Reviews (5)

Solid for a DTV...
UFO LLC is not the film company to go to when you're looking for solid filmmaking or great writing. They're a company that thrives only on its special-effects rather than anything else. Yet for what it's worth, I found "Epoch" to be a very enjoyable movie where I didn't need to think for a bit. Compare it to "Sphere" and it seems like a sci-fi masterpiece! The story is not the usual large-monster horror film like UFO usually does. It's about an alien artifact that is found in Bhutan. The army is sent to investigate it. Many theories rise up and there are a few neat effects sequences. The movie never tries to rise above its own intelligence. It never once insults the intelligence of the viewer, and it never stretches anything out to a ridiculous length. The special effects are extraordinary, the best UFO has ever done. The story is simple enough, but not stupid. True, when you get right to it, it's another direct-to-video movie. But not once does it try to pretend its anything more. I liked it.

BAD MOVIE ALERT!
this movie has taught me that live is short and every second precious. do not waste a moment.

It's not that bad a film.
This isn't as bad a film as some critics make out. I have seen a lot worse and they had a bigger budget than this made for TV movie had. Does anyone remember "Battlefield Earth"? Now that was a film that stank and sank! EPOCH on the other hand is an easy to watch, easy to understand movie that touches on areas that we all know and love.

The plot follows a group of investigators as they struggle to find out the truth behind a strange monolith that has appeared in the middle of nowhere in Bhutan. David Keith is a dying scientist who finds himself cured of a terminal illness after he enters the Monolith. Ryan O'Neil doesn't do too badly as his equally confused colleague trying to keep the Military under control whilst at the same time trying to understand what is happening. The much loved James Avery (from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air) gives a good performance as a military Doctor and the excellent James Hong is cuttingly sarcastic as Chinese Ambassador Po. Add to this a Colonel with a power complex, a Captain whose belief in God comes into conflict with his orders and you have a pretty good film.

The film's overall storyline is that the Monolith intends to "wipe the slate clean and start all over again," because in a nutshell earth and its destructive human population isn't worthy of existing anymore. The Monolith is able to resequence DNA, hence David Keith's miraculous cure and the resurrection of two dead Chinese pilots and a Scientist.

Okay so the special effects aren't all that and a bag of chips, but even with a couple million dollars worth of special effects, "Battlefield Earth" still managed to honk louder than a gaggle geese in a farmyard!

It's not a terribly suspenseful film but it is watchable and not as bad as some people are making out. It certainly isn't cinema quality that is for sure then neither are a lot of movies that make it to the cinema and I don't see them getting panned in the same way. Make your own mind up about this movie, don't expect much other than a nice little movie that you can rent out when there is nothing else available. Like I said, it's not that bad.

don't do it....
I know it's tempting because you can't find it in the video store for rent, but you will have nothing but contempt for yourself if you purchase this disc. It's really really bad. trust me, it's so bad I will not waste anymore time on this review (and I happily own Spacetruckers and Tremor's III).

A epic bomb
Washed up, bloated, Ryan O'Neal is the star of this TV flick, so that should give you enough information to know just how bad "Epoch" is going to be. Unfortunately, I bit anyway. What a colossal waste of time. The plot is transparent; the characters, unbelievably shallow, hackneyed and stock. The actors? I've seen better acting in high school productions. They deliver lines about as well as Ackroyd's Beldar from Saturday Night Live. How the producers and directors could have put their names to this time waster is beyond me. Don't be fooled by the cool production art on the DVD cover. This...is of such "Epoch" proportions the fact that it actually was released should be science fiction. I feel like such a fool for having rented it to watch. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Has some fun moments
Gale force is not necessarily a great B flick, but it's entertaining, takes jabs at reality TV shows and their hosts), has recognizable actors in it that do a decent enough job, and is done well enough to be enjoyable (especially if you like the actors). Though a few scenes of footage are used from other movies (helicopters flying over jungle in Predator, some car stuff and opening concepts from Last Action Hero) such doesn't really bring the picture down. It's meant to be a fun romp, not a spectacular, or entirely original film. Special effects get the job done and aren't too hideous. The kind of movie you might see on a weekend on a miscellaneous cable channel. If you're a fellow Treat Williams fan, I strongly recommend DEEP RISING (a far better fantastic movie), but he's cool in Gale Force as has some fun moments. You might consider turning off Gale Force in the first ten minutes, but it picks up. All in all, a simple flick, with a simple 'who lives and who dies' plot, with some fun moments. It's worth it for the actors, and the jab at reality shows. Good movie to rent on the cheap, or buy in a discount bin somewhere.

SLOW WINDS A BLOWIN
GALE FORCE is another straight to video that suffers from its lack of creative intelligence. Obviously scenes were stolen from previous movies (see other reviews), and the opening scene does little than to establish Treat Williams as a loose cannon. I will say for Treat that even though he can do much better than films like this, he manages to exude a quiet strength that helps elevate his films. Michael Dudikoff as a villain is novel; Susan Walters needs acting lessons; you never know when Cliff deYoung and Tim Thomerson are going to turn up. The effects are sub par, the pacing erratic, but overall it's an entertaining 90 minutes or so.

Comedy 'Force!'
...Treat Williams sported a brown leather jacket, red shirt, blue jeans i.e. Jack Slater's wardrobe and his name was Jack, right? The first ten minutes of the movie will leave you disgusted and you'll probably shut it off immediately. But, the main reason to watch "Gale Force" is because of Michael Dudikoff. The American Ninja plays a bad guy for once and he takes care of business. Basically this movie makes fun of reality television shows especially "Survivor." "Treasure Hunt" has brought in a group of people to search for a pot full of ten million dollars. But, a group of pirates (ex-Navy Seals) are scavenging around the island taking down the contestants. That's enough plot. Too much thinking. Jerad (Dudikoff) asks the host, "You think we're ready for primetime?" and then surprises him with a blast! I was amazed to have seen clips of the helicopters flying around from "Predator" in this movie... This movie is horrible, but it can make anybody laugh. A lightning bolt struck two people at the same time, yes! Old Man Withers still has some fight in him. Way too windy for me, the winds looked pretty windy. Oh well, like I said comedy!

A horrible film that pokes fun at TV reality shows
Treat Williams has made some bad films, and "Gale Force" is another stinker to add to his filmography. This direct-to-video garbage stars Williams as a LAPD detective who is asked to sign up for a new TV reality show, "Treasure Hunt", after he is suspended from the police force. The film's director (supposedly it's Jay Andrews, not Jim Wynorski) decided to steal some footage and action sequences from other films, such as "Last Action Hero" and "Die Hard". I wonder how the makers of "Last Action Hero" feel about having its car chase sequence being digitally inserted into this film! Anyway, avoid this one at all costs, and pray that Treat Williams' new TV series will be better than this [one].

What Could Have Been...
What could have been a REALLY great B Flick with a very different plot ended up just another average B Flick. The plot:"Treasure Hunt" is tv's hottest new reality based show-$10 million dollars is buried on a remote island and it's between 8 contestants to find it and bring it home.(I can hear the idea being pitched now to a major tv studio to actually go through with this) Rogue theives have infiltrated the island and are also looking for the hidden cash but wait another disaster has beset these islanders: a violent tropical storm is heading towards them. Sounds good right?The Bad: Well the opening car chase scene is STOLEN from "Last Action Hero" it is the original scene but edited with Treat Williams in place of Arnold! (Look for the Slater 1 license plate on the car!) Even when the "house" where a hostage is held up blows up (STOLEN from Last Action Hero) it reeks of being from another movie.Didn't the director trust his production company or are B flicks that tight on a budget due to the economy? I thought I could overlook this flaw but alas another scene has a group of ex-Navy Seals flying in by helicopter to the island. This was lifted right from Predator!The somewhat Good:Overall I found it to be entertaining just to find the "borrowed" scenes from better action movies. I was disappointed in Michael Dudikoff playing a bad guy. (First Olivier Gruner in Extreme Honor and now Dudikoff for shame!) Its bad when B actors are playing bad guys instead of the usual "good guy" we see them play in countless other movies. What could have been will probably be when a Big Budget Movie Co. remakes this plot and releases it to a national audience. Bottom Line:Check it out just for a good laugh then check out the better produced movies they borrowed from. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Gruner is awesome, movie isn't his best though.
Lt. Sean Lambert (Olivier Gruner) and his team of mercenaries (Glenn Plummer, William Zabka) are deployed to investigate the crash of a squadron of F117's in Mexico. Sean, his team, and a couple scientists sent by the Air Force go to investigate the crash of the F117 to find a alien spacecraft instead. They must track and destroy an alien that defies physics.

The movie has pretty good special effects, the alien is done very well. The F117's also look pretty sharp, except for the fact that F117's aren't used for dogfighting. There are also some pretty nice explosions to go along with the alien.

Overall though, the movie fails to live up to expectations. You leave thinking you just watched a cheap ripoff of the Predator or Independence Day. However, all is not wasted as Olivier Gruner has some pretty nice fighting scenes which aren't bad at all. The movie could have been so much more with the actors that were employed. If you pick-up the DVD version, don't expect to see anything but some Bloopers after the credits roll

Great FX but......
There are some great set pieces in this film that make it worth seeing if you're into special effects. The first is a great dogfight between stealth bombers and an alien spaceship. Then there are the shoot outs with the alien and a nuclear explosion. The film is basically about a team who defend Earth against an alien species. Olivier Gruner leads the team and the excellent Brad Dourif is their commander. The problem with the film is that the action comes at the start and end of the film. The middle 40-50 minutes drag terribly making it an effort to watch in one sitting. The dialogue ranges from OK to pretty lame, as does the acting. Still, Dourif and Gruner are always watchable and Gruner has a great stunt at the start. It's a shame, but not a complete waste of time thanks to the effects. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

High Voltage for DVD
Now this movie had bad acting, and bad music, but did it deliver on action ! The shootouts in this movie seem straight out of Hong Kong. If you want to see a "B" movie with "A" Quality shootouts then this is for you. ( When did Bruce Lee's daughter look so good)?

OKAY
I am a fan of Antonio's but I will speak frankly - this movie was cheesy. It was okay. It is always a thrill to see that hunk -- and an extra thrill to see his father (Good Lord! He is more built than his son! WOW!)-- but the movie was not very good. Sorry-- it's really only for hard core Antonio fans. What's with the marriage scene! That was lame! But overall it is okay.

Good action picture with a believable plot.
Antonio Sabato Jr. and Shannon Lee do a good and believable job of portraying bad guys being chased by the Vietamese mafia. The surprise appearance by the other Mr. Sabato was a nice touch. Both the leads do well enough with the brawling sequences that no standins were used for many scenes. This lets the camera show the characters faces and bodies while fighting and the crew of this film did a good job with this. This is the first time I saw Bruce Lee's daughter play a significant role in a movie, and I must say I was impressed. Her acting showed good emotional content and her action sequences were well done. She plays a character who works for the mafia but ends up helping Antonio's character out. The body language between her and Sabato was good. I was disappointed that there was not more martial arts type action since I had seen Ms. Lee on Martial Law doing some impressive kicking and tai chi. Maybe her next movie will show off her martial arts talents more. Martial arts action pictures could certainly use a new female lead who can act as well as kick the bad guys. If you like a good action picture with gangsters, a handsome hero, and a beautiful heroine as well as an interesting plot then this movie is for you. Bruce Lee fans may also find it interesting because it is one of Shannon Lee's first appearances, but I expect we will see more of her in the future.

I don'tknow
Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. and Beeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not that bad
i'll give this movie a chance. it's quite enjoyable.

Oh...my...gosh.
It takes only a few minutes to see how awful this thing is. The film starts out with some jets involved in a high-speed, transcontinental race. Well, our hero pilot Grant (Antonio Sabato Jr.) decides that he needs to be refueled.

Have you ever seen a pit crew refuel a car out on the track during a NASCAR race? Nope...neither have I. It would be kinda dangerous I imagine. Well, Grant's jet gets refueled by another plane while they are in the direct flight path of the other racing jets. What happens? Duh...there is a horrible collision and three pilots (along with 11 spectators...huh?) end up dead. Nice move guys.

Perhaps the funniest, and most pathetic, event in the film happens a bit later. Several years have passed since the tragic jet race incident and we are listening to an executive of the network which had done a live broadcast of the race. The executive says...are you ready?...he says that the footage of the jets colliding during the race was the highest rated piece of news footage that they had shown during the past four years. Unbelievable!! Talk about a future world in which nothing exciting happens. Must be boring.

Other things to look for are a guy who is somehow making a coughing noise while his mouth isn't even moving. Also, a scene where a shirtless Sabato Jr. is about to put on a tank top. He picks it up but the camera changes angles and now it's nowhere to be seen. Then the camera changes angles again and he's pulling it over his head. Great editing!

Everything is bargain basement in this film except for the halfway decent acting. With a paper thin plot and awful effects, though, I strongly recommend not wasting your time watching this dreck. A final note...with no nudity and no graphic violence, I have no clue as to why this is rated R. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

High Voltage for DVD
Now this movie had bad acting, and bad music, but did it deliver on action ! The shootouts in this movie seem straight out of Hong Kong. If you want to see a "B" movie with "A" Quality shootouts then this is for you. ( When did Bruce Lee's daughter look so good)?

OKAY
I am a fan of Antonio's but I will speak frankly - this movie was cheesy. It was okay. It is always a thrill to see that hunk -- and an extra thrill to see his father (Good Lord! He is more built than his son! WOW!)-- but the movie was not very good. Sorry-- it's really only for hard core Antonio fans. What's with the marriage scene! That was lame! But overall it is okay.

Good action picture with a believable plot.
Antonio Sabato Jr. and Shannon Lee do a good and believable job of portraying bad guys being chased by the Vietamese mafia. The surprise appearance by the other Mr. Sabato was a nice touch. Both the leads do well enough with the brawling sequences that no standins were used for many scenes. This lets the camera show the characters faces and bodies while fighting and the crew of this film did a good job with this. This is the first time I saw Bruce Lee's daughter play a significant role in a movie, and I must say I was impressed. Her acting showed good emotional content and her action sequences were well done. She plays a character who works for the mafia but ends up helping Antonio's character out. The body language between her and Sabato was good. I was disappointed that there was not more martial arts type action since I had seen Ms. Lee on Martial Law doing some impressive kicking and tai chi. Maybe her next movie will show off her martial arts talents more. Martial arts action pictures could certainly use a new female lead who can act as well as kick the bad guys. If you like a good action picture with gangsters, a handsome hero, and a beautiful heroine as well as an interesting plot then this movie is for you. Bruce Lee fans may also find it interesting because it is one of Shannon Lee's first appearances, but I expect we will see more of her in the future.

I don'tknow
Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. and Beeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not that bad
i'll give this movie a chance. it's quite enjoyable.

Oh...my...gosh.
It takes only a few minutes to see how awful this thing is. The film starts out with some jets involved in a high-speed, transcontinental race. Well, our hero pilot Grant (Antonio Sabato Jr.) decides that he needs to be refueled.

Have you ever seen a pit crew refuel a car out on the track during a NASCAR race? Nope...neither have I. It would be kinda dangerous I imagine. Well, Grant's jet gets refueled by another plane while they are in the direct flight path of the other racing jets. What happens? Duh...there is a horrible collision and three pilots (along with 11 spectators...huh?) end up dead. Nice move guys.

Perhaps the funniest, and most pathetic, event in the film happens a bit later. Several years have passed since the tragic jet race incident and we are listening to an executive of the network which had done a live broadcast of the race. The executive says...are you ready?...he says that the footage of the jets colliding during the race was the highest rated piece of news footage that they had shown during the past four years. Unbelievable!! Talk about a future world in which nothing exciting happens. Must be boring.

Other things to look for are a guy who is somehow making a coughing noise while his mouth isn't even moving. Also, a scene where a shirtless Sabato Jr. is about to put on a tank top. He picks it up but the camera changes angles and now it's nowhere to be seen. Then the camera changes angles again and he's pulling it over his head. Great editing!

Everything is bargain basement in this film except for the halfway decent acting. With a paper thin plot and awful effects, though, I strongly recommend not wasting your time watching this dreck. A final note...with no nudity and no graphic violence, I have no clue as to why this is rated R. ... Read more