(1980)
Dir - Simon Wincer
Overall: MEH
An Australian production that is made to look like an American one, Harlequin, (Dark Forces), doubles as a modern day reworking of the Rasputin legend from director Simon Wincer. It gets too convoluted and muddled in its presentation to work, but its solid premise is upheld by a great performance from Robert Powell. As the Rasputin stand-in, Powell is wide-eyed, loudly dressed, and persistently charismatic, which makes his infiltration into a Senator's household more believable than it should be. This is in part due to the character's bonding with the family's leukemia ridden son, (whom he presumably cures), and the horned-up trophy wife that he begins a fling with, all of which is tolerated by David Hemmings' also adulterous politician. Some questions are raised as to the supernatural legitimacy of Powell's powers, but by that time, the story collapses with shady manipulation on the part of higher-ups who want the mad magician out of the picture as soon as possible. This reveal is less interesting than the set pieces involving Powell strutting his otherworldly abilities, and though his protagonist is ultimately underwritten, his presence still hints at a better movie hiding somewhere in here. 
HEAVY METAL
Dir - Simon Wincer
Overall: MEH
An Australian production that is made to look like an American one, Harlequin, (Dark Forces), doubles as a modern day reworking of the Rasputin legend from director Simon Wincer. It gets too convoluted and muddled in its presentation to work, but its solid premise is upheld by a great performance from Robert Powell. As the Rasputin stand-in, Powell is wide-eyed, loudly dressed, and persistently charismatic, which makes his infiltration into a Senator's household more believable than it should be. This is in part due to the character's bonding with the family's leukemia ridden son, (whom he presumably cures), and the horned-up trophy wife that he begins a fling with, all of which is tolerated by David Hemmings' also adulterous politician. Some questions are raised as to the supernatural legitimacy of Powell's powers, but by that time, the story collapses with shady manipulation on the part of higher-ups who want the mad magician out of the picture as soon as possible. This reveal is less interesting than the set pieces involving Powell strutting his otherworldly abilities, and though his protagonist is ultimately underwritten, his presence still hints at a better movie hiding somewhere in here.
(1981)
Dir - Gerald Potterton/Jimmy T. Murakami/John Bruno/Harold Whitaker/Pino van Lamsweerde/Jack Stokes/Julian Harris/Paul Sebella/Barrie Nelson/John Halas
Overall: MEH
Rockin' tits, a rockin' soundtrack, and...only kind of rockin' animation join forces in producer Ivan Reitman's big screen adaptation of the sci-fi fantasy comic Heavy Metal. Co-produced by the magazine's publisher Leonard Mogel, this Canadian production brings together a slew of animators and directors, as well as some recognizable voice talent, with the likes of SCTV's John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Joe Flaherty, plus Harold Ramis and John Vernon to name but a few. The source material for each individual segment comes from an array of sources, with screenwriters Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum pulling from stories and characters that were created by Richard Corben, Angus McKie, Dan O'Bannon, Thomas Warkentin, and Bernie Wrightson. The results of such a motley crew of talent is unfortunately a mixed bag, not just in the inevitable and uneven pairing of each entry but also in the overall presentation. The animation bounces between acceptable and embarrassing, the pacing is not up to par even though each section seems rushed, and the permeating, juvenile sexism is more ridiculous than intriguing. Still, it proves inventive at irregular intervals and any movie that throws Dio-era Black Sabbath, Stevie Nicks, Sammy Hagar, and Devo into its mix is doing at least something right.
(1987)
Dir - Nikos Nikolaidis
Overall: MEH
Greek filmmaker Nikos Nikolaidis' Morning Patrol, (Proini Peripolos), is a foggy post apocalyptic work that serves as an atmospheric answer to Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker, except more meandering than majestic. Broken up into two halves that never vary in mood, the first forty-five minutes consist of Michele Valley's nameless protagonist simply wandering through a dilapidated cityscape, sneaking past or murdering people who would do her harm, only to briefly catch some shuteye while watching old black and white film noir movies that seem to be playing on every TV set that she finds. Eventually, she meets up with another nameless character who under unwilling circumstances, proceeds to escort her out of their current no man's land. Mysteriously, neither of them seem to be able to regain any substantial memories of what happened before society collapsed. Through equally sparse dialog and internal monologuing, we only learn that it all may have something to do with a virus and/or humanity's inevitable self-destruction, but such ambiguity serves its purpose to emphasis a melancholic tone. Unfortunately though, the characters are kept just as vague, plus the movie feels its length under such a murky presentation where there is too little to invest in; only an ugly and miserable world to pointlessly explore.
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