SciBry Reviews

Ai qing ling yao (2002)

A Taiwanese Gem; Entertaining and Wise

[9/10 · 5 April 2004]

"Better Than Sex" is a fun comedy about the differences between sex and love. There's alot of off-the-wall stuff, like one character's unusually long member, a blade that brings its handlers to orgasm, and a cameo from a famous asian rap group. You should expect some dirty humor and graphicness, but it's used intelligently.

The movie's strengths are its humor and the messages it has about sex. You can easily relate to the characters and their lives. Young adults and up will enjoy the message about the importance of love (and people!!!) in one's sex-life.

The movie is structured in a way similar to "Amores Perros" Many different stories collide through a few central events. You get to see the perspectives of each of the main characters through flashbacks, etc. The movies uses slow-motion and other editing effects at just the right time.

I saw "Better Than Sex" at an Asian film festival my school held. It's from Taiwan and is apparently hard to track down. I would guess your best bet is your local China Town. If you stumble upon this movie, gather your friends around and enjoy.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

I wish to erase this movie from my memory

[1/10 · 31 March 2004]

I found this movie slow, boring, and lacking in meaning. I feel anything for the characters. But at times Jim Carrey ALMOST bordered on funny...just to disappoint me by being so serious and uninteresting.

I came in with an open mind, expecting an original and interesting film. Especially with it at #60 right now on IMDb's top 250. Why is this movie so acclaimed? I don't feel it's anything special. It was not an entertaining experience for me.

But it was "genre-bending"...indeed, you should beware of this film if you like comedy, action, mystery, sci-fi, or are looking for an uplifting experience.

1/10

Divan (2003)

Hilarious, Unique, Moving

[10/10 · 13 November 2003]

At the High Falls Film Festival I had the privilege to see "Divan." Divan, in Yiddish means "couch" The film is a documentary of the filmmaker, Pearl Gluck, as she goes to Hungary to reacquire a couch that is treasured in her family, who believe very important figures in the Jewish community slept on it. I think this film has high production value, feels down-to-earth, and was well-written (narration, etc.). It is an interesting journey across Eastern Europe in search of a couch that also serves as a way for this extraordinary (Fullbright scholar) woman to connect back to her family's roots.

You don't need to be Jewish to understand the message or the humor. There was relative after relative in Hungary who, after finding Pearl was almost 30 and unmarried, immediately would offer to matchmake (`Do you want to marry a rabbi?'). We in the audience knew that Pearl wasn't for the old ways (she explained that most Hassidic women are married at age 18). Pearl also sneaks videocameras into holy ceremonies and gets caught and stopped nearly every time. Sometimes I felt like it was `The Tom Green Show' or something. She provides narration that creatively compares the experience of seeing a famous Hassidic rabbi to seeing a rock star (and in doing so, does truly help us understand the Hassidic culture better). Pearl's friends are also on tap with hilarious stories of their own about Hassidism and remarks about the couch. I recommend this wonderful movie.

Thursday (1998)

Slick. Entertaining. A great film.

[10/10 · 3 July 2003]

Saw this on cable TV late one night. It's an amazing find. The characters are well-acted. Scenes buildup in intense sequences. The plot is original and daring. I won't spoil anything. I'd recommend to this to a fan of Terrantino, etc. thrillers.

Trigun (1998)

Enjoyable!

[12 May 2003]

This show caught my eye on Cartoon Network's Adult Swin late night block. I like the Old Western scenery mixed with hi-tech things. The characters are a bit simple-minded but still touched my soul. I felt connected to message of peace and life this show contains. Don't let the violence or anime stereotypes fool you, this show is everyone's choice to lead their own life and develop morals. Vash and Knives are the Ying and Yang of evil and good. There's much to be learned from their feelings and attitudes. I'd take a close look at the minds of these characters and also enjoy the humor this series tries to lighten the mood (sometimes saddening) with.

Mighty Max (1993–1995)

An underrated and now obscure vision of unique value and quality...

[29 October 2000]

'Mighty Max' was a surprisingly well-made and, though based on a quaintly narrow concept, very well written and animated journey. Max, the young 'Cap Bearer' is accidently and unwantedly bestowed with the age-old responsibilities of protecting Earth from the diabolical Skullmaster and his army of minions who try desperately to emerge from the planet's depths [The Skullmaster yearns for the cap so he can gain ultimate control and mobility] while the boy just wants to maintain a normal life. Supporting characters like the ancient, wise retrospectively out-of-date], owl, Virgil and sworn bodyguard, Norman, give Max's naive quest against the Skullmaster both a chance and comedic action as each episode begins with a multitude of interesting ways for summoning Max to his current mission [i.e. Virigil slipping the message into nearby objects and such - unexpectedly interrupting his fun times. I recommend, though I have yet to find it in local syndication, that if this well-done program becomes available again, to give it an unobjective chance and stick around for the finale which makes the whole program complete in a spectacular finish. It's not just another 'kid's show,' but rather another classic example of good sci-fi production subjected to stereotypical myths.

Mission to Mars (2000)

Better than what critics tell you but decide for yourself

[6/10 · 12 March 2000]

This movie has intrigued me since I caught its trailer a month ago. When watching, look for some of the nice subtle details of it's semi-original future projection. I could for one see that OEL (Organic ElectroLuminescent) displays were employed to give it a realistic look, not to mention the use of NASA based space suits. The scenes on Mars & outside the spacecraft were spectacularly done, even the storms showed attention to details. The great cast of actors did their best on fairly predictable lines but the director's panning and space station effects were marvelous. I think the alien itself was the only really bad/disappointing piece of the film... it didn't seem like what you might expect and just didn't appear right. Other than that this movie was a pleasure and a nice evening; I recommend that you watch it closely and decide for yourself without prejudice.

Blast from the Past (1999)

Well Worth It!

[2 November 1999]

This movie was a show in for at least 9/10 rating because it told a realistic story while giving it a comedy aspect (Dave Foley). If you have the time I really recommend watching this at least once especially if you were raised during the 60's and want to see some classic objects or just like comedies.

Strange Days (1995)

Most Memorable and Best Cult Classic of the 90s

[21 October 1999]

This movie aired a few times on the SciFi channel and HBO in later 96/97 and I stayed up to 5:00am eager to find out how the weaving plot would go.

After the third time I fully caught it and noticed that this was a film by James Cameron and I could appreciate the insight this masterpiece gave about the new millenium (which isn't too far away now). Some scenes were very graphic but were nescarry to show the real first person brain tapes. I would without hessitation give this film a 10/10 and hope they rerelease this film to theaters before y2k is over.