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ESCAPE FROM L.A. - REVIEW

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Yes, "Snake Is Back". But this time: it ain't New York. That Escape From New York is, to this day, still seen as a sci-fi cult classic and Escape From L.A. remains something of a joke is hardly shocking. After all, this is mostly what this sequel/remake is, right?  A joke? I mean, luckily everyone involved seems to be in on it but it's the kind of thing that audiences just wouldn't necessarily get. Evil Dead II , for example, was essentially a remake of the first film, and a parody of it to a certain extent, but right off the bat, the sequel obviously had a very different, jokey vibe, plus it was a good, really entertaining movie so it worked. Here, it feels like the movie is taking the piss of itself but it's not really clear why so it just ends up being an altogether random experience. Especially since Escape From L.A. is basically a messier retread of the original plot-wise. And I think that's what kills the flick. Don'

ROBIN HOOD - REVIEW

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Some directors are great at one thing in particular. Some are very versatile. Scott thinks he belongs to the latter category when really he's part of the former. Ever since his sci-fi/fantasy days ( Alien , Blade Runner , Legend ) he has avoided those genres like the plague focusing instead on Russell Crowe-led bore-fests like A Good Year or, indeed, Robin Hood. Which is not to say some of his ventures into the unknown haven't been successful: Gladiator , Thelma and Louise and Matchstick Men were all fine but Scott's original style got lost somewhere along the way and his films these days could have been done by pretty much anyone else comfortable with generic fare. Robin Hood is by no means a terrible film it's just unnecessary. Do we care how Robin Hood became Robin Hood? Do we care about his inner turmoils? Do we need to see a boring, gritty, "realistic" Robin Hood prequel? Or do we want to see a good Robin Hood film with Robin happill