Pearce’s Film Reviews

241 Films have been rated or reviewed by Pearce.

Mars Attacks! (1996): Broad comedy and many homages to '50s sci fi classics make this a huge winner for me, though it's a bit too obvious that they used the soundtrack from The Day the Earth Stood Still as a temp track.
Starship Troopers (1997): Casting perennial villain actors Michael Ironside and Clancy Brown as the inspiring father figure characters while putting Doogie Howser MD in a Gestapo uniform helps explain why this movie failed in the USA and succeeded in Europe.
Basic Instinct (1992): Incredible style and a star–making performance from Stone in this film about a femme fatale easily outmaneuvering every man who crosses her path. Maybe the perfect example of director & cast elevating a bad script.
Total Recall (1990): It's fun to see the influence of an uncredited David Cronenberg (who wrote thirteen drafts of the script before bailing) and to imagine his choice of Richard Dreyfuss in the lead. Still good even with a confused–looking Arnie at the centre.
Dredd (2012): If we could get the look of the Stallone movie, the attitude (and star) of this movie and the sense of humour of Robocop all in one place, we might finally get a proper Dredd movie. This'll do in a pinch.
Robocop (1987): Sorry Karl Urban, this is still the best Judge Dredd movie.; DVD ~~$25~~ $18.75
Fourth Man, The (1983): A multi–layered film that works both a straight horror and as a satire of arthouse pretension.
Showgirls (1995): It's funny how people were all over Verhoeven's use of tackiness as satire & subversion in his macho sci–fi action movies, but as soon as he turned to female–led movies like this and Basic Instinct it was taken at face value.
Female Yakuza Tale (Yasagure anego den: sôkatsu rinchi) (1973): From the director of movies like Shogun's Joy of Torture and Inferno of Torture, so you know it's classy. None of the style of the first movie.
Cell, The (2000): Best watched with the isolated score turned on so you can enjoy the incredible visuals & soundtrack without getting distracted by the dreadful script & acting.

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Pearce’s Film Reviews