"Dead-Alive"

"Reeker"

No… no… no… Why must we spoil a completely enjoyable slasher film, with an ending that ties everything up so completely? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for tying up loose ends, but when the entire merit of the resolution lies on a closing sequence that is identical to another film, which is only a few years old, any credibility writer/director Dave Payne may have established is completely discarded. The slasher film, as a genre, is inherently derivative of other similar films, but when the line between being derivative and downright stealing is crossed, that marks the point of no return. I only wish I'd seen that line being crossed just a little sooner.

"Rescue Dawn"

I remember first hearing about this project a while ago, and at the time the only information I had that Christian Bale was the star and that the story was strangely reminiscent of a Werner Herzog documentary that I had watched a couple of years ago called "Little Dieter Needs to Fly". It concerned a Vietnam vet that was taken back to the jungle to recount his experiences as a P.O.W. and was a powerful and moving picture.

Synopsis

Photographer Scott Indermaur creates one-of-a-kind portraits of 11 individuals who have been given the unique challenge of symbolically capturing their essence and spirituality in a small box.

His project, REVEALED and This I Believe REVEALED have included 160 subjects from around the country. What he finds to be most interesting is the profound effect this project has had on so many of his subjects. Given the opportunity to look within, many experience a journey that takes them much deeper than their initial inner self-examination … which reveals undiscovered truths about themselves.

The film explores the insights and the impact REVEALED has had on these individuals and on Indermaur himself.

"Road Games"

"Road Games" is a film (while not wholly original on its own), which has obviously inspired a number of other films since its release in 1981. While its premise is slightly derivative of Hitchcock's "Rear Window", the setting and plot development take the film in a different direction. What results is one of the most under-rated thrillers of the 80's - a film rich with suspense and creative storytelling, not to mention believable and likable characters, and doesn't feel the need to slam the viewer with shocks or excessive gore. I wish they made more films like this - films which understand the basic principle of telling a good thriller/horror story. That principle, as you can hopefully understand is "That which is understated, or unseen, is generally more satisfying to the audience than blatant shocks and intense violence".

"Robocop 2"

Again, the entire earth confuses me. "Robocop 2" is absolutely reviled by critics, and I have no idea why. Zero idea. Nada.

I could see if these critics also hated the first "Robocop", but they don't. Verhoeven's "Robocop" was extremely well-received, despite having precisely the same characteristics as its first sequel. I am at a loss. And to top it all off, these same critics go further in praising the third installment of the series, saying that even though it lacked the polish of the first two, it at least had some of the heart and intelligence that made the first such a success. There is no question, in this reviewer's mind, that "Robocop 3" is easily the worst of the bunch, as it completely lacks the punch of the first two, and seems more like a direct-to-video production than a valid sequel.

"Rogue"

Who doesn't enjoy a good killer Croc movie? The endless "Jaws" imitations that have littered our direct to video/DVD shelves since the early 80's beckoning to us with promises of excessive animal vs. man violence, and suggesting a gory good time. The animals in question are generally enormous, much larger than any animal has the right to be. Whether these animals are Crocodiles or Grizzlies, giant Mosquitoes or Bunny Rabbits, they are firmly grounded in the realm of B-rated cinema. Their tongue in cheek tone, coupled with excessively cartoonish violence, generally results in an enjoyable if not necessarily good (in the traditional sense of the word) movie.