Future-set view of Los Angeles, where the city itself is as much a star as Harrison Ford. Deckert (Ford) is a Blade Runner, a cop who hunts down and kills wayward Replicants, bio-engineered humans with a 4-year life-span. Several versions have been released on video, including TWO director's cuts. The theater release has a voice over to explain the plot to viewers who want their movies served up obvious, but the director's cut lets you work out the plot for yourself. Whether Deckert is a replicant or not depends on which version you see. Director Ridley Scott allows that Deckert is a replicant, and like some of those he hunts, he just doesn't know it yet. Based very loosely on Phillip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep." (And for a review by someone who didn't quite get it, click here.)

"Wake up. Time to die."

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CAST A DEADLY SPELL (1991) ***+

It's got all the elements of a true 40s noir, from the hard-boiled gum-shoe and slinky lounge singer, to an assortment of odd-ball characters and the quest for a coveted object. But there's a twist. This isn't just Los Angeles noir, it's alternate reality Los Angeles noir, with magic, murder, and monsters... [more]

Not a bad movie, but not good enough to send you running to your video store right this minute for a copy. It's on TV on a regular basis, though chopped for the delicate sensibilities of today's television audience. Certainly not as good as the comic it's based on, but then again, what movie based on a comic is? It was popular enough to spawn parts 2 & 3, which are not nearly as good as the first. An amusing way to spend a couple of hours.

"If you aren't going to kill me, I've got things to do."

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Tim says "A most entertaining flick on several fronts. Wesley Snipes' gleefully evil Simon Phoenix is a joy to watch, and the production designer David L. Snyder (Blade Runner) has realized the wonderfully sterile and sleek vision of the future that dovetails perfectly with the writer's vision of pacifist and oh-so politically correct San Angeles of 2032. From the period lingo to Sylvester's bull-in-a-chinashop protagonist, to Sandra Bullock's eager naive retro attachment to the past, there's never a dull moment. A solid romp with a laugh a minute."

Karen says "Lots of explosions, guns, car chases, and fight scenes. My kind of flick!"

"We're police officers! We're not trained to handle this kind of violence!"

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Right on! Some of the worst acting ever in a movie, but this thing is like a cross between Escape From L.A. and a Troma flick, with a smidge of Big Trouble in Little China. Cheesy, really cheesy, but in a fun way. And they did a much better job of portraying post-earthquake "New Angeles" than Escape from L.A. ever did.

This is a truly stupid movie, but I loved it. The freeway signs, the Capitol building, the cameos (The Furniture Guys! Vanna White!), the flammable Hollywood River running past the Mann Chinese. And every time I see Vince Klyn on the screen, I know it's my kind of flick. Check out the gang fight next to the river - lots of clever things going on if you bother to pay attention.

I've never played the video game the movie's based on, and it's not Mortal Kombat, but it's definitely worth watching for the scenery (which includes Mark Dacascos and the above mentioned Vince in addition to the cool city shots.)

"I just want total domination of one major American city. Is that too much to ask for? Is it?"

Campy and entertaining, but missing the rawness of the original. The cast is great, and Carpenter uses all the stereotypes of L.A. to bring the story home. But it's sometimes over the top, and not always in a good way. This might hit the VCR once in a while, but we're still more likely to pop in Escape from New York. Nice work on Disneyland...

"Surf's up!"

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Tim calls it unwatchable, and I've got to say he's almost right. It's bad. Really bad. I don't mind it because it's got some of the classic LA Sci Fi character actors - Tim Thomerson, Brion James, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and the usually adorable Vince Klyn. So. Good guns, nice clothing, but bad accents, worse wigs, and a plot so full of riffs from other sci fi flicks that it's a miracle they weren't sued. But hey, it's movie with lots of explosions and fisticuffs, and there are a few unintentionally hilarious moments. And let's face it, I dig this shit. Not something to drop into the DVD player every month, but worth a rental periodically.

Followed up by Nemesis 2: Nebula, Nemesis III: Prey Harder, and Nemesis 4: Death Angel. So obviously there were enough fans to make it worth their while. But still... 2, III, 4? What's up with that?

"Buggah got smart mouth, eh? I like that in a victim."

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It's not whether you're paranoid, but whether you're paranoid enough. Borderline plausible, good entertaining Saturday afternoon matinee. Although the final digital shootout takes place in the Los Angeles Convention Center, this movies only barely qualifies for our site, but we figure it falls under the conspiracy chapter.

"They knew I could be disappeared!"

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A rare thing: a really good sequel! The original Predator, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, was great, and although we hoped the sequel would be good, we weren't expecting much. P2 features quite a cast, with Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Bill Paxton... The alien itself is one of my favorites. Like so many recent scifi flicks, it's a man-hunt movie... with aliens hunting man all over Los Angeles.

"It's all right, I'm a cop."
"I don't think he gives a shit."

The prize is a '64 Malibu with an alien in the trunk, the setting is warehouse LA. Plenty of action; however, there's more to this film than meets the eye. One of Harry Dean Stanton's best roles, and Emilio Estevez's career only went down from here. And the limited edition DVD is cool.

"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes."

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In the tradition of all those 'hunting the most dangerous prey' stories, Arnold and friends are stalked through the city of Los Angeles for a game show. Strictly a romp - a perfect Sunday afternoon flick to pop in when you just want to kick back and be entertained. Plus a bonus - a brilliant casting job on Killian. This one's in high rotation at our house.

"You look pissed, Ben."

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We like Katherine Bigelow. And we like Jim Cameron. They get it - they get the future the way we envision it ourselves. And Strange Days is no exception. Like Blade Runner, this fine movie was a flop at the box office and has gone on to be one of the more popular movies in video and DVD sales. Also like Blade Runner, it extrapolates a plausible future city which cannot be mistaken for anyplace but Los Angeles. Cameron & Bigelow's future vision of L.A. has many details unique to our fair city, right down to the drug of choice: playback. Murder, love, and one of our favorite subjects, corruption in city government. A cult favorite, and one that we pop into our VCR on a regular basis.

"You know one of the ways movies are still better than playback? 'cause the music comes up, there's credits, and you always know when it's over. IT'S OVER!"

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One of the Los Angeles movies, SF or otherwise. The ultimate hunt through LA, with Arnold in his most famous role. And where other movies try to get away with that cliched time-loop, Terminator actually pulls it off. One of the most quotable movies of all time, and check out Bill Paxton! A movie you can watch again and again. Followed up by Terminator 2, and coming soon, T3.

You know what's coming next, right?

"I'll be back."

Rowdy Roddy Piper stars as a down & out construction worker who discovers that there are aliens among us. Another John Carpenter flick, not as entertaining as the Escapes, but definitely worth watching for the great fight scene and some pretty keen aliens. It starts slow, and gradually picks up momentum, but never really gets to top Carpenter speed.

The DVD has exactly NO extra features... but it's a nice clean transfer, and Carpenter generally uses the whole screen for his movies, so the wide screen makes a difference.

"I'm here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum."

VIRTUOSITY (1995) **

Lawnmower Man meets Running Man when the Demolition Man makes an Escape From New York as a Blade Runner in Die Harder.

With all those riffs you'd think we'd have a winner, but this flick goes nowhere. Sid 6.7, a computerized amalgam of hundreds of serial killers used as a virtual reality training program, escapes to the real world through the magic of nanotechnology. A cop jailed for murder (Denzel Washington in a limp performance) is pardoned and released to capture him, and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, Sid is returned to VR and then destroyed. No surprises, a lame sub-plot to muddy the waters, and a completely predictable ending. The only reason to watch is for Russel Crowe's scenery chewing take on Sid 6.7, and really, it's not enough.

"Ooh. Gravity."

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An adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic. Nearly invulnerable aliens arrive to destroy the earth. Winner of the 1953 Academy Award for Best Special Effects. Pretty good flick, but it doesn't stand up to the test of time.

"They murder everything that moves!"

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