Landspeed

I was subjected to this movie the other night after being unable to choose the movie that me, my roommate, and my roommate's girlfriend were to watch that night. I have learned never to let my roommate or his girlfriend pick a movie again! The story involves a man trying to break the landspeed record and his past creeps up on him. While there were some fine actors in the movie (Ray Wise being the best in my opinion), Billy Zane looked like the wooded Ken doll he so desperately wants to be. The script felt like it was written for a ten year old and the movie looked like it ran out of money while shooting it. The effects looked so lame. Thank god my roommate's girlfriend likes the Ken doll look on Mr. Zane or I would have pulled this out of the DVD player and used the DVD as a coaster for my can of soda.

Do yourselves a favor: rather rent "Istar." At least it is so bad you can laugh at it's badness.

Someone mentioned that the cars were cool. If any of them, besides the Demon, were real and not 100% CG, that might be true. As for the acting, some cheese balls but I think Zane did an OK job. I think a little bit of fiberglass and paint would have made much better cars than the terrible computer effects that they TRIED to use. I'll give the movie a C+ with the understanding that the FX deserve an F------------. I'm sure you'll give the FX the same grade just after watching the Porsche get away from the hummers. It just looked SO BAD!!! Did I mention that the FX SUCKED??

I hope Zane and everyone else in this flick `FORGET' to put this on their resume's. LOL

What an oddly endearing film. Added to my ZipQueue a while ago when I was obsessing over Ray Wise, I was taken by what I expected to be a dull, plodding, lifeless low budget piece of crap action movie (based on the plot and those involved in the production and financing areas), which turned out to be a warm, inviting, odd little humorous adventure with some decent 'action' bits. It's not a great film, its flaws plain to the eye, but it is really quite well-made for something of this sort, and many of the cast members are very charming and fun to watch, especially Zane and Wise. A movie which was probably fun to make and was definitely fun to watch, and something of a little hidden gem in that vast cinematic world, an unexpected surprise. I don't know if this is a full-on recommendation, but if you're looking for something light and fun and not-so-well-known, or if you're a fan of one of the actors, there are worse things to do with your time.

I love movies, simple as that. As a result I've seen a great many of them, often more than once.

Naturally there are good movies, great movies, bad movies and some dreadful movies. Once in a while, a movie is screened that is so awful, it actually becomes compelling to watch to the finish, like some kind of masochistic exercise into new areas of self abuse.

"Landspeed" has fallen into a new category for me. It was in all aspects so terrible, I felt compelled to finish it....but now I WISH I HADN'T! I am intrigued by what must happen to actors for them to accept projects such as this, and then further degrade the failed project with unutterably awful performances. Tell me it ain't so, Billy Zane, tell me it just ain't so.

If you notice this movie on a schedule, avoid it as if it were a black hole, because nothing can escape its ghastly gravity! If I may make a cinematic metaphor; "Landspeed" makes "The Black Hole" look like "Casablanca." More about "The Black Hole" later.

Of course maybe that's just because it sits pretty much alone in the category. Low budget, bad script, questionable physics explanations, and inadvertently mocking the very thing you are supposed to be honoring are all there. Try and find "The Mission" BBC documentary video on the Thrust SSC actually breaking Mach 1. Much more drama and coolness.

MAK