Dean's Thoughts on Entertainment

Total Recall Review

I have recently begun to realize that I am more interested in Sci-Fi and Horror than I originally thought. You’ll notice that the only two movies I am really hyping up are Resident Evil: Outbreak and Alien vs. Predator. In light of this I decided to run through some of my Sci-Fi favorites, starting with my favorite Director in the genre Paul Verhoeven. Total Recall is one of the best Sci-Fi movies in many respects. It was the last great Sci-fi before Digital Effects took over, it is action packed, and it is stylistically brilliant. The movie was able to maintain quite a bit of realism while still being a future fantasy (While Star Wars and Star Trek can make up whatever they encounter). This is probably Arnold’s best action movie besides T2, and it was the best as far as one-liners are concerned. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Total Recall follows the story of a man who keeps dreaming of Mars (which we have colonized) and wants to know why. When he goes to a facility to give him the memories of a Mars vacation, the operation unlocks something in his mind and he realizes he has had his memory erased. The rest of the movie is about him struggling to discover his previous life and mission, which all centers around Mars. For a nice twist, you’re never quite sure if this is all actually happening or if it is part of the action-dream vacation that he signed up for. The acting from Arnold is some of his best, Sharon Stone in one of her first roles is good enough to get her the role in Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct which made her a star, and Rachel Ticotin is always good. I highly recommend this movie, and I plan to watch it soon with Arnold and Paul Verhoeven commentary.

Starship Troopers Review

Another from Paul Verhoeven, this is another beautiful Sci-Fi full of violence and politics. The setting for Troopers is in a future Earth which is ruled worldwide by a fascist type government. Just the idea of a worldwide fascist government was interesting to me, but then the Sci-Fi elements and effects are all top notch. Fascism, scary enough, is not without its appeal as well, I found myself wishing for certain elements in today’s society and then at the same time appalled at the idea of public executions and the mind-warping media. The story is that our planet was attacked by a Bug Meteor, and we have declared war and are bringing the battle to them. The main characters have all just enlisted and after boot camp head out into battle. This movie has some nudity which is a rarity in my collection, and the violence is extreme, but that’s Verhoeven. Casper Van Dien stars and has since become a “B” movie god, and supporting is Dina Meyer and Denise Richards who are both decent. Also, be sure to note the presence of Neil Patrick Harris whom you all know from Doogie Howser M.D. and is probably the coolest character in the movie. I still have to watch this with commentary, but this is definitely a favorite.