"The Dark Side of the Moon" Low Budget, Slightly Cheesy, but enjoyable Space adventure

Okay I admit, at first glance a plot that involves outer space, a missing ship, the devil, the moon, and the Bermuda Triangle to boot might sound like a terrible idea for a movie. Yet, 1990's direct to video charmer "The Dark Side of the Moon" (No connection to the epic Pink Floyd album) manages to pull it off rather decently. The year is 2022 and a space ship responsible for maintaining a fleet of nuclear armed satellites starts having a series of mysterious equipment malfunctions. To make matters worse, the crew finds out they will run out of air in twenty-four hours unless help arrives. But then, in a seemly stroke of good luck, they discover an old NASA space shuttle floating around (where else?) the dark side of the moon. Nobody from the shuttle answers the crew's radio calls and when they board it, they discover the body of an astronaut with a chest wound in the shape of a perfect triangle. But the shuttle also has air and rather than let it go to waste, the crew takes it along with the body. Big mistake, for not long after that, crew member Giles Stewart (Will Bledsoe) discovers through his ship's computer (Which for some reason is in the form of a sexy female android named Lesli!) that the shuttle crash landed in the Bermuda triangle twenty years ago! Too bad he didn't discover this sooner because one by one the crew is being stalked, killed, and taken over by a dark, unseen force, the devil himself. Can the crew overcome this evil or is it too late?

Even though this is an unusual plot for a movie and is by no means perfect, everything comes together nicely to create an entertaining story. One factor is the film's dark atmosphere that is created by having as little light as possible on the sets, which quickly establishes that our protagonists are surrounded by an escapable blackness that threatens to swallow them up. The special effects, while not the greatest in cinema history, also serve the film well. The ships floating in space look real enough and speaking of space, it has never looked quite as dark and bleak as it does here. Even the make-up and voice effects used for when a person is overtaken by the dark one are creepy in a subtle way, especially when it comes to the eyes! But the thing that really makes the film stand out is the top caliber of the acting used throughout the picture by everyone, be it Joe Turkel as the ship's chief mechanic, Alan Blumenfeld as the ship's doctor, Robert Sampson as the captain, or Giles Stewart as the ship's lieutenant. This is one of those cases where the actors know they are not doing "Hamlet" but they still give it their all and because of that it makes the movie all the more better. Compare that to the low budget monster films made today, like Syfy's original movies. True, the movie is a bit of a rip off of "Alien" but it's one of the better rip offs of that classic if you're open to a little superstition in outer space. While it won't win any academy awards, "The Dark Side of the Moon" would be a great way to waste some time if you like direct to video monster flicks from the old days.
 P.S. I'm pretty certain the movie is available on you tube.

"Storm of the Century" One of the Last and Best of its Kind

Many moons ago the multi-night mini-series was a staple of entertainment for the broadcast networks, producing such classics like "Roots", "V", and "The Beast". As a kid growing up in the 90's, I was fortunate to experience the last hurrah of that era and some of the best ones that I remember came from the brilliant mind of Stephen King. 1999's three part mini-series "Storm of the Century" was one of those.

Through the narration of Constable Mike Anderson (Tim Daly), we're introduced to a small island town off the coast of Maine, a town whose people--like many island people--know how to keep a secret. It just so happens that a viscous storm is rearing its ugly head toward the island but as they will soon learn, that's the least of their worries. With the simple but creepy phrase "Born in lust, turn to dust. Born in sin, come on in", a mysterious stranger murders a hapless old lady and then waits for the cops to come. Andre Linoge (Colm Feore) is his name and right from the start we know there's not a thing normal about him. He has retractable fangs, eyes that can glow red, and a sliver, wolf head cane that seems to appear anywhere he wants. He also demonstrates an uncanny ability of knowing the darkest sins of every man and woman. Soon, with several random suicides and killings, it becomes obvious that no matter if Linoge is locked up or out and about, he's in control. The only reason he gives for all the havoc is the unforgettable quote, "Give me what I want and I'll go away".

So many things make "Storm" what it is. The first has to do with writing of King, who, unlike many of his television productions, did not adapt this from any story. Because he could just write it for television, "Storm" comes across as more direct than any of the other famous King mini-series such as "The Stand". With his ever amazing ability of combining horror and character development, King is able to take the fantastic and make it seem real. Credit has must go to the many good actors, such as Tim Daly as Anderson, who desperately tries to keep the town on the course of good in spite of Linoge's corruption, Jeffery DeMunn as slimy town manager Robbie Beals, and Deborah Farentino as Anderson's devoted wife as well as many others who I don't have the space for.

                                           Colm Ferore as the mysterious and sinister Linoge


However, the one who really steals the show is the talented but underrated Colm Feore as the devilish Linoge. Whether he's causing death and destruction through storms and suicides, singing "I'm a Little Tea pot" nursery rhyme, or just making a cold stare, Feore is nothing short of charismatic and terrifying. Of course, one needs to congratulate the writer for the creation of a great character and for Linoge, Mr. King should be congratulated all the way. Perhaps the biggest factor that makes Linoge such a fascinating (and spooky) character is the fact that even when Linoge reveals what it is he wants (which I won't say here to avoid spoiling the movie) we never really find out what he exactly is.

 He has fangs yes but he doesn't seem to be a vampire since he has no interest in sucking anyone's blood as well as the fact that his powers go way beyond that of a creature of the night. In the end, all we can really be sure of is that he's some powerful being or entity from the universe of Stephen King. In other words, he's way beyond our understanding.  I should also give credit to the director, Craig R. Baxely and the production staff for being able to create an epic winter nightmare for the town, complete with tons of snow, crashing waves, and desolate landscape, all with a television budget.

Sadly, though we didn't realize it at the time, grand productions like "Storm" were in the twilight of their existence. There weren't too many more treasures after this one, of King's or anyone else's for that matter. It's for this reason that it holds a special place in my heart because it was still a time before shows like "Big Brother" took over the airwaves. I can't help but wonder how we went from this to that. Ugh, why did it all have to end??!! Despite what modern TV has become, I urge you to watch and enjoy "Storm" on DVD or you tube. And take care to remember Linoge's warning: "hell is repetition".

"Welcome to the layer cake son."

Say hello to the high end world of British drug dealing. Made up by low level dealers, "cookers", hitmen, and drug barons dressed up as royal bluebloods. It's world where you're making bank one minute and running for your life the next. All of this is introduced to us in "Layer Cake" by successful west end dealer known only as Mr. X. Played with a suave and cool under pressure persona by future Bond star Daniel Craig, Mr. X has dreams of getting out of the business and getting a nice, "clean" check from his investments. But just like Michael Corleone, he finds out it isn't that easy. Before he realizes how, he finds himself in a mess involving stolen ecstasy, drug cowboys, a vicious and shadowy hitman, and a ruthless crime czar to boot.

"Layer Cake" is a film that offers everything you'd want in a movie of its type, such as the never ending tension that is established right from the start. A large part of this is due to the tight direction of director Matthew Vaughn. But one also has to congratulate Daniel Craig for this, since he does an amazing job of playing a character who appears to be cool, calm, collected but inside knows that he's in deep s***. But Daniel Craig isn't the only one who gives an impressive performance: There's Colm Meaney as X's mentor, Gene, George Harris as X's partner in crime, Morty, Jamie Forman as an annoying and impulsive drug dealer known as the Duke, a young Tom Hardy as X's cooker Clarke, and in a real tour de force performance, Michael Gambon as the charmingly corrupt Eddie Temple. I should also include that JJ Connolly does an amazing job of adapting his novel to screenplay. "Layer Cake" is just one of those films where everything just comes together to create a story that feels so real and well done that although it takes place in Britain, one feels it can happen anywhere and undoubtedly does in one way or another. So with all that said, enter the Layer cake, if you dare! Cheerio!   
 
 
 
 

Welcome!

Are you the type of person whose friends think you watch too many movies? Do you love movies so much, that you can't imagine your life without them? Well my friend, you've come to the right place. Welcome to Bear's movie reviews, a place where you can discover, ponder, and read about a wide variety of films from genres such as horror, comedy, mystery, drama, and whatever I just feel like talking about. While I certainly will talk about widely known titles, I also want to bring to your attention movies you may not be all that familiar with. So without further adieu, start exploring to your heart's content.