The Final Conflict

aka Omen III: The Final Conflict

Damien Thorn, now 32, is tapped to be the American Ambassador to the United Kingdom. His first mission: prevent the second coming of Christ. Meanwhile, a group of priests plot to kill Damien before he can fully ascend to power. Now, this might sound like an odd thing to say about a movie where dozens of newborn babies get murdered, but The Final Conflict is actually kind of tame when compared to the first two Omen films. Likely because of all the baby murdering, most of the kills are either implied or happen off screen. There’s a pretty gruesome suicide early in the film but there’s relatively little to no gore after that. Sam Neill is good as Damien, but the Omen series was built on a killer kid foundation, so having a middle-aged Damien doesn’t hit in quite the same way. Also, Jerry Goldsmith’s score, which was so memorable in the earlier films is entirely forgettable in this entry.

Rating: 68%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Rambo III

Colonel Sam Trautman and the CIA track down John Rambo in Thailand, hoping to enlist him in a dangerous mission to supply rebel forces in Afghanistan fighting against the Russians. Initially, Rambo refuses to go. Other than competitive stick fighting for money, Rambo has mostly left violence behind. But after Trautman gets captured, Rambo goes to Afghanistan and joins up with the Mujahideen (yes, that Mujahideen) to fight the Russians and rescue Trautman. Rambo III is basically a rehashed version of Rambo: First Blood Part II. It feels very formulaic, it’s a little too quippy at times and, if you’ve read the summary above, you may have noticed that the movie’s politics have aged like milk left out in the desert sun. That said, the action set pieces are all well done and the movie moves at a decent pace. I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I might on this recent viewing and, spoiler alert for a future review, it’s definitely not the worst entry in the series.

Rating: 63%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend

A paleontologist and her husband journey deep into the jungles of Central Africa looking for Mokele-mbembe, a strange creature that may or may not exist. What they find is a blast from the prehistoric past: a family of living dinosaurs. But, when an evil paleontologist learns of the discovery, it’s a mad dash to keep “Baby” safe and rescue the mother from the military. Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend is an adventure movie that borrows some elements from films like E.T., Dumbo and Raiders of the Lost Ark. While I definitely saw this movie as a kid, very little of it stuck with me. And, after seeing it again, I couldn’t imagine showing it to a young child today. I know it came out in the 80s, when traumatizing children through film was commonplace, but no kid should ever have to watch the scene where Baby cries over its father’s corpse, while vultures pick at his flesh. Also, there’s a scene where Sean Young and William Katt try to get in on in front of Baby. It’s weird.

Rating: 59%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Damien: Omen II

Several years after the death of his parents, Damien is living with his uncle Richard in Chicago. With some encouragement, Damien learns that he is, in fact, the Antichrist. Soon after, anyone who is suspicious of Damien or anyone who might stand in the way of his followers is met with a grisly death. While it's not as good as the original film, Damien: Omen II is a pretty decent follow-up. The kills are creative and a little gorier this time around. Most of them are meant to appear to be bizarre accidents, which ends up giving them Final Destination vibes. And even though chunks of the movie get bogged down with corporate and/or domestic melodrama, it's still fairly well paced. 

Rating: 71%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Twilight Zone: The Movie

Watching Twilight Zone: The Movie has always come with one great big caveat, can you enjoy the movie knowing that three people lost their lives during an accident on set? It's not an easy thing to get past. If you are able to set that aside for an hour or two, there is still plenty to enjoy in the movie. Sure, it's pretty well impossible not to think about the accident during the film's first segment. Directed by John Landis, "Time Out" is the story of an angry racist who gets to experience what it's like to be on the other side of bigotry and hatred. The second segment, "Kick the Can," directed by Steven Spielberg, doesn't quite fit the tone of the rest of the movie but is helped by Scatman Crothers' endless supply of charisma. The movie really kicks into high gear in the back half, with remakes of two all-time classic Twilight Zone stories. "It's a Good Life," directed by Joe Dante, pairs a lot of Dante's favorite cartoons and character actors with some memorable special effects from Rob Bottin. And finally, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," directed by George Miller, which features John Lithgow (in a role originally played by William Shatner) as a man desperately trying to convince his fellow passengers that there's a gremlin on the wing of their plane. The movie also includes appearances from Albert Brooks, Dan Aykroyd, Vic Morrow, Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Cartwright, Dick Miller and narration by Burgess Meredith.

Rating: 74%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Fun Fact: Steven Williams, who played a bar patron in the first segment, also played Creighton Duke in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and a tree trimmer in Better Off Dead.

Rambo: First Blood Part II

In First Blood, we saw what a killing machine is capable of in a civilian setting. In Rambo: First Blood Part II, we get to see what a killing machine is capable of in a combat setting. Having been sent to prison for royally fucking up a small town, John Rambo is offered a chance at redemption. The mission: go back to Vietnam and investigate a camp that may be housing American POWs. Rambo is sent in with strict instructions not to engage the enemy. But, once again, the powers that be have severely underestimated the man they're dealing with. Rambo: First Blood Part II is a two-fisted action movie through and through. Any subtlety and nuance that was present in First Blood has been replaced with explosions and bullet holes. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.  

Rating: 76%

(Image from Wikipedia)

The Omen

In an effort to keep his wife from finding out that their newborn baby has died, an American diplomat adopts a child and tries to pass it off as his own. He might have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for the fact that the adopted child is the motherfuckin' Antichrist. Since it's from the 70s, The Omen can be a bit of a slow burn at times but it's a surprisingly well made movie. The cinematography is incredible, with stylish uses of slow motion and reflections. The music is really good, alternating between big orchestral pieces, ominous choral arrangements and creepy synths. And they do a great job making you believe that the kid who plays Damien is hella evil.

Rating: 76%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Fun Fact: Father Brennan is played by Patrick Troughton, Doctor Who's Second Doctor.

Explorers

In his dreams, Ben sees the layout of a strange circuit board. Using a sketch of the circuit board, Ben's genius friend Wolfgang is able to create a machine that generates an electromagnetic bubble. Together with their new friend Darren, the boys build a spaceship and set off on an adventure that takes them out of the suburbs and beyond their wildest imaginations. Directed by Joe Dante, Explorers is a science fiction fantasy adventure film. Ben and Wolfgang are played by Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix in the feature film debuts. Rushed into production and released before it could be properly completed, Explorers isn't entirely successful. It feels very much like a movie trying to recreate the vibe of E.T. But, like many of Joe Dante's other films, Explorers has since gone on to find a cult audience.

Rating: 62%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Fun Fact: Jason Presson, who played Darren, also played one of the yogurt shop employees in Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

Total Recall

Every night, Douglas Quaid dreams about Mars and a mysterious brunette. Are they just dreams or are they memories buried deep inside his brain? Is it even his brain? Total Recall is an ultra-violent sci-fi action movie directed by Paul Verhoeven, based on a story by Philip K. Dick. The plot combines a twisty-turny spy narrative with clever sci-fi concepts and then Verhoeven throws in enough violence to put his own RoboCop to shame. I keep bringing up the violence because Total Recall is so unbelievably, gleefully violent. At every opportunity, Total Recall goes over the top and then some. If you've seen the film, you might remember that there is a woman in the movie with three breasts. You don't get to see her topless just once. No, you get to see her topless three times because that's the kind of movie it is.

Rating: 82%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Fun Fact: Robert Picardo, from Star Trek: Voyager and countless Joe Dante movies, provided the voice for Johnnycab.

First Blood

Despondent Vietnam vet John Rambo is just passing through town when he gets hassled by the local fuzz. What those cops don't know is that they just brought a slingshot to a gun fight. By the time it's all over, one man will be dead and the town's property values will have taken a nosedive. First Blood, Rambo's first outing, is a fairly self-contained actioner with plenty of shootouts, chases and explosions. Stallone is backed up by an excellent supporting cast, including Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney and David Caruso. First Blood is a great starting point for a franchise that only gets bigger and more outlandish as it goes along.

Rating: 78%

(Image from Wikipedia)

The 'Burbs

Ray Peterson can't seem to enjoy his vacation. He becomes obsessed with the strange lights and sounds coming from his neighbor's house. Nobody on the block seems to know anything about Ray's neighbors, the Klopeks. On the surface, they seem to be a quiet family who keep to themselves. But, buried just below the surface, something truly strange might be going on. Joe Dante's The 'Burbs is an absurdist comedy with a Twilight Zone edge. In his first role as a father, America's Dad Tom Hanks leads a terrific cast that includes Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Corey Feldman and Henry Gibson. The 'Burbs has a great sense of scale. The whole movie takes place on one street and yet everything is given a grand sense of significance. The movie's dialogue is snappy and all of the main characters are unique and well defined. The 'Burbs is an excellent showcase for Joe Dante's comedy and horror sensibilities.

Rating: 78%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Fun Fact: A couple years before he played Hans Klopek in The 'Burbs, Courtney Gains played Malachai in the original Children of the Corn. 

Supergirl

Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin, lives in peaceful tranquility in Argo City. But after the city's power source, the omegahedron, is lost, Kara leaves Argo City for Earth. There, she runs afoul of some witches and Matt Frewer. Not Matt Frewer in a literal sense. He's an actor. And, in this case, he's playing a trucker wearing an A&W shirt who tries to assault Supergirl. It's pretty weird. But definitely not out of place in a weird movie like Supergirl. The beginning of the movie sets up a ticking clock, Kara only has so much time to retrieve the omegahedron before bad things happen back at Argo City. But, once she gets to Earth, that ticking clock is totally ignored so Supergirl can spend a bunch of time enrolling in and hanging out at a boarding school. The special effects in Supergirl are all over the place. There are some really good effects, like in the sequence where an invisible monster attacks Kara at the school. And then there's some really cheap looking green screen flying sequences that look like total crap. Supergirl is a bit of a mess. It's probably not as bad as you may have been lead to believe, but it's also hard to recommend.

Rating: 58%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Fun Fact: Hart Bochner, who played the lovestruck groundskeeper Ethan, played Ellis in Die Hard.

Innerspace

After losing everything, disgraced aviator Tuck Pendleton joins up with some scientists for a top secret miniaturization project. Everything goes well until a group of rival scientists steal the miniaturization technology. In order to keep him from falling into the wrong hands, Tuck gets injected into the body of Jack Putter, a neurotic hypochondriac. With the threat of a dwindling air supply hanging over their heads, Tuck and Jack have to team up with Jack's ex Lydia to recover the stolen microchips so that they can get Tuck out of Jack and back to his normal size. Though far from perfect, Innerspace is a real gem. The special effects hold up incredibly well and the performances are excellent. Martin Short is in top form here, his timing is incredible and his physical comedy is amazing. There are even a few stunts in the film that are reminiscent of Jackie Chan's work. The movie might have benefitted from some tighter editing and the score is pretty weak overall. Even still, Innerspace is definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 71%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Psycho II

After twenty-two years in a mental institution, Norman Bates is deemed cured of his insanity and is released. This doesn't sit too well with Lila Loomis, Marion Crane's sister. Norman goes back to the Bates Motel and the home he shared with Mother. He takes a job at a local diner, where he befriends a young waitress named Mary. Things get off to a rocky start when Norman begins to find notes from his mother. Soon he begins to receive phone calls from Mother, as well as hearing her voice around the house. Is Norman losing his grip on sanity or is something more sinister afoot?

Rating: 65%

(Image from IMDB)

Fun Fact: Psycho II was written by Tom Holland, the director of the original Child's Play. It also stars Meg Tilly, sister of Jennifer Tilly.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

In the commentary for Gremlins 2: The New Batch, director Joe Dante describes the film as an "unnecessary sequel." Apparently, after the massive success of the first Gremlins film, Warner Brothers desperately wanted to cash-in with a sequel. Dante originally turned down the opportunity to direct the second film, but agreed to come on board a number of years later after he was given carte blanche and a budget roughly three times that of the original. What he gave Warner Brothers in return is quite possibly the most Joe Dante-ish film he's ever made, touching on virtually all of the directors trademarks (Looney Tunes, actors from the 1950s, Dick Miller, cameos for his other Roger Corman-era contemporaries, etc). The movie never takes itself too seriously, occasionally breaking the fourth wall and taking several opportunities to mock the original film. While it's not a movie that I get the urge to revisit as often as the original, I'm not sure that it would've been possible to make a better follow-up to the first movie.

Rating: Take That, Leonard Maltin%

(Image from pariscine.com)

Matinee

Matinee is a comedic coming of age story set against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the glory days of the B movie. John Goodman plays Lawrence Woolsey, a stand-in for classic B movie mastermind William Castle, who shows up in town with his new monster movie, Mant, and a boatload of gimmicks. Matinee blends together a lot of elements from 1950's and 1960's American culture (cold war paranoia, juvenile deliquency, teen culture, etc.) which muddies up the time frame a bit, but doesn't distract from the movie as a whole. Matinee is Joe Dante's love letter to the bygone era of the B movie.

Rating: 90%

(Image from movieposter.com)

Alien Soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith

A Month Of Halloweenie Reviews #10

I've already established how terrific I think the movie Alien is, but the soundtrack is also a great exercise in terror. Jerry Goldsmith runs the gamut here from soft, tonal landscapes to bizarre, expressionistic animal noises. I can't think of any music that would go better with a movie about aliens with heads shaped like peens and eggs shaped like poons. If you like crapping your pants all of a sudden, then perhaps you should check out this soundtrack.

RATING: 84%

Star Trek: The Motion Picture soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith

I've never reviewed a movie soundtrack before, and since I've been doing nothing but nerd stuff lately, I guess I'll start here. Just kidding; I only review things as I encounter them, and I just happened to listen to this the other day. Anyway, this soundtrack by legendary film composer Jerry Goldsmith is amazing - sure, people love the actiony score to Star Trek II by James Horner, but this one Goldsmith has a lot more freedom because there are 12 minute special effects sequences all over the place. Works for the music, but people kind of hate the movie (not me). This score transcends the movie, although the famous Star Trek: The Next Generation theme was used here for the first time (gotta take everything hand-me-down, don't you, tng?), so you might not be able to separate that in your head.

RATING: 83%