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02-14-2024, 06:31 PM
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Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid (2004) the sequel (if you can even call it that) the original didn't need...or ever needed any for that matter.
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02-15-2024, 12:17 PM
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02-21-2024, 04:25 AM
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BRAVEHEART (1995). Although there was some complaints on the historical accuracies involved in William Wallace fighting to have Scotland break away from England, I still feel this is an epic film with very good direction and turn by Mel Gibson. Also, spectacularly violent scenes, particularly the Battle at Stirling. ****
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03-01-2024, 03:51 AM
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UNSTOPPABLE (2010). Decent film of two railway men, one a newbie with marital problems (Chris Pine) and the other a vet being pushed into early retirement (Danny Glover) who have to put aside differences to stop a runaway train full of toxic chemicals heading towards a heavily populated area. Pretty suspenseful film, not too long at 98 minutes, OK performances by the guys and Rosario Dawson. ***
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03-03-2024, 01:45 AM
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Living Hell 2008 ★½
Erica Leehrsen (aka Pepper from the Texas Chainsaw remake) stars as a scientist/soldier in this... action horrorry flick. Man goes where they are not supposed to go and a monster escapes threatening to destroy the whole world. Yadda yadda yadda. Monster movie bollocks with a suitably ludicrous ending. Terrifier 2016 ★★★★½ Art the Clown, Make Gorefests Great Again. Let Her Out 2016 ★★★ Between the story, the dialogue, the hallucinations, the acting,... Everything is either just above or just beneath meh. I was completely ready to give this movie two and a half stars. And then the glorious finale earned the third star... by a hair. Demolition Man 1993 ★★★★ A sneaky little action comedy that balances on that fine line between clever satire and dumb fun. Snipes and Stallone exchange their quips in well paced action scenes and there are plenty to enjoy this on a surface level. And needless to say, it also has a little dig at Ah-nuld.* Sandra Bullock delivers the type of bubbly lighthearted performance that a) she's very good at and b) helps the medicine go down. The medicine being a witty satire about an oversanitized society where everything (common) people would normally enjoy is outlawed: meat, swearing, smoking,... Looking at current day society and the offense-machine on the internet, it's hard not to see some kind of truth in it. I can see an older person being as confused by some of the new technology (popping out and changing at record speed**) as Stallone is by the three seashells. And let's not forget the gag where he uses the swearing tickets for toilet paper. The writers can also let Denis Leary do his shtick as Edgar Friendly without it feeling overly forced. And that final exchange... Commissioner H. Farnsworth: [confused; takes off his glasses] What will we do? How will we live? Edgar Friendly : I tell you what we're do. We're all gonna go out drinking, get shit-faced, and paint the town, literally. I mean graffiti, slogans. It'll be a blast. John Spartan : Whoa, Whoa. I'll tell you what gonna do: John Spartan : [to Chief Earle] Why don't you get a little dirty? John Spartan : [to Edgar] You a lot clean. John Spartan : And somewhere in the middle... I don't know. You'll figure it out. Alfredo Garcia : Fuckin' A! John Spartan : [impressed] Well put. So the truth lies in the middle. Isn't that something we can use in these partisan, overly tribalised times? *Because duh. **Because we can. Fuck you.
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03-03-2024, 01:50 AM
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Loft 2008 ★★★
The original of the much maligned movie with Karl Urban. I have never seen the American version and it's been a while since I've seen this one. The ending may look somewhat sillier on a rewatch, but the cast is good (special mention for Filip Peeters) and overall, it's still a visually well done thriller with a solid pacing. The Haunted Studio 2024 ½ The scariest thing about this one is how unfunny a comedy can be. The Howling Wind 2020 ★★★½ The apocalyptic wind makes for a good premise for a confined space horror. It also gives a good reason to shroud everything in mistery. What is in those winds? What caused the injuries on the arm? We will never know. The mist is an obvious comparison, but I am sure there are others as well. Compliments to the actors. It's easy to overact in these circumstances, but these two pull it off. Wonder how much stage experience they have between the two of them. Give it a watch. The Armoire 2017 ★★★★ Excellent short with a believable main character, some solid spooky images and sounds - the finger tapping was gold - and a solid ending. Four stars across the board. Good job, folks.
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03-03-2024, 01:52 AM
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Black Mirror: Playtest 2016 ★★½
Evil game corporation going where they should not have, unsuspecting happy go lucky American tourist, quick English fling,... It starts off innocent, then gets a tad scarier, but overall not really. I am aware that the scary part is supposed to be that all of this took place in a period where this two finger typing son of a gun can hardly type two words, let alone an entire sentence. But still. This is probably the weakest BM-episode up until… more The Last Man on Earth 1964 ★★★★ A shot of Vincent Price's voice and a classic from the sixties. Because I can and because I felt like it. Previous review here. Badland Hunters 2024 ★★★★ Watched 03 Feb 2024 This one was a fun ride. So let's get the possible criticism out of the way first: no, this is far from brain surgery. This is the sort of dystopian sci-fi action romp where you can see everything coming a mile away: the bad guy reveal, the happy ending, the set-up,... What we get, is a very entertaining movie within the template set up by Mad Max and the likes. After a huge earthquake (with terrible looking CGI), the remaining survivors are forced to make due in the rubble. With our main hero introduced as a major league badass when catching a croc (or gator). Enter the too good to be true promise of an apartment building with clean water that still stands after the big one hit (because the screenwriter said so). And cue the big reveal – “ehmagerd, they is evil and such and such” – in 5, 4, 3, 2,... Does it have a Doctor Mengele type doing unsavoury experiments? Check. A feisty heroine? Check. An unsuspecting happy go lucky best friend? Check. Doctor: *goes off on a psychotic rant* Me: Whatever you say, Jim Jones. All in a well paced movie with amazing action set pieces and fight scenes (Bah gawd!), funny dialogues and an amazing main hero. Outside of Korea, the world first got to see him in Train to Busan, but in each of his movies I have seen since then, Ma Deong-Seok is becoming a better action lead. This is just my opinion, but he can become a sort of Bud Spencer for this generation (he certainly has the posture and the comedic timing for it). That or a funnier version of Steven Seagall. Well recommended. Check it out. How to Make A Ghost 2022 ★★½ Enjoyable short that relies on subtle imagery and suggestion. And on a score somewhere between Lynchian and Giallo. Lost Highway 1997 ★★★★ David Lynch's groovy techno nightmare. That ironically gave the world Rammstein. I love the trippy vibe of this film where you never know who is dreaming who. Is Bill Pullman a fantasy version of the mechanic? Or is the other way around? All emphasized by Balthazar Getty miming some of Pullman's facial expressions and body language, making it sometimes even a tad hard to distinguish them. Or the videos. Where are they coming from? Who is making them? How are they getting in? This film is also bloodier than I remember, with the death of Patricia Arquette's character and the murder of the porn guy. What with the lingering on the table shot. Jeesh. Lynch going where PG 13 horror won't. The cast is excellent. The more said about Bill Pullman, the better. Very underrated actor with an amazing range throughout his career. Robert Blake is very creepy as the mistery man and I saw Robert Loggia having a lot of fun playing Lord Boss Crime. Fun ride. Glad to have this one in my collection.
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03-03-2024, 01:53 AM
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Lost in Translation 2003 ★★★★
Is this the official start to a #Murraysance? Bill Murray's transition from the goofball/screwball comedies to the more arthousey quirky roles he is known for now? In her song “Hypnotized” Ani Difranco sings: “I was surrounded/by a language/in which I could only say hello/and thank you very much” and to me, that sums up this movie. With Japan as a perfect setting. Through some reason, you end up in a place that you don't understand. Sometimes it baffles you, scares you, moves or amuses you. And sometimes all at once. “But I had just enough sweetness to keep you hypnotized”. To me, that line is the essence of this dreamy story, about two drifting souls finding each other in an unlikely friendship and even more unlikely romance. And I still found it touching upon this rewatch. Stuck 2020 ★★★★ Nicola did not screw Davey. Davey... screwed... Davey. A well filmed pre-emptive strike with a lot of fun gore. Omegle 2022 ★★½ Well, at least there was no time for random penises. One of those shorts that are fun as long as you "just go with it". Make Me a Sandwich 2019 ★★★★ A funny horror comedy short about, for lack of a better word, peaceful resistance. It gets you to sympathize with Marcy and the image of the totally oblivious husband is pretty funny.
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03-03-2024, 02:04 AM
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Machete 2010 ★★★★
Four stars once you enjoy Machete for what it is: rollercoaster B-movie fun with flip out moments like “holy shit, he jumped from one floor to another holding the dude's intestins”. Or “is that...? wow.” Add a star studded cast with everybody involved clearly having a lot of fun with their respective parts and we're off to the races. Also props to Robert Rodriguez for casting Tom Savini and Cheech Marin. Black Mirror: Shut Up and Dance 2016 ★★★★½ Talk about bleak. Good lord. One of those rare occasions where I don't really know what to say. By the end, I was speechless. Is it the soul crushing ending or the perfect use of Radiohead in the ending scene? Or the fact that Kenny was so successfully portrayed as a seemingly nice kid that the truth did not really dawn on me until a bit later? When all the pieces fell into place. Not every episode can be a zinger, but when BM hits the mark, they can give a masterclass in writing and storytelling. Macabre 2009 ★★★★★ This Indonesian flick was a true horror of the senses. Texas Chainsaw levels of intensity. It really glues you to the screen. Don't expect the plot to reinvent the wheel. A group of friends do a good deed which ends up becoming their undoing when they are captured by an Indonesian version of the Sawyer-family. This is all about the looks, the actors, the delivery and the atmosphere. Especially that mother. Holy crap, does she look creepy. Imagine a crossover between Vincent Price's mask from House of Wax and Kristanna Loken in T3 and you will get a vague idea. And her delivery. Everything she says has this emotionless, measured tone that makes it sound all the more frightening. Phoah. You are in control, madam. This control extends to every bit of action. Like the daughter singling out the horndog of the group in a split second. Or the nonchalant way one of the sons goes to work torturing good guy Alam. Or the line about how “the others got tired too”. The tone and delivery on that one. Brr. All of this comes with exquisite gore and mark out moments a mile a minute. Unless you OD on that, you will love it. Because this movie will NOT give you a minute to recover once it gets going. Five stars across the board. As far as I know, there is no stream available at this point, but seeking out a copy of the DVD is worth your while. Well recommended. Bodies Bodies Bodies 2022 ★★½ This looks like some sort of woke version of The breakfast club or St Elmo's fire. Except that, like Unfriended, it mostly begs the question why these people are friends in the first place. Thus providing drinking game material: depending on wether you want to be tipsy or bombed, you can either take a sip or do a shot for every bit of namecalling of every OMG in the dialogue. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible. It's enjoyable for what it is. Lightweight horror comedy fluff with a bit of a twist. Unlike other genre mates, it's less adolescent or jokey joke, with the final reveal serving as a good example. It reminded me of what a friend once described as how women's humour generally is different from men's humour and how women's humour according to her more relies on laughing at situations (with a bit of you had to have been there as well) than on common jokes. If Schwarzenegger is the idea of “men's humour” – simple, bite size, with a bit of the look-at-how-witty-I-am-peacocking – then this seems closer to what she was trying to explain to me then and probably also somewhat connects to director Halina Reijn's own sense of humour. It's never really scary, though it has a good fake out moment in the first act and at least it has the courage not to go for the low hanging fruit of turning this into an easy slasher concept. It keeps you guessing and no matter what you say, you don't see the final reveal coming. The type of rap that fills the score (catchy and energetic) is more memorable than the acting (not terrible, not great, nobody really stood out). That said, Pete Davidson is well cast as the annoying pipsqueak. Pretty sure there was or should be an SNL-sketch where he does a good Zuckerberg impression.
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03-03-2024, 12:07 PM
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The Recipe 2022 ★★★½
A short with room for a well inserted and (pun intended) fleshed out and well cut flashback. That's an example of a well panned out short in my book. The actress who played the wife had a few good psychotic glares which fitted her methodicalness and her descent into madness. The guy playing the husband had the 70s vibe down. My Bloody Galentine 2024 As a horror? Meh. What with the paper cut kills (not every horror has to be Terrifier, but this was weak sauce) and the lame reveal of the killer and the motive. That's it? That's all there is to it? As a comedy? Solid. It got a few few chuckles from me. The break-up gag was well timed. The sass and the fake smiles had just the right dose of charicature to not cross the line where it became annoying.… more Murder Camp 2023 ★★ An okay idea that has a hard time keeping up the pace. It's got a few funny moments, but it does not work as a comedy. It has two okay looking killers, but it's never scary. It’s Not About Fear 2023 ★★½ The monster as a metaphor for the baggage of exes you carry with you. A few somewhat creepy images and a bit of chemistry between the lead actors. But all in all not really out of the ordinary.
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