Corno-2 Reviews

Heaven's Prisoners (1996)

Fantastic stuff!

[6 April 2000]

Not exactly faithful to the book but the film certainly delivers as an enjoyable thriller.

Alec Baldwin is superb as Robicheaux, Lynch, Masterson and Hatcher are rather pretty and give the film what is needs but are mainly forgotten about as the film progresses. Roberts shows that he does have a great deal of talent to offer when it comes to a juicy part like this.

The film isn't brimming with action thankfully but it has a number of lengthy and exciting action sequences.

It seems to me that Baldwin is becoming something of the thinking mans action hero. Whilst Willis is off doing the brainless actioners Baldwin manages to get the intelligent movie. This is a fine example as is The Edge.

Baldwin makes this movie stunningly enjoyable and the supporting actors help a little but Baldwin manages to carry the whole thing single handedly.

Stunts (1995– )

A rollercoaster?

[15 February 2000]

Okay, this short lived TV show was a series of 6 action packed episodes. The first episode had nothing to do with the following five. This first episode also happened to be terrible.

Following this came the continual 'Box' story line. The episodes varied from in-your-face action to out-and-out comedy with a bucket load of plot twists thrown in, along with a few red herrings.

Chris Tait and Donal Stevenson are fantastic in the leads, Gareth Myles and Tom Cully offer great support. Other characters are layed to waste as the episodes fly by.

Worth a look mainly for some very daring stunt work by Tait and Myles.

Shot at Dawn: A Silent Reminder (1999 TV Movie)

Beautifully handled

[13 January 2000]

So many of the conclusions drawn from the events could have been taken completely the wrong way. This film plays beautifully and respectfully lifts its hat to those who fled the trenches.

Potter makes a wonderful lead however the film is stolen by power house performances from Myles and Logan. Cut down a great deal and focusing only on Potter's reaction to the news that her husband has been shot was a great idea, as Myles' appearence is ghostly and cold. The lack of dialogue is also a great benefit and the fantastic score makes it so much more atmospheric.

Watch out for this, it is classic television.

Detour (1998 Video)

This is a difficult one...

[4 January 2000]

Being a giant fan of Fahey and Busey I found this impossible not to miss.

The film itself has many bad qualities. The sound is all over the place. The levels peak mid shot and the mics pick up annoying chunks so sound, like Fahey leather jacket making that leather-jacket-sort-of-noise. The amount of footaged re-used is amazing. I can think of a least 5 glaring examples.

However, then there is the cast and plot. Fahey (who supports the film perfectly) is great is a role that he can play in his sleep. Busey limited usage shows and his pyjamas are exceptional. Russo really only shines in the action sequences. Madsen give a good as he wants (which I don't believe is very much) as the charater has very little to do and didn't require someone like Madsen to play it.

If you can manage to endure the technical problems this turns out to be a fairly enjoyable waste of time.

Interzone (1989)

More entertaining than you would imagine!

[8/10 · 15 December 1999]

True. This film is a typical 80's Mad Max rip off, however, this one lies in a very fine field. Interzone succeeds where so many other fail. The film is terribly low-budget but the is a great deal of ingenuity with the special effects and action sequences. Bruce Abbott is fantastic in the lead. He plays the role in a very jokey 'I know this is a dud film, so what!' and this adds a lot to the character of Swan. All in all that is a highly entertaining film and will please lovers of the genre (who should watch it with a clear mind) to no end!

The Goldfish Bowl (1999)

A great wee film.

[12 September 1999]

The Goldfish Bowl is a fine short full of energy and laughs. Alan McKee is a joy to watch, as is Chris Corrigan. It can be said that the biggest let down is that of Thomas McLaughlin, although this was his first attempt at acting.

The film is also a great laugh due to the amount of special appearences. Allan Gildea, Gareth Myles, Ivan Kehelley and Julian Ward pop up in blink and you'll miss them cameos. Gildea and Myles' fathers also crop up.

The Goldfish bowl is a very pleasing experience and should be watched out for.