, involving a reenactment of ‘Noah’s Flood’ except this time, the water is replaced with fire (giant solar flare, anyone?).

“Knowing” is a film that keeps you piqued until the very end, wanting to know just what the heck is going to happen and what these characters are going to do about these inevitable events as the final one is the most challenging of all. The last ten minutes or so contain the most surreal, chilling, and haunting apocalyptic images ever depicted on screen (I won’t say much, but if you want to know the true definition of ‘global fire’, then you will find certainly find out here). There is a glimmer of hope in the very last shot and it comes straight out of the Book of Revelations.

Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne deliver very satisfying and sympathetic performances here. The story works for the most part, with the exception of the origin of the ‘whisper people’, that was a little awkward at first but takes some getting used to as the film goes on. The subway disaster feels a bit like a rehash of the one from “Die Hard With A Vengeance”, granted that “Knowing” does a lot more with its range of special effects, however, the one from “Die Hard With A Vengeance” was simply shot in a more realistic fashion. Nevertheless, none of this should stop you from seeing and enjoying this thrilling sci-fi/apocalyptic film.

Rating: ***1/2

Starring: Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Carla Gugino, Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie, Danny Woodburn, Niall Matter, Dan Payne, Apollonia Vanova, Glenn Ennis, Darryl Scheelar, and Doug Chapman.

Directed by: Zack Snyder.

Story:
In an alternate 1985, vigilantes have changed and aided the course of history throughout World War II, Vietnam, etc. As the Cold War increases tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, a group of former vigilantes investigate a murder conspiracy against one of their slain members and uncover something far more sinister.

Characters:
*Laurie Juspeczyk/Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman): The only woman in the ‘Watchmen’ group. She finds herself often caught between the odd but intelligent Dr. Manhattan and the human but normal Nite Owl II. She dresses like Storm from “X-Men”.
*Daniel Dreiberg/Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson): The guy who looks like Batman in his outfit. He seems to have a thing for Silk Spectre II.
*Walter Kovacs/Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley): A masked vigilante who continues to be a vigilante long after vigilantes have been outlawed from the world. He narrates the whole story. This is the guy who looks like a cross between “Darkman” and Madonna’s Breathless from “Dick Tracy”.
*Dr. Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup): An omnipresent glowing blue superhero commissioned by the US government. He spends his time trying to solve scientific matters such as the energy crisis as well as trying to reunite with his ex-flame, Silk Spectre II. This is the guy who is kinda reminiscent of the villainous Apocalypse from the X-Men.
*Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias (Matthew Goode): Retired superhero turned millionaire whom has no problem making his identity public. This is the guy who looks like Chris O’Donnell aka Robin from “Batman & Robin”.
*Edward Blake/The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan): A vigilante commissioned by the US government. He likes to do things his own way. The whole plot is based around him as he is murdered in the opening scene, he is only seen through flashbacks after that (which sucks, by the way). This is the guy who looks like Robert Downey Jr.

Overall:
Wow, there is not one ounce of ADD present in any of this film’s camera shots, I am shocked about this, considering that 99.9% of all films today are usually diagnosed with those types of shots. Well, that’s one of the good points about “Watchmen”. That aside though, it’s a film with a unique and uncommercial approach that strives to stand out amongst most of the garbage you see out there nowadays, I have to give many props to director Zack Snyder for doing this, I would have never expected it.

The entire film is one oddly interesting visual extravaganza, it looks a lot like a graphic novel at times. Unfortunately, it’s let down by some things such as the fact that most of the movie is a flashback-esque story that’s set in the present, but 80% of the film is about the past. Snyder should have just did that story instead of the 1985 one; then, make the 1985 story as the basis for the sequel with the heroes retired and one of them murdered at the beginning, etc.

Also, some of these costumes are just plain out awkward. You’ve got a guy who dresses like “Batman”, a girl who dresses a bit like Storm from “X-Men”, a guy who looks like Chris O’ Donnell’s Robin from “Batman & Robin”, a guy who dresses like “Darkman”, and an omnipresent glowing blue man who often reminds me of one of the X-Men’s villains, Apocalypse. I’m not sure if the original comic creators intentionally did this as some kind of ode or symbolism to their identical counterparts or what. Hey, if that’s the case, I’ll just gather up Freddy, Jason, Michael, Leatherface, and the Fly, make characters that look similar to them, and call it “Boogymen”.

“Watchmen” does have a fantastic unspoken message about how a movie should be shot, however, I will definitely give it that. But this film, overall, would have faired much better if it wasn’t a mostly flashback type of story. Nevertheless, thank you very much, Zack Snyder, for reminding the new era of Hollywood that it is possible to shoot an action sequence without an annoying shaky camera.

Rating: ***