The Movie Journal

  Total Recall (1990) Total Recall is one beast of a movie. Is that a good thing? Well, it depends on your preferences. Paul Verhoeven, who also directed the 1987 film Robocop , made his film with wall-to-wall violence that never lets up. His frenetic direction is what made the film move had such a breakneck pace. Because the film was adapted from a Philip K. Dick story (just like a similar sci-fi story, Blade Runner ), there has to be social commentary. Throughout the almost-two-hour long movie, an important question is asked of the audience. Is Schwarzenegger’s character’s actions real or is everything just a dream? There are no clear answers…and I really liked the ambiguity. Lesser directors could have turned the movie into a mindless action film using Schwarzenegger’s brawn to create something forgettable. The big man does use his muscle to great effect in the action scenes, but one could say he was cast against type. When compared to his 80’s actioners, his character is more v...

  Back to the Future Part III  Back to the Future Part III is so much fun. It is a sweet and entertaining finale to one of the best science fiction trilogies to exist. The first two films have similar ideas and themes, but Robert Zemeckis and company switched things up here. They created an homage to old-school Westerns, a very risky movie considering how westerns were not popular with moviegoers at the time. I loved the references to the westerns of old. Of course Marty would have to say the line, “uh..Mar..Clint Eastwood.” That line gets me every time. There is a really sweet love story between Doc Brown and Clara Clayton. It surprises me that people seem to dislike their romance. I thought the chemistry existed between the two characters. Furthermore, the film took risks with this romance because it involved middle-aged characters falling in love, and that is never seen in movies. All things considered, Zemeckis took filmmaking risks and they all paid off. In addition, the...

  Star Trek: Discovery: Season 1, Episode 4 "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry" October 07, 2017 I have rather mixed feelings about the fourth episode, “The Butcher’s Knife Cares Not for the Lamb’s Cry.” There is plenty of good stuff, but there is also some stuff that makes you scratch your head. Firstly, RIP Commander Landry, we hardly knew ye. I was disappointed she was killed off in such an uninspired way. She was one of the few strong female characters yet was ended by a creature known as the tardigrade, which will be pivotal for the Discovery’s spore drive. Also, the Klingon scenes? Ugh. I still have mixed feelings about how they look. Voq and his second-in-command, L’Rell seem like they could have good storylines, but the writers will have to find a way to make them interesting. There are some great characterization scenes. Michael is still trying to settle in her new role as Saru and his ganglia, which senses death still mistrusts her. I am inter...

  Star Trek: Discovery: Season 1, Episode 3 "Context Is for Kings" October 01, 2017 “Context Is for Kings” is a successful soft reboot for Star Trek: Discovery . Taking on what we know from the first two prologue episodes, we are introduced to a new set of characters and a mysterious, brand-new captain. Characters we have met such as Saru make welcome appearances. This episode is about Michael Burnham trying to find redemption for herself as her reputation precedes her. She has to get the people on the U.S.S Discovery to trust her, which may be difficult considering she is the first person to have led a mutiny against Starfleet and the women who began the Klingon War. When she killed T’uvma last episode, she ultimately made him a martyr. We, as an audience, know her intentions were good and pure. She was caught up in the midst of a firefight. There are people who may think that isn’t it a good thing that she killed the creature who murdered her captain? She was First Officer ...

  The Jungle Book (1967) Disney’s The Jungle Book is a lovable, high-spirited adventure that all ages will enjoy. Like many Disney films from before 1970, this is considered a classic in the eyes of many. Personally, it does not reach the heights of top-tier Disney animation classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves , but it remains a movie everyone should see. Rudyard Kipling’s story is a bit on the dark side, so Walt Disney took the basics and gave the film a light-hearted energy suitable for children. When the fantastic song “Bare Necessities” appeared, it is an example of light-heartedness that Disney was striving for. Still, there are some darker moments when it comes to the snake, Kaa and of course, Shere Khan the tiger. The hand-drawn animation is excellent, and it is obvious that care was taken into creating the animated characters. The voicecast is well represented with the characters. Disney chose some marketable names which was extremely rare in 1967. He felt tha...

  The Hunt for Red October (1990) Based on current global situations, the Cold War-set thriller The Hunt for Red October has never been more relevant. When released in March 1990, the Cold War effectively ended when the Soviet Union kicked the communist government out of power…which is why the producers felt it was a good idea adding a title card mentioning how the events took place in 1984. Still, this is a superb techno-thriller with fantastic performances from Sean Connery and its ensemble cast. John McTiernan, who created action-thriller classics with Predator and Die Hard , takes his experience from those films to create a well-rounded thriller. He and screenwriters Larry Ferguson and Donald E. Stewart worked together to create a dangerous cat-and-mouse game involving Soviet submarines and nuclear missiles. Sound familiar, right? Watching this film in the midst of current events is very unsettling, but the film aged very well. It does not rely on CGI as they filmed in a real ...

  The Witches (1990) If there was ever to be a movie made for kids that will absolutely scare younger children, The Witches would be the movie to see. As a kid, I had nightmares for days after watching Anjelica Huston and her merry band of witches terrorize children. Even this day, I am creeped out when I glimpse the witches. You can thank Jim Henson’s puppetry and Anjelica Huston’s magnificent performance for such horror. If anything, I would watch to see how impressive these practical effects were. This movie was actually Jim Henson’s last film before he passed away. It is a shame the rest of the movie does not live up to expectations set forth by the special effects and Anjelica Huston. When our main hero is converted into a mouse, he became a poorly written, slightly annoying character. His schtick with the hotel manager, played by Rowan Atkinson, is childlike and admittingly not for my age group. I just wish the script was better because there is so much to like here. Then aga...

Revenge (1990) When compared to the rest of Tony Scott’s filmography, Revenge is a barely a blip. It is a much smaller film than Top Gun , yet it was shot with artistic flair. People seem to dislike the movie, but I think it shows how gifted Scott can be as a director…before the MTV quick-shot, rapid-editing formula took him away (and don’t get me wrong, some of those films are good). Although there are cliches taken from previous romance/revenge thrillers, everything is well-made. With some scenes filmed in Mexico, Jeffrey Kimball’s cinematography allows for beautiful, sweeping images of the Mexican terrain to take focus on the screen. Kevin Costner is very likable, and you can believe in his love with Madeleine Stowe. Their actions are questionable…which is the premise of the movie, but you believe that they truly love each other. The sex scenes are well-made. Apparently, Scott did not have his actors rehearse beforehand. He just set up the cameras and told them to improvise. That he...