Review #1,242: 'Alien 3' (1992)

After the overwhelming success of James Cameron's follow-up to Ridley Scott's creature feature classic Alien, the direction in which the franchise could go from there was a mystery. Surprisingly, 20th Century Fox made the risky move of hiring an untried director who had made a name for himself in music videos, but didn't have a feature to his name. That man was David Fincher, and the experience almost turned him off movies for good. Frustrated by studio interference, constant script rewrites and budget issues, Fincher turned his back on the film once it hit the editing room, and has since disowned the film completely. The result was a box-office disappointment which received mostly negative reviews, possibly the result of an unyielding, miserable tone, or the fact that the final product was stitched together from scenes shot during an incredibly problematic production.

Even in a series that includes Alien: Resurrection and Prometheus, Alien 3 is still very much the dark horse of the bunch. Fans mostly loathe the film, but there are some who believe the film to be some sort of unrealised masterpiece. After all, this was made by the director who would go on to helm Se7en, Fight Club and Gone Girl, although you would never guess it. I sit somewhere in between. 2003's 'Assembly Line' cut (which Fincher refused to take part in) establishes some much-needed coherency, bulking up the role of Paul McGann's character and introducing more fluidity to the story. The new cut certainly doesn't cover up the movie's main issues, but it is a refreshingly downbeat spectacle, reasserting the alien's genetic superiority and terrifying prowess after Cameron's entry blew a small army of them away in spectacular fashion. There are also some terrific performances by a mainly British cast.

Alien 3 didn't do itself any favours by killing off fan favourites Hicks (Michael Biehn) and Newt (Carrie Henn) during the very first scene. After narrowly escaping with their lives following the events of Aliens, an alien egg inexplicably found itself on board their ship, hatching while the crew slept in stasis. An escape pod containing Hicks, Newt, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the mangled android Bishop (Lance Henriksen) is launched when a fire starts on board, eventually landing on 'Fury' 161, a penal colony and lead-smelting works housing sex offenders and murderers of the worst kind. Led by the imposing Dillon (Charles S. Dutton), the inmates have also turned to God. They are all bar-coded and shaven-headed due to a lice infestation, and look like they haven't seen the sun in years. Ripley, the only survivor, confides in prison doctor Clemens (Charles Dance), who is willing to perform an autopsy on the dead to ensure no alien lives inside of them. He also displays a bar-code.

Of course, it isn't long until another alien has hatched and is hunting down any poor sap in its way, as it seeks to reproduce and overrun. Writers David Giler, Walter Hill and Larry Ferguson made the correct choice in returning to the series' routes with a lone alien stalking its prey. Cameron went bigger, but you can't really go any bigger than that. Fincher stages some scary set-pieces, particularly one involving a terrified Paul McGann and very close encounter for Ripley. The main issue lies in between these moments, with the film too busy establishing the new setting, introducing an all-new cast of characters, and bridging the gap between the end of the second movie and the beginning of this to gather any real momentum. Fury 161 is also a horrible place to spend over two hours in, especially with the threat of rape and murder at every turn. With the Assembly Cut now the definitive version, Alien 3 is certainly not the complete mess it is still considered to be by many. It's rough and ugly, yes, but this arguably adds more grit and ferocity to the terror. It's hard to think of what could have been had Fox realised the talent they had on their hands.


Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Paul McGann, Ralph Brown, Danny Webb, Lance Henriksen
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,114: 'Malcolm X' (1992)

Malcolm X, Spike Lee's epic portrayal of the street hustler turned spokesman for the Nation of Islam who was assassinated at the age of 39, is undoubtedly the director's most assured, complex and mature film, but it is a wonder that it was ever made at all. Controversy began long before production even started, with heavy criticism laid on the fact that Norman Jewison was lined up direct what many, including Lee, felt was a project a black director should handle. When Jewison gracefully bowed out and Lee took over, many still felt that the polarising activist's life would somehow be whitewashed, labelling Lee a 'Buppie' (middle-class African-American).

The irony of many of the statements thrown at the biopic before it was even made was highlighted, and the resulting film was a 3 hour 20 minute testament to Lee's persistence at getting his hands on a story he had dreamt about making since film school. The studio had thrown in a budget for and insisted on a 2 hour 15 minute running time, but Lee, understanding that the contradictions and evolution of Malcolm's teachings and the many events and influences that helped shape the man demanded a longer running time. When the budget was exhausted, Lee called in for donations from the African-American community, and many of them obliged. Somehow, it's still too short to really get to heart of Malcolm, but it's certainly a far better film than it would have been had Lee not been so insistent at bringing his vision to the screen.

Malcolm's life was crammed with incident, and Lee does a decent job getting almost everything in. Flashbacks to his childhood, when his mother and father were tormented by the Ku Klux Klan and his family lived under the constant threat of death, are juxtaposed with his early life as a sharp-suited, ambitious numbers runner in Harlem known as Red, working underneath gangster West Indian Archie (Delroy Lindo). His actions soon land him in prison, where he meets Baines (Albert Hall), a fellow inmate working for Elijah Muhammad (Al Freeman Jr.) and the Nation of Islam. Baines teaches Malcolm that the drugs and alcohol he enjoys so much are simply ways for the white man to keep the black man in their place, and that the white man is, without exception, the devil. Malcolm leaves prison as Malcolm X, ditching the 'slave name' given to him by his ancestor's owners, and is transformed into an extremely enigmatic and convincing spokesman for the Nation of Islam.

The rush of excitement and danger of the opening third soon gives way to a more serious tone, as Malcolm's radical views on segregation under the watchful eye of 'the honourable' Elijah Muhammad makes him an incredibly controversial figure; loved, hated and feared in equal measure. Malcolm's popularity soon causes rifts and jealousy within the ranks of the Nation, and he sees the man who once took him under his wing become a deadly nemesis. His wife Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett) receives threatening phone calls, and the family's house is set ablaze. Lee's technical discipline throughout these moments, especially for a director who usually embraces visual flourishes, ensures that a steady, gloomy momentum builds up towards Malcolm's eye-opening pilgrimage to Mecca and eventual murder.

A film of such emotional weight also calls for a great performance, and Denzel Washington delivers in spades. Even when Malcolm is at his most questionable, Washington imbues the character with the same charm, wit and magnetism that no doubt saw him sore through the ranks of the Nation and become loved by many. When the pace sags, and it frequently does, Washington manages to draw you back in with his effortless screen presence. The film manages to paint a well-rounded picture of a man who underwent a few radical changes in his life, thanks both to Lee's thoughtful approach and Washington's incredible performance. Lee does go slightly overboard with his worship of the man at the climax, as Ossie Davis reads a eulogy over a montage of children declaring "I am Malcolm X!" and a speech from Nelson Mandela, but this doesn't do too much damage to what is engrossing, detailed and fearless biopic of an inspirational man.


Directed by: Spike Lee
Starring: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo
Country: USA/Japan

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,060: 'Raising Cain' (1992)

After the critical and commercial public flogging he received for his bastardisation of Tom Wolfe's fascinating, multi-layered and often hilarious novel The Bonfire of the Vanities, Brian De Palma turned back to the genre that had served him well early on his career, the psychological thriller. With crime 'biopic' The Untouchables (1987) and the hit-and-miss war drama Casualties of War (1989), De Palma has seemingly turned his back on the world of Hitchockian suspense, but his career was in serious danger. The result was Raising Cain, a movie so utterly ludicrous and ham-fisted that it's a wonder how he is still making movies. Yet, there's something perversely irresistible about the film.

Dr. Carter Nix (John Lithgow) is a respected psychologist suffering from multiple personality disorder, who, at the beginning of the movie, chloroforms a young mother and steals her child while being egged on by one of his cockier alter-egos, Cain. His wife Jenny (90's mainstay Lolita Davidovich) is concerned that Carter is spending too much time obsessing over their daughter, who he seems to view more of a subject of study than his own flesh and blood. Jenny rekindles a romance with a former flame, Jack (Steven Bauer), and the two are spotted by Carter making love in the woods. As Carter struggles to keep his many personalities in check, Jenny struggles to separate her dreams from reality.

While watching the movie, I kept wondering if this was truly the same De Palma who forged such well-constructed thrillers as Sisters (1973), Dressed to Kill (1980) and Blow Out (1981); films that often carefully towed the line of B-movie daftness yet managed to stay grounded. Is Raising Cain a bad movie? Yes, probably. But with the casting of De Palma's favourite ham John Lithgow and its sickly, TV movie aesthetic, there's something oddly fascinating about its silliness. It attempts to confuse its already convoluted plot even further by staging scenes within dreams within memories within more dreams. While this is certainly frustrating, I was still rooted to my seat, desperate to see how this nonsense plays out. His films are often divisive, but Raising Cain had even the most hardcore De Palma fans questioning their loyalty. Personally, my love far outweighed the hate.


Directed by: Brian De Palma
Starring: John Lithgow, Lolita Davidovich, Steven Bauer, Frances Sternhagen, Gregg Henry
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,017: 'Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth' (1992)

In 1987, Clive Barker brought to the cinema screen a vision of horror and degradation that was tightly wound around a fascinating mythology of sadomasochistic demons from another world who questioned our own desire for the ultimate pleasure. It is no understatement to say Hellraiser changed horror, and its inspiration is still clear to see in modern horror, although none I've seen possess the ability to truly get under your skin (but thankfully not rip it apart) as Barker's film does. A franchise always beckoned and its first sequel, Hellbound, tried to develop its universe further but ended up a good-looking mess.

Hell on Earth signalled the series' rapid decline in quality and imagination. Ambitious young reporter Joey Summerskill (Terry Farrell) is searching for that one big story to help project her career forward. While she wraps up a dull story at a hospital, a man covered in blood with metal chains protruding from his body held up by an unseen entity is rushed in, and is brutally ripped apart just as he is placed on the operating table. Knowing this could be her big break, she tracks down the woman who fled the hospital, Terri (Paula Marshall), and discovers her at a club ran by a slimeball named J.P. Monroe (Kevin Bernhardt), who has recently purchased a stone pillar possessing the trapped soul of Cenobite Pinhead (Doug Bradley).

Hellbound, for all its flaws, at least attempted to further establish the mythology, giving us glimpses of Pinhead before he opened the lament configuration. Although Pinhead appears in his human form, dressed in World War I attire, we learn little about his history, and combined with the horror icon's inexplicable new found love of quips and shouting, Hell on Earth feels completely disconnected from the films that came before. It's also cheap-looking, in particular a scene which sees Joey fleeing from Pinhead and his fresh-out-the-oven new Cenobite recruits is badly edited, consisting of feeble explosions while the unconvincing Farrell screams repeatedly. Surely an embarrassment for Barker, Hell on Earth contorted the idea of a visionary into money-grubbing franchise.


Directed by: Anthony Hickox
Starring: Terry Farrell, Kevin Bernhardt, Paula Marshall, Doug Bradley
Country: USA/Canada

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #998: 'Critters 4' (1992)

It seems that there is an unwritten rule when it comes to horror franchises that are teetering dangerously on the edge of bargain-bin hell. When the basic premise has been stretched so far that it is well past the line of self-parody, just transport the action to space. The Hellraiser franchise did it, the Friday the 13th films came to an embarrassing end with Jason X (2001), and even the Leprechaun series tried it, all to no avail. With the charm of the crites, or 'critters', all but disappearing by the time Critters 2 (1988) came around, it was never going to be long until the red-eyed killer pillows found themselves drifting through the cosmos.

We were given a brief glimpse at the next instalment at the end of Critters 3 (1991), which was shot back-to-back with number 4, as the recurring, hapless bounty hunter Charlie (Don Keith Opper) found himself face-to-face with the last remaining crite eggs but halted from exterminating them by his alien friend Ug (Terrence Mann). It is against intergalactic law to cause a species' extinction and so Charlie is ordered to place the eggs in a preservation capsule but manages to stumble into it himself, and they are blasted off into space where they float around for 50 years. Luckily, or unluckily, for Charlie, he is found by a junk ship who are ordered by the Intergalactic Council to take their prize load to a nearby station to await further instruction.

It is here that the crew of archetypes spend the bulk of the film bickering amongst themselves, and the film takes its sweet time for douchebag captain Rick (Anders Hove) to finally lose the plot and open their cargo, unleashing the crites on the unsuspecting bunch. Wasting an impressive cast that includes Angela Bassett, Brad Dourif and Twin Peaks' Eric DaRe, Critters 4 is just plain boring for the most part. With the crites themselves barely registering until the climax, the film stumbles around looking for interesting sub-plots to distinguish its characters but ultimately, like most movies of its ilk, ends up just ripping-off Ridley Scott's Alien (1979). A whimpering end to the Critters franchise that arguably should have ended two movies ago, although I'm sure a Hollywood remake is inevitable.


Directed by: Rupert Harvey
Starring: Don Keith Opper, Terrence Mann, Paul Whitthorne, Angela Bassett, Brad Dourif, Anders Hove, Eric DaRe
Country: USA

Rating: *

Tom Gillespie

Review #742: 'Brother's Keeper' (1992)

When God asks Cain where his brother is, Cain replies, "I know not, am I my brother's keeper?". Documentary film-makers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky shed the light of their focus not as much on the brother's guilt over the accusation of killing his brother, as on the massive social divide caused by this incident in a small rural village in New York. Living almost in solitude on the farm owned by their family for generations, the three remaining brothers Ward - Delmar, Lyman and Roscoe - were largely ignored by the townsfolk and dismissed as harmless simpletons until the media circus that engulfed their surrounding following the death of eldest brother William descended.

Shot in cinema verite style (Berlinger and Sinofsky worked under the Maysles brothers for a time), the three Ward brothers prove to be strange yet oddly sweet characters. They clearly haven't bathed for weeks, possibly months, their farm is half crumbled, and their living room is cramped and dank. When approached about the topic of women, it becomes clear that they probably haven't ever been with one, therefore inevitably condemning their family line. The main reason the townsfolk quickly gather their support for Delmar after he is accused of murder is because of their simple innocence, and because they have simply never caused any bother. On the opposite side of the spectrum, things are different, with hick stereotypes and cries on incest being broadcast of national TV.

Like Berlinger and Sinosky's Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hoods Hills (1996), the court room scenes are tense and overwhelmingly unfair. One of the most powerful scenes has one of the brother's, a man clearly of social ineptitude, lose his breath on the stand, requiring serious medical attention. This is a world almost alien to them, and they suffer in it due to illiteracy and possible retardation. But it's more than a simple court-room documentary, this is about how society fears and judges people and cultures they simply don't understand. The 'simple' folk seem to easily distinguish right from wrong, yet the fat suits sat behind their big desks play God against people not educated enough to properly fight back.


Directed by: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky
Starring: Delbert Ward, Lyman Ward, Roscoe Ward
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #709: 'Hard Boiled' (1992)

Before he was whisked off to Hollywood where his talent seemed to stagnate and eventually fade into obscurity, John Woo conquered the world of action cinema with bullet-ridden delights such as A Better Tomorrow (1986) and The Killer (1989). His Hollywood career would consist of sub-standard genre movies such as the Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle Hard Target (1993) and blockbuster pap like Mission: Impossible II (2000). But he had one more balletic, hyper-kinetic Eastern thriller left in him before he left Hong Kong, and with Hard Boiled, he not only topped his previous films, but made one of the finest action movies in history; a non-stop orgy of explosions, slow-motion, and homoerotic undertones of brotherhood and honour.

After accidentally killing an undercover police officer in a bloody shoot-out, loose-canon cop Tequila (Chow Yun-Fat) vows to get revenge on the gangsters involved. Meanwhile, Triad boss Uncle Hoi (Hoi-Shan Kwan) has unwittingly employed undercover cop Alan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) as a hitman, using him to bump off a gang member who has been secretly working for rival boss Johnny Wong (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang). Impressed with Alan's skills, Wong tries to recruit him, causing him to turn on his former employer in an effort to move up in the criminal underworld. Learning of Alan's undercover role, Tequila seeks him out so that they may take down Wong together. But the shooting of a police informant leads the two cops to the hospital, where Wong keeps his secret stash of weaponry.

The film ticks off the genre cliché's at a rapid rate, even playing it dead serious in the quiet moments between the carnage. But all the wailing saxophone music and loose-fitting shirts that were so prevalent in the 1990's make the film even more likeable, and a nice little time capsule for an era that seems not so far gone yet is shockingly over 20 years ago. It would be silly to dwell on the simplistic story, as it only really plays the role of McGuffin so that John Woo may deliver two hours of ludicrous, heart-pounding action-porn. The extended climax is a barrage of slow-motion gun-fire, leading to a shockingly high body count, but Woo squeezes everything he can out of the hospital setting, naturally leaving it in ruins. It's a exhausting and cheesy two hours, featuring some of the best action scenes ever filmed, yet it soberly reminds you of what could have been if Woo had resisted the glamour of Hollywood and stayed in Hong Kong.


Directed by: John Woo
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Teresa Mo, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
Country: Hong Kong

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #637: 'Nails' (1992)

In the post-The Wire world we now dwell in, we are forced to look upon the action/cop thrillers of the 1980's and early 1990's with somewhat fresh eyes. We now understand how a city is run, and how bureaucracy and politics can stand in the way of, say, the police force, getting their job done. No longer can a leather-jacketed, cocktail-stick chewing cop-on-the-edge cast aside the need of a search warrant and simply kick the door down. It used to be that as long as he drags out his man either in cuffs or in a body bag, and saves the girl, nobody will care about his disregard for the law, and if they don't, I quote Rambo, "fuck 'em!". But the enlightenment set by The Wire causes something like Nails, a made-for-TV, obscure little title probably forgotten by whoever has actually seen it, to fall from 'terrible' or 'run-of-the-mill', to 'outright laughable' due to it's complete lack of procedural logic and sense.

'Good cop with a bad attitude' Harry 'Nails' Niles (Dennis Hopper) and his partner Jack (Earl Billings) are lured into a trap by some gangsters, leaving Jack dead and Harry mourning. Getting no help from his police department, of which none attend Jack's funeral, Harry decides to use his street know-how to scour the criminal underworld of L.A. in search of vengeance. He discovers a dirty trail full of conspiracy and possible police cover-up that seems to lead all the way up to rich slumlord Noah Owens (Keith David), who is helping fund a Senator's campaign run. Battling alcoholism and a very bad temper, he must also try and win back his estranged ex-wife Mary (Anne Archer) before the gangsters get to her too.

I would probably have never even been aware of this film's existence had it not been for the poster in some cinema magazine or other back in 1992. My brother and I remembered it due to the hilarious title and equally hilarious tagline, so the temptation to actually go ahead and watch this proved too much. It's not quite as bad as I was expecting, given Hopper's energetic, but hardly convincing, performance at least managing to keep me half-interested. Common in early 90's movies, the technical aspects of the film are dreadful, and the action scenes are dull, with a few car chases and machine gun fights scattered throughout. It's so full of plot holes and weird narrative twists (Harry is paying his ex-wife, who is an important member of the Senator's campaign trail, for sex) that is best experienced on full mental shut-down, or else you're in danger of throwing things at the screen. Befitting of its obscurity, and a reminder of how bad the 90's really were.


Directed by: John Flynn
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Anne Archer, Tomas Milian, Keith David
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #191: 'Lessons of Darkness' (1992)

Werner Herzog does not make documentaries. He manipulates the truth in order create an artistic truth that channels reality in the way he feels it should be seen. The approach he takes with Lessons Of Darkness is a similar style to the quite brilliant Fata Morgana (1971) and the hypnotic, yet slightly meandering, The Wild Blue Yonder (2005). He does a similar thing yet not quite to the same style in the exquisite Grizzly Man (2005) and the solid Little Dieter Learns To Fly (1998). He has been often criticised for this, yet I feel it is what makes him one of the greatest and most interesting film-makers in history, and one of the best documentary film-makers of recent times.

His focus in Lessons Of Darkness is the desolate and ruined landscape of post-Gulf War Kuwait. His camera sweeps along the country with a fascination and curiosity from the viewpoint of a complete outsider. Herzog has stated that he regularly shoots his documentaries as if he were a visiting alien on his first day on Earth. The film is separated by thirteen different chapters, focusing their attention on burned-out military vehicles, weapons of torture, and most beautifully, the burning oil fields of Kuwait and the men given the task of putting out these massive fireballs.

About two-thirds of the film are dedicated to the oil fields, and they are a wonder to behold. Herzog's camera and almost philosophical narration given with that strange German accent portray it as almost a biblical disaster. The whole sky is literally scarred with black smoke, and the flames burn brightly for miles on end. As usual, Herzog becomes fascinated with the workers who are putting the flames out, always being transfixed by people put through extreme experiences. He shows them as they re-ignite the fires when they were just a jet of oil spurting into the air, and wonders if they have becomes engulfed by madness and a need to stay out of the darkness.

No-one makes documentaries quite as hypnotic and enticing as Herzog, and this is no exception. While not reaching the brilliance of Fata Morgana, Grizzly Man or Encounters At The End Of The World (2007), the film is still a fascinating portrait of a slightly neglected topic. He stays out of political viewpoints and only includes a couple of interviews, instead remaining as a mere observer. A fine example of why Herzog is one of the most prolific and original directors in cinema history, and possibly my all-time favourite director.


Directed by: Werner Herzog
Narrator: Werner Herzog
Country: France/UK/Germany

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #57: 'Mikey' (1992)

One of the forgotten films of those to feel the wrath of the 80's and 90's censorship madness, Mikey has a more genuinely sinister feel to it than the others. Still banned outright in the UK, it tells the story of a young boy name Mikey Holt (Brian Bonsall). We see him first of all getting told off by his adoptive parents for lighting a fire inside the house, so he gains revenge by murdering the lot of them. The father especially gets it bad as he receives a baseball bat to the head from our pubeless protagonist. Unable to solve the murder, the police are quick to relocate Mikey with a new family, who at first warm to their loveable new son. But as he falls for his best friend's sister, and his behaviour starts to get stranger, his school teacher begins to suspect something is not quite right.

Generally thought of as being a 'video nasty', this wasn't actually on the official government list. Strange, considering it is far worse than the majority of the others. What it does share with a lot of the ones that did make the list, such as The Driller Killer (1979) and Blood Feast (1963), is that it does lack in quality. Mikey obviously has a bit of a budget, but it's filmed in that TV Movie Of The Week style that makes it look like it should star Shannon Tweed. A lot of the plot developments either don't make sense or are just unrealistic, such as his current teacher phoning his old school and asking them about Mikey (as she suspects something is amiss), only for the teacher on the other end of the phone to give her everything she knows about him straight away. The film has been compared to Child's Play (1988), but Mikey doesn't share the former's comic humour. A decent idea, but the film can't seem to escape it's exploitation roots.


Directed by: Dennis Dimster
Starring: Brian Bonsall, Josie Bissett, Ashley Laurence
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie