BrandonHamilton Reviews

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

The point I got...

[5 November 2002]

Okay, this film is a mystery but not in the literal sense. It is a metaphorical thing, and this is what I've gathered from several viewings of this haunting masterpiece...suppression loses innocence to nature...true that.

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)

The "HARD-BOILED" of breakdance movies!!!

[23 January 2002]

This is the film dreams are made of. Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo is non-stop entertainment with maximum jammage. I love this movie, it seems that cheesiness knows no bounds. Every ten minutes there is a relentless dance sequence that reminds me of a John Woo action sequence, it is both well choreographed and ridiculously crazy. The story is so standard and formulaic there is almost no need to worry about what the hell is going on except for another boogaloo around the corner. The performances by the actors are just stomach-churningly hilarious and whenever Shabba-Do randomly zips up his pants you can't help but roll on the floor in hysterics. As the films progress it slowly loses it's grip on reality which is shown in a dancing on the ceiling breakdown, a crazy hospital number, and the character's willingness to die for a community center! Costume changes are made every 5 minutes or so and boy are there a lot of costumes, I find it very hard to believe that some point in time this was considered cool. Or was it? Anyways if you are looking for the most relentless cheese this side of King Solomon's Mines (1985) then get down with the boogaloo, Electric Boogaloo that is.

Mean Guns (1997)

Fun, Fun stuff.

[7 December 2001]

This is a fun action movie. The moment the soundtrack starts you know it's going to be good. The concept of 100 assassins, 1000 guns, 10,000,000 dollars is played out very well in this film unlike some other "Great concept, poor execution" films. I love Christopher Lambert, he is soooooo incredibly cool and Ice-T shines as always...it's a match made in B-movie heaven. This film is non-stop action and boy, it is extremely entertaining. The Mambo soundtrack is quite possibly one of the most original ideas I've ever seen. Action and Mambo equals big time fun. The film itself has enough action to fill several movies and is sadly underrated and forgotten. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to watch an entertaining B-action movie without having to go through the trouble of having to think.

Virtuosity (1995)

GREAT SCI-FI, COMPARABLE TO MATRIX!!!

[7 December 2001]

This is an excellent scifi-action movie. Russell Crowe vs. Denzel Washington!!! That would be near impossible to accomplish now since their careers skyrocketed a few years after this film. The concept is almost the exact opposite of the Matrix with a computer character causing chaos in the real world as opposed to real people making mischief in a computer world. Russell Crowe is delightfully over the top and Denzel never ceases to amaze me with one wonderful performance after another. This film is nicely shot using lots of colors and incredible production value. The action sequences are like art in motion, there is one shot of Denzel leaping on to a police car...this stuff looks real good. WHY DOES NO ONE TALK ABOUT THIS FILM??? If this movie was made next week and released it would make 50% of it's profit on starpower alone. The special effects are great but the actors definitely steal the show. This movie should've been more popular. I highly recommend this to any scifi-action fans whom haven't already seen this movie gem.

Full Eclipse (1993 TV Movie)

The Stylish werewolf flick.

[7 December 2001]

This is a great movie!!! Quite possibly one of the coolest werewolf movies I've ever seen. First off the action sequences are incredible, John Woo had a major influence on the style of this film. There's jumping with guns'a'blazing, cool slow motion shots, and to top it off...WEREWOLVES!!! The performances couldn't be better, Mario Van Peebles is extremely underrated and Bruce Payne is the quintessential bad guy. The only thing that holds this movie back from true cinematic greatness is probably the fact that is a made for T.V. movie and had to be edited and the budget was not as high as the concept...great concept though!!! This movie is Shaft meets The Howling, throw in Hong Kong-flavored action and you've got Full Eclipse. Coolest Werewolf movie around.

Blind Fury (1989)

A Must-see about a Can't-see.

[7 December 2001]

This is by far one of the most underrated action movies I've ever seen. When I rented this bad boy I expected nothing more than stupid low-budget action. What I got was incredible. I haven't had so much fun watching a movie in a long time. I found this movie to be horrifically entertaining. The acting is great, the direction is great, and the script is great. Rutger Hauer is really something special, this is (Next to Blade Runner of course) his finest performance. Rutger, although an excellent bad guy, can definitely play a good guy worth rooting for. I've seen this movie about 15 times now and I recommend it to everyone. The film is so funny and exciting, I've only found one real flaw that makes me laugh and that is that he carries a picture in his wallet yet he's blind. It's there solely for storytelling purposes of course but this movie carries itself very well and manages to deftly cast aside all of it's unbelievable craziness and entertain like mad. This is a fun, fun film and I recommend it for anyone looking for a good time.

Near Dark (1987)

Both influential and a tribute to vampire flicks.

[7 December 2001]

This is one of the greatest vampire movies ever. Well acted and well directed this is a highly influential film yet echos some films of the past. First off I'd like to say Kathryn Bigelow is a brilliant director, she has both the visual appeal and gives the movie some sense of depth which keeps it from being "Just another vampire movie". I love her use of lighting, I would not be surprised if her favorite color is blue, she uses it a lot in all her movies. Anyways, this film has an interesting spin on vampires, it cleverly depicts what it would be like to be in a pack of vampires and to see how they live. Most films just show them sleeping in a crypt or sucking blood like that's all they do. This film is very creative in portraying a life of a vampire. The characters are all well developed and played. Each one represents a different type of vampire from previous films. Caleb is new at being a vampire and has a difficult time conforming to the pack due to strong moral values, Mae sadly accepts what she is and has no sense of hope, Severen plays it cool yet his coolness is actually his insanity caused by his curse, Jesse the eldest vampire knows exactly what he is and exactly what he does yet has done it for so long he has no sense of moral value left and just doesn't care, Homer is a bitter man trapped in a child's body yet has occasional childlike characteristics, and Diamondback is bitter and angry yet is growing weary of her curse. All these individuals are an excellent mix of the cool and the disturbing. The film is both tragic and frightening due to believable characters and unbelievable directing. This is a definite must-see for vampire fans.

Lucas (1986)

Underrated teen flick.

[7 December 2001]

This is a great, great film. Quite possibly one of the most accurate depictions of high school life I've ever seen. Lucas is funny, touching, and insightful. Corey Haim gives a truly winning performance as the tormented title character and makes the audience sympathetic towards him. Charlie Sheen, Kerri Green, and Winona Ryder all leave their mark in this film as his few friends and the rest of the cast works nicely. The great thing about this movie is that, although billed as a romantic comedy, it is more of a drama that explores the difficulty of being an outsider, this film doesn't give in to teen-flick cliches, it is almost relentless in terms of causing the audience to feel sorry for Lucas and at times it's downright scary. This film really made me think about how stupid high school social structures can be, it really is that bad for some people, in fact it's worse. I think this film is an emotional, moral masterpiece. I hate high school, I love Lucas. If you want to see high school for what it really is...skip "Ferris Bueller" or "10 things I hate about you", see Lucas, good stuff.

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)

Better than "The Usual Suspects"!!!

[6 December 2001]

This is one great film, all-star cast, top-notch directing, brilliant writing. I'd compare this film to the Usual Suspects only it's better than "The Usual Suspects"!!! This film has great character development, as Critical Bill this is by far Treat William's best performance to date. I love everyone in this movie, they are well cast and well written. Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino have got nothing on Scott Rosenberg(Writer). Scott has given us a perfect script and a perfect cast to perform it. I love Andy Garcia's hair!!! It always looks good. Anyways this film should be more popular, I feel it has the potential to become a cult classic which in my opinion is the best genre to be a part of because cult films are never forgotten. "Things to do.." is a masterpiece, a forgotten cinematic treasure to marvelled at for years to come. Everyone I've talked to about this movie either loves it and quotes it or has never even heard of it but are compelled to see the incredible ensemble cast. Brilliance, sheer brilliance. See it for yourself and then watch it again. You won't be disappointed.

Heavyweights (1995)

BIG laughs!!!

[6 December 2001]

This is quite possibly one of the funniest, smartest movies I've seen in a long time. Heavyweights is underrated. Sure this is a few grossout jokes which I can always do without but I've seen much, much worse. For what this film is, I found it suprisingly well-acted and directed(The dance is great). This is not Ben Stiller's movie although he gives a delightfully over-the-top performance as Tony Perkis who ranks up there as one of the best cinematic baddies since Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. The film's moral is somewhere along the lines of believe in yourself and you can overcome...blah blah blah. Standard stuff but the execution is superb. The film treats the subject matter of obesity very well making it seem like a disability and social barrier for the characters and brings us to the realization that "Who Cares?". Good stuff, clean cut fun. I'd recommend it to kids, it was made for them anyways, besides a lot of kid flicks nowadays are poorly done fart jokes or extremely violent. Heavyweights has few but well done fart jokes and there is no violence, just BIG fun.

King Solomon's Mines (1985)

RELENTLESS FUN!!!Allan Quatermane forever!!!

[6 December 2001]

Wow!!! This movie was incredible!!! I heard about it awhile back and had

made many Allan Quatermane jokes about it before I finally saw it. I was expecting a terrible low budget novelty flick but what I got was breathtaking!!! King Solomon's Mines is one of the most relentlessly action packed campy films I've ever seen...and I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in all my life. From the opening sequence to the last frame I was rolling on the floor laughing like a madman at Allan Quatermane's crazy exploits!! Richard Chamberlain is great as a two-fisted treasure hunter\romantic icon with an adventurous twinkle in his eye. Sharon Stone is the next Kate Capshaw!!! J. Lee Thompson is a brilliant Director!!! Why may you ask? See this film, it never slows down...when I finished it I sat speechless for a moment of reflection and realized that the movie I just watched was in real-time!!! All that high energy fun took place over an hour and a half. This is a cinematic gem and it better have a 2-disc special edition DVD because I'll be first in line to buy it. So if you want the fastest, funniest, entertainingnest darn movie around King Solomon's Mines is the ticket!!!