Leviathan (1989)
[6] Deepsea miners dig for silver and find a genetically mutated monster that picks them off one by one -- you know, Alien under the sea. Even though the script is a hack job, Leviathan should still satisfy anyone in…
RoboCop 2 (1990)
[7] Directed by Irvin Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back) and written by comic book legend Frank Miller, you'd think that RoboCop 2 would be vastly better and more interesting than it is. But for just another inferior sequel, it's not…
The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai (1984)
[2] This movie is just too silly and disjointed for me. I hate it and I always have. It's a boring, cheap, un-inventive waste of time and talent. I truly don't get its appeal. The plot is beyond me, and…
Firstborn (1984)
[6] Christopher Collet plays a tenth-grader whose divorced mother brings a drug-dealing boyfriend home in this drama from Michael Apted (Nell, Gorillas in the Mist). The movie is pretty solid for its first two-thirds, ratcheting up the tension and creating…
Naked Lunch (1991)
[3] I want to be nice to this movie because so many of my friends adore it. But I've pondered this review for over a month and can't put it off any longer. I don't like this movie. Like, at…
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
[7]
Mild Spoilers Ahead!
J.J. Abrams (TV’s Lost and Alias) serves up a second, solid entry in the rebooted Star Trek franchise. Into Darkness is equal parts action and character-driven charm, with an emotional climax and a terrific villainous performance from Benedict Cumberbatch. You don’t have to be a Trekkie to enjoy this flick, but it will add immeasurably to your enjoyment if you’re familiar with the original crew’s feature films, particulary Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. If you want to bring it out for inspection, the film does have something to contribute to a discussion on terrorism, but Abrams’ approach is decidedly less didactic than Gene Roddenberry’s. This Star Trek is just for summer movie entertainment.
RoboCop (1987)
[10] In the not-so-distant future, a Detroit policeman is murdered by a vicious cop-killer, only to be resurrected as the ultimate cyborg law enforcer. But will RoboCop have free will, or will he be slave to the corporation that facilitated…