UK_Melia Reviews

Psycho Beach Party (2000)

Fun little B-movie

[7/10 · 20 September 2007]

I won't write a synopsis because you can see that elsewhere. I rented this mainly because I like Nick Brendon and wanted to see his work outside the Buffy realm. I was pleasantly surprised by this little gem. It's a bit of cheesy beach movie with a dash of slasher flick and comes complete with a dance-off to some band playing beach music.

It reminded me greatly of movies like 'Hairspray' and 'Cry-baby' - it's sort of in that genre. You know, over the top acting and hilarious one-liners that leave you wondering if they really said what you think they just said.

I'd recommend this if you dig anything by John Waters. Nick Brendon had a good part and it was fun to play 'Hey I recognize that actor' with some of the cast. Seven out of ten stars from me.

Serenity (2005)

Worth the effort

[10/10 · 2 October 2005]

When I say Serenity is worth the effort, I mean it was worth me driving 40 miles to the nearest theatre that had it playing. For the record, yes I am a great fan of Firefly and have been looking forward to seeing a new adventure with my beloved crew at least one more time. So that was the reason for the drive.

If I had never heard of the show or the movie, maybe I wouldn't have made the effort. It's hard to say. Unless maybe I read a review that said it was worth the effort because there certainly isn't anything else out at the time of this writing that I'd want to see.

So, I'm a fan and I was probably going to love Serenity no matter what. But I just want to say that the film exceeded even my expectations. It went beyond the beyond and succeeded in telling a riveting story filled with richness of character and absolutely wonderful dialog. And then came a sucker-punch that left me in shock.

I think Serenity will surprise a lot of people who dismissed it out of hand because how could a movie made from a failed TV show be any kind of success? Because it's good, that's why.

I'm going to see it again. And probably one more time after that for good measure. Serenity is worth the drive.

Eye for an Eye (1996)

An emotional beginning.. A predictable ending.

[21 October 2003]

I think our experiences in life help dictate what our emotional responses to films will be. For me, watching the aftershocks of a family dealing with a sudden and violent death of a loved one was horribly visceral.

**Possible Spoilers*

I am not a big Sally Fields fan. She's okay, and I will admit when she plays a grieving mother, she can make me cry and so she did in 'Eye for an Eye'. Once the film moved into the predictable revenge part I got over it and got into the story. I've never seen such an evil bad guy in any Kiefer roles as this one and as much as I love this man, by the end of the film I was rooting for Sally Fields to kill the jerk. I can't imagine what Sutherland used for motivation, if anything, to play this part and I don't know if I want to know.

At the end of the day, I liked this film. It's hard to watch and evokes some powerful emotions - and isn't that what films should do? Regardless of a mediocre script and typical plot, I was entertained and I believed in the characters. For some of us, that's enough.

Cowboy Up (2001)

It was all right.

[20 October 2003]

• Might be some weak spoilers within. I'll try to be careful -

I know next to nothing about rodeo life, bullriding, rodeo clowns or any of that stuff and that may have been a hindrance to the enjoyment of this film. Or maybe it helped as I've been reading that this film's on the unrealistic side. But that's okay, it's entertainment either way.

The script was weak and it was disappointing to see the female roles downplayed so much - especially Daryl Hannah's because one of the things that hooked my interest about this movie was the possible conflict of brother against brother over a woman. But that part was never developed much. I think I would have enjoyed this more if the whole movie was about that. I'm still not sure what purpose Molly Ringwald's character served in this.

But there are lots of good things about 'Cowboy Up'. I loved seeing a tough guy cowboy downloading stuff on a laptop. That really pleased my geeky self. The slow motion action sequences were wonderful as well. And while I don't know much about rodeo, I very much enjoyed the riding scenes.

Anyway, On a scale of 1 - 10, I'd give this a six. See it if you like Kiefer because he's wonderful in this. I love to see him in a good guy role like this.

Desert Saints (2002)

I think if you're a Kiefer fan, you'll enjoy this.

[20 October 2003]

If you're not a Kiefer fan, I'm not so sure. Me, I'm a Kiefer fan and while I will say I liked this film well enough, I'll also say it's not the best film in the world. I enjoyed Kiefer's ability to play a professional killer and yet you actually kind of like him by the end of it. I did not like Melora Walters. Her voice grated on me I guess. Jamey Sheridan (The Walkin' Dude from Stephen King's 'The Stand') was completely wasted in this I felt. He's a great actor as well but I don't think his character was developed enough.

In fact, I'd say none of the characters were really well-developed. And as a fan of character study movies, I was disappointed in this. But it wasn't *all* bad. There are quite a few scenes I found enjoyable to watch but overall, it's just a so-so flick.

Last Light (1993 TV Movie)

This was a TV movie?? Wow...

[20 October 2003]

I've never written a review on here before but after seeing 'Last Light' I felt compelled to do it.

If you want to see a well-crafted film about life on the Row - maybe you enjoyed 'Shawshank Redemption' or 'Dead Man Walking' - then give this one a try as well. Kiefer Sutherland and Forest Whitaker turn in fantastic performances. I love character study films and this one did not let me down. Kiefer was only 27-ish when he starred AND directed this hidden gem of a movie. I am amazed by that. And I've always loved Forest in anything he does and he doesn't disappoint me here. 'Last Light' is gripping, intense and the final sequence is shot beautifully - I cared a great deal about the characters by the end of the film.

I actually dug around on the Internet to find this one and I bought it and added it to my collection. Great work altogether from everyone involved. I give it top ratings.

Trapped in Silence (1986 TV Movie)

So young and so talented..

[20 October 2003]

Kiefer Sutherland's talent is incredible. I have always been a huge fan, but recently I came across this old made for tv movie and was absolutely blown away by his performance here. Kiefer is an institutionalized teenager who has exiled himself into a silent, crazy world due to years of excessive abuse as a child that culminated in a horrific traumatizing event. Marsha Mason is the psychologist who tries to discover what happened to him.

I don't mean to go on and on about Kiefer's role here, but I can't help it. I was so moved by his performance. I felt myself drawn into the movie and wanted to know just as much as Mason's character what had happened to him.

I don't know how easy it is to find this movie in your local video shop, I ended up buying it online, but it was totally worth the money, in my opinion. One of Kiefer Sutherland's finest performances (and there have been plenty!) and I highly recommend hunting for this one.