Review of Cliffhanger (1993) by Christopher L — 06 Jul 2008

[b][i]Cliffhanger[/i][/b] - I'm not gonna lie: I liked [i]Cliffhanger[/i]. It's, by reason of all things reasonable, a terrible film, but I really enjoyed myself. John Lithgow is a very netertaining bad guy and Stallone does what he does best: the same facial expression throughout with maybe some strain showing through when he's lifting folks over his head to impale them on some giant icicle. Fun, but silly. [b]**1/2 (out of ****) B-.

[i]Con Air[/i][/b] - John Malkovich is the self-appointed leader on a plane full of dangerous criminals with - big surprise - a plan to break free and wreak havoc on the people of this country once again. Well, maybe not wreak havoc, but they do want to break out of their flying cell. Nicolas Cage is a prisoner who just wants to be a good guy. Bad dialogue and ridiculous situations ensue. Some of this is fun, but mostly just silly and quite preposterous. [b]** (out of ****) C.

[i]Congo[/i][/b] - This movie scared me a whole helluva lot when I was younger. Now, it makes me laugh. The "creature" effects for the gorillas - both good and bad - are so funny and the dialogue so stiff and lame that it's pretty much a comedy. Laura Linney's risen far above this hilariousness since, but the others...well...not so much. [b]** (out of ****) C.

[i]The Count of Monte Cristo[/i][/b] - Movies like this really make you miss the practical effects of the earlier days of filmmaking. [i]The Count of Monte Cristo[/i] features some of the coolest, most exciting sword fighting I've ever seen, and while it sags a bit in its midsection, it's a very fun, very cool film with an awesome story. [b]***1/2 (out of ****) B+.

[i]Cutthroat Island[/i][/b] - One of Renny Harlin's two or three good films, [i]Cutthroat Island[/i] is an entertaining pirate movie that was released when no one wanted to see a pirate movie. Were it released now, people would be jumping all over it and loving it. I dug it. Geena Davis, with this and Harlin's [i]The Long Kiss Goodnight[/i], sure did prove herself as a badass action mistress. [b]*** (out of ****) B[/b].