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johnra
Reviews
Bear Island (1979)
Great film
I was 12 years old when I went to see this film in our local cinema on a Saturday afternoon. I went to see it because what I saw in the trailer really appealed to me and the film lived up to my expectations completely. I was the only person in the whole theatre so it's pretty obvious that the film wasn't popular, but I don't know why this should be.
The film has a lot going for it. The actors and acting are brilliant, how did they get so many stars in one film. the production is spot on creating moods of isolation, claustrophobia and a great sense of realism (just look at the abandoned U-Boat pen). The action sequences range from good to spectacular (have you ever seen a longer cliff fall than the one in this film). And of course the story is excellent, coming as it does from Alistair McLean's novel.
The film is not perfect of course, but then what is. It did seem a bit long and a bit plodding at times (but don't forget I was 12, with the attention span of a goldfish).
All in all this is an intelligent action thriller and I wish someone would release it on DVD. Even the VHS versions are rare.
Hardware (1990)
This film didn't kick start british film making but it certainly rev'd it a little
This film isn't about blockbuster mentality or award winning aspirations (come on, it's got lemmy in it), but what this film does provide is cool - factor 5000. It has great music, a good story and a unique look. The story could be considered derivative and over-used, but the film has ideas and subtleties all of it's own. It has moments of naffness (british for uncool, come on, it's got lemmy in it) and when it's naff, it's naff, but when it's cool, it's cool, and the cool seriously outweighs the naff.
The story is simple, an unwanted aggressor (through no fault of it's own) invades the routine lives of a disparate group of people, to the best of it's programmed "havoc and mayhem" making abilities.
So don't dismiss this film as some kind of "Alien", "Saturn 3" or "Demon Seed" ripoff, and enjoy the coolest, action/suspense and chillout movie made (so far).