Deep Rising (1997)
Review Date: 8 July 1999

Director: Stephen Sommers
Starring: Treat Williams, Famke Janssen, et al.

Creatures in movies are getting more and more weird these days because of the remarkable technological improvements to computer graphics.  The slimy giant deep-sea creature swallows people on a luxurious cruiseliner and digests them inside its body excreting only the bones. Yuck!

The Creature is ranked 1st in this movie, the situation is 2nd and the story comes last in this film. You have to be patient for about 30 minutes from the opening but after that the story rolls out like flood.  I don't like 100% CG made creatures because the animation is difficult to show the heavy weight of the creature on the screen. If you love gross creatures, nothing can stop you from watching this film.   Enjoy it, then forget it and then just go to the next video movie.

Species (1995)
Review Date: 7 July 1999

Director: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Natasha Henstridge, et al.

The story is fantastic but unfortunately even if the story is interesting the movie cannot be always good enough with a poor script. Sil was born half human/half alien under the governmental secret project which was excuted to examin the data received from the intellectual extra- terresitrial which enables fusion of human DNA and alien's DNA . She escapes the lab. without knowing what she is and runs into the city as she was about to be terminated because of her unpredictable growth process and the goverment tries to hunt her to stop multiplying.

Two facts  - Sil's innocent animal instinct that desires to mate with males and a diabolic plot made by the extraterrestrial to exterminate mankind - makes a strange harmony in this story. The scene where Sil transforms into a creature is fantastically elaborated by CG.  It's worth watching even only for her transformation and the creature itself designed by H.R. Giger who is known as the designer of the "ALIEN".  Sil is the most beautifully shaped creature I have ever seen.

Cube (1998)
Review Date: 11 June 1999

Director: Vincenzo Natali
Starring: Julian Richings, et al.

This is again a Canadian Film just coinsidently but I guess that there are many good films made in Canada recently.

This film shows strange contrast between organic and non-organic thing.

Five human beings were thrown into the computerized death trap built with enormous number of cubes created by a non-identified character and struggle for escaping.  They do not know each other but they come to realize gradually that they were chosen very carefully for playing each role which is necessary to escape from the trap.

You will see that a small society with those 5 people is formed there, helping each other, fighting each other, trusting, betraying even in a small cube but they were completely out of the normal society where they belonged before.

It reminds me Kafka's stories describe the absurdism of human and society. Every human being has absurdness somewhere deep inside their mind, it can be revealed by forces from an outside source like abnormal environment or just someone who gives you unreasonableness.  Until you meet yourself placed in the cube, you cannot say that you know about yourself very well. 

Challenge this film and discuss with your friends how do you interprete the ending of this film.  The story goes on like playing a game.   With or without argumentative thinking, this film certainly entertains you with thrill and horror.

The Avengers (1998)
Review Date: 11 June 1999

Director: Jeremiah Chechik
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery, et al.

If you like British film, I am sure that you will like this film. Fantasic spy story with 007 motif. 

The most enjoyable point is the casting in this film.   The Sean Connery, well known as the 1st James Bond in 007 series, plays and evil and nasty role in this film and Ralf Fiennes plays the intelligence of the Ministry, John Steed, in the style of traditional British gentleman together with his partner, the beautiful and intelligent partner, Emma Peel, played by Uma Thurman. 

There are no other films where you can see Sean Connery in a bear costume and looking like he enjoys playing the villain.  Eventhough this film could not overtake  "Austin Powers", it is fun enough for the more sophisticated of tastes.  Ralf Fiennes and Uma Thurman keep wearing clothes all the time in the film but they could make me feel sexy enough. You may feel it's indecisive compared with "Austin Powers".   Well... that's the British film, I think.