Total Recall (1990)

4 / 5 Mar '10

Tagline: They Stole His Mind, Now He Wants It Back!
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Written by: Philip K. Dick, Ronald Shusett
Actors include: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone
Genre: Thriller, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Length: 113 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: USA

Review:
This is one relatively exciting action packed futuristic tale that doesn't seem all that far off from actually happening. Okay well maybe that's an exaggeration, I can't picture some of these violent sequences actually happening but conceptually...we aren't far off. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Douglas Quaid, a fellow who really wants to go to Mars but his wife Lori (Sharon Stone) isn't interested. Instead Douglas hears of a company called Recall which implants memories of trips to nearly anywhere and they let you be any sort of person you'd like for the experience. Douglas decides to give it a try and he selects secret agent with aliens and brunette lady friend (and I can't imagine why anyone would select Rachel Ticotin over Stone) and receives a vacation implant to Mars. We hear that something has gone wrong and that Douglas' memory has accidentally erased, we sort of meet with him and we aren't quite sure which state he's at and he's more confused than we are. All of the sudden people with guns are shooting at him and life is a giant adventure all to do with something that happened on Mars that he can't remember. It's pretty fun watching everything come together especially since it's a rather violent ride filled with adventure. Really I guess this should be recommended to most, the concept is interesting the effects are good and it's very easy to enjoy.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Fear (1990)

3 / 5 Apr '10
Tagline: Your First Impulse Your Last Sensation
Directed by: Rockne S. O'Bannon
Written by: Rockne S. O'Bannon
Actors include: Ally Sheedy, Lauren Hutton, Michael O'Keefe
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 90 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well it's worth noting that this is one of the first of '90s thrillers involving a serial killer and psychic powers. Actually the plot although silly in a way is probably one of the best parts of this one. I was surprised at how poor the acting was in this, I expected more from Ally Sheedy! She plays Cayce a psychic who helps solve murder cases which has treated her quite well, only her new case is a challenge. See the killer she's trying to help nab just happens to also have psychic abilities (see what I mean by silly) and is trying to out do her by going after people in her life and controlling her. He uses his psychic abilities to find out what scares the person the most and tries to incorporate that into his means of attack which is kind of cool. Although it had the potential to be frightening, thrilling or even intense it never really went there. It was more Cayce freaking out in various settings while her visions took over. It's not really horrific enough to be considered a horror film, nor is it bloody nor do we see a heck of a lot really. Still some good ideas were here and I easily made it to the end of the film, it just wasn't as exciting as it should have been.

Availability:  On DVD as part of 2fer with Parents

Wild At Heart (1990)

3.5 / 5 Aug '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: Barry Gifford, David Lynch
Actors Include: Laura Dern, Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe
Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller, Crime
Length:  124 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Hmm well this had some extreme bads and some extreme goods but it was the extreme violence that pleased me the most. I guess I'll start with my complaints which include: horrible metal interludes (what were they thinking?), it's trying too hard to be weird to the point of being obnoxious at times (like the chipmunk voiced people), too much sex (the movie was too long, they screw like bunnies, I get it, I don't need to see them screwing over and over again) and it some aspects don't make much sense. On the pro side, again the violence is cool, some of the characters although bizarre are quite entertaining and although the movie sometimes annoyed me, it was compelling in a way. The story is about Sailor (Nicolas Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern) a young crazy couple who are wildly in love but often on the wrong side of the law. Lula's Mother hates Sailor so much she hires a hit out on him, but instead of killing him Sailor manages to kill the hitman landing him in jail. A little while later when he gets out the movie continues with a strange road trip with Lula where they screw and screw and try to live the good life. Of course not everything is wonderful and well things kinda get messed up along the way. Still it was somewhat satisfying and I liked most of it, not the best Lynch movie by far but a reasonable one at least.

Availability:  On DVD

Goodfellas (1990)

5 / 5
Tagline:  Three Decades of Life in the Mafia.
Directed by:  Martin Scorsese
Written by:  Nicholas Pileggi
Actors include:  Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Genre:  Crime, Drama, Thriller
Length:  146 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

I never did get around to seeing this until just recently and I'm so glad I did for I completely get why it's regarded as one of the best films of all time.  Why?  Because I think you'd have to be pretty hateful to not enjoy it as it has something for anyone!  It's based upon the true story of Henry Hill, a gangster who starts out young and ends up extremely thick in the Mob.  It's really easy to follow, the characters are unforgettable, the violence is supreme the relationships between the characters are gripping as is the story.  The ruthlessly needless violent character of Tommy (Joe Pesci) is difficult to watch and he just brings the whole element of doom to the film.  Watching Henry rise from a young lad who runs errands to working his way up to the big time is fascinating and it even answers questions that I've had about how the Mob runs and everything else (not that I'm thinking of joining).  For those who don't like mobsters and stuff there is even the romantic element as part of this takes place through Henry's wife and her reactions to things.  I can't say enough good things about but I can say if you haven't seen it, don't be a fool go and watch it now!

Availability:  On Blu-Ray & DVD

King Of New York (1990)

3.5 / 5
Tagline:  The cops tried to stop him their way...Now they'll have to do it HIS way.
Directed by:  Abel Ferrara
Written by:  Nicholas St. John
Actors include:  Christopher Walken, David Caruso, Laurence Fishburn
Genre:  Crime, Drama, Action
Length:  103 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

Why sure this has tons of awesome gun violence, and Christopher Walken to boot and if that is all you are looking for then you should love this.  They didn't bother too much with character development and it felt like it was missing something somehow...maybe as if it were too simple?  The plot is that Frank White (Walken) has just been released from jail and is taking over his old crime syndicate.  He doesn't just stop there as he has a mission to run the entire town, and he's not afraid to kill the heck out of every person that gets in his way.  The Cops are hot on his trail, and his drug associates don't exactly seem to be keeping up their end of the deal.  There is also lots of rap music, shootings and even a nice guy plan to give tons of money to a hospital to help people.  Although it was quite impressive in some ways it just didn't measure up to what I had expected, especially considering it's stellar reputation.

Availability:  On Blu-Ray & DVD