3LB
10-28-2009, 01:28 PM
I have in the past let critical opinion sway me from watching a movie when in fact, I liked it when I eventually got around to seeing it.
Starship Troopers - Paul Verhoven's movies always seem to be hit and miss when it comes to critics. Super graphic violence mixed with satire and social commentary regarding unwavering faith to a political system (with its allusions to fascism), it was sometimes hard to tell if it was just out and out parody, as there was no one editorializing or sermonizing the central theme. The special effects, which were state-of-the-art in '97, are still decent enough, and the battle sequences are stellar. Being that the enemy was a race of giant desert dwelling bugs, it had a very '50s sci-fi feel to it. The wartime propaganda segments were spot-on and like RoboCop from a decade before, really gave a sense looking into a distant culture. (How erie is it that our current culture resembles the decaying futuristic culture depicted in RoboCop? Anyone driving a vehicle that resembles a 6000SUX ?) This movie accurately fortells a society retrieving its news of the day via interactive computer network, before the word 'internet' was common or the proliferation of personal computers for that matter. Also chilling is the depiction of a war with a very unconventional enemy, on their soil, predicated by an attack presumed to have been carried out by a race of buglike creatures from a far away desertscape planet. No detailed reason is given for their attacks, no proof is offered either, the viewing audience is compelled to take the Federation's word for it. In one brief, fleeting moment, a news reporter poses the moral question of our attempting to adavnce our interests on other planets, but the question is quickly diffused by the adage, "the only good bug is a dead bug!" shouted by an infantryman. Only infantry and light arms are usued as the belief that a super 'brain bug' exists and no life or expense is spared trying to find it, presumably hidden in some cave deep within the desert floor. And no one character questions anything as both human and bug march dutifully to their doom.
Blast From The Past - another fish outta water type movie, it is at least an enticing premise. A highly intellectual but paranoid suburban husband and soon-to-be-dad bent on saving his family from an impending nuclear holocost at the hands of the USSR (circa 1960s) mistakingly retreats with his pregnant wife (invisibly acted by Sissy Spacek) into an elabotrate fallout shelter under his house when he mistakes an airplane crash for the "big one". The shelter is on a irreversable timed lockdown and life above moves on without them. 35 years later Brandon Frasier emerges, sent by his dad (Christopher Walkin) to scout the new surface terrain which they presume will be crawling with mutated humans (modern day Hollywood). So we have a guy raised on Perry Como records, Jackie Gleason reruns, and the conservative values of the early '60s, trying to make contact in a strange new world...you still reading? Anyway, this is the kinda movie that if it were made today would be so overwrought, but what this is, is a very understated movie, which doesn't try to be an action flick, nor does it attempt to editorialize, but rather just presents a story. It worked for me, but critics hated it. Sure, it could have used a little more of Walken and Spacek and their impressions of the surface dwellers, but thankfully this cliched movie premise did manage to avoid a few obvious cliches within its subplot, by not making the central character of the film a total moron just because he was sheltered for the first 35 years of his life (reaffirming the value of a nuclear family). The female interest (Alicia Silverstone) as gorgeous as she is, isn't a diva or a ditz (though she is somewhat socially inept). And it also depicts a gay character as her roomate (Dave Foley) in a sensible way - he makes it clear he's gay w/o resorting to overtly effeminate or flamboyant mannerisms, and is portrayed as the 'grounded one' of the two. Brendan Frasier is pitch perfect in that he is naturally understated and not animated (prolly just good casting) and plays down the leading man element. If only they could have spent a little more time on the actual premise and explored other ramifications instead of just making a light-hearted romantic comedy...anyway, its one of few date movies I don't regret. Of course this movie got crapped on, but in light of what passes for critical darlings today...remake the movie with Reese Witherspoon or Jennifer Aniston and Matthew McConauhey in the title roles and its an instant 4 star rating.
Starship Troopers - Paul Verhoven's movies always seem to be hit and miss when it comes to critics. Super graphic violence mixed with satire and social commentary regarding unwavering faith to a political system (with its allusions to fascism), it was sometimes hard to tell if it was just out and out parody, as there was no one editorializing or sermonizing the central theme. The special effects, which were state-of-the-art in '97, are still decent enough, and the battle sequences are stellar. Being that the enemy was a race of giant desert dwelling bugs, it had a very '50s sci-fi feel to it. The wartime propaganda segments were spot-on and like RoboCop from a decade before, really gave a sense looking into a distant culture. (How erie is it that our current culture resembles the decaying futuristic culture depicted in RoboCop? Anyone driving a vehicle that resembles a 6000SUX ?) This movie accurately fortells a society retrieving its news of the day via interactive computer network, before the word 'internet' was common or the proliferation of personal computers for that matter. Also chilling is the depiction of a war with a very unconventional enemy, on their soil, predicated by an attack presumed to have been carried out by a race of buglike creatures from a far away desertscape planet. No detailed reason is given for their attacks, no proof is offered either, the viewing audience is compelled to take the Federation's word for it. In one brief, fleeting moment, a news reporter poses the moral question of our attempting to adavnce our interests on other planets, but the question is quickly diffused by the adage, "the only good bug is a dead bug!" shouted by an infantryman. Only infantry and light arms are usued as the belief that a super 'brain bug' exists and no life or expense is spared trying to find it, presumably hidden in some cave deep within the desert floor. And no one character questions anything as both human and bug march dutifully to their doom.
Blast From The Past - another fish outta water type movie, it is at least an enticing premise. A highly intellectual but paranoid suburban husband and soon-to-be-dad bent on saving his family from an impending nuclear holocost at the hands of the USSR (circa 1960s) mistakingly retreats with his pregnant wife (invisibly acted by Sissy Spacek) into an elabotrate fallout shelter under his house when he mistakes an airplane crash for the "big one". The shelter is on a irreversable timed lockdown and life above moves on without them. 35 years later Brandon Frasier emerges, sent by his dad (Christopher Walkin) to scout the new surface terrain which they presume will be crawling with mutated humans (modern day Hollywood). So we have a guy raised on Perry Como records, Jackie Gleason reruns, and the conservative values of the early '60s, trying to make contact in a strange new world...you still reading? Anyway, this is the kinda movie that if it were made today would be so overwrought, but what this is, is a very understated movie, which doesn't try to be an action flick, nor does it attempt to editorialize, but rather just presents a story. It worked for me, but critics hated it. Sure, it could have used a little more of Walken and Spacek and their impressions of the surface dwellers, but thankfully this cliched movie premise did manage to avoid a few obvious cliches within its subplot, by not making the central character of the film a total moron just because he was sheltered for the first 35 years of his life (reaffirming the value of a nuclear family). The female interest (Alicia Silverstone) as gorgeous as she is, isn't a diva or a ditz (though she is somewhat socially inept). And it also depicts a gay character as her roomate (Dave Foley) in a sensible way - he makes it clear he's gay w/o resorting to overtly effeminate or flamboyant mannerisms, and is portrayed as the 'grounded one' of the two. Brendan Frasier is pitch perfect in that he is naturally understated and not animated (prolly just good casting) and plays down the leading man element. If only they could have spent a little more time on the actual premise and explored other ramifications instead of just making a light-hearted romantic comedy...anyway, its one of few date movies I don't regret. Of course this movie got crapped on, but in light of what passes for critical darlings today...remake the movie with Reese Witherspoon or Jennifer Aniston and Matthew McConauhey in the title roles and its an instant 4 star rating.