Heather Taylor
*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*** OK, I'll admit - had Billy Wirth not been cast as the bad boy for a good cause lead in this flick, I wouldn't even have bothered picking it up.I thought C. Thomas Howell's acting was lackluster at best (check him out in every scene at some point sporting a pained face like he's constipated in a major way) and though I tend to enjoy Jennifer Rubin's work, she didn't show me much here. Judge Reinhold was non-convincing as the brainiac scientist from the planet Smartron (for obvious reasons - Lee Press-On mustache and using the same goofy delivery as when he had th brain of a preteen boy in Vice Versa). The plot? Well, let's just say I tend to agree with a previous review that questioned how Adrienne (Rubin) could possibly fight off Malacki's (Wirth) advances to get back to the loving arms of Aaron (Howell). I believe love is a powerful force, but ladies, have you SEEN the eyes on the "villain"? There just wouldn't have been any resistance from me, I'm afraid. I'd have flown the proverbial white flag, suffered through the "agony" of being Malacki's true love (and all that entails) and reflected fondly on the memory of my ex-fiancé once in a while. Once in a GREAT while.This movie isn't THAT bad, but it wasn't in any danger of sweeping the Oscars, either. I'm not sorry I've added it to my collection, but it's not because of story line, direction or special effects. Sorry, guys - for me, this one is all about the eye candy. Period.
Tom DeFelice
A terrorist from an alternate universe whose great love was killed, comes to this world to kidnap her counterpart in this universe. The counterpart is about to get married. The terrorist kills the entire wedding party during the kidnapping. A scientist from the alternate universe tries to stop him. That is the plot of "Last Lives", a low budget sci-fi thriller.Basically, I really enjoyed this flawed film. For the money, the special effects are effective. We are all use to films where the antagonist keeps springing back to life after we think he has been killed. It's a very inventive twist when it is the hero who keeps coming back to life.There is one major flaw with this film. The three leads, Jennifer Rubin ("Screamers"), C. Thomas Howell ("Soul Man"), and Judge Reinhold ("Fast Time At Ridgemont High"), have proved themselves very competent actors. The problem with the entire cast is that you soon realize each of them talk in a very wooden cadence. Since everyone does this, the fault must be that of the director, Worth Keeter. This coupled with some very bad background music detracts from the film.That said, there is enough in the film for me to recommend it. A number of reviewers have savaged it. I feel it's a nice little film well worth a rental from Netflix. Rent it and decide for yourself.
Kokomo Jenkins
I give this film a 4 but I think its rather generous since all 4 points are earned for humor value. This film can be summed up as such : Judge Reinhold gives a masterful performance as Merkin, a trans-dimensional inventor / scientist of sorts who chases a homicidal lust-driven maniac through a space portal that goes to Earth. Maniac and his two cronies come to Earth to steal the girl. All three baddies are armed to the gills with devastating weaponry whose clips never run dry. Scientist gives girl's fiancée some bracelets that, if worn during death, will recreate organic tissue and bring the wearer back to life. Fortunately there are a bunch of these bracelets so the fiancée can die a bunch of times. Judge Reinhold dies in a fiery car explosion, bringing a tear to anyone's eye in his Oscar-worthy performance about "being a man who has no fear of death". In the end, the cronies die, the main baddie gets his just desserts, and the fiancée gets his girl back.This movie is a bona fide turkey. If this film had hit the box office when I was 8 years old, all the boys in my 3rd Grade class probably would have loved it. Unfortunately I would not show this to any 8 year old, in fear that this priceless piece of Americana would leave my young impressionable friend with a jaded opinion of American cinema. I have three bits of advice regarding this film: TO THE WRITER: Next script, write yourself and don't let your kid do all the work.TO JUDGE REINHOLD: Stick to Beethoven flicks.TO THE PROSPECTIVE AUDIENCE: Unless you're like me and find humor in all the movies your friends can't stand, leave this one on the shelf and rent something much better, like Weekend at Bernie's.
JimTom-2
If you can get past an early scene in which the kidnapped lady can escape her captors by simply sliding under the steering wheel and driving away in the vehicle her captors have all vacated, but--INSTEAD--chooses to leave the vehicle, run toward a cow pasture, tear half her dress off on a barbed-wire fence, and be quickly dragged back into captivity--GOOD LUCK! It is THAT kind of movie.
AD
