Recent viewings:
1) Turbulence: A great initial idea: To close in a confined space (an airplane) a sex driven criminal (Ray Liotta) and a flight assistant who is afraid of her own sexual instincts (Lauren Holly). However, the premise is ruined right from the start: direction is flat and uninspired, and the script idiotic and unneffective. Not even the conflict between the characters is properly exploited, and Liotta's character doesn't seem a threat at any moment.
Things I learned:
- A Boeing 747 can fly upside down.
- Commercial flights don't have lock's in the pilot's cockpit.
2) Replicant: Tagline: "He was his own worst enemy" While the tagline is one of the best definitions I have ever seen for Jean Claude Van Damme career, this film is a failure. It goes about a serial killer (JCVD) who becomes the subject of a cloning program. The idea is that his clone will be educated to be not only a good person, but also to help police to capture the killer (!). Some interesting issues are thrown in: The clone may become evil if brutalised by his guardian cop (Michael Rooker), and some elements of the story remind gothic literature or classic sci-fi. JCVD's performance(s) are also decent, surprisingly. Director Ringo Lam tries to stress social message and does his best giving the film a badly needed serious touch, but the script is really poor. It contains interesting issues, but also an incredible number of ridiculous scenes, laughable subplots, etc.
A pity: A movie that doesn't suck for having Van Damme on it, but sucks because of everything else.
"Turbulence:" This thing generated two Sequels In Name Only? Yak. Still, I love this turkey for its utter disregard for simple physics. Approximately ninety times during the film, you will find yourself saying, "A commercial airliner cannot DO that."
I hate to admit it, but Van Damme used to be one of my "guilty pleasures" back when his movies got released into theaters!!! Bad but fun.
I haven't seen any of his direct to video releases - are any of them worth watching? I had actually read a couple good reviews of Replicant...
Legionnaire?
The Order?
The Monk?
Desert Heat (I believe that's the title; JCVD is a biker/loner that gets beaten to near-death in the desert after riding around on somebody else's property, and gets his only loved possession, his motorcycle, stolen, and then he goes out for revenge) is a really fun movie. "Cigarettes and whiskey, and wild wild women...they'll drive you crazy, yeah they'll drive you insane..."
"The Order" is crap, but funny because Van Damme's character is a ass-kicking geek scholar.
Neville,I strongly agree with you on both movies,and how weak both of them truly are,despite their amazing sounding premises.
I believe that now is the time for Jean Claude Van Damme to get together with Steven Seagal,and do a movie together,with Seagal as the bad guy,and have put on an amazing fight against each other(ala JCVD and Dolph Lungren in "Universal Soldier",before the likes of Vin Diesel and Jet Li completely
wipes them both out into the ocean shore.
Or,better yet,Van Damme should take small supporting roles in mainstream theatrical movies,since his career is completely headed down the beack shore rocks,since his recently completed new movie "Derailed"(with Laura Herring,and his son Kristopher)comes out on Artisan Entertainment video this coming October,for Gods sake.
"Desert heat": Funny but idiotic "Yojimbo" remake. The first 5 minutes and the climax are nothing but excellent, but the rest sucks. Big time. Avoid at any cost, it is the worst "Yojimbo" remake I've ever seen, only Albert Pyun's "Omega doom" is worse.
"Legionnaire": Attempt to dignify VD's career (when this seemed even possible). Solid supporting actors, direction and photography. However, the script by Sheldon Lettich recreates too much in cliched and poorly developed characters. Still, one of VD's best movies.