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Ma_Herbo
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American Ultra (2015)
An action movie with just enough comedy to not take itself seriously
That movie was pure entertainment for me. The pace was fast, with no lengthy useless scenes. The story is without real suspense and has nothing we haven't seen before, but it doesn't matter.
If this action movie was done with a serious tone, it would stink as it's not believable. But it was done with a light humor side, giving a comic book effect, without going too much into the absurd. You don't roll on the floor laughing, it just brings a smile on your face from time to time and that is perfect.
At some point, the violence is very graphic, but I thought it was well done.
It reminded me of TRUE LIES (1994) a little bit, but a little bit darker violence-wise. Not the same story, but a similar mix of action and comedy.
I really appreciated this movie.
The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
A gore fest with a bad story
If you like gore, you will be served. Some scenes are obvious CGI, still it should satisfy someone who likes that and have others look away a few time.
The photography is great and fits really well with this type of movie, although we might feel the director tries too hard some times. But on overall, it's great.
But the story is bad. The pace is way too slow. The characters act and react in stupid ways and are not very likable; We don't really relate to them. The ending is deceiving, even if you don't see it coming. I've read other reviews explaining the short story the movie was based on and, even if I did not read it, the short story seems to make more sense than the movie script. They should've spent more time explaining the why of the ending than putting useless filler scenes during the movie.
Sadly, the negatives overcome the positives for this movie.
The Wraith (1986)
Fun movie
I'm a child of the 80's, I like cars and heavy metal, yet I never heard of this movie before. I don't know why, because it is a fun movie.
I've been watching a lot of low-budget B-movies lately (with the quality that goes with it), and this one was a breath a fresh air. Yes, the story is not that well developed, there are no suspense or surprises in the plot. Apart from NICK CASSAVETES as a psychopath, the acting is often very cold and mechanical. But there is a cartoonish side on the movie that kind of excuses all of that.
By reading the comments on IMDb, I was expecting some cheesy car chases with bad editing and bad special effects. Not at all. Very well done, especially knowing it has a limited budget. For the car racing atmosphere, I prefer watching this movie instead of the FAST & FURIOUS series (even the first ones). Yes, there are a lot of unbelievable explosions but, because of the supernatural nature of the movie, everything is possible, right?
On the music side, I was turned off at first when the movie began with some cheesy synthesizer music, typical of low-budget 80's movies. Fortunately, this music was just there to announce the supernatural scenes of the movie and soon we are fed with more fun music from Motlëy Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol or Robert Palmer.
SHERILYN FENN is astonishingly beautiful in this movie. The young CHARLIE SEEN is good on the eyes for the ladies as well, even though his role is surprisingly thin despite being the hero in the story.
Although the main story seems to be about revenge, I like the sub- plots about a guy being jealous of the girl he can never have (completely going wacko which, sadly, happens too often in real life) and about how the hero suggests that you have to stand up to your bully, which do happens later in the movie (the parking lot fight scene and Keri telling off Packard when in the car, going to California).
All in all, for me, this movie should be up there with THE TERMINATOR or TOP GUN as a good action movie of the 80's, especially when comparing the budgets of those movies.
Bloody Mallory (2002)
Bad script
I have to write a review as there are way too many high ratings on IMDb about this movie. No way you can give more than a 5 out of 10 for this movie. A very enthusiastic person, on a good day, might seriously go as high as 6; But 8? 9? There are even 10s!! Come on!
Up until now, the lowest rating I gave for a movie was a 3 and it was for MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL. I gave it a 3 only because I still would have recommended TUSK over that movie, which I gave only a 4. So I'm going to stay positive and give it a 3 as well, but it is kind of insulting for Clint Eastwood and Kevin Smith and my 3 is more of a 2.5 rounded up. Because you can make a much worst movie than BLOODY MALLORY, but it is very easy to find much much better as well.
The movie has the look and feel of one being made by a group of friends barely out of their teenager years, very amateur. But it looks like people had fun making this movie and that they seriously tried to make something good with very little mean.
But the weakest point is the script. Every cliché imaginable has been put in it, so it looks more like a bunch of scenes stitched together; Scenes that were written to only use a certain camera angle, a certain fight scene or a certain special effect. It looks like a script written by an immature 12-year-old putting all of his favourite scenes in one single movie and saying to himself "That will be awesome!" A low budget is never an excuse for a bad script.
I sometimes read about bad acting in the comments on IMDb and I don't see it. In this movie, I see it. I don't know if it is due to bad actors, bad directing or the bad script, but there is zero emotions coming out of this movie. You don't feel close to the heroes, you don't hate the villains, the jokes and the one-liners are not that funny, you are not afraid or disgust, you feel nothing. The only rictus you'll have is by noting the bad/cheesy acting/line/scene/effect you will see.
But don't get me wrong, the movie is not a bad experience in itself. But it is like watching a movie your kids made: You like it because they made a good effort and it shows.
So if you have nothing better to do and that movie happens to play on TV, give it a go, but don't expect much about it.
Nine Dead (2009)
This is excellent ... even the ending
First, this is not a horror movie, but a thriller. Yes there is violence, but you can see worst in CSI series.
I read the reviews on IMDb before seeing the movie and was warned about the «bad person» getting away with it in the end, which seem to be a big moral mishap for some. So I had to watch it to make my own opinion. I'm glad I did as it is a script well written in my opinion, a lot better than what you can expect for a low-budget movie.
I don't want to say anything about the plot, as it reveals itself pretty quickly and it is the whole point of the movie. The pace is really good for a «dialog» movie.
That being said, there are two clues as to why the «bad person» doesn't get away with it: 1- It is said at one point that the whole thing was filmed and everybody saw it, and 2- Note that there is a weapon that is dropped at a crime scene at one point with the fingerprints of the «bad person» on it. The police will necessarily be able to link the «bad person» to the crime. So it is impossible that this person will get away with it.
The following is a MAJOR SPOILER and is meant as a discussion after one saw the movie to explain why the moral of the story is good, so stop reading if you haven't seen it yet. You've been warned.
* * * SPOILER * * * SPOILER * * * SPOILER * * * SPOILER * * *
A lot of people think that the lawyer got away with it, which spreads bad moral. It is quite the opposite.
Out of the nine persons, you can identify 3 kinds of people:
1- People who do bad things, but not specifically to the victim, and never got caught:
a) The guy who sells drug and rob stores;
b) The guy in the mafia;
c) The pedophile and rapist;
d) The guy who robs houses and sells stolen guns on the streets;
e) The store owner who perjure herself (She only speaks mandarin, but one can imagine she knowingly lied on the stand, which is probably what the shooter tells her in her ear before killing her).
All of these people died, shot by the father's victim. In this regard, the father's victim can be regarded as carrying justice where the justice system failed.
2- People who don't do bad things per say, but did not help when they could:
a) The priest;
b) The police officer;
c) The insurance broker.
The shooter did NOT kill any of those people. Justice (punishment?) was served some other way. The priest's death can be regarded as a suicide, as he jump in front of the line of fire. One can say that the bullet was meant for the insurance broker, but remember that the shooter said that everything was carefully planned and he knew how everybody would react. One can imagine that he knew the priest would react this way, out of guilt, and never meant to shoot the insurance broker.
All of the people of both categories above felt some sort of remorse about what they did - or didn't - do, before dying. You could even add the shooter himself to this list.
3- The last person left is the lawyer, who not only is the only one who knew precisely her action was going to hurt the victim, but also is the only one who didn't felt any remorse at all. She even sank deeper in crime for her own selfish gain.
Everything was filmed and seen by, presumably, the police. The gun with fingerprints of the lawyer is left on the scene of the crime. Even though she is seen fleeing, the police is close behind and we can imagine she will be caught soon and be punished by the justice system, maybe even the death penalty. Worst case scenario, she will not get her old life back and will flee from the police for the rest of her life.
So, from this point of view, the movie seems to spread some very high moral values. And it does it quite smartly.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
A nightmare sequence
So two Rob Zombie movies were scheduled on the horror movie channel. I didn't know Zombie and after checking out the reviews on IMDb, curiosity had a hold on me. So even if I wasn't enthusiastic, I decided to set the DVR for both of them, «House of 1000 Corpses» being the first one I watched.
I was promised a gore fest and I must admit I'm not usually a big fan of this genre, but the comedy aspect was appealing. I was afraid it would be one those horror movies that try to make you jump of your seat every 5 minutes, which I dislike. Worst of all, I certainly hoped it wouldn't be a festival of girls screaming for the entire movie, as I hate that too. So I was curious, but I was reluctant to waste my time watching this movie.
Is there a good story? Nope. The first part with Captain Spaulding is really great. Then you go with that weird family, which kind of brings you elsewhere (It reminded me of «Nothing But Trouble» (1991) by Dan Aykroyd, which is not a good thing). And finally you go to Dr. Satan, which was introduced in the first part, but too late as you already have forgotten about him and it doesn't really affect you at this point and you're kind of glad the movie is finally ending.
Is it scary? Not at all. Is it funny? Not really. Was I disgusted by the violence/torture/horror? It was pretty standard stuff and not that much of it (for an horror movie that is supposed to be a gore fest, anyway). I was more disturbed by the transformation in «Tusk» (2014) than anything in that movie.
You really don't have that suspense that makes you say: «Oh no! Are they really gonna go there? They wouldn't. OMG, they went there!» Really nothing of the sort. Also - thank God - not too much screaming either.
Did I like the movie? HELL YEAH!
Somehow, it worked on a whole other level for me. I just loved the way it was shot. The directing and the editing was what made it for me, even though some reviews here hated the movie for the exact same reason I loved it.
I felt I was watching my own nightmare. You know the kind of dream you have after watching a disturbing movie, where you are kind of reliving the movie, but nothing makes sense. You are not scared, because you know you are dreaming. You know you can stop everything by waking up, yet you don't want to, because you want to see what will happen next.
The story kind of goes nowhere and everywhere, but so do the plots in my nightmares. All of those scenes that come from nowhere and those special effects that makes things look weird, guess what? Just like in my nightmares. Even this short movie was kind of long for what it had to say; Just like my nightmares that seem to circle around a theme by repeating the same scenes over and over.
You can't make sense of the movie. You have to only enjoy the weirdness of it, just like a dream. I don't know if this was the intent of the director, but if it wasn't, it was a nice outcome that I enjoyed dearly.
Usually, horror movies try to find another (original) way of killing someone. This movie was more about finding another (original) way of filming a very typical killing. The shooting scene was awesome. For an horror movie, you must admit that shooting your victims with a hand gun is rather boring, better suited to a western or action movie. Yet, the way it was shot, with the slow motion to the song «I remember you», followed by this extremely long waiting period before the last shot is fired (that you barely can see, which is weird for a movie that is said to be a gore fest), I thought it was really original and it kind of brings you back into the movie, wanting to see more of it.
The music. Another great feature of the movie that really sets the mood, even if you don't get into the story. Weird, but fun. You listen to this (mostly) heavy metal music (which is good) and then you have an «I Wanna Be Loved By You» or a «Brick house» thrown at you that just makes you want to sing along. I'm telling you, fun!
Is this the best horror movie ever? No. But it was fun to watch, left me with a «feel good» sentiment and I now am enthusiastic about watching my second Rob Zombie movie recorded on my DVR.
The River Murders (2011)
Enjoyable
I liked that movie. The story is along the line of SEVEN, but it's not SEVEN. The plot development is very different and compared to SEVEN, anyone will choose the latter as a better movie. But it doesn't mean this one is horrible.
The cinematography is great. It sets well the moods and it's like watching a succession of paintings. Much better than what you can expect from a B-movie.
The story holds great and there are no real loopholes.
I really appreciated the fact that there were a lot of «normal» reactions. For example, the movie begins with the discovery of a body near a river. The detective arrives on the crime scene, obliviously recognize the victim (an old flame) and after learning she was found at the exact spot where they met, he says: «I can't be on this case, I know the victim.» I think it's the first time I see this in a movie or TV show, as opposed to the traditional cop who tries to hide this fact because he or she wants to get the case so badly. No real cop would do something like that, as it would jeopardize any case in court.
Another «normal» reaction is the female detective who begins to treat any man she meets as a suspect, as she knows she can be a potential victim. And it is done in a very realistic way, i.e. she's not a nervous wreck that is pointing a gun at every man she meets.
Another «normal» reaction is the patrol cars protecting potential victims. They are shown as an effective deterrent instead of having a killer tricking or killing them to reach his victims. The killer must find another way.
Basically, no stupid people in this movie. Except maybe for the FBI agent (Christian Slater) which could of give it a rest with the patronizing of the «suspect» detective (Ray Liotta), which was clearly not a suspect from the get go. He was the only one acting weird on the subject.
It will not win any awards, but it is nice to watch on a late night.
Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)
I'm on the «better-than-the-first-one» train
This is not one that will become a classic, but it is entertaining and will get some laughs out of you. You must of course like comedies with stupid characters making stupid decisions.
I remember watching the first one and felt that it wasn't as entertaining as this one.
The first part is kind of slow, but it builds quickly and you get into the movie. What will happen next? How are they gonna get out of that situation?
Some «iconic» scenes of the first movie are referred to, but they were shorter thus I found them funnier, as I felt too much time was spent on these jokes in the first movie. Laugh once, get on to the next joke; It was much better.
And the car chase is really great and something out of the ordinary. That sequence should be classified with the «most memorable movie car chases».
I was torn between giving it a 6 or a 7 out of 10 and decided to go with 7 because I prefer to be in the «Love it» camp than in the «Hate it» camp. It's really not that bad.
Tusk (2014)
A serial killer, a victim and a search party
The film is based on an idea from a Kevin Smith podcast (we hear it during the credits) which is meant as a joke. It is actually the final scene of this movie.
There are actually 3 stories in that movie:
1. The story of a serial killer. It's the best story of the three. You learn why he's doing what he's doing and you feel for the character and all he went through in his life. He feels all humans are monsters, including himself and wants to correct all that. Yes, he turns out to be weird and crazy to a shocking point. The character is along the line of Dr. Hannibal Lecter from "The Silence of the Lamb". Relating his story to actual events helps the viewer connecting with the character (The "Duplessis Orphans" are real, as described in the movie).
2. The story of a victim. The movie begins with this story presenting us a person that most of us would consider a monster by the way he chose to live his life. Still, we feel for him and we don't think he deserves whatever happens to him as the plot unfolds. The story is well told by the use of flashback. In a certain way, we can see this character evolving (forcefully), realizing in the end he might be a better person as a "friendly form of life" and as a "monster killer" than as being the "monster" he used to be. Too bad the ending of this story (which is the ending of the movie and the original idea behind the movie) is presented in such a ridiculous way. What was meant to be funny, well, it just doesn't work with the rest of this story. It leaves you confused about a character that you began to feel something for. That last scene could've been told in a more serious and realistic manner to help the viewer connect even more with the main character.
3. The search party story. The first half of the movie is only about stories 1 & 2 and the viewer is deeply involved in the plot. Then we began to see the story about the search party for the victim (the girlfriend, the best friend and a retired cop). We are in for ridiculous and unrealistic situations and characters without depth. Especially the retired cop which could be a character on "Dumb and dumber" as he is such a caricature. This story brings nothing to the movie and could be completely removed with no consequences. Most of it was meant to be funny, which wasn't reaching me at all. I guess it's the type of humour that can only be enjoyed while high.
In retrospect, it's an horror movie in the sense that you will see disturbing images, but there are no scary scenes. If someone finds humour in this movie, I find it very thin, and other Kevin Smith's movies are much better examples for this purpose. I wish Kevin Smith would have shown more of the transformation process (physically and mentally) instead of the search party story. We would have connected even more with the main characters and feel their pain.
The ending and the search party story really killed the movie, thus the low rating.