Lo

Reviewed by Mike 

"If what you're telling me is true, and I'm sure it is... the simple fact is, you're fucked. You don't get outta hell, cousin."

At the recommendation of a friend, I jumped on Netflix today and downloaded the 2009 dark comedy/horror flick Lo. Written and directed by Travis Betz, this flick is as interesting as it was entertaining.

The premise of the film is pretty intriguing in itself: a man summons a demon to find his girlfriend, who was kidnapped by other demons and carried off to hell. That's one plot line that I've never heard before... sounds interesting?

The film starts with a man, Justin, sitting in the center of a detailed/ornate pentagram on the floor, lighting various candles around him. At his lap is something that looks an awful bit like the fucking Necronomicon. He opens it to a page titled "Lo", which has a creepy looking drawing of a demon on it. His place marker is a picture of a girl, presumably his girlfriend.

He then takes the necessary steps to conjure up the demon- cutting his hand, chanting weird words and shit like that. Lo and behold (ha-ha), everything works and Lo (Jeremiah Birkett) is summoned. A creepy looking demon with a bald head and no nose (Lord Voldemort?), Lo has great powers- he displays them by summoning this rat looking demon and making its head explode.

Justin informs Lo that he summoned the creature for a girl and love, much to the displeasure of the demon. It turns out the previous owner of Justin's Necronomicon was his girlfriend April, who was captured/kidnapped/stolen by some demons.

We go on, with the clever use of flashbacks set like a play, to see how Justin and April met, watch a strange prom-style band (Jeez and the Go 2 Hellz) play a song about how the Devil crated a demon girl (April?), see a mind-reading hand wound, and other events in the relationship of April and Justin.

The humor in this movie is pretty damn funny. Justin (Ward Roberts) never really seems like he knows what the hell he's doing- he obviously shouldn't be meddling in the supernatural, especially in the dark arts. The dialogue is also pretty funny, particularly on Lo's end. Some highlights include him showing off his powers and then saying to Justin, "Now... clean the shit from your pants and tell me what you want." Or when Justin reveals his girlfriend was kidnapped by demons, shows Lo a gruesome claw wound on his chest and Lo replies "Are you sure it wasn't a bear? I heard they're getting braver these days."

However, the most ridiculous line of the movie (and there were a lot) was when the demon who kidnapped April told Justin that, "You can't summon two demons at once! It would be like trying to fuck two girls with one dick... shish kabob."

The utter lack of respect that Lo has for Justin is also funny, with the demon constantly putting him down; He refers to him only as "little bitch" and "dinner" throughout the film.

While it was full of plenty "what the fuck?" moments, this film struck me as both entertaining (highly entertaining) and very unique. It was set in one room (for the most part), which gave the feeling of a play you might see on Broadway (or any local theater, really)- this idea is further established by the flashbacks in the film, which take place on a stage, red curtain and all. The special effects were at a minimum, which made the film that much better. Lack of effects made the story, dialogue and acting all that much more interesting and, in my opinion, better- the focus was on the bare essentials, not flash and dazzle.

Great acting, great story, great characters... this films was... well, pretty great. A new and interesting twist on the classic Love Story genre (as well as the ending), this is one film I would recommend to anyone.


3.5 out of 5

The Exorcist

Reviewed By Steve Kochems

I don’t want to be one to hate on classic horror films, but I’ve got to be honest with myself and you're all here. The Exorcist was a movie that everyone has heard about and probably seen. It’s revered for lines like “your mother sucks dicks in hell” and the gruesome appearance of a young girl possessed by a demon. The promise of the premise (as it’s called) is certainly worth watching and lives up to the rumors, but people neglected to mention that it doesn’t come until about 90 minutes into the film.

I’m going to avoid any synopsis here because like I said, most everyone knows what this movie is about. But in my most recent required viewing for Film Genre, I found myself twiddling thumbs on many occasions early in the film. Director William Freidkin really could have used a better editor. There’s no reason for us to spend almost 12 minutes at the start of the film in Northern Iraq following a priest who doesn’t appear again until the end of the film. That whole scene could be shown in less than two minutes and probably give more information than we get in those ten. 

Instead, the film only grazes the surface of Father Karras (Jason Miller), who seems to be the only possible protagonist available to us. Had we followed him from the start and his relationship with his dying mother, we could understand more why the ending is as good as it is. It would make the first act feel much more focused if we stayed within their town, watching Karras dealing with the guilt of his mother’s death and the growing demon inside of Regan (Linda Blair).

That being said, the final 30 minutes is really some of the best cinema available. It’s just a shame that it comes after so much other flab. Had things been more focused earlier to lead into the incredible ending we are given, the film would have simply blown me away as both a truly terrifying film and a well written one.

I’m really disappointed because I was extremely excited to see this film, not just based on its reputation but because the only other film I had seen by Freidkin was Bug, which is also the only film I have ever walked out on. I suppose it makes sense now.

2 out of 5

The Killer Inside Me

Reviewed by Steve Kochems

Gratuitous violence is not something that is of particular interest to me. Seeing people mangled or beaten just isn't the type of entertainment that I'm looking for. But when I saw the first trailer for this film, I've got to say I was quite interested. It didn't hurt that Stanley Kubrick had called it "probably the most chilling and believable first-person story of a criminally warped mind I have ever encountered." It's cast also drew me in; Casey Affleck gets to shine again with a psychologically troubled character, teetering on a border of gentleman and sociopath (much like in the Assassination of Jesse James). I also felt it might give an opportunity for both Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba to play characters with range, i.e. not a romantic comedy. All these things had me fairly excited to see this film, but then I watched it.

Now, I had thought I'd seen just about as brutal a film as one can witness with the 2002 French film Irreversible. I was quite surprised at how close The Killer Inside Me comes to that level and it really is unfortunate. Lou Ford is certainly a disturbing young man (again, the perfectly cast Affleck) who we follow on a trail of, well, unnecessarily horrific acts. The film opens with him trying to run a whore out of town, played by Alba, but when the she fights back and starts to hit him, we can see Ford's patience erode each time she slaps him. Finally he fights back and whips her (mind you this is only the beginning of how graphic this film gets, but this should be the only time i mention it specifically). Afterward, he apologizes and returns to his gentlemanly ways, but Alba tells him she liked it. This not so much triggers something in his character as reveals it to the audience (which we later see has stemmed deeper through his flashbacks) how truly fucked up this guy is.

Through the course of the film, it seemed his pleasure was not masochistic but rather out of some necessity to him. He didn't enjoy the pain in killing his loved ones but took some sort of pleasure out dominating the women in the film. All the men he kills seem to be only to avoid consequence, not to mention the fashion in which he executes (hehe, get it?) these murders.

My distaste for this movie is completely separate from the quality of the film itself. Affleck is spot on again, and the rest of the cast fill their roles well, especially a late entry by Bill Pullman. The cinematography is excellent also, it had the look and feel of Jim Thompson's novel, and I'm certainly interested to see more work by director Michael Winterbottom. But overall it's just simply too graphic and doesn't really try to disguise anything. What Winterbottom gains out of this is a raw and realistic feel the film has, but I suppose then it feels too raw and real for my liking. I simply wouldn't be able to stomach it over a meal. The pacing, casting, script, and directing are all in place, but the subject matter is simply too graphic, which may not be the case with some of you.

Overall, I'd have to say I'm a little disappointed. All the parts that I had high hopes for were in place and well executed, but I just couldn't stomach the violence. Maybe I ate some bad seafood, who knows. If you like that sort of thing, then this is certainly a movie for you. If I take nothing else away from it, The Killer Inside Me works as an excellent character piece, much like Kubrick said, and really reveals a lot about human nature and masculinity to some extent, but that's for another conversation.


3 out of 5

Nosferatu (1922)

Reviewed by Steve Kochems

If there is one thing that we can learn from old silent films it's that quick cuts, snappy dialogue, and shock and awe aren't the only things that make a solid film. It's good story-telling and creative camera work. That's what most films today lack. Sound, color, CGI, none of them matter if your script and director suck. So instead of subjecting myself to the normal garbage of 21st century horror films (see: Jennifer's Body, Saw 2-whatever they are at now, and Land of the Dead), I did some required viewing for my Film Genre class. I give you, the classic 1922 film Nosferatu.

Now, there are many of you who will say that a silent film is boring and drags and is no fun for anyone. Well, to put it simply, you're kind of an idiot. You are probably the same person who goes out and wastes money on shit like Silly-Bands. You probably have never read an entire book either, assuming you can read. I'm not trying to run you down or make you seem like you're stupid, you're not. You just need to pay attention to things. Not every movie is glorified fireworks (Transformers 2) or shiny cars (Fast and the Furious). Just try to focus a little, okay? Alright, let's move on.

What this film really does well is ultimately in what the filmmakers lacked. There is no shaky camera or jumpy moments, but rather paced and suspenseful ones instead. When watching a car accident, it's ten times more horrific when you can slowly see it happen, knowing you're powerless to stop it.

As for the story, well, it's far from flawless. For one, our protagonist (Hutter?) never really resolves his own conflict. That's as much as I'll say about the ending. Also, the first act does seem to drag a little. However, once we arrive at the horrifying Orlok's Castle in Transylvania (have you guessed who he is yet?), we get a crash course in suspenseful film making, with long shots of Orlok closing in on Hutter from his point of view and excellent shadow movements. The plot is really driven by the possibility of horror, Hutter only gets glimpses of it and really is powerless to stop it for the most part. While this could be a problem for some films, Nosferatu stands solidly on that possibility of horror.

It's really a good example of how much a film can do with it's bare essentials. It keeps the power in it's images, where the true power of films should lie. I can watch almost any horror movie today and I will end up being distracted (or vomiting) because of all the extra shit thrown into the film. I don't need to see someone get decapitated or gutted or even die for that matter, just showing the killer closing in (or using shadows) is enough. Too much gets shoved in your face and it leaves nothing to the imagination. If everything is demystified and shown to us, then what is there left to fear? We've seen everything.

I don't mean to bitch too much and avoid talking about the film, but I think it says something not only about films today but our culture in general. Just because we have the technology to do something doesn't necessarily mean we should, or that it would be better if we did. But some people today disagree and run to the nearest shock and awe showing to see something gruesome that they could just as easily have seen had they gone to medical school. At least then they'd be contributing to society.

Anyways, it's a worthwhile film to watch. It's run time is only 88 minutes so it's a quick watch and shows you a few things about quality film making.

4 out of 5

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

New to DVD, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time seems like a pretty good action flick. While it's gotten shotty reviews, I had never watched it and thought "eh, what the hell? They got Gyllenhaal and Kingsly- how bad can it be?" Turns out, not all that bad.

This movie has everything. Shirtless Jake Gyllnhaal's, hot Persian bitches, ostrich races ("Behold the mighty ostrich!"), Sir Ben Kingsly being a dick, weird innuendo about hiding a knife in Jake's butt (or ding ding? but that would be impossible... right?) huge stunts, sand, swords, and turbans galore.

The movie starts off by showing how Gyllnhaal's character, Dastan, was adopted by King Sharaman, ruler of Persia, because he showed some serious jumping skills/courage in the market one day. We then go to current day, where Dastan and his two brothers, Tus (Richard Coyle) and Garsiv (my boy Toby Kebbell from RockNRolla), are leading an attack on a rival kingdom. Dastan does some sweet acrobatic parkour shit and ends up helping his army breach the palace of the rival kingdom.

There they find the hot-ass Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) and this weird dagger she seems so fond of. Jake ends up getting a hold of the dagger, not knowing the power it contains (turns back time, ya'll!). Jakey-boy said it best in the scene when he realizes just what the dagger can do, saying  "releasing the sand turns back time, and only the holder of the dagger is aware of what's happened. He can go back and alter events- change time, and no one knows but him."

I want to add that, right off the bat, Ben Kingsly seems like he's going to be a real prick. If good times are being had, he's going to be up to no good. He's scheming... look at him, with that eye liner and bald head; What are you up to, Ben? I don't know yet, but we'll get to the bottom of this- just you wait, you son of a bitch!

The part that really got me on Kingsly's case was when Dastan's King father said "Family, the bond between brothers... that is the sword that defends our empire. I pray that that sword remains strong..." and right when he said "brothers" the camera cut to Kingsly (that fuck) and he looked around all nervous... I knew it! I knew it, Ben! You asshole, you're days are numbered and I bet Jake is going to be the one to do it (It was Tus actually)!

So out of nowhere, the King gets killed by a cloak full of acid (Simpson's did it?) and it all gets blamed on Dastan. Jake-sauce and Tamina escape, being trailed the entire way by Garsiv and his band of merry men. Eventually the run into Sheik Amar (Alfred Molina who played Dr. Ock in Spiderman 2), the ruler of a region known as "The Valley of the Slaves," which is a place that is supposed to be treacherous but is actually not all that bad- Molina just doesn't like the Persians and has no interest in paying taxes... hmmm, sounds like a good idea to me.

It's here that Tamina tells Dastan that the dagger he has is her responsibility (that's weird, a lady was responsible for something and then fucked it all up by way of Jake Gyllenhaal's muscles), she is the guardian of a divine covenant and the dagger is sacred and that Dastan doesn't understand what's at stake- it's a matter for God's, not man. Which brings up the question: why the fuck does Man have this dagger if it's only for the God's?

*My guess is a few of the God's saw how awesome Jake Gyllenhaal's stunts were and said "fuck it, this dude's cool. Let's give him a weird sword thing that can manipulate time."*

So Dastan, being wanted by all of Perisa, decides to be a bad-ass and head to his fathers funeral (who was the KING of PERSIA, btw, meaning a huge turnout at his funeral) to try and tell his uncle Ben Kingsly about the dagger. Kingsly instead lies to him about how his brothers are all against him, when it's really him who wants everything bad to happen! After a ridiculous fight/escape scene, we cut to Kingsly telling Tus about how Dastan tried to kill him at the dagger meeting, but it (again) was the other way around. Ben's also got this squad of elite fighters, Hassansin's, set up to do his dirty work for him, and they are pretty brutal and precise.

There were a few real strong points in this film, one of them (in my opinion) being the acting of Molina. While he turned on an accent very similar to Johnny Depp's "Jack Sparrow" voice, I thought he did a fine job in the film. Funny and smart, he was in charge and everyone knew it.

So just what is this movie about, really? On one hand: Dissension. Dastan's step-brothers Tus and Garsiv are both vying for the throne (not in a scheming way or anything), but so is Kingly. We don't realize until mid-way through the film that it is really Kingsly behind everything and Dastan's brothers are just unknowing pawns in his master plan.

It's also about videogame to movie adaptation. If Halo is ever going to be made into a film (doubtful), it has to look seriously at the success of other videogames being transferred to the silver screen. Prince of Persia is a great game series, and the film adaptation was exciting and interesting- it couldn't be just like the game, because then the entire film would be Gyllenhaal fighting waves of dude and constantly doing wallflips. I thought the film was a good representation of the games and hope they continue the series.

Another selling point are the stunts in this flick. Lots of really cool flips off of random bars that appear to be everywhere (hey! just like the videogame!), Dastan barely escaping tons of arrow fire and sword play by flipping and sliding all over the shit- if Jake did his own stunts, I'm impressed. There are lots of strange panoramic shots throughout the film, eerily similar to those found in the game.

Penny Rose, the same lady responsible for the costumes in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, was the costume designer for this film, and you could really tell. Everything had an elaborate and intricate feel to it, from set design to costumes- especially costumes. Jerry Bruckheimer produced this bad boy, so it had his stamp on it which is always a good thing.

The DVDs bonus features are also pretty good, showing a nice behind the scenes look at how the film was made. A good variety of the outside scenes were shot in Morocco, but the majority of the film was shot in England at Pine Wood Studios (the largest stage in Europe btw). It's the same studio where tons of 007 films were shot, although I would never make the comparison between this and any Bond movie.  Also, we get to watch an interview with Bill River, ostrich race coordinator for the film.

While the movie does seem like a commercial for buff Jake Gyllenhaal, the Prince of Persia videogame series and gnarly parkour stunts, it won me over with a good cast, interesting story line and, well, gnarly parkour stunts. And hot Persian women.

I'd say it's a decent film, an alright adaptation of the video game series, but I do feel that another try is in order- I hope they make a sequel, Lord knows they have enough material to do it.

Overall 3/5

The Round-Up!

By Steve Kochems

Alright folks, it’s been a busy few weeks. I’m broke and swamped with outside activities, keeping me from my beloved blog. So, basically I’m going to do a brief blurp about a few significant movies that have come out in the last few weeks. Most of the mainstream hits will be up there, though I don’t know that you’ll want to hear what I’ve gotta say. Plus, a few movies that I really wished I could get to a theater to see, even if I have to sneak in. Ready, break!

Easy A

Alright, I do like Emma Stone, and not just for looks. She’s shown some good talent in the comedic in Superbad and more importantly, Zombieland. I’ve heard this is basically a modern take on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. And I’m completely okay with that. She more or less is branded a whore and deals with that reputation in high school, so it’s a pretty standard high school flick for that matter. I don’t think it’ll blow me away, but it certainly has the potential to be one of the better films of the year.
 
Projected: 3.5 out of 5

The Town

Who doesn’t like to mock Ben Affleck? Seriously, for the most part he is quite awful. However he is the director behind Gone Baby Gone, which if you haven’t seen is quite good. The Town seems like a decent enough thriller with heavy Boston accents (I’m hoping Departed heavy) but leaves me with a single worry. The trailer seems to reveal too much information, so ultimately the film can now go two ways. It either has shown too much and will ultimately be a letdown, or it has another ace up its sleeve somewhere. I’m inclined to think the former, but I should give him the benefit of the doubt based on the aforementioned film. I hope for the latter.

Projected: 4 out of 5

Devil

First things first, Shy-a-malayan did not direct this picture, but was a producer. So with him and George Lucas out of the director’s chair, we are one step further from this twist being aliens. Thank God. However, this film does have a chance. Anyone who has discussed it with me in person has seen the brilliant thematic possibilities that I see in this movie. But then I watched the new trailer and there’s a demon or something in the elevator. Fuck. So like The Town, I think this film has a chance. Unfortunately it’s about as good as the Bills winning 8 games this year. And if it fails, it’s going to fail hard. Sorry Shammy.

Projected: 1 out of 5

Resident Evil: Afterlife

I’ve never been a fan of this. I’m also not a huge fan of 3D. And I’ve never played the video games. Do you really think I’m going to expect big things? Not at all. But it could be B-Movie fun at its best. A series of films that has gone as long as this, and to their credit maintained the same lead, usually doesn’t draw great expectations from its audience. So if you’re a fan of them, you probably don’t care what I think about it. Otherwise, don’t expect much.

Projected: 2 out of 5

The American

This is where I’m going to split with a lot of folks. The trailers are trying to push it off as this assassin suspense thriller, but the truth is it’ll really be a very humane character piece. And George Clooney is the man for that. He, and the film, could be put in Oscar contention after what has been a lackluster year in solid films. I can’t tell you much that the trailer hasn’t, but if you like Clooney and can deal with a film that savors each moment (what some might call a boring and slow pace), this will be a real treat.

Projected: 4.5 out of 5

Machete

B-Movie fun at its finest? Yeah, this is the one for that. Based on a fake trailer that debuted a few years back, this might be what everyone hoped MacGruber was. I won’t expect a good deal from it, but what I will expect is blood and bad action lines. Machete can deliver that.

Projected: 3 out of 5

Going the Distance

God, I hate romantic comedies. I also hate Drew Barrymore. So, to put it briefly, I will probably hate this movie. The saving grace could only be Charlie Day (Mike: I heard it was! Now I have to see it...), but I doubt it.

Projected: 0.5 out of 5

The Black Swan

From immense hate to immense love. Black Swan, I’ve heard, is a masterpiece of sexual tension and struggle with the perfect cast to do it (not my words either). Vincent Cassel and Mila Kunis both seem to be at the top of their game, but what really drives this movie for me is Natalie Portman. Now, I realize that some of you have been led to believe in some fascination that I seem to have with her, but this is completely objective when I say that based on the word of mouth and the provocative trailer, she’ll be in Oscar contention. Now, this is a movie about ballet which will deter some. It certainly would for me normally but it seems that it hits on many other levels (including Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman making out? It’s the rumor!). I can’t judge it until I see it, but the trailer does give a glimpse of what could be the best film of the year. I am really excited to see this one.


Projected: 5 out of 5

127 Hours

Ok, for those of you who don’t know, this film is based on the true story of Aron Ralston (played by James Franco) who spent 127 hours trapped in the mountains. When I heard this would be a film, I sighed. Then I heard Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) would be directing. Then I heard James Franco, who has more acting chops than he’s given credit for, would be the lead. Now it has my attention. The overly critical and fairly harsh RopeofSilicon.com gave it a good grade. While this is usually a good sign, I can’t help but look back and remember that they also gave the newly booted Clash of the Titans a B+, which is a very generous offer to even review that film in the first place. So I don’t know what to expect out of this movie, it has all the parts in place and a decent enough premise, ultimately powered by the fact that the story is about a real triumph of one man, but I don’t know that it will blow me away. Unlike Black Swan, I don’t think I’ll drive to see this limited release, but if it comes up nearby I would probably stop in. Again, big potential but don’t let that cloud what you’ve seen about the movie.


Projected: 3.5 out of 5

The Running Man

Reviewed by Mike

Thanks to the internet, Xbox 360 and Netflix combination I have, I was able to watch a late night treat a few nights back that I haven't seen in a very long time. Browsing through the "New Arrivals" section of Netflix, I spotted The Running Man, a late 1980s action-thriller starring none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger.
 
The Running Man, based loosely (and I really have to put emphasis on the word loosely here) on the Stephen King novel of the same name, is the title of a game show in a future where the police/government run everything. Convicts, bad guys and all around assholes are allowed to try their luck at the game show in exchange for their freedom from prison or a cash reward (not really, all winners are totally murdered in horrific ways... but the audience doesn't know that yet!).

The game pits the bad guys- in our case, Arnold- against the good guys, known as the Slayers. The show, hosted by a flamboyant jerkoff named Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), sends the contestants through an obstacle course of sorts- they have to make their way across something like 400 city blocks, going through four different checkpoints along the way. If they can't do it in three hours, they're dead. Oh, and all the Slayers are after them and they all have ridiculous abilities to try and stop (kill) the contestants.

The concept for the show is pretty interesting. People all over America literally stop what they are doing when this show comes on, they're that addicted to watching it. Gambling runs rampant, and it's no wonder why: there have only been three winners. EVER. It's like a better version of American Idol, except in this case the losers get murdered by sumo wrestlers with hockey sticks (not kidding). If only it was like this today...

The film starts off in a high-tech (1987) helicopter, piloted by the Muscles from Brussels himself. He's some sort of government agent, sent to break up a peaceful riot (yeah, I don't know how riots can be peaceful either, but that's what they said), except there's one hitch: Arnold's boss order him to kill all the rioters! Noooooo!!

Arnold doesn't do it, his buddies do and blame him (fuckin jerks), he gets sent to prison for the crime, he escapes by way of exploded heads and assault rifle torso blasts, ends up kidnapping a hot Latin chick who turns him in (bitch), and ends up on The Running Man.

Arnie, who plays a character named Ben Richards by the way, doesn't really want to be on the show but ends up not having much of a choice due to extenuating circumstances: his prison buddies he escaped with got caught and if he doesn't do the show, they get to take his spot.

I won't ruin the rest of the flick, but I will say that Arnie ends up doing his thing in usual fashion The movie is pretty action filled, with explosions and what not, but the most interesting two things were the acting of Richard Dawson and the Slayers. Richard Dawson, of Family Feud fame, is a real grade A dick in this movie. The entire time I watched it, I found myself wondering "when will his uppins come!?" Well, fear not guys, his uppins do come and in great form- you just have to wait 90 minutes first.

The other great part of this flick was the Slayers. In the King version of this story, they were called Hunters and they, well, hunted Ben Richards down like a dog. They used guns and army tanks and shit like that... it wasn't quite the same in the film. Some writer must have thought "hmmm, guns and army tanks are old school. You know what they'll have in the future!? Flamethrowers and motorcycles with chainsaws on them!"

The Slayers "abilities" were nothing but amusing- Subzero (Professor Toru Tanaka) is a sumo wrestler sized henchman who lures contestants into his hockey rink lair (yeah, this guy wears goalie equipment and his weapon is a metal goalie stick with spikes and shit all over it... what happens if the contestants don't go to his lair? Does he run after them with all that shit on?) and then slices them up like sushi. Buzzsaw's weapon of choice is... a chainsaw. Dynamo shoots electric bolts from his hands by way of this weird pack that he wears. Fireball (Jim Brown!) uses a flamethrower while Captain Freedom (Jesse Ventura) doesn't do much but act like a big old vagina.

It was actually kind of insulting, thinking that a mere flamethrower or chainsaw could ever bring down Schwarzenegger- he killed the Predator for fuck sake.

I have to admit that I really enjoyed this flick, despite the fact that it is almost nothing like the book and absurd on, like, every single level imaginable. The King version of The Running Man wouldn't have really worked as a film due to the shortness of the book and utter lack of action. Don't get me wrong, there was still a lot of action in King's version and the book was much more interesting/enjoyable in my opinion (better character development and ending), but it simply wouldn't have been a very good movie. Let me put it this way: It's doubtful Arnold would have put his stamp on it if it wasn't rewritten.

This film, strange enough, won the Best Supporting Actor award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films- the award went to Dawson and that doesn't surprise me because he did such a great job a being such a dick. Dawson's acting (he was a game show host for fuck sake) was superb and definitely added to the flicks quality. The action was exciting and it was a very fun movie to watch.

Arnold was at his best in The Running Man, one of his more overlooked films in comparison to The Terminator, Total Recall or Jingle All the Way (yeah, I went there). The cast was interesting (Frank Zappa's son Dweezil had a small part... random, right?), the story was interesting and the end was satisfying.

While it was no It, I thought this was a pretty good film based on a King novel and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a quick thrill... or laugh.


2.5 out of 5 running men