altec91 Reviews

Puppet Master: Axis Termination (2017)

Best one since the original trilogy

[6/10 · 8 December 2021]

The first 3 in the Puppets franchise were the best. And there was a lot of near unwatchable trash until finally this one. The key actors are quite good. The 2 nazi antagonists, the American Captain, the Russian daughter, the voodoo witch... all very good actors that help carry this movie, such as it is.

The story is self contained, so I highly reccomend that you skip the two previous turds in this nazi trilogy; as they are not necessary to enjoy this Axis Termination movie.

Supernaturally enhanced Allies & puppets vs supernaturally enhanced nazis & their puppets. Enjoy this decent B movie. As a bonus, there is some minor female nudity here and there; and a good amount of R-rated gore as most horror movies generally should have.

The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020)

HIghly entertaining sequel, better & bigger than the first

[9/10 · 5 October 2020]

You must watch the 1st Babysitter movie prior to this one for the 2nd to make sense. Yes, there are still logic lapses, but the overall tension & fun created make you forget the lapses.

Otherwise, get ready for some good laughs in this over-the-top gore filled supernatural sequel that is indeed better than the original; but in reality completes & complements the first Babysitter movie.

Doom: Annihilation (2019)

Much better then expected

[7/10 · 12 November 2019]

I really detest dishonest 1 star reviews that only have the intent of lowering the rating rather than giving an accurate assesment of the movie.

The actors, many of them british, were actually quite good. The action was well choreagraphed, at times even excellent.

Having a strong female lead was already pioneered by Alien 1979 & Aliens 1986. This film obviously draws a lot of inspiration from Aliens in having a crew of marines arriving to an extraterrestrial base which has been attacked. I don't see anything wrong with borrowing good ideas from the past as long as they are executed well.

The special FX are quite good, considering this was intended as direct-to-video.

I would rank this movie above the theatrical Doom, and I was one of the minority out there who thought theatrical Doom wasn't bad. This movie is a fine addition to the Doom franchise, such as it is.

Four Warriors (2015)

Pleasant Surprise. Unfairly low score

[7/10 · 25 December 2016]

I am always willing to enjoy a low budget movie as long as I get an entertaining story. I am not too hard to please.

This seems to be a modest made-for-TV UK production. As such, you can count on it having a solid cast of UK/European actors that play their parts well. I found no fault at all with any of the actors, and felt all brought life to their roles very well.

A pleasant surprise was the appearance of Game of Thrones' "Hodor".

If you have ever played D&D role-playing games, you will enjoy this Middle Age story of a group of ex-crusader warriors that are on a journey to return to their respective homes; but encounter a troubled village in their journey.

Ill agree with another reviewer's comment that some of the fight scenes could have been staged & choreographed a little better. But, considering that this movie was shot in only 16 days (!), I can certainly cut some slack there. I did feel that the encounters with the demons were pretty tense.

By the end of the movie I gave a little clap of my hands and felt overall this was a pleasant use of my 2 hours I spent watching it.

V: Siege (2011) Season 2, Episode 6

Strongest episode so far

[8/10 · 15 February 2011]

Really enjoyed this episode as it is probably the most emotionally touching and human of all the episodes so far. I was concerned that season 2 would take an odd pseudo-Christian turn with Anna's questions about the human soul and how to study and destroy it, but this episode "Siege" was overall well directed and has renewed my "faith" in this series. And boy oh boy with the plot twists, but I don't want to spoil for you. Just watch and enjoy one of the better sci-fi shows currently on right now.

Now to fill out the rest of my 10 required lines of text. Here in Los Angeles, it's getting disappointing how mediocre the LA Lakers and LA Clippers are doing. They seem to routinely lose even to some mediocre teams.

Homo Erectus (2007)

Funny as Pre-Historic Hell

[7/10 · 12 February 2009]

I suppose since I went into watching this movie with very low expectations, I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself laughing from beginning to end. Maybe some of the jokes are a little too intellectual for those with low IQ's. The humor ranges from low-brow to sophisticated. Also for the men, and those similarly inclined, there are plenty of hot topless girls in this somewhat dark comedy.

What else can I say; I suspect this has some potential to later become a cable/ DVD cult hit as there is great comedy to be had, as well as some reasonably interesting pre-historic adventure to be enjoyed. Let me add that there are a lot of celebrities and reasonably well known actors that you'll spot in this movie.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009)

Outstanding expansion of Terminator franchise

[8/10 · 10 February 2009]

As an avid scifi/horror fan, this show, along with the awesome True Blood on HBO; Dexter on Showtime; and Battlestar Galactica on Sci/Fi are the worthwhile shows that I consistently keep up with in 2008/09 seasons.

Sarah Connor Chronicles is an exciting expansion of the Terminator universe that flows well with the end of the Terminator 2 movie (the mediocre Terminator 3 movie is properly ignored in the TV show's storyline). A new re-programmed female terminator (not as bulky, but more agile) named "Cameron" is now sent to the past to continue Connor's protection, and Mother/son and others must continue their evasion of new dangers.

Essentially, any scifi fan that loved the Terminator movies will enjoy this intelligent expansion of the Terminator franchise.

I'm concerned that as usual, Fox Production has green-lighted a solid, well-produced scifi show (e.g. see Josh Wheedon's 1 season of the great "Firefly"), but then their incompetent, conservative Operations and Marketing staff bungles the scheduling and administration of the show. Thankfully, DVR's now make scheduling almost irrelevant since you can record and watch the show whenever you want. Watch this show while you can, 'cause it's iffy if Fox will allow production of a 3rd season, but we'll see.

Day of the Dead (2008 Video)

Pleasant Surprise

[10/10 · 25 March 2008]

Wow,one of the unusual cases where I think the low score on IMDb is unjust and inaccurate. At first I almost passed on viewing this, based on 1) the fact that this movie was not released in theaters and went straight to video distribution, usually a bad sign. 2) The poster/advertisement is awful, and gives the false appearance that the budget for this movie was <$10,000... 3) the director of this zombie movie is the solid, but not currently A-List director Steve Miner (Friday 13th II & III, Warlock 1, House 1... all fine B horror movies that I liked very much).

So imagine my surprise as I found that while watching this horror/adventure unfold, it progressively kept and retained my interest throughout in this fast-paced and well executed horror/action/adventure. Anyone that has enjoyed Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror", or Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later", will easily enjoy this movie, even if it doesn't quite reach the quality of these 2 named movies; it is acceptably close.

The scares were plentiful, and the tension was kept high throughout. The comic relief character (you'll know whom I refer to) adds some well-needed appropriate humor moments to help soften the tight tension that is built throughout.

Mena Suvari was great and convincing in her military role. Ving Rhames is, as always, very solid; I only wish his role had been bigger, but still a nice contribution to the flick. And frankly, the whole ensemble of supporting actors were great, but I don't want to spoil your experience by describing too much. If you like horror/adventures, this movie will be very satisfactory.

My one complaint is simply in the attempt to market this movie as a "remake" of the original "Day of the Dead", which frankly, seems pretty inaccurate; as aside from containing zombies, the plot has nearly no resemblance whatsoever to George Romero's original zombie movie. However, this should not dissuade you from watching an otherwise very pleasing horror/adventure.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: A Simple Investigation (1997) Season 5, Episode 17

Outstanding

[10/10 · 7 March 2008]

I was touched. One of the finest episodes of the series, with excellent antagonists and a mature, well-handled potential romance. You can't go wrong with this episode.

The episode even cleverly incorporates elements found in cyberpunk lore (the attractive/dangerous woman has a cyberlink on her neck to connect to computer systems), and a nice detective/procedural back and forth between the protagonists.

The antagonists are portrayed very well, with a clever darkness about them. Some of the best "villains" to be seen in the DS9 series. OK, that's all I really have to say for now, however, I seem to be required to write at least 10 lines of text. Alright, the whole cast ensemble cast works great in this episode, as usual.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Dirty Girls (2003) Season 7, Episode 18

Standout episode in the final 7th season

[9/10 · 26 December 2007]

Faith (Eliza Dushku) returns, but more importantly, Nathan Fillion (Firefly/Serenity)'s character of Caleb is introduced.

This is a pleasantly solid episode directed by Michael Gershman. Long time cinematographer on Buffy and director of some of the better episodes (Click on his name to see the outstanding episodes he directed). Gershman seems to have a good eye for staging action sequences. So without spoiling it, I'll just say there was good comedy, drama and action to be had in this episode. And Caleb, the twisted former Catholic priest is an outstanding villain that helps drive the ending arc of the Buffy series.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

Worth my $10 Theater dollars

[8/10 · 26 December 2007]

Better action sequences than AVP 1. Good nods/winks to the Predator/Aliens 1&2 respectively. At first I was concerned the pacing was a bit too fast, as they quickly introduce the aliens to Earth, but then I realized no time was really necessary to introduce the stars (the Predator & aliens) and they can just move forward to setting up nicely choreographed and cinematic action sequences.

I'll say the cinematography/visuals were terrific, adhering to the standards set with Predators 1&2 and Aliens 1&2. The Strause Brothers debut as directors is pretty solid, and I now eagerly look forward to the 3rd installment (hopefully) with them at the helm again.

Masters of Horror: Sounds Like (2006) Season 2, Episode 4

Well Done & Creepy

[10/10 · 11 January 2007]

Solid episode. Well directed and acted.

If you have worked in a corporate environment, especially in a customer service hell pit; you'll laugh at some of the familiar bean-counting and eavesdropping of employees practiced at the tech center where the main character works. Of course, these sort of operations are more likely now to be found in Bangalore or Delhi, India, but I digress.

A normal-seeming family man with very acute hearing manages a tech-support center well, but his special ability becomes more pronounced, and then becomes a curse that worsens as the episode progresses.

One can see the story was getting a bit thin in the 2nd half, but still this defect doesn't detract too much from what is otherwise one of the best episodes so far in the series.