"Nemesis", "Death Machine" (1994), "Screamers" (1995), "Hardware" (1990), "Johnny Mnemonic" (1995)...Rewatching these films now, you realize how much more interesting they are than many modern science fiction films in terms of production, plot and acting.
True... BUT, you do NOT make a SF movie heavy on special effects if they look like you're pulling them out of your ass. I wouldn't mind seeing all those movies with just their effects updated (the CGI at least).
@@4Everlast Outdated special effects won't ruin a good movie, they just add some charm. In fairness, I wouldn't mind watching a modern version of "Inquest of Pilot Pirx" (1979)
My pop used to randomly leave a vcr recording overnight to catch random movies in the late 90’s on Showtime. This was one of the movies he caught. It was actually pretty damn good. The scene the old lady had my younger brother, myself and my parents dying. Apparently there was a sequel. But it looked like trash.
I feel like I've seen almost every 80's/90's sci-fi/horror/action flick in existence. There are sooooo many dope movies out there that people today haven't heard of. They got really creative and really weird back in the day!
True hidden gem I was lucky to find at blockbuster in the 90’s. I’ve had it downloaded on my iPhone since it was first available on itunes. Absolutely love this movie! Forgot to include Cary Hiroyuki tagawa and Thomas Jane were in this movie. Justifying my love of this movie earns you a sub and a like! Thank you!
I've seen it. I was there, last millennium. Somehow it never popped up in my mind, when I was thinking about Cyberpunk. That space was more occupied with "Free Jack", "Death Machine", "M.a.r.k. 13/Hardware", "Johnny Mnemonic" and even "Hackers", which is a shame. It's certainly cyberpunk and way better than some of the movies I mentioned.
I remember seeing this movie as a kid with my dad and brothers,,,,, Saturday movie night,,, we always rented two movies that day,,,,, it was fun to watch,,,, thanks for bringing this one up to share with everyone from cinema sci-fi history's archives....
Nemesis is OUSTANDING!! And like the Gentleman under this comment mentioned Death Machine is CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED!! I own both on physical media ! Both vhs and digital!
I have seen this on VHS from Blockbuster back in the day. The camera work during some of the gunfights, with the camera way back while both sides firing at each other... loved it.
Great analysis, and a great movie. We lost the director recently, Albert Pyun, who also directed the amazing Cyborg. It is a shame he was not celebrated enough!
I remember enjoying this; even one of the exchanges, simple as it might be, stuck with me: "You're a cyborg, why aren't _you_ siding with them?" "They're wrong" "..that's it?" "isn't that enough?"
I was in high school when this film came out, and it was a staple of my late night cable TV experience at the time. Is it a great film? No, but it's definitely a fun one! It's really cool to see what a lot of the folks that worked on the original Terminator could do a few years later with a much more limited budget, and Albert Pyun (RIP) really made the most out of what he had. Definitely one worth checking out if you're a Cyberpunk fan. Not so sure about the sequels, though.
Thanks, I’ll have to check it out. I’ve meant to rewatch Cyborg for over 30 years and now is the best time to explore old movies since Hollywood’s in the toilet.
I have seen it, and remember being thoroughly impressed by it. I also think while it wasn't a huge hit at the time, a lot of action movie makers definitely saw it and were equally impressed.
Albert Pyun always managed to make his movies look cool and stylish allthough the budget was often rather low. Nemesis was quiet a vhs store hit back then, and it easily manages to stand out of really cheap and trashy productions of that era. Those handmade special FX, tons of nice explosions plus superb sets and locations and cool characters still deliver today.
holy crap. These gun fights are really cool lol. That spray action black market shotgun lmao, then sliding down on his back while firing them two pistols.
I definitely saw this movie. In fact I saw it when it first came out. Didn't like the sequels but I love this movie it is a guilty pleasure.... It's way better than it should be. And I love the gritty cyberpunk element to it.
I've loved this movie since I first saw it in the 1990s on VHS. Here's a fun fact that I didn't catch until I rewatched it on TubiTV the other night, even though I've seen this movie maybe 5 or 6 times: Thomas Jane is in it credited as Tom Janes. Yup, the Punisher, Detective Miller, is in to as Billy Moon and spends the entire time in his birthday suit. I had an "ahaaa" moment the other night just because of an expression on his face and I knew it was baby Thomas Jane.
I don't know. The part where the bad guys with ludicrously large guns enter the room by machine-gunning door-shaped holes in the wall, and the hero escapes by machine-gunning a hole in the floor and falling through it (multiple times, through multiple floors of a multi-storey building)...I videotaped that scene when I was a kid, and used to literally rofl watching it.
Ran into Grunner around 2000 in LA in a restaurant. Well, in the john of the restaurant. :) Brought up this flick and a couple of others. Was a real nice guy. When Expendables came out I was suprised and disappointed that he wasn't included. Nemesis is probably the best Grunner flick and definitely my fave of his. Fun stuff
I've seen it. It has a weird tone of voice but somehow it's ambiance fascinates me. It's cheesy, weird a-tonal, derivative but somehow it worked for me... Also: all the b-movie stars!
Yeah, seen it as a kid. Watched it a few times and I really liked it then. Lotsa action, good effects, even some T&A :) Another one I'd recommend is Eliminators, 1986.
For the "bullet cam". My guess is that the set up a wire a couple of meters above the window. And made a rig that hung down equal amount of metersfrom the wire. On that rig, you put the camera with the oversized bullet mounted in front of the lens so it could catch all the reflections and everything. And while 35mm cameras were big. I reckon this shot was probably filmed with a tiny "crash cam". No sound proof blimp maybe even a wind up 30 clockwork mechanism. They were cheaply built with cheap lenses, and got their name as they were literally built to just smash into things in car stunts and the like.
I haven't seen this movie in about thirty years. My friends and I really liked and yes it had surprisingly good special effects for an early 90's B movie. Oliver Gruner in the Nineties was the low budget (but still great) version of JCVD.
Draws heavily on "Neuromancer" and its sequel "Count Zero" for most of its sci-fi elements and on the Van Damme school of acting. Also Thomas Jane's first movie role. Just wacky enough to be fun.
They ran all the '90s and early '00s b-movies on telly in my country when I was a kid, so I probably watched all the Olivier Gruner, Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Gary Daniels movies.
Nemesis is one of my favourite films, rented it for something to watch when it was a new release. I promptly returned it, and re-rented it so I could watch it a few more times, hooked up a second VCR so I could copy it, and watched that on the regular. Years later I eBayed the DVD, and I got to enjoy it again in better quality. And then there were the sequels, awful. Nemesis sequels in name only. Pyun as of a few years ago had something of a remake in the works, saw a couple of short sequences, enough to make me think that's why you shouldn't mess with a classic. Terrible CGI added in to the original footage. And apparently he pulled a Borat, and didn't pay the locals cast as extras. I don't think they've forgotten. Deborah Shelton's boobs, too.
I watched this a few days ago but I feel as though I should watch it again. I had watched Strange Days (1995) right after and completely blew me away to which Nemesis pales in comparison
Not only have I seen it, I own it on DVD, with the original voiceover by Marjorie Monaghan. Her sultry narration adds so much to the film. Nothing against Olivier Gruner,it just makes it feel more noir and cyberpunky than straight up action,
"Nemesis" is Pyun's best movie, imo. It's great... and the guys from "Underworld" clearly liked the floor scene shown in the video. 😉 Unfortunately the 4 "Nemesis" sequels only get worse and worse...
Great Job summarizing this film! You should really check out the amazing 1993 film "Knights" starring Kris Kristofferson and Kathy Long! It is a fun film!
The DVD I watched in the mid 00s must have been in awful quality (and maybe edited?) because this looks so much better than my memories of it, time to find it in HD.
I first saw it in the mid '90s. If Tim Thomerson was in a movie, or if Albert Pyun directed it, I probably watched it around that time. Did you ever see Gunhed (1989)? 0:17 THAT is a proper McMillan Tilt. Probably the only time we've ever seen it done right in a movie ever. It's a niche technique, but it does serve a purpose. Also, he's doing it left-handed. Westpaw shootists, represent! 1:24 Breaking Bad? Don't you mean Sam Raimi? 2:45 How many other cyborg movies have had THAT?! Thinking about it now, I wonder if it was a clever homage to Gunhed. Get it? Gun...head? 5:06 Why would you punch a machine, though? Is what I've never understood. Makes even less sense than punching a zombie. Even if you, yourself, have bionic hands. You'd also need bionic and bionic muscles, along with a spike at the end of your fist, to have any hope of penetrating your opponent's armor that way. 5:20 'The Fifth Element' cast Brion James against type and made him a "reasonable authority figure."
@@Madmax-rz5hz Yeah, I saw what Pyun was going for, but it didn't work for me. But good for you. I watched a few Pyun movies a few weeks ago - Knights, Heatseeker and Adrenalin: Fear the Rush - and they reminded me of the time they came out... when I got them from my local videostore: Not very good, but entertaining... They just don't make 'em like that anymore nowadays.
Saw this when it first hit video rental in the 90's and thought it was great for a high end B movie take on cyberpunk. Would have loved to see a sequel to it.
The shot on the bullet is actually taken from the Soviet version of war and peace. Its just a camera mounted on a flying fox with some kind of bullet prop stuck in front of the lens.
"Nemesis", "Death Machine" (1994), "Screamers" (1995), "Hardware" (1990), "Johnny Mnemonic" (1995)...Rewatching these films now, you realize how much more interesting they are than many modern science fiction films in terms of production, plot and acting.
True... BUT, you do NOT make a SF movie heavy on special effects if they look like you're pulling them out of your ass. I wouldn't mind seeing all those movies with just their effects updated (the CGI at least).
@@4Everlast Outdated special effects won't ruin a good movie, they just add some charm.
In fairness, I wouldn't mind watching a modern version of "Inquest of Pilot Pirx" (1979)
Goddamn DEATH MACHINE IS F-IGN AMAZING!!!
Hardware is one of my all time favourites.
Fortress 1992. (C.Lambert) comes to mind.
My pop used to randomly leave a vcr recording overnight to catch random movies in the late 90’s on Showtime. This was one of the movies he caught. It was actually pretty damn good. The scene the old lady had my younger brother, myself and my parents dying. Apparently there was a sequel. But it looked like trash.
In the mid to late 90's I rented Nemesis at least 3 times a month. One of my guilty pleasures.
I am lucky to have watched this when I was a kid.
I was in high school when I saw this, in ALL of it's VHS glory!!!
Me too! I absolutely LOVE this film!
Same. I was 13 when I saw it on Showtime. Loved it ever since. A true cyberpunk noir classic.
I feel like I've seen almost every 80's/90's sci-fi/horror/action flick in existence. There are sooooo many dope movies out there that people today haven't heard of. They got really creative and really weird back in the day!
True hidden gem I was lucky to find at blockbuster in the 90’s. I’ve had it downloaded on my iPhone since it was first available on itunes. Absolutely love this movie! Forgot to include Cary Hiroyuki tagawa and Thomas Jane were in this movie. Justifying my love of this movie earns you a sub and a like! Thank you!
One of the few DVDs I still own, and one I have more pride for having than the special editions of many newer movies.
I've seen it. I was there, last millennium. Somehow it never popped up in my mind, when I was thinking about Cyberpunk. That space was more occupied with "Free Jack", "Death Machine", "M.a.r.k. 13/Hardware", "Johnny Mnemonic" and even "Hackers", which is a shame. It's certainly cyberpunk and way better than some of the movies I mentioned.
This Sci Fi movie is most definitely criminally underrated. I miss the 90s my childhood
I remember seeing this movie as a kid with my dad and brothers,,,,, Saturday movie night,,, we always rented two movies that day,,,,, it was fun to watch,,,, thanks for bringing this one up to share with everyone from cinema sci-fi history's archives....
Nemesis is OUSTANDING!! And like the Gentleman under this comment mentioned Death Machine is CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED!! I own both on physical media ! Both vhs and digital!
Bro my hat off to you for having good taste in this film.
The whole feel of what it was going for is something you cant find in new movies these days.
Thank you for The Suggestion, Sir. I will check it out.
Love this movie. one of my all time favorite underrated actioners along with "I come in Peace," and "The Hidden."
Recently watched I come in peace. Been forever, still stands up. Great flick
I have seen this on VHS from Blockbuster back in the day. The camera work during some of the gunfights, with the camera way back while both sides firing at each other... loved it.
I couldn’t get enough of this movie. I watched it in 1993 and adored it.
Great analysis, and a great movie. We lost the director recently, Albert Pyun, who also directed the amazing Cyborg. It is a shame he was not celebrated enough!
I remember enjoying this; even one of the exchanges, simple as it might be, stuck with me:
"You're a cyborg, why aren't _you_ siding with them?"
"They're wrong"
"..that's it?"
"isn't that enough?"
I was in high school when this film came out, and it was a staple of my late night cable TV experience at the time. Is it a great film? No, but it's definitely a fun one! It's really cool to see what a lot of the folks that worked on the original Terminator could do a few years later with a much more limited budget, and Albert Pyun (RIP) really made the most out of what he had. Definitely one worth checking out if you're a Cyberpunk fan. Not so sure about the sequels, though.
This (Nemesis), and Salute of the Jugger are two of my all time favorite movies.
Forgot Salute of The Jugger, what a film!
Thanks, I’ll have to check it out. I’ve meant to rewatch Cyborg for over 30 years and now is the best time to explore old movies since Hollywood’s in the toilet.
Brilliant and love it! The sequels are interesting to. Always loved the philosophical side of it too.
I have seen it, and remember being thoroughly impressed by it.
I also think while it wasn't a huge hit at the time, a lot of action movie makers definitely saw it and were equally impressed.
Albert Pyun always managed to make his movies look cool and stylish allthough the budget was often rather low. Nemesis was quiet a vhs store hit back then, and it easily manages to stand out of really cheap and trashy productions of that era. Those handmade special FX, tons of nice explosions plus superb sets and locations and cool characters still deliver today.
the original VHS cover was really cool.
As you probably know, the shooting a circle in the ground to escape bad guys thing also happened in the first Underworld movie, which came out 2003.
Saw this on VHS as a kid, thought it was an awesome flick then, so tempted to go find it on DVD/ Streaming for a rewatch.
Crime Zone from 89 is another decent Cyberpunk/Dystopian B movie.
The one with David Carradine in it?
Memory unlocked
I haven't heard of this movie since I watched it on the 90's on my mom's VHS tape. Subbed just for that.
holy crap. These gun fights are really cool lol. That spray action black market shotgun lmao, then sliding down on his back while firing them two pistols.
I definitely saw this movie. In fact I saw it when it first came out. Didn't like the sequels but I love this movie it is a guilty pleasure.... It's way better than it should be. And I love the gritty cyberpunk element to it.
It honestly looks like a cyberpunk movie directed by late 80s John Woo at points. Definitely underrated.
I've loved this movie since I first saw it in the 1990s on VHS. Here's a fun fact that I didn't catch until I rewatched it on TubiTV the other night, even though I've seen this movie maybe 5 or 6 times: Thomas Jane is in it credited as Tom Janes. Yup, the Punisher, Detective Miller, is in to as Billy Moon and spends the entire time in his birthday suit. I had an "ahaaa" moment the other night just because of an expression on his face and I knew it was baby Thomas Jane.
I don't know. The part where the bad guys with ludicrously large guns enter the room by machine-gunning door-shaped holes in the wall, and the hero escapes by machine-gunning a hole in the floor and falling through it (multiple times, through multiple floors of a multi-storey building)...I videotaped that scene when I was a kid, and used to literally rofl watching it.
The plotline of a cyborg hunting down cyborg terrorists reminds me of Ghost in the Shell.
I'll still give Nemesis a watch.
Thank you! Im like the only person I know who has seen this movie and I love it! Nearly all of Pyun’s films are energetic and amazingly fun!
Ran into Grunner around 2000 in LA in a restaurant. Well, in the john of the restaurant. :)
Brought up this flick and a couple of others. Was a real nice guy. When Expendables came out I was suprised and disappointed that he wasn't included.
Nemesis is probably the best Grunner flick and definitely my fave of his.
Fun stuff
A true video store classic.
I've seen it. It has a weird tone of voice but somehow it's ambiance fascinates me. It's cheesy, weird a-tonal, derivative but somehow it worked for me... Also: all the b-movie stars!
Thanks
I love Nemesis 1-4!
You Bet Wrong!! i did see it and Also loved it, and Totally agree it's WAY too under rated. :)
Yeah, seen it as a kid. Watched it a few times and I really liked it then. Lotsa action, good effects, even some T&A :)
Another one I'd recommend is Eliminators, 1986.
I recently watched this little GEM. It's a must for all cyberpunk enthusiasts :D
On of the best old school sc fi movies!
For the "bullet cam".
My guess is that the set up a wire a couple of meters above the window. And made a rig that hung down equal amount of metersfrom the wire. On that rig, you put the camera with the oversized bullet mounted in front of the lens so it could catch all the reflections and everything.
And while 35mm cameras were big. I reckon this shot was probably filmed with a tiny "crash cam". No sound proof blimp maybe even a wind up 30 clockwork mechanism. They were cheaply built with cheap lenses, and got their name as they were literally built to just smash into things in car stunts and the like.
loved this movie! Growing up this movie was the first one screen boobs I ever saw, so it will always have a special spot in my mind.
The macnhinations of the plot are rather nonsensical and convoluted but goddamn, Pyun was a visionary with low budget spectacle.
I agree, this was one cool movie. Also, that bullet chase was filmed by sliding camera on a rope structure
I haven't seen this movie in about thirty years. My friends and I really liked and yes it had surprisingly good special effects for an early 90's B movie.
Oliver Gruner in the Nineties was the low budget (but still great) version of JCVD.
One of the best core cyberpunk movie along with Nirvana
Joke's on you.
I saw it and it was one of my favourite movies as a kid. 😄
Draws heavily on "Neuromancer" and its sequel "Count Zero" for most of its sci-fi elements and on the Van Damme school of acting. Also Thomas Jane's first movie role.
Just wacky enough to be fun.
They ran all the '90s and early '00s b-movies on telly in my country when I was a kid, so I probably watched all the Olivier Gruner, Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Gary Daniels movies.
Always wondered when someone would remember this gem. 😎 Olivier Gruner did some nice action movies in that decade.
You can get it on dvd. Loved this when i first saw it. This and the 'Cyborg Cop' films.
Nemesis is one of my favourite films, rented it for something to watch when it was a new release. I promptly returned it, and re-rented it so I could watch it a few more times, hooked up a second VCR so I could copy it, and watched that on the regular. Years later I eBayed the DVD, and I got to enjoy it again in better quality.
And then there were the sequels, awful. Nemesis sequels in name only.
Pyun as of a few years ago had something of a remake in the works, saw a couple of short sequences, enough to make me think that's why you shouldn't mess with a classic. Terrible CGI added in to the original footage.
And apparently he pulled a Borat, and didn't pay the locals cast as extras. I don't think they've forgotten.
Deborah Shelton's boobs, too.
I saw it on VHS back in the day.
There are a lot of movies even earlier on VHS that i think were overlooked, lost to time, and taperot.
I watched this several times on the 90s. It was a fun movie and as cyberpunk as it gets.
I watched this a few days ago but I feel as though I should watch it again. I had watched Strange Days (1995) right after and completely blew me away to which Nemesis pales in comparison
Not only have I seen it, I own it on DVD, with the original voiceover by Marjorie Monaghan. Her sultry narration adds so much to the film. Nothing against Olivier Gruner,it just makes it feel more noir and cyberpunky than straight up action,
"Nemesis" is Pyun's best movie, imo. It's great... and the guys from "Underworld" clearly liked the floor scene shown in the video. 😉 Unfortunately the 4 "Nemesis" sequels only get worse and worse...
Great Job summarizing this film!
You should really check out the amazing 1993 film "Knights" starring Kris Kristofferson and Kathy Long! It is a fun film!
Agreed. How about "Future Kill"? It's ultra low budget, but personifies cyberpunk to the limit. Check it out you might find it interesting.
sick rec bro, new sub.
The DVD I watched in the mid 00s must have been in awful quality (and maybe edited?) because this looks so much better than my memories of it, time to find it in HD.
The weapons need to be powerfull, otherwise it only tickles the cyborgs & they just walk it off
I first saw it in the mid '90s. If Tim Thomerson was in a movie, or if Albert Pyun directed it, I probably watched it around that time. Did you ever see Gunhed (1989)?
0:17 THAT is a proper McMillan Tilt. Probably the only time we've ever seen it done right in a movie ever. It's a niche technique, but it does serve a purpose. Also, he's doing it left-handed. Westpaw shootists, represent!
1:24 Breaking Bad? Don't you mean Sam Raimi?
2:45 How many other cyborg movies have had THAT?! Thinking about it now, I wonder if it was a clever homage to Gunhed. Get it? Gun...head?
5:06 Why would you punch a machine, though? Is what I've never understood. Makes even less sense than punching a zombie. Even if you, yourself, have bionic hands. You'd also need bionic and bionic muscles, along with a spike at the end of your fist, to have any hope of penetrating your opponent's armor that way.
5:20 'The Fifth Element' cast Brion James against type and made him a "reasonable authority figure."
Great one. Pyun was a mad genius. Not sure what happened with the sequels
State of the art Alex!
This looks dope. Apparently there were at least four sequels available on TUBI right now. Gonna have to check this out later.
Been a fan since it originally came out. Have probably seen it 5 or 6 times. I own a copy. Definitely recommend.
I remember the VHS cover of this in the video store more than the movie
Way better than Cyborg which was an unpopular opinion back then.
Thanks for this insightful and informative review, cheers.
Nemesis is a great movie. RIP Albert Pyun.
One of my top ten movies!
Nemesis 4: Death Angel is rare af and really good.
Saw it in the theater. Cool looking movie.
Tim Thomerson, Bryon James, how did I miss this one? Oh that's right, I was out drinking practically every night from 1989 - 1997.
To this day, I am still looking where to find those sick-looking Matsuda sunglasses.
I watched this back then, on a bad VHS tape in black and white translated on the fly, like almost all the bootleg movies in those years used to be.
It's one of my favorites. Love it!
Saw it on VHS, owned the VHS, and now own the DVD. And then there is Deborah Shelton......
I seen this because of my pops back in the 90s
Oh I saw it. We all talked shit about how UNDERWORLD totes ripped off the drill a hole in the floor with guns move out of NEMESIS.
Ikr! This is the 1st movie to ever do that.
Great flick! Needs an HD update.
My buddy and I always loved this movie.
Another Pyun from that time, Omega Doom with Rutger Hauer, worth checking out
Oh god... "Omega Doom" is horrible, imo... 😂 ...and not in a so-bad-it's-good kind of way (like "Knights" by Pyun, for example). 😉
@stef-ex-machina hey, I didn't say it was good, just worth checking out!
@@Madmax-rz5hz Ah, okay. 👍 But I've heard some people really like that movie... I just don't know how/why
@stef-ex-machina I enjoyed it but not because it's any good! It's basically another version of the Yojimbo/Fistful of Dollars/Last Man Standing plot
@@Madmax-rz5hz Yeah, I saw what Pyun was going for, but it didn't work for me. But good for you.
I watched a few Pyun movies a few weeks ago - Knights, Heatseeker and Adrenalin: Fear the Rush - and they reminded me of the time they came out... when I got them from my local videostore: Not very good, but entertaining...
They just don't make 'em like that anymore nowadays.
Been a fan of this film since i was a kid. Got a blu ray copy a couple of years ago. Awesome film.
RIP Albert , he was the fucking man
Saw this when it first hit video rental in the 90's and thought it was great for a high end B movie take on cyberpunk. Would have loved to see a sequel to it.
PLLOT TWIST : I have seen it. And loved it. CHECKMATE!
The shot on the bullet is actually taken from the Soviet version of war and peace. Its just a camera mounted on a flying fox with some kind of bullet prop stuck in front of the lens.
Saw it on vhs when it released. Great movie.
Watched this until the VHS tape actually failed. Fav boys-get-together movie of the late 90s
it is litrally a cyberpunk 2020 B movie, it is amazing for that alone.
I have, its awesome I watched it in the1990's when it first came out
I actually have seen it, and it's awesome. all thanks to Good Bad Flicks.
Rest in peace Albert Pyun