Stryde22 Reviews

Buried Alive (2007)

fun to watch, impossible to appreciate, typical B movie viewing

[6/10 · 6 November 2007]

#i'm trying a new simple review system like this so i don't know if its hard or easy to read XD#

IN A NUTSHELL: hatable teen personalities stay in a haunted house. a potentially good plot line is lost within the endless repetition of sorority rituals. good movie to sit and laugh a with friends.

Positives: -the movie is fun to watch. the acting is very laughable in most parts and actually add to the enjoyment of the film IMO -there is at least one creepy scene. i wont say where, but the classic horror style of "things changing their position at the speed of light" really gets used in an okay, albeit clichéd way. -THE SOUNDTRACK!!! i don't know who most of the artists are...but the soundtrack was so catchy for me the whole way through, especially tracks by Poets & Pornstars -Constant TnA throughout makes it a real teen horror movie. -an attempt at a deep plot is introduced roughly halfway, which, although failing miserably by the end, does give the viewers the chance to pick out he plot holes and make a better fold of events in their minds. -I'm not really a fan of Tobin Bell, but he wasn't awful in this. -some gore, although much of it was so bad that it was laughable again. -fairly decent special effects for a B-movie -nice set, even if it did seem highly unusual to me that a mansion sat in the middle of the desert. -predictable, but overall acceptable ending.

Negatives: -as described in the positives, the acting is laughably bad...and for some it may be turn off straight away -the constant insinuation of incest seems unnecessary as it doesn't add to the plot.had it been developed into the plot line it may have worked, but it wasn't, and it didn't. -the personalities of all the characters sucked. rich, stupid, snobby and bitchy seemed to flow through most of the characters. a little diversity could have gone a long way. -MASSIVE lack of back story behind the only remotely interesting character, who didn't even become remotely interesting until the last third of the film. -lots of repetition -lots of repetition -lots of repetition

VISUAL: decent sets, some great and not-so-great specialFX CAMERA: decent shooting, nothing too special, but good placements SOUND:great music choices, average sound effects CAST: great to look at, but their characters seemed out.

CUTE: no CREEPY: nope DRAMATIC: no FUNNY: Yes MELODRAMATIC: not really GORY: not very SAD: no SCARY: No SEXY: moderately SMART: not at all TENSE: maybe WORTH WATCHING: for fun WORTH PAYING: no

RECAP: -worth watching purely for some eye candy and something to chat about with friends once in a while. not scary-

IF YOU LIKED THESE, You'd LIKE "Buried Alive": horror movies that sucked but had potential: Dead Mary Dead Silence Deadly Visions Rest Stop

Overall: 6 out of 10:

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.45 (2006)

great underrated movie spoiled slightly by weak ending

[8/10 · 4 August 2007]

I had to travel all the way to Bali to find myself a copy of this movie. being a huge Milla Jovovich fan, i was determined to see her in another role that actually requires her ACTING ability (which, believe it or not, can be AMAZING in the right role) This movie fulfilled my wishes in that factor. Milla truly shows her raw acting ability almost flawlessly

this being said, the actual movie is not perfect. and it is definitely not for everyone. the dark and gritty realism in the movie is as intriguing as it is disturbing. the most respectable factor of the film is the way that it uses a believable plot and doesn't try to cross the line into an action movie.

The humour of the movie is dry and dirty, but very amusing. the documentary style monologues littered between key scenes give a fresh way to explore the characters. the speeches given by Kate and Als mothers are truly hilarious.

The relationship between Vic and Rielly is shown JUST the right amount to make it entertaining without being sappy or over-dramatic. they provide great sub scenes and silently hint the viewers with subliminal messages on sexuality and love

The key scene in the movie is clearly the abuse scene. at this point, Big Al drunkenly abuses Kate in their apartment. this scene is extremely disturbing and frightening. the acting is very powerful and realistic. for this scene alone i believe both actors deserve awards.

THE NEGATIVE

the last fifteen minutes were a steady descent downwards as far as plot was involved. at this point Kate begins seducing everyone and anyone in order to have Al framed for murder. this section of the movie seems to leave behind all the realistc plot events that were previously shown, especially when Aisha Taylors character gets involved with Milla.

in fact, despite being incredibly sexy throughout the film, Aisha's character seems to pul the movie increasingly downwards as she becomes less professional. i mean, in one sense her characters development was okay, because we saw that beneath the exterior of a strong and serious abuse victim there is still a thrill seeking and emotion driven woman. but on the other hand, her characters sudden lust for Kate and willingness to commit a crime seem unrealistic

the final twists that showed Kate caring "only for numbwer one" was a great outcome, although not brilliantly executed and far from moralistic. its also interesting to note that although the movie seems based around Kates abuse, it is quite obvious that she herself is abusing Al during most of the movie. you cant be sure how you feel about each character as they all experience different changes in the story.

I've kinda made this review all over the place XD but i think you might get the point. the movie was well developed, had great characters, great story, and Brilliant acting, but has a few flaws with its ending.

Wolf Creek (2005)

a terrifying non psychological horror? thats a first

[7/10 · 4 March 2006]

wow! like many other movies i review, i literally only just saw this. and i must say that I'm impressed with the SAFC, this is a truly horrific movie. The highlights: * Unknown cast- gave the movie a very realistic atmosphere. i was so happy to realise that none of the actors were remotely familiar. * Low Budget- the obvious low budget gave the film a gritty and unsettling appearance. the locations were convincing and didn't look too perfected for cinema. * Character Development- This was my favorite aspect of the movie. unlike the corny Hollywood slasher/horrors that jump straight into the gore, this movie gave about an hour of very carefully planned events made solely to adapt to the characters. it was strange because although nothing was really happening during that hour, it still seemed interesting. I've come to realise that this was because of how realistic it was to show non-eventful scenes. not every second of life has something interesting. * Psycho- Mick Taylor was a very creepy character because of how familiar his behaviour is. before we see his psychopathic ways, he comes across as just some friendly bloke trying to lend a hand. and his creepy smile is still terrifying long after the movie has ended.

Negative points: * a couple of factual mistakes, none too bad though * only loosely based on true stories, therefore not as scary

Apart from that, this was actually one of the best horror movies out there. definitely the best gore-fest horror, anyway.

Congrats to the South Australian Film Corporation!

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

as much as i hat the word, "beautiful" is the only accurate description

[8/10 · 11 February 2006]

Like many other reviews have commented, why is it such a problem that Ziyi Zhang played a Japanese character in this brilliantly filmed movie? technically we do the same thing in almost everything else. If you are a little less shallow than that (which i desperately hope you are) then you'd be enjoying the most visually extravagant and emotionally charged film of the year. All the actors were brilliantly casted, namely Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li, and the cinematography was saturated with bright colours. That mixed with the touching storyline, made this easily the most enjoyable drama i have watched in a long time. the only remotely negative point i could make is that there were a few moments that seemed somewhat slow. however, it all summed up to leave me feeling all satisfied by the end.

Harpya (1979)

Genuinely creepy, a masterpiece at its best!

[10/10 · 2 October 2005]

I must say now that i rarely give any movie as high a rating as I've done here. I saw this short film on Eat Carpet in the middle of the night with a couple of friends and by the time it was finished we were so paranoid that our feet were tucked up on the couch with us. this short is absolutely brilliant. it uses a surreal texture drawn collage background with delayed-frame images in the foreground to create artistic and unsettling atmosphere. the harpy itself looks terrifying, especially when it feeds. the musical score fits brilliantly with the somewhat shocking messiness of the harpy's actions. the absence of words adds to the atmosphere. it is truly creepy there is honestly nothing that i can say is wrong with this film. it is perfect and is one of the only things I've seen that has actually truly creeped me out. i strongly recommend that anybody and everybody views this movie alone in the dark when u already feel insecure and uneasy. it is truly amazing!

White Noise (I) (2005)

Stir of echoes rip-off but still kinda eerie

[7/10 · 2 October 2005]

When this movie came out in cinema's, i figured that it would have to be creepy. i am a fan of EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) and i knew that it wasn't long before a decent movie was released based entirely on it. Unfortunately, the movie was taken out of cinemas in Australia almost as quickly as it was put in, so i was unable to watch it until the DVD release, which was only recently. 'White Noise' is basically another eerie ghost story that relies primarily on a dark atmosphere. A man loses his pregnant wife and starts receiving strange paranormal acts of electronic static at exactly 2:30am on many nights. after some grieving he receives the aid of a man who practises EVP study. the concept (which i take great interest in) is that the deceased pass onto a plane that can exist in our world through white noise, such as that of TV and radio static. the concept is very supernatural yet pretty believable. anyway this guy starts to become obsessed with EVP, setting up a full media room for static surveillance in his house. he tries to find his wife through the static but finds so much more. he soon realizes that some things are best left alone.

i personally thought this movie was entertaining. not very creep or disturbing, but very intriguing. if you liked the sixth sense, poltergeist, stir of echoes and the ring then this should be up your alley. just don't expect anythin amazing.

OK I'm too tired to write a lnog review so yeah, signing out l8r

Versus (II) (2000)

what began as a bit lacklustre, finished as a brilliant movie

[8/10 · 18 September 2005]

despite my initial first thoughts, this movie turned out to be one that topped my favorites list. its basically an attempt at a stylish action movie, and manages to keep the audience intrigued all the way through. first things first though. if your looking for a movie with incredible special effects and amazing sets, this is not the right movie for you. this movie was made on what seems like a very small budget, which makes me appreciate it more. the cast made this movie for fun, and it shows! there is a huge amount of dark comedy in the movie. the crazy little screaming guy was hilarious! the cool, calm short haired assassin was also really funny, and her fight scenes were competition to trinity (the matrix. the yakuza leader with the knives was funny too...in small doses. the main villain was much cooler that most movie characters and the plot twists were great. its a movie that you have to appreciate for what they managed to create with such a low budget.