Thursday, March 29, 2012

Fire and Ice (1983)


Introduction:
The early ‘80s was a boom time for fans of fantasy films. While not all the films were amazing, there was still plenty big names that have remained fantasy classics, with Conan the Barbarian probably being the most famous. But independent animation director Ralph Bakshi tried a second go at the genre and joined forces with one of the most popular fantasy illustrators of the time Frank Frazetta. Let’s see what happened…

Summary:
Lord Nekron (Stephen Mendel), who has to be evil with a name like that, is using his magical forces to push a ginormous glacier into the more temperate kingdoms and making a lot of enemies to boot. Larn (William Ostrander) is the only survivor of his destroyed village and on the run from Nekron’s legions of sub-humans. At the same time, princess Teegra (Maggie Roswell) finds herself captured, and escaping and getting captured again as part of a plot to get her father to surrender his kingdom. Then there is the mysterious adventurer Darkwolf (Steve Sandor) who wears a wolf’s head mask and wields a huge battle-axe. He’s got a score to settle with evil ice lord. These characters will clash in an animated epic battle of Fire and Ice.

Good Points:
  • Frazetta’s signature style is expertly captured in the animation
  • Some of the action set pieces are excellent
  • Tons and tons of animated fan service

Bad Points:
  • The plot is really basic, but still manages to meander
  • The stylized animation is not everyone’s cup of tea
  • All the flesh on display is going to distract and disturb plenty of viewers

 Overall:
If you know what you’re getting, this is a really solid sword and sorcery adventure. It’s got some great scale to the setting, but the story is simple and straightforward, as opposed to something like Lord of the Rings. All the half nude bodies on display will either elevate your enjoyment or leave you feeling dirty. But the imagination on display and the way the whole visual experience creates a unique world makes it worth checking out for animation fans.

Scores (out of 5)
Visuals: 4
Sound: 4
Acting: 3
Script: 3
Music: 3
Direction: 4
Entertainment: 4
Total:  3


In Depth Review

Ralph Bakshi’s take on Lord of the Rings in 1978 didn’t win him a lot of friends. Fans of the novels hated his editing and adapting of the story and characters. Newcomers to the story were confused as he tried to cram a book and a half of material into a movie 132 minutes long. Fans of his previous work like Fritz the Cat and Wizards were left wondering where the edgy animator went wrong.

I don’t hate his version of Tolkien’s story. It has a lot of good points (I’ll probably do a review of it somewhere down the line) and it introduced me to the world and got me into the books. But I think Bakshi understood that the elements of high fantasy were not what his style of animation was best at capturing. So it made perfect sense to team up with Frazetta, and utilize his more physical visuals for something more brutal and primal.

Bakshi was really into using rotoscope animation, where actors are filmed and then animated over. This technique has been around for ages, and was used way back for Gulliver’s Travels and the old Superman cartoons from the ‘30s. If used correctly it lends realism to the movement of the characters, something difficult to achieve until the advent of motion capture in the 1990s. Bakshi’s results are decidedly mixed in Lord of the Rings but Fire and Ice gets it all right.

Check out the first chase scene where Larn leads the sub-humans on a chase into a dense jungle. The movement of the characters, the way the camera angles around to capture the action and the tight editing keeps everything kinetic and exciting. The use of rotoscoping really adds to the scene and helps it work. In nearly every action scene, the same effect is captured.

One scene where rotoscoping is not used is during the assault on Nekron’s ice fortress by the flying dragon hawks. But the animation here is really top notch, with the beasts hurtling through ice caverns, dodging rocks and arrows and losing riders. William Kraft’s score kicks into overdrive here, combining the bombastic and the heroic very well. It gets a bit corny at times, but it’s still effective.

As straightforward as the story is, the script could have used a bit more tightening. Teegra spends most of the movie captured or escaping. It gets so redundant it feels comical. In addition there is a strange interlude with a couple characters who are introduced, and then killed off about five minutes later. This scene barely moves the story forward and gives us nothing new, except for a different half naked woman to look at.

Yeah, the amount of skin in this movie is pretty ridiculous. Frazetta is known for his mostly nude fantasy babes and completely ripped sword slingers, so it all fits with the style. But the movie makes sure to show you every last bit of beefcake and cheesecake you can image. Teegra’s introduction is practically soft-core, and the amount of running she does will break any jiggle counter you have handy. There’s nothing racy in the actual film, but it is all about titillation.

Fire and Ice is something I’d recommend to fans of animation, anyone familiar with Bakshi’s work, and folks who enjoy Frazetta’s art. But someone who likes fantasy that isn’t brutal and elemental, like the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, may find this to be a little too much of a good thing. 



Friday, March 23, 2012

The Brain Machine (1977)


Introduction:
Let’s dive into an actual sci-fi story from the 100 Sci-fi Classics boxset. This one comes from the 1970’s and stars that guy from Simon and Simon. It also features a government conspiracy. Hey, wasn’t this the same plot as an X-Files episode?

Summary:
Dr. Portland (Barbara Burgess) and Dr. Morris (Gil Peterson) have created an amazing new computer. Feed enough information into it and it can predict what a person will do, and figure out what secrets they are hiding. To test their device, they bring in four test patients with several skeletons in the closet. Reverend Neill (James Best) obviously has serious issues, but Willie West (Gerald McRaney) seems to be the most normal of the group. Unfortunately none of them are aware of a government plot to not only control the test itself, but figure out a way to use the computer for nefarious purposes.

Good Points:
  • Interesting core story
  • Some of the acting isn’t too bad
  • Hey, I know that mansion…

Bad Points:
  • The direction is really bad
  • Some of the acting is laughable
  • Your eyes might roll out of your head when you see the ending

Overall:
You know, they could have had something interesting going here. Sure the main story is a bit hackneyed, but the ‘70s paranoia could work well. Instead director Joy Houck Jr. has no idea how to pace the movie. This sucker drags, and with poor editing, a million establishing shots, and boom mics all over the place, the end result is a pretty boring film with some average riffing potential.

Scores (out of 5)
Visuals: 2
Sound: 3
Acting: 2
Script: 2
Music: 3
Direction: 1
Entertainment: 2
Total:  2

In Depth Review

This movie is nearly impossible to get through as a straight viewing experience. The biggest issues all fall on the director’s shoulders. I already mentioned the snails pace, but what really kills this are the numerous establishing shots. Every time (and I’m not exaggerating here) we switch from one local to the other, we get a shot of the building. Most of the time, it’s the same shot. The testing facility got lucky with two angles, but it doesn’t help. Who thought all these shots were necessary? The interiors of the buildings look completely different. Did Houck Jr. think his audience would get confused?

The movie also spends an extremely long time setting up the whole government conspiracy angle. It’s not terribly interesting, and the key figure, “The General”, played with absolutely zero skill or interest by Thomas Hal Phillips. His performance is so lackluster that he manages to slow all his scenes down even more. He has some extended phone conversations (always good to throw these in your thriller), and they are just painful to sit through. While the conspiracy delivers a payoff at the end, they did not need to spend so much time on this.

Honestly the best scenes are the ones where the scientist and the computer quiz the test subjects. Here is where the acting really shines. Some folks aren’t too bad, and actually deliver a solid performance (McRaney). But other just go over the top (Best) chewing scenery with gusto and providing lots of unintentional humor.

It isn’t a spoiler to say at the end of the film the computer goes out of control (any sci-fi movie about artificial intelligence is required by movie law to do so!). When this actually happens, the film really becomes entertaining as the doctors and the test subjects attempt to escape. The histrionics go into overtime and you can’t help but laugh. The ending is your classic 1970s sci-fi film finale. If you’ve seen Parts: The Clonus Horror you may have an idea of what I’m talking about.

One thing that was pretty funny about the production (other than the numerous boom mic shots) is that the huge mansion featured in the film has also appeared in another bad 1970s flick – Angels Revenge. It was the home of the evil crime lord played by Peter Lawford in that fine flick. Not only do we get to see the extended driveway, but also the pool area and backyard. It’s a lovely mansion, but having been featured in two moronic movies, I wonder who kept renting it out?

With that said the film might make for a bit of fun on bad movie night. You may need to have some skilled jokesters around for the dull scenes with the General, but the test subject scenes provide plenty of riffing gold. But avoid it if you’re not in the riffing mood.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Hellboy (2004)


Introduction:
Combine the horror genre with superheroes and you could come up with something pretty interesting.  Bring in a director who has an excellent visual style and how can this not work?


Summary:
An extended pre-credit sequence shows us the origin of Hellboy (Ron Perlman) - it involves Nazis and Rasputin (Karel Roden). Jump to present day and the demonic lad with the heart of gold and a soft spot for kittens is fighting the forces of evil with a band of super humans. This includes the pyro-kinetic Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and the half human/half fish Abe Sapien (Doug Jones). Guided by Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt) the group finds themselves facing Rasputin again as the mysterious wizard attempts to bring about the end of the world. Isn’t that always the way?


Good Points:
  • Some excellent visual sequences with classic del Toro moments
  • Perlman makes the whole movie work with his take on the character
  • An exciting musical score by Marco Beltrami

Bad Points:
  • The pacing seems off the whole movie
  • Goes a bit overboard with exposition
  • The main villains weren’t too memorable

Overall:
I wanted to like Hellboy more than I turned out liking it. There are plenty of great scenes and some very funny conversations. But overall the movie ends up dragging too often. And when you’ve got Rasputin as your main villain that’s pretty tough to pull off. Still not a bad way to spend a lazy Sunday, especially if you don’t mind a bit of darkness in your superhero flick.

Scores (out of 5)
Visuals: 4
Sound: 4
Acting: 3
Script: 3
Music: 4
Direction: 4
Entertainment: 3
Total:  3

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Hoosiers (1986)


Introduction:
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not huge into sports films. But there are a few that other people refer to as “must see” movies, so I usually try to give those a watch. Hoosiers usually appears on that list. I don’t mind watching basketball, so I figured I’d give it a shot. Get it? Shot? OK, I’ll just get on to the review.

Summary:
Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) arrives in the small town of Hickory, Indiana to coach the local high school basketball team. This is a second chance of sorts. His previous career as a college level coach ended after an violent incident. Unfortunately the people of Hickory don’t take to the “big city” man coming into their small town to show them how to play the game. Even fellow teachers like Myra Fleener (Barbara Hershey) dislike him from the start. Will Dale be able to turn the team around, win the hearts of the townsfolk, and get the life of local drunk Shooter (Dennis Hopper) back on track? If you don’t know the answer to this, then you haven’t watched any sports movies.

Good Points:
  • Excellent acting by the main cast
  • The basketball scenes are well filmed and exciting
  • Jerry Goldsmith’s musical score fits like an 80s glove


Bad Points:
  • The story is very, very familiar
  • Goldsmith’s score is heavy on the synthesizers
  • The epilogue was painfully cheesy


Overall:
Yes, it’s an underdog sports film and all that entails is covered here. There are no plot surprises, no character surprises, but the heart is in the right place. What really works is the atmosphere (aided by an entire shoot performed in Indiana) and the excellent acting by the leads. I’ve never seen Hopper as good as he is here. And yes, the musical score is a blast. Must of the percussive sounds are actually samples of basketballs hitting a wooden floor. Worth checking out, especially if you enjoy basketball and the cast.

Scores (out of 5)
Visuals: 4
Sound: 3
Acting: 4
Script: 3
Music: 4
Direction: 4
Entertainment: 3
Total:  3

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.