This movie is a tough one to rate, as the majority of it is quite very mediocre. The acting from almost all the characters was terrible, the writing wasn't too bad but it wasn't anything special, and the directing most of the time seemed nothing more than OK. Although, everything having to do with the killer was spot on. A brutal, smart, quick killer that doesn't take any risks or chances and pounces as soon as he gets the chance, probably the best slasher villain in recent horror films. The red coat outfit was awesome and the weapon of choice was simple. The first half of the movie was pretty boring other than his scenes while the second half of the movie is much better and does a good job of redeeming itself. The twist with the killer was actually great and very unexpected. His character was all-around the best part of this film. Not to mention the acting of the killer was absolutely fantastic, I look forward to hopefully seeing him in films in the future. Although the first half isn't very good (again, other than any scenes involving the killer), I do highly recommend this film to horror movie fans, especially indie and slasher fans.
Reviews
7 Reviews
Frankenstein
(1931)
Dr. Frankenstein was a god who created life with his monster. Universal Studios and James Whale were gods who created life with this film.
1 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Dr. Frankenstein was a god who created life with his monster. Universal Studios and James Whale were gods who created life with this film.
After watching Dracula (1931) and being disappointed, I thought that Frankenstein wouldn't be too much to my liking either, but I was wrong. There were no parts in this film that didn't keep my attention. At times, though, I felt that this was a mediocre movie, but as soon as those thoughts arose I always came across a scene that would take the film to a new level.
Before talking of specific scenes, I want to mention the obvious things that I must talk about. The writing for this film was very good. Nothing like the book (but I knew that before going into the movie thankfully) but it at least grasps the idea and themes of the book and portrays them quite well. James Whale also did some great directing on his part. One of the two of the most impacting scenes in the film were displayed fantastically and without a doubt perfect. The acting by the more "villainous" characters of the film (Dr Frankenstein, the Monster, and Fritz) was phenomenal, while the rest of the acting was quite average in my opinion.
The writing for this film took many specific themes from the book, especially the 'God-like' theme that is the most important. It isn't portrayed very well in this movie, at least not nearly as much as in the book, but it is still there. The book is much more subtle in showing it's themes of 'God' and 'creation'. The film has these, but not as many, and not as subtle either. I didn't see many thought of 'God' and 'creation' up until the scene where Frankenstein's Monster comes to life and Dr. Frankenstein exclaims "Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!" That scene shoved into your face those two themes, but they did it in a more polite way than just forcing them on you.
James Whale's directing seemed very mundane at times, nothing to extraordinary. He would just shoot the scenes and nothing seemed too unique to me. But, as soon as I would start thinking the film is mediocre, he would come across and take another scene but shoot it in the most fantastic way. One instance of this is the most hard-hitting scene of the film, when the farmer is holding his daughter, little Maria, after the Monster had accidentally drowned her and is sullenly walking through the village. What a very sad and upsetting scene as the camera takes one shot to show him walking past all of the partying villagers with the deepest of emotionless faces a man can show.
I must also give Whale credit for shooting the scene where the Monster throws Dr. Frankenstein off of the building. At the time of the film, back in 1931, to show someone being thrown off a building, hitting a windmill, and then falling to what looks like his death, must not only have been controversial and surprising to see but also very difficult to shoot without the use of the effects we have now. Two thumbs up to you James; you are indeed a master of your craft.
As for the acting, most of it was bland, except for the portrayals of Dr. Frankenstein, Frankenstein's Monster, and Fritz. Colin Clive's performance of Henry Frankenstein started out as mediocre as the rest of the characters but increasingly got better throughout the film as the character and characters around him developed and changed. Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster gave a great performance. All he really needed to do was wobble around and give out groans and moans, but Karloff brought much more to the character than the average person could have and he made the Monster feel much more human than he was, which was perfect. Last, but certainly not least, Dwight Frye's performance as Fritz was stunning. Maybe it's just me, but Frye seems to be one of the greatest actors of all time that could portray such dark, disturbing, and insane characters. Probably the most disturbing scene of the film is when Fritz is showing his 'power' over the Monster with fire by scaring it over and over again with the torch he is carrying. It shows just how terrible human kind can be and how we can go from mere human to terrible monster just by having power over others. That is still something that exists in societies today and is still a thought that is as terrifying as ever.
Overall I must say this film greatly exceeds my expectations and is now one of my favorite horror films of all time. A timeless classic with themes that are still relevant today and some of the earliest stunning acting and directing in horror film history that could still be watched and learned from today.
9.5/10
After watching Dracula (1931) and being disappointed, I thought that Frankenstein wouldn't be too much to my liking either, but I was wrong. There were no parts in this film that didn't keep my attention. At times, though, I felt that this was a mediocre movie, but as soon as those thoughts arose I always came across a scene that would take the film to a new level.
Before talking of specific scenes, I want to mention the obvious things that I must talk about. The writing for this film was very good. Nothing like the book (but I knew that before going into the movie thankfully) but it at least grasps the idea and themes of the book and portrays them quite well. James Whale also did some great directing on his part. One of the two of the most impacting scenes in the film were displayed fantastically and without a doubt perfect. The acting by the more "villainous" characters of the film (Dr Frankenstein, the Monster, and Fritz) was phenomenal, while the rest of the acting was quite average in my opinion.
The writing for this film took many specific themes from the book, especially the 'God-like' theme that is the most important. It isn't portrayed very well in this movie, at least not nearly as much as in the book, but it is still there. The book is much more subtle in showing it's themes of 'God' and 'creation'. The film has these, but not as many, and not as subtle either. I didn't see many thought of 'God' and 'creation' up until the scene where Frankenstein's Monster comes to life and Dr. Frankenstein exclaims "Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!" That scene shoved into your face those two themes, but they did it in a more polite way than just forcing them on you.
James Whale's directing seemed very mundane at times, nothing to extraordinary. He would just shoot the scenes and nothing seemed too unique to me. But, as soon as I would start thinking the film is mediocre, he would come across and take another scene but shoot it in the most fantastic way. One instance of this is the most hard-hitting scene of the film, when the farmer is holding his daughter, little Maria, after the Monster had accidentally drowned her and is sullenly walking through the village. What a very sad and upsetting scene as the camera takes one shot to show him walking past all of the partying villagers with the deepest of emotionless faces a man can show.
I must also give Whale credit for shooting the scene where the Monster throws Dr. Frankenstein off of the building. At the time of the film, back in 1931, to show someone being thrown off a building, hitting a windmill, and then falling to what looks like his death, must not only have been controversial and surprising to see but also very difficult to shoot without the use of the effects we have now. Two thumbs up to you James; you are indeed a master of your craft.
As for the acting, most of it was bland, except for the portrayals of Dr. Frankenstein, Frankenstein's Monster, and Fritz. Colin Clive's performance of Henry Frankenstein started out as mediocre as the rest of the characters but increasingly got better throughout the film as the character and characters around him developed and changed. Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster gave a great performance. All he really needed to do was wobble around and give out groans and moans, but Karloff brought much more to the character than the average person could have and he made the Monster feel much more human than he was, which was perfect. Last, but certainly not least, Dwight Frye's performance as Fritz was stunning. Maybe it's just me, but Frye seems to be one of the greatest actors of all time that could portray such dark, disturbing, and insane characters. Probably the most disturbing scene of the film is when Fritz is showing his 'power' over the Monster with fire by scaring it over and over again with the torch he is carrying. It shows just how terrible human kind can be and how we can go from mere human to terrible monster just by having power over others. That is still something that exists in societies today and is still a thought that is as terrifying as ever.
Overall I must say this film greatly exceeds my expectations and is now one of my favorite horror films of all time. A timeless classic with themes that are still relevant today and some of the earliest stunning acting and directing in horror film history that could still be watched and learned from today.
9.5/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street
(2010)
There are some good parts, but the bad outweigh the good
26 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
So I didn't much like this film. I went into the film as a non-remake thought, so I could just take the film as is, and not as a remake. As a remake I would have been MUCH more harsh on the film.
Things I liked: - Freddy's background story expanded - Some brutal deaths, including the scene with Kris (I liked the original movies death better because of more blood, but this one, slamming her all around the walls was really awesome) - some of the scenes, who cares what people think about 'glossy' look, were visually really nice, like the snow room scene - Freddy's character, I loved the sick perverted dark character and humor that he had - Freddy's little habit of rubbing two of the knives together to make a sort of scratching sound, so creepy and quirky, I loved it
Things I didn't like: - Freddy's voice, didn't sound nearly as sinister as it could have, IMO - Freddy's makeup. Sure it was more realistic or whatever, but it just didn't look as evil. It seemed like with Freddy's character being so sinister in this movie that Freddy should look more evil. And hell, realistic or not, he's in control of the dream world, he could make himself look more sinister hahaha - I thought the overall script was quite boring, I found myself constantly just wanting to leave the theatre, but I just wanted to see some gruesome death scenes, which I did enjoy a bit - the very end, I thought the 'cliffhanger' ending totally sucked in this one. - I also didn't care much about the characters at all, none of them were very nice to look at either, in a teen slasher I at least like them to be attractive and I thought none of the girls were attractive hahaha
So there you have it, my little "review" of the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, overall rating being a 4/10
Things I liked: - Freddy's background story expanded - Some brutal deaths, including the scene with Kris (I liked the original movies death better because of more blood, but this one, slamming her all around the walls was really awesome) - some of the scenes, who cares what people think about 'glossy' look, were visually really nice, like the snow room scene - Freddy's character, I loved the sick perverted dark character and humor that he had - Freddy's little habit of rubbing two of the knives together to make a sort of scratching sound, so creepy and quirky, I loved it
Things I didn't like: - Freddy's voice, didn't sound nearly as sinister as it could have, IMO - Freddy's makeup. Sure it was more realistic or whatever, but it just didn't look as evil. It seemed like with Freddy's character being so sinister in this movie that Freddy should look more evil. And hell, realistic or not, he's in control of the dream world, he could make himself look more sinister hahaha - I thought the overall script was quite boring, I found myself constantly just wanting to leave the theatre, but I just wanted to see some gruesome death scenes, which I did enjoy a bit - the very end, I thought the 'cliffhanger' ending totally sucked in this one. - I also didn't care much about the characters at all, none of them were very nice to look at either, in a teen slasher I at least like them to be attractive and I thought none of the girls were attractive hahaha
So there you have it, my little "review" of the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, overall rating being a 4/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street
(1984)
To me, the very perfect horror film ever made.
14 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This film is the overall perfect horror film to me. The villain is unique and insane, with the very creepy look of the burned up body, the knives for fingers making it many people an easy close combat kill (which I find scarier than a ranged kill), and the almost bland look that will always stand out in you mind. The ability to control the world in which you dream is also terrifying, as we all dream, making us all possible victims. The directing I find amazing, many scenes being quite beautiful in my opinion, especially my favorite death scene which I will talk about later. The writing was good, with the unique story, and good dialogue and character development, to hate the characters we are meant to hate and love the characters we are meant to love, along with Freddy, being the character that we love to hate. I thought that Heather Langenkamp's performance was stunning, and I also find her quite attractive in that film as well. Robert Englund's acting was, as always, phenomenal. He is the perfect Freddy and always will be the perfect Freddy. He looks, acts, and sounds the part, and is the epitome of a nightmare in this film. Onto the last, but definitely not least, the deaths. Creative and very well done death scenes in this film. A Nightmare on Elm Street carries on the torch of having my very favorite death scene in any movie ever, the death of Johnny Depp's character Glen. Seriously, it is perfect in it's simplicity of being sucked into the bed to be killed, yet Wes Craven does one better by adding hundreds of gallons of blood to spray straight up to the ceiling. This film is absolutely, and will forever be, my favorite horror film of all time.
Fear No Evil
(1981)
A new found horror gem!
19 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I would have to say that I was not expecting anything. The last random film I watched on FearNet turned out to be boring. This time before watching this movie I looked it up on IMDb and saw that it had a 2.9 rating, so I expected something horrid. I ended up watching this film and finding a gem! There are many things that I loved about this film. Basically the film is about a teenage boy named Andrew who is the Devil incarnate. The movie had a very creepy feel to it the whole time. The acting was not very good except for Stefan Arngrim (actor who played Andrew). I thought that he was a good choice. I found his acting to be very well done and he looked the part perfectly, normal yet creepy, and somewhat sinister all at the same time. I think that one of the most eerie parts of the entire film is how innocent Andrew seems to be all the time. He looks, acts, and just seems so shy and innocent that when he does horrible things it really hits you hard. Most of the effects were good, but not used in the best ways, which made most of the deaths seem quite phony and sometimes laughable. I quite enjoyed the happy sounding music when Andrew's father starts flipping out and yelling that his son is the devil. There was a big cliché used in the film, the cliché of having a nightmare and waking up only to realize that I happened, yet it is used quite well and does not seem cliché at all. The shower scene was genuinely creepy, and for a random low budget 80s flick it was very surprising. Though I could have gone without seeing the guys penis flop.... The scene where Andrew kills the dog, squeezes his head until the blood rushes into a cup, drinks the blood and proceeds to start to eat the dog is equally scary and disturbing. Another disturbing scene was at the end in the play where the person playing Jesus started bleeding where he would have been nailed to the cross. For this film there are many disturbing parts that I had not expected at all, and it was great that I do not get disturbed by many things at all. I would also have to say that the movie had a great soundtrack, including Blitzkrieg Bop by Ramones, Anarchy in the UK by Sex Pistols, and Psycho Killer by Talking Heads. A great film that I recommend to everyone!
The Deaths of Ian Stone
(2007)
What's the matter? Scared?
18 April 2009
"I feel fine, but you gotta admit, having memories of *beep* that never happened? Come on, that doesn't strike you as bizarre?"
The Deaths of Ian Stone stars actor Mike Vogel (Poseidon, Cloverfield) as Ian Stone, a man stuck in this killer sci-fi movie similar to Groundhog Day. Ian Stone lives one life, dies, then wakes up in a completely new life with the only similarities being his name and Jenny Walker (Christina Cole). After an encounter with a "man" named Gray (Michael Feast), Ian starts to remember the lives he has lived in the past; each life that he has died during. Ian realizes that he is much more than just a mere human, and that he has the power to destroy the monsters, Harvesters, that continue to kill him.
The movie started out almost completely different than it ended. It started out more horror- like with some scary moments and deaths. Eventually it turned into more of a frantic mystery-thriller movie as Ian frantically searches to discover what these creatures are that are killing him, why they are killing him. After a bit of the movie, without any spoilers, it ends up turning into a torture like film with almost absolutely no blood or gore, but still somewhat effective. In the end, it seemed to go into almost an action/revenge genre.
The not very well known writer Brendan Hood (Wes Craven Presents: They) and the even lesser known director Dario Piana (They Only Come Out at Night) were in charge of creating this film. With Hood's interesting, yet somewhat clichéd characters carrying on the movie, it was up to Piana's directing capabilities to make this movie the best that it could be. To me, they both did a fantastic job. I loved the characters and the plot, and the gloomy and shadowy mise en scène throughout the film. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the writing/directing of this film, seeing that most of the Horrorfest movies are not that good.
Mike Vogel is obviously the better actor in this movie. Actors/actresses Jaime Murray (playing Medea), Christina Cole, and Michael Feast were OK, better than mediocre in my opinion. Vogel was the one who carried on the movie, he had some great acting parts in the movie and I pretty much enjoyed every part of him being in the movie.
This is my second time watching the movie, and I liked it a lot more this time as I would have given it a 7/10 for my first viewing, but am now giving it a 9.5/10. It had a great fun script that switched a lot of things up within the plot making it enjoyable and keeping me on edge trying to figure out where it was going to go next. The plot played out well in advancing the movie, although the quick change of genres certainly makes this movie to be more of a cult movie than one that everyone loves.
"What's the matter? Scared?" You may not be scared by this movie at all, but it certainly one of my favorites, and I say go for it.
The Deaths of Ian Stone stars actor Mike Vogel (Poseidon, Cloverfield) as Ian Stone, a man stuck in this killer sci-fi movie similar to Groundhog Day. Ian Stone lives one life, dies, then wakes up in a completely new life with the only similarities being his name and Jenny Walker (Christina Cole). After an encounter with a "man" named Gray (Michael Feast), Ian starts to remember the lives he has lived in the past; each life that he has died during. Ian realizes that he is much more than just a mere human, and that he has the power to destroy the monsters, Harvesters, that continue to kill him.
The movie started out almost completely different than it ended. It started out more horror- like with some scary moments and deaths. Eventually it turned into more of a frantic mystery-thriller movie as Ian frantically searches to discover what these creatures are that are killing him, why they are killing him. After a bit of the movie, without any spoilers, it ends up turning into a torture like film with almost absolutely no blood or gore, but still somewhat effective. In the end, it seemed to go into almost an action/revenge genre.
The not very well known writer Brendan Hood (Wes Craven Presents: They) and the even lesser known director Dario Piana (They Only Come Out at Night) were in charge of creating this film. With Hood's interesting, yet somewhat clichéd characters carrying on the movie, it was up to Piana's directing capabilities to make this movie the best that it could be. To me, they both did a fantastic job. I loved the characters and the plot, and the gloomy and shadowy mise en scène throughout the film. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the writing/directing of this film, seeing that most of the Horrorfest movies are not that good.
Mike Vogel is obviously the better actor in this movie. Actors/actresses Jaime Murray (playing Medea), Christina Cole, and Michael Feast were OK, better than mediocre in my opinion. Vogel was the one who carried on the movie, he had some great acting parts in the movie and I pretty much enjoyed every part of him being in the movie.
This is my second time watching the movie, and I liked it a lot more this time as I would have given it a 7/10 for my first viewing, but am now giving it a 9.5/10. It had a great fun script that switched a lot of things up within the plot making it enjoyable and keeping me on edge trying to figure out where it was going to go next. The plot played out well in advancing the movie, although the quick change of genres certainly makes this movie to be more of a cult movie than one that everyone loves.
"What's the matter? Scared?" You may not be scared by this movie at all, but it certainly one of my favorites, and I say go for it.
Punisher: War Zone
(2008)
Welcome Back, Frank
5 April 2009
"Sometimes I would like to get my hands on God." - The Punisher
Actor Ray Stevenson stars in Punisher: War Zone, a comic book adaptation to the MAX comic line of the Punisher. The Punisher, unlike most superheroes, is more of a vigilante who, instead of just stopping the bad guys and leaving them for the cops, kills them before the cops can get their hands on them. This movie is a much more gritty and bad-ass, yet somewhat comical rendition of the Punisher as compared to the other movies that came before it.
The movie starts of with the Punisher trying to bust a crime meeting with Billy Russoti (Dominic West), ends up killing most of them, including an undercover agent. The Punisher is so upset after killing one of the good guys that he decides he is going to quit. Well, it turns out the Billy survived, barely, with major facial reconstruction needed and making him look horrid. Billy decides to go after the undercover agent's wife and daughter to get money that he gave to the agent. He breaks his insane brother "Looney Bin Jim" (Doug Hutchison) out of an asylum and decides to go by the name "Jigsaw" while he tries to take out the Punisher. Madness, mayhem, and not to mention death and gore, ensue as the Punisher, with the help of Agent Paul Budiansky (Colin Salmon) and Detective Martin Soap (Dash Mihok), does his best to keep the wife and child out of Jigsaw and Looney Bin's hands while still staying alive themselves and stopping the distribution of a lethal deadly drug.
The acting in the movie was pretty good, but at time somewhat mediocre. Most people would dislike the voice and accent of actor Dominic West, but to me it made the movie much more comical. The dark humor in the movie made it fun and reminded us that it is still a comic book movie. The script was a lot more gritty and violent then past Punisher movies, making it even better than the others. The use of CGI for some of the blood and gore would be another thing that would turn people away from the movie, but it's not used a lot and they also did not have the best budget. The beginning of the film was unique as it showed how hardcore the Punisher can be, while still showing his weakness and soft spot that he has. It both humanizes the Punisher yet doesn't at the same time.
This film touches somewhat on the "ethics" of vengeance, or in this case "punishment". The Punisher is shown as a person punishing the evil in the human race. He also shows us that he does have some sort of ethics in his way of vigilance when he accidentally kills an undercover agent. He decides to quit being the Punisher once this happens. This doesn't last long as a crime boss targets the wife and child of the undercover cop he killed, so he goes back into business. But it does show us his overall view on vigilantism and what is OK and what is wrong.
Overall I would give this film 8/10 stars. It had some pretty good and fun acting. The directing was quite good as well. It's darkly comical yet gritty and violent script filed with some fun and interesting one-liners makes the movie better than I had originally thought. I would highly recommend this movie to any action movie lover or lover of the Punisher comics.
I leave you off with a great one-liner "Let me put you out of my misery." Go see Punisher: War Zone.
Actor Ray Stevenson stars in Punisher: War Zone, a comic book adaptation to the MAX comic line of the Punisher. The Punisher, unlike most superheroes, is more of a vigilante who, instead of just stopping the bad guys and leaving them for the cops, kills them before the cops can get their hands on them. This movie is a much more gritty and bad-ass, yet somewhat comical rendition of the Punisher as compared to the other movies that came before it.
The movie starts of with the Punisher trying to bust a crime meeting with Billy Russoti (Dominic West), ends up killing most of them, including an undercover agent. The Punisher is so upset after killing one of the good guys that he decides he is going to quit. Well, it turns out the Billy survived, barely, with major facial reconstruction needed and making him look horrid. Billy decides to go after the undercover agent's wife and daughter to get money that he gave to the agent. He breaks his insane brother "Looney Bin Jim" (Doug Hutchison) out of an asylum and decides to go by the name "Jigsaw" while he tries to take out the Punisher. Madness, mayhem, and not to mention death and gore, ensue as the Punisher, with the help of Agent Paul Budiansky (Colin Salmon) and Detective Martin Soap (Dash Mihok), does his best to keep the wife and child out of Jigsaw and Looney Bin's hands while still staying alive themselves and stopping the distribution of a lethal deadly drug.
The acting in the movie was pretty good, but at time somewhat mediocre. Most people would dislike the voice and accent of actor Dominic West, but to me it made the movie much more comical. The dark humor in the movie made it fun and reminded us that it is still a comic book movie. The script was a lot more gritty and violent then past Punisher movies, making it even better than the others. The use of CGI for some of the blood and gore would be another thing that would turn people away from the movie, but it's not used a lot and they also did not have the best budget. The beginning of the film was unique as it showed how hardcore the Punisher can be, while still showing his weakness and soft spot that he has. It both humanizes the Punisher yet doesn't at the same time.
This film touches somewhat on the "ethics" of vengeance, or in this case "punishment". The Punisher is shown as a person punishing the evil in the human race. He also shows us that he does have some sort of ethics in his way of vigilance when he accidentally kills an undercover agent. He decides to quit being the Punisher once this happens. This doesn't last long as a crime boss targets the wife and child of the undercover cop he killed, so he goes back into business. But it does show us his overall view on vigilantism and what is OK and what is wrong.
Overall I would give this film 8/10 stars. It had some pretty good and fun acting. The directing was quite good as well. It's darkly comical yet gritty and violent script filed with some fun and interesting one-liners makes the movie better than I had originally thought. I would highly recommend this movie to any action movie lover or lover of the Punisher comics.
I leave you off with a great one-liner "Let me put you out of my misery." Go see Punisher: War Zone.
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