Change Your Image
MechaWingZero
Reviews
Benny Loves You (2019)
The pitch-perfect killer toy movie!
Twitter handle: @RebelCatLover
I watched this movie thinking it might be funny and entertaining and not only was I not let down, I discovered one of my very favorite comedy horror films. This movie is a blast!
This is an independently made film and it embraces it beautifully. In fact, the very first scene of the film unabashedly shows this, making it crystal clear there are none of the limits here that would otherwise be enforced by a major studio. It is edited together skillfully giving it a homemade but impressive feel.
This is also a British film, through and through. I personally love seeing authentic representations of cultures (regardless of which culture) so I would rate this as a plus as well.
The story centers around Jack, a man who is 35 years old and still lives with his parents with no immediate plans to move out. After they die in a highly implausible but hilarious accident, he is on his own. Ready to move on from childish things, he boxes up his toys and throws away Benny, a red puppylike plush with a voice box that he was attached to as a child. After this, all hell breaks lose.
I would argue that Jack (played by Karl Holt, who also directed the film) is actually a major highlight of this movie, because he is likeable enough to have as a character you are interested in, while also being plain and ordinary enough to not take any of the spotlight off of Benny, whom you watched this movie for. The balance feels perfect.
And of course there is Benny, the most lovable slasher villain that I think I have ever seen. This is another example of the film striking an excellent balance - Benny is not a sick twisted child killer, rather he is a steadfast companion who is willing to take things extremely far when he is envious. The amazing coexistence of Benny's affable personality and his sheer barbaric brutality is something that I would've thought would be tough to get right, yet this film does it so effectively. And Benny's repetitive catchphrases used in different contexts make for some hilarious moments that showcase this.
Another thing that can mentioned as well is that the other killer toys (besides Benny) in this movie are also really cool!
I personally love cats (*spoiler alert* and yes, Benny kills one *end of spoiler*). But one of the things I've noticed about cats is that while they are extremely friendly and kind to their human owners, they are utterly ruthless killers towards their prey whom they dismember. This film has a similar feel, in that it is simultaneously a cute film with heart and a gory macabre nightmare.
A lot of people have compared Benny's design to Elmo, but I would opine that he is actually much cuter. If you have any taste for B grade horror comedy, this is a must see!
Pokémon Origins (2013)
What the Pokemon anime should have been!
I'll admit, I may be biased because I don't like the Pokemon anime in the least. However, the Pokemon Red Version was my first GameBoy game ever. I was only 7-8 years old, and I remember being very confused as to why the plot line for the show was so different from the game. I later got the Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition game, which was marketed as having some touches that were intended to be more faithful to the show, but in reality, even the Yellow version has only little in common with the anime show.
(And yes, I do regard Pokemon Yellow as one of the greatest hand-held games of all time, with only two minor drawbacks. The first of these being the inclusion of the way-weird Jesse and James, and the second being that Pikachu's cry was altered to saying its name rather than the original cry that Pikachu has in Pokemon Red and Blue. I do very much like the other changes, such as improved artwork and the interaction with Pikachu.)
When I grew out of liking the show in a few years, my parents were kind of confused why I still played the games so much and never seemed to move past them. Little did they realize that comparing the Pokemon Games to the show is like comparing apples and oranges.
(And frankly, I really don't even like the word "Pokemon" as a title for the games and I wish the games were just called "Pocket Monsters," come on, that's not so hard to say. Partly because it's just a better sounding name in my opinion, but also partly because the games should be very distinguished from what aired on Kids WB on February 13th, 1999. And just in case you didn't know, yes, the games came before the television show. You probably already knew that if you're reading this review though.)
The Pokemon Origins TV Special is Pokemon Red and Green (Blue in the USA) adapted into an anime. The differences in plot are only minor and are probably only even there in the interest of making everything fit into four short episodes. Interestingly, each of the four episodes has a different director, and they all do a very good job. *Very Minor Spoiler Alert!* There also happens to be an ode to the newest generation towards the end.*End of Very Minor Spoiler*
Red is a likable enthusiastic protagonist (very unlike Ash) and seems to be a good representation of the eleven-year-old Pokemon league champion that we all remember, albeit now he finally talks. Green (the Rival) is very similar to how he was games, but maybe just a hair less obnoxious (which isn't saying much, but he doesn't say "Smell ya later").
The animation is top notch, the recreation of the towns and settings from the GameBoy games is superb, and they even went above and beyond with the cool intro sequences of a GameBoy selection screen, the HP bars as Pokemon are battling, and the fact that the Pokemon don't say their names out loud as their cry, but instead make noises like they do in the games. All of these things are to be commended. You are really given a sense of how different the characters and worlds of Red and "Ash" truly are.
The only depressing thing that keeps this from getting a perfect 10/10 score is the fact that it's only a television special, and not a full on anime series. Although this special does a fantastic job of summarizing the plot in four twenty-five minute episodes, this time constraint means they have to skip over a lot of parts of the games that would have been so fun to see. At the beginning of the second, third and fourth episodes, we see a brief summary of these events that those of us who grew up on the games are familiar with. Merely stating that such things happened just isn't quite enough, I would've loved to see these things played out, especially if it had been done with an equal amount of skill as the parts they did elaborate on. And worst of all, this results in there having to be a few minor plot changes from the games to make it fit the time block as I mentioned earlier.
But I won't let that stop me from being delighted. Who knows? This is the first review on IMDb, but maybe this will catch on. Could we possibly be treated to a similar special about the generation II games (Gold and Silver)? That would be fantastic!
In conclusion, may Red be known as the Pokemon League Champion, NOT Ash!
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009)
Does not deliver
The unfortunate thing about this movie is that it doesn't deliver on its selling point at all. I love ridiculous Z-grade entertainment, but this film didn't provide that.
There is only roughly 15 minutes of the mega shark and/or the giant octopus that the title promises us. Instead, we get these very boring people talking on and on about these monsters. Just talk, talk, and more talk (and not interesting talk, this isn't Tarantino's Death Proof).
I wanted to love this movie, I really went into it with a heavy bias in favor of it, but it really disappointed me. No it's not as bad as Snakes on a Train, but that is a really really low standard to compare it to. There are a few moments of this film that I really liked, such as the shark jumping out of the water and taking down an airplane, but these are very scarce compared to the boring dialog.
Monster from Bikini Beach (2008)
For hardcore trash fans only
To appreciate a film like this, you have be a huge fan of schlock films. This is an acquired taste no doubt. When I was first getting into B movies, I saw part of this movie and didn't really appreciate it. Now, I just watched again and really enjoyed it. So trashy, so funny, and so fun.
I gotta say, I love the costume that they used for the creature. It may not be realistic at all, but it sure is a clever design.
The acting feels SO forced, which is part of why it's fun. You can hardly call the special effects "special" because they are so obviously done with very cheap props. The story line is the bare minimum of what you could even call a story, and it's edited together like a video you could make by yourself.
I wouldn't recommend this as a first schlock film, or to anyone that doesn't definitely have a taste for them. First, go watch Piranha, Eight Legged Freaks, Anaconda, Snakes on a Plane, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, TerrorVision, Sharktopus and Sharknado, and if you love all of these films, you just might have acquired enough of a taste to enjoy this movie. I know I did.
Sharknado (2013)
Now this is how the Asylum should do their movies!
Sharknado shows that there may in fact be potential in Asylum's company. What thrilled me about this movie is that it actually delivers in giving us a Sharknado instead of just dialog about a Sharknado. The main problem with many of Asylum's other movies is that they are very stingy with their selling points (take Mega Shark VS Giant Octopus for example where we hardy even get to see the monsters). I was afraid this would be the case here too, but to my surprise it is not.
I went and saw Sharknado at the one night theatrical screening on August 3rd at 12:05 AM (2013). It was a very fun time. I will crown this movie as the best Asylum film I've seen.
I hope that this will influence future Asylum/Syfy movies in the future to deliver by giving us what they are advertising on the covers. While Sharknado is not on the level of Snakes on a Plane, it still is a good time for people who enjoy absurd disaster movies.
Piranha (1978)
The ideal B movie, perfect for the right audience!
Piranha is the best example I have seen of precisely how to do a rip off. It may sound like an oxymoron to call a rip off impressive, but this is what accurately describes Piranha. Today, we have the Asylum, a direct-to-DVD company which gives us so-called "mockbusters" that completely lack the heart and fun of a film like this. Instead, those are merely dull "just-going-through-the-motions-to-make-a-small-amount-of-money" displays of ineptitude.
There are several things to strongly commend this movie for, like the fact that the lead characters are likable so that you care what happens to them (unlike in some horror films), the way it is very self-aware and has small tributes to Jaws, the campy sound effect of the school of fish, the excessive amounts of blood that is shown in a comic manner, and how it is genuinely comedic and yet not a pure spoof in the way that films like Scary Movie are. Basically, the film comes just close enough to Jaws to be an obvious attempt to cash in on its success, and yet also stays just far away enough from Jaws that one isn't bored by a repetition of the same story all over again.
I also feel that this film did something well that I don't typically see in creature feature films. And that is that it maintained a good balance between the screen time that the piranha attacks had, and that the background story about the people and the origin of the problem had. I say "piranha attacks" because admittedly, the fish themselves are hardly shown close-up at all, but it didn't really feel as if I was missing anything by not seeing very much of their fins. Usually, the scenes involving the creature itself are short as well as far and few in between, while I am bored with all the meaningless dialog (a good example of this is "Demon of Paradise" where I was thinking "When do I get to see the monster?"). But in this movie I did not have that disappointment.
As a matter of fact, the scenes where the human characters are talking actually interested me and had me curious what would happen next. It is very rare for me to enjoy these types of scenes.
See this movie if you like B movies, by all means. However, if you aren't a fan of that type of cinema, Piranha probably won't convert you. We all have different tastes. I know people who simply don't enjoy a schlocky low budget B movie, even if it's great at being what it is. As for me though, I'll take this little exploitation film over Jaws, because it's just more fun.
Kick-Ass (2010)
Almost perfect, but gets a little carried away at parts.
(only very spoilers, I'm only marking this review to be absolutely safe) I totally enjoyed this movie. Granted, being a 19-year-old male who likes comic books and has trouble getting a girlfriend (I've never had one before), I am the perfect demographic. I've always thought how cool it would be to be a superhero too! There are a lot of positives about this movie. For one thing, it is action-packed, exciting and funny, and for another the characters actually have depth to them. It's nice to see a combination like this. It keeps you very interested in what will happen next, and does a great job at not dragging (dragging on with boring parts is my #1 pet peeve in movies). I will avoid going into specifics so that this review can be as spoiler free as possible, but I will say that it has a warmhearted feel that is different from the comic book it is based on.
On the negative side, there are a few things inserted that I feel are very unnecessary. Like for instance, that we have to go into how our main character Dave jacks off to pictures of tribal women from Africa. I mean, come on, I of all people can sympathize with a character being sexually frustrated, but that detail is just totally unneeded. Things of this nature are put here and there all throughout the movie. Fortunately, they are brief and/or minor enough to look past.
This is not a movie for the easily offended. It is extremely violent, has a good deal of sexuality (though not in a pornographic way) and has some controversial content involving a child. If your twelve-year-old son wants to see this movie (for which I don't blame him, I would have too), you probably shouldn't let him. Regardless, it does have a good heart, and sort of a wholesome message. I have sometimes struggled with whether or not it is morally okay for me to love this movie, but the truth is, I do.
Snakes on a Train (2006)
It frankly just has no redeeming qualities at all.
First of all, I am an enthusiastic connoisseur of B-movies (as you know if you've read any of my other reviews) and I am a dedicated fan of "Snakes on a Plane" even after all the hype has passed. I even have a Snakes on a Plane movie poster in my room. Let me be absolutely clear, "Snakes on a Train" is NOT AT ALL similar to Snakes on a Plane. I was thinking and hoping it'd be like a much cheaper version, but the truth is that it's about as similar to Snakes on a Plane as a shark is similar to a soda can.
I had to watch "Snakes on a Train" out of curiosity. Fortunately, it was uploaded in segments on YouTube so I didn't have to spend any money on it. I still felt a horrible feeling both during and after I saw it. This is a film that truly got absolutely nothing right.
Number one, Asylum Home Entertainment should apologize for false advertising. There are absolutely not "100 Trapped Passengers - 3,000 Venomous Vipers," not even close! There are only about a dozen or so dull uninteresting "passengers" and maybe two dozen snakes (at most) which are garter snakes and ball pythons (so much for the "Venomous Vipers" that the box promises).
Then, the next problem is the extremely boring story that is told in the slowest possible way. A woman has a curse on her and so she vomits snakes up her throat. She vomits them while they are traveling on a train. When the snakes bite other people, they start vomiting out snakes too. And mind you, all of this happens more slowly than a snail crosses the road. It drags on and on and on. There are no panic scenes or action scenes at all (until the very end of the movie that is). No trying to escape from the surrounding snakes, just talking and talking (about nothing interesting) while the woman in back is vomiting up more snakes. Oh yeah, and there is dull "subplot" about a girl delivering illegal drugs and a cop catching her, and predictably the cop is corrupt and is a pervert.
As I implied above, the characters in this movie are extremely dull. In fact so dull, that you wonder how they got hired for a movie, even a direct to DVD movie from the Asylum! The only tiny redeeming quality this movie might have is that the ending is unintentionally funny (I don't reveal endings, even in reviews that I have marked for containing spoilers. You can look that up if you want to know). The rest of the movie is far too boring to be funny, intentionally or unintentionally. Needless to say the sets are awful too, as it looks like they crammed bunk-beds and seats into a long hall way and called it a train.
I feel let down. Couldn't Asylum have at least made a rip off that you could laugh at? I don't know how they thought to make this film. Staring at paint dry for the 91 min. run-time is a better use of your time than watching this garbage.
Snakes on a Plane (2006)
I don't care what anyone says, I love this film.
I remember when this movie came out in theaters. I was fourteen-years-old and back then I used to spend a ton of time on Newgrounds.com. So naturally, I knew about it long before it was released due to all the internet hype. Not only do I like B movies but I have always had a strong fascination with herpetology. Snakes are my favorite animals. Needless to say I wanted to see Snakes on a Plane. However, my mother heard radio talk-show host Michael Medved give a whole speech on how he felt the content that had been added to make the film rated R instead of PG-13 (as demanded by internet bloggers) made the film inappropriate for his son. Predictably, my mom didn't let me see it in the theaters after hearing this segment (if you are curious to hear it just google "michael medved snakes on a plane" or something, it'll come right up). I told myself I would watch this movie when I left the house, and I did.
Now that I'm older and I've seen this movie, I realize that it is unquestionably one of my favorite movies. It just does what so few movies seem to do, and that's deliver completely. Were you hoping that it'd be about deadly snakes on a plane that's flying over the pacific ocean? It is. Were you hoping it would have Samuel L. Jackson in it? It does. Were you hoping for it to be comedic? It is.
What pleasantly surprised me is how likable the characters other than Samuel L. Jackson's are. Obviously none of them are going to get an Oscar, but I commend them for being much better than I would have thought or hoped for. This might be the second best acting I've seen in a B-grade film, with the best easily being Slither (2006).
The other thing about this movie is that it is very hard to put it into one genre. In some respects it is like an action film, as it is very fast paced and contains gunplay. It's also equally like a thriller, as there are a lot of those "edge of your seat" moments of suspense. It's also a lot like a horror film in that there is a body count and other gruesome elements. And of course, people who are terrified of snakes may find the film very frightening (I know a girl who would have to get counseling for months if she ever saw this. How scary it is will depend on how afraid of snakes you are.). On top of this, the plot and concept are so ridiculous and absurd that it adds a lot of humor throughout the movie, so much so that you may even be able to call it a comedy. In fact, the only "genre" that it entirely belongs to is that it is a "B movie" in every sense of the word, if you can even consider that a genre.
I don't even need to say that there are inaccuracies and mistakes. With a movie like this, that's inevitable. However, if you're in the right mindset, this can even make it more entertaining. I've read some people complain about the venomous snakes being CGI and therefor looking fake, but let me opine that the CGI snakes are actually well done. Can you tell that they are CGI? Well yes (as with nearly any CGI effect), but that doesn't mean they don't look cool or convincing. The lighting is perfect to make them seem as real as possible. And of course, they also used 450 harmless snakes on the set, and this definitely helps add credibility.
As to whether I would recommend it to you or not, I would say that you should just ask yourself one simple question: "Do I like the title and concept?" If your answer is yes, watch the movie, because it totally delivers. If your answer is no, then you definitely will dislike this movie.
Lastly, some have said that audience participation in the theater was such a huge part of the movie that it wouldn't be worth watching on DVD. While I would have loved to have seen the audience participation, I certainly enjoyed watching this on DVD, enough to have a copy on my shelf.
Slither (2006)
One of my all time favorites.
(only minor spoilers though!)
I cannot believe how good this movie is. Every other "comedy horror" movie I've ever seen in the end is really just a twisted comedy. While that isn't necessarily bad, it's really astonishing to me that Slither can pull off being funny and truly scary in many instances.
This movie doesn't drag much at all. Every scene has you curious what will happen next. It has literally all of the elements that I feel make for a great B movie - action, suspense, humor, attractive women, scares, and heart. And as a bonus, the acting is actually surprisingly competent. The main idea of the movie's plot is that a crater from outer space comes down (obvious tribute to "The Blob") and turns a man into a disgusting slimy alien-esque creature who procreates, resulting these disgusting slimy worms. Cool, huh?
One thing about this movie that seems to never be mentioned is that it has a very southern feel to it. It takes place in the south, the characters have southern accents, a tavern is briefly shown with confederate flags flying, and as the cherry on top the antagonist's name is "Grant Grant" (he has the same first name as last name). I don't know why no critic ever mentions this as I feel it is a BIG part of the film, and I love it. If the makers of movie did this to give to make the film more lovable, they succeeded big time. Although filming actually took place in Canada, they sure did an outstanding job of making the set feel like the American Southeast.
Now having stated my love for Slither, I will admit that it isn't for everyone. If you are more drawn to meaningful dramas, romantic comedies, or documentaries, or are just easily grossed-out, you may well not enjoy this movie at all. But if you love films about zombies, alien invasions and creatures, you'll love Slither.
Lastly, if you are new to the horror genre, I recommend watching some other movies before this because part of the entertainment value in Slither is that it's a tribute. Try seeing The Blob (1958), one or two of Romero's zombie films, and maybe Invasion of the Body Snatchers (doesn't matter if it's the original or the 1978 remake) or any films similar to these first. You'll be glad you did.
Shark Night 3D (2011)
Unintetionally funny trash that's ultimately somewhat of a let down.
I'm a huge fan of B-grade movies. When I heard that a "Shark Night 3D" was coming out I was interested. And after seeing the trailer that had Sara Paxton in the underwater cage for a moment, I immediately wanted to see it. Also, I'm a big fan of both Cellular and Snakes on a Plane, which are both also directed by David R. Ellis, so I thought that this movie really had potential. I know that many reviewers dislike the PG-13 rating, and while it did limit the film, personally I wouldn't really say that was the main problem. The real problem with this movie in my opinion is that it can't make up its mind as to what it is. It's like a three way split between being like a Syfy original movie, a serious movie about sharks, and even a teen slasher film. This strange combination does not seem to work.
I don't want there to be spoilers in this review so I won't go into any specifics, but I will say that it tries to be suspenseful and scary and while being super ludicrous. Interestingly, it actually doesn't begin like this though, and starts out with some credibility, leading you to believe that it might be a decent little shark flick after all. But then as soon as the first downright absurd scene comes, it just becomes more and more and more cartoonish (and predictable) by the minute. Piranha 3D has a good element of being self-aware that Shark Night 3D completely lacks.
But at least you can laugh at it. Producing a lot of unintentional laughs is what saves this movie from being a complete loser in my mind. Therefor it's not boring. I saw it in the theater with some people from my college ministry and we were all laughing a lot. The 3D effects were pretty good on a technical level and surprisingly the underwater photography is nothing short of excellent. As far as the acting goes, it's pretty poor like you'd expect. But with a movie like this you generally don't think much about the acting.
In conclusion, if you don't like cheesy B movies stay far far away from this movie. If you are a B movie fan, you might want to check this out but don't expect too much. I was expecting it to be a well done little film but it was instead a total joke that was at least funny at times.
P.S. If you do see this film, make sure to watch all the way to the end of the credits, you'll see why.