BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY [1991]

Everybody's favorite dudes from San Dimas are back in director Peter Hewitt's Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, the sequel to the 1989 comedy cult hit.
This time around, the Wyld Stallyns are killed by futuristic robot versions of themselves and must enlist the help of Death to make a most triumphant return to the living.  The two leads are even more comfortable in their roles and it shows, especially if you keep your eye on Bill and all his hilarious mannerisms & gestures.  William Sadler as an Eastern European Grim Reaper steals every scene he's in with his deadpan delivery.  The film is a couple notches darker than it's predecessor and a helluva lot weirder but that's part of it's charm.  There's some incredibly inventive camera-work that's damaged by overly sloppy editing and awkwardly rushed takes.  Casual fans of the original feel this isn't as good, however dedicated fans feel it's even better.

3 heads of the Faith No More Spiritual & Theological Center out of 5

BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE [1989]

Alex Winter & Keanu Reeves star as two time-travelling airheads in Stephen Herek's 80's teen comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
Bill and Ted have to pass their history exam or else it's game over, so with the help of an Americanized TARDIS they travel through time to pick-up famous dead dudes throughout the ages.  There's no denying this is vintage '80's silliness but with the help of the two title character's lovable performances and some hilarious head-shaking lines & situations it manages to win you over within minutes.  Herek's eye is horrible as nearly all his shots are off-kilter, badly framed and unimaginative but that's not what we're here for.  They're harmless, positive role models that stand by their words no matter how bad things get: "be excellent to each other".

3 medieval dickweeds out of 5

GRAND PIANO [2013]

Grand Piano is director Eugenio Mira's almost successful attempt to create an effective Alfred Hitchcock-esque thriller, echoing that of The Man Who Knew Too Much glazed over with Brian DePalma's bite.
It follows the ridiculous idea of being held at gunpoint from afar while performing on stage at the symphony, an idea that reminded me of Phone Booth only with a little more elegance.  It's well-acted, has some intriguing camera-work and wow, the score by Victor Reyes is stunningly powerful but the film as a whole never quite gets as intense as it yearns to be.

2½ sharp C's out of 5