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jonrb
Reviews
A Very Peculiar Practice (1986)
Being repeated
You may like to know that it is currently being repeated on BBC4.
It hasn't dated nearly as much as I had feared it might and is still very good indeed.
Dune (1984)
A review of the "TV Extended Edition" Region 2 DVD
This review is for the "TV Extended Edition" Region 2 version of the DVD.
I recently bought this version which has 35 minutes extra footage over the original theatrical release. I already have the original version and have watched that many times, so this review is a comparison of the two.
The first thing to note about this version is that David Lynch disowned it so the director is listed as Allen Smithee (a pseudonym which is always used when the original director of a film does not want his name associated any more).
Whilst the original release features a brief introductory narration spoken by Princess Irulan, this version has a longer spoken introduction by a narrator against a backdrop of still oil paintings and drawings. Some this is word-for-word the same as spoken by Irulan, but much is new. The introduction even touches on the Butlerian Jihad which explains to the viewer why there are Mentats (human computers) but no electronic computers.
The film feels very different from the original version. The extra footage does add to the story and I would predict that someone unfamiliar with the film and books would find this version far less confusing. Obviously that is relative I'm sure someone who knew nothing of Dune would still find even this version very confusing, but probably not as confusing as the condensed original version.
One addition that did not work for me was the increased screen time of Gurney Halleck (Patrick Stewart). The lines where he delivers poetry were very stilted and did not sit well and the scene in which he played the Balliset was laughable.
The music of this version is very different from the original. It has a far more `TV mini-series' feel to it and is far less successful than the original and has also dated far more badly. It is EXTREMELY intrusive and I felt detracted from the film enormously. It was so bad that I found it extremely difficult to watch this version and completed it over a two day period rather than at one sitting. For someone who is big fan of Dune (both the film and the books) this suggests that David Lynch made the right decision in removing his name from the credits. As the film progressed the music became better but this is mainly due to the increasing use of the original score.
Overall I would say that this version is an interesting addition to the DVD collection of a fan who already owns the original, but I would not recommend it over the original to someone who had not seen the film before.
Prison Ship (1986)
Dire
I saw this film when I was a student back in 1988 or 1989. A friend and I hired it on video.
It has got to be one of the most dire films I have ever seen. Totally derivative, unoriginal, cheap, tacky, badly acted, buttock-clenchingly bad.
The special effects for the space battles are lifted directly from Battle Beyond The Stars. Strangely enough, I've seen another film that has done this, so maybe the makers of BBTS sold the rights to that footage to make some money.
Bearing in mind that I am writing this review 11 years after seeing the film, I'd give it a huge thumbs down at 1/10.
The Matrix (1999)
Derivative plot
When I watched The Matrix at the cinema / theatre, I came away feeling that the plot was corny and derivative, and that I'd seen many of the plot elements countless times in sci-fi books. Having owned it on DVD for a while now though, it has become one of my favourite films. But I wonder whether my first impressions were correct after all.
The film has countless gaping plot holes and inconsistencies, and many of its underlying premises are flawed. If you're one of those people who have written reviews saying it "expanded your mind" and "made you think" and is a "frightening vision of the future" then get real!
Enjoy the film for what it is - a hugely enjoyable SFX-filled action film with some mould-breaking FX techniques (eg. bullet time), although even some of these were seen in adverts and pop videos before The Matrix came out. For example, the Schmirnoff advert.
But please, let's not get carried away and take it all too seriously!
The Princess Bride (1987)
Firm agreement
One of my all-time favourite films, for all the reasons other reviewers have already covered.
This film has it all, and has a gentle humour so sadly lacking in so many films today.