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mangraa2
Reviews
Rampage (2009)
Falling Down + Commando + L'Etranger
I have to agree with most of the other reviews on this one; it;s hard to believe Uwe directed or had anything to do with this film. It's not _great_, but the budgets he probably works with limit what can be done in terms of ... well, everything, even when in an indie-style mindset to film.
The quick edits of random snippets of the actual rampage before it even happened was my biggest issue. It felt like padding, and I ended up just not looking during those snippets. This was partly to keep the actual event as fresh as possible, but it just felt like it was messing with the buildup. The over-use of media clips about how the world is overpopulated and the main character's friend's video, where he's bitching like a hippie, was another annoying element. But that's pretty much it, which is actually not much. This is good.
Fletcher does an excellent job as a determined, if misdirected in his focus, character. The film really did feel like a less plot-centric version of Falling Down, mixed with the body count of Commando, with the somewhat existential angst of Mersault from L'Etranger. The film's rampage section, a scene where most other films aim to make it "look cool" or "exciting", doesn't necessarily get disturbing but bordering on boring. This is not a bad thing, since I imagine doing such a thing in real life, when already the type of character Fletcher is playing, might actually feel less empowering and exciting as it seemed in one's head.
If you're looking for an ACTION SLAUGHTERFEST, you'll be kind of disappointed. If you're a thinker or sympathetic to those who struggle with the curse of not having goals despite having talents and skills, give it a watch. You might be surprised.
Iron Doors (2010)
Could have been a decent Saw/Cube ripoff, but was annoying and pointless
I rarely review anything, but this was so bad I had to warn others. As another review has (thankfully) already done a summary of the film, I'll skip that part. Problem #1: The male character is irritating as hell. He's constantly making ridiculous comments to himself and just really did not give me the sense of the character being freaked out OR nonchalant. He was just... there. Problem #2: The idiocy of his behaviours.. I know, it's a movie, and he's not really thinking straight, but I was getting annoyed by how much nonsensical stuff he was doing to fill time.
Major problem #3: The ending. What? I get the feeling this is some kind of a religious ascension to heaven story, maybe the "averting the eyes" to have the vault door open is something about god.. I don't know. No explanation.
Overall, skip it. Avoid like the plague. An explanation for the entire scenario would have been nice, but if it was a thought-provoking ending the filmmaker was going for, I was so irritated by the film and characters that I honestly didn't care at all about figuring it out, and just chalked it up to being a crappy film.
Date Movie (2006)
Good lord
I have to wonder many things about this... How long did it take to write the script? Did anyone read it before giving it the green light? How much money was tossed at the actors for this drivel? This film... is so terrible it's unwatchable. It is nowhere near the so bad it's good area.
I cannot emphasize this enough - STAY AWAY FROM THIS FILM. There are many of us who have sacrificed our time, brain cells, and a piece of our very souls to deliver this message. Please, stay away from this film. Let it be forgotten and never spoken of again.
With the success of Scary Movie comes this and Epic Movie... two more ideas which, given some time and attention, may have turned out OK. But this film seems like it was written by mentally challenged four-year-olds, using the wall and crayons instead of paper and pen.
Please, think of the children.
Ice Age (2002)
Good for kids, bad for adults
Within 5 minutes of starting this film I was ready for it to be over. Short version: The writing is great for little kids, but awful for anyone else. Predictable jokes and set-ups make this film a bore for most watching it, or so I and the others watching it think. We popped in Wishmaster 4 and had a better time watching that.
Emeril Live (1997)
Crap
It's garbage. He's no longer a chef to me, he's a character. I'm sure his food is good, but come on. On one hand, the people who cheer him for adding SALT to something are moronic, but he fuels this idiotic fire. But what do you want from America, where reality shows which have the creative depth of a fish tank, are all the rage? I'm hoping Emeril becomes passe VERY quick.
Oh, and his at-home food items (sauces, etc.) aren't that good anyway. Sounds like he's letting his ego taint his product. Naughty naughty!
Essence of Emeril (1996)
Back in his glory days
Emeril wasn't always a crowd-pleasing robot. Back before he was a bigwig, before he had a studio audience, he had... CHARACTER! Yes! He actually was fun to watch. But thanks to his ego, his seemingly natural charm has been flooded away by his mindless repetition of crowd-pleasing quips and predictable show sequence.
If you want to watch Emeril and don't want to be spoon-fed regurgitated tripe, watch this show over any other Emeril show. His real personality shows through, not the one which is (probably) boosted as part of a contract (say "Bam" a minimum of 10 times per show, 5000 dollars per bam ... hey, I wouldn't be surprised).
Guns (1990)
Good god make it stop
I've sat through some s***. Skateboard Kid 1 and 2. Uncle Sam. They didn't even compare to this. Just.. dear lord. If you're a masochist, rent it/watch it at 1:30 a.m. on Cinemax. Horrible dialogue horribly delivered by horrible actors in horrible sets with horrible special effects.