Mad Max: Fury Road Review

Mad Max: Fury Road

Release Date: 14th May 2015 - Australia

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures (presentation)

Kennedy Miller Mitchell

Village Roadshow Pictures (in association with)

RatPac-Dune Entertainment

(in association with)

Distribution

Roadshow Films

Genre: Sci-Fi/Action

Rating: MA15+ (Not Suitable for Young Children)

Runtime: 120 minutes

Budget: $185,200,000

Box Office Gross: $380,418,444 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Due to his dark past that has tormented him, Mad Max believes that the only way to survive is to wander alone in the desert. He joins a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by Furiosa, an elite Imperator. They are escaping from Immortan Joe and his tyranny across his Citadel, from whom they have taken something irreplaceable

that belongs to him. It

angered the Warlord and

caused him to ruthlessly

rally all his gangs and pursue

the rebels, which had arisen

in the high-octane Road War.

Cast

Tom Hardy - Max Rockatansky

Charlize Theron - Imperiator
Furiosa

Nicholas Hoult - Nux

Hugh Keays-Byrne - Immortan Joe

Josh Helman - Slit

Nathan Jones - Rictus Erectus

Zoë Kravitz - Toast the Knowing

Rosie Huntington Whiteley -
The Splendid Angharad

Riley Keough - Capable

Abbey Lee - The Dag

Courtney Eaton - Cheedo the
Fragile

John Howard - The People Eater

Richard Carter - The Bullet Farmer

Iota - The Doof Warrior

Angus Sampson - The Organic

Mechanic

Jennifer Hagan - Miss Giddy

Megan Gale - The Valkyrie

Melissa Jaffer - Keeper of the Seeds
Jon Iles - The Ace

Quentin Kenihan - Corpus Colossus
Coco Jack Gillies - Glory the Child
Chris Patton - Morsov
Stephen Dunlevy - The Rock

Rider Chief/The Winchman
Richard Norton - The Prime Imperator
Darren Andrew Mitchell - Black Mask

Crew

Writer/Producer/Director - George Miller

Writer/Concept Designs - Brendan McCarthy

Writer - Nick Lathouris

Script Supervisor - Sophie Fabbri-Jackson

Script Supervisor: Action Unit - Georgina Selby
Executive Producers - Bruce Berman,

Graeme Burke, Christopher DeFaria,

Steven Mnuchin, Iain Smith and

Courtenay Valenti

Producer - Doug Mitchell

Producer/First Assistant Director - P.J. Voeten

Casting Directors - Ronna Kress

and Nikki Barrett

Production Designer - Colin Gibson
Principal Vehicle Designer/Storyboard Artist -
Peter Pound

Principal Storyboard Artist - Mark Sexton
Supervising Art Directors - Richard Hobbs

and Charlie Revai
Set Decorators - Nicki Gardiner,
Katie Sharrock, Lisa Thompson and
Gena Vazquez

Property Master - Andrew Orlando

Costume Designer - Jenny Beavan

Hair and Makeup Designer - Lesley Vanderwalt

Prosthetic Supervisor - Damian Martin

Armoury Supervisor/Key Armourer -

Lance Peters

Director of Photography/Camera Operator -

John Seale

Director of Photography: Second Unit - David Burr

A Camera/Steadicam Operator - Simon Harding

Cablecam Operator/Stunt and Rigging

Coordinator - Keir Beck

First Assistant Camera: "A" Camera, Additional

Photography - Matt Toll

Production Supervisor/Visual Effects Producer -

Holly Radcliffe

Supervising Location Manager -

Simon Crook

Supervising Unit Production Manager -

Sally French

Second Unit Director/Stunts/

Supervising Stunt Coordinator - Guy Norris

Stunt Coordinators/Stunts - Glenn Suter,

Lawrence Woodward and Tyrone Stevenson

Stunt Coordinator/Stunt Driver: Big Foot

& Gigahorse/Stunts - Steve Griffin

Fight Coordinator - Richard Norton 

Principal Fight Choreographer/Weapons

Advisor/Consultant/Stunts - Greg van Borssum

Principal War Driver/War Rig Stunts -

Lee Adamson

Action Vehicle Supervisor - Darren Loveday
Special Effects Supervisors - Dan Oliver and
Andy Williams

Workshop Supervisor: Weta Workshop -

Rob Gillies

Visual Effects Supervisor - Andrew Jackson

Visual Effects Supervisor: Iloura - Tom Wood

Additional Visual Effects Supervisor -

David Nelson

Editor - Margaret Sixel

Additional Editors - Jason Ballantine and

Mark Perry

Supervising Sound Editors - Scott Hecker

and Mark A. Mangini

Supervising Dialogue Editors - Yulia Akerholt,

Mark Franken and Kira Roessler

Sound Designers - Christopher S. Aud,

Chuck Michael and David White

Re-Recording Mixers - Chris Jenkins,

Steve Maslow and Gregg Rudloff

Foley Artist - John Simpson

Score Wrangler - Bob Badami

Music - Junkie XL

Music Editors - Alex Gibson,

Ryan Rubin and Katrina Schiller

Review

The long-awaited new instalment comes thirty years after the seemingly indefinite halt to the Mad Max series (with the third movie, Beyond Thunderdome, concluding the original arc). The trilogy becomes a series, with FURY ROAD as a return to form that breathes new life into the franchise. Director George Miller has returned from the digital animation pioneering of the two Happy Feet movies to the live-action genre and Mad Max, which he has proudly welcomed to a growing list of Aussie cinema classics. This instalment still is set in a radical, frightening post-apocalyptic world and a civilisation without law and order. Furthermore, FURY ROAD is in the same league as The Road Warrior with its fuel-driven camera work and high-octane action. Compared to the originals, FURY ROAD has outdone itself with the driving sequences and elaborate stunts.

The acting of Tom Hardy was good. He seems to play it safe and not take risks. Tom has this near-uncanny resemblance to the now-aged original actor Mel Gibson. All the scepticism about his acting talent has faded away. Critics' reviews have been highly positive towards his portrayal. The main reason I was confident he would be up to the challenge was having witnessed his outstanding performance of the Bane character in The Dark Knight Rises. Also in this movie is the talented Charlize Theron. She plays a distinctive role as the leader, Furiosa, who leads a group of other females (which consists of Zoë Kravitz, among others). She seems to be well-adjusted for the part and, as usual, presents a strong female character.

I now consider FURY ROAD the second-best movie in the series, with The Road Warrior still taking the lead as the best instalment. Your impression of this movie would be best if you watch the original Mad Max movies. As a standalone feature, it is not as impactful as you would have gotten lost without the titular character's backstory and his journey through the treacherous highways of the outlands.

If you're in the mood for a serving of edge-of-your-seat action, thrills and large-scale explosions, this is the film for you. If you haven't seen it, then you should.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

Back to Home

Spectre Review

Spectre

Release Date: 12th November 2015 - Australia 

Production Companies

EON Productions

B24

Metro Goldwyn Mayer (copyright holder)

Columbia Pictures (copyright holder)

Danjaq (copyright holder)

Distribution 

Sony Pictures Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 148 minutes


Budget: $250,000,000

Box Office Gross: $880,674,609 (Worldwide - figure subject to change)

Plot Summary

A cryptic message from
James Bond's past prompts
him to set out to uncover
a sinister criminal
organization called
SPECTRE (SPecial
Executive for Counter-
intelligence, Terrorism,
Revenge and Extortion).

While M battles political
forces to keep the secret
service safe alive, Bond
peels back the layers of
deceit to reveal the terrible
truth behind SPECTRE. (Source - Metro Cinemas)

Cast

Daniel Craig - James Bond

Christoph Waltz - Franz Oberhauser
Lea Seydoux - Madeleine Swann

Ralph Fiennes - M
Monica Bellucci - Lucia Sciarra

Ben Whislaw - Q

Naomie Harris - Eve Moneypenny
Dave Bautista - Mr. Hinx
Andrew Scott - C

Rory Kinnear - Bill Tannen
Jesper Christensen - Mr. White
Alessandro Cremona - Marco Sciarra
Stephanie Sigman - Estrella
Judi Dench - M (Cameo)
(Uncredited)

Crew

Director - Sam Mendes

Based on Characters - Ian Fleming
Screenplay - Neal Purvis,
Robert Wade, John Logan
and Jez Butterworth
Associate Producers - Jayne-
Ann Tenggren and Gregg Wilson
Executive Producer - Callum
McDougall
Producers - Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli
Co-Producers - Daniel Craig,
Andrew Noakes, Stacy Perskie
(Mexico) and David Pope
Casting Directors - Debbie McWilliams and Alejandro Reza (Uncredited)
Production Designer - Dennis Gassner
Supervising Art Director - Chris Lowe
Art Directors - Andrew Bennett,
Neal Callow, Dean Clegg, Ben Collins
and Mark Harris
Set Decorator - Anna Pinnock
Costume Designers - Jany Temime and
Timothy Everest (Uncredited)
Cinematography - Hoyte Van Hoytema
Second Unit Director/Director of Photography:
Second Unit - Alexander Witt 

Splinter Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -
Gary Powell 

Fight Choreographer - Oliver Schneider 

Splinter Second Unit Director/Picture Vehicle/Special
and Miniature Effects Supervisor - Chris Corbould
Special Effects Coordinator/Buyer - Lynne Corbould

Visual Effects Supervisors - Steven Pegg and
Mark Curtis
Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM London - Mark Bakowski
Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite - Zave Jackson
Visual Effects Producers - Leslie Lerman
and Laura Schultz
Associate Visual Effects Supervisor - Andrew Whitehurst
Animation Supervisors: MPC - Greg Fisher and
Catherine Mullan
Film Editor - Lee Smith
Main Titles Designer - Daniel Kleinman
Composer: James Bond Theme - Monty Norman
Music - Thomas Newman
Writer/Performer: Song "Writing's on the Wall" -
Sam Smith
Writer: Song "Writing's on the Wall" -
Jimmy Napes

Review

'SPECTRE' is a film of good quality and lasting value, but it isn't the movie that I hoped that it would be and does not meet the standards of the series quintessential feature 'Skyfall'. It was better than the subpar 'Quantum of Solace' which was served with plot errors and not having Q in the movie which is such an integral character to the Bond formula. 'Spectre' began with a pre-credits opening that any Bond fan would expect to be more explosive than the opening of the previous movie. The plot is a little lopsided and the length is too long where some unnecessary footage revolving politics should have been cut out of the film. But on a positive note, the movie takes viewers on a journey through new exciting locations of which some of these scenes are filmed on location not in a studio. This makes a big difference in terms of making the environments and locations more realistic and believable. 

I was surprised that the English actor Ralph Fiennes would undoubtedly be taking over Judi Dench's character as the new chief of MI6 after starring in its predecessor for a small supporting role. I do believe that any movie-goer who follows Quentin Tarantino would recognise the actor Christoph Waltz as having played a Bond villain, but the true identity of his character is not revealed until three quarters through the way of the movie and this delivers a suspenseful twist for anyone who has followed the Bond franchise from the start.

This may not be the best time for Bond fans who may have really had their hopes up after 'Skyfall'. In contrast, this movie is nowhere near as good but still it does have some unmistakable large-scale action, fine acting and occasional laughs. I would recommend watching this, if you have not seen it. 

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

Back to Home

On Her Majesty's Secret Service Review

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Release Date: 1969 - Australia

Production Companies

Eon Productions (made by)

Genre: Action

Rating: PG

Runtime: 142 minutes

Budget: $7,000,000

Box Office Gross: $82,000,000 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Failing his usual
intelligence sources, Bond
enlists the help of crime
boss Draco to find Ernst
Blofeld, head of the evil
SPECTRE organisation.
Bond goes undercover in
Blofeld's high-tech
headquarters in the
mountains of Switzerland.
He meets various
seductive women, but
none as beautiful as Draco's
daughter, Tracy, who
charms 007 with her fierce
independence, biting wit
and spirit of adventure.

Bond pledges his undying
devotion to her, but there
are more urgent matters
on his mind: Blofeld plans
to unleash horrific germ
warfare weaponry, which
will threaten every living
thing on the planet!

Cast

George Lazenby - James Bond

Diana Rigg - Tracy Di Vicenzo

Telly Salvalas - Ernst Stavro Blofeld

Gabriele Ferzetti - Marc Ange Draco

Isle Steppat - Irma Bunt

Yuri Borienko - Grunther

Bernard Lee - M

Lois Maxwell - Miss Moneypenny

Desmond Llewellyn - Q

George Baker - Sir Hilary Bray

Angela Scoular - Ruby Bartlett

Bernard Horsfall - Campbell

Virginia North - Olympie

Catherine Schell - Nancy

Geoffrey Cheshire - Toussaint

Irvin Allen - Che Che

Terence Mountain - Raphael

John Gay - Hammond

James Bree - Gebruder Gumbold

Julie Ege - The Scandinavian Girl

Mona Chong - The Chinese Girl

Sylvana Henriques - The Jamaican Girl

Sally Sheridan - The American Girl

Joanna Lumley - The English Girl

Zaheera - The Indian Girl

Anouska Hempel - The Australian Girl

Ingrid Back - The German Girl

Helena Ronee - The Israeli Girl

Jenny Hanley - The Irish Girl

Crew

Director - Peter Hunt

Based on the Novel "On Her

Majesty's Secret Service" and Characters

"James Bond" - Ian Fleming (Uncredited)

Screenplay - Richard Maibaum

Additional Dialogue - Simon Raven

Associate Producer - Stanley Sopel

Producers - Albert R. Broccoli and

Harry Saltzman

Production Designer - Syd Cain

Art Director - Bob Laing
Set Decorator - Peter Lamont
Costume Designer - Marjory Cornelius

Director of Photography - Michael Reed

Camera Operator - Alec Mills

Aerial Cameraman - John Jordan

Ski Cameramen - Willy Bogner
and Alex Barbey

Assistant Director - Frank Ernst

Second Unit Director/Editor - John Glen

Stunt Arranger - George Leech

Special Effects - John Stears

Special Effects Technician - Bert Luxford (Uncredited)

Matte Artist and Optical Effects - Cliff Culley

(Uncredited)

Optical and Matte Cameraman - Roy Field (Uncredited)

Visual Effects Unit Cameramen - Robin Browne

and Martin Shorthall (Uncredited)

Dubbing Editors - Nicolas Stevenson

and Harry Miller

Sound Recordists - John Mitchell

and Gordon McCallum

Main Title Designer - Maurice Binder
Composer: James Bond Theme - Monty Norman

Music - John Barry

Lyricist - Hal David

Performer: Song "We Have All the Time in the
World" - Louis Armstrong

Review

It's been a year since I watched a Bond movie and decided to review another one. I currently reviewed a Bond movie, You Only Live Twice, but I'm halfway through the sixth flick of ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, and still, there's work to do in re-watching this underrated classic. It came out as what many consider to be an overlooked film. Since then, everyone who has watched its predecessors nearly forgot this movie existed until decades later, they began to like it even more. Some even regarded it a better film than the entries Roger Moore was in and the latter two with Timothy Dalton.

I first saw this film as a kid, as it was the first James Bond movie I watched. I wasn't allowed to watch the rest of the series before I was mature enough to see any of them that contained its significant plotting and winning formula with its action, espionage and romance. However, I saw a bit of The Man with the Golden Gun, which may or may not have introduced me to the character. It was a unique rarity that a Bond film like this had a tragic ending, which I'll never get over because I was so young and unprepared for any sad conclusions. I have seen this instalment twice because the latest film, Spectre, has now opened in cinemas. I watched it to get myself in the mood for the upcoming feature.

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE could have been a big start for George Lazenby in his tenure as 007. Unfortunately, his agent persuaded him to decline the role of Diamonds Are Forever due to the salary offer being too low of a figure. To make matters worse, this, combined with the lukewarm critical reception of him playing Bond, are a few reasons he never reprised the role in the later entries. Some movie-goers preferred Sean Connery in the lead when he could not be present in this picture. The film takes me back to nostalgia, which is significant as it brought me to the series. The action sequences are fun to watch and have a lot of edge-of-your-seat moments. The action takes viewers into skiing and bob-sledding and again portrays Bond as a jack of all trades.

More praise is due to George, who, despite being a non-English actor, was a charismatic secret agent with style, charm and wit. He still manages to convince us that Bond is still a suave protagonist. Telly Salvalas's portrayal of Blofeld is unforgettable. He is not as compelling as Donald Pleasence's interpretation, and the story doesn't explain the appearance change, so it's left to the audience's imagination as to why he looks so different.

Beyond question, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is one of the strongest Bond films. It is a worthy instalment regardless of the critics' negative reviews and some negative feedback from fans. Please give it another chance, viewers.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

Back to Home

Cocktail Review

Cocktail

Release Date: 1st December 1988 - Australia

Production Companies

Touchstone Pictures (presents)

Silver Screen Partners III (in 

association with)

Interscope Communications 

Distribution

Walt Disney Studios Motion 

Pictures Australia

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: M

Runtime: 98 minutes


Budget: $20,000,000

Box Office Gross: $171,504,781 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Brian Flanagan, young,
confident and ambitious,
becomes Manhattan's

hottest bartending

prospect with help from
an experienced pro. After
moving to Jamaica and
meeting Jordan, an

independent artist, a
whirlwind romance brings

a new perspective to the

self-absorbed barkeep.

Brian Flanagan's story
begins to unravel, and
Brian discovers the truth
about love, happiness, and,

most of all, Brian Flanagan

himself.

Cast

Tom Cruise - Brian Flanagan

Elisabeth Shue - Jordan Mooney

Bryan Brown - Doug Coughlin
Lisa Banes - Bonnie
Laurence Luckinbill - Mr. Mooney
Kelly Lynch - Kerry Coughlin
Ron Dean - Uncle Pat
Gina Gershon - Coral

Robert Donley - Eddie

Ellen Foley - Eleanor

Andrea Doven - Dulcy

Diane Douglass - Mrs. Rivkin

Crew

Director - Roger Donaldson

Based Upon the Book/
Screenplay - Heywood Gould

Producers - Ted Field and
Robert W. Cort

Casting Directors - Donna Isaacson

and John S. Lyons

Production Designer - Mel Bourne

Art Director - Dan Davis

Set Decorator - Hilton Rosemarin

Costume Designer - Ellen Mirojnick
Director of Photography - Dean Semler

Second Assistant Camera - Steve 'Spaz' Williams

Unit Production Manager - David Coatsworth

Location Manager: New York - Charles Miller

First Assistant Director - Rob Cowan

Stunt Coordinator - Branko Racki

Special Effects Coordinator - Michael Kavanagh
Editor - Neil Travis

Assistant Editors: Los Angeles - Blair Daily,

Karen Gebura and Thomas R. Moore

Supervising Sound Editor - Richard L. Anderson

Sound Editors - James Christopher,

John Dunn and Bunny Speakman

Sound Mixer: New York, Jamaica - Tod A. Maitland

Re-Recording Mixers - David J. Hudson,

Mel Metcalfe and Terry Porter

Foley Artists - Sarah Monat and

Edward M. Steidele
Music - J. Peter Robinson

"Cocktail" Album Supervisor - Carole Childs

Review

I know what you're thinking about COCKTAIL, a film I am regretfully announcing was not a highlight of Tom's career. However, this film was seriously underrated. This picture got criticised for being cheesy. I disagreed with the generally hostile reception of this feature as it is a non-stop watchable guilty pleasure. Tom Cruise soon redeemed his honour with the release of Rain Man later that same year. When I saw COCKTAIL, it was very over-the-top with its fresh comedy and heartbreak. I enjoyed seeing Tom with his smug-faced charm and his masterful bartending skills. It complements the film for what's shaken, not stirred and redeems itself from the underwritten concept, which was predictable and presented no value.

The chemistry between Tom and his co-star Bryan Brown is a kind of a love/hate relationship where they begin as close friends, but Tom has his trust betrayed, which leads to a spiralling downfall. Eventually, they settle their disputes and once again mend their friendly bond. The soundtrack has some energy and excitation, which compliments the overall quality of the film, especially the main songs from legendary artists/bands Robert Palmer and The Beach Boys.

My final thought for this picture is if you're in the mood for a good midday movie with some good points and real lighthearted 80s music. Then, this is a solid picture for you.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

Back to Home

Back to the Future Review

Back to the Future

Release Date: 15th August 1985 - Australia

Production Companies

Universal Pictures

Amblin Entertainment
U-Drive Productions (Uncredited)

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 116 minutes

Budget: $19,000,000

Box Office Gross: $394,536,790 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

An average teenager named Marty McFly accidentally travels back to 1955 through a DeLorean "time machine" built by the mildly insane Dr. Emmett Brown. Marty unintentionally jeopardises his existence when he bumps into his parents and has to make sure that they have fallen in love around the same time he goes back to his own time.

Cast

Michael J. Fox - Marty McFly

Christopher Lloyd - Dr. Emmett Brown

Crispin Glover - George McFly

Lea Thompson - Lorraine Baines

Thomas F. Wilson - Biff Tannen

Claudia Wells - Jennifer
James Tolkan - Mr. Strickland

Marc McClure - Dave McFly
Wendie Jo Sperber - Linda McFly
George DiCenzo - Sam Baines
Frances Lee McCain - Stella Baines
J.J. Cohen - Skinhead
Casey Siemaszko - 3-D

Billy Zane - Match

Harry Waters Jr. - Marvin Berry

Donald Fullilove - Goldie Wilson
Lisa Freeman - Babs
Elsa Raven - Clocktower Lady
Will Hare - Pa Peabody
Ivy Bethune - Ma Peabody
Jason Maron - Sherman Peabody
Katherine Briton - Peabody Daughter
Jason Hervey - Milton Baines
Maia Brewton - Sally Baines
Courtney Gains - Dixon

Norman Alden - Lou

Richard L. Duran - Terrorist

Jeff Van Haco - Terrorist Van Driver

Norman Alden - Lou
George 'Buck' Flower - Bum

Crew

Writer/Director - Robert Zemeckis

Writer/Producer - Bob Gale

Executive Producer/Second

Unit Director - Frank Marshall
Executive Producers - Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg
Producer - Neil Canton
Casting Directors - Jane Feinberg, Mike Fenton and Judy Taylor

Animal Handlers - Robert Weatherwax and Richard Calkins
Consultant: DeLorean Time Travel - Ron Cobb
Production Designer - Lawrence G. Paull

Production Illustrators - Dick Lasley and

Andrew Probert
Art Director - Todd Hallowell

Set Decorator - Hal Gausman
Costume Designer - Deborah Lynn Scott
Makeup Creator - Ken Chase
Director of Photography - Dean Cundey

Camera Operator/Director of Photography:

Second Unit - Raymond Stella

First Assistant Camera - Clyde E. Bryan

Unit Production Managers - Jack Grossberg

and Dennis E. Jones

First Assistant Director - David McGiffert
Stunt Coordinator - Walter Scott
Special Effects Supervisor - Kevin Pike
Supervisor of Visual Effects: ILM - Ken Ralston
(Uncredited)

Camera Operators: ILM - Scott Farrar and

Kim Marks (Uncredited)

Assistant Camera Operators: ILM - Ray Gilberti,

Randy Jonsson and Martin Rosenberg (Uncredited)
Supervising Model Maker: ILM - Steve Gawley
(Uncredited)
Film Editors - Harry Keramidas and

Arthur Schmidt

Sound Designer - Tak Ogawa

Supervising Sound Editors - Charles L. Campbell

and Robert R. Rutledge

Sound Editors - Larry Carow,

Samuel C. Crutcher, Janice Hampton,

Scott Hecker, John A. Larsen, Harry B. Miller,

Chuck Neely, Bruce Richardson,

Fred Stafford and Jerry Stanford

Re-Recording Mixers - Daniel J. Leahy,

B. Tennyson Sebastian II, Robert Thirlwell

and Bill Varney

Foley - John Roesch

Music - Alan Silvestri

Performers: Songs "The Power of Love" and

"Back in Time" - Huey Lewis & The News

Music Supervisor - Bones Howe

Awards

1986 Academy Awards
Best Sound Editing - Charles L. Campbell
and Robert R. Rutledge (Won)
----------------------
Best Original Screenplay - Robert Zemeckis
and Bob Gale (Nominated)
Best Sound - Bill Varney,

B. Tennyson Sebastian II, Robert Thirlwell

and William B. Kaplan (Nominated)
Best Music, Original Song "The Power of Love" -
Chris Hayes, Johnny Colla and Huey Lewis (Nominated)


Review

November 5th, 2015, marks the day Marty McFly first travelled back in time in his DeLorean to 1955. BACK TO THE FUTURE is now on its 30th anniversary. It still leaves a lasting impression of what it would be like to see the hilarious consequences of time travel from 1985 to 1955. It also started a trilogy with two sequels that didn't live up to the first. An original and timeless sci-fi comedy was ahead of its time. It was BACK TO THE FUTURE that reinvented the time travel concept. There's no one else who would direct such a top-grosser with laughter. And the only one who could do it was Robert Zemeckis. Even its executive producer, Steven Spielberg, should be proud of the film that began a trilogy that would please many generations of sci-fi fans. The writing is superb and packed with references that are only known to people familiar with most of these types of pop culture films, including Star Wars.

The comedic acting is exceptional, with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd cast in the big leads. Lloyd plays an eccentric scientist, and Fox portrays a youth who becomes the bane of his existence. The supporting talents of Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson were commendable for being rocksteady of the other characters. The special effects are likely to retain their long-lasting value and didn't age by today's standards of motion capture and CGI standards. Finally, the music complements this feature with Huey Lewis's memorable songs "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time" and Alan Silvestri's brilliant score.

I was enthralled to have seen it again after being busy with the other films and doing so. BACK TO THE FUTURE has top-notch performances, an original story and spontaneous laughs, which make it one of my all-time favourites. If you have not seen this film, I say, "Great Scott! You don't know what you're missing!"

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

Back to Home

Office Space Review

Office Space

Release Date: 15th April 1999 - Australia

Production Companies 

20th Century Fox

Cubicle Inc. (Uncredited)

Distribution 

20th Century Fox Australia 

Genre: Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 89 minutes 

Budget: $10,000,000

Box Office Gross: $12,176,186 

(Worldwide)

Plot Summary 

Unable to endure another 

mind-numbing day at 

Intech Corporation, cubicle 

slave Peter Gibbons gets 

fired up... and decides to 

get fired. Armed with a 

leisurely new attitude and 

a sexy new girlfriend, he 

soon masters the art of 

neglecting his job, which 

quickly propels him into 

the ranks of upper 

management!

Cast

Ron Livingston - Peter Gibbons

Gary Cole - Bill Lumbergh

Stephen Root - Milton Waddams

Jennifer Aniston - Joanna

Ajay Naidu - Samir Nagheenanajar

David Herman - Michael Bolton

Diedrich Bader - Lawrence

Richard Riehle - Tom Smykowski

Alexandra Wentworth - Anne

Joe Bays - Dom Portwood

John C. McGinley - Bob Slydell

Paul Wilson - Bob Porter

Kinna McInroe - Nina

Greg Pitts - Drew

Michael McShane - Dr. Swanson

Linda Wakeman - Laura Smykowski 

Crew

Based on "Milton" Animated
Shorts/Screenplay/Producer
(Uncredited)/Director - Mike Judge

Executive Producer - Guy Riedel

Producers - Michael Rotenberg 

and Daniel Rappaport

Production Designer - Edward McAvoy 

Director of Photography - Tim Suhrstedt

Film Editor - David Rennie

Music - John Frizzell

Review

One of the highest points of Mike Judge's career besides 'Beavis and Butthead' and 'King of the Hill' is 'OFFICE SPACE'. This comedy classic is a well known comedic satire that is considered to have high esteem among various critics. The film tells a funny story about a man who has zero tolerance for his job and from the minute, he walks in the door, all he can think about is the minute he gets to leave. Many people will relate to the experience of hating their job and for these people, I'm sure they will find this movie a hoot. I am sorry to say that this film was not a high point for me, so where do I start. For starters, I really can't relate to the satirical humour and for this reason, I did not find the humour funny. I found with this movie that with the exception of a few brief scenes that for the most part the feature was rather flat and unappealing for me. 

I feel sorry for the talented actors for giving good performances in this film who I feel could have been cast in better roles. Gary Cole is the standout performer because of his self-centered character.

I presume that 'OFFICE SPACE' was overrated and was given more credit than deserved. If you agree with my opinion in this review, than I think it would be safe to say that this movie is not for you.

Star rating: (3/10) Disappointing