Letterboxd — Your life in film

This goofy late-eighties comic book inspired horror film - from Empire Pictures and the director of Troll - has it's tongue planted firmly in cheek, but never really gels. A more defined sense of humor or clearer plotting would have helped. Jeffery Combs shows up in an almost dialogue-less pre-credits scene.

Saw Man of Steel on Friday and I still am wrestling with my thoughts. Wasn't sold on Snyder's dull-grey take on Superman's origin story, and really thought that the timeline jumping in the first hour robbed the film of it's flow. I also felt like the action - while stunningly rendered - left me with a headache and ready for the film to just end, already.

I know it's old-hat by now, but can we stop it with the faux-kinetic camera work? Not every movie needs the gritty, shake-cam style and Man of Steel definitely abused it in certain scenes.

Copycat boasts two great actresses putting in fairly solid performances in a movie that doesn't seem to be exerting enough effort to make anything as interesting as it should be.

I never felt like the plot was propelling itself from one clue to the next, it just feels like a series of events. The whole Copycat Killer angle almost gets brushed over - it seems fairly inconsequential the way they treat it.

Works well enough for a lazy-afternoon movie, but I was hoping for a little more.

Exterminator 2 is to Exterminator as Death Wish 3 is to Death Wish.

Glorious and shameless over-the-top cheese that does away with the gritty aspects of the original, and replaces it with classic Cannon-isms.

Rollerskate Breakdancing!!!

When Heather Thomas' super-scientist boyfriend (Jeffery Combs!!!) is murdered, everyone suddenly has an interest in the uber-tech behind his super-cycle that comes fully equipped with a laser-helmet - and it's up to her to keep it out of their hands.

While that all sounds very exciting, mostly we're treated to classic Fred Olen Ray Time-Padders™ such as: Extended driving scenes! Long, pun-n-gag filled dialogue scenes! Overlong interrogations!

Aside from one fairly amusing car chase and a hilariously un-punk "punk club", all of the action is back-loaded into the final 5 or 10 minutes of the film. There's some beauty 'splosions in there, but you'll be waiting around for it. Martin Landau also joins in on the fun, lending a slight touch of class to the picture.

Cyclone isn't a total waste, but it's most definitely a "toss it on while you're doing something else" pick.