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Reviews
Aliens vs. Predator (1999)
swell idea, fun game for an hour or so
Obviously a lot of love and work went into this game, so it's not easy to diss it. Still, compare the gameplay of this FPS to any modern FPS and it'll leave you hollow.
A valiant effort, and honestly, kinda fun for a while. It'll be more fun for the roleplaying aspect than gaming.
It is crippled by an inflexible and cumbersome multiplayer system (you have to go to some third party gamer site) and probably limited in various ways by myopic gamer company exec's numbskull ideas (e.g. "Let's make it so you can't save your game! It'll add to the 'pain' of dying!")
If yer bound and determined to buy it, get the Gold Edition, or better yet, wait for the sequel, which should be coming out Real Soon Now.
Alien Resurrection (1997)
I dunno, I kinda liked it
Let's agree to disagree. Most people disliked this movie. Does it mean "it sucks"? I think that the Aliens franchise built up expectations in a way that no movie could have satisfied, without breaking all precedents for excellent filmmaking and brilliant storytelling. This movie is trashy scifi. Take it as such, and it's fine.
If instead, you slather upon it all the breathless expectation of a hardcore Aliens-geek (if you know the name of the planet in Alien3, you qualify) then you will be disappointed in proportion to your fanaticism.
I think we all need to step back and consider that nothing short of cinematic masterpiece will satisfy die-hard fans at this point, which is the same curse that George Lucas labors under.
This is a passable, if dumb, "rainy sunday" scifi flick. It is not heresy.
El buque maldito (1974)
rainy sunday material
I think it may literally have been a rainy Sunday...I was a kid, and was totally absorbed into this movie. I was absolutely terrified and enthralled.
These days, suspension of disbelief isn't so easy for me, but I'd love to see this thing again.
Part of the attraction might have been that I saw it in the original Spanish. Senseless as it may seem.
The TV Wheel (1995)
academically interesting but weak
I love Joel. He impresses me as witty, intelligent and creative. MST3K is ample evidence of this. The TV Wheel is evidence of his intelligence and creativity, but it lacks "the funny", and in this case, two out of three is pretty damn bad. The concept is new (if a bit schticky)...or at least it's creatively executed. But the performances are sweaty, desperate, and unamusing, and I get the feeling Joel was really stretching his faculties and abilities getting a dodo to fly...just for the challenge of getting a dodo to fly. I felt like I was watching a friend screw up a recital. Give this embarrassment a miss and rent/buy some of the original MST3K episodes... you'll be much happier. Let's hope Joel finds his performing legs again.