Movies
The Crow
The comic-book fantasy during the filming of which Brandon (son of Bruce) Lee was shot to death with a prop pistol. We have been assured that the fatal accident has been left out of the final cut, but that doesn't eliminate the ghoulishness of the thing. It's an essential element of the character, Eric Draven (rhymes with raven, synonym for crow), that he stands still for getting riddled with bullets: they can't stop him. That's because he is already dead (riddled with bullets), and has risen from the grave to avenge himself on a gang of low-rent, overmatched bad guys. For the purpose, he has done himself up to look like a cross between early Alice Cooper and Jack Nicholson's The Joker, though the accompanying music-video visuals tend to tip the scales toward the former. Underneath all that makeup, and amid all those pyrotechnics, he could be almost anybody. It was not a part, as the saying goes, to die for. With Ernie Hudson and Michael Wincott; directed by Alex Proyas. 1994.
Reader Rating:
MPAA Rating: R
When the first Crow comic books came out in 1989, I was working at Comics Etc in Mira Mesa - I was so impressed with the first two issues that I recommended the series to virtually EVERYone who wandered into the shop for awhile.
Then came the 1994 movie with Brandon Lee - I liked it, tho it was a somewhat different animal from the comics, far more goth and much less introspective, with very little insight into the Crow's own thoughts and motivations, other than kill-em-all revenge.
The 1996 sequel Crow: City of Angels is almost unwatchable, save for Iggy Pop's scenes.
2001's Crow Salvation went direct to video - 'nuff said, other than maybe "eewww."
I just watched The Crow: Wicked Prayer, from 2005, and it made me downright angry. The guy who played Angel on Buffy tries to raise a devil, helped by Tara Reid?! A disgraceful movie that attempts a Native American angle on the Crow mythos, good for little more than peeing on the Crow's early legacy.
I've also seen a promo trailer for a Crow movie by Rob Zombie that apparently never got beyond the trailer, Crow of the Future or some such sci-fi nonsense --- rapper DMX also apparently planned to do a Rappin' Crow movie at one point, but wiser heads finally realized "Everything this guy does sucks."
As for the Crow TV show, well, the Crow has a cop buddy who needs the Crow's help in solving crimes. I s*** thee not.
Please, everyone - stop f***ing with the Crow!
By jayallen 1:36 p.m., Nov 27, 2009 > Report it
best soundtrack ever.. well maybe not ever, but it's pretty damn good.
By tikicult 1:56 p.m., Nov 30, 2009 > Report it
Lost Boys and Queen of the Damned had pretty great goth-centered soundtracks too. But one of the all-time greatest, IMO, is the Heavy Metal cartoon soundtrack, with lots of tunes done specifically for the film and unavailable elsewhere. Too bad it was all the music ownership rights that held up a Heavy Metal DVD release for years ----
By jayallen 2:37 p.m., Nov 30, 2009 > Report it