Lethal Weapon 2

There is very little time wasted in Lethal Weapon 2. The movie opens with a car chase, which morphs into a shootout before the bad guys are whisked away by a helicopter, leaving only a trunk load of Krugerrands behind. Before Riggs, Murtaugh and the squad (spoiler alert: don’t get too attached to the squad) can even figure out what’s going on, the bad guys, a bunch of South African smugglers hiding behind diplomatic credentials, break into Murtaugh’s home to warn him to back off. Hoping to keep them out of trouble, Riggs and Murtaugh are taken off the case and assigned to protect Leo Getz, a money launderer who’s set to testify against his former clients. And, wouldn’t you know it, those former clients just so happen to be the same South African smugglers who’ve been causing untold amounts of trouble for Riggs and Murtaugh. What follows is a series of shootouts, car chases, exploding toilets, exploding swimming pools, decapitations by surfboard and some seriously epic property damage. Lethal Weapon 2 is filled with memorable lines and set pieces. My only complaint about the film is that the bad guys aren’t quite as memorable as the bad guys from the first film. Joss Ackland is great as Arjen Rudd but there’s just no substitute for Gary Busey as Mr. Joshua.

Rating: 82%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Snakedance

Though she can’t remember any of the details, Tegan has been having bad dreams. Her worst fears are seemingly confirmed after the TARDIS arrives on the planet Manussa, birthplace of the Mara. It would seem that the Mara, which got into Tegan’s head back on the Kinda home world, is still very much alive. As the people of Manussa prepare for a festival commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Mara’s banishment, the Mara plots its return. Snakedance is a fairly average story. The cast is great, but the costumes and sets are all a little too goofy. The plot is boilerplate Doctor Who. Everyone running around, getting locked up, escaping, etc. And, while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it doesn’t do anything to elevate this particular story.

Rating: You look different%

The Great Land of Small

aka C'est pas parce qu'on est petit qu'on peut pas être grand!

Fritz, a mystical being from the Great Land of Small, travels to the human realm with a bag of magic gold dust to test the intentions of men. Are they capable of goodness or will they use the gold dust to amass power? After losing his bag of gold dust to a cold-hearted hunter, Fritz teams up with Jenny and David, two young children who want nothing more than to help Fritz get his gold dust back and return home to the Great Land of Small. Something like a mashup of E.T. and The Neverending Story, but with a fraction of their budgets, The Great Land of Small is another Canadian kids movie from the same people who brought you The Dog Who Stopped the War and The Peanut Butter Solution. While not as iconic or traumatic as those other films, The Great Land of Small is a distinctly odd movie that mixes family friendly whimsy with questionable decision making. If for no other reason, I would definitely recommend watching this movie so that you too can witness the glory that is Slime-O.

Rating: 59%

(Image from IMDB)