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Reviews
Bloody Christmas (2012)
Not nearly as good as Skid Row
If I were to see this film before watching Shershenovich's (did I spell that right?) Skid Row I don't think I would have given his second film a chance. Bloody Christmas lacks in a lot of departments. The lighting is poor, and the special effects are below believable with the exception of the final head explosion. Then there is the dirty lens, the very dirty lens I mind you. It's as if Shershenovich (there we go again) was working with such little money he didn't even have time to clean the lens. That is bad. The film does have some ups to it though. The acting is above your average B movie, the camera work and angles are fantastic (even with the dirty dirt on the lens), and the story is written very well. The film opens up with a bang, and ends with a bang. I truly feel if this were cut down to an hours length, it would be a great film. You can definitely see Shershenovich learned from this films mistakes and corrected himself immensely creating Skid Row. I am in great angst giving this film a rating of a seven because I feel Bloody Christmas is truly around a five. But I feel like this crew tried really hard on this film but the budget wasn't apparently there. So plus two for effort.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
A film that began great but thats it.
Pirates Three opens up with a much darker atmosphere by hanging men, women, and children. Yes this film with in the first five minutes kills women and children. The color correction is murky, green, and dreary. A fantastic, emotional, heart drenching opening shot on par with Shindlers list. Then the story goes down hill soon after. With a million plot lines, confusing dialogue, plot holes, characters triple crossing each other it is as if the Director had a bad case of ADD when filming this. Granted the cinematography is great, and the special effects a superb, but the story is just so atrocious its mind bending. Absolutely nothing makes sense in this story. The film is also way to long, you would think with this ADD direction and writing we would be entertained... But no. It's just a bunch of beautifully shot scenes of nonsense. If it wasn't for the exceptionally well camera work and visual effects department this movie would have gotten a solid one from me.
Oldeuboi (2003)
Best movie ever made, everyone must watch at least twice
I remember a very long time ago when video stores actually existed. A long time ago before the general public became so despicably lazy, and actually left the house to rent or watch a movie. During this time my girl friend (now worst enemy) and I were at a local Blockbuster searching through all of the movies. This was a time of joy, picking up films, holding the box in your hand examining it's contents, art, description, looking to see who directed it, and whom the film stared. I remember finding Old Boy, looking at the shabby cover art then hesitantly renting it with her.
Once back at her house we popped her film into the DVD player, (something silly like Vampires vs Zombies) eventually she fell asleep during the movie. I then replaced the terrible movie with this golden cinematic master peace, I remember the feeling I had once the film reached it's conclusion and the credits rolled. I was literally in tears because I have never witnessed such a compelling, beautiful story, that had touched me as so. It was almost like a modern Greek tragedy. This film was so perfect, I woke up my girl friend, and made her watch it with me again immediately.
So what makes Old Boy such a brilliant, fantastic, amazing, astounding, extraordinary, genius peace of work? Many things. Let us begin from the ground up, the story. The Story is a sad tale of man who never was able to be a man. Symbolically of course. The film introduces Dae-Sue Oh (Min-sik Choi should have gotten an academy award for his performance) a drunken mess of a man being held in jail for disorderly conduct. Eventually his good friend "Jim" (I have no idea who the actor is or character due to my memory and the film being in Korean)bailing him out of jail. Dae-Sue Oh soon makes a drunken, empty promise phone call to his wife and daughter, then disappears in the rain. The film continues with him locked in a privately own prison facility for seven years. He doesn't know why he is there, or who exactly is holding him. For year's he slowly chips away at the wall with chop sticks and creates a small hole in the wall, he then tells himself he can escape with in a month. Unfortunately or Fortunately (depends on your view point of the films conclusion) he is released the following day. His only instructions are to find out who imprisoned him and why with in seven days.
I do not want to go to deep into the story because I dread giving out any spoilers to this movie. It is really amazing with twists and turns that not even M. Night Shyamalan can have in a wet dream. You fall in love with so many characters, and become so mentally attached to them. In fact you even learn to share feelings of sorrow for the villains. It is brilliantly written and evokes many emotions.
Unfortunately I believe I am running out of words (word limit) to describe how much I love this film and why everyone should watch it. The main character, his love interest, and the main villain should all get awards. This director has set the bar beyond high for any film to follow. Oldboy's editing is superb. The music selection is spot on. Camera work like no other. Pacing that will have you on the floor because you fell of the edge of your seat fifteen minutes into it. Oldboy is hands down the best movie to be released in the world in the past thirty years.
Skid Row (2013)
Surprisingly Amazing!!!
Normally I tread very lightly, and expect so little from independent horror films. For some reason since the early 90's horror has been infected with VHS, DV, Mini DV, and HDV. You know, that good old shot on video filth and junk. Most of these types of low budget horror films consist of few friends in a backyard, with red dyed corn syrup, and one of the above terrible cameras. These type of video "film" making has even made it's way into the 2000's, just in a different format, something called DSLR. Still with the supposed technological advancements of camcorders I was yet to see a "video" compare to any film... That was until I saw Skid Row.
It was December 14th in Manhattan where I was lucky enough to be invited to a film festival dubbed "Torment of chaos film fest", by someone who new someone who has worked on the film Skid Row. Dreadfully I accepted (it was either stay home, or hit the bars with a bunch of Santacon nuts, or go to some film festival. Luckily I went to the film festival) and made it there just in time to see Skid Row. The theater (Anthology Film Archives) was unexpectedly a packed house, and the audience seemed a bit on the rowdy side. Never the less, when the film began, myself and the audience was completely captivated.
The film begins with a very attractive black woman (surprisingly attractive for low budget horror) giving oral sex to disheveled married man who attempts to short change her. It quickly follows her demise by a masked killer filmed in a very Hitchcockin manor. The film then introduces the two main characters Detective Kathy Lynch and Detective Vincent Ross. They quickly learn that they are on the path to find a vigilante serial killer.
Skid Row contains brilliantly executed shoot outs, car chases, a graphic rape scene, (that hand's down gives I Spit On Your Grave a run for it's money) a castration, and probably the best indie chainsaw scene I have seen in a very long time. The cinematography was spot on, and shot with a diamond cutter for an eye. In fact it hard to believe that this was shot on DSLR because the movie has such a film feel and look. The actors and actresses were stunning, especially Irina Babushkina (Detective Kathy Lynch) and Frank Stallone (Detective Vincent Ross), the character development between the two were of a Spielberg budget film. The second most notable actors where Robert Youngren (Mayor Irvine) and Schooly-D (Tyler). One of the most memorable lines from the film is when Schooly-D looses a finger nail to a pair of pliers and screams "Look what you have just done! What the hell man!!!" It makes me chuckle even now writing it, how perfect the dialogue is devised.
So overall Skid Row has changed my mind a bit, and I almost feel guilty for not giving a so many indie video "films" a chance. Granted it still has some audio issue's, but not many. Overall Skid Row is an amazing film that scores above and beyond the 10 star mark. So here it is, to the people who made Skid Row! Keep doing what you guys are doing! Revive Horror! I would love to see the creators of this film with a budget!
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Fantastic Sequel!!!
The Halloween series like many others had some ruff and questionable sequels. This is not one of them. In fact Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers attempts to fix 4 and 5's plot holes and stupidity, and triumphs valiantly. It even brings incorporates a peace of Halloween 3 into the story. Hand's down one of the much better sequels to the film.
The opening scene features an adult version of Jamie (from 4 and 5) being hunted down my Michael Myers as she attempts to protect her newborn baby. Eventually she is able to break into a public transportation area where she makes a phone call to a radio station for help. To her dismay they do not believe her. Luckily for the baby, an all grown up version of Tommy Doyle does. Tommy (who is excellently well acted by Paul Rudd) saves the baby after Jamie's death. Then there is Dr. Sam Loomis still on the hunt for Michael, attempting to warn everyone, and everyone still looking at him like he's crazy. (got to love how in every movie people will never believe Loomis)
The film has a very suspenseful Gory ending, that includes, but not limited to: Doctor's being slashed to death, security guards being pushed through steal bared doors, then being stepped on, a bloody death by pipe to the brain box, and the implying death to everyone's favorite Halloween Character. This movie is a master peace in terms of sequels. If this film was the only Halloween to ever come out, I think people would show it the respect it truly deserves.