BOB LAZAR: AREA 51 AND FLYING SAUCERS (2018, doc)

December 17, 2018

 Greetings again from the darkness. “This story is extraordinary – especially if it’s true.” This is just one of many incredulous statements from the film’s narrator, Mickey Rourke. And let’s face it, when trying to establish credibility for a story that’s been in doubt for 30 years, who better to lean on than Mickey Rourke? In defense of filmmaker Jeremy Corbell, there is no proving or disproving the story of Bob Lazar. It’s more like a Ripley’s Believe it or Not entry than a forensic study with conclusive results. One either chooses to believe Mr. Lazar, or not … and there is no way to prove which side is “right”.

In 1989, Bob Lazar was interviewed anonymously (in shadows with altered voice), claiming that he worked at S-4, a facility adjacent to Area 51, and that his job was to reverse engineer the propulsion system on alien spacecraft – one of 9 being studied. His anonymity didn’t last long, and the one fact in the film that is beyond debate is that his decision to go public with this story altered his life forever. When Mr. Corbell catches up with Mr. Lazar, we find that he doesn’t come across as a crackpot, and we certainly believe that he believes his story. It’s impressive that he’s gone to great lengths over the years to prove his honesty – hypnosis and polygraphs included.

With input from investigative reporter George Knapp, we learn of FBI raids and numerous attempts at character assassination. There seem to be no records confirming Lazar’s employment or education (Cal Tech, MIT) claims, though we do have photos of one of the raids. And we learn from his mother than he was always conducting experiments, even as a kid. Another gem from narrator Rourke, “Can we be made whole if we aren’t believed?” might have made for a better focus as a (shorter) documentary. Since his story can’t be proven, perhaps a more personal study of the man could be insightful.

We bounce between Nevada, California and Michigan, and director Corbell seems to buy into “The X-Files” claim that ‘the truth is out there’. His choices of the electronic warbles as a score and the ridiculous script for Mr. Rourke to narrate notwithstanding, we do find Corbell and Lazar to be forthright in the presentation, even if their story is never able to “weaponize our curiosity” as initially promised. Proclaiming “reality isn’t what it used to be” doesn’t make it so. One must prove something so, for the doubt to be removed.

watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig706g1Hk14

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE EXPENDABLES (2010)

August 22, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Well since I got pressured into posting full comments for Eat Pray Love, I figured it was only fair that I also post comments for the other half of my “Cinematic Battle of Estrogen vs. Testosterone.”  The most difficult movies to comment on are those in which even the filmmakers don’t take themselves seriously. Here, Sylvester Stallone creates a movie with his tongue firmly planted in his plastic surgery-enhanced cheek. It is a bit goofy and meant to be so. The good stuff is actually pretty good, but the stuff that misses the mark is a bit painful to watch.

The good stuff includes the already infamous cameo scene with Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It has the single best line (maybe two) in the movie and it’s just great to see Arnie back on screen. The other funny touch is the character names: Barney, Christmas, Ying Yang, Gunner, James Munroe, Toll Road, Paine, Hale Caeser, and of course, Tool. More work might have gone into the character names than the balance of the script.

The parts that don’t work include the lame one-liners that Jason Statham is forced to recite throughout. Also, after all these years, Stallone remains in love with his own face. I believe he is off screen for a total of 3 minutes. And enough with the Jet Li short jokes. One was plenty. We could have really used more of Terry Crews. He lights up the screen when he starts his trail of destruction.

Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austin, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture and David Zayas all have their moments. But therein lies the problem. Just can’t do justice to so many characters … or is it caricatures? This one is exactly what it was meant to be. Don’t expect the world’s greatest action film. Think of it as more of a Tribute Film with non-stop stunts. Oh and a blasting version of “Mississippi Queen” by Mountain with Leslie West.

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Posted by David Ferguson

IRON MAN 2 (2010)

May 9, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. No secret that I really enjoyed the first Iron Man movie a couple of years ago. For 2, we get the return of key players: Robert Downey, jr as Tony Stark, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, and Jon Favreau in the director chair. We also get an onslaught of new players: Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, Scarlett Johansson as Natalie/Natasha/Black Widow, Garry Shandling as Senator Stern and Don Cheadle (replacing Terence Howard) as War Machine.

Onslaught may be the best word I can use to describe the film. It is an onslaught to the senses. There are so many characters – both good guys and bad. There are so many explosions, fights and booms that we resist the urge to blink. There is so much overlapping and oddly paced dialogue that we strain to fill in the blanks. And what of the inside jokes and “advertising” for future Avengers fun? OK, maybe “Fun” is the key word, not onslaught. These characters are a blast (pun, slightly intended). Watching a creepy Mickey Rourke plot revenge in the Russian darkness is terrific. Sam Rockwell chewing scenery is not to be missed. Garry Shandling’s snarky senator is a hoot, especially at the end. And I have been surfing the net all night searching for a suitcase sized Iron Man suit. OK, not really … but that was super cool.

I’ve got it!  “An onslaught of fun!” The great and talented Justin Theroux was brought in to script the multitude of players and story lines … he must be a master juggler as none get cheated in their screen time. Even Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury is given a much heavier workload than in part one – setting the stage for his NINE scheduled film appearances as Mr. Fury.

The film is huge and spectacular, but falls just short of the first one for a single reason. The wow of discovery can only be had once. That’s not a knock on this one, but timing is crucial. Must also mention the brilliance of Robert Downey, Jr who seems born to play Tony Stark. Of course, the brilliance of Mr. Downey is that he always seems born to play his roles. He is a great actor … check his ability to spout wise cracking one-liners and then mix in a couple of actually tender moments with Paltrow’s Pepper Potts. Not many actors could do that effectively. He pulls it off seamlessly.

What really matters is that it’s a fun trip to theatre. Don’t expect this year’s Best Picture winner. Expect to laugh and be visually wowed. I certainly was.  If you liked the first one, chances are good that you will appreciate this well made sequel.

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Posted by David Ferguson