Barb Wire (5 Stars)

Barb Wire is often dismissed as a relic of 90's comic-book excess, yet it works surprisingly well as a pulpy celebration of girl power. Pamela Anderson's Barb stands at the centre of the chaos with a kind of swagger that leaves every man in the film looking slow, confused or hopelessly outmatched. The plot may swim in dystopian tropes, yet the film's energy comes from watching Barb outthink and outfight a line of men who underestimate her every step of the way.

Barb runs her nightclub, negotiates with corrupt officials and takes on mercenaries without waiting for help from anyone. The men around her posture and threaten, yet Barb treats them like minor obstacles. The film sets up a world in which men try to impose rules while Barb survives by ignoring those rules and doing things her own way. Every time a man tries to dominate the scene she shuts him down with either a sharp remark or a well-aimed shot. She never loses control.

The romance subplot exists only to underline her independence. Her former lover Axel believes he understands her, yet she consistently proves she does not need rescue or guidance. Their shared history matters only because it gives her another chance to demonstrate that she sees through the emotional games that slow everyone else down. Instead of melting into nostalgia she keeps her priorities clear and shows that strength can be both emotional and physical.

The action sequences reinforce this theme. Barb moves with confidence while her opponents stumble. The film delights in showing her as the most competent person in any room. Whether she is trading blows with hired muscle or navigating back-alley deals, she always comes out ahead. The men react to events while she shapes them.

As a film Barb Wire is messy at times, yet its core is a straightforward celebration of a woman who refuses limitations. It offers a heroine who is tougher, smarter and more decisive than every male character around her. For viewers who want stylised grit with a loud shot of girl power it still delivers.

Success Rate:  - 2.4

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Barb Wire (5 Stars)

Barb Wire arrived in 1996 as a glossy, chaotic mix of cyber-noir, comic book grit and B-movie bravado; over time it has settled into the kind of film that finds its audience late at night, often with a grin. Its reputation as a cult film rests on two pillars: its shamelessly pulpy style and the strange balance between sincerity and camp that runs through every scene. The tone wavers between self-aware parody and straight-faced action. That unevenness has helped the film survive long after the initial critical backlash. People return to it because it is bold, messy and entirely itself.

Pamela Anderson carries the film with a combination of deadpan toughness and deliberate glamour. Yet the real anchor of the story is Udo Kier as Curly. His performance is a master class in the art of supporting presence; he never tries to overshadow Anderson, but he shapes the emotional rhythm of every scene he enters. Kier has a gift for playing characters who seem to know more than they reveal. As Curly, he offers quiet loyalty mixed with wry resignation. He treats the absurdity around him with total seriousness. This gives the film a strange kind of credibility; when Kier looks worried, the stakes feel higher, even when the plot borders on cartoon logic.

Kier also provides the film with its most grounded emotional thread. Curly cares for Barb in a way that never slips into cliché. Instead, his loyalty feels like something built on years of shared struggle. The scenes between them play smoother and more natural than the larger political storyline; they give the film its heart. Kier communicates entire histories with small gestures and micro-expressions. In a film driven by spectacle, this subtlety stands out.

As a cult film, Barb Wire thrives on its contradictions. It is a loose reworking of Casablanca, yet it hides that influence behind neon lights, leather and explosions. It aims for sleek futurism, yet it feels like a time capsule of nineties aesthetics. It wants to be serious, yet it is most memorable when it leans into excess. These tensions create a viewing experience that rewards audiences who enjoy cinema that refuses to behave.

Over the years, midnight screenings and fan discussions have reframed the film as an example of accidental brilliance; its mixture of sincerity and camp makes it endlessly rewatchable. The costumes, the overheated dialogue, the pulpy action and the bold production design all contribute to the sense of a film that invites both laughter and admiration. At the centre of this strange world stands Udo Kier, giving a performance that elevates the entire project.

Originally labelled as a flawed blockbuster, Barb Wire's standing as a cult film has grown over the years. It showcases the power of character actors who treat even the wildest material with full commitment; it proves that audacity and personality can keep a film alive long after its initial release.

Success Rate:  - 2.4

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Barb Wire (5 Stars)

When I wrote about "Barb Wire" last Saturday I promised I would watch it again soon. It's unusual for me to keep the promises that I make in my blog. Or at least, I do keep my promises eventually. When I say I'll do something soon it can be any time between two years and five years.

The film was made in 1996 and predicted that within 20 years a second American Civil War would break out. This would lead to a Fascist organisation called the Congressional Directorate taking over most of the USA. I've always said that when a film is set in the future the year should be left vague. The director of this film didn't listen to me. It takes place in 2017, which is supposed to be in the future.

In this future world there's only one independent city left in America: Steel Harbour. The rest of the country is divided between the Congressional Directorate and the United Front. Both factions are present in Steel Harbour, but that doesn't mean there's peace. It means there is chaos. Crime and lawlessness are abundant, with everyone grabbing as much for himself as he can get. This is where Barbara Kopetski aka Barb Wire lives. She's a mercenary, selling her services to the highest bidder. She used to be a soldier for the United Front, but that was a long time ago. Now she just looks after herself.

Her loyalties to her old friends are put to the test when Steel Harbour becomes a front line in the war. Topeka, Kansas was wiped out in a test for a new biological weapon called Red Ribbon, a plague that kills its victims within 12 hours. The scientist responsible for the plague, Dr. Corrina Devonshire, has defected to the Resistance against the Congressional Directorate. She's injected herself with the antidote to the plague, so she's carrying the only known cure in her body. She wants to travel to Canada to present herself to the United Nations, but now she's in Steel Harbour and can only get out of the city with Barb Wire's help. Barb Wire would be reluctant to help a penniless idealist at the best of times, but Corrina is also married to her ex-lover.

The resulting film is a fast moving action adventure that lives up to the Dark Horse comics on which it's based. The main characters are all credible, nobody truly black or white, all of them varying shades of grey. We can feel sorry for those who fall by the wayside because they would rather save their own lives than do good. I can't guarantee that I'd be any different in circumstances like those.

I don't know how often this film is shown on television, if at all. All I can say is that it's a film worth seeing. When it was first released the critics and the viewing public were united in saying how bad it was. I don't care what the critics say, they rarely understand what the public likes. I'm disappointed with the public for not giving the film a chance. Many assumed it was bad because others told them it was bad, and they didn't check it out for themselves. It's time to reevaluate the film.

This was one of the first films about a female super-hero. It paved the way for future films like "Wonder Woman" and "Captain Marvel", but DC and Marvel needed 20 years to catch up.

Success Rate:  - 2.4

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Barb Wire (5 Stars)

It's difficult for me to understand why this film has never received the praise it deserves. It's one of the most faithful comic book adaptations ever. Pamela Anderson plays the part of the heartless mercenary Barb Wire as if she were born to play the role. Her excellent acting makes up for all the criticism she received for her years in "Baywatch". She has everything that it takes to be an action hero. It's possible that a stunt woman stood in for her in some scenes, but in most scenes the camera is close enough to make it clear that she's doing everything herself. The supporting characters are also so strong that the viewer can immerse himself in the chaos of a future American fascist state.

My first thought after watching "Barb Wire" today was "Wow! I've got to watch it again soon". Maybe next week, maybe the week after, but it has to be soon. However many films I may currently have on my list, it deserves repeated viewing. I'll try to write more about it next time.

Success Rate:  - 2.4

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Borat (5 Stars)

This is the funniest film I've ever seen. The humour is so twisted and so inappropriate, it's indescribable.

The film has a plot that links the sketches together, although I have to say that a film this funny doesn't need a plot. Borat Sagdiyev, a television reporter from Kazakhstan, is sent to America to find out about American culture by interviewing people. He should have stayed in New York, but after seeing Pamela Anderson in a Baywatch re-run on television he's so overwhelmed by her virginal beauty that he travels to California to meet her. The film then takes on the characteristic of a road trip with interviews taking place along the way.

The only scripted actors are Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat, Ken Davitian as his co-worker Azamat, Luenell as a prostitute and Pamela Anderson as herself. Everyone else that we see in America is an unknowing, unprepared extra. They're either people who were hired to give the fake interviews or members of the public who just happened to get in the way while the film was being made. Needless to say, there were many court cases due to people not liking the way they were made to look stupid in the film. I don't know how many, if any, of the cases were successful.

There's a newspaper article about Borat's trip to America. I don't speak Russian. Can anyone translate it for me? Nevertheless, even without understanding Russian I can see that the last two paragraphs in the first column are repeated. If you don't believe me, click on the photo to enlarge it. That's sloppy.

Success Rate:  + 12.6

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Barb Wire (5 Stars)

When Pamela Anderson applied for the lead role in "Barb Wire" her agents tried to talk her out of it. They said that the film didn't fit her image. She replied by saying that "Baywatch" didn't fit her image. She saw herself as an action hero.

"Barb Wire" was a comic published by Dark Horse that initially ran for nine issues in 1994-1995. I read it at the time, but I can only vaguely remember the story. 20 years is a long time. It was one of the better comics published by an independent comic company. I was excited when I heard that there would be a Barb Wire film, but I was apprehensive when I heard it would star Pamela Anderson. She wasn't someone I would have associated with a super-hero film. I shouldn't have worried. She fitted the film perfectly. I don't know her well enough to say whether she's a good actress or not. I hardly ever watched "Baywatch", because it was insipid to me. All I can say about her is that she plays the role of Barbara Kopetski aka Barb Wire perfectly, possibly because she's playing herself. She's a mean bitch throughout the film. Anyone who pays attention to my blog knows that that's a compliment.

Shortly after the film's release there was a four-part mini-series about Barb Wire. It's obvious that the character was now visually based on Pamela Anderson.

Now to the story itself. In the distant future there's been a Second Civil War in America that has put a fascist dictatorship called the Congressional Directorate in power. The "far distant future" is the year 2017. I suppose that 2017 seemed far distant when the film was made in 1996. I keep telling people that films set in the future shouldn't specify a year, but nobody ever listens to me. Anyway, there's only one independent city left in America, Steel City, which seems to represent Detroit. Barb Wire used to be a soldier fighting against the Congressional Directorate, but now she's retired and has become a mercenary, working for whichever side pays the most. She owns a nightclub called the Hammerhead, but at night she rides the streets on her motorcycle, guns blazing. All men desire her, which makes it easy for her to kill them.

A resistance fighter called Cora Devonshire has entered Steel City and is trying to escape to Canada. She's carrying an antidote for a biological weapon that the Congressional Directorate has been using to wipe out millions of people. She appeals to Barb Wire for help, but she doesn't have enough money to hire her services. Cora is now married to Alex Hood, Barb Wire's ex lover, which makes the situation even more difficult to solve.

Would you mess with a woman with a face like that? I wouldn't be looking at her face.

The film is campy with over-the-top action, but it's a perfect super-hero film with excellent performances by the main actors. It seems to me that the biggest critics of the film are people who've never seen it. They don't want to watch it because they're put off by Pamela Anderson's image, the very image that she says isn't her. Watch the film with an open mind, forgetting for a moment who Pamela Anderson is. You'll be dazed by the action. You'll be shocked by Barb Wire's icy personality. You'll love the film and you'll be begging for a sequel.

There really should have been a sequel 20 years ago, but the film did badly financially. Too few people gave it a chance. If a sequel is made today they'll have to find a new actress for the lead role, and it's difficult to think of anyone who can step into Pamela Anderson's shoes.

Roger Ebert made the interesting comment, "The filmmakers must have known they were not making a good movie, but they didn't use that as an excuse to be boring and lazy. 'Barb Wire' has a high energy level and a sense of deranged fun". That's a statement I had to read a few times to properly understand what he meant, but I agree with it. "Barb Wire" has high energy and deranged fun. That's all a film needs to make me like it.

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Baywatch (4 Stars)

I can't remember exactly when I first saw the TV series "Baywatch". I vaguely remember seeing pictures of sexy looking girls in red swimming costumes which made me curious. That was in the ancient times before there was Internet, so I wasn't able to find out much about it. Finally I saw a couple of episodes on television, but I found the story so stupid that not even the sexual titillation of Pamela Anderson in a skin tight bathing suit could retain my attention. A couple of years later I heard that Carmen Electra would join the series, and I was a big Carmen Electra fan at the time, so I gave it another chance. I watched a few more episodes before giving up again.

What was so bad about the series? It was so shallow. It took place in an artificial world in which people's only purpose in life was to look good. David Hasselhoff annoyed me the most as the head lifeguard, Mitch Buchannon. Something about his silky smooth personality mixed with a touch of heartbreak rubbed me up the wrong way. Not just me. By this time, the late 1990's, I had an Internet connection, and it was common for people to express their hatred for David Hasselhoff. I joined in the heckling.

A few years later, round about 2005, David Hasselhoff appeared on Jonathan Ross's talk show. It was amazing. When he walked on the audience booed and hissed. David ignored the audience reaction and chatted normally with Jonathan Ross. It wasn't so much what he said, it was his attitude. His jovial personality won over the audience, and by the end of the show they were cheering for him. I was cheering as well. What a great guy! I still didn't like the series, but I'd become a David Hasselhoff fan.

I didn't intend to watch the film, but I watched the trailers, and it became apparent to me that the film would be a parody, making fun of the series. I've been a fan of Dwayne Johnson (the Rock) since "San Andreas" (I didn't like his earlier films), which was another reason to go.

I was laughing from the beginning of the film. The half a dozen episodes I'd seen of the series were enough for me to understand the brunt of the jokes. The film had some action as well, which I found unconvincing, but I didn't care. For me the film was all about the comedy. I enjoyed it greatly, and I can recommend it to anyone who hates the TV series.

Of course, all potential lifeguards must be carefully inspected. The new girl, Kelly Rohrbach, is given full marks by an unbiased connoisseur of the female form.

Barb Wire (4½ Stars)

A lot of people have dismissed "Barb Wire" without even watching it "because it stars that blonde bimbo from Baywatch". Give it a try. This is a high quality action film, and it shows that Pamela Anderson can be a good actress.

10 years ago this was one of my favourite films. I don't rate it quite as highly now. I think that I watched it too often. I've bought more copies of this film than any other film. I loved it after I first rented it from Blockbuster, way back in 1998, so it was one of the very few videotapes that I actually bought. I just found a list on my computer, though I gave away most of the tapes years ago. The list is in alphabetical order, which is convenient because it puts "Barb Wire" first.

• Barb Wire
  
• Children of the Korn
  
• Fatal Attraction
  
• Forrest Gump
  
• Hearts in Atlantis
  
• It
  
• Lord of the Dance
  
• Naked Souls
  
• Orgazmo
  
• Pretty Woman
  
• Shakespeare in Love
  
• Sound of Music
  
• Titanic
  
• Tommyknockers

Only 14. Not many. But I had hundreds of tapes that I recorded myself from television broadcasts. I never really liked videotapes much. They were so big and clunky. There was also the factor that my home-made tapes recorded from television were better quality than the prerecorded tapes I bought. This might seem strange, but it's logical really. I recorded my tapes lovingly, whereas the prerecorded tapes were mass produced. Videotapes were a poor technology overall. I was glad when DVDs were invented. I didn't buy DVDs straight away because the players were too expensive. I waited until I could find a player under £50 (approx $75), which was in summer 2003. The first few DVDs I bought cost about £10 ($15), and some were as much as £15, but the prices steadily dropped. Last year I was paying £3 or less for DVDs, but the price is closer to £4 this year.

When I got my first DVD player I quickly bought all my favourite films on DVD, with the intention of retiring my VCR as soon as possible. I should have waited longer, I bought them while they were still expensive. The only film that took a long time for me to find on DVD was "The Paperboy". At the time it wasn't available on DVD at all, but in 2009 it was released in Greece. Since then it's also been released in Australia.

"Barb Wire" was also a problem, which is why I bought it more than once. It wasn't available in England, so I bought it from Germany. Unfortunately it was a shortened version of the film, only 94 minutes. So I bought the American release, which was the full 100 minutes. A few years later it was released in England, and since it only cost £3 I picked up a copy. It's 98 minutes long, but I can't see what's different to the American release.

One videotape and three DVDs of the same film should be enough, but last week I saw a copy of "Barb Wire" on Blu-ray for £2.95 and couldn't resist. Now I have five copies of the film, I must be crazy! Is the Blu-ray worth it? Well, the picture is crisp, slightly better quality than the DVD. At 98 minutes it's identical to the English DVD release. But it has no extras at all. The American and German DVDs both contain an extended dance sequence as an extra feature. The German DVD also contains a "Behind the Scenes" feature missing from the other DVDs. The American DVD contains an alternative full screen version as an extra, which I wouldn't normally bother with, but it works well for "Barb Wire" since all the action takes place in the centre of the screen. The Blu-ray has nothing. No extras whatsoever. Even worse, when I was clicking through the option menus I found a place where the Blu-ray got stuck. A faulty menu with no way out, other than ejecting the disc and starting again. I guess the Blu-ray is okay, but if you already have the film on DVD you don't need it.

Borat (5 Stars)

There are very few films that can make me laugh out loud when I watch them. Especially not the third or fourth time. I forget how often I've watched this film. It's sheer brilliance. It's probably the funniest film I've ever seen. I like it even more than the other two films in the Ali G trilogy, "Ali G in da House" and "Bruno".

The original concept of Ali G was a character created in 1998 by the British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Ali G appeared as a stereotypical undereducated British Jamaican. He interviewed leading personalities from the world of business, politics and religion, shocking them by making politically incorrect statements. He also preyed on them, tricking them into agreeing with his views. This concept only worked for a few years, for as long as Ali G was unknown. In 2003 he made a new television series in America, where he was still unknown and could fool people once more.

Due to Ali G becoming well known, Cohen created two new characters. One was Borat, an anti-semitic news reporter from Kazakhstan. The other was Bruno, a gay Austrian fashion expert. They both first appeared in the "Ali G Show" before carrying on to star in their own films.

The film "Borat" shows the character travelling to America to find out about American culture and how it can help the people of Kazakhstan. The full name of the film is actually "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". It follows the pattern of a simpleton mocking those he meets.

The film was a big success in America and the rest of the world, but it also had a lot of problems. Most of the people who appear in the film weren't informed that they were being filmed, and they were shocked to see themselves being made fools of on the big screen. The government of Kazakhstan also made an official complaint, stating that its country is not fairly represented.

The official film trailer doesn't do it justice, but watch it anyway. This is a film that everyone should watch.