 "One of the best suspense/thriller movies concerning "Special Effects"!" | 2009-07-31 |
| - Reviewed By "Movie Critic in Georgia" from GA |
This movie rates 6 stars, however the DVD release is only rated at 1 star, so the average is 3. I really hate to say this, but MGM should be ashamed to release a DVD of this poor grade. A movie of this caliber deserves much better.
In 1998 Orion Pictures was going through some tough times when MGM decided to buy them. So, this truly historic film wasn't release on DVD till the year 2000. MGM must not care much about its Orion Pictures library because they used the same Analog master that Orion Pictures developed way back in 1987 for release on VHS!!! No real widescreen, just a letterbox 4.3 with stereo sound. The picture has poor contrast & low light levels, but it gets much worse if you have a Hi-Def Flat Screen TV because you have to "hit" zoom for the picture to fill your screen. When you do this, the picture loses what little detail it had. I'm just wondering if MGM does all of its Orion Pictures this way. In other words...this film has never been DIGITALLY REMASTERED for DVD.
This was the breakout movie for Bryan Brown, who plays the role of Rollie Tyler. A "Special Effects" expert that is set up & deceived by members of the "Witness Protection & Relocation" service. With sniper's after him & nowhere to go or hide....all he has is his F/X expertise to keep him alive. Brian Dennehy plays a police detective who spent 6 months going after a Mob Boss, only to see him released to the WPR & will stop at nothing to find him. This is one of Brain Dennehy's best acting roles ever, if not the best. Also stars Jerry Orbach (of "Law & Order" fame) as the ex-Mob Boss. The soundtrack to this film was preformed by The London Symphony Orchestra, & the closing credits song, "Just An Illusion" is one of the best sounding end songs I've ever heard! If fact, the studio wanted to name this film "Murder by Illusion", but the Director's wanted "F/X".
This may be hard to believe, but F/X set a record as the most rented video from 1987-90. It upsets me so much what MGM has done to this "sleeper" masterpiece that I'm seriously thinking of starting a website named "[...]". I'm sure with Amazon's support & to all who have enjoyed this classic, maybe we can get enough signatures to get MGM to re-release this DVD like they should have the 1st time. You can bet IF it had originally been a MGM film, it wouldn't have been treated in this fashion.
To sum things up...a great movie, but don't buy the DVD unless that's the only way you have of seeing it!!!! |
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 "Special-Effects: Always Fun" | 2009-02-17 |
| - Reviewed By Craig Connell from Lockport, NY USA |
This was an excellent thriller, a story that grabs and holds you all the way. In a nutshell, it's about a special-effects expert being set up and how he then tries to get out of the jam he's in. Bryan Brown plays the good-guy "Rollie Tyler" while Cliff De Young and Mason Adams are the bad guys.
De Young has the kind of face and attitude that makes you want to slap that sucker every time you see him! All three actors are convincing in their roles.
The inventive story is the best part of this film, which was even more interesting when it came out because ever since James Bond, "special effects" were still something pretty new to most of us movie viewers and it was fascinating to see how certain things are rigged. Nowadays, special effects are something that seems to be a normal part of movie-watching, although "cool" gadgets are always fun.
Still, there a some very clever things in here and the movie provides good suspense and excellent twists. You never know what to expect. The film was popular enough to spawn a sequel. |
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 "Take me Back to the '80s !!" | 2008-07-17 |
| - Reviewed By Moon Man from New York New York |
| I've Begun to Collect Sci-fi, and other Movies from the 1980s, for Various reasons. Mostly all Kinds of Movies, and "Film"(an Independant, B hit-cult etc.), were missed by me- an example is, not seeing "Blade Runner", till 1996 ! And I'm still going to buy F/X 2, even wtih less than good Praise. THIS ONE, is a MUST OWN/SEE Thriller, that takes Place, -and Couldn't Look better- In NYC !! The acting is Top Notch, and is a wonderful great Hi-Tech "Cloak and Dagger", "Then who could it be Now(?)", story. Filled with enough up to date-non Hokey- Action! No spoilers Here or Begin the story, it would ruin the Cinematic EXP. |
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| "Great effects" | 2008-02-09 |
| - Reviewed By crazy cat lady from Mullica Hill, NJ |
| One of the best movies for special effects. I love it. If you get it, don't forget to get the sequel as well. |
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| "One of my favorites" | 2007-08-26 |
| - Reviewed By G. Nusloch from Metairie, LA USA |
| This movie has the look and feel of a Hitchcock film. It is well directed and well acted. |
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| "An ingenious suspense film!" | 2007-07-28 |
| - Reviewed By Daniel Mendoza Villa from At the moment Madrid Spain |
| F/X this DVD is great! Specially if you saw the film back in 1986 (I was 8 years old and have to say this film brings back memories, good ones), and I bring this up, because if you did you can see the movie restored and in 2 screen formats (widescreen and standard version), that ads a whole new experience, and as The New Yorker said "an ingenious suspense film" and it rely is! I recommend this DVD specially if you are an old movie timer, and to all of you that haven't seen it, because if you are reading this I have a hunch that you don't know this great movie. PS: The DVD doesn't say that the movie has been restored, but it has, if you see first the original theatrical trailer (that comes like a bonus), you could see the original looks of the film, because when you play the movie...man, you are going to see something different! |
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