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karrybelle
Reviews
Angels Fall (2007)
Skip the movie and just read (or reread) the book
If you read the book you can tell within the first 10-15 minutes of the movie that it is going to suck. So to help keep my ranting down I will list the issues I have with the movie rather than go into deep detail.
1. Reece is suppose to be in her early twenties and not her forties. It wouldn't be so bad if Ms. Locklear could have at least pass off as in her mid thirties and her botox didn't make her face look swollen. Swollen face does not equal looking like you are 20-some years younger.
2. Reece has PTSD, tendencies and is OCD. When being questioned about the cook job she is smiling some time, flippant about having her car break down and can't leave and too perky. When questioned about how long she'd been on the road she is annoyed. Never once did she come across nervous during the "interview" nor when she got behind the grill. She's suppose to be uneasy and anxious.
3. Movie shows Reece sleeping in the bathtub with the door closed. Reece has issues with small space. She was traumatized by being shot inside a closet so doesn't like small spaces. There is a point in the book where she is taking a bubble bath and said other times she had tried with the door locked but always ended up scrambling out of the tub to open the door. When she has the door open can't be in there for that long. Even when she showers she has to recite multiplications to get through being in there. With all that said, there is no way in hell she would sleep in the bathroom with the door shut.
4. Joanie is way too nice/soft spoken. Joanie IS a nice person but she doesn't use kid gloves, is rough spoken, straight to the point and pretty much is the kind of "tough love" person. The kind that will be like "that sucks, i am really sorry that happened but it can help make you stronger so get on with it". She won't pity you but push/help you move on.
5. The "panic attack" that she had in the store never happened. That was royally stupid, dumb and definitely a WTF moment. In the book she was happy and excited about buying stuff for a place she was going to live in. So if you read the book and see that BS in the movie it will definitely be a "Thats effing retarded!" And then Brody WALKING the box of stuff to her place. I understand they did that to cut time out and jumble their meeting, the backfire Reece thought was gun and her moving into the pace together but still it was stupid. In the book Brody got roped into helping her bring her stuff to the apartment is because he had a car and she had more than just one box of stuff. I won't even start in on how bad Locklear's acting was on trying to look terrified of thinking the sound of a car backfire was a shot gun. The movie plays down Reece's fears and what she was going through. That right there ruined and voided important parts of the story. The story itself isn't just a love murder story but also to see how Reece over comes her battle with the tragedy in her past.
6. When Reece was on the cliff seeing the murder taking place she never tried to run to them to stop the murder in the book. In the movie she saw it happening, without thinking starts to go towards them, almost falling off the cliff, falls down to her backwards, has a flash back, gets back up to see them suddenly gone, stumbles/runs down the trail, out of now where Brody scares her. In the book Reece ran into Brody, before seeing the murder, on the trail while she was hiking up. Brody's reason for being there, he was doing research since he was "killing someone up there later" in his book. Reece goes to the cliff sees a guy strangle a girl till she stops moving, turns around, runs back down the path and literally runs into Brody on the trail rather than him coming out of nowhere. It's only when she is stumbling back down the trail, before she ran into Brody the second time, that she starts to get what she just saw and her memory mixing together. She is indifferent in the movie saying "She's dead. There is nothing we can do for her now" and Brody is the one who says to call the sheriff. In the book she is hysterical and wants to get help. BIG difference in attitude. The little snip in the movie after the sheriff left seemed ridiculously stupid considering the way she was before. In the book it makes sense since she was scared, upset and wanted to get help. In the movie, nope, it was retarded.
Honestly, the list goes on and on but we are limited on how many words we can put in here. So these were just the major complaints that affect the whole movie and those were in just 30 minutes into it. If I added the smaller ones and the other issues from the rest of the movie, it would never fit here.
My recommendation, don't watch the movie and read the book. If you can't read the book then listen to the unabridged audio book. It is almost 15 hours long but worth the time where the movie isn't worth the botox Heather Locklear use to try to look younger.
The Awakening (1995)
Awful is too nice of a word to use for this movie
I never read the book the movie was based on but the movie was so horrible I can't seem to bring myself to reading the book. I am sure they cut out a lot of things like they normally do when converting a book into a movie but it wasn't the movie itself I had a problem with, it was the actress.
I know there are plenty of people who will hate me and disagree with me but I thought it was a horrible performance and with that hairstyle, she was not all that pretty. I won't even start in on the Gawd awful hairdo at the end of the movie when she is playing the piano, ugh and the bad outfits through the movie. Good grief I swear who ever did the wardrobe was stuck in the 80's. Anyway, so yeah, with Cynthia Geary horrible acting I just couldn't enjoy the movie. Her acting was so bad I could not forget the movie and that is not a good reason to remember the movie. If you do not agree with me then I will tell you to go back and look at the scene in the diner where she is gloating about getting breakfast and "mooning" over him. Really? You call that good acting?? Then the supposed "sexy swagger" where she folded up her skirt and took off her jacket to try to get information from the front desk guy and telling him she was there for back rent. Her facial expressions too when singing at the piano at the end... ewww
Again, this is only my personally little tiny opinion. Others, you are more than welcome to enjoy it and dislike me for mine but it's just how I see it.
Eko eko azaraku (1995)
Seen worse but it isn't all that great
I can't say it was a movie worth watching but I can't say it is totally bad either. There are much worse out there. There were just a few things that bothered me in the movie other than it's bad acting and all the other stuff that goes along with bad low budget movies. Now also keep in mind I have never read the manga, saw the anime or TV show or any other thing related to the Eko Eko Azarak series. I just saw it on a list of recommendations someone put up on a list of little known Asian Horror that should be seen.
Misa has a locket that she is shown talking to with hair in it but there is never any explanation of what it's meaning is to her and who that hair had belonged too. You can tell it is obviously important to her because for one thing, she is shown talking to it when she is upset after the very much obviously jealous Mizuno accuses her of being a murderer. She also gives it to Shindou for protection later on. Since its obviously an important object it would have been a better story if it gave more explanations and so you can get a better understanding of the character.
Little development/explanation/character back ground given in the movie also was a big down side in the movie. You don't really get to grow any empathy for the Misa because all you really get to know is she never can save the people she cares about and so then she feels the guilt of so many people dying around her and that she sucks at being a witch according to her. It would have been more effective if there was a deeper explanation of that and flashbacks of her attempts at trying to save the people she cared about only to lose them. When Mizuno is trying to get everyone to hate her by saying people keep dying around her and what not, I didn't end up feeling sorry for her I just feel more disgusted that no one just told him to shut-the-heck up because it is obvious the only reason why you are trying to turn people against her is because she can actually do what you attempt to do and do so very poorly. It makes you hate him but not feel sorry for Misa because you don't know any details about it!
I also have a problem with the protective circle Mizuno made. I know that you can make it with anything but given that he doesn't have any kind of power he likes to believe he has it would have been smarter if he used salt. YES, I know that he is a pompous idiot who believed he had power and NO, I don't see how finding salt in a school would be weird given that it is a school so should have a kitchen, but really if I am terrified for my life and I studied the occult I would have used every measure I could to keep myself protected. Salt should have power even if you don't.
While I don't have as much problem with the charm Misa gave Mizuki for protection I would have liked to know the "how so" and the more on the "how it did what it did" at the end of the movie. I would explain more of what I mean of "how it did what it did" but that would be spoiling the movie and I am not spoiling the ending of the movie. There was more about then ending I would have liked further explained of why Misa said what was trying to be done couldn't be done but again I won't explain further because it would spoil the end.
I guess you can say my biggest grip with the movie is that there is too little explanations for just about all the important things in the movie. Oh and of course the stupid pervert teacher Numata. He can openly grope the girls and stick his hands up their skirt but Miss Shirai and Tanaka hide their relationship? Eh? Yeah, they do more than just touch but still... There is a ton load more of lesbian relationships in Asian horror than any American horror I don't see why Shirai and Tanaka was more "in the closet" than the perverted Numata.
There is however, one thing about the movie that I was very happy they did. In most (not all) horror movies that I have seen that has magic/witches in it, it is always show as something bad and evil. This movie did say that the pentagram can be used for both good or bad depending on it's use(drawn). Can't think of any movie off the top of my head that had magic/witches in it that pointed out in the beginning that there is a good side.
Would I recommend this movie? Probably not but I don't feel like I wasted an hour and a half of my time watching it.
Blackwater Valley Exorcism (2006)
Even if you liked low budget/independent/chezy whatever kind of films don't waste your time on this!
Warning! I'm going to give a big spoiler so don't read this at all if you don't want to know pretty much the point of this movie. Also if you are a Jeffery Combs fan and are watching in for just that reason only, forget it, DO NOT WATCH THIS! He is in it for a few minutes in the beginning and a blink of an eye at the end. I am all for watching low budget films and stuff (heck I found Chronicles of an Exorcism entertaining) but this film will make you want to pretty much punch the characters or want them to be killed off soon. All the characters are pretty darn shallow and only care about themselves. If they aren't shallow then their dialog is freaking stupid or the character is pretty much almost pointless to even be in there. Also, honestly are you going to put a short satin nighty on your daughter is going to get out of the house to eat a rabbit? Or use to term "a few winks won't hurt" after your daughter has almost just killed you. And not only say that but go put on a satin purple lacy nighty yourself? Really? You have the priest there, the vet, two hired hands both your daughters there even though only one seems to be possessed at the moment and you live in the mountains where it is cold. What woman in her right mind who is suppose to be worried about her daughter is going to dress like that for bed? Any normal person with half a brain would either sleep in her clothes or wear a t-shirt and sweats/spandex to bed. That way if you have to jump out of bed fast to maybe go to the hospital because your daughter is frigged up and hurting people you can just go! I have to get this off my chest too but the sex scene that the Eli (the father) imagined, that is such horrible fake orgasm moan. OMFG! Dude at least dub that with a porn movie moan instead. Those are gosh darn unbelievable too but at least its more real sounding then that! Okay, moving on! There barely seems to really be anyone who honestly cares about whether Isabelle gets through it or not. Yeah, Luke may have said he loved her and blah blah but after the first "exorcism attempted" he gave up. Yeah, he really held on didn't he? Eli is too busy worrying about someone boinking his wife. He freaking made McCall drive them away and then shots McCall and them himself. Yeah, the demon messes with your head and your emotions and apparently it don't take much for any of them. Claire *spoiler* who is the actual one who is possessed and controlling Isabelle obviously doesn't care about any frigging thing but herself. Since she did all that black magic to try and get Jacob back by involving him in the exorcism and whatnot, she don't give a gosh-darn-damn about anyone except for getting the Jacob out of the priesthood so she can boink him. I can understand her wanting to know why he left her after she forgave him for beating her but really? How messed up/selfish do you have to be to keep pursing someone who went into the priesthood to find answers and try to make things/himself better? Yes, he ran away but if you are too freaking dumb to see he did it because he didn't trust himself then maybe you need to step back and not think about yourself. Also the bit where they were making priest clothes for Miguel. Please, that was just down right dumb. Honestly, there was no way in hell they would get the demon of Isabelle without faith. You can spout it out all you want but without faith and without believing in what you are doing and saying it ain't going to work! The whole movies a mess, save yourself the trouble and don't watch it. You can get that time back in your life, or the stupidity out of your head.
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993)
Great Show!
I was so sad that they had ended the show but I can understand why (though I think the second movie wasn't all that great where Dr. Mike's mother dies). The only major gripe I have with the show is the changing of the Colleen character. Erica made a GREAT Colleen hands down. Jessica... eh, she was okay (not a great actress) but a very very immature Colleen and not even holding true to the Colleen Erica was.
I think in the movies after the TV show they should have also added more information on Matthew's character. I don't know about anyone else but after he had left town I would have liked to have known what he had done. He only had one true love in the show and an interest with Emma but not a LOVE with her. I would have liked to have known if he had eventually found love after his loss of Ingrid. What would have made it interesting is like if they had tied it in with an old episode. For example: The Circus, he could have ran back into Atlantis and they could have started a relationship.
There were too many loose ends in the series that were left and they should have definitely given Sully and Dr. Mike more kids.
The Seduction of Dr. Fugazzi (2009)
Stupid and pointless
While I have many issues with this movie due to its bad acting, unbelievable story and obviously not researched regarding an "alternative live style" it was just stupid. The only reason why I watched it to the end was to see if the end would be more realistic since it would actually be the "waking" self part. It was just as bad.
Yes, you have to keep in mind that everything about the story is from a complete lunatic's view (that much is easy to figure out) but there was so much that was pointless. I don't see how the sexual parties fit in. And unless the girl was a pedophile herself or she was sexually molested by her parents or whatever I don't see how that "patient" of hers fit in. Nor the kleptomania kid. The old professor only made sense in that the cane he had she actually used to kill her mother with. But the rest just didn't make any sense since they were suppose to some how be a part of her.
Don't waste your time on this one.