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R100 (2013)
progressively wierder
2/10 guy seems to be only interested in CGI, special effects and such. Must be a Gamer. Or Marvel Studios nut. Ever seen any Harryhausen? Amazing stuff with zero computer work. Did Orson Welles need those toys?
Anyway, oddball movies in no discernible genre always draw me in. I see that more often in Asian films than US Corporate productions. This one did have some slow moments, but "slow moments" are not a bad thing! And some sly nonsense. Was there a moral, a wrapping up of loose ends? When did this become a necessity?
Lucy (2014)
Mean Girl
I guess you get really mean as you get smarter, sort of like Jay Leno's "Mister Brain". Lucy barked orders, killed lots of people including a zillion automobiles apparently full of innocent people in her way. Too much of the film included padding scenes of wild animals and disasters, and the big cosmic rip-off of 2001: A Space Odyssey at the end. The computer she created out of X-Files black oil was an unnecessary special effect. I was assuming Lucy, at the end, would use her time-travel abilities to go back before she up met up with her icky boyfriend, and negate the whole adventure, staying alive, human, and hopefully more pleasant.
I'm Not Jesus Mommy (2010)
What's Not To LIke?
Several male reviewers were quite upset about the lead actress being over-weight and unattractive. These knuckle-dragging sexists would have preferred Lindsey Lohan, no doubt. I don't recall any female comments being concerned with how skinny Charles Hubbell was – kudos to them all. Hubbell though, was noted frequently as an unknown actor of little skill, despite a long list of credits on IMDb itself. He is a fine actor in this movie and elsewhere. Then we have the "scientists" out there upset over the lack of scientific logic in a fantasy/horror movie about the Apocalypse.
Now I'll admit I was having some troubles with this movie at the beginning. I almost gave up on it. The major research facility looked like a walk-in-clinic in a strip mall. But that "Seven Years Later" CONELRAD deal woke me up and piqued my interest, along with some later twists and surprises. (And Hubbell's amazing descent into evangelical madness.) I think I know who that was at the very end: the Slender Man? Christopher Walken? The Tall Man from Phantasm? Oral Roberts? You decide; that's what makes vague endings fun and a source of discussion. The movie was weird, interesting, and different. I liked it.
A Cadaver Christmas (2011)
A Fun B Movie
Normally, I am so tired of zombies these days, I skip such films. But this time, I'm glad I didn't. Bored and lazy at 2:00 in the morning, I saw nothing interesting on the tube, so I said what the heck, I'll check it out before I crash. It turned out to be quite funny. The goofy characters approached over the top, but in an affable way. Think of your craziest real-life acquaintances thrust into an even crazier situation. I liked the artificial graininess imposed over the film like worn black and white stock. And the hokey lighting was perfect vintage '50s monster movie. Also, the soundtrack was a gas - rock Christmas music played in creepy minor keys. All in all, a good time, with a lot of laughs.
Hellbenders (2012)
One of a Kind
Only seven reviews so far, so I guess this movie slipped under the radar. Too bad. If the horror/comedy genre is your bag, you should catch this. Horror + Religion (The Exorcist) can be a pretty creepy combo, and this movie has its touches. The comedy aspect is not goofy slapstick, but sort of low key and character driven. Think of some of the weirder people you know -- likable, odd-ball funny, but not necessarily of the "ha ha" sort. Then mix in the over-the-top plot (well discussed in several reviews here), and you have something quite different and a real blast. The cast was wonderful. I loved Clancy Brown's character, a guy we probably all know, and Clifton Collins' good-hearted punk. I liked these "debauched" Hellbenders because they were still good-guy Regular Joes, struggling with the dichotomy of good vs. evil in a world (somewhat) more off-kilter then ours.
The Hunters (2011)
Violence is the True Horror
I have a zillion cable movie channels, but lately all showing the same handful of movies. So when I see a new title appear, I'm on to it. Knew nothing about this flick, and had no expectations. But within a short time I was hooked. Who are all these people, where does this slow, convoluted start lead? Unlike some reviewers, slow and convoluted does not put me off -- quite the opposite. It arouses my curiosity, makes me think, pay attention. I don't need to "get it" in the first fifteen minutes. I don't think it's a spoiler as it was quite obvious in the flashbacks, though seldom mentioned in these reviews, these guys were badly messed up vets who couldn't leave it behind. They brought it home and set up their new war-zone in that creepy park. And being sanctioned by the chief of police made it all work -- for awhile. I thought it was violent, frightening and very possible in this gun obsessed culture. Horror that is possible scares me far more than zombies, vampires and space aliens. I found the acting just fine, but couldn't figure out the point (or need) of the girl, unless to add a pinch of sweetness and light. I've seen far worse movies released to the cinemas. I think this one should have been.
Year of the Dragon (1985)
Muse-ich
I'm tending to agree with the more literate "hated it" reviews; 3,4,5 stars or so. They've all commented correctly on the acting and dialogue, and his one-guy-against-the-world thing (and succeeding!) is pretty clichéd, and always leads to the Big Showdown, the shootout resolution. But on a different note, the thing that really almost had me turn off the TV was the soundtrack! The "love theme" or whatever it was called, was dreadful. The same sappy song repeated 4 or 5 times at great length. Long, tragic, drippy, and often played at weird inappropriate times. Strip that thing, and I could give Year one more star.
Psychic Experiment (2010)
Joyful Insanity
Two reviewers really like this movie, everyone else gives it a 1! I'm trying to be honest here, so I've got to give it a 6 (or 6+ -- I dunno). I started out watching this while running in and out of the kitchen, doing this and that, but about 1/3 of the way in it caught my attention and I actually sat down. Maybe it was seeing Reggie Bannister, or those really creepy hose-mouth people, or walls melting. Whatever it was, my jaw dropped at the sheer joyful insanity of this thing. Special effects ranging from really cool to horrible, a plot incorporating everything but kids in a cabin (thank god). I surrendered and went along for the ride, something the monotone world of 1 star regulars never seem to do. I've seen big budget sci-fi/horror films with name actors that don't give me the same kick as this kind of flick. And there are more and more as the current trend in blockbuster sf/horror plays out weekly. V1.0 was started by Sputnik and Atomic Energy; V.02 is today's fear of disease and global changes. "Psychic Experiment" had none of this -- or all, I'm not sure. My mind was blown!
Ender's Game (2013)
The Last Starfighter (I hope)
I never read the books, so my only perspective is on the movie itself, and it was tedious. By now, we've all seen enough special FX spectaculars, no? Are we still knocked out by video game movies? Not if it has nothing else to offer. The star kid was on acting par with Jaden Smith. He had one expression, intensely furrowed brow. Or was that everyone? As a matter of fact, I gather smiling and laughing was pretty much banned in this future; parents, leaders, relatives, friends -- either angsty, sad or angry. The music was a horrible minor key drone from beginning to end. It made me angsty, sad, and angry. All I recall are lots of round doors which when opened revealed lots of big triangles, where kids played bouncy house laser tag. Did Ender show Harrison Ford the enemy egg at the end or hide it under his shirt when he walked back from the nearby cave? And then Our Hero becomes an admiral, so they give him a spaceship and an apparently infinite amount of fuel in order to zoom about the universe. Alone. No co-pilot, flight engineer, med-tech, navigator or Robby the Robot to talk to. But maybe he'll have a pal if the egg hatches. Or maybe the creature will eat him. At least the Last Starfighter had the affable Robert Preston, rather than this endlessly dour cast.
For Robbing the Dead (2011)
Honest
Just finished watching this movie at about 2:00 this morning. Despite the late hour and the approach of sleep, I had to check in here to see what the word was: three reviews. To be honest, I was surprised at how few people took the time to do more than punch in rating numbers. I was deeply moved by this story, and characters who seemed less like actors than real people from the period. Barry Corbin, long a favorite, was wonderful, as was Margot Kidder. Yes, it was generally slow moving, but oftentimes so is real life. Struggle, sadness and redemption don't come with explosions and car chases. And "westerns" needn't always come with blazing guns and fistfights. Moreover, most of us don't fall into categories of good or evil. Everyone in Redemption did what they thought was right, or at least necessary. I think these considerations will remain as images in my mind's eye for a long time. I liked, cared for and understood these people. They are us.
Tung ngan (2010)
Dazed and Confused
Watching a movie (reading a book, attending a concert)in order to review it, is to chose not to be entertained. Surrendering to art, allowing it to sweep you along as it may, is always my plan. But when the down-river flow is so full of rocks as to keep bumping my head, I fell out of this movie and back into my living room going "huh"? I love Asian horror. It has a creepiness unseen elsewhere. This movie did too, but only in atmospherics -- the hotel was a fright! The acting, however, did not add much. It mainly consisted of long, silent pauses where the actors stared at each other, at nothing, at ghosts. And considering the ugliness and horror all about them, the three girls were remarkably unfazed, wandering over and over again back into dark and dreadful places. I might have accepted some of this, if the plot made any sense. Even the amazingly knowledgeable narrative of the Doggy girl, wasn't much help.(It seemed to fall apart in the b/w flashback.) Who was the mother? The wife? The half girl/half dog? How did she get this way What was that crazy hellish world on the other side of the goo? Why did we need so much time dedicated to the riot scene -- it felt like a separate movie. 4 for atmosphere, 10 minus 6 for everything else.
Fin (2012)
okay ...
Sci-fi involves science in its fiction. This movie didn't show me any ~ I'd have to call it a fantasy, a whole different genre where anything can happen. Like, "poof" people disappear or drawings from the future. That aside, I really wasn't knocked out by this fantasy movie. The acting was fine, but it was lacking in forward motion and suspense, unless you call suspense wondering what the end will be. Last night I watched Christian Bales' "The Machinist" and was nearly on the edge of my seat from scene one. There was dramatic tension sorely lacking in Fin. And then they sailed off into the sunset .. er, fog. Into nothingness? The rapture? A new world to repopulate? (Eva? I'm surprised her lousy boyfriend wasn't named Adam...) "Melancholia" did it all much better.
Outside Ozona (1998)
Pulp Fiction?
Don't compare this with Pulp Fiction, or any other movie for that matter. Just watch it, not as a critic, but as a peeping tom looking into the real lives of real people. There are many times I prefer unknown actors in a movie because I can avoid preconceptions and watch the characters, not the actors. Yet even though I knew quite a few of these actors, I was able to lose myself in the people they created -- real people, like many I've met, hung with, talked to, cared about. I enjoyed this film, the laughs, surprises, interactions and shocks and I think reg'lar fellas (and gals) will too. It's kicking around Showtime, and you should catch it.
Happy Accidents (2000)
Tolerable
OK, I'll admit it, I watched this piece of nonsense because of Marisa Tomei. Such a cutey. And also because of the the word "sci-fi" in the TV description -- "romantic comedy" alone, is a no-go for me. So I sat through the whole thing, as baffling, silly, and self-contradictory as it was. Someone suggested Ruby was a bimbo fluff-head for not listening to and understanding Sam's complex "science" and ever-changing explanations. How could she not accept his hokum? How could anyone in their right mind accept anything from this creepy, pitiful character whose stories kept changing? Vincent D'Onofrio's Sam Deed was very hard to like -- too big, loud, weepy, goofy, doubtful. (Samedi, by the way, pronounced much like Sam Deed, is French for Saturday, the day after the dreaded Friday, when neither Ruby nor Sam could simply stay put for the day.)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Wonderful
When you watch for certain things, you may miss the important things: I somehow totally failed to notice the "distracting" hand held camera. There was one, huh? I guess I was too absorbed by the characters, the quest, the visuals, the mysticism, the acting, the story and the messages.
Somebody else seemed to see only "drunks, prostitutes and layabouts", a curiously condemning attitude towards people who were also a tight-knit, loving and sharing community. Zeroing in on one's personal issues and dislikes while watching something new, is like bad-rapping Van Gogh's "Starry Night" because you hate the color blue.
I've a friend who only watches "four star" movies. (Not sure whose four stars she uses.)That way, (theoretically) she only sees the best stuff. In the Boston Globe, they publish a chart of lots of reviews from fifteen or twenty major sources ~ you can see when everyone loves a movies, hates a movie, or the ratings are all over the place. Unlike my friend, I find that a really mixed bag of reviews may point to the most interesting movies: this reviewer really dislikes it, another raves about it ~ I can't help but wonder about such variations, and want to see why.
To the point: a couple of one star reviews, a couple of tens for this astonishing movie should serve only to peak your curiosity and make you watch it, with a mind free of critical nit-picking. Pretend this is a world you are in, not separating it into pieces to be analyzed. Experience, don't view.
Southern Gothic (2007)
A teeter-totter
I started out watching this last night while fiddling around doing other things, but shortly became involved enough to turn out the lights and plunk down on the floor in my serious watching mode. Vazquez was interesting, DuPont fine, and Forsythe was, as usual, a gas. But that pretty much wrapped up the acting. Too many of the others were either mediocre or bad (like that mysterious "good" vampire). And the plot was somewhat incoherent and illogical. I gave it a 5, a middling review, as the fulcrum of the teeter-totter I felt I was on -- "oh, this is okay"/"oh this is not okay", back and forth. Not a total waste of time, but close.
After... (2006)
Thought Provoking
I only recall one review where the kidnapping element was mentioned. The Russian woman in the park was both the suspect and the reason for the whole haunted "trip to Russia" during his parachute-less suicide. And a song with several versions bearing the title "Hellbound Train" pretty well sums up his final ride. Our Judeo-Christian culture has always taught that suicide is the ultimate slap in the face to God, and deserving of eternal punishment. He took his own life, and left his pregnant girlfriend behind and alone to raise his child. He was the lead character, but far from a hero. This is not sci-fi or horror, but almost a morality play with special effects. A weird but nifty combo.