Customer Reviews

Monolith [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This lovely little piece of the B movie genre returns to the basic formula of a mismatched cop team against the evil conspiracy and the ultimate evil alien life force. What makes it fun to watch is the startlingly high quality of actors cast in the piece. From Bill Paxton to Louis Gossett jr and on, the actors play their parts earnestly in the face of galactic cheese. John Hurt's magnanimous performance as a homicidally lunatic master conspirator adds spice to the movie that a lesser actor would have merely delivered flat. Watching Paxton and Lindsay Frost work each others nerves leaves the question as to whether Frost's character is really gay and is planning on going bi in order to bed the disreputable Paxton. This is not high art, it is a burger and fries and a good laugh on a friday night. I highly recommend this movie not for its vaunted script or artistic content (although kudos on its artistic license with reality;)) but for the fact that when you're in the mood to watch something and can't figure out what this is the movie you will reach for over and over and over again;) Comfort food for you movie fix!

What is it with these enormously talented actors like JOHN HURT, who was so good in "The Elephant Man" and "Alien"? Why would he overact so shamelessly in this 1993 almost B-movie sci-fi thriller? His big finale scene is so over the top it makes Vincent Price look like a deflated balloon. Whereas Price knew just how far to go, Hurt takes his demonic villainous role and shoots it to the stars.
Otherwise, this pre-X-Files fantasy suffers from a ponderous script, slack direction, and not enough time with the alien. Bill Patton, who is always willing to be the true maverick anything, spars deftly with Lindsay Frost, and their comic timing helps the duller moments. I particularly liked Paul Ganus in his role as the bespectacled villain. Behind his corporate glasses, lurks a giant of a man, obviously beefcake material. However, when his moment comes, he is beat to a pulp by Paxton and then whines when he realizes an elevator is going to chop off his head. What made Ganus so interesting was the cool aplomb he displayed, and his bulky threat behind the Armani suits. Lou Gossett, Jr. tried hard, but his role became so stereotypical, it muted his performance. The scene on the skyscraper could have been more chilling, but back in the early nineties, CGI hadn't been introduced so it's obvious they're on a scrim with a blue screen behind them.
But heck, this is so much better than a lot of these films, it's worth a rental.

Starring Bill Paxton as Tucker and Lindsay Frost as flint. It's about a couple of cops chasing an alien and the goverment wants to keep this alien buisness a secret. Looks like an episode straight out of the X-Files, but i belive it was made before the first episode of the X-Files was aired. Surprisingly one goverment men appears in the X-Files also. The guys who want to keep this alien buisness a secret have more clearence level than the president, but they have just a single woman security gaurd gaurding the enterance of their headquaters (?) at night (?+?), When the two cops tell her that she looks exactly like sigourney weaver (?+?+?) she lets them inside (?+?+?+?). Oh! what the heck why look for reality in a film about aliens.

This is a horrible movie. The plot is something about a killer alien that can't be stopped or something. We've seen this before. The stars of this movie no one has heard of and the dialogue was laughable. Watch the scene of the alien being chased in a hotel and laugh your head off. Don't see this movie unless u have 2.