bilgeboybob Reviews

Æon Flux (1991–1995)

Ready for the action now, Danger Boy?

[10/10 · 28 October 2011]

***Minimal Spoilers- but spoilers nonetheless***

Aeon Flux is definitely a a bit of a head trip, there's no doubt about it. It presents a tried and tested Sci-Fi Scenario - The futuristic "Dystopia and Rebels versus Oppessors" set up - and then proceeds to misbehave gloriously with it. There is no great amount of exposition, no carefully adhered to continuity and some positively trippy imagery.

It's definitely not a kids cartoon. There is plenty of philosophical allusion and a lot of wordplay (one particularly self serving character is named "Onan") not to mention a goodly chunk of shameless fetish references. It also presents the marvellous conceit that Aeon herself is having an affair with her own arch enemy, Dr Goodchild.

It does not spoon feed the plot to the viewer and as a result, you really have to watch it closely. This is not one to watch while you are doing the ironing! The animation quality is superb, toe-to-toe with with the Japanese produced animation of the time.

Like "Sapphire and Steel", "The Prisoner" and "Twin Peaks" Aeon Flux remains a great example of "Something that no-one else was doing at the time". It's a wonderfully deep, quite intelligent - and sometimes downright kinky little series.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

A Nightmare to sit through

[1/10 · 20 May 2010]

I keep telling myself that if I just went to see good movies, how can I judge a truly bad one? Even so, "Nightmare 2010" stretched my patience to the very limits.

It's fundamental problem as one shared by many modern horror movies - it just wasn't scary. In fact it was dull, dull, dull! the only reason I sat through it was because I couldn't honestly write a review without having done so.

Like a lot of the pointless remakes of the last few years (Wicker Man, Omen, The Fog) it's a visually and technically slick production with almost no substance whatsoever.

It has 2 minor redeeming features 1) Jackie Earl-Hayley's creepy voice 2)a genuinely chilling reveal involving the main characters digging up their personal past.

Save yourself the trouble, don't bother with this hum drum piece of rubbish.

Witch Hunter Robin (2002–2003)

Mean & Moody

[9 December 2005]

I've only seen about half the series so far because there is annoyingly little anime airing in the UK currently, DVD being the most accessible media for it.

What I've seen, I like. WHR is a dark and atmospheric series. A nice simple idea, a sort of modern inquisition hunts the supernatural "bad guys" with some very dirty grey morality underpinning the story (Are there really any "good guys"?) It's got a quite a few of the usual anime themes and devices, but has a wonderfully subdued and underplayed pace to it.

A welcome change!

Hawk the Slayer (1980)

"Silence, Scum!"

[10/10 · 23 October 2005]

I agree that this is one for the "so bad, it's good" shelf. the real fun with this movie though, is playing Spot The Actor. there are many respectable British TV character actors in this Fantasy Farce who probably leave this one off their C.V. (resume) I won't spoil it for you,but go back and have a look! Also, there was a rumour that the story was written up from a "Dungeons and Dragons" campaign. I don't know if it's true, but with dialogue like "Silence, Scum" and "I bring a message, the message of death!" I can believe it. And here's one for trivia buffs, one fight scene in this movie is actually quoted in a fight choreography book as being a good example of how to film sword combat!!!!

Worth 8/10 just for being so damned entertaining!