Kelly LeBrock

  • Hard to Kill (1990)

    Hard to Kill (1990)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, September 2020) As much as it’s easy to laugh about Steven Seagal these days now that he’s an obese shadow of his former self, his first few films weren’t that bad. An example of this is Hard to Kill, a straightforward revenge action movie in which Seagal is surrounded by competent filmmakers, is in fairly good shape, and has an acceptable script. (Well, one that doesn’t dwell for a long time on physical rehabilitation after seven years of coma—Seagal is always ready to go!) It’s still not that good a movie, but at least it’s competent. Seagal, on the other hand, is still as stiff and downright strange here at the top of his screen persona—playing an action hero more than a character, and not doing it with any style or grace. Kelly Lebrock is a welcome addition to the package, but let’s be clear—as orchestrated by Bruce Malmuth, it’s an efficient action movie first, and then all sorts of Seagal-infused weirdness second. Anyone wondering what the fuss was about Seagal in his glory days could always watch Hard to Kill: they’ll at least get an accurate idea that Seagal could be better but, even at his best, wasn’t that much of a superstar.

  • Weird Science (1985)

    Weird Science (1985)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (Second Viewing: On DVD, July 2011) At this point, I shouldn’t be surprised if movies I dimly remembered as being hilarious end up just on the amusing side of funny.  Unfortunately, Weird Science goes to join the ranks of eighties comedies that just aren’t as good as they should have been.  The central idea in seeing two nerds create “the perfect woman” thanks to some modern hocus-pocus is still potent (albeit maybe a bit less amusing nowadays given the age difference between the actors) and the film does have a few good scenes.  But the connective tissue between those scenes… and the mismatch between the possibilities of the premise and what’s up on the screen is just annoying.  Part of the problem, especially for viewers schooled in fantasy fiction, is the film’s very loose adherence to a coherent imaginative framework: everything seems possible in the film, and while this carries its own reward (let’s face it: the Pershing missile thing is still one of the film’s finest moments), it also unmoors the film and sends it in fantasyland where the stakes are low because everything’s possible –it’s far, far better to file Weird Science under “teen comedy”  rather than “fantasy” or “science-fiction”.  Both the plot and the characters are underdeveloped, and don’t go much beyond “two good kids learn a lesson”.  The overacting in the film is a bit surprising twenty-five years later.  Weird Science, seen from 2011, doesn’t quite hold together, and definitely seems like a minor John Hughes teen comedy when compared to the rest of his eighties filmography.  Still, the film still warrants a look today for a couple of reasons: It has aged reasonably well, turning itself into an unabashed time capsule of the mid-eighties in their weird Reganian splendour.  (Mid-riff shirts?  Why???) It also remains one of Kelly LeBrock’s defining performances: being asked to play “the perfect woman” to two horny teenagers is a tough order, but she manages to make it look easy.  The film also features early roles for Bill Paxton and Robert Downey Jr., and a catchy theme song that eighties kids probably still remember.  Weird Science certainly isn’t perfect, but in the right mood it’s a charming throwback to another time –a perfect movie for a quiet evening.