Lekce Faust (1994)

A Czech, French, British, German, American fantasy directed by Jan Švankmajer
A man receives a map from men passing them out on a street corner. He follows it and becomes an actor in the role of Faust at a theater production. As the story progresses, stop motion fantasy elements are added and he turns into a marionette, but goes back to being an actor between scenes, while still in a deal with the devil.
Jan Švankmajer also made Alice (1988) and Little Otik (2000). This belongs in the same category as those: weird and wonderful. I liked Little Otik the most, but this was pretty cool too. The stop motion all looked good and there were some great scenes. The heads rolling through areas looked good and the small marionettes in the signature scene were great. My favorite was when the jester was trying to catch a bird. He repeatedly summoned and banished a devil with some humor involved. The audio was in Czech, but the version I watched had on time English subtitles. I rate this good just for being so strange. You should probably watch it.
Sorry, no image. Blogger is broken again.

A Troll in Central Park A.K.A. Stanley's Magic Garden (1994)

post #2900

An American animated fantasy directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, starring Dom DeLuise, Cloris Leachman and Jonathan Pryce.
A troll is deported from troll land, into New York City because he has been making flowers with his green thumb. He lands in central park and meets a pair of children. It turns out that exiling him is not enough for the troll queen and she arrives to cause more trouble.
Alright, but not great. Pacing was what I noticed first. Everything flies by in a rush. Next was song quality. If Don Bluth wanted any chance of even co-existing with Disney, he needed better songs. At least the instruments and vocals were mixed better than All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). The animation looked much like the other work of this studio, but not quite as good. It seems like somewhere in the late '80s and early '90s is when the studio stopped producing their best work. If you look at Don Bluth's filmography on Wikipedia, there are 4 columns for credit. I get the feeling that when these are all green (meaning Bluth did it), it's a great movie. He did also animate some Wolfgang Reitherman films for Disney. Something funny that I noticed in this film was the squirrel looking completely thrashed on drugs (image). Why? Then there was the issue with the bottle (baby bottle) and I was thinking that the squirrel probably has a liquor bottle if you need it that badly. I rate this adequate, but would only recommend it if you're into Don Bluth's work. There will be a few more of these coming soon.

Kickboxer Series (1989 - 1995)

An American action series directed by Mark di Salle, David Worth, Albert Pyun, Rick King and Kristine Peterson, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.
A man's brother is injured in a Thai boxing match and he trains with an old man to get revenge. Then it all goes down the toilet.
This series had a great start, faltered in #2, came back with drama/comedy in #3 and then died. I can't believe someone re-booted it (2016, 2018, 2020) after what a disaster #5 was. The first one is a classic. It has style, the viewer cares about the characters and there are extended training scenes. The second was annoying at best, but there was a kid with a King Diamond shirt (image) in the beginning. The third resurrected the series. There was a large sub-plot about kidnapped girls, but the main plot was about the hero, the old man and 2 kids. Sasha Mitchell did a great job in his role as David Sloane. He was expressive and charismatic. He was not so great in #2 and #4. Speaking of #4, it was one of the worst films I've ever seen. The main plot of the tournament would have been fine, but there was this added thing with an abducted wife, a ninja and an EXTREMELY graphic sex scene. If it were not following such crap, #5 would have been terrible. I thought it was really boring. The moral of the story here is to watch #1 & #3, but not the rest. I'm rating the whole series o.k. because of the wildly variable quality.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

An American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis.
Vignettes tell of interrelating stories happening around Los Angeles. Drugs are bought, sold and consumed, things are stolen, people get killed and stories are told.
I think what makes this so awesome is the dialogue. Every scene is full of Tarantino's eloquent writing. The long list of stars and great production help too. It's another classic crime film that so many people have written about. One amusing fact I can relate is that Amanda Plummer (Honey Bunny) also played Lydia Sinclair in The Fisher King (1991). It's fun to imagine Lydia holding a gun and screaming the F word in the diner scene. Speaking of The Fisher King and crime films, the vaudeville singer from that also played Dr. Jarvis in Thursday (1998).
I get too off-topic. This ends the "catch up" reviews. I'm going back to just writing about films I actually have something to say about.

Jay and Silent Bob / Clerks (1994 - 2006)

American comedies directed by Kevin Smith, starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson and Jason Mewes.
A reluctant convenience store clerk is friends with the inattentive clerk of the video store next door. A drug dealer and his friend hang out in front of the shops. In Clerks II, the characters are at a fast food restaurant, in Dogma, the drug dealer and friend try to help a woman to prevent fallen angels from entering a church and in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the guys outside the stores go to Hollywood to claim money for a movie being made about them.
Another set! I'm not including the animated Jay and Silent Bob film or the 2019 sequel to Strike Back. I've seen Dogma many times and Strike Back came out when I was in college the first time and my friends watched it lots. The humor in these films seems awkward, crude and irreverent, even to me. Dante gets on my nerves a little bit and Jay's jokes are only about sex and ganja. Clerks 1 being in all black and white was a little daring for Kevin Smith's first film in 1994. All of them looked fine, except that Strike Back looked a little too Hollywood to me. I rate the set o.k. and you should watch it if your sense of humor is crude and irreverent.
I am now realizing why I did not review the films I've seen so many times. It's hard to think of something to write about a movie I know so well that I can watch it in my head.

Forrest Gump (1994)

An American drama directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Sally Field.
The life of a man from Alabama is shown: from his first time getting onto a school bus until his son gets onto a bus the first time.
This is one of my favorites. Around 2 hours and 20 minutes duration is filled with plot and characters. The main character, Forrest Gump just happens to be present at every historical event of his time. His friends are great and casting was done well. Robin Wright (Jenny) played Buttercup in The Princess Bride (1987) and Sally Field (Mrs. Gump) played Frog in Smokey and the Bandit (1977). This was based on a novel and the book included the main character as an astronaut, professional wrestler and chess player. This is one of my back-catch-up reviews about a film I've seen lots of times, but not written about. I rate it best. Watch it!

In the Army Now (1994)

An American war comedy directed by Daniel Petrie Jr., starring Pauly Shore, Lori Petty, David Alan Grier, Andy Dick and Esai Morales.
A failed electronics salesman and his best friend join the army reserves. They attend boot camp and are immediately shipped to Chad for active duty.
Most people would not agree, but I think Pauly Shore is funny. In fact, everyone seems to hate this movie. Maybe it's because I watched it when it first came out on VHS rental, but I like it. The jokes are not quite funny enough, but it follows the standard comedy format established in the '70s and continued through the '80s into the early '90s. Skwisgaar Skwigelf from Metalocalypse would say "little laugh, ha.". Sometimes it's nice to watch something with sentimental, but not intellectual value. The addition of Lori Petty (of Tank Girl (1995) fame) adds to this. I can't think of anything really wrong with this, but there was also nothing besides casting done really well. I rate it adequate. You might want to watch it.

Chungking Express A.K.A. Chóngqìng sēnlín (1994)

A Chinese romance directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung Chiu-wai.
Two men having a hard time dealing with relationship breakups meet other women. One of them is obsessive compulsive. He buys cans of pineapple with a certain expiration date and meets a woman involved in drug smuggling. The other man likes flight attendants and talking to inanimate objects. He meets a woman who works at the snack bar where both men eat. The snack bar woman gets keys (which are never seen or mentioned) to his apartment without him knowing and begins going there when he is not around.
The video professor where I went to school would be in awe of this. I saw lots of Dutch angles and selective focus. Too bad the $5000 school cameras were too crappy to do selective focus. I'm usually not into romance films, but the plot and characters held my attention. It doesn't matter that I thought it was all one continuous plot about the same man. This also featured a Cantonese cover of an American pop song, "Dreams" by The Cranberries. It's very odd to hear a song that was overplayed when I was in high school sung in Cantonese. There were some humorous moments to mention: the first man eating 30 cans of pineapple and the second man talking to a bar of soap and a towel. What really made me laugh about the latter was when Faye replaced these items and he was talking to them as if they had changed, not been replaced. Lecturing soap about gaining weight is comical. I rate this adequate. You may want to read the plot first, but it's worth watching.

Oblivion (1994)

An American science fiction western directed by Sam Irvin, starring Andrew Divoff, Julie Newmar, Isaac Hayes and Meg Foster.
An alien criminal is trying to take over a town after he kills the sheriff. The sheriff's son has been prospecting gold and meets a Native American. He saves this man's life and they are told by the undertaker of the town what has happened. The son returns with his new friend, frees the cyborg deputy and fights the criminal.
Notice the images. These little monsters were the best part of the film. On anyone else's blog, you would expect an image of the giant "nightscorp", but not here. The plot was trite, but the characters were likeable. It was all very Full Moon. The sequel, Backlash (1996) is much more difficult to find. I decided to watch the first one and get the sequel if I liked it enough. I don't think that would be worthwhile. I rate this o.k. because it's just another cheesy Full Moon science fiction and there are plenty more of those to watch.

Natural Born Killers (1994)

An American crime film directed by Oliver Stone, story by Quentin Tarantino, starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones and Tom Sizemore.
A couple travel the country on a killing spree, are caught by cops and jailed and then escape.
Sensory overload. Within the first few minutes I could tell that Quentin Tarantino was involved in some way. It just looked and sounded so much like his other work. There was violence and 50s/60s soul music. What more clue do you need? The plot was relatively lame, but I don't think that was the main focus of the film. Some of the characters were developed well while others were extremely shallow. The framing and composition of shots was good, but I would have liked more wide shots. I did not like the editing because it was so fast, but I think that was intentional. Overall, a decent movie. I rate it adequate. Again, other people think it's amazing. If I was only looking for Tarantino-esque shock value, I would agree. Fortunately for me, my tastes have matured some.

Pm Poko A.K.A. Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko (1994)

A Japanese animated fantasy directed by Isao Takahata, starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
The forest home of raccoons is being destroyed by humans building homes. The raccoons try to use their shapeshifting abilities to make the humans leave.
I'm writing about this film for a variety of reasons. I found the plot to be engaging and interesting, but tragic. Although the plot was so good, the characters were relatively shallow and a "narrator voice" filled in the story. Testicles of the tanuki (Japanese raccoon dogs) play a major role in folklore and were included in the film. All of the male raccoons had them and some transformed their ballsacks for other uses. Balls were mentioned in the dialogue and songs of the original Japanese version and the English subtitles, but not the English audio. There were also breasts on the female raccoons and even a topless scene. I liked the environmental theme or moral of the film because it is so true. Human city development really is destroying the homes of animals. Finally, I just plain like the film. Being Studio Ghibli and having a good plot guarantees that. I rate this best. Watch it!

Dinosaur Island (1994)

An American fantasy directed by Fred Olen Ray and Jim Wynorski, starring Michelle Bauer and Peter Spellos.
A group of American soldiers land on an island populated by dinosaurs and beautiful women. The women sacrifice virgins to a Tyrannosaur and have a prophecy that gods will come to save them from it.
This is the opposite of Jurassic Park (1993). Jurassic Park had a good plot and this had a bad plot. Same goes for all the criteria by which I judge films: writing, acting, camera-work, editing... All the opposite. I haven't seen dinosaurs this bad since the '60s films I watched! They even invented new species! The only positive opposite was nudity and sex. Jurassic park did not have them, this had plenty of nudity and sex. Boobs in the first 3 seconds! Overall, a movie so bad that it actually is pretty funny. I give this a weird pink rating.

Hoop Dreams (1994)

An American documentary directed by Steve James.
Two high school basketball players try to begin their sports careers.
I have no interest in basketball. That is what made watching basically three hours of this difficult. The plot did not hold my attention. They're having problems because they come from black, poor, inner-city families and then one of them gets hurt. The characters were stereotypical to say the least. The camera-work and editing was done very well. Even the audio was expertly produced. I just did not give a flying fuck about the content. Overall, a basketball flick for folks who like the sport. I rate it tolerable because it was made so well but did not interest me.

Shallow Grave (1994)

A British crime horror directed by Danny Boyle, starring Kerry Fox and Ewan McGregor.
A trio of roommates have their new fourth renter die. In his room, they find a suitcase full of money. They bury him and sink his car, but criminals are after his money. The roommates also begin to quarrel over the money.
This was an odd film. It started off like a comedy, but got dark and dangerous as it went. The plot definitely held my attention. The characters were written and acted well, except for Kerry Fox. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode in which Jerry and George are having trouble writing for Elaine in their TV pilot. The audio and video were expertly done. The re-occurring spin shot of David was strange until the end, when we find out why his head is on a white background. The opening narration by Ewan McGregor reminded me of Trainspotting for a very good reason. Overall, weird British cinema that Americans can understand. I rate this good. You should probably watch it.

Ghoulies IV A.K.A. Ghoulies 4 (1994)

An American horror directed by Jim Wynorski.
A militant witch is looking for a jewel that will turn her cop ex-boyfriend back to his old, evil self.
This was terrible! It had NOTHING to do with the Ghoulies series storyline. The Ghoulies just happened to be there. They weren't even the same Ghoulies from the three previous films, but dwarves in costumes. Different costumes, with different faces (picture). So, we've got the plot not being part of the series and the poor choice of monsters. Human actors didn't do too much better. I thought the three female roles were cast decently. The cop, the hooker and the witch all looked and acted their parts. The video was lack-luster at best. Special effects were confined to editing tricks and lighting that the average student could accomplish, given the correct supplies. The audio was re-dubbed because I could see people's mouths moving separate from their dialogue. If the film is in English and the English dialogue doesn't match the English-speaking actors, that's a major problem. Overall, I want the past hour and fifteen minutes of my life back. I rate this bad. Do not watch!

North (1994)

An American comedy adventure directed by Rob Reiner, starring Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, Jason Alexander, Jon Lovitz, Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, Kathy Bates and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
A boy is unsatisfied with his parents. He is doing well in school, but they don't care. He decides to search for new parents after talking to a mall Easter bunny. The new parents around the world are not to his tastes and everywhere he goes, the mall Easter bunny guy offers helpful advice.
This is a children's film and could be watched by kids quite contentedly. I propose another option for adults: examine the actors, their other roles and their combination. George and Elaine from Seinfeld have given birth to Frodo Baggins, who takes advice from John McClane from the Die Hard films. More fun that way, right? I thought the plot was trite and frivolous, with the main character making his decisions based on fickle and childish reasons. It also involved closed-minded, outdated and idiotic notions of other cultures. The audio and video were fine. I could hear and see everything. Overall, I really just wanted to write about my "Characters In Other Roles Theory" again. I rate this tolerable.

Jimmy Hollywood (1994)

An American crime comedy written and directed by Barry Levinson, starring Joe Pesci, Christian Slater and Victoria Abril.
A failed actor in Hollywood has his car radio stolen. He is so angered by this that he enlists his buddy as a camera man to catch the thief. They do and deliver him to the police with car radios, the video tape and a poorly written note. The police believe that there is a gigantic vigilante gang because of the note and the failed actor takes on the role of the gang leader. Together with his camera man, they engage in more vigilante activities with video until the police catch on to them.
This started out foolish and hokey, but ended up being not so shabby. I initially hated Joe Pesci's character and thought that he was over-acting and horribly cast. As the plot went on, it became more clear and I liked it more. The video and audio were pretty standard for 1994. I think Levinson made better musical choices in the '90s than the 2000s. The ending made sense to me, but I won't spoil it. I noticed product placement on the Sony Watchman at 1:26:00 and that they ran past cleaning carts at 1:29:52. There was a repeated scene where the friends were sitting by the pool and the main character's phone would ring. He would always say "Is that my phone?" and his buddy would always tell him "No.". It was actually always his phone. Overall, a movie that develops as it goes. I rate it adequate. If it had been as strong at the beginning as at the end, it would get awesome or best.

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla A.K.A. Gojira tai SupēsuGojira (1994)

A Japanese daikaiju science fiction directed by Kensho Yamashita, starring Akira Emoto.
SpaceGodzilla comes from outer space as Earthlings are testing methods to control Godzilla. They use Mogera, a Mechagodzilla-type robot to help in the fight.
This is the absolute worst Godzilla movie. The crappy acting is something that I'm used to, but the sparse soundtrack was what really screwed the pooch on this one. SpaceGodzilla looks really cool, but there's no music! The fight scenes were bad too. I didn't actually see any giant monster combat. Poorly made and uninteresting, this really sucks a big, floppy donkey dick. I rate this bad. NEVER EVER WATCH!!!

Leprechaun 2 A.K.A. One Wedding and Lots of Funerals (1994)

An American comedy horror directed by Rodman Flender, starring Warwick Davis.
The leprechaun has chosen a descendant of his original chosen bride to wed. Her boyfriend and his drunken boss try to defeat the leprechaun and save the girlfriend.
This was alright. I watched all of these when I was younger with my sister. The leprechaun's humor is always good, like Freddy's in Freddy's Dead (1991). The special effects were actually decent. It was mostly creative editing, but used in a very appropriate way. The drinking game was my favorite part. The drunken boss orders what the bartender gives him when he is too drunk: soda and water, while the leprechaun is drinking whiskey. To tell you the truth, I watched this because I'm looking for the one with the casino setting. Overall, a decent comedy horror that goes well with the rest of the set. I rate this good.

Crooklyn (1994)

An American drama directed by Spike Lee, starring Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo.
A black family with many children lives in New York City. The first daughter goes to stay with relatives in the south and comes back to find her mother sick.
Niggers are niggers. The plot was pointless and the characters strived to enforce racist stereotypes. Basically, it was a nigger movie about niggers being niggers. There was some very good compositing though. One scene showed glue sniffing teens walking upside down through a street. Another showed the main character cleaning the kitchen with copies of herself fading out as she began new tasks. The soundtrack was entirely black music of the 1970s. Overall, BLACK! African-American, pickaninny, negro, colored darkies showing the flaws of their race. I rate this bad for lack of plot.