beingofsoundmind Reviews

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

A brilliant genre film ...

[24 November 2003]

Candle-lit interior cinematography, lush misty landscapes, strong characters, exquisite costumes, an authentic boudoir recreation of 18th century French society, a new kind of savage 'monster' and some of the finest stylized fight scenes ever laid down in a 'genre' film, place "Brotherhood of the Wolf" among the classiest horror adventure films of all time.

Great moments include the culminating rage of Samuel Le Bihan's gentlemanly character 'Fronsac' who explodes into a Conan-like fury as he meets out 'justice' to those that wronged his Iroquois-Mohawk 'blood brother' played by Marc Dacascos, Vincent Cassel suitably creepy as the decadent 'Morangias', sensuous Monica Belluci as the dangerous and vicious 'Sylvia', interesting historical plot-points, and a bond of friendship between an unlikely pair of frontier adventurers, make director Christopher Gans "Brotherhood of the Wolf" an original masterpiece of 'genre' film-making...

Hollywood North (2003)

Jennifer Tilly comes out on top ...

[21 November 2003]

Never have I seen the beautiful Jennifer Tilly look as luscious as she does in Peter O'Brien's "Hollywood North". I saw the film at this year's Toronto International Film Festival and the movie is still on my mind. That's because "Hollywood North", a comedy about the 'movie biz' actually delivers the cinematic goods.

The movie's tech credits are slick all-round and directed with a steadfast assurance by O'Brien, a notable producer of some merit during the Canadian 'tax-shelter' movie scene of the early '80's and '90's, winner of numerous Canadian film awards while giving a break to many up and coming actor/writers. Now its his turn to helm the action and he has turned in a sophisticated and wry comedy about a movie scheme that unexpectedly takes a turn for the worse.

Ms. Tilly is quite unforgettable as a sex-starved actress, performing in a low-budget movie titled "Flight To Bogota", with one particular hot scene that rivals Kim Cattral's love-making from another Canadian classic "Porky's". Meanwhile the beautiful Deborah Kara Unger pops in and out of the film sets with a documentary camera crew, putting the finishing touches on HER movie about the making of THIS movie.

Matthew Modine is quite hilarious as a befuddled newbie producer, John Neville as an assured, yet doddering director, Kim Coates as a hot-headed actor, Fab Filipo as the young leading man, Joe Cobden as Modine's frizzy-haired co-producer and Alan Bates, as a crazed, gentlemanly actor from the old school.

But the real star of this show is Hollywood North itself : the fledgling Canadian film industry of the 1970's searching for culture, indentity and a quest for respectability ...

This is an entertaining feature that deserves a wide theatrical release...

The Gospel of John (2003)

A visually beautiful film with a moving score ...

[11 November 2003]

The performers all look quite authentic to the era. No glue and false beards here, with many performers cast for their authentic look. Henry Ian Cusick is quite charismatic as Jesus, with his brown soulful eyes and even disposition. Other stand-out performances also include Richard Lintern as the 'leading Pharisee' and Steven Russell as 'Pontius Pilate'. Magnificently filmed exterior locations in Spain were matched by exquisitely-crafted interiors filmed in Toronto, with kudos going to the art directors for their realistic sets and to the wardrobe departments for their minute attention to detail. Christopher Plummer's calming narration makes the 3 hours go by quite effortlessly with an emotionally-moving score by Jeff Dana. "The Gospel Of John" is a satisfying cinematic experience that effectively conveys Jesus universal message of 'love' ...

Hendrix (2000 TV Movie)

Wood Harris is solid here ...

[9/10 · 1 April 2003]

He turns in a cool performance. I recall when they were shooting this in in the summer. Recreating a purple hazy Woodstock on a modest budget. And I know that a lot of the actors didn't know how to play (including the drummer), but I especially enjoyed some of the foxy ladies and those scenes of Jimi's band and guitar roadie (Michael Stevens) striding through the airport in slo-mo. This film is a Jimi Hendrix 'experience' ...

Space Raiders (1983)

"FLIGHTPLAN' is a classic character ...

[9/10 · 13 August 2002]

Most who worked crew on this film came from around the world, all given a shot at working on a Corman film. There were some talented people involved. Vince Edwards ("Ben Casey") had a great time with all this. Much of the foam latex make-up was quite involved. The purple scarf worn by the alien 'Flightplan' is a great comic book touch. Like all Corman films, he always manages to get the job done, and have a good time doing it ...

Death Game (1996 TV Movie)

David McCallum is a fave actor of mine ...

[9/10 · 11 August 2002]

Whether it was 'The Great Escape', 'The Man From Uncle', or 'The Outer Limits', David McCallum has always been a classy performer and his effort on this low-budget film is no exception. I enjoyed his arrogant performance here; Timothy Bottoms also manages to work out his acting chops with some impressive fight scenes; I also enjoyed listening to the theme-song at the end of the film, which has some interesting things to say ...

Recruits (1986)

RIDE HARD LIVE FREE ...

[8/10 · 11 August 2002]

Despite the obvious restrictions in low-budget commercial film-making, the numerous funny, stupid, gritty and sexy ideas in this 'Police Academy' take-off, spring out at every turn, due in most part to the creativity of Canadian producer Maurice Smith of Maurice Smith Productions.

Kudos to lovely Lolita Davidovich riding around nude in a mayor's limo during a big-city parade; the gorgeous Elizabeth Harden and her sweet turn as a yacht owner's wife; 6-year old Sasha Dolgy challenging a Harley-riding cop to a drag race; the absolutely wild motorcycle stunts; and a great theme-song "Recruits - Ride Hard Live Free" by Michael Stevens and Curtis Lee (ideal for any number of motorcycle/car commercials).

There are some good ideas here ...

L.A.P.D.: To Protect and to Serve (2001)

Great little film for Marc Singer ...

[10/10 · 27 July 2002]

I read a lot of positive press about this Canadian-shot film, first when it was being made (in Vancouver) and soon after its release. Apparently the movie has been sold to every country in the world. Not bad for a modest little cop movie, featuring dependable names like Marc Singer (an 'iconic' actor as the earth-hero in the 1980's alien TV-series "V"), twitchy Michael Madsen (no doubt nabbing his spot in the new Bond film, due to all the hype surrounding his appearance here), good ol' Charles Durning, and venerable Dennis Hopper.

Hopper weaves in and out throughout "LAPD" as an LAPD Division commanding officer. Singer is your basic good cop and Durning plays his Dad. Madsen plays a dirty cop (naturally).

I give kudos to Marc Singer for delivering a modest, yet impressive performance.

The movie is based on real life events, and there is more than enough blood 'n guts gun-play action here, coupled to numerous gorgeous (and gorgeously nude) women, to provide many entertaining diversions.

I always get a kick out of the films produced by 'Maurice Smith Productions' and this show is no exception. Whether its 1969's "Cycle Savages" (with Bruce Dern), or Smith's 1980's (Roger Corman co-produced) teen comedies like "Screwballs" or "Recruits" (a hell of a lot funnier than any of the "Police Academys"), his films have always had a unique stamp of 'eccentricity' to them, usually to compensate for the budgetary constraints that most independent films (ie. non-studio films) have to deal with.

If Smith can make a movie (that really DOES look like a movie) with the small budgets that he usually has to work with, then I am looking forward to see what he can do with some reel money. I hear he has a western, a sci-fi action piece and a supernatural mystery already lined up.

The best is yet to come, I'm sure ...