dpantz74 Reviews

THX 1138 (1971)

WHAT'S WRONG??? Subterranean Homesick Human.

[10/10 · 2 October 2004]

I'm going to keep it simple..."THX-1138" is no doubt, one of the best sci-fi films ever...and probably one of the most important...it's a strong contender to Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey", and "THX-1138" could easily be a sequel to "2001".

Personally, I think that George Lucas should've went into this direction instead of the direction he chose with his "Star Wars" films, which, many (legions of geeks) would argue, is his best work. But "THX-1138" is significantly a different kind of film experience altogether.

It's not overblown, or over budget, and it doesn't feature any cloyingly cute or overtly annoying characters to make millions of dollars to merchandise. I can't imagine a Robert Duvall "THX-1138" action figure, but if this film was made after "Star Wars" instead, trust me, Lucas would have probably sold it.

Lucas has made a fortune from a franchise of sci-fi films, that are silly and repetitive of themselves, but with "THX-1138", his first film he managed to create something that he has never come close to doing again. If it wasn't for the style, design and fx of this film THERE WOULD BE NO STAR WARS FILMS PERIOD.

It's a shame this film, even after the release of the director's cut, some thirty odd years later, is still underrated and overlooked. Maybe now that it's on DVD, it will find a new larger audience of appreciative fans.

I still prefer the original version over the director's cut, but I still love this film.

BE HAPPY...BUY MORE...this film is a must see!!!

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

Paranoid Alien

[2 October 2004]

An interesting film, with some great scenes and surreal visuals from Nicholas Roeg, but I'm not quite sure if it really falls into the sci-fi genre.

If anything, it is like a soap-opera for an alien, and that's it. There's plenty of sex, and I only wish more rock and roll, and I wish the soundtrack would've been comprised of Bowie songs.

It's a good "sci-fi" if you'd like to call it that, but it's not as important as say "2001: a Space Odyssey".

Bowie is awkward, but solid in the lead role. Sometimes he seems to be over acting, and not as natural as he usually seems. Let's put it this way he should've acted less like an alien and more like himself (*see the promo video for "Oh You Pretty Things" on the best of Bowie DVD). But when he gets freaky, he gets freaky.

The film's dialog is mumbly most of the time, and sometimes inaudible.

Bowie's character is being shuffled around in a frenzy almost in "A Hard Days Night" kind of way. The characters are confusing and not very developed enough to care about them much.

It would've been a far better film if there were more scenes from another planet, because the Earth ones seem too dated, now, especially, as well as some as the film's incidental music.

I wouldn't say this strange film is a failure, but, it just feels like it lacks some appeal.

Fando and Lis (1968)

Amazing Surreal Cinema at It's Finest

[10/10 · 2 October 2004]

While it may not be the best introduction to Jodorowsky's film work, it is, probably one of the best surreal films you'll come across.

This original re-telling of "Fando y Lis" is at times very haunting, dreamlike and down right disturbing in a Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali kind of way.

It is a "lost classic" that nearly got away for good, but thanks to American Zoetrope and Fantoma, it found its way onto DVD with a bonus documentary on the filmmaker's amazing life and work called "La Constellation Jodorowsky". Let's hope that in the future more of his films are released in the U.S.

I highly recommend this film, as well as "The Holy Mountain", "El Topo", and "Santa Sangre", if you can track them down.