Amph Underappreciated Films

Under the skin blew my damn mind.

So sad that TFA won Saturn and not Machina.....


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F/X Murder by Illusion Special effects expert Rollie Tyler (played by Bryan Brown) is hired by a government agency to fake the killing of a mob boss for a witness protection program. But hes then double crossed and framed by dirty agents and has to go on the run, using all his expertise in special effects to bring the corrupt agents down.

This film is 30 years old this month and is one of my guilty pleasures of the 80s. Bryan Brown is excellent, ably supported by Brian Dennehy as the NY cop whos on his trail investigating the staged murder. It rattles along nicely as an 'innocent man on the run' thriller with some ingenious effects along the way as he tries to clear his name.

Shattered Architect Dan Merrick (Tom Berenger) awakes in hospital after a car accident where he sustained major facial injuries and now suffers with amnesia. His wife, the gorgeous Greta Scacchi, is helping him to rebuild his life. But Dan keeps having flashbacks about his life that he can't piece together. He finds a card from a private detective (Bob Hoskins) that he doesn't remember hiring. But it turns out he was investigating Dans wife and her extra marital affairs. So Dan enlists his help again to try and piece together his past and rebuild his memory.

To my mind this film is straight out of the stable that contains thrillers like Basic Instinct, Sliver, Fatal Attraction, Jennifer 8, Jade etc from the late 80's early 90's. However this one has less of the tacky sex in it. Its certainly a film that went under the radar, maybe rightly so as its not the best film in the world, but the amnesia plot and the mystery surrounding Tom Berengers past keep it interesting until its shocking ending.

 

Missed the 30 min limit to edit my last post..........

Deadly Pursuit Another Tom Berenger film funnily enough. The start is fantastic as they establish a killers ruthlessness in a jewellery heist. There he escapes the clutches of detective Sidney Poitier before hiding himself within a hiking trip through some rough mountainous terrain in Washington, which is led by their guide (the beautiful Kirstey Alley). The viewer is unaware of which of them the killer is and it then becomes a fish 'out of water' pursuit as city cop Poitier must team up with her tracker boyfriend (Berenger) as they try to catch up with the hiking trip.

I always find myself watching this whenever its on. I won't ruin who the killer is in case anyone hasn't seen it, but I think he makes a good villain. As always Poitier is good, as is Berenger. But overall its a solid thriller as they track their man through the mountains.

 

The Three Stooges short "You Nazty Spy". A hilarious combination of the team's trademark slapstick with some very pointed satire on Hitler and the Nazis. The first Hollywood movie to make fun of the Third Reich, it's been consistently overshadowed by Chaplin's "The Great Dictator". But while Chaplin put in a message against war and fascism, the Stooges basically just decided to rip apart the paper-hanging so-and-so, resulting in funnier jokes and a harder satirical edge.

 

Head is brilliant

 

I'd like to give Antz a mention

 

Wasn't that one pretty well-received? I know that it was in competition with A Bugs' Life and the latter is generally considered to have "won" (I saw both and liked Bugs' Life but didn't care for Antz personally), but I thought both were well-regarded by their target audience.

 

I thought A Bugs' Life was a kids' movie, while Antz was more of a snarky commentary on modern life, and a perfect opportunity for Woody Allen to parody himself.

 

As Antz was the only Woody Allen movie I've seen (and I was barely grade school age when I saw it in theaters for the only time), I wouldn't know. In general, though, I think Pixar stuff usually shoots for the whole family, making things that both kids and adults like, and I thought A Bugs' Life fit that bill, but your mileage may vary.

(I have been told that Antz had more verbal humor, while Bugs' Life did more visual humor.)

 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World